#not to make it relate to julian at the end but I enjoy comparing characters. even if they never really interact

[springcatalyst]

🖊 for brooke?

omg helloooo thank u king <3

so a lot of her actual arc isnt SUPER set in stone yet as I continue to figure stuff out but like. shes big. shes not only Beefy As Hell cause Sword Require Armstrength but shes just tall by nature of being an ipotane. And late-era particularly she does a good amount of work with people who are A: generally wary by nature of being hunted (to varying definitions of the word) and B: small, by nature of being mostly nightlings. So she actively tries to make herself smaller in her actions, to try to be less... I guess intimidating. It's also a way to seperate herself from before, because then, she was intimidating on purpose. She definitely doesnt HAVE to do this, most people, once theyve worked with her for a while or know her a little more than strangers, are comforted by her surety, rather than afraid of her. But either way, she is terrified of being something worthy of fear (again), and so her every motion is very conscious of the people around her.

She is very intentional in the way she moves, acts, even speaks. This is very similar to Julian in a lot of ways, actually, but where he does it for himself, she does it for others.

[welcometothebookreport]

Red Queen Series

by Victoria Aveyard

This review covers both Red Queen and Glass Sword. If you loved this series, that’s great! I wish I could say the same. I hated this series, and won’t be continuing after Glass Sword. I’m returning my box set because I know I am not going to read them. Kind of sad about that because I really loved the covers, but oh well. 

 Warning: this post contains spoilers for the entire series, not just book one and two. Click keep reading at your own risk.

 At first glance, the summary of Red Queen gave me Hunger Games vibe. It’s set in a world where Reds are considered lesser to Silvers, and while so far the only similar thing is it’s dystopian style setting, I haven’t been able to get that out of my mind either. 

 ^ I wrote that on day one of reading Red Queen. I had my reservations about this series after some fandom friends commented that they did not like the second half of the series. I’m going to preface this with a few things.

      Dystopian Novels are not my favorite, but I’ll read them if they’re well written. I can totally lose myself in a new world. That did not happen here.

      I saw a spoiler on one of the books that led to me knowing at least one tiny thing that would happen. I think it probably tainted the experience a bit, but to be honest, I don’t think I would have enjoyed this anyway.

      I really tried to get into this series, but I don’t understand the hype for it.

  Let’s start with Red Queen.

 I’ve started writing my thoughts in a journal as I read. I like to tab favorite quotes, scenes, and anything that involves the romance between two characters I like. I had quite a few tabs for the first book because I love Cal. Out of the two books I read, I love Cal and him alone. I’m not sure if that would have changed in the second half of this series.

 I didn’t like this book until the final twist. Reading hundreds of pages only to enjoy the final 70 pages was disappointing, but I hoped the sequel would hold my attention better.

 Things I enjoyed:

      Cal, obviously. Mare dancing with Cal. Cal taking Mare home to see her family, which was thanks to Maven. (I am a very simple fangirl. I love Cal, but I feel that might have changed later in the series.)

      I really liked Julian.

      I loved Maven and Mare’s friendship, but we all know how that turned out. It’s worth saying that I liked Maven much more than Mare though.

 Things I Did Not Enjoy/Fell Flat

      Evangeline vs Mare. I really hate the mean girl trope. I have for years, but from what I skimmed later on in the series, this may have turned into more than just one girl being terrible.

      I might catch flack for this, but I couldn’t get into the world-building. It’s probably my fault because I couldn’t stop comparing it to other dystopians, and also because I don’t love dystopians.

 The writing wasn’t bad, but I hated Mare’s perspective. Still, I liked her POV more in the first book versus the sequel. I’ll get to that.

 Despite not liking it much, I still thought this was 3.5/5 because of a) the ending b) I really love Cal and c) I decided to read book two anyway.

 Onto Glass Sword

Both of my friends are enjoying this book series. I tried to keep an open mind, but I’m a picky reader. I wanted to get through it for book club, but my notes show that was not going to happen.

      It felt like Mare had this ridiculously inflated sense of self-importance even though book two began literally two fucking minutes after the end of book one. So, I deeply dislike her perspective still.

      At page 114, I decided I hated the Colonel more than Mare but then he’s not around for long so that didn’t matter.

      I enjoyed Mare being sealed in with Cal because she thinks Kilorn has betrayed her. Always a fan of oh-no-we’re-locked-in-together.

      I was glad Kilorn didn’t truly betray her, but I don’t like love triangles. It was resolved nicely though, so I liked that.

      While locked in together, Mare and Cal agree that they need to stop making mistakes for each other. I’m sure that will work out. (It doesn’t.)

      During book one, I thought the moniker ‘the Lightning Girl’ was nice. I hope that it would turn into a cool thing like the Boy Who Lived. Sweet fucking hell, I felt like I was being beat over the head with this title. It drove me crazy. Multiple times a chapter in Glass Sword, this was said. (That could be an exaggeration, but it felt like every other page.) I made a joke to a friend that I would just start taking a shot every time it was said. Don’t do that.

      Page 137: “Anyone can betray anyone, and Cal is no exception.” No. Not Cal. Leave my boy alone.

      I would have liked to have seen more action from Cal than I got to see.

      Okay, I never like to write bad opinions of books because authors are still people. I hope that Victoria Aveyard is deeply proud of her accomplishments with this series. It was not a series for me, but that does not mean it was terrible.

Mare felt like a spoiled brat and an unintelligent protagonist. Someone told me they were glad Mare didn’t feel like a ‘Mary-Sue’ kind of character, but I wasn’t able to relate to Mare. Everything is about how Mare is special, how the rebellion can’t go on without her, and the narrative is centered on her to the point that I honestly have no idea who else was in this book.

We met a lot of characters. None of them were memorable. Throughout the book, it feels as though the same things are being repeated, but nothing ever happens. I was so bored the entire time, and at about half way, I started reading as quickly as possible. I wanted to know what happened, but I wanted it to be over as soon as possible.

I hate that I couldn’t get into this series and I plan on googling what happens to Cal because I did like him.

Immediately after finishing, I went to my shelf, pulled out War Storm, and read the ending. I’m glad I did because if I had read two more massive books for that ending, I would have been even more disappointed.

[elliemarchetti]

The zombie apocalypse AU is good! How's Cal and Mare doing? How is the Royal Family handling the zombies?

I hope this answers your questions! Enjoy!

