#though my dreams were less be a STAR and more be an ARTIST

[thornsent]

brief intermission as I attempt to not have a a mental breakdown about another particularly awful roach encounter. I would really like it if they stopped crawling on me when I'm relaxing, or trying to anyway.

[whimsiwitchy]

Controversially Young Girlfriend 

Hugh Jackman x popstar!reader 

series masterlist & main masterlist

summary: y/n is a globally beloved pop star. She is known for her talent and dedication towards her craft. Recently, she has also been known for her preference for older men. After a breakup with her former older boyfriend, she had a run in with the hottest dilf right now, Hugh Jackman. Y/n tried to warn him, but what can she say, she has an effect on hot, older men. 

warnings: age gap (23/55), cursing, y/n used, implied shorter reader, afab reader, she/her pronouns. 

warnings will change as the story progresses! all descriptions of real people in this story are FAKE. i do not know these people and this is purely fiction. Please let me know if I missed anything! <33

authors note: this is an idea I had that I really needed to write. I’d love to make this a series if you guys want more, just let me know! This is only my second time writing fanfiction and my first time writing for Hugh, please be nice lol. Thank you for reading! <3

Part one: breakup and new beginnings 

Being a young girl living in the middle of bumfuck nowhere made it seem impossible to live your dreams of becoming a singer. You grew up in a tiny little town in Louisiana called Minden. With a population of less than 15,000 people, the closest ‘big’ city being Shreveport, growing up was pretty boring. You had big dreams of making it big and making it the fuck out of the country. Minden wasn’t always so bad. It was a nice community that had fun things here and there, but you craved more. 

Once you graduated highschool back in 2020, you focused on working and saving as much money as you could, only buying essentials and equipment to help make music. You took a few online classes on producing and tried your best to make whatever song was bouncing around in your head come to life. It took a year for you to feel confident enough to release your first few songs out into the world. So in July of 2021, you teased a song on TikTok to your small following. You started to gain a few more followers here and there, it was exciting. At the end of August, you released your first song titled ‘to the point’ and it blew up on the clock app. You gained a hefty following after that, on the brink of hitting one million. 

By the end of 2022, deciding on Los Angeles, you had finally saved enough money to move, so you were packing your bags and heading out. Your agent was ecstatic about the move because it meant more opportunities for your career. After releasing a few more songs over the past year, you hired Stacy to help you manage everything. 

Fastwording to 2024, your dreams have come true and you have been an established and respected artist for almost two years. You started to build a reputation as someone who was dedicated and passionate about their craft- always being involved in any creative process. It was bliss. Lately though, you’ve gained another reputation, the controversial young girlfriend, a whore, a gold digger. Since you’ve been in the spotlight, you’ve had your fair share of dating history and if they all happened to be older men, so what? It wasn’t something you had planned on but older men were just built differently. They were so much sexier and put together than the guys your age. They knew what they were doing and how to treat a woman right. You were so tired of being asked out through instagram direct messages, you wanted someone who wasn’t afraid to talk to you in person, and that seemed to only come from men twice your age. You weren’t complaining though, you enjoyed it. 

Your last ‘scandalous’ relationship ended up being far more public than you intended it to be. In the beginning, the men you were seen with were never anything serious, just dates or one night stands. Though with Pedro it was different. You dated him for six months before it all came crashing down and you felt heartbroken. He was the sweetest man you’d ever been with and it all ended because the hate from fans on our age gap was too much for him. It was an ugly breakup and you were positive that he wouldn’t want to be associated with you anymore, even as friends. 

-

“I should have picked a different song.” You huff in frustration. Today you were going to be performing on BBC’s Radio 1 Live Lounge and as requested, you'd be performing your own song and a cover of your choosing. When Stacy first presented this opportunity to you, it had only been a month after your recent breakup and naturally you chose to cover ‘THE GREATEST’ by Billie Eilish. Now that you were mostly over Pedro, the song seemed silly to sing and you weren’t feeling as vocally confident now that you were here. 

“Babe, you’re gonna kill it! Just let your emotions flow, give the fans what they want.” Stacy is sitting across the room as she comforts you. She’s fidgeting with your vocal humidifier, attempting to put it together before you start warming up. Her advice isn’t terrible, she’s right. You’d been pretty silent on the subject matter, steering clear of social media so you wouldn’t say anything stupid. Rumors of your breakup had been all over the headlines but there hasn’t been confirmation from either of you. Singing this song today would definitely stir the pot again and make everyone realize that it is done between you two. 

“You’re right.” 

“As always. Here, start warming up the money maker.” She laughs while handing you the humidifier. 

“I really hope he doesn’t watch it. I’d literally smash my head into a brick wall out of embarrassment…” 

Placing the humidifier over your mouth and nose, you sit there letting your mind wander. Having your personal life exposed to everyone really sucked and hiding your boyfriends wasn’t something you wanted to do, but you knew that in the future it was something that would have to happen. 

“I think I’m taking a break from men.” You let out proudly, glancing over at Stacy. 

“Whatever you say girl.” You could hear the doubt lingering in her tone and the roll of her eyes. 

“Ugh… You don’t believe me do you? I can totally break off from men and be my own person for once.” 

“I’m not trying to doubt you babe. It’s just…You tend to attract men like a magnet and you have some severe daddy issues.” She's typing away on her laptop as if she didn’t just completely disrespect you. 

“I don’t have daddy issues.” You say flatly. “I happen to have a very loving father who was always present in my life, so the whole dating older men thing does NOT stem from daddy issues. Thank you very much.” You say matter of factly. 

“Hm..Well I give it a week.” 

-

After a few sound checks for your mic and band, you perform your first song. You chose a more upbeat song off your debut album to start, given that you were about to lay your heart out of the line. It was honestly kind of awkward performing in this setting. There was a booth in front of you that had the sound board and all of the other electronic stuff that you didn’t understand. Then right to the left of that, the cameras were positioned with a group of crew members sitting behind them. It always felt awkward performing to smaller audiences. 

The first song went by smoothly, earning a few cheers from the people in the room. As the band prepared for the next song, you could see the door in the booth open and two figures walk in. You weren’t wearing your glasses or contacts since it was supposed to be a short day, so you really couldn’t make out who had just walked in. You assumed more workers came in and brushed it off. 

“All ready?” A man behind the camera asks and you give a thumbs up. 

You somehow managed to get through the song without having any vocal mess ups. It was a challenging song and you'd definitely have to text Billie later to give her some credit. A few tears slipped here and there, feeling the emotions that you thought were gone slowly be released. You pulled yourself together and you felt really proud of the performance as a whole, showing the world the potential your voice had. 

A few soft claps are dying out as everyone starts cleaning up the room. You’re reaching down to grab your water bottle when you feel someone rushing up towards you. 

“Ahhh you did great babe but um two hot dudes will be walking through that door any second!” Stacy is whispering and all you could do was give her a confused look before the door opens. You squint trying to make out the two figures. 

“God you’re talented!” You hear the voice before you see the face. 

“Oh um, thank you so much.” You let out not really sure who you were speaking to. Once the two men get into view, your jaw drops slightly. 

“HOLY SHIT!” You yell a little too loudly. Slapping your hand over your mouth, you hear a very rich man laugh coming from a very good looking man. For some reason, whoever is in charge of the fate of the universe has blessed you with the presence of Ryan Reynalds and Hugh Jackaman. 

“Oh my god i’m so sorry, that’s literally so embarrassing. I just couldn’t see who you were at first.” 

“It’s okay sweetheart.” They both wear big smiles on their faces. 

“I’m y/n, it’s so nice to meet y’all, i’m a big fan!” You gush out, trying your best to refrain from fangirling. 

“We’re big fans as well. We were next door interviewing for the radio show, when we heard you were recording over here. We ran over here to try to catch you.” Ryan lets out. 

“No shit! That’s so cool. I really appreciate it.” Before the conversation could continue, Ryan is being called over by someone, leaving Hugh and yourself alone. 

“Hows Pedro, haven't seen him in awhile.” Hugh asks genuinely, giving you a small smile. It caught you off guard completely. You racked your brain trying to think of a time in your six month relationship that Pedro mentioned Hugh at all but nothing came up. 

“Oh I uh- I wouldn’t know. We aren’t together anymore.” Your voice is soft, trying not to make this any more awkward. 

“Shit. I’m so sorry, with the way he spoke about you, I thought you’d be together longer…” He trails off. 

“Yea me too.. he couldn’t handle the heat I guess.” You shrug. 

“Well, his loss yea?” He smiles trying to cheer you up. 

“Yea..” You say softly, your voice matching your smile. You take a moment to really look at him and he’s beyond handsome. He’s aged but in a way that makes you wish you were able to see the years go by with him. He was tall, almost towering over you, and his muscles were practically popping out of his shirt. 

The same guy that was walking to Ryan, gathers the three of you for a picture for the BBC socials. You stand in the middle, both men placing their arms behind either side of you. Hugh’s hand was placed on the small of your back. You looked up at him quickly, his face already smiling at the camera. You hear the camera go off a few times, causing you to look that way as well. Once the cameraman was satisfied, everyone gave their goodbyes and the room cleared out. 

-

Later that night you were scrolling through your phone when a text popped up from Stacy. 

Stacypoo <33: I told you. You couldn’t even go a week. ;) 

The text is accompanied by a screenshot of a notification stating that “‘thehughjackman’ started following you!”. You rushed to open instagram and went to your followers to search from his name. You stared at his page for a few minutes before following him back. 

While you had control over your own social media, someone handled all of your business related content. You went on your page to see that the picture that was taken at BBC earlier today was already posted with one comment standing out beyond the rest. 

Thehughjackman: Great meeting you sweetheart! :)

Thank you for reading <3

part two

[ughscara]

⠀⠀──── . + BLOOD–SCENTED ROSE.

