#me and the 7 minute compilation i made from this movie for my friend to get a second opinion if this is yuri or if im insane

[pluppsauthor]

Tag Game: OC Questionnaire!

BIG post, a compilation of every time I have been tagged for this (that I can find) and haven't already answered (I think)

Thanks to taggers at the bottom this time so I can jump right into it! (I'm doing each set of three with a different character from Frequency: Forsaken, since it lines up perfectly)

- - - - - - - [In order of appearance: Zenith, Kyr, Reven, Ino, Dawn, Dusk]

1. What genre of story would you rather be in? (as opposed to the one they are currently in)

*light laughter* "You're implying I'm in a story, one whose genre I'm not entirely sure of. But, knowing me, thinking of myself as being in a "story" is not a foreign thought to me." "As for what genre I'd like to be in. Something calm and nice, like a gentle romance or fairytale of knights and princesses."

2. Do you think you'd survive the movie A Quiet Place? (must stay as silent as possible or alien creatures hunt you down)

"I would need to stay silent? Hmm, I think I would do fine. I can't see, and despite having another form of perception, there are some things still out of my world. I could very well accidentally make a sound without knowing what caused it. My power is also silent so... that would help I think. Overall, I think I would do fine."

3. What's your idea of a quiet get-together with a close friend?

*light chuckle* "I've spent a lot of time with the friends I've made, but I think my favourite has to be sitting quietly by a calm river. The subtle sound and warm silence is really comforting to me. So anything like that would suffice."

4. How do you do on roadtrips?

"Roadtrips? Those aren't really a thing. But if we're talking about long journeys, just give me something to eat and someone to talk to and I'll be fine."

5. Do you have any rituals you stick to in daily life?

"Eating, sleeping, normal stuff. I don't really have "rituals" I do, I just coast, see what happens and go along with it."

6. What would your Halloween costume be?

*laughter* "Well I want to say a dragon, but that would be too obvious." *silent thinking* "OH! What if I was a knight! I can transform into a dragon, then I would be the princess, the knight, AND the dragon, just like those old fairytales. That would be good!"

7. How do you make decisions? Long deliberation, or impulse? Logic or emotions?

"I think things through. As much as I hate it, the amount of times I've given into my emotions is... staggering. I think fast, and act faster, no time for emotions to get in the way."

8. What is the best thing that could happen within five minutes after waking up? Does it signal that the entire day will be good?

"Not bleeding out or missing any limbs. So long as I'm in one piece and not dying, that's enough. And, no. No day has ever - Or will ever - be a good day unless Dusk is dead."

9. Is there anything that you find difficult that you feel should be easy?

"Dying."

10. Who's your favourite person?

"I've lived a long and storied life. To choose only one being who has impacted me the most is... cruel. Most of those I remember being fond of are gone, and I have long since forgotten their names. But they were, friends, of mine once, yes. Now, however... I suppose Dusk is most similar to those I remember remembering."

11. What food can you not stand?

"I don't need to eat, but I can. There was a time, once, where I did need to eat. That time was when I truly enjoyed food. I think my least favourite was something bland, I think it was nothing but basic grains and uncooked plants. It was terrible, so much so that I still remember it today."

12. Do you have any pets?

"I've had a few over my life, none currently however. They live such short lives, it makes me sad to grow close to them."

13. What's your favourite book?

"I haven't read much, on account of being raised outside of the system and being a wanted criminal for the majority of the rest of my life. I read one, once, it was some fictional book about some myth or legend. I think it involved a snake that ate itself or something."

14. Do you like your job?

"Job? That's a funny way of putting it. If you mean being a part of the New Season, then no. I don't like it, but it is a necessity, something that needs to be done."

15. Who would you kill for?

"I'm not one for revenge, mostly. I think if anyone else here in the New Season died. Dusk, Zenith, Kyr, even Ino. I think if they died, I might track down and kill whoever killed them. But if someone threatened ME, I wouldn't hesitate to kill them first."

16. What is your favourite thing to eat?

"Favourite things are for the rich and the comfortable. I will take any food that is edible, regardless of taste. I suppose my "favourite" would be any cooked meat. It really doesn't matter to me."

17. What is one of your lifelong goals?

"Well... that's a tough question. I don't think I have one. I want to help the New Season, seeing as I'm one of the people who founded it. But... that isn't really what I want to do." "I guess I want to tear down the Everden family, seeing how they are the reason my life ended up like this. But I'm not sure what comes after that, if anything."

18. Do you have any fears?

"After... I don't even want to talk about it... but, after that, I REALLY don't like jellyfish. I'm also afraid of forgetting, I don't want to lose my memories again."

- - - - - - -

Thanks to (inhale) @tildeathiwillwrite (here), @illarian-rambling (here), @kaylinalexanderbooks (here), @sunglasses-in-the-bentley (here, here, and here)! Love you all! ❤

As for who I will tag, no pressure as always, I will tag: @mk-writes-stuff, @phoenixradiant, @diabolical-blue, @somethingclevermahogony, and open tag. ❤

I'm back now from vacation btw, was out for the last week or so. Now that I'm back I intend to do some old cobwebs (tags) I've been tagged in.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

A real change of pace... To cool off... Here's a hyperfixation of mine that dates waaaaay back, to when I was little...

THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE & FRIENDS...

I've been thinking about the show's third season (1991-92) lately, for some reason.

Season 3, as I had learned in the recent years, was filmed in two separate portions - unusual in that every season in the classic series (approximately Seasons 1-7, 1984-2003ish) was typically filmed in one go. Not Season 3, for whatever reason.

It's been speculated by some fans that a showcase of the many props in London sometime in late 1991 impacted the filming, thus newer sets were built to accommodate the last portion of episodes. Maybe something else came up. Maybe something pertaining to the Japanese special THOMAS AND THE U.K. TRIP. Who knows...

And upon knowing the season's production history, you can't unsee it...

The first portion of Season 3, first released all at once on VHS - albeit with alternate, earlier narrations from Michael Angelis - in the UK in November 1991:

vs.

The second portion, aired in the spring/summer of 1992:

I kind of look at Season 3 as the coziest one. If Season 1 had a more pastoral, simplistic look with a chuffy synthesized soundtrack, and if Season 2 had a more dirty, sooty, industrial look... Season 3 is bright, colorful, cute, just warm and cozy really. Especially the nighttime scenes, which are real standouts here. Glossy models and softer faces constructed for the engine characters, too.

The music, composed by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell, is what holds the season together - tonally, along with Angelis' narrations - or George Carlin's, if you grew up with the U.S. version like I did.

Sets in Season 3, Part 1 included the likes of Henry's Forest in addition to a lot of countryside paths, and a much more spacious beach. Knapford is the big station here, while Tidmouth is the big station in Part 2. The roundhouse interior is a real giveaway, too. Season 3, Part 2 seems a little greener, you have the the three-way set (bottom left), those big harbor buildings (top right), and the castle tunnel. Whatever the story called for, they built it: A scrapyard that Oliver escapes from, the China Clay Works, Bulgy's bridge, etc. Even without their major sets, they still made up for it with the new ones.

It's still quite cohesive and distinctively season 3, but someone like me? I notice the minute differences. You can easily tell which episode is 3A, or 3B.

Season 3 is one that I didn't have much of on VHS growing up in the late '90s/early '00s. I had seen pretty much all of them via tape volumes I rented back in the day, or through SHINING TIME STATION when it returned to air in 2000 to promote the movie. SHINING TIME, the show that essentially trojanhorsed THOMAS onto American airwaves. The VHS tapes... Particularly the volumes "Thomas Gets Bumped", "Daisy", and "Percy's Ghostly Trick". All grab-bags of episodes from the first three seasons - but they had those Season 3 episodes I often couldn't come by. They were elusive in a way because of that. Everything else I saw was via a compilation tape, like "Thomas' Christmas Party" and "10 Years of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends".

And years later, I would be surprised to learn that an episode like 'Henry's Forest' was from that period - it feels like it could be a stealth Season 2 episode, albeit a calmer and less industrial-looking one. Maybe because it was on the aforementioned Christmas tape, my brain - as a 7-year-old kid - placed it in that era. Ditto 'A Scarf for Percy'. When I got a little bit older, I was able to place - sort of aesthetically - where each episode fell. A skim through IMDb would also help. Most I could reckon were from the '80s, and the rest from the early-to-mid '90s. Even with George Carlin narrating the majority of them.

Something about those episodes hit different to me when I was little, for sure, so I have a bit of an odd soft spot for them despite how I feel about that season overall. I think SHINING TIME's aesthetics and look also helps. I watched STS whenever it was on, as a really young kid circa 1995-96ish? I would remember asking "Why do the trains have faces? But no cowcatchers?" Then it was just the Thomas stories on VHS after that. I wouldn't really check out STS again until reruns came to Nick Jr., again, to promote THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD - which Shining Time Station itself was a big part of. And yet my head links that season and STS, more so than 1 & 2. The coziness of both, the nostalgic American train station setting of STS and the comfy visuals of Season 3, just goes together quite nicely. Throw in some unrelated other things I loved back then, and that's one of my nostalgia cocktails in a way lol.

[iruka-simp]

LIST OF ALL IRUKA EPISODES

I have compiled a list of all the episodes/movies Iruka Umino makes an appearance in. This took me hours of research to put together so please consider reblogging this/saving it for personal use if you found it helpful :) it would make me really happy to know this helped others out

iruka deserves all the appreciation in the world <3

episodes list after the cut:

All Iruka Umino Appearances

I noticed the 'Naruto: Shippuden' section had previously been inaccurate, however I revised it and it should now be fixed :)

(Note: episode title - episode number)

NARUTO

He Appears! Naruto Uzumaki - 1

My Name is Konohamaru - 2

Sasuke and Sakura: Friends or Foes? - 3

Pass or Fail: Survival Test - 4

You failed! Kakashi's Final Decision - 5

A dangerous mission! Journey To The Land of Waves - 6

A New Chapter Begins! The Chunin Exams - 20

Identify Yourself: Powerful New Rivals - 21

Genin Takedown! All Nine Rookies Face Off - 23

Special Report: Live From The Forest of Death - 26

Surviving the Cut: the Rookie Nine are Together Again - 37

Akamaru Unleashed! Who's Top Dog Now? - 44

Live or Die: Risk it All to Win it All - 56

Ultimate Defense: Zero Blind Spot - 61

Zero Hour! Konoha Crush Begins - 68

Village in distress: A new ranked mission - 69

An Unrivaled Match! Hokage Battle Royale - 71

Forbidden Secret Technique: Dead Demon Consuming Seal - 73

Astonishing Truth! Gaara's Identity Emerges - 74

Light vs. Dark: The Two Faces of Gaara - 77

Beyond The Limit of Darkness and Light - 79

The Third Hokage, Forever… - 80

Sensei and Student: The Bond of Shinobi - 100

The Three Villains From the Maximum Security Prison - 142

Tonton! I'm Counting on You - 143

A New Squad! Two People and a Dog?! - 144

A New Formation: Ino-Shika-Cho - 145

Remaining Ambition: Orochimaru's Shadow - 146

A Clash of Fate: You Can't Bring Me Down - 147

Departure - 220

NARUTO: SHIPPUDEN

Homecoming - 1

The Akatsuki Makes Its Move - 2

Mission Cleared - 6

Team Kakashi Deployed - 8

A Quietly Approaching Threat - 72

Under the Starry Sky - 74

Following the Masters Shadow - 153

Assault on the Leaf Village - 157

Power to Believe - 158

Pain vs. Kakashi - 159

Explode! Sage Mode - 163

Hero of The Hidden Leaf - 175

Rookie Instructor Iruka - 176

Iruka's Ordeal - 177

Iruka's Decision - 178

Thank You - 249

A Message From The Heart - 275

Shino vs Torune - 317

Nine-Tails - 327

Kurama - 328

Team 7 - 361

The Ones Who Will Inherit - 422

Naruto and Sasuke - 477

Naruto Uzumaki! - 479

Naruto and Hinata - 480

Gaara and Shikamaru - 482

Naruto's Wedding - 494

A Full-Powered Wedding Gift - 495

Steam and Food Pills - 496

The Kazekage's Wedding Gift - 497

The Last Mission - 498

The Outcome of The Secret Mission - 499

The Message - 500

BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS

The Mysterious Transfer Student! - 5

The Final Lesson! - 6

A New Path - 15

The Turbulent Field Trip - 25

The Quest For Souvenirs - 32

The Parent Teacher Conference! - 35

A Shinobi's Resolve - 37

Himawari's Ninja Trial Session - 154

NARUTO SD: ROCK LEE AND HIS NINJA PALS

Always Do Your Homework At The Last Minute! - 22

Friendship, Effort, and Victory! - 27

MOVIES

Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow: Naruto the Movie

Road to ninja: Naruto the Movie

The Last: Naruto the Movie

If I have forgotten anything or made a mistake, please don't hesitate to let me know! :D

I am currently rewatching these episodes to ensure this list is accurate, so I may omit or add episodes from time to time as well

[april132009]

hussie fiasco 2021

[intro] you look away from the homestuck fandom for ten minutes...

[verse 1]

cooler than me, karkalicious

fight hussie against his wishes

call out all the shit he’s done

claiming rights for everyone

spam dirk and jake pesterlogs

and all of the friend-shaped frogs

leprechaun romance

aranea and kankri rants

[verse 2]

pesterlogs and memos too

mimicking words from andrew

copypastas, paragraphs

revenge and pokémon raps

info about hussies lies

people that self-advertise

SCP, bard of rage

recite homestuck’s every page

[chorus]

you can’t fight the homestucks

tumblr crashed and burned when he made his return

you can’t fight the homestucks

the notes start to rocket and we just can’t stop it

[verse 3]

next up was open RPs

destroy devices with ease

how do i live without you

defending him is taboo

links to wikipedia

here we go, mamma mia

making posts about the notes,

neck gaiter around his throat

[verse 4]

wedded to the characters

using uwu-ifyers

several discord links in chat

owner commanderkarkat

that was only the first half

then the jars made their attack

hussie jar, jarpocalypse

say goodbye, huss of lips

[chorus]

you can’t fight the homestucks

tumblr crashed and burned when he made his return

you can’t fight the homestucks

the notes start to rocket and we just can’t stop it

[verse 5]

delete your homestuck avatar

characters inside a jar

sexy kan i, two trucks too

hussie just reblogged from you

broadwaystuck, bee movie

spamming caliborn kinnie

HP script, falsettos

what if we kissed in hussies notes 😳

[verse 6]

your fav hates hussie flag

non-spammers are getting mad

my immortal

piss kink

shrek recital, jar jar binks

every homestuck right is ours

mod dave kinda spittin bars

homestucks going apeshit

christian HP fanfic

[chorus]

you can’t fight the homestucks

tumblr crashed and burned when he made his return

you can’t fight the homestucks

the notes start to rocket and we just can’t stop it

[verse 7]

troll romance, typing quirks

danganronpa characters

never-ending playlist

other fandom fanfics

jar the notes, make some memes

hussies getting bullied

eggman announcement

spamming him with hivebent

[verse 8]

oppa toby style vid

d-clussie compilation

simps are calling hussie hot

did tumblr fandom just reblog

[chorus]

you can’t fight the homestucks

tumblr crashed and burned when he made his return

you can’t fight the homestucks

the notes start to rocket and we just can’t stop it

[verse 9]

clown paint all over his face

“AN INSULT TO THE HUMAN RACE”

throw in kankrilicious

the ratio’s hilarious

homestuck copypasta thot

d-clussie harassment bot

our headcanons are legit

hope this clears things up for him

[verse 10]

homestuckungpowpenis

please block me you won’t be missed

spamming direct messages

declare independence

spamming hussie with a horse

make him feel utter remorse

there seems to be confusion here

hiveswap took three fucking years!!!

