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The Resistance Interview [STYLE Series #004 - Muse (August 2010)]

Rock is supposed to be uplifting. It's the kind of thing that makes you feel okay about taking on the world, and I wanted to get that part of me back.

The three members of Muse have never hesitated to take their music to a level of expression that would normally be considered “a little too far,” and have always delivered music that is supremely dramatic, hilariously moving, and never betrays us. What is Matthew's intention for “The Resistance,” a masterpiece that combines the experimental and the popular, the highbrow and the vulgar? Before the album's release, Matthew carefully answered our questions about the background of the lyrics and sound-making of the album.

Muse - Matthew Bellamy - The Resistance / Author: Craig Mclean/ Lucy McGregor / Norbert Pek / ©IFA-Amsterdam, 2010 Translation by Aki Tamura

With their 2006 album “Black Holes and Revelations,” the three members of Muse took a step or two forward from the influences of 90's alternative guitar bands and the dramatic, symphonic production of Queen, and created a unique world where progressive rock experimentation and pop sensibilities coexist beautifully. The three members have created a world that only Muse can create. With their success in the U.S., they became more and more confident and finally started to work on a self-produced album. The fifth album they completed, titled “The Resistance,” is both challenging and dramatic. The lyrics evoke images even more than the previous album, and the sound is larger in scale. The result is a work that combines the richness and dynamism of a stadium live performance with the subtlety and literacy of a literary element.

Here is an interview with Matthew Bellamy about “The Resistance” conducted prior to “A Seaside Rendezvous,” Muse's triumphant outdoor show held on September 4th and 5th, 2009, in their hometown of Teignmouth. The following are Matthew's remarks by theme from the same interview about “The Resistance”.

Matthew Bellamy laughs, “Whenever the electrician here comes over, he always brings a T-shirt and a CD.” 31-year old Matthew James Bellamy has just finished dinner at his mother's house in Plymouth, Devon. The mailbox at his parents' house is full of letters from local fans and school alumni in anticipation of Marilyn (Matthew's mother) telling her celebrity son to give it to him to read. Matthew is back in England for band rehearsals and currently resides in Lake Como, Italy (perhaps Nick Chester is a neighbor?) — he was very happy to be there. Chris Wolstenholme (bassist for Muse) had called about two hours earlier to inform him that after some political wrangling, permission had finally been granted for a two-day triumphant return to the Teignmouth Den, an outdoor venue in this small country town where the band used to frequent. The news was good.

“We had a meeting with the town council today,” Matthew explains. “This is the first time we've ever done a proper show in town. We're very happy to finally get permission to do this. We've never played there before. It's a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere, with not a single venue for a live show. But there was a really cool square by the beach, and as kids we always thought it would be great to play there someday. And that someday is finally here,” he said, his voice rising with emotion.

In order to get permission for the gig, Chris had to go directly to the town council to make the case for the band's position on the occasion of the first public performance of songs from their fifth album, "The Resistance."

"He thought he was the right person for the job, because he's lived here all his life, and neither I nor Dom (Dominic Howard, drummer) live here anymore," Matthew explains. "He did a great job of getting a lot of his local friends and fans together, and he did a really good job of making the case." Does that mean that every single one of Matthew's nostalgic old school friends will be there on the day of the gig?

"No doubt about it," he chuckled. "Shortly after that, three letters arrived at my mum's house, all saying, “Please, can you get us tickets?” I think the venue there can accommodate about 7,000 people, but I guess half of them will be treated as guests." (In fact, one Internet post about the gig even pleaded, “My husband taught at Teignmouth Community College for 34 years and just recently retired…. I would love to get us tickets so that he can see his former students in their finest hour of glory. Could someone please help me?")

Twelve years after leaving town, and fifteen years after forming the band in high school (although the original band name, “Rocket Baby Dolls,” has been abandoned out of embarrassment in the meantime), Muse is finally making a triumphant return to their old hometown. "The Resistance" is arguably the band's most ambitious work to date, and that's saying a lot for a band whose sound is a blend of arena-style rock anthems, epic space rock, and grand futuristic sensibilities.

Some have mocked the band's emphasis on showmanship over songwriting, and have criticized Muse as stuck in a time warp. But fans and most critics agree that they are currently the best live act in the world.

“We've always been interested in the polarity of things. We like to go back and forth between the two extremes. It's a roller coaster journey full of peaks and valleys.”

The mix of classical and progressive hit patterns and uplifting riffs is simply irresistible fun. Recorded for the first time in the band's own studio in Italy without any help from a producer, The Resistance opens with its first single, “Uprising”. Matthew sings of his love of conspiracy theories — "They'll try to, push drugs that keep us all dumbed down/And hope that we will never see the truth around" as his voice chants "Hey!" like a football field chant on every snare. It's the same kind of love that drives the album's title track (“Love is our resistance/They'll keep us apart and they won't stop breaking us down”) and the 80s pop-tinged of “Undisclosed Desires” (“I want to reconcile the violence in your heart”), is a familiar theme in Muse's songs. The glam guitar solo of “MK Ultra” is followed by the smooth piano pop of “I Belong to You (+Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix)” (the latter part of the title is a reference from the opera “Samson and Delilah”). With a romantic piano accompaniment, Matt sings sweetly, “I can't find the words to say/When I'm confused/I've traveled half the world to say /"You are my muse"”…… The song then builds to an epic, choir-driven musical climax. Even more surprisingly, “United States of Eurasia,” reminiscent of Queen's rock opera, rivals “Knights of Cydonia” in terms of sheer scale.

—In “The Resistance,” there is a frequent contrast between “us” and “them.” For example, in “Uprising,” you sing, “They will not force us/They will stop degrading us/They will not control us/We will be victorious.” As a rather wealthy and socially successful young man, who is “us” and who is “them”? Matthew: (laughs) The first one especially, that's a real “us” and “them” song.

—I know you like well-made conspiracy suspense stuff……. Matthew: Yeah, I love all that stuff. But the funny thing is, there are much more gruesome things going on in the real world these days than that stuff. Like the whole damn banks and MPs thing (supposedly alluding to the big scandal that has recently come to light in the UK (2009) where several MPs have been charged for obscure expenses). There is a level of depravity and corruption going on in our government and in our banks that the average citizen would find hard to believe. These two institutions are supposed to be serving us, but it turns out that they have been ripping us off with impunity. This is not a fantasy, this is a very real event, it is not a conspiracy or anything like that. Oh, in a way, I'm expressing my vague disappointment here. The moment I realized that corruption still exists. Maybe that's “them” and “us” is everyone else who has to pay for it.

—Now, are you satisfied with the quality of “The Resistance”? Matthew: Pretty good, yeah. I think we hit the nail on the head with this album. We took a bit of a gamble. We did some things we've never done before. We weren't sure how it would be received, but it seems that most people like it. The order of the songs on this album is pretty much in the same order as we recorded them.

—I was just about to check that out. I mean, the progression of the album is like the unfolding of a movie. There's a lot of action, and then it converges into a big circle. I don't think it's strictly a concept album, but did you have a concept behind the whole thing? Matthew: Yeah, I had some ideas. I had the opportunity to re-read "1984" (George Orwell's novel), and I think everyone knows the content of that book, but this time I wanted to take a look at the background behind the so-called political unrest and problematic elements in that book. I was really drawn to the romantic tragedy part of it. I wanted to give the same kind of feeling to "The Resistance," but with a modern political context. "Uprising" incorporates many events that are currently happening around the world. We recorded the song as we were writing it. As you can hear when you listen to it, we're picking up right where we left off musically with the rhythmic chants of "we're all working together against them" kind of thing. The first two songs on the album are probably what people expect from us. But from there, the album starts to get weirder and weirder.

Picture: The three members at the 35th annual O2 Silver Clef Award presented by Nordoff Robbins, a British charity that provides music therapy to people with illnesses and disabilities, on July 2, 2010. Presenters were Brian May & Roger Taylor of Queen. The charity auction included signed guitars. pic: Dave Hogan/Getty Images

—Perhaps new listeners will respond more directly to the second half of the album. Did you intend to be clear about how you wanted to start and end the album? Matthew: We have always been a band interested in the polarities of things. For example, one person might be singing, and then all of a sudden everyone is singing. It's like a raw solo voice and then all of a sudden it switches to a loud choir……. Something very subtle to very loud, or something loud and flashy to very restrained and subtle all at once. We always like to move back and forth between these extremes, and we are attracted to that kind of thing. Why we are attracted to such things is still a mystery to me. It's like a roller coaster ride of peaks and valleys, where you get your hopes up and then you get dropped with a thud, and so on and so forth. But I think the ending of the album is quite interesting. It's a quiet, understated ending.

—It's different from your usual approach, isn't it? Matthew: No, it's not.

—You will be making your triumphant return to your hometown in a short time, and you already have tour dates lined up for the rest of the year? Matthew: Yeah, it's a tight schedule through the summer. It starts with a gig in Plymouth, then a gig in my hometown, and it goes on and on from there. Most of them are short TV stuff, like the one we just did in the US for MTV. Then we'll do a few in Berlin and Paris as a meet and greet. But the real tour will be with U2. We're going to tour the U.S. with them for a couple of weeks. It's going to be interesting (laughs). Our main tour will start after that. The U2 tour will be a warm-up for us to get back in gear and also to see their shows up close and see how they do it…….

—Do you mean "The Claw" (as U2's ‘360° Tour’ set is nicknamed is a huge steel structure that looks like a claw. It's a four-legged set of steel claw-like frames, 40-60 meters high)? Matthew: “The Claw”, yes, I'm looking forward to seeing that. Our tour will start after that and last until December. We are hoping to play the Big Day Out (an outdoor festival in Australia) if possible.

—Tell us about “United States of Eurasia”. It has a cool Queen-style break and strings that remind me of Led Zeppelin's “Kashmir,” with Muse's signature subtle touch. What criteria do you use to decide if you want to go too far or not? What is “too much” for Muse? Matthew: We are very self conscious as to whether or not we have gone too far. The song “The only one!” (the part of the multi-track with the “Bohemian Rhapsody”-style vocals) can be found at …… I think anyone can't help but pump their fist in the air in a Freddie Mercury pose when they sing that one (laughs). But when we were working in the studio, we were totally aware of that. We thought, "Let's look back at what we've done with the past albums." Not that this is the case with all of our albums, but we've tried a few times in the past to keep the flow from going too melodramatic or extreme. It happened once.

—Really? Because I think Muse has always been melodramatic enough (laughs). Matthew: For this album, we produced it ourselves, so there was no one telling us what to do. So we thought, “Why not? We should have fun and laugh our hearts out!"And that's what we did, and that's how it turned out.

—I'm wondering if your theatrical side is well received in the U.S.A.? To be honest, I have the impression that Muse's popularity there has so far not reached the same level as in the UK, etc……. Is that situation changing already? Are big mouths working to your advantage, or is it the other way around? Matthew: Well, I would say that the tables have turned now. Apparently, people in the U.S. like that stuff more than people in the U.K. In the U.K., there is a kind of saturation of rock music with those elements. Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, etc., have a history of that kind of thing. But I don't think people are sick of it. They're much more interested in what's going on right now. Whereas in the U.S., and maybe even in Australia, that aspect of music exists more as something to be genuinely enjoyed. It's an element that has been missing from rock music in the past 5 or 10 years. The music of the 90's took itself too seriously and became very serious, and sometimes lost all interest. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but I don't want to forget that rock music is supposed to be fun. Rock music is supposed to be uplifting. It makes you feel like you can take on the world. I wanted to bring that back.

—Another unprecedented change in “The Resistance” is the very frankness of your feelings, especially in the latter half of the album. Is the song “Undisclosed Desires” a direct reflection of your relationship with your girlfriend? You've never written a song that was so public about your private life, have you? Matthew: Yeah, that's something that I've been wondering about for a long time. Personally, I don't like songwriters who bring their “domestic life” into their songs. I get bored listening to them. That song is certainly …… Well, it's not totally domestic, but there's a lot of personal stuff in it. I think that's one of the things I'm testing myself on. I don't know if I'm really ready to bring that kind of element to Muse... But on the other hand, publicly revealing what's going on with my family, my best friend, or my girlfriend in a way that is clearly recognizable is not what I want to do. Of course, I'm sure those things are in the songs, but I try to put them in a different cloak so that they're not obvious at first glance. Sometimes I make them more graphic than they really are, and sometimes I put a melodramatic spin on them, depending on how I use pronouns. Conversely, depending on the context in which it is placed, it is possible to tell a more open story about oneself. Sometimes I really let it all hang out in the lyrics. In the end, you have to cut out your true feelings. It's a strange contradiction, a strange paradox. If I say, “This is a story about me and my girlfriend,” then of course I'm limited in what I can say. But if I put myself in a different scenario, for example, on this album, I can use the dramatic political backdrop to create a romance…… With that kind of setting, I can explore a lot of ideas without having to be so honest.

"Up until now, we had been holding back the flow to prevent it from going too melodramatic."

—To be honest, how well do you think your fans know you? Do you feel any familiarity with them? Matthew: Well, when I think back to when I used to listen to records and go to concerts of various bands, I feel a certain closeness to the bands I follow because I feel like I'm in direct contact with their thoughts and feelings. It's an extraordinary experience for the fans. We throw a lot of stuff at them on stage. Our fans probably know a little bit about me, and maybe that makes them feel like they know me better than someone in my family, and maybe they feel closer to me. But having said that, my family knows a completely different side of me than they do. There are many sides to people, aren't there? I think that when you put that kind of multifaceted humanity into music, you feel an undeniable connection between the sender and the receiver. I feel that when I play. I feel very close to the people who are watching me. I feel great that they are there to see me, and I feel great that they are seeing what we are expressing, which can only be experienced in that moment, in that place. It's really great.

—You performed with an orchestra in the three-part symphony “Exogenesis.” What was it like to hear a song you wrote played in that way? Matthew: I was surprised and extremely nervous (laughs). I thought, "They're going to laugh, they're going to think it's so cheesy and rudimentary." Because they usually spend their time playing masterpieces by really great composers. But it turned out very well, and I really enjoyed the recording process from start to finish. I had the opportunity to work with the entire orchestra, and finally made some last-minute changes to the score to get a better idea of what they were capable of. It was a great experience. It was amazing to hear my own compositions played by so many people. It was an experience like nothing else.

“I re-read 1984 shortly before we started work on the album. I wanted to do something that was more relevant to our time, not something based on a dream.”

—Now, I'm very interested in how you will reproduce the songs from this album live. Maybe with an orchestra in the background? Matthew: I was seriously thinking about doing a live show. But just last week we started rehearsing and realized that Dom, Chris, and I could do our parts surprisingly easily. We have a fourth member who plays with us, Morgan (Nicholls), who plays synthesizer, keyboards, and piano parts as needed. We basically just leave it to him and say, “Take care of this!" So he is in a panic even as I speak, because he has to play all those symphony parts on the keyboards, hahaha. Well, I will probably have to use more samples and electronics than before, but I'd rather play a live version than just reproduce the studio version as is. However, I still don't know if I will play “Exogenesis” live or not, or if I will include it in my regular set. Maybe only at festivals. We want to add a little fun to the show.

[About the lyrics.] —What kind of work did you have in mind for “The Resistance”? Matthew: I had read “1984” once when I was a teenager (Editor's note: A novel by British author George Orwell published in 1949. In Japan, a new translation of “1984” by Kazuhisa Takahashi was published by Hayakawa epi Bunko in 2009 and attracted a great deal of attention.), but at the time it didn't leave me with any particular impression. I happened to have a chance to read it again shortly before I started working on this album. I was watching all the news that was going on in the world right now, such as the economic crisis, the banking crisis, and the embezzlement scandal of a member of the House of Commons (in the U.K.)……. I wanted to make an album that was more closely related to the reality of the times we are living in, and not something based on a dream.

—In the lyrics of “Uprising”, you use the word “they” frequently. For example, there is a line “they want to control us,” but who are these “they”? Matthew: People who listen to the album can interpret the meaning however they like. I know who “they” are in “Uprising,” but the interesting thing is that it can be very different depending on the situation. For example, if you are in the resistance, you may feel that the police are trying to forcefully suppress you. Then “they” would be the police. Or perhaps the protagonist lives in China, where freedom is being taken away by a communist regime. Well, that could be any government. But what strikes me as particularly strong is what is called “corporate fundamentalism.” In other words, the industrial system that rules the world. Power is concentrated in the hands of a handful of large corporations, maybe even the magazine you are writing about is owned by one of them. They own TV stations, and sometimes they control all the natural resources of an entire country. They are so powerful, sometimes more powerful than the government. When I say "they", I mean those people. They are the ones who create economic crises.

—In “The Resistance,” you sound as if you're scared of something. You say you are concerned about whether your secret is safe and that you can't trust anyone. Matthew: I definitely have paranoid schizophrenic tendencies. But anyway, I saw on the news that there is a big scandal in the UK about government spending, and there is a movement against government policy. People have decided not to support the current government anymore. There are wars going on all over the place, and most English people want nothing to do with them. I began to think that this whole situation could be the subject of an album, so I started doing some research. First, I went back to 1984. I was very impressed with the love story in that book. It's a very tragic story. The lyrics of "The Resistance" were very much inspired by the love story in "1984".

—The album closes with the three-part symphony “Exogenesis. It seems that the title was taken from a new theory about the creation of mankind……………… Matthew: The original idea for “Exogenesis” has been around since our third album. The dazzling piano part in part 2 was something I kept messing around with while we were working on “Absolution”. But at the time, it just didn't seem like it would work for a rock band, so I ended up throwing it away, but the song itself was inspired by that theory. The lyrics are minimal. The song is based on a fictional sci-fi movie that I imagined in my head, part one of which follows an end-of-the-world scenario, a nightmarish hellscape where everything comes to an end. In Part 1, a few astronauts are selected and given the mission to take humanity somewhere beyond the cosmos in order to save the species. In part 2, we see them leave Earth with hopes and fears for the future. In Part 3, they arrive on an unknown planet and begin a new evolutionary process. But in the process of evolution, it is revealed that human DNA is moving through the universe in a certain cycle, and this time is no exception. The evolutionary bag is passed down through the generations, transported to various types of stars, and then dropped off. So that's what Part 3 is about.

