#and they also said that they do the music FIRST and then the imagery follows the music and im like.....

[inkedberries]

the passion and love for this series..... imma cry

read more here: https://www.japanaradio.com/node/98

text under read more

How much involvement did Nightow-sensei have in the production of the show? You mentioned in your panel earlier that he just gave a green light and said to just have fun. Can you elaborate further?

K: It started with Nightow-sensei, myself, the director Muto, and also producer Takei. So four people altogether, just talking to each other for quite a long time. We heard from Nightow-sensei about what kind of a person he is, what he was thinking about when he was creating Trigun, and what he wanted to cover in that story. And that's where we started. Building on that, we moved on to the concept stage. We had two main staff members working on that.

We had Kouji Tajima, who worked on the concept art, and Takehiko Oshiki, who worked on the setup, writing the text that would describe the overall concepts of the world. Oshiki-san is a huge Trigun fan, a fan of the original anime and the manga. And so, he gathered together for us a bunch of design documents, set up documents, describing the themes that were covered in the original manga, and also the themes that were hinted at, but not really ever explored. Then, based on the text that he had pulled together and written for us, Tajima-san started creating concept art. His goal was to create concept art that would show the overall feel of this world and help us with world building, to envision what kind of a world the planet is, and he took over a year working on all the concept art.

During all of these conceptual design parts, we were continually checking in with Nightow-sensei. So, even before the usual pre-production process, we're showing him the setup text and the concept art, and he gave the okay to all of that. After being deeply involved in the concept design, he told us, "Everything, from here on out, the scripts, the character designs and so forth, the regular stuff of pre-production, you can do as you wish. That's because I'm confident now that you fully understand where you're going with this, and I've signed off on all the pre-pre-production concept designs that you've done."

It's not like he gave us completely free rein to do whatever we wanted. However, because we had actually that much deep, intense collaboration at the very start, he thought that we knew where we were going with this, and he's also good with where we chose to take this.

M: Usually, when you're adapting a book, a manga, to anime, you'd just be facing the book itself. But, in my case, I really wanted to face the person who created it first.

#FIVE LITERAL YEARS............... #I CANT BELIEVE IM GONNA SUBSCRIBE TO CRUNCHYROLL I WANT TO SUPPORT STUDIO ORANGE'S TRIGUN STAMPEDE FOR SEASON 2 #and they also said that they do the music FIRST and then the imagery follows the music and im like..... #i've only watched three documentaries and video essays regarding to music in making series or movies #and im half confident that this is an uncommon practice in other series or shows #no wonder episode 12 was LIKE THAT #AAAAAAAAAAA I LOVE TRISTAMP SO MUCH #trigun #trigun stampede

[matan4il]

Ahead of Eurovision 2024

I was listening to Eden Golan's song, Hurricane.

At first, it didn't seem to me like it stands out. I'm one of the people who prefers my Eurovision song less on the power ballad side of things, so this being in that genre...

But then I found myself haunted by the lyrics. By specific lines. Singing them to myself quietly, over and over again. I had to listen to the song again.

And it got to me, it really did, I haven't stopped listening to or singing it since, so I guess I needed to share a bit.

There's more than one hint that this is a song about mourning and survival. Lines like, "someone stole the moon tonight, took my light" can be interpreted in more than one way. But they become less ambiguous when combined with ones like, "holding on in this mysterious ride," when the mysterious ride we're all on is life itself. It makes it clearer that this isn't just a break up song. Then it becomes even more explicit with, "we shall pass, but love will never die."

The imagery in the videoclip is also telling, that ending when Eden is looking up, much like many do when talking to or thinking about a loved one that we have lost.

But the line that gets to me the most, the first one that took over my brain? "I'm still broken from this hurricane."

We all get what this song is about, in the wake of what happened here in October 2023, and since. And I am broken. So many Jews and Israelis are. As one survivor said (his words have haunted me first, then I heard them echoed in this song): "We are broken, but strong." That's exactly what the song is about, deeply feeling the pain and the tragedy, the loss, this impossible to accept grief, and still trying to find a way to live with it, to survive not just the horrors of a massacre, but the trauma that follows it as well.

The other line that affects me the most is directly related to this, "baby, promise me you'll hold me again." Because I have spent the last 5 months watching the news, seeing the funerals, and hearing people breaking down, as they say a variation of this to their loved ones, who are gone. Asking for a promise that can't be made, or fulfilled, and knowing that it can't, even as the request is being uttered. I hear their voices breaking around their words, whenever I listen to or sing this line.

The videoclip is also infused with imagery that's related to the massacre of over 360 people at the Nova music festival (and the kidnapping of 40 more from that scene), which is in a way very apt for music lovers. The images show dancers in what looks a lot like a nature party, just like Nova, and since the massacre happened when the music festival was meant to reach its peak, a long night of music and dancing climaxing around sunrise, that's exactly what we see, a move from the "moon light" throughout most of the videoclip, to the "sunrise" at the end.

But in the case of this "sunrise," Eden can smile, she can find comfort, she can sing a few words in Hebrew that reflect hope, about that little light that's left even when the moon's been stolen.

She's bringing the song to a beautiful, emotional closure.

Obviously, it can't be ignored that this is a re-write. The original song (which was called October Rain) was disqualified as "political."

You can read the original lyrics here. They're almost identical. I heard an interview with the song writers, who said they weren't even told what got their song disqualified, so they had to guess what the Eurovision Broadcasting Union had in mind, when they called an expression of our pain, and our strength at the face of that, "political."

I admit, I find it very hard to accept this disqualification. It's not like there isn't precendent for countries at the Eurovision expressing pain (including the kind originating from political circumstances) through their songs.

If you take the wildly popular Ukraine 2007 entry, the singer was quite obviously singing "Russia goodbye," with allusions to Russian interference in Ukrainian elections while wearing outfits reminiscent of Soviet uniforms. And that wasn't called political, because "Russia goodbye" was changed into gibberish that still sounds like it (and in recent performances, it was blatantly sang like that).

If you take the much talked about Croatia 2023 entry, it was about the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and also criticized Belarus' tyrant kissing Russia's tyrant's ass, by referencing the tractor that Lukashenko bought for Putin, while the band members played with military weapons and uniforms on stage. And that wasn't disqualified for being political.

If you take the Ukraine 2016 entry, that was explicitly singing about their pain over what the Russians did to the Tatar population in Crimea in 1944, with clear allusions to what Russians did when they invaded Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014. And that wasn't called "political" either.

Even this year, we have the entry from The Netherlands being political, with both the lyrics and videoclip referencing the borderless Europe (which IS a political issue, as Brexit, if nothing else, had made clear). I've seen people pointing out online that the song isn't political, because the whole borderless Europe thing is a metaphor for the singer's grief for his father/parents. I have no problem with that reading, but let's acknowledge that there could have been many metaphors for that, and he chose a political one.

So why is Jewish pain treated differently? Why is our pain labeled "political," when the metaphors for it in the songs aren't that, there are no specific political mentions of people or organizations in the song (unlike the Georgia 2009 entry, which slipped Putin's name into the song's title) in either version, when there are no political statements being made in the song, there's just expressing our pain, and trying to find a way to cope with it?

This WAS the biggest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, and expecting Jews not to write about it, not to sing about it, not to try to process it through art... Our pain is not political. It's human. When Ukraine won in 2022 with a song that wasn't originally political, but became one, as it was adopted by Ukrainians suffering from a war that they did not choose, but had to fight, singing it wherever they were displaced (I remember the winners, Kalush Orchestra, coming to Israel to sing it for and with Ukrainian refugees who found shelter here), I thought it was quite obvious, even for people who don't like politics at Eurovision, why the song won, and why everyone overlooked the fact that it was only partly based on its qualities as a Eurovision song. I don't expect Israel to win, I very much expect that, even as Israelis embrace this song about our pain during a war, that we didn't choose, but have to fight, and while hundreds of thousands of us are still displaced, we will get a lot of hatred, instead of understanding and sympathy. But I still have to speak up. I still have to point out that treating Israeli or Jewish pain differently is wrong.

(as a footnote, I wanna get ahead of the usual, "Why is Israel allowed to participate in Eurovision to begin with? It's not in Europe!" comments, while I haven't come across the same ritual for certain other Eurovision participants, like North African Morocco, just-as-Asian-as-Israel Lebanon, transcontinental {despite some of these countries only being considered European culturally, while geographically speaking, they're fully Asian} Georgia, Russia, Cyprus, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the one that's a continent all on its own, Australia. They all have the right to participate, because they all belong to the European Broadcasting Union. Just like Israel)

#israel #eurovision #esc #esc 2024 #esc 24 #antisemitism #israeli #israel news #israel under attack #israel under fire #anti terrorism #antisemitic #antisemites #jews #jew #judaism #jumblr #frumblr #jewish #eurovision 2024

[milgram-tournament]

MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 1, Match 9 CAT vs. THE PURGE MARCH

Propaganda for both options under the cut!

Propaganda for CAT:

"You like jazz? Jazz is chaos within order. Got to love the whole band. Vibraphone, saxophone, trumpet, flute, piano, guitar, drums, bass… Go, rhythm section, go! The song sounds tender at times and aggressive at others as different instruments pop up at different times. Sometimes they follow Kazui’s voice (“follow the king of the masquerade”). Sometimes they get to be the focus. You have the chill piano one moment and the screaming guitar in the next.

You’ve got a lovely “jingle” (“Lie until it gets better…”) which occurs at the beginning, middle, and end. It fits the “newspaper ad” style of the video really well. Also at the very end, there’s one more line that gives the jingle an upward contour, giving a sense of finality. “Until you can meet the king of the masquerade.” You’re there now.

The two verses start off differently before they take on a similar melody. It feels like Kazui is talking to a different person in each verse.

The chorus is a beautiful façade the first time and a sinister truth the second time.

The opening for solos shows that this jazz song means business. I love how the saxophone and trumpet especially get in your face. And with the tacet on vocals, the walking bass really shines if you lend it your ear.

And the smoke break! Silence is golden. Glass click. Lighter. Huff.

As always, Kazui’s voice is super deep. He hits even lower notes this time around. He’s a fifth lower than the next lowest singers (Haruka and Shidou)."

---

-Great instrumental choice. Kazui and jazz is *chefs kiss*

-Symbolism. THE SYMBOLISM. I can’t type out all my thoughts but ifykyk

-The almost comic like style of the MV is really appealing.

-Lyrics!! There is so much to unpack but it’s really cool.

-Kazui eating the dove… fricken iconic.

---

FIRST OF ALL the vocals????? BEAUTIFUL. His va put his whole pussy into this song and you can tell!! The way he sings the chorus is so damn addicting I'm so in love with him. His voice is more or less stable throughout the entire thing until the final chorus but you can hear the emotion peaking out which fits perfectly with Kazui keeping everything hidden. The way his voice turns into a sort of whisper during "all the things I wanna do that I can't say outloud"??? The way his voice starts trembling during "this feeling it's yearning to be satisfied"???? The way his voice turns into a sort of whisper AND starts trembling during "hey, if I said I liked-liked you, what would you?"?????? HEAVENLY! You can really feel how afraid Kazui is under his disguise and my heart breaks a little everytime I listen. Not to mention how absolutely powerful his voice gets at the climax!!!!!! It's insane!!!!!!! It's genius!!!!!! It makes me wild makes me crazy makes me eat my walls!!!!!!!!!!