[chorus]

you can’t fight the homestucks

tumblr crashed and burned when he made his return

you can’t fight the homestucks

and though we’ve slowed down, we will still spam on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on

you can’t fight the homestucks

tumblr crashed and burned when he made his return

you can’t fight the homestucks

the notes start to rocket and we just can’t stop it

you can’t fight the homestucks

tumblr crashed and burned when he made his return

you can’t fight the homestucks

the notes start to rocket and we just can’t stop it

[moblitberner-bunch]

Modern AU: Vlogs!

These have been sitting in my drafts for 1,5 year now so I decided to finish them and dedicate these to @quietcelt because she's gonna leave Tumblr soon... Me be sad...

Anka: Doesn’t have her own vlogs, she films Mitabi’s vlogs and comes up with fitness challenges for him to take part in. Posted three ASMR videos in five years and though they do good she forgot about them.

Mitabi: Sports vlog, workout routines, tips and tricks to boost your strength and endurance (How-to-pose-as-a-fitboy-for-instagram-and-get-10000000-likes).

Gustav: Has this online book club vlog in which he discusses and analyses books (and the movie adaptations).

Ian: No vlogs, but meme compilations. Rico is just shaking her head (but watches all of his videos secretly when Ian is asleep.

Rico: No vlogs.

Pixis: Doesn’t know what a vlog is.

Erwin: Tries to vlog his day-in-the-life-vlog but forgets to press ‘start recording’ so his videos are twenty minutes of black screen. Still has many followers on IG because everyone is fangirling in the comment section of his selfies.

Levi: Cleaning up with Levi. Top ten best cleaning products. Tea blends ranked. Cleaning life hacks. The importance of cleaning. Sometimes a workout video no one can keep up with, but everyone watches it to see his abs.

Mike: Full series on how to train every dog in easy and doable steps, from pup tot old doggo, shy or aggressive, with Mikes advice you will have 100% success.

Hanji: Your new favorite online chemistry teacher, will save your grades and your degrees singlehandedly. Considered starting an OnlyFans but the other vets forbade it.

Moblit: Sometimes tutorials on how to draw things, mostly vlogs his experience when visiting museums and galleries, also includes art history information in videos because he actually knows a lot. Don’t get him started on Brunelleschi’s talent, Moblit is a fangirl.

Nanaba: Made a small series in which she talked about childhood abuse and her abusive father, to break stigma and make the topic more discussable. She also told about how she overcame her past. It’s the only series she made but had many many views and loads of positive and supporting comments.

Eld: Challenge/prank videos with Gunther, sometimes family vlog with his wife and mostly his baby girl because he has to share her cuteness with the world. Every milestone is caught on tape.

Gunther: Loves the challenge-vlogs with Eld but hates the pranks. He joins Elds vlogs and balances Elds goofiness with serious and witty remarks. They would be a great duo to do some Buzzfeed Unsolved kinda videos.

Oluo: Life with all his brothers. How to keep them happy, and how to survive being the eldest and coolest of all the kids. Vlogs about taking them to theme parks and fun stuff. Many views because his brothers are hella cute, fucking funny and 7-year-old legends for life already.

Petra: Shows up in Nifa’s video’s. They often go shopping together, and she is basically in all Nifa’s vlogs. A Nifa vlog without Petra would truly confuse the audience by now. They be like: “Why is Petra not in this video?” “Where is Petra?” “Nothing bad happened to Petra right?”

Nifa: Come shopping with me vlogs, make-up tutorials, what’s the latest fashion news. Home deco vlogs. This girl is queen on the internet. She can literally vlog her morning routine with her bed hair and pyjama’s and still would get thousands of likes. The popularity of her vlogs opened the doors for her to design and release her first own clothing line.

Gelgar: Vlogs how he parties with his friends, how many tequilas he can down in 1 minute, the weird drunken antics caught on cam. He has 4 followers.

Mikasa: No vlogs.

Eren: Plays videogames for content, always gets way too aggressive and impatient. He only gets views because of his anger outbursts, gets approximately 10 likes and 1 thumbs down from Jean.

Armin: CrashCourse-like content, vlogs about scientific topics he will explain to make it understandable for the bigger crowd. Also saved a lot of grades and degrees.

Connie: Gameplay, walkthroughs and tutorials, almost professional gamer: he even makes money with it. Gets limited pre-access to games so he can promote the new game releases with his game content.

Jean: Cooks recipes, foodie, meal tutorials and Sasha rates his meals. Sometimes games with Connie.

Sasha: Appears in Jeans vlog and rates his food.

Historia: reaction videos. Rates everyone else’s vlogs. Witty comments. Did the fuck-marry-kill challenge once for the others (snk characters), and the viewers went WILD.

[aubrey-plaza]

CREATOR TAG MEME

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I was tagged by:

Sarah / @timothyolyphant. Sarah Sarah Sarah, where do I even begin. Started from the bottom now we here but it’s actually started from an ask I sent on anon about getting sunburnt in Bali, and now we here. Life always manages to remind me that through adversity you forge valuable bonds and you are one of those. Your gifs are amazing and your personality is even more stunning. I love talking to you and I love seeing much you love fostering people’s creativity. It has truly made me look at gifmaking in a different light and injected to much fun and positivity into this. So thank you, friend <3

Nums / @cillianmurphy. Nums, my love, fellow Bulb. What could I possibly have done so well in the past to deserve your presence in my life! Always teaching me new slang by osmosis and always a balm to my weathered heart, you lift even the darkest days with your kindness, consideration, and love for Paddington 2 best movie ever made. Plus your gifmaking brain is full chefs kiss. Thank you for teaching me so many things. One day when the world stops being so crazy I WILL visit you and hug you and that is a threat <3

Kumi / @hollywoods. Kumi, my cat icon kin. Simply said, I think your gifmaking skills are out of this world and your graphics live rent free in my mind. Your humour never fails to make me laugh and I need you to know that I STILL think about the time you described yourself as wearing a jester outfit jangling across the court for a laff. You’re a bright spot in my life and I’m grateful I’ve gotten to know you this year. Please never stop being so amazing <3

Cece / @nickyoung. Cece my darling. Thank you SO much for joining my lovecraft sideblog, I literally could not have done it without you. We don’t talk a lot but that doesn’t mean I don’t value you so much. Your creativity is incredible and your sets are SO fucking gorgeous and honestly goals. Seeing you flourish fills me with so much pride and joy and I’m so happy we got to know each other this year <3

Okay emo stuff out of the way, time for my favourite edits! There were a lot and im indecisive so here goes:

max max: fury road set - I like to call this set “kate learns how to make a colour set.” I learned how to make gifs and mmfr is one of my all-time favourite movies so it was only right that I made a set. I always thought this movie was only orange and blues, but making this gifset made me fall in love with the movie even more

birds of prey / dinah lance set - Dinah Lance love of my life. If you’ve followed me this year, you will know that I went into birds of prey a person and left birds of prey a dinah lance stan. I previously made a birds of prey colour set, but I wanted to do one JUST for dinah. I’ve seen one too many people say that it’s hard to do colour sets of poc so I had to see for myself and I’m SO proud of how colourful this set is. plus, yknow, I love her. 

pacific rim / stacker pentecost set - pacrim is one of my FAVOURITE movies and this character has so many iconic lines. This lowkey turned into a colour set which isn’t hard for a movie like pacrim. 

record stores in films set - I woke up one sunday morning and my brain was YELLING at me to make this set. I downloaded 25 movies that all have iconic record store scenes and watched every single one and ended up with ten perfect gifs. I cut so many movies bc they didn’t work as well and I’m so sad abt that but I had SO much fun watching the movies and ended up falling in love and finding a new fave in the compilation so it was really a Project and I had Fun. 

the old guard set - this line makes me SO feral and I just HAD to gif it. It’s one my favourites because it’s my new lesson for life.

BONUS: my Lovecraft Country sets. This show taught me SO much and despite it’s awful ending, I’m still grateful for the first 7 episodes and I did end up making 65 sets for it over 10 weeks so I feel it deserves a special place in my 2020 recap

women in history - learning about history through a show, is there anything better? This set in particular was SO easy to make and took me literally 20 minutes, but that’s because it’s built on a solid foundation of knowledge. I knew the moment I saw a character which person in history she was and I think that’s a kudos to the show and to how well they taught me stuff. Also these other historical sets. 

leti lewis outfits - took me FOR EVER. still fun tho.

episode 2 colours - speaks for itself but this show is so STUPID to colour and you can never use a psd bc every scene is lit differently but making a colour set was so much fun because of the challenge

this name etymology set - this took me four days and SO much time but im so proud of it because I tried new techniques and learned so much

Tagging some friends because I love seeing y’alls creations but I want to know what YOUR favourites are!

@vicspedretti @daisylouisejohnson @dani-clayton @hannahsgrose @jodiewhittakerr @hannahjohn-kamen @robintunney @chris-evans @alex-krycek @clintfbarton @bosemanchadwick @chloebeale @hailesteinfeld @timeslord @melsmonroe @annelisters @owenjoyner 

[fairytales-magic]

Hiya! So I’m just getting into musicals after my friend sent me two songs that were absolute bangers from Heathers and I’m pretty sure you like musicals so do you have any recommendations? 👀 if not that’s totally fine!

Oh. HOney.

Do i know musicals?!?! (i’m so sorry in advance, but you’ve opened pandora’s box)

Strap in, i’m your humble tour guide!

A Beginner’s Guide to Musicals

Now, its hard to organize these all but i’ll do my best. I orignally had MANY others on the list, but it seemed smarter not to overwhelm you with too many different genres, so i kept it simple. I also will recommend some songs out of order before listening to the show from the beginning, but that’s just

Some are gonna be movie musicals, so just bear in mind, but if you want the broadway version i can oblige! A couple personal favorites i highly suggest are:

Wicked

The backstory of the Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good, before the events of the Wizard of Oz.

 Listen, if i had to choose one show to see on Broadway, its this one. When the u.s. tour came to my city, i was beyond excited. And when my in-laws got orchestra seats for us to see it in, i all but cried. :D I could quite literally write an entire essay about the show deep diving into the costumes, the set and stage design, the tech and lights, the script adaptation, etc...

The music is iconic in its own right, and its just so much fun and full of heart! Start right at the beginning with No One Mourns The Wicked and The Wizard and I are brilliant places, but legit with any of these songs you can’t go wrong. There are even reprises in the show they didn’t put on the soundtrack but 1000% should be there, its just that good!

Full soundtrack available here!

Phantom of the Opera

 Ah yes! An oldie but a goodie. Its almost all singing, but boy is it worth it! I actually recommend watching this, cause it’d end up being the same runtime and you get the added benefit of seeing everything going on. But the whole movie soundtrack is available on YouTube, of course (the prologue is super slow, just fair warning, its a lot more for visuals than musical). The Phantom of the Opera title song is a great starting place. Music of the Night (immediately following POTO) and Think of Me are some of my top favorites, but really this whole soundtrack is just *chefs kiss*. Oh! And All I Ask of You just melts my heart! Also, of you want a great stage production soundtrack, the 25th Anniversary at Albert Hall starring Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo is fantastic as well!

Also also, i know where to watch both movie and stage performances, so just lemme know if you’d like that. :D

Hamilton

 Ok now hear me out! I honestly also didn’t like Hamilton when it first came out. And i didn’t for a long time. I’m a more traditional broadway connoisseur, plus the only rap i really listened to was Eminem. But even there i’m super selective, and i made the mistake of listening to the intro song first.

Don’t be me.

Sometimes you need the familiar first before you get to the place where they branch off (in this case, throwing in some rap verses).  

Hamilton in 7 Minutes is an amazing a cappella compilation of the entire soundtrack, plus the animatic someone drew for it is phenomenal. After that i highly HIGHLY recommend Helpless and then You’ll Be Back, oh and The Schuyler Sisters! This show is just as quirky and sweet as it is emotional. And i get its not for everyone, but i’d be remiss if i didn’t at least mention it.

Newsies

Inspired by the real-life happening of the Newsboys going on strike in 1899 New York.

Oh man, how do profess my love to thee? Mainly an all boys cast (but the ladies who have songs in it are *chefs kiss*), the choreography is as incredible as the music itself, and boy howdy is the music great! Jeremy Jordan is the butter on my bread and as Jack Kelly, just lives rent free in my head on repeat. If he sang to me every night, sleep would never be an issue. xD Carrying the Banner, King of New York, and Watch What Happens are great ways to start off this party. And here i shall grace you with the whole Live soundtrack (i didn’t like the audio quality for the regular recorded one i found, but its still the same cast so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯).  

The whole stage show was professionally filmed and lives on Disney+ currently btw! (so go watch it! The tap numbers and spoon playing in it give me LIFE)

Heathers the Musical

The darkly delicious story of Veronica Sawyer, a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerburg High: the Heathers. But before she can get comfortable atop the high school food chain, Veronica falls in love with the dangerously sexy new kid J.D. When Heather Chandler, the Almighty, kicks her out of the group, Veronica decides to bite the bullet and kiss Heather’s aerobicized ass…but J.D. has another plan for that bullet.

 I’m so glad you already like this! The music really is a great banger and the story surprisingly manages to be both edgy humor-wise and serious when the moments call for it. Its a lot of fun and i’m surprised by how much i like it. If you haven’t already listened to them, Beautiful is the intro and is really good, and also Candy Store & Big Fun!

The Little Mermaid Musical

 The movie and musical that need no introduction! I was really surprised by how much i liked Broadways soundtrack for the show, and how short-lived its time on stage was. It really doesn’t get enough credit for how much creativity went into everything. And what an all-star cast too! All the original songs from the movie are there, and i think they did a really good job expanding them even more, especially Under the Sea. Her Voice (10/10 just melts my heart) i’ll also recommend beforehand but honestly you don’t need too much. Just go straight from the start and head onward, you’ll really enjoy it!

The Sound of Music

 Man i’m getting nostalgic. Another oldie but goodie! My mom, sisters and I loved watching this movie growing up (along with Oklahoma, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Singin’ In the Rain, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, and just...every musical in our collection ;P). Funny, sweet, romantic, heartwarming, its got it all! The Sound of Music kicks everything off, and from there you can’t go wrong, but this is another movie musical i highly encourage watching! Also i just wanna throw in The Lonely Goatherd now cause its so much fun, so why wait?! ~~

Ok whew! I think that’s it (for now). It took a while to find links for everything, but we did it! Please holla at me if you have any questions or concerns. :)

Oh yes, and if you would like to see any of these masterpieces via recording, i may or may not have such knowledge for your viewing and/or audio entertainment.