જ portraits, veils, melodic tunes and unwanted gazes... doors upon doors close within the depths of urban legends told around town, and a peculiar lady's presence clinging tightly onto surreality... surely that cold chill down your spine wasn't a sign of anything drastic. much less someone watching.

⠀⠀⠀⠀── ꒰⁠ BLACK SWAN ꒱⁠˖ genres unlisted.

word count :: 1.1k

content warnings :: subtle horror themes and imagery ( ? ). mentions of an injury, blood and vague description of dead bodies. albeit only once; reader is depicted to be female. setting takes place in the canon.

additional notes :: my piece for the @/stellaronhvnters halloween event~ i chose two prompts and mixed them together ( phantom & supernatural ) to the best of my capabilities. i'm not the proudest of this particular piece since it was done in a bit of a rush, but i did my utmost :)

tagging :: @mitsvriii , @tragedy-of-commons , @wystiix .

the ever prosperous land of dreams held one's sweetest desires and wishes then transformed them into a most delightful reality. whatever it was a person sought after, whatever they wished to accomplish, and to whoever they seeked to find in life... penacony possessed all of it.

there was nothing that could disturb the sweet dream, nothing to hurdle your descent from the skies as your eyes fluttered open; greeted by darkness for a moment then falling stars the next. stars that seemed to go the opposite direction of your own.

clouds lit and outlined by bright city lights, the hustle and bustle of merchants all around, and the cheerful tunes stemming from talented musicians. awe–striking portraits of penacony's most iconic stars gazing right at you the odd sensation of being perceived dissipating as soon as your eyes darted upwards to admire the artist's handiwork. though that never hindered your journey throughout the dreamscape, moving forward and experiencing all it had to offer.

all the while hearing of a peculiar tale.

the penacony prescribed long ago had long since been plagued by a such tale, a tale that had seeped its way through the cosmos nearbying the planet, and soon enough; to those who come and go.

*death*, they say, never existed in the dreamscape.

“this is a story of a memokeeper,” they always start out, recounting the obscene disappearance of the individual like it's nothing more than an urban legend, presumably deceased and now a wandering spirit throughout the sweet dream. the exaggerated folktale even making her out to be some sort of bad omen if sighted.

bloodhound family records —— those gazed upon by ■■⁠■ ■⁠■■⁠■■⁠■■ will experience penacony abnormally. and eventually fall into their ■⁠■■⁠■■.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

having just took a long walk through golden hour; you settled to take a break. the bar was quite crowded... at least, you presumed for such a place to be a bar, for what you were greeted with were dancing couples; accompanied by warm, low lit lights and romantic tunes. truthfully, you could leave, but your legs could barely keep up with you. so you relent and as quickly as you could secure yourself a seat.

“would you like anything, miss?” a waiter inquired, “no, thank you.” you utter with a little smile. though, you're a little taken aback to see said waiter gaze to someone else beside you. “and you, miss?”

directing your head to the side, you're greeted with an ethereal woman; shielded by a black veil that draped over her face and a long, black dress. the pale lilac hair complementing the tame color of her attire. the lady simply smiled at the waiter, serenely so, as she subtly shook her head. quietly watching the man take his leave.

safe to say, your gaze lingered on the woman next to you, entranced by the sight of her yet more or so taken aback by her presence. this table was unoccupied, was it not?

you weren't given an opportunity to think much about this as she turned her head to face you, violet eyes locking with your own in an instant, that serene smile still adorning her face beneath the silken veil. a lump found home in your throat, and a slight tension loosely embraced your figure upon feeling perceived once again for the first time in a decent while. though this... this was different, this—

“waiting for someone?” her voice gently coaxed you back into reality, the sound as ethereal as her appearance. the veiled lady took a bit of delight upon seeing your subtle shift in expression. and that subtle head shake taking her mind back to a familiar someone in another time. “i explored a lot of what golden hour had to offer. seeing as to how i was tired, i stopped by for a break.”

she hummed quietly in acknowledgement, her expression softening upon hearing your voice. “i'm sure you've made quite a memorable journey thus far.” her voice was but a quiet murmur, a tinge of longing present within it as her eyes fluttered shut, directing her head to the side whilst doing so.

it didn't take long for her eyes to open once again, watchful eyes cast upon those same dancing couples occupying this ball–like room. the romantic tunes still echoing throughout, the low and warm lights rendering you all the more enchanting to woman's eyes.

black swan figured it wouldn't be best to stay like this for long.

the brief silence was eventually broken as the veiled women extended a hand to hold onto yours, mutated hand phasing through your own in attempts to entwine your fingers together. the advance was sudden enough, the freezing sensation of an otherwise unreal touch coursing through your entire being akin to an avalanche. “how about a dance?” she said this, and all that was once around became nothing. all came to a halt except for those romantic melodies that complemented the setting, sounding the slightest bit strained just about enough to feel as though it was scratching at your ears.

you follow right behind her to the empty dance floor, purple hues of light descending onto you both as you engaged in her invitation. heels sliding against the ground in sync, the distance palpable between the two of you. her guidance was gentle, her otherworldly hold on you was but a soft embrace around your shoulder and between you was a white rose.

“(name), wasn't it?”

the lady broke the silence, her voice tinged with fondness. no response came from you, and she couldn't help but marvel at such a thing. “a name as enchanting as the memories you carry.”

the tunes of the violin and piano grew all the more strained, countless eyes watching your every move. the manner in which you danced with this eccentric lady in harmony, the manner in which you subtly rejected her little romantic advances only to be pulled back in and back to square one. those portraits you saw around the dreamscape returning to greet you in this odd realm, those prying eyes you felt once now amplified by a ten. though all you see was nothing, said portraits held nothing but decaying figures as they followed black swan's every move. never once were you able to keep your eyes away from the frames that carried elusive corpses.

you felt a stinging sensation against your chest, such a thing being soothed by her lips on your cheek, the only semblance of warmth your figure felt was through the blood that seeped out of your small wound and onto the vines of the white rose, its petals now adorned with a vibrant red.

with a kiss goodbye, and the last to be seen of you within her own dissipating memories,

the family announced your unfortunate departure within their records.

[carlgrimesloverr]

sk8ergirl

aaron hotchner x fem!super star!reader

summary : when aaron and haley were young, they were on and off. during one off the ‘offs’ aaron met her. 10 years later, she’s famous, and he’s stuck unhappy in a marriage that was more out of convenience then love.

takes place during : season 1

warnings :  some of the songs / bands i bring up don’t exactly… exist in 2005, but i love them, i love hotch, and i love angst so it’s ok. 

word count : 931

“spence please come with me to this concert” jj pleaded with the brunette, who just shrugged.

“i’ve never heard of the artist- plus gideon and i are going to have a chess match soon. just invite elle, i’m sure she will go with you.” he responded, eyes not leaving the chess board in front of him.

“elle’s busy this weekend, so is morgan! i don’t want to have to ask hotch, not while haley is pregnant!” the blonde whined.

“ask hotch what?” aaron asked, appearing in the bullpen out from his office, staring down at jj with the same expression as always.

“oh! sir- hi, uh, i just have tickets to a concert this weekend but no one to go with..”

“what artist? it may be one haley likes if you’d like to go with her.”

“(y/n)! she’s actually from the same area you are maybe you kn-“

hotch froze. ignoring everything else jj said he quickly left to go to his office.

it didn’t take a fool to put the pieces together, and the question rang out in his head. were you a musician now? you followed your dreams after moving away.. you really did it.

he wanted to know more, he needed to know more. but he couldn’t call in penelope to learn more, if he asked penelope then he ran the risk of the team knowing.

despite jj’s mockery, hotch did know how to work a computer, and how to search up things online. as hotch researched you now, he realised you had an album named after him. well, maybe not him exactly, but ‘AHH.’ seemed a bit too close to the “aaron ‘hotch’ hotchner” you used to date.

scrolling through the list of 20 songs, he noticed it was a breakup album, full of hate and feelings of betrayal.

looking at the first song, hotch was shocked. “‘circles ft. pierce the veil’?” he asked out loud. pierce was a big band, he knew that much. he had heard jj talking of them to derek before. the lyrics felt more like a love song, yet hotch could read into the tone, how you always reffered to you and him as ‘running’, trying to escape something. escape haley.

the next track, ‘girlfriend ft. avril lavigne’. hotch didn’t even have to look at the lyrics to know what it was about- it was a diss to haley. once again, you were angry. you had every right to be angry, though hotch couldn’t even begin to understand why you blamed haley. hotch was the one who left you, haley never forced him. he was the bad guy, not haley.

as he kept reading the tracks, he realised more and more how he had hurt you. songs featuring eminem, paramore, my chemical romance, weezer, alanis morissette, the used, the offspring, and fall out boy. alanis morissette. you used to rave about her album ‘jagged little pill’ to him when you were laying in his bed, bodies as close as could be.

the main track, ‘sk8ergirl’, was what really did it for him. what story were you telling? you were happy with someone else? or was it from the point of view of 17 year old you? a boy and a girl, extremely obvious about how they were in love but never ended up together. the boy was a bitch, basically. and so the girl went on and fell in love with a rockstar. were you calling aaron a bitch, and boosting your own ego like that? or was it a swapped gender roles, to make it less obvious? aaron couldn’t tell.

no matter what the song was written about, aaron had hurt you. and you took it out in the only way you knew how; music. aaron joined theatre to gain haleys attention, you wrote songs about him to let off some steam; maybe even gain his attention. but no matter how much steam you let off, aaron was still with haley, and you were still alone, with that red and black fender squire stratocaster you had so proudly shown hotch when you were seniors, the one you put together yourself. the red grain pickguard was your favourite feature of the whole guitar, hotch remembering so clearly how you ranted on and on.