"Up until now, there have always been some parts where we weren't sure if we were right, but now we have a firm sense of confidence."

[About the sound aspect] —Your previous album “Black Holes and Revelations” had quite a few heavy songs, such as “Take a Bow” and “Knights of Cydonia”. Did you feel like going a little lighter with “The Resistance” in light of that? Matthew: Well, there were songs that were kind of the cornerstone of the album's safety standards, and they became the first and second songs on the album. Those were the first two songs we recorded when we started the recording process, and the first songs we were happy with. They were what you would call standard Muse rock songs. We thought that because we had that song, we could explore other areas. Starting with a rock song, we felt we had to do something different and unusual. As work on the album progressed, we started doing weirder and weirder things. For example, “Undisclosed Desires” is an electronic song where I don't play anything but Chris plays slap (chopper) bass. Then there's “Exogenesis,” which has a classical influence and sounds like a 70's prog song. And we decided to make it a three-part symphony. So, I started out just trying to make a good song, but as I went along, I decided to try something a little more risqué. And each time I tried something new, I got more and more excited, and finally I decided to make a symphony.

—When and at what stage did you first decide to create a classical symphony format? Matthew: I had been playing some of the piano parts on that song for years, but it was never my intention to make it a Muse song. But when I played it to Dom and Chris, they liked it so much that we decided to give it a try. The best thing about this song was that we were able to work on it in our studio. We didn't have any time constraints, we didn't have any restrictions, so we were able to try out all the ideas we had and figure them out.

—Do you have to keep changing things up musically so that you don't get bored? Matthew: I think we are always looking for something exciting, something that will always stimulate us and make us feel like we have discovered something new. There's nothing better in life. Artists are always looking for something. Especially at milestones in one's life and at times of change in the world. When you are faced with these two things, you always want to try something different.

—But didn't you want to play that classical tune part earlier? Matthew: No, I wasn't planning on making it into a song. To me, it was just like a phrase to practice on the piano. I was just playing around with it. I didn't know how to incorporate bass and drums into it, much less guitars and orchestration. It was purely piano solo material. But for this album, I decided to make the piano part into something that could be played with the band.

―It sounds like it's more difficult than a "normal" song, but was it actually difficult to make? Matthew: It wasn't hard for me. Basically, whatever I'm comfortable with is relatively easy to understand. It just takes me a long time to get used to it. When you listen to Middle Eastern or Indian music, it seems very difficult to understand, but for the people who are actually making it, it's very simple. But when you try to explain it in words, it sounds very complicated. They use completely different sounds and scales than we normally use. But for them, it's not difficult at all. The strange thing about this album is that it is the easiest album we have ever made. And by easy, I mean that there was no doubt in our minds. With our previous albums, there was always a part of us that wasn't sure if we were doing the right thing. But now we have solid confidence. I think this is because we are comfortable with the style we have now. It's a pure Muse album, no outsiders, no record company, no management, no producers to impose their opinions. It is purely the work of me, Dom, and Chris.

—Was it difficult for you to record the album on your own? Matthew: People react in many different ways when they are thrown out on their own and told to do as they please. Some people are at a complete loss because they don't know what to do, while others, on the other hand, are motivated by a competitive spirit and work hard. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we were the latter.

—Your band members must have been surprised at times, too. This album contains not only classical music, but also French lyrics and electro-pop. It's quite a variety. Matthew: I don't know, maybe it's just a coincidence that we met in the same town, but we are musically compatible. Chris has always been open to different sounds. Dom is the same way. I think this kind of thing probably has an influence on what kind of town you were born and raised in, or what kind of childhood you had. I don't know. But I think our band has an openness to all kinds of things, and I think that creates an atmosphere that allows us to break away from the norm, even in terms of our feelings.

“When you've been working with an outsider's opinion for so long, it makes you want to re-evaluate what your pure, unadulterated form was like.”

—You have always been open about your influences. For example, on your last album you said you wanted to do something with Prince. Was the opening track “Uprising” on this album inspired by Goldfrapp? Matthew: No, no, no. Glam rock originated back in the 70's, with Gary Glitter and the like. There are definitely elements of glam rock from many different eras in this song. The most recent being the well-known Goldfrapp, who did an electronic version of glam rock. But have you heard of KLF? They have a song called “Doctor Who,” and “Uprising” was inspired by the synthesizer featured in that song (Note: KLF is the house unit of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty. Matthew's reference to “Doctor Who” is actually “Doctorin' The Tardis,” which was released under the name The Timelords before they called themselves KLF, and is an unauthorized sampling of the theme song from the popular long-running BBC science fiction drama "Doctor Who." (The original song was created in 1963 and has been rearranged several times since then.)). The melody is very similar to “Doctor Who”. It's a combination of influences from Gary Glitter and “Doctor Who” and, yes, maybe a little bit of Goldfrapp. There are a lot of pop artists doing glam rock these days. Britney Spears did it on "Womanizer". However, we wanted to put a guitar in there, so in that sense it was a risky genre.

—Is this the first time you have recorded in Lake Como, Italy? Matthew: We had done the B-side of the single “Man of Mystery,” which was on the cover of NME many years ago. But this is the first time I've done a full album (“The Resistance”). It was also the first time I recorded an entire album from start to finish in the same studio. The only string part was done in a studio in Milan, but that only took two days. All the performances by me, Dom, and Chris were done in the same studio. With our previous albums, we had always moved from one live-in studio to another, so it was great to be able to settle down in one place and work with the acoustics of the room thoroughly.

—You (three) produced the album all by yourselves. This is also a first for Muse. Matthew: We really wanted to try it once, without any outside input, and let ourselves be free to do what we wanted to do. Of course, an objective point of view can be valuable, but after working with outside opinions for so long, we wanted to see what our pure, unadulterated form was like. That was my approach going into this album. I wanted to take a no-holds-barred approach to the music, both in terms of production and songwriting.

—The single “Uprising,” the album's title track, and “United States of Eurasia” are bold, large-scale, highly detailed rock songs, reminiscent of Queen at their peak. Were there any challenges in writing and recording these songs? Matthew: Most of the songs were a challenge in their own way. The first songs we recorded were “Uprising,” “Resistance,” and “MK Ultra,” which we felt were following a style we were familiar with. They all sounded like typical Muse songs. We decided to start there and finish them all at once. Of the three songs, I think “Uprising” was the one I burned through the most. Playing shuffle beats all day long was quite a struggle. It took us a long time to get it right because we weren't used to this style. But once we finished recording those three songs, we felt we had a solid foothold for the backbone of the album, which is the relatively traditional Muse songs. With that feeling, we decided to go out on a limb with the rest of the songs on the album.

—"I Belong to You" is very un-Muse-like, isn't it? Matthew: Yeah, it's much more pop and upbeat. I've never been a big fan of the Beatles, but I definitely see Paul McCartney's influence on that song, from the “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” era. Or “Pet Sounds” (by the Beach Boys), the sound of the so-called “60s,” when anything was possible when it came to music. I added a bass clarinet solo and it sounded like the theme music for a BBC children's cartoon. We all had a lot of fun. Every time we listened to that song again, it made us all feel good……. On our recent albums, we've tried not to be too heavy in a lot of places, because the older albums tended to be a bit darker overall.

Picture: The two other members of the band, except for Chris, who is now a father of five children, seem to be enjoying the rock 'n' roll life. They have become celebrities in the U.S., but there is no sense of flirtation.

—I also think that for most rock bands, creating a three-part symphony (like “Exogenesis”) would be considered an arrogant and irreverent act of folly. But, if there is a band that can pull it off, Muse is the only band on the scene today that can do it. Matthew: I think there has always been a slight classical element in our music. Over the years, this has become more and more prevalent, especially in concerts, where there are many people who respond favorably to the so-called “epic” songs. I think that gradually we began to think that it would be acceptable to do something a little more elaborate along those lines. However, even in that symphony, we were careful to let the emotion of the music be the star and the driving force. We didn't want to show off our technique or ability. That's why there are no solos for each part or anything like masturbation. I just wanted it to be a soundtrack to a very contemporary movie.

—Speaking of soundtracks, did you have a good experience working on the soundtrack for the Hollywood suspense film “The International”? (Ed. note: The 2009 action suspense film starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. Matthew is credited for the song titled “The Bank of the Fallen Colossus: End Title.) Matthew: Yes, definitely. I did it more as a chance to get used to orchestral software than anything else. All film composers these days are writing songs using computer software for scores. Instead of writing by hand the old-fashioned way, you just have to type it out like you would type. I learned a lot about the software, and I was able to contribute ideas to the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, which was playing the soundtrack to the film at the time. That gave me a little bit of confidence, because I got to hear a live orchestra play and reproduce the melody, the parts, and the arrangement that I had created. And I started to think, if I can do this, then of course I can do it in Muse. It gave me a lot of confidence.

[About personal life and band] —There was another new scandal recently. It is about a British tabloid newspaper that has been tapping the phones of celebrities. Have you ever been afraid that your phone might be tapped? Matthew: I don't know, I never really thought about that. They are only interested in people whose private lives are intriguing to the general public. They're insanely famous people.. We as a band and as individuals don't expose our personal lives to the public that much. I don't think there is anyone out there who is interested in my personal life. I have no complaints about that.

"We're probably the type of band that's allowed to incorporate more theatrical elements into our gigs than other rock bands."

—What was the reaction of the other members of the band when you first told them you had decided to move to Italy? Matthew: Well, I don't know. But the great thing is that no one really cares when I'm over there. We're so busy touring and recording all the time that when we're on our own, we all disappear like spiders scattering. Some go to Australia, some go to New York, some go to London. In my case, I'm going to Italy. It's not a big deal.

—However, the recording for the last album was done in Italy, close to your home, wasn't it? Matthew: I had to do a lot of extra work on the album, so I asked the other members to come to Italy. It took some convincing, though. But maybe for the next album the studio will be in England.

—The latest R.E.M. album, “Accelerate,” is a very good album. They said they felt like they could be a band again with that album. On the earlier albums, they had been living in different places in the US and rarely played together anymore. Do you feel there is any danger of that? Matthew: We still spend more time with our members than we do with our families. Groups like R.E.M. are much older than us. I think when you get to that age, you don't tour as much for a long time anymore. We tour a lot more now than R.E.M. did. If we stopped touring and slowed down, say, to tour for 6 weeks and then take a few months off, I think it would be difficult. In our case, we spend most of our time together. That's more time than I spend with my girlfriend. We spend most of our time in hotels, on tour buses, in concert halls, or in studios. If that is going to decrease, it will be more important to live in the same place.

[About the live performance] —How is Muse going to get any bigger? Matthew: Well, I don't know if we can get any bigger, but we can get better. That's a fascinating thought. But the scale of our concerts will definitely get bigger. It's not your average rock concert. We're going to take a cue from “1984” and build on that by playing to an audience that surrounds us. It's something more theatrical. It's not opera, but it's as close as you can get.

—Is it like U2's “360° Tour”? Matthew: No, it's different. We have the audience behind us and in front of us. In a way, it's more like a Pink Floyd setting, like being trapped inside a building. It's a message of breaking out of the utilitarian system.

—So you want people to feel the atmosphere of “1984”? Matthew: Exactly. It's going to be exciting.

—Are you looking forward to the three-week U.S. tour with U2? Matthew: I think it's going to be a very simple, no-frills set. We'll be on stage in the daytime, so we won't need any lights. The tour is a great opportunity for us to get back into full-fledged live mode, and it's kind of like a rehabilitation program for us. And we get to see U2 up close and personal at night. I'll get to see how they do it. They are one of the biggest and best live acts in history. Also, it's a lot less pressure to be in the front of the lineup. You don't have to worry about video shoots, performers, and all the other stuff that goes along with being the main act, you just focus on your music. It's the perfect warm-up to get your body acclimated to the live mode.

—Muse is also known as one of the best live bands in the world, isn't it? How do you expect to top your last show in the U.K., where you played to 150,000 people at the renovated Wembley Stadium? Matthew: I try not to think too much about going over. We look at things differently every time. But I'm sure we'll have more of those balloon-dangling-performer gimmicks. We are probably the type of band that is allowed to incorporate more theatrical elements into our gigs than other rock bands. Of course, we'll be playing a selection of new songs from the new album. What we're looking forward to is trying to recreate that symphony live. I don't know if it will work, but it will probably be a Hans Zimmer-style synth version (Ed. note: German composer and synthesizer player famous for his film scores for “The Lion King,” “Gladiator,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” etc.).

#Matt Bellamy #Dom Howard #Chris Wolstenholme #Muse #The Resistance era #my scan #translation #interview #FINALLY done with this! #I've put lots of links to stuff that is worth listening to #seriously just listen to them all #especially Elīna Garanča's rendition of Camille Saint-Saëns' 'Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix' #it's tearfully beautiful #STYLE Series #STYLE Series 004

[thechekhov]

Hello! Just wanted to say I love all your content but I wanted to ask if you had any advice/tips for running curse of strahd? I'm working on getting ready to run it with some friends/my partner and while I've run a fair amount of homebrew stuff this is my real first attempt at a legit module so I was curious if you could share anything since I believe you also are running/had run that module as well?

Thanks for asking! This is a very fun question!

I have indeed run Curse of Strahd. It was my first foray into long-term DMing and my team and I finished that campaign a little under a year ago. It was awesome, and I'm always excited to talk about it. Curse of Strahd had be a great game if everyone is on the same page!

First of all, I'm gonna say

Having Experience with Homebrew will be a huge boon

When I ran CoS, I followed the actual module about... 60% of the time. It was good... as a baseline/blueprint. But the reality is that I changed up a lot of the details. Either because I didn't like the vibes of the story, or because the plot points were antithetical to my team's goals. I changed up an entire floor of Ravenloft. I threw away a whole storyline for a major NPC because I felt it was too boring.

I think most people who run Curse of Strahd do this, actually. I've heard countless tales of how others Homebrewed their own meat onto the skeleton, and still came out of the campaign with an awesome, Strahd flavored experience. So don't worry about that part.

Here's my advice:

1. Everyone should vibe with what Strahd IS as a game.

Strahd can be a lot of things - you can Homebrew your own motivations into him, or make him a her, or change the history of his castle if need be. But if there's one thing Curse of Strahd is... it is DARK.

The Venn Diagram of Parties Who Understand That Suffering Can Be Fun To Roleplay and Parties Who Had A Good Time Doing CoS is probably a circle. You cannot do this adventure with a group of people who just want to hit monsters a whole bunch. It's an inherently 'oh my god this SUCKS' adventure. That's the main theme. Your players need to be able to enjoy that sort of game, otherwise they will just be miserable.

One of my players, upon arriving in Barovia, immediately said 'I hate it here' and then continued to say it for the rest of the campaign. That is kind of the catchphrase of CoS. Your players need to be comfortable with that sort of bleak horror and overall misery. It makes the end and the potential to finally end Strahd worth it.

That being said, Strahd can also just be... a lot. It has death and torture and psychological horror in there. KIDS DIE. Please discuss this stuff with your table, and remove elements if they guarantee a bad experience for everyone!

(Yes, you can trim down some of the viscera if you need to, that's fine. But keep in mind it will still be tragic. It SHOULD still be tragic. I set some boundaries for myself, but I also killed a whole town in an avalanche. It happened to be the only town my players had grown to like. It was a dick move. It was exactly what you would expect to happen.)

2. Read ahead - A LOT AHEAD.

For a self-contained world, Barovia isn't actually that big. It's a very small map, compared to some that span continents. That means you have the ability to flesh it out, as it were.

To add to that... some areas are... severely underdeveloped plot-wise. Sometimes there are places your players will go where it FEELS like it should link up to another point in the game but it just... doesn't. There is room to expand there. Use your Homebrew skills to connect the dots that the module doesn't!

I greatly recommend taking the time to either read through the whole adventure OR listen through some video-essays. There IS some cool stuff that comes in in the later game that you can grab and put down breadcrumbs for from day one. Or add to your own story twists.

My recommended resource for this is the Curse of Strahd DM's Guide video series.

...and to that end...

3. Start living in Ravenloft Castle WAY before your players get there.

Listen..........listen. look.

Look at this, and suffer as all GMs have suffered.

Castle Ravenloft is unarguably the biggest, stupidest, most architecturally ludicrous hurdle when it comes to GMing CoS. And I am here to tell you - IT IS DOABLE.

You can understand the castle, you can grow comfortable with it. But you need to start early. Hell, I think I began to set up Ravenloft maps before my players even knew it existed. Then I stopped, because I was scared.. but then I went back, and I.... roleplayed SOLO on my off-days! I set up little scenes between Strahd and others and imagined him setting traps, and doing other things. It helped me understand which staircase led to where, and what floors were accessible from which angles.

A part of me actually thinks that there should be a mini GMs-only class where a more experienced Strahd GM takes some time with other GMs to guide them through a map of the castle. A CoS Learning Oneshot, if you will.

There's also a LOT of talented mapmakers that create beautiful, digital CoS maps! Here's one:

Even if you are playing analogue, at a physical table, I greatly encourage you to check it out for reference. The official CoS maps are bleak and a little bit more... rustic? Than they are gothic.

Anyway, in order to avoid talking your ear off, I will end it here.

My last bit of advice is... to have fun!

Yes I know I just said that Strahd is an inherently bad-vibes game. But it's actually GOOD to let your players goof off now and then. Don't be afraid to let them do shenanigans. It builds character, and allows them to regain the energy they need to role-play properly heavy elements later.