Zombie Apocalypse AU (part 3)

Previous parts

Words: 1445

When the news came, the blood froze in Mare’s veins. The Stilts had been taken, the few guards who had still remained to defend them had fallen and now her old house had also been invaded by those things. They were all dead. She still couldn’t believe it, she still couldn’t shake of her head the imagine of her father in his wheelchair, totally unable to defend his family from the horde. Had Bree and Tramy tried to fight? Certainly, but none of her siblings would’ve run  away without dad and it wasn’t possible that they had managed to take away from that ruckus a man who couldn’t walk, let alone run. So they died, devoured by those horrible creatures. At first, as soon as she knew, Mare had also wanted to die. What reason did she have to go on if all the people she cared about, the few who were still alive, just died? Obviously, the survival instinct had prevailed, as it always happened with her, and although she still mourned now and then the fate of mom, Gisa, Kilorn and all the others, she had to go on: although she had no way of telling her parents what had happened during the Queenstrial, it still had happened and now she was a princess who had to train to help the rest of the royal family and the army to get rid of that plague. Even the king had gone to the forefront, and the queen, whom Mare believed she would never see sprawled, was using her skill to the utmost to drive those things away from the city.  The training wasn’t quite as she had expected it to be: around her the other noble of her age warmed up, most doing stretching or running around the gym, but others dedicated themselves to much more amazing things, such as Elane, who came in and out her field of vision, distorting the light around her to the point of disappearing, or Oliver Laris, who, by levitating the specks of dust, had created a small tornado in his hands. Someone might have thought that with such skills it wasn’t difficult to get rid of the zombies, but to be sure that they really died, and this time forever, the options were very few: to pierce one of their vital organs, it didn’t matter which one but brain and heart were preferable since it made the death more immediate, or burn them. She had learned these things, along with many others related to the virus that had started that tragedy, in her lessons with Julian, who believed that her bizarre ability could be a huge step forward the annihilation of what for all intents and purposes couldn’t be anything but a population control experiment that went wrong, but she needed to be honed in the right way and Elara considered it essential that she was also trained to go on the field, in a more physical way, as she said, that would allow her to hit them more precisely, even getting closer to danger. As much as the hated to admit it, she wasn’t wrong and she felt almost guilty about being locked in that golden cage, where she was safe but also represented a wasted resource. So there she was, watching Sonya battling listlessly against Andros Eagrie, a short but muscular eighteen year old who parried her blows one after the other, in what seemed like a violent dance that demonstrated her that she wasn’t ready yet to go on the field. She must’ve been a disappointment for her grandmother, who hadn’t stopped fighting one day since it all started, and even before, when they were still at war with the Lakelanders. When she was younger, the idea of war frightened her to such an extent that she wished there was a way to stop fighting, but she never thought it could be anything worse.

“In a row,” ordered a low, almost imperceptible voice, snatching her from her thoughts on how her older brothers used to console her. It wasn’t the right time to think about them, and she certainly didn’t want to be seen by all those nobles who still didn’t respected her a bit, cry. So she concentrated on her new instructor, who entered without making any noise with Cal at his side. His eyes were surrounded by thick dark circles, which, however, didn’t make him lose the appearance of the soldiers in the propaganda posters. To think that the similarities didn’t stop there, he too, just like those images, was full of secrets and lies, she almost laughed, but it hadn’t happened for weeks now, and probably just a vague grimace deformed her face, seeing as Maven approached her further with his protective behavior that she just couldn’t understand if she hated or liked. Although this was a desperate situation, she didn’t forget who he was son of, what Elara had done to her, what life of misery hidden between sparkling clothes and sharp fake smiles she had condemned her, and above all that the difference between Silvers and Reds would have them divided forever, even if they actually married. You’ll never get to that point, said a voice in her head, which she had learned to recognize as her reason, something she should’ve listened to more often, but always found herself ignoring in the most fundamental moments. Those trainings and the decision to send her on the field weren’t only intelligent on a practical level but also politically: the royal family needed to get rid of the burden that they had unexpectedly found themselves having to manage and what better way than to declare that she had died honorably serving Norta? They would’ve made a lengthy speech about her alleged father, Ethan Titanos, just as they did when they announced her engagement to Maven, and how he too had courageously died, even though he had actually been murdered in a fairly cowardly way, and Mare still had to decide whether to believe the theory that suddenly the Lakelanders soldiers got smart enough to pretend to be Nortan and got rid of him and his wife before they were caught exterminating the rest of the legion or if she preferred the version where the king had ordered the killing of one of his closest friends because he was becoming an uncomfortable character, and then they would’ve compared their deeds, wear their mourning clothes for a couple of days and finally start organizing some kind of Queenstrial for Maven, even if they would’ve to change its name, since the winner would never have been queen, as long as Cal didn’t abdicate or died. At the end of the day, no one would miss her, but the idea that Cal could die ahead of his time, maybe even before her, seeing how many hours he spent outside the city walls trying to free streets and villages, scared her to death, and not only because she didn’t believed that Maven could be a good king, given how much he was already being manipulated by his mother now that he didn’t have much decision-making power. No, she was really afraid of losing Cal. Every time she saw him go out, every time she was left behind with the less strong, less prepared ones, she feared he wouldn’t come back. Whenever the group approaching the palace was less assorted, she shivered until she recognized his armor. Probably Maven must’ve noticed, by now, but if so, he had never mentioned it. Yet she knew, she knew that she should’ve hated him with all her heart, with all the strength of her rebellious soul. If only she could get in touch with the Scarlet Guard… That rebel group wasn’t only surviving that tragedy with basically nothing, but was also taking possession of what had once belonged to the Silvers by claiming it as their own, and it was no small thing. At first she had believed that it was just a legend, but when she found out that they had occupied some of the Silvers’ country estates and she saw them being particularly tense and unhappy, she had no option but to believe in them. One chance, only one small chance to escape and she would’ve done it, even if she would’ve put her life even more at risk. If she could help them, it was worth it, even just to carry on her family’s memory and what they, in their small ways, had done to oppose to the Silver’s oppression. But to get to them, she had to survive that training, and she needed focus. And lightning.

[jellybeanbeing]

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

I realize this is after the release date of QOAAD but you know what? I just finished rereading it and want to share my thoughts.

Synopsis:

In a kingdom by the sea… In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabatai is a sacred word. A parabatai is your partner in battle. A parabatai is your best friend. Parabatai can be everything to each other—but they can never fall in love. Emma Carstairs is a warrior, a Shadowhunter, and the best in her generation. She lives for battle. Shoulder to shoulder with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of Los Angeles, where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries—the most powerful of supernatural creatures—teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters. When the bodies of humans and faeries turn up murdered in the same way Emma’s parents were when she was a child, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma’s chance for revenge—and Julian’s chance to get back his brother Mark, who is being held prisoner by the faerie Courts. All Emma, Mark, and Julian have to do is solve the murders within two weeks…and before the murderer targets them. Their search takes Emma from sea caves full of sorcery to a dark lottery where death is dispensed. And each clue she unravels uncovers more secrets. What has Julian been hiding from her all these years? Why does Shadowhunter Law forbid parabatai to fall in love? Who really killed her parents—and can she bear to know the truth?

