#you don’t understand this is literally more important to me than my spotify wrapped

[romavitae]

It’s December 31, @staff where is our personalized year in review ?

[kimchokejin]

tag game 🏆 in which natalia (@jiminsproof​), heather (@wistfulocean​) and elle (@joon-rkive​) activate a particular brand of crazy for me. but they probably knew this would happen

so the game itself is simple, rank 34 bangtan lead singles (?) in order of your preference

i will put the rest under the read more because it’s about to get long-winded and opinionated in here 🤙

so first of all...this should have been much easier for me given i created a bts song ranker a few months ago and re-ranked the songs like, last month lmao. however as you can probably guess i overthought this yet again! but after 10 listens i think it’s safe to say i should just stop wasting my time and letting bts completely take over my spotify wrapped for the 3rd year in a row. so my ranking is below. but three FOUR important things before i begin!

1. there is only 1 (one) song on here that i h*te. some of the others aren’t really my thing, but i still enjoy them sometimes! it’s just my taste, if i have any. i joke a lot about my opinions being right but really, truly, these are just opinions

i had to resist adding “but i’m right” here

2. i am ranking these songs based on how i feel about them while listening to them alone with my headphones. i am trying to leave music videos and performances out of it, although there are some performances that have seeped into my soul and i just can’t separate them. but i will let you know when i notice that happening. not all of these songs even have performances (that i know of? did they perform heartbeat?) and with the slow ones ofc the performance might just be them standing onstage in front of microphones so i just don’t think that’s a fair comparison. similar with the mvs, i’m definitely gonna be biased towards the videos with more budget and/or when the members are older lmao so i just don’t want that to be a factor. and there are also some songs that are more fun to listen to while screaming along with your friends and i’m not gonna be able to forget that completely either but again i don’t do that as much with the slow songs and i think they deserve a chance in my ranking. point is i’m TRYING to focus on sound alone. and related to that:

3. i do not speak korean or japanese! i like to look up the meanings of bts songs when i think about it, especially because some of them have such great messages (and others not so much lol) but it’s easy for me to forget that while i’m listening to the songs because i don’t understand many of the words they’re saying. i would say overall that the meaning of the song sometimes makes me like a song more or less, but the language barrier definitely makes that super secondary to me just enjoying the listening experience

4. also! i became a fan during dynamite era. so i might be less attached to some of the old songs (or a song like yet to come!) than people who’ve been fans for longer.

okay, so with all that said, here is my ranking:

Film Out

Spring Day

Boy In Luv

We Are Bulletproof pt. 2

Mic Drop

Boy With Luv

N.O.

No More Dream

Epilogue: Young Forever

Lights

DNA

IDOL

Fake Love

Blood, Sweat & Tears

I Need U

Heartbeat

Run

Just One Day

Danger

War of Hormone

Fire

Dope

Stay Gold

Black Swan

ON

Airplane pt. 2

Butter

Dynamite

For You

Save Me

Life Goes On

Yet To Come

Not Today

Permission To Dance

some of these rankings might be surprising so please

let me explain

in reverse order so we end on a positive (but emo) note

(notes aren’t even necessary and were written mostly in drunk lmao basically just whatever came to mind while i was listening)

[namjoon voice] so let’s go!

34. Permission to Dance

literally no offense to anyone who likes this song if this music gets you going i won’t stop how you move but i want this song to walk the walk out of my life. where to begin...i guess i’ll start with the first time i heard this song, which was the premiere, and i remember watching the music video (i know it’s not supposed to count BUT) with my roommates and at the beginning we were like “oh she’s wearing a mask...is she gonna...” and then she DID. they all did. and we were like are you serious? we stayed up for THIS? like ed sheeran wrote it and i doubt the guys had much creative control of the video esp the scenes they weren’t in but like releasing a song with a music video basically proclaiming COVID is over when it was still a huge problem literally everywhere...YIKES! btw get your omicron boosters folks. ofc the lyrics are generic enough that my friends and i just decided to treat it like a gay rights anthem after the rainbow cowboy performance but even if i could get the horrible taste out of my mouth after that...the song itself still makes me sick. they autotuned the fuck out of it to the point where the chorus sounds like vomit sloshing around in a bucket, the lyrics are empty nonsense, and it’s just not bts! like ed sheeran wrote better songs for one direction, songs that still sounded kind of like ed sheeran songs. this isn’t even ed sheeran’s new sound and it CERTAINLY isn’t bts’ sound. i listen to this song and best case scenario i am tense the entire time waiting for it to be over. my friends and i CHEERED when it dropped down from #1 after one week lmao. the 1 (one) good thing about this song which doesn’t count for my ranking is the sign language built into the dance, that was great! i promise i will not be like this for the rest lmao

notes

the beginning is a one direction song. is it wmyb? that would explain why it triggers a fight or flight response in me

i mean when it’s live jk’s part at the beginning is kinda nice but again that doesn’t count

namjoon why did you say elton john in a british accent

“right vibe” yoongi please define this vibe you keep speaking of

hobi’s cute during his part at the end of the chorus but that’s because of him not the song

jimin’s high notes at the end are good live but again they don’t count!!!

same with jin’s “we don’t need to WOOOOOOORRYYYyyy” that’s my favorite part of his voice

i needed to drink to get through this one yikes

33. Not Today

okay so absolutely NOTHING against not today but this falls in my category of bts songs where i’m like...”why are you yelling???” which makes absolutely NO sense because i generally LOVE the songs that go hard and this song is kind of allegedly about social justice? which is literally the MOST valid reason to be yelling. and yet...i think this song just makes me feel like i’m in a battle scene in a movie, but not the biblical kind like ON, more like the sci fi and/or youth revolution kind like hunger games where it could feasibly happen in a few hundred years and it just stresses me OUT! when i’m in a really chill mood this song can be fun but in any other situation i’m like someone please get me outta here i’m gonna dieeeEEEE. idk i’m sensitive sometimes. i guess the song does its job though

notes

okay but literally does the beginning of this song not give you anxiety is this really just me

yoongi’s rapping voice is good though

extra! huh!

still part of this ~woooooorld~

extra plus ordinary! huh!

WAH!

WILL i survive? will i REALLY???

chong! jojun! BALsa!!!

seriously it’s movie trailer battle scene music

too hot! (milk)

i love hobi’s rap

whatcha sayay! not todayay!

whatever effect they did on the vocals in the bridge i liked that it fits

hands up!

i had a nice day i do like this song

but it’s also v long

i will accept this gunshot it could be thematic

32. Yet to Come

ahhhh yet to come...again i LOVE the message behind this song and it’s something i need to hear at the tender age of 26. the sound just isn’t really my thing. but the best part of this song is when the rap line comes in on the chorus. specifically yoongi and how PASSIONately he raps his part i really FEEL it in the live performances (not that that’s supposed to count here...). last thing i’ll say is that i feel the need to sing this song more than i feel the need to listen to it, so i guess it’s catchy, but i don’t enjoy the listening experience as much as most of their other songs

notes

vocal line does sound nice in the beginning actually

i should just listen to this drunk all the time

no i shouldn’t

[jk voice] yooonGAAAAAAAAY

i sure HOPE the best is yet to come

31. Life Goes On

this might as well be tied with yet to come tbh, the only difference between the two is that i’ve been with this song longer and i’m more attached. and vocal line’s high notes in the chorus are super impressive. i try to sing along and i’m piercing everyone’s eardrums. singing that high AND softly is really fucking hard like props to them...also every time yoongi sings “mmm mmm mmm mmm” i say “thanks suga” afterward because that alone is worthy of a grammy

notes

the bass line is so close to another famous song idk which one but it’s also satisfying

we got jk low notes good good good good good good GOOD!

thanks suga

BEAUFITUL BEAUTIFUL high notes

30. Save Me

this song is catchy, it just doesn’t really do anything for me. i think it ends up fading really easily into the background and it doesn’t really stand out next to other songs with a similar sound

notes

the clock is like what do you mean what is the purpose (2015) of it

jimin your voice is beautiful

i just don’t think i could pick this instrumental out from a lineup of other 2010s dj hits you know?

lmao the echo on tae’s voice went so weird like really listen to it (nyah nyah nyah)

please save me tonight p p p please save me tonight

whoo! whoo!

the best of ME???

but yeah this sounds to me like parts of other songs but don’t ask me which ones i’ve lived a long life i don’t remember

no thank YOU namjoon 🤭

29. For You

okay i genuinely do LOVE this song i just don’t always have the patience for it, if that makes sense. it’s a good vibe that sometimes makes me feel nostalgic but it takes some time to build up. that’s okay! i just have to be in the right mindset for it. and similar to heather i only discovered the mv recently and wow that’s adorable 🥺

notes

joonie baby why are YOU far away. come home. the kids miss you

shower! we’re getting really excited about hygiene!

lmao what is that noise they had to wake yoongi up for this

tae did a REALLY good job in that chorus wow

oh rap line in the chorus no wonder i like this

28. Dynamite

this is the song that got me into bts and it’s a bop! and i think a lot of people have problems with the lyrics because they’re ridiculous but dare i say i like them more than butter’s? it’s just a silly little song and it makes me happy sometimes. jungkook does like milk, lebron does jump high, king kong does exist, that’s three facts in one song what more can you want? and i’ll give bts the benefit of the doubt on this one because it was the first all english group song (that i know of?). maybe it WAS just a gift to armies all around the world because times were tough and english is a widely understood language and not an obvious cash grab like ptd or...

notes

cup of milk let’s fuckin rock and roll!!!

i like jk’s voice when he says kong and stone

this beat cha ching like money! huh!

the autotune here is bad too ngl

namjoon i’m sorry you had to say that in a megaphone but i kinda love it

🎵 its called 4 on the floor! a beat you can’t ignore! 🎵

27. Butter

okay first of all you cannot call me a butter hater exhibit a my 2021 spotify wrapped:

i listened to regular butter (#1) ALONE 724 times...i just really wanted it to stay #1 on billboard lol but i kind of was addicted to the song too. i didn’t get really tired of it the whole 10 weeks straight i was listening to it (between other bts songs...i’m not crazy). and i love that it showed bts being confident about themselves because i worry about that sometimes...some of them have anxiety and body image stuff so seeing them like this like oh yeah i’m hot shit again made me really happy. that said, you know, this was definitely a cash grab and the song itself feels very thrown together (unlike dynamite which was basic but seemed to be more ~sonically cohesive~) so i can only rank it so high

notes

b-b-b-buttah motherfuckah!!!

woo!

break it down!

i remember when this song first came out i was so confused? idk it all just happened so fast

fresh boy or doom boy namjoon which one is it

oh hobi’s part is the BEST part whenever there is party to bring he BRINGS IT

WE DON’T STOP!

OH MY GOD!

26. Airplane pt. 2

sequels will never match up with the original and with an original like airplane by j-hope that is a BIG hangar to fill. not that i spend all of my time listening to this song comparing it to airplane pt. 1 lol. it’s a bop for sure, but similar to save me i think it fades easily into the background. the performance with the microphones takes it over the top but i’m not counting that here. ummmm don’t tell natalia’s mom i need to stay on her good side

notes

i’m in a detective film

the HIGH NOTES! JIN!!!!! i think

i forget what the dance was for this actually but i hope they shake their hips a lot

again hobi’s rap is the best but it’s literally the same as part 1 you know???

IDUNNOIDUNNOIDUNNOIDUNNO! IDUNNOIDUNNOIDUNNOIDUNNOOOO! IDUNNOIDUNNOIDUNNOIDUNNO!

[unnecessary sexy sighing]

25. ON

getting to my biggest LET ME EXPLAIN moments. a lot of this will be the same as what i say about black swan, i don’t think these songs are meant to stand alone. they don’t sound BAD alone, but they were meant to be performed. it’s true of so many kpop songs but when you take away the performance these songs in particular (compared to other bts songs) just don’t hit nearly the same. i think a part of that might just be the way they were mixed/mastered and what the streaming platforms did to the volume when they were distributed (i am completely pretending to know anything about this). not sure if this is fair to use as a factor because the song itself is still so good, but this is a problem i have with songs from other artists too where they sound so good with speakers but then with your headphones it’s just...disappointing. ON in particular sounds a bit quiet and almost restricted in my headphones, while other bts songs sound a lot louder and fuller at the same volume. like when you watch ON being performed, you are ON the battlefield WITH the marching band watching them fight and it’s incredible. when you’re listening to ON alone on your headphones you are watching a war movie with bts as actors and half of them aren’t great actors and no one knows how to use the weapon they’re holding except yoongi. it’s like watching the ON cinematic music video when you could be watching the kinetic manifesto dance performance. it will just never compare

notes

i can’t understand what people are sayin! no way me too

no i will not look at your feet namjoon i have seen enough

whatever else namjoon is saying i love it

okay it’s a little better than watching a war movie it’s like watching a high school marching band youtube video

edgelords

hobi and yoongi’s echo things and sound effects are the best part of this thing

ooh yeah oh eh eh oh oh eh uh huh uh huh doo doo doo

YA YA YA YA! YA YA YA YA! YA YA YA YA! YA YA YA YA! YA YA YA YA!

WIN NO! MATTER! WHAT! winnomatterwhatwinnomatterwhat nega mwoladeon nuga mwoladeon i don’t give a uh i don’t give a uh i don’t give a UH! YEAH!

jimin will you be my roommate though for real i need one

like jk’s high notes are not nearly as dramatic without him standing alone on the stage crouching in pain with a band behind him it’s just not the same

like i’m tapping my foot i just don’t feel the energy

24. Black Swan

i think i made my point with ON but i will just add here that it makes more sense for black swan to not hit in general just because the whole point of the song is like losing passion for music. and it’s not *just* an r&b pop dance song like i think the orchestral elements and the vocal distortions make it super unique. but without the performance, again, it just doesn’t hit the same at all. musically this song is like edging to me. it kind of builds and then goes steady and you’re waiting for it to flourish but then it doesn’t, it just goes “do your thang” and i’m just like dudes what does that even mean. i don’t know what your thing is either. and again maybe that goes with the meaning of the song but i’m just never satisfied unless i’m watching the music video or a dance performance. so that’s why this masterpiece is here on the list

notes

this song is really fucking cool i mean it

the bass is full i appreciate that

bump bump bump! jump jump jump!

yeah yeah yeah! killin me now! killin me now! do you hear me yeah!

hobi’s part is really good

driving to the studio!

ba da NA NA!

this should’ve been a hit

23. Stay Gold

this song was an early fave of mine, i have fun memories of listening to this in my roommate’s car as they were first introducing me to bts. but it got old real fast so i haven’t listened to it much since 2020. but listening to it again after a while...it’s a good song...the best part of it BY FAR is jimin when he sings the japanese part in the chorus because holy shit is that not the cutest thing you’ve ever heard in your entire life??? wtf????? if he did that for the whole song it would probably be higher on this list lol

notes

i’m sorry i will never hear the beginning of this song normally ever since that meme lmao

tae is really good in that pre-chorus

they really BELT out that chorus you go vocal line

honestly pissed they only had jimin do the japanese chorus once i have tears in my eyes

jin said “i’ll steal your heart” and i didn’t even believe him but then he did it :(

oooooh those high notes! so pretty!

22. Dope

okay i love this song but it does fall into the “why are you yelling???” category. i think what throws me off is the musical break after chorus. whatever that instrument is reminds me too much of another 2010s song i didn’t like and i just can’t always get with it. i’ll jam to it with other people but not really when i’m alone. lots to make fun of though which i really appreciate!

notes

AYO LADIES AND GENTLEMEEEEEEEEN (say this in a really annoying baby voice)

DOPE! DOPE! DOPE!