My group did a whole bunch of funny stuff. They felt so bad about losing Ireena that when they saw Ismark, instead of explaining themselves to him they cast Darkness and tried to scramble away. There was a running joke that the cleric was too good to know about sex, so they used the euphemism 'play cards' around her, much to everyone's amusement. They got kicked by a walking house once and never forgot nor forgave. And finally, they defeated some Flame Skulls by putting them into a bag of holding.

Anyway, the point is... have fun! I wish you and your party the best of luck. :)

#chekhov answers #curse of strahd #cos #ttrpg #dnd #5e #d&d #cos 5e

[raytorosaurus]

hi Raytorosaurus, in the beginning of your post you said Ray has done interviews, podcasts, and blogged in recent years, can you please link me to those things? I would be extremely and eternally grateful <3

yes ofc!! this one by tom bryant (author of not the life it seems) is my favourite! and not just because ray talks about how much he loves being a stay at home dad doing chores while his wife gets her master's degree. it's just sweet, and goes a little more in depth into remember the laughter's concept than some of these other interviews.

this one isn't remember the laughter related, but tom bryant also did this interview with him the year before, after he released for the lost and brave dedicated to leelah alcorn (cw non-graphic discussion of suicide). it's really fucking sweet. ray talks a lot about his family and about fatherhood and about how he wants to raise his kids to be as kind and socially conscious as possible in pretty much all of the interviews i've linked here, but i really fucking love this thing he says in this one in particular:

"If ever my son was having a rough time I would just hope that he would trust me and allow me to be there for him. It’s common for parents and older people to look at youth in a negative way and to not respect the young as people. My wife always says that a lot of parents treat their kids like property – the whole, ‘this is my house, these are my rules and you must abide by my law’. You have to put yourself on the same level as your kid, you have to relate to them as a person. I hope that there’s more understanding about the differences between people in the future that my son grows up in.”

at the risk of sounding like a broken record, this one is also really fucking sweet. again he talks about the values he wants to impart on his kids, and how his son is featured in the lucky ones playing his child's percussion set :'''')

this one is a bit longer and just rly cute lol like just fun vibes

there's a couple of shorter ones here and here that are also worth a read. there's also this review that i like - it's not 100% positive but the writer does make a point of saying he's shocked the album didn't get much attention despite ray having been in mcr. yeah me too dude :(

this is a podcast he appeared on - he did at least one or two others but i think sadly they've been lost to time :(((((( but god this one is so sweet he's just sooooo. so <3. ray also says the band broke up a few weeks after his son was born in september 2012 which is interesting lol.

sadly a bunch of his blog stuff has been lost to time because the wayback machine has done a spotty job of archiving it but you can try to explore around the archived pages a bit. if you click around to different dates or subpages you can see some of his photography (tho sadly a lot of it hasn't been saved :((( ) and a few blog posts. you might even come across his shitty vent poetry lol <3333

and then i love this interview sooooo much too like this writer really gets it. ray talks about how he got obsessed with this free climber after watching a mountaineering documentary which inspired the great beyond, so the great beyond actually features a fucking chalk bag as a percussion instrument because he's insane and i love him. it also has the line "enthusiasm leaking from him like a punctured capri-sun" LOL. and then it wraps up with this statement that i really love:

Mixed, engineered and almost entirely performed by Toro, ‘Remember The Laughter’ is very much this man’s pride and joy. Every nuance of the record is explained with intricate detail and the subject matter held within comes straight from his heart. Whether you like it or not remains to be seen, as its influences are often drawn from well outside the My Chemical Romance sphere. Whether you listen to it or not, though, really comes down to this: do you want to hear some honest music?

because honestly that's the one common thread through all of mcr's discography and every single one of their solo projects. they are all 100% earnest. they all access that honesty in different ways and ray's definitely not a super accomplished lyricist so some of the lines on rtl verge on corny or schmaltzy sometimes but they never, ever sound fake or inauthentic. he wrote the album imagining he was speaking the lyrics to his son to instill a sense of hope in him about the world so he'd grow up with the belief that he was capable of making it a better place and he fucking means every word of it bro. he's ray toro :( i like him :((((

#reread a bunch of these while i was putting this together and now i'm down so fucking bad for him this happens every time #like why are you the most lovable man in the universe huh #anyway sorry this took me a while to get to life is crazy huh #answered #ray toro #rtl #interview #ref

[bunchashapes]

any music recs?

i could have made this very short or entirely too long. i opted for the latter:

HAVE YOU LOOKED FOR SOME NEW MUSIC TO LISTEN TO? LOOK NO FURTHER, FOR HERE IS

I know. There's a lot of music out there. Well have no fear, because I've selected, organized AND categorized a fine number of music selections, just for you! I tried to keep it to just stuff you probably haven't heard of before, but I make no promises. Hopefully you'll find at least one new thing you can take with you into 2023.

MAKE YOUR SELECTION:

1 - MIKE, I'M LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO GROOVE TO. SOMETHING I CAN GET DOWN AND VIBE WITH OR PERHAPS LISTEN TO WHILE I WORK:

Sounds good! Let's start with a few of those:

Vulfpeck - Okay you may already know about Vulfpeck. Sorry. If you HAVEN'T, they're a wonderful group of dudes from Michigan that are all insanely talented. They have a wide-range of styles they cover and pretty much every member has gone on to do other solo stuff, which may also suit your interests. They also have a spin-off band called The Fearless Flyers that I'll cover a little further down.

Jacob Mann (As well as his Big Band) - Jacob's solo stuff has a nice laid-back feel to it, while his big band stuff is slightly more bombastic, but all of it is fun and groovy. Great example of a musician effectively switching between different toolsets, whether its a whole group of talented musicians at his disposal or just a bunch of nice Roland presets.

EMEFE - They haven't been very active lately but EMEFE is an incredible ensemble with plenty of amazing music for you to listen to. Their live album from 2017 makes me wish i could go back in time and watch it live.

Louis Cole - Louis Cole's also pretty popular, but maybe you haven't heard of him! Originally hailing from Knower, he's collaborated with a ton of musicians (including Vulfpeck AND Jacob Mann Big Band, mentioned above) as well as produced an impressive array of solo music. I can't understate how much I love this guy.

Thundercat - Know who else he's collaborated with? Thundercat. Have you listened to Thundercat? You should really do yourself a favor and listen to Thundercat.

Sammy Rae and The Friends - Only learned about Sammy Rae very recently but The Feeling (linked) was an earworm that lodged itself in my brain for months. Infectiously positive vibes, a great ensemble and really brilliant singing.

Silk Sonic - Okay they played at the Grammys so it definitely doesn't count as a deep cut but listen to Silk Sonic anyway okay? Okay.

2- MIKE I NEED SOMETHING THAT WHIPS ASS. SOMETHING TO COMPLETELY KNOCK MY SOCKS OFF.

Can do. Your metric of kickass may vary but at least one of these should work for you:

King Gizzard and The Wizard Lizard - King Gizz has put out such an unbelievable volume of music that it's hard to just recommend ONE thing from them. I've linked Nonagon Infinity, a great little album with the fun gimmick of seamlessly looping front to back. They really haven't put out a single bad album, so just go wild.

Royal Blood - Royal blood's bassist plays through an octave pedal, giving their stuff this fuckin' beefy sound that's well-rounded enough you'd never guess the band is just a bassist and a dummer. Their style has gotten poppier lately but it's still all worth listening to.

Tricot - Tricot's been around for around 10 years now and their stuff has only gotten better over time. I feel like Math Rock is kind of an obtuse genre for most people but their recent stuff is absolutely worth checking out even if that's not your usual sort of thing. Makkuro (真っ黒) is my favorite album of theirs by far.

Thank You Scientist - Stranger Heads Prevail is probably one of my favorite prog albums ever and you'll probably like it too. Insanely good ensemble (the amazing triple threat of sax/trumpet/violin is such an integral part of their sound) and really fun vocals.

Nova Collective - Another incredible prog group. As far as I know they've only put out one album but it whips ass.

Ask My Bull - These guys popped out of the woodwork a few years ago and I've been obsessed with them ever since, I can't wait to see what they do next. If you're a horn-loving freak like me you absolutely need to listen to them.

Fearless Flyers - The previously aforementioned Vulfpeck spin-off band, guest starring Mark Lettieri of Snarky Puppy and the incredible Nate Smith on drums. Their album Tailwinds is easily one of my favorite albums ever, the addition of a sax trio takes their stuff from incredible to legendary.

Daikaiju - Kaiju-themed surf rock. That's really all that needs saying.

3 - MIKE I NEED SOMETHING THAT'LL MAKE ME SAY "DAMN THAT'S COOL"

Well you're in luck! A wide range of things fit the bill:

Snarky Puppy - A powerhouse jazz/funk/rock ensemble full of insanely talented musicians. Just give this song a listen, you won't regret it.

The Dear Hunter - Dear Hunter (not Deerhunter. Different band) has remained my favorite band since high school. The band has a number of different projects, A collection of EPs for each color of the rainbow, a 5-part rock opera/narrative concept album (with a 6th part that may be a movie??) and other more straightforward albums that still cover a broad range of genres and styles. I think they're great and hopefully you will too.

Hiromi Uehara - Hiromi's probably my favorite pianist ever. Just watch that video. She's ridiculous. She also plays in an incredible trio and guest stars on my favorite Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra song! Preposterously talented and insanely fun to watch. I love her.

The Bad Plus - Speaking of great trios, you can't go wrong with The Bad Plus! Really vibrant arrangements and generally incredible musicianship throughout their work.

Esperanza Spalding - Obscenely talented bassist AND singer AND songwriter. As someone who sings and plays bass (not at the same time, of course) watching her do effortlessly do both at the same time is mesmerizing. I love her.

Chon - Chon's also pretty big now but I want you to imagine you're me at a Dear Hunter (see above) concert back in 2015 and one of the opening bands walks onstage and you're like "well okay what's these guys' deal" and then they start playing these fucking insane picking solos in perfect unison. I literally couldn't believe what I was seeing. I wish everyone could experience Chon through those eyes.

4 - MIKE THOSE ARE COOL AND ALL BUT WHAT I'M REALLY LOOKING FOR IS SOME MUSIC TO GET BUNDLED UP AND GO TO SLEEP TO

You need ambient? I got your ambient right here.

Hiroshi Yoshimura - I was first exposed to the wide, wide world of Japanese ambient music back in college and in all my years since then, few things have been able to beat Yoshimura's atmospheric soundscapes. If you need music to shut your brain off (and who doesn't, from time to time), look no further.

Chihei Hatakeyama - Another Japanese ambient powerhouse, Hatakeyama's got a huge discography of music and all of it will knock your lights out (very pleasantly).

Green-House - Very much inspired by Japanese ambient, Green-house is described as "music for plants". I only wish there was more of it.

Joep Beving - Not exactly an ambient artist but a masterful practitioner of minimal, atmospheric piano. His style is understated but filled with emotion, a great mix of more classical elements with a modern cinematic flair. Great to work to!

5- MIKE EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT JAPANESE CITY POP, JAZZ FUSION AND EARLY ELECTRONIC MUSIC BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START. GET ME ON THE GROUND FLOOR HERE

You got it boss:

Yellow Magic Orchestra - You've probably heard of these guys by now. I've only known about them for 6-ish years after they had a moderate burst of fame here but I think it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say these guys were one of the principle pieces of genetic memory that coalesced into the DNA of modern electronic music. All three of the principle members, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi (rest in peace) have all had really prolific solo careers in a ton of styles of music that are all worth your time.

T Square - An absolute titan of Japanese jazz fusion, their album Adventures is a veritable Rosetta Stone of video game music, directly inspiring a good number of video game songs including the dang mario brothers theme! Their stuff is an absolute joy to listen to.

Tatsuro Yamashita - Yamashita is often called the king of city pop and is (according to wikipedia) credited for pioneering Japanese "soft rock". Having grown up on the pacific coast, there's some ineffable truth in his schmaltzy surf music that touches me deep in my soul. You may not have the same experiences as I do, but I hope listening to him will allow you to tap into that divine spark and enjoy it for yourself.

Masayoshi Takanaka - Perhaps not quite as famous as Yamashita, Takanaka is a brilliant guitarist and musician known for that same schmaltzy pacific rock (just look at that damn guitar. I love him) as well as a number of other styles of rock and jazz fusion. He's got a huge discography and it's all incredible.

Casiopea - I would be remiss if I didn't mention Casiopea. I'm not an expert in Japanese music obviously, but I think it'd be fair to say they and T-Square are the two titans holding the glory of late 70's-early 80's jazz fusion like Atlas shouldering the world. Do yourself a favor and listen to Mint Jams.

Himiko Kikuchi - Truthfully I don't know much of Kikuchi's discography other than Flying Beagle (linked) but she absolutely killed it. Do yourself a favor and listen to that too.

6 - WELL MIKE THAT'S ALL WELL AND GOOD BUT WHAT IF I WANT SOMETHING WEIRD THAT DOESN'T FIT IN ANY OF THOSE CATEGORIES

I'm always happy to recommend unconventional stuff. Here's a few albums that I love to close us out:

Tom Waits - Alice - First of all, you should listen to Tom Waits. I know you know him as the Funny Voice Guy but he's had such an incredible musical career that starts great and only gets more and more amazing over time. Anyway, in the 90's, Tom and his wife (and writing partner since the 80's) Kathleen Brennan were scoring weird experimental musicals in Germany, namely The Black Rider (also worth listening to) and Alice. The musical is a strange extrapolation of Alice in Wonderland, namely inspired by Charles Dodgson's (Lewis Carroll) relationship with Alice Liddell, generally accepted as the real-life inspiration for Alice. Though the actual specifics of their relationship are uncertain, the age discrepancy and Charles' general fixation with Alice leads many to assume....the worst about their relationship, an interpretation the musical runs with. The actual musical is hard to find evidence of (there's some documentary footage from the 90's and I've found the script) but Tom rearranged his music for the show and released it in 2002, which in my eyes is the definitive version of the music. The album is unbelievably melancholic, heart-wrenching, at times deeply uncomfortable, and absolutely filled with beauty. Lost in the Harbor is maybe one of my favorite songs of all time. If ANY of this sounds even slightly interesting to you, I implore you to check it out. It also has Colin Stetson on saxophone and clarinet, which segues quite nicely to the next album.....

Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2 - You may have actually heard Colin's music before, he's scored films like Hereditary, Color Out Of Space and the newest Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie. New History Warfare is one of his experimental solo projects, most characterized by Stetson recording basically everything in a huge room filled with microphones, creating this incredible impression of scale. It's filled with some of the craziest shit I've ever heard someone do on a saxophone; long, galloping phrases with no pauses for air thanks to circular breathing, mixing in the sound of the valves opening and closing, and an incredible unnatural-sounding delay all achieved with live recording. The Righteous Wrath of An Honorable Man is one of the coolest things I've ever heard in my life (you've probably already heard it before) but the whole album is absolutely captivating.

Caroline Shaw - Partita for 8 Voices - Caroline Shaw is an amazing musician, singer and composer. All of her stuff is really beautiful and worth listening to, but few things stand out as much as this composition, written for and performed by a cappella group Roomful of Teeth (which is probably the sickest possible name for a choral group). I feel like a cappella music has a woefully bland perception among most people (thanks in no small part to Pitch Perfect); all lavish arrangements of pop music with absolutely no soul. If this is what you think all a cappella music is, I urge you to listen to this album. It's a masterful blend of speech, song and energy, filled with a vibrancy and passion I have a difficult time putting into words. You really just have to listen to it.

#music reccomendations #this one got long.....

[prezine]

Announcing: PreZine, a fanzine for the Precure series!

Hello, tumblr!

I don't wanna waste anyone's time, so I'll cut to the chase: I'm trying to put together a Precure fanzine with community contribution. You can find a submission form here, with plenty of detail about what I'm looking for. If you want more detail, keep reading.

My name's Nick, and I'm a huge fan of the Precure series. Each season varies in quality—there are some I love almost completely, some that disappointed me immensely, and a lot somewhere in between. I've watched on my own, introduced friends and family to the show, have the soundtracks on my phone to listen to, I've bought figures and other merch while visiting Japan... I like it a lot.

I've never actually interacted much with the fandom, though. I'm awkward when it comes to joining new communities, and tend to lurk more than I actively contribute. Recently, though, I had an idea. See, I love analyzing things I like. And things I don't like. And Precure is full of both of those things. I've also been mildly interested in webzine culture and the idea of creating some of my own. The writing is fun, and I've wanted to get better at layout work, so doing a little Precure fanzine could be quite a lot of fun!

But... it's not really "interacting" with the community if I'm just writing my own thoughts and throwing them at you, telling you to read them. I'd rather get folks involved! Details can be found further down, but the gist of what I'm doing here is that I want to gather volunteers for a free fanzine I'll be publishing. It might wind up being a single issue, or keep going for some time—we'll just have to see how things go. The zine will be freely available and not behind a paywall, but I will have a ko-fi set up to take donations. Proceeds will go towards paying contributors first, before I touch any part of them. I don't expect a high volume of donations or anything, but whatever I do get I want to go towards the continued success of the project, and that means making an attempt to fairly compensate those who contribute.

To that end, any contribution—whether it be an article, piece of visual media (art, cosplay, etc.), or something else I decide would be a good fit—will provisionally be worth $50. If we get enough donations on Ko-fi to fully pay those tabs, then they will be fully paid. If we get less, then each month I'll divvy up the money based on percentages of contribution, up until (hopefully) all contributors are fully paid.

To be clear, once again: the zine will be completely free, and I have no budget for this at the moment, so any and all payment will be dependent on folks donating us money. I strongly desire to pay every contributor, but at the time being it's best to view this as a volunteer passion project with payment as a distant possibility.

Now, what are we looking for? Well, all of the information below will also be found on the linked form for submission pitches, but...

Articles

I've already written first drafts of two articles, which I've linked as samples down below. What you write doesn't have to be in the same style or vein as mine, but at least that can give you a bit of an idea of what's guaranteed to be included already. Currently, what I'm looking for specifically are:

Characters that have influenced you

Musical analysis

Original Precure fiction

If you have ideas for things not on this list, you can also pitch those within the form.