THE SMOKE BREAK?????? What other song has something as powerful as that huh???? This isn't just a song produced by the milgram machine using his memories, this is HIS song and he is OWNING IT! The music builds up so much and gets so intense right before it, I can literally feel myself get tense and starting holding my breath right before he takes the break and everything relaxs… it's not just a break for him, but a break for the viewer. The song is spiralling out of control just like his life and his lies and he has no choice but to put it to a quick stop before its too much to handle.

THE IMAGERY IS WILD!!!!! He's a magician!!! Little magic guy!!!! Using tricks and lies to amaze and captivate the people around him! Trying desperately to magic his own feelings into something else! But it's all fake! It's all tricks and no matter how hard he tries he can never actually change himself into what he wants! But he's trying to convince himself the same way he's convinced his audience!! And when you're watching a magic act, are you there for the magician themself or are you there to watch the show?? The people in his life only cared for him when he performed for them, but they didn't give a drop of love to who he was a person! ALSO the transformation of the wedding ring to a cigarette to the dove at the end??? Makes me wild every single time! Right infront of his wife, he showed her that their marriage was something unhealthy for him that was slowly killing him from the inside. AND THEN he uses it to harm himself???? And then he turns that cigarette into a dove- a representation of love and literally TEARS INTO IT. He tears his marriage apart with his mouth!!! AKA HIS WORDS. makes me wild. Also fun fact Kazui says he started smoking because when he was younger it was "just natural for everyone to smoke" and that lines up with his reasons for marriage perfectly.

Kazui looks really hot in it. You should vote for Cat because Kazui is insanely attractive. What other reason do you need huh? Hot gay middle aged man.

Propaganda for THE PURGE MARCH:

"Despite the shorter length, the Purge March has several distinct sections in its structure.

It starts with a rolloff, and then… they don’t follow it. Amane isn’t here to follow the beat.

There’s the spoken-word intro and the upbeat first verse listing the tenets. The prechorus (“dou shiyou mo nai…”) has an amen break. The most-sampled four-bar drum beat. Well, there’s half of it. Is it supposed to mean something? Can I get an amen?

The chorus is so, so cheerful… unless you’re actually listening to the lyrics (“I’ll crush your throat too”) or watching the video. And it’s super catchy. 

The second part of the verse dials things back. Now we’re in reality. This is how Amane breaks her tenets. All the while, those tenets are spoken into both ears over the singing. Get some good headphones. She sounds different in each ear.

The music picks up again with the amen break as Amane happily strolls back home, and then-

Oh.

The somber second chorus, with Amane’s lower singing voice and mournful spoken words, leads into the final chorus, with new lyrics and a more forceful tone. The once-meaningless chanting now has real words. “You’re sorry? I don’t care! Please go ahead and die already.” You can hear Amane’s anger despite the cheerful melody. She harmonizes in the final phrase, as if to say “we’re in this together, me and my little color guard troop.” And finally, it’s just her. Speaking. "Oboetemasuka?" Accompanied by only a single drum.

She is both Amane Momose and not. She upholds the doctrines that she was raised with, but she can’t."

---

"Purge March is geniunaly one of my favorite pieces of fiction both in and out of the context of trauma. Its fantastically directed and composed. The batton twirling is spetacular and energetic, the set and character design of Amane conveys a lot about the world she’s in and the story she’s telling. Purge March contextulizes a lot of Magic in both expected and unexpected ways (insert the entire cat symbolism thesis here) Purge March casts Amane in the role of a scary child. The glowing eyes, the framing of Amane as Above the viewer, the brutality and catharsis of it all. It seems tailored made to make you Scared of her. It’s a continuation of the cycle of abuse that we the audience repeated in T1 when we gave her that verdict. A red flashing warning sign about the Inhumanity and Monsterous qualities of Amane Momose. But Amane as a monster is fufilling and freeing. Again, its deeply cathartic. I would write more if I wasnt so sleepy at the moment but its just some Fantastic work overall. Purge March is also just fantasitic vocally and also hids electricity sounds in the instrumental which I think is evil and awesome."

---

-Amane’s vocals and how they slowly get more and more off the deep end is both really sad and cool to watch.

-The symbolism of the marching band and the flags. Ifykyk

-The beginning where it sounds like a propaganda TV show… really shows just how far Amane’s thinking is rooted in her cult and how that’s shaped her perception.

-The LYRICS. They work so well but it’s also creepy AF considering it’s a child who’s singing it.

-“So there is no second time, I’ll give back the judgment that you gave to me!”

-The overlapping part… gives me chills everytime.

-Building off the last point, the last “I’ll crush your throat too.” Ouch.

-“Remember MY cries, MY repents, MY words of “I’m sorry” that I said to you?”

-The song also does a great job of showing how much the guilty verdict messed with her.

[astroels]

๋ ࣭ ⭑ ๋𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐄.𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 ๋⭑ ࣭

a/n: first time doing dealer ellie??? pls leave opinions or I'II overthink this also I'm so sorry but I cannot write stone dom for ellie, she's my soft dom :((

Small imagery/ headcannons, on how you met Ellie, how you ignored her at first for being known as a playgirl, and how you ended up together

Dealer Ellie who's actually just a loser lesbian with too much love and money to spend

The party you got dragged to was definitely one of the best you'd attended. The drinks hit you in just the right way, warming your throat but chilling your stomach. The weed felt better to intake, knowing it was cheap since the host paid for most of it. The vibrations of the music filled your body, making the night feel dreamy. You took it light, enjoying every second that was being offered. As the night grew, so did the amount of people. You enjoyed watching who came in, the way they carried themselves and what it said about them. Losing yourself in the music, you turned and opened your eyes to be met with a pair staring right at you. Her stare pierced you in a way you hadn't felt before. You just had to know who she was.

You held eye contact, wondering if it'd be smart to join the auburn headed girl at the spot she stood in. While you overthought the option, you saw her head motion along with her eyes to go her way. Who could deny such a beauty?

As you walked up to her, a smirk grew on her face, seemingly proud of being able to reel you in. You carried your drink in your hand, mixing it around. Finally, at a good enough distance, you heard the first sounds of her rather sweet, raspy voice. "Hey, baby," She said with the pet name rolling off her tongue seductively. Her voice was enough to entice you, even if you typically despised such upfront people.

Not knowing what to address her as, you asked. "Got a name, babe?" returning the petname. You stared at her in interest: She felt like a different approach than others. The way her eyes scanned up from your thighs to your chest to your face was hard to ignore, making you flush some. "Ellie." She bit her lip unconsciously after, god, her lips looked so perfectly plump.

You hummed at her response; it was a pretty name that suited her face. You were admiring her features, from the exposed tattoo on her right arm to the risky amount of unbuttoned buttons on her shirt to the freckles that stained her face. Ellie's following words made you lose your train of thought. "'m not gonna waste your time, you're pretty, babe." She gave you a tilted grin, watching you in amusement. As you processed her words, only a smile was able to make its way on your face. She continued, "I'd like to take you outta here, somewhere nice, got some joints in m' car."

Her boldness was attractive. How could anyone say no to such a pretty face? The temptation to go with her outweighed the screaming that told you to stay. "Interested?" She kept her eyes on you, trying to read your body language anything that'd give a response. You opened your mouth to speak, ready to agree to her alluring personality, but you felt a yank on your arm.

Your friend was pulling you outside, raising her voice at you, warning you about the type of girl Ellie was. Apparently, she was one, a play girl and two, a druge dealer, but that one wasn't as bad, right? She was just too good to be true, huh? You never would' ve continued talking to her if you knew she was just talking to you for a quick fuck.

Despite being a little hesitant to attend parties in case you met Ellie again, you still went. Your friends gave you the whole talk of this and that and to be careful, yet some part of you wanted to run into Ellie again, just once more. She was a reoccurring thought throughout the week up till Friday, the next party that'd been going around. You'd gotten extra dolled up, just in case you told yourself. You wouldn't let yourself fall for her, You'd dress up this nice either way, right? The night was danced away, waiting for a glimpse of auburn hair. With no sign of Ellie, the flow of the music lead you to another girl, dancing with her hands roaming your body freely. You turned your head to face the girl, but it wasn't her that shocked you. It was a familiar face staring right past her shoulder.

The eyes that looked right at you began to sting your skin, it somehow felt like she was shaming you in the most filithiest way. Your body grew warm under her stare as you disconnected yourself from the girl you danced with, heading to the restroom.

Just behind you, a voice spoke before you entered the bathroom. "Where you going, pretty girl?" The name struck you, keeping you in place, not turning back. Feeling doubtful of your control to not interact with her, you quickly escaped into the restroom. She wouldn't wait, right? You scrolled through your timelines, looking through everyone's page, killing time. The line was drawn at eight minutes when you finally got the courage to come out.

The coast looked clear when you opened the door, not seeing anyone from your view; but as you made your way to the end of the hallway, someone tugged your arm back behind the wall. "What the fuck," You said angrily, pausing when you were met with Ellie. You scoffed at her. "Already said I'm not interested." You maintained eye contact, not letting your guard down. "Really?" She tilted her head. "Don't remember you saying that." She gave you a smile with her full lips tinted pink.

She had a point; you never said or thought it, but you couldn't do this fling typa thing. You shook your head at her. "I'm not gonna do this thing with you." She could sense your doubtfullness, so she pulled away a little, giving you the tiniest bit of space. "The rumors aren't true." You considered her words, were they the truth? Her eyes had looked so soft, pulling you into her words. You felt her warmth on your face as she leaned in. "I can treat you good, baby. Give me a chance," She spoke softly next to your ear. You bit your lip, trying to conceal the butterflies her words gave.

Ellie took a note and placed it in your palm, closing it. Before leaving, she examined every inch of your body, where it curved with your clothing to the curls that laid on your head, She smiled to herself, more genuine. "Just in case," She gestered to your hand and left you standing in the hallway. Her phone number was the only thing she left behind, along with a piece of your interest.

Over the weekend, you pondered texting her at all. lf you texted her, what would you even say? Despite the questioning eventually curiosity got the best of you, and a text with, "Hey :)" was all that you saw in the new started chat. It wasn't long before you got a reply. Throughout the week, you continuously texted each other. She wasn't as bad as she seemed. She was cocky but caring and less intimidating; she was just a tough acting dealer with dorky interests. You soon learned her boldness with flirting was a fluke, and she was actually such an easily flustered person. It was sweet to see how gentle she treated you compared to the coldness she showed others.

You ordered a tea, waiting for Ellie to show up to your planned brunch date. It'd been two weeks, and the shared calls and hangouts had successfully won your heart. You had a slight feeling Ellie had something planned, but weren't sure what. You took multiple glances at the window, looking for her recognizable hairdo.

Ellie made it to your table before your drink could, so when the waiter arrived, he jotted down both your orders and left. Ellie looked put together as if she'd spent time overthinking what to wear. It was supposed to be casual, so you'd just put on a favorite outfit of yours. As you examined Ellie, she examined you. "You look pretty." She said in a soft tone of admiration. The compliment brought blood to rush through your cheeks. "You look good too, Ellie." You gave her a soft smile.

When the food came, the time was spent on eating, having conversations on random topics, and slight flirting. You loved the way she made you feel heavenly. You were floating in the sky when she looked at you the way she did. When brunch was done, you asked the waiter for the bill. As you pulled out your card, Ellie gave you the most concerned look. "Uhhmm...what're you doing?" Her tone sounding confused. You gave her an awkward stare. "Uh, I'm paying?" It sounded more like a question than a statement. All that came out from Ellie was a "No." She shook her head. "You're not." She continued. "When I said I could treat you good, I meant it, babe."