JJEO JJEORO!!!

i don’t wanna say yes!

🎵 some words just go together like higher desire and fire 🎵

those beats in namjoon’s part really hit

ENEMY ENEMY ENEMY!

ENERGY ENERGY ENERGY!

the fact that namjoon said “can i get a little bit of hope?” and hobi’s part wasn’t right after...wtf....

bangtan style lmao

hustle liiiiiiiife!!!

[baby voice] I GOTTA MAKE IT RIIIIIGHT BABY

OW!

21. Fire

thoughts are pretty similar to dope even though they literally tell us why they’re yelling. a bass boosted version of this was my “GET THE FUCK UP BITCH” alarm for a short time so i think it also gives me horrible flashbacks that probably affected the ranking. but it’s a jam for sure!!!

notes

like those first notes bass boosted...imagine that waking you up...it’s scary

this instrumental is honestly ridiculous

when i wake up in my rrrOOOOM

say la la la la la! (la la la la la) say la la la la la! (la la la la la)

(bultaoreune)

BOW WOW WOW

hey........................................burn it up

fiyah!

need! to burn! it down! OW!

HA! HA! HA HA! HOTTER (i always thought they were just laughing aggressively oops)

20. War of Hormone

i am CACKLING every time at jk singing “yes i’m a bad boy so i like bad girls” i love it so much. also s/o to tae for giving his ALL to “TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT RIGHT NOW...IMMA GIVE IT TO YOU GIRL RIGHT NOW” because that probably did a number on his voice. he did so much for us 🥲

the beginning is hilarious i can’t believe they had the mario coin and power up noises too they did that for ME!!!

so aGGRESSIVE namjoon

I’LL be your FAN!

YES i’m a bad boy SO i like BAD girls

hello hello (what) hello hello (what) tell me what you want right NOW!

hello hello (what) hello hello (what) imma give it to you girl right NOW!

say that in a baby voice too

i like the guitar a lot

eh heh! eh heh! eh eh eh hu yeeeeeeeah!!!!!

19. Danger

this song is just so dramatic and hilarious i always love listening to it. also the most important thing i have to say about this song is i am SHOCKED there isn’t a pokemon parody for this in which jimin says “you gotta catch em all” right before the chorus because that’s what i sing every time i cannot be the only person who does that

notes

yeeeeeEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

(in a baby voice) YOU’RE IN DANGER

YOU’RE IN DANGER

YOU’RE IN DANGER

YOU’RE IN DANGER

i’m SICK!

DEONG DEONG DIGIDEONGDEONG

MICHIL GEOT GATAAAAA HOOOOOO

YOU GOTTA CATCH EM ALL!!!

you gotta make fun of jk trying to be sexy in the chorus with the UH!

tae really just let it all out in this song thanks for that buddy

BEEP BEEP!

rap line is so good. why are they so good. who approved of that

oh also sing jimin’s part in the chorus with a baby voice

18. Just One Day

ahhhh....this reminds me of chill car rides as well. i love this song, it’s cute, it’s catchy, it’s fun to “sing” along to, it’s nostalgic, it’s a specific genre of bts songs where i think this (and maybe for you) are the only singles, but it’s my comfort genre. i love it dearly

notes

[namjoon sexy voice] yeah...just one day...one night

[deep inhale]

YA!

the SOUND EFFECTS! BEST PART. so silly i love

when the chorus goes do it! do it! do it! i feel like they’re poking me

hobi brought the party you didn’t have to ask him he just did it

can you please stay with me 🥺

17. Run

run is another one of my early faves. i remember when my old roommate first showed me their music videos this was one of the videos and songs i remembered liking a lot, probably the best at the time. maybe it was the most similar to music i was already listening to. but yeah, it’s a big banger as you know

notes

the GUITAR!

dasi run! run! run!

jimin in the chorus he’s singing his little heart out!

(in the most baby emo voice you can muster) don’t tell me bye bye! you make me cry cry! love is a lie lie! don’t tell me! don’t tell me! don’t tell me bwye bwye!

hobi’s rap is really good wow

ooooh whoooooo oooooooh ahhhhhhh

the bridge is really good like that is a quality bridge do you know how hard that is to come by

16. Heartbeat

this placement is a bit of a surprise to me because a couple months ago this was really low in my ranking. i blame sarah <3 but i think the main reason behind that was, again, me having no patience to let music build. but when you let it get to at least hobi’s part it is SO beautiful. it may still grow on me yet, stay tuned

notes

jk solo low notes oh woooooooow

🎵 some words just go together like higher desire and fire 🎵

jimin i love you you don’t have to wish for it <3

you give me a new BIRTH

HOBI!!!

this is a fist pumper when you get to the 2nd chorus

JIMIN’S HIGH NOTES

JIN’S HIGH NOTES

when the GUITAR gets going oh yes

tae singing high is also so beautiful there’s something special about it

15. I NEED U

okay so this is another banger but what sets this above some of the others is the silly boy band dance i do to this song which isn’t supposed to count but still

notes

fall (everything) fall (everything) fall (everything)

AH!

hobi’s part is so good

but you are everything! everything! everything!

mianhae (i HATE YOU!) saranghae (i HATE YOU!) yongseohae (shit)

and then the dance move

it goes round and round! i go down and down!

jungkook you don’t need a girl could you even look her in the eye at this point?

I NEED YOU GIRL!

another excellent bridge

14. Blood Sweat & Tears

fantastic song ABSOLUTELY no question like this song is great the whole time there are no dull parts i listened to it 10 times in the last week so i should know. not even thinking about the performance!

notes

starts out good and just doesn’t stop wow

peaches and cream sweeter than sweet chocolate cheeks and chocolate wings

“kiss me” if you insist hobi!!!

hobi doing most of the chorus is actually the best idea they’ve ever had

kiss me on the lips IF YOU INSIST YOONGI

oh my god jimin’s about to do some insane high notes

OW!

13. Fake Love

listen. this song is amazing incredible show stopping never been done before never the same totally unique etc. BUT. it was not meant to sound like it does. the rocking vibe mix is a step in the right direction but ultimately this was the final answer. i consider this the official version. we all know they were emo kids it just makes sense

notes

[screaming] FAKE LOVE! FAKE LOVE! FAKE LOVE!

i wanna be a GOOD MAN! (just for you)

now i don’t KNOW ME! (who are you?)

HOBI’S PART

LOVE YOU SO BAD! LOVE YOU SO BAD! drink some water sweetie

why you SAD? i don’t know. nan molla

YOONGI’S PART

oooooh i don’t know i don’t know i don’t know why

outro as intro <3 they do that a lot haha

12. IDOL

what’s fun about this song is i forget how much i love it all the time for some reason. and then it comes on and i’m like holy shit this is so good how unexpected??? also that whistle noise in the background throughout basically the entire song scratches an itch i never even knew i had. great song, one of their best for sure

notes

the BEAT in the beginning

can call me artist! can call me idol!

i don’t! care!!

i’m proud of it! no more irony!

god this song is so fun

i KNOW what i am! i KNOW what i want! i ain’t EVER gonna change! i ain’t EVER gonna trade! CHOO CHOO!

YOU CAN’T STOP ME LOVIN MYSELF!

WOOHOO!!!

AYY!

spotlight eh ! superhero goddamn! anpanman!

I LOVE MYSELF!

RUNNING MAN RUNNING MAN RUNNING MAN! BRRRP!

and the whistle do you hear it in the chorus it’s in the left ear i think it’s like a sports whistle but melodic

AYY!

11. DNA

okay so i have history with this song as well because if i remember correctly this is the first bts song i ever heard. and i didn’t really like it at first because it reminded me too much of other popular songs on the radio at that time that i didn’t like. but over the past few years and with distance from those kinds of songs i’ve grown to really love this one. tae starting the song out is a real treat because i think he rarely starts out the big songs and his voice sets a really cool vibe. also s/o to the one of my favorite misheard bts lyrics of all time “PUT YOUR ASS ON ME!”

notes

lmao the put your ass on me line might have something to do with god and fate that makes it even funnier like this wasn’t random chance you were DESTINED to put your ass on me. tragically beautiful

TAKE IT! TAKE IT! 😳

this love! REAL LOVE!

DNA! TRUE LOVERS!

my notes really are just any english sounding words i hear sorry

OH YEAH!

i love the shouting in the chorus. i love shouting

whose voice is the really low dna

space noises!

yeongwonhi! yeongwonhi! yeongwonhi! yeongwonhi!

screw the lightbulb

la lai la la la! la lai la la la!

10. Lights

first of all side note why are bts japanese songs so freaking good and give me so much emotion? why didn’t they do this with the english songs. this song is so sweet and beautiful and we again get jk starting out in his lower register which is GORGEOUS and then jimin once again singing in the cutest voice ever why was he designed to make me cry. anyway. love the song and the video doesn’t count but it might actually be my favorite bts video ever

notes

low jk solo sorry idk why i’m obsessed with this now

JIMIN 😭

WHOA HO HO HO

SING IT

every time i’m thinkin bout love every time i’m thinkin bout love! eh!

the build up to the chorus i love it i love it so much

vocal line stop making me feel things

i’m your liiiight! i’m your liiiiight!

oh this song is long i forgot

i’m BREAKIN DOWN (same)

JIMIN 😭 

EVERYONE 😭

this is one of their best songs seriously i probably ranked it too low

9.  Epilogue: Young Forever

i am not always in the mood for this song just because again i have little patience to let things build but when you get to yoongi and hobi just fucking screaming their parts i ascend to another plane of existence. it’s not even necessarily the song, it’s the PASSION i feel when i hear it that makes me love it. and again you have rap line in the chorus you simply cannot fail with that

notes

[jk voice] YOONGAYYYY!!!!!!!

HOBI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CHILLS!

i’m drinking sake out of a solo cup because i’m forever young

the drama! the passion! you’re gonna love the arts in philadelphia!

jimin got this tattooed

and the way it slows down and becomes kinda solemn at the end i’m gonna cry

🎵 gang vocals here we come! 🎵 😭

8. No More Dream

a classic of course of COURSE!!! again rap line in the chorus can’t go wrong. also this has definitely happened in songs before this one in the list but i love when rap line, usually yoongi, just has one random high pitched word when they’re rapping something (i want a big house big cars and big rings but  sasireun I don't have any BIG dreams) like it’s my favorite thing ever i don’t know why. and they’ve been on their follow your dreams bullshit since day 1 god i love them

notes

the BASS LINE

namJOOOOOOOOOOON

the school bell lmao

whatever hobi’s saying i love it

GEeee

STOP!

SUCH A LIAR!

la la la la la!

they’re just growling at me it’s the best

was the gunshot thematic

this seriously went so hard

please tell me how everything i’m doing is wrong i respond to that

yeah yeah! OW!

okay those gunshots were def not thematic :/

to all the youngsters without dreams aha xx

7. N.O.

okay with this song i’ve blocked out the mv completely :) and the ONE concert performance with that fucking GUITAR RIFF is literally like an engine revving up in my chest. the performance doesn’t count but too late it’s a part of meeee!!! and you gotta do that little steering wheel move for JOHEUN CHAAAA!!! the other fun thing to do is during the chorus when they’re like everybody say NO!!! you do the little echo no! and andwae! in a baby voice. baby voice never gets old to me sorry. and talking about youth issues no one else was talking about! they are icons for a reason!!!

notes

B T S

JOHEUN JIB! JOHEUN CHA!!!!

i guess this song is also supposed to be a revolution but it doesn’t stress me like not today idk why

everybody say NO! (no!)

we roll....we roll....we roll!!!

rrrrrrRRRRAH!

huh?! HUH???!!!

lmao there is so much going on in that last 30 seconds or so

6. Boy With Luv (barely feat. Halsey)

i think this was the second bts song i ever listened to intentionally, so again there is history, i was too jaded to like it the first time i heard it but when i was in a better mindset first getting into bts i really enjoyed it! jimin asking me how my day was and texting me i am giggling and kicking my feet just thinking about it. such a cute fun song and it being a more feminist version of boy in luv????? which still ranks higher on my list but pls ignore that for a sec finally please watch this video the choreography just works way too well

notes

doing the fan chant in my head sorry

vocal line finally figured out how to sound a little bit sexy without trying too hard it turns out the secret was feminism

ohh...............................bae

someone...please......come be his teacher......................

the instrumental is cool like someone called it kitschy once i agree if that’s not an insult

i love yoongi’s part

ay ay! ay ay! HOPE WORLD!

and hobi’s part

oh nooo! oh nooo! nooo way! nooo way! boy with luuuv!

oh whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh

i WANT it!

namjoon’s part too all of rap line

yeah? sigh

let me flyyyyy

5. Mic Drop

mic drop is definitely meant to be performed but the difference for me between this and ON/black swan is the song still stands well on its own. it’s definitely better with the performance but i still listen to it by itself and i’m happy. and it’s just good the whole time. aside from the slow part but i’ll tell you my secret on getting past that. when namjoon’s doing his dramatic speech you gotta hype jin up. hype that part up like it’s literally the best part of that song coming up, like that dance doesn’t look completely ridiculous, and it will eventually be one of your favorite parts of the song

notes

okay i do picture hobi dancing in my head during this intro i can’t help it

yeah?

world business! bang bang! clap clap! magic! mic mic bungee!

i’m fine sorry! mianhae eomma!

i do it! i do it!

ooooh highlight of this song is when they echo “hella sick” like barking chihuahuas

baby watch your mouth (mouth!) it comes back around (round!) once upon a time (time!) we know how to fly (fly!) go look at your mirror (same! damn! clothes!) you know how i feel? (gaehaengbok) turn UUUUUuuuuuuP how many hours til we fly (woooOOOOOooooo) i keep on dreamin on the cloud! YEAH I’M ON THE MOUNTAIN! YEAH I’M ON THE BAY! EVERY DAY WE VIBIN! mic drop BAM!

namjoon says mic drop so calmly and casually i’m gonna

haters gonna hate players gonna play (swift 2014) live your life man good luck

HERE WE GO HERE WE GO HERE WE FUCKING GO!!!

and ragdoll

bo! bo-bo bo bo-bo body roll! bo! bo-bo bo bo-bo body roll! (what do you mean those aren’t the lyrics)

thanks steve <3

4. We Are Bulletproof Pt. 2

dude this just goes so hard so fast and again i’ve blocked out the mv completely in favor of the ONE concert performance in which namjoon does his little sword fighty move with his jacket and the...sash? strap? one of those things. i can’t get it out of my head and i don’t want to. again. SO much to make fun of here it’s just everything i need in a bts song and more.

oh FUCK yes

WHAT! WHAT! WHAT!

HA! HA! WE ARE BULLETPROOF! HA! WASSUP! (wassup) BULLETPROOF

[baby voice] IREUMEUN JUNGKOOK! SEUKEIREUN JUNGKOOK!!!

the vocal inflections or whatever!!!

fuck it UP tae oh my GOD

[baby jimin voice] we go HARD! <-- name of my bts hype playlist lol

click click ! bang bang! (said in a baby voice)

we just sing it like (said in a nerd voice)

AND RAPPER MAN!

rap MONSTER!

IRIWA MIRI BWA! HA HA!

rrrrrrRRRRRRAH

jin sang this right after downing a glass of milk

again there is so much going on in this dance break outro lmao

3. Boy In Luv

this song hits EVERY fucking time. i don’t even remember the performance aside from jimin is there. it doesn’t matter. the song is so good and i don’t understand the words i don’t care. it’s got hip hop, it’s got rock, it’s catchy, you can make fun of it, it ticks all the boxes for me

notes

(for absolutely no reason) FIYAH!

oh tae is definitely also there

tae really messed up his voice for this song please have some respect

rrrRRRRAH!

hakuna matata! OH!

i love this whole goddamn thing

say “say what you want” in a baby voice also

car noises!

hold up!

i just ignore the meaning of the word oppa for this

yeah yeah yeeeeeeeAAAAAAAAAAH

jimin sing it bby!!!