Visual Media

I have no art at the moment. As this is a zine about a property I do not own, I am absolutely going to avoid using official art. I can decorate with other images I have the rights to, but to give it that actual Precure aesthetic, having visual media submissions would help a lot.

For the time being, I'm looking for:

Drawings

Cosplay photos

As with the articles, you can also pitch stuff not on this list.

Graphic Design

This isn't on the form, but if you've got any graphic design experience... well, you can see by looking at our Twitter or the avatar for this blog that graphic design isn't my passion. I think I do okay when it comes to layouts, but covers/avatars/timeline pics... not so much. PM me, here or on Twitter, if you wanna take a crack at addressing any of our graphic design needs. You will be compensated for your time in the same way as all other contributors.

So, if you're interested in contributing, here is the submission form once again. You can also check out my two samples, found here. They will be edited, so this isn't their final form, but they are roughly what I'm contributing in terms of writing.

And lastly, our Ko-fi can be found here.

If you have any questions I haven't addressed here or in the form, ask away!

#precure #mahou shoujo #magical girl #anime

[dotthings]

And now, a bit of screaming about the spn UNIVERSE

It basically feels in my head like...hm...think of any cinematic moment that has the same feel as "there's a lot more of us." It's like that, only for the narrative potentials of the spn universe. And I love the og series dearly, I've always thought that timeline alone should be able to burst out into infinite stories. However going multiverse is not surprising and doesn't mean it won't also expand along the timeline of spn prime world too.

I had one hesitancy on if TW turned out to be an AU world timeline. However in execution, I'm getting a story value trade. Let me explain: What’s lost is unreliable narrators and how family histories get told and how trauma and grief impacts that to explain discrepancies. There are variations between TW and the mothership that seemed due to lack of having the full story, and context, a few things that seemed like trivialities, at no point did I think CMP creatives actually screwed up. Those things were all there on purpose. They perfectly well know spn mothership canon. While I’m sorry to lose that layer about unreliable narrators, same thing is true, they know spn mothership canon.

I’ve also maintained right along that the TW timeline is protected. Turns out it is. Not because it’s actually THE timeline leading to the spn mothership events. TW is still not going to be undone. It is not going to be wiped out, it's now been set free running on a more hopeful track that it would have been on if Dean hadn't meddled. These new characters, this series, linked to the spn mothership, has its own life.

That’s the trade. Put something in the portal, get something back. I still feel like going multiverse as explanation is more simplistic that I hoped for, there's so much complex narrative stuff going on I don't want to dwell on that.

It’s also still very much a rumination and reflection on spn prime, a reply to it, a loving tribute to it, and even a criticism of it. There’s a whole complex dialogue going on between TW and SPN for those who want to listen.

The stories of Carlos, and Lata, and Ada, and Millie, and that John and Mary, have their own journey and are worth loving on their own. It’s too late to go back, I love them for them, not just how TW was a delivery system on Dean’s story and that’s the dual role TW S1 was meant to have.

Oh and btw ROBBIE CONFIRMED CARLOS MENTIONED ON SPN IS THE SPN PRIME VERSION OF THIS ALT CARLOS THEY ARE THE SAME CHARACTER DIFFERENT WORLDS. I'm gonna cry again, Sam and Dean had a Carlos, we don't know that version. Yet.

And there’s also just something about the fact that DEAN HIMSELF CREATED THIS STORY.

This timeline in this alternate earth, this kinder rumination on trauma, and contemplation on the mothership, this inclusive spn world show. Getting into the metatextual level, Dean is the avatar for Jensen, Robbie, everyone at CMP. In story, look what Dean gave birth to.

Also I cannot believe that here I’ve been rewatching Fringe and lacing a bit of that into my TW meta and pointing out TW has a producer who worked on Fringe S1 and somehow??? I really thought????? TW WASN’T GOING MULTIVERSE. If I start thinking metas on Dean and Peter Bishop and Walter Bishop my head just might implode and it’s already imploding

ALSO?? WORLD BETWEEN WORLDS??? THEY JUST STAR WARS REBELS AT ME ON MAIN WTF.

So, this kind of multiverse, just blew the spn universe wide open. Beyond opening up Dean’s story, it opened up the spn universe. I’m used to this from DC and Marvel (and being a Fringe fan). There are pitfalls to that kind of opening up. Robbie’s written for Marvel and DC, he knows how this works and what he’s doing.

I read Robbie’s EW interview. They've broken the spn universe open in every direction on potential canvases for stories.

1.13 in execution and the implications of what this could lead to is incredibly exciting to me as someone who wanted an expanded spn universe.

#The winchesters #spnwin #spinwin spoilers #THE SPN UNIVERSE

[imjustabeanie]

Hi! Could I please get a romantic matchup for Blue Exorcist, Twisted Wonderland, and Helluva Boss?

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: Straight

Age: 20

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

MBTI: INFJ-A

Ennegram: 5w6

Personality: I'm pretty quiet in social settings but if someone talks to me first, I can keep a conversation going. I will occasionally go up to someone to initial a conversation but not very often. With people that I'm close with, I'm very open and sarcastic. And I make a lot of self-depreciating jokes (even though I have a high self worth). I set very high standards for myself but I also usually meet those standards. People say I have a good poker face/a scary glare but I've never seen it. People also say I look like someone who "knows what they're doing".

Likes/Hobbies: Reading, writing, anime, video games, and listening to music (stuff like Hamilton, Panic! at the Disco and Offspring). I want to be a fantasy writer and I am currently studying an English major at university.

Dislikes: Spiders (deathly afraid of those), being forgotten when I'm gone, and disappointing those who I care about.

Appearance: I'm 164cm (5'4") and have an average build (not too curvy but definitely not straight up and down). I have green eyes that everyone thinks are brown and curly/frizzy dark brown hair that is  down to the middle of my back.

What I look for in a partner: Someone honest and caring. Someone who treats me the way I deserve to be treated. I don't really have a preference on appearance; personality is far more important to me.

Hopefully I've put a good amount of useful information! I hope you have a lovely day and that life is treating you kindly!

~Eren

Hello! I think you can't see my messages anymore and it's because tumblr doesn't let me send or see messages for some reasons 🫠. I contacted support and I'm waiting. I can only send submissions.....=/

Here is my description link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-9Rw2ZAM52yU007RlXcFiStRWzDqrmpN/view?usp=drivesdk

Here's your matchup! Enjoy!

Blue exorcist :

Rin Okumura

The reason I chose him is because of his personality and your romantic partner preferences. He has such good intentions and is always thriving to help others or make you show the best version of yourself. He might be immature, hot blooded and with uh….a dubious background to say the least but he’s also protective, goofy and emotional. He is definitely someone who would put you above him and always make sure that you’re happy. (Golden retriever energy lol)

How you met: Considering his background, you were classmates. In the beginning he probably poked at you or engaged in conversations to get to know you. But I think you two got closer over music, anime and video games. Rin is very curious and would take your recommendations to heart. I can imagine him knocking at your door or calling you late to discuss an anime you recommended or ask you to co-op with him lol. He’d probably not understand your jokes at first but then he’d probably get used to them (and compliment you each time you make one). Rin is rather spontaneous so I think the moment he realizes he loves you, he will rush to tell you no matter the time lol. Your pokerface doesn’t deter him and he sees you as someone he can rely on.

In the relationship: Rin is someone with a lot of secrets. He tries to appear strong and prove himself so that he can be seen beyond his DNA (if this sentence is terribly written I am sorry…). Just like you took time to warm up to him and befriend him, he’ll probably take time to tell you his whole past and feelings. Rin will always self doubt and there might even be moments where he’d try to break up with you or distance himself for your own good. He doesn’t want to endanger you, his dearest. This patch is gonna be very rough for both of you as he needs reassurance and security. Okay let’s stop the depressing episode. Rin will obviously be very interested in your writing. If you trusted him to show him your drafts he’d be so happy and proud lol. He might not be very good at academics but you can be sure he will always hype you up. I see him as a cuddly boyfriend so you can expect him to just…hug you out of the blue or wrap his tail around your wrist lol. He’s worth it but comes with lot of family drama. But in the end, you’re the apple of his eyes.

Helluva Boss :

STOLAS:

My personal favorite in Helluva boss. Stolas is troubled (they all are but hear me out) but he cares about his loved ones even if he has to ridicule himself (I mean….he’s pursuing Blitzo who’s socially beneath him and it earned him problems). Stolas just ears for more freedom and means to express himself. He’s very lonely and misunderstood, but also a hopeless romantic and a caring person to his loved ones. Oups I’m rambling again sorry. I matched both of you because you complement each others. You’re a breath of fresh air compared to the nobles or the hectic Blitzo.

How you met: I was gonna go for a ball but meh. I’d say he met you in the human world. Perhaps he went up there to relax and unwind a little. To be Stolas and not a prince of hell. Considering his status, he’s interested in the arts. I think he’d find you at a library and comment on the book you’re reading or asking you questions about it. For the sake of this scenario, let’s say it happened a few times and one day you asked for his name. That’s how a friendship started. Stolas would be interested in the more modern writings and music. In exchange, he’d recommend you classics and even bring you his favorite pieces to discuss in private. The friendship would be very casual at first. You both have similar hobbies and would engage in similar jokes. Slowly, he’d start ranting about his life at home (he left a lot of details like his race) and ask questions about the human world. I like to think that even before the relationship, you both would enjoy silence together. You write and he’s reading with music in the background. Now, for this to advance, an accident is necessary. Stolas is rather reckless. His wife will probably question all his weird trips and would somehow target you to mess with him. Of course he’d save you and reveal his identity. At first he’d disappear out of sadness as his wife just ruined a nice friendship. But then he’d earn for you and start checking up on you with his magic. When he sees you worried about him and trying to reach him, he’d come talk to you (after drinking some liquor…) and would pour his heart out about how he missed you and all. You’re probably angry at him at that moment (rightfully so) but in the end he meant well. He wakes up in the morning and you two have a talk after he sobered up. You agreed to have a relationship and get to know each other’s more.

In the relationship: In the beginning, he sees only the physical side and is rather shy. His romantic and eccentric side will appear later but for soft vanilla dates you’ll have to prepare them first. He’s the type to send you lots of gifts and plan expensive dates. He’ll take you to concerts, let you access his library and bring you first prints of your favorite books. If you asked him to review your writing he’d be very happy too. I believe he’d give very good criticism. Also, if you want to meet one of your favorite author, if they’re in hell he will arrange it. He’s clingy and would be more afraid of being forgotten than you. He’d always try to make you happy and would always encourage you. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’d dare to warn you when you’re making a bad decision at first. Concerning hell, Stolas will obviously hope that you end up there (look. Sorry but he’s still selfish). When you’re human, he wouldn’t let you get close to that world. He might introduce you to his daughter at max. He’d also be very protective of you because you’re gonna face a lot of assassinations attempts and his masochist tendencies. If you want it to be serious, it’s gonna be rough because his world won’t be easy on you and he has a bad past with marriages. He sometimes acts more like a curious teenager than a prince. Also, he’d adore Hamilton and musicals in general. He’s caring but honesty isn’t the fort of anyone in hell. At least he means good so just be patient!

Twisted wonderland :

ROOK:

I hesitated between him and Trey because they both would fit you so well in my opinion. But as a lover of all beauty, Rook is your match! Now…Rook is a bloody enigma. He basically observes everyone and then gets fixated on those who interest him. He’s extravagant and a loyal admirer who will always encourage those he deems worthy and help them become their best version. But he’s also just and observative.

How you became friend: Hear me out…so he loves to observe people and take pictures right? I can totally see him taking pictures of the crowd and then, when he developed those pictures he got interested in your person. Was it your poker face or scary glare that got his attention? None knows, but he’s a man on a mission. A mission to get to know you. He’d observe you from afar and when you call him out he will apologize and introduce himself. Rook is very persistent, you’re gonna see him often. So often you’ll warm up to him and eventually befriend him. Rook will try out your book and music type before you can even recommend them to him lol. He’d also give you great advices if you have writer block and will always subtly push you to do your best. I hope you like skincare (I can’t understand it for the life of me help) because this man will introduce you to Vil and will do your skin care himself. He enjoys it and wants to make you enjoy it too, even if it seems intrusive. He’d gladly welcome your sarcasm with a laugh. As for your jokes…if they’re too self-depreciating he’s gonna go on a monologue about you to cheer you up. He encourages you to meet your high standards because he believes in you. Now for the relationship….he’ll either ask you out suddenly or you’ll be the one to ask him out. No in between.

In a relationship: The only difference is his intensity. Rook is definitely more open with you when you’re his lover. Because he sees you as his one and only. He probably will ask you to do some photoshoots for him and would write a poem about your eyes or body in general. Rook is an excellent critic and would not let his personal favoritism get in the way of reality as we saw in CH5. He’d meticulously nitpick your drafts but don’t take it in a bad way, he’s just a passionate lover. Rook is a theater kid in my mind. If you say you love Hamilton, be prepared for a lot of musical pieces to come. He’s definitely gonna plan a lot of movie nights. He doesn’t seem to be a big fan of video games but would definitely try them for you. Just so he can bond with you lol. As I said before, he will always hype you up. If you don’t meet your goals, you can expect him to help you out because he wants you to succeed and be happy. He’s never gonna be disappointed in you. Also, tell him you don’t like spiders because he…might prank you. An issue I can see is that he’s too involved in other people. It might make you jealous, especially if he becomes fixated on something new. He’d never forget you but he can start talking a lot about X Y Z which can be annoying. If you’re displeased he will immediately apologize but…get used to it. It’s in his character as a hunter. He can also appear to hide a lot of things. Communication is key here. Rook is a boyfriend who’s very present in your life. You can be walking and suddenly you receive a picture of yourself from him….

I can see you get along with Silver, kalim and jack.

#matchups #match ups #helluva boss #twisted wonderland #blue exorcist

[twosroos]

All Grown Up [ch. 9]

roos says ! i edited this chapter like seven times bc i hated each plot i was giving it— its better now, hope it was worth the wait—!pleaseeee leave feedback i love reading what people think >:)! (pls someone find me more bob gifs i feel bad having to use rhett-- and a soft reminder that reblogs mean more than likes!)

desc: Bob drops by for a late night conversation, and the next morning he follows you. The Rodeo also begins.

notable characters: robert "bob" floyd

TWs: drunkenness

ao3 link ! last chapter ! next chapter !

You'd only really had time to wash your face and brush your teeth before there were knocks on the door to your house. Carole had opened it, graciously, inviting a very tired Bob in from the dark. By the time you'd made it downstairs, Bob was telling Carole in a soft voice that she was fine while Carole insisted on something else. Using your phone's flashlight you made your way down the ladder that led to your loft and turned to the two.

"What's goin' on?" You asked, trying not to sway on your feet from the amount of liquor in your system.

"I forgot to give myself a place to sleep." Bob flushes, "The basement isn't cleaned out yet, so I can't sleep there. I was gonna steal your couch but the Bradshaw's are usin' it."

"I can move to that little chair, hon!" Carole messes with the little half-finished crochet bunny in her hands, trying to hook her crocheting needle on something, "I'm small enough."

"No, it's fine Carole. I'll bring Bob up to my room. We grew up sleepin' in the same bed, it won't be weird or anything." You laugh softly, and Carole nods. She bids a soft goodnight to the two of you before she walks over to sit on your plush couch as you grab Bob's arm and bring him over to the ladder.

"You climb this all the time?" Bob laments, and you snort, pushing him.

"Aren't you in the Navy? Come on, or is it too hard for you?" You tease as you grip the ladder and hoist yourself up. It's a bit hard considering you feel tipsy and giggly. You eventually make it up and plop down on the little overhang.

"No, I'm just surprised you don't have stairs!" Bob defends himself in a whispered shout, and you roll your eyes as he takes his turn to climb up too.

"Haven't had time to map them out yet. Which is why, when you go into my room, watch your left side. I've got boxes stacked with knick-knacks and stuff." You explain as he comes up next to you, so you pop back up onto your feet and wave him over to you. There's a small sliding door you open and walk Bob into your hayloft-turned-bedroom loft as you explain your plan to have stairs that also act like shelves for all your pictures, knick-knacks, and such. Bob listens to you ramble as you fall back on your bed, hands lifting to point around your room at various posters, plants, and pictures.

"It's nice up here." He murmurs, and you laugh, curling up in the various blankets tucked up on your bed, the fan blowing on you with the addition of the already cold air conditioning.

"It took a lot of hard work, but it's home." You mumble as you tuck into the blankets, kicking a leg out so a stuffed animal flicks off your bed and hits him. He pauses, laughing softly, before tugging off the Navy sweater he wore. An idea popped into your head with the thought of the spare sweater he'd given you a few days ago. You shoved it aside for now.

You roll onto your stomach, watching as Bob carefully tucks himself into the blankets and pulls off his glasses to set them on the windowsill above his head. You murmur in a low voice, "Where did everyone end up? I know the Kazansky's are in Asher's old room."

"Payback and Fanboy took your bed, with Coyote and Hangman on air mattresses on the floor. Don't ask me how we squeezed them in, I'm still surprised. Amelia, Halo, and Phoenix took Avalon's room since it was the bigger of the twin's rooms. Mav and Penny took Gisele's. Your siblings went with my mom and Tom home, my mom's gonna put the girls in Molly's room, and Avalon and Gisele in my room. No clue where Asher and Robyn will be," He explains, yawning halfway through. 

"That's a lot of people to keep watch of," you say, and he nods with a soft laugh as his eyes bore into yours. The two of you lay there and stare at each other for a few moments before he opens his lips.

"What's on your mind?" He whispers against the chill of the fan running across your skin, "You've been kinda fidgety and spacey."

