Is it sad that I'm more excited for what songs they're going to use in S5 than like, anything else?

i’m just writing at a cafe at 8am and everybody wants to rule the world was playing. i’ve decided that it has to be the trailer song

SHREK AND STRANGER THINGS I AM DEAD SERIOUS ABOUT THIS ONE YOU GUYS

I was inspired by this post about the visual parallels to shrek and initally i was just gonna make a little reblog about it, but then it got WAY bigger and i needed to make it into its own post SO. SHREK WAS ACTUALLY REALLY FANTASTIC FOR ITS USE OF MUSIC. ITS TIME TO BRING OUT MY SPECIFIC HYPERFIXATION ON SHREK THAT I HAD GROWING UP. I HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT SHREK ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE HUGE EMPHASIS ON MUSIC IN STRANGER THINGS Specifically because the songs used in shrek are seemingly very surface level (ie, songs like ‘i need some sleep,’ being literally played when shrek needs some sleep, songs like ‘changes’ playing when things change), and this pattern carries on all through all of the shrek movies. But just like stranger things, once you look past the superficial elements of it, the shrek soundtrack becomes more interesting. So, shrek relies heavily on pop music partially because shrek is, at its core, extremely anti-disney, and was always intended to be. So, shrek as a film is meant to be a criticism of disney and of surface-level narratives, pop culture and surface level films as a whole. But how does that a.) tie into the shrek soundtrack and b.) tie into stranger things? The usage of original score vs pop songs in shrek is one of the core elements. Shrek has an original score- a beautiful one. But it often gets sidelined by the more familiar, famous pop songs present in the movies. Initally, the use of pop music in shrek ironically seems like a surface-level criticism of disney’s surface-level use of music (ie, disney writing songs that blatantly just have the character sing exactly what they’re upset about with basically no nuance and shrek also using pop songs that seem to be very very on the nose and about exactly what’s happening in the scene). But it goes way, way deeper than that, in regards to both shrek and stranger things. Especially since stranger things has such a focus on SHOWING rather than TELLING, and disney movies like to TELL rather than SHOW.  The original score in shrek is used in scenes that are core and significant to the characters and to the narrative as a whole, whereas the pop music is generally used in scenes that may seem big/exciting on the surface, but actually are not core scenes for the characters are their development. The shrek producers didn’t ‘trust’ pop music to have the right effect at the core scenes. But, because people associate the pop music with fame and familiarity and therefore assume that it is “better,” than the original scores, they also wrongfully assume that the scenes with pop music are the core development scenes in shrek, which they are not. If you watch shrek with the assumption that the non-original score song scenes are the core scenes, then you basically end up watching a narrative identical to that of a disney movie. The original score in shrek is used to a.) indicate the core scenes of the movies and core character development scenes, and b.) reveal the ‘truth,’ of characters (ie, fiona trying to act like a normal human princess and deny being an ogre because she associates ogres with violence and awfulness, but then when she sings the main original score of shrek alongside a bird, she explodes and kills the bird, revealing that even when she’s not an ogre, she’s not the sweet and innocent and nonviolent princess that she’s acting like she is) But the really big thing about shrek’s music is when the original score and the pop music merge- when the audience gets a look behind the curtain, so to speak, by grabbing their attention with the pop music and then immediately directing them towards the original score by merging the two of them. For example, the “i need a hero,” scene at the end of shrek 2 IS a very intense scene and a core scene, it’s not just a more surface level scene like the other scenes that used pop music in them. Instead, it’s an epic scene because “i need a hero,” is mixed in with the original shrek soundtrack songs, and the most core moments in that scene are actually the ones where original score plays, whereas the more ‘false’ scenes are the ones where the fairy godmother is singing pop music (indicating her eventual failure and shrek’s triumph) Now how does this tie into stranger things? I’m going to go back through and rewatch a bunch of scenes and look for a.) use of original score vs use of pop/non original score music, including the songs that play in the credits, and b.) scenes where original score and pop/non original score music are combined, because there ARE songs/scenes like that in stranger things. I think that just like shrek, the scenes where they’re combined are literally meant to be giving us a peek behind the curtain, meant to be directing us towards the specific use of original scores. The merging of original score with non original score music is meant to direct us towards the parts of those scenes where original score is used because THOSE are very likely the more core and authentic character development scenes.   Like off the top of my head, I’m thinking about how El’s bullying scene initally takes place with the use of music by the surfaris and how songs like “tarzan boy” play in the rink before that (gay implications aside, even), versus the original score that comes after that and how that ties into the superficial nature of mike and el’s relationship but also into the way that mike and will aren’t being honest with eachother or honest with themselves. Especially considering how much the duffers and the entire production team love to subvert stereotypes and expectations and criticize large portions of the 80s (staring at you season 3 and criticism of individualism, capitalism, materialism and surface-level relationships) long story short: i need to go back and rewatch all of st and write a huge music analysis, both about the scenes in the show and the credits scene music choices. Especially since i’ve started noticing a strange pattern not only with the use of non-original scores in the credits, but also a pattern within which original scores are used in the credits and during which episodes they’re used. Especially in season 3, which is full of themes about criticizing surface-level things and criticisms of materialism etc. I think unlike shrek though, with stranger things, the scenes with non-original score music are still developmental scenes, but i think  it’s more the original score scenes that are REALLY the absolutely core scenes for development of the characters. Idk if this makes sense, but it’s like: the non-original score scenes are the scenes that the duffers want the GA to think are the core developmental scenes/scenes that reveal truths about the characters (see: snowball and ‘every breath you take’ and how so many melvins think it’s a core genuine romantic scene), but the reality is that once you look past the curtain and start looking at the original scores, you’ll find the reality of the characters, their core moments, and their arcs. Just like how if you focus only on the non-original score song scenes in shrek, you basically get a disney movie, if you focus only on the non-original score scenes in stranger things, i think you’ll get a typical 80s story without the subversion of tropes that is so core to stranger things.  I recommend this youtube video about shrek if you want a deeper dive into what i talked about here!