2. Spring Day

this song was another early favorite of mine but i did get tired of it for a while because they kept performing it in 2020. but now that i’ve had some space i feel like i can fully appreciate it again. this song didn’t have to grow on me at all, i instantly liked it, tae’s “you know it all, your my best friend” deserves an oscar, i can’t even beLIEVE yoongi’s verse, and again! they are talking about this even while the government was (supposedly?) trying to downplay the whole tragedy. and this was AFTER they were getting successful, they had something to lose, but they did it anyway <3

1. Film Out

this probably seems a little random. i wasn’t in love with this song on the first listen, it definitely took a little for me to really get into it. my friends and i kept playing the music video on our big tv just because it was trippy and funny and when the song started getting stuck in my head it was all over. and vocal line SHINES in this one wow wow wow like especially the end with jimin and jin!! but we still have humor in namjoon’s part so this song is missing nothing. and then the INSTRUMENTAL. it sounded a bit strange to me when i first heard the song but now everything (the piano, the orchestra, the guitar) all come together so beautifully. and the LYRICS like at the end of the day it’s just some sad j-drama ost but it’s MY sad j-drama ost. i’ve never seen it though lol

notes

gorgeous

starts with just a little piano

piano builds

guitar comes in

harmonies

.........................................................................................ayy

beat comes in (”let the beat in”)

[clenches fist] ahhhhhhhh

making fun of namjoon in this song is my favorite past time sorry

and the la la la la las over sope’s rap <3 <3 <3

AND NOW THE ORCHESTRA

AND JIMIN!

AND JIN!

AND JIMIN AGAIN!

beat drops out

i’m a conductor now actually

to conclude:

i hate ptd

i love jimin

newfound love for jk’s lower register

tae really does put his whole pussy into it sometimes

chances are i love hobi’s part

[jk voice] yoooooonGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

namJOOOOOOOOON

jin was there...i love him i swear

sorry for all the pop 101 references

why yes i am absolutely insufferable at kpop night thanks for asking

so if you made it through this whole post let me know i’ll give you a gift of some kind idk what yet but lmk if you have any ideas

not tagging anyone because i don’t want to subject any more of my friends to reading this but if you see this and would like to do it please go for it and say i tagged you! i love to hear other people’s thoughts on bts songs, good or bad

[tvehyungs-gf]

Youngblood

Part 1 of the Jet Black Heart Series. Song of the chapter: Youngblood. Playlist: Youtube ver.  ━  Spotify ver. Word Count: 3.18K.

Without a doubt, Jeon Jungkook was, sorry, is your everything. And everyone knew that he meant absolutely everything to you; he is your entire world. You loved him and he loved you, so what more could you ask for? Maybe you should’ve kept that in mind because who knew you were asking for more than what you originally bargained for. Life is unpredictable.

To start it off, Jeon Jungkook has a title, and damn you, he held that title with the utmost confidence. Jungkook is an Idol, the golden maknae of the globally famous, Bangtan Sonyeondan. The two of you met a long while ago, way before BTS started to grow more popular overseas. Those days back then were forever ingrained in your memories and it was always repeating in your damn pretty little head. 

Will they ever go away? You ask yourself that every fucking day because they’re starting to feel like nightmares that just keeps reoccurring - they never stopped playing.

Your relationship began like no other relationship. Upon your first meeting, the two of you were already quite fond of another. Seeing beauty that matches each others beauty was the first thing, then knowing that your personalities complimented another was another, but the main reason that the two of you were so attracted to one another was the bond. It was like God has created him for you and you for him. You both were so fit and so perfect for another. 

And everyone agreed. The fans, hell, they loved your relationship. You were a power couple to them, a couple they could look up to, a couple they idolized. The company? They couldn’t even form the idea to tear you two apart. Your relationship was a win-win for them. You bought them more exposure, not like they needed it, and now they don’t have to worry about dating rumors. And the boys? Damn, they were more than happy that Jungkook met you. You were able to bring out the real Jungkook. You took away his shyness and replaced it with the confidence he now emits. Jungkook became a confident and strong man and it was all thanks to you, and of course Bangtan. 

And for you? Jungkook helped you with your photography. He became your muse and he was one of the main reasons why you’re so important in the photography world. He was the solution to your problems. He always lent you a hand when you need him, he helped you kickstart your career and molded it into where you were today.

Mainly, he helped you capture the beauty in everything, even in the off-putting, unpalatable contrivances. Most importantly, he helped you capture the beauty in the most disgusting, disturbing, and malicious thing known to man - his jet black heart.

Like the famous quote, nothing perfect last forever. And the two of you had to learn that the longest, hardest, and dreadful way. 

“Baby?” You bellowed out, your chin resting on top of Jungkook’s broad chest. You looked up to see that Jungkook was already looking down at you with an eyebrow raised. He’s so cute.

“Hmm?” He hummed, his hands tangling themselves into your hair effortlessly. “What’s up, baby?”

The two of you were laying in the back of his managers truck, a mattress fitting perfectly in the back. With blankets and pillows adorning the top of the mattress, both of you laid underneath the cold night sky. The slight breeze made goosebumps rise onto your skin causing you to shake ever so slightly. You rested on top of him, with your chin on top of his chest and your arms wrapped around his (very) fit frame. “Love me till the day I die.”

He laughed cutely. “I was already planning on it, babe.”

You smiled, nuzzling the side of your head into him. You were able to hear his heart go boom boom boom. “I love you so much.” You breathed in his scent with delight as you closed your eyes in content. He smelled like your Victoria’s Secret perfume and that alone made you giggle. “I love you so so damn much, Jeon Jungkook.” You closed your eyes in comfort. You were on cloud nine and no one could change that.

Jungkook’s smile grew wide as he leaned towards your forehead, giving it a long and sweet peck. You felt at peace. If you were to die right now, you would’ve died happily in the arms of the man you love so fucking much. Jungkook rested his head back down onto the pillow and stared at the stars dancing away in the sky. 

The stars that were looking down at the loving couple were smiling. If Jungkook was happy, then they were happy too.

You both laid there for a while. It went from watching the sunset to watching the sunrise. “Holy,” You laughed, your body sore from just laying in the same position for the longest time. “It’s already seven in the morning!” A yawn escaped your lips as you sat up to stretch. You moaned contently, your limbs feeling all weird. 

Jungkook chuckled as he mimicked your stretching. “I’m going to be in so much trouble when I get back to the company.” Tears dripped from his eyes due to his yawn. “Want to get coffee first though? I kinda want coffee to be the last thing I taste.”

You laughed at your careless boyfriend. “What about my kisses?” You frowned playfully making him let out a chortle. “I’m kidding, but, hell yeah. I can’t believe we just laid there talking till sunrise - literally.”

Your boyfriend agreed with a smile. “Time goes by fast when you’re with the one you love.”

Rolling your eyes at his cheesiest, you both began to clean up the truck before heading off to grab a morning cup of coffee. If only things continued to live out like this...

“Jeon fucking Jungkook, are you kidding me?” You laughed hysterically, something you’ve done about a million times in moments like these. “You’re delusional Jeon, really.” You rolled your eyes and folded your arms across your puffed out chest. Light sweat started to moisten your forehead as you stood there heating up with anger. “I’m so pissed off right now! I- I don’t even know what to say. I can’t even form any articulate sentences right now.”

Jungkook sighed, sitting down on the couch, his body relaxed into the fluffy cushions. “It’s not even that big of a deal, babe.” His left arm rested on top of the black pillows. He was nonchalant about this whole thing and it made you even more upset.

“It’s not a big deal?” You asked clearly annoyed. “Fuck you, babe.” You mocked his tone of voice. “It was my best friends birthday Jungkook! You were supposed to come with me and help out with the party! You know how important it was to her. It’s her 21st!”

“Y/N, it’s just a damn party! And I had work! I’m making money so we can both live comfortably! You can’t get mad at me because I can’t get a day off to go to a damn party.” He rolled his eyes irritated. “Not like you would understand.” He scoffed.

You rolled your eyes back. He crossed the line. “Get out.”

“Get out?” Jungkook raised a brow, lips in a straight thin line.

You nodded as if it was obvious, “Get out. I’m tired of this back and fourth Jungkook. I want you...” You stopped abruptly, your voice becoming soft and low. “Out of my...” Could you even say it? Did you really want him out? Did you have the heart to continue?

“Say it, Y/N.” Jungkook stood up swiftly as his hands flew to your shoulders. “Say you want me out of your life.” He gripped onto you so tightly that you could the bruises forming on your shoulders.

You looked down, tears pooling in your eyes. “I-” You couldn’t even look at him. You were so pathetic for playing the same games - for starting them without finishing them. 

“I’m just a dead man walking tonight.” Jungkook sighed, letting go of you. “Same shit but a different day.” He shook his head and walked away from the pathetic girl.

“Walk away, like you like you usually do.” You whispered closing your eyes before you fell back onto the couch. Your head rested in your hands as you sighed. “Walking away is something you’re so used too.”

Tears pooled your eyes again. The loud slam from upstairs made you flinched even though you knew it was going to happen. Jungkook needed to be alone and so did you. “Why is it so easy for you to walk away?”

You let out a deep breath. “But why is it so hard for you to stay?” You wiped your falling tears. That was something you had gotten used to - wiping your own tears. Jungkook was usually always there to wipe away the tears that he caused, but now, he seemed okay with leaving without cleaning up the mess he left behind. “I’m so pathetic for staying.”

You laughed quietly to yourself. “We’re so broken, yet, we keep building this house of cards just for it to tumble down in our faces, mocking us as if we’re idiots.” You sat back against the cushion and pulled your legs up, folding them criss-cross. “We just keep making the same mistakes.”

It’s been hours, and you finally felt like you were able to breathe again. You were intoxicated with the darkness, your eyes hazy from the tears.

After the argument, you sat there on the couch with your head resting in your knees and your legs pulled to your chest. For hours, you didn’t move an inch, not because you didn’t want, but because you couldn’t. You honestly felt like you couldn’t do anything at that moment. Everything seemed to all just go wrong and it made you feel sick to your stomach. Your relationship with Jungkook was complicated. It just wasn’t like how it was used to be - at all. 

When everything first started changing, you didn’t know if it was changing for the better or for the worst... You’re starting to think it’s the latter. You were beginning to feel suffocated in a room full of air. Was that possible? Of course. 

Jungkook was the cause of your despair. It was ludicrous of you for staying, but when you’re consistently making bad choices, it’s hard to break out of the habit. And you had it so bad. Your relationship now was the result of bad choices and it began to bite back harder. It was hard to chew.

Letting out a deep breath, you stood up. Your joints cracked loudly as you stretched your tired, exhausted body. You were completely drained. Arguing with Jungkook has become a normal thing in your daily lives and it was quite unfortunate because now, it was starting to drain the hell out of the both of you. You were living in a nightmare and you had pictures to prove it.

Looking at the clock, you realized that it has now fallen to night time. Jungkook hasn’t left your room ever since the argument and the house has become dead silent. The only sounds coming in were from a busy city called Seoul. Looking out the open window, you took in a deep breath you didn’t know you needed.

You looked down at the city before you, cars looking like miniature ants crawling across the road. The city looked like a playset, you were the observer and the mastermind. You had to take control of how you wanted the game to be, how it goes, and how it ends. It’s just like life, but life is harder than you wished it was. Then again, life is what you make it out to be.

Turning around, you looked at the dark hallway that leads to the stairs. Maybe it was time to go see how Jungkook was doing, you thought. It time to direct your life like how you wished it was. You knew that you have to take control. If you wanted things to go in your favor then you had to put the big girl pants on and be the director. There’s no more time to play actress and follow a shitty script.

So with tired steps, you slowly made your way up the stairs and towards your shared bedroom. Your heart began to beat fast and it was making you more anxious than you already were. Taking a deep breath, you placed your hand on the doorknob and opened the white door.

Jungkook sat on the bed with his legs straight and a blanket that had a flocculent precipitate on his lap. His head rested back against the wooden headboard with his eyes were closed and his lips parted. He was asleep.

You always envied him. He somehow always manages to look ethereal even when he’s asleep. You couldn’t help but think that he looked adorable despite how pissed off you were at him. With a small smile, you sat down beside him with him facing the side of your body. You looked down at your lap and fiddled with your thumbs. You needed to clear your mind and be the bigger person. Take life by the balls and all that.

“Y/N...” Jungkook mumbled making you look up. His eyes were partly opened as a little yawn escaped past his lips. 

“Sorry, did I wake you?” 

He shook his head before readjusting his position to where he was sitting beside you. He rubbed away his tiredness from his eyes. “No, you’re okay. You didn’t wake me.” Jungkook looked at the floor, lips parting. “Look, Y/N... I’m sorry.”

You followed his gaze to the floor as you slid your right hand on top of his left hand. “No. I’m the one who should be apologizing. I overreacted over something so stupid and small and it was just ridiculous of me to get mad about it.”

“I think we’re both at faults.” Jungkook sighed. He stood up, pulling you up with him. “I was thinking earlier...” He slid his hands away from yours as he stared at you. You raised your brow at him in confusion.

“Do you remember the worlds you told me?” Jungkook asked, his hands now resting on both sides of your cheeks.

You shook your head. “No...”

He laughed. “I figured.” He sighed shaking his head as his hands fell down to his lap. “The seven words still echo through me each and every day. It’s a quest that is so hard to complete, yet, I still try.” Jungkook let out another small laugh. He seemed like a manic losing his mind. “Love me till the day I die.” He spoke loudly as he counted each word on his fingers. The words that left his mouth pained you. You remembered now. The words stung every vein in your body as you took in the words.

You looked down as the painful truth began to heat up your body. “Surrender my everything,” He laughed menacingly. “Cause’ you made me believe that you’re mine.” The groom man shook his head again as he let out a small chuckle. “You know what’s funny Y/N?”

He looked at you with dark eyes. “You used to call me baby, but now?” He licked his dry lips making them wet. “Now, you’re calling me by my name.”

You looked away. You remembered just hours before when you called him by his name. Arguing or not, you only called him by his name. Where did you guys go so wrong? What moment in your relationship did the two of you make a wrong mistake? You still loved him but the way you were showing it said otherwise. How did you get to this point? How did you guys get so low?

“It’s funny.” He laughed shortly. “We were doing so well, Y/N. We got through all of our struggles but now, we’re falling so behind.” Jungkook shook his head as he smiled before looking at you. “But we’re still together trying to get through everything as if everything’s okay. But, I have a question for you.” 

Jungkook stared at you waiting for a response he wasn’t going to get. You stayed quiet, your heart prancing in your chest. “Why are we still trying to fix a broken relationship?”

You looked away from his harsh stare. 

You couldn’t answer that.

Or rather, was it because you didn’t want to?

Jungkook nodded as if he already knew the answer. He laughed like a mad man as tears sprung in his brown eyes. He made it seem as if everything was just a funny joke, as if the two of you were comedians telling the audience a made up story of a broken relationship between two idiots who knew everything but the obvious. At this point, you were waiting for the stage crew to close the red curtains - the play was over now.

“Y/N, we’re not getting any younger.” He spoke after he finished laughing. “And we’re not getting anywhere by just playing this game of house of cards, because baby, every time we start building up our house, everything just keeps crashing down.”