[asimawv]

I write and conceptualize story to music, so I’ve compiled a playlist of 30 Darkest Dungeon-specific songs that I listen to when writing (and subsequently re-writing) in no particular order, which I hope will help you set the vibe too. :+)

Names in bold are links for easy listening - tons of Hozier and Of Monsters and Men up ahead, five minute warning.

1. ‘Fire and the Flood’ - Vance Joy

If you listen to nothing else on this list, listen to this one - it’s the kind of song that’s made for movies about yearning. Folk influences, choruses of trumpets and vocal harmony, and instruments that are layered for a rich, resonant sound. This is the song I imagine Dismas and Reynauld horse-racing through a crowded outdoors market in the hamlet to, and the song I listened to nonstop freshman year when I first started writing The Myth of Sisyphus.

You're the fire and the flood And I'll always feel you in my blood Everything is fine When your hand is resting next to mine Next to mine You're the fire and the flood

The chorus is built around biblical allusions to the fire (the burning bush signifying first contact) and the flood (destruction of the first world), the beginning and end. Every line is similarly evocative of Darkest Dungeon in their simplicity (“I’ve been getting used to waking up with you,” etc.)

2. ‘Soldier, Poet, King’ - The Oh Hellos

By the title alone you can guess who this is for. Even the Guild quote for the Leper approaches these three things as the defining parts of his character (specifically it’s “a ruined man, a warrior, and a poet.”) This song coincidentally has an old world influence to it, with a Medieval Renaissance style from a guitar playing a lute-adjacent melody.

There will come a ruler Whose brow is laid in thorn Smeared with oil like David's boy, oh lei oh lai oh Lord Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh Lord Smeared with oil like David's boy, oh lei oh lai oh Lord

To be smeared with oil is to be anointed by a prophet and thus chosen by god himself to be king, just as David was and his boy after him (presumably Solomon). There’s something strangely wistful about the imagery, which is just how I like my songs about bygone kings.

3. ‘Exit Hymn’ - Bear Attack!

This song is about the end of the world in a version where everyone simply stands together in silence watching, rather than having the masses swarming in panic.

Lovely shapes to the world descending, Brothers and sisters. Lovely shapes to the world descending, Brothers and sisters Mute.

It defies Lovecraftian horror, which is based on the premise that “common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large” - it flies in the face of existential nihilism and the despair that it should bring us. That’s why I like this song for deaths in the end-boss fight; it also has a special place for other death-related ideas, like full-party wipes - entire teams of people vanishing into the dungeons, gone insane, holding hands while the darkness surrounds them.

It’s a bare song which has a sanctity to it, mostly just piano and rain and human voices. Just what you would hear at the end of the world.

More under the cut:

4. ‘Pursuit of Glory’ - Jhameel

This song is laid-back. It doesn’t have the Homeric intensity that some of the other songs here do - it’s a guy with a guitar and vocal harmony. By god is it a great piece of writing though (all of Jhameel’s older songs have that quality to them), and all of it is evocative of Darkest Dungeon.

So many eyes set on the path to glory Too many ties, friendship is for the lonely Can't still my heart, my tongue has tasted folly Thirsty for art, hungry for power and money

This is a song for everyone in the barracks, especially the ‘laundry list’ of people and their approaches to the pursuit of glory.

5. ‘Good Old Days’ - Macklemore (feat. Kesha)

This fucker put a Macklemore song in here. I did, yeah. It’s not even the only song with Kesha in it here (I’m sorry.) 

It’s a sentimental pop song, and I am sentimental to a fault. This is Darkest Dungeon AMV material, and I always mishear one of the lines as “we were underground, loaded mercs in that 12-passenger van” so it’s here.

We've come so far, I guess I'm proud And I ain't worried about the wrinkles around my smile I've got some scars, I've been around I've felt some pain, I've seen some things, but I'm here now Those good old days

6. ‘Past Lives‘ - Kesha

Here it is, the other Kesha song - this was introduced to me by a good friend, also in a Darkest Dungeon context. There’s just something about the lovers spanning time trope and finding each other in one life to the next that is irresistible (for the obvious reason in the context of Darkest Dungeon.) It’s a soft song, totally out of place in Kesha’s typical discography, and has a line about losing someone to the crusades, so... you know.

There's just somethin' about you I know Started centuries ago though You see your kiss is like a lost ghost Only I would know But I, I keep on falling for you Time after time Time after time

7. ‘Viva la Vida’ - Coldplay

You cannot fight this. You know that this is the song for King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, you know it is. Did you know the official name of this genre of music is “Baroque pop”? Yes, that means more songs like this exist. You will live with this information now.

Don’t fight it. Just let it wash over you.

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing Roman Cavalry choirs are singing Be my mirror, my sword and shield My missionaries in a foreign field For some reason I can't explain Once you go there was never, never an honest word And that was when I ruled the world

Mirror, sword, and shield, the three other members of his party, his missionaries in a foreign field. Thinking emoji. I typed that out so I wouldn’t have a repeat of the crab emoji incident.

8. ‘The Boxer’ - Jerry Douglas (feat. Mumford & Sons, Paul Simon)

Partly inspired by the Bible, Simon & Garfunkle’s ‘The Boxer’ is a folk rock song about poverty, loneliness, and homesickness. It’s written and sung in a style that’s strongly reminiscent of older times, and the final verse about its eponymous boxer is particularly powerful:

In the clearing stands a boxer And a fighter by his trade And he carries the reminders Of ev'ry glove that laid him down Or cut him till he cried out In his anger and his shame "I am leaving, I am leaving" But the fighter still remains

This is what I use for Dismas’ life leading into organized crime and his foolish abandonment of stable job prospects in a half-baked bid for fame, as well as being punched down over and over again but with nowhere else to go. That last part is widely applicable across the cast.

9. ‘I Will Wait’ - Mumford & Sons

I am but a simple man. I see 'folk rock' and add it to my Darkest Dungeon playlist. This song I use for Reynauld - it has that sort of “salt of the earth,” somewhat biblical humility in its choice of words and style. 

Raise my hands Paint my spirit gold And bow my head Keep my heart slow

10. ‘Little Lion Man’ - Mumford & Sons

Have we not beaten this song to death yet? Can you blame us? This is the people’s song. We reserve it for all of our favorite fuck-up characters, as primal as Saturn devouring his son. We love this song. Jesus.

Tremble for yourself, my man, You know that you have seen this all before Tremble little lion man, You'll never settle any of your scores Your grace is wasted in your face, Your boldness stands alone among the wreck Now learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck

The line about learning from your mother in particular is why I think of this song for Dismas’ introspection, but I also associate it with the Hellion.

11. ’From Eden’ - Hozier

There’s too much Hozier in my playlists. There is so much of it, and it’s all important to me, says the hoarder. There’s something about profoundly intimate folk music that I love, and god put folk, R&B, blues, and alt rock into a Vitamix for 45 seconds to make Hozier.

Honey you're familiar like my mirror years ago Idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword Innocence died screaming, honey ask me I should know I slithered here from Eden just to sit outside your door

‘From Eden’ is, according to Hozier, about idolizing someone from a distance, written from the perspective of the devil “looking longingly at something he desires - for everything that he does not have.” I associate this song with the Grave Robber for its playfully nihilistic tone - Audrey does say something to the effect of being left for dead by high society and the affectionate bordering condescending address is on-brand.

12. ‘Cherry Wine’ - Hozier

‘Cherry Wine’ is unabashedly about domestic violence, and its sincerity is heartbreaking, the sanctification of the blood spilled in the name of keeping her.

The way she tells me I'm hers and she is mine Open hand or closed fist would be fine The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine.

This song is strongly tied to the Vestal for me.

13. ‘Work Song’ - Hozier

A song about unconditional love - heaven and hell were just words, indeed.

When my time comes around Lay me gently in the cold dark earth No grave can hold my body down I'll crawl home to her

I think of this song for both Dismas and the Abomination - it’s a song about love transcending spiritual and even physical need, complete devotion, but something about it is also not quite right. It’s morbid and excessive, self-pitying, and almost ugly in its sincerity.

14. ‘Sunlight’ - Hozier

The strong gospel influence with the choruses, church organ, religious fervor - I think it makes a great song for traveling scenes and church/altar scenes.

I had been lost to you, sunlight Flew like a moth to you, sunlight oh sunlight Oh, your love is sunlight Oh, your love is sunlight (sunlight, sunlight) But it is sunlight

15. ‘Arsonist’s Lullabye’ - Hozier

The gospel this time is paired with electric rock instrumentation. Something about the lamentation is unapologetic and matter-of-fact in its disturbing inclinations - this is Paracelsus’ song. Arguably representative of Bounty Hunter and Flagellant as well.

Now that I think about it, it’s great for Abomination as well. Damn.

All you have is your fire And the place you need to reach Don't you ever tame your demons But always keep 'em on a leash

16. ‘We Sink’ - Of Monsters and Men

Of Monsters and Men are closer to the indie rock/pop spectrum with influences of folk, with much less biblical influence and more folklore-inspired lyrics. They make for great trailer and action songs.

We are the sleepers, we bite our tongues We set the fire and we let it burn Through the dreamers, we hear the hum They say come on, come on, let's go So come on, come on, let's go

In Lovecraft’s Cthulu mythos, dreams are how the Old Ones commune with humans on the earth’s surface while they slumber in the ocean depths (Cthulhu fhtagn meaning “Cthulhu is dreaming”); I like to think of the ‘sleepers’ as the heroes being tasked to “set the fire” and the ‘dreamers’ being the Heir and Ancestor driven by some unseen force to unearth the antediluvian underground.

17. ‘I Of The Storm’ - Of Monsters and Men

Very somber song, overwhelmingly piano and snare drum and vocals. Also a great death scene song, or for introspection around the campfire, or played to reveal a major event.

If I could face them If I could make amends With all my shadows I'd bow my head And welcome them

18. ‘King and Lionheart’ - Of Monsters and Men

My favorite OMAM song - it’s clearly written about two children, kind of reminiscent of ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ in its fantastical nature, and very upbeat about the end of the world.

His crown lit up the way as we moved slowly Pass the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind Though far away, though far away, though far away We're still the same, we're still the same, we're still the same

This part is reminiscent of the Leper’s journey, but the mentions of taking over a town, howling ghosts, the end of the world, a black sea and creatures lurking below, etc. are all evocative of Darkest Dungeon.

19. ‘Little Talks’ - Of Monsters and Men

Also very upbeat for its subject matter - according to OMAM, it’s a narrative of a woman speaking with the ghost of her dead husband, or going insane and believing that she’s speaking with her dead husband.

Some days I don't know if I am wrong or right Your mind is playing tricks on you, my dear 'Cause though the truth may vary This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

The call-and-respond style of the song is haunting. I like this song for expeditions and afflicted heroes.

20. ‘Wolves Without Teeth’ - Of Monsters and Men

Suitable for both Occultist and Abomination, being consumed by an unseen and otherworldly force that inhabits them - well, maybe just rarely seen, in the Abomination’s case. Special mention to OMAM’s ‘Human,’ same conceptual backing but more raw.

You hover like a hummingbird Haunt me in my sleep You're sailing from another world Sinking in my sea, oh You're feeding on my energy I'm letting go of it He wants it

21. ‘Desierto’ (Original Motion Picture Score) - Woodkid

This is a full album, because all of it is dark orchestral cinema music described as ‘unsettling,’ with the sole exception of ‘Land of All,’ which has vocals to it. I reserve this album for writing fight scenes and for particularly unsettling events because it’s tense and wordless. I read Junji Ito to this soundtrack too, it’s insanely high-strung and discordant.

22. ‘Iron’ - Woodkid

‘Iron’ qualifies as Baroque pop - you might recognize this as the Assassin’s Creed: Revelations song. The large-scale, cinematic style of it and thematic lyrics make it great for writing about dramatic encounters or brigands.

This deadly burst of snow is burning my hands I'm frozen to the bones, I am A million miles from home, I'm walking away I can't recall your eyes, your face

23. ‘Never Let You Down’ - Woodkid (feat. LYKKE LI)

Another somber song, orchestral with some industrial noise in the mix - another great introspection song, or one for a scene with some hard decisions to be made.

Will you come along cause I'm about to leave this town In my eyes, a waterfall, all I can hear, a siren call Could you be waiting by the shore, oh I could drown without you Will you be holding out the line when I fall?

24. ‘Run Boy Run’ - Woodkid

Church bells, fast percussion, strong orchestral presence. For chase scenes, obviously, but great for fast-paced sneaking scenes as well. Also has a strong quasi-Medieval fantasy setting style to it.

Tomorrow is another day And you won't have to hide away You'll be a man, boy! But for now it's time to run, it's time to run!

25. ‘I Love You’ - Woodkid

Don’t let the scream effects and aggressive percussion at the beginning deter you (it kind of took me by surprise the first few times too) - it soon fades into more of the church bells and melodic string accompaniment.

Oh yeah, unrequited love song? It’s free (mental) real estate, baby.

Is there anything I could do Just to get some attention from you? In the waves, I've lost every trace of you Where are you?

26. ‘Vagabonds’ - Grizfolk

A rare departure from folk! Grizfolk is alt rock/indie pop. Stylistically it doesn’t match the feeling of Darkest Dungeon, but lyrically it’s almost 1:1 to arrival in the hamlet and the subsequent expeditions. Good song for writing about recruits bonding.

Oh this careless ground, guessing this is home now Oh in no man's land, at least we're still standing And we're all just fighting, some of us will not return And there's no redemption in trying to find your way out

27. ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ - Lorde

Great trailer fuel, if you’ve seen the AC: Unity E3 trailer with this song - I listen to an extended version when writing fights in the Guild, especially one where two heroes are beefing. It’s got a primal kind of thing going on. I also associate this song with the Arbalest - lyrically, it fits her backstory like a glove.

Welcome to your life There's no turning back Even while we sleep We will find you

Acting on your best behavior Turn your back on mother nature

28. ‘Torches’ - X Ambassadors

More alt rock/indie pop - kind of a rallying song for dark expeditions, hopeful but still somber in nature - some gospel elements. X Ambassadors’ more popular ‘Renegades’ is also a fun tavern song.

Come on, carry your flame Carry it higher Leave it in the darkness Carry your torches

29. ‘Passing Afternoon’ - Iron & Wine

This is a song I use for reconciliation or domestic scenes - Dismas with Junia in the garden, for example. It’s soft and kind of meandering, and features vintage piano - you know, the piano you heard in the basement of your church turned community center as a child.

There are times that walk from you like some passing afternoon Summer warmed the open window of her honeymoon And she chose a yard to burn but the ground remembers her Wooden spoons, her children stir her Bougainvillea blooms

30. ‘Some Nights’ - Fun.

You know this song, your mom knows this song, everyone knows this song from like, middle school. Thought it’d be fun to end this list on an uplifting and very popular song. This is the song that a Disney adaptation of Darkest Dungeon would use in the Training Montage™ - from the point of view of Reynauld. It hits all of the points - being their commander rather than their equal, his stern and antisocial zealotry with no true ideology behind it, the ghost of his wife.

Verse 2, starting with “Well, that is it, guys, that is all / Five minutes in and I'm bored again” is where I see it transitioning to Dismas.

