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bonojour · 1 year

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why i actually really like russell crowe as javert

naturally i will preface this by acknowledging that yes, i am heavily biased. however, i will try to make some points as neutral as possible, especially considering i love most of the various adaptions of les mis!

let me start by asking you to take into account the widely different versions of les miserables and especially the character of javert. i have seen most adaptions of les mis and i was fortunate enough to be able to see the show at west end once, and one thing i have a lot of love and admiration for is how different all of them are - especially in the pre-musical, brick inspired works. some adaptions focus more on his air of authority and faith in the law, others put emphasis on his relationship with valjean (which narratively makes sense in film adaptions that make valjean the clear main character) and some beautifully craft javert’s derailment.

focussing on the 2012 adaption, i think a lot of the ick of people comes from it being neither a perfect musical adaption, nor a perfect live action - both of which have had their runs with successful versions in the past. i personally like how hooper has blended both adaptions, but i can understand that the adaption takes liberties in both ways that will not satisfy people who particularly are fond of the musical or brick-inspired live action films. i personally really admire the 2012 adaption for managing to add an authenticity to musical films by ambitiously going for live recordings rather than studio, but that is a different story.

anyway, that brings me to russell crowes version of javert and a polite read more for people who follow me.

let’s get to the obvious first - no, russell crowe is not a professionally trained singer and at the time, his only singing experience was with his rock band. and yes, russell crowe has released one of the worst selling singles in new zealands history. however, there are a couple elements i like about his voice. first of all, i find that the version of ‘the confrontation’ of the 2012 adaption easily rests among my favourites, partially because the contrast between hugh jackman’s voice and russell crowe’s voice greatly adds to the clash of the song. hugh’s voice is bright and musically trained, while russell’s voice covers the lower ranges and a more straight forward path. i like their version because it is easy to understand both their melodies, and i feel like it is cleaner than a lot of other adaptions.

second of all, especially in ‘stars’, i find that there is a beauty in it that is largely caused by a lack of professional training for crowe. his version of ‘stars’, as well as other songs, are carefully constructed. there is something suiting about taking an intense strong-willed outlier and trying to fit him in a musical theatre mold that imho compliments javerts storyline. and while i love the intenseness of quasts ‘stars’, to name one famous example, i also like the quiet prayer-like version of russell.

voice aside for one moment and focusing more on the live action approach, i like that russell was chosen for the role. he is famous for diving into roles and going back to the roots, rather than finding his inspiration in other, newer adaptions. while there is a great cause to be made regarding standing of the shoulders of giants in the musical world, i appreciate a take on javert that draws from crowe’s interpretation of the version that he read in the brick, rather than one that is inspired by the many javert that have been there before him.

then regarding his general acting, i appreciate his body language and above all the humanity he adds to javert. i think the character of javert is often wrongfully seen as a villain, but crowe’s javert makes it... easy for a general audience to sympathize for him. there’s pride in him, a clear respect of authority and justice and slowly, towards the end, the unraveling that ends up destroying him.

now there are some things i believe russell’s javert falls short, whether it be on him or other members of the crew. his version of ‘javert’s suicide’ feels a bit too flat and i would love if he leaned in just a bit more into the beauty of musical theatre here. having the derailment both happen in music as well as in his acting, would have added a great deal to this version. (and the spine snapping sound was also so unnecessary).

i also believe that he would have been more loved if they presented him with a look that better matched people’s common idea of javert. if he had more whiskers or longer hair (such as master & commander, maybe even), a whole lot of his adaption would already feel different. he has the canine like features (though he’s a bit more rounded and bear-like, than wolf-like), he’s not conventionally attractive, he can be an intense presence as well as be more stealthy - he has all the possibilities, but a lot of them just... went slightly unused. (they did feature the typical crowe ‘this character gets pegged’) energy tho

but yes - i love how this javert compliments hughs valjean. they are not my favourite javert and valjean (though, actually, hugh’s valjean is probably my second favourite), but they are a combination that works well. and i also just... love imperfections? i love having a javert that is a little odd and a javert who doesn’t quite fit in. I love a javert who can be stern and cold, but have humanity too.

sorry for the lack of coherency - perhaps when i get round to finishing my reread of the brick i might change my mind on some things or specify certain elements i can see in crowes adaption, but i felt the need to just... add my two cents to 11 year old discourse as some people were entering the russell crowe tag and sharing their dislike for his javert. <3

#text #russell crowe #javert #les miserables 2012 #this does not include my biased opinion that there is actually something really nice and comforting about his voice #because some voices just vibe with your ears and some dont #also i feel so cringe for posting this but i genuinely love and appreciate crowevert

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derwahnsinn · 1 year

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31 Days Rammstein Challenge - Day 22: Favourite Reise, Reise Song

Reise, Reise is another strong album by Rammstein. It has monsters like Mein Teil and Ohne dich, which are both really good in their own ways. Dalai Lama is a highly underrated song, and a staple when I am out flying.

My favourite from this album though, is Reise, Reise.

The title song is melancholic, melodious, and I love how Schneider worked out a special drum pattern for it. Reise, Reise was a killer opener for the Reise, Reise Tour, and a perfect example of how Till Lindemann started singing more rather than just speak-singing. And even though I am not that fond of accordion in general, it really fits in this song.

Of course I also like how, in the Making of, Oliver was the only one who said he would like to call the album Reise, Reise. A little funny anecdote from Motor's interview with Richard and Schneider about the album shows how unsure they were about the album title:

What is the new record actually going to be called? Richard: Oh God! We had the working title: "Reise Reise". Then we went through all the old record titles again. "Herzeleid" - "Sehnsucht" - "Mutter" and then "Reise Reise"? That just sounds like shit. Then someone came up with the English translation: "Trip, Trip" (everyone laughs) - that's it! We don't have a title yet.

So yeah, Richard definitely wasn't sold on the title because of the English translation:

“The problem with that title is it roughly translates to ‘Trip, Trip’,” muses Kruspe-Bernstein. “We always base our album names on song titles, but I’m not sure if we’re going to use that. It might sound slightly stupid.”

I'm glad they listened to Oliver. As the bassist told Interia:

«As with our previous records, the title can be interpreted in any way possible. We also understand it in thousands of ways. We can travel by car, by plane. We die. Death is a kind of journey, too. There are plenty of possibilities to explain the title. First and foremost, it is a journey from beginning to end.»

Illustration: Rammstein by Frédéric Batier from Völkerball. Also, Reise, Reise live from Budapest in 2005, by Amadeus83.

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Day 1: Favourite Song Day 2: Favourite Era Day 3: Favourite Single Day 4: Favourite Album Day 5: Favourite Music Video Day 6: Favourite Member Day 7: Favourite Lyrics Day 8: Favourite B-side or Unreleased Track Day 9: Favourite Remix Day 10: Favourite Live Photo Day 11: Favourite Live Video Day 12: Favourite Making of Day 13: Favourite Picture Official or Unofficial Day 14: Favourite Vocals Day 15: Favourite Bass, Guitar, Drums, or Keyboard Work Day 16: Favourite Outfit Day 17: Favourite Live Moment Day 18: Favourite Pyro Effect Day 19: Favourite Herzeleid Song Day 20: Favourite Sehnsucht Song Day 21: Favourite Mutter Song

#Rammstein #31 Days Rammstein Challenge #Rammstein Challenge #Rammstein Favourites #31dr+c #Oliver Riedel #Paul Landers #Richard Z. Kruspe #Till Lindemann #Christoph Schneider #Flake Lorenz #Youtube #Spotify

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notemily · 1 year

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Well, ladypfenix seems to have blocked me, which is a shame because I adore her stuff about morality in MDZS and would love to read more from her. But before blocking me she reblogged my post and I just wanted to defend myself against some of the things I'm accused of.

For the record this is the post, which I can't reblog because of being blocked.

I keep saying things about what I personally like and people keep interpreting that as me saying that my preferences are objectively better or that I think gay stories are better when they're sexless and subtextual, which is not what I'm saying at all.

(And yeah I'm probably missing some context, but expecting everyone in a fandom to have read every post people make in order to Have All The Context is unrealistic. There are new people joining this fandom all the time with no context whatsoever and it'd be nice if they didn't immediately get attacked for daring to express an opinion.)

As for Wangxian, of course I don't prefer for them to be best friends instead of husbands. I have read many an E rated fanfic about them on Ao3. People accusing me of just wanting sanitized queer stories where nobody has sexual desire are missing the mark. But I do get turned off by things like their first kiss being nonconsensual. "I just couldn't help myself, I had to kiss the guy even though he didn't know who I was" is NOT what I'm looking for in a fictional love interest. The Lan Wangji of The Untamed seems like he wouldn't do that, so I was more drawn to him than the version in the novel.

And yeah, I do think book Wei Wuxian is pretty oblivious. He catches up fast once he realizes what's going on, but as evidenced by the fact that he tells Jiang Cheng that he and Lan Wangji are "just friends" when they're at Lotus Pier near the end of the story, he doesn't realize what's going on for quite a long time. Yeah, there are reasons for that, but again, it's not what I prefer in a romance. And the trope of one person being oblivious while the other is pining is one MXTX seems to like - I'm reading SVSSS now and Shen Qingqiu is similarly unaware of how Luo Binghe feels about him for most of the novel. (And even when he does realize it, I have some trouble buying that he's attracted to Luo Binghe in return.) (Obviously Shen Qingqiu LOVES Luo Binghe, but I've been reading him as gray-ace and I don't think I'm alone in that headcanon.)

Another trope she seems to like is one where the first time the couple has sex is painful for one of them, and I just really don't like that. This DOESN'T mean I think she's wrong to write it or that people who do like it are wrong to like it, just that it's not my thing!

I prefer it when fictional couples both want to kiss each other, and when they take their time and make sure nobody is hurting when they have sex (and use lube). Preferring those things doesn't make me anti-sex or anti-gay. But I was disappointed by those scenes when I read the book, while I wasn't expecting the show to give me any sex scenes at all, so it didn't disappoint me in that sense. (I was disappointed by the show's ending where they separate, but it was ambiguous enough not to bother me too much.)

Anyway. I think the show is remarkably good for how much they had to cut out of the book in order to fit the censorship guidelines, which makes me wonder how much better it could have been if they didn't have to adhere to those. But I do think there's a romance there and it's a romantic show. Subtext isn't text, true, but it's also not nothing. The people making the show clearly knew they were adapting a romance, and the relationship between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji is the heart of the show.

Anyone who thinks the part with "the feeling of sticking to the single log bridge is indeed not bad" isn't a romantic scene because they don't explicitly get together later... I just do not get that. (Some people have even pinpointed the part in the show where they are implied to get together - it's in episode 43 - and yeah it's not explicit, but it's there if you look for it.)

Anyway now that I'm blocked by half the fandom I'll go back to shutting up, at least until the next time I get it into my head to Have Opinions, which is clearly not allowed around here.

#mdzs #the untamed #book vs show fight fight fight #fandom drama #i can't seem to stop pissing people off in this fandom #which sucks because i just want to like the things i like and talk to other people who like those things #and instead i get people attacking me for saying what i like #and then i feel like shit for several days #whee!

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thomas-hobbes-hater · 1 year

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I was rewatching Goncharov last night, and I noticed something really interesting: it has the exact same runtime as Quadrophenia, the 1973 rock opera by The Who about a guy called Jimmy who has a classic case of "DID written by someone who does not have DID and is not qualified to write about DID" (yes it's extremely problematic).