‘no no- most strats are one basic colour for this area here, the pickguard. this is a grain! it has a cool pattern!’ you had told him, smiling widely as you pointed out the features on your guitar. ‘i want to get a bass that’s the exact opposite! red grain body, black pickguard. wouldn’t that be so cool? you should learn bass, then we could play together! i’m writing up this song right now, think i’m gonna call it “i’m with you”, the bass part is pretty simple!’

‘i’m with you’. fourth track. a love song. you had kept it in the album? you had published a song so clearly written about aaron? he could still remember you softly humming the melody, still not fully having worked out the lyrics. it was about being alone - something like standing on a bridge, no one looking for you - when someone comes to your rescue and saves you from that darkness.

“you still released it, even though you’re alone.” hotch hummed to himself, continuing to search you up.

single.

never married.

no kids.

doesn’t party much.

still went out skating constantly.

said in an interview you were ‘still caught in the whirlwind romance of high school’.

caught in the ‘betrayal of it all’.

you really were the sk8ergirl, weren’t you?

[peridouu]

“why do we slumber?” - post honkai star rail 2.2 story analysis

HELLO HI HI HI!! my name is aster, and i normally don’t make analysis posts, actually, but penacony’s 2.2 story was so interesting to me that i had to make a post, in particular about order vs. harmony and what we can take away from this message. this is a short analysis but if i ever have anything to add i’ll reblog it!

i’m an artist in many forms, and the music motifs in particular stood out to me during the boss fight, so that’s what i’ll be focusing on, as being an artist in these trying times can be very strenuous 😭 likes and reblogs always appreciated!

please take this whole analysis with ten cups of salt, i ended up skipping a lot of the dialogue in this quest b/c i spaced out really badly, so if i interpreted anything wrong, lmk please!

without further ado, let’s begin!

(spoilers for hsr 2.2 trailblaze quests below the cut)

i. Harmony vs. Order (wait, what’s the difference?)

just to make it clear, i wanted to talk about the differences between Xipe and Ena. i don’t remember if they talked about this in the quest! so i’m going to yap!

Harmony by definition is notes arranged to sound nice in chords. When applied as a path, the “notes” are people, and the “sound” is humanity creating connections and peace between one another. The harmonious interactions between people, if you will.

Order achieves mainly the same thing, and is why it was eventually assimilated into Harmony, but the biggest difference in my eyes is how the “harmony” is achieved. With Harmony, it’s organic connections. People getting along of their own will and agency. This is kind of reflected in how Robin previously did outreach to other planets, almost like a religious missionary - serving others and spreading the word of her own accord. 

The harmony achieved by order, however, feels more constricted. When you interact with the NPCs who are already in the order’s dreamscape, their state is always “Satisfied”, but they’re robotic and soulless, almost. The “Harmonious Choir” boss wields a baton, the tool conductors use to command music ensembles. Herta describes Ena as “a control freak.” The Order is all managed by one entity, and in Penacony’s case, Sunday. But even so, Sunday and Robin were raised by the Order. It’s a cycle. 

And even though both essentially achieve the same thing, one of them feels much more righteous and moral in our anime protagonist eyes, and spoiler alert: it’s not the Order. Why?

ii. Sunday’s Philosophy (and how it pertains to artists)

Sunday’s whole reasoning as to why he wants to trap the universe in a dream is b/c he believes it’s less painful than the real world. Robin and the trailblaze believe people should have the choice to live in reality. Their conflict is still an extension of Order vs. Harmony. Free will vs. One safe option. The bird in the cage.

Set the bird free, where it will inevitably die, or nurture it in a confined cage? If you’re like me, when I got asked this question during the gameshow, I was very very very conflicted. I asked March, Himeko, and Firefly for their opinions and still didn’t have a complete answer. I ended up picking “Set the bird free” because, well, Trailblazer is essentially an anime protagonist, and that’s what my idealist heart wanted to pick, but….

I still pondered that question for a long time after.

“Why does life slumber?” is the question that we are asked throughout the quest, but it is only at the end of the fight that we have an answer:

Sunday: Why does life slumber?

(Trailblazer): Because... someday...

(Trailblazer): We will wake from our dreams!

And aside from protagonist reasons, I’ve come up with an interpretation of this response that makes sense, at least in my mind. It’s still important to indulge in our fantasies and dream, but eventually we have to wake up and make the choice to get out of bed, make the choice to continue forward, and that holds more value than hiding from our problems in the Dreamscape. And this is also an extension of Order vs. Harmony, and the reason why Xipe triumphed over Ena. 

but taking it from an artist’s perspective: 

As someone who creates art, it’s always our goal to make art as perfect as possible. We want our works to be as good as they can be, perfect like the Dreamscape. Obviously, that’s not possible, and it’s always discouraging to not create at the caliber you want. But art is meant to be imperfect, and I’ll talk about that in the next segment. 

iii. Penacony’s First and Last Disharmony

When Robin brings her song and the Astral Express into the boss fight, Welt says this: “Penacony’s first, and last, disharmony.” (fun fact, this was the quote that basically prompted this whole analysis! thanks welt!!) Robin’s voice is absolutely beautiful, so why is it referred to as “disharmony”?!?!?!?!?

First, the goals of the Trailblazers (and everyone else on their side, whom i’m collectively calling trailblazers) is to destroy the Dreamscape and let everyone return to reality. This means that everyone who was blissfully ignoring their problems suddenly has to awake from their dreams and face their issues head-on instead of ignoring them, disrupting the “harmony” Sunday created.

Music will always be imperfect in the hands of humans, and it’s exactly why music is able to connect with people, because everyone can see parts of themselves and their humanity in the music. It’s something powerful that so many people can connect with, just like how Robin has so many fans across the universe, and just like the Harmony itself. 

If you’ve ever played an instrument and you’ve taken lessons, your teacher will likely make you listen to the piece you’re playing. the more advanced the piece (concertos, etc) the more recordings there will probably be. Even when just comparing 2 performances, there are already so many differences, but they’re both the same piece, and both recordings are probably really good. Different interpretations, but both contribute to the piece you play. 

Especially as we live in a time of AI where computers are creating more and more “art” it’s important to know that humanity will always reign supreme over soulless works. Because AI art might look pretty and might sound passable, but it will never carry the soul and meaning of human work, and that is the most important thing. Because when people create music, they put parts of themselves into it.

TL;DR: Art is imperfect and human and that’s what makes it so valuable, and that’s why Harmony will always triumph. 

[perfectsunlight]

𝐜𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐬 [𝟐]

𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘅 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿

𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲, mentions of racism, 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲

𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁: 1,971

𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲

the shutters and camera flashes were both the bane of ning’s existence and the object of her desire. it was a constant reminder of her status, as well as the biggest downside that came with being a star.

because that’s what ningning was: a child star turned idol.

in all honesty, ningning didn’t care about anything other than being on the stage. even when she was a trainee, the only reason she stuck with it was because she knew that she had the talent. the idol life never was her dream.

truth be told, ning would have rather been a solo artist in america, that way she wouldn’t face so much hate from the koreans.

it used to mess with her a lot when she was younger. being a foreigner in a new country was already hard enough, but to come from a country that was hated by the entire republic of korea? it made everything much worse.

she felt aeri’s arm tug her forward, leading the way for the both of them as they made their way through the crowd of people surrounding them as they made their way towards the company car.

they had a busy day scheduled ahead of them, and the young idol was starting to regret her outing from the night prior.

actually she wasn’t regretting it. she was just upset that she had to deal with so many people shoving cameras in her face.

her younger self would’ve been bowing in every direction, making sure to wave at the cameras even though they were blinding her. she would’ve tried to look as nice and good as possible, because maybe then they would accept her.

but now? after realizing that no matter how hard she tried, she would only be seen as “bad?” ning couldn’t care less.

“ningning is it true you got into a fight last night?”

the idol rolled her eyes behind her designer shades. she may or may not have gotten into a bit of an argument, but the other girl definitely deserved the bottle of beer dumped on her head.

once they got into the car and the doors shut behind them, karina’s head whipped around from the front seat to look at the youngest member.

“ning, you got into a fight?” the leader hissed, disappointment lacing her voice.

the chinese woman turned her head away to face the window. she didn’t want to deal with jimin’s scolding right now.

minjeong turned to look at the younger girl and titled her head to the side. “ningie, is that why you asked for an ice pack last night?” she asked softly, countering karina's rough approach.

aeri’s head also turned her attention to get a look at their younger member. she didn’t say anything, only frowning at the sight of ning’s cold shoulder.

“ning yi zhou,” jimin called out to the vocalist once more. as a leader, it was her job to keep the group’s image from being tainted. however, ning didn’t exactly make that job the easiest. “what happened?”

their manager made their way to the front seat and started driving off. jimin’s eyes never left ningning’s figure. the ambience of the drive, as well as the soft music coming from the radio filled the otherwise empty silence that lingered between the aespa members.

maybe it was 10 minutes, maybe it was 20, or maybe it was 30. but after what felt like quite a while, ninging finally broke her silence.