REVIEW TIME W/ SPOILERS!

Wow, I freaking loved rereading Lady Midnight. All the feels have returned! This book probably has to be one of my top favorites. It’s just so good! The main characters are well-written and the plot is amazing. The plot twists are so good and contain the perfect amount of shock factor. Seriously. The first time I read this, I was shaken to the core SO MANY TIMES, I had to pause my reading and take in what I had just read. 

Can I just say that I have SO MUCH MORE appreciation for Mark Blackthorn? Man has got the best, and I mean THE BEST character development in TDA ever. In the beginning, he isolates himself and makes it clear that he’s different. He’s angry and alone and broken. The way he flinches from the stele and refuses the runes shows his isolation but at the end, when the whole gang is going to fight Malcolm, he lets Julian draw runes on him AND BOY DID THAT BREAK MY HEART. I loved that scene so so much because Mark has grown so much since the beginning of the book. I also loved his reasons for letting Julian draw runes on him and how it tied to an earlier scene. I don’t make any sense right now so I’ll add in some quotes here: 

“Mark shook his head. ‘When they beat me for saying I was a Shadowhunter, it only made me more sure. I know what I am even if I cannot say it.’... So Mark pressed up against his lover and only friend and whispered into the space between them, where his cold body pressed against Kieran’s warm one. ‘I am a Shadowhunter. I am a Shadowhunter. I am a Shadowhunter.’” (296)

“‘For Tavvy,” Mark said... ‘And,’ Mark added, “because I am a Shadowhunter.’ He looked toward Kieran, ... ‘Because I am a Shadowhunter,’ he said again, his eyes full of a private challenge. ‘Because I am a Shadowhunter.’” (568)

I JUST LOVE THESE SCENES AND MARK AND HIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. 

Something I realized towards the end of the book when Jace and Clary show up, was that they’re the same age as Mark. That made me realize that when the TMI gang saw Mark in the Wild Hunt in COHF, they were the same age but had such different fates. The TMI gang were saving the world, Mark was being exiled because of who he was. That made me so sad.

With this reread, I didn’t really love Julian as much as I did the first time around. He’s been through a lot, with having to take care of his siblings and run the institute at 12 years old, but that still doesn’t excuse him for being an asshole. Like don’t get me wrong, I still love the man but he needs to fix his attitude. In the scene where Julian and Emma return to the institute to find the kitchen a mess, Julian just flips out at Mark and says really hurtful things, and I’m just like, Julian... can you stop? And I don’t even think Julian apologized about saying that stuff. Did he?

One thing that bothered me just a bit was when characters were always thinking and/or talking about their love lives in a dire moment. Example: when Cristina and Emma are in the middle of tracking down Sterling, ready to bust through the bar, they’re still talking about the unresolved feelings Emma has towards Julian. Like, you guys need to focus on the task at hand and talk about that stuff later. 

Another thing that bothered me was how Julian and Emma and some others, kept telling Mark to “act normal”. Only days ago did Mark come back from being in the hunt for who knows how long and they already expect him to act like a Shadowhunter? No, that’s not right. And it feels like they barely respect that. 

I never realized how many intimate scenes Emma and Julian have but there were a lot and I loved it. THAT SLOW BURN LOVE KILLS ME. Every time they had a moment together, they would stop it before it went any further or they were interrupted and I would always die in agony. I just want Emma and Julian to have a happy ending, goddamnit! Let these precious children not suffer anymore and give them the life they deserve!

The bond and amount of love the characters in this book have for each other is the purest thing ever. I just adore the way Cassandra Clare has written this family. The sacrifices they will make for each other, the lengths they will go to protect each other, everything makes my heart swell. Like at the end where the gang is facing down the Followers, Ty and Livvy are cornered but Dru comes in and shouts for Malcolm to back the fuck off because if he touches them, she will kill him and man, the feels were everywhere. The small bits where we got to see Ty, Livvy, and Dru were so nice because we barely get anything about them in this book.

With The Dark Artifices being a new series in the already developed Shadowhunter world, the world building needs to be brief but thorough so that readers who haven’t read TMI or TID can still understand how the world works. I found that there were moments where it was info-dumpy but one scene that I found very clever that has to do with world building was the classroom scene. The children are being tested by Diana on their knowledge of the Shadowhunter world and rules and laws. It’s so nicely added because it has context to the plot. They’re going to be tested by the Clave so the review is necessary. 

The friendship between Cristina and Emma was so nice to see because in TMI and TID, we didn’t get a lot of strong female friendships. Emma and Cristina’s was so real and relatable. The way they lean on each other and can tell each other everything is so nice to see. I want to see more female friendships like this. With that being said, seeing more of Emma and Clary’s friendship would be nice too.

The female characters in this book has got to be my favorite thing. First, Emma. I freaking love Emma Carstairs. I really enjoyed how even though Emma is compared to Jace, Cassandra Clare doesn’t write Emma as a carbon copy. There are some ways they are similar i.e: their joking in a serious situation and level of skills and determination. But they are in so many ways different. I won’t go into detail because this is about Emma, not Jace. Emma is so fierce and sassy and I love it. If you’ve read my other reviews, you know I love my sassy female characters. Although Emma is strong physically and mentally and is humorous, she has vulnerabilities, she shows her emotions. She isn’t your typical strong female heroine. Also, she doesn’t use her parents death and her traumatic past as an excuse to being an asshole. She’s no asshole but like we see so many characters who are rude and abusive, use their traumatic past as a pass and that’s not right. 

Cristina Rosales is QUEEN. She is embodies the word non-judgmental. She sees things from both perspectives and makes valid arguments. Cristina is so damn smart. I love how she can be very nice and caring but also a stone-cold badass when she needs to. Like when Sterling called Emma a bitch, Cristina slaps the shit out of him and stands for Emma. Again, QUEEN.

Although we didn’t get a lot of Diana, what we did get from her was amazing. She is so freaking smart! She pieced every clue about Malcolm together and solved it before any of the others could. Yeah, she should’ve told the others but Diana wanted to get rid of the problem herself. That was why she was at the convergence by herself. She was going to fight off Malcolm and save Tavvy before the others even knew of it and could possibly die themselves. It’s very dangerous but Diana is a pure soul.

I admire the way Cassandra Clare writes that Mark is bisexual. It doesn’t leave readers assuming or leaving his sexual orientation open-ended. One thing I absolutely love about the Shadowhunter Chronicles is the amount of diversity she has in these books. She gives us characters of color, of different sexual orientations, of different beliefs, of different disabilities. It’s so broad and it’s freaking amazing. 