You sigh heavily and roll through the blankets to be so close to him that you can feel his body heat as his leg brushes against yours under the covers. You pretend to not notice how his face flushes.

"My siblings kinda thought I still was mad at you because the last time I talked about you to them was almost right after you left. They kinda just assumed we weren't on speaking terms anymore." You sigh, "And with Mike being back and my whole meltdown the other day... I've had a lot on my mind that I just kinda don't think of on the regular."

"Mike's not gonna do anything to you," Bob murmurs, his pupils dilating when the two of you make eye contact, "I promise."

"Between you and Jake I don't think he has a chance." You admit, giggling against the soft pillows by your head, "But it still worries me, you know, what he could do if he gets there. Or if he fights back... but, I know I'll be safe. There's a lot more than just Mike I'm thinking of."

"What else is on your mind then?" Bob asks and you smile softly. With exaggerated movement you begin to ramble about your rodeo tomorrow and how it can make you eligible for the NBHA Open. So, you felt like you were competing to go to what you considered the Olympics of Barrel Racing. You told him mostly about your three students competing tomorrow, Elane who was competing for the first time at nine years old, Talya who was just coming back from an injury, and Harper who was also trying to make it into the Open like you were. You told him,

"It's so dumb to be so stressed and terrified of something I could do with my eyes closed! It almost feels irrational, like being afraid of dating again."

Then, Bob confessed something to you.

"I'm terrified of dating again."

It makes you pause, and you cock your head at him. He flushes and waves his hands around.

"Hear me out!" He laughs, turning so he's almost flush against you, and you can smell the faint whiskey on his breath as he sighs, the breath filtering across the bare skin of your chest from where your lowcut tanktop sits.

"I'm hearing." You tease, and he sighs.

"Dating someone in the Navy, or vice versa is a huge commitment. It's worse if you marry them too. You have to give this person all of your trust. You just have to sit there at night knowing they're probably praying that you don’t end up dead somewhere, or that you don’t cheat overseas. You're also praying the same for them, you want to be able to go and help them and hold them but you can't because you're so far away. I've seen so many relationships that would usually thrive, break off and die in the Navy and it's so upsetting. I just can’t imagine having to leave someone behind. Even with my few exes since I left for boot camp, that was always the hardest part."

"Leaving?" You whisper and he nods, and you try to bite back the bitter comment of 'it wasn't hard for you the first time we kissed' that fights its way up. You don't have a real desire to be bitter anymore. When Bob hums back a yes, you sigh softly and almost try to burrow into your pillows a bit more. Your hand comes up to rest by your pillow, and you accidentally, or mostly accidentally, ghost it up his chest, barely touching his skin. He shudders but keeps his eyes locked on yours. 

You're not sure if you had made a mistake, or if your subconscious was asking for more. Your eyes sparkle with the dotted fairy lights hidden in the various decorative objects on your walls as you whisper, "Would you ever do it?"

"As soon as I can get the girl I’m after to trust me, yes. A hundred times over, even if it ends in flames." He flips onto his back slightly, one arm keeping him raised. In the dim light, you can see the scar on his shoulder in the difference in the way his skin looks against the twinkle of lights. You want to kiss him, to pull him down to you and pray that you're the girl he's referring to but bile builds in your throat at the realization that you're probably not that girl. He probably met some sun-kissed bleach blonde babe in Cali. Your heart pounds for a second before you begin to roll over as you spit out,

"I have to be up in a few hours. Night."

And though Bob also says goodnight, you can feel the bitter tone in his voice.

--

You wake up around four, your alarm beeping in your ear, and you quickly slap it to shut it off. After laying in silence and mentally contemplating if you needed to wake up this early, you felt a weight near you. Oh, right, Bob. You shifted to look over, the sun's rays just starting to make the sky a slightly lighter hue and thus making it a bit easier to see. Once the dark focused in your sight, you watched Bob as he tightened his grip on your waist. His lips parted in deep, slow breaths as he laid next to you and hogged most of the blankets. He looked more peaceful than you had ever seen him, not a wrinkle of worry on his face, and you smiled to yourself. 

Once you'd wiggled out of his grasp, you made your way to your closet and grabbed two outfits, the one you'd wear around the carnival and the farm, and another for your ride later tonight. Then, across the room, you found your bathroom door in the dark after almost rolling your ankle on a spare shoe you'd forgotten to tuck away. Slipping into the room, locking the door, and then flicking on the lights, you blinked harshly against the new florescence in your eyes as they adjusted. Leaning down, you grabbed a box labeled 'Rhinestone Cowgirl' in a beautiful calligraphic font and set it on the counter with a huff. 

As your mother would say, "It's time to get dolled up, cowgirl." 

This was a tradition you'd started with your mother when she'd gotten you into riding in college. When you'd gone to your first event, you had a job interview only a few hours later at another barn. Despite your mother's warning, you'd gone with your hair and makeup done, won, and instantly made a name for yourself as 'Rhinestone Cowgirl.' The nickname was because of you wearing a diamond-studded necklace during the event (even though you weren't supposed to.) So, from then on, you'd made it into a tradition to wear makeup and do your hair for rides, which slowly became a sort of selling point for your career. You became a sort of... niche micro-celebrity within the world of barrel racing. 

So, it was time to get dolled up.

When you emerged from the bathroom, Bob was still asleep. Uncharacteristically quiet,you quietly grabbed the tote you'd put all your stuff into the night before and threw it over your shoulder before descending back down the ladder to the main area of your barn-turned-house. Trying your hardest to keep quiet, you slipped into the kitchen and grabbed a little prepacked smoothie out of the fridge. You quietly thanked your past self for making these in advance and popped it open to take a large gulp, before slowly exiting through the side door in the kitchen instead of the one in the living room. You didn't wanna wake anyone up, since there was no specific time to be awake by. The walk to your Mom’s house is as calm as it usually is on an early morning like this, the birds idly whistle as they wake up and you can see a bit more of the sun starting to lighten up the sky’s ink-black color. There’s a slight blue gradient over the trees, and it makes you huff under your breath with a realization that the day has officially begun.

The back door squeaks a small bit as you open it, your mother pausing her humming to look over at you. A pot in her hand is full of eggs, and the pan in her other hand has what you think are the vegetarian patties from the night before. She sets the pot down as she gives you a warm smile.

“Morning Hon.” she says, “need more to eat?”

“I think I’ll survive on my smoothie today, I’m pretty sure one of the moms said she was gonna bring me food as a thank you. Like she does every other rodeo.” you smile softly, thinking of your students as you plop your head between your mom's shoulder blades as she clicks on the stove and you hear the sizzle of the pots as they resume heating up.

“Don’t stop overthinking your show now, darling.” She warns and you groan, stepping back and popping the top off your smoothie to take a large gulp hoping it will calm the nerves you feel gathering in your gut.

“Too late.” You sigh, "I'm just grabbing my truck keys and the barn keys so I can load up the trailer and such."

"Alright." Your mother says, before turning back before you can even take a step towards the door, "Be safe today, okay?"

"I always am, Momma," You snort and she rolls her eyes softly, leaning onto the counter with one hand, the other being placed perfectly on her hip as you lean up to grab the keys beside the door.

"You know I have to say that." She teases, and you laugh, letting her pull you over for a tight hug before she's waving you out to the path. Captain and Lieu both decide to come with, and you trek across the property to the small barn where you know you'll find your horse. You let Fuego out to run around and get herself to wake up, and in the meantime, you grab stuff to wash her off, and some equipment you need for the show. You manage to get Fuego washed and in the trailer before the sun rises, and the sound of second set of boots caused you to look over from where you’re standing.

“Mornin’ Bob.” You call over to him, smiling softly. He walks over slowly, downing the rest of a coffee. 

“What’s the plan for today?” he says and you shrug, turning to him and watching him stop dead in his tracks. He whistles low, and you laugh, brushing your hair back out of your face. His cheeks are red as he walks up to you, a small smile on his face, "Well, damn."

"What? You all bothered?" You smile, setting down the bucket with a slightly overdramatic bend. Just because. It gets the effect you want, Bob's eyes become dinner plates.

"No. I just... you look beautiful." He says bashfully and you flush, stepping forward to adjust his collar.

"I only get dolled up for rodeos, so this is a limited-time view." You smile at him and his hand slowly wraps around your waist. Your hand comes to fall at his chest and a loopy smile appears on his lips as your other hand adjusts your stetson as you whisper, "you look at me like I'm the only girl in the world."

"You are to me," He whispers and your face probably looks like a whole cherry tomato as you cough to try and hide it. He smiles, adjusting his stetson.

"Come on then!" You shout, whistling for Fuego, "Let's see if you can get a barrel mare to take a simple little bath."

"Something about your smile tells me this won't be as easy as you're pretending it is." He gives you an odd look as you hand him the bucket of supplies you'd curated from around the barn. So if he ends up looking way more attractive than he should with suds all down his white shirt… you are happily enjoying the show.

--

"Naomi! Can you help Olivia with her horse, please?" You sigh, looking over at your eldest student. She quickly nods and rushes across the small barn area to one of your youngest as she helps her finish tacking her horse. You look around the temporary stables, absentmindedly shoving a bit more hay towards Fuego until you put away the rake and sigh.

"Miss L/n." a voice calls, and you turn to see Shannon grinning at you.

"Hey!" you smile, rushing over to give her a tight hug, "I hope you're here to give me some good news?"

"Mike shouldn't be at the party, he's got a job on the 5th in Georgia, so he probably won't make it," Shannon says, and though ideally, you would feel a weight lift on your shoulders, it stays in your heart.

"Are you sure?" You ask, and she sighs, running a hand through her dark hair.

"Well... almost. I don't know fully, but there's no way he'd risk his job over a party." She admits, and you huff. Inside, you feel knots making your stomach twist and sick. Bringing a hand to your hat, you readjust it and bite your lip as you look away.

"So he could-"

"Hey! Rhinestone Cowgirl! Come help us with this!" A voice calls from behind you, and you look over to see one of the event organizers waving at you with a sense of urgency.

"I don't have time for this, Shannon. Let me know if he's coming or not. I'm over the dance around." You snap before sharply turning on your heel and slipping into the crowd of workers, rodeo competitors, horses, and other animals. Shannon watches you go with an anxious look but doesn't say anything as she flips a small black box in her hand as your figure gets smaller and smaller as you meet up with some staff members.

#x reader #robert bob floyd x y/n #robert bob floyd x you #robert bob floyd x reader #robert floyd #robert bob floyd #bob floyd #bob floyd imagine #bob floyd x reader #bob floyd x y/n #bob floyd x you #top gun: maverick #top gun maverick #all grown up twosroos #top gun fanfiction

[melonadem-personal]

I thought this'd be an interesting walk through the world of music royalties and whatnot.

Recently I've had a payment from my distributor for music on Spotify, Apple Music, etc - this was across two years or so of streams (almost exactly, too - I remember setting this up ABOUT two years ago, give or take). It was a paltry sum of $5.37 (£4.18).

Now, it is worth noting I never really pushed these heavily - not that spamming links everywhere makes that much of a difference I found, but I've just put download links to those landing pages that directs you to where said song is on all platforms. On top of this, my discography on these platforms is extremely limited, compared to what I've got on my Bandcamp, YouTube and SoundCloud.

Still, it prompted me to do a bit of research onto where most of my streaming revenue comes from, and it's... interesting.

This is actual data that I've pulled and converted to one currency - it isn't 100% accurate, but I don't need that as I'm just looking for a quick comparison.

YT Ads - These are just your standard partner ads that I run on my music on YouTube. There's a threshold of, I think about £60 or £70 before it makes it to my bank account. On average, this earns me £10/mo.

Bandcamp - These are the most interesting ones - sometimes, people just buy your music unprompted if either your name is large enough to pop up on the front page (or however that algorithm works), or when you release some new music. Whatever money is also immediately available for payout (though PayPal usually takes a tiny amount of whatever they pay me out as tax, which is a paltry amount anyway so I don't really care). On average, this earns me about £7.60/mo.

SC Repost - This is who distributes my music to Spotify, Apple Music, etc. I pay £10/mo for this and SC Premier combined, so I really made a loss if we're just considering this domain on its own. On average, this is £0.17/mo.

SC Premier - This is just SoundCloud monetization, basically SC's version of YT Ad revenue. On a complete flipside to Repost, this basically pays for itself. On average, I earn £13.06 from this, but if you consider the fee I have to pay in order to get it, it's more like £3.06.

In total, If I create about 2 releases and 1 re-release every 2 years, I'd probably earn a total of £21.10/mo.

It's interesting to note, however, that the spikes are a direct correlation to me just putting the music out on platforms. Notably Bandcamp, as people have to pay to download for it usually - normally a small amount, but having an option to purchase the entire discography or having people want to add more on top of what they have to pay does do wonders. If I'm not putting music out actively, then ad revenue from YT or SoundCloud actually pays okay for the amount of effort I put into it (next to none). Ad stuff have less transientary moments, where it's just a spike with nothing afterwards, as I imagine people have to come back to the platform to listen to the music (whereas on BC, people download it and stream it offline)

No conclusion for this from my part, but I thought it was interesting to share. You can draw your own conclusion (and tag me about it or something) if you'd like!

Something to note about all this - I'm not exactly struggling for money, I have a full time job that I'm grateful I can work, and the way it is set up still gives me some time to work on music, which is about to become a lot more important (hopefully) next month as I'm planning to heavily push my music work again. However, in the meantime, I can definitely work on putting some music out on BandCamp and provide a far more complete discography on all platforms, which has been my goal anyway.

I hope that was an interesting read for you!

#melonadem-txt #melonadem #music distribution #spotify #soundcloud

[venzilanddeathcult]

BELATED NEW YEARS LIST OF COOL ALBUMS I DISCOVERED IN 2023 OH BOY THIS POST IS GONNA BE LONG

2023 was without a doubt the year ive listened to the most music in all of my life, so there's quite a hefty bit of albums to list, and i'll try to put them in a loose order of when i listened to them, but no promises!

I will limit it to one album per band, while noting the other ones i could have listened to within the text

Sadly, i didn't get around to hearing The Beggar by SWANS yet, so it won't make this list. that said heres the first one lol

SPIDERLAND

(By Slint)

Also known as the "how the fuck did a bunch of dudes in their early 20s make something this fucking great" album

I first listened to this one at a friend's house since he had it on vinyl, and halfway through the album i was losing my shit and repeatedly exclaiming loudly how fucking amazing the album was

It's very hard to put into words just how fucking good this album is, it's definitely one of the albums that put me onto Post Rock as a whole, and changed the way i view guitar playing pretty significantly

Every song feels immaculately constructed (the weakest one being the short instrumental that comes right before my personal favorite, Good Morning, Captain, the final song of the album that's linked above) and the raw emotional output won me over pretty early into my first listen. It is now my second favorite album of all time, good shit, i urge anyone reading who hasn't listened yet to give it a shot

Give their first album a listen too!

THE POD

(By Ween)

Not much i can say about this album i haven't said before i think, so here are the notes i took about it while listening to it for the first time (on a plane ride)

"Listened to this album during the plane ride Might be one of Ween's best It's so noisy and shitty and gross Only enchanced by the plane ride nausea and the very low energy feel the altitude gives It's Like if the Best album of all time got recorded on the shittiest hardware ever i'm Gonna listen to it a lot I can tell The noisiest part of the [referring to the last song here] song started on the most turbulent part of the ride And I was all for it"

I was already a Ween fan by this point, but hadn't listened to their earlier stuff, especially The Pod since every attempt at listening to it made me genuinely nauseous for some reason, but damn did braving through the album pay off. it's one of my favorite Ween albums and every time i get a fever i put it on to at least find some comfort in the wooziness. big recommendation

OCTAHEDRON

(By The Mars Volta)

I've been a Mars Volta fan since very early 2022, but i didn't get around to exploring their full catalogue until after the release of their comeback album later that same year, with Octahedron being the last of them (the rest i gave first listens to in 2022)

It's a decently strong change from their previous album (The Bedlam in Goliath), which was probably their most intense and chaotic album, although it definitely fell flat in a few aspects (Weirdly produced, some filler that could have been cut out that makes some stuff sound samey, something that wasn't much of an issue with Volta albums up until that TBiG)

It feels like it sort of harkens back to their earlier albums such as Frances the Mute and Tremulant while also going forward in a direction that makes sense considering 2012's Noctourniquet.

It's still not something as well constructed as their earlier albums, but it's a seriously good effort and worth listening to at least once, some seriously catchy and memorable songs in here

IN TIMES NEW ROMAN...

(By Queens Of The Stone Age)

I've been a fan of Queens Of The Stone Age for basically as long as i can remember, which only intensified in the pandemic as i would spend my days listening to Era Vulgaris on loop for hours and hours

There was not a single album from them that i didn't love, something about their entire style is extremely appealing to my ears, and when i heard they would release a new album i damn near shat myself and eagerly awaited for news

Then Emotion Sickness came out, with it's Era Vulgaris-reminiscent sound, ESPECIALLY the chorus and i couldn't be happier, there was absolutely no end to my hype

And thankfully, once the album came out, i realized these motherfuckers STILL have it in them to make a really fucking solid rock album, it seems they shed the slightly more polished sound of Villains and went back to that good old rougher sound they used to have, while not ditching some of the bells and whistles that made their reunion records work

Seriously solid album and i'd recommend it to anyone that enjoys this style of rock. good stuff

Church goes here

CONTEMPORARY MOVEMENT

(By Duster)

Shed away all of those memes about Sisyphus featuring a song off this album and underneath you will find a really emotional slowcore album with such an immaculate vibe i can't help but just. sink into it as i listen, if that makes sense

Before listening to this album i was a big fan of that Experimental Dust bootleg, but had never listened to their other stuff until i did

Almost every song is just oozing with this unmistakably Duster sound that is so perfectly melancholic you cant help but just be right there with them, it's some seriously great stuff, lovely album.