im not sure if this is leading to anything but i have to say something because it's been bugging me for weeks now,

one of the most iconic stranger things songs, "when it's cold, i'd like to die" isn't even time period accurate.. its from 1995

i think there might be one other one but they have a person who is in charge of the music and picking songs that are from the 80's and before so i wonder if this means anything or something that slipped through their fingers?

Hey anon! Thanks for sending me this!

I know that another example of this is the Peter Gabriel version of Heroes, which as far as I found when googling, wasn't released until 2010.

I'm sure this wasn't an accident, but I'm not sure exactly what it might mean. Both songs that aren't from the time period have been played twice, so they're both very important. I know that I'm hoping for a third round of Heroes to play in s5 and I wonder if When It's Cold I'd Like to Die will play again too.

"American Pie" playing after the "He's back" scene in s3 and Ted's "no sweetie pie" in s4. Hmmmmm. It's a quite long song and it's about the nostalgia that comes with closing a chapter in time. A chapter that was good, youthful and innocent.

third scene from a nonexistent fic

i'm sending this endless melody to a nameless you

HOW DO YOU CALL YOUR LOVERBOY?

new chapter of close to me out NOW (fondly dubbed by wayli and i the sea monster crawl chapter) - please refer to the "love is strange" dance scene in dirty dancing if you are unfamiliar bc this scene is

find chapter 7 on @wayward-sherlock 's ao3 !!

on love, even in death

Madeline Miller The Song of Achilles // Rainer Maria Rilke The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge // Romeo + Juliet (1996) dir. Baz Luhrmann // Richard Siken "The Torn-Up Roads," Crush // Keaton St James (@boykeats) Matthew 19:12 // Lana Del Rey Born to Die // @/alessia.trunfio (instagram) // Florence + the Machine I'm Not Calling You a Liar // Michael Cunningham The Hours // System of a Down Lovely Day // Richard Siken "Planet of Love," Crush

just imagine percy at fifteen years old. feeling like his life is slipping through his fingers. feeling like he's running out of time to give his life purpose outside of being a child soldier. feeling like the only control he has over is life is by pushing people away. is by running away. so when annabeth calls him a coward. he can't help but agree with her.

INXS IN ST5 I AM BEGGING

hmmm and what will you do when the episode cuts to black and credits roll and you hear the heroes by bowie intro

the wonderful @laozuspo inspired me to make a post about my thoughts regarding stranger things characters + supertramp songs and I have a lot of thoughts, so here we are!

1.) “long way home,” as a Mike song about his failing relationship with El + inability to express himself and be dramatic doing things like dnd around her (especially with the romeo line and how melvin is often compared to romeo and juliet)

and how will is “home,” to him, and even though it took a long time/he took the long way there, he got there in the end.

“oh, it’s peculiar, she used to be so nice,” mike and el and Mike thinking about how el used to be ‘nicer’/their relationship was easier early on but that was before she had a proper sense of independence + understanding of relationships

“does it feel like your life’s become a catastrophe? well it has to be, for you to grow, boy” this is so Mike coded. his conflicts with will, especially the inevitable painting fight, are going to lead to the growth of his and Will’s relationship in the end, and as a character, Mike has to go through all of these interpersonal catastrophes (especially in his relationships with both will and el) in order to grow.

