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likeadevils · 5 months

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Midnights Timeline

This is a very long post that puts all the songs on Midnights in order of Taylor creating them. I’ve also included a few other songs she worked on while writing Midnights and quotes from Taylor and her collaborators talking about her process.

If you don't want to read all that, check out this playlist of the album in order, or this playlist of her entire discography. (warning: there is a very large chunk in the middle of Midnights that I have no information on (Maroon-Dear Reader. On the playlist not the album I have guesses for more than one song)).

I’ve also added this color coded scale of how sure I am of the date:

Confirmed: There is some type of official source for the date

Inferring: Nobody has officially said “This is when we wrote it,” but all available evidence points to that date

Speculation: This date is based off pure vibes and guesswork and is highly likely to change.

Unknown: All that is known is the year (from the US Copyright Offices

Renegade: March 7-15, 2021 (Confirmed)

Aaron: “I wrote the music [for Renegade] at some point after we finished [evermore], and sent it to her, because she was inspired by a llot of the Big Red Machine stuff we were working on. And she had already sung on Birch, a song that hasn't come out yet but is one of the major ones on the record. And I think she wanted to write a song for Big Red Machine. She very much feels like part of this community to me. So I wrote Renegade, the music, and sent it to her. And not unlike a lot of the things we've done together, one day I woke up to a voice memo from her and she had written this incredible song about how anxiety and fear get in the way of loving or being loved. And she was clearly thinking about Big Red Machine. And then we recorded her vocals and everything the week of the Grammys, when I was there in LA, and it was really nice to have something to think about that wasn't related to the Grammys - just to make music because you feel like making it." (transcript from jaimie)

High Infidelity and Would've Could've Should've: March 7-15, 2021 (Confirmed)

Aaron: [Would've Could've Should've], we wrote that song together, and recorded it while we were together in LA for the folklore Grammys. It goes back that far. And the same with High Infidelity. Those songs, we actually recorded in her house, the vocals, we recorded them then. And I just kept making music, and it was kind, after we had made folklore and evermore, I started to have ideas which I would share. And eventually, she obviously made most of Midnights with Jack, and it became something different. But High Infidelity, and Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve, and The Great War, and we made Hits Different with Jack and Taylor and I also, and it was great to be part of that record in that way. (transcript from @cages-boxes-hunters-foxes)

The Great War and Hits Different: between April-October 2021 (Speculation)

In the above quote talking about his songs on Midnights, Aaron says "Eventually, she obviously made most of Midnights with Jack, and it became something different," implying his stuff was written before the bulk of midnights in fall. He also says High Infidelity and Would've Could've Should've "[go] back that far," which implies they were some of the earliest stuff on Midnights, so it's safe to assume TGW and Hits Different come sometime afterwards.

Summer 2021: Jack has a session with Sounwave, Sam Dew, and Zoe Kravitz, where the instrumentals for Lavender Haze and likely Glitch are written

Rolling Stone interview with Sounwave: Before Antonoff began to work on Swift’s tenth album, he was cooking up tracks with Spears, Dew, and Zoë Kravitz [...] During a brainstorming session, the quartet put together a track that would eventually become “Lavender Haze.”

November 3 2021: It was announced that Joe has been cast in Stars at Noon, alongside Margaret Qualley, Jack Antonoff's then girlfriend now wife. Since Joe was parachuted into the film last minute, filming had already started, making it likely he left as soon as possible.

Taylor: We’d been toying with ideas and had written a few things we loved, but Midnights actually really coalesced and flowed out of us when our partners (both actors) did a film together in Panama. Jack and I found ourselves back in New York, alone, recording every night, staying up late and exploring old memories and midnights past.

November 8: Jack gets back from touring with Bleachers. Let the games begin.

Vigilante Shit: November 2021 (Speculation)

Vigilante Shit is the sole solo writing credit on the album, which implies it was written before her and Jack were holed up together 24/7. Also Scooter and his wife divorced in July. Beyond that there's no evidence this is early in the process, besides it making sense that Taylor wrote this alone, brought it to Jack, and then fell into a creative inferno.

Maroon, Anti-Hero, You're on Your Own Kid, Midnight Rain, Bejeweled, Labyrinth, Mastermind, Paris, and Dear Reader: November/December 2021 (Inferring)

I don't have enough info on the making of any of these songs to give them each their own little blurb, but if anything pops up I will update this post and reblog it letting y’all know.

Question..?: After November 21, 2021 (Inferring)

We know Rachel Antonoff, Dylan O'Brien, and Austin Swift were there the day they recorded it thanks to this behind the scenes footage of them recording the cheering vocals. Dylan was filming The Vanishings at Caddo Lake in Louisiana sometime between October 5 and November 20. I don't know exactly which dates he was filming-- he was in New York for All Too Well filming in late October and to attend the premiere on November 12, but since we know for sure he was in Louisiana on the 20th, I'm just gonna Occam's Razor it and say Question was written sometime after he got back from that.

You're Losing Me: December 5, 2021 (Confirmed)

December 17, 2021: Filming wraps on Stars at Noon, and with it the bulk of recording for Midnights.

Lavender Haze: Early 2022 (Speculation)

Lavender Haze, Snow on the Beach, and Karma are the only songs to have Henson Recording Studios credited (I can't find studio credits for the 3am tracks so there is possibly more on there). This could point to them all being recorded around the same time time, or it could be in reference to Jack and Sounwave's original recording sessions taking place at Hensen. I lean towards the former, since 1) it seems like the Winter 2021 sessions were mostly between Taylor and Jack, and the spring sessions have other collaborators, and 2) the tabloid rumors about Taylor and Joe getting engaged really started heating up in February 2022. On the other hand, Sounwave implies that there was a notable stretch of time between Lavender Haze and Karma, so I totally understand if you want to put it with the rest of the Winter 2021 sessions. Rolling Stone interview with Sounwave: A few months [after Jack and Sounwave wrote the instrumentals], Antonoff reached out to Spears, Dew, and Kravitz to see if he could pitch [Lavender Haze] to Swift, who loved it immediately. She wrote lyrics inspired by a Mad Men scene, numerous tabloid rumors and online gossip about her relationship status, and “1950s expectations.” “When Jack brought us in the hear for the first time, all our mouths dropped. She took it to a whole new world and made it her own. She created different pockets we did not hear.”

Glitch: Early 2022 (Speculation)

Rolling Stone interview with Sounwave: "Glitch,” one of the bonus songs on the Midnights (3am) edition, was born from the same studio session as “Lavender Haze.” I don't know if this means the instrumentals to Lavender Haze and Glitch were done in the same session, Taylor wrote the lyrics in the same session, or both. For the same reason as Lavender Haze, I lean towards this coming later in the process, as well as Glitch mentioning being together for six years, and in November 2021 Taylor and Joe had been together for a little over 5 years. That being said, Taylor could've assume the album was going to come out in 2022, and that she would stay with Joe until then, and bump up that date a bit. It's still very up in the air.

February 5, 2022: Taylor is photographed leaving Jack's house holding a keyboard.

Sweet Nothing: Spring 2022 (Inferring)

Joe is a co-write on this, meaning they likely wrote it after he got back from filming. It also mentions their trip to Ireland in 2021 and refers to it as "last July", implying it was written in 2022. While I was writing this timeline Taylor liked this post on twitter, implying that at least the second verse is in reference to Paul and Linda McCartney. The quote is from his poem Blessed, which you can read in this interview (TWs for death and cancer)

Bigger Than The Whole Sky: March 2022 (Inferring)

Claire Winter, a close friend of Taylor's, posts on Instagram that she miscarried. (I toyed with whether or not to add this, but seeing as Claire Winter made the information public herself, I decided to put it in. If she ever takes that Instagram post down, let me know and I'll delete this part.)

Snow on the Beach: April 1, 2022 (Inferring)

On April 1, Lana Del Rey posts a video on Instagram of Jack in the studio with an unidentified female voice in the background. Two days later she posts this photo, which Taylor and Jack both include in posts about Midnights/Snow on the Beach. Lana: Well, first of all, I had no idea I was the only feature [on that song]. Had I known, I would have sung the entire second verse like she wanted. My job as a feature on a big artist’s album is to make sure I help add to the production of the song, so I was more focused on the production. She was very adamant that she wanted me to be on the album, and I really liked that song. I thought it was nice to be able to bridge that world, since Jack [Antonoff] and I work together and so do Jack and Taylor. Taylor: And with Snow On The Beach, which features the genius Lana Del Rey, very lucky to have collaborated with her on that. And Dylan [O’Brien] was actually in the studio with me and Jack, because a lot of the time we record at his place, and Dylan was just hanging out, drinking wine with us, and listening to stuff, and he was just trying out the drum kit there. He wasn't serious. But we were drinking wine, and we were sort of like, 'We haven't recorded the drums for this one yet! See if you want to...' and he played the drums on the song. Sometimes it just happens like that. (transcript once again from jaimie)

Karma: Spring 2022 (Speculation)

Rolling Stone interview with Sounwave: The bubbly “Karma” came later [than Lavender Haze and Glitch], when Antonoff reached out to Spears for any other ideas he may have to contribute to the album and its synth-pop vision. “‘Karma’ was just a last-minute Hail Mary,” Spears says. “I remembered I was working with my guy Keanu [Beats] and had something that was too perfect not to send to her. As soon as I sent it, Jack was instantly like ‘This is the one. Playing it for Taylor now. We’re going in on it.’ The next day, I heard the final product with her vocals on it.”

April 19, 2022: Elle's interview with the Conversations with Friends cast is released, and when Joe is "asked if he hopes to continue writing songs, Alwyn simply says, “It’s not a plan of mine, no.”" It's possible this means Sweet Nothing was yet to be written, but I think it's more likely Joe was just denying in order to not create hype around a song that wasn't officially announced yet.

May 2022: Taylor teases Labyrinth lyrics in her NYU Commencement Speech and says m i d n i g h t very prominently on this instagram post, meaning by early summer she was likely confident in the album's name and which songs would make the tracklist.

And that's all for this timeline! Check out my others:

TIMELINES: debut • fearless • speak now • red • 1989 • rep • lover • folklore • evermore • midnights PLAYLISTS: debut • fearless • speak now • red • 1989 • rep • lover • folklore • evermore • midnights • entire discography GENERAL: tag

#taylor swift #timeline*#wrote this one in a haze with frequent breaks to pace around cause i was shaking so much #so if theres a typo that’s why #as always lmk if you spot a mistake/want further sourcing on anything/etc #AHHHHHH!!!!!

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eggyrocks · 1 month

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bloody nose: kuroo x calloused hands reader

calloused hands masterlist // main masterlist

warnings: violence, blood, swearing; grammatical errors, not proofread, i wrote this just for me so it's probably not great

an: here it is. my self indulgent bonus chapter that’s got my fingers itching. i wanted to write this so fucking bad i genuinely do not even care if it’s good tbh; im sure if you wanted to read this without reading all of calloused hands u could but it’s probably better in context

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧

their set's not going well.

it might have something to do with the venue; it's a small, cramped basement bar with only one way out and one way in-the old and creaking staircase that looks like it's one bad day away from collapsing. it might be the fact that the bouncer's stopped counting heads and the bar's way over capacity. could be the hot humid air that's suffocating them and only getting worse with each person that claws their way towards the band.

but it's probably the heckler.

yn's generally not really bothered by that sort of thing. it's not like this is the first one she's ever dealt with; normally she'll just play over them until they learn their lesson and keep their mouths shut during their sets.

but the bar's fucking tiny and so ungodly packed and hot it's making her just a bit more irritable than usual. every couple of minutes there's some sweaty dude from the pit getting knocked into her and knocking her hand off her guitar, throwing her off and making her fuck up. it's irritating. it's frustrating. she knows her bandmates are getting fucking sick of it too. tanaka's broken more drum sticks than usual.

so when the heckler starts up again, she doesn't really have any self-restraint.