“she told me to go back to my country.”

karina’s gaze softened, aeri’s heart broke, and minjeong’s body deflated at the revelation revealed unto them. they all knew how brutal the korean fans were when it came to chinese idols. either they were well loved, or extremely hated. ninging was one of the very few who experienced both.

giselle bit her bottom lip, recalling how the koreans had their opinions about her since debut as well, but she witnessed the waves of hate the youngest member received from even before debuting. even as a trainee, the chinese girl was bullied. aeri could not help but think that all those years of training in a country that hated her were catalysts into shaping the person her fellow member became today.

minjeong actually walked in on ning a few times when the youngest member was looking through all the hate comments. ning wasn’t one to care about anything anymore nowadays. except, winter couldn’t feel as if her friend was acting out this way because of her past.

in reality, no one knew what to say. because they all knew that ningning didn't want to get into a fight, but rather the fight was picked on her.

jimin felt guilty for immediately assuming that ning had done something ridiculous again, but as the leader stared at her youngest member, she could not help but feel bad for her.

it was in that moment that karina realized that no matter how much trouble ningning got herself into, it didn't always mean that she deserved it.

the remainder of the drive to the airport was silent, only the road ambience filling the void of space. however, ningning decided to focus on the only good part of this upcoming fansign in LA: the fact that she could party after.

the flight from seoul to los angeles was long, and quite boring. usually ning could sleep for hours on these types of flights, but this time she wasn’t tired at all. in fact, she wasn’t tired even when they landed and got to their hotel rooms.

thankfully each of the members had their own rooms, which mean the chinese woman could relax by smoking. she knew weed wasn’t illegal in california, but she also was not exactly in the mood for marijuana.

the gray smoke flowed from her lips as she exhaled before bringing the cigarette to her mouth once more. the youngest aespa member leaned over the balcony railing and stared at the bustling streets of LA. her room was on the 13th floor, making everything look so small.

thirteen. an unlucky number. was she an unlucky idol?

she had done everything, beat the odds and then some. so why did it feel like she wasn’t happy with the dream she once would’ve given everything for?

the chinese woman sighed as she breathed out the smoke from her cigarette before staring across at the streets. there was a bar directly across from the hotel. she could either stand up here and think about her feelings about her life….or she could grab a drink.

it was obvious which choice she went with.

ningning swirled the liquor in her glass, eyeing the whiskey as it danced in circles. this was her fourth shot of the night. except, she seemed rather tame at the moment. her head leaned against her palm as she held the glass in her other hand.

“rough day?”

her head slowly turned in the direction of whoever was speaking to her, only to be met with bright eyes and a gentle smile.

you took a seat next to her, motioning for the bartender to give you a shot of something.

the idol raised an eyebrow at you. did you not know who she was? aespa was known in the states too, but did you have any idea who you just sat next to?

“i’m sorry?” ning said slowly, confusion laced on her features.

“you looked really down, so i figured i’d come and see if you’re alright.” you smiled softly as the bartender slid a glass in your direction.

ningning stared at you for a few moments, blinking slowly before forming a sentence again. “do you know me?”

a soft chuckle escaped your lips as you downed the glass in your hand. grimacing at the taste of the burning liquid as it shot down your throat.

“i do.” you said, small smile ghosting your lips. “you’re ning yizhuo.”

so you did know who she was. interesting. except why were you acting so calm and casual with her? usually when she met fans, they’d either harass her like the paparazzi or try and flirt with her.

but you seemed to do none of those.

“why are you talking to me?” she asked slowly. “i mean, if you want a photo or something i’m not up for it right now. so what do you want?”

your gaze softened at the sight of her like this. you were a huge fan of aespa, and you knew everything regarding ning’s infamous reputation. but you somehow felt bad for her.

“i don’t want any of those things.” you reasoned quietly, eyes staying locked on hers. ning was your bias actually. you knew everything about her from pre debut all the way until now.

every single moment, every single scandal, you knew about it all. but right now, you wanted to know why your favorite person looked so upset.

“you just don’t look happy, that’s all.”

the idol’s eyebrows raised in response to your statement. “so what if i’m unhappy? what’s it to you?”

you smiled softly at her, already knowing this was part of her personality. maybe you could get her to open up? even just a little.

“you may just think i’m just a fan of your music, but i admire you as a person as well. i want you to be happy.” you explained, hoping she would understand.

admire. that was a word no one ever associated or used in the same sentence with ningning. to hear it from you for the first time in her life?

it felt good. really really good. maybe tonight she would make a friend.

a friend who admired her.

“want to go outside for a smoke?”

you two eventually made your way outside the back, and leaned against the wall smoking cigarettes with each other.

truth be told, this kind of domestic interaction felt nice. you were so easy to talk to, and for a moment ningning felt better than she had when she first landed in LA.

“are you from LA?” she asked genuinely.

you shook your head, smiling over at her. “i’m from seoul, but i’m just visiting for the week.”

the chinese woman raised her eyebrows. “what are you doing all the way over here?” she inquired as she brought the cigarette to her lips.

the smoke escaped through your mouth before you answered her, that bright smile still on your face. “i’m here for your fansign, duh.”

“oh,” the idol chuckled and nodded. “i forgot about that.” she sighed as she tapped her cigarette against her thumb.

“can’t believe i have to get up at 5 in the morning for that shit." she muttered under her breath.

you hummed in agreement. “yeah, hopefully you’re not too tired.”

“i’m always tired.” she scoffed lightly before turning her head to look at you. “what’s your name, stranger?”

“y/n.” you answered casually. “y/n park.”

ning hummed in acknowledgement, giving you the ghost of a smile. “it takes dedication to come halfway across the world for a group you like, you know.”

your smile widened as you took another deep breath from your cigarette. the smoke danced in the air as you replied.

“what can i say? i’m just a big fan.”

the chinese woman narrowed her eyes playfully. “what are you? a groupie or something?”

your eyes narrowed back at her, the tiniest smirk on your lips. “and what if i am?”

“touché.” she chuckled as she threw the rest of her cigarette on the ground before stomping it out with her shoe.

a few beats of silence passed. your eyes remained on hers as she turned and looked at you, pulling her cap tighter over her head.

“i’m going to head back. i’ve got to be up early.”

you nodded in understanding, fully knowing that waking up at 5 in the morning was a rough time for anyone, celebrity or not.

she quickly bowed her head slightly, indicating she was heading out now. the gravel beneath her footsteps gave you auditory confirmation of her walking away from you.

you turned your attention to the alley wall in front of you, putting the cigarette to your lips once more. your head leaned back against the wall behind you, as you closed your eyes.

then that’s when you heard it. the familiar raspy voice from a chinese idol that you adored, and oh you just couldn’t help but smile.

“i’ll see you tomorrow.”

-

𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧: @jiihu @silantryoo @rosiehrs @craftymasterlistcomicsprune @skisk1 @jisooftme @babycubchae @yunjinhart @pandamiswifey @jenoteamo

[oubliette-odette]

The Reluctance of Love, Pt. 5

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Word Count: 2,724 (average 16 min read) Content Warnings: mention of mating, nothing happens....yet ;) All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil. Not beta-read. Criticism is welcome, but be sure to distinguish criticism from hate.

I tried to pretend that the sweat dripping off of my body was because of physical exertion walking, but the pain in the pit of my stomach and the tightness of my muscles as I held back the incessant urges inside was a constant reminder that my symptoms were only getting worse.

I had hoped with distance, the urge to mate would diminish, but I found that walking away from Altan grew more difficult with each step. The thought kept passing that Altan was likely experiencing the same thing, and I felt even more sorry that my legs couldn’t walk me faster.

The travel to the outerlands was less than a week’s travel. I would sometimes be offered a ride to the next town, which would help me in getting there faster, but my body would seize as I sat on the back of the wagon, and my fists would be clenched and my jaw tight as I muscled through polite conversation. I’m sure they all found me mad or intimidating, but it was taking everything to keep myself in control. 

The only comfort I had was at night, sleeping under the stars and returning to that space in my dreams where Altan would wait for me. He never complained about the situation, but would instead ask me how I was faring and tell me stories.

I was able to make a living with my forge creating tools and instruments for the local folk to purchase and I took great pride that my work was not only sturdy, but it was also pleasant to look at, even though I never considered myself an artist. 

Altan, however, was an artist. The way he told stories, recited poetry and sang - it was all art. He carried so much grace and confident motion within him, even the way his fingers danced upon the air as he elaborated his story, I could never look away from those slender fingers and the control they had with each subtle brush and wave. His torso would sway, and I found myself frequently bound to staring at his waist and the slight curve there. He was as much a masterpiece of art. He was music, he was poetry, he was…magnificent. In the quiet of our own special dreamspace he would weave tales that his mother passed down to him - of the ancient days when his elven ancestors fought to defend their lands from a long dead evil. 

He soothed much of my worry for him with his honey-silver tongue, but it created a deeper, more permanent ache inside me that I recognized never left in our dream world. A want to be near him, a want to see him and be seen by him. I struggled to say words around him, but he always cleverly and patiently wheedled answers out of me. 

I learned that Altan had always dreamed of running away to be an artist and bring people joy.

He learned that I had always dreamed of traveling to new places, even across the sea if I ever got lucky. 

I learned that Altan was the oldest with two siblings, and his mother was a high-born elf who left her people to be with Altan’s father. He seemed to clam up when it came to his father.

He learned that I had four broodmothers, and one very larger-than-life father who led our orc clan through countless raids and sired more siblings than I could count but yet he somehow remembered all of our names.

Altan liked rainy days, sweet food especially when it had cinnamon, and he often got in trouble as a child for rescuing animals off the sides of the roads.

I liked sunny days, spicy food that burned my face off, and often dazed off thinking about things and could go days without talking to a soul.

Altan loved people, and I was scared of most people. We both enjoyed sleeping in late, and didn’t enjoy following rules when they could be avoided. And we both felt like disappointments to our family, despite how hard we both worked for an otherwise more positive reaction. 

We were both each other’s first friend.

I found each night as our conversation ended and our dreams pulled us back to the waking world, that I found great comfort in Altan’s presence and a remorse at having to say goodbye. He seemed to enjoy my company in return and I wondered if this is what it felt like to have a friend. A real friend. 

I pondered it as I gritted my teeth and trudged through the misery of my days. I cursed Gruumsh for my misery and I prayed to any other god who would listen to watch out for Altan.