“oh what you might have been, if you would have more time,” Mike running late in all of the reasons/running out of time, especially in s5 and how he feels like it’s too late for him and will because in s3 he associates his love for will with childish things and feels like has to grow out of it.

2.) “don’t leave me now” as a byler song, espeically a rain fight/Mike depressed in the summer before s4 song

but also as a Mike pov s5 byler fight during the apocalypse song

3.) “waiting so long,” as a will pov song during s3 and parts of s4 regarding his and mike’s relationship and growing up and Mike not being aware of/blind to Will’s feelings for him.

Also ties into Will feeling as if he’s been left behind by Mike and how he wants Mike to remember their friendship + all of their memories together.

4.) “just a normal day,” this is the mike wheeler depression pre-s4 song. just like how “just another day,” by oingo boingo foreshadows things for will in s2, “just a normal day,’ parallels that via title but also about foreshadowing apathy and inaction as unusual events for mike rather than the strange things that happen to will in s2. 

especially about how mike’s struggling to understand/convey his feelings and figure out why he’s so broken about will moving away. and how things should be normal but they don’t feel like it because will, unknowingly, was Mike’s source of normalcy. And will having “strange things on his mind,” that being Mike thinking about how Will’s thinking about whatever girl he seemingly made a painting for (according to el’s letter), especially since Will’s never expressed interest in girls before. 5.) “casual conversations” as a mike pov towards his relationship with el + how he feels inferior to her and like he not only can’t be vulnerable with her, but also feels like can’t even be himself around her. and how he knows deep down that it’s not just el’s fault but part of him wants to blame her for it because otherwise that means acknowledging that there’s something up with him, that there’s some deeper issues/feelings (for will) within himself that are playing a role in the incompatibility/conflict between him and El.

Plus, Mike secretly being glad that his and el’s relationship is falling apart/they’re seemingly breaking up with El’s “from, El,” letter in s4.

6.) “an awful thing to waste” as a song about mike and his choice between living a nuclear family life in a miserable relationship like his parents versus making his own choices and admitting his feelings for will and how mike’s able to have the life that he actually wants, but he keeps getting in his own way because he believes it’s not possible/that will doesn’t reciprocate his feelings.

and also about how Mike feels during s3 as if his feelings for will are too tied to childhood/nostalgia and he can’t figure out how to move forward thinking that his feelings are unreciprocated because they can’t be kids forever, but Mike also doesn’t want to grow up because that, in Mike’s mind, means a future where will grows up + gets into a relationship with someone else too. And how Mike’s started hiding from his problems (from Will) in the time prior to s4/during s4 despite previously being the one to problem solve and face challenges head-on, and that he’s destroying himself in the process of trying to hide.

7.) “where i stand with you,” as a will pov song towards mike especially pre-s4 and how he can’t seem to figure out how he fits into mike’s life since mike used to be more affectionate with him/like s1 or s2 will may have still had hope that his love was requited but is now pulling away past the point of even purely platonic affection (see: airport hug) and how will, even though he thinks the feelings are unrequited, just wants to know where he stands with mike. just wants to know if they’re still friends, if they can still be in eachother’s lives. 

YOUR REFLECTION, YOUR BITTER DECEPTION SETTING YOU FREE

hey so i finally wrote more witch au!

enjoy, friends!! though it's significantly shorter than the first part

pairing: steddie | word count: 2,004 | rated: T

Mama thinks that Steve’s had a love spell on him this whole time.

“Since when?” He’d asked.

“I don’t know, my dear, maybe since before you were even born.”

“What?! How?! I thought you said there was no such thing as love spells!” He knows that’s not true.

“There are none that are worth the pain.” she repeats, trying to placate him.

“Yeah, well.” Steve huffs, dropping his hands to his hips and heaving a sigh.

“But there are some that are rumored to be true love spells, soulmate spells.” She continues on when she sees the look on his face. “Rumored, Steven, only ever rumors.”

“Okay, so what do the rumors have to say about them?”

“Every spell like that I’ve ever heard of of this nature is specific to each caster.”

“So I’ve had this spell on me for possibly my whole life, and there’s no way to know anything about it or about the caster.”

“...I’m sorry, honey.”

“Maybe there are clues in the words you have.” Robin cuts in, reaching for the notepad and sliding it in front of her.

Steve huffs, “I need to know the whole thing; there’s definitely words missing.”

“Should you eat more bread?” Robin asks, already sliding the previously abandoned plate of bread towards him.