You looked at him. You had enough. “Then what do you suggest we do, Jungkook?” You frowned as you let out a sob. “What do you want to do? Do you want to break up? Is that what you want? I barely even see you anymore and the times I do, we argue. Are you tired of this yet? Or are you having fun with it?” You cried harder. “Do you enjoy seeing me in my misery? Do you feel good with yourself knowing that I’m that fucking idiot who will always keep coming back to you even though...” You let out a small breath, your voice softer now. “Even though we’re not meant to be together anymore? I know we keep playing this dumb game and I keep starting it over and over again.”

“What makes it worse is that it’s all crashing down on us with us inside.” He finished his statement from before. Jungkook placed his cold hands on your bare shoulders. “In the end,” Jungkook stared at you. His eyes red and watery, cheeks wet with salty tears. “We’re not going to make it... but even so, I keep hoping that we can do it, as long as you’re still by my side. As selfish as that sounds, that’s what I want. I don’t care if this relationship will be the death of Jeon Jungkook, as long as I’m still beside you, I don’t fucking care. This house of cards will be the death of me and I won’t fucking give a fucking damn.”

Screw ‘taking life by the balls’. It’s hard to break out of something when you made it your habit. It’s just that yours is making bad choices. And you just made another one.

I’m so excited that part 1 is officially out! Whoop! Please let know what you guys think!

Part 2 will be out on June 28th!

➝ ask box ➝ bts masterlist

[dcvereux]

* ╰    VICTORIA PEDRETTI┋have you met CLÉMENCE “EMMY” DEVEREUX ? she reminds me of a single star peeking through a cloudy sky, hesitant soft touches, a delicate golden pendant rested upon prominent collar bones, messy beds covered with half read books, windswept daisies dotted throughout a green meadow, soft velvet  bows securing wild hair,  stormy white capped seas,  internal battles that seem never ending  &  smiles hidden behind fingers. a  twenty year old ninth year hufflepuff, the intangible concept is known to be compassionate & observant, yet skeptical & reticent. that explains why they’re majoring in care of magical creatures. rumour has it, emmy is siding with the neutrals in the solemn war that blazes just beyond the horizon. 

hey, hi, hello!!! i’m bronny, i’m 22 and from new zealand ( probably one of the worst timezones but ) and i’m so excited to be here?? i’ve missed playing my daughter emmy (also goes by clém but it’s mostly her family that calls her that, they ain’t a fan of the name emmy ) and i’m so happy to be here and writing her again!!!

anyway, you’re probably not here to listen to me rambling. you’re here for my smol slytherin turned hufflepuff kiddo. i won’t list everything here though because i have a full about page for her here with a bio up ( RIGHT HERE ) that has everything you need to know about her and even though it’s long it’ll really help you understand her!!

extras: this edit is really all that matters!!! there’s also a spotify playlist but you may need to @ me for that if you want to hear it bc i’m pretty sure last time i linked it on tumblr i got hacked, rip.

BUT I’LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE INSIGHT INTO HER PERSONALITY RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW:

basically she appears to be a very optimistic and positive and lowkey just like a lil ray of sunshine and for the most part it’s who she is?? only wants the best for people and tries her hardest to not judge no matter where the person comes from or who they are??  but underneath it all she’s actually quite a conflicted and lost person??  

she’s grown up in a family that is somehow the complete opposite of her and even if she’s tried to keep a hold of who she is or at least who she wants to be, there’s no denying that there is a part of her that fits in with her family and it does come out every now and again bc listen….even if her parents love her, there’s no denying that they attempted to try and drag the more ‘slytherin’ side of her out more whenever they got the chance bc they can’t help but think she’s weak??

but when she’s upset or angry, the harder/darker side of her comes out?? she can almost do a 180 on her whole personality if something pushes her a little too far, like the light you can probably see in her features just switches off and she gets this darkness to her and will do and say whatever she needs to get herself out of the situation and she lowkey hates it. which is why she prefers to try and keep her emotions at bay the majority of time?? she kind of just needs to learn to figure out how to use that darker side of her for something good??  bc even though she feels as if she’s a true hufflepuff ( even if she still has her moments bc how can i be a hufflepuff when i have this darker side of me that would do anything to survive ), all her life she’s been brought up in a household full of slytherin’s and it’s all she’s known and quite a few of the most important people in her life are slytherin’s and all are death eaters/followers of voldemort and it pulls her bc���she’s loyal to a fault but she knows deep down she doesn’t agree with anything her family does but if she leaves them, it means she loses her family and she’s not sure if she’d be able to handle that??

basically voldemort rising and her family returning to his side makes it feel like her worst nightmare is coming true!!!! because she knows one day she’ll ended up having to decide between either the life she’d created for herself at hogwarts and abandon her family or chose her family and abandon her friends and possibly even who she truly is?? help her SHE’S JUST A TERRIFIED AND LOST KID, HELP HER BEFORE SHE DOES SOMETHING IDIOTIC ( someone just convince her to pick a side honestly ).

majoring in magizoology ( i’m just an idiot who put care of magical creatures instead of magizoology on her app ) which her parents aren’t the FONDEST of, they’d prefer if she was majoring in literally anything else and they haven’t been afraid of speaking their minds about it, but it was the first time she put her foot down for something she WANTED and she hasn’t been happier.

currently one of the neutrals but who knows what’s going to happen!!

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

any of the plots below can be expanded on or changed slightly!! so feel free to use them as a guide and we talk out any changes you’d possibly like to make!!

we come from the same side, i know you; it's always been the two of them. they were the shining light during the family gatherings and events growing up for emmy. they were the one person she could always count on no matter what and no matter how different they may appear at times they brought out the best in each other. the day emmy was sorted into hufflepuff, and them in slytherin, was something she'd been hoping and praying wouldn't happen—they were meant to be her rock and her theirs and as time went on, emmy always expected them to pull away from her like many had. but they never did. they'd always known she was different to many slytherins before they were even officially slytherins, nothing had changed for them and emmy couldn't be anymore grateful for them sticking by her side. losing them would have to be one of her worst nightmares, especially since danger has been brewing. they're the only person that truly knows her and she’d do anything for them no matter what. ( open to a slytherin )

offended that I walk the line; for all emmy’s life, they’ve been there by her side. maybe it was their families that first put them in front of each other but for the first 14 years of their lives they were deemed best friends. but the day emmy was sorted into hufflepuff was the day they began to lose each other. though emmy desperately tried to keep their friendship, it was impossible for them to wrap their heads around the fact emmy was a hufflepuff and beginning to show qualities they’d been taught to never display. with every passing year, emmy drifted further and further away from the life they were both meant to be mixed up in. it was obvious to them that emmy no longer held the same beliefs they and their families had and it’s a struggle for both of them to accept the fact that they no longer stand on the same side. ( open to a pureblood and/or slytherin )    

to help me see myself clearer; meeting them was the first step in emmy slowly beginning to turn away from everything she knows. all her life she’d been taught to be one thing, act in a certain way. but meeting them made her rethink everything. they showed her that the way she was wired, the way she was different to her family, was okay. who she was, was okay. though in return, emmy showed them that the world wasn’t just black and white. she came from a world full of darkness but she still managed to let the light in. they both taught each other something they never thought was possible, nothing is straight forward. ( open to anyone but a slytherin )

so I wait at the gates of your fortress; they are the one person that showed her what it’s like to feel loved and truly cared about. they are the most important person in her life but emmy can’t even begin to think about getting them mixed up in the nightmare that is her family. she’s done everything in her power to keep them away from her family but as the threat and danger grows emmy wanted them nowhere near the world she may eventually be dragged into when the time comes to make a decision. after a year or so of dating, emmy broke things off. she left a lot of things unsaid and hardly gave them an explanation about why she was breaking up with them. all she gave them was a “it’s for the better, trust me, you deserve so much more than what I can give you,” as she left them standing by the great lake. but she couldn’t let them go completely, they’ve stayed friends but it’s almost impossible for them to be in the same room. it’s clear the two still love each other but emmy refuses to let them put themselves in the line of fire. ( open to anyone but a slytherin and/or a pureblood )  

Emmy’s looser plot ideas can be found here!!

i’m all for plotting, so if you’re interested in any of the above plots or the looser plots on her connections page, just let me know by im-ing me ( i’m the worst, please don’t be afraid to do so, i’ll love you ) or giving this a little like!! i want to attempt to plot with you all!!! i also have discord, so if you’d rather plot there i’m up for that as well

i’m also in the process of developing another muse ( caoimhe “kiv” walsh , a northern irelander muggleborn, gryffindor order member ) but i’m making/waiting to see if anyone makes resources for the fc ( emma mackey ) i have in mind for her before i bring her on in officially!! if you’d like to know more about her...i....won’t pass up the chance to talk about my new emerging kid.

i think that’s enough rambling for now, i can’t wait to get started and write with you all and bring emmy to life again :’)

( p.s. i forgot to add, if anyone would rather plot on dis.cord, my # is bronny#0752 !! )

[onestowatch]

Versatile Songwriter Mark Diamond Elucidates the Unspoken Magic of the “Hummingbird” [Q&A]

Photo: Aleigh Michelle

Seattle-native Mark Diamond is fascinated with hummingbirds. After his project Hummingbird One was released earlier this year, he dropped a bright track a few months later named after the majestic fluttery bird. Now, he has a music video that reflects the glittering haze of the winged beauty.

“Hummingbird” is a new mood for the singer, who finds himself typically falling under more somber, acoustic sounds. The track is filled with falsetto, upbeat percussion, and funky electronics. The video for the track is submerged in pastel colors, with dancers clad in luminescent outfits and Diamond in a Pharrell-esque hat. His nonchalant expressions adds an extra wave of playfulness to the upbeat track -- a serious attitude contrasting with the light-hearted tune, showcasing the artist’s more comical side.

"Hummingbird” is hard not to love and the video makes the track that much better. 

We had a chance to talk with Diamond about moving to LA from Seattle, the meaning behind his newest song, and more. 

OTW: So you’ve been making music for a long time, with songs on Spotify dating back to 2013 and 2014. Could you describe your journey moving from then to the release of your recent EP Hummingbird One and now your track “Hummingbird”?

Mark Diamond: Yeah, I know it's crazy to think that I was kind of putting stuff out in 2013 that was kind of at that point where I was like, “Okay, I'm going to give this every possible thing I have.” I had always loved music my whole life, but it's kind of a realization that I had like, even a week ago, I was with a friend of mine and it kinda dawned on me that pretty much nothing in my life on a musical standpoint has gone as I planned it or as I thought it was going to. But yet here I am, and I'm making music, and I'm absolutely loving the journey and having the best time. So that's like, I feel like the best way to sum up my life as an artist, as a songwriter, and as a singer. I feel like I've been very lucky.

I've definitely put in loads and loads of time, like everyone does who starts to get a bit of success from it. I continue forward with this, and need to expect the unexpected sort of thing and go into it with my eyes open. It's funny, it's just the way it all comes together and in hindsight, I've kind of been a bit more reflective. I feel like the past couple weeks actually I’ve been thinking about it all ,and I'm very excited for what's to come.

OTW: How did moving to LA from Seattle impact the way you tackled your music creating process?

Mark Diamond: It has on a major level. I feel like I'm always going to be a bit more of an emotional Seattle songwriter. I think that's always going to be home base for me. Not necessarily Seattle specifically, but that sort of mentality when it comes to writing songs. I think I tend to dig deeper into the emotional side. I think moving to California has taught me that it's important as a writer and a creative person to not have a routine. It's important to kind of write when you're inspired. For me personally, I don't write when it's forced and I've definitely been inspired here in a lot of different ways at both good and bad at times. I am inspired here because it's a beautiful place to be, in Los Angeles. For the first time in my life I kind of have a community of people around me, and I feel like things have been kicking off.

At the same time, being away from Seattle, I have this feeling, there's like a sense of emptiness a little bit being away from Seattle and all of that. It’s definitely influencing and encouraging me to write some special songs right now. I mean location in general, whether it be a move from Seattle to LA or Seattle to Cincinnati. It's like you're going to feel new things, and in turn, as a writer, and as a songwriter specifically, you're gonna want to get that out because otherwise it's just going to kind of build up.

OTW: I saw you tweeted a picture of one of the dancers from the “Hummingbird” video with the caption, “Hummingbirds are referred to as glittering fragments of the rainbow.” Do hummingbirds hold any symbolism or deeper meaning to you?

Mark Diamond: Yeah, it's a lot deeper than that. I think it all started with this idea, maybe more and more of a question really that I started asking, because I've always loved hummingbirds, but I kind of was looking at a hummingbird and had this ridiculous idea like – “Oh, I wonder if the flower gets sad when the hummingbird leaves.” And it's kinda like, “Ph, that's a stupid thought,” and then you just stop thinking that for a second. And I was like, well, wait a minute, you know, how did I feel in my life when I felt stuck and, someone came into my life, and kind of took what they needed and then left. They kind of flew away on a literal standpoint. They got on a plane and left, and it didn't feel too good.

So how does that flower feel? Here's this flower that has potential and so much to offer the world, but yet it's stuck and, well, does the flower actually feel stuck? Does the flower feel content with where it's at? ... I'm kind of relating myself to the flower and relating hummingbird to the previous relationship I was in with this girl, and then kind of trying to just work through these things. It was a way for me to tell a story without it saying, “Hey, look, this is me.” It's still my story, but I'm telling it through the lens of something else, which makes it easier to tell my story.

I’m more willing to be honest about the story because at times I can be this honest because I'm playing this character. It's a little bit roundabout, and it’s still me being a hundred percent honest, but it's just a way in my head to make it feel a bit more freeing to tell a story through a different light. I love hummingbirds. I feel like there's this unspoken magic about hummingbirds. They're quite mysterious. They're special, and they kind of follow me around everywhere, but it's sort of one of those things, it's like once you think about them all the time, you start noticing them places. They're very special creatures.

OTW: What does that track “Hummingbird” mean to you?

Mark Diamond: It’s freedom to me. As a writer, I think I blocked myself into a kind of sadder acoustic sound. And I love that, that's who I am. And this track is just a different side of me. It's not necessarily a different side of who I want to be, it's literally a side of who I currently am. We made the song in London and when we started playing the chords, I just started laughing. Myself and the producer just started laughing because we were like, “What is this?” We had been working on all these other songs that were around this idea of hummingbird, and I just started singing, it was like, this is so funny that it just came together. We were in London wrapping up some songs, and this song just kind of appeared. We weren't necessarily looking for it, and when we first started I was like, “I'm not going to show anybody at the label this because it's like a joke, like singing in falsetto the whole song pretty much.” I think that's why I also fell in love with it cause it was like this self-expression right now. This is how I feel. It's a story of heartbreak, confusion, and frustration, but at the end of the day it has to be okay. It's not anything to be sad about, it's something to maybe celebrate and say, “Look, yeah, things didn't work out.” It was just a moment. But that moment was all we needed.

OTW: What was going on in your head when making the video for the track, and did you have a big picture vision that you wanted to portray to further its meaning?

Mark Diamond: Yeah, I was lucky enough to have some really awesome dancers who kind of represented hummingbird in that way, with what they're wearing; it was that glittery sort of vibe. When you see a hummingbird, and you see a picture of a hummingbird up close, they do have this glittering effect to them. As far as the idea and the concept of the video that was all put together by myself, and the director, we kind of put this together with loads of other people, like the amazing set designer, the whole team, who were absolutely killer.

The idea for me was more like, I want to show you that I'll be the first person to make fun of myself. I'll be the first person to not take myself too seriously. At times I have taken my career so seriously to the point that it has lost a bit of its fun. I think the most important thing is the balance of it. I wrote a song like two weeks ago that is probably one of the most emotional songs I've ever written, and I just played it the other nigh at my first headlining show at Hotel Cafe, and I craved the difference, that contrast, between a song like hummingbird and then an acoustic song. I think both are needed.