What's important about Jimmy's "DID" is that he has four personalities, and each one has their own separate song. So, being familiar with the way Dark Side of the Moon fits over Paul Blart 2 (and also The Wizard of Oz), I thought, 'hey, I don't have any responsibilities now semester's over' and put it on again, and somehow each instance of the four main character themes ('Bell Boy', 'Is it Me?', 'Helpless Dancer', 'Love, Reign O'er Me') perfectly, and I mean perfectly line up with important moments in each of the four main characters' (Andrey, Sofia, Goncharov, and Katya respectively) arcs from the very beginning of the film, where the first shots of each of them coincide with the themes appearing in the background of the opening calm beach sounds before that first montage kicks in with 'The Real Me', which of course has a deep resonance with Goncharov's whole arc too.

So here's my theory. Quadrophenia the album was released in 1973, but the movie that used it as the soundtrack wasn't released until 1979, plenty of time to film and edit the whole thing after the album had made it to the public. I submit that this is exactly what happened because The Who had originally been hired by Scorsese to do the soundtrack. However, the score they provided was a little too lyric-heavy or a bit too brash and literal in its interpretations of the characters. Regardless, they'd spent so much time on the project and it was so close to release when Matteo JWHJ 0715 decided that the score was unsuitable that no further edits were done on the film. The score was then hurriedly put together from recordings and a single day of recording a chamber orchestra, all deliberately designed to sound slightly grainy from the beginning to add to the 1940s noir-esque aesthetic but also to hide the various different recordings and imperfect takes.

That each of the four characters meld into each other in this way is just fascinating to me. Are they meant to be reflections of each other? Aspects of the same being? Creatures woven together by fate? All of these seem like totally plausible readings, and all of them are strengthened by the thematic linkage of the album. Some of those links can still be heard in the way the themes begin to play off against each other towards the climax of the film. It also adds another layer to Andrey shooting Goncharov as the man that used to know himself is destroyed by both the persona he has cultivated and the accompanying dissolution of his selfhood into these three others' lives he has so deeply changed.

#goncharov #goncharov (1973)#unreality #the who #quadrophenia

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freddie-mercury-rising · 1 year

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Day 22: Killer Queen from Sheer Heart Attack

Okay, I’m not lying when I say this has been my anthem far before I was a self-proclaimed “Queen Fan”. I swear, I used to rock out to this song: sassy, tongue-in-cheek, and (before I even knew what it was) queer!

This song is quintessential Queen, but moreover, quintessential *Freddie Mercury*. I think this is the moment when Freddie really lets that part of himself shine through. And I think there’s no way I can look at this song without noticing the queer undertones, but in such a genius way, Freddie can pull it off in 1974!

This iconic song starts with snapping, and that one sound will always conjure this song… in a way that makes you think it was always there, always in the zeitgeist of the early 70s. That’s the beauty of a particularly good song: it feels as though it is simultaneously the most innovative new thing in existence and also that it has always existed and could have never *not* existed.

Killer Queen, says Freddie, is about a “high class call girl” and he wanted to show that classy people can be whores too. I think any interviewer asking Freddie what his songs were about were going to get whatever came to the top of his head at that moment. I don’t think he was a Bono type who sat around poring over the minutiae of his lyrics and dwelling over their impact. That’s not to say that Freddie didn’t put his heart and soul and emotions into his lyrics. But in this case, I think this song is fun and—while it may very well be about a “high class call girl” or a critique on class itself—we should all create our own unique interpretations of what it means. Interestingly enough, Freddie wrote the lyrics to this song before the melody, which was the opposite of how he normally worked.

For me, it’s about a bad-ass person (I don’t think the word queen, nor the use of the pronoun ‘she’ necessarily indicates this is a woman…) who does what they want and is both posh and trashy in equal measure, both sweet and polite and also dynamite. I happen to think this Killer Queen could be Freddie himself. Fancy clothing, perfumes, champagne, “guaranteed to blow your mind…” Well, again, we shouldn’t think too much about it. I think we all have a Killer Queen in us, anyway.

As for the music—well, on the surface, this is a catchy little single that climbed to the charts (all the way to #2 in the UK and #12 in the US) and got Queen their first stint on Top of the Pops. Interestingly, Brian May was ill during the recording of this song, so the other band members assembled the song while leaving gaps for Brian to fill in later.

This song is hugely important for the legacy of Queen. It differentiated Queen from the other progressive rock bands of the time and launched them into a new sector, putting Freddie Mercury’s rock-theatre antics on center stage. It was a new sound, like nothing the general public had heard before. And I can only imagine that Freddie was like nothing they’d ever seen either.

This song is very much a pop-rock song. It’s smoother than the big heavy numbers that dominated rock and roll at the time. Of course, we still have the multi-tracking harmonies in full swing, and the panning of the music from left to right, and—even though he wasn’t there for all the recording—some really wonderful and imaginative sounds from Brian’s guitar. He used his wah pedal in this song, which creates a lovely glide.

Freddie’s voice is perfect in this because he can change it to fit the tone of the music and tell the story through the sound. The very first lines are so intriguing: “She keeps her Moet et Chandon in a pretty cabinet.” Wow, how many rock songs start like that? It’s soooo Freddie, and it captivates you entirely. “Let them eat cake, she says, just like Marie Antoinette…” Sooz Kempner, from the Queenpod podcast says “this song has a grubby decadence.”

The little “bell” sound is so iconic after “she never kept the same address”. I will always do my fingers like Freddie did in the video. Always. And, I always have a little cheeky smile when Freddie says “if you’re that way inclliiiined.” He adds so many cute, quirky, tongue-in-cheek additions, and the backing vocals pump it up.

I could go on and on and on about the lyrics, because they’re fucking amazing. But I do have to comment on the music. Even though I am not super knowledgeable about all the terminology of why this song just *hits*, I know it does. One thing I do notice is how Freddie’s voice goes into falsetto then back during one single line. Caviar and cigarettes– (goes into falsetto) well versed in etiquette (then he glides back to a deeper note) extraordinarily nice. Okay that was my novice interpretation of that, but I happen to know it’s beautifully and seamlessly done.

“Queen were very good at making complicated things sound simple and simple things sound complicated.” - Derek Shulman (from the band Gentle Giants)

It’s a perfect song and it will always be in my top five. Yes, I said it! My one critique is that I won’t ever be able to listen to Killer Queen for the first time ever again.

#Queen a Day #Queen band #Queen #Sheer Heart Attack album #Sheer Heart Attack #Killer Queen #Killer Queen song #Music Review #From a non musician

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anomalouscorvid · 10 months

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1, 9, 10, 16, 18, 21, 22 for fallen london🦇🦇🦇

as usual this goes under the cut because i like to type a lot. but a lot of this is '¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i don't know anything about the actual fandom so i couldn't say for certain what my thoughts would be'

1 (the character everyone gets wrong) - well, as someone who doesn't interact with the fandom except for what i see on tumblr and doesn't read fl fanfiction or anything, i'd have no idea lmao, some of the stuff i've heard makes me think the answer to this might be mr veils (but not really) or actually potentially mr apples but i'm just not certain

9 (worst part of canon) - this isn't the worst part for me, but here's a fun opportunity to admit something: it's always annoyed me that curators have arms as well as wings. not just because the anatomy is annoying to get right when drawing (two sets of limbs! in the same space! what are your shoulders meant to be doing) but also because i just think any curator interpretation could be improved with hands on their wings. it just looks more balanced when they only have wings and not separate humanoid arms. and yet it seems like in canon the arms and wings are separate. tragic

anyway space bat limbs aside. i'm sure there's actual probably-the-worst things about canon that should actually be changed but i think any concerns have already been talked about with better wording by others? so i don't know what else i could say here

10 (worst part of fanon) - here's another opportunity for me to admit something that isn't precisely answering this question but i wanted to say it anyway: i don't get why people seem to hate the manager's design in motr. like that's less fanon and more fan reactions to canon but regardless. he seems... fairly alright? accurate enough to how he's described? visually makes me think "yeah that's him"? but apparently people hate the design, i haven't seen a single person talk about it in a positive way. i don't get it maybe there's just like. a fan design that the fandom decided was the only accurate one idk that seems to happen a lot with stuff like this where there's suddenly a canon design after so much time being relevant with no canon design

anyway again i must mention that i don't know anything about the fl fandom that doesn't appear on my tumblr dash. maybe there's a really popular bit of fanon elsewhere that everyone agrees on but i've never seen. maybe everyone agrees that [x character] is totally a snuffer or [y character] is actually a star in disguise or whatever and i had no idea.

i mean apparently there's december discourse and people have actual opinions on it but i didn't even know there was december discourse until recently. i mean yeah there's liberation of night discourse i get that but discourse about December specifically? december of the calendar council the twelfth month? we know like 3 facts about them. what would you even discourse over. about whether or not calling them a borzoi is actually even remotely accurate? (and for the record my view on that is that it totally isn't but i call them a borzoi anyway)

so anyway yeah i don't know enough about popular fanon to make any judgements here

16 (you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)) - why is candles so often drawn as specifically albino? i'm not sure if it's canon or not but i haven't heard of anything mentioning him (?) as albino or leucistic in canon. like yeah the colours fit with the themes i guess but i don't think i've ever seen a fan depiction of candles that didn't include pure white/pigmentless fur. obviously disclaimer that it's not necessarily a bad thing it's just like. wow that appears a lot

18 (it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on…) - the grand devils. so aesthetic! so dead! so.... bugs! not even necessarily the canon ones, i think it'd be cool to see more grand devil ocs, or just devil ocs that don't follow the usual 'human with weird eyes' physical form (i know i don't really have any of those but. regardless i think it'd be very cool to see more of from others.)

21 (part of canon you think is overhyped) - would the masters of the bazaar be too obvious an answer for this one 💔 i just. think there's plenty of other interesting non-human species in the fl universe. yeah not much else to say for this one. i could also say seeking the name or mr eaten as a character in general for this one. but overall there isn't much overhyped in such a small fandom i think?