All in all, I loved rereading this book so much. I noticed so many different things and it was really refreshing. I’m currently rereading Lord of Shadows as well and will hopefully be posting a review about it. 4.5/5 stars!

[delayedcritique]

DEADPOOL 2 REVIEW

“Everything you want in a “Deadpool” sequel while also underusing a lot of its material”

BY COLLIN DE LADE

              “Deadpool 2” is the latest sequel in the X-Men/Deadpool franchise starring Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool. After getting involved with saving an out of control young mutant named Russell (Julian Dennison), who is being hunted by an assassin from the future named Cable (Josh Brolin), it is up to Wade to save this kid, while making as many jokes along the way. The original “Deadpool” was one of my favorite movies of the year it came out. I was very excited for this follow-up and even had some predictions of what surprises were going to come. “Deadpool 2” delivers everything that audiences want in this follow up, and yet it misses out on some key opportunities that anyone would expect to happen.

              The “Deadpool” franchise is all about its humor and ‘Deadpool 2” doesn’t disappoint in that department. Ryan Reynolds proves once again that he was born to play this character. There is not a moment where you don’t sympathize or get disconnected with Wade Wilson due to Reynolds’ performance. Just like any sequel, “Deadpool 2” has even more humor than the first and luckily, the humor works even more than in the first film. Just on Ryan Reynolds alone, “Deadpool 2” is a must-see. However, there’s more to the film that both makes it even better and slightly worse.

              “Deadpool 2” adds some new superpower characters to work with and against Deadpool; including Russell, Cable, and the luck-based superhero Domino (Zazie Beetz).  These three characters represent the overall strength and weakness of “Deadpool 2”. These three characters are very worthy additions to the cast and the actors playing them give great performances. However, all of them are underused to some degree. If any other actors with less talent played these three characters, then all three of them would have ended up being forgettable. Thankfully, Dennison, Brolin, and Beetz brought so much charisma to their respected characters to make up for their lack of screen time. Unless characters like Vanessa and Negasonic Teenage Warhead though who were criminally underused, Russel, Domino, and Cable are giving a respectable amount of time to shine. It’s simply just disappointing that they’re so good that the audience would leave wanting more from them.

              There are two big criticisms I had with “Deadpool 2”; the first one is how much it shares similar beats to the original film. Anything that worked in the first one was brought back in some way to the sequel. Luckily, it never gets to the level of “Hangover Part 2” where it’s a note for note remake, but it goes just enough over the line with the number of reused gags that are brought back. Even with that criticism though, almost every gag that was reused was tweaked to being even funnier than in the original. As much as I was initially distracted by how much it borrows from the original, it managed to instantly win me back over by the places it goes with the gag. I’ll compare it to how “22 Jump Street” borrowed heavily from the original and yet still made it work the second time around. It’s given a pass this time around, but it will become a problem if it's done the third time around.

              My comparison to “22 Jump Street” is a perfect analogy to how I feel about “Deadpool 2”. Both films increase the amount of humor and action while successfully making an even funnier movie than the first time around but losing the originality of the first film. Even my second big criticism relates back to something “22 Jump Street did so well. Across various other reviews for this movie, nearly everyone declares “Deadpool 2’s” after-credit sequence the best of all time. While I will agree the concept is great, it still lags behind “22 Jump Street’s” post-credit scene that delivered on countless of potential sequels to the “Jump Street” franchise. While “Deadpool 2” has a very different form of its post-credit scene, it’s idea is just as clever and creative as “22 Jump Street”. The criticism with “Deadpool 2” though is how it doesn’t do enough to fully satisfy the audience. While “22 Jump Street” executed over a dozen ideas for its sequence, “Deadpool 2” only does four. This criticism over the film’s post-credit scene is the overall feeling I had towards “Deadpool 2”; some great ideas with nearly perfect execution, but lacking a satisfying amount of it’s best ideas.

              “Deadpool 2” is difficult to review thoroughly, as the majority of it’s strength can be summed up as ‘it is funnier than the first film, but not as good at it overall”. Unlike any other superhero movie or comedy, “Deadpool 2” takes some very surprising turns involving its characters that makes the sequel both better and worse than its predecessor. By going deeper into more elements and characters that worked and didn’t work would ruin the overall ride that “Deadpool 2” has to offer. It would be very surprised to find anyone who enjoyed the first “Deadpool” but didn’t enjoy it’s follow up. While one big moment might lose a couple people, the countless amount of genuinely laugh-out-loud moments instantly redeems itself.

              “Deadpool 2” is definitely worked checking out with lower expectations. Fans of the original are nearly guaranteed to enjoy the follow-up installment with the caveat that it doesn’t satisfy the most ‘fan-pleasing’ desires. The film is even more raunchy, gory, and filthy humor-filled than before. Parents of young children are strongly recommended to keep their innocent minds away as it is definitely not an appropriate film for them.

8.5/10

[dream-beyond-the-fantasy]

Tagged by: @jjohnson217

If you could change (or rather fix) the background and/or paternity of any five characters, who would they be?

Sam McCall - While I liked early Julexis, what the writers did to them pissed me off and turned me off of the couple.  Sam understandably kicked Julian out of her life, but has nothing to do with the rest of her Jerome relatives?  I liked her scenes with Ava when she was sick with toxoplasmosis.  She and Kiki interacted a lot and got along well when Sam dated Kiki’s dad Silas, but they don’t acknowledge the fact that they are cousins.  She doesn’t interact with Lucas or even babysit her baby brother Leo.  What was the purpose of making Julian Sam’s dad?

Franco - I hate this character for many reasons and the only time I liked him (as played by Roger Howarth) was when he and Nina were together pre-baby issue.  James Franco’s Franco was a fun psycho villain.  I hate all of his paternity rewrites.  First, he was Betsy Frank’s son.  Nope, he is Jason’s fraternal twin via Alan and Susan Moore.  Wrong, he is Heather Webber’s son by Scott, despite not looking like either one.  I like Roger Howarth, but he is miscast in this role.  I would rather Franco be Betsy Frank’s with the probably abusive creep Jim Harvey (who he resembles) rather than tarnish the Baldwins (Scott, Karen, Serena, Gail and Lee), even by association.

Nelle - There is so much wrong with this character.  If they were going to connect her to Carly, she should have been a Spencer relative, capitalizing on the fact that she previously played a younger version of Luke and Bobbie’s sister Pat, and not a Benson.  While in her early days, I liked that she was like a young Carly set on revenge.  They could have made her Carly’s daughter somehow, either from pre-Port Charles days in Florida (possibly from sleeping with Reese’s dad) or a previously unknown twin of Michael’s.  That way we wouldn’t have had to suffer through the train wreck that was Melle.  Or if they wanted her to be an original character, why not utilize the chemistry she had with Nina and reveal that she was Nina and Silas’ baby that was supposedly miscarried after what Madeline did?