And the wardrobe for this music video, was put by myself, which was a fun thing. It was a bit nerve wracking. I realized that it was a bit harder to do, and I understand why you pay other people to do things like that, but I gave it a shot and it worked out really well. I lucked out on cool pieces.

OTW: Did you have any particular impact in mind for listeners to pick up?

Mark Diamond: Yeah, I think I wanted people to just kind of see who I am. That's separate just from the song, it's like as a whole, I kind of want them to see my personality, and this video feels like it shows my personality. I like having a good laugh. I like having a good time, but at the end of the day, the song is still very meaningful. If you listen to the lyrics, it is an emotional song. It is about heartbreak, it is that whole story. It was wrapped up in a way where it's like all of this is true, but yet it has to be okay, and that's kind of just a personality. That's who I am. And overall impact, I would say is, I think this video is really balancing on this line between people won't know if I'm being serious or not at certain points, and that's what I love. I kind of love playing with people's emotions a bit, where they're like, “Wait a minute, is he being serious or is he just being funny?”

OTW: Tell us a little bit about what you’re working on right now.

Mark Diamond: We have loads of songs right now that are ready to go. I'm just making sure that we surround it with all the fuel that it needs and proper content for me to tell the story to the best of my ability, and then beyond that. To be completely honest, I'm already writing for what comes after this. We have an album's worth of material done and there's lots ahead.

I've just been writing the last couple of weeks and kind of made the decision that every night on tour I'm going to be playing these songs. I think when I did that at the Hotel Cafe, a lot of people connected with one song in particular. I kind of like the thing where it's like, if you want to hear it, you gotta be there for it because it's kind of special. I’ll just hopefully hit the road here soon and just start playing these songs and then unreleased songs and see how people feel and what they connect with.

OTW: Would you mind sharing one thing that fans might not know about you?

Mark Diamond: That's a tricky one, especially in today's current climate of social media and everybody knowing everything. I would say my like go to and would be that I would say, is I absolutely love playing golf, but I'm pretty sure at this point everybody knows that because I talk about that all the time.  I don't know how to swim, maybe that's a good fun fact. I'm a horrible swimmer. I hope people still listen to my music knowing that. If I'm in a pool like, okay, cool, that's alright, I'll be okay, no big deal. But if you were to drop me in a lake, I probably wouldn't make it out.

OTW: Who are your Ones to Watch?

Mark Diamond: Who I've been listening to a ton actually, I've been listening to Matt Corby a lot. I’m a big fan of Matt Corby and also Shawn Mendes, I love him, I really do.

Stay tuned for new releases from the growing singer/songwriter, and jam to other releases from Diamond while you wait. 

[itsamedani]

Opinion Time: 13 Reasons Why

I understand a lot of people like the show and I can understand that, and I respect that. The show tackles a very serious subject matter and themes like the ones explored on the show need to be told. However, in my opinion, I thought that the show was fundamentally flawed and had many problems.

AND HERE’S THE 13 REASONS WHY 

WARNING: This is going to be a very long, in depth discussion about my OPINIONS of the show. So get ready to read a lot and be ready to handle another person’s opinion. 

1. The characters are so broken in their writing. The characters are terribly developed, specifically “The Evil Group”. Many of these characters will mean one thing and then flip with the snap of a finger to make it seem more “dramatic.” Marcus’ tape was a great example of this problem. He was under the impression that Hannah was “easy,” and that’s the reason why he came onto her at the restaurant. If that’s the case, why was he so damn nervous about asking her out? He was already under the impression that she was “easy,” so asking her out... should... have been... easy. This happens a lot on the show and if you take the time to really analyze a lot of these characters, it really starts to show. (If I get angry comments about this, which I’m expecting, I’ll respond with more examples so you guys understand what I mean. They were literally EVERYWHERE.) I can go all day complaining about the characters contradicting themselves, but there are more problems.

TLDR: Poor character development made decisions and actions absurd and contradicted with the characters’ morals and what was already known about these characters.

2. Some of Hannah’s reasons were so fucking petty. Really? Zach? Ryan? Sheri? CLAY? I couldn’t believe some of the reasons Hannah concocted in some of these tapes. Some of them I understood, (Justin, BRYCE, Tyler) but there were some where I was just trying to figure out why what they did was worth shaming them for and leaving them with years if not decades of guilt for something miniscule in meaning. For something as serious as suicide, some of the reasons were petty and melodramatic.

TLDR: Dumb and petty reasons demonized somewhat innocent characters when compared to characters who actually did some fucked up shit.

3. The flashbacks were confusing as hell. They needed to create a hilariously fake scar on Clay as a visual aid because of how damn confusing all the flashbacks were. While most of the flashbacks were necessary (emphasis on most), the transitions and visual differences between the past and present needed to be more apparent. Most of the time my girlfriend and I were just trying to figure out where the hell we were in this weird timeline.  

(Side note: The makeup for the show was atrocious. It looked like the producers made a quick run to Party City for Clay’s scars.)

TLDR: The constant switch between the past and present made trying to understand the story a chore.

4. I don’t like Clay. Even though his “reason” was stupid (I’ll get to that later,) knowing that he was a reason and trying to spite others before he even listened to his own tape was shitty. I liked that he took action, but doing so before he even knew his own reason was just stupid and I hated him until he finally listened to his tape.

TLDR: Clay playing “The Lawman” while not knowing why he was a reason himself made him a hypocrite and unlikeable throughout most of the show.

5. The show had WAY too much going on in its story. So there’s a lawsuit, a conspiracy where half of the people don’t trust each other AND that doesn’t even make a little sense until you’re near the end of the season, and 13 tapes where HANNAH SOMETIMES FLAT OUT LIES just because? There was so much going on in 13 Reasons Why that when we reached the final episode, we had almost no resolution. They didn’t have time to finish telling the story, and god no, please don’t make the episodes even longer to make up for that. The show needed to trim down it’s plot for the sake of telling a complete and cohesive story. Don’t leave the show incomplete and hope for a season 2.

TLDR: The story was too busy yet too mundane that I felt like once the credits rolled, I had more questions than answers.

6. I know this reason might offend others, and I understand. So I’ll try to tread lightly on this subject. I did not like how the show used some of its legitimately dark themes. Jessica’s rape scene really hits the viewers, and that’s a good thing. I felt like the show was finally starting to get serious. I thought that it was really going to start exploring Hannah’s guilt of knowing the truth and blaming herself for not knowing what to do. This could have been a very impactful piece in the story and would’ve made her depression more believable in my eyes. But then they used rape again, and then Clay and Justin considered suicide, and Alex suddenly attempted suicide when we don’t know why or how he even got there. I’m mad because these really are serious themes and I feel like the show just uses it because the writers don’t know how to write impactful scenes and just use big dramatic actions to advance the story. When you use something that serious multiple times, it starts to lose its meaning and the impact doesn’t hit as hard.

(This is my opinion and you have every right to disagree with me.)  

TLDR: No TLDR for this one, I had a lot to say about this one so summarizing it wouldn’t do it justice.

7. Why are we supposed to sympathize with Justin? Let’s ignore how stupid it is that he let his friend rape his girlfriend because “he’s just such a good friend.” His first reason was really mean and his second one was the last straw for his character. Rape is an unforgivable crime and the writers are trying to make us sympathize with the person who let it happen? I don’t care if he has a shitty home life, that doesn’t give you the right to be part of something truly despicable. If he really did love Jessica, he would’ve never let that happen. He would’ve killed Bryce before letting that happen. Bryce pushed him away and Justin just gives up? A man who lets that happen is not a man, he’s a coward and a sick human being. And the fact that the writers are even attempting to downplay what he did is terrible.

TLDR: Fuck Justin, he’s a fuckboy and a sick human being. I don’t understand why we are supposed to sympathize with someone who allowed someone to rape their own girlfriend.

8. I’m aware this is a nitpick, but it was very distracting while watching the show. The soundtrack was all over the place. It was all basically temp music; temp music is when an editor temporarily uses tracks when editing films/shows to help them get a feel for pacing/tone. Very often the music is well known or pre-existing property that is later taken out of the edit so that the composer of the film/show can create their own music. It felt as if they took a playlist on Spotify, put it on shuffle, and placed them in random areas of the episodes. There were many times where the songs would kick in to an emotional chorus... to nothing on screen. It all just felt very awkward.

TLDR: Soundtrack was unfitting.

9. Clay’s reason. Are you fucking kidding me. Are you going to sit here and tell me that he deserved to be one of the reasons? She yelled at him to leave and she was mad because he listened? What kind of reverse logic is this? I don’t care what mental state she was in, she told him to leave, he apologized and left. She even says in the fucking tape “It wasn’t you, it was me.” If it wasn’t Clay’s fault WHY THE HELL ARE YOU BLAMING HIM FOR YOUR SUICIDE? It boggles my fucking mind. And then you’re going to get all sad because he was emotional the day after his friend died? He didn’t know what you saw, it’s amazing what a little bit of communication could do to reach that understanding.  

** And don’t try that “But she said he wasn’t a reason” bullshit. He’s on a tape, he’s listed as one of the 13 Reasons Why, he’s a reason, and it’s fucking stupid.  

TLDR: Clay being a reason on the tape is the dumbest screenwriting acrobatics I’ve seen on a television show.

10. Using Hannah’s & Jessica’s rapes as reasons makes all the other tapes worthless. For a show that is putting emphasis on the idea that “It’s the little things that add up,” having your main character get raped is not “a little thing.” Once Hannah gets raped, all those little things stop being important. You’re comparing a fucking crime to... Zach crumpling up a piece of paper? All those little things don’t feel important when a character commits a serious crime to another person. And what does that say about the tapes? Are you saying that those “little things” and two fucking rapes are equal in importance? Because they’re not.

TLDR: Using rape as “The Icing on the Cake” is too extreme and makes the little things mean nothing. And trying to make them all seem equal is again, downplaying rape. Which is fucked up.

11. Kind of a nitpick? The episode where Clay has the “daytime nightmares” was just fucking stupid. The show was already overusing this effect before this episode and it was getting old. This episode was just unbearable, almost as unbearable as the pilot. The episode was attempting to deceive its viewers, but all it did was piss me off and made me happy that the episode eventually ended. 

TLDR: The episode that had nothing but “daytime nightmares” was annoying and overused. It was a chore to finish this goddamn episode, the effect isn’t that impressive and it’s used more than Hannah saying “Welcome to your tape,” which is now a meme. 

The last two reasons are a little more serious. They’re my own opinions about the darker themes in the show that I feel could’ve been done better. If you don’t want to see my opinions on how it depicted depression, suicide, or bullying, then skip the last two reasons and skip to my conclusion where I wrap up my thoughts on the show. With that being said, let’s jump into it:

I want to first provide some context to what I’ve been through. For most of my life I’ve had depressive and suicidal thoughts, but it wasn’t until 2015 when I was professionally diagnosed. There were many times in the past where I legitimately considered going through with committing suicide. I finally decided to seek help when I had my first panic attack whilst driving to where I was going to kill myself. 

Since then I’ve been seeing a therapist and have been taking medication for over a year now. I’ve been significantly better, but I’ll still have bad days. I’ve learned that I don’t have depression because of any traumatic experiences (though there were definitely some hard times I went through,) but because I have a chemical imbalance in my brain. 

SO FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON’T TELL ME I DON’T UNDERSTAND DEPRESSION OR SUICIDE BECAUSE I HAVE AN OPINION ON A WORK OF FICTION. 

At the end of the day, these are just opinions, and mine are based off my own experiences with mental illness. If people have experienced something different, I understand and I respect your experiences and opinions. So please respect mine. So here we go:

(No TLDR’s for these. These are serious critiques.)

12. DEPRESSION

It’s depiction of depressive and suicidal thoughts didn’t feel accurate. Many people who have contemplated suicide, like myself, usually have these kind of thoughts for a LONG time. It wasn’t until the last couple of tapes when Hannah started to get some of these thoughts. When most people become suicidal, again like I’ve experienced, they start to lose their grip on reality. Many suicidal people will blame themselves for all the bad things that are happening and feel as if the world would be better off without them. Even up until the end of the show, Hannah was still very much aware that none of the things that were happening was her fault, she knew who to blame for all these things that happened to her. 

While it’s good that she knew this, it makes her suicidal tendencies not make sense. Why does she want to kill herself if she’s aware that all the bad things aren’t her fault? The only reason becomes revenge for the people who wronged her. That’s it?

Some of the most common reasons people commit suicide is because they want the emotional pain to end, because they feel like they’re in a situation they can’t physically get out of and suicide is their only escape, or because they feel like they’re a burdon to everyone and that the world would be better off without them. Hannah doesn’t feel this at all. Hannah uses suicide as spite. 

Hannah could’ve gotten help at any time during the show. Her parents obviously loved her, they were just caught up in their own problems sometimes. The one time they get mad at her, it was obvious that they were just mad at the situation, they didn’t go ballistic and BEAT her. They just got mad about the situation they were in and that was it. They were barely mad at her. It was obvious that they loved her unconditionally, so she could’ve gone to her parents for help at any time. 

The counselor isn’t an asshole, he cares about the students at school and told Hannah that he was someone she could talk to. Yes, what he eventually said to her was a little messed up, but he knew that she was deliberately withholding the rapist’s name. WHY? Because she didn’t go to the counselor for help, she came for more validation for what she was about to do. If she wanted help, she would’ve told the counselor everything; the bullying, the rapes, everything. Not just some vague tumblr quotes like “I just want it to stop...” but then say nothing as to why you are feeling this way. I don’t care if you’re in high school and can’t convey emotions how adults do, there were clearly problems that lead to you feeling this way and you RECORDED THEM ALL. Before she saw the counselor, she recorded all her reasons, she knew why she wanted it all to stop. If she really wanted help she would’ve told him EVERYTHING. 

At the end of the day, she made her own decision. The “It’s everyone’s fault” argument was idiotic because tons of people could’ve helped and Hannah refused to seek help. It’s not everyone else’s responsibility to intrude on her privacy and harass her for help like she kept wanting people to do for her. Humans don’t have telepathy, Hannah. COMMUNICATE.  

Hannah’s depression and suicide was unrealistic and nobody was to blame except for a handful of douchebag students who did legitimately illegal things to students.  

13. IT’S IMPACT

This is sending a very bad message. 

A couple weeks ago I was at a family gathering and one of my cousins wanted to watch the show after hearing me talk about it to an older family member. She was hearing great things about it and that a lot of people are talking about it. You want to know how old she is?

She’s 12 years old.

She’s 10 years younger than me and she wants to watch a show where a depressed teen slits her wrists on camera. 

It’s very obvious that the disclaimers before the episodes do absolutely NOTHING. Many viewers on this site have been saying how their depression/anxiety/suicidal thoughts, etc have been coming back because of how graphic this show is. This show that’s trying to raise awareness in a “positive” way, yet people are becoming suicidal because of this damn show. Even I got into a little bit of a week long depressed rut after finishing the last episode. And I’m 22 years old. How is this a good thing?

Not only that. Hannah becomes depressed/suicidal because of a lot of external reasons. What does that say to the people who have these thoughts from internal reasons? People with chemical imbalances in their brains like myself? Is this show trying to convey that you need a proper reason to commit suicide? Is it trying to alienate people with chemical imbalances to make them feel like their depression doesn’t matter or isn’t valid? 

If the show is trying to educate people about mental illness, it does so terribly. It’s giving people the wrong idea about what goes through a person’s mind and puts a lot of people’s mind in a bad place while watching it. 