When I reached the border of my family’s land, I sniffed the air and followed the trail of smoke that wafted in the air. Orc tribes travel through the seasons and live in a shared commune that reminded me of an elaborate camp. There was always food on the fire, furs to nestle in and a sibling or mate to keep you company. As a child I remembered having no privacy in my home. There was always one of my mothers, or a sibling around to watch my every move. It was anxiety-inducing and I recognized that my body was holding a pit of dread alongside my need to mate. 

I knew who I would need to see once I arrived, and I hoped that I could slip through without much notice.

But I would not be so lucky.

A horn blew as I stepped into outer circle of the commune. I saw orcs all around raise their heads from their work and turn to find me slowly approaching. It took some of them a few moments before they recognized me. I held my breath and waited for the loud and violent impact of my family.

“Drunrag!” They exclaimed, and some raced over to my side. My shoulders, arms, back, chest, and backside were all slapped - there was no such thing as hugging in my family - and loud obnoxious comments made about how slim I was. None of them seemed to notice that I swayed under their slaps as the pull of lordhovid pulled me back to wherever Altan was.

“Drunni!” I recognized my broodsister, Orga, as she clapped her hands on both my shoulders and knocked her forehead against mine. “We have missed you so much!” She grimaced as she pulled her hands back, damp with my sweat, “What’s wrong with you?”

“I need to see Nezda.” I managed. “Now.”

Nezda was one of our oldest she-orcs in our commune. All of her mates had since passed on and she alone was the one teaching the young ones our history. I remembered her as old when I was but a young pup, and I wondered how old she was then. 

Orga led me with the rest of my family following behind begging for questions from me. Orga and I had often fought as we grew, she always pushed me harder than any of my other siblings, but when I looked over at her then, I saw only a passive look on her face. I didn’t know what that meant.

“Nezda!” She called, her hands was on my bicep as she practically dragged me into the tent that Nezda stayed in. It looked exactly as I remembered it. Layers of furs on the ground, stools and cushions to sit against and a burning hearth that kept the room stifling with heat. I groaned at the amount of heat inside and outside of me. It was getting to be too much. 

“The quiet one has returned, I see.” Nezda’s voice rasped as she came from behind a curtain. Her violent green eyes locked onto mine. She had never liked me, told my father that I was too quiet, asked too many questions and didn’t think fast enough to be a warrior. She had been the first to call me broken when I was the last one of my brood to be unmated. I saw how she looked at me then, and I felt the same chilling shame that I did as a child and I averted my gaze from her.

Orga went about shooing the other siblings away from Nezda’s tent, eventually leaving only Orga and Nezda inside me. Two of the women I feared the most in all of my life, cornering me. 

“What is this, Drunrag?” Orga’s voice was expectant and harsh. “Where is she?”

“Who?” I asked.

“Your raebukan!” Orga yelled. “You think I don’t know what you’re feeling?”

I shook my head, “There is no mate, I need this to go away.” I looked to Nezda. “Help me. Please.”

“Lordhovid does not manifest without a mate, shakedul.”

I felt so small with Nezda referencing me as a child, nothing more than just a boy in her eyes. While most of my siblings were probably having their third or fourth child, maybe even starting clans of their own…I was nothing more than a child to them. I hated how I felt here.

“You dukitod.” Orga continued the trail of insults, forcing my eyes away from her judgemental stare. “Why would you resist this? You’re finally one of us.” 

I shook my head, “No. You must listen. There is no mate.”

Nezda narrowed her eyes at me. “You are speaking half truth, shakedul. Where is she?”

I looked at her, my face intent and pleading. Please. I begged in my head. Just listen. “Revered one, I will not lie to you. There is no woman for me to mate with.”

She narrowed her eyes further and a long, drawn out groan escaped her lips. She shook her head and walked towards me. Her long, bony fingers came up to my forehead and grasped each side of my temple. I closed my eyes and clenched.

I could hear her heavy breathing as she poured herself into my mind. She would see Altan, she would see he is not my mate. I was relieved to be seen as telling the truth. I dreaded my family knowing about Altan. He was mine to know, not theirs.

“Hmmmm” Nezda pulled back and her green eyes were on me like spotlights. “You do not lie. You do not speak truth. There is a mate. But a man.”

“What?” Orga exclaimed. She broke into an ugly fit of laughter and she slapped her hand on me. “You really are broken, brother.”

I ignored her and looked up to Nezda. “Will you help me?”

“You have not mated with him?” She asked.

I looked at her aghast, as if my crumbling composure wasn’t enough to show her. “No. I would not touch him.” 

She didn’t speak, but only continued to study me. I finally broke her silence. “Please tell me you know of a way to reverse lordhovid.”

“Sacrilege” Orga breathed. “To mate is an honor.”

I resisted shaking my head at her and screaming to her the nightmare it was to be forced to mate. I hated the idea of all of this happening without my permission. I did not feel honored looking at Altan’s perfect body and desiring it without even knowing him. 

“Hush.” Nezda hissed. “Leave, kristifam.”

Orga looked like she wanted to protest, but she quietly bowed her head before making her way out of the tent. I caught the whispered curses under her breath as she passed me. 

“You…feel nothing for your raebukan?” She asked.

It was an unfair question. All of this, I realized, was because I cared for Altan. I think I was suddenly feeling more for him than I was prepared for, and most of it was happening even when I was in our dreams where lordhovid didn’t affect me. I wanted to end lordhovid now because I wanted to feel something for him without my body hurting us, hurting him. 

Nezda didn’t wait for my answer, she sniffed. “Does he feel nothing for you?”

I didn’t really know that. I knew he wasn’t afraid of me. I knew he saw me as a friend. He certainly thought good of me. But I assumed there wasn’t much more than that. I could see that he would likely be that way with anyone if given the chance. I shook my head at her. 

She hummed, her eyes piercing. “Mating in our clan is considered an honor above death in battle, you understand?”

I nodded.

“Would you choose to be dishonored by your own blood?”

“I will not do something that would dishonor him.” I affirmed.

She nodded once and bowed her head. “You will feel worse before you feel better.” She said. “Are you prepared?”

I spoke gravely, “I am, yes. Tell me what to do.”

[battle-of-alberta]

Got a question for Drum to round out my camping trip themed asks! While dinosaurs aren't exactly paranormal, the current town of Drumheller does contain the hamlet and ghost town of Wayne. Have you ever brought Paula and Vulcan with you to check it out? For that matter, what's it like living by a ghost town? And what (if anything) does that do to the municipality representative that lived there?

to be continued...?

(wahoo answered in less than a year hooray!)

We did pass by Wayne on our way into Drumheller but didn't stop, by that time we were so tired and ready to go home hahaha. As usual, Drumheller belongs to @zomsaurus (and who has dibs on designing Wayne too hahaha) (let us know when you go on your research trip :) )

Some more notes...

Meta Stuff

this is kind of my feeling on what makes a personification exist. I think if a town's population was relocated or only exists in memory, their connection to our world starts to fade

(This is also why non-municipal personifications like nations would probably be a bit tougher and more resilient, to a point.)

(and I'm still concerned about something like Fort Walsh that was rebuilt as an educational tool as kind of a reanimated corpse? lol)

Wayne technically exists as part of Drumheller, like a microcosm of how Strathcona exists as part of Edmonton, so I think amalgamation is one way to cheat death also.

In Hetalia canon there has been one case where a micronation "gave up" and "went back to being a human", though I'm not sure that interpretation works with the way I do things. Interesting to think about, anyway!

A bit more on the Hetalia approach: Prussia is "retired" and it's suggested in this linked scan that he's slowly becoming increasingly mortal. Ancients like Rome will still appear in the dreams of their descendants as well.

the votes are in and the chat thinks Wayne should be half ghost like Danny Phantom

Some fun facts about Wayne

Last I heard, Wayne's population was 28 whole people! At its peak, it had about 2,500.

I think the Rosedeer Hotel / Last Chance Saloon is under new management now, but it's one of the big attractions. If you don't mind the shared washroom down the hall, perhaps the honeymoon suite is for you!

The saloon also has real bullet holes in the walls (framed), though they're from an incident in the 1970s rather than the 1910s

How is Wayne related to Red? Kid sibling? haha. Coal town origins, as is true of many ghost towns...

Waynestock is a big music festival/camping event in early September. It lasts 3 days and features about a hundred artists!

You might recognize Wayne in the movies. Shanghai Noon was partially filmed there!

Other notes...

I keep writing Drum as the "normie" or straight man of the gang even though next to anyone else he isn't normal at all, haha. He just is devoted to the scientific method, that's all! and also jesus

finally my knowledge of star trek comes through for me again on this blog B) remember, you can survive a shoot out at the OK Corral so long as you believe in yourself (though a mind meld doesn't hurt) :)

[singlesablog]

Fantasia.

“Magic” (1980) Olivia Newton-John MCA Records (Written by John Farrar) Highest U.S. Billboard Chart Position – No. 1

ONJ, queen of the echo, absolutely stole my heart the 4 weeks this was No. 1 on the top 40 charts for all of August, but I am sure it went on long after, because I vividly remember running home from 9th grade to wait by our giant television stereo console—6 feet long, in walnut—to hear it hauntingly waft over FM radio one more time and once again fuel my dreams.  The strings, the guitars, the little bit of ELO-like synthetic thing happening with the voices behind her, and yes, an echo on her voice to make Phil Spector weep, it was and is one of the greatest singles ever.  For certain it was one of the gayest.