"you guys fucking suck!" comes his voice, ripping through the crowd in between songs.

yn leans up close to the mic until her lips are ghosting over the cool metal. "uhh, suck my dick," she murmurs into the mic, hearing it echo throughout the small space.

she ignores the crowd's reactions and leans back on her heels to make eye contact with yachi. yachi, who, like yn, got so sick of the heat and had to abandon her outer layer of clothes in favor of her sports bra. just one look at her sweat-soaked friend and yn can tell she is just as miserable as she is.

"heckling us won't make us play better," nishinoya says into his own mic, "we're going to suck no matter what you say."

"why doesn't your guitar player suck my dick!"

the reaction is half boos and half laughter, and yn does her best not to react the way she wants to. she just fiddles with her guitar while nishinoya lets out a string of curses and threats into the mic. he kepts it short, though, they've got a show to get on with.

yn wishes she could spot kuroo. she knows he's out there somewhere in the crowd; she keeps hoping to catch a glimpse of his distinctive silhouette-just seeing him there would help her calm down. just a bit.

kuroo's good at making things better for her. he always does it, even when he's not trying.

but all she can see over the lights that shine in her eyes is a shapeless mass of huddled bodies, indistinguishable and formless. she can't pick out kuroo. she can't see his face and she can't calm down.

"this next song's called rot," nishinoya anounces, and ignores the glare yn shoots him. he's fucking around with their setlist again. "it's about dying and getting eating by worms."

tanaka counts them in, and yn tries to focus all of her energy on playing. she's hoping to take her frustrations out on her guitar; and either way, she always plays great when she's in a bad mood.

but they're not even half-way through the first verse when yn notices something whipping over the heads of the audience. in a fraction of a second, she realizes it's a beer can. sixteen ounces.

and then, the next second, it's hitting her in the temple.

her hand leaves her instrument and flies to cup the spot she got hit. the beer can hits the floor and it's spraying sudsy, warm alcohol all over her. she crouches down in pain, trying to blink away the hot, thick liquid that now drips down into her eye.

there's a hand on her shoulder, and the sweet words of concern in her ear confirm that it's yachi. yn tries to stand up straight, despite the dizzying pain radiating in her skull, and tries to get a look at what's happening in front of her.

strangers are trying to crowd her, to get close to offer help or see if she's okay or just get a better look at exactly what happened. nishinoya is pushing people away, telling them to back the fuck up, now. tanaka's grabbing yn by the shoulder and trying to keep her steady. yachi's pressing one of their discarded tshirts against yn's forehead, trying to slow the bleeding.

and there's a familiar outline of bedhead, stomping up the stairs of the bar, dragging a protesting body behind him.

haphazardly, yn rips wires out of her guitar and shoves herself forward, elbowing her away through the swarms of people, leaving behind her bandmates, bloodied tshirt, and still fizzing can of beer.

once she climbs up the stairs and out of that basement, the cool air is on her skin, on sweat, on the beer-soaked clothes she's left in, and she's suddenly freezing.

but she doesn't really focus on that. yn just stands there and stares as kuroo, her beautiful kuroo, holds the heckler up by his collar, sneering at him. "what the fuck is wrong with you?" he screams into the trembling face of the other man. "you could've killed her!"

"it wasn't supposed to hit her!" he insists, and suddenly does not have the smug edge to his voice he did when he was telling yn to suck his dick. "it was an accident, dude!"

yachi appears at yn's side then, mouth open like she's about to ask if yn's okay, but she stops at the scene before her, just taking yn's hand in hers.

kuroo's grip on his collar is tight, and if the bruising on his knuckles or the bleeding of the heckler's mouth are any indication, he may have already gotten a hit in. he doesn't look away from the man in his grip. "yn, are you bleeding?"

she squeezes yachi's hand. "yeah," is her casual answer. she winces, blood sill trickling down her face, and the pain in her head still throbs.

"kiyoko's looking for something to stop the bleeding," yachi tells him, a nervous tremor. "tanaka's getting the van so he can drive her to the hospital-she's gonna need stiches."

kuroo lets him go, then. dropping him so quickly that the heckler only just gets his bearings before kuroo is pulling his fist back and then slamming it into the nose of the heckler. there's a pleasant crunch. yn tries to appreciate the sight of it, but she's just getting so damn lightheaded.

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧

by the time they get out of the hospital, the sun has started rising. kuroo's driving the band's van with one hand on the wheel and the other gripping onto his girlfriend's thigh.

her bandmates, who insisted on staying with them the whole night, are now sleeping in the back, and their not soft and not gentle snores are fill the van.

yn looks over at kuroo and grins. she reaches towards him and gently carsses the cut that stretches across his nose. "you got battle scars now. can't believe you headbutted that guy."

he scoffs. keeping his palm flat on the wheel, he stretches out his fingers and examines the the scabbing over his knuckles. "my hands were starting to hurt and i need them for volleyball. i was running out of options."

"it was really hot, by the way," she tells him, teeth poking through broad smile. kuroo flicks his eyes away from the road for just a second to see it. "you were all bloody and sweaty like, 'oh, i'm gonna fucking kill you that's my girlfriend,'" she says, in a poorly done imitation of kuroo.

he laughs. "im just glad you're okay. if you had gotten a concussion i would've had to track him and down and give him one of his own."

"you need more than a beer can to take me down," she boasts. and then, without much warning, leans over towards the driver's seat to place a kiss on kuroo's cheek. "thanks for beating the shit out of that guy for me."

"i'll always beat the shit out of someone for you, babe," he tells her, only half-joking. "you're my girl. of course i will."

she smiles, and places her hand on top of his, resting her head on top of his arm. "i'm totally gonna fuck the shit out of you after i sleep for like, twelve hours, by the way."

kuroo smirks, and from the back, through a haze of sleepiness and snores, nishinoya says, "you guys are fucking gross."

taglist: @wyrcan @rieieieieieiei @thechaosoflonging @publicbathroompanic @bedeater @rottingt1tz @rintarawr @deluluforcarlos55 @ahseyy @localgaytrainwreck @cherrypieyourface @baskin-robinhoods @nnnyxie @cr4yolaas @httpakkeiji @macchiatomegumi @hikikaimar @noodleswastaken @garden-of-bri @rinaheartss @infinitelytimebound @scxrcherr @eyes-ofhell @sleepy-time @polish-cereal @literally-a-ferret @crownj1min @sereniteav @kozuskitten @02shuuu @rasisarchive @marzzn @barricadesenthusiast @yvjitadori @yeehawslap @phoenix-eclipses @lcvestays @thirtykiwis @kitty-m30w @causenessus @notsaelty (i wasn't sure if i should include the taglist since this is just a bonus chapter but u know what. fuck it. here u guys go).

#kuroo x reader smau #haikyuu smau #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #hq x reader #hq x you #hq #kuroo smau #kuroo tetsuro x you #kuroo tetsuro fluff #kuroo x you #kuroo x reader #kuroo tetsuro x reader #Spotify

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anmaje · 2 months

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S&Co Sherlock recommended Vivaldi to John and I Lost My Mind

The fact that our Sherlock Holmes recommended Vivaldi to John so suddenly and apruptly is something SO personal! When I read a transcript of the mailbag episode (thank you @eardefenders ) I could NOT stop thinking about it, and have been listening to his many wonderful concertos since. I work in a church choir and am therefore somewhat classically trained, I have also played violin for many years as a child, and still do at times, so allow me to go on a geeky tirade about Antonio Vivaldi and Sherlock's understanding of John.

🎻🌱🌻🍂❄

In the second mailbag episode, a question is asked "If you could make a Spotify playlist for eachother of your own favourite songs, what would some of the highlights be [...] ?"

John answers with the rockband Elbow, who use orchestra and especially strings in their music. Which is why he recommends it to armature violinist Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock says that he would probably never make such a playlist, as he wouldn't find the task fulfilling, but he has an epiphany and IMMEDIATELY interrupts himself, not even finishing his sentence, and he simply says "Vivaldi". I have not heard the delivery of this line(cause I'm poor ✌), but the fact that the answer falls to him so suddenly and it simply MUST leave him immediately so John hears is delicious characterisation. Sherlock also answers with pop, as John likes popculture (a somewhat less personal answer, but still very considerate).

After another question it is established that Vivaldi isn't even a favourite of Sherlock's. He much prefers Mozart, Bach(I will come back to Bach) and Tchaikovsky. Now Sherlock is a violinist, so there is no way he has escaped the genius of Antonio Vivaldi, like he's escaped pop. And so this recommendation is really because he feels John would like it.

But why does Sherlock think that? What would John Watson, a middle class everyman, like about Vivaldi?

Let me tell you:

When we analyse the symbolic meaning of instrumental classical(in this case baroque) music, we often look at the biography of the composer (Vivaldi gives us a little more to work with, which I will return to). I will start here. Antonio Vivaldi of Venice was taught the violin by his father and was ordained at 25 but didn't work as a priest for long due to illness. He instead became a violin teacher and composer. (Who else do we know that took up a very respected line of work but ended up where his father did? Why John Watson of course!) Vivaldi taught abandoned girls at an orphanage for more than 30 years, and saw immense potential in them and their education. The most talented of the girls stayed into adulthood as a part of their renowned orchestra and choir. He wrote most of his music for these girls and women to perform. He also took the talented singer Anna Tessiseri Giro and her sister under his wing, and Anna became his protégé. What a great guy! Supporting the talents of young women! Of course John would love him.

Going into Vivaldi's musical genius, we have to talk about baroque music. Vivaldi left a huge mark on the late baroque period. Especially the form of concertos which I won't bore you with (🤓), but also the general style of the period. That style is characterised by grand ornamentation (like the baroque in general), driving movement (in rythm) and contrast such as ascending and descending notes. All this produces beautiful an grand pieces. Additionally, Vivaldi used melodic repetition(his critics say too much), which is what gets the new hit pop song stuck in our heads. Something our John is very prone to suffer under. Vivaldi also took a narrative approach to music. Not only through his many operas, but also in his concertos. Everyone knows his Four Seasons, whether you want to or not. He wrote four concertos, one for each season, and for each season there was an accompanying sonnet(which he presumably wrote). These concertos and sonnets depict both the gentleness and wrath of nature, all beautiful. But also people: herders, shepherds, drunk peasants celebrating the harvest and hunters. These are working people that Vivaldi chose to portray. John has a working class background, despite his social climb, he still shares most empathy with these people. Of course he would enjoy a celebration of their troubles and joys throughout the year.

Now back to Bach. A baroque man that Sherlock enjoys. The baroque ends with Bach, that is atleast what I've been taught. All of the period leads up to him. His complicated polyphonic(2 or more lines of melody at once) pieces are iconic and definitive of the period. And who inspired J. S. Bach? Well Vivaldi of course! Bach adapted several of Vivaldi's works and quoted him directly in his own compositions. Bach used bigger orchestras and different instruments (organ and harpsichord as he played them himself) and his works are generally more complicated than Vivaldi's Italian one-melody-centric works, but Bach is the metaphorical student! And Sherlock must absolutely be aware of this.