I also listened to Stratosphere, but i didn't listen to it much so i don't feel like it fits in this post, but rest assured it's a damn good time as well. Great album, very sad, should probably only listen to it in a good headspace but you do you

WISH YOU WERE HERE

(By Pink Floyd)

Enough said. its peak

same applies to Animals

A FUCK TON OF ALBUMS

(By SWANS)

No, really, just in 2023 i gave first listens to:

To Be Kind

The Seer

White Light From The Mouth of Infinity

Love of Life

Greed

The Great Annihilator

The Burning World

It's too much to talk about, but SWANS is one of my favorite bands, and honestly, if you're really curious, just shoot me a DM for thoughts on any of these albums haha, i'm always overjoyed to talk about music with people, especially SWANS.

loveless

(By my bloody valentine)

One of my biggest regrets is not listening to this album in full earlier than i did. It's seriously such a fucking incredible experience from start to finish that i can't even find much to say about it that hasn't been said before, just give it a listen

MT EERIE

(By The Microphones)

Sorry kids i havent listened to the glow pt 2 yet cant talk about it

I randomly discovered The Microphones on my youtube recommendations one day while listening to completely unrelated music, but clicked due to the artwork catching my interest and was completely enthralled by their melancholic acoustic sound followed by real intense percussion in some songs, and the flirting with experimentation that goes on throughout the entire album, it's seriously great and it touched me in a way not much music has. Big recommendation

IN RAINBOWS

(By Radiohead)

It's hard to say something about this album that hasn't been said already, so i won't.

Give it a listen, even if you're not a fan of their usual stuff, this album still stands out as a pretty interesting project and i enjoy it quite a lot

Also listened to from them this year: OK Computer and Kid A, heavily enjoyed both but In Rainbows remains my favorite

DOOLITTLE

(By Pixies)

Now for my most listened album of the year, spawned from the same night that got me into Spiderland (my 2nd most listened to album...go figure)

Having listened to Where Is My Mind? upon watching Fight Club, that was sadly the only Pixies song i stuck to for a while, but once i heard this album i kept on digging and digging through it to finally get what it is that made me enjoy this band's sound

It actually took me quite a fucking while to fully "get" this album, but the album slowly earned my full appreciation and became something i'd spend days listening to on loop, enjoying the ride from start to finish, it's a seriously good album, and if you wanna hear where some of that 90s rock dynamic came from, this and Surfer Rosa are considered some of the most notable precursors to it, so there you have it. give it a listen!

CLUBE DA ESQUINA

(By Milton Nascimento & Lô Borges)

LINK TO "Tudo O Que Você Podia Ser" FROM THE ALBUM (10 VIDEOS PER POST LIMIT LOL)

I struggle to choose a singular song to link, because every part of this album is crafted with such intricate musicianship and mix matching of Brazilian tradition with a foreign, beatles-esque flavor which is so smoothly and lovingly woven into the entire record. It's an absolute must for anyone interested in the music of Brazil, and one of my absolute favorite albums of all time. i recommend this one to every person i discuss music with, it's a seriously outstanding achievement of an album. give it a listen.

CENTER OF ATTENTION

(By InI)

LINK TO "No More Words" FROM THE ALBUM

I am a HUGE fan of the Jazz Rap style developed in the east coast during the 90s, and InI's shelved debut is one of those crowning examples i now look to when introducing people to the style. Right from the start the album sets you in it's laid back vibe, with it's nice groovy beats that tastefully sample old jazz records in a way that really adds to the album's whole atmosphere. Great album, give it a try.

DUMMY

(By Portishead)

LINK TO "Sour Times" FROM THE ALBUM

While regrettably not having listened to the rest of their output, this album still manages to blow me away every single time i listen to a song off it. There's something so lovable about the gloomy atmosphere paired with those spy movie ass guitars and absolutely breathtaking vocals. every member plays such a strong part in the album's atmosphere to the point you can pay attention to just one component and still be interested the whole way through. this album is so fucking good. give it a listen

SPEAKERBOXXX / THE LOVE BELOW

(By OutKast)

LINK TO "Church" FROM THE FIRST SIDE OF THE ALBUM

LINK TO "Love Hater" FROM THE SECOND SIDE OF THE ALBUM

Outkast has always been one of my favorites in rap, but i never took the time to listen to their biggest project, the double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which is kind of two solo albums from Big Boi and Andre 3000 (in that order) packaged as an Outkast album, but god damn, they made it work really well.

EVERY single song in this album is a fucking banger (GhettoMusick being one of my favorites), the only thing holding it down are some skits that, while some of them are pretty funny, still leave you just wanting to get to the next track, but anyone who's listened to enough rap albums already knows how this stuff goes (first wu-tang album, anyone?)

One of my favorite rap albums, give it a shot, i guarantee at least 3 songs from it will be stuck in your head after.

PAUL'S BOUTIQUE

(By Beastie Boys)

LINK TO "The Sounds of Science" FROM THE ALBUM

Another one of such cases where every song is a banger, the songs are all so fucking awesomely creative i can't help but have a wide smile on my face every time i listen, the crazy amount of samples in this album really makes it quite a unique listen, especially as a Beatles fan which means The Sounds Of Science is enough whiplash to give J.K. Simmons a run for his money

Really fun album, give it a shot

MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS

(By The Smashing Pumpkins)

LINK TO "Tales Of A Scorched Earth" FROM THE ALBUM

I've been a moderate Smashing Pumpkins fan since i was a kid, with Siamese Dream being a favorite, and Drown being one of my favorite songs of all time at that point, but i never took the time to listen to the album that followed it, partly due to it being so massive, but once i took the plunge i spent the next 2 hours sitting in my chair absolutely floored by every song that came my way. This is a seriously impressive album from start to finish and it's one i'll cherish for years to come, every song feels like it's earned it's place, with both the soft and hard songs being equally interesting and ear catching.

Outstanding album, give it a listen.

THE FAT OF THE LAND

(By The Prodigy)

LINK TO "Breathe" FROM THE ALBUM

I'm usually not much of an electronic music guy, but this album really caught my attention after watching Dario Casali's playthrough of Half-Life of all things, where he said he would frequently listen to The Prodigy during development, so i decided to give it a shot, having heard some of their music (Particularly in the film Kick-Ass) and i spent the next week or so religiously listening to this album on loop, it's so endlessly replayable and just fun to listen to that i instantly became hooked. Aside from that, there's not much to say, it's a very fun, energetic album, give it a shot.

THE ENTIRE FUCKING SYSTEM OF A DOWN DISCOGRAPHY

(By...yeah)

LINK TO "Soil" FROM "System Of A Down"

LINK TO "Prison Song" FROM "Toxicity"

LINK TO "Fuck the System" FROM "Steal This Album!"

LINK TO "Radio / Video" FROM "Mezmerize"

LINK TO "Vicinity Of Obscenity" FROM "Hypnotize" (not sure why people dislike this one?)

Same deal as SWANS, too much to talk about, shoot me a dm about it if you're really that curious, i don't mind.

ALL OF IT IS FUCKING GREAT. GIVE THEM A LISTEN. ENOUGH SAID

F♯ A♯ ∞

(By Godspeed You! Black Emperor)

LINK TO "East Hastings" FROM THE ALBUM

It's hard for me to put into words what listening to this album for the first time did for me. It's one of the most atmospheric, wonderful things i've ever had the pleasure of listening to, all 3 songs in this masterpiece keep me entranced until the very last second, including the very unnecessarily long silence at the end of Providence for the hidden song. I have yet to listen to their next album, which i've been told by a mutual is even better, so i'm very excited for that. Give this one a listen.

MARQUEE MOON

(By Television)

LINK TO "See No Evil" FROM THE ALBUM

god i am not a fan of this album cover

that being said, this album is a pretty nice, post punkish record which reminds me a lot of 80s Talking Heads, but i don't have much to say about it. it's simply a good album, and i recommend it heavily. give it a shot

THE UNNATURAL WORLD

(By Have A Nice Life)

LINK TO "Guggenheim Wax Museum" FROM THE ALBUM

I fucking love Deathconsciousness, but stayed at that album for a while, until, for whatever reason, during my initial playthrough of Dark Souls 1 (great game, by the way, enjoyed it lots) i decided to give it a spin and wound up listening to it for basically the rest of the game. It has this gloomy vibe HANL is known for, but it feels like its played a lot more straight than Deathcon, it feels darker, i dunno.

Very good follow-up, even if i think the previous album is overall stronger, this one is still a great listen

LEAVES TURN INSIDE YOU

(By Unwound)

LINK TO "Radio Gra" FROM THE ALBUM

I regrettably struggle to find much to say about this album, which is a shame because i really do love it a lot.

It has this sound that is at times reminiscent of Slint, which made me immediately fall in love, while still standing out as it's own thing, it's a very good fucking album from start to finish, but that's all i can say about it really, i need to listen to it more, and Unwound's other stuff.

Big recommendation right here

FRANKENCHRIST

(By Dead Kennedys)

LINK TO "MTV - Get Off The Air" FROM THE ALBUM

Dead Kennedys is one of my favorite bands (Old Testament DK anyways, Dead Kennedys without Jello is kinda wack, sorry!), and their previous album, Plastic Surgery Disasters remains one of my favorite punk rock records to date, but i had not yet listened to the latter half of their discography, something i now regret, since it's equally as good.

Frankenchrist is a bit of detour from PSD's VERY harsh sound, sounding a little more rounded, less noisy if that makes sense, but Jello Biafra's biting social commentary and witty writing remains intact through it all and makes for an album as entertaining and awesome as the rest of their work. Seriously great, listen to it.

MAGGOT BRAIN

(By Funkadelic)

LINK TO "Maggot Brain" FROM THE ALBUM

Having started my musical ambitions as an aspiring Funk guitarist (part of why my right hand strums so loosely haha), Funkadelic was always on my radar, with their debut album being one of the albums i listened to the most and looked for inspiration in during the pandemic, but for some reason, i never opted to listen to Maggot Brain until this year, which, as is per usual for albums i dont listen to, was a big fucking mistake, since this album is filled with bangers from start to finish. I love it to death.

An absolute must-listen to any funk rock fans

AT ACTION PARK

(By Shellac)

LINK TO "Crow" FROM THE ALBUM

Being a fan of Steve Albini's work both in production and with Big Black, listening to Shellac eventually was a no-brainer, but i procrastinated on it until a particularly lengthy hospital visit where i had enough time to kill and listened to this album, being taken in by that noisy goodness until the album finished. I struggle to find something to say, but the song structures in this album are so weird and they don't hesitate to stay longer than usual and linger on some chords which gives songs this really punchy vibe i can't describe. Great album.

AND FINALLY....

UNDERTOW

(By TOOL)

LINK TO "Prison Sex" FROM THE ALBUM

I'm a huge fan of TOOL, but never listened to their debut until i saw it on a mutual's top albums list, which convinced me i should give it a shot, and so i did!

...On the fucking last hour of 2023

I shit you not, the album ended in the last fuckign MINUTE of the year. 23:59. Finished listening and immediately got up to await the countdown.

That aside, you can really see how they went from this to Ænima, as it has a lot of the harder parts of that album, with less...esoteric(?) peculiarities inbetween, while still being a really good fucking album and enjoyable from start to finish, there wasn't a single song that had me bored. A worthy album to finish the year with...and this list!

FINALLY finished writing this absolute behemoth of a post, and i hope it at least gets one person to check these albums out.

Here's to a great 2024 for all! Thanks for reading!

#slint #ween #the mars volta #queens of the stone age #qotsa #duster #pink floyd #swans band #my bloody valentine #the microphones #radiohead #pixies #clube da esquina #ini #portishead #outkast #beastie boys #smashing pumpkins #the prodigy #godspeed you! black emperor #have a nice life #unwound #dead kennedys #funkadelic #shellac #tool band #music talk ahhhhhh

[numetaljackdog]

what i'm listening to 6/8/2023 (song notes under cut)

spot. link//yt link

Laura Les - Haunted: haunted. by laura les.

Death Grips - Hacker: nothing super unique to say about it other than that it's genuinely just one of the best songs. like probably ever. we know this

Limp Bizkit - Clunk: smiles. it's me. clunk is nowhere near my favorite song on three dollar bill y'all but it's like. the best of the bad songs. it never could have been a single bc it doesn't have the strength and the hook is wimpy as fuck but i have fun with it :) i like the part where fred says clunk a bunch of times and i like the breakdown :) come closer i am normal about this album

Ada Rook - TRU U (Live at ELECTROPUNKz 2023): ah, rook's performance at electropunkz. another thing that i am normal about. i believe i've professed my love for the album this song is from before, so i'll save that ramble, but i had a lot of fun with the live ep here. and tru u is such a fucking banger i love every second of it, from the silly anime sample at the beginning to the little pause in the last chorus where the word "death" intrudes. i've said before: ada rook makes the music that i wish i made. this remains true

Danny Burstein & Jessica Hecht - Do You Love Me?: i've had Theatre on the Brain for the past week or so, which led me to listen to the soundtrack to a show that my high school did (although i didn't work on that show myself, i knew people who did). fiddler on the roof is a good show imo, and while i don't really feel qualified to talk about some of the more complex subject matter of a lot of the play, this song is relatively accessible and also drives me a little crazy. i just can't get over the careful, straight-faced profession of love between two characters who never considered before that their marriage might be anything more than a practical and social necessity. it's a tribute to the fact that sometimes love is unglamorous, sometimes it's really as bland as spending all your time with someone just because they're there and while that might not be the fairy tale we all like to imagine, it doesn't make the love worthless. tevye and golde SAY that it doesn't change a thing, but i don't think we're meant to believe them. it doesn't change their often grim material lives and daily realities, true, but i like to think that knowing there's love between them will make the rest of their days just that tiny bit sweeter. i'm so normal about this

Nirvana - Pennyroyal Tea (Live on MTV Unplugged): links to this post. it's just so crazy to me. we had five or so years of kurt cobain screeching the most agonized poetry the music industry has ever seen, cutting through the bullshit of shiny happy pop music and voicing the blood and death and sickness of an entire generation, and now they're just remembered as that one old band who did the song you hear people playing at guitar center. i command of you. actually really listen to this band, take the time to go through some deep cuts, listen to the weird little eps and bonus tracks and shit. there's so much to uncover. this song came on shuffle at one point and i just was floored by it all once again, so it's here as representative of the sentiment

Cab Calloway - St. James' Infirmary: i've been obsessed with an old betty boop cartoon that features this song, which i put in the youtube playlist. you might have seen a clip from it making some rounds on tumblr, but the full thing is worth a watch. cab calloway was known for his flamboyant performances, but all that energy takes on kind of a dark, unsettling tone when placed in the context of the moderately-fucked-up cartoon. good stuff

Billy Joel - Movin' Out (Anthony's Song): i've never been much of a billy joel fan but i've felt the need to explore more of his stuff after getting into this one. it came on the radio in the car and i was on an easygoing road so i got the chance to really LISTEN to it, y'know. like i've probably heard it in passing a million times, and my dad and i would always make fun of the "heart atTACK ACK ACK ACK ACK" part, but when i really listened to it... it's a damn good song! got that earnest, heart-aching singer-songwriter realness. who knew!

Skee-Lo - I Wish: TWO new todd videos since the last WILT, so you know that shit is making an appearance. i genuinely really love this song, i think it's so fun and creative with an *amazing* sample, i kinda wish skee-lo had gotten a little better than he did. you should follow my nu metal tournament blog, because i'm gonna put a bunch of other non-nu metal polls up when the bracket's done, and skee-lo is gonna make an appearance. i need more skee-lo warriors, basically. that rabbit in a hat thing is bullshit though

Caravan - The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again: this is a find from charlotte charlottan's "Intro to Prog" playlist that i immediately fell in love with. it's so floaty and lovely, while managing to both gesture towards a wide variety of themes AND be catchy as all hell. it's good song, basically. i know nothing about caravan so that's basically it, but it's even got dog in the title :V

Parkway Drive - Boneyards (Live): it doesn't technically count as a repeat bc this is the live version!!!! i just love this shit so much. relistening to horizons after having not heard it for so long was such a breath of fresh air (this was like 3 months ago and i'm still talking about it lmao). i love the big stupid breakdown so much, boneyards has nearly permanently entered my rotation of songs to imagine myself performing. i also just love to imagine like. picture going to some punk or metal festival around the time horizons came out, and parkway is there, and your buddy is like yooo come on we GOTTA see these guys they fuckin kill live. and you're maybe not really familiar with them but you figure it's worth checking out. and they play this song and you're like damn yeah this is pretty good. and then the fucking breakdown happens!!!!!! i feel like you'd just be standing there and realize wow. i'm going to die in this pit. and that's really the feeling i'm pining for

Scatman John - Scatman's World: now some of you in the crowd may be familiar with our friend the scatman.... i've personally had my eyes opened to a whole slew of scatman hits that i never even knew about thanks to the enthusiasm of local scatman expert violet gec (hi violet!!!!!) and although this particular track is one i already knew of, i expect a lot of you might not know it. go ahead and take a step into scatman's world, baby! it's a beautiful place! and also the song will get stuck in your head despite your inability to mimic the sounds he makes!

underscores - Count of three (You can eat $#@!): i'm a pretty casual underscores fan, i just know songs here and there, but i do really like what i hear. count of three is SUCH an earworm, and i love a good "fuck you" song when it's done correctly. i also just appreciate the quality of the censoring job in the title. it's not perfect but there's effort... a lot of people just pick four random characters but here, $ obviously looks like S, # is similar to H, and so on. these are the kinds of things i think about

Bring Me The Horizon - AmEN!: continuing to ask the question of "what the hell are these guys doing ever and why does it sound good." first of all, we have to address the lil uzi feature. that makes... two? i think it's just two fuckin international pop stars that bmth have collaborated with. i mean, i know uzi is a rapper but considering rap's dominance in the pop sphere and their sheer popularity, i think i'm justified in calling a pop rapper a pop star. it's been said to death, but it's just crazy that these guys have become one of the biggest rock acts around considering where they started. as for the song itself, it's not like... my favorite? but it's cool, it's catchy. i don't find their lyrics nearly as impactful now as i did when 1. i was younger and 2. they wrote about suicide and nihilism and shit all the time. i guess the themes are still dark but it all just kinda washes over me now. i'm just here for the heavy heavy and the big chorus, and that's what i got. so i'm happy :)