22 (your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores) - maybe the grand devils also fit as an answer to this question. i haven't really seen anyone talking much about them anywhere, which is fair given their crimes of being monarchs, but it's kind of surprising. i simply think that sometimes people should consider the dead or sort-of-dead bees.

also, maybe this is obvious from a few of my recent fl posts, but i think the god-eaters could be interesting (although there... isn't much to them in canon compared to the other important figures from past cities), and yet i've never really seen anyone acknowledging them (except for maybe, in some cases, mentioning them when talking about mr eaten)

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asteracaea · 1 year

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What’s your favourite song on Midnights and which one do you think is gayest?

hi anon thanks for the question ^_^

i am sooooo madly in love with midnights, i just adore every single song so it's hard for me to choose just one! also i really love the way they all flow into each other so my mind almost doesn't even separate them. it's like one cohesive piece of work.

but to rave more specifically (and i'll try not to just list all of them lol) my top tracks today are mastermind, would've could've should've, question, bigger than the whole sky, vigilante shit, midnight rain (......ok i can see i'm just listing the whole album lol)

as for the GAYEST, hooooo boy! i feel like the 3am tracks are much more explicitly gay than the main album songs, which makes sense (possibility that fewer ppl will listen to "bonus tracks" ? or consider them part of the whole).

paris. "i want to transport you to somewhere the culture's clever, confess my truth in swooping sloping letters." i think that says it all.

glitch, omg, i don't know how a person could hear this beauty as anything other than about a woman falling in love with another woman (and specifically taylor falling in love with her alliterate model who KODES : GLITCH!!?) "we were supposed to be just friends" but oops she hates accidents except when they went from friends to this 🤭 "i'll go back to wanting dudes who give nothing" "i thought we had no chance" (cause they're both girls and they shouldn't) "i was supposed to sweat you out" makes me think of "fever dream high in the quiet of the night" in cruel summer which i think is about the same story. i imagine her being told by a higher-up to get over this infatuation a la harold zidler telling satine to get over christian in moulin rouge because he's bad for business and it can't be allowed to become something real. (that was an image i'd had simmering for a while) and then of course there's the ridiculously specific "2190 days" which if you haven't heard what we calculated that matching up to, give it a look ☺️😉

"a brief interruption, a slight malfunction, i'd go back to wanting dudes who give nothing, i thought we had no chance and that's romance (let's dance)" ohhhh it's just so goddamn sexy in a forbidden sapphic love way that ahhh 🫠 i cannot get over it!! taylor alison swift wrote this song recorded it and put it on an album skfjekiwkendjk

as for would've could've should've, i'm as gaylor as they come but i honestly hear this song as about a man. it's funny, i honestly feel like her most scathing angry rageful vicious songs are about men (and the tender lovely deep foreverlove ones are about women lol it's just my gut!). definitely in part because of the age 19/dear john reference, but also because of the unfairness of misogynist society "if i was some paint did it splatter on a promising grown man?" a how there are endless instances of older men hurting younger women, romantically or reputationally or other.

however, one day i decided to listen to it with my gay-ears and it was QUITE interesting !! it is full of religious guilt imagery, sinning and pondering her own accountability in that, as well as blaming the other person for "ruining" her. it's an extremely powerful interpretation, imo, even though there are details in the beginning that don't fit. but hey, she's added hetwashing details to other songs (like dress, betty, love story, etc) that would be SUPER undeniably gay if she hadn't thrown those things in, so! that hasn't stopped me from hearing deliciously overt queerness in her songs before, and i hope it won't stop you because it is so so interesting to listen to it that way!

i must wrap this up but i could talk for daysssss about midnights, so perhaps i'll add on to this in the future ☺️

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chansondefortunio · 1 year

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I FINALLY GOT AROUND TO WATCHING LA VIE PARISIENNE (théatre des Champs-Élysées 2021)

(shout out 2 @ardeacinerea for getting the 2021 recording to me like a whole year ago... )

It is certainly... a contemporary french production.... They are always particularly fond of scaffolding I've noticed.

(to note: I

Right off the bat, La Vie Parisienne is 2 things;

(when I first wrote this, this first point said that La Vie Parisienne's story was kind of a lackluster miss. i take it back now, its grown on me. )

desperately dependent on the quality of actors interpreting the role

And this production faces an interesting problem. Under all the make up and costumes,

which I either really love: - The Baron on account of cool and dynamic character design or that I really hate: - La Gantiere on account of having a dress that tried to be quirky is actually just ugly. Hey queen! this is just a random arrangement of stuff on a body

For as crazy and whacky La Gantiere's fit was, I was getting maybe 30% of a personality coming through. Ultimately the costuming turned into clothes and makeup that was certainly on the actors, but didn't really do anything for anyone. the clothes wore THEM.

I would like to say that I recognize and appreciate the time that clearly went into the costuming and sets. However every single pattern, material, texture, colour and accessory seemed to have been stolen from a textile dump by someone who was sleepwalking. It didn't work in the worst way possible. I hesitate to call them hideous because I can understand they're supposed to be ridiculous, ugly and crazy. but then again, that doesn't really work when almost EVERYTHING is ugly and there's not enough to juxtapose the craziness against.

Also to note on the visual mess: I'm sure If i saw this in person my eyes would find it incredibly harder to focus on anything.

The actors did really well though! They were funny and very physical, which is always a good thing. Each actor was strong, unique and there was decent chemistry between the cast. My favourite is probably the baron. Everything was perfect about him and his performance. I wish it was a little more down to earth, but that's a personal preference if anything. The stage direction was definitely a highlight, inspired and always giving the most!! I loved the elevator, it was such an easy way to add another layer of dynamics to the scenes. and MAN were there dynamics, from the lighting to the sets! it was great!

But I didn't like how the dancers were incorporated. This production seems to have an issue of doing things just to be quirky. The dancers act in a way that's wacky and weird, but it becomes way too much of a performance... It makes sense for the dancers, who in act 2 act as the very silly and undignified guests of Raoul, to be silly. But here, it's not used to emphasize the baron's confused perspective. I felt like they were directly addressing the audience and saying ;

"WE ARE WACKY AND SILLY DANCERS!!"

Which is just about where the joke is lost for me. There was no lead up, no real internal logic or reason for the guests to be acting that way. This is where I feel a little down-to earthness would have helped to make the absurdity hit harder. At the moment, it feels like unmotivated and performative chaos. That's just something that always turns me off.

So all in all: a little bit too try-hard quirky for it's own good, but still a solid interpretation and entertaining.

I definitely appreciate all the work that went into it and I'm sure others will enjoy it!

(I had to watch this in like, 6 increments it is 3 hours long)

#Offenbach kinda slayed with this opera #la vie parisienne #this is NOT the three hour offenbach production we deserve though

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breezybeej · 13 days

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Just practicing my lyrical analysis to prepare myself for a project. Do not mind me

There are a lot of parallels between poetry and song lyrics but there are some crucial differences as well.

One is obviously the presence of music. Some poems work wonderfully when you throw a beat behind them but many do not. The deeper you go into poetry the more you start to realize that it is a visual medium as well as a verbal one. song lyrics cannot very well play with their typography to convey ideas because it is an auditory format.

Another is delivery. Some poetry is structured so that it can only be delivered with a certain meter which influences the interpretation but you are left without vocal tone to indicate anything. Some examples in songs might be Chappell Roan's vocal 'cracks' in Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl as she constantly shifts between her head voice and her chest voice to create these desperate sounding yells to convey her intense yearning. Or the way Thom Yorke opens the song 15 Step with a severe mumble and almost a whimper and at the end of the song he delivers the final line crisply and firmly. We have a sense of change in the narrator of the song, our subject becoming resolute.

Now as this relates to lyricism, let's talk about what we mean. Songs do not have a lot of time to get their meaning across so we use things like vocal tone, instrumentation, and reference to speed up the process for the listener and also provide color to your canvas. I'm going to break down two examples.

Chevelle is a hard rock band known for their cynical lyrics. One of my absolute favorite songs by them is Hats Off to the Bull. Before we even listen to the song, what does that bring to mind?

"Hats off" is a phrase typically used to signify that you are showing respect to someone, often when they had no chance but tried their best. In what situations would this apply to a bull? We have two major sports that fit: Bullfighting and Rodeos. Either one works here so I'll go with fighting.

We already have the thesis of the song. The bull can never truly win. It is trapped by the spectacle of the sport. Even if he defeats the matador, he faces more fights and ultimately slaughter (for the record, I am speaking to the common layman conception of bullfighting, there are many traditions and nuance). A "hats off" to the bull is acknowledgement that he fought as hard as he could despite having no hope for success. Winning the battles, losing the war etc etc.

And if we listen to the song, yeah that's the feeling they explore. And the delivery of the line is harsh, strained, it's *angry*. It makes you feel like the singer is watching this Injustice and cannot do anything about it aside from salute the bull for trying its best despite its hopelessness.

That is a single line as the title of the song and the first line of the chorus. it carries so much meaning and emotion while being five single syllable words. it carries that meaning by referencing an activity many are at least generally aware of and the common gesture of removing your hat in respect. it is not a difficult set of dots to connect but it is very well crafted so that you can connect those dots and also save some words for the lyricist.

Next up is the song Submarine by L'imperatrice.

If we try the same analysis, we look at the word submarine and think pressurized vessel deep underwater. Doesn't really tell us much because it's just one word. But wait, what is the album? Tako Tsubo, which is a stylizing of the term Takotsubo's cardiomyopathy or broken heart disease. Combined, maybe we are dealing with what happens when a pressurized vessel ruptures?

Pretty close. They don't talk about the actual rupture, just the idea of having this pressurized shell that the world sees without knowing what's going on inside.

So we have a song about the social pressure to not express yourself whenever you are sad (or any other non-happy emotion) and also the pressure that builds up inside you as a result of that. We are looking at a situation where people are turning themselves into pressure vessels that could erupt catastrophically. That last part is never said directly in the song but keep that submarine terminology in mind because nowhere in the song is the word submarine said.

Rather, every line of the chorus *rhymes* with submarine which primes you to think about the title in relation to the lyrics, it primes you to make that imagery yourself. The song also does not talk about the consequences of too much pressure building up, you have to know that is a risk with submarines.

Building on that, most of the verses are sung in a reserved kind of low-key tone. these are the lyrics that discuss vulnerabilities and feelings. When we get to the chorus, there is a shift to what almost sounds like the singer is straightening her back and projecting confidence as she sings about having this strong outer shell that's not revealing any emotions. The doubling of her vocals is also more prominent here which makes it sound like multiple people are expressing the same idea. After all, she says at the beginning of the song that everyone shares that same view, they only show what they want to. This projected confidence in the chorus with the vocals layered on top of themselves conveys that same idea. Everyone is saying this to themselves.

Another aspect of the submarine is that it is a lonely vessel. Once you are underwater and inside this capsule, you can't very well invite someone else in. The inherent loneliness of how society handles sadness is present here. Am I the only one who was born to be blue? it feels like that because everyone else is hiding their sadness so you feel like you are the only sad person.

My favorite part of the song plays directly into all of these feelings together when the chorus ends. That projected confidence comes through with the line "I don't need to say goodbye" and it instantly collapses when she asks the genuine heartfelt question with a waver in her voice "do I?"

Once again, we have very straightforward concepts and they are very easy to interpret because the lyricist and the musicians structured their song very well to deliver them and make them digestible to the listener. You don't have to try hard to pull these concepts out because they did a good job writing them. They are also able to impart nuance to this theme by leaning on reference and tone. not only can you grasp the song but you can also do deep readings and still pull information out. it is simple and complex.

Both of these examples could work as poetry but it is the instrumentation and delivery that gives them deeper color in the same way that many poems could not just be translated to songs specifically because you would have to come up with your own tone and instrumentation which would recolor what is on the page.

With this in mind, I'm curious to see if any of these things are explored in the tor/tur/ed po/ets depar/tme/nt. since people hail TAS as a great lyricist, I anticipate being able to tease out some of these differences in her upcoming work. I suppose we'll see. yeah, it's probably unfair to go into an album with predetermined expectations, I'm not demanding that this album work in this space but I do expect to be able to perform a similar level of analysis on it.