To me reading the mailbag episode, Sherlock started out uninterested, but the question had him think through his favourites. All complicated and very much not to John's tastes. But when thinking of Bach he went back to Vivaldi, which you must, and he is different. Vivaldi the sick priest, Vivaldi the teacher, the life long supporter of young womens' and abandoned girls' careers. Creative Vivaldi, Vivaldi the storyteller, which John is also. Vivaldi who celebrates nature and the dramatic lives of incredibly normal working people. Vivaldi and his repetitive melodies, although not in Sherlock's taste, fits John's so well. Vivaldi who inspired Bach. John who inspires Sherlock. ❤🎻

Tirade over! Thank you for reading. If you want to listen to some of Vivaldi's work I recommend The Four Seasons and a spot near a window with a suitable drink for the weather in your part of the world. For Bach you might want to look up whether your local church/music school holds concerts or similar events where Bach features, organ is a thousand times better live (if not, stick to his piano or string work).

#sherlock & co #sherlock holmes #dr john watson #My mind is only slightly elated #the brainrot continues #sherlock and co

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greenthena · 5 months

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The Eldritch Ball or Aziraphale's Macabre Danse

I'm a huge sucker for dark classical music (I'm using the term "classical" broadly, not referring to the specific period. Music-y folks, please forgive.) As such, Saint-Saëns's "Danse Macabre" is one of my all time favorite pieces. It's spooky. It's intentionally dissonant. It's even got a jump scare! Like, literally, the perfect piece of music.

youtube

The story behind "Danse Macabre" goes like this: Each Halloween at midnight, Death enters the graveyard with a fiddle. As he plays, the skeletons rise from the ground and dance through the cemetery, resurrected by Death's power and possessed by his instrument.

In S2 E3, the Bentley plays "Danse Macabre" as Aziraphale drives up to Edinburgh. "What do we do? We play classical music that stays classical music." (And the Bentley listens to him! Because the Bentley is an expression of Crowley's subconscious and wants to please him and make him happy...and I'm sure you can find lots of excellent metas to that end. Or maybe you have another theory about why the Bentley is so pliant toward the angel? I'd love to hear it. But that's not what I'm talking about right now. I'm just getting distracted.)

Why is this song so perfect for a bit of subtle foreshadowing and repeated metaphor? So glad you asked. I have reasons. And evidence. Please, peruse my wares.

In the A Plot of this episode, Aziraphale travels to Scotland to visit a pub called The Resurrectionist. (Ya know, like Death? Like how Death resurrects people in the song? Okay, just wanted to really hit that nail into the coffin.) The pub is, of course, named for a certain Mr. (not Dr., he's a surgeon) Dalrymple, whom Crowley and Aziraphale meet in the accompanying flashback minisode entitled (you'll never guess) "The Resurrectionist." The minisode plot involves Crowley and his the angel encountering young Elspeth, a grave robber who, like Death, releases the bodies of the deceased from their earthly bonds of soil and stone. My interpretation is that Elspeth becomes Death incarnate, first in the process of using her instrument (her shovel) to resurrect the dead, and later when she inadvertently brings about the literal death of her partner, Wee Morag. Rather than allow Wee Morag's body to turn to dust in the ground, Elspeth "resurrects" her, selling her body to Dr. Dalrymple (sorry, Mr. Dalrymple, he's a surgeon, not a doctor), who will use Wee Morag's body for research, which will in turn save the lives of countless others by furthering the field of medicine. A form of resurrection, indeed. There's also the plot thread of Crowley and Aziraphale providing Elspeth with a nest egg to escape the cycle of poverty into which she has been born. This, too, is another form of re-birth. Or, say it with me, resurrection. Alright, you're getting it now.

Okay, now I get to delve into the fun stuff. Let's talk about that cotillion ball, shall we? You know, that danse party where Aziraphale persuades all the shopkeepers on Whickber street to attend a Jane Austen-style ball?

I personally refer to this whole fiasco experience as the Eldritch Ball. On the surface, it seems fairly innocent. The shopkeepers need a little bit of encouragement to attend the Whickber Street monthly meeting, but the angel manages to convince everyone to join with the help of some coercion-via-bribery. When they show up, they're transmuted into Austen-esque characters, from their clothes, to their speech patterns, even to some extent, their perception of reality. This is where it starts to get a little uncomfortable if you peel back the layers. Mrs. Sandwich can't talk about what she does for a living, which is a great comedy bit, but also demonstrates that her speech is being significantly censored and altered by an outside force. With the exception of Mr. Brown (hidden agendas here, Neil? I honestly don't know), all the shopkeepers find themselves in new, slightly-period-appropriate garments. What's really weird, though, is that no one notices the changes. When the dancing begins, to the music of Mr. Anderson's piano and an accompanying string quartet (strings...as in violins...as in fiddles. Remember Death's fiddle?), Nina appears to be the only one who realizes that something is off.

Maggie: This is something new.

Nina: This is something completely bonkers. Are we...? Why is everyone talking like they've escaped from Pride and Prejudice?

Maggie: Just getting into the spirit of things, I suppose.

Nina: The spirit of what things? This is meant to be the shopkeeper association monthly meeting.

Maggie: Hmm. Yes. Now that you put it like that...

Nina: Are we dancing?

Maggie: Yes.

Nina: Did you ever learn the steps to this dance?

Maggie: It's just what we do, isn't it?

Nina: No. No, it isn't. This is something mad. This is their [Crowley & Azirapahle's] fault. They're doing this.

Something is definitely mad. One might even say it's macabre. Aziraphale has become Death the Resurrectionist. He has lured the shopkeepers of Whickber Street through a portal (as Death leads his flock from the world of the dead to the world of the living.) Aziraphale's instrument is his clipboard and pen, held almost as one might hold a fiddle and bow, as he invites the various shopkeepers to the monthly meeting. Once they all arrive, he miraculously gives them new clothes (as Death knits together the bones of the dead), and then proceeds to control their bodies and minds, as though they are merely marionettes. They dance and speak in the way Aziraphale imagines, fulfilling his fantasy of a perfect Jane Austen-style ball (quite literally, the Danse Macabre.)

The shopkeepers have become the dead and Aziraphale controls them until the spell is broken--or rather until the window is broken.

To be honest, I don't think Aziraphale is really aware of how much he is able to transfigure his environment, including the humans who happen to be close by. Or, at least, I don't believe he does any of this with ill intent. He's just a bit blind to anything outside his fixation of wooing Crowley, at the moment. As a result, he creates a situation that is profoundly problematic and unnatural. Just like the dead in the graveyard have no agency when Death plays his fiddle, the Whickber Street shopkeepers are possessed by Aziraphale's intricate romantic fantasy and must dance as long as the music plays.

It is, in fact, only when the music stops, that the shopkeepers begin to realize that something is most certainly weird. The diagetic music (Mr. Anderson & Co.) abruptly cuts off when an approaching demon horde tosses a brick through the bookshop window. Now the spell, or in this case, miracle, begins to break down. While the shopkeepers still appear to be somewhat under the influence of Aziraphale's persuasive aura, a few of them glance down at their clothes in confusion and look around the bookshop, as though waking from a dream. And at this point, after a little finagling, Crowley escorts the humans out of the bookshop and out of Aziraphale's Danse Macabre.

Once the demons attack the bookshop Aziraphale's influence on his surroundings really starts to deteriorate. Throughout the season, he's been able to structure and manipulate reality (sometimes with Crowley's help) to suit his needs: protecting Gabriel, altering the Bentley, organizing the Ball, etc. But once the bookshop, his safe space, has been breached, he loses control of the situation. From this point in the narrative, nothing goes according to Aziraphale's plan. Aziraphale wants to protect Jimbriel, but the former archangel insists on giving himself over to the demons. Crowley leaves and Aziraphale has to defend the bookshop on his own, when he'd expected Crowley to come right back and save him. While defending the bookshop, Aziraphale reaches his "last" resort not once, but twice: first allowing Nina and Maggie to use his books (!!!) as weapons and then blowing up his halo in a last ditch effort to fend off the invaders. This was not on the agenda for today!

Things just continue to go downhill from there, Aziraphale losing all control of the situation. And by the time the Final Fifteen wraps up, the angel has lost his bookshop and possibly his most important relationship. By the end of the season, Aziraphale is no longer Death the Resurrectionist, the manipulator and puppeteer. Now the angel has become the puppet, dancing to Heaven's music.

#good omens #aziraphale #aziracrow #crowley #go metas #good omens meta #danse macabre #camille saint saëns #the bentley #nina and maggie #eldritch ball #elspeth #wee morag #dark music #Youtube

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7grandmel · 12 days

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Todays rip: 19/04/2024

i love(d) you

Season 6 Featured on: SiIvaGunner's Highest Quality Rips: Volume FF Also on: Now That's What I Call Quality! 3

Ripped by vvsvlogs

youtube

Requested by oetaboy and an anonymous reader! @oetaboy (Ask Box)

I'm sure this rip's been a long time coming for many - I know it has for me. I've had i love(d) you sitting in my drafts as far back as in March, but truthfully it's...daunting, to write about. Requested by two readers. Close to 200 thousand views on YouTube, and recently featured prominently in popular Clone Hero YouTuber Acai's "The Quality of SiIvaGunner" series. And the rip itself being an emotional gutpunch in a season filled with them, from a ripper who's already gutpunched me plenty with Wham! Into Dreams and The Paragoomba and the Wiggler. vvsvlogs, Vivi, I ask this with the most sincere gratitude possible - why must you do this to me?

Minecraft as a game has its emotional hooks in at least two generations of people - that much I think we're all aware of. A sandbox filled with endless possibilities, community, friends, individual stories of survival or of great creative endeavors, all wrapped in C418's hauntingly beautiful score, one I've discussed many times before with Fell From a High Place (Reprise), M-O-O-G City and Every Mob Wants To Rule My World. All of these rips are beautiful, yet they're all aiming to play with Minecraft's sound in some way - the former two rips are arrangement of its music with other games' instrumentation, and the latter rip is a melodyswap playing Everybody Wants To Rule The World. They all play on my senses in their own ways, they're all rightfully impressive - but nothing hits quite the same as Minecraft's own music, on its own terms. i love(d) you isn't aiming to impress or amaze - but it lands a full-on critical hit on one's heart through leveraging everything that's kept Subwoofer Lullaby alive for so many years.

I've talked plenty about my musical illiteracy, and so I hope it doesn't come as a surprise that I've never really listened to world-renowed singer Billie Eilish. She's been on the radio, I've heard Bad Guy, but it was never a name I gave much more thought beyond seeing her discussed online from time to time. You can imagine the absolute awe I was in when I clicked on i love(d) you when it first went up, already expecting an emotional hit due to the Minecraft song used, only to get goosebumps from Eilish's vocals alone. i love you is the penultimate song from Eilish's debut studio album, the very same that Bad Guy was featured on - yet compared to that track's bass-heavy, almost seductive energy, i love you feels remarkably personal, with little more than an acoustic guitar and piano accompanying the openly emotional vocal performance. It's sincere in a way I don't hear enough music be, as if a diary translated into song, much the same emotion that Because I Love You conveyed yet with even greater magnitude due to the vocals in play.

i love(d) you, uploaded for 2022's valentines day, wields both of these forms of love - the connections many of us have to one of the most impactful games ever made, and the unfiltered emotion of i love you - to create something unabashedly beautiful. Mashups aren't a novel concept, mashups are nothing new - yet one glance at the comments tells me that I'm not alone in finding this rip in particular to have struck an incredibly sensitive nerve. Because there's a beauty to Minecraft that I think many of us oft forget about. It's a game that we all cherish, yet also one that's very easy to have left behind: we have adult responsibilities, we have school, we have other, shorter, more concise games, we have social media, we have friends, we have blogs...the solemn beauty of playing the game itself is, for many viewers like myself, not much more than a memory, something that can feel ever so difficult to recreate without feeling as if something's wrong.