Well, some nights, I wish that this all would end 'Cause I could use some friends for a change And some nights, I'm scared you'll forget me again Some nights, I always win (I always win) But I still wake up, I still see your ghost Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for, oh What do I stand for? What do I stand for? Most nights, I don't know

_____

Well that’s all from me! Feel free to leave your own recommendations in the replies, and I’d love to know what you think about my personal picks. :+)

[toogoodmusic]

THE TOO GOOD TEN with Drew Louis

Pop singer, songwriter and producer Drew Louis drops his latest release “Petty.” The refreshing new single is dripping in both classic and experimental pop sonics with a story that everyone can relate to. “Petty” joins previously released singles “Falling In Like” and debut “BLOCKED.” Get to know the young artist by checking out his Too Good Ten below:

1. What is it about music that made you want to pursue a career in it?

Ever since I was five years old belting out Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man” in the backseat, my parents knew that music was definitely in my blood. Besides my six-month-stint of wanting to be an astronomer at age eight, I’ve always wanted to be a musician. My parents actually met while doing a show at their community theatre and my older brothers both teach music full time, so if I wanted to be a doctor I think my family might look at me sideways.

2. Growing up you were exposed to a wide variety of music such as Classic Rock, Jazz and R&B. How did you end up discovering pop and gravitating to that sound?

Music was always playing in the house growing up, so I was hearing everything from my angsty teen brothers’ mixes to my mom’s compilation CD’s she burned from her iTunes library. While listening to all of these eclectic sounds, pop music always broke through and really spoke to me; serving as an escape to anything I was going through. A musical utopia where polished vocals, ear candy, and slick production were all able to coexist in a nice little 3 minute package.

3. Congrats on the release of “PETTY.” What’s the story behind it? Is it based off a true story?

This record is the culmination of a lot of built up feelings, [laughs]. I think everyone can relate to a toxic ex, friend or even a family member who has just gone so low that you just can’t take the high road anymore. I brought the track to my co-writers Jayelle Gerber, Carlee Chappell, and Francis Karel and the rest is history!

4. Do you consider yourself to be “PETTY?” What’s the pettiest thing you’ve been petty about?

I always try to be a level-headed person, but sometimes you’re pushed so far to the edge that you gotta stoop to their level. Not proud to admit this one, but literally just yesterday I was driving and making sure I was clear to turn right on red and the guy behind me honked...so I simply sat at the red light for another thirty seconds until it turned green. He was not very happy.

5. You also write and produce for various other artists - how is that process different then when you’re working on your own music?

Writing and producing for other artists is such a blast. You’re able to take the music in places you might not be comfortable going in yourself - whether that be lyrically, or sonically. I recently collaborated with Sony Japan’s a cappella group The Gospellers on their new single, “Loving Out Loud.” Creating an entire song with vocals was an interesting challenge that turned out to be super awesome!

6. On your socials you mentioned that you’d love to collaborate with RAYE. What is it about her that makes you want to collaborate with her? If you had to decide right now what would be the name of the song you guys would release together?

RAYE is so insanely talented. Her record “Please Don’t Touch” is pop gold! We both fall into the niche of broken-hearted pop songwriters, so I think we’d make the most heart wrenching record but simultaneously the most danceable one, [laughs]. Let’s call it “Last Goodbye.” Feels dramatic enough, eh?

7. You just released your debut single “BLOCKED” back in December. What was it like to release a debut single? What’s the biggest learning you got from that initial release?

Finally making my debut was so freeing. As an artist you always hear people in the industry telling you “You have a lifetime to make your debut, and six months to make your second album”. So I wanted to make sure I didn’t rush myself. I took time to find my sound and to bring my music to a quality I felt confident in. “BLOCKED” taught me a lot and with each release I am trying to make better music and find my unique sound. I feel like “PETTY” is the true representation of that.

8. Your social bios describe you as a wannabe comedian. If for some reason music didn’t work out would you look to pursue a career in comedy? If so, would it be as an actor, stand-up comedian, social media comedian or all of the above?

I happen to think that I am hilarious. I would love to do have some TV/Movie cameos or do a little three-month-run on Broadway? However, the key word in my bio is definitely wannabe.

9. If you could only listen to (5) artists/bands for the rest of your life, who would they be?

This answer changes on the daily, (which would really be awkward if this was a real dilemma!) but I would say Janelle Monáe, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars and Lorde.

10. What’s the rest of 2021 look like for Drew Louis?

Plenty of new singles and possibly an EP! Working on building up my repertoire, my fanbase and will hopefully be able to start touring by 2022! I’m really excited to bring these songs to life on tour, and for all of the new material to come.

Stay up-to-date on everything Drew Louis by connecting with him below:

Instagram

Tik Tok

Twitter

YouTube

The Too Good Ten interview series is dedicated to giving you a quick glimpse at some of the freshest voices in music. Ten Questions. One Artist. Too Good. Let’s go.

[julie1706]

Julie’s incredibly aesthetic incredibly autumny list of movies that she maybe recommends:

Alright! Hi there! 

My name is Julie, and I really love fall. I love hot tea, warm blankets, candles, ghost stories, fog and I really, really love rain. I never get tired of any of the aspects of fall, but I think the easiest way to really soak up the atmosphere (aside from amazing books, which I don’t really have the time for), is movies! Here, “autumny” movies. 

But that’s a really vague term, and I think many people have a very individual idea of what a fall movie is, that don’t really line up with mine. So the most obvious thing seems to me, to make one myself. 

I’m guessing one, maybe two or three people will see this, and I count myself as one of them. The others (hej Sif og Malin!!) might not even get to read this, but if they do, I hope they like it. I hope you like it, Malin and Sif! Also, I love you! And miss you!

Right. I’ve seen a lot of examples of the “list of movies to watch in the fall/autumn”, and they’re all fine and great, but I guess I’ve never been completely satisfied with them, as I mentioned. 

So after like 10 minutes of research, I’ve made up my own list, of movies I thought seemed interesting or just plain cozy and nice. I admit, they aren’t ranked, sorry, and I haven’t watched all of them, so a good deal of these will really just be mentioned because of optimism. Also, I don’t think there’s a lot of scary ones, so don't worry. 

And I promise I will mention if they’re very spooky. I’ll put a warning like: “Warning! Spooky!”, at the top or something. That should do it. 

Lets get started! :-)

1. Practical Magic

This first one I actually saw some years ago, with my mom, when I was much younger. I liked it, but I have a feeling I will like it even more, if I watch it today. A really classic halloween, witchy movie, that was surprisingly touching in the family aspect!

Official synopsis: 

Two witch sisters, raised by their eccentric aunts in a small town, face closed-minded prejudice and a curse which threatens to prevent them ever finding lasting love.

//Not very spooky, as I remember it. But good! Lovely witchy aesthetics!

2. Silence of the Lamps

Ugh, I love this movie! That might be a not so good thing to say, it’s really twisted. But I like how creepy it always is, no matter how much i watch it, and how the twists and turns never fail to be interesting, even though I know the plot by heart now. I love Clarisse, I love the foggy, grim nature of the movie, and I don’t really love Hannibal, he’s creepy, but you can’t deny that Anthony Hopkins really carry this movie! Perfect serial killer acting. If that’s a thing.

Official Synopsis: 

A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.

//VERY spooky! Or just plain scary. Sif - do not watch!! Many people are killed in many, gross ways.

3. Witch

Haven’t seen this one! I really want to, and have since it came out, but there haven’t really been any (legal) places to see it. I love the tension that was present even in the trailer, and the whole aspect of an oppressed young girl evolving and breaking free in the scariest way possible is really interesting. Not all horror movies are my thing, but I really hope this one will be! And I love everything about witches, so.

Official synopsis:

A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic, and possession.

//Warning! Just from the trailer, I can conclude that this one is very scary.

4. Julie and Julia

This one I haven’t actually seen either! I think I’ve spotted among my mom’s dvds, but nope, haven’t seen it. I don’t really know a lot about Julia Child either, but it seems like a super-heartwarming film, so I hurried to include it!

Official Synopsis:

Julia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book.

//This one seems safe.

5. The Addams Family (Both of them are good!)

This one, the “first” one, I saw last year. It’s actually a remake of an older movie, which is apparently based on an even older comic -who knew? And there’s a second one, following this one, I might add later. But tt was so good! Gah! I loved it, and I’m definitely rewatching this year. Wow the whole vibe of this family is fantastic, and I wish more families in movies were as dedicated to an aesthetic as the Addams! Watch it! It’s so nice!

Official Synopsis:

Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.

//I know it seems scary, but trust me, it’s fine! It’s really more funny than spooky. You’ll enjoy it, trust me!

6. Hocus Pocus

Alright, never seen this one! But when I joined tumblr, the americans were always bringing this one up, and it’s always included in those lists I was talking about earlier, and again, witches, so a no-brainer for me, to include on this list. Man I can’t wait to see it, I hope I’ll like it.

Official Synopsis:

A curious youngster moves to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.

//I have no idea what the spooky-level is in this, but it doesn’t seem that bad.

7. Halloween (the original)

I have wanted to see this in FOREVER! It’s such a classic, and a really iconic, classic, older horror movie. I don’t actually know why I haven’t seen it yet, it might only be because there was no place to watch it, the last time I checked. I hope it has changed, I really want to see it. It has all the classic tropes, and a scary serial killer, it really is a peak-halloween movie. Spot-on name, huh!

Official Synopsis:

Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.

//Might be a bit too scary for some. 

8. The Princess Bride

This is so good!! All the characters are straight of a fairy tale (literally), but they’re neither flat or boring. And the love story! Ah! I loooove it! I really enjoyed it last year, when I watched it, so I understand why it’s become such a classic. And there’s so many iconic lines in this movie. The whole mood of it is such good, and the plot isn’t the craziest thing, so watch it to relax!

Official Synopsis:

While home sick in bed, a young boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.

//Not scary, fret not!

9. The Craft

Have never seen or heard about this movie, until the morning, when I compiled this list. I kind of want to though, now that I’m promised 90′s teenage witches. Hell yeah! The more witches the merrier!

Official Synopsis:

A newcomer to a Catholic prep high school falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft, and they all soon conjure up various spells and curses against those who anger them.

//No idea how spooky. Might be a little scary.

10. Sleepy Hollow (the one with Johnny Depp)

The legend of the Headless Horseman is famous, so that one I know. But this movie, which is based on that story, I haven’t seen. I can guess, though, the vibe from it’s original source material, and Johnny Depp and the male lead, and that makes me want to watch it! Also, how can you not, when you see all that fog?? So spooky and mysterious! I love fog!

Official Synopsis:

Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people, with the culprit being the legendary apparition, The Headless Horseman.

//Might be, like, ghost story-spooky. Or Tim Burton-spooky. Either of those. Hm. I don’t think it’s that bad? 

11. Scream

I LOVE SCREAM. SUCH AN ICONIC HORROR MOVIE. THANK YOU FOR USING ALL THOSE CLASSIC TROPES!! I love everything about this movie, and I might actually put it on when I’m done with this post, and watch it with a cup of tea and some popcorn if I can find some. The characters are delightfully flat and simple, what you see is what you get, and that actually makes this movie even better! It really feels like you’re watching THE halloween movie, it’s delightfully creepy and spooky, and I love it all. So. Much. Also - the lovely 90′s aesthetic is very much present in this one!

Official Synopsis:

A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game.

//Spooky! If serial killers are not you thing, don’t watch it. Not that it’s my thing either, but, uh, if watching characters be chased and killed off by a masked individual really freaks you out, stay clear of this one :-)

12. Dark Shadows

Love this movie. Watched it in the cinema, have it on DVD, have watched it numerous times since, and I always enjoy it. Another Depp-movie, and he really pulls it off in this one, as a creepy but also weirdly funny vampire, who has lost his one true love, and wakes up in the 70′s (i think), to help his relatives, now living in his ancestral home, with getting back on their feet. A lot of wild stuff happens in this movie, and I adore it.

Official Synopsis:

An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.

//Actually not that spooky! It’s not that bad, I think. Some places are a little scary, but there’s enough of humor present, that it should be fine!

13. Eve’s Bayou

I had never heard of this movie until this morning! But wow! It looks so dramatic and promising, doesn’t it? We will just have to see, I guess!

Official Synopsis:

What did little Eve see--and how will it haunt her? Husband, father and womanizer Louis Batiste is the head of an affluent family, but it's the women who rule this gothic world of secrets, lies and mystic forces.

//I have no idea. Really. I hope it’s a little bit spooky!

14. Clue

I have just played the game, sorry. And I enjoyed that, so I hope I will enjoy this too! No, I know I will, I love these stories, with really defined characters, like when someone is named “the soldier”, or “the socialite”. I’m sold, when stories like that are introduced to me. I really want to watch this movie! Also - young Tim Curry! Cool!

Official Synopsis:

Six guests are anonymously invited to a strange mansion for dinner, but after their host is killed, they must cooperate with the staff to identify the murderer as the bodies pile up.

//Nah. You’re good, with this one. Don’t worry.

15. Every Agatha Christie Movie

Yeah, sorry I want to watch every single film adaptation of her stories, and love them dearly. None of them can be bad, to me. But the only one I have watched, is the “Murder of the Orient Express”, and if I have to describe how much i love this one, this list will go on for much too long. I just really love this movie. I love the characters, I love the scenography, I love the choreography, just - Everything! It’s so pretty, and you will NEVER figure out the ending! I didn’t, at least. Watch it! It’s so good!

Official Synopsis:

When a murder occurs on the train on which he's travelling, celebrated detective Hercule Poirot is recruited to solve the case.

//Don’t worry about spookyness - there’s none! But watch it! 

16. Twilight

Perfect Autumn vibes! There is darkness, fog, rain, coldness, weird pale vampires, a nice love story - and most of it is out in a forest! Amazing! This whole movie seems to consist of only blue and green tones, in varying degrees of darkness, and I always sit with the feeling, that i can almost smell the rain and damp earth in these scenes. Great movie! Even greater use of atmosphere!

Official Synopsis:

Bella Swan moves to Forks and encounters Edward Cullen, a gorgeous boy with a secret.

//Not spooky!

17. Knives Out

Saw this in the cinema with my brother! I really love the main characters, and the plot is great too - I couldn't figure it out at all! I think it is a very creative, “new! approach to a murder mystery, and I applaud! Very autumny, very great sweaters from the female lead! Actually most of them have nice clothes, for this crisp, cold mystery movie!

Official Synopsis:

A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.

//Not very spooky! Don’t worry!

18. 10 Things I Hate About You

I watched this when i was like, 12, and definitely didn’t appreciate it. I think it based on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”. It’s one the best Rom-Coms I’ve ever seen! The dialogue is funny, the acting is fine, and the love stories are very cute! Also, I just adore Kate, like, in general! She’s so sour and surly! Watch this one, when you want to unwind and relax! Maybe with your friends. Or alone, that’s cool too!

Official Synopsis:

A pretty, popular teenager can't go out on a date until her ill-tempered older sister does.

//Not spooky, lol.

19. Mona Lisa Smile

I haven’t seen this one, except for the very last few minutes, on evening when my mom and I was zapping channels. So I have very little, very confusing knowledge of this movie, based on an ending, with no context. But my friend told me about it once, and wow, it sounds heartwarming! And Julia Roberts is pretty great, normally!

Official Synopsis:

A free-thinking art professor teaches conservative 1950s Wellesley girls to question their traditional social roles.

//Not spooky!