She didn't stop staring at you weirdly till you put away your card. You guessed dealers did make good money. After brunch, Ellie took you to a nearby park, sitting you down on a bench. Once both of you were comfortable, she cleared her throat. "I, uhm, I don't usually do these typa things." Instead of looking at you, she was now fiddling with rings on her finger. You just stared at her, unconsciously tilting your head, wondering what she'd say. "I've really enjoyed our time together and wanted to make it more of an official thing." She looked up to face you. "I really like you." Your heart could burst at any moment.

"I really like you too, Ellie," you grabbed her hand to add further conformation to your statement. You swear her eyes lit up a shade. You both basked in the newfound warmth in each other until Ellie gasped. "Oh, here." She clumsily looked through her pockets to pull out a box. "I, uh" She opened the box. "Got us matching jewelry." The box held a necklace and a ring. They were complimented each other so beautifully. The necklace saying E. Williams with a heart on the bottom that marked the date. The ring said the same with your initial and last name with the date on the inside. Your eyes scanned them so carefully as if even looking at then would break it.

"They're beautiful Ellie." You stared at her and the jewelry in awe. "Here, let me help you." You turned and picked up your hair to help her put it on. Her fingers grazed your neck so carefully, it filled you with sparks. When you turned back around, Ellie was looking at it in such amazement. "Your turn." You grabbed the ring from the box carefully and placed it on Ellie's right middle finger. Her hands looked so pretty decorated in rings, especially the one that marked your beginning.

You grabbed Ellie's hand and fiddled with her ring as the sappy moment died down. "And what would you have done if I said no?" You pressed circles on the back of her hand as she rested her head on yours. "What would you have done with the jewelry?" Ellie chuckled and moved up to face you. "I wouldn't have given up on you that easy, loser." You playfully smacked Ellie's thigh. "Really?" Your tone sounding accusing. "Mhmmm," She hummed, smiling. You leaned into Ellie, kissing her lips. That day was a day for every new beginning.

With the rest of the day you spent together, you learned that she had had a dumb crush on you for awhile. Ellie had seen you walking around campus and at so many parties and decided to shoot her shot. She said she feared you wouldn't be into her or whether you preferred masc presenting girls, or if you even liked girls. You also learned that it was a rumor, she never slept with the girls; she never received from them, just gave, or only hung out since they "wanted to know if they were into girls." She'd stopped for awhile though, once she realized her crush on you. She was such a mess, but your mess.

#ellie williams #lesbian #ellie williams x reader #tlou 2 #ellie x reader #elliesstar #tlou ellie #ellie tlou #shes so soft dom #u cannot tell me otherwise #soft dom ellie for life

[cailenbraern]

Not sure if I can fully articulate my thoughts about Jaskier’s growth as an artist throughout the seasons of The Witcher but I'm going to give it a go.

Because when we meet him in season 1 , he's more or less just starting out. He's fresh from Oxenfurt and determined to make a name for himself on the continent. The trouble is, he's got nothing to draw on. He's still young so his experience is negligible. He performs songs about monsters and creatures with little accuracy or meaning, and we meet him being jeered and pelted with food.

Meeting Geralt gives him a new inspiration for original songs, although he's not truthful, particularly in Toss a Coin. As Geralt said, that's not what happened, and Jaskier responds with respect doesn't make history. He's still too young and too inexperienced to realise what impact his songs can have, and he's solely determined to improve the reputations of Witchers along with his own reputation.

The two other songs in season 1 are Fishmongers Daughter, which I'm not going to discuss in any detail, and Her Sweet Kiss. Now one cane argue that the latter is heavily drawn from personal emotion and feeling, but the end result is a fairly normal ballad style of song with poetry as lyrics and vivid imagery and metaphors. It's a start, but Jaskier still has a long way to go.

Then we get to season 2, where we find Jaskier in the early stages of recognition. We see him performing in a packed bar, with accompaniment, and the crowd are lapping it up. It helps that the song he's singing comes, as per his own words, from the heart. Burn Butcher, Burn is 100% emotion, 100% authentic, and gone is the poetry. The lyrics are raw and passionate.

Despite this, we're led to believe that he found his fame with The Golden One. In contrast with BBB, this song lacks any emotional punch. It's purely a story or anecdote set to music. A fun little ditty, but unless you can suspend your disbelief, if open to criticism. As happens when attempting to smuggle the Elves onto the ship.

Now, we know that at this point, Jaskier has done and seen and experienced far more things than he had in season 1, and this has left an impact on him. He has matured and developed his sense of empathy and his kindness so much more than the immature travelling bard showed in Posada, thanks tp witnessing the violence and persecution of the elves, while also dealing with his own broken heart. Yet he's still clinging on to his want and desire to be respected and applauded for his skill and talent in writing and singing songs, so we see that he does not take criticism well.

More happens in season 2 to shape and form him, Rience's torture for one, the massacre at Kaer Morhen, his friendship with Yennefer and his mending (such as it is) of his friendship with Geralt along with the continuing politics all across the continent.

I do have a soft spot for Whoreson Prison Blues. The first two verses are beautiful, followed by a very crude, very catchy chorus. I can't imagine he would include it in future sets, but it's so personal to him in that moment that I love it.

Little wonder that by Season Three, we are met with yet more changes in our bard. His words to Radovid stating that he doesn't 'do pretty' suggest to me that he has consciously decided to move away from filling his songs with poetry and imagery and is focused more on honesty and truth. Extraordinary Things which immediately follows is a perfect demonstration of Jaskier singing openly and from the heart.

But what I wanted to get to in this long winded post, is that this is the season we finally see the Emotional Impact Jaskier's songs have on other people. No criticisms, no jokes, just the power of his music.

Whatever your opinion on Radovid and his motivations, Extraordinary Things affected him. You can see this in his reaction as he hears it for the first time, and he so clearly can't get it out of his head after hearing it only one time, that he goes above and beyond to learn it.

Next is Ciri, and we see Jaskier singing a lullaby (which he may or may not have written himself, jury's out on that) to her. Later, in the desert, she sings the lullaby back to herself, drawing strength and courage from it. This power has been given by Jaskier through his singing, making her feel safe and loved in a vulnerable moment.

Finally, Eternal Flowers, which I'll say here, is the best I've ever heard Joey sing, both on the album version and in the live performance on the show. He has his lute, but he lays it down like laying down a weapon. It's just him, stripped bare, open, vulnerable, honest, true. This is not his song, but he feels the emotion and the message as thought it was. His empathy is shining. It moves him to tears, but not only him, the Dryads also feel the emotion he is channelling, and it moves them to tears.

I don't have much of a conclusion to this ramble, but TL;DR, Jaskier’s songwriting and art has evolved over the three seasons and his bardic power is a might force to be reckoned with. He will be remembered long after Valdo for his honesty and beauty.

Not pretty. Real.

#jaskier #the witcher #spoilers #season 3 #twn spoilers #twn season 3 #joey batey #i cant articulate

[camille-lachenille]

I was researching something completely unrelated but I passingly saw that hemlock means mortality in Victorian and modern flower language. And my brain immediately thought of the ‘Song of Beren and Lúthien’ in FotR, specifically the first stanza:

The leaves were long, the grass was green,

The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,

And in the glade a light was seen

Of stars in shadow shimmering.

Tinúviel was dancing there

To music of a pipe unseen,

And light of stars was in her hair,

And in her raiment glimmering.

Hemlock is the third element im the description of the glade Lúthien is dancing in, even before we learn her name. We have the long leaves, the green grass and the tall hemlock; two elements traditionally associated with spring and youth, and one heavily associated with death. In two verses we know everything there is to know about Lúthien: she’s youthful and she’s going to die.

The hemlock appears again in the second stanza:

There Beren came from mountains cold,

And lost he wandered under leaves,

And where the Elven-river rolled

He walked alone and sorrowing.

He peered between the hemlock-leaves

And saw in wonder flowers of gold

Upon her mantle and her sleeves,

And her hair like shadow following.

This stanza is from Beren’s point of view, looking at Lúthien. And fact he looks at her through the hemlock leaves tells us he is mortal. Beren looks at Lúthien through the lens of a mortal gaze, and thinks her otherworldly. There is an added layer to it because, in Victorian flower language, hemlock not only means mortality but also more specifically ‘you will be my death’. And, indeed, Beren dies in his quest to obtain Lúthien’s hand.

The last occurrence of hemlock in this song is in the fourth stanza:

He heard there oft the flying sound

Of feet as light as linden-leaves,

Or music welling underground,

In hidden hollows quavering.

Now withered lay the hemlock-sheaves,

And one by one with sighing sound

Whispering fell the beechen leaves

In the wintry woodland wavering.

I find this stanza more difficult to analyse from a symbolic point of view since it’s mostly a description of autumn and winter coming, but it certainly puts emphasis on the importance of this plant in Beren and Lúthien’s story. As I interpret it, and this is my personal reading, it is an allusion to Beren and Lúthien growing old together and Lúthien choosing to die along Beren.

In The Tale of Tinúviel, the hemlock is also extremely important in the introduction of Tinúviel, and it is more or less a description in much more details of what is hinted at in the Song of Beren and Lúthien from FotR. I can’t put the quote because it’s in French but, very roughly, it says that the hemlock is so tall and dense it looks like Tinúviel is dancing on a white cloud. Then, when Tinúviel sees Beren, she hides under a very tall hemlock and her white dress makes her disappear in the hemlock, looking like moonlight on the flowers. The imagery used in this scene is absolutely beautiful and I can’t make it justice, but what is important is that, upon their first meeting, Tinúviel is metaphorically surrounded by mortality. She is an Elf yet she will die. And Beren, who is an elf too in this version (a Gnome, the proto-Noldor, and I struggle not to picture him as a garden gnome), is doomed to die too from the moment he walks amongst the hemlock in search of Tinúviel.

Last but not least is the Lay of Leithian. Sadly, I don’t have the full Lay of Leithian so I can’t look at the meeting scene but, in an extract given in the French translation of Beren and Lúthien (Christian Bourgois, 2017) it is said that Lúthien wears white roses in her hair (Canto VI, verses 116-117) and there are a few other mentions of unspecified white flowers. White roses mean ‘I am worthy of you’, withered white roses mean ‘transient impressions’, white rosebuds mean ‘girlhood’ and a crown of roses ‘reward of virtue’. I don’t really know what to do with these informations since I don’t have the original text so I can’t say how accurate the translation is, but all of this enhance Lúthien’s ethereal, eternally youthful appearance. It also shows the association of Lúthien with white and light in opposition to Morgoth’s black darkness, I think. But I don’t doubt for a second that the hemlock is an important part of the place where Beren and Lúthien’s meeting.

Anyways, I just love digging this kind of rabbit holes in Tolkien’s poetry, because it gives us so much insight on the characters, and I am almost sure that Tolkien, who grew up in late Victorian England and loved nature, knew of the meaning of hemlock or he wouldn’t have insisted so much on it. I’d love to see if there is a paper out there about flower language/symbolism in Tolkien’s work because I am sure there is so much more of it than what I looked at today.