Everclear - I Will Buy You A New LIfe: as you may have seen, i had a big sappy emotional moment for a few days at the end of last month, and that had me returning to my roots. post-grunge. a genre with no shortage of lame pop rock relationship tunes, including this one. i even made a playlist of sappy songs, of which this was one. i just like the idea of pledging all these expensive things to someone you love, but doing it as kind of a joke. like the sentiment is real, but you both know that's never gonna happen, because all you really have to offer is yourself. and hopefully that's enough. it's like if two princes by the spin doctors was less fun. i fuck with it mildly

Third Eye Blind - Jumper: that's right folks. not one, but TWO mellow and corny 90s rock tunes. i have nothing to say about this song other than that it's pretty good and, more importantly, you should watch the most recent trainwreckords video (told you we'd get both todd videos in here). i've even conveniently included that very video in the youtube playlist :) DO IT

Kesha - Eat The Acid: i listened to and enjoyed the new kesha album, but this single was definitely the song that stuck in my mind above all the others. it just made such an impression. even in her current era, i don't think i or anyone else expecting... this. it's very psychedelic, and while it doesn't completely deviate from pop by any means, i think it's a pretty bold step for her and i hope it pays dividends. i would be 100% down for more strange experimental kesha, i wanna see where this goes

Tina Turner - What's Love Got to Do with It: tina turner is featured on two WILTS in a row... if only the circumstances weren't so unfortunate. as i'm sure i said last time, she was a fantastic vocalist, and her biggest hit here gave her the space to really holler. i thought it was fitting as well to put this song right next to eat the acid, as both are the returning singles of women finally casting themselves free (or at least attempting to) of the figures that tied them down and abused them in the music industry. What's Love might reek of the 80s, but it's the good 80s. and for the record, i went back and listened to the full album and found a lot to like about it. RIP to a legend, for real

Roxy Radclyffe - YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE ME: another song whose presence is moreso indicative of a broader listening trend. i've been really interested in this artist's work recently, although i haven't had the opportunity to really dive headfirst in yet. i discovered her through a rym/bandcamp rabbit hole and was fascinated by the quanitity of projects she has running. i would recommend checking out her neocities and poking around, i've found some interesting stuff so far. definitely the kind of thing i think my crowd of oddballs on tumblr dot com could enjoy

#damn this one's long #*char noises* #talking pop

[egg-emperor]

While I love Mike Pollock I have seen some tweets of him suggesting that he just doesn't want to be known for his work as Eggman and wants to discuss his other works more, he also liked the tweets of Flynn saying the same thing, I feel bad cause I send him a compliment for Eggman, do you know some of his other works? would like to know his other characters

Yeah, he's been trying to emphasize that for a long time and I don't know why some people have a problem with that because of course he'd want people to check out his other work, instead of only acknowledging his Sonic-related stuff and acting like he's just Eggman no matter what he does and nothing more, overlooking tons of his other great work that's entirely separate from it and is absolutely worth checking out. It's great that you have an interest in doing so and I'm happy to help you get started. :D

I've looked at a ton of his stuff over the years but he has hundreds and hundreds so I still haven't seen them all but I try to check out everything that's available to me. I've heard him in a bunch of TV shows, video games, movies, audio dramas, commercials. I have a game where practically every elderly guy in the game has his voice, Just Cause 3 lol. I have a plush that's voiced by him too!

I first heard him in Sonic X, Viva Pinãta, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 show, and Pokemon around the same time because of 4Kids dubbing. My favorite singular other roles of his that I've heard have to be Langston Lickatoad, the Garbageman, and Adon Coborlwitz. Though he's got a ton of other great roles in a bunch of stuff that's also definitely worth checking out.

Here's what he commonly links on Twitter as a good way to see a lot of it:

That definitely doesn't have everything in it though. There's stuff that isn't supposed to be general public knowledge and other things that haven't been listed on here yet. But it's still one of the ideal places to look! I enjoy picking any character, looking into how to find and listen to it, and the joy of being like "there he is!" when I find his voice in there and get to hear more of his incredible talent hehe.

His pure audio stuff isn't on there, I found out about those through his Twitter and a number of them were available on Spotify and were linked throughout his Twitter.

You can listen to more of his audio with comedy bits, parodies, demos, and other fun stuff on his SoundCloud:

Looking around on his website is a good place for more information and links to more stuff:

He also has a big playlist on YouTube with more things he's been in that have been uploaded there, including commercials!:

Obviously, not all of them are here because he's done so many that haven't been uploaded and some of my favorites were made private by the brand uploaders and I'll always be sad that I can't hear it again lol. He also has some cool stuff in other playlists on his YouTube channel. I also recommend watching more interviews and panels with him uploaded on others' YouTube channels if you haven't because it's really interesting to hear him talk about his work and he's charismatic, funny, and entertaining. ^^

I also recommend putting on post notifications on his Twitter to keep up with him sharing some of his newest work when they're announced and released because they don't get listed on websites after. I have to save stuff to my Twitter bookmarks or else I can't find the information and content again!

And there you go! Have fun. 🌟✨💜

#asks #mike pollock #my post

[amplifyme]

S2 AND BEYOND WORDS, BEYOND SILENCE ARE COMPLETE!

(Disclaimer: this is looooooooooooong and probably riddled with grammar errors; but I've chugged down a few eps. and a book, so I'm not as bothered about those as I probably should be. ;)) )

Okay, so, in a weird way, these episodes were the most straight-forward for me in S2 (probably because of our discussions and Nan's excellent writing as a primer.) Not too many thoughts that are "new", but definitely some worth sharing and chewing over with you.

The Hollow Men: Cameron and Dale, what an introduction-- interesting that Dale, though he has less direct taste for it, seems to be affirming Cameron's quest for happiness by spearheading opportunities for him to kill (usually, dark eyebrow murderers are the "strong" ones in the dynamic while their blond friends are the loose link-- which they both are, but not completely.) The girls, bless their hearts. Joe warning Cathy about her lack of proof. Vincent, traumatized and avenging, trailing the boys like a shadow (he waits for them in the darkness)--and this time leading danger back to Cathy instead of the other way around (although... Cathy, you didn't learn your lesson again. Antagonism and blatant threats will do you no favors, especially when you give away a lot of your cards without anything in your back pocket to protect yourself.) The showdown in the theatre (CATHY), and Vincent taking a shot and powering through it, so different than that time in The Outsiders. The dull and boring and disconnected rich parents; and their shameless flaunting of their connections, power, and privilege.

What Rough Beast: Hated Spirko the moment I saw him. Paracelsus his cigarette reveal, and the lengths he will go is both impressive and a little amusing (and fascinating in its scope.) STEVEN'S BACK-- you baited his return; and seeing him and hearing his own twisted version of events was excellently worked into the episode. CATHY FINALLY WONDERED IF SHE WAS RESPONSIBLE AND FATHER DIDN'T ANSWER. Listening to the music Below is back. And, of course, Elliot's back; both in person and in impersonation. Vincent and Father's conversation about what Vincent is (and Father's uncertainty here is juxtaposed perfectly to "his" unabashed certainty in a certain climactic moment in the next episode) and setting up his "educated the man" for the finale when they discussed how books were all that kept Vincent from falling off the ledge all those years ago. "Father, I cannot control my thoughts. Father, I'm afraid"-- powerful stuff. Cathy believes Elliot is in the wrong the ONE TIME that he's in the clear (and her "we are beyond" statement-- including herself in the "otherness" that is Vincent-- is touching and disjointed, because she has only ever embraced the parts of him that are "human"... which she says as much in the finale to Peter after the blood analysis.) Spirko having the gall to still publish his evidence after Vincent spared him from death and Cathy tried to reason with him (also... JUST SWIPE HIS EVIDENCE AWAY BEFORE HE CAN LEAVE. I understand Vincent was too wiped, but I'm sure he could summon something up or Cathy could put up more resistance.) Cathy choosing to say goodbye rather than fighting for their romance is... huge and frustrating and makes me look even more forward to Diana in S3. (Which reminds me of Nan's AWTN where Diana spent weeks down Below with Vincent in the maze-- and more times before and after-- without batting an eye for him. Makes me ponder, makes me think thoughts.) Paracelsus merked Spirko, whoop whoop! Vincent staring into the abyss in his dark room is FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORESHADOOOOOOOOOOWING, and a great eerie cap to this episode.

Ceremony of Innocence: Full disclosure-- I knew Vincent/Paracelsus/Anna's backstory from Nan's work and even the twist of Paracelsus's death, but this episode was so well-acted I got confused and doubted myself. Excellent. The opening shot of Vincent is so, so eerie (picking up from the prev ep's close, I see.) Cathy's nightmare-- a lot to unpack: "He’s an animal-- what does that make you?” is probably why Cathy resists that aspect of Vincent the most, because their bond is a reflection of each other (Vincent staring at his reflection in the lake while her nightmare plays out, for instance) and more particularly, she fears, a reflection of herself. And horror and ugliness is something she broke down and shied away from in the first episode, the voodoo episode (which was a missed opportunity for Vincent's Otherness to be explored, a shame in retrospect), Trial, and this ep (directly opposite, I might add, to Diana's low self-esteem and "who cares?" attitude to her looks and "ugliness" in general-- I assume.) Nan tackles and "tames" that aspect of Cathy at the end of Beyond Words, Beyond Silence and in AWTN in Kansas... but I have to wonder: I don't think Cathy truly, fully loved Vincent as a whole before the finale (because there was always a part that held her back unless everyone else held back from Vincent too, which summoned her "call to action" or stubborn insistence of his humanity.) Father's "It's been a wonderful... dream" followed by Vincent's "No Father-- this is my tomb" certainly set up for the aborted plans George R. R. Martin had for S3, as did Vincent's wandering the catacombs for answers (twisted in death, as Narcissa calls it.) Cathy's lack of poker face continues, as does Joe and Elliot's endless supply of understanding and patience. Elliot exercising important brain cells by hiring a private detective saved everyone but Vincent in the end. Vincent "moping" around the tunnels while Father digs up old treasures and poems and literature to steer his mind off his troubles sets up perfectly for their conversation in the finale (about his past fugues.) Mouse's "he needs Catherine" practicality opposed to Father's longwinded rationalizations further emphasize how tied everyone's hands are. Paracelsus inviting Father to 666 (you dramatic man you) and challenging Father to fire a gun in the light (oh, the drama) and overpowering him and leaving him for dead while he goes to "release" his son from the imprisonment of civilized humanity was a great crescendo (not to mention the subtle hints of sending Vincent on a paranoid quest for more answers and asking the community for weapons and flawlessly transitioning from acting like "Father" to pressuring like Paracelsus.) Cathy was right-- that it was a lie-- but that's not what he needed reassurance about: what if it did, what would she do? Vincent's cruel birth story, scaring Cathy and sending her away, Cathy leaving but ultimately wanting to make Paracelsus pay and inadvertently saving Father (and leading Father back down), and the two arriving in time to see the aftereffects in Father's study. "You and Father-- you wouldn't admit the truth even if it stood right in front of you" is both right and very wrong: Cathy will deny it in the name of love, but Father does love if not embrace or accept fully that side of his son. Vincent driven to madness (to the Other, really, which at this point is pretty equivalent) and then dulled to near catatonic responses is the heavily necessary outcome. (A touch here that Nan added in BWBS was excellent and wrenching, will chat about it below.)

The Rest Is Silence: Vincent losing command over himself and running his body to the limit and sweating and tearing himself apart trying to contain the Other was fantastic to watch. Waking in the park, getting around Mary (who cannot read subtext for the life of her) to get to Father and his comfort and guidance, and pouring at his desperation and fear was an excellent way to start. Father's fear of Vincent's loosening grip (for his son and secondarily for everyone's safety) and steady reassurance added so much throughout, especially Vincent almost lashed out again: so similar to but completely different from the drugged scene in S1, Father showed no fear (as he had not then nor in the past with Lisa); and just exemplifies how much love and care and faith he has in his son and their relationship. They mentioned restraints again (one other time, I think) and Nan's written about the incident a little more clearly in her flashbacks, but I don't believe? I've heard the characters talk extensively about Vincent's previous incident (when he separated the Other from himself after injuring Pascal's wrist); so, maybe S3? Seeing the world through Vincent's eyes as he worsens was also fantastic; and Cathy did excellently herself this episode, asking him what she can do rather than pressing for impossible details, demanding more thorough answers from Father the right way, and keeping by Vincent's side when he broke into her apartment (kept chuckling because I remembered Nan's Diana laughing how he broke into Cathy's and out of hers.) Cathy's a very elemental and nostalgic person; and I wonder if her "flying" with Vivaldi was a reference (indirectly) to her memory of climbing the trees in the park while her father watched (or it could just be in-character, like her soaking in the sea or wanting to take Vincent to the mountains, or climbing a tree to reconnect with her dead father, etc.) Vincent so strung out that he talked out loud, snapped about Paracelsus, tried to insist the worst was behind them, tore his room apart, and rushed to and "attacked" Cathy's apartment in an irrational haze was excellent; but it kept getting better and better during his fever and "hallucinations" and the Other's hovering (now I know visually what Nan meant when she captured Buster's hovering and insistence) and Cathy's help and his progression to the bed and his waking better to watch the sun go down. Also, Vincent's finally in her apartment and for more than one day (noticed you had me take particular note of that so I've been waiting for that moment to happen.) I almost didn't notice how important Vincent's "love" was until BWBS (so thank you, Nan, for bringing that more thoroughly to my attention); but I did notice how he didn't directly agree to Cathy's request. And, of course, things are not better. Samantha and her book, wounding some members to get out, collapsing into Father's arms and sending him off, saying goodbye to everyone and leaving before he and Cathy return (what a moving scene-- they all love him in their own ways), and fleeing below the catacombs to potentially die in the attempt to master or free himself (a literal descent into darkness) was the cherry on top. Mouse following Vincent anyway made me want to cheer; and Pascal keeping up with him on the pipes made me want to cheer even more. Father staying back while Cathy insists on descending, too, sets up that puzzling little dichotomy: I believe Father loves Vincent more "completely" as he acknowledges all aspects of his son; but I believe Cathy loves Vincent more deeply? sacrificially? because she does not fear Vincent in his Other form, determined to believe he will never harm her. Beauty's love killing and then rescuing the Beast make a full circle here; and I'm glad the writers at least had a closed arc (in a way) before the restrictions for S3 upended the show (though not in a bad or worse way. Excited to dig into it~.)

On a separate note: I'm not in the habit of making everything about The X-Files, but I can see why a fan fresh off BATB would be drawn to this other show. Mulder and Scully had that near-instant connection between them that transcended words, social norms and expectations, and both of their fixed perspectives or parameters. But I think Mulder and Scully succeeded where Vincent and Cathy failed because they disproved, together, Father's assessment which Peter quoted to Cathy: "Maybe Jacob was right: when you go beyond definitions, scientific knowledge can only break down." The breakdown, or the hitch, was in the lack of complete acceptance.

And now,

Beyond Words, Beyond Silence: Nan ties these episodes together brilliantly. She also captures Cathy sooooooooooo well, building more on her self-doubt than the little bits of cursory examination we were given ("In telling her what he believed, he'd also been telling her what she desperately wanted to hear - that their relationship existed on a different plane from anything she'd ever known"-- I CALLED IT. Proud of myself.) Fleshing out Paracelsus's thoughts and linking in Vincent's waxing and waning confidence in himself and his relationship with Cathy (if it should continue or not) ties directly back to AWTN and her other book that I can't for the life of me remember right now; and it makes me giddy to see the throughlines (including the children and swimming, the Other and the cave-- both wanting that undivided, appraising attention.) Vincent's poem tying to back to Cathy and his fervency in tearing apart his room, breaking into her place, and driving himself into a fever until she quoted the poem back was superb. Again, Nan dug deep with Cathy; and these are a few powerful quotes that I couldn't pass up on: building on Cathy's toxic past relationships and tying it to her current pattern of behavior-- "...love that gave, and gave, and asked for nothing in return, she need never fear any physical aggression - from him or anybody else. A strong inducement to be oblivious"-- paired perfectly with "Absurd to imagine Vincent hurting anyone he loved.... Those were only dreams and had nothing to do with her and Vincent" and "Now she wondered if she'd been right to discount the unfitting things. If refusing to acknowledge all the anomalies - the number and scope of them! - she'd been dismissing the forest to see only the one preferred tree.... But they weren't deformities: they were Vincent. Maybe even the most of Vincent." Nan gives Cathy an arc where she marries her loyalty to both aspects of Vincent; but I shall have to wait for confirmation, denial, or nothing at all in S3 (I hope it's touched on a little); and giving Cathy the chance to explore that unfairness she expected or took for granted in her relationship with Vincent was refreshing and gave me another, brief glimpse what a functioning, healthier relationship between these two would have looked like.

As a final note, when Vincent speaks with shame about parts of himself and Cathy assures him those parts aren't him, I wondered how that would sound if he were a normal man with a comparable struggle; and the quickest comparison that I could think of-- though clumsy-- was mental illness. I'm mostly ignorant on this topic, so pardon my thoughts if they're too off target; but I sat wondering how it would feel if he were in the midst of a mental health crisis with everyone treating him like he needs to be "fixed", with restraints or with their love. And the shame and closed-in aloneness of that experience seems comparable in a few degrees, though of course you can't factor in his primal nature. Cathy's grand gestures of sweeping dismissal in the name of "this" not being "him" hits pretty close, as it would be denying an aspect of who Vincent is by pretending it can be weathered and then ignored-- and more tragic, because it would be spoken through well-meaning ignorance.