#mine #this is a mistake by the way. I've already seen some of the leaked lyrics and buddy #I believe I'm going to drive myself insane sifting through the dirt here #chevelle #L'imperatrice #hats off to the bull #tako tsubo

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lordmayokcorner · 8 months

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OurR 『HaaAakkKKK!!!』 - Single Review

Image: Kpopping

I recently stumbled upon an underground Korean alternative-indie gem of a band, OurR, while looking through my Spotify. I immediately fell in love with their vocalist and guitarist Hong Dahye’s vocal tone, and as I listened further, began to fall in love with everything about the band’s style. The trio is signed to Happy Robots Records, a small British electronic music label. The group is based in Seoul, and have been active since 2018, a year prior to the single I’ll review today. Without further ado, let’s get into this A/B single, HaaAakkKKK!!!

HaaAakkKKK!!! - 7

This track would be better described as an A-side track than a title track seeing as it doesn’t really fit the general K-pop idea of a title track. It’s much softer and more subdued, following the character of OurR. It has a chill groove akin to a candle flame, occasionally flaring up as Dahye’s rasp comes out or a bass fill is carried up the mix. It continues in this way through an instrumental breakdown before Dahye comes back in and the Jinkyu on the bass does an incredibly placed downward arpeggio with the synth adding a syncopated groove. Dahye’s voice builds in pitch volume and most importantly strain, giving this part of the song a desperate tension. A high note followed by a bass pickup drops the tension to bring it down to a third chorus with more flavour and some vocable notes. My interpretation of the lyrics is a depiction of an interesting story from the perspective of an insecure and hostile person who wishes that the rest of the world wouldn’t write them off because of their tough exterior and instead take the time to try to see inside. An interesting theme that matches the soft and slightly melancholy feel to the song. I love the end of the track, but I feel like the first half is a bit redundant. I would love to see more energy throughout. It is a very well made song though, I’ll give it that.

Alone With You - 10

This song seems slow as it is in half-time but pulls along quite swiftly. Dahye’s vocals are beautifully on display here, with just some dreamy guitars and soft rhythm behind her. When she hits the top note right before the end of the chorus her voice breaks displaying that same sense of desperation in the most beautiful way. The way that the warm guitar and her silvery backup vocals cradle the main line is texturally incredible. The use of timbre throughout is nothing less than masterful. In the last chorus more dreamlike guitar lines enter and we’re blessed with a cycle of her hoarse high notes and beautiful smooth low notes. The build of this song is magical to say the least, using natural tension to carry it forward. The lyrics seem to describe someone who fears death as it approaches them yet is grounded in the knowledge that they will forever be together with their loved one as they drift away from the rest of the world. There is a lot of sadness and tension in that narrative yet also love and relief, reflecting the structure of the song perfectly. A truly incredible song.

Final Thoughts

I’m just going to go ahead and embarrass myself and say that I’ve shed more than a few tears in the process of writing this. I truly am blown away by the expertise of this group. I am rarely touched by lyrics, but the way that they weave the emotion perfectly into every aspect of each song makes it impossible not to feel something. Each member has a unique quality to their musical style that all work together excellently, though I’m most stunned by Dahye’s vocal technique. I’ll give the single an 8.5 as a whole, but Alone With You is definitely a 10/10 for me. I see it as their masterpiece, their magnum opus, however you want to say it. It perfectly encapsulates everything that I love about them. Their limited popularity is frankly shocking, though I guess I can see how it takes someone who’s really listening to be able to truly see everything amazing about them. That’ll be all for this one, thanks so much for reading.

- Maya

#song review #music review #review #kpop #indie music #alternative #dahye #no tag for this

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amoveablejake · 2 years

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Album Of The Week: ‘Breakaway’ by Art Garfunkel

Stand Out Song: ‘Waters of March’.

The idea of multiverses seems to be permeating all facets of popular and even unpopular culture at the moment. Ofcourse, multiverse interest is nothing new. If you look beyond the actual scientific theories surrounding them and the theories that occasionally trickle down into the mainstream news cycles when its quiet day in the 24 hour news cycle, multiverses have been present for quite some time in our culture specifically in comic books. For a long time now comic books have been particularly drawn to multiverses, primarily in the last twenty or so years following the turn of the millennium. Marvel for instance, wanted to start a lot of classic series again in the year 2000 but also didn’t want to completely disrupt decades of story building and risk a complete overthrow of fanbase loyalty. So instead, they made a new universe, the ‘Ultimate’ universe. This universe featured these classic characters but with new interpretations of their stories. Some of them worked and some of them didn’t, the most famous birth out of this side of the comics is a certain Mr Miles Morales. Because the ‘Ultimate’ universe didn’t go as successfully as planned and because it was getting quite hard to keep track of all of these strands, Marvel decided to pull them all together and in doing so laid a groundwork for multiverse interaction. Even now, whilst all of the characters of the world do in theory live in the same universe there are still frequent references to this sprawling idea of universes upon universes which contain slight variations of a theme. This can be seen not only in Marvel comics and the Cinematic Universe that was born out of it but also in the latest A24 film ‘Everything, Everywhere All At Once’ where viewers can see all of the different lives of the main character and what could have been for better, for worse or just to be different. And thats the thing, with multiverses you never really know what would change. Sometimes it can be a drastic departure from our world or maybe a much smaller, more inconsequential one. The thing is though, that throughout all of these multiverses should they exist I do know one thing, that in every single one of them I will be listening to Art Garfunkel’s ‘Breakaway’.

The problem that I often face, other than writing introductions that ultimately don’t have anything to do with the rest of the peace, is that I find an album that I instantly fall for and then I write about it. And yes, whilst I do get to put out a piece that is riddled with my overwhelming excitement for this record that I have fallen for, I also don’t get to explain how my feelings for the album in question have matured and what I make of it further down the road. I have mentioned this recently and how I’m thinking that what I may do is return to a few albums again that have been albums of the week before to see how they fare further down the road and to see if my initial adoration of them remained as strong as it did on those first few listens. I have been listening to the ‘Waters of March’ song from this record for a few weeks now ever since I saw ‘The Worst Person In The World’. I have been listening to it and dreaming of Norway and in doing so, giving this song a whole other level of meaning to me. Dangerous perhaps because it meant that without even listening to it, I was associating the album ‘Breakaway’ with this upcoming voyage. I ordered a tape of it from eBay and it was waiting for me when I returned from work this evening. I didn’t waste any time in putting it into my Walkman and hitting that play button. For a moment, there was silence then a crackle and I feared that the tape had reached the end of its life. In those moments I felt a bit disappointed, not because the tape wasn’t working but more that I had assigned this record without even listening to it, to a trip that deserves a fitting soundtrack (other than the ever growing hours and hours long playlist that is being compiled and has been for literal years) but then suddenly ‘I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)’ started and any fears melted away.

There are certain songs that when I listen to, it feels like I’m reaching out across time and space to certain moments and to certain people. I can hear certain notes of songs, certain lyrics and suddenly I’m back on the back of a train going through the Spanish mountains, I’m back driving through the rain going up north in Canada, I’m sitting there with my mouth open at the most stunning goal on FIFA that you would need to be there to believe and often I’m back in the car on journeys that looking back I wish would never end. With those songs, I’m reaching out or rather I’m being reached out to by someone else or a certain memory. When I listen to ‘Breakaway’ though, what I feel is that its reaching out to me now, tomorrow and in the future. Its one of those albums connecting different versions of myself in this universe and who knows, maybe in other ones aswell. For now though, the titular song is playing in my headphones and I’m taking a breath in Earth 616.

-Jake, a man floating through space and time from here, to now, to you, 06/06/2022

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makeste · 3 years

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BnHA Chapter 316: We've Had One, Yes, But What About Second Explosion

Previously on BnHA: Deku was all “[powers up like whoa because it’s time to end the fight]”, and he saved Overhaul from getting not-shot, and then smashed up Nagant’s arm with the power of his new rechargeable super knees. Nagant was all “yoooo this kid is crazy strong whaaaat, it’s like he’s some kind of protagonist or something.” Deku was all “I AM A PROTAGONIST, ACTUALLY, DO YOU WANT TO JOIN FORCES AND FIGHT BAD GUYS WITH ME?” Nagant was all “ah shit why the hell no -- ” and then AFO was all “SURPRISE” and everyone was all “?!?!?!” and AFO was all “TIME TO EXPLODE NOW” and made Nagant explode because he’s an absolute fucking dick. And then Hawks showed up, because Horikoshi just wanted to stuff as many plot points as humanly possible into a single chapter I guess.

Today on BnHA: Hawks is all “good job giving motivational shounen redemption speeches Deku but I’ll take it from here” and screams very earnestly right in Nagant’s face until she finally wakes up. Nagant is all “oh hey it’s my successor, you seem surprisingly unfucked-up from your own HPSC tenure, how did you manage that?” Hawks is all “fandom is going to love hearing this one, but basically it’s because I’m very upbeat and also I had the world’s best role model Endeavor to look up to,” and I swear this man stirs the pot on purpose, but damn it I still love him so damn much. Overhaul is all “HELLO AGAIN, JUST A REMINDER THAT, THE BOSS!!” and Deku is all “MAYBE TAKE TWO SECONDS TO REFLECT ON HOW YOU TORTURED A LITTLE GIRL,” which, thank you, lol. Nagant is all “btw AFO’s hiding in a house in the woods”, and so Deku and the gang go to the house in the woods. Video recording!AFO is all “hi I’m AFO welcome to Jackass” and blows up the house. Sometimes I wonder if this manga is just a weird dream.

I am once again reading the Bean version because I think it was actually the best out of all three translations last week. and that is surprisingly including Viz’s. “faux” is not nearly as entertaining as “knockoff”, and also I have literally no idea why Caleb thought Deku was saying the Third’s lines lol

oh hey, Endeavor’s here too! not that you’d ever be able to tell from this first panel lmao

glad you received All Might’s call, mysterious unidentified glowing smudge

oh snap he says he’s weaker in the rain. is that why AFO told Nagant to attack then?? except that as we discussed the other day, I believe that AFO fully intended for Nagant to lose the fight, so him giving her info that would give her an advantage doesn’t really fit in with that. maybe he wanted Deku to be separated from Endeavor and the rest for maximum angst, though

btw Deku’s eyes are unsurprisingly back to the new normal here

alas, the angst continues. I say, pretending like I’m not totally eating it up each and every week and writing essay after essay about it lol

anyway so apparently Hawks can’t actually fly lmao. he was just yeeting himself with style

for some reason this is the funniest fucking thing I’ve ever seen omfg. wave to Hawks, kids! say “bye, Hawks!”

j/k of course Deku is catching them. -- except???

wow so he was just running on fumes there at the end. well, good to know there is actually a limit to his shenanigans, particularly regarding this new “knockoff” 100% OFA. it will definitely not alleviate any of the discourse, but it’s good for my own peace of mind because it’s solid confirmation that he still needs his pals in order to win this thing

anyway, but on to the rest of this conversation, which is basically Deku deducing what we all deduced last week -- AFO implanted some sort of trap into Nagant when he gave her Air Walk. though I’d still like to get the actual details from AFO and/or Horikoshi, because this was particularly wild even by quirk standards lol

omgggggg

she still has a face after all!! so it’s confirmed, Horikoshi has no idea what “blowing up” actually means. we might have guessed, based on what happened to Toga in the MVA arc, and also based on everything Katsuki does ever, but shhh

so now Hawks is all “NAGANT PLEASE WAKE UP, IF I SHOUT MY NAME AT YOU WILL THAT DO THE TRICK”

this is actually kind of touching though because even though we all know (or most of us acknowledge at any rate) that Hawks is a pretty caring person, it’s rare to see him actually panic over someone’s welfare like this

oh shit Horikoshi is really doubling down on it

I wonder how much Hawks knew about what really happened between Nagant and the HPSC. regardless, he probably sees her as a kindred spirit of sorts, and I’m more than happy for Deku to pass the redemption torch onto him now that he’s on the scene. like no offense Deku but they actually know each other and stuff lol