Avery - Like many of you, I wish Avery was Morgan’s daughter.  It wouldn’t change much of her story.  Carly would definitely try and rig the paternity test.  Maybe we wouldn’t have suffered through more MorKiki and Ava wouldn’t have been indirectly responsible for Morgan’s death.

Griffin - I would make him Anna’s son with Duke, the child she supposedly miscarried when Olivia Jerome pushed her in the elevator.  In one of Olivia’s last scenes, she made an ominous remark about Griffin’s mother.  It would be amazing if she knew that Griffin was Anna’s and kept that secret out of revenge against the woman who “stole” Duke from her.  Plus, he is basically Anna’s son already with how protective and caring she is for him because he is Duke’s son.  Also, Robin and Emma already see him as a brother/uncle-like figure.  If Josh Madden, Erica Kane’s famous abortion, could be transplanted into her doctor’s wife as an embryo, why not the same treatment (in a good way) for Anna and Griffin?

****BONUS****  If we are stuck with Anna having a child with Faison, I would rather it not be the obvious path - Valentin lied about it being a girl and it will be Henrik/Peter August, who we know is Faison’s son and cohorts with Valentin.  I don’t mind Peter being Faison’s son and in league with Valentin, because we all knew the boy was shady af.  However, I would prefer if Anna did have another daughter and it was revealed to be Dr. Kim Nero.  She looks a lot like Anna.  It would give Tamara more story to work with and more avenues to take the character of Kim in.  Kim and Oscar would have more family (Henrik/Peter, Britt, Maxie’s baby, Robin, Emma, baby Noah, Alex Devane Marick, Gabriel Devane, Aidan Devane).

What five storylines would you rewrite?  And how?

Sam’s paternity/Port Charles re-visited - As I previously mentioned, I would change Sam’s paternity since she doesn’t utilize her Jerome heritage.  I would have made her Ryan Chamberlain’s daughter.  Ryan is Kevin’s dead psycho twin brother.  Ryan would still fit in with Alexis’ bad boy dating profile and it would make since that she would be a dead ringer for Livvie Locke.  I also would have kept Kevin as Livvie’s father since it was a disservice to Port Charles and its fans to rewrite such a story.  I would have kept the nods to Port Charles but they could have left out the supernatural elements, which were only brought into the later seasons of the show.  Port Charles did start out as a show about young doctors (including Scott’s daughter Karen Wexler) and nurses working at General Hospital, when the main soap went to more mob-related stories.  There were a lot of crossovers to begin with.  Also, there would be mention of Scott and Lucy’s adopted daughter Christina.

Nikolas’ storylines 2014-2016.  I’m not sure how I would write it, but Nikolas wouldn’t take over ELQ, be involved involved in “Jake Doe”/Drew/Jason drama, try to blackmail or kill Hayden, fake his death, or be killed by Valentin for Cassadine holdings.  I don’t mind Nik getting some dark Cassadine on, but don’t destroy his character like these years did.

Port Charles Mayoral Campaign of 2018.  I would have kept Laura as the anti-Charles Street development candidate (screw you, Frank!).  Olivia would have been in-character and struggling between supporting her husband Ned and fighting for the down-to-earth people living on Charles Street who are a lot like her Bensonhurst neighbors.  Laura would win, despite the dirty tricks pulled by Jim Harvey.  Ned would run a clean campaign.  Julian would run his bar and have little to do with the story.  Alexis would assist with Laura’s campaign, but otherwise stay out of politics and Charlie’s Pub.

There would be no Friz relationship.  Elizabeth would have dated Griffin instead (sorry, Grava).

Sonny wouldn’t have killed AJ.  While I enjoyed the distance between Michael and Sonny (as well as Carly) because of Sonny’s actions, it didn’t last long enough.  Sonny escaped the consequences yet again.  Also, there would be no Ava/Sonny sex on AJ’s grave, which would mean that Avery would have to be Morgan’s.  Michael would still have good relationships with all of his parents.  We would get to see AJ’s reactions to “Jake Doe” being “Jason” before finally revealed to be Jason’s twin Drew, as well as the real Jason being alive.  I would need all of Alan’s sons to reconcile their feelings toward each other.  AJ would be an attentive uncle to Jake, Danny, and Scout.

Three most annoying retcons in General Hospital history?

Franco’s crimes are a result of a brain tumor.  Such bullshit.

Anna willingly sleeping with Faison when she is a WSB trainee to get info and having his child, who is probably Henrik/Peter.  I may not have been alive when Robert, Anna, and Robin first came on in the 80s, but many fans have said that a flashback showed that Anna was a virgin when she first slept with Robert.  Writers, stop screwing with GH history.

Ignoring Sam’s relationships with Silas and Patrick in favor building up her relationship with Drew.  While I did like Siam, I did feel they were a rebound.  But Samtrick was a real relationship and it was going very well until Carly outed “Jake Doe” as “Jason”.  Sam was still her investigative, risk-taking self and a mom back then, compared to whoever she is now.  Yes, I feel like she would have went back to Jason and Patrick to Robin, in the end.

Favorite incarnations of characters who have been played by multiple actors?

Tamara Braun as Carly Benson Corinthos (I love all Carlys, except for Jennifer Bransford, but Tamara is my fave)

Kirsten Storms as Maxie Jones

Tyler Christopher as Nikolas Cassadine

Julie Marie Berman as Lulu Spencer-Falconeri

John Ingle as Edward Quartermaine

Constance Towers as Helena Cassadine

Aaron Refvem as Morgan Corinthos

both Sean Kanan and Billy Warlock as AJ Quartermaine

both Jonathan Jackson and Greg Vaughn as Lucky Spencer

both Dylan Cash and Chad Duell as Michael Corinthos III

tie between Emma & Sarah Smith, Kali Rodriguez, Lexi Ainsworth, and Lindsey Morgan as Kristina Corinthos-Davis (I’ve loved all of the girls who played Krissy since I started watching GH)

Five character deaths that destroyed you?

Georgie Jones

Emily Quartermaine

Alan Quartermaine

Lila McCall

Nathan West

Honorable Mentions: BJ Jones, Jason Morgan’s not-death, Sabrina Santiago, AJ Quartermaine 

If you could bring back any characters, which ones would they be?  And why?