We...I'm...not a kid anymore.

There was nothing about i love(d) you's concept that necessitated it to be more than just the mashup. There rip had no need for visuals that'd help convey the edit like with Plantasia 2 or Luna, mi Amor, no need to tickle the funnybone like with SUNGORE or the hundreds of other YTPMV rips on the channel. Yet, halfway through the rip, to the tune of Eilish's soothingly reverberating vocals, the background begins to change, not to a bit, not to a reference nor easter egg...but to Minecraft. To where all of this attachment began - to a far-off view of the game's beautiful landscapes as the sun begins to rises. That digital world that looks different for every player, yet the same in everyone's hearts - that place that, no matter how many years pass, how long its been since we last played, we all love. Its impact different to everyone, yet the feeling unanimous. It drives home how well the mashup works not just as a mixture of two deeply emotional songs, but as music tied to a shared experience: all of our Minecraft worlds looked different, all of our personal lives look different, but we've all played the game, and we've all had affection for it.

Every moment I spend thinking about this rip aches in some way. It's been well past two years since it was first uploaded, yet it continues to follow me as the years go on, my mouse drawn to it any time it reappears in my recommendations. In being featured on 2024's Now That's What I Call Quality! 3, I think the team holds much the same sentiment - even as the months pass, i love(d) you is the kind of rip that'll never fall out of favor, never stop meaning things to people. And realizing that it was made by vvsvlogs, the very same vvsvlogs who's already made me far too emotionally vulnerable on here twice before, has only made it mean that extra bit more to me.

I'm not a kid anymore. I know that. But I'll always be grateful to SiIvaGunner, the people behind it, and those who follow it along with me, for being able to bring me back to that state of mind when I least expect it.

Thank you.

#todays siivagunner #season 6 #siivagunner #siiva #vvsvlogs #rip visuals #minecraft #minecraft music #c418 #subwoofer lullaby #minecraft alpha #minecraft beta #minecraft art #mojang #mineblr #billie eilish #acoustic #when we all fall asleep where do we go #Youtube

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kisscara · 11 months

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13. bumping into someone familiar [fanboy!scaramouche x drummer!reader] ⎯⎯ heartbeat rhythm series

the day before was like a dream.

there's a change in your attitude and practically everyone notices it. you just can't believe you got to casually hang out with the scaramouche.

he was so cool and composed the whole time, it had you thinking that he's a hallucination, or rather a divine angel sent down by the archons themself!

you hum as you fidget with the cat charm attached to your phone, sitting atop the outdoor stage as you and the other members wrapped up another practice. ayaka takes note of this and approaches you.

"(name)? when did you get that?" she queries, placing her hands on her knees to meet your gaze. you slowly giggle with a pink face, "he won it for me at the arcade." ayaka turns red at your response. she seems to be more excited about this than you do.

she looks around before sitting next to you and whispering, "did he?" you eagerly nod with suppressed laughs. ayaka quietly squeals, "that's so cute, (name)! you should make a move on him already!... ah, i don't mean to rush you or anything-"

you chuckle, "no, it's fine, ayaka. but," you stretch your arms and lay down onto the stage with your hands behind your head. "i don't know. i still have a bad feeling about having to confess sooner or later."

ayaka hums in understanding. you sit back up and change the topic to lighten the mood. "did you know he has two sisters? his younger sister, fischl, is in her last year of middle school and he has a twin sister, who goes to our school!" you playfully nudge, "if he rejects me, i'll go for his sister."

ayaka's jaw drops and you laugh at her reaction, "i'm joking!"

hu tao comes out of nowhere and places a paperbag on top of your head. "food is here and just what are you guys giggling on and on about? me and yoimiya could hear you from the other side of the stage!" the brunette crouches down by ayaka as yoimiya sits next to you.

you tease hu tao with a lilting tone, "you'll have to guess." hu tao hands a sandwich to yoimiya and ayaka and saves you for the very last. "something something student council president," hu tao flatly says, taking a bite out of her own sandwich.

"how did you know?" you sarcastically ask, swaying your legs and hitting the heels of your shoes against the stage. "anyways, he's super sweet. people who hate him are just jealous like that," you state with a smile.

the sandwich began to taste even better when you spoke about him.

hu tao rolls her eyes, "okay, (name)~ now, about yun jin!" she leans in, "she hasn't texted us in days. do you think she's alright, handling the madam faruzan situation? what if she won't be able to sing when the day comes?"

ayaka frowns, "that's true. she hasn't practiced with us in forever. at this point, we might have to cancel on performing." all four of you fall silent at the thought of it.

"it's okay!" yoimiya widely grins, "we could fill in for her." the blonde takes out a notepad and hurriedly scribbles down the lyrics. "here, like this. ayaka can sing the first verse, then-"

ayaka cuts her off with a yelp, "me, sing!? i don't know about this plan, 'miya..."

you place a hand on ayaka's shoulder and smile, "it's okay if you don't want to, but you really are a great singer. your voice is very stable but soft, which contrasts really well with the song."

hu tao nods, "mhm! plus, we're all going to be there! only the archons know how many people are out there that love you like we do!" ayaka takes tiny nibbles from her sandwich, muttering, "what am i going to do with you guys?"

after planning out who's singing which verse and practicing like it was the real performance, the sun began to set, and everyone started packing up their instruments.

"see you tomorrow, hu tao, 'miya!" ayaka calls out with a smile and you and her head back into the school building.

you suddenly realize something and start feeling at all of the pockets you could possibly find on your outfit. "shit, i forgot my house keys in my locker! text me if ayato is here by the time i'm not back!" you exclaim, running up the stairwell to the second floor.

ayaka blinks and looks around her, "o... kay..."

you pant to catch your breath and in a rush, your shoulder hits someone in the arm. you look back and panic, "sorry, i-!" your pupils dilate at the sight of the girl before you.

"oh? aren't you the drummer from 5O5?" mona curiously tilts her head and places a hand on her hip, seemingly have forgotten the previous slip-up of yours.

you shyly nod, a little intimidated by how much she appeared and acted like scaramouche. the cold aura, the pretty face; just who is their mother?

she held up one of her hands to her mouth and your gaze instantly admired her gorgeous nails and rings. "ah, i see! i've heard a lot about you from my little brother." a sly smile curls at her lips and you anxiously swallow.

"don't worry, it's nothing bad. quite the opposite, actually." she adds, "i'm looking forward to your performance for our school's festival. i went to one of your live performances before, the one at the inazuma live house."

you gasp, "really?" mona titters, "yeah, kuni was there too." you look at her with a puzzled expression and she clarifies, "kunikuzushi is scaramouche's first name. he uses his second name for, i don't know what reason that boy has."

kunikuzushi? where have you heard that again?

thinking about it began to make your mind feel fuzzy, searching for a memory buried within others.

you mumble, "that's interesting..." you recall how he had mistook you to be the group leader, but if was at the live house, then he would have known yun jin was the leader. well, it's probably nothing. there's no point in going into depth, right?

"wait, um..."

"mona," she says, answering for you.

you sigh, "mona, why did you two go to the live house in the first place?" mona answers truthfully, "he asked me to drive him. practically pleaded, at that."

tags: @mariusvonhangme @scaramoo @mikismusings @rizakari @akagism2 @sakiimeo @ohmyfinggod @aethersluvrr @scarafrisbee @kaoyamamegami @liliumaraneae @dreamsofminnie @starfart19 @kunisbeloved @luhvashh @makiswrld @kyouzki @mimissubway @loucaroarz @theblueblub @angelunatic @shinjuuz @thenightsflower @coquettemaiden @thefandomcrow @cotton-eee @lovely028 @hrtswinter @duckyyyx @kissingkzuha @dazaisboner @adeptusx @tomotofu @yukiipc @httpspatholvr @star583 @soobasaur @dr8amy @scaraapologist @raideneiari @rvoulte @esquevl @pyrrhicgaze @tjjjrsj @enviouspeanut @d4y-dr3am3r @aromaticism @undecidingfate @idontwantoeatspicy

taglist is now closed as i've reached the max tags in a single post. (50/50 tags occupied + officially removed users whose names aren't linked)

what happens when you, a talented and well-known drummer across the web, grow an intense crush for the student council president, who's also your number one fan? from annoying sisters to nosy bandmates, the next event that happens is always more chaotic than the last!

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thevagabondexpress · 2 months

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diagnosing the last hours characters with modern music tastes

Cordelia: I feel like she'd have two modes. The first would be soft, upbeat, folk and country but also piano-based stuff, anything major key and with big sound. Caroline Jones, Ruth B., Noah Kahan. I also thing she'd really like Shakira. That's her kind of day-to-day music, it's what she puts on in the car, around the house, when going for a jog, etc. But she also has a collection of women rap artists of the Megan and OSHUN variety which is what she puts on when she's doing hard workouts/training.

James: I agree that he'd be emo but I don't think he'd actually listen to a lot of "traditional canon" emo music. I think he'd find it too loud and intense in the wrong way. I think he'd prefer shoegaze, a la Radiohead, and bands like Five Three Eyes that are fast but fuzzed out. Generally anything with softer mastering where it sounds great at a lower volume.

Matthew: He'd love disco and neuvo-disco/retro-rock. Gloria Gaynor, Suzanne Somers, MonaLisa Twins, the Lemon Twigs. It's fun and silly and also empowering, besides which I think he'd like the fashion and the sparkle of it all. On his bad days, though, when the depression and/or ptsd and/or temptation to return to the addiction hits hard, what used to be his heavy drinking days, I think he'd fall back on an artist like P!NK or Florence + the Machine. Someone who can speak to the truth of the lowest lows of where he's been and remind him that he doesn't have to go back there, that there are other choices, things to live for. That, with time and effort, it does get better.

Thomas: He dug up the local college student indie rock station and he listens to it religiously. It's a habit he picked up in Madrid, he wanted to listen to Spanish music but didn't know where to look/how to search for it so he acquainted himself with radio and just flipped stations until he found something with a sound he liked. When asked to pick songs individually/curate his own music I think he'd end up falling back on his dad's taste in music: Eric Clapton, Bruce Cockburn, the Stones.

Alastair: I feel like Alastair would have unarguably the vastest taste in music of the lot of them, but also that it would generally run to music from well before his time. His mom has vinyls and cassette tapes from Iran before the Revolution and he's dubbed CDs and MP4's of them so he has his own copies and isn't stealing her. He enjoys listener-supported classical music radio, and also newer instrumental of the Haygood Hardy variety. He likes soft jazz and blues, Mahalia Jackson, Mama Thornton. He would ADORE Nina Simone. I think if I had to give a taste in music from after 1970, I'd say he also probably likes artists like Tracy Chapman and Mint Green that speak to a similar lived experience to his own.