Sources:

https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Song_of_Beren_and_L%C3%BAthien

https://www.gardeningchannel.com/flower-meanings-dictionary-from-a-to-z-the-secret-victorian-era-language-of-flowers/

J. R. R. Tolkien, Beren et Lúthien, Christian Bourgois, 2017

And as a bonus, the Song of Beren and Lúthien in music by Clamavi de Profundis: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=11_aneHVaz8&list=PLR5qYNG5Nf7WFbZ6wr-rr7gDnALA4C8mQ&index=19&pp=iAQB8AUB

#tolkien #the silmarillion #lay of leithian #beren and luthien #the lay of leithian #the tale of tinúviel #beren #lúthien #lúthien tinúviel #flower language #hemlock #lotr poetry #tolkien song #tolkien meta #half baked ramblings by a sleep deprived tolkien fan #Youtube

[minijenn]

Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: Prince of Egypt

Papa Bless (literally) its time for me to talk about one of my favorite animated movies, nay, one of my favorite MOVIES ever made. Prince of Egypt is a work of art. Hands down, it is one of the most incredible movies I have ever seen. I'm not even religious (I did grow up Christian and am now a Filthy Heathen but that's beside the point). The real point is that this movie is one that I think can be enjoyed by anyone reguardless of religion. At its core, they took a simple biblical story and turned it into something with raw passion and emotion and art. And I simply adore it.

Every time I watch this movie, its such an experience for me. I always fall in love with new things, from the fantastic character designs, to the insanely lovely animation to the beautiful songs and score to the way the story is told and the emotions the characters go through with it. Everything in this movie feels huge, weighty, and important. It's very respectful to its source material while making changes that make it work better as a film, particularly the brotherly dynamic between Moses and Rameses that adds a whole new layer of drama onto the story.

As for that story, we all know the Exodus story by now so I'll spare you on that and discuss the things the movie does on its own. That dynamic between Moses and Rameses is at the heart of the movie and it really is just a devestating tragedy to watch them break apart and become enemies because of the huge responsibilities thrust onto both of their shoulders. The fact that tragedy ends on such a heartcrushing note too its just... god. (literally god, get it? cause this is all his fault lol jk ok)

Moses is fantastically written, a great main character to follow who has compelling drama, at first about his true identity and how he struggles to comes to terms with it and then grappling with having to oppose Rameses to set the Hebrews free. Rameses himself may just be one of Dreamworks best villains, you really do feel bad for him but you also know he's bringing so much of this suffering on himself because of his own stubborn pride. The rest of the cast is also fantastic, Tzipporah is lovely and really fun, Miriam is an absolute sweetheart, Aaron is a sassy little loser but I love how he comes around in the end, and well, God is God (the burning bush scene tho, can we talk about that? fucking INSANE)

The MUSIC man, each song is SO damn good its hard for me to even pick a favorite. Deliver Us is such a strong opening, a wonderful way to set the stage that makes the stakes feel high right from the start. All I Ever Wanted is a great way to show the life Moses always knew cracking from the inside out. Through Heaven's Eyes is just a bop with a lovely message about change and growth. Playing with the Big Boys is delightfully sinister and the Plagues, oh GOD THE PLAGUES???? INSANE MAN SO DRAMATIC AND INTENSE AND THE IMAGERY IS JUST??!?!?! BRUH! When You Believe might be my favorite though, it starts out somber but grows into this hopeful triumph of excitement and relief and its absolutely beautiful.

This movie is so beautiful to look at too! The composition of some of these shots, the storyboarding, the facial expressions, the set pieces, the movement of the animation, its all so expertly crafted, so entrancing to watch every second of it. Like I said at the start, this movie truly is an utter work of art in every sence of the word.

I've been gushing about this movie for long enough I think, but I can't help it! It's honestly that good! And its so hard to believe that it came hot off the heels of a trash heap like Antz. Like bruh how were they cooking that shit and the godsend that is Prince of Egypt at the same time??? Insane, utterly insane. This studio is ridiculous.

Anyway, Prince of Egypt is the GOAT and I will fight you if you disagree.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Verdict: Tzipporah marry me pls

Previous Review (Antz)

Next Review (Road to El Dorado)

#jen watches #prince of egypt #dreamworks watch #dreamworks animation #jen tortures herself with every dreamworks animated movie ever

[mollysunder]

The Inx: Jinx's Great and Terrible Devotees in Spite of Conv/rgence

The most annoying thing about Conv/rgence as a game is that it introduces great concepts, like the Inx, but just fumbles the execution of them and the overall story.

In Conv/rgence the Inx are a new chempunk gang of Zaunite teens and young adults that idolize and borderline worship Jinx to the point where they're said to spread chaos in her name. But the Zaun that Conv/rgence establishes tells a different story about the Inx from the intended description.

The first time the Inx appear is in the Conv/rgence comic, where the lead members like Chadd play at the Triumph Festival. It's supposed to be a Zaunite festival to celebrate Jayce's defeating Viktor, the Machine Herald. If the Inx follow Jinx's lifestyle why would they even play at such an event to celebrate a Piltovan, and why would Zaunites think the Inx wouldn't make trouble over it? I could go on about how weird it is for Zaun to host a festival to celebrate Jayce, a Piltovan champion for a fight unrelated to them and their wellbeing, but that would take too long.

For people who admire Jinx's boldness, the best they can do in the comics is pretty harmless vandalism where they just graffiti Jinx's monkey tag over some walls. The Inx are also nowhere to be seen in major events like the Scraptown Run, which apparently all Zaun gangs participate in.

Then there's members like Moshpit Meg. Meg's a diehard Jinx fan that loves Jinx's attitude and dedication to explosions. Before that Meg was admired Vi, the enforcer, because Vi's gauntlets reminded Meg of her own naturally big fists and it made her feel less self conscious about her own hands. That second half begs too many questions I don't have time for.

Outside of aesthetic choices there isn't really anything about the Inx that says they're people who stake their identity around Jinx. This is largely because Conv/rgence's universe works hard to sanitize Zaunite grievances against Piltover which directly undermines the central class conflict between Zaun and Piltover. It also largely impacts the motivations and general existence of characters like Jinx and the people who follow her, like the Inx, because they wouldn't exist in the absence of Piltover's oppression.

To avoid addressing any real conflict between the two cities the Inx are only vaguely make sense in the story, especially the game. All except for one element, Chadd. I need to say this...

Chadd is Accidentally (on Purpose?) Great

The brief moments the audience gets to know Chadd's character gives us an interesting glimpse at the people Jinx inspires.

The first thing we know about Chadd is that he's a musician, and it's neat trait that connects him to the musical roots of Jinx's character. In League, Jinx was the first champion in League to debut with a music video. It was through Jinx's character that Riot and Fortiche begun experimenting League with music. So it's very fitting that Convergence creates a chorus of sorts for Jinx to continue that musical tradition. To add to that, the game's promo posters decided to reestablish Jinx's connections by making her a talented karaoke singer.

The next thing to know about Chadd is that he was the one who planne and organized the Inx to transform a rundown theatre into an airborne concert arena. Red, Ekko's close friend and romantic interest in the game, confirmed that it was Chadd who was the one to make it happen, within a week too. It's an impressive creative feat that's clearly in homage to "Get Jinxed's" aerial imagery. Despite how cool a stunt that was I couldn't see how it was meant to impress Jinx, she was the most destructive thing in the theater... until I read the transcript "Hold me like a Fermata".

A shotgun, a flame thrower... who's funeral were you planning Chadd!??!? Just for context this was a transcript Ekko found of Chadd and the Inx talking about a new weapon (and sound system?) Chadd seemed to have made. I'm sure Chadd was the one who made it because the Fermata is also the name of a musical note that represents a pause (sometimes dramatic) in a score.

If you're familiar with music you might also know that the Fermata has more than one name, it's also referred to as "the Cyclops Eye". That kind of reference to Silco used on a weapon for a later act to honor Jinx couldn't have been lost on the writers because the Eye of Zaun was already found on an Inx hangout.

When I finally noticed all these details I finally got that Chadd is dangerously devoted to Jinx. All the points in his character can only lead us to conclude the real plan wasn't to just play obnoxiously loud music when the theater reached Piltover's heights, it was to destroy Piltover with all the weapons they equipped on it. That's the best idea I can come up with because Jinx immediately throws bombs at their plan to cause havoc in Piltover... for reasons. It does match Jinx's track record at least, usually other dangerous or apathetic champions tend to appreciate her, like Urgot, Renata Glasc, and Khada Jhin.

Even Chadd's concept art communicates that he's probably more devoted to Jinx than rest of the Inx. The way his early design evolves to reflect Jinx's influence could even tell a story. The more this douchey glam rocker finds inspiration in Jinx the more he changes himself and his art to reflect Jinx's impact. Chadd grows his hair out, wears his tattoo of Jinx in the same place she wears hers, and even dresses more like her, but he still retains his own diva personality.

One last thing, the funniest thing about Chadd is the fact that both Ekko and Red seperately ask him to explain himself and what "statement" he's trying to make with the Inx. Chadd just flat out refuses to answer, and even breaks up with Red over that. I thought he was being douche (he was), but then I remembered Jinx doesn't explain herself in game either about the mayhem she causes, she just taunts anyone who asks. The student learns from the master I guess.

Tldr: In the Converegence game and comics the Inx are characterized by mild vandalism and pretentious artists. And I could almost get behind that idea if only Convergence wasn't so heavily biased towards Piltover the dynamics of a group like the Inx could have had a more interesting exploration in their motivations and goals. Also, Chadd is a dipshit and he makes a great follower of Jinx!

#jinx lol #silco #the inx lol #the inx #the inx convergence #the inx conv/rgence #convergence lol #conv/rgence lol #chadd lol #chadd convergence #chadd conv/rgence #does this count as a partial arcane thing? #because silco's eye is used in association with jinx's followers #convergence is filled with so many missed opportunities and absolute wild storytelling decisions #like lets ignore the camille team up and ask why does jinx want to stop people from destroying piltover #why do zaunites feel make a whole celebration for a piltie like jayce? #why in the game is seraphine a source of inspiration for zaunites when she wasn't even born in zaun she was born in piltover #why is the story about a dangerous chembaron family that makes a dangerous artificial lesser quality version of hex crystals when the ferro #family does the EXACT same thing... oh is the production process dangerous the Ferros do the same thing #that's why Zaun Gray exists in the first place in League #league of legends #they just painted the ferros family brownish red instead of blue

[diagnosed-anxiety-disorder]

Comparing the intros to Eroica vs Wellingtons Sieg by Beethoven *fanboy screaming*

Inspired by @impetuous-impulse 's long-post essay on if Wellingtons Sieg was a certified banger or just liked because of its political ties. Very interesting, go read the post. Also literally don't worry about being socially awkward while interacting with me, my tumblr tag is literally diagnosed anxiety disorder, I understand if you get social anxiety in my notifs ��

I'm going to put the post under a Keep reading so my mutuals don't get sieged with a wall of text on their dash ahaha

tldr: Wellingtons Sieg focuses more on imagery and takes a more cinematic/patriotic approach, sacrificing a bit of melodicism. While Eroica is very lyrical and musical, having a steady motif that it grows on, but I wouldn't know that it's about war if someone didn't tell me. Both pieces focus on different aspects of musicality and in their own domain, they perform quite well. I like Eroica more since it's more musical in my opinion, but Wellingtons Sieg is also really dramatic and cool. This is just my personal taste. I recommend listening to both and formulating your own opinion! Both pieces really do sound very Beethoven-esque though

ok coming at this from a musician's perspective and not a historical perspective (since there's plenty of you history buffs out there haha). I had to play a bit of Eroica for an orchestra audition and I just took the time to listening to a bit of Wellington's Victory and sight read the conductor's sheet music. I will now proceed to do a long post looking at the intros of Eroica and Wellingtons Sieg because I don't have the time to listen to both of them in their entirety right now

Just going to put it out there, Eroica and Wellingtons Sieg are both in Eb Major, which is practically known as the heroic key, but that's probably because of Beethoven. The only difference is that Wellingtons Sieg first starts in Eb, then goes to C major (bright and festive) then goes to B major (in this use it's similar in mood i think to C) and then it goes back to Eb.