Well then! That was all the movies I had the time to compile this morning! I might add more, I’m sure there’s a few classics, I have forgotten!

I hope you have a great fall, with many chances to be with your family and friends, and experience all the amazing things this read, yellow, brown and orange season has to offer! Have a great day - and thank you for reading!

- Julie :-)

[skottydawgblog]

Top 25 Albums of All Time

Scott Welsch

Criteria:

Every song on the album must be attractive for listening. No “skippers” on the album. No, “Eh, that song kinda sucks” on the album. *Greatest Hits albums ARE NOT acceptable for this list. (This rule devastates me, as it disqualifies Foo Fighters)

2. The album/music/lyrics should still be relevant (and listenable) today.

3. The artist can’t just be for a specific crowd or followers (e.g. Jimmy Buffet, Grateful Dead, Moody Blues, etc.).

4. There is no need for the album to have won any awards or previous recognition.

5. I could have easily made this a “Top 100”, but I have a life.

TOP TWENTY FIVE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME:

#25 Billy Joel — Glass Houses

I played this album at bedtime growing up. I listened to side one, flipped the album, then listened to side two until the needle lulled me to sleep by making the “click click” noise at the end of the record. The album features Billy Joel’s first song to reach #1 status on Billboard (Still Rock and Roll To Me).

#24 Guns n Roses — Appetite For Destruction

My best friend in the 80s said to me, “Have you heard of this new band?” and handed me a cassette tape (in 1987). I listened to the entire cassette from start to finish the first time, and thought to myself, “Oh, man. These guys are gonna be huge.” Sure enough, Guns n Roses became one of the best-known names in modern rock. Their debut album (Appetite) has a buffet of glorious songs to listen to. Repeatedly.

#23 Elton John — Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John released this album as a two-disc set because he ended up writing and recording more songs than required by his recording company for the release. His creativity had kicked in full force (and then some). He recorded it in Jamaica (the country, not the neighborhood in Queens, NY).

#22 Red Hot Chili Peppers — Blood Sugar Sex Magik

The Chili Peppers’ fifth studio album, BSSM pushed them into mainstream. Prior to this album, the closest they had gotten was with a Stevie Wonder cover of Higher Ground on the Mother’s Milk album. No one has ever duplicated the variety of melodic undertones created by the combination of acid-rock, soul-funk, early alt-rock, and blues style on BSSM.

#21 Billy Idol — Billy Idol

Billy Idol’s debut album, released in 1982, was an absolute success after his breakup with the band Generation X. The song Dancing With Myself (track 11 on the 1983 reissue of the album) was actually a song originally recorded BY Generation X (with Billy Idol on lead vocals). It was a retail failure when released with Generation X, but when Billy Idol re-recorded and re-released it as a solo artist, it went mainstream.

#20 The Police — Zenyatta Mondotta

This was the last album The Police recorded by combining their reggae and punk music style before they switched to a more “popular” music style. Songs like Canary In A Coal Mine and Bombs Away had innuendos of political undertones, while Don’t Stand So Close To Me and De Do Do Do De Da Da Da were more lackadaisical and humorous.

#19 Van Halen — Van Halen

This album is an anomaly. Van Halen is a very well known band. They produced twelve albums. Yet, this is their debut album and has their legacy songs. The album has reached Diamond status by selling over ten million copies. It has one of the best-known guitar instrumental songs in history (eruption).

#18 Nirvana — Nevermind

This is my nod to the Foo Fighters, since they are not eligible for the list. Nevermind was the cork that popped and brought alternative rock (as a whole) into the mainstream. It basically created a whole new genre of both musicians and fans.

#17 Lynyrd Skynyrd — (Pronounced Lĕh-’nérd ‘Skin-’nérd)

Well…Free Bird, of course. I don’t need to write any about this album more than that.

#16 Pink Floyd — The Wall

I used to just listen to this album and watch the movie because it was the cool thing to do. Then, once I picked apart the meaning behind both (the music and the screenplay), it was totally eye opening. Pink Floyd was successful at concept before concept was cool.

#15 The Doors — The Doors

The Doors recorded this album in less than a month, yet it will inspire musicians for centuries. Critics often rate it the best album of all time.

#14 Rainmakers — Rainmakers

The Rainmakers self-titled album epitomizes my “100%” criterion. Every well written song tells a story, either historically or humorously. Also, The Rainmakers made rockabilly cool when no one knew what rockabilly was.

#13 Rush — Moving Pictures

With so many amazing Rush albums to choose from, it was difficult to pick just one. However, the rules of my list narrowed it down to Moving Pictures. I have spent countless nights in my life listening to this album from start to finish. Although Side B has no songs that ever received radio play, they are still AMAZING songs.

#12 Linkin Park — Hybrid Theory

This debut album launched Linkin Park into their river of greatness. Linkin Park was initially rejected by 42 recording agents before recording Hybrid Theory and becoming one of the all-time greatest alt rock bands.

#11 Beastie Boys — Licensed To Ill

Licensed To Ill is one of the fastest selling debut albums in history. It gained Diamond status (over 10 million copies). Some claim that Licensed To Ill is the best punk rap album ever released.

#10 Van Halen–5150

5150 was Van Halen’s debut album with Sammy Hagar as lead singer. Each song has crisp, clear instrumentals and incredibly well written music. Although the album received negative reviews from critics, each song creates different feelings and scenarios with the tempos and feelings. I know, I know. Van Halen is already on this list. However, as stated: this album is with Sammy Hagar as lead singer. The previous one was David Lee Roth.

#9 Violent Femmes — Violent Femmes

This was Violent Femmes debut album. It was the party album of the eighties. Every partygoer knew every lyric to every song. The Femmes had one of the most distinctive sounds of the times and remains an enduring classic. The minimalism and simplicity of their music created the attractiveness, and their lyrics are a drug.

#8 New Order — Substance

This is a compilation (2 disc) album. NOT a greatest hits album. It contains a ton of great New Order music. The only reason I made the exception (of “Greatest Hits”) is because it has a “B” sides disc included with many unreleased, 12-inch, and dub versions of the original songs. For New Order fans, this is a gold mine.

#7 The Who — Who’s Next

There are so many great tracks on here. The primary reason this one made the list is Baba O’Riley. This song (often mislabeled as Teenage Wasteland) was originally 30 minutes long. I would have had no problem with the song being that long.

#6 Prince — Purple Rain

Purple Rain had innovation that was unheard of in the early ’80s. For example, When Doves Cry does not have a bass line. The consolidation of R&B with rock was a new concept. Lastly, Prince’s guitar playing on this album was out of this world.

#5 U2 — Joshua Tree

Bono’s “great romance” and fascination with the United States served as the inspirations for The Joshua Tree. I wonder if Bono would have found today’s United States as inspirational? One of the BEST songs on this album- Running To Stand Still.

#4 AC/DC — Back In Black

This is one of the best-selling albums in history. It is AC/DC’s leanest, meanest album of all-time. It will always sound timeless and simple, yet savagely crafted.

#3 Led Zeppelin — IV

This album defined not only Led Zeppelin but the sound and style of 70s hard rock. It encompassed heavy metal, folk, pure rock-and-roll, and blues. This album not only served as a cornerstone but also a turning point for the future of music. Just don’t ask a guitar player to play Stairway (or Freebird).

#2 Nine Inch Nails — Downward Spiral

It’s no surprise that Trent Reznor collaborated with Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins on this album. The instrumentation throughout the album is amazing. Every song leads into the next (it should, as it’s a concept album). Just don’t listen to the lyrics too closely. It could prove very, very depressing!

#1 Pearl Jam — Ten

Ten was the debut album from Pearl Jam in August 1991. Although most consider Pearl Jam a “Grunge” band, the album is more classic rock music. Most of the songs on the album began as simple instrumental band jam sessions that Eddie Vedder then wrote lyrics to go along with. The songs on Ten, despite their deep, dark lyrics, will remain on playlists for generations to come. Ten is powerful, insightful, deep, dark, thought provoking, and brilliant. “Why is the album named ‘Ten’?” you ask, when there are eleven tracks on it? Jeff Ament’s (the band’s bass player) love for NBA point guard Mookie Blaylock provided the inspiration. Blaylock’s involvement in a tragic car accident hit Pearl Jam like an injury to a family member. Blaylock’s jersey number was — you guessed it — Ten.

HONORABLE MENTION:

Steve Miller Band — Book of Dreams

This album has a few legendary songs on it: Jet Airliner, Swingtown, Jungle Love, and True Fine Love. The only reason it did not meet the cut is because it has some “eh” songs on it. However, a host can play this album straight through at a party or a get together, and no one will complain.

The Cars — The Cars

This is an amazing album. Clean, crisp guitar. Ric Ocasek’s vocals and lyrics are powerful. However, two songs (I’m In Touch With Your World and Dontcha Stop) prevent this album from meeting the “100%” criterion.

[mukuharakazui]

@greatcomets tagged me in a thing to showcase my 9 favourite movies and um 😳

9. the tigger movie (2003). absolutely legendary. cried 4 times watching it for the first time at age 16. the best found family story and an adhd mood compilation.

8. every movie except for chicken little. fuck chicken little. horrible movie.

7. angoor. from a VERY long line of adaptations starting at my boy billy shakes' the comedy of errors. funny and epic.

6. rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead, only because gary oldman and tim roth still managed to make it as gay as possible despite known dumbass tom stoppard taking out every single line of the script which could come off as gay along with the top 3 funniest bits. also because it probably started the thing where roth and oldman communicated via magazine covers.

5. the godfather but only part ii because young robert de niro could get it. AWOOGA.

4. cats (2019). not because it's good, but because 4 separate friend groups took me to see it so i could explain to them what was going on. the experience of being in a cinema and watching cats with viewers of all backgrounds is unmatched by any piece of film/video. the pure horror and comedy packed into 110 minutes of unfinished cgi atrocities of prominent modern figures ranging from jason derulo and taylor swift to ian mckellen and judy dench was the absolute perfect way to end off whatever the fuck that decade was (except in places like ireland, where the film came out for the 2020 new year).

3. tooth fairy (2010). what the fuck was that. remember when people made an au or theory or whatever of that where stephen merchant's wingless fairysona was a serial killer or whatever? you probably don't, but i promise you that was a thing that happened. tumblr user dancingpurge did this.

2. killer bean forever. no explanation needed. a masterpiece.

1. you knew this was coming. if you've followed me for a while, you knew all along this would take the top spot. you know that i know that you know that i was originally planning to make this movie take every spot. gnomeo and juliet (2011) dir. kelly asbury.

anyone who wants to do this can do it. this all hurt to type out. i'm too lazy to tag anyone. i'm going to play minecraft now.

[totalvibration]

55 Albums Released in 2019 That Splash Oat Milk In My Earl Grey

This year felt like slo-mo, a holding pattern and a fast-forward button stumbling towards unknown ends. I spent the early months in paternal bliss and sleep deprivation, caring for my newborn daughter, then spent the rest of the year running to slow down… to make the most of small moments with my family, to juggle that thing every lifestyle magazine calls the work-life balance, to know when I need help and being willing to ask for it, to making priorities with loved ones. 

Also, after years of oolongs and a staunch no-milk-in-tea-except-milk-teas policy, I started putting honey and oat milk in my Earl Grey, an old tea standby that's felt warmly familiar in colder months. Similarly, I dug my heels into familiar-to-me gnarly metal, deep drone and abrasive punk this year, uninterested in poptimist takes on indie-rock. In an effort to maximize more time with new family and less with bulls***, I leaned hard into my Viking's Choice column at NPR Music (which went weekly!) to shout out underground debauchery and beauty to anyone who would listen. 

Below are 55 albums (and a few reissues and archival releases) that hit me in different ways over 2019. No ranking, just links out to Bandcamp where available. They come paired with emoji because that's a thing I do on Twitter. 

See also:

Viking's Choice: The Year In The Loud And The Weird (my annual year-end episode of All Songs Considered)

20 Punk Albums Released In 2019 That Flip Eggs, Pick Up Chains

20 Metal Albums Released In 2019 That Bluurgh Over Sick Riffs

A nine-hour playlist of 2019 jamz 

But first, some stray thoughts:

Ta-Nehisi Coates' still-ongoing Captain America run has been extremely rewarding. A beloved superhero comes to terms with the line between patriotism and nationalism as Coates underlines that American progress often comes from reluctance. 

Daniel Warren Johnson's Murder Falcon spoke to me not only as a metalhead who loves cartoonishly kick-ass violence, but also as a dude with a tender heart… that final issue still gets me in the feels. 

Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colours is secretly a trilogy of movies about the loving, painstaking process of creation, specifically music. I'd never seen any of them until paternity leave (and a sleeping baby) gave me hours to binge long-neglected to-watch lists. In 1993's Blue, in particular, a composition mirrors the grief of Juliette Binoche in an exquisite performance. 

Tiny Desk concerts I produced for NPR Music in 2019: American Football (with a children’s choir!), Thou, Erin Rae, Carly Rae Jepsen (sort of), Jimmy Eat World and Mount Eerie (videos coming in 2020). 

There’s a gallery at Glenstone, a truly stunning museum experience, that’s literally just a room full of books, a sculpted wooden bench and a large window that looks out on the rolling hills of Maryland. I could spend hours there. 

The second season of KCRW's Lost Notes, hosted by Jessica Hopper, built episodes like albums, sequenced with eureka moments throughout. See: the story of a teenage Farsi New Wave sibling duo and a difficult and necessary reassessment of John Fahey through the women in his life.  

High Spirits (May 7, Atlas Brew Works) is such a force for good. Heavy metal singalongs about love, friendship and positivity. I feel like this band needs to tour with Sheer Mag to be fully appreciated by an unknowing audience. 

Has your baseball team ever won the pennant with the sleeping baby on your chest? So many silent screams of joy in our household as the Nats not only won the National League, but the whole dang World Series. I haven't lived in a city/state with a baseball team that's gone to the World Series since 1995. 

Circuit Des Yeux's Haley Fohr (Dec. 5, Hirshhorn) tuned her voice to feedback hum and the rest that followed felt like a wordless eulogy for 2019. I felt renewed by it. 

I can't think of a prettier song released in 2019 than "This Time Around" by Jessica Pratt. It is saudade whispered into the wind.

This was my Linda Ronstadt year. Heart Like a Wheel, Canciones de mi Padre, her records with the Stone Poneys — the Queen of LA, with a voice that both bursts out of and melts into dusk, softened the edges of long days with an equally adventurous and easygoing spirit.

🚙 Petrol Girls, Cut & Stitch: In 2019, it was crucial — life-affirming and -saving, even — to make your own noise. "This is the sound / It moves in our bodies / It passes through time / Brings what came before us," Petrol Girls' Ren Aldridge screamed at the top of a turbulent punk record filled with compassion. That boundless philosophy resonated with me this year — to listen and absorb more deeply, to excavate the traces of memory in music.

👽 Blood Incantation, Hidden History of the Human Race: Simultaneously exists in the gaping maw of death-metal tradition and the galaxy brain of its future. 

💾 Kali Malone, The Sacrificial Code: Seeks the solemnity of the drone in the pipe organ, but leans into the vulnerability pushed through the air.