Christopher: On one hand, I don't think he really cares that much about music. On the other hand, I think he would be the type to unapologetically listen to high school concert band music. He got hold of Robert W. Smith's storms series (Into the Storm, The Tempest, The Maelstrom), realized there's a crap ton of pieces in this genre that are Inspired By Science, and now every time Matthew comes down to the basement laboratory he ends up lodging a complaint about the sheer amount of French horn.

Grace: Living with Tatiana I don't think she was really allowed much if any access to music but I imagine she found ways around that anyhow. I think she's the other person who would really enjoy Florence + the Machine. I think most of her music would be older, melancholy women folk singers. Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Claudia Schmidt, the McGarrigle Sisters. I think she'd find them soothing. They'd help her calm down when things get difficult, help her to find beauty in a world that's caused her mostly pain. I think her favorite artist would be Lenka. She's got this kind of upbeat, slightly silly vibe that would make Grace smile but I also think she'd find that songs like "Silhouette" and "Ivory Tower" could speak to her truth when she needs someone to, without getting too deep in and triggering her.

Lucie: She listens to Kpop and movie soundtracks. Also if it's appeared in one of those "badass women" edits over on youtube 100% she has it on her playlist or did at some point.

Jesse: Like Grace, he didn't really have access to music living with Tatiana. Also he was dead for like almost a decade so there's that. He probably mostly listens to whatever Lucie listens to, but I like to think he does experiments like picking a new genre/radio station to listen to every day, trying to figure out what he likes and doesn't like independently of his girlfriend.

Anna: idk. She strikes me as someone who'd like Siouxsie and the Banshees. Also Halsey and Hozier. Maybe bands like Linkin Park and Evanescence—she doesn't say it because she doesn't like being dissed for listening to "old cringe emo" but they got her through gender dysphoria when she was twelve so she knows there's some worth in them.

Charles: He really doesn't listen to music. He listens to NPR or Radio Canada or the British equivalent because it makes him feel up-to-date and liberal but he doesn't actually hear the content, it just goes in one ear and out the other.

@alastairstom @chaosandtwo

#the last hours #cordelia carstairs #james herondale #matthew fairchild #thomas lightwood #alastair carstairs #christopher lightwood #grace blackthorn #lucie herondale #jesse blackthorn #anna lightwood #charles fairchild #i didn't include ari because i don't feel like i know her well enough to say

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hotxcheeto · 8 months

Note

Hi! Hope your day is great!

Could you please write a reader(either having a crush or best friends with Vi) that is a rebellious rockstar (are there electric guitars in Arcane I don't remember) that is trying to expose Silco and get back Jinx by informing and rallying the people with her music. When Vi gets out of prison and looks for her sister she comes across the reader's live concert and spots some of Silco's goons attempting to cause an "accident" and tries to intervene.

Thanks for the fics I love every one of them!

━ 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒

𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜(𝙨) - Vi x G/N!Reader

𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 - Cursing

𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 ? - Yeah/Nope

𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 - honestly i'm not sure how much longer i will keep writing for arcane, i'm just not as passionate in the fandom as i used to be nor do i really find passion in writing for it anymore and i think that it's really showing in my writing and i don't want that to be the case nor do i want to disappoint people who love these fics. i will be finishing the rest of the requests i have for it, but from then, i am questioning continuing with it. thank you so much for requesting and i love that you love my fics!!

The music was at an ungodly volume that made Vi's head spin, walking through the crowds of people. The floods that Jinx neglected to warn her of when she'd told her where you were.

People were singing and screaming out the lyrics to the song that flooded through the speakers, the sounds of the instruments couldn't even attempt to drown out the person singing. They were much too strong.

Her mind was dazed at the thought of seeing you again. Wondering what you looked like now, if you'd stayed single or moved on with your life. If you missed her or not. Maybe you'd forgotten all about her.

No, that was stupid, she thought. You wouldn't forget her.

But what if you had? What if you locked eyes with the stranger that Vi had become and didn't recognize her at all? She was nobody to you anymore.

Vi nearly fought a few people trying to get through, fighting her thoughts at the same time before coming across a man that nearly made her trip. His face. She'd seen that face before. From where though was the question until her eyes shifted and another one that made the picture more clear, he'd caught her attention, waiting just near the stage.

He was the only one not singing, dancing or even smiling. Staring dead at the performers with his hand in his jacket.

Yeah, that face, she knew that face.

He'd been in the cell right next to hers.

She'd never forget, not when she'd smashed it in over a month ago.

He kissed Silco's ass, hardcore, and she doubted that he'd even been conscious enough to know who was beating his ass for talking shit. The scrawny little man had no idea who Silco truly was, or at least Vi had claimed so. The man disagreed.

Vi walked over to the guy, not even paying attention to the singing anymore, instead focused on him with tunnel vision so strong she was sure she'd never been more focused in her life.

He noticed it as well, finally tearing his eyes away from the singer and all the action to look over at the tall, muscular girl coming right at him. And something about that, Vi guessed, was intimidating.

But his eyes, his eyes told her that he knew exactly who she was.

His hand fell out of his jacket and he hurried right past her, even bumping her shoulder on the way. She just stared, stared at his back disappearing into the crowd of sweaty bodies that had now gone still.

That's when the realization that the music had stopped, there were cheers, but that was all. No strumming or drum hitting. Nothing.

She wondered if she imagined it.

"Vi?" She turned, eyebrows furrowed, seeing you standing there in a dramatic outfit with a powered down microphone in your hand.

"What the fuck?" Was the last thing that came out of your mouth before she hugged you. Your hands not moving from their place until your mind had caught up with the rest of you, your arms hugging her back.

"What're you doing here? How- you- you're alive? I mean, I heard rumors but... holy fuck."

"I swear I can explain it all." She said out of breath, despite not moving. Tears welled in her eyes and a choked tone that began to become more gravelly the more she leaned into your touch.

She could tell you were crying too. You were just better at keeping in.

"Was it you singing?" Vi pulled back, wiping her face as nonchalant as possible. "Yeah... it's more of a front than anything. Keeps a lot of heat off me but also... it makes it easier to do what's needed when people really like you."

Her eyebrows furrowed but you didn't elaborate, though from what Echo had told her about you and him trying to find a way to be rid of a certain old fuck, she guessed you'd need as much support as possible.

The guy might've been ancient looking, but he was no fool.

"So... singing?" You nodded at her question, gesturing to your friends. "These are my bandmates," they waved while continuing to pack equipment, in her haze, Vi barely even had noticed them take the same stage exit as you.

"..they were Echo's friends first." You joked, wiping away your own relief and sadness from your cheeks. "But they liked me."

"Who wouldn't?" She said before she could stop herself, looking you up and down once more trying to take in the fact you weren't the same kid she'd left behind. Or a kid at all.

"Hm, glad to see you're still a flirt." She watched you smile, the same smile you'd give her years go. "Some things never change."

There was an awkward, emotional silence between you both for a moment. Neither sure what to say.

"So..." You began. "Wanna get out of here?"

She nodded.

"That'd be nice."

#vi x yn #arcane vi x reader #vi x you #vi x reader #vi x caitlyn #vi x y/n #arcane vi #arcane imagines #nevy writes

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thetriggeredhappy · 8 days

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sorry for cloggin up your ask box, but i don’t have an ao3 account, so i hope this will do

i love the way you write the kids, especially nikki. she’s so mature, funny and polite, makes my mouth hurt from smiling hearing her and scout talk

another thing, thank you for having the kids act normal around scout and sniper being romantic‼️ they’re not homophobic, just the usual little kid “eww kissingg”

the descriptions of panic attacks are incredibly realistic

also as someone with adhd, you wrote scout SO well. i have the inattentive type and i relate so hard, despite not being hyperactive. forgetting things that i just put in my pocket, wondering if i have my phone while literally being on it, losing your train of thought, drawing constantly, and rejection sensitive dysphoria

i hope it’s okay i’m writing you fan mail in your ask box, i don’t really read fanfic but you’ve got me hooked here. i don’t even know how i started liking sniperscout, but before i read yours i read… ah what’s the name… i forget (searched ao3, it was called “somethin’ stupid, like “i love you”” by preciousposey. man that was a good fic too)

anyway uh

thank you for being a great author!! hope you sleep well and have zero writer’s block forever <3 (and i hope your living situation gets better, i’ve made it up to ch 18 so (why am i getting deja vu writing this im sorry if i did this last time))

thank you! yeah i love nikki. i used to work with kids a lot (a LOT) and they’re just hilarious dude. sometimes these kids will say some shit that’s so excellent and so fun and so entertaining and will know what’s up and she’s kind of a representation of that. kids are great.

and yeah i guess i just don’t personally see like. the value in putting overt homophobia into the tf2 universe. there’s not really the overt expectation of ‘realism’ with the tf2 canon, and while i consider grounding these characters and putting them in more normal circumstances to expand on their more human characteristics to be kind of A Thing I Often Do, i don’t think i need the blunt instrument that is Gritty Realism Through Onscreen Bigotry to make any of the points i want to make in this series. the flavor is kept intentionally lighter throughout that series so that when it gets heavy, it hits a little harder. in other things ive written, and in things i might write in the future, that might pivot, but i don’t ever see bigotry being something necessary to the plot or development of characters in the RB universe.

writing scout as adhd feels kind of inevitable at a certain point if you’re diving into his characteristics and the way he tends to behave. we don’t have a ton to work with but, c’mon. intentionally or unintentionally, he always ends up adhd. the relatable king

and no lie i’ve been listening to ‘still alive’ a LOT lately idk what happened. i listened to that song back in like 2015 a lot then didn’t again until like. three weeks ago. portal was too good for any of us

also just goddamn the fuckin horror movie violins when someone is pre-chapter 20 of taking shots. me when i’m 2/3rds of the way through “sniper dies in this”

#shut up me #everybody talks #and thank you for the concern. home life is better generally these days

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bcacstuff · 5 days

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Reminiscing Music Memories

Earlier today I posted Kyteman as I met one of my former students by chance today. When he did his final exam on the music school, meaning he studied 8 years with me as a teacher and I was (humbly) a contributing part of him growing up, Kyteman and his orchestra was very popular in the Netherlands (and I think in some more European countries as well). His biggest hit was 'Sorry' (the music piece I posted). It inspired many young people to start playing an instrument. Kyteman being a trumpet/flugelhorn player, the trumpet teacher at my music school saw his class increase immensely.

I had the same experience when Candy Dulfer got popular, being the daughter of another known saxophonist (Hans Dulfer) she played a part in the song 'Partyman' of Prince, there's even a sentence in the lyrics "When I want sax, I call Candy".

Her biggest succes was the song 'Lily was here', a duet with Dave Stewart, guitarist from the Eurythmics.

youtube

It was always a joy for us music teachers whenever such an instrumental hit came along and inspired young people to choose an instrument to learn to play. Though a challenge as well, as most of them couldn't await to be able to play that hit, it involves a lot of study and practicing. Keeping them interested and dedicated became more and more a challenge over the years.

In the Netherlands music isn't really part of the basic education. Despite many programs today to get music into the school, it still is a poor relation. Even though it is a fact that music ignites all areas of child development and skills for school readiness, particularly in the areas of language acquisition and reading skills. Learning to play a musical instrument can improve mathematical learning, and even increases school scores.