First of all, I will tell you right now that I like Eroica more than Wellingtons Sieg. Not only am I biased but I've actually listened to Eroica in its entirety multiple times.

At the start of Wellingtons Sieg (after the dramatic snare drum and trumpet fanfare thingies) you have this nice cute little motif. The motif actually ends after the down beat in measure 8 but I wanted to include the crescendo poco a poco. Anyways, this is in Eb and it's backed up by a bunch of quarter note Eb's on the down beats as well. It's a simple melody and it kinda feels like a marching song honestly. During the whole crescendo part it kinda does a whole developmental twisty thingy with the motif and then lands on a forte and it ties it all together at the end with a small recapitulation of said motif. This whole intro just feels like the army marching into battle and whatnot.

Eb Major motif ^^^ I really like it! The staccatos and major key makes it feel very bouncy and lively

Then Beethoven decided that the army is not done marching actually and he's actually going to change the time signature entirely, giving the next upcoming C Major section an entirely different feel. In fact, an entirely different melodic motif, because it makes it ✨interesting✨. So after an even longer period of the snare drum going insane in a triplet-based time signature and then the trumpets follow up with their loud repeated notes since trumpets are good at doing that, then we have another motif!

C Major motif ^^^ (pretend like there's a quarter note C in the invisible measure 8, it was written on a different page so i had to cut off the resolution im sowwy) .

Similar to the first motif, it also has a light and bouncy feel with all the staccatos. The grace notes play a similar role as the 16th notes in the Eb motif as well. I mean, C is the 6th of the Eb major key, but I don't know enough music theory to know the significance of that :/ (im taking AP music theory next year though!!!). So this motif repeats itself a bunch of times in different modulations in 3rds (i think) while the violins either do nothing or echo the melody. Very big focus on the band, especially brass probably.

And then... we get into the part that is probably when the army actually reaches the battlefield. Now, we have our two soldiers right, the Eb motif and the C motif. These two soldiers were obviously on the front lines and got brutally one-shot killed by artillery or something because in the B major section there is literally no motif at all!!

Ok, these two screenshots are 11 pages apart. Beethoven wanted to torture the violinists for a bit. He's literally doing what Wagner did for Ride of the Valkyries where he turns the violins into little Christmas ornaments and gives the brass section a field day. Moments like these are the reason why most of the violinists I know wish they picked the cello instead because wow look at all those juicy quarter notes and long notes ties, very chill. Also the second page that I screenshotted is when the key shifts from B major to Eb major. It's not written in the key signature but the accidentals suggest that the key is different because Beethoven wanted to make sure that no violinist was sight reading on the day of the concert, which is totally something I've never done before (haha... sorry maestro 💀)

I don't think you really need to read sheet music to understand what's going on. The winds are just holding long dramatic notes while the strings are having a stroke. This part of the piece is very cinematic and it very much sounds like the background music for a 1800s based war movie. A lot of times when pieces are based on.. uh... "things" they tend to ditch melodic lines for foley impressionistic sounds. There was this one concert I went to for my city's philharmonic orchestra and they played a piece based on Nazi Germany and they literally used two metronomes that were going off asynchronously as apart of the piece. I mean, the piece was very 1900s modern so... but that's the only example that's at the top of my mind right now.

What I'm trying to say is that there's no melody. Or at least there's no clear lyricism or melodic line that you can pinpoint, or there's no sense of melodicism that I can find with my mediocre knowledge of music theory and composition.

Overall, the intro of Wellingtons Sieg is very cinematic, in its sense that the musical lines paint a picture of the army marching to battle and then roughhousing it on the front lines in the section I just talked about. I really liked the motifs at the beginning, I hope Beethoven recapitulates on them at the end of the piece :(

Alright onto Eroica– I love how it just jumps just straight into the theme after the grandiose entrance. I love the intro to this piece so much, the cellos have such a beautiful rich tone with the arpeggiated Eb 2nd inversion chord while the strings just have a bubbly metronomic portato touch, it's so satisfying. Then when the violin I's take over with the G to Ab dotted quarter notes and how it just leads into the next phrase. Then the end of the first motif is on the same beat as the repeat of said motif but the woodwinds play it instead, contrasting from the deep cello sound to a more free and gentle tone it's really beautiful.

Just listen to the Berlin Philharmoniker play it, they do such a good job with the phrasing and musicality. The Berlin Phil is one of if not the best orchestras out there in my opinion. Each section is so in time with each other it just sounds like a one person powerhouse from each instrument. I wish I can play in an orchestra even a fraction as well-refined as them one day. Nothing wrong with my school's orchestra, it's just aaaa Berlin Phil <333

I don't know where this happens in the sheet music, but after some developmental stuff building off of the Eb major chord motif that is juggled between the sections, the strings lead up to a tremolo-d Eb note and then the brass takes over and plays the Eb chord motif. It's so grandiose and probably sounds amazing live.

The melodic line moved from a soft but rich tone from the cellos to a calm interjection from the violins, sounding like a sigh that is carried on by the woodwinds. The woodwinds take their own artistic spin on the melody as the violins gradually crescendo in anticipation to the climax of the exposition. At the peak of the phrase, the brass section majestically explodes and sound goes everywhere and it's just... Beethoven. The piece feels like a really nice hug

With that being said, I kind of focused on two different things for the two pieces. Wellingtons Sieg tells a story through its music while Eroica is more melody based. Wellingtons Sieg does a great job on portraying a certain patriotic feel through its use of percussion and the brass section. It gets its point across that it is about a heroic war victory, listening to the piece is like watching the battle unfold in front of you. While Eroica, ah Eroica... it's majestic in itself. I don't know how else to describe it other than it really sounds like Beethoven. The way he stamps the epic Eb major motif all over the place and plays with the notes, always making it interesting, it's so nice to listen to.

These two symphonies are both musical in their own way. I believe these two symphonies were written roughly a decade apart, so a lot could've happened to Beethoven personally to influence how he sounds. Wellingtons Sieg definitely has its patriotic zeal thoroughly seasoned across the score while Beethoven's heart bled out on the pages of Eroica.

They're both beautiful in their own special Beethoven-esque way. I'm not historically educated enough to tell you what the audience of the time would prefer but what I think is the most important is to know your own opinion. Like how you don't read a book, the book reads you, music is interpreted differently for every pair of ears, or singular ear (not discriminating van Gogh). Music is for everyone, but at the same time, not for everyone. No matter the political introjections or emotional ties, art will always be art and will be seen differently by any audience. I think it's more important to just experience the music for yourself and figure out what you like.

Alright, this post is long enough. I'm not familiar with making long posts so I have no idea if I did this correctly ._. Thank you for reading this in its entirety if you did, I really appreciate it!

All this talk about Beethoven is making me want to relearn the Beethoven Sonatas I was working on on the piano and violin. Anyways, I gotta study for one of my final exams that is... uh... tomorrow.. and I totally studied for it hahaa.. ha... ... please wish me luck, I need it

ok, I'll shut up now, 再见

The End !

#ludwig van beethoven #classical music #wellington's victory #wellingtons sieg #eroica #eroica symphony #classical music history #music theory #music analysis #long post #ranting #symphony #eroica vs wellingtons sieg

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

How to Write Pretty Prose in Your Novel

Introduction

When you read a book, do you ever find yourself getting lost in the language? Do you admire the way the author paints a picture with words, evoking emotions and imagery that transport you to another world? If so, you're not alone. Many readers appreciate beautiful prose, and as a writer, it's something you should strive to achieve. But how do you write pretty prose? In this post, I'll help you explore some tips and techniques for crafting language that is both lovely and effective.

Before we dive in, it's important to note that pretty prose isn't just about flowery language or using big words. It's about finding the right words to express your ideas in a way that is both pleasing to the ear and easy to understand. It's about creating a mood, conveying meaning, and engaging your readers. With that said, let's get started.

Section 1: Choose Your Words Carefully

The first step in writing pretty prose is to choose your words carefully. This means paying close attention to not only the denotation (dictionary definition) of a word, but also its connotation (the emotions and associations it carries). For example, consider the following two sentences:

1. The sun was shining.

2. The sun was beaming.

Both sentences convey the same basic idea, but the second one is more evocative. "Beaming" suggests warmth, happiness, and a certain radiance that "shining" does not. By choosing specific words that carry emotional weight, you can create a more immersive reading experience.

Additionally, consider the rhythm and sound of your words. Reading your work aloud can help you identify spots where the language may feel clunky or awkward. Varying sentence length and structure can help keep the prose interesting, and using alliteration or other sound devices can add a pleasing musicality.

To summarize:

Choose words that:

Have emotional weight

Sound pleasing when read aloud

Are specific and evocative

Section 2: Use Metaphors and Similes

Metaphors and similes are powerful tools in a writer's arsenal. They allow you to create comparisons that can help readers understand complex ideas or emotions. For example:

1. Her heart was a stone.

2. The clouds were a herd of sheep, grazing lazily across the sky.

Both of these sentences use metaphors to help the reader visualize and understand something abstract (a feeling, a sky full of clouds). When using metaphors and similes, it's important to choose comparisons that are both accurate and original. Avoid cliches ("he was as tall as a tree") and instead try to come up with comparisons that are unexpected and fresh.

To summarize:

Use metaphors and similes to:

Help readers understand abstract concepts

Create original comparisons

Avoid cliches

Section 3: Show, Don't Tell

One of the most fundamental rules of writing is "show, don't tell." Essentially, this means that instead of telling readers how a character feels or what they're thinking, you should show it through actions, body language, and dialogue. For example:

Telling: John was angry.

Showing: John slammed his fist on the table and clenched his jaw.

By showing the reader what John is doing, rather than simply telling them he's angry, you create a more immersive experience. You allow the reader to draw their own conclusions and engage with the story on a deeper level.

Showing instead of telling can also help with pacing. Instead of bogging down the narrative with exposition, you can move the plot forward through action and dialogue. This keeps the reader engaged and invested in the story.

To summarize:

Show, don't tell to:

Create a more immersive experience

Allow readers to draw their own conclusions

Improve pacing

Conclusion

Writing pretty prose isn't about being flowery or pretentious. It's about crafting language that is both effective and pleasing to the reader. By choosing your words carefully, using metaphors and similes, and showing instead of telling, you can create a reading experience that is both engaging and memorable. So the next time you sit down to write, remember to focus on the beauty of your language, and your readers will thank you for it.

Copyright © 2023 by Ren T.

TheWriteAdviceForWriters 2023

#writing scenes #writing advice #writing tips #writing plot #plot points #writing interruptions #interrupted dialogue #writing community #writers of tumblr #writing inspiration #creative writing #writers block #thewriteadviceforwriters #on writing #writeblr #writing #writers and poets #how to write

[imichelle-l-rigby]

Reflections: Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition

Season 3, episode 7

✨ya girl is just trying to sorta keep up✨

———————————————————————

*I am a music prof (predominantly classical vocalist), and I LOVE listening to Cillian’s music choices! That being said, sometimes I won’t like a song simply because of a vocalist (it’s a professional hazard - sorry!) 👩‍🏫

** The following are my own observations/opinions. We may not agree, and that’s ok! That’s what makes music fun! 😊

*** I wouldn’t say I’m well-versed in Cillian’s music preferences, but I do enjoy them (for the most part). I always wind up adding to my own playlists after listening to Cillian’s recommendations.

———————————————————————

🎵“Play that funky music, white boy!” 🎵

🎵Set 1 (Manhattan - Shut the Door)

Manhattan: vocal harmonies are unique! Interesting how the piano chord progression never changes - you’d expect it to change for the chorus or something, but nah 😂

Pictures of You: ok but the way this would be perfect for a road trip! And it’s got a long intro for a pop song!