The big push behind the Xanadu soundtrack was that one half of the LP was Olivia (and I know now her genius producer and songwriter John Farrar) and the other half a then riding-high ELO (Electric Light Orchestra).  Now ELO will show up here again; in the mid-70s the band produced Beatle-esque pop songs I adored, but at this stage I felt the singles were starting to verge on bombast (“All Over The World”, “I’m Alive”,  and “Xanadu”—which is possibly even more camp than the movie, and a famous flop—were the hit singles by ELO).  I also felt that the gorgeous things on her side of the record were rather sneered at as Top 40 pap, even though if you were to turn on any 80s station today it would be clear that the lasting hit from the soundtrack is “Magic”, and that you would be very hard pressed to hear “All Over The World” ever in your life again.   But no one is prepared to admit that, even though neither artists where ever considered cool, then or today.

The Pan Pacific Auditorium, built in L.A. in 1935 and used as an exterior for the motion picture Xanadu (1980).

I actually loved the movie, and ran home eagerly right after to make paintings inspired by the Los Angeles/Art Deco fantasia it presented, plus Olivia’s hair and clothes, which were peak that year.  All of the songs on Side ONJ (the album, which I am looking at, actually says ELO side and ONJ side!) were the really dreamy ones, and included two underrated ballads, “Suddenly”, her duet with Cliff Richard (Billboard No. 20) and “Suspended in Time”, another pyramid of echo.  But none of them could touch the hem of “Magic”, where the planets aligned so rare, and there were promises in the air, and she’d bring all your dreams alive…. for you.  

Well, me.  Especially me.

-

“Magic” 1980’s third biggest seller, was right behind Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in The Wall” and behind the no. 1 of the year, Blondie’s “Call Me”, the theme song to the motion picture American Gigolo, starring Richard Gere, written by Giorgio Moroder with lyrics by Deborah Harry (based on her impressions of the movie).  Gigolo, a film about a straight hustler in Armani clothes who works for a gay pimp, is one of the true style representations for the L.A. of 1979/80 (a feast for the eyes in terms of fashion and West Coast interior design), signaling both the extreme 70s feel of the movie, alongside the more Euro-centric eye toward the clothes and modernism that would define the first half of the 1980s that lie ahead.  It would be a Los Angeles/Art Deco fantasia of a very different and darker attitude.

As a further aside, Gere’s hustler character in the film was named "Julian", which was soon to be borrowed for the drug dealing character Julian in Bret Easton Ellis’ classic dystopian novel Less Than Zero (1983), leading to a vision of L.A. even darker still.

[clairetimes]

unsure if you're doing kirby oc ask game but WOE ASKS BE UPON YE

spin the booboo wheel for these <3

🍅🥘🍒🦁🩷(pink heart)🛡️!

Ooooo ty for sending in these asks! This actually reminded me to reblog the original ask game post dgcjhsdh

As for which oc I'm picking for these, I'm going with my gal Canvice since I feel that I don't talk about her enough

Let's begin!

🍅 (Tomato) - If Kirby absorbed them or their attacks, what Copy Ability [or Abilities] would he get? Alternatively, if they themselves are capable of using the Copy Ability, do they have a favourite?

Kirby would gain the Artist copy ability if he absorbed Canvice and any of her attacks. Though if he inhaled her sword, then Kirby would get the Sword copy ability.

🥘 (Stew) - Do they have any favourite foods or comfort foods? What are their eating habits like? If absorbed by the Cook ability, what healing item would they summon?

Canvice loves to eat fruits and nuts, but her favorites are apples, cherries, and pistachios. She eats rather normally, though every once in a while you might catch her snacking on something. If Canvice was absorbed by the Cook ability, she'd summon grapes.

🍒 (Cherry) - Out of all of the Dream Friends [Kirby included], which ones would they get along with the most? The least?

She'd get along with Adeline very well thanks to their love of painting. Canvice would also have a good bond with Gooey because of their shared connection with Dark Matter, Bandana Dee since she finds him somewhat cool, and Rick because he's nice.

As for who she'd get along with the least, that'd be Marx and Daroach. Mostly because Daroach would steal her paintings while Marx would ruin them as a prank.

🦁 (Lion) - If they were an animal — that is, of the Earth / Shiver Star / New World variety — which animal would they be? If they already are an animal, what real-life species or subspecies are they most similar to?

Canvice would be a Jabhog.

🩷 (Pink Heart) - If they were a Dream Friend, what would their moveset be like? How much HP do they have? Would they be a strong attacker, or would they take on more of a support role?

Canvice would share some moveset similarities between the Artist copy ability and Adeline, but with her own personal touches added. She'd also be able to switch between her normal form and her Dark Matter form to preform different attacks. And Canvice would also use her sword for certain attacks.

She'd have the same amount of hp as everyone else in her normal form, though in her Dark Matter form, Canvice would have slightly more heath.

Canvice would definitely be a strong attacker with some heavy hitting moves. And thanks to her artist capabilities, she'd be able to draw up a healing item to use. Though healing isn't really her priority, so she'd heal less than the Artist ability can.

🛡️ (Shield) - Which Clash role would your OC pick - Sword Hero, Hammer Lord, Beam Mage, or Doctor Healmore?

She would pick the Sword Hero role and wear this armor set in particular.

And that's all of the questions answered! Ty for sending these in!

[septembersghost]

What do you think is the actual deal between Harry and Taylor? Because they seem to be each other's muses- and with the lyrical back and forth that's been going on, EVEN AFTER A DECADE- it can't be nothing. They give off major soulmates vibes (musical-wise) and even relationship-wise (although they could also be star-crossed lovers) with such shitty timing everytime 😂 i've supported joe and taylor for years, but I've got this inkling in my mind like someway and somehow, H and T might still find their way back to each other. Joe just seems meh :/ tbh.

i almost feel like i shouldn't answer this because it's a bit loaded, but it's 3:30 am so why not 😅💕

i'm going to first defer to my friend @cowboylikedean who said:

"they can be soulmates, but not romantically. Consider: their whole relationship has been leading to a friendship which was always destined, but needed a contextual foundation that only an ill defined on again off again/only communicating through sex then song could create. Consider that. Joe is Taylor's forever person. doesn't mean Harry has to be nobody."

we don't know if they've forged a friendship behind closed doors or not, and whether we ever know anything about that is up to them. their interaction at the grammys was warm and familiar, which at the very least speaks to their feelings of respect and kindness towards one another as artists and people. taylor's support for him was clearly genuine (though you could say that of her support for basically everyone in that room). i think it's really important and meaningful to acknowledge that there are a vast array of dynamics that can be considered a soul connection - not only romantic, but familial, platonic/friendship, artistic, those can all be transcendent and vibrant relationships too. i personally feel there's a soul element and connection within their music that needed to exist as a spark to get them where they are today. (had they not been what they were to each other, what would their careers even look like? what would 1989 be? what would hs1 be? etc) and they were also, in many ways, peers when they were together, and in unique positions of fame at a young age that most other people couldn't understand. their timing was consistently wrong/off, but that connection in their hearts and art still came through clearly. to me, it's part of the invisible string - they had to meet and have that complicated on/off thing and have love for one another to be on the paths where they were supposed to go, in different ways, and to be able to stand in a room together where they're both succeeding and both feeling gratitude for what all of that meant.

i think it's a disservice to joe to...not pay attention to what taylor has explicitly said about him, and why that relationship is so different and profound for her. i've seen a LOT of commentary lately about him being boring and not "getting" their connection, and it strikes me as somewhat unfair because we don't see it, we're not privy to it, and we shouldn't be, that is very much by their design. (she did say romance isn't dead if you keep it just yours!) but because someone like h is sparkly and charismatic and a musician, and joe is somewhat more reserved and less obviously visible and an actor, there's this sense that we "know" him less, which can easily seem less interesting, but keep in mind that how any fan sees him and how taylor herself sees and describes him are totally different. he's home to her, he's that gorgeous dream to her, he's the daylight to her, and that's what matters. he's who she's built her life with and found her peace with for many years now, and vice versa. h hasn't found that yet, but i hope he does. but that doesn't necessarily mean harry has to be nothing to her. whether that's fondness and recognition of their influences on one another and gentle nods to the past, or whether that comes in actual friendship, i think it's really important and valuable to acknowledge that the soul connection can happen and NOT be romantic, or initially be romantic/sexual and then transform into something else later, and it's no less of a cosmic pull. in one way or another, they'll always be connected, even if it remains in lyric and melody - and that's also always going to keep having a life of its own.

[marzzthehuman]

HELLO!☆

this is info about me+my blog!!! PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU FOLLOW!!!!!!!!1 (last updated october 24, 2024)

matching pfps with @/tex-now !!! hoorayyyy!!!!☆～（ゝ。∂） current favorite thing: INANIMATE INSANITYYYY!!! SORRY I’VE BEEN SO INACTIVE I’VE BEEN BUSY WITH SCHOOL 😔😔😔😔 meet the artist MIGHT be in progress!! yippyy!! hooray!! i also dont like how big this post is but illl work on ittt --- i’ve got a strawpage! it includes basically the same info as here but also more! and you can send me doodles and such! (i have just realized these are all things you can do on tumblr) (warning- it does contain moving images/gifs!) im aware the formatting is a little weird but i tried to make it neat :) id recommend you check it out!

I’m Marzz! (the amount of Z's does not matter!! it changes every time i type it. lately i’ve been using 2!)

i go by she/they pronouns! (AFAB) i am genderqueer and on the aro/ace spectrum!

I AM A MINOR!! (teenager)

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mutuals: please tell me if you want anything tagged and I will try my best to do so!! 🫶🫶🫶🫶 for me, please tag things like nsfw/nsft (not counting on it being a common occurrence, but just in case, because some things can fall into that category!), mentions of sh and similar, and child injury, thanks!

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~~

my asks are always open, so feel free to send me an ask!!!

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About me!!

I can be energetic and am a positive and optimistic person!!! Along with that, please remember I have bad days sometimes, too!!