“You shouldn’t overwhelm yourself.” Mama says, pushing the plate back. “We don’t know if there’s a trigger to the spell, or if you and the caster’s paths will just cross one day, maybe they don’t even know they cast it.”

Steve blinks at her. “So I have a true love and they might not even want me?”

“No!” Robin belts out immediately.

“No, of course not,” Mama says, continuing on. “The one known thing about any spell like this is that they only work on those who are receptive to it.”

“So some weirdo can’t put you under their spell?”

“Yes, exactly Robin; Steve, whatever this is, whoever this was, they love you with all that they are. And you them.”

“I don’t even know who it is! How can I?”

Mama doesn’t have an answer besides saying “Your soul must know them already.”; Their conversation was over soon after that.

Steve spends the next couple days silent and brooding. He can’t stop thinking about how he’s what, marked to love someone he doesn’t even know? How’s that fair?

It could be any random person on the street that thought he was hot, some weird old guy or a lovesick middle schooler..He only just turned 25 the day before the bread incident, but he’s saddled with this huge unknown that isn’t going to get better any time soon?

Okay, apparently not just some weirdo according to Mama, but still. Un-fucking fair all the same.

He’s also pissed that he can’t give anyone all the baked goods he’s made within that time. Each and every one of them ending up with a sour aftertaste. 

“Damn witch bullshit…” he grumbles to himself, only half serious, as he scrapes another batch of sour sugar cookies into the trash.

He’s salty, okay? Pun intended. If he hadn’t ever learned the truth about the powers over food his grandmother (and now him too, apparently) has, he could’ve just excused the batch after batch being off on bad butter, or old flour.. Something other than his mood being what’s ruining his cookies.

That’s what he’d done every other time something he’s made tasted off, now he knows it was him the whole time.

Mama comes in then, he doesn’t have to look up to know the look she’s giving him.

Steve leaves the bowl of leftover dough on the counter, mumbles out a “I gotta go.”, then tromps out the back door and into the woods behind his grandparents’ home. 

He supposes it’s good that they live just outside the city, really, having the trees to escape under like this has helped him before, and he’s hoping will help him now.

Meandering through the underbrush, he strolls along until he reaches the small clearing he’d claimed for himself when he was what, 8? 9? Doesn’t matter. It’s his spot to get away from anything he needs to.

He sits down against the big oak at the edge of the clearing and tips his head back toward the sun filtering down on him through a gap in the canopy above him. He breathes in the fresh air, focuses on the warmth hitting his face, and just exists there for a while, slipping in and out of a soft snooze.

Suddenly, he’s shocked out of his dozing by the sound of twigs snapping underfoot.

If it were coming from behind him, he’d expect it’d be Robin coming to find him here, but it’s not. It’s coming from ahead of him across the clearing.

Steve stands and presses back into the trunk of the tree, wondering if there’s bears in these woods when a person stumbles through the tree line.

The man is thin, about Steve’s age if he were to guess, and covered in dirt, his light wash overalls and his boots are caked in it. His hair is long, pulled half-back away from his face and full of bracken from the forest.

He also seems to be in a daze, staring with dark eyes at Steve with an unfathomable expression. 

It shifts soon after, though, warming into a watery smile. “I’ve come home to you.” he says, clear as day, then collapses onto the grass.

“Oh, shit!” Steve rushes forward, kneeling down beside the man and quickly checking him over for injuries. 

Steve presses his fingers to the man's pulse confirm it's still there (it is) and there don’t seem to be any bruises or breaks in his limbs, so he goes to his head, feeling quickly under the tangles in his hair for any blood, any knots.

Nothing. There’s nothing apparently outwardly wrong with him.

“Hey, hey, wake up! You gotta stay with me, man.” he says, shaking him lightly. 

The other man’s head lolls to the side and his eyes open a crack, his lips quirking up into a smile. “M’love…”

“What is your name?” Steve insists in a slow, clear voice.

Instead of answering, the man raises his hand slowly to cup Steve’s cheek. “...v’wait’d so long..” he slurs, then goes limp again, his hand dropping to his chest.

“Oh no you don’t,” Steve gets his feet under him and gathers the man up into his arms in a bridal carry. His steps falter when he feels how light the man is in his arms, how much more thin he is than how he’d looked.

Steve adjusts his hold on him, making sure not to let his head hang backward over his forearm, and rushes back toward the house.

“Mama!” he shouts as soon as he clears the treeline into the yard.

She’s at the back sliding door as soon as he is. “Steve, honey, what—”

He pushes past her, hurrying to the spare room on the first floor with her on his heels. “I found him wandering the woods, I couldn’t just–I don’t know what’s wrong with him, Mama.”