🕹️ billy woods & Kenny Segal, Hiding Places:  An album-length self-excavation that crawls through moldy memories in a brutal poetry that is at times darkly funny but mostly wrestles with personal and societal truths that'll leave you touched, shook. 

📟 Holly Herndon, PROTO: One of our deepest thinkers went to the past to make music from the future. 

🚨 Rakta, Falha Comum: Creepazoid emanations from a subterranean plane.

🐣 Sunwatchers, Illegal Moves: Ecstatic protest music summoning the beauty and rage of Alice Coltrane, Sonny Sharrock, Rhys Chatham and Hawkwind. 

🏞 Bill Orcutt, Odds Against Tomorrow: The most engaging, radical, but surprisingly accessible solo guitar album of the year. Bill Orcutt's ragged-yet-tender guitar skronk gives shaggy texture to rapturous melodies.

🍕 Control Top, Covert Contracts: This hits some dance-punky Erase Errata sweet spots for me, but with the technical finesse of a power trio. 

🚟 Real Life Rock & Roll Band, Hollerin' the Spirit: Applies minimalist techniques to rumbling, dueling guitar histrionics with a reckless, but locked-in energy. Never woulda thunk American Football and Henry Flynt could hoedown together. 

🐠 Caroline Shaw & Attacca Quartet, Orange: Balances austere beauty with rumbling earth. Riveting music for string quartet. 

💥 Mdou Moctor, Ilana (The Creator): Where ZZ Top bombast, Black Sabbath riffs and Tuareg trance rhythms swirl into an acid-rock stomp. 

👑 Vagabon, Vagabon: Goes so many places, yet always returns home. 

🎭 JPEGMAFIA, All My Heroes Are Cornballs: A neon-freaked feast blasted in slow mo and fast forward all at once.

🌆 Denzel Curry, ZUU: Dude's a metal rapper without a metal band, but if he ever started one, I'm down 100 percent. 

💨 Whistling Arrow, Whistling Arrow: An avant UK supergroup of prepared guitar, violin, electronics and hypnotic percussion drinks deep of dark lagers and mossy earth.

🐸 101 Notes on Jazz: Things are getting hard around the boloney hole...

🐳 M. Sage, Catch a Blessing: Warm, fuzzy world-building from blocks of sound stretched and warped into a new nostalgia.

🚇 Mizmor, Cairn: Deliberate and patient in its annihilating pace; lumbering, yet regally melodic riffs echo into a chasm of feedback.

🌅 Takafumi Matsubara, Strange, Beautiful And Fast: Next-level grind from the Gridlink mastermind and friends. While No One Knows What the Dead Think picked up where Discordance Axis left off, Takafumi Matsubara shreds into the future.

🐎 American Football, LP3: A reunion that keeps on giving and growing. Impressionistic in its quietly bursting arrangements and attuned to the individual talents of its vocal guests, especially that stunning duet with Hayley Williams. 

🔋 v/a, Seitō: In the Beginning, Woman Was the Sun: This compilation does for modern Japanese women in experimental music what P.S.F.’s Tokyo Flashback comps did for the Japanese psychedelic scenes of yore. 

👗 Carly Rae Jepsen, Dedicated: Didn't hold together as much as I wanted, or play like E•MO•TION's late-night mixtape, but every time one of its singles popped up on a friend's playlist -- "Julien," "Want You in My Room," "The Sound" and especially the slow-burn synth-pop exhaustion of "Too Much" -- I'd think, "Carly Rae Jepsen is the Queen of the Song I Needed Right Now."

🌕 Rong, wormhat: Just bonkers. Boston's Rong channels the joyous chaos of Japanese punks Melt-Banana and the aggro skronk of Brainiac with a tad of Deerhoof's weirdo-pop hooks.

✊🏿 Sounds of Liberation, Sounds of Liberation / Unreleased Columbia University 1973: Free jazz and funk band deep in spiritual grooves. Killer performances all around, but such a trip to hear more from young vibraphonist Khan Jamal during his Drum Dance to the Motherland era. 

🐬 Great Grandpa, Four of Arrows: If Sixpence None the Richer made an emo record, but only had Return of the Frog Queen on the mood board. 

📳 Sarah Louise, Nighttime Birds and Morning Stars: One of my favorite guitarists right now. Digitally processes melodies and single notes in an electronic elation landing somewhere between Robert Fripp, Alice Coltrane and Terry Riley.

📮 Sarah Hennies, Reservoir 1: An immersive sound cycle in constant motion, a quiet rumble that slowly transforms in and out of a glorious clatter. 

👣 Psychedelic Speed Freaks, Psychedelic Speed Freaks: Munehiro Narita essentially picks up where High Rise left off, still plays the guitar like it's about to blow up. 

🍩 Town Portal, Of Violence: Most instrumental post/prog-rock puts me to sleep, but this Danish trio illustrates just how dynamic and sound-rich this music can be. 

🛀 Jim O'Rourke, steamroom 45: An electronic excavation from the deep abyss. The 37-minute "Sigaretstraat" is a master class in patience, dynamics and sublime dissonance.

🎀 Cristina Quesada, I Think I Heard a Rumor: Multi-lingual, ultra-chic dance-pop with super-smart synth arrangements. Think: Tiki drinks and mod dresses. 

⏹ John Luther Adams, Become Desert: Truly time-less music; as in, music without time. 

⏏ Julia Reidy, brace, brace: Late night, longform excursions that offer an alternate Blade Runner soundtrack with frenzied 12-string, fuzzy synth glossolalia and an Auto-Tuned bummer haze.

🚞 A Million Dollars, I Love Your Voice and I Love You: Weird and warped twee-pop that woulda headlined Silent Barn. 

📠 Priests, The Seduction of Kansas: Truth-telling and truth-seeking through a mangled disco haze and bleak New Wave romanticism. 

🏭 Werner Durand with Amelia Cuni and Victor Meertens, processions: Majestic drones capture an undulating wonder with enveloping somnolence.

🎳 Sheer Mag, A Distant Call: The denim-and-leather-jacket-wearing standard bearers of truly independent rock and roll double-downed on their sound, but opened their hearts a bit more. 

📒 Susan Alcorn / Joe McPhee / Ken Vandermark, Invitation to a Dream: Illuminates the flickering motions of exploration. 

😱 Serpent Column, Mirror in Darkness: Pitch-black metal chaos with forceful melodies twisted into the tableau. Honestly? Deathspell Omega but skramz.

🏅 Pernice Brothers, Spread the Feeling: Joe Pernice digs into his '80s record collection to return with some of his most delicately written, winsome guitar-pop in years and tons of one-liners: "Love is a shoeless charlatan, a silver-tongued huckster with a sadist’s lipless grin."

🍓 Kalie Schorr, Open Book: Whip-smart, hook-twanged country-pop raised on MTV2 pop-punk and Sheryl Crow. 

📀 Angel Olsen, All Mirrors: In a year where we lost Scott Walker, this felt like a torch passed from 1969. 

😪 Mount Eerie, Lost Wisdom pt. 2: Phil Elverum draws us in evermore, revisiting a beloved album, mode and collaborator (the remarkable Julie Doiron), and molding them into his ever-changing songwriting and circumstance. Contains the most tender couplet of the year, which I'll carry with me always: "If ever the bonfire that I carry around could warm you again / I will be out here in the weather for you glowing."

🙉 75 Dollar Bill, I Was Real: Serious hypno-grooves from these drone excavators. 

👢 Karen Marks, Cold Cafe: The early '80s artist behind the Sky Girl comp's broodiest track gets a few more songs of existential synth-pop and jangly post-punk. Just wanna put them on mixtapes for friends. 

🍻 Haunt, If Icarus Could Fly: Synthesizes an earnest, studied love for '80s heavy metal with tons of guitar harmonies and can-crushing anthems, yes, but also a ton of heart.

🍖 Bob Dylan, The Rolling Thunder Revue: The strangest, most mystical and wild Dylan persona in all of its face-painted glory. 

🌹 A Pregnant Light, Broken Play: Damian Master's endless creativity and shameless bravado coalesce into a rugged beauty. As always, riffs for days. 

🦄 Fire-Toolz, Field Whispers (Into the Crystal Palace): Clashes New Age synthscapes, clubby raves, jazz fusion and metal shrieks into an idiosyncratic master's pure creation.

🌇 Maria W Horn, Epistasis: Quiet, yet forceful acoustic elements are wrapped in the sinews of technology to blur composition. A stirring mix of icy string drones and minimalist piano. 

🐲 Soul Glo, The N**** in Me Is Me: Distills the rage and terror of living in America while being black with blunt force.

🍢 Mára, Here Behold Your Own: Snapshots of a time before parenthood rendered in garbled organ, ambient guitar loops and echoing lullabies. Felt this one deeply. 

🚙 The Go-Betweens, G Stands for Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology - Volume 2: There's a live KCRW version of "Quiet Heart" that just absolutely destroys me. Deeply thankful for the presentation and preservation that's gone into these box sets. 

😈 Bat for Lashes, Lost Girls: A coming-of-age concept album about a teenage vampire gang that was somehow severely overlooked. Some of Natasha's most tender songwriting and a rich synth-pop world that'd make M83 jealous.

[metalbatandzenko]

All of them. All the questions.

oof

1. Do You Sleep With Your Closet Doors Open Or Closed?

I have sliding doors on my closet so it’s one open one closed.

2. Do You Have Freckles?

Nope!

3. Can You Whistle?

Nope (:

4. Last Song You Listened To.

I...don’t remember lmao, I think it was 6 Inch by Beyonce

5. What Is Your Favorite Color?

I don’t know if I have one tbh.

6. Relationship Status.

Currently juggling seven reply guys bc rona has everyone acting out of line, but single.

7. What Is The Temperature Right Now?

46º

8. Did You Wake Up Cranky?

Yes sdkjfhdlkf

9. How Many Followers?

215.

10. Zodiac Sign.

Aries/Aries/Cancer.

11. What Is Your Eye Color?

Brown.

12. Take A Vitamin Daily?

No.

13. Do You Sing In The Shower?

Yes, usually it’s Mitski or songs from musicals because you know. Former theater kid.

14. What Books Are You Reading?

The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch.

15. Grab The Book Nearest To You, Turn To Page 64, Give Me Line 14.

“As in earlier days” from the poem The Walk by Thomas Hardy

16. Favorite Anime?

OPM is the only anime I watch. Being Japanese American and fem aligned means having. Not great associations with anime tbh.

17. Last Person You Cried In Front Of?

I honestly can’t remember the last time I cried in front of someone

WAIT YES I DO

It was November 23rd and my little cousin and I watched Over the Garden Wall. Both of us cried at the end.

18. Do You Collect Anything?

I have a knife collection and an old rock collection from when I was younger. I also unintentionally have a major makeup collection. My lipstick collection is borderline embarrassing. In my defense it started in 7th grade.

19. What Did You Have For Lunch?

I uh. I didn’t have lunch skfjhdsljfh

20. Do You Dance In The Car?

I do!

21. Favorite Animal?

Dude I fucking love crows.

22. Do You Watch The Olympics?

Some of them! My mom was really athletic growing up (as in one of those kids that plays a sport every season in high school), so she watches a lot of them. We tend to watch figure skating (which I know little about but have strong opinions on), gymnastics, synchronized swimming, track, and judo.

23. What Time Do You Usually Go To Bed?

Usually I’m in bed by 11 but I don’t go to sleep until 2am. Recently I’ve been getting to sleep at 7am.

24. Are You Wearing Makeup Right Now?

It is currently three in the morning so no akslkjsahd

25. Do You Prefer To Swim In A Pool Or The Ocean?

Ocean. I grew up in Northern California near the coast, and now I’m in a landlocked state. And you can kind of feel it, you know? The air doesn’t smell like salt and redwoods, the mountains aren’t there to hold up the sky so you just feel it pressing down on your chest. I miss the ocean.

26. Favorite Tumblr Blog?

I don’t know if I have a favorite. erikkillmongerdontpullout is funny and insightful, and I love dostoevskydocs’ poetry compilations.

27. Bottled Water Or Tap Water?

I grew up somewhere with access to really good tap water, so I’ll go with that.

28. What Makes You Happy?

Writing, spending time with friends, the feeling of dappled sunlight through the tree canopy.

29. Post A Gif Of What You’re Currently Feeling Right Now.

30. Do You Study Better With Or Without Music?

With :)

31. Dogs Or Cats?

Dogs but I love cats too!

32. If You Were A Crayon What Color Would You Be?

Moss green!

33. PlayStation Or Xbox.

Xbox.

34. Would You Swim In The Lake Or Ocean?

Ocean. I don’t trust lakes.

35. Do You Believe In Magic?

I believe in the supernatural, I don’t know if magic’s the right word. It’s more like a belief that there’s something more to the world than what we’re able to perceive. 

36. What Color Shirt Are You Wearing?

Charcoal grey.

37. Can You Curl Your Tongue?

Yes! I can also make my tongue into a clover.

38. Do You Save Money Or Spend It?

A bit of both. I can be pretty frugal when I’m by myself but I inherited the need to pay for everything for my friends from my mom, so if my friends are around, I will try to muscle my way into paying for everything. This is usually unsuccessful bc my friends are in the same boat.

39. Is There Anything Pink Within 10 Feet Of You?

Yes. I’ve got a pink water bottle on my bedstand.

40. Do You Have Any Obsessions Right Now?

I mean. OPM lkjshdflkjdh I’ve been hyperfixating on it, but I also am pretty obsessed with OTGW (I have been for years).

41. Have You Ever Caught A Butterfly?

No but I’ve had a few land on me.

42. Are You Easily Influenced By Other People?

Depends on the person. Overall, I’d say no, but my friends have significant sway over me.

43. Do You Have Strange Dreams?

Yes.

44. Do You Like Going On Airplanes?

I actually do. But only for short flights. Anything longer than 4 hours makes my body really hurt.

45. Name One Movie That Made You Cry.

Moana.

46. Peanuts Or Sunflower Seeds?

Sunflower seeds!

47. If I Handed You A Concert Ticket Right Now, Who Would You Want The Performer To Be?

Orville Peck or Carseat Headrest.

48. Are You A Picky Eater?

Nope!

49. Are You A Heavy Sleeper?

Yeah.

50. Do You Fear Thunder/Lightning?

No, I actually love them. I sleep best when it’s thundering.

51. Do You Like To Read/Write?

Yes to both. I’m a Creative Writing major so dkljfhljkdf

52. Do You Like Your Music Loud?

Yeah! Though not as loud as some people, my ears are sensitive.

53. Would You Rather Carve Pumpkins Or Wrap Presents?

Wrap presents. I’m not a big fan of the smell of pumpkin, and wrapping presents is a tradition for my mom, brother and I. We’d put on some music, drink some hot chocolate, and wrap as many as possible. Then my brother and I would smuggle some wrapping paper to our rooms and wrap our mom’s gift.

54. Put Your Music On Shuffle, What Is The First Song That Came Up?

Somebody that I Used to Know-Gotye (listen the song still slaps)

55. What Season Are You In Right Now? (Weather)

Winter/Spring transition. It hailed for 15 minutes straight yesterday.

56. What Are You Craving Right Now?

A popeyes 5 piece spicy chicken meal with fries and ranch. Can you tell I’ve thought about this?

57. Post A Screenshot Of Your Tumblr Feed.

I don’t wanna.