The writers of the show gets the depiction completely wrong and performs every sin there is about portraying stories such as this. Many doctors and professionals have come forward to criticize its depiction of mental illness.

This show is very damaging and it bothers me how many people think it does the opposite. 

FINALLY

THE CONCLUSION

I did not enjoy the show 13 Reasons Why. The show is very predictable, the writing is awful, and it’s depiction of depression and suicide is not even remotely accurate. I won’t judge people who enjoy the show, I understand that it’s everyone’s own opinion. But I think there’s is a legitimate problem with how mental illness is portrayed in this show and in our media as a whole. There are many times in these texts where depression/suicide is conveyed in a more simple or watered down manner because the topic is very hard to properly convey. There’s a lot of things about depression that are hard to convey and just having some #DeepQuotes isn’t going to cut it for something as complex as depression and suicide. I appreciate the producers and writers for trying, but this show is fundamentally flawed and is sending a very bad message to a lot of people. While I respect those who liked it, I hope some people will analyze the show more and realize what’s really being said. Because I don’t want this shit being showed in health class when the teachers start talking about mental illness. 

As a side note, if any of these critiques are present in the novel, I still stand by my statements. I’m judging the show, but if the problems are still present in the book then I still stand by what I say. The book is NOT excused from these just because it’s the original story. 

But anyway, that’s my opinion of the show. If you want to disagree, you have every right to but please keep in mind that I’ve dealt with depression/suicidal thoughts for most of my life so don’t tell me I don’t understand or that I missed the point of the show. I understood it perfectly, I got the point of the show, don’t tell me this shit because you don’t like my opinion. 

Hope some of this made sense

- David

[wineanddinosaur]

Wine 101: Phylloxera

This episode of Wine 101 is sponsored by E & J Gallo Winery. At Gallo, we exist to serve enjoyment in moments that matter. The hallmark of our company has always been an unwavering commitment to making quality wine and spirits. Whether it’s getting Barefoot and having a great time, making every day sparkle with La Marca Prosecco, or continuing our legacy with Louis Martini in Napa, we want to welcome new friends to wine and share in all of life’s moments.

Interested in trying some of the wine brands discussed on “Wine 101?” Follow the link in each episode description to purchase featured wines or browse our full portfolio at TheBarrelRoom.com. Cheers, and all the best.

Click the link below to discover and purchase wine brands discussed on the “Wine101” podcast series. Get 15% OFF your purchase of $75 or more when you use the coupon code ‘wine15’ at checkout. https://www.thebarrelroom.com/discover.html?src=vinepair

In this episode of “Wine 101,” VinePair tastings director Keith Beavers discusses the history of phylloxera, the vine- destroying bug mentioned in many previous “Wine 101” episodes. Beavers explains why phylloxera has been a headache for winemakers throughout history, how it plagued Europe, and why it has had a lasting impact globally.

However, there was a silver lining. Listeners will learn about the technique of grafting, which ultimately became the solution for combating phylloxera. Tune in to learn more about phylloxera.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Or Check out the Conversation Here

Keith Beavers: My name is Keith Beavers, and cold soup? How do we feel about that?

What’s going on, wine lovers? Welcome to Episode 21 of VinePair’s “Wine 101” podcast, Season 2. My name is Keith Beavers, and I am the tastings director of VinePair. Hi!

This is it, people. Here we are. I’ve been mentioning it for a long time, literally since early in the first season. Phylloxera: We are here. It’s gross. Get ready.

We have been building and building to this episode, haven’t we, wine lovers? If you’ve been listening since Season 1, you know that as we talk about wine, no matter where in the world we’re talking about it, at some point in history, the word phylloxera comes into play. I keep saying I’m going to get to it, I’m going to get to it, and here we are. Now, I’m not really sure what your threshold is to grossness and to squeamishness. I don’t know how gross this is going to be, but for me, it’s gross. This phylloxera thing, this aphid, this louse, this bug, this destroyer of vines is crazy, and it’s a little bit gross. Like aliens, gross. Like any horror sci-fi movie with something like pus coming out, I don’t know. Just know that this is going to be a little bit nuts. Maybe it won’t gross you out. It grosses me out, though.

At the beginning of this podcast, Season 1, I tried to get across the challenges that winemakers and vine growers have in the vineyard because wine, more than any other alcoholic drink, is tied to nature. It’s at the mercy of nature, and those challenges are real. We talk about wind and rain. We talk about deer, birds, fungus, and bacteria. However, pests and insects are some of the most annoying and absolutely destructive things that can happen in a vineyard because they’re very small. There’s a lot of them, and it’s hard to get under control. There have been so many things attempted, developed, tried, and innovated to help combat the pest situation in vineyards, from chemical pesticides to something called biological pest control, which introduces a predator into a pest population to control it. Just a little side note: This method was developed by a guy named C.V. Riley from Missouri. He is a big deal in the phylloxera story. We’ll get to him.

Yet, no matter what we do, these pests will always have a presence in the vineyards around the world. No matter what, no matter where. It depends on the climate in the region that will give that vine grower or winemaker the challenge. What group of pests do they have to deal with? Beetles, moths, mites, leafhoppers, grasshoppers, cutworms, western grapeleaf skeletonizer. Yeah, that’s the name of an insect. It sounds pretty destructive. Then more innocuous, something called a ladybird bug. That could be destructive as well. And I don’t know about you, but when I first was learning about wine, I started learning about the pest thing. It was hard for me to wrap my head around because you don’t see it happening. It’s very hard to understand.

No matter if it’s a deer or fungus or a bug or a weather event, the thing to think about is it’s just not destroying the vine right away, but what these things do is they cut into a vines morphology — the makeup of the vine, whether it’s the roots of the stem, the trunk or the leaf or the grape or whatever. This inhibits the ability of the vine to grow at a regular pace, stopping it in its tracks in certain areas. That, in turn, creates a domino effect sometimes and that will just spiral this vine into basically a death spiral or a sickness spiral. What winemakers have to do is always make sure whatever is interfering or going into that vineyard is not destroying their crop, their money, their bottom line, their livelihood. Something as small as the delay of bud break due to an insect infection can ruin an entire vintage or some of a vintage.

These little delays in the way a vine grows, which we went over in the first couple of episodes in the first season, can mess the whole thing up. The thing is, sometimes it takes a while for our human eyes to notice what’s going on down deep. By the time we notice it, it might be too late. And no other pest, no other insect bug, no other aphid has been more destructive to wine than Phylloxera vastatrix, otherwise known as “Phylloxera the Destroyer”.

Phylloxera, unlike other pests out there, attacks only the grapevine. The fact that its entire life cycle revolves around one type of plant actually increases its destructiveness. It’s barely visible to the human eye, this little aphid or sap-sucking insect (that’s what aphid means). The female, even though she’s bright yellow, is about 0.039 inches long. Very small. They are mostly on the roots of vines. The female lumbers around the root system, carrying a sack of a mass of eggs that just cling to her as she wobbles around and eats the sap from vines, feeding her brood. She then injects saliva into a root or into a leaf. That saliva, in turn, forms something called a gull, which is a little pustule that shows up. In there, she puts her larvae. The larvae then feed off that injection, that cut in the leaf or in the root. This happens in the spring. Throughout the summer, phylloxera can produce four to seven generations, with each generation producing a significant amount of females that are capable of laying eggs. You see where this is going? It’s death by a thousand cuts, if you will.

All these little aphids are feeding off the root system of a vine — hundreds of them with all these little cuts, exposing the vine to bacteria and fungi. Each of these gulls, when they burst open, burst open with the larvae that are now called crawlers. And they crawl all over the root system, eating it, feeding off the sap. There are so many of them that they sometimes make their way up the trunk and into the actual vine itself onto the leaves. That’s when wind and humans distribute the phylloxera to other parts of the vineyard for new infections. They are just crawling, existing, surviving, doing their thing, and destroying a vine.

If they get up above the soil, the wind and humans spread it around. At least phylloxera doesn’t have wings. Oh, wait. In the more humid wine-growing regions of the world, a phylloxera hatchling can become a nymph and form wings. A female nymph will then lay what’s called a winter egg. I know, this is crazy. Now, that will develop into a stem-mother who will in turn lay eggs into a gull. It just keeps on going. The stem-mother is called a fundatrix. I know these words are a little bit weird. Fundatrix and vastatrix. Well, the “trix” is an old English, outdated, no-longer-used suffix for feminine adjectives. Back then, you would have an actor and an actrix. Now, it’s actor, actress, or just an actor.

Anyways, the fundatrix would be the founding mother, and then the vastatrix would be the female destroyer, I think. Of course, this fundatrix or stem-mother will start the lifecycle all over again, so you’re seeing how intense this is. What’s messed up is, as this is happening, we’re not seeing it. Sometimes, it takes a winemaker or a winegrower five vintages to see the destruction that this little aphid is doing to their crop. In the 19th century, in France specifically, winemakers and vine growers were just watching their vineyards die in front of them and had no idea what was wrong. You might remember from the Zinfandel episode and a lot of the episodes about the history of wine — especially the United States — you’ll notice that in the 19th century, there was a lot of exchange of agriculture between Europe and the new United States. A lot of that agriculture was vines.

Vines are very important to Europe. It was a big deal to have the vine thing happening here in the United States. We’ve talked a lot about that. Also, the Europeans were very curious about the vines that were growing in the United States. The United States, as we know, has their own native vines. Those vines were going mostly to southern France. In 1863, reports started coming out of southern France that a very odd, new, unknown disease was affecting the vines. A few years later, a committee was formed, and an investigation was done in the Rhône Valley area of France. Phylloxera was finally identified, and this is where it gets the name Phylloxera vastatrix.

A study was done, a report was put out for the findings to the public, and the public basically just ignored it. I don’t think they thought it was that bad. They’re watching some bad stuff happening in their vineyards and don’t even know what’s about to happen. They read the scientific findings, and they said, “You know what, it is probably just overproduction, or it is probably just cold weather, or it could be just weakening vines due to over-vegetative production. Or maybe it’s just soil exhaustion, or it could be God’s wrath at contemporary vices.” This is the list of stuff I found that was countering the science that was coming out of that report. I don’t know if it’s a result of the willful ignorance of that or what, but from 1875 to 1889, French wine production fell from a peak of a little under 85 million hectoliters, to a little under 24 million hectoliters.

As it got worse and all the alternate theories were debunked, desperation kicked in. The committee that was formed initially decided to offer 30,000 francs to the person that can remedy what was going on because it was starting to take over. Vine growers were literally watching their crops die in front of them and had no way of stopping it. Imagine what that must be like, it’s crazy. Over a thousand treatment ideas or potential remedies were sent in and evaluated. Every single one was individually evaluated, and they got really weird. Burying a live toad in the vineyard to draw out the poison, irrigating the vines with white wine. That’s just weird. There were entries coming from all over the world, like Singapore and Denmark, and nothing worked. Even commercial attempts of flooding the vineyards didn’t work. I mean, it would work for a little bit, but you had to constantly flood your vineyards. What if you weren’t near a water source? You couldn’t flood your vineyards, so something had to work.

A French scientist by the name of J.E. Planchon witnesses something called grafting, where you take a rootstock from one plant, and you graft it onto another plant. He sees this as an opportunity to maybe combat this phylloxera thing. He brought it up at the committee, and the committee said that is not it. I don’t know what is up with these guys. If you thought grafting was the solution for phylloxera at the time in France, you were called an Americanist, because the Americans were doing a lot of grafting. Well, Planchon decided to do this, and the first thing he had to do was identify the thing that’s doing the thing, right?

He ends up going to the United States. He collaborates with C.V Riley, who I mentioned at the beginning of this episode at the University of Missouri. He is a state entomologist, which means he studies insects. He confirms the bug that they’re calling phylloxera in Europe is identical to a bug that’s indigenous to the United States. With the knowledge of this particular bug, C.V. Riley actually suggests grafting to combat it. He comes back and reports that. Then, the head of the committee that was initially formed to get this thing nipped in the bud, if you will, goes to the United States, but he goes to Texas because now that they found out what it was, they needed to figure out how to graft.

Grafting was gaining in popularity as an idea of how to get rid of this thing. The head of this committee, who is the guy who actually debunked all the previous attempts to get this thing under control, goes to Texas and he collaborates with T.V. Munson. Munson was a Texan, ampelographer, nurseryman, and breeder. He researched plants, and he knew all of the vitis that were native to the United States. He guided this Frenchman through all of the vitis from the U.S., showing him the ones that were the most resistant to phylloxera.

Phylloxera is an American aphid, and the American grapevines, whatever species, evolved with phylloxera and created a resistance to phylloxera. There are some of these vines that, when the phylloxera cuts into them or injects the saliva, it has another layer of skin underneath it to protect from anything. What’s happening is all that fungus and bacteria are trying to get in, but they won’t allow it. If you take the rootstock of an American vine, and you graft it onto a European vine, you now have a phylloxera-resistant grapevine.

I know it sounds weird, but the vine is going to grow a Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s not going to grow some weird hybrid. Grafting does not affect the grape. It only affects the place where it’s being grafted. What happens is you take the two pieces of wood, knock them together, wrap them with tape, and they heal each other. They end up morphing into each other, and that becomes one big vine. Now, none of this happened overnight. The grafting situation started, but it was a delayed start because phylloxera’s damage doesn’t show up until things get really bad. By the time you see it, it’s really bad.

In 1873, it entered Cali. Portugal and Turkey in 1871. Switzerland in 1874. Italy in 1875. Greece, 1898. It took a while, but this thing almost destroyed the entire European wine-growing industry. 85 percent of European vines were destroyed while trying to figure out how to combat phylloxera. 6.2 million acres in France alone were destroyed because of phylloxera, but grafting is the norm now. In 1990, a study was done, and 85 percent of the world’s vines were grafted on American rootstock. We can only imagine where it’s at now.

There are places like Chile where phylloxera was never a problem because Chile received European vines well before phylloxera came from the United States and made its way into Europe. Also, phylloxera does not like sandy soil, so if you have a wine region in a sandy soil area or just a vineyard with sandy soil around a more fertile area, there’s a good chance you’re not going to get phylloxera because of that. However, that is not the norm.

If you hear somebody say, “Oh, this wine is pre-phylloxera vines,” that means somewhere, wherever that wine is from in the world, phylloxera never ravaged that area. There’s a whole debate over pre-phylloxera versus phylloxera vines. Are they different? Whatever. It doesn’t matter, guys. We’re here to enjoy wine. If you want to debate whether wine is different now or then, OK. But we’re drinking wine now in 2021, and we want to enjoy it. Am I right?

That’s the lowdown on Phylloxera, and just so you know, it’s not gone. Phylloxera is still around. This remedy is just to combat phylloxera, not to get rid of phylloxera. That’s also really intense. I just hope that this episode gives you an inkling into how much of a challenge it is for winemakers to do what they do. We talked a lot about that in the first couple of episodes of the first season, but phylloxera was a big one. There’s a lot of them out there, but this was the biggest international global effort to fix the wine industry that was so damaged.

I am going to say this right now, and not really sure how it’s going to land. But if you notice when we talk about the history of wine, especially in Europe, the 1980s is usually the decade where things start to turn around for wine-growing regions. They come out of the past and into the future, and phylloxera was a big part of that. Phylloxera devastated so many vineyards in Europe that it took years for these countries to get back on track. Even in the New World, in New Zealand, we talked about New Zealand where they just went ahead and planted hybrids. In the 1980s, everything started to change a little bit.

But that’s how much of an impact this bug had on the wine industry. OK, now you know about phylloxera. Hopefully, I didn’t gross you out too much. Let’s talk next week, what do you say?