Emily Quartermaine - pointless death for tragedy and ratings, she is a moral compass for many characters, need more Quartermaines, doctor

Nikolas Cassadine - part of me believes he is still alive, I need him to take back his inheritance and home from Valentin, need more Cassadines, need him to work things out with Britt (since he did far worse) or get back together with an alive Emily

Georgie Jones - pointless death for tragedy and ratings, moral compass for Maxie, Dillon’s OTL

Dillon Quartermaine: TPTB did the character, fans, and Robert Palmer Watkins dirty, need more Qs, more Crimson storylines, he could still be a filmmaker

Hayden Barnes - Elizabeth needs family in PC, need a resolution (and hopefully a reunion) for HayFinn, update on her and HayFinn baby, friendship/maternal relationship with Spencer, still needs to meet biodad Jeff and siblings Steve and Sarah

Lucky Spencer - need to build up the Spencer family, he needs to be (and be seen doing it) a father to all three of his boys, help rein in Lulu’s Spencer traits, help build up the PCPD, support and call out Elizabeth when she needs it, meet his niece Charlotte

Thomas “Tommy” Hardy Jr. - member of Hardy family, Elizabeth needs family in PC, doctor, brings in more diversity

Laura Spencer Collins - Lulu needs her mom’s guidance, she should be mayor, her other grandkids need her too, she needs to bring Spencer home, she and Kevin have barely been married before she left

Spencer Cassadine - he’s so much fun to watch, keeps Valentin in check, needs to reclaim his home and fortune, should reconcile with cousin Charlotte, we might actually see Liz’s kids if he is around, love his relationships with his extended family

Britt Westbourne - emotional support for mom Liesl after Nathan’s death, reconcile and potentially bond with Maxie and cousin Nina over loss of Nathan and love for Naxie baby, resolve things with Nikolas if he is alive, friendship/maternal relationship with Spencer, doctor, meet and have some sort of relationship with half-brother Henrik/Peter, friendship with Brad

Kristina Corinthos-Davis - need more Davis Girls, LGBTQ representation, missing out on stories regarding her families, reconcile with Alexis, potential for character growth

basically the whole Scorpio-Drake family (Robert, Robin, Patrick, Emma, baby Noah, Dr. Noah, and Dr. Matt Hunter) because they are one of my favorite families, doctors, Anna needs more family

more Quartermaines than those listed above for obvious reasons

What storylines would you like to see General Hospital tackle?

big event stories that we had 10-15 years ago that affected the whole community and characters (both contract and recurring) who don’t usually interact shared scenes

better representation of mental illness

more diversity

better LGBTQ representation and stories - utilize the characters they have and introduce Joss & Oscar’s friend

autism (Night Shift did a story with Jagger and his son Stone)

school shooting/gun control plots (for the younger characters) because of the ongoing relevance

If you watched any other ABC soaps (All My Children, One Life to Live, Port Charles, Ryan’s Hope, Loving, The City and I’m including SoapNet’s General Hospital: Night Shift), which characters (living at the time of the soap’s demise) would you bring to GH for a visit/story since they share the same universe?

Dr. David Hayward, All My Children - Anna’s ex-husband and father to her late daughter Leora, cardiologist/cardiac surgeon, a fun and dynamic villain to root for, has brought people back from the dead via Project Orpheus

Dr. Kyle Julian, General Hospital: Night Shift - doctor, adopted brother Leo was Maxie’s heart surgeon in 2007, LGBTQ representation, sweet and dorky character, potential boyfriend of Felix if he and Donny don’t work out

Oliver Fish, Dr. Kyle Lewis, and Sierra Fish, One Life to Live - Kish was a popular couple, LGBTQ representation, police officer and doctor, potential friends for Brad and Lucas especially in light of their adoption storyline

[yourfavherondale]

PART 2:

So it’s been a good 20 hours since I wrote part one and I’m a bit more collective of my thoughts but my emotions are still running high!

Im gonna admit, I didn’t like Kieran at all until this book. Idk why but I just really didn’t like him at first and then reading this book all just changed that. I’m kind of excited but not excited that he’s king now for obvious reasons. Him Mark and Cristina ngl all being together was weird at first. This was only cuz I wasn’t use to it but then afterwards it was just kind of satisfying that they got that somewhat of a happy ending BUT that 210% does not speak for the whole book’s ending.

Reading this book also made me realize, I think Mark is my favorite character of all the main main characters and Julian was my least favorite(oops). There’s just something about Mark that makes it so hard not to love him. He’s kind and cares for his family and close friends. Not mention his personality is pretty funny especially that one scen with his famous doughnut(donut?) sandwich. I just love Mark and could make a whole post about him lol. Julian though was definitely my least favorite. Not that I don’t like him because I do, it’s just compared to all the characters he’d be my least favorite. I really wanted him to be evil or something and there were so many moments I thought he would and it just never happened. He also didn’t have as much personality as the other characters that I would’ve liked. I was just mad at him most of the time in the book lol.

Dru Dru Dru Dru, oh I love you Dru! She just such a sweet character and some of issues she I could relate on some level. I wasn’t 13 long ago and a lot of those feeling I still have and I couldn’t help but relate to Dru. I enjoyed watching her character grow throughout the entire series and having her gain more confidence. The scene where she was trying to get Emma and Julian back was just heart breaking a lot. Or that one scene when she was walking into to Alicante to break Jamie, Diego, and others out of jail and she was thinking about Livvy saying ‘I love you. I love you. I love you’ UGH! I’m so excited to see how she grows more in TWP and ahhhhh. I just love Dru!

I love Ty, I really do but oh boy did he fuck up big time. I knew from the start trying to raise Livvy from the dead was a bad idea, everyone reading did. It just broke my heart that he couldn’t be with Livvy any more because he’d never known a life without her. After he raised Livvy it hit me like “oh shit this is setting us up for TWP”.

Now Segwaying into the ending of the book... I’m so fucking unsatisfied. Like yea yea yea Emma and Julian got their happy ending but I could give a less amount of fucks about them tbh. Just the whole set up for TWP and what’s up with the Rosales family and their faerie connections I just UGHHH. There’s so much left unsaid at the end I need TWP to come out now but who tf knows when that’s coming out. Probs 4-5 years from now :,(. I still can’t fanthom all my thoughts together about all my questions. I really just TWP.

BUT BUT BUT THERES HAPPY IN THIS!!! THERE WAS A MALEC WEDDING AND I KID YOU NOT I WAS BALLING MY EYES OUT!!! When I read TMI for the first time 3 1/2 years ago the first one or two books I hated Alec with a burning passion. He just was so rude and selfish and I just couldn’t stand him but we all obviously knew he was struggling. I remember all I kept wanting was him and Magnus to get together and when they finally did in COG that was it my heart had sailed and we don’t talk about that short breakup they had cuz it didn’t happen... but everything that happened in that wedding scene was beautiful. I cried the entire time. I’m just really really happy

So I just finished QOAAD…

Guys I can’t. I have so many emotions and AGHHH and I have a crap ton to say

Okay first off, the beginning of the book had my crying. The whole Livvy and Robert funeral scene made me feel just so sad. And then when Ty climbed up the pillar I about lost it. Speaking of Ty, I can say we all didn’t get the reaction as what we thought. I mean we did but he kept that hidden until Dru walked into his room and my heart just broke.