58. What Is Your Gender?

Nonbinary, but vaguely girl adjacent. 

59. Coffee Or Tea?

I think coffee. I drink more tea, but I also drink exclusively green tea and chai (like the traditional chai made with milk not the chai teabags) and I really am not a black/white/earl grey tea person.

60. Do You Have Any Homework Right Now? If So, What Is It About?

OOF Yeah I do

I’ve got a thousand word readers response to “The Other Boat” by E. M. Foster, a one thousand word journal about WWI, a reflective journal check in and a powerpoint I have to make for Sense and Sensibility for Brit Lit and I also am tutoring a few of my classmates

In my biological anthropology class I’ve got a Unit Exam and a few lectures to watch

For my internship/Teachers Assistant position I’ve got 17 10 page rough drafts to read and give in depth comments on as well as a portfolio I have to assemble for next year’s TA bc I’m transferring, phone meetings with the 17 students who wrote those rough drafts, and I’ve gotta compile some resources for my professor

I need to finish my memoir for my independent study and I have to present. my nonfiction memoir. to my classmates. on Zoom. I’m one of two people doing a nonfiction memoir for their independent study the rest are doing fiction, poetry or a literary analysis paper so like. My classmates are gonna be talking about their fiction piece and then I’m gonna be giving a 15 minute reading and Q&A about a piece that focuses on my trauma and being hate crimed so that’s fun.

I also gotta get some stuff done for my school’s lit magazine.

61. What Is Your Sexuality?

A known bisexual™

62. Do You Make Your Bed In The Morning?

I try to but I forget.

63. Favorite Pokémon?

Togepi, Blissey and Togekiss.

64. Favorite Social Media?

I hate to say it but it’s tumblr.

65. What’s Your Opinion On Instagram Stories?

If it’s longer than six stories, I’m not watching it. Unless I know they’re gonna be fun or we’re really close then I will.

66. Do You Get Homesick?

A bit. I’m still really homesick for my hometown tbh because that’s where all my family except for my parents are. I’m really close with my extended family, so being isolated from them feels like there’s an emptiness at my side.

67. Are You A Virgin?

No.

68. What Shampoo And Conditioner Are You Using Right Now?

Redken Frizz Dismiss. I got those big fucking bottles you can get at Ulta where it’s like a gallon of shampoo so I haven’t had to buy any in over a year.

69. If You Were Far From Home And Needed To Sleep For The Night, Would You Choose To Rent A Crappy Motel Room For $60 Or Sleep In Your Car For Free?

I’ve slept in my car before and I will do so again most likely. Also $60 is too much to spend for a motel room.

70. Are Both Of Your Blood Parents Still In Your Life?

Yes. Though I’m much closer to my mom than my dad.

71. Whats The Next Movie You Want To See In Theaters?

Idk shit about movies tbh.

72. Do You Miss Your Ex?

One of them yes, the others no. But the one I miss I also acknowledge is someone who had their place in my life at the time and helped me through some rough shit, but no longer has a place in my life. I appreciate the hell out of him though, and we’re on good terms.

73. What Is Your Favorite Quote Right Now?

I’ve got two!

“I don’t know how to stay tender with this much blood in my mouth” –Ophelia, Hamlet

and

"Suffering feels religious if you do it right." –Chelsea Hodson

74.  What Eye Color Do You Find Sexiest?

Brown. Especially the almost black-brown eyes.

75. Did You Like Swinging As A Child? Do You Still Get Excited When You See A Swing Set?

Yes to both.

76. What Was The Last Thing You Ate?

Chocolate covered pretzels ljhflfsd

77. What Games Do You Have On Your Phone?

Toon Blast and 2048.

78. Would You Give A Homeless Person CPR If They Were Dying? Why Or Why Not?

Holy shit I hate this question. Yes, of course I would. I don’t know why mentioning that the person is homeless is relevant. Homeless people are not somehow less worthy of CPR?? What the fuck.

79. Been On The Computer For 5 Hours Straight?

...yes

80. Stalked Someone On A Social Network?

I’ve briefly skimmed over someone’s page after meeting them but I don’t lurk.

81. Do You Like Meeting New People?

Depends on my mood.

82. Do You Wear Rings? If You Do, Take A Picture Of Them.

I hate my hands so this was pushing it.

83. Do You Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open Or Closed?

Closed.

84. What Are Three Things You Did Today?

Corrected papers, walked my dog, did some writing.

85. What Do You Wear To Bed?

T-shirt and shorts.

86. List All Of Your Different Beauty Products You Have Right Now.

Dude I can’t do that I have too many, I’ve been buying makeup for 7 years and I used to work next to a sephora

My makeup routine pre-rona was:

Sephora brand moisturizer

Milk Hydrogrip primer

Fenty Pro Filtr Hydrating Foundation

Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer

Anastasia Brow Definer

Glossier Cloud Paint

Fenty Sunstalkr Bronzer

Fenty Liquid Flyliner

Fenty Flypencil

Fenty Full Frontal Mascara

Fenty Glossbomb

It’s...an expensive routine.

87. Are You A Day Or Night Person?

Night to early morning.

88. List All Of Your Video Games On Your Phone, Console Etc.

I answered this one and I don’t want to reanswer it tbh ldkjfhds

89. Tell Me About A Dream That You Had And When It Happened.

I genuinely can’t remember any of my dreams right now. I remember a snippet of one where I was in a cave and I looked at the wall and I could see water running down it, reflecting in the torchlight but that’s literally it.

90. Favorite Soda Drink?

I’m a big pomegranate person, so Italian soda’s my go to.

91. What Sounds Are Your Favorite?

The sizzle of meat hitting a hot wok, rain, hail, thunder, the crunch of dry leaves. I also love the sound of Simone de Rochefort’s laugh. It’s so good.

92. Do You Wear Jeans Or Sweats More?

Jeans.

93. How Do You Look Right Now?

Shitty.

94. Name Something That Relaxes You.

Skyrim ldskjfhd

95. What Tattoo Do You Want?

I really want to get my family’s mon on my ribcage and my mom’s Japanese name somewhere. I don’t know how my pain tolerance is but if I can handle it, I’d want to get at least a partial sleeve.

96. Favorite YouTuber?

Polygon and Watcher.

[hamletandthegang]

Christmas Morning

Hamlet awoke suddenly as his phone beeped. It was early, earlier than he’d like it to be, but there were things to be done. He rolled out of his bed, and threw on some clothes. Hamlet had thought hard about how to give everyone their bracelets. Since he didn’t think it was a very sentimental gift (he was wrong), he wanted to do something special. 

So he got to work. The plastic sack that held the bracelets and colorful balls of yarn was sitting next to his door. He grabbed it and opened the door. A lump of fabric with a ribbon around it hit his foot. He unwrapped it and found that it was a soft black sweater with a white skull on it. The skull had Christmas lights wrapped around it, as did the sleeves. He laughed and read the card attached to it.

Hamlet, Please enjoy this sweater! I hope you like it, it was fun to design. Merry Christmas, Annalise.

Hamlet grinned, placed the sweater on his bed, and ran down the hall like a giddy child. Breakfast would just have to wait.

Ophelia yawned and blinked. It was Christmas! She still got a rush of excitement during the holidays, although she’d never admit it. She spotted something sitting on the stool that stood next to her small desk. Ophelia sprung out of bed and untied the ribbon wrapped around the thing. Holding it up, Ophelia realized that it was a sweater. It was a beautiful pastel blue color, with snowflakes on it. It was made of super soft crocheted yarn. A small note was slipped in the sleeve.

Ophelia, I hope you enjoy this sweater! I had a lot of fun making it. Merry Christmas, Annalise.

Ophelia let out a squeak, and immediately changed into the sweater. She grabbed her polaroid camera and opened her door to go out. But she stopped as she saw a little blue string tied to the handle. Ophelia poked her head out, and stared confusedly at the strings hanging around the hall. Her blue string was tangled in a bright red string, which lead the opposite way down the hall. She stepped out of her room, and her foot hit a small gift that was sitting by her door. She unwrapped the parcel to discover a battery pack and fairy lights! A little note was in it.

Dear Ophelia, These lights can be controlled completely from your phone. Just download the free app connected to them, and they’re pretty fun to mess around with. Have a Merry Christmas ~ Guildenstern

Ophelia grinned, and placed the lights delicately on her desk. Then she walked down the hall, following the blue string attached to her door handle. As she reached the corner, the red string lurched and she heard Rosencrantz whisper, “Shit- Ahh!” And he fell down, completely wrapped up in red yarn. Ophelia laughed, and helped him up. 

“Are you okay?” Ophelia laughed.

“Yeah, just got tripped up. Did Hamlet do this?” Rosencrantz looked at the yarn hung all over the hall.

“I don’t know for sure, but probably. Ooh!” Ophelia ran back to her room. “One sec! I have your gift right in here!” Ophelia grabbed a small book that was bursting at the seams, and skidded to a halt in front of Rosencrantz. “Here!” She handed him the book.

  “Oh wow,” Rosencrantz breathed as he opened the book. “Did you make a scrapbook?”

“Yeah, it has all the pictures that we’ve taken together, and some other stuff.”

“This is so cool!” He exclaimed, flipping excitedly through the scrapbook. “Dude, this is awesome. How long did this take you?

“A little while, but it’s okay! I had so many Polaroid pictures that I didn’t know what to do with, so… yeah.”

“Ophelia, this is literally the coolest thing I’ve ever gotten, thank you so much.”

They hugged, and Ophelia noticed that he was wearing a red sweater that had a reindeer on it saying, ‘Deck yo’ self before you wreck yo’ self.’

“I see you found Annalise’s gift,” Ophelia laughed.

“Oh yeah, it’s great.”

“I love that.” 

“Have a good Christmas, Elsa,” Rosencrantz laughed, pointing to Ophelia’s sweater with snowflakes on it.

Ophelia laughed again, and the two continued down the hall separate ways, each following their colored strings.

Horatio was awoken by a very jumpy Oliver.

“Horatio, wake up! Wake up, it’s Christmas!” Oliver exclaimed, while he shook Horatio. Their parents were going to arrive later that day; they lived far from the castle and Oliver’s boarding school, so Horatio had agreed to take him for a few days. 

Horatio rolled over and yawned. “Okay buddy, just give me a minute. I need to get ready.” Oliver was as ready as he’d ever be. He had his purple pajamas with small dogs on them, and of course his aviator hat was stuffed over his messy white curled mess of hair. 

Horatio walked over to his chair, and curiously picked up what looked like a sweater with a navy ribbon wrapped around it. He unwrapped it and held up the sweater. It was a dark blue color. On the front it had a pun ironed onto it. It read ‘Fa (La)^7.’ Horatio laughed, and put it on. He read the note stuck to it, and realized it was from Annalise. Then he noticed something underneath his sweater. It was a second, smaller sweater. He unwrapped that one, and called Oliver over.

“Hey, look. Annalise made you a sweater.” Oliver gasped and squealed.

“I love it!” He grabbed it, and put it on. It was lavender colored with super soft yarn. It had an image of Snoopy wearing a toboggan and flying on his dog house.

Horatio brushed his hair, and picked up a large brown sack. Grabbing out a small book, he gave it to Oliver, who gave him a hug. It was the third installment of a comic book series that he loved. Inside, it had a little note written on a paper. 

“Alright, buddy. Do you want to help me give the rest of these to my friends?”

Oliver nodded, and they set off. Or they would’ve, if there weren’t two strings tied to their door handle. One was a light purple color, and one was a vibrant blue. They led down the hall, tangled together in knots. 

“What’s this?!” Oliver laughed and jumped around, trying to touch the string. 

“I guess we follow them?” Horatio chuckled, and followed Oliver who immediately started running down the hall on the string’s trail.

After a few minutes, they passed by the kitchen. Oliver stopped and sniffed, smelling the heavenly smells coming from the kitchen. He peeked inside, and then waved Horatio over. He opened the door and looked in, to see Annalise taking some cookies out of the oven. On the counter were trays piled with cookies, brownies, and all sorts of other amazing desserts. 

“Wow Annalise! These are beautiful!”

“Oh, I didn’t see you there. Thank you!” Annalise turned around, wearing a yellow apron. “I hope you guys like your sweaters.”

“I love it so much! Thank you Annalise!” Oliver tackled her in a hug, and she laughed.

“They are great, Anna. Thank you for spending so much time on them.” Horatio gave her a hug, and she allowed them both to sneak a cookie. “I have your gift right here,” Horatio dug in his sack for a few seconds, and reemerged with a copy of The Secret Garden, with illustrated pictures. He had found it at a library near his college a while ago, and knew Annalise would love it.

“Oh my gosh, that’s perfect! Thank you, how’d you know I like it so much?” She looked at the book lovingly, and read the personal note Horatio had stuck in the front. 

“I remembered how much you loved the movie version that one night we watched it together.”

“Oh, thank you!” She gave Horatio another hug, and they continued to follow their strings down the hall.

After a minute, Oliver squeaked and ran down the hall. Sitting on the floor, where the strings ended, sat two bracelets. One was a navy blue, and had an ornate H engraved on it. Horatio put it on, and read the note on it.

Dear Horatio, thanks for getting me through another year. I don’t think I could if you weren’t here. Thank you, and Merry Christmas. Your frei your best fr Your brother  Your friend, Hamlet 

Horatio chuckled, and tightened the bracelet around his arm. Oliver showed him his purple bracelet, and Horatio helped him tighten it around his small wrist.

Horatio turned around when he heard Guildenstern behind him. He was holding a coffee in one hand, and a scrapbook in the other. He waved and headed towards the couch at the side of the hall, where his green string led. He picked up the note, read it, and put on the bracelet. He was wearing a green sweater with a picture of a person looking through a telescope, with glittery stars in the ‘sky’. Annalise strikes again.

“Oh, Guildenstern!” Horatio dug in his bag and pulled out a book. A copy of The Compilation of Galileo’s Notes. He handed it to him, and Guildenstern gasped.

“Oh my God, how did you know how much I wanted this?! I’ve been looking for this for forever!” He said, and immediately started flipping through it.

“I saw you looking at it on your computer,” Horatio laughed.

“Wow, thank you! I have a book for you too, actually,” Guildenstern produced a fat book from underneath the scrapbook. He handed it to Horatio, and he stared at it like it was the holy grail. It was an older, beat up copy of Principles of Mathematical Analysis. 

“You’re kidding, right? Blue Rudin? This is awesome!!” Horatio exclaimed. Guildenstern smiled.

“Oh I’m so glad you like it. I had to ask one of my professors, and he said this would be good.” 

“Dude, thank you so much. This is going on my shelf immediately.” Horatio hugged the book, and Oliver walked over to him.

“Oh, and here’s something for you,” Guildenstern pulled out a small wooden carved plane toy. It had a tiny propellor that spun.

Oliver shrieked. “WOW! It’s so pretty! Thank you so much!”

“Yeah, no problem. I got it at an art fair a couple weeks ago. I hope you like it.”

“This is amazing!” Oliver started flying it around the hall, and ‘shot’ down some bits of string that was hanging down.

“Do you want to come to the Great Hall with us? To the big fireplace so we can all meet up?” Horatio offered.

“Yeah sure, let’s go.”

The trio started off down the hall.