@VinePairKeith is my Insta. Rate and review this podcast wherever you get your podcast from. It really helps get the word out there. And now for some totally awesome credits.

“Wine 101” was produced, recorded and edited by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big ol’ shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for creating VinePair. And I mean, a big shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, the art director of VinePair, for creating the most awesome logo for this podcast. Also, Darbi Cicci for the theme song. Listen to this. And I want to thank the entire VinePair staff for helping me learn something new every day. See you next week.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article Wine 101: Phylloxera appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-phylloxera/

[johnboothus]

Wine 101: Phylloxera

This episode of Wine 101 is sponsored by E & J Gallo Winery. At Gallo, we exist to serve enjoyment in moments that matter. The hallmark of our company has always been an unwavering commitment to making quality wine and spirits. Whether it’s getting Barefoot and having a great time, making every day sparkle with La Marca Prosecco, or continuing our legacy with Louis Martini in Napa, we want to welcome new friends to wine and share in all of life’s moments.

Interested in trying some of the wine brands discussed on “Wine 101?” Follow the link in each episode description to purchase featured wines or browse our full portfolio at TheBarrelRoom.com. Cheers, and all the best.

Click the link below to discover and purchase wine brands discussed on the “Wine101” podcast series. Get 15% OFF your purchase of $75 or more when you use the coupon code ‘wine15’ at checkout. https://www.thebarrelroom.com/discover.html?src=vinepair

In this episode of “Wine 101,” VinePair tastings director Keith Beavers discusses the history of phylloxera, the vine- destroying bug mentioned in many previous “Wine 101” episodes. Beavers explains why phylloxera has been a headache for winemakers throughout history, how it plagued Europe, and why it has had a lasting impact globally.

However, there was a silver lining. Listeners will learn about the technique of grafting, which ultimately became the solution for combating phylloxera. Tune in to learn more about phylloxera.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Or Check out the Conversation Here

Keith Beavers: My name is Keith Beavers, and cold soup? How do we feel about that?

What’s going on, wine lovers? Welcome to Episode 21 of VinePair’s “Wine 101” podcast, Season 2. My name is Keith Beavers, and I am the tastings director of VinePair. Hi!

This is it, people. Here we are. I’ve been mentioning it for a long time, literally since early in the first season. Phylloxera: We are here. It’s gross. Get ready.

We have been building and building to this episode, haven’t we, wine lovers? If you’ve been listening since Season 1, you know that as we talk about wine, no matter where in the world we’re talking about it, at some point in history, the word phylloxera comes into play. I keep saying I’m going to get to it, I’m going to get to it, and here we are. Now, I’m not really sure what your threshold is to grossness and to squeamishness. I don’t know how gross this is going to be, but for me, it’s gross. This phylloxera thing, this aphid, this louse, this bug, this destroyer of vines is crazy, and it’s a little bit gross. Like aliens, gross. Like any horror sci-fi movie with something like pus coming out, I don’t know. Just know that this is going to be a little bit nuts. Maybe it won’t gross you out. It grosses me out, though.

At the beginning of this podcast, Season 1, I tried to get across the challenges that winemakers and vine growers have in the vineyard because wine, more than any other alcoholic drink, is tied to nature. It’s at the mercy of nature, and those challenges are real. We talk about wind and rain. We talk about deer, birds, fungus, and bacteria. However, pests and insects are some of the most annoying and absolutely destructive things that can happen in a vineyard because they’re very small. There’s a lot of them, and it’s hard to get under control. There have been so many things attempted, developed, tried, and innovated to help combat the pest situation in vineyards, from chemical pesticides to something called biological pest control, which introduces a predator into a pest population to control it. Just a little side note: This method was developed by a guy named C.V. Riley from Missouri. He is a big deal in the phylloxera story. We’ll get to him.

Yet, no matter what we do, these pests will always have a presence in the vineyards around the world. No matter what, no matter where. It depends on the climate in the region that will give that vine grower or winemaker the challenge. What group of pests do they have to deal with? Beetles, moths, mites, leafhoppers, grasshoppers, cutworms, western grapeleaf skeletonizer. Yeah, that’s the name of an insect. It sounds pretty destructive. Then more innocuous, something called a ladybird bug. That could be destructive as well. And I don’t know about you, but when I first was learning about wine, I started learning about the pest thing. It was hard for me to wrap my head around because you don’t see it happening. It’s very hard to understand.

No matter if it’s a deer or fungus or a bug or a weather event, the thing to think about is it’s just not destroying the vine right away, but what these things do is they cut into a vines morphology — the makeup of the vine, whether it’s the roots of the stem, the trunk or the leaf or the grape or whatever. This inhibits the ability of the vine to grow at a regular pace, stopping it in its tracks in certain areas. That, in turn, creates a domino effect sometimes and that will just spiral this vine into basically a death spiral or a sickness spiral. What winemakers have to do is always make sure whatever is interfering or going into that vineyard is not destroying their crop, their money, their bottom line, their livelihood. Something as small as the delay of bud break due to an insect infection can ruin an entire vintage or some of a vintage.

These little delays in the way a vine grows, which we went over in the first couple of episodes in the first season, can mess the whole thing up. The thing is, sometimes it takes a while for our human eyes to notice what’s going on down deep. By the time we notice it, it might be too late. And no other pest, no other insect bug, no other aphid has been more destructive to wine than Phylloxera vastatrix, otherwise known as “Phylloxera the Destroyer”.

Phylloxera, unlike other pests out there, attacks only the grapevine. The fact that its entire life cycle revolves around one type of plant actually increases its destructiveness. It’s barely visible to the human eye, this little aphid or sap-sucking insect (that’s what aphid means). The female, even though she’s bright yellow, is about 0.039 inches long. Very small. They are mostly on the roots of vines. The female lumbers around the root system, carrying a sack of a mass of eggs that just cling to her as she wobbles around and eats the sap from vines, feeding her brood. She then injects saliva into a root or into a leaf. That saliva, in turn, forms something called a gull, which is a little pustule that shows up. In there, she puts her larvae. The larvae then feed off that injection, that cut in the leaf or in the root. This happens in the spring. Throughout the summer, phylloxera can produce four to seven generations, with each generation producing a significant amount of females that are capable of laying eggs. You see where this is going? It’s death by a thousand cuts, if you will.

All these little aphids are feeding off the root system of a vine — hundreds of them with all these little cuts, exposing the vine to bacteria and fungi. Each of these gulls, when they burst open, burst open with the larvae that are now called crawlers. And they crawl all over the root system, eating it, feeding off the sap. There are so many of them that they sometimes make their way up the trunk and into the actual vine itself onto the leaves. That’s when wind and humans distribute the phylloxera to other parts of the vineyard for new infections. They are just crawling, existing, surviving, doing their thing, and destroying a vine.

If they get up above the soil, the wind and humans spread it around. At least phylloxera doesn’t have wings. Oh, wait. In the more humid wine-growing regions of the world, a phylloxera hatchling can become a nymph and form wings. A female nymph will then lay what’s called a winter egg. I know, this is crazy. Now, that will develop into a stem-mother who will in turn lay eggs into a gull. It just keeps on going. The stem-mother is called a fundatrix. I know these words are a little bit weird. Fundatrix and vastatrix. Well, the “trix” is an old English, outdated, no-longer-used suffix for feminine adjectives. Back then, you would have an actor and an actrix. Now, it’s actor, actress, or just an actor.

Anyways, the fundatrix would be the founding mother, and then the vastatrix would be the female destroyer, I think. Of course, this fundatrix or stem-mother will start the lifecycle all over again, so you’re seeing how intense this is. What’s messed up is, as this is happening, we’re not seeing it. Sometimes, it takes a winemaker or a winegrower five vintages to see the destruction that this little aphid is doing to their crop. In the 19th century, in France specifically, winemakers and vine growers were just watching their vineyards die in front of them and had no idea what was wrong. You might remember from the Zinfandel episode and a lot of the episodes about the history of wine — especially the United States — you’ll notice that in the 19th century, there was a lot of exchange of agriculture between Europe and the new United States. A lot of that agriculture was vines.

Vines are very important to Europe. It was a big deal to have the vine thing happening here in the United States. We’ve talked a lot about that. Also, the Europeans were very curious about the vines that were growing in the United States. The United States, as we know, has their own native vines. Those vines were going mostly to southern France. In 1863, reports started coming out of southern France that a very odd, new, unknown disease was affecting the vines. A few years later, a committee was formed, and an investigation was done in the Rhône Valley area of France. Phylloxera was finally identified, and this is where it gets the name Phylloxera vastatrix.

A study was done, a report was put out for the findings to the public, and the public basically just ignored it. I don’t think they thought it was that bad. They’re watching some bad stuff happening in their vineyards and don’t even know what’s about to happen. They read the scientific findings, and they said, “You know what, it is probably just overproduction, or it is probably just cold weather, or it could be just weakening vines due to over-vegetative production. Or maybe it’s just soil exhaustion, or it could be God’s wrath at contemporary vices.” This is the list of stuff I found that was countering the science that was coming out of that report. I don’t know if it’s a result of the willful ignorance of that or what, but from 1875 to 1889, French wine production fell from a peak of a little under 85 million hectoliters, to a little under 24 million hectoliters.

As it got worse and all the alternate theories were debunked, desperation kicked in. The committee that was formed initially decided to offer 30,000 francs to the person that can remedy what was going on because it was starting to take over. Vine growers were literally watching their crops die in front of them and had no way of stopping it. Imagine what that must be like, it’s crazy. Over a thousand treatment ideas or potential remedies were sent in and evaluated. Every single one was individually evaluated, and they got really weird. Burying a live toad in the vineyard to draw out the poison, irrigating the vines with white wine. That’s just weird. There were entries coming from all over the world, like Singapore and Denmark, and nothing worked. Even commercial attempts of flooding the vineyards didn’t work. I mean, it would work for a little bit, but you had to constantly flood your vineyards. What if you weren’t near a water source? You couldn’t flood your vineyards, so something had to work.

A French scientist by the name of J.E. Planchon witnesses something called grafting, where you take a rootstock from one plant, and you graft it onto another plant. He sees this as an opportunity to maybe combat this phylloxera thing. He brought it up at the committee, and the committee said that is not it. I don’t know what is up with these guys. If you thought grafting was the solution for phylloxera at the time in France, you were called an Americanist, because the Americans were doing a lot of grafting. Well, Planchon decided to do this, and the first thing he had to do was identify the thing that’s doing the thing, right?

He ends up going to the United States. He collaborates with C.V Riley, who I mentioned at the beginning of this episode at the University of Missouri. He is a state entomologist, which means he studies insects. He confirms the bug that they’re calling phylloxera in Europe is identical to a bug that’s indigenous to the United States. With the knowledge of this particular bug, C.V. Riley actually suggests grafting to combat it. He comes back and reports that. Then, the head of the committee that was initially formed to get this thing nipped in the bud, if you will, goes to the United States, but he goes to Texas because now that they found out what it was, they needed to figure out how to graft.

Grafting was gaining in popularity as an idea of how to get rid of this thing. The head of this committee, who is the guy who actually debunked all the previous attempts to get this thing under control, goes to Texas and he collaborates with T.V. Munson. Munson was a Texan, ampelographer, nurseryman, and breeder. He researched plants, and he knew all of the vitis that were native to the United States. He guided this Frenchman through all of the vitis from the U.S., showing him the ones that were the most resistant to phylloxera.

Phylloxera is an American aphid, and the American grapevines, whatever species, evolved with phylloxera and created a resistance to phylloxera. There are some of these vines that, when the phylloxera cuts into them or injects the saliva, it has another layer of skin underneath it to protect from anything. What’s happening is all that fungus and bacteria are trying to get in, but they won’t allow it. If you take the rootstock of an American vine, and you graft it onto a European vine, you now have a phylloxera-resistant grapevine.

I know it sounds weird, but the vine is going to grow a Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s not going to grow some weird hybrid. Grafting does not affect the grape. It only affects the place where it’s being grafted. What happens is you take the two pieces of wood, knock them together, wrap them with tape, and they heal each other. They end up morphing into each other, and that becomes one big vine. Now, none of this happened overnight. The grafting situation started, but it was a delayed start because phylloxera’s damage doesn’t show up until things get really bad. By the time you see it, it’s really bad.

In 1873, it entered Cali. Portugal and Turkey in 1871. Switzerland in 1874. Italy in 1875. Greece, 1898. It took a while, but this thing almost destroyed the entire European wine-growing industry. 85 percent of European vines were destroyed while trying to figure out how to combat phylloxera. 6.2 million acres in France alone were destroyed because of phylloxera, but grafting is the norm now. In 1990, a study was done, and 85 percent of the world’s vines were grafted on American rootstock. We can only imagine where it’s at now.

There are places like Chile where phylloxera was never a problem because Chile received European vines well before phylloxera came from the United States and made its way into Europe. Also, phylloxera does not like sandy soil, so if you have a wine region in a sandy soil area or just a vineyard with sandy soil around a more fertile area, there’s a good chance you’re not going to get phylloxera because of that. However, that is not the norm.

If you hear somebody say, “Oh, this wine is pre-phylloxera vines,” that means somewhere, wherever that wine is from in the world, phylloxera never ravaged that area. There’s a whole debate over pre-phylloxera versus phylloxera vines. Are they different? Whatever. It doesn’t matter, guys. We’re here to enjoy wine. If you want to debate whether wine is different now or then, OK. But we’re drinking wine now in 2021, and we want to enjoy it. Am I right?

That’s the lowdown on Phylloxera, and just so you know, it’s not gone. Phylloxera is still around. This remedy is just to combat phylloxera, not to get rid of phylloxera. That’s also really intense. I just hope that this episode gives you an inkling into how much of a challenge it is for winemakers to do what they do. We talked a lot about that in the first couple of episodes of the first season, but phylloxera was a big one. There’s a lot of them out there, but this was the biggest international global effort to fix the wine industry that was so damaged.

I am going to say this right now, and not really sure how it’s going to land. But if you notice when we talk about the history of wine, especially in Europe, the 1980s is usually the decade where things start to turn around for wine-growing regions. They come out of the past and into the future, and phylloxera was a big part of that. Phylloxera devastated so many vineyards in Europe that it took years for these countries to get back on track. Even in the New World, in New Zealand, we talked about New Zealand where they just went ahead and planted hybrids. In the 1980s, everything started to change a little bit.

But that’s how much of an impact this bug had on the wine industry. OK, now you know about phylloxera. Hopefully, I didn’t gross you out too much. Let’s talk next week, what do you say?

@VinePairKeith is my Insta. Rate and review this podcast wherever you get your podcast from. It really helps get the word out there. And now for some totally awesome credits.

“Wine 101” was produced, recorded and edited by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big ol’ shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for creating VinePair. And I mean, a big shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, the art director of VinePair, for creating the most awesome logo for this podcast. Also, Darbi Cicci for the theme song. Listen to this. And I want to thank the entire VinePair staff for helping me learn something new every day. See you next week.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article Wine 101: Phylloxera appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-phylloxera/

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HOW TO WRITE A POWERFUL BRAND POSITIONING STATEMENT (YOUR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE)

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Today’s talking point:

In this episode I'm going to walk you through step by step how to create a powerful brand positioning statement that represents who you help, how you help them, and why you do what you do. 

Now I know that when it comes to answering the question “so what do you do?,”  a lot of us freeze, stumble over our words and just really wash ourselves down. We all do it, and I know I'm definitely guilty of this.

So if you're anything like me and sometimes you feel like being yourself and being vulnerable and real online isn't the easiest thing you've ever done, then this episode is for you.

