#singing in the subway

[one-time-i-dreamt]

The world is oftentimes such an ugly place, but sometimes it can be so beautiful.

Like, when two choirs, one from Croatia and the other from Zimbabwe, met on the opposite sides of a Lisbon subway station and both sang to each other.

I unfortunately do not know what the Zimbabwe children choir sang to them (although it was so beautiful), but the Croatian klapa Kastav sang 'Kuća puna naroda' (a house full of people).

And let my reward be a house full of people, my life, give me a voice, so I can embrace you with songs.

Video source: Irena Grdinić

[guppyfish77]

Dancing in the Rain

[cheesecake801]

They're dancing ! 🕺 (close up and alt expression below cut)

Aren't they the cutest ?? ✨️✨️ I used to find Eelektross scary but it's impossible to see him as scary anymore after looking at these two having fun together !

[creatrixanimi]

I’m just gonna post this because it’s been like 3 weeks. Anyway my hobby musician emmet brainworms afflict me every second of every day so I wanted to try to draw something for it. Drawn while listening to Will Wood’s “in case I die” live album.

[nell0-0]

Day 14: music!

Just having some fun. Is anyone up for a battle of bands?

[phantasmaltrain]

day seven — voice

[hunxi-after-hours]

Hello! I love your ORV posting. I do have an embarrassing question; can I ask how heartbreaking the ending is? I've tried reading it a large number of times, but have had trouble getting past the chapters in the 300s; I'll reread it up til that point over and over again, but can't continue. Not because I don't enjoy it, but because I get so swept away by the emotions, and all the characters go through is agonizing. I know it's not real! But my heart aches all the same, in a way I've never experienced this with a novel before, and I feel like a child LOL (It's also extremely funny-frustrating because I realize how thematic this is to the story itself). I'm not worried about the characters Kim Dokja is fighting for, but given the patterns in the story and how it seems to be told, I'm too afraid to keep going. I know I could just look it up, but at the same time, I don't want to spoil all the mysteries; just if my heart can rest easy. TLDR, if it's not too spoilery, is there any light for kim dokja in the ending? or is it a tragedy through & through?

(If this is a dumb question, please feel free to ignore this)

oh boy anon, I've been sitting on this ask for a hot second because it's hard to answer! so I will attempt to talk around it in a way that will hopefully (?) avoid spoilers

as I see it, the nature of orv's ending (broadly writ) is additionally complicated by the fact that there are approximately four(ish) endings:

1) the ending at chapter 516

2 + 3) the ending(s) at chapter 551

4?) the side stories

the ending at chapter 516

this is probably what many people would characterize as BE, but I'd personally compare it to the ending of my love, my life, 《琅琊榜》 Nirvana in Fire, in that the ending may be "sad" (broad air quotes to vague-ify whatever "sad" entails) but it feels earned. it feels right. it feels like the logical conclusion of what the entire book was building up to. some may consider it a tragedy, but it's not a hollow, meaningless tragedy — it feels correct. this is the note that the novel officially ends on, but is then over(?)written by the existence of—

the ending(s) at chapter 551

Kim Dokja's Company looks at the ending of ch. 516 and says "aw hell no" and sets out to rewrite that ending. after 35 chapters of epilogue, we've unlocked an OE — an open ending, that concludes the moment before the HE/BE ambiguity will be resolved. schrodinger's ending, except you, the reader, get to choose what you believe — and I do think the epilogues are written beautifully to get you here (they implicate the reader in a wonderful and deeply empathetic way). and from what I've seen, the vast majority of the fandom chooses to take the offered HE option and run with it; everyone lives happily ever after together in a big house, a million domestic post-canon fics will attest. this is the closest, I'd say, that would come answering your question of whether Kim Dokja has light in his future with an emphatic, loving "yes"