DAMMIT NAGANT CAN’T YOU SEE HOW LOUD HE IS YELLING

apparently being freed from his HPSC shackles has finally given Hawks the space to embrace his own inner shounen protagonist. is there anything more shounen than trying to motivationally scream someone awake when they’re lying in your arms inches from death?? 100% guaranteed to work

!!! IS THIS NAGANT’S POV OMG

SO SHE IS ALIVE. THANK GOD. Horikoshi doesn’t want to meet with my emotional distress lawyer today after all

love how she’s all “just gonna stir up the weekly Hawks Discourse pot here by implying that he probably committed a lot of Atrocities just like I did, so now people can get all hopped up about that, even though there’s no evidence he’s ever killed anyone aside from that one horrible ‘damned-if-you-do...’ situation with Twice.” no one asked for your provocative speculation young lady!! trust me Nagant, our rabbles don’t need the rousing lol

but nice save there with the “so how are your eyes so untainted” well you see it’s because even when he was following the HPSC’s orders he always went to great lengths never to go against his own moral compass. which just to be clear was incredibly difficult, and led to a ton of pain and suffering on his part, because the life of a spy is basically just one impossible situation after another. but in spite of that he never stopped trying to do his best to help people. I don’t really know where this tangent came from or is leading to, lol, but anyway p.s.a. I love Hawks a lot and he’s a good kid dammit

oh shit??!?

how is the League always able to swing all these fancy forest mansions. where do they find them. how many do they have

so Deku’s dropping them -- very roughly, not sure if he was reacting to finally getting AFO’s location, or if his energy really is giving out -- and now Nagant’s saying that AFO hired other villains as well. well of course he did. gotta keep chipping away at OFA’s ninth successor little by little

now Nagant is asking Hawks how he’s able to keep making “that” face. I assume she’s again talking about the fact that he somehow didn’t let the HPSC wear down his spirit

oh my god???

thanks for stuffing this chapter to the brim with good nutritional Hawks Feels, Horikoshi. what a good. he just keeps on trudging forward undeterred no matter what bullshit comes his way. what a steadfast little guy. I WILL PROTECT YOU FROM DISCOURSE MY SWEET SUNSHINE

lmaoooo

“SPOTTED THIS DUDE JUST CHILLING OUT THERE ON THE ROOF WITH NO ARMS, SEEMED PRETTY SUS” good job Endeavor

anyway so you don’t really need me to tell you that Overhaul is immediately starting in with the “BUT THE BOSS WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE ME TO THE BOSS YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD TAKE ME TO THE BOSS” stuff again. but I will go ahead and tell you anyway. so yeah. he’s doing that

OMG YOU GUYS LOOK AT DEKU’S “of all the fucking assholes to just randomly drop in on my life once again why did it have to be you” FACE THOUGH, OMG

fun fact, if you go back to chapters 124 through 160, there was an entire story arc where Overhaul imprisoned and tortured a little girl. yeah, I know!! suuuuuuuuper evil. anyways just an interesting little anecdote for you all that’s somewhat relevant to the current situation

OMG, YES. FUCK YES, DEKU

THEN WHAT ABOUT SPARING ONE FOR HER!!! YES!!! EXACTLY!!! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, SOMEONE GETS IT

HERE’S THE PANEL OF DEKU SAYING THE EXACT SAME THING I’M SAYING LOL

(ETA: so apparently there’s some discourse about this because some people are interpreting this as Deku saying “you should apologize to Eri”, which would obviously be a terrible idea even if Overhaul actually wanted to do that, because Eri shouldn’t ever have to see him again. however I just want to point out that there is a HUGE difference between saying “it would be nice if you could direct that feeling of regret/being sorry towards Eri as well”, vs saying “you should also apologize to her.” all Deku is doing is rightfully pointing out that Overhaul has hurt way more people than just his boss, and if he really is remorseful, then he should extend those feelings of remorse to Eri and the rest as well. it’s not a directive to take any specific action, and I’m 1000% sure no one at U.A. would let Overhaul within 100 miles of Eri ever again.

tl;dr “try feeling remorse sometime” =/= “do you want me to fly you over to U.A. right now to surprise the little girl you traumatized”, lol.)

[slings an arm around Deku’s shoulders] you’re a good kid. I like you. I don’t know if I tell you that enough, but it’s true

meanwhile here is Overhaul’s “spare... a thought... for Eri...???????” face sigh

the struggle is real y’all

(ETA: and that’s... the last we ever saw of Overhaul, I guess? well all right then. I assume Deku will make good on his promise, so we know he’ll get that little bit of closure before going back to jail or whatever, and I confess I’m more than fine with leaving the rest of it open-ended, especially given his character’s history. I think this was pretty generous all things considered.)

lmao holy shit

All Might what did you do to those tiki torch guys?? did you thrash them. did you give ‘em those hands. did you deliver their own asses to them complete with a sticker reminding them Amazon Prime Day is on June 21. we missed out goddammit

so Endeavor, who wasn’t the one he was asking, is telling him that they captured (well let’s be real, Deku captured, give the credit where it’s due) Nagant and Overhaul. and so I guess they’re going to take Nagant to the ER now

fire is no one’s weakness

-- oh my GOD I scrolled down and audibly gasped

[is politely but firmly approached and asked to remove my arm from Deku’s shoulder by the physical manifestation of all this Dekuangst] “we’re sorry, he’s not allowed to have visitors right now” oh shit, my bad. [goes to stand behind a police barricade]

lmao what. did you run out of room on the previous page

what an exaggerated fade to black lmao

-- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I actually can’t see what he’s reacting to so maybe I’m just seriously jumping the gun here lol, but THE HELL WITH IT. the next panel appears to be a cut to Haibori Forest, so I’m just gonna go ahead and declare that Deku ran off on his own all wounded to go have more Dekuangst, just like I manifested. now go call Katsuki goddammit

[scrolls three more inches down] oh

yeah so like I said, Deku is walking very slowly a few feet in front of Endeavor, who’s telling him to wait up. yep. we’ve all gotta be so careful to not just jump to conclusions. I know we’re excited but still

anyway, so! welcome back to Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods (ARE YOU GUYS DATING) and Edgeshot! have fun walking into this obvious trap lol

dammit Deku why are you so determined to tempt fate

[monkey puppet meme faces]

OH MY GOD THIS IS PURE GRADE-A CHEESY COMIC BOOK VILLAIN 101 SHIT AND I’M HERE FOR IT

that’s such a weird way of clapping who claps like that

unlike certain other people who shan’t be named, AFO doesn’t feel the need to inexplicably take his shirt off when recording sinister villain monologues. I think we’re all pretty grateful for that

high fives to everyone who called it!! yep yep

anyway so this whole scene has major booby-trap vibes, which I’m enjoying immensely even though I don’t think anything is really going to come of it lol. probably just another long-winded AFO Speech. but wouldn’t it be funny if like the ceiling started lowering down to try and squish Deku afterwards lol

(ETA: well the explosion was still pretty funny too ngl.)

ffff

[“Dekuangst is the trap” intensifies]

anyway so yeah. he’s just hitting up all of his usual villain talking points. we get it, you’re so smart and you see right through the thin veneers of society and people who don’t conform are left to fend for themselves and labeled as villains and history is written by the victors, and blah blah blah dude are you just jumping randomly from one soundbyte to another lol. literally what are you talking about. what does this have to do with you blowing up Nagant

-- holy shit??

[”Dekuangst is the trap” intensifies MORE?????]

LOL WHAT

BRO. WHAT IS WITH YOU. DON’T YOU KNOW HOW TO LAY ANY OTHER KIND OF FUCKING TRAP GOOD LORD

“YOU’RE NEXT” THE CALLBACK?? THE PARALLELS?? THOUGH WHEN ALL MIGHT POINTED HE MADE IT LOOK WAY COOLER. AFO’S POINTING JUST LOOKS LIKE SMOKEY THE BEAR

HAS ANYONE CHECKED IN ON KAMUI WOODS I HEAR HE IS WEAK TO FIRE?? THE ONLY ONE WHO IS, APPARENTLY

r.i.p. to this particular forest mansion. don’t worry they have a ton of backups

remember last week when I said maybe AFO thinks explosions are gauche. well never mind. he fucking loves explosions

anyway so that’s the end of BnHA, everyone. hope you enjoyed. it was a good ride while it lasted. see you all, good luck in your travels

#bnha 316 #hawks #takami keigo #lady nagant #midoriya izuku #all for one #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #manifesting 317 opening with a slightly modified version of my previous fantasy scenario lmao #'WHADDYA MEAN THEY BLEW UP THE NERD'#that's *his* job #sorry lol I kid I kid

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aliensunflower-fics · 4 years

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Marinette The Perfect Daughter In Law: A Prompt

[ I've seen a few ‘everyone loves Marinette AU’s’ and a couple Marvel DC ‘all the mentors want THEIR kid to end up with Marinette AU’s’ and well frankly! I felt inspired! So I present to you my new prompt / AU thing! In which all the most powerful / rich / popular people in Paris decide to play matchmaker… ]

It starts when Adrien and Kagami have a less than AMICABLE break up according to their parents and the media anyway in reality it was a really REALLY dull break up. The pair have been ‘dating’ (using each other as an excuse to go out and experience normal teenage stuff) since they were 15. Now at 17 soon to be 18 the pair decided to publicly break up in order to pursue other people and interests. The problem is they never told their parents the truth so both Gabriel and Kagami’s mother Tomeo feel protective and concerned about what must surely be an upsetting first heartbreak for their child. And okay maybe both parents take that out on each other and both get a bit defensive and protective. And MAYBE it ends with Tomeo vowing to get revenge for her daughter. Enter, Marinette. Up and coming fashion designer for the rich and famous! She’s single, talented, and as far as Tomeo knows Gabriel is interested in the girl for her talent. So what better revenge could exist but having Marinette take an interest in Kagami!

Kagami has no idea why her mother suddenly has an interest in Marinette but she wont complain about having more time with her very cute designer friend. And all the outfits Tomeo is paying Marinette to make for Kagami is giving the young fencer plenty of up-close and personal moments with Marinette. And okay Marinette is VERY cute and Kagami wont question why she suddenly has all this tine with Marinette, eating ice cream with the girl and having brunch. But she knows shes absolutely head over heels when Marinette shows up at her fencing tournament gives her a luck charm and cheers her on wearing HER colors. Obviously Kagami wiped the floor with all the competition she cant be seen hesitating in front of Marinette!

On Tomeo’s side of things she makes sure that the paparazzi still lurking around after Kagami and Adrien’s breakup catch photos of what could easily be interpreted as dates between the girls. After all this is a revenge ploy but also Marinette is fantastic so Tomeo is 300% down with Kagami ‘bringing her into the family’ something she tells Kagami after the first paparazzi ‘date photos’ leak into the news. Kagami still has no idea this was an orchestrated affair and just thinks her mothers caught on to her feelings and is overjoyed that Marinette is approved of because after the cheek kiss Marinette gave her for winning the fencing tournament Kagami was preparing to fight her mother for the right to pursue the young designer seriously. After all she never hesitates!