Now, moving on to Emma and Julian. I was just baffled by everything that happened. It made me so frustrated when Julian took away his emotions. I understood why but it kind of made me scared of him in a way that I thought he’d hurt himself or someone else physically. I just felt really bad for Emma the entire time and Cassandra Clare wrote so well that I could feel her frustration with Julian(I’mma get back to her writing later;) ). I honestly thought they weren’t gonna end up together and I was so happy when they did. The scene during the battle against the Cohort when Emma was stabbed I immediately burst into tears. I really thought she was gonna die and then Julian dan over to her and then I was happy cuz I thought she was gonna live and then when she closed her eyes I lost it again and then when Julian starting having all those memories and and she started talking I was happy again and then they burst into flames and I got slightly confused after that cuz they turned into true Nephilim but was scared cuz I thought they were gonna die. When they were no longer Parabati I about burst into tears cuz I was so happy for them. Like, they can finally be together!!! Ugh, I’m so happy.

Okay, now I’m gonna talk about Kit cuz I’m LIVID and need to get all this anger out but I thought I’d talk about Emma and Julian first. I love Kit, i really do but in the end it made me kind of mad. Through out the entire book I absolutely loved how much Kit cared for Ty. He just wanted to help him and wanted to make him happy. It was kind of nice because he was there for Ty with Livvy’s death. There were just some really sweet moments with them but it was to good to be true. Now, when Ty was performing the ritual that’s when all hell broke loose. When kit asked ty to stop and told him he loved him and that they could get through this I just AHHH. Like, we all knew that Kit and Ty were special to each other but something about this scene was just idk. But it broke my heart when Kit felt as if Ty didn’t really care about him because I absolutely know that’s not true. Ty just really missed Livvy and could never imagine a life without her and I think Kit was just really hurt and I wished Kit would’ve talked to Ty about it. During the fighting scene were the faerie people rider things(I forgot their name oops) tried to kill Kit I was shook. Like, his mom was a herondale AND the first heir like WHAT THE FUCK I WASNT EXPECTING THAT. And then he has fucking POWERS WTF. I just AHH. I’m just mad at him because he’s fucking leaving the blackthorns without saying goodbye like, wtf. He really should’ve stayed. But then this got me thinking about TWP. Ty is gonna go to the Schoolmance, Kit is living with Tessa and Jem somewhere in the UK and who knows what’s gonna happen w/ Dru. I just AHHHHHHH

So I’m just stop right here cuz this is like an entire essay but I’ll post a second part later

[jjong-ing]

Spoilers for Queen of Air and Darkness under read more!

I’ve always said that The Dark Artifices was my least favourite series out of the main three, and it still is, but this book made me like the series a whole LOT more. Lord of Shadows really didn’t make me like the characters anymore or the whole parabati in love situation but this book, it did.  Honestly I think the fact that all the characters from previous series’ were in active in this last book helped a lot. I do like the Blackthorns and Emma but on their own, they just don’t have the same pull as Clary and co or Tessa and co. Having Tessa and Jem around really made my heart burst with happiness because I really love them so much (and all the mentions of Herondales from hem both was touching because you know that it was about Will and of course Tessa’s children and their line). I forgot how funny Jace could be his stupid jokes that I find hilarious, how much I love Magnus and Alec together, how amazing Izzy is and again, Simon has his own brand of humour I love.  The whole theme of parabati in love I still don’t care for. Romantic love is a big theme in these books and that’s fine, I do enjoy some of the romantic relationships in these series, but I would have liked platonic love to have been the main love for a change. But that’s just me. Julian switching off all his emotions was a mistake but man, in some ways relateable to me personally. But it was a mistake. Having Emma and Julian become true Nephilim was really not what I expected and it was kinda cool! I loved learning more about Dru, she’s a cool character and I hope she’s in future books a lot more! Ty made a serious mistake and it was sad but whatever the consequences are, I hope he never has to face them. Livvy was sad, I had totally forgot she died because it’s been so long since I read the previous book. Emma I like but there’s something missing that makes me really like her. For me she doesn’t measure up to Clary or Tessa as the main female lead at all and maybe it’s not fair to compare but hmm. I like her mostly when she and Christina are together.  AH. Christina/Mark/Kieran!!!!! A new ot3 I love, I’m so happy things will work out for them for sure <333 And having the family accept Helen back was lovely.   OKAY TIME TO YELL ABOUT MY DAMN BOI OMG. OKAY SO I KNEW THAT SEBS WOULD ALWAYS BE REFERENCED IN FUTURE BOOKS BECAUSE HE WAS SUCH AN EVIL FORCE THAT CHANGED THE SHADOWHUNTER WORLD BUT DAMN HERE HE BACK IN A WAY. Thule was a rollercoaster ride of omg he’s back and he has A SON????? whattttttt. i was yelling for ages haha. And then he died again, like my heart. Damn.  and that twist at the end I KNEW IT WAS TOO MUCH HAPPINESS LOLOL SO otherworld Jace has given Ash back to his mum and will stay there but he wants Clary????? aw shit is gonna go down again. And just when Clary and Jace got engaged ahhhhhhhhhhh.

[lornacrowder02-blog]

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[english-classes-by-skype-blog]

10 MOST FAMOUS ENGLISH SONG LYRICS EVER – AND THEIR MEANING

Lyric writing is a tricky business. Finding words that convey exactly what the songwriter feels, while fitting into a certain melody and tempo, the sound of the words has to be pleasing to the ear too. Lyrics can be the starting block of a song – the words coming first, suggesting a certain feel or mood, and inspiring a melody. This is the power of words. Great song lyrics have the power to move you – whether it’s a tear of happiness or sadness, this is the songwriter’s gift.

Others are simply catchy – sing-a-long lyrics they stick in your head, even if they’re completely meaningless – naaa na na na-na-na-naaaaaa aren’t exactly the most inspiring lyrics ever, but thanks to The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’ they’re among some of the most-sung in the world!

The best lyrics read like the finest poetry, and many would argue that the likes of Neil Young and Bob Dylan are indeed poets as well as songwriters. To prove just how tricky and rare it is to craft exquisite lyrics like theirs, it pays to look at the other end of the scale:

“I don’t want to see a ghost/It’s the sight that I fear most/I’d rather have a piece of toast…”

There are plenty more bad lyrical attempts out there than good – and that’s why we cherish those great lyrics all the more. Here are some of the finest ever recorded, and a little explanation about each one. We’d love to hear your favourites too, and what they mean to you, and why.