(I also think it's worth mentioning that the epilogues add a lot to the story; they fill in narrative lacunae and tie up loose threads that aren't answered in the original 516 chapters, so I don't consider the epilogues as "separate" or "extra." the epilogues aren't a fix-it tacked onto the end of the narrative; they serve and enrich the narrative in a way that would actively reduce the luster of the story if lost)

the side story

a few years down the line, Sing-shong have returned to the text to tie up "a few more loose ends." the side story is currently being serialized, and more or less picks up from where chapter 551 left off. this necessarily chooses among your OE options as detailed above; whether the side story will end happily, or with "light for Kim Dokja," currently remains to be seen as it is still ongoing. I've fallen off the bandwagon and have been meaning to catch up, but from what I've read so far I think the side story is an interesting and worthwhile addition to the text. Sing-shong continue to innovate and develop upon the worldbuilding and narrative they have already created, and we have met a new cast of characters that have rapidly become as dear to us as the old (the old cast of characters are also here, don't worry). if I were a betting person, I would say that the side story is headed in a more-or-less HE direction; the side story is currently engaging with and complicating themes of (self-)identity and (self-)worth through the many lenses of Kim Dokja, and while it remains to be seen how it resolves, I am tentatively optimistic that it will, if nothing else, be satisfying

TL;DR the ending(s) of ORV can be variously construed as HE, BE, or OE, and the elements of tragedy woven into the narrative and characters are inherent to the text. however, no tragedy is meaningless in ORV, and all of the endings feel earned

[galmiahthepigeon]

Massive protest in Buenos Aires against severe budget cuts for free public universities. People sing "And now you see, and now you see, those who don't jump voted for Milei".

[jtl07]

not sure if youve discussed drummer ava but like i think thats so perfect for her fr. get out all the energy. a reason for those fucking arms. also people who are both drummers and singers are so cool and talented fr i just love that and i think she could and would.

i agree with beatrice doing like polyphia level technical guitar its just so her overachieveing and detail oriented vibe

i am ROARING because Ava on drums would be incredible - exactly for getting all the energy out and there's something therapeutic about drums, both the act of just hitting something but also learning how to control and channel that energy, not to mention being able to listen to the empty space in order to keep time and to trust the rest of the band and have them trust her in turn - it's delicious, that is brilliant omg such a need for this now (i think i read a fic with drummer!Ava but honestly we need more. ohno. what have you done what have you done)

i can also see Beatrice going one of those explainer videos - maybe like those Wired "explain in 5 levels of difficulty" and every single one of the guests just falls in love with Beatrice, especially the 5th level who just completely nerds out along with her lololol

[itspileofgoodthings]

Heard many old school New York accents this time around, also saw many children

[one-time-i-dreamt]

The minions from Despicable Me and the characters from Subway Surfers were all singing and dancing to Copacabana in a club, and everybody was off-key.

[madcrowscientist]

My urge to sing Dirty Girl every day in public must be stopped!! I can't sing that song in public!! it's against social norms!! I am in constant turmoil

[fearlessplatinums]

muna and renee rapp absolutely slayed and il glad i went to atg but man im still upset about what we could’ve had if chappell had performed 🥲

[the-smallest-star]

"Dance, magic dance Dance, magic dance Put that baby's spell on me~"

[papertowness]

my only goal working in foodservice is to be the girl people think back on fondly years from now because they’ll always be a little madly in love with me even though we interacted for maybe ten minutes

[christinered]

The Lion King "Circle Of Life" [NYC Subway]

Little Red was scheduled to come to NYC for a nice long visit and we were going to go see The Lion King. (Her favorite)

2 weeks prior some douchebag blew up a subway station with a crock pot bomb and My Lil Red was thinking she’d wait.  I tried to explain that stuff like that happens all the time here but she changed her mind.

Then I was supposed to head south and we were going to Graceland to make both of us happy.   This happened.  That happened.   Life happens and we kept talking about it putting it off.   

I regret not getting her here and showing her the weird and wonderful things that just happen all around the city.  Wish her Lion King started like this one out of nowhere unexpected and unforgettable. 

The New York City Subway...The Best Show In Town.

You never know what you might see...Never the same day twice.

~Red