But Tomeo never realized Gabriel isnt the only one interested in Marinette. Audrey Bourgeouis has been keeping an eye on Marinette trying to find a way to get Marinette on to her side and away from Gabriel. So when she sees the photos of Kagami and Marinette she sees an opportunity. After all if Marinette isnt exclusively into men (and those photos of her flushed cheeks as Kagami cleans ice cream off her bottom lip are a clear indication shes not) then Audrey smells opportunity. After all Marinette was Chloe’s first crush! How cute would that be! The next day Marinette is being offered yet another opportunity to intern under Audrey this time with much looser restrictions. When Marinette accepts she suddenly finds herself working with Chloe… A LOT. The pair are modeling together, often paired together for shoots in perfect complementary clothes that screams ‘opposites attract’. Chloe is also helping manage Marinette’s brand and the two start to get along very well. The model photos and their business lunches are soon plastered alongside the Kagami and Marinette outings with parisian gossip blogs finding their interest picked by this potential love triangle.

Chloe for one, was confused at first. Sure she knew her mom was interested in Marinette but she never thought SHE would be working so closely with her first crush. And Chloe tries to ignore it, after all those are dead feelings! And Marinette woud never forgive her anyway so why even- Wait. Is that Marinette in a downright gorgeous golden dress? A-and she will be posing right next to Chloe for their shared shoot? Well… Chloe always thought herself deserving of royalty and damn if Marinette aint the princess of her dreams. Sorry Adriken’s you had your chance to get the girl, but now its winner keeps all and Marinette is the only prize shes interested in. For the record Alya is freaked out by Chloe being nice, but shes more weirded out by Chloe being protective and handsy and downright shamelessly flirty with Marinette. Audrey is pleased when she hears the news and is quick to give her daughter encouragement acting as if none of this was premeditated at ALL.

Oh but they have no idea that this is just the beginning. Because guess who's moved back into town. Adrien’s favorite cousin and aunty. And Felix’s mom is quite the busybody and dammit Felix needs friends! And maybe a cute girlfriend! And oh whos that pretty girl on the magazine cover? Marinette? The one her celebrity connections have nothing but praise for? Perfect! Shes invited to lunch with Felix and herself on friday to discuss movie costumes! And oh Audrey dear dont you think Marinette would look fabulous sandwiched between TWO blondes! Felix hasnt modeled in a while but come now. So suddenly Marinette is being spotted with Felix guiding him about paris and modeling with him AND Chloe under AUDREY’s brand NOT Gabriels.

Felix thought hed really hate Marinette; he tried to ignore her he really did. But shes funny, witty and sweet. Not to mention trustworthy, so a good candidate for a business partner. And thats it, but then he has to admit hes impressed when he rolls up to a photoshoot and Chloe! The definition of brat personified is acting… Bearable. Yes, somehow Marinette has done the impossible! She has tamed the beast known as Chloe. And yes fine he will admit shes drop dead gorgeous and how intelligent of her to learn all sides of the fashion industry and boost her rep with modelling! Soon hes spending more time with her, he tries to argue he needs a guide, that shes the most bearable person to be with! That she is just a friend- Oh god. No it cant be! He sounds like-! Like ADRIEN! And Chloe already told him about THAT mess! No! Absolutely not! He will not lead on Marinette like his idiot cousin! Marinette is a rare and beautiful woman! She could be his queen! And god he has to admit it much as he loathes too Marinette’s smile is enough to make him thank every non-existent god. He will win her heart, show her that she deserves better than his brain dead cousin! Felix is sure mother will approve of his decision to pursue the girl, now he just needs to do more shoots with Marinette...

And that's what finally gets Gabriel to snap. Because REALLY Felix!? Is there no loyalty to FAMILY. Not to mention he was totally drafting a potential contract for Marinette when Audrey snapped her up the witch! But its fine! Marinette has always been interested in Adrien! Surely she still is? Surely she's not been swayed by any of her new suitors! Right? Gabriel knows he can't mess with Audrey’s contract so he goes through Adrien, freeing up his sons schedule and telling him to spend time with Marinette to help her ‘adapt’ to the harsh world of fashion and modeling. He uses Adrien’s heroic nature to make it sound like hed be saving her from Chloe and Felix. And sure enough Adrien bites, using his friendship with Chloe to worm into fittings, meetings, and photo shoots. At first hes just there to make sure Chloe and Felix arent hurting sweet Marinette. But when he sees the blondes fighting for her attention, flirting with her, posing with her in some rather romantic settings. Suddenly hes less worried and more… Jealous? No! Not him! Hes concerned, confused, suspicious! Obviously he needs to spend more time with Mari- Wait! When did Kagami get here to take Marinette to lunch! And why are they all ignoring him!!!

Now Marinette is fully in the public's eye. Gossip blogs are being fed bits of info writing up each ‘candidates’ appeal as THE romantic partner to the Marinette Dupain-Cheng paris new darling, the girl with a heart of gold too oblivious to see the trail of hearts following her around! But there is still another contender yet to enter the game! Jaggeds been away on tour teaching Luka his up and coming protege all the tricks. And lets not lie Luka has his own fans now, enough to rival all the others. Jagged sees Luka as his own son, even calling him as much! Hell hes even adopted Luka and Juleka and when I say adopted I mean Jagged literally got shared custody of the kids when their real dad tried to start trouble once Luka started gaining fame. Luka and Juleka for one love their adopted father and his wonderful fiance Penny. But back to Jagged, being Jagged.

The moment Jagged is back in Paris he's checking up on his favorite designer and hopefully future daughter in law! When… WHAT'S THIS?! All the other ritchies in Paris are playing his game! Trying to get Marinette married into THEIR families! Not rock and roll at all! He was here first! And so being Jagged he decides to make Luka’s stake in the race for Marinette’s heart clear! By spamming social media with photos of Marinette being cute with Luka, taking his measurements, going out with him, the pair babying Fang, the two passed out against each other after a long concert. And he has photos going back at least a year or two! Soon Luka’s fans pick up the hype starting a trending hashtag finding the pair cute! Jagged feels confident that hes won! When Audrey retaliates, and from there its a complete train wreck. Before long each pair has a hashtag filled with cute moments and arguing over whos dating the model / fashion designer!

Meanwhile Adrien is drowning in denial as he goes through each hashtag seething about how many MORE photos everyone else has with Marinette, when HE is her very good friend and was here first! Felix, Chloe and Kagami on the other hand have declared open war after they tried to talk to each other about the hashtags reasonably only for it to devolve into “so you agree Marinette is best with me!” - “WHAT! No! Thats not what I said! Besides she clearly is best with me!” - “Ridiculous!” And so on. Poor Luka is having an entirely different reaction hiding in shame unsure how to face Marinette because he WAS going to ask her on a proper date now that she seems over Adrien, because even with everything she's the melody playing in his heart and he had a plan! But now his mom and sister are texting him and teasing him and apparently he has MORE competition! Who do these people think they are to deserve Marinette! No! Luka won't lose Jagged has been teaching him to be bold and confident! And Marinette is worth all of his efforts! Jagged REGRETS NOTHING even if Penny confiscated the tv remote!

Marinette meanwhile has no idea what's going on because the whole class made a dumb bet on when the designer would notice with one of the bet conditions being that no one could tip Marinette off and that they have to keep her away from Paparazzi so they dont spoil it either. And sense Alya is helping manage Marinette’s social media Marinette hasn't looked at it yet so she has NO idea what's happening. But her birthday is coming up next week and Chloe definitely didn't get dibs on planning a surprise party for her all so she could spoil the girl and RUB her GREAT relationship with Marinette into her competitions FACES! The competition however (and Adrien JustAfriend Agreste) have decided that they really aren't going down without a fight!

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#my fic #kagaminette #lukanette #adrienette #chlonette #chloenette #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #everyone loves marinette #kagami tsurugi #adrien agreste #felinette #felix graham de vanily #chloe sugar #chloe bourgeois #ml prompt

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tillidontneedfantasy · 3 years

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A Track-by-Track Breakdown of Taylor Swift’s 9th Studio Album: ‘evermore’

“My collaborators and I are proud to announce that my 9th studio album and folklore’s sister record is here. It’s called evermore,” is how Taylor Swift introduces us to this album in its foreword. One might assume a “sister record” would entail b-sides, or tracks that didn’t quite make the cut for folklore, despite Taylor’s explanation that “we just couldn’t stop writing songs.” evermore’s release came at a strange time, upon the heels of the Folklore: Long Pond Studio Sessions film on Disney+, as well as 5 Grammy nominations for folklore. The world still captivated by folklore, it’s understandable why one might not consume evermore as critically. Even as a die-hard fan, I felt some whiplash by this announcement; I am still processing folklore! Hell, I’m still processing reputation!

If this was the Taylor from two years ago, this may have been a big enough fear of hers to hold off on releasing evermore. But as she explained upon folklore’s surprise release, life is too unpredictable now, and there are zero givens or guarantees. So she followed the same path this time (although making sure it fell in line with her birthday weekend). But it’s not just the strategic timing of the release that she’s thrown out the window for now, but also her mindset whilst making records. As she explains in the evermore album foreword,

“I’ve never done this before. In the past I’ve always treated albums as one-off eras and moved onto planning the next one as soon as an album was released. There was something different with folklore. In making it, I felt less like I was departing and more like I was returning. I loved the escapism I found in these imaginary/not imaginary tales. I loved the ways you welcomed the dreamscapes and tragedies and epic tales of love lost and found. So I just kept writing them.”

This is a revelation for Swift, to let the music lead her into artistic freedom, which is what makes evermore such a triumphant return. Truly folklore’s sister record, Taylor wrote evermore with the same creative team: Aaron Dessner of The National (Swift’s favorite band), long-time pal and collaborator Jack Antonoff, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, and William Bowery aka Swift’s boyfriend, Joe Alwyn (as officially revealed in the Long Pond Studio Sessions). Additionally, former 1989 tour openers and close friends of Taylor, the HAIM sisters, join the crew, along with Marcus Mumford for some dreamy backup vocals.

The production is just as wistful and mesmerizing as it was on folklore, yet the storytelling on evermore is kicked up a notch, expanding on the topics and worldbuilding established in its sister record, with even sharper lyrics and an effective and elaborate use of alliteration. The best thing about Taylor is that no matter what she does, her masterful lyricism is always at the heart of her art, and somehow, she keeps getting better. Once again, I wanted to explore the rich stories she’s crafted in this woodsy universe. This is how I’ve interpreted the album, but I hope you find your own meaning in the songs as well.

1. willow It is fitting that the opening track to folklore’s sister album, where we wade further into the forest that is Taylor Swift’s imagination and storytelling, would center on the type of tree that is a symbol of hope, belonging, safety, stability, and healing. “willow,” one of the few more obviously autobiographical tracks on the album, is a hymn of gratitude for her man (as she wants you to know, yes, thirteen times), Joe Alwyn, and how the invisible string tethering them together pulled her to him in a time when everyone else was counting her out. Though not as present on many of the other songs later to come on this record, you can feel the lightness in her heart on this song as she embraces the way in which the willow has bent, wrecking her plans, throwing her into the water and leaving her happily lost and afloat in his current. The downward key modulation throughout the last two repetitions of the chorus is beautiful and very fitting for Swift vocally, but also sounds like the feeling of finding your comfort and settling into it, basking it in while you wait for the next place the wind pulls you. Best lyric: “Now this is an open/shut case / I guess I should’ve known from the look on your face / Every bait and switch was a work of art.”