Everyday, I Don’t: I am looooving the guitar here!!! 😍😍😍😍 the bass line also has some fun contrapuntal/contrary motion with the guitar, and I like it a lot!!!

Shut the Door: at first I thought this sounded like the beginning of COPS (iykyk), but then things took a dramatic turn! 😂😅

🎤Talking Break:

“Tiresome, banal, humdrum, brilliantly tedious factoids”

“Thank you for putting me in the same sentence as Jimi Hendrix”

🎵Set 2 (No Name #3 - This Strange Effect)

No Name: this is quite chill. No thoughts, just floating. 👍

Run of the Mill: the way I love George demos! I am convinced he left his best stuff on the cutting room floor! His voice and acoustic guitar just work together. ❤️

This Strange Effect: 😍 dude I just love music from this era! And the awkward leap in the melody on the word “strange” - great word painting!

🎤Talking Break:

“Thought I’d play it for ye”

Covers! Yay!

🎵Set 3 (Sister Big Stuff - Skinhead Moonstomp)

Sister Big Stuff: ok but how fun is this??? and the cover twist is really cool! This works! 💃

Can I Change My Mind: I like this track a lot, I just have questions regarding production - why does the vocal line almost hide behind the instruments? 🤔

Skinhead Moonstomp: this is totally a “crank up the party” song! And the storyline is so cute! 😂

🎤Talking Break:

It took me a minute to understand the “pyramids” discussion

“Kinda ambient”

🎵Set 4 (Castlefields - Die Bunge)

Castlefields: the “sirens” on the strings remind me of a piece called “Threnody for Hiroshima,” although with a completely different intention! And against that, you have some slow, cool jazz. I really like this. ✨possibly my favorite of the episode✨

Die Bunge: the electronica… solid. 👍

🎤Talking Break:

Ask a reasonable question - ok but this was SO REASONABLE!!! Loved this question!

… I’m putting my money on Yoko for the 1971 “King Kong” debacle. 😬

And I’m totally with Cillian on the covers 👍

🎵Set 5 (Cab It Up - Mestre)

Cab It Up: instrumentally this is quite fun! The spoken vocal part reminds me of b 52.

Mestre Candeia’s Denim Hat: some fun electronica! The rhythms are unexpected and you know I love polyrhythms.

🎤Talking Break:

Irish music! Yay!

Cool explanation!

🎵Set 6 (They Recognized Him)

They Recognized Him: whoaaaa. I’m glad Cillian said this was partly inspired by ‘90s hip hop, because you can hear it once you’re in the know!

🎤Talking Break

An exclusive!

Ooooh a reading! And quite memorable - I would describe it as grotesque in its imagery.

🎵Set 7 (Seem Am I - Why Can’t I Come to You)

Seem Am I: like I’ve said before - I do have a complicated relationship with her voice, but I fully recognize that her timbre is completely intentional. Her lyrics are pretty sophisticated, which I appreciate.

Why Can’t I Come to You: oh how beautiful! Ok I need to listen to more Patty Waters. ❤️ ✨is this a tie for favorite???🤔✨

🎤Talking Break

New music! Woohoo!

🎵Set 8 (Free of the Stolen Boy - Bending Hectic)

Free of the Stolen Boy: I like this, but every time he says “I want to be free,” all I can think of is Queen 😅 his voice reminds me of Johnny Cash.

Bending Hectic: I LOVE THIS! What a great concept - the “bending” is heard with all the bent notes/microtones. And then it’s “hectic” because the style continuously changes, but the bent motif continues throughout - well done! ✨another favorite✨

🎤Talking Break

Yorkshire Man - Scottish music. Ok. This guy sure is interesting!

🎵Set 9 (Life in a Scottish Sittingroom 2 ep 11 - Mam Yinne Wa)

Life in a Scottish Sittingroom: well, at least he’s easy to understand! I was worried I wouldn’t know what he was saying! This is an interesting pick, especially since it’s hard to call this music. There’s music in the background, but I definitely call this a reading. Anyway, it’s quite pastoral.

Riot in Cell Block No 9: wow! That’s a transition, now isn’t it?! 😂 nice early rock

I Asked for Water: and now some blues!! I’m getting the sense that this set is all about “obviously from a specific country” vibes/sounds.

Mam Yinne Wa: well… it’s definitely from somewhere. I just don’t know where - I’ll have to do some research. That being said, this is COOL!! 💃 ✨ANOTHER song tying for favorite??? How many am I up to???✨

🎤Talking Break

I loved this “wedge” of music 😍

🎵Set 10 (The Lonely Sea - You Are Mine)

The Lonely Sea: 😍 I love this, and frankly, I need to listen to more of The Beach Boys! These boys bop, but can also bring some fantastic harmonies!

You Are Mine: 💃💃💃 I love this one, too!!! These vocals are 🔥, but so are the instruments! 💯

🎤Talking Break

That is a shame that we don’t know much about Jay Robinson!!!! 🙀🙀🙀

Beatles moment!!!! 😍😍😍

🎵Set 11 (Julia - This Town)

Julia: the way this song makes me CRY 😭❤️😭❤️ OMG HE LOVED HIS MOM 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 John may have been wacky, but my goodness could he write something heartbreakingly tender (*ahem Now and Then ahem*)

This Town: a solid song. What a groove! 😎

🎤Talking Break

Early 2000s - wow! Nice to know what songs he played on repeat!

“Mind yourselves, now”

🎵Set 12 (Tilth Dawn Rustles - Swell Does The Skull)

Tilth Dawn Rustles: oooh this is good! Atmospheric but also synth and electronic sounds. Although the bubble sounds in the background are a little distracting 😂

Swell Does The Skull: transition was cool, but I am digging this guitar line! A solid, melancholy ending.

———————————————————————

Phew! One more done!

Tag list:

@iammrsrogers @deliciousnutcomputer @mariamoonie @brownskinsugarplum76 @look-at-the-soul @kj-davis @neverroad @teapothollow @thepurplearmyposts @possessedmarshmallow

#cillian murphy #cillian murphy’s limited edition #bbc 6 music

[nyxasteraffxiv]

Rafayel: Umi no yakusoku

Rafayel's fingers reached out and felt the water of the sea brush against the tips of each of his fingers before rolling out of the bed with a slight thumping noise. He paused for a moment, viewed his purple and red eyes in the mirror, and frowned, running his fingers through his hair so the leftover strands weren't sticking up, and moved towards the vanity with a small leap over some of the supplies that had been knocked onto the floor. "The wedding gift should be here.." he muttered, almost defeated, for a few seconds before finding a blue box laced with the design of two koi fishes that seemed to be swirling around and picked it up. The box soon opened, revealing a teal and light purple scale that almost fit in the palm of his hand. "Oh great sea god, bless this scale with light and love," he whispered, watching as it seemingly began to glow. With a heart full of anticipation, he headed out into the vast, mysterious oceans.

He glanced down for a moment as he watched what seemed to be a couple goofing and playing around as they strolled through a market district that had been previously lit up the night before with lanterns. The shimmering designs on the fabric were reflected in the light of the sun, which was filtering through the waves and seemingly brushing the surrounding area with its light. The market district, a vibrant tapestry of colors and sounds, held a captivating allure. Rafayel stopped at the foot of the temple and pushed the door open.

Nervousness couldn't begin to describe what was settling in the hunter's heart, she would have taken on a thousand no a million wanderers if it meant that she didn't have to do what she was about to do. 'Calm down, it's just a marriage ceremony, following ancient traditions that have been practiced for over 800 years, it's not like it's going to cause something stupid, like jellyfish walking naked..' she thought to herself, her voice filled with a mix of anxiety and humor, though the imagery did make her laugh as she slipped on the long silver mermaid gown over her head and fixed the rest of her makeup. The hunter's internal struggle was palpable, her anxiety and humor mingling in a bittersweet dance.

As the music slowly began to play, she stopped momentarily, hearing a familiar melody that took her back to long ago when Rafayel had first found his way onto the shores. "Rafayel….." she said, suddenly pausing with her hand over her mouth as tears began to run down her cheeks. And she quickly brushed her hands over her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and started walking. Seemingly, the veil on the dress began long and flowing, decorated with images of small fishes and pearls stringing through her hair as if it were some tiara made of light. "I saw you pause, what happened?" Rafayel whispered as soon as she was close enough but clasped her hand on his own. "It felt like all my memories from some past life had wrapped around me suddenly, and my emotions were about to burst." The hunter whispered in a slightly hurried tone, stumbling over her tone and sighing softly as she looked down at their interlocked fingers before blinking as Rafayel moved to step behind her and place something soft but also slightly heavy. "Just something to remember me by, well, something you can keep on you…well, not like I'm leaving," Rafayel said and then brought his hand up to cover her eyes for a moment, letting the seem for a moment as they were almost whisked away back to goregous sunset, causing the crimson and violet are in his eyes nearly to be reflected in the water's edge. The hunter gasped for a moment, almost in alarm. Still, suddenly, her hands came up and held onto Rafayel's, curling around them as she turned around and pressed against his chest, and the sea seemingly wrapped around them in a twisting vortex before releasing them. "That was new." the hunter mused but stepped back in awe as Rafayel seemingly seemed to be standing in an old outfit, hair long and scales glimmering in the sea waves as he smiled, his eyes crinkling into a signature one. "A promise is a promise. We did make that promise back then and at the hospital, and now we make a promise for good this time," he explained and smiled as he leaned slightly lower down so she could press her lips against his.

#love and deepspace #rafayel #Umi no yakusoku

[placegrenette]

Thoughts on the Astana concert (because who knows how much more often we'll get to do this).

I was talking to friends today who serve the valuable and underappreciated role of I'm Not Into This Thing You're Into But I Love When You're Into Things So Tell Me More, and pointed out that I know of maybe—maybe—one or two other people in the entirety of North America following Ninety One. So the burden falls to you, Tumblr. I have Thoughts and you have to hear them. Feel free to mute and let me howl into the void.

First let's get to the very important topic of men in suits:

(Photo taken without permission from the Instagram feed of an Eaglez who was there, apologies, I haven't seen professional photos yet.)

It's easier to tell from video but Bala in red looks terrific; Alem's yellow suit is belted at the waist, which reads (to me) as slightly daring on a man, and therefore very appropriate for him; ZaQ looks dignified; and Ace is a damn sack of potatoes. And y'all know I don't hesitate to criticize Bibotta's work so let us note, for the record, that she is not to blame for this round: when she posted on Instagram about her pride in her work and the team as a whole (as she should!), Eaglez came into her comments to say, "yeah but Ace looks like a sack of potatoes," and she replied that the man himself feels more comfortable in oversized clothing. Which hopefully is about physical comfort and not about body image and self-criticism, YOU LOOK FINE, HONEY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE MODEL-THIN TO WEAR FITTED CLOTHING, ANYONE WHO TELLS YOU OTHERWISE CAN GO SOB USELESSLY INTO THEIR SCREENS. BIBOTTA HAS PROBABLY ALREADY HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH YOU MORE THAN ONCE, LET YOUR TALENTED AND TRAINED FRIEND DO HER THING, UNLESS YOU ARE COSPLAYING AS DAVID BYRNE CIRCA 1982 THERE IS NO NEED TO LOOK LIKE A SACK OF POTATOES. I HAVE SPENT WAY TOO MUCH TIME OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS CONTEMPLATING YOUR PHYSICAL IMAGE ALONGSIDE THOSE OF YOUR BANDMATES, TRUST ME, YOU LOOK GOOD.