Hamlet sat on a couch, watching the flames dance on the logs of the fireplace. Ophelia’s blue string was tied to the side of the couch, and on it sat the pastel bracelet, next to a white rose. He had picked it out at the grocery store while Ophelia wasn’t looking. He had purposefully placed her string near him so he could give it to her personally. Now he just had to wait. And wait. And before he knew it, he was drifting off listening to the crackling fireplace. He tried to fight it, knowing that she would find him here asleep, but he dropped off all the same.

He started to drift back to consciousness when he felt someone curl up next to him on the couch. He sat up, and saw that it was Ophelia.

“Sorry, I fell asleep-” Hamlet started, but Ophelia stopped him with a kiss his cheek.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.” She looked at the fireplace. “The rose is beautiful, thank you.”

“Yeah,” Hamlet tried to stop his face from reddening. He had been friends Ophelia since they were kids, and even as they had started dating, he couldn’t stop himself from blushing when she kissed him.

“Merry Christmas, darling.” Ophelia whispered as she nestled closer to Hamlet.

“Merry Christmas,” He said. “Has it been an okay year?”

“Yes, I think it has,” Ophelia replied. “If I could just get my dad to approve of us, that would be nice.”

“He doesn’t approve of a lot of things, I think I’m okay with him not approving of us being together.”

“Yeah, I think I am too. At least we do,” she giggled.

They stayed like that, bathing in the aroma of the crackling logs. At least they did until Oliver poked his head over the couch and between them.

“Hi guys!” He shouted.

“Hello little pilot,” Ophelia grabbed him and pulled him around and into her lap. “Are you having a good Christmas?”

“Yeah! I followed a string until I found this!” Oliver pulled up his sweater sleeve and showed them his new bracelet. “Oh, thank you Hamlet!” He gave Hamlet a hug.

“Yeah, no problem buddy. I’m glad you like it.”

“Oliver! Did you go in here?” Horatio ran in, breathing hard. “There you are! I've told you not to run off like that, you could get lost.” Guildenstern walked in behind him.

“Oh!” Ophelia jumped up from her spot on the couch, and picked up a scrapbook from a stack that she’d brought down from her room. “Here you go, Horatio. It’s a scrapbook of all the pictures we’ve taken together. Hamlet, here’s yours. I forgot earlier.” She handed the boys two books bursting at the seams with pictures and mementos. 

“Wow, Ophelia this is great.” Horatio said, flipping through it mesmerized. 

“Hamlet, I have something for you,” Guildenstern said, digging through his pockets, and producing a small white thing. He handed it to Hamlet, and he threw back his head and laughed when he saw what it was.

“Is this a felt skull? Oh my God, Guildenstern this is hilarious.” Hamlet laughed. 

Annalise walked in with a bowl full of cookies and treats. “Good morning everybody! I hope you guys got your sweaters.” She was wearing a bright yellow band around her wrist just like the others.

“Hey Anna,” Guildenstern handed her a small bee plushie once she had set down her bowl.

“Awwww it’s so cute!” Annalise cooed. She pet it lovingly, and gave Guildenstern a hug.

Rosencrantz ran in last, tightening his bracelet using his teeth because he couldn’t get it with one hand. “Oh, hi guys.” 

Guildenstern pulled Rosencrantz aside, and presented him with a small cooking set. It contained a red apron that said KISS THE COOK in bold letters, a coffee mug, a recipe book, and cutlery set.

Horatio handed out the remaining books that he hadn’t given yet. Ophelia received a color copy of Pride and Prejudice, a book she dearly loved. Ophelia did the same with her scrapbooks, and they all started to talk and laugh, snacking on Annalise’ cookies.

Rosencrantz cleared his throat, and everyone looked up. “Uh, so, I’ve been saying that I didn’t do anything because I didn’t know if I was actually going to go through with it or not. But everything worked out, and I need everyone to come out to the garden just for a few minutes.”

So they all wrapped up in their coats and hats, and followed Rosencrantz out to the garden. He instructed them all to stay there and not look where he was going. So they stood around curiously until the sound of a car pulled up right outside the gate where there was a path that led around the castle grounds.

Rosencrantz appeared outside the gate after a few seconds, and yelled for them to come over. Hamlet opened the gate and everyone filed out, and gasped.

Rosencrantz was leaning up against a beautiful Volkswagen van. It was a light seafoam blue-green color, with incredible drawings on the sides. There were paint splatters that connected to make a huge galaxy swirled across the whole van. Annalise walked up to Rosencrantz and gave him a high-five. 

The group was stunned. They stood there, staring at the van in awe.

“Rosencrantz,” Ophelia asked quietly, “How did you afford this?”

“Oh,” Rosencrantz looked away, “I’ve wanted to get one for forever, and I had some money saved up from my job at the coffee shop, so, yeah. Now we won’t have to borrow the castle’s stuff whenever we want to go somewhere.” 

“Dude,” Hamlet said, “This is awesome.”

“Do you guys want to see the inside?” He asked, and opened the doors. The others crowded around to see. The inside had two rows of seats, a bench seat in the very back, and one in the middle which could be pulled down to make a bed. Over the back row was a compartment which was padded in case someone needed to sleep, but mostly would just keep luggage. There were two removable seats right behind the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat, with a shelf installed between them. In all, the van would seat nine people. The inside was white and clean, and ready to be personalized.

After the van had been fully explored, the group went back inside. They spent the rest of the day feasting and being together. It was a good Christmas.

[noona-clock]

I’ll Be Fine - Part 2

Genre: College!AU/Fluff

Pairing: Jae x You

By Admin B

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, The Great Cookie Bake-Off

“What made you change your mind?” Jae asked as you stepped inside his dorm room, his voice still a bit sleepy (though he’d woken up considerably upon hearing your statement).

“I woke up to a bunch of text messages in a family group chat,” you explained. You slid your bookbag off your shoulders, letting it fall to the floor with a gentle thud before you perched on his desk chair. “My cousin got engaged last night.”

Jae simply hummed in response before flopping back onto his bed while you took off your coat, scarf, and gloves.

“Exactly. So,” you began, unzipping your bag and sliding out one of your notebooks. “I think we should set some boundaries. Go over the guidelines and write things down so we’re both in agreement.”

“I didn’t know you were also a Pre-Law major...”

“Ha, ha. Very funny.”

Jae rolled off his bed then, shuffling over toward Wonpil’s desk and grabbing his desk chair so he could sit next to you. “So, what, like a contract?” he asked a bit doubtfully.

“Yes, like a contract.”

“...Why do we need a contract?”

You pursed your lips a bit as you thought. Then you looked over at him and lifted your shoulders into a shrug. “I don’t know. I’m just going off that one movie on Netflix where they fake date and sign a contract.”

...You would leave out the part where they ended up staying together because they fell in love for real.

“All right, then,” Jae chuckled, sliding his glasses off and wiping them with his shirt. “Go for it.”

“Okay, so you want Jamie to know we’re a couple, correct?”

He nodded one sharp, definitive nod.

“What do you think we need to do to make that happen?”

“Well...” Jae sighed, furrowing his brow and staring off into space. “I guess we could walk to class together.”

“Holding hands and stuff?” You began to write down this first condition, the pen scratching gently on your piece of paper.

“Yeah, definitely. I’m not the most affectionate person, but Jamie knows I like to hold hands.”

“Got it... holding... hands,” you muttered as you scribbled it down. “What about other public displays of affection?”

“I mean... I guess we could hug. Like when we say goodbye.”

“Kisses?” For some reason, your heart started fluttering, and you felt you had to explain yourself. “I mean, we’ll only actually kiss if it’s absolutely necessary, but cheek kisses and hand kisses and all that.”

“Whatever,” Jae shrugged. “I guess just do whatever feels natural.”

Your brow furrowed and you swiveled in your chair to face him better. “Jae. We’re fake dating. None of this will be natural.”

“Oh, you know what I mean!” he scoffed. “Fine, fine. Cheek and hand kisses are fine. Whatever.”

“Someone’s not a morning person,” you chuckled as you turned back to continue writing.

“No, I’m not. And maybe as my girlfriend you can bring me coffee?”

“I’m your fake girlfriend, so I will bring you fake coffee.”

“Ah, so you’ll bring me Starbucks.”

“What?!” you cried. “Starbucks is not fake coffee! Don’t you dare belittle my Pumpkin Spice Latte!”

A smile tugged at Jae’s lips, and he brought his hands up near his mouth, miming holding a cup. “Oh my god, I love Starbucks,” he said in his best valley girl impression.

You really didn’t want to play along because he was making fun of your hot beverage store of choice. But... you’d just seen that vine in a compilation last night! You knew exactly what line to say next, and you just couldn’t help yourself.

“It’s amazzziing,” you added.

“I love caffeine,” Jae continued.

And then you both started talking in gibberish until you couldn’t hold back your laughter any longer.

“Okay, okay,” you giggled after calming down somewhat. “Back to the contract. Jamie likes that one dining hall, right?”

“Yes. She’s there just about every day.”

“So, we can eat lunch there together to make sure she sees us,” you suggested.

“I’m down with that. I mean, we have to eat, anyway, so might as well eat together.”

You jotted that down, too, then furrowed your brow as you thought of what else the contract could entail.

“Okay, well, we went over my part,” Jae said, interrupting your thoughts. “So let’s go over yours.”

“Right,” you sighed. Just thinking about seeing your family made you sigh at the moment.

“How long will I stay?”

“Oh, you don’t have to stay more than a day,” you assured him, your brow furrowing even deeper. The thought of Jae being around your family for more than a few hours was giving you anxiety.

“What? No,” he chuckled. “It’s fine. I can stay over a night or whatever. You’ll be pretending to be my girlfriend for two weeks before I meet your family. It wouldn’t be fair if I stayed just for one day.”

You were hesitant to agree so quickly, but you’d already changed your mind about one of Jae’s ideas today... Plus, you knew Jae was a pretty logical guy. Heck, even this whole “fake dating” thing was more logical than you realized, if not a little crazy and out of the ordinary.

“Are you sure?” you asked.

“Yes, I’m sure. I can definitely stay over.”

A soft sigh escaped your lips as you tapped your pen on the paper, but you still gave in. “All right. One night. Two days with my family will definitely be equal to two weeks at school, I promise you that.”

Jae simply chuckled though it was interrupted by a yawn.

“Speaking of... how long should we do this? I don’t think we should just stop after Christmas, that won’t be believable at all.”

“No, definitely not. How about... a month?”

“A month sounds good. Jamie will surely give up on getting back together by then, and I won’t see my family until summer, so that gives them plenty of time to forget about me having a boyfriend. Although -- if Jamie’s still bothering you, we’ll figure something out. I have no plans on meeting an actual boyfriend anytime soon, so it’s not a big deal if we have to extend it or anything.”

“Perfect,” Jae grinned. “Shall we sign?”

“Yes, let’s. I have class in about half an hour, so I need to get going.” You quickly signed your name at the bottom of the paper before handing the pen to him.

Once Jae had scribbled his signature (you assumed - his writing was nothing less than chicken scratch), you stood from the chair and began folding up the contract to make a copy later.

“Do you... want me to walk you to class?”

...Oh. The contract was starting right now, then. I mean. It made sense. No time like the present... Right?

“I mean... if you want to? I can... wait outside while you get... dressed.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” he murmured, nodding as you stepped toward the door.

Unsurprisingly, you only waited a minute or two after you’d closed the door behind you before it opened right back up. Jae had, apparently, thrown on whatever clothes he saw first and (judging by the strong, minty smell) had swished around some mouthwash.

But his hair was still a mess.

“Here,” you said softly, reaching up and using your fingers to comb through the soft, pink locks. “Can’t have my fake boyfriend going around looking like a real hobo.”

“Hobos were usually very honest, hard-working guys who just so happened to be down on their luck,” Jae refuted.

“Well, down on their luck usually meant they didn’t have enough money or resources to dress nicely or shower, so...”

“This is true.”

“Now, look at that,” you grinned as you let your hands drop back down to your sides. “You’re already a pro. Telling me I’m right and everything.”

Jae simply tsked at you and rolled his eyes, though you could tell he was trying to fight back a smile.

“Come on, let’s just go already,” he grumbled, snatching your hand. But then he interlocked your fingers very gently, so you couldn’t help but giggle a little at his grumpiness.

The bright sun practically smacked you in the face the second you stepped outside, but it was nothing compared to the frigid air. Even though you’d grown up not too far away and should be used to cold weather - especially in the winter - you still hated it.

A shiver ran through you, and you used your free hand to grab the glove in your pocket. You couldn’t very well put it on with just one hand, though, and when Jae saw you struggling, he reached over to help.

“Thanks,” you murmured before pulling your scarf up over your mouth.

“You don’t like cold weather, I’m guessing.”

“No.”

“Yeah, I vaguely remember you being miserable last winter,” he chuckled.

“I’ll try not to be so cranky when I’m in girlfriend-mode,” you assured him. 

Mentioning the word ‘girlfriend,’ though, made you think about what an actual girlfriend would do if she was walking with her actual boyfriend in the cold weather. She would probably clasp onto his arm and try to cuddle up to him as much as she could.

...Right?

So, that’s what you did. You continued holding his hand, latching onto his arm with your other hand and pressing into his side to try and steal some of his body heat.

It was really weird and awkward, but...

“I have a question,” you said suddenly, hoping to ease some of the tension.

“Shoot.”

“Are we pretending to be a couple around campus just in case Jamie walks by and sees us? Or what?”

“Well, yeah, I guess,” he murmured. You were pretty close to him now, so a murmur was enough to reach your ears. “Also, one of her friends could see us. And they can back it up if she ever talks about it. Like, ‘oh yeah I saw them together once.’ It just makes it more believable, y’know?”

You hummed in response, nodding just a little. But you’d just rested your chin on Jae’s shoulder, so it was more of a slight head tilt than a nod.

Honestly, this was super weird. The holding hands thing wasn’t as bad, but everything else... it would probably take you a little while to get used to it. But if it saved you from a boatload of annoying questions at home... It was definitely worth it.

When the two of you reached the mathematics building where your next class was, you let out a sigh. Mainly because you didn’t like math but also because you’d gotten pretty cozy walking next to Jae. You would miss his warmth.

“When’s your first class?” you asked, coming slowly to a stop and turning to face him, your hands still intertwined.

“At one,” he told you.

“So... meet in the dining hall at noon for lunch?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Just then, you saw a familiar face out of the corner of your eyes, so you pulled your lips into a smile, making sure to make it an extra sappy one. You could even feel little hearts forming in your eyes as you gazed at him.

Jae narrowed his own eyes a little, his lips forming into a curious smirk. “What are you smiling at?”

“You,” you muttered, making sure not to let your lips fall. “Because you’re my boyfriend, and I think I see Jamie’s roommate over there.”

“Oh!” Jae quickly reached out and pulled you into a hug, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and mid-back and squeezing you tightly.

To be very truthful, it took you by surprise.

You’d hugged Jae before, yes, but only as a friend. Those lazy, one-armed,�� 100% non-romantic hugs.

This was completely different.

In the back of your head, you wondered if this was how he used to hug Jamie. You already thought she was dumb for cheating on Jae, but now you knew she’d gotten hugs like this?

...Wow.

It almost made you scared to kiss him.

Part 3

Master list //  RULES // Read About the Admins