2. champagne problems On the second track of the album, Taylor dives back into the fictional worldbuilding she began to explore on folklore. While on folklore high school relationships and dramatics took center-stage, evermore graduates from adolescence to young adulthood, not that it is any easier emotionally on the listener’s heart. “champagne problems” chronicles a rejected marriage proposal between two college sweethearts at their old dorm building. Taylor sings as the narrator, a reflective, self-deprecating young woman who jokes about belonging in a madhouse and dismisses all her turmoil as champagne problems. The term ‘champagne problems’ itself could have various meanings here: their trivial concerns, the fact that their “sister splashed out on the bottle” of champagne that they will not be using to celebrate as they had hoped, or perhaps it could even hint that excessive drinking is a piece of all the ways the narrator is “fucked in the head,” as they said. Although the person she is singing to is the one who got hurt in the story, the hurt in the narrator’s heart is just as palpable and relatable, because you only have yourself to blame when you self-destruct. Best lyric: “’She would’ve made such a lovely bride, / what a shame she’s fucked in the head,’ they said / but you’ll find the real thing instead / she’ll patch up your tapestry that I shred.”

3. gold rush On her YouTube live chat prior to the album’s release, Taylor explained that this song “takes place inside a single daydream where you get lost in thought for a minute and then snap out of it.” The daydream consists of a love story so pure that the town had never seen such a thing; it could only happen in a fantasy for the narrator. How could she possibly have the gall to call them out on their contrarian shit, or end up with her Eagles t-shirt hanging from their door, when they are so coveted by all, and when she cannot withstand the thought of even competing? She sings, “My mind turns your life into folklore / I can’t dare to dream about you anymore,” a sweet little connecting piece to this album’s older sister, effectively convincing herself out of the idea of jumping into the chaos of the gold rush because even inside her own imagination it’s too dangerous. Best lyric: “I don’t like that falling feels like flying ‘till the bone crush.”

4. ‘tis the damn season According to Aaron Dessner, Taylor had written the lyrics for “’tis the damn season” in the middle of the night amidst their Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions recording after a long night of chatting and drinking with their co-conspirator, Jack Antonoff. The lyrics perfectly encapsulate the guttural ache the track evokes. It is a tale of two people who always find their way back to one another in their hometown, which acts as the ever-returning fork in the road. The path taken, back to L.A. in pursuit of her dreams, is the one she chose and continues to choose, but whenever she returns home, she takes a ride down the road not taken, just to get a taste of what could have been, even if just for the weekend. What starts off as an icy homecoming always transforms into the warmest intimacy. The success of this track is aligned with the success of Taylor’s entire career; even with such specific details, it feels so deeply personal to the listener. You know the street you’d drive along late at night laughing, the spot you’d park the car, the person who stars in every what-if. You will never really know if the road not taken is as good as it seems, but that might be ok; sometimes, the fantasy is better than the reality, anyway. Best lyric: “It’s the kind of cold / fogs up windshield glass, but I felt it when I passed you / There’s an ache in you / put there by the ache in me.”

5. tolerate it Inspired by the novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, “tolerate it” is an agonizing track from the perspective of a devoted wife who polishes plates and paints portraits and waits by the door for her husband with a battle hero’s welcome, who at best tolerates all her adoration. There are few things as painful as idolization being met with indifference, when you have all this love to give to someone who just leaves it there untouched. “tolerate it” captures that desperation for the approval you know will never arrive, but you sit and watch, waiting for it just in case you’re wrong, but you know you’re not. Best lyric: “I made you my temple, my mural, my sky / now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life / drawing hearts in the byline”

6. no body, no crime feat. HAIM “no body, no crime,” the one evermore song solo-written by Taylor, has the clearest plot from beginning to end. In the same vein as the female powerhouse country classic “Goodbye Earl” by The Chicks, Taylor is out for blood to avenge her friend, Este (named for one of the HAIM sisters). The story goes as such: Este’s husband kills her for calling him out on his infidelity, and then Taylor kills the husband and frames his mistress. The HAIM girls, who are long-time friends of Taylor’s and former touring mates, lend their vocals to reinforce the accusation on the husband and to provide Taylor’s alibi. “no body, no crime” is so far the closest we’ve gotten to a return to “country Taylor,” proving that she is still the master of a killer country tune (yes, pun intended, it had to be done I’m sorry). Best lyric: “Good thing Este’s sister’s gonna swear she was with me / (she was with me, dude) / Good thing his mistress took out a big life insurance policy”

7. happiness Written a week before the album’s release, “happiness” is one of Swift’s strongest and most reflective breakup songs. Although she writes it as though it is recent, there’s a lot of power in knowing that she’s been happily in love for four years, and that she is even better now at doing the thing that has always been best at. She is finally “above the trees,” as she sings, and is able to see it all for what it is, but her character is still in the heat of it all, trying to navigate the stages of grief when a relationship ends. We see the narrator grapple with many of those stages throughout the song. Most striking is the anger displayed in the second verse when she sings: “I hope she’ll be a beautiful fool who takes my spot next to you / No, I didn’t mean that, / sorry, I can’t see facts through all of my fury.” That section is jarring and feels like one of the most honest moments in a Taylor song, the insanely difficult emotional balancing act when we are grieving a relationship. The devastation of loss can distort our perception, and a part of that is the difficulty of understanding how multiple seemingly opposing things can co-exist in our hearts, such as happiness because of someone and happiness after them. But when you leave it all behind and finally find your place above the trees, you can find happiness after someone and also look back and appreciate the happiness they once provided. Both of these things can be true. Best lyric: “Showed you all of my hiding spots / I was dancing when the music stopped.”

8. dorothea Taylor Swift has the uncanny ability to create such developed and well-rounded characters with such little information, which is what makes her storytelling so compelling. In “dorothea,” we learn much about the title character through the narrator’s eyes, and the relationship they once had. The lyric “skipping the prom just to piss off your mom and her pageant schemes” alone tells an entire story in itself. “dorothea” is also the companion song to “’tis the damn season,” just from the other person’s perspective, which helps shine even more light on the story. The narrator of “dorothea” reveres her but wonders if she’s still the same soul in L.A. as she was back in their never-changing town. Whatever the answer, they’re still willing to support her no matter where she is, but she’s always welcome back in Tupelo by her hometown love’s side if she ever just wants to be herself rather than someone known for who they know. Besides, they’re the only soul who can tell which smiles she’s faking. And you can always return to the road not taken. Best lyric: “They all wanna be ya / but are you still the same soul I met under the bleachers? / Well, I guess I’ll never know / and you’ll go on with the show.”

9. coney island feat. The National What really started the folklore / evermore journey was Taylor’s love for The National. Taylor has cited them as one of her favorite bands for many years, and as we know, this led to her beautiful new collaborative relationship with Aaron Dessner. So it would make sense for the track written with the intention of this duet to be so well executed; you can feel the love and care Taylor put into writing this song. In her press for these sister albums, she has spoken about trying to channel frontman Matt Berninger’s writing style. But what actually happened was she just produced her own signature lyricism at its sharpest. “We were like the mall before the internet, it was the one place to be / the mischief, the gift-wrapped suburban dreams / sorry for not winning you an arcade ring over and over,” is a hall of famer Swift-ian lyric. “coney island” explores the confusion, hurt, and self-reflection when a passionate affair burns out fast because you did not prioritize that person. And to top it off, Swift and Berninger’s harmonies are achingly beautiful, transporting you right there in the story, on the bench, wondering, over and over. Best lyric: “Do you miss the rogue who coaxed you into paradise and left you there? / Will you forgive my soul when you’re too wise to trust me and too old to care?”

10. ivy Leave it to Taylor Swift to make a song about an affair sound so romantic, and so sympathetic to the narrator, that you’re rooting for adultery. “ivy” tells the tale of a woman in a lifeless marriage, likening her home with him to the tombstone that the widow in town visits each day. I like to think this is the same wife whose husband was out there building other worlds without her in “tolerate it,” because then that means she found someone who celebrates her love, who holds her pain for her, who blooms all over her; they started it, but she’s fighting for it all the way to the end, nonetheless. “ivy” showcases Swift’s gorgeous vocals and her sharp lyrics, with a melody so infectious it is bound to permanently plant its roots in your dreamland. Best lyric: “Oh, I can’t stop you putting roots in my dreamland / my house of stone, your ivy grows, and now I’m covered in you.”

11. cowboy like me With the beautifully blended backing vocals of Marcus Mumford, “cowboy like me” is an entrancing love story of two con artists who lost at their own game and got conned into forever with each other. She’d gone from swindling old men for their money and fancy cars to falling victim to the danger of dancing with someone who only has eyes full of stars, and she knows she’ll pay for it. “cowboy like me” is one of the most romantic tracks on the record, proving that life never plays out quite as we plan. Best lyric: “Now you hang from my lips like the gardens of Babylon / with your boots beneath my bed / Forever is the sweetest con.”

12. long story short One of the more pop-sounding tracks on evermore, “long story short” is pretty much a summary of the long story behind reputation (2017). The song is filled with various metaphors for her reputation crumbling around her, and then finally putting her defenses down to be with her lover, someone as “rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky.” It is a sweet ode to her boyfriend, and a gentle comfort to her past self that it will all work out. But it is also an oddly relatable example of how we shrug off our struggles and minimize them to just a “bad time,” when the time she is singing about was obviously something that deeply affected her (as will be further explored in the title track); but sometimes it actually feels good to just shrug it off as just a blip in your life, because at the end of the day, you survived, and that’s what counts- even if you’re not keeping score anymore. Best lyric: “Pushed from the precipice / clung to the nearest lips / long story short, it was the wrong guy. / Now I’m all about you.”

13. marjorie Whereas track 13 on folklore was a tribute to Swift’s paternal grandfather, evermore’s track 13 is a tribute to her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, who was an opera singer in the 50s, and passed away in 2003 when Taylor was 13 years old. “marjorie” is quite possibly the most touching track Taylor has ever written thus far in her career. Grief is one of the most difficult topics to tackle in a song; the genius of “marjorie” is that it is simple, yet not understated. Swift reflects on the profound lessons she learned from her grandmother, about the difficult balances of kindness and cleverness, and politeness and power. She curses herself for not cherishing the moments she had with her, for complaining rather than understanding in the moment how admirable her spirit was, for all the amber skies she’d love but will never see. The chorus, blunt and hard-hitting, reminds us that someone does not have to be living to be alive, to be all around, to be with us. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were singing to me now,” Taylor sings towards the end of the song, right before you hear a sample of Finlay’s opera singing in the background, a truly eye-swelling moment. It is clear that Finlay played a pivotal role in Swift’s own ambitions, as she sings, “all your closets of backlogged dreams, and how you left them all to me.” Marjorie knew she was leaving them in good hands. If you haven’t yet, check out the moving lyric video for the song, where you can see photos and video clips of Marjorie, both throughout her career and in her time with Taylor. Best lyric: “Never be so polite you forget your power, / never wield such power you forget to be polite.”