...sorry. I'm a little frustrated with these dudes these days.

So is this the next-to-last concert? Maybe? Probably? They've got something scheduled with Irina Kairatovna in October (I think?) and then possibly, IIRC, a date booked at Rixos Water World in Aktau, which they've played several times before. The fansite weloveninetyone posted an excerpt from the concert suggesting strongly that they are still talking about some sort of hiatus. I've been monitoring their social media output as best I can, not being able to understand anything, and they've seemed pretty cheerful, but who knows if that's relief or a show or something else altogether. I will go ahead and predict (and remember, my predictions are usually wrong) that more will be said at the end of the Almaty concert next week, and if they really are bidding a public farewell to Eaglez then it will be accompanied by some onstage crying. (From most to least likely to cry: Bala, Ace, Alem, ZaQ.)

I'm frustrated for obvious reasons: if they really are calling it quits after next week, more or less, then my odds of ever getting to see them live, already small, drop to indistinguishable from zero. I like their music and their goofiness and their willingness to think out loud. Are we really losing all of that? But also: they have a whole company to take care of now, that produces one product! They have staff members who've been working hard on this concert: the dancers, Bibotta, the merch team (there was merch! finally, there was merch!), whoever was in charge of putting Jeff-Koons-esque imagery up on the big screen. Is all that hard work and knowledge going to atrophy now? And is it all going to atrophy because our lead foursome didn't do decent worst-case forecasting and ZaQ got pissy DJ Khaled-style? Like, you guys overcame repeated threats of actual physical violence to get here, you're really going to leave us with the impression that you're taking your creative ball and going home because Eaglez didn't stream "Ego" enough?

I'm also frustrated because I know how much I don't know. Which is a lot. No one should ever have been satisfied with some random woman from Atlanta being the one to try to broadcast about this group. I've got multiple Kazakh-language resources here and haven't been able to prioritize learning the language enough to actually make any progress beyond a couple words here and there, or understanding that suraqtar is a plural noun. There's so much left to do! And learn! And it's vanity, admittedly, but part of me is now wondering whether if I'd worked harder, or been a more conventional (read: younger) superfan, whether it would've made more of a difference, whether they'd have more of an English-language following now.

But y'all feel free to ignore my grumpiness. We'll see what happens in a week. And if the Almaty concert really is the end of an era, well, the guys never owed me or any other fan anything. It's going to have to be one of those "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" moments. Baqytty bol, us to them, them to us.

#ninety one #come find me eaglez

[waterparksdrama]

I’m begging for a Fandom track by track pls

ok ok i've been delaying it for a while so why not for you anon. i have a lot of personal opinions about this one so it's probably gonna be way more biased than other track by tracks lol

cherry red - an intro that gives off this sort of dreamy epic 80s vibe if you weren't paying attention to the lyrics much. he uses a lot of color imagery entwined with the happenings of their relationship to lament it at this point and begin this cycle between mourning the relationship and getting caught up with living with being perceived by the public eye all during this. it's a good intro and i like the instrumentals - 8/10

watch what happens next - see this is one of those songs i'd like better as a song if the message didn't age badly and didn't make cringe really hard. the first lines already Aged. a criticism of fan consumption of their music and their place in the scene as rockers. blah blah blah awsten wants money and doesn't like the need for the rock scene to undersell themselves for approval but also i think some of your expensive clothes are ugly as shit awsten so what now. not to mention the poorly aged second verse about hiphop and genre mixing (specifically with a jealous dig at old town road) considering the other factors associated with hip hop and how the soundcloud emo rap scene of the time slowly evolved into the "emo revival" we see today that bolstered parx's current relevancy tbh (they opened for my chem and are playing wwwy fest this year hello). but anyways as a song it's fine; the sassy guitars pull more punches than the lyrics end up doing and maybe i'm proving the point of the lyrics even if they're poorly aged but god shut up sometimes awsten - 5/10

dream boy - this is legitimately the only fandom song i can listen to regularly LMAOOO. i heard this in public before because they put this on radio disney it was terrifying. anyways back to the song. it's a poppy song about fan expectations and how awsten exists differently in fans' heads than in reality. i think this is one of the few songs that i think hit the mark of satirizing fans completely bc. i won't lie i do this completely whoops (i'm an rpf writer and run this blog what else do you expect of me). i don't think some fans realize the irony of using this song against each other whenever some awsten related drama comes up considering they usually have an even more warped view of him but. i digress. also justice for glitter times your pre chorus will forever live on here... - 8/10

easy to hate - another song about the breakup hence all the color imagery and apparently originally a friendly reminder song. not much to note here; it's a catchy little song that plays with some of the elements he used to write about ciara in the past to get this anti love song. i guess you could argue the chorus could also apply to parasocial relations hence the music video and everything but yeah. fine song. intro synths remind me of an old ringtone. - 7/10

high definition - i get the ode to imogen heap's hide and seek with this song and i can appreciate that but for me it's just so...eh. lyrically it's a song that follows awsten's struggles with trying to find love in a post-ciara world. there's some interesting lines here and there but nothing truly hits for me and sometimes i think about the lyric "now i'm canceled, i'm whatever" at random times and cringe.

not to mention the extreme cringe i get from what he said about the song in the rocksound track by track:

There’s a song that’s all, ‘Back then hoes didn’t want me, now I’m hot hoes all on me’ [Mike Jones’ ‘Back Then’] – but not in like a bragalicious way. It’s an, ‘I’m like really lonely, I hate all of this’, kind of way. It’s like that.

why. you do not have hoes. shut up. get ready for more of awsten's white ass making cringey rap references bc there's one later on none of us are gonna like. i think i have personal beef with this song bc i had a sign for wwdff at my show, he looked at it, and then he did this in complete and nothing else. - 4/10

telephone - a love song (about some girl he never talked to at a target). considering he has all this written about a person he made up traits in his mind, it makes sense why all the true love songs by parx are probably just about the concepts of people that aren't technically real if you think about it. musically, its piano riffs takes its cues from 60's pop before evolving into this sparkly fun chorus. tbh it's just fine to me and i used to think the obsessive love song thing about a stranger was weird but now i've written 10x more messed up fanfic about him so i can't even judge that too hard. blah blah can also tie into themes of fan perception and falling in love with a concept once again yeah i think it's just a fine song. i just like when otto says the ending at live shows. - 6/10

group chat - this isn't even a fuckin song. and according to the genius lyrics page this is what it means:

He strongly implies that the song is about fake friendships between famous figures, where people may often pose as friends purely for the sake of sharing it online. This phenomenon that has grown more rampant in the modern world as those in the public eye partake in this practice as a means of boosting popularity on social media. This also occurs within the music industry itself, when companies chose to featuring artists purely to maximize the buzz surrounding the song.

i'm just more focused on the fact that this is the first time otto's been mentioned by name in the parx discography and it wasn't even by awsten. isn't that fucked up. - n/a (not a fuckin song)

turbulent - i can distinctly remember my first time listening to this with my friend after choir class and we both came to the same conclusion: the song was stupid except for the ending when he stopped singing. this is still how i feel about the song. that opening line is so goddamn stupid and i still don't think patrick stump knows he's in this song or who waterparks is. did you know if ciara didn't like fall out boy as much he probably would've compared himself to ryan ross and brendon urie? nightmare. this is one of the songs i pit to at live shows because when you pit, you don't actually listen to the song. it has better energy live than it does recorded but i'm not rating the live version though. i think the production is much cooler than literally anything else in this stupid song with it's breakcore beats and random dogs - 5/10

never bloom again - remember when awsten teased this song for years saying this song would be the one making people cry and now years later no one talks about it that much. "all the girls in los angeles look like you from a distance", honey you date the same blonde clone with different mental illnesses every time i don't know why you're so surprised at this. i think there are some interesting lines here and there, i just feel like its strengths are staying simple in its verses because the chorus feels kinda corny with the extra stuff on top of everything because of that cervini style of big production. - 5/10

i miss having sex but at least i don't wanna die anymore - i miss when this title leaked and we thought this was fake. i hate this song and everything it stands for i'll just say it. the true beginning of awsten using annoying blunt lyrics out of fear of being misinterpreted because media literacy in most places has gone downhill and it's supposed to be honest by making fun of what fans want of him as well as airing out his relationship in a way. god he sounds so annoying in here and i get that's supposed to be the point but goddddddd. musically it's just some pop folk song but none of you care about that i know you want to know the other stuff. this song is probably the start to the end with it going viral on tiktok and beginning the divide between fans that became fans through the scene and fans that found them through tiktok. i fucking hate this song and its impact on parx today and the fact that it's their most popular song and a mainstay of the setlist will forever make me bitter because they have so many better songs and also christmas is more popular on tiktok and he still refuses to play it because he is a pussy - 0/10

war crimes - ok back to songs i can stomach. a driving song about awsten dealing with his peers in the scene and his isolation with his real friends being back home in texas while he moved to la. along with this, he still has to balance his feelings with the breakup all while being perceived by the public. it mostly deals with awsten truly having to become independent of all of these things and stand up for himself (no i still don't know who the coke thing is about there's too many people). musically, it shifts a lot of different ways from the light chorus to the more brooding verses. good song. - 7/10

[reboot] - he's white boy rapping again. this is never a good thing. it's literally just a breakup song again shocker. throws a lot of digs at ciara with wordplay that i can't really hear unless i read the lyrics because it sounds he's scatting. i just remember this song bc i remember he made a whole deal about how he was trying to avoid being misogynistic on this album bc of the subject matter (specifically calling girls a bitch) and then he used the chew toy metaphor to indirectly call her a bitch anyways. yeah. i think some parts of the production are interesting specifically the stuttering halts in the second verse but other than that. whatever. - 3/10

worst - i remember when the original demo leaked because it was around the same time of the felony steve mixtape. it was a weird time. has some of the Lyrics of All Time and i mean this in a bad way. remember when i said awsten makes some cringy rap references this is one of the ones i mean:

why. why. why. this is not a line that works when you're white. i think the chorus in the album version sounds more interesting at least production wise. does that mean it's a good song? no. this is a song that makes me hold the bridge of my nose and go "oh god why this is clearly something you wrote in the moment" - 4/10

zone out - a chiptune reprise of the dream boy chorus. awsten says that putting it at this point in the album is meant to come off sarcastic, but to me i feel like it sounds more defeated than anything. more of a "what now?" moment. i like it, sue me. - 6/10

i felt younger when we met - the beginning and ending to the cycle of his relationship with ciara and his fans watching. here, he mourns the things he misses about her and the things he did for her. it's the emotional core of the album combining the heavy electronics strung throughout the album with the big guitar led chorus leading the album back to the beginning because things just don't stop at that point. it's a great closer that does its job of being the emotional crux of the album of losing someone you end up making up and missing over and over - 8/10

i'll be honest with you i haven't listened to fandom in full since it actually leaked in 2019. i brushed off the album at the time because me and my friends had our own little drama with awsten (and his la friends who aren't even his friends anymore ironically) because he was tiring. trying to preach ideas and people that would do the same things he hated because he was away from his real friends back home. i was tired of what he was trying to come off as.

nowadays i'm still tired of him sometimes, but i think his time offline has made the idea of him more palatable; when he's not trying to quip with the sardonic teens that make up his fans today, it's easier to remember him as a person. when he's not online, he's probably buying groceries or having lunch with a friend, working and writing music in his apartment or a studio.

it begs the question on an album named fandom (that doesn't call out its fanbase nearly as much as deal with the emotional turmoil of a breakup) on how we perceive each other and how that can come crumbling down when reality hits. i can try and compartmentalize awsten the ideal and awsten the reality in my head, but do most people even realize that divide should be there?

it's probably the thing to comment on considering the existence of this blog, the way it lives in surveillance from both fans and the band + associates themselves because we say things that aren't nice but are true or just straight up fuck around for fun. the fourth wall between fans and creators grows more blurred and blurred with each day. there's something to comment on this about cycles of hypocrisy from everyone on all sides but i'll leave it at this: whatever we do on here, whether make a joke or point, becomes some fodder for spectacle in the same way awsten posts on any of his accounts. it's a cycle.

i won't lie, i still think this album sucks. most of the songs just don't hit the mark for me or are just straight up embarrassing and half the time i want to shake awsten and tell him “you are not kanye west, you are a bitch ass white boy from cypress”. however as an album, it does feel like one big piece all puzzled in together. it loops from beginning to end.

and the cycle keeps going on and on..... - iz

#i can't promise most of this makes sense but. it's here #track by track

[klarawouldrather]

Falling In Reverse's Watch The World Burn

Just an hour ago Falling In Reverse released their new single Watch The World Burn, alongside a killer videoclip. Ronnie Radke has said in the past that he doesn't like when bands anticipate their new releases, it takes forever and there is no joy or surprise in it.; he prefers just dropping new shit out of the blue when people aren't expecting it, and this time was one of them. I think it is safe to say we all agree with him.