FINGERS CROSSED I miiiiiiiiiiiiiight? be able to squeeze in S3 Ep 1 (had lots of free time today~); but we'll see. Do you recommend I watch episode 1 separate or immediately follow it up immediately with episode 2?

I'm going to go ahead and chop this discussion up into separate posts just to to help me keep things straight in my own head. I'll dig into The Hollow Men here and then address the trilogy and BW,BS in posts of their own.

Follow me down...

Vincent, traumatized and avenging, trailing the boys like a shadow (he waits for them in the darkness)--and this time leading danger back to Cathy instead of the other way around

That was an interesting little twist, wasn't it? In hindsight it's another sign that all is not well with Vincent, and hasn't been in some time. Because if he'd been thinking clearly, he would have been able to think several steps ahead and glean that his actions might put Cathy in danger. And he would never willingly do that.

I completely understand his feelings of disgust, anger, and helplessness at the actions of these two kids. I have no problem rationalizing his desire to take matters into his own hands, and I thought his lecture to Father about the connection that exists between the two worlds was spot-on and something Father needed to be reminded of. But having said that, there seems to be a disconnect in Vincent here, when it comes to the risk to himself and the risks his actions may pose to others. And that's not at all like him. He's acting rather like Cathy here, jumping straight into the fray without thought of the consequences.

The showdown in the theatre (CATHY), and Vincent taking a shot and powering through it, so different than that time in The Outsiders.

Oh, Cathy; dear, dumb Cathy. Whatever possessed you to take the word of a person you don't know and duck into a dark, deserted theater when you know you have two killers on your tail? Oh, wait, I forgot. You also have very large, very strong, fanged and clawed protector at your literal beck and call.

Vincent is so done with everything by the end of this episode. I feel worse for him than I did at the end of The Outsiders. His "Nothing but madness, nothing but blood. When will it end?" is so heartbreaking because I know what's coming. And I kind of think he does, too.

Okay, gonna start another post for What Rough Beast. Stay tuned.

#beauty and the beast 1987 #season 2 #the hollow men #discussion

[quill-n]

I maybe taking you up on that offer 😅

I've been meaning to get into it for awhile but just never have (my cousins were supposed to teach me but they still haven't 😭)

Rn the only actual question i can come up with is that do the thingys that Edgeshot is not have pupils? I didn't notice it at first but when i saw the second post about it and the purple one i noticed it!

Thanks

Bread

Yes!! Thank you for giving me an excuse to talk about this hehe

For your question, tieflings indeed do not have pupils! (Well, by default they don't. It depends on the design ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/¯ ) They're mortal humanoids with demonic blood, so they have some demonic characteristics—they can also see in the dark! There's more you can read about them here if you're interested. Here's also some links to the other available races and classes. DND Beyond is a really good resource :)

Now I'm gonna use this ask as an excuse to explain some other stuff, don't mind me— There's a whole bunch of lore and stuff that I don't know and couldn't possibly fit into a single post, so I'll just stick to the mechanics. If I get anything wrong though, please correct me (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠)

Like I said before, I'm a pretty new and inexperienced player so I can only really explain the basics and what I know, which is basically just how the dice work :') but I'll still try my best!! Teaching is also a good way of learning, right? :D

(⁠=⁠^⁠･⁠ｪ⁠･⁠^⁠=⁠)

Let's start with making your character

It's almost like making a normal OC. You pick a race and a class. (Race is pretty self explanatory. Class determines a character's abilities—whether they rely on magic or melee, what their best stats are, etc. Again, DND Beyond is a good resource if you don't know where to begin!)

(***It should be noted that even though these are fantasy races, they're still relevant to real life cultures and they may have some racist, xenophobic, or otherwise insensitive undertones (ex. orcs, goblins...). It's worth taking into consideration ^^ )

From there, you roll for your abilities (which I'll explain with the dice), and you can put together your character's backstory and description! Describe your character's physical appearance, their alignment, their personality type, and come up with as much backstory as you think suits them. Don't be afraid to ask questions or go extravagant!

(This may or may not mean knowing some of the world lore. It might be a little difficult to navigate if you have no idea where to start, so I suggest snooping around the wikis. Watching/listening to youtube campaigns is also a good way to learn the lore. Be warned that sessions can run for several hours, though!! My friends recommend Fantasy High by Dimension 20 for beginners—the episodes are no longer than 2 hours. If you have access to Prime Video, Vox Machine is also very entertaining (though it's an animated show based on a campaign, so it's more focused on the story and characters than the game itself. It's nice to get the vibe though, and it's also just really entertaining!!))

Ideally, your Dungeon Master would be walking through all this with you. If you have any concerns, the DM is the person to ask! Different DMs also go by different house rules and not all worlds are the same, so it's a good idea to run anything by them to make sure they accept it for their campaign :)

Most of the game is roleplay, so you actually act as your character during the game! (Verbal roleplay, btw—it's less visual and a lot of imagination) You can make up a voice for your character and make them interact with the world around them any way you like. It's all improv, so don't be afraid to let loose! (Just make sure the DM is okay with your actions)

Now for the dice part 🎲

There are seven types of dice that are used in DND: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and percentile dice. The number refers to how many sides the die has (d6 has six sides, d10 has ten, etc.); the percentile dice has ten sides marked from 00 to 90.

When you roll for your abilities, you use three d6 dice (or you can roll one d6 three times and add them up). You'll roll for each of the basic ability scores (strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma) for your character, which will give you a number between 3 and 18 for those stats. Refer to your character's class to see which of their stats should be highest.

For the actual game, you'll probably use the d20 most often. If there's ever a point where you're making an attempt at an action (like sneaking around or lying to someone or even making an attack), you'll roll a d20 to make an ability check. You'll also use a d20 for any saving throws—which are rolls to try and save your character from something bad happening to them. Your DM will already have a DC (difficulty challenge) which is the minimum number you need to roll for your action to be successful.

The d4, d6, d8, d10, and d12 are all used to measure damage and healing amounts. I'd explain further, but I'm afraid this is a gap in my knowledge (I'm sorry!!) This site has some decent explanations, though!

Score calculations is where the game gets a bit complicated—

You might have heard people say they rolled a natural (nat) number or an unnatural/"dirty" number. A natural number is the number the dice gives you when you roll. (For example, if I roll a d20 and get a 14, I rolled a nat14.) If you add a modifier to that score, the number then becomes unnatural, or some people call it dirty. (Example: I roll a nat14 but my modifier is +2, so I have an unnatural 16.)

The scores you get for your abilities determine the modifiers for your character. Essentially, the higher your character scored for their abilities, the better they will perform in the game. It's something like this:

(source: DND Beyond)

Your character also gets proficiency points as they level up. Those can be added onto ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls. There's some other stuff that goes into proficiency bonuses, but I'm not nearly knowledgeable or qualified enough to explain it so I'll drop another link here that hopefully does a better job 😅

... Yeah that was a lot more words than I was anticipating to write for this.

(Special thanks to my friend who proofread this for me <3)

There's a lot of stuff that I still don't understand and world lore that I don't know, but I hope this still helps!! I know it's a whole lot of information; there's absolutely no pressure to remember all of it!! It's easier to learn once you're actually playing a game. (If it helps, the way I got started is I sorta just jumped in and hoped for the best lol)

#this took me longer than I thought it would #reiterating this: I am an amateur. I am probably not the most reliable source for this. #I am simply trying to introduce new prospective players to the game using the knowledge I have #sorry for the long post I tried to make this as short as possible but there's a lot to cover 😭 #the game is really in depth and that made it hard for me to get into but I think it's worth it #it really is fun!! #thanks for asking and thanks for putting up with my shenanigans <3 #quillnbox

[diagnosed-anxiety-disorder]

Black tea, music discourse!! I'm hoping the tea stuff is supposed to be "go infodump and I'll infodump back", because if not, I'm doing that anyways, fhjsjsj

Okay so. ETUDE A MINOR OP 25 NO 11 BY CHOPIN. (Had to double check that like 5 times, hdjskak, how do people remember these titles)

I found it today through a Chopin biography -> other song -> YouTube comment -> this song rabbit hole, although what's specifically kinda interesting to me is that I ended up listening to a cover of it by Zennetia, which puts it on guitar + metal, THEN two covers by Rousseau and Evgeny Kissin which are actual piano, and the comparison between it and other music I've heard is kinda cool to me?

Zinnetia's especially reminded me of the one Yngwie Malmsteen song I'd listened to a while ago (Blitzkrieg), which I guess makes sense since I'm pretty sure Yngwie was really inspired by classical stuff? (Though I don't know much about him apart from that he was a 80s/90s? guitar virtuoso and that he didn't like donuts (second claim is also dubious)) I kinda hear it in his playing now that I have listened to a few classical songs, though I of course could be wrong since I don't listen to a lot of it, dhsjjaj

But it's also so genuinely fascinating to me to hear Yngwie in Chopin stuff because the first time I listened to Blitzkrieg, it was like a gut reaction of "wow, this is VERY different and new" and now I KNOW where that "newness" in song and riff structure is coming from? And I don't think I would have made the connection without Zinnetia's cover so HUH

Basically I'd love to hear what you think about my rambling if it interests you, dhsjja, also any song recs are very very welcome because I am INTRIGUED by this genre :)) (+ Please tell me if I am typing too much, I have a tendency to do that and not everyone likes to be essay'd at so I understand, haha)

Okok first of all i dont know how people memorize names of classical pieces either, i struggle with that as well. But that specific Etude has a name (thank the gods 😭😭), Winter Wind. I actually tried teaching myself a bit of it but then gave up since it was too hard hdnebnebf

Checked out Blitzkrieg and it kind of reminded me of this one guy’s cover of Shostakovich’s string quartet 8 movement 2. I highly recommend it for you it’s soooo epic! Also listen to a string quartet play it as well.

Speaking of classical-inspired rock, Plug In Baby by Muse was inspires by Bach’s Toccata and Fugue. The guitar riff was taken from approximately 0:45 in the Rousseau video I linked. Muse is also known to be very classical based even though theyre not classically trained, very cool

Sorry it took me a bit to respond, but reading ur rant was definetly worth it 🫶🫶

#ask game #black tea #music rant

[jrueships]

Fic you would 10/10 recommend

OKAY so i think or i heard or maybe i think i saw smthin abt this day being fic appreciation day or whatever so IM HURRYIN WITH THIS ONE so i might come back here later n reblog with some more fics i missed but I WILL GIVE YALL SOME!!! just to note tho im honestly not a big fic reader in just regular gen? I'd say I prolly read maybe like.. one fic over 2 months? And that's if a fandom gives birth to a new fic with people im intrigued by! Im a very picky reader so i don't do it often (as u can tell by my VERBOSE vocabulary of same one word showing up 50 times in one sentence i try to write) SO DON'T RLLY EXPECT LIKE. A BIBLE of recs! i also really like reading shorter fics!

You know for fic recs i GOTTA recommend the MOOTS writings!!!! btw if any other moot on here writes and posted a story that's not recommended here LEMME KNOW! LEMME READ THAT SHIT!! ANYWAYS from the moots ive read from: ok. Nevermind. I was gonna link each story and it would have been awesome but the links won't link so 😭 um. I'll just say the title of the fic and the author LMAO sorry im on mobile. OH ALSO most of these fics you're gonna need an ao3 account to read! But it's WORTH IT trrrust me paps!!

Wreck my plans (that's my man) : sunlightdappling!!! I think I read this b4 we became mooted or at the very beginning of moothood but!! The title ALONE made me excited to read it! I love titles with parentheses i love you song titles i love you two verses! The verses are unfamiliar to me but if i had to guess the title is from a swift song? Idk why! I've never really listened to her but i just get the feeling it's something she'd say? IDK what i mean is THE TITLE IS VERY SMOOTH AND ROLLING!! Which is very much how the whole story feels! It all flows so well and everyone is so real!! I love wall street exec/principal/dad/mom andre a ton here! So cool when authors include more teammates in the fic besides the two it's centered on! I'm personally not big on the warriors cause im attracted to poverty (spurs) BUT i LOVE this fic and tbh like all the warriors related stuff my moots bless me with because Warriors are Gay. And my moots? Gay. This is good stuff, everyone just IT IS JUST SOMETHING YOU WANNA AND SHOULD READ and my picky pallet self loved it VERY much! READ IT!!!!

Kdsburneraccount : <- author!! GO CHECK OUT THIS AUTHOR!!! Moot does it ALL! You see a fic in another language you really wanna read because it's like 1 outta the 4 fics your ship has? CHECK OUT KDSBA!!! (Not actually kd) translates the CUTEST stories with permission ofc so OTHERS can enjoy as well! ANDDD moot ALSO writes GREAT fics ! For very interesting ships!!! Includes lots of people in the fics without any being ooc! You can tell moot takes TIME with these!! If you're thinking of getting into nfl fic! This ur person! AND IM YOUR PLUG ‼️‼️

The whole kyle/demar tag. Read it . Just. Read it. 29 fics with love poured into each and every ONE of them (i think idk i read like half i don't remember) putting it in the moot section bcs there's gotta be some tumblr moots of mine established in these stompin grounds (or planning to set ship root here!! So just keep an eye out on this tag !)

Nahco3 : <- author! BRO. IF YOU ON SPORTS TUMBLR N NEVER READ A NAH FIC. DO IT. RN. Reading at least THREE sodium bicarbonate fics is required! Sorry! Either witness greatness or lag behind idk what to tell ya buddy! Moots ability to write like SO many 10k+ works where every single word sounds MWAH is so MWAH it's MWAH just CLICK ONNA FIC MAN!!! SEE FOR YOURSELF!!! my personal fav favs are the fics with russell just cus his personality and behavior are A1 both in real life AND fiction. Russell fics are just something to read if you like those kinda elegant but POPPIN personalities IDK lol READ IT!! Read a kyle/demar story and thank nah for being the strong pillar that ship needs to stop it from falling into the 'short one uwu smol bean baby tall one MEAN and emotionless daddy 🥺' trenches. Seriously. That's a real savior right there !!! Also james harden is so funny in the fics we hate him but we all agree a straight guy who is Straight can just be hilarious sometimes

Freaky Friday : hardlythewiser (sequinedfairy)/ just moots fics in gen also legally if you read nahco3 you read HTW too! TWO-PACKED DEAL!! it's like getting TWO ps5s for the price of ONE ps5! SERIOUSLY READ THIS FIC!!! READ THE FICS!!!! I included the one that got me into moots fics (b4 we were moots! It was just such a creative concept AND all done in one chapter too? The DEDICATION??? i HAD to check it out), but read them All. OR YOU ARE MISSING OOOUT!! writing main ships are HARD. Yet this account manages to knock em outta the park EVERY time!!

Of course i love ALL my moots AND ALL THEIR WORKS so if yall want to be included LEMME KNOW and i will add yall in the rec! I'm just writing this at night rn so im trying to go a lil fast n post!

Ok now just for fics in general hmm

Tonight : anonymous A BRAD/JOHN FIC!!!!! and the fic that encouraged me to join tumblr n scrounge up some fics of my own for the fandom! John n beal have such an interesting relationship and storyline which NEEDED to have a fic done on it! AND THIS ONE IS SO GOOD! i haven't read it in forever since my start here so i can't describe all the deets but! I like it :). It has my og fav there and the perfect melancholy kind of vibe beal/john gives off.

A little TLC : madina / madina fics overall. Madina was probably one of my first fav fic authors for the fandom. AND IDK IF I JUST HAVENT MET MADINA AS A MOOT HERE OR MADINA DOESNT USE TUMBLR OR SMTHIN BUT IM KINDA SAD I CANT BE MOOTS WITH MADINA! because i just wanna COMPLIMENT madina so BAD madina is a GENIUS i LOVE madinas fics i love how madina writes russ , (and yes i am biased because madina writes a lot of my favs but STILL), IF YOU LOVE RUSS.. you'll love madina! Madina just gets PEOPLE! So right! And knows how to write main ships AND rarer ships so well! Only weakness to madina i can think of? Lakers fan lol

Just read all the kd/russ fics they're like all so high quality and good concepts and it's all written about a really complicated relationship but the fics do it so well ! JUST READ EM!! (again tho i read like half and a long time ago so😭)

Football fics now I TOLDYOU I DONT READ ALOT anyways Prom King by playclock!!! When /I/ was rec this, i thought the authors name was playc*ck so i was a little confused 😭 waiting for that thing some writers do where they label it unexplicit or mature then it has l*wd in it LMAO but no! This one is just a really soft really cute fic about stef and allen! If you're looking into getting into nfl through that ship or just that ship, READ THIS FIC!!! it gets INSECURITY it gets PLAYFULNESS it gets FRIENDSHIP it gets LOVE!!! i love it im so glad i was recced it and now im reccin it TO YOU! guys

Easy like a [tuesday] morning : counselor. CUTE title for a somber soft fic!! I love sports fics that dive into issues athletes might have that no one really considers! This one was so understandable it was sad AND I LOVED IT!! a lovely lamar and hollywood fic, their friendship is shown so well!! READ.IT.

AGAIN i mainly read whatever catches my eye, whether that be interesting characters, title, coverart, booksleeve, SO TAKE MY RECS... however you wanna take em JUST KNOW i am no historian of literature or WHATEVER ! THESE ARE FICS I LIKE, you may not like em, who cares everyone knows everything is about me lol eat shorts

#IM KIDDING #what im tryna mean is THERES DEFINITELY A LOT OF OTHER GOOD FICS OUT THERE AS WELL I PROLLY MISSED #GO FIND EM!!! #im a very peculiar picky person with media i digest so i have a select few to share! #there is always more! find the fics that make YOU wanna read!!! #whether it be because of characters or style or beauty or length or WATEVER #i dont even format my fics aesthetically so that should tell u not to take me too seriously!! #ted tumbunity things #hope u enjoy !!! #srry i couldnt give more!