THE FIRST STEP

Now, if you've been following me online or listening to this podcast for any length of time, then you'll know that I think you have to have your productivity systems down and nailed before you can start to implement any kind of other business or marketing strategy because that's only half of the pizza.

The pizza really needs to be split into thirds and something that comes before the systems, before the strategy, before the organisation is what you actually want to be known for. 

I truly believe that before anything, you need to have full clarity on yourself, the message you want to share with the world and how you want to share it. And that's when you gain full clarity on how to put yourself out there in a way that pleases you, but also attracts new audience members who turn into leads.

WHAT IS A BRAND POSITIONING statement?

First of all, what even is a brand positioning statement? This can be quite confusing sometimes because it can be called a few things. It can be called a brand positioning statement, a brand statement, a mission statement. I actually like to call it your brand strategy statement because it really does underpin your entire strategy.

Now, you might have one of these already, but I still encourage you to go through this episode and make some notes because I promise that this formula I'm about to share with you will really make you think about whether your brand statement is actually doing its job. 

Now, the biggest thing with this, with your elevator pitch is that you don't just want to recite it to everyone like you’re a robot. You want to be a human. You want to make it real. You want people to believe in this exciting, amazing description of the people that you serve and how you serve them. Packed into two or three sentences that just roll off your tongue so smoothly.

By the end of this episode, you'll finally have clarity about your brand and who your audience is that you want to connect with. Think of it as your elevator pitch. Now, the way that we're going to format this strategy statement today is for internal use. This is for you.

3 STEPS TO CREATING A BRAND POSITIONING STATEMENT

#1 | Your Why

So first of all is your why. This is arguably the most important part, which is why I'm covering it first. Because you can't do anything without a why. This is why every strategy statement is going to be different; you can't use someone else's. 

Why can't you do this based on someone else's “why”? 

Because if we don't have something specific to you, to your situation, to your feelings, to the life that you want, then this strategy statement is going to be worthless. 

So the question that you need to ask yourself is what is at the heart of why you do what you do? There is a deeper reason that gets you out of bed every morning. There's a reason that you want your life to be a little bit different, to be a little bit better, to be a little bit louder with the message of your content.

I'm not going to be able to pull it out for you, it’s something you have to find yourself. It doesn't’ have to be something big or deep, but it’s got to be your motivation behind the life you want. 

My why when I first started my business was because I really wanted a dog; I wanted to be able to work from home and stay at home with my dog because why would we get one otherwise? In the future I want to be able to take my kids to school. I want to be able to pick them up from school. I want that life on my own terms. I want that freedom and that's the “why” that kept me going every single day. 

Another factor that goes into this are your goals. So I had my why, but I also had the goal setting for the business that I wanted to start and how marketing and content was going to play a role in that. 

How to use your goals in your “why”:

Define your business goals. So maybe you want a certain number of clients in the first six months , a certain number of sales in the first 12 months, whatever you want to set as your expectation. 

Look at your set goals and understand how they can fit in with your why.

Laying out goals to support and help achieve your why will make it a little bit easier for you to envision it every single time. 

Your why might be personal, it might be business related - the only thing that matters is that it rings true to you.

#2 | Your Who

Let's talk about who you're doing this for, part two of your brand positioning statement. I get that part of you will be saying, “deep down I'm doing this for me;” and I get that. It’s not selfish to say so at all.

But if your goal is solely to just do this for you, to just run this business for you, then it's not going to be that interesting to your clients. They won’t get what you get from what you’re doing.

Yes, you are absolutely an important person in this process, but you are the creator. Whether you are product or service based, you are the creator (and yes, at the very heart of it you are doing it for you), but we need to know who you're doing this for. Who do you help? 

Ask yourself:

Who do you entertain? 

Who are you going to be showing up for every time you publish a piece of content? 

Who is your perfect audience member / customer / human? 

Let's say you are a real estate agent, so you might be thinking in this case: “Oh well anyone that buys a home is great for reading my blog posts or watching my videos.”

Sure, anyone that buys a house is going to help your business, but it's not clear enough. You could literally be envisioning anyone by saying that: a man, a woman, a millennial, a baby boomer, etc. and that makes it very hard to focus on who you're really talking to, which makes it difficult to know what you're actually going to say. 

You've got to learn who they are. List out all of the characteristics that you can think of of your potential perfect audience member. 

Ideas of what you think

Things they talk about, vocabulary that they use 

Do they use the same terms that you use? 

Do they have kids? 

What is their day like? 

Do they commute? Do they listen to podcasts or do they listen to the radio? 

After you have a clear vision of who you want to target, try and sum it up in a few words as part of your brand statement. So this could be as simple as:

A working mom who comes home, wants to make a delicious meal for her kids but isn't a great cook and needs some education. Can you educate her? Are you the perfect creator for her? What's that person like? What's their day like? How can you get in touch with them? How can they learn from you?

Once you've done this,  really wrap your mind around that person. Make them real in your head. Really envision them, give them a hair colour, whatever makes you understand that this is a real human being that is watching your real videos and consuming your content 

Come up with a name for them, and every time lock eyes with the camera, every time you show up on your Instagram stories, or anytime you create a piece of content say, “Hi Amy, I really hope you're good today.”

Rather than just thinking of a random person or thinking, OMG, I am talking to a camera right now, or someone from high school is really gonna judge me - think about your ideal client that knows you and trusts you. 

Every time you have a question about a piece of content you're creating or a new product you want to launch, ask yourself, is this right for Amy? Because that's what you want to aim for: your perfect audience members feel like you are speaking and creating directly to and for them. 

#3 | Your What

For the last part of the brand positioning statement, we need to know what you're actually going to talk about. This is all about what your “who” wants. Not what you think they need. 

If you are blogging, you are creating valuable content. You are not creating a commercial, you are not selling something, you're not even selling yourself. Start asking those questions like:

What do you think about this?

What is your biggest problem? 

What's worrying you? 

What do you wish was better in your life? 

Anytime you can come up with a way to solve someone's problem is a blog post. 

Back in the beginning I knew I wanted to be a coach and so I knew I needed to gain trust. I had to think about what my ideal audience was thinking about at that moment. You might have to do a little bit more research.

Start now and start calling people and saying, Hey, what do you want to know? What bugs you in this industry? What do you enjoy? What do you want to see more of? Just hear what they have to say because sometimes it's not just the answers that they're saying, it's hearing how they talk about it. 

HOW TO TURN YOUR BRAND POSITIONING STATEMENT INTO AN “I HELP” STATEMENT

Now you have your three sections:

Who are you doing this for?

What is your message?

Why are you even doing this at all?

Writing an “I help” statement is an absolute must to move forward and gain clarity and confidence in how you market yourself effectively online. (That’s why it is one of the first things covered in the Busy to Boss Academy where I go through this with you on a whiteboard and we map out a full example together. I audit your brand strategy statement and help you turn parts of that into your I help statement for your bio across your platforms online.)

So in terms of your I help statement:

The Why

The why is just for you. No one else needs to know that apart from you because that is going to drive you to get out of bed and sit at your desk or get in your studio every single day. 

The Who & What

Who you are doing this for and what you actually talk about. That's what you want to form in your brand statement that you can use across your bio's. 

The biggest piece of advice for you that I have is don't make it fluffy. So if you're saying: “I help busy women achieve a happy and healthy lifestyle,” what does that mean? Will they say that? What are healthy habits? In your research, find the message that comes up over and over again and run. It will give you so much confidence and clarity.

I hope this episode was helpful and I can’t wait to read your brand positioning statement!

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

Sign up for the Busy To Boss Academy waitlist here.

Blog It Boss It Radio Episode 30: What are you known for? Business confidence + the secret to being known for something specific

Want access to a library full of online marketing resources plus weekly bitesized breakthroughs to help you boss your online presence? Find it here.

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[siliconwebx]

Marketing to Millennials: What You Need to Know to Close the Sale

Despite the perception that millennials are young, bratty and self-centered, they cover a broad range of age groups, personality traits and interests. Millennial birth years aren’t defined, ranging from 1977 to 2000 depending on who you ask. That means they make up 25% of the population, and that marketing to millennials isn’t as clear-cut as you may think.

Young millennials are in college; older millennials are parents of college students. They’re do-gooders and adventurous travelers, creators and intentional decision-makers. They’re tech-savvy, creative and purpose-driven.

Most importantly, at least for our purposes, they’re buyers, and they’re also influencing other buyers.

Before we continue, two quick things to understand about this article:

1. I didn’t include stats about marketing to millennials. There are a bazillion* millennial-related articles and studies with hard numbers. Since they’re so easy to find on your own, I opted to leave them out.

*not an actual stat

2. While I briefly mention social media, I’ve skipped the obvious, “Here’s why your brand should be on social media” speech. It’s 2019 and I trust you get it.

Here’s what you need to know to market to millennials:

Brands need to entertain millennials.

Millennials may be buying, but they’re not impulse buyers. Even if you sell physical products, it’s more important to sell an experience and to make that experience something they have to have right now. In our article about four psychological tricks to boost conversions, we discuss how brands can play up FOMO (fear of missing out).

In this Instagram post, Pura Vida shows photos of its gorgeous offices, appealing to potential employees in the comment. This immediately makes the grass look greener on their side of the fence…or beach.

Here’s another great example: I recently had lunch at a restaurant where reps from Don Julio were promoting their tequila. They offered me a refreshing, full-sized hibiscus margarita for free, no pressure to order another one after. I got a literal taste of what a balmy afternoon could be like at that restaurant, and I’ve already decided I’ll be going back specifically for that drink.

One of the most obvious examples of how much millennials love to explore even if it doesn’t lead to a purchase is Pinterest. Users add endless aspirational images and items to their virtual bucket lists, vision boards and wish lists. Your job is to figure out how to convert those customers so they go a step beyond collecting your Pins. We have a few articles about adding Pinterest to your marketing to millennials strategy:

All You Need to Know About Pinterest Buyable Pins

How To Drive Massive Referral Traffic From Pinterest

Growing Your Blog’s Reach with Pinterest Group Boards

You can also create polls for your website or social media to interact with your audience, like BuzzFeed News does with their fake news quiz on Instagram:

P.S. We have an article about how to create fun polls on WordPress.

Millennials want to be brand participants, not just spectators.

Sharing content from your audience shows your appreciation for them and support for how they use your products or services in their lives. It also provides brand content that you don’t have to spend time creating.

When I ran social media marketing for a boutique guitar company, I had to find a way to stretch their teeny budget. I noticed that a lot of people were posting photos and videos of themselves using the guitars, so I created a successful Instagram account entirely populated with UGC (user-generated content). People loved it, and the branded hashtags I created grew more popular each month.

You don’t have to go all-out like I did; UGC can be cleverly sprinkled into your marketing campaigns instead of overtaking them. Photography-focused Instagram accounts do this frequently by holding themed challenges.

You can also use crowdsourcing to come up with new product or marketing ideas. For example, LEGO lets you submit a product idea through their website, and you can also vote on other submitted ideas. Some of the submissions are turned into actual toys.

Here’s the best part about getting your audience involved: you’ll know early on if there’s a market for the new product or service you plan on rolling out.

Brands have to create authentic, intriguing content.

Great content is a must-have for inbound marketing. Content creation is its own, huge topic that I encourage you to explore more, but here are four tips that’ll get you started:

One word: help. Help your customers use your product, help your subscribers get more out of your newsletter content, etc. Help them. Beauty brands excel at this:

Source: YouTube

Don’t create an SEO-rich article for SEO purposes alone. Your SEO should align with your authority and experience. It has to be valuable along with being optimized. Finding expert-level content is the next best thing to getting a personal recommendation; think of yourself as a mentor to your customers.

Your CTAs should reflect where the customer is in the journey. For example, don’t put “Buy Now” on an article that’s targeted to potential subscribers – “Learn More” is less intimidating.

“Write how you speak” isn’t the best advice. This is business, not a lax conversation. Think of how you’d explain something to a pal (hint: jargon-free), but then polish it up.

We’ve written more about this topic in the past – check out our article about defining quality content and delivering it to your audience, or this one about refreshing your WordPress content.

Millennials want to use, not own.

Millennials may prefer to access something (borrow, lease, rent) rather than own it. This is why subscription services like Spotify are so popular. This is an interesting trend, because millennials earn less and save more than generations before them – and subscription services can cost more over time, which makes them an odd choice for financially-careful millennials.

For example, if you listen to the same 50 songs on Spotify, it would cost less to purchase each song from iTunes than to pay $9.99 each month for a Spotify subscription. However, the value is in not having to own the music, store it or decide what to do with it when you’re sick of those songs.

Millennials strongly grasp the concept of declining value (and foresee trends shifting in the near future), which is why paying now even if you won’t own later is attractive. Case in point: I spent far too many months researching which fitness watch to buy. I ultimately went with a FitBit Charge 2, but if I’d had the option to rent it or if I knew I could trade it in when they came out with a new model, I would’ve moved forward with the purchase much sooner.

Here’s what you can do, whether your brand lends itself to renting or you only offer the option to buy: incorporate financial guidance into your marketing. Furthermore, frame that guidance to promote financial security, self-reliance and long-lasting value. Rent the Runway nailed it with this pop-up, but you can create long-form content, too.

Millennials feel a responsibility to provide feedback.

I’m going to focus on positive feedback and how you can harness it to build social proof, but since negative feedback is a given, this article talks about how to handle customer complaints.

Positive feedback is free publicity for your brand, especially if it’s recent – new reviews from the past 1-3 months are better than older reviews. There are a number of ways to use social proof to increase conversions. Here are four of them:

1. Show real-time stats of how many people are viewing a page, making purchases or subscribe to a newsletter. On our website, we have the number of our users at the top of the homepage.

2. Leverage social proof – referrals are much more credible than ads. Put together a case study of an actual client and use real numbers. Take positive reviews that customers leave on Facebook, Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc., then display them on your product or service pages. Slack has an entire page dedicated to testimonials, including successful user stories and quotes from customers.

Bonus Tip: This landing page from Grammarly also displays the logos of the media outlets that have given the company love.

3. Mark items as best sellers or list additional products as, “Other customers bought…” At first, this looks like a basic cross-sell tactic. What it’s actually doing, though, is proving to your audience that other people have already moved forward with their purchase.

4. Create an affiliate marketing or brand advocate program. You can turn your biggest fans and loyal customers into a dispersed sales team.

Brands have to stand for something.

Millennials are tuned in to societal issues, with eco-friendliness and health as two of their top priorities. Moreover, millennials are happy to spend more money if it means supporting a brand that supports a cause. The bottom line is that you have to stand for something.

Here’s where it gets tricky: the cause(s) you choose have to stay true to your brand while also appealing to your audience. Don’t pick just any charity to support; put some thought into it.

My favorite example of this is BoxLunch and their Get Some Give Back initiative, which provides a meal to someone in need for every $10 spent. BoxLunch sells unique pop culture clothing and gifts, with bright colors and cartoon characters kids would love. You only have to spend $10 to have that meal donated, and being surrounded by so much fun makes me think of all the families that don’t even have that much to spare. Without fail, I make a purchase every time.

Wrapping Up

Defining your audience as “millennials” isn’t enough – millennials are a huge group! By starting with strategies that are specifically targeted to millennials, though, you can try different ones until you land on the ones that work. Many of these techniques have crossover appeal, too. For example, you can entertain audiences as you get them involved in the product-choosing process. Further defining your audience to discover their specific characteristics and values will guide your custom “marketing to millennials” process.

In the spirit of finding your own marketing to millennials path, check out this article about embracing the motto “you do you” to grow your business.

The post Marketing to Millennials: What You Need to Know to Close the Sale appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

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