I remember once I had a student completing all 8 years as well. In between the rehearsals for his final exam and the concert later on, we went for a walk to relax a bit and get an ice cream. on our way back to the music school we came along a coffeeshop. (a coffeeshop in the Netherlands is not where you drink coffee 😉). My student nodded his head towards the entrance and said to me 'I'm glad I didn't chose that door but instead your door'. I smiled... I never forgot this. In one small sentence he nailed the essence of music or creative education, and I felt his gratitude for keeping him dedicated.

A great example how music education can contribute to society is the Venezuelan music project called El Sistema founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician, and activist José Antonio Abreu. It later adopted the motto "Music for Social Change." El Sistema-inspired programs provide what the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies describes as "free classical music education that promotes human opportunity and development for impoverished children.

One of the students that grew up in this project is the now world famous conductor Gustavo Dudamel. He’s seen firsthand the ways that providing young students with the means of making and understanding music can transform lives. “When you give an instrument to a young person that doesn’t have any hope,” he says, “you’re giving a world of possibilities.”

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It's hard to make a choice from the many videos that are shared on Youtube of an incredible NYE concert in Caracas to the Night of the Proms. Just search Gustavo Dudamel on Youtube

This one however shows the inspiration, fun or as one in the comments says: 'HOLY SHIT i've never seen an audience get so excited over an orchestra performance and i wanna be there, this is so fun and energetic'

youtube

If you like to see/listen to more just search Gustavo Dudamel on Youtube and you will find many pearls to cheer up your day. I personally would recommend Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10, 2nd movement, and Arturo Márquez' Danzón No. 2. But there is so much more to enjoy!

Anyway, there was nothing to be 'sorry' about for catching up with my former student today over a cup of coffee. On the contrary, it totally made my day going from Kyteman to Candy and Dudamel! 🎶

#Youtube

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residentraccoon · 2 months

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Ok we have all the songs, time to make a top, with comments even 😳

1. Norway - I love love love this one, this eerie, thrilling melody mixed with the medieval theme and old norwegian language just makes this song perfect and no other song of this year can come any closer to it. Very unique, true to their homeland, absolute masterpiece. I'm definitely following more of Gåte's discography from now on!

2. Estonia - Well they're singing about drugs here and this song is exactly like a drug - addictive. What sells it is their awesome, slightly batshit crazy energy (I absolutely love it) and let's not forget the traditional instruments. I can see a Trenulețul scenario with this one tbh.

3. Slovenia - Absolutely magical, the structure of this song is pretty uncommon and the lil RRAH sounds are interesting, love how it takes a while to build-up and I just get chills all over. This one is a piece of art.

4. San Marino - This song is destroying my Spotify wrapped and it's not even funny, there's something about this one that makes it instantly addictive. I've listened to Megara since last year when they were at Spain's NF with Arcadia and all I can say is that I love their style. Sassy pink and punk rock with a touch of Spanish traditional sounds during the bridge, they just mesh together so well. I don't understand why it's so underrated (currently last in the odds lmfao) and I'm looking forward to their live performance.

5. Denmark - Generic pop song my beloved, why is it so catchy though? I've said it in a previous post, I just reminds me of songs I'd hear in 2013 or so and I love the "Oh-Oh" parts. Lovely

6. Lithuania - The beat hits, it's just awesome fr. Lovely staging and colors, Lithuanian sounds so pretty and melodic as well as his voice.

7. Belgium - Wonderful build-up, the song at first sounds very chill and gives me Blanche vibes (I looked it up and they have the same composer so not surprised lmao) but man, the climax is greaaaaat!! Especially with that choir in the backing. My only gripe would be that he keeps repeating the title over and over again, which can become a bit tiring. But just a bit. It's still a great song!

8. Switzerland - I don't know whose idea was to mix opera and drum n bass together but they're a genius, this is really cool, like absolutely nuts. I love how the bridge is very soft and quiet, opposing the loud and dramatic chorus, I feel like the song itself is pretty messy and inconsistent but I really like that, it's very out of the box and innovative. Genius entry.

9. Latvia - Underrated, I can see why it might fail to grab an audience in the fandom but I really like this one, especially his voice. The song flows nicely too, I only wish the staging would be a bit more...dynamic though? I really want Latvia to qualify for once, felt like it might have a chance since it could attract some casual viewers (some of my casual friend watchers really liked it!) but seeing how brutal semifinal 2 is (and one spot will be inevitably taken by...yeah won't elaborate) I'm afraid Latvia's out for this year as well. I hope at least for a surprise or who knows. That's only how I feel at this moment.

10. Spain - My biggest grower of this year and a total banger, I don't understand why it slaps so hard it has no business to, the message is SO real and it's so unapologetically sassy.

11. Czechia - Same story as with Latvia, underrated to hell and back, I know the live version is...a lil terrible but the studio one I really like. Love how you can feel the frustration through her shouty lyrics and how she's blaming herself for not loving herself more instead (also the beginning might or might not remind me of Aijā I mean the intro with the drums makes me think of it-) ANYWAY

12. Croatia - Listen I'm very happy for Croatia being seen as a most likely winner of this year, they deserve it, Baby Lasagna is an amazing man and the message is on point, even if it's not exactly my favorite I definitely root for him!! Please meow back if you agree. Besides this, the glam ethno rock sound is just 👌 chef's kiss

13. Armenia - Love love love that they brought something ethnic!! The girl's energy is infectious and she's such a joy to watch, the music video is very pretty and describes their culture so well, overall I adore this.

14. Netherlands - GREAT I relistened to it so I can rank it and now I have Europapapapapapa stuck in my head how wonderful. This tells me already that this is such an infectious bop that will never leave your head. Possible televote winner, love the quirkiness and Joost is really goofy we stan.

15. Greece - Welcome to Greece, everyone who visits the country is obligated to listen to this the moment they step out of the plane- /j It's so Greek, so fun, so ethnic, geez what's happening with everyone being so diverse and true to their culture this year? This song screams summer vacation in Greece and I'm here for it.

16. France - The raw emotions in this...he sings with his heart and soul, his voice is very deep and gruff which feels a bit unusual to hear such an intimate and emotional ballad from him, but this is what makes the song special.

17. Italy - Love her attitude and how she sells the song, it's very sassy and fun, won't be surprised to see Italy get yet another Top 5 finish with this.

18. Ukraine - Interesting mix of melancholic pop and energetic chanting and rap. Alyona just nails the rap part perfectly. Overall nice song, grew off me but still great.

19. Ireland - This makes me have chills all over my body. It's very haunting and suspenseful, I love the uncommon unique sound and how they recite the lyrics as they are a poem/creating a curse, I simply love how avant-garde Ireland are this year! Finally they're taking a risk and even if the song is unconventional i hope it will have a following that will help them get through the semi! 🤞

20. Poland - Oh look another grower, it's such a cute song for some reason and her voice is so pleasant to the ears.

21. Serbia - At first I thought it's a bit boring but now I find myself mumbling "Lila Ramondaaaa", like it has a hook even if it's a melancholic ballad.

22. Portugal - The emotions in this are immaculate, she conveys all her struggles in life so well into a ballad that's somewhat soft-sounding. Epic.

23. Australia - For some reason this song takes me back to 2015-2016 and I don't get why?? Maybe I heard music that's similar to this in that period, who knows. That chorus slaps immensely, as well as the didgeridoo(I hope that's the instrument), but I'm not extremely head over heels about it. It's enjoyable still!

24. Malta - Contrary to popular belief I enjoyed the revamp, she made it easier to sing live and it just has more oomph, good job, Malta.

25. Finland - The whole 3 minutes are absolutely batshit insane and I love it fr, these dudes are a delight to watch. The song tbh I like it but not that much to rank it higher, but I appreciate the craziness, the message, what sells it is definitely the staging and the guys' stage persona.

26. Austria - Mmmmm I know it's a fan favorite but I'm not a big fan of this, like I've said before in some other posts. The hype at first was highly irritating (especially on twitter, dear god 💀) for such a...just okay/good song? First of all I appreciate the throwback to the late 90s/early 00s eurodance/synthpop music that was popular back then, I think it does a great job imitating the vibes of it, but at the same time is it just me or this song feels so...calculated and has this eurovision-specific formula in its structure/sound? It was definitely made for it being performed live and to pander to the yass queen slay ate and left no crumbs-side of the fandom? Which honestly kinda drags it down a lot for me.

27. Sweden - I can't unhear parts of Air in this, well actually that's their style, neat electro pop tbh, I can bop to this, pretty enjoyable.

28. Moldova - Falls flat but what makes it a bit stronger is the vocalisations in the chorus, as well as the lil ethnic sounds. That drum is also quite catchy. They have to pull out a wonder-staging for this to qualify.

29. Georgia - If Georgia isn't qualifying with this one then that means their only hope is borrowing Loreen at this point. It's a competent girl bop with powerful vocals, that has a dedicated following, but I appreciate that even if it's a girl bop it's not so aggressively in your face like...other examples I've seen before. I'm personally not big on it, but it's nice.

30. Azerbaijan - Oh? Azerbaijan sends something in their language, what is this 2050? And not with a melfest reject? For the 2nd year in a row? I'm very impressed, but even with all these I don't feel that attached to the song, just glad they took a risk instead of renting a swede for safe qualification like they did in the past years. I love the ethnic touches though.

31. Luxembourg - Cute and peppy french bop, although a bit generic and that's about it, no strong feelings.

32. Cyprus - Mmm your regular girlie pop of the year, unsurprisingly from Cyprus as well. Pretty catchy, has a cool vibe but I'm not feeling anything about it.

33. United Kingdom - Just a competent mid-tempo boy bop, honestly nothing much to say since it kinda failed to impress me. Good effort though.

34. Albania - I don't get why they changed it into english, why they turned it more upbeat (I liked the balladier version more) and the rap part feels disjointed. Albania wanted to relive their 2016-2017 era I see.

35. Germany - I'm sorry but this song bores me to death and can't listen to it without zoning out which is a shame because he's a competent singer (his voice is the best thing about Germany this year) and I'm afraid they're again heading for a bottom 3 finish 💀

36. Iceland - Mmm this isn't is, Iceland. Very sorry. Sounds like it would get 13th in 2004, it's a very by-the-letters eurodance.

I will not rank Israel here. It's still mind-boggling that they're still allowed to participate.

#txt

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kitclock · 8 months

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Interview with Christi Haydon-Wilson - 10/26/14 (source)

Early Work With Ron and Russell Mael

Monte: How did you come to work with Sparks?

Christi: I was working in Bullock’s Department Store in Los Angeles, which is no longer in existence. This was 1986. I was working at the Estee Lauder cosmetics counter. The other girls who worked at the cosmetics counter would always ask me, “have you noticed that the singer from Sparks is always coming in here?” I knew who he was, but I never saw him!

One day I came back to work after a day off and one of the girls said, “oh my god, the singer from Sparks left a package for you.” It was a 45 record, Music That You Can Dance To, and Russell just said, “I really like your looks. Please give me a call.” I gave him a call, and we ended up on the phone for two hours, we hit it off really well. He and Ron were looking for a female singer, or perhaps a girl group to produce, and we started working on music together with them writing for me, and it turned into a really long friendship with the guys. We’re still really good friends now.