I love getting to know people and learning fun facts about them while also sharing fun facts about myself!!

the fandoms i am most active in are: Project Sekai. that's about it. i also like other things too! I also really like Lemon Demon, Doctor Who, and The Muppets (as in any Jim Henson production)!! (I am also into TBHK, Scott Pilgrim, Lucky Star, and Warrior Cats, though I wouldnt consider myself in the fandom) i am also into musical theatere and my favorite musical is Cats!

Trust me I know how to spell it's just keyboards are hard. yk what. words are hard.

i tend to use emoticons/kaomojis/emojis a lot!! i feel like they are helpful to getting my feeling across because online you can’t read tone or facial expressions!! (ó﹏ò｡) i also use hyperboles much more than i should, but they should be easy to spot!

guys guess. guess who my favorite pjsk character is. its the hardest thing to guess guys.

~

I write fanfiction sometimes!! You can find me on Ao3 as MarzzzzTheHuman !!

yap posts will (hopefully) be tagged with: #marzzz's yappy yap yaps ! yap posts will include either me talking about pjsk, some sort of rant, or just sharing random things. (probably most things will be tagged with this. I'm bored and have a lot of thoughts.)

just random text posts or other stuff (just random stuff basically) will be tagged with #marmalade is here

art from after july 14 2024 SHOULD be tagged with #MARZZ ART YAAAYYY ! !

'marzz, how can I talk to you?' tags of posts, (I love seeing the little messages in tags!!) asks, or DM!! I love talking to people!! 'can I call you a nickname?' Mutuals, yes!! but please run it by me first! >.< (‘marzzy’ is already a nickname given to me by a beloved friend so i’d prefer if only they call me it, thanks!) 'can I use your art?' Yes, but please ask first! I will allow my art to be used as pfps or banners (with credit) and for personal use like wallpapers. DO NOT repost my art on other sites, don't steal, and don't feed it to AI, please!

I'm just here to have fun, honestly! I mainly post art and reblog things but when i have access to my computer for an extended period of time i just say random things. If I want to. :D

this post should update somewhat regularly, but who knows!!! (I am aware this post needs serious reformatting.. and its currently under construction. kind of. I miiigghhtt make a 'meet the artist' thing but who knows lmao)

[niseag-reads]

Knock Knock by Frisson Comics, an observation

I'll come clear before saying anything else about this book: I don't like horror, and this is a collection of horror short stories in the form of comics and proze. I am not the target audience for this book, but I was interested as it was sold to me as a collection of folk tales, and I am a folklorist by academic training. I also enjoy art and supporting upcoming artists, so I don't regret buying this little book.

Over 102 pages, a variety of stories is presented, ranging from single page to 4 pages long. The comics are artsy, and the different drawing styles each have their own ways of invoking a sense of emotion, some of them particularly good at feeling uncanny. The proze is...less visually appealing. Multiple of the short stories are printed in a tiny, thin font that is hard to read to me, despite my vision being quite good. I imagine that to someone with worse vision, this might be an actual obstacle.

Story wise, my dislike of horror will likely be getting in the way of unbiased judgement on the writing. I enjoyed some of the stories more than others. I liked Fever Dream for its unique artstyle and simplistic yet impactful story. I also enjoyed Giant's Toe, which confused me but had a certain air of intrigue about it. The Horoscopes were an interesting inclusion that I found quite an appealing and novel way of setting up a horror story.

The Witch's bothy was the only story I immediately recognised as local to me personally, and I liked this one a lot. It is not often that the stories of selkies are told from a perspective like this, someone not involved in the contract of the Fey but being roped and terrorised in regardless. This is probably my favourite from the book.

The poem The Witch's Hour was not spectacular as poetry, but I wish to mention it anyway as I very much liked its inclusion. Poetry is not a form of storytelling often appreciated in modern fiction, but it is an important form of storytelling in folklore so the inclusion was a nice surprise.

The seller did tell me most of the folkloric stories are from England, so that may be why I didn't find a lot of recognition in the themes, though the inclusion of a story about a wendigo does betray that this is not only stories from the UK, which leads me to wonder about the origin of the other stories. Indeed, I would have liked to have any kind of background for these stories at all, an introduction or footnote of some variety telling me what the authors inspiration had been.

All in all, an interesting little art book that I think some people will absolutely adore. I am not one of those people, but I appreciate it anyway.

3 stars. Recommended for those that enjoy a unique take on horror.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

Re the dazed interview, I've been struggling with connecting to jungkook because sometimes he has ended up coming off kind of fame-hungry in a non substantive way, but the way he framed his ambitions in this interview didn't come off that way to me so it's easier for me to understand where he's coming from. I'm still not totally sure what he's imagining for himself or if that end point is something I'll personally vibe with, but either way I hope he gets that clarity and can achieve it. I am really hoping that he takes his album in a different direction from seven genre-wise, and I thought maybe he was hinting at that! Which would be super exciting

As an aside, I thought it was kind of funny how jungkook got that gut-feeling about both I Need U and Seven, bc they are such totally different songs quality-wise (imo, but seven wasn't my thing)

Regarding the Dazed interview, he said a lot of insightful stuff about confidence, being patient with himself, following his instincts, being okay with not having a plan, etc., but it was the part about his general ambitions as an artist that I couldn't really understand. Jungkook himself acknowledged that he's not quite sure what he's supposed to be, only that he isn't the singer he dreamed of being yet.

The thing is, we want BTS to be the biggest stars on the planet, to be loved and known by everyone, and we stream and promote them to help them achieve that goal. We do so because we believe that their music is superior, that their performances are superior, that they have a message everyone needs to hear, that they're hardworking and kind, that they love their fans, that being Army can save lives, etc. If BTS themselves talk about climbing higher and getting bigger, we don't think they're being fame-hungry, because what else are idol groups supposed to aim for? We want them to break down the walls that exist for Asian artists, and poc and non-English speaking artists in general. There's this understanding that, as long as their artistry remains intact, BTS deserve to take over the planet - that's the only path for them. This last point is important because it's precisely why the English trilogy was so poorly received, even among Army. Some fans felt that they had compromised their artistry, which made them no better than the countless artists who are super famous even if their music is nothing special. BTS deserves fame because, unlike a lot of famous people, their talent, quality of music, and personalities match their success. However, Jungkook, by releasing a mediocre song like Seven to achieve success in the West, is pulling a Dynamite, and being equally criticized. His ambition, which is really the same ambition BTS have when they release music - to grow bigger, chart better, sell better, please as many fans as possible - comes across as greedy when he seemingly puts success first, music second. It's okay to want success, as long as you don't compromise the quality of your work. But BTS have indicated many times that there's no such thing as "quality music" - there's successful music and music that is less successful. DNA, BWL, Dynamite, Butter, PTD, My Universe were successful in their books, although these are some of the most critiqued BTS songs. But it doesn't matter, because the success of the songs literally speaks for itself and indicates that releasing them was the right thing to do. They gained more fans and fans seem to love the songs. BTS's main goal is to please the fans they love and who love them back. What Jungkook describes with Seven is the same thing. He wanted a song that would do well commercially, like all BTS title tracks in particular are supposed to do. The fact that there wasn't some bigger meaning to the lyrics and the he wasn't involved in the production were negatives in the fans' eyes though.

What Jungkook is doing isn't all that different from what BTS do, except that BTS's music is overall perceived as superior, meaningful, and unique, whereas Jungkook is more or less following a formula and emulating people like Bieber or CP, whom we don't like. Still, recent BTS music is criticized the same way as Jungkook's.

Your comment comparing Seven to INU encapsulates what I'm trying to say perfectly. INU was released because BTS were struggling to gain fans and didn't even know if they had a future as a group. Thus, they abandoned their rougher and rap heavy sound and lyricism, and went for something softer and more romantic that appealed to their female fans and to the GP in general. They quite literally "sold out". But no one sees it that way because the song is so well liked. Seven is just like INU - a song made to appeal to a broad audience and to give Jungkook more exposure and a certain image and reputation. It's a rebranding of Jungkook, like INU was for BTS.

Regarding Jungkook's ambitions, it's hard to understand what he means by becoming "bigger" or "cooler", or why he wants to become a big pop star when he already is one by everyone's definition. This interview did clear up the confusion a bit. I think it's like I suspected. Jungkook grew up admiring people like Bieber - he likes his music, but I imagine that what he likes the most is his reach. Bieber's songs speak to a very broad audience, are catchy and easy listens. Making simple music that speaks to the biggest amount of listeners is, to Jungkook, a huge achievement. It's not about money or records, but more about him measuring success as a singer by the amount of people his music and voice reach and speak to. He wants to reach as much audience as possible, and songs like Seven allow him to.

Jungkook loved Seven from the beginning. He loved how catchy it was and how he didn't grow tired of it. To him, that meant the song was perfect - catchy, fun, accessible, bright, "timeless". Jungkook's standards for good pop music are these. The song being "basic" or having meaningless lyrics was inconsequential. He doesn't see the song as basic and he likes the lyrics as they are. Jungkook, at least for now, doesn't want to make "unique" music per se (that's probably a bonus). He wants to make music for everyone. Imo, this is obviously in conflict with what Army wants. We want meaningful music that stands out from most pop music. That's why we like BTS and why a lot of us like kpop. Furthermore, Jungkook is the only member (Jin hasn't truly debuted as a soloist yet) who isn't taking chapter 2 as an opportunity to try something different (ie. not easy pop) and worry less about how appealing to the GP.