The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

“Columnated ruins domino…”

Quite simply one of the most beautiful lyrics ever written – and one of the strangest too. Full of layers of surreal symbolism, it’s the product of the truly unique imagination of the lyrical genius Van Dyke Parks (with the help of some very illegal substances).

Creating image upon image, the words flowing, perfectly fitting Brian Wilson’s incredible ode to the sea. The song’s lyrics were so unusual that they actually caused friction within the band, with Beach Boy Mike Love complaining that they were nonsensical, and would alienate their fans. The song was shelved for a few years as a result, but thankfully couldn’t be hidden away for too long!

Bob Dylan – Masters of War

“I think you will find/When your death takes its toll/All the money you made/Will never buy back your soul…”

The protest song to end all protest songs, Dylan voiced the concerns of a generation when he penned this anti-war lyric. With Vietnam raging, and conscription forcing young Americans to fight in a war they didn’t understand, the lyrics captured all of their rage, fear and disgust perfectly. Sung in the first person, from the point of view of a young man who doesn’t want to be forced to join the army, makes the song all the more personal. The melody here is so simple, and yet this song has been covered by more artists than you can count – it’s all thanks to those incredibly powerful lyrics.

The Beatles – Hey Jude

“Take a sad song, and make it better…”

While John Lennon initially believed that this song was written for him, at the start of his relationship with Yoko Ono, in fact Paul McCartney penned this Beatles classic for Lennon’s son Julian. Originally titled ‘Hey Jules’, the song was written to comfort a young Julian as his parents divorced – and its lyrics have since brought comfort to countless others.

Also written around the time of McCartney’s new relationship with Linda Eastman, it’s a song that offers encouragement, advice, and a strong belief in love – yet another famous lyric about love – it seems we can’t escape it! But Hey Jude is almost as well known for its ending – over four minutes of those famous ‘na na na’s stretch the song out to over seven minutes long, at the time making it the longest single ever to top the UK charts, giving the Beatles their biggest hit in America too.

Johnny Cash – I Still Miss Someone

“There’s someone for me somewhere/And I still miss someone…”

Another simple melody that’s transformed by its painfully heartfelt lyrics, this is one of Johnny Cash’s most famous songs, and one of his most-covered. There have surely been more lyrics written about love than anything else, and the ones that stay with us are often about lost love.

Here, the lyrics hit home because they are so honest and truthful – every one who’s ever lost someone can relate. One of Bob Dylan’s own favourites, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Gram Parson and Stevie Nicks are just some of the artists who have covered this country classic.

Johnny Mandel and Mike Altman – Suicide is Painless (Theme from M*A*S*H)

“The game of life is hard to play/I’m going to lose it anyway…”

One of the most famous TV and movie themes in history, the theme from M*A*S*H also has one very unexpected lyricist. When director Robert Altman was looking for a song for one of the movie’s characters to sing in one scene he told Songwriter Mandel that it had to be called “Suicide is Painless”, secondly, it had to be the “stupidest song ever written”.

Altman tried to write the lyrics himself, but found that it was too difficult for his 45-year-old brain to write “stupid enough”. Instead he gave the task to his 14-year-old-son, Michael, who quite to the contrary, produced some of the most profound lyrics ever to come out of a 14-year old! The famously morose song is written from the point of view of someone considering suicide. Reflecting the pointlessness of war, and the meaninglessness of life, this theme to the darkly comic story of soldiers facing the hardships of Vietnam is made all the more poignant by that fact that it was written by someone so young.

The Smiths – There Is a Light That Never Goes Out

“Take me out, tonight…“

It’s rare to find a band that are as critically acclaimed for their lyrics as much as their music – but thanks to Morrissey the magical wordsmith, The Smiths have managed just that. An avid reader, a big poetry fan, and a romantic at heart, Morrissey has written some of the most famous lyrics to emerge from the British music scene in the past 30 years. Their song titles alone contain more poetry than most lyric sheets – Shoplifters of the World Unite, Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me, There Is a Light That Never Goes Out – they’ve even inspired countless tattoos.

There Is a Light is one of their most-covered songs, with lyrics that were apparently inspired by one of Morrissey’s heroes, James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. Appealing to teenagers everywhere, the lyrics talk about teenage alienation – a need to run away, experience the first excesses and excitements of life, when you no longer feel at home in the family home.

REM – It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

“That’s great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes…”

REM have written some of the most successful songs of the past few decades, and it’s in no small part thanks to Michael Stipe’s (often misheard) lyrics. Stipe seems to pride himself on writing lyrics that are a little opaque – very symbolic, with meanings hidden. It’s the End of the World is no exception, and as one of their most upbeat and popular songs, it’s crammed with lyrics that test even the biggest REM fans.

Apparently a sort of tribute to Bob Dylan’s famously over-lyrical Subterranean Homesick Blues, you’ll soon get out of breath singing along to this! What does it all mean? As with many REM lyrics, no one really knows for sure. There are many little snippets of stories, some complaining about capitalism, others, and some words included simply because they sound so great when strung together in song: “The ladder starts to clatter with fear fight down height”.

Neil Young – Old Man

“Old man look at my life, I’m a lot like you…”

Often ranked up there with Bob Dylan in terms of his profound lyric writing, Neil has a knack for tugging at those heartstrings. Never afraid to let his emotions show, that is what helps to make his words so powerful – that they are truthful, and from the heart.

Old Man was a song written for the old caretaker who looked after Neil’s Broken Arrow ranch, which he purchased in 1970 and still lives on today. It compares the life of an old man with that of a young man, and finds that they are more alike in their needs than they realize.

Joni Mitchell – Big Yellow Taxi

“They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot…”

One of Neil’s fellow Canadian musicians, and a good friend of his from the folk scene, Joni Mitchell has written her fair share of famous lyrics. Perhaps the best know are the ones she penned for Big Yellow Taxi. Written about her concerns with pollution and the environment, Joni explains: ““I wrote ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart… this blight on paradise.���

The lines “you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone” apply to a whole range of circumstances besides the destruction of the earth – helping the song become a universal favourite.

The Muppets – Mah Nà Mah Nà

“Mah Nà Mah Nà…!”

The Muppets are here to prove that lyrics don’t have to about love, heartache, loss or be in any way profound to be popular. Mah Nà Mah Nà is one of The Muppets most famous ditties, beloved around the world, and it means…absolutely nothing.

Actually a song written by Piero Umiliani for an Italian movie, it contains nothing both nonsense words and scat singing. It just goes to show that sometimes successful lyrics simply need to sound good, becoming musical instruments in their own right, rather than holding any special meaning. It’s pretty impossible not to sing along!

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