Monte: I was going to ask whether you still stayed in touch with them…

Christi: I do. When I gave birth to my daughter there were only three people that we invited to the hospital and they were two of them. They were also at Autry’s first birthday party, her fourth birthday party…they’re two of the nicest guys I've ever met.

Monte: That’s what a lot of the people I've talked to say. Not all, but the majority.

Christi: They mainly want to be known for their music, and the stories that go with the music. The stories I have about time with them aren't at all embarrassing, they’re really charming. But a big part of our (friendship) is mutual trust. They know I won’t be telling embarrassing stories about them. They really just want to be known for their music.

Monte: It must have been a productive period. Katherine Hepburn – what a great song! Did you have higher hopes for that? Were there additional recordings made that they produced?

Christi: Yeah, we did some recordings and we shopped it around. I got in the door with Simon Fuller, who manages Annie Lennox among other cool people. I got in the room with some really cool record labels in England. As a matter of fact the first trip to England I took by myself, Ron and Russell paid for me to go. I remember literally Russell typed out a sheet of paper for me and said, “these are all your meetings! You’ll do great!” So now the Mael brothers shipped me off to London to start meeting with record labels.

It’s unfortunate (though), it was kind of a “lose-lose” situation because what happened was, doors were opening obviously, because people knew that Sparks produced me, but if Sparks had written for me like they wrote for themselves, there was no way I was going to get a record deal. I mean THEY have had times when it was hard to get a record deal, because they are just so ahead of their time. So people would hear what they had written for me and it actually sounded fairly commercial. It was still interesting, had a lot of musical integrity, but way more palatable than anything they would do for themselves. And people hear that, and I know it was a disappointment to them. The feedback we would keep getting was, “it’s too commercial.” So what does that mean? Too radio-friendly? Too hit-like?

It was too commercial for Sparks, but I wasn't supposed to be Sparks. But if it wasn't avant-garde like Sparks are supposed to be, there’s no way people were going to go for it.

Performing

Monte: When you performed as a member of Sparks, you were playing percussion, along with the electronic pre-recorded music on stage. How did that work? Did you have any freedom with your parts?

Christi: I had no freedom! It was pretty stressful. Sparks’ songs are very precise, and not a lot of room for improvisation. They know what they want to have happen.

So, the States, you had to have a musician on stage to represent every instrument. The nice thing about England (at that time), I guess because of the dance music craze at the time, it seemed like as long as you were honest about it, if some of your stuff was coming off the computer, that was fine. As long as the audience could see that, it wasn't communicated as bogus. So we had a fourth member on stage, and that was the computer.

I covered a lot of percussion, but there was no way I could cover all of it.

We did MTV Most Wanted live, and we did six or seven songs, and all these faxes were coming in while we were performing. We’d take breaks during commercials, and they would come and read some of the faxes to us. For every fax where they mentioned me and said something great, there would be that fax that said, you know, “where’s Dinky Diamond?”

I don’t have a problem with that. I totally get that. It’s either going to be their thing, or they’ll accept it or they won’t accept it. I mean, I was a chick in a ballroom gown, and I was covering percussive parts but I wasn't covering every drum part. I didn't have a kick drum, I wasn't doing big-ass drum solos.

Monte: Did you have formal training as a percussionist?

Christi: I was literally groomed to play the parts. They were producing me as a singer. The thing I love about them is that they just have these cool ideas and try to make them happen. I had always wanted to learn to play the drums. I’m a rhythmic person and I just thought, what a cool thing to be able to do so I jumped all over it.

I did have training. I was trained by a really great drum coach in Los Angeles. A lot of money was spent on getting me those lessons. They wanted me to be good. They hadn't performed in a long time, so this was a pretty big deal – who is in the band? What do they look like? So there was a lot of pressure.

It was a funny way to be trained. I literally knew their stuff. That was my training.

Monte: You were trained on the spot.

Christi: My drum instructor had never heard of Sparks before. He had no idea who they were. He’d look at me sometimes and it was like, “how am I going to teach you to play this stuff?”

Monte: So it wasn't a matter of learning the rudiments of drumming and moving on from there, it was more a matter of, “here’s the song; what do I do?”

Christi: Yeah. It was tricky because I was only using my hands. I didn't have the luxury of four limbs covering a bunch of beats; it was two limbs covering a lot of beats – a lot of unusual beats.

One of the hardest songs for me to learn was At Home, At Work, At Play. Just listening to that song is a little bit challenging! It’s a wonderful song, but there’s a lot going on.

Monte: What were others that were a challenge?

Christi: Number One Song In Heaven and Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth (which they performed as a medley) were challenging, at least how we performed them live. They were extremely repetitive and I’m pretty sure they lasted 12 minutes. My wrists were almost killing me and we had only gotten one song into the show!

Monte: So you enjoyed being in Sparks, but you ended up going in a different direction.

Christi: The main thing that puts the brakes on was deciding I wanted to have a child. It didn't take a lot of thought. I always wanted to have at least one child. It seemed like it was the right time. I fell in love and got married.

They would have continued having me in the band. We weren't even working on stuff for me at that point, it was more about me being in Sparks. We had taken a break from demo stuff with me and it was all about recording Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins (1994). They had a gold record in Germany so we were supporting the record. We were taking a break for the holidays, it was Christmas 1995, and I got married on December 2nd, 1995. I realized it was just hard for me to get excited about (Sparks stuff). It had nothing to do with the guys at all. It wasn't an easy decision but it was the right decision. Sometimes doing the right thing isn't easy.

I couldn't get a record deal, but I could get pregnant!

Monte: Well, it was only a short time that you toured with them, but you won a lot of people over. People seem to have a soft spot in their heart for you.

Christi: Why do you think that is the case?

Monte: They hadn't toured for a while, and they came up with this very new presentation without a band, and they had a new vision and you were a big part of it. You helped make that happen. You were musically making a lot of great contributions. You had a very striking appearance, and then you had a great song. They performed Katherine Hepburn on their last tour.

Christi: It was a great song. I think all that translated – a lot of people had a built-up romance, especially in Germany, where both of our videos (from Gratuitous Sax) were shown there – When I Kiss You (I Hear Charlie Parker Playing) and When Do I Get To Sing My Way. Both of them have a running theme where Ron is getting left out – Russell is getting the girl and I’m the girl. People had a lot of fun with that, I think, wondering “oh is there something going on with these three?” and also, because I felt so grateful and joyful to be part of Sparks, I think that translated. That can be contagious, when you know someone is enjoying their job.

Monte: The My Way video is my favorite Sparks video. It’s so well done – maybe that’s another reason people have that soft spot in their heart.

Christi: I love that video too. Sophie Muller is an amazing director – she’s so good, a hoot to work with. I remember that little boy in the video – he hated my kissing on him! At one point I said to him, “listen kid, someday you’re going to think you’re the luckiest guy on the planet!” But he was like, ahh, a woman kissing on me!

Mai The Psychic Girl

Monte: I believe you were involved in the Mai the Psychic Girl project (this was Ron and Russell’s film adaptation of the eponymous Japanese anime comic which never came to fruition – despite years of effort by Ron and Russell).

Christi: I was Mai The Psychic Girl (for the demos). We’re talking two hours of music. That movie was going to be wall-to-wall sound. It was literally going to be all music and spoken dialogue with music, and breaking into song as well. It went through a lot of incarnations. A lot of big directors were attached but it just never saw the light of day. We had Francis Ford Coppola, we had Tim Burton…

Monte: I never knew about Coppola.

Christi: We never met with Coppola, but the higher-ups at Zoetrope were the ones meeting with us and speaking on his behalf. The intent was for Francis to direct, but they were saying that even if he didn't direct, it would still be with (Coppola's studio) Zoetrope, and they would help get a director attached.

Then there was Darrell Roodt, the South African director who directed Saraphina!, he was very interested in directing. That one (also) fell through.

Monte: Do you think it will ever see the light of day? It seems like they are still interested in it.

Christi: I could see it happening. I’d be kind of shocked if it happened, but we all cared about that project so passionately that there will always be a push there, I think. Even now, if you heard the music, there’s no way it sounds dated. It is so unique. It’s crazy, I’m not sure they still have the rights to that comic book. Larry (Wilson, husband and oft-time collaborator with Tim Burton) put 10 grand up every couple years, to keep the rights to that comic book. He finally let it go.

But you know what’s interesting on the demos, Jane Wiedlin is on them, and Lance Loud – he’s so funny. A good friend of ours. He was an amazing guy. A great writer and a great musician. He was with The Mumps…a real character and a lot of fun to be around. Everything his character was supposed to say – he was playing a snot-nosed German kid – and everything coming out of his mouth was hysterical.

#I love this interview so much #'I really like your looks'#okay 'mutual trust' is cute but I wanna hear some stories #She got drum coaching but only to learn Sparks songs LOL #I wish their other MTV Most Wanted appearances would surface #Sparks #90s Sparks #Christi Haydon #interviews #long text post

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souryogurt64 · 9 months

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if ppl start acting like the musicians on petes label are actually good....

What I'm about to say is about C/arr only but I did not enjoy her set. I had no opinions about her going into the concert at all so I had zero expectations. I have massively enjoyed almost all of FOB's other openers over the years I've seen so I expected to enjoy this too. I also would not be posting this or saying anything and I would have kept my opinion to myself if it were not for the blow-up dolls.

And I want to preface this by saying the mix was also not good which was probably not her fault, and maybe I would have a different opinion of the set if the mix was better. It was very difficult to hear the vocal line at all and it was difficult to pick out anything except a word here or there. So because of that, I just had to focus on the other elements of the show.

But anyway, to start off with. I'm pretty sure this was during C/arr's set but it applies to Royal's backing band too. As clarification, I think Royal is a great performer, I enjoy her music, her feature on that Demi Lovato song is amazing, and I thought the costumes during her performance at the Cincinnati show and the way they worked with her set were impressively well-thought out.

But the guys in the backing band, especially C/arr's backing band, were overacting to the point where it was very distracting and it was clear they were doing stuff that looked cool in photos but did not match the caliber of what they were performing or what was actually being played. I know I said I couldn't hear WELL, but I could hear plenty enough to know it was weird.

I'm not a kid or stupid so I know this is a performance and that's showbiz. But the thing that pushed it over the line from cringy into "unpleasant to watch" was that whenever the photographers came out, one of the guys would start really obviously lip syncing to words that were not even close to what was actually being sung to get a better shot. Like she wouldn't be singing anything and he wouldn't be near the microphone but if a photographer got close he would start passionately mouthing words. I also was under the impression the instrument stuff equally overacted, but I am not a musician or like a professional or anything.

In any case, I found it unsettling and it made me feel gross and skeeved out that I had paid so much money to see Pete Wentz when he was trying to sell this crap and it was embarrassing to watch, but I already knew that about him so whatever.

But the blow-up dolls elevated Ca/rr's performance from "whatever opener with bad sound quality I'd forget in a week" to "One of the worst sets I've ever sat through" The blow-up dolls were way too heavy, I got hit directly in the head with one, it really hurt, and it knocked my tiara off. Granted, I am wimpier than the average person but they legitimately fucking hurt to get hit with, no one was responding well to them, and one of my mutuals who attended a different show and is like a bigger dude also complained to me unprompted about how much it hurt to get hit with them.