Hobi released old school hip hop, RM did everything he wanted music wise and his promos were all about combining his love for art with his love for music (he said he cared about charts, but he still released Wild Flower as a tt), Suga also cares about charts but D-Day is not easily digestible regardless of softer tracks and he went all out in creating a powerful narrative that connects the album and the trilogy as a whole, Jimin wrote Face to heal from the pandemic and Like Crazy and Letter are the only easy listens in the album, which was quite dark, V promoted Layover like an idol, but the album itself is catered to V specifically and not the GP or even Army. Meanwhile, Jungkook released something with the GP in mind and promoted more like a pop artist and less like an idol. His approach to his solo career is different. He didn't try to release music BTS wouldn't release as a group (though BTS wouldn't release Seven with those lyrics), or to cater to the fans with his promo like Jimin (by that I mean that Jimin really went ouf of his way to create content for Army). He didn't try to find his own color as an artist either, though he's inevitably doing so. Jungkook's trying to reinvent himself somewhat - at least, our perception of him - not as a soloist, but as Jungkook of BTS. Imo, he isn't telling us "this is Jung Kook, soloist", but "this is Jungkook, soloist, and Jungkook of BTS. This is just Jungkook". He's not trying to explore his musical interests per se, but more like trying out what he likes to prove he has range and show people, and himself, he can do anything. He's challenging himself like the other members, but it's less about the music and more about what the music can do for him, if that makes sense? Jimin also shares that motivation of proving himself and growing as an artist, but he seems to be more focused on specific skills - singing, dancing, songwriting - whereas Jungkook is more focused on versatility, creating a specific image of himself, surprising people. He's always trying to get better at singing and dancing, but his biggest priority seems to be broadening the range of styles he can cover and adapting his performance so it looks "cooler", more relaxed. He's growing as an artist this way.

I don't know how else to put it. I think Jungkook's motivations in this chapter aren't that aligned with the other members' motivations or Army's expectations, and that is creating this disconnect between some of us and Jungkook.

Lastly, on the topic of the change in genre... I think his next single might be a different shade of pop, or even more RnB, but imo it will likely be relatively conventional, easy listening, and maybe also have explicit, sexual lyrics like many RnB songs. I don't have much faith that he will surprise us lyrically or put out something less GP friendly. He's rumored to be working with the Seven producers too, so how different can it be? Less Seven and more Unholy? That would be cool, but, yet again, we would get meaningless lyrics and no writing, composing or producing credits from him. I just hope there is no feature this time. I don't even know what he'll do for the MV. I feel like he's just going to take everything up a notch, to shock us even more, but, apart from making out with a woman in the next MV and appear shirtless, what else can he do?

Sorry this got so fucking long... I wanted to get that out of my chest. Thanks for the ask! Would love your take on this!

[twilightmalachite]

Altered - Heaven and Hell 20

Author: Akira

Characters: Natsume, Shu, Kanata, Rei, Wataru

Translator: Mika Enstars

"You can’t save everyoNE. Not even Sakuma Rei. Not even God."

Season: Autumn

Location: fine Stage (Past)

⚠️ This is an import from a unproofed Twitter Livetweet!

Wataru: “♪~♪~♪”

Natsume: …Wataru-niisan looks like he’s enjoying himseLF, isn’t hE?

Shu: I agree. This is surprisingly the first time I’ve seen him on-stage as an idol, actually.

I’m actually a bit impressed. I feel inspired to create.

Shu: Wataru knows what he is doing. He knows what he is capable of and what skills he can demonstrate. Having a perfect view of everything, he can find the optimal solution.

Wataru has always been a performer. An actor in stage plays. His experience as an idol is likely less than that of an ordinary student.

That is why right now, Wataru is playing the “role of an idol” upon the stage.

All the while, being overthrown as one of the Five Eccentrics, the root of all evil—he is behaving in the most appropriate manner he can as the villain of the story.

The role everyone desires him to be.

And when it comes to playing a role, there are not many people in Yumenosaki, no, in this world, that are as skilled as doing so as Wataru.

On this stage, Wataru is making the most of his skills.

He is adhering perfectly to the script he is given, improvising on the spot from time to time, meddling at times based on the reactions of his co-stars and audience—All while stirring up excitement.

He puts his entire body and mind at stake, in order to play a single role more than perfectly.

It’s splendid and artistic.

Theatre is the crystallization of something mankind has been refining since ancient times—it is a form of art. I will study it.

Mayhaps I should take such an approach in the future. Make it more dramatic than before.

Although, I do not know when that “future” will come, no, if it will ever come at all…

I am alive. We all are.

So surely, there will be a time.

Perhaps, we may even be able to bring about the future that we desire.

Kanata: Yes. It may be “difficult” to do alone, but it will be okay.

We are here.

We will no longer be “alone” again.

Shu: You’re right, I was able to meet you all.

We are compatriots. I'm sure we will be able to stand beside and work alongside throughout our lifetimes.

As best of friends.

What more could one wish for after having obtained such a precious thing?

This is by no means a lose-lose situation!

Natsume: (…My niisans sure are amaziNG, aren’t thEY.)

(I have been protectED. I’ve been shielded by my niisans. That is why I have yet to be fatally woundED, and can be composed and spirited like thIS.)

(It makes no sense for me to have a darker face than my niisans, who have been humiliatED, trampled oN, and hurt so throughLY.)

(It’s my niisans who are suffering and in paIN.)

(Even though I should be the one to support and bring comfort to my niisans. No, its for that saKE… that I’ve brought this projeCT.)

(A scenario where wE, the Five Eccentrics, go against the distasteful student councIL—and win against fine.)

Natsume: (But just like what Wataru-niisan pointed oUT, this is just a pipe dreAM. It’s nothing but a fantasy that can never be realizED.)

(I know thAT, even I cAN…)

(But this reality is just so terribLE, I thought I could at least comfort my heart with a fantaSY.)

(To feel just a little happiER, even if it was all just escapiSM.)

Rei: I’m sorry, Natsume.

Natsume: …What is there for you to apologize fOR, Rei-niisan?

Rei: Even you, the youngest of us Five Eccentrics, are doing everythin’ you can to support and comfort us.

Even if what what you’ve prepared was misguided, even if we have no intention of acceptin’ it, the gesture in itself is precious.

But, I didn’t do a thing.

Natsume: …You had no choice in the mattER. You were busy handling incidents that were kept occuring overseAS, Rei-niisan.

BesidES, I have a feeling that was a setup by the student council—by fine.

One to keep yOU, who was the most troublesome and the greatest danger of thwarting their plANS, outside of the vortEX.

Rei: Yeah. I have a feelin’ it was that type of strategy, but… I should have ignored the mess overseas and come to help you all instead.

But, I didn’t. I chose not to. I left you, the persecuted, to your deaths.

Natsume: But by doing sO, you were able to help countless people overseAS, weren’t yOU, niisan?

You can’t save everyoNE. Not even Sakuma Rei. Not even God.

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[mywifeleftme]

221: Traveling Wilburys // Vol. 1

Vol. 1 Traveling Wilburys 1988. Wilbury

To a certain type of rock purist In the late ‘70s and ‘80s, Jeff Lynne was basically the Antichrist, a Muppet Paul McCartney who did Macca one worse by not only making his own gormless megapop spoo but also producing records for his legendary friends and making them suck too. He’s been mostly forgiven by now I think, and I certainly can’t find that level of umbrage in myself. The best of Lynne’s singles with the Move and Electric Light Orchestra are as good as power pop gets, and if the albums around those singles are mostly grating trash, let’s dwell on the singles. It would’ve been cool if commercial wilderness years George Harrison had put out a folky, acoustic record that delved more deeply into his psyche, but he teamed up with Lynne instead and we got “Got My Mind Set on You”; it would’ve been intriguing if somebody had taken Roy Orbison back to Sun Studios, or even Tom Petty for that matter, but we ended up with “Anything You Want” and “Free Fallin’” and “The Comedians” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream” and that’s fine! Great even.

All that’s preamble to talking about the Traveling Wilburys, a not-terribly-serious gathering of four of the more significant artists of the rock era and Jeff Lynne, the latter of whom emerges as the dominant creative force by producing these affably tossed-off tunes like it’s an ELO reunion. Some people were Very Mad that the prospect of, like, Bob Dylan writing for Orbison or Petty for Harrison ended up sounding like a jukebox the size of an Imperial-class Star Destroyer entering near-Earth orbit. Personally though, I pretty much wore out this cassette driving around with my mom when I was a kid, and I’ve got real love for just about all of these songs. These personalities were too big for anything approaching a Serious Artistic Statement to get off the ground anyway, and I’d argue that a Basement Types-like presentation would only reveal how threadbare some of the material is. Instead, we get Lynne’s fantasia of the ‘50s rock Orbison helped invent and the others grew up on, the common thread that allowed him to get the signoff from a group of very opinionated Dudes.

Take “Margarita,” a slip of a thing composed of a lazy Dylan verse, some of Lynne’s Sha Na Na doggerel, and a couplet from Petty (“She wrote a long letter / On a short piece of paper”; one of my favourite lyrics actually) that can’t even keep to a consistent grammatical person. Lynne’s production turns it into a spangled fantasia, replete with burbling synth pop intro, Spectoresque armies of backing vox, braying sax, multimillion-dollar acoustic guitars, and a shuffle beat. Even on the songs Lynne trifles with less, like Dylan’s hysterical crime novel in verse “Tweeter and the Monkey Man,” he wants every part to lunge at the listener: has anybody ever gotten a tougher sound on an acoustic slide guitar than the little lick that serves as the song’s chorus?

Many albums would be greatly impoverished by having Jeff Lynne behind the boards, but not this one. Even when all five Wilburys were alive, they had the vibe of one of those “The Best Band in Heaven” memes people share whenever an icon croaks. And on “Handle Me with Care,” “The End of the Line,” “Not Alone Anymore,” and most everything else here, that’s exactly what they sound like.

221/365