She gestures him forward to the bed, “Put him there, on top the covers,”

He does, setting him down as if he’s made of glass.

As soon as the man is out of his arms, Mama takes his place. “Nothing seems broken, but he’s so light, he needs food, he needs water, should I call 911? I don’t even know his na—” he rambles on, not even realizing he’d started to pace until his grandma stops him in his tracks.

“Steve, listen to me.” she says, pulling at his wrists gently, removing his hands from his hair. “He will be fine. Now, go get a bowl of warm water and a washcloth and come straight back here.”

He nods dazedly, stumbling backward out the doorway and spinning to the kitchen.

Steve slides to a stop on the tile floor in front of the kitchen sink at the same time Robin gets home from her classes that day.

“I have a date!”

Wait, he needs the bowl first. He scrambles to the opposite counter for the large mixing bowl Mama uses for her damn bread and fishes it out with a clatter of everything that that had been in front of it on the shelf tumbling out to the floor.

“Steve?”

Should he put soap in it?

“Steve!”

No, Mama just said ‘warm water’, not ‘warm soapy water’. He nods to himself and turns on the tap, reaching under the sink next for a washcloth.

“Steven Otis Harrington.”

“Oh, hey Robin, you’re home.” The bowl’s almost full.

“Steve.” She spins him to face her, holding tightly to his shoulders.

He tries to twist back around futilely, “The bowl–”

“Steve. What. Is. Happening.”

He blinks at her a couple times. “Robin!” He pulls her to him in a tight hug. “Holy shit, you’re not gonna believe–”

“Steve, the bowl?”

“Shit,” It’s nearly full when he shuts off the tap, so he dumps a bit out and picks it up with both hands, “C’mon, he’s this way.”

“He? Who’s he?”

“Dunno, I found him in the woods.”

“Aw, Steve, you can’t just take in any ol’ stray dog you happen to find out in the wood—-” Robin cuts herself off as they get to the bedroom door. “Ohhkay…so..not a dog.”

“He looks to be dehydrated, but I don’t think he has any injuries.” Mama says in lieu of a greeting when they return. Steve sits down on the opposite edge of the bed that she is, and carefully passes over the bowl of water without looking at her.

The stranger immediately takes in his attention. His soft features, dark brows…Steve starts to pull the bits of brush out of the man’s hair, untangling twigs, leaves, and he can already see one of those pesky prickle things twisted into the hair next to his ear.

Mama sets the bowl on the sidetable, and gets to work immediately, wiping the dirt and grime from the man’s face and arms. “Robin dear, can you grab one of those sports drinks Pa loves so much outta the fridge? And a bottle of water.”

“Of course!” she says, darting back into the kitchen.

“We’ll need to get some food in him too,”

“We should make him scones.” Steve states apropos of nothing. “With chocolate chunks.”

“Maybe after he’s a bit better, sweetie.” Mama scoffs, wringing out the washcloth. “He needs healthy fats first, butter, oatmeal, avocado, things like that.”

“I can do that!” Steve says, jumping up excitedly. His former task forgotten, he rushes out of the bedroom and to the kitchen, nearly bowling Robin over in the process.

He gets to work on simple eggs and toast for their houseguest, avoiding Mama’s lucky bread in favor of his own store-bought stuff for now, he can make him his own later. 

As he scrambles the eggs, he focuses everything in him on the stranger, on getting him better, making him healthy again. He’s not exactly quite sure how to do what Mama does, but the sour cookie dough says he’ll do it without thinking about it…kinda.

Whatever. 

All he knows is that he’s telling the fuck outta these eggs to make his love better. Make him whole again.. Make him—

Wait..

Did he just refer to the random man laid up in the other room as his love?

Is…

The fugue state he’d been in since first laying eyes on the man crackles away just long enough for him to think.

What did he say before he collapsed? "I've come home to you."?

That..sounds right....why is that so famili—

Steve's eyes leave the pan of eggs in front of him and snap immediately to the scrap of paper he'd scrambled for a few nights ago.

Is he…?

And of course, as if the words weren't already plastered permanently onto his grey matter, there they are, plain as day.

tagging those that were interested on the last part!!! @mugloversonly @kittydeadbones @maybequizas @queenie-ofthe-void @newtstabber @angeldreamsoffanfic @eyesofshinigami @sunflower-trashbaby @perseus-notjackson @kaspurrcat @quinns-shadowy-arts

also, idk if this counts for it, but one of february's songs for @steddiesongfics is work song! which is what this fic is based on! 😊😊

Kindly asking Vessel to bring the piano only version of Sugar back

Credits: @/jaymw93 on tiktok