I also was not a fan of the whole "shirt that said daddy on it plus a tutu" thing that was going on, I get that music/aesthetic can be cool and fun and it's part of artistic expression and everyone has their own style and I like plenty of artists who have explicit lyrics or wear costumes, like I love Emo Boy by Ayesha Erotica or and Bathroom Bitch by Holychild. I am not trying to moralize here. There are just good costumes and good sets and good sound and good backing bands and good props then then are bad ones. Also, I'm not going to pretend that Pete didn't wear that one Halloween costume that one time.

I'm unsure if she was acting or not and if it was intended to be part of the performance but her attitude was kind of unpleasant and at my show she seemed mad the audience was not responding well and it made the blow up doll thing feel more vindictive than something intended to be entertaining that backfired, but again, she may have been acting as part of the performance or upset about the sound quality.

I get why they could think stuff like the blow up dolls are cool because Hey Chris would throw blow-up sex dolls into the audience and stuff like that is like in videos of early FOB sets or whatever. And I get Pete has always thought that it's funny to throw things at people and he legitimately has always been very into like certain reality TV stuff or whatever so I can get why he would think stuff like this would go over well but I did not think this was an enjoyable set to watch and I feel confident in saying everyone around me felt the same way.

You are not Hey Chris, and this isn't a $5 Arma Angelus concert at a bowling alley, this is a concert that cost $1k and a good chunk of PTO to see, which, if you live the kind of the life where you "never had any goals of being a singer" but still "get introduced" to celebrities anyway, that probably doesn't mean anything.

But if I wanted to have people throw heavy objects at my head on purpose I would go back to high school gym class. I would not ever want to experience that at a show like this.

To clarify, I understand shit happens at concerts and you can get hit or hurt or whatever but I have attended over 60 and seen Fall Out Boy 5 other times, including many where inflatables were used or there was stuff like crowdsurfing/wall of death/moshing. I've participated in all of that and always really enjoyed it, and I've also been more seriously injured at shows and been fine with it because it certain expectations were set in advance.

I've seen other really bad shows too, but the blow up dolls were maybe in the top 3 worst concert elements I've experienced ever. Fall Out Boy used inflatables during their set as well but they weighed probably less than a third of what the blow up dolls did and were also fully inflated. I did not feel how heavy the blow up dolls were was situationally appropriate for this kind of show. The pit was also the smallest arena pit I've ever been in so there was nowhere for them to go.

BTW, as comparison-- Bring Me The Horizon also performed that night. I had no opinion of them going into it and hadn't heard any of their songs either but I have nothing but amazing things to say about their performance. It sounds like their shows are usually a lot heavier with moshing and the Wall of Death and stuff. It was clear they knew what the expectations that had been set for this tour were, and they put a lot of thought and care into modifying their usual set and aesthetic into something that Fall Out Boy's fans were going to love.

It was phenomenal, I enjoyed the whole thing, and I was so impressed with how much they clearly cared about and respected FOB's fans that I will always have a soft spot for the band now. Fall Out Boy have always had openers from lots of different genres and they normally do great, but the first opener was not it.

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btnclmrttn · 2 years

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Hello! AH I've been wanting to send a request but don't know what to say xD Been wondering if you could do a four horsemen x singer fem!reader? Kida like how they act towards her and in the concerts, fans or backstage that kinda stuff. (You can do it if you want to of course! Will always adore your works for this fandom <3)

yes yes ofc my dude I'm loving this ask 💕 sry if it took too long

Fem!Singer!Reader

~~~~

Saitama

You never fail to amaze homeboy over here with your talent

He does ask you to sing him songs, anything you make up or write is perfectly fine, mostly when he's falling asleep. Being baby n shit

Dude is a menace with instruments. Says "hey babe look I can play too" and bust out some god awful ear-ache of a tune. Completely as a joke, thankfully.

He doesn't stick around backstage much but he will sit with you if you're having some make up done or doing some sound checks. Mostly because it's very noisy and it can overstimulate him easy

That doesn't mean he won't attend your performance granted if he gets a free seat lol he's a pretty chill hypeman but hypeman nonetheless

He'll try an keep a distance from you but not too much. He's more private with congratulations and praise so you have time with your fans. Makes you a nice dinner too.

Damn, though, the fact you would be recognized more than him might bruise his ego but he won't admit it because you deserve the spotlight

If you get any hate mail he usually just tries to toss it before you read it. Stuff doesn't get to him like it might you unless it about u and he doesn't want you to have any doubt in your mind how special you are

Genos

I feel I shouldn't have to say but will anyway, definitely #1 hypeman out of the other three

Bro got perfect pitch he can throw you a note of help out if you need it. Or play an instrument for you if needed. Would be determined to teach himself all you can play to help with your efficiency and improvement

Half his notebook is now full of music theory and he's constantly trying to make a logical formula for this form of artistry

Dude is always backstage and will go out of his way to make sure everything is perfect. Ppl might get annoyed by him but others really appreciate his assistance with sound checks and what not

He would also rather stay backstage/helping any tech crew if needed when watching you perform. Mostly to avoid any screaming that drowns out your perfect voice. Best seat in the house

You could probably make a whole botanical garden with the amount of flowers he gives you. All at fucking once

High alert when you're around fans. Has quite the face if they get too close. He doesn't want any perv creeps trying to have a way at you.

Respectful tho and steps away if ppl come up and ask for a photo/autograph. He's so proud of u bro

All hate mail is incinerated. All haters are damn near the same.

Sonic

#2 hypeman over here, to say the least. He comes with musical talent

(HC) His village had their own traditional instruments and styles of music. It's a nice perspective when expanding territory and a sweet bonding experience trying to teach each other your respective skilled instruments

He is a busy guy but he always tries to at least stop by to wish you luck. He's great to have around if you might have forgotten anything, as he's quick to fix it/get.

Sometimes he chips in with any stage makeup you may do (lemme tell u, he'd be great at any alternative or gothic subculture makeup)

Also tries to attend a full concert but if he has to go he'll try and be back for the end. Always has a flower for you

He doesn't have a problem with fans at all. He's happy you have people that you inspire and that look up to you.

Of course he is on standby for creeps. He's quick to trip them on their ass and nobody would know what happened. Or a smack on the back of their head

Has a personal hit list for haters (stop him he's srs)

Garou

He is such a simp it's rediculous. He LOVES that you can sing

Doesn't know shit about music though, sorry. He sucks to say the least. Would probably fuck up playing a triangle

Could also be sung to sleep but he's too embarrassed to ask. Even humming works. It could knock his ass out cold

He is always following you around (from a distance) backstage. Doesn't say much, just observing. He's trying to learn some idea about how things work so he doesn't feel completely ignorant

Also hangs around during a show but WAY on the side. He stands out from the crowd though no doubt. He looks like a body guard and would probably be there for you before your actual body guards

The concept of your fans threw him WAY OFF at first. Might experience jealousy. Strangers just basically toppling you for your attention? Thinks they need a life secretly. He can handle it after shows but surprises in public makes him him a little bratty

His praise is subtle, and a little awkward. He just gives a blunt "Nice job" while avoiding eye contact. With enough awkward silence he'll tell you what he liked about it. He's really trying but he has no idea what to say if you've heard it all before. V proud of you tho

Put this man on a leash or he'll tear every hater/hate mail to pieces. It won't be pretty

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putschki1969 · 1 year

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Hi Puts, seeing you have been busy with work since your return from the Japan trip. Hope you can take good care of yourself with the busy work schedule.

I saw your lately post about Keiko’s new album hasn’t been your taste of music. So I wonder what kind of song genres do you prefer the girls to sing in their solo. What’s your favourite solo songs of the girls?

For myself, I love ballads so Wakana’s solo music genre has always been my cup of tea. But seeing Keiko doing challenges with her alto tone on some many musical genres makes me wanna cheer for her too. Tbh I don’t really dislike her songs maybe becoz I just simply adore her voice. As for Hikaru, since I’m not a great fan of rock anime genres, so I’m not catching up with her latest music. If you have some recommendations of her songs, I’d love to know that too.

Sorry for such a long message. Hope it wasn’t to hard for you to read. Stay well and keep sharing the Kala-love around^_^

Hello there!

Thank you, I feel like I am slowly getting back into a routine.

I had a huge reply already written for this but then I must have accidentally clicked a stupid shortcut which deleted a huge wall of text from this post T_T Needless to say, I have zero motivation to go through it all again. I apologise in advance if this feels a little rushed, I’ll still try my best.

First of all, no worries, your message is perfectly fine and it's an interesting question. However, I will admit that I always struggle with these types of questions because I lack the necessary expertise to explain my preferences when it comes to certain music genres. I enjoy music solely on an intuitive and emotional level, it either makes me feel something or it doesn't, for the most part I tend to disregard the technical aspects. That’s not to say that I don’t have some basic requirements which determine whether or not I like a piece of music.

Generally speaking, structure is key. Anything that’s too chaotic, directionless or all over the place will make me incredibly antsy. However, music shouldn’t be too monotonous either, I love a good, natural buildup. To really get into the flow of something I need a smooth melody with some motifs thrown into the mix.

I am very attracted to classical and orchestral elements. Symphonic instrumentals, elaborate harmonies, dramatic melodies, operatic vocals, inject it all into my veins. That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate other types of music as well. In fact, I have always had a weakness for 80s and 90s pop but that’s neither here nor there.

Vocal-wise, I gravitate most towards warm, mature and emotionally rich singing voices. I typically find high-pitched and youthful/childlike voices quite annoying.

Having said all that, I can’t really tell you my genre preferences when it comes to the girls. I just want their songs to have a good structure with a somewhat sizeable section that’s pleasing to my ears. Ideally, I would have them use a singing style that highlights their talents and doesn’t make their voice sound too grating. Keiko’s 3rd album accomplishes none of those things which is why I have a bit of an aversion to it. In all honesty, it feels like a big chaotic mess o me.

Just like you I have a strong passion for ballads but I don’t really want them to stick to a specific type of song. Especially considering that many of their solo ballads don’t even appeal to me.

For example, I am absolutely obsessed with Keiko’s “Toori Ame”, “ I quite enjoy “Inochi no Hana” but I couldn’t care less about songs like “Hitori Janai Kara” or “Revolution”. While Wakana’s debut power ballad “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni” hits me right in the feels and her equally enchanting “breathing” gives me goosebumps, the seemingly epic “magic moment” doesn’t do anything for me. Let’s not even talk about her slower pieces like “Nagareboshi” which I simply find too bland. With Hikaru it’s incredibly hard to pick ballads I like because at some point they have all started to sound the same to me but I definitely love her “Kawaisou da yo” and “midnight”.

As for general favourites, here’s a list of all the solo songs I repeatedly listen to (in order of their release):

Wakana:Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni, Kinmokusei, Yakusoku no Yoake, Ai no Hana, Kioku no Hito, Koi wa Itsumo, breathing, 442, Myself, Happy Hello Day, Toki ni wa Mukashi no Hanashi wo, Inochi no Namae, Get Wild Hikaru: Avaricia, yolcu, Fili, 空-Look Ahead, disclose, midnight, Determination, Kawaisou da you, Kanashii Kedamono, Ambient Border Keiko: Inochi no Hana, Nanairo no Finale, Toori Ame, Nobody Knows You, Lost, Yoru no Uso to

Obviously, I can recommend all of these to you. I like some of their other stuff too but these ones I actively seek out

#kalafina #reply #wakana #keiko #hikaru #wakana solo work #keiko solo work #hikaru solo work #this is not what I wanted it to be

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