14. closure On the most experimental track musically on the record, Taylor writes off her need for closure from a relationship of some sort, whether it be romantic or platonic or business, all of which can cause hurt of equal intensity. The subject of the song is trying to make nice with Taylor, and she is just not having it, as it is not coming from a genuine place, but rather to ensure that their life remains picture perfect, or to clear their guilty conscience, or to preserve their own ego. This is a deeply relatable sentiment; as valuable as forgiveness can be, sometimes the person who hurt you just doesn’t deserve it, and all you can do is forgive yourself for blocking their number or shredding their letters. Best lyric: “I know I’m just a wrinkle in your new life / staying friends would iron it out so nice.”

15. evermore feat. Bon Iver To close out the standard edition of the album, Taylor joins forces once again with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, with whom she collaborated on the Grammy-nominated duet, “exile” for folklore. However, Swift leads most of the track this time, lamenting the difficult time she went through in 2016. The piano and Swift’s vocals are haunting, particularly when she describes this time in her life as “catching my death,” consumed by a pain that she feels will never end. If you’ve ever been depressed, you know what that feels like, and the dark places it leads you. Although she is singing about a time four years prior, it sounds so present, and it is heartbreaking to hear her in such a state. When Bon Iver comes in, the tempo of the song picks up, the piano riff becomes more erratic, like a winter storm hitting you in the face, and he voices all the anxieties of the cost of such a downfall. But through those anxieties, Taylor finds not a cure, but an anchor in love, and then the tempo slows back down. By the end of the song, Taylor has the foresight to understand that although it may not feel like it now, the pain she is experiencing is not permanent (a sentiment my therapist has been trying to instill in me for years). In her Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, Taylor explained how the lyrics parallel the times we are in currently, and so it feels really special to have the album end with someone who knows how it feels to be imprisoned by your pain gently comfort us with the wisdom that “this pain wouldn’t be for evermore.” I hope one day soon, as we leave 2020 far behind, we can all truly believe her. Best lyric: “I was catching my breath / barefoot in the wildest winter catching my death.”

16. right where you left me (bonus track) The first bonus track on evermore, “right where you left me,” captures a moment so earth-crushing, a piece of you is trapped in it forever. In this song specifically, the narrator finds herself stuck in the same corner of a restaurant where she was told by someone she loved that they had met someone else. “Glass shattered on the white cloth, everybody moved on,” she sings in mourning. We have all experienced those moments that we could teleport back to if we just closed our eyes; the scenery, what you wore, the smell and taste of the season, the very point in your body where it felt like your insides were collapsing. Or that one particular person, who is long-gone from your life but seeing them is like time-travelling back to that person you once were, ready to pick up where you left off. But as much as you want to stay in that moment forever, just in case it changes in your favor, the cold reality is that the world stops for no one. Best lyric: “If our love died young, I can’t bear witness / And it’s been so long, but if you ever think you got it wrong / I’m right where you left me.”

17. it’s time to go (bonus track) “right where you left me” was Taylor’s cry for help to get out of restaurant, and “it’s time to go” is the answer to the call, as she sings in the first line, “when the dinner gets cold, and the chatter gets old / you ask for the tab.” This song is about gathering the strength to leave situations and relationships behind that no longer serve you. She grieves the betrayal of someone she thought to be a twin from her dreams (almost definitely referring to former friend, Karlie Kloss), acknowledges that keeping a marriage together for the sake of the kids often actually has the opposite intended effect (possibly- but not certainly- something she and her brother experienced), and recounts attempting to bargain with someone consumed by greed, only able to leave with herself (absolutely referring to the end of her fifteen-year long business relationship with Scott Borchetta, her former record-label owner). But as painful as leaving all of those situations was, Taylor has gained the wisdom to understand that walking away sometimes takes as much strength as persevering. You can’t stay at the restaurant, or at the mercy of someone else forever; you have to forge your own path, even if it’s in the opposite direction of what you envisioned for so long. And even with all her past success behind her, as folklore and evermore have proved, there is so much more ahead of her. Best lyric: “That old familiar body ache, the snaps from the same little breaks in your soul / You know when it’s time to go.”

In a time where we are all trapped in our homes and in our heads, the folklore/evermore experience has been the sweetest escape. If anything, the creation of these wonderful sister records has taught me that our most powerful tool in times of distress is our own imagination. Even just the ability to close my eyes while listening to one of these tracks and feel the character’s story is a gift. The way I’ve always been able to pick up Harry Potter and escape to Hogwarts when I’ve felt alone and friendless, I can listen to folklore and evermore when I feel scared or hopeless and escape into this enchanted forest Taylor has built, where I can climb above the trees and see it all for what it is. I feel so lucky to watch Taylor’s imaginative world unravel around me. I can’t wait to see what she creates next.

DISCLAIMER – REVIEWER’S BIAS: I would literally die for this bitch.

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braceletofteeth · 3 years

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"His concept of art makes no sense." Yes, that's been boggling my mind forever. If there were always a transformative aspect to it or something (which I assumed to be the case because of his little arts and crafts table), it'd make sense. But... there isn't really? Hannibal's kills are pretty consistent (TV show, not sure about the books) with his lofty ideals of transformation, elevating things etc. whereas Moonjo keeps confusing me. (Another rewatch for analytic purposes is necessary, huh?)

This has been running through my head for days and still I'm not sure I can give you a good answer (it's not my first time talking about it, but I don't have a very steady opinion on the matter). I'll try to stick to reason as much as I can.

Let's start with what we know. Moonjo has said about what he does: "I break things up, put them together, and recreate".

Now, that could be him talking about his little craft work with jewelry (even though I think the more appropriate word, in this case, would be "take" instead of "break up", since the teeth are material to him, not remainders—he doesn't break the material, he acquires/collects it from a source). That could be it, but based on the final result of his "masterpiece", let's consider he values his work on people more.

Then, the transformative aspect, in this case, it’s not off the table. In his own way, he’s elevating gruesome acts, people’s nature, and murder, all to the level of art.

Since you mentioned Hannibal and is aware of his methods, I think is safe for me to make a brief comparison between them. Consider Hannibal’s tableaus first. The only people involved in the making of them are Hannibal and his victims (his material); then his art pieces are presented to the world, and the rest of the world’s role is of the audience. You may take it in with horror or awe, but the work is done; you’re not supposed to physically interact with his art, because you’re not part of it.

Moonjo’s art, on the other hand, is interactive. He’s an artist who inserts himself in the art he makes (beyond the part where he kills the victims; he dedicates a longer time to them). Other people may interact with it, too (although I would not recommend it). Everybody has partial free will and can make their own decisions, as long as they are in tune with the rules and the desired ending—if they are not, these people are taken (quite literally) out of the play.

I mainly refer to Moonjo’s art as “performances”, because it’s always a single-watch show, with no records to tell they actually happened but the teeth he collects (which I believe are some sort of souvenirs, little reminiscences Why does he put them in rings instead of just keeping them? Good question. I don’t really understand their purpose either.).

It begins with him finding someone to play the main role—usually of a person driven insane before they die (as I believe was the case of the previous people who lived at Eden), but, most recently, the role he tried to fit the foreign guy (the one who used to live in room 303 and had a very concerning diary) and Kihyuk into, but only Jongwoo performed with honors: of the man who had a killer confined under his skin, yet to be freed from his shell (I say “freed” but someone else could say “ripped out”, it depends on your interpretation. The point is Moonjo having a role in their becoming, since it seems important to him that he does, one way or another).

After he chooses this person, there is all the theatrics involving the other tenants at Eden, the manipulation of reality that makes people question what they know, what is right, who they can trust, why are other humans like this and, you know, what the hell in general. Let’s not forget that Moonjo is not only the self-inserted artist, but also the main audience of the show. He enjoys watching people getting confused, losing their cool, being confronted with truths about themselves and with the realities they are afraid of. He wants to know what they will do in the unusual situations he creates for them.

Normal life is so boring, isn’t it? Go to work, make money, look like a perfectly decent human being to appease others. What a (cruel, demanding, annoying) joke. Moonjo has to play the same boring role everyday, like everyone does to thrive in society. He's the neighbourhood's nice doctor outside. But not when he's at the residence. In his society, he chooses the roles, and people have to play by his rules if they want to survive. That’s what it means to be a god in this little paradise called Eden. It may not be a good place for the rest, but it’s perfect for him. The normal world is too dull and lacks flair. But not Eden (as a concept, not the building, of course). A place which came out of a dream, that you’d expect in a movie or in a dark painting, with distorted faces that give you nightmares.

The horror of it all—that’s the real art. Carefully shaped immorality. To him, the route that leads you to your death is as important as the the final act's execution. Perhaps, it is the process what he enjoys the most. Because there is a story behind it, a story he creates himself. You don’t “just die”.

So when Moonjo looks at Jongwoo and says they do something similar, it’s because they really do. They create their own world. Jongwoo’s is a fictional one, a safe environment where he can explore his thoughts and desires without anyone getting hurt (or judging him), and Moonjo’s little world may look more real at first, but it’s all his reflection. Eden, without him, without his vision, is just a place where people go to be tortured and die. Moonjo and his experimentation of human nature give meaning to it. He’s a man with a philosophy... an artistic, romanticized philosophy. He’s not doing it for anyone other than himself and his own appreciation.

He doesn’t care about recognition, or any kind of opinion about what he does, good or bad. Till Jongwoo, he was perfectly fine out of the radar and only sharing what was necessary with the other residents (they would not understand him, anyway).

There is a scene, in the last episode, where Jongwoo asks him “Why do you do this?” and Moonjo responds “There is no reason. That’s what people are made of. It’s your instinct to chew each other out when we’re with one another, then grow tired as we watch them suffer”, and I’m not sure if it was actually him and not Jongwoo’s subconscious self (the hallucination or the alter persona or the version of him that Jongwoo presented to the world in his story I have to worry about so many details because of the last episode Istg the ending only complicates everything), but considering the option he did say that at some point… It kinda matches the “I don’t want to hide myself and I’m tired of everyone's pretenses” mindset, doesn’t it? And there is also another scene (that I’m almost one hundred percent sure truly happened), in which he asks Jongwoo “You had fun when you killed everyone here, didn’t you?”, which supports the idea of him doing it for entertainment (and expecting Jongwoo to do the same). Observe that when he says “(…) then grow tired as we watch them suffer”, he makes use of the word then, which suggests that he is definitely not tired (bored) as he chews them out. On the contrary, he is having fun, as much as Jongwoo must have had when he took his place.

So there are these two motivations that (may) converge when it comes to his art: to create a romanticized, utopian reality, crafted by his hands; and a source of entertainment.

#answered #strangers from hell #Writing this I remembered something I've read somewhere:#[hell is just heaven for bad people]#I have no idea who said that #but I’m using it to explain why Moonjo’s crafted reality is utopian #and not dystopian (as most of us would think)#anon (and anyone else) if you've read all this: thank you. your faith in my madness is appreciated #I know it may have seemed like I romanticized things. But that's what Moonjo does #and it's easier to explain his art when you try to think like him #You may also have noticed I did not talk about the bracelet (only the rings)#this thing deserves its own post (I'm still working on it Istg)#but most of my interpretations for it could match this analysis somehow #not all though #things get a little complicated when you put Jongwoo in the equation #he mattered to Moonjo more than he was supposed to #so it's hard to compare him with his other works #Moonjo wouldn't want us to put them on the same level #and I tried to respect that as much as I could #anyway. if anon or anyone else would like to add to this (no matter how) remember you're always welcome.

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