This new song is perfectly coherent in sound and theme with their last two singles released in 2022: ZOMBIFIED, and Voices In My Head. Falling In Reverse have found the best sound for this new epoch, displayed for the first time in their hit Popular Monster, and Ronnie Radke has perfected the mix of the vocals and the song in general. I'm specially a fan of his pronunciation during the harder parts of the song, where he opens a lot the vowels. It is pure sound quality, can't get any better than this.

The structure of the song is pretty much the same one that their 2022 singles have, starting with a Trap intro, altho this time way longer than what one would expect -over a minute and a half-, but it fits perfectly. Then it follows into a short fast Rap section heavily inspired in Eminem (the main rapper Ronnie Radke draws inspiration from) going way faster than, again, one would expect. Finally it builds up and breaks into the modern Falling In Reverse metal sound.

I was beginning to think we weren't gonna hear from their new lead guitarist Max Georgiev; but we do atho not much, only some sweet sweep picking arpeggios. This is the first release of the band he participates in so the project was already cooked before he joined anyways. He fits perfectly in the band replacing Jacky Vincent who went on to focus on his amazing Neo Power Metal project Cry Venom. Both Jacky Vincent and Max Georgiev have a virtuoso classical and symphonic inspired playing style, the later having a beautiful album of classical guitar pieces called Exorcism Chapter One. The two current members of the band listed as co-composers are the also lead guitarist Christian Thompson (who joined Falling in Reverse in 2015 participating in Just Like You and Coming Home) and the bassist and backing and lead vocalist Tyler Burgess. We can also see in the videoclip one of the best drummers of the music scene, Luke Holland. He is not a permanent member of Falling In Reverse, but he's been participating with the band for over two years now.

During the metal part of the track Ronnie Radke builds up and climaxes in a harmonized high note just like in Voices In My Head, and the drop that follows frankly sounds the same as the one in that song. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is clear that these three singles are sisters just as the trilogy Losing My Mind / Losing My Life / Drugs. It is expected that two other songs will join Voices in my head, Zombified, and Watch The World Burn, in a 5 songs EP titled Neon Zombie to be released this year 2023.

The videoclip is full of pop culture references, with warlike imagery and the same concept of Ronnie Radke being some kind of destructive force in a wooden closed space, this time a church, just like as we see in the single that cemented their contemporary sound Popular Monster. I gotta say, my favourite videoclip of the ones in this development arch is Voices In My Head, but this one is specially epic and powerful just as the song is.

Thematically it feels like a synthesis of the other two songs of this afromentioned sisterhood of singles, it literally opens with "I got voices in my head again". Talks about trauma, needing therapy, depression, and aggressiveness like in Voices In My Head; and about being criticized and how supposedly "Nowadays everybody’s so sensitive" like in ZOMBIFIED.

Now this last faulty idea is based on a talking point of the hegemonic media and buffoons of the dominant class that aims to spread fearmongery about an imaginary cancel culture, like it is shit on the walls of a public bathroom. It is a shame that such a talented musician has fallen into this discursive tomfoolery: no Ronnie, teens on the internet are not coming for you, you can still choose to be a bigot on the internet if you so choose, people being called out on transphobia on twitter is not literally 1984, it is the bare minimum of accountability. It seems to me that victims that bite into this ideological trap are the ones with the thinner skin, thinking we are zombied cuz we don't tolerate bullshit.

Still, Watch The World Burn is one hell of a song that even copying aspects of their other two last singles, feels unique and full of personality. Falling In Reverse does not fail to deliver.

Grade: 9/10

XOXO

#falling in reverse #ronnie radke #emo #rap #rapper #hiphop #metalcore #emocore #music review #new song #watch the world burn #post hardcore #metal

[herrlindemann]

Metal Hammer - January 1999

Cynics that we are, let's find someone to blame right away. Rammstein, yes, they started it all. If it weren't for this sextet, we'd still be basking in snappy rock ballads of the Bon Jovi and Others brand. Harmless, nice, no corner, no edge. Until then Rammstein stabbed daggers into the white flesh, feeding us with a steady pounding rhythm and snippets of text that we could repeat. It all started modestly in 1995 — supporting act for Projekt Pitchfork, not exactly a rewarding job, but the burning Till and the pieces that came in stuck. Two months later Rammstein played their own club tour. These gigs were still equipped with sparse fireworks, but the attendees became ardent followers.

Already the first single, ‘Du riechst so gut’, was sold as a limited, fragrant digipack, so Motor Music also believed in its new child. With every gig HERZELEID climbed the charts, '96 were still considered a surprise. Their line was provocative, song lines could be interpreted, gave rise to speculation, said everything and nothing. Barely a year later they produced their second record SEHNSUCHT in Malta. But it remained under lock and key until August. In the nine months the debut album could not be gotten off the charts, and no record company in the world would have pushed the next album after that. Rather, the final breakthrough on a large scale was celebrated with the pre-single 'Engel'. In every gas station the people were exposed to it. The new songs were already heard on sold-out tours, but the fans had to wait a long time until the longing was so great that the album of the same name immediately entered the charts at number 1. With the courage of the successful, they dared to do even more critical and offensive lyrics on the successor.

'Bück dich' has become every second man's favourite, largely because it's a great song to shout out with your drunk brothers and grin meaningfully. More precarious were taboo subjects such as ‘Tier’ (incest) - and the decisive factor again was the language. Because despite the encryption, one understands a volume with German lyrics, and concludes that the named band takes a much clearer stand than others who carve euphonious English titles. And thus calls the feuilleton and reputable magazines onto the scene, which take on the Rammstein phenomenon. At times it seemed as if the rock band's intellectual explorations were based on the fact that fire is on stage and fire connotes 'hell'. In any case, the band was dragged through countless articles, so as early as '97 they were allowed to watch as they were called 'German national'.

'Watch' — that is perhaps the key word. Because Rammstein don't fight back. They turn their backs when they get the whip. Like recently when they were attacked in England for using Riefenstahl imagery in their 'Stripped' video. In a nutshell, the record company explained that it was purely about aesthetics, not about the political context. Nevertheless, one could only welcome a discussion, an examination of the topic of the Third Reich. But something like that can also backfire, as happened in the case of the band Weissglut, which actually started brilliantly. With their album ETWAS KOMMT IN DEINE WELT something came into them, namely the criticism of the news magazine 'Der Spiegel' that singer Josef Klumb was a Nazi who was known to observers of the right-wing scene. In fact, Klumb has spoken out about being an "intolerant anti-fascists" and has also criticized Zionism, which, however, does not go hand in hand with a general hostility towards Jews. Josef Klumb likes artists of the Third Reich and German culture per se, which, in turn, is not to be equated with a love of Hitler (”One can have a positive attitude towards Germany and precisely because of that don't like Hitler.”). The singer's very peculiar way of expressing himself - he often speaks of an “elite”, for example - also contributed/contributes to the irritation. Weissglut keyboardist Bernhard Klumb, Josef's brother, sees this article as "character assassination". Since then, Weissglut has been trying to get a counterstatement in Der Spiegel, and there may also be a court case.

Harsh words were also spoken within the band, after all the band is now being pushed into a corner where they don't see themselves. Bernhard isn't afraid that his fuses will blow because he sees white-hot being treated unfairly. “It's part of our job to deal with it now. We don't see it as a super promo either, I would have preferred a different one. It's not nice to have to justify yourself in front of distant acquaintances who suddenly contact you again. There's also another point: If we're a right-wing band now, that might attract fascists to our concerts, people we don't have anything to do with. And then maybe there will be trouble with them...” Being misunderstood can also be the basis of success. As has been the case with Onkelz for many years. The band hasn't heard any malicious things like "Turks out" for twelve years. But to this day, Weidner & Co. have the image of ghetto children, which annoys many people. They also remain (or especially) questionable when they go straight to number one in the charts with VIVA LOS TIOZ - and every young person identifies with that: "Whatever I do, it's wrong.” Critics do not allow Onkelz, which is expected of every prisoner, to learn from their mistakes and to rehabilitate themselves. The band tries to do that with their biography and in every interview in which they are asked about it. The fact that xenophobia is a sensitive topic in Germany (and of course not only here) goes without saying due to the past - explicitly: the Third Reich. This raises the question of whether our greatest export item Rammstein with almost 1.1 million sold SEHNSUCHT -albums abroad would do well to mix Riefenstahl images into their video and thus represent a German band in the world. The band that says “Provocation yes, political content no”, but still plays with that symbolism and brings the martial to market. Bernhard Klumb sees it this way at Rammstein: “There are mechanisms to sell records. You don't have to make more of it. Nobody denies that some visitors march at Rammstein concerts. Is it therefore justified, because of German history, to be confronted with the fact that you roll the R and sound like a German general to some ears?”

The situation is completely different with Joachim Witt, not only because he is enthusiastic about his audience on the recent tour, since it was a “more intellectual selection, thoughtful people who are a little more informed than the cut. In addition, there were of course people from the Dark Wave area. I found it pleasant that the chav and bawl faction was not predominant. However, the right-wing fringe group was by no means dominant at the Rammstein gigs that I attended. Rammstein have a wide audience. When you reach a certain dimension with your sales, you have to be prepared for anything,” Witt clarifies.

Reports that a right-wing attitude prevails “do the band wrong,” according to Witt. “Everything you accuse Rammstein of contradicts the band if you know them. Till has certain ideas that he realizes, that's all. I myself am more political than Rammstein. Maybe they should be more specific, but it's up to you whether you want to do that or not. I speak out clearly against accusations that have been made against me personally. I see myself as a radical humanist and therefore don't really fit into a grid. I am a typical non-party, but feel more attached to the left-wing trend. I think that the change of government is a step forward, but I wish those responsible had more courage and a certain willingness to take risks in order to bring things into balance in the interests of humanity and justice.” Musicians could also be people who make a difference. “A political position is certainly not for everyone. But it is a way of influencing. You can also screw up some groups of buyers, which is why many don't do it. Personally, I'm not on stage to do politics either, but I have my position.”

And Witt also applies this energetically when it comes to the attacks against the 'Stripped' video of his colleagues: "The English always have something to say. There are certainly more fascists in England than in Germany, but that's no excuse. The English should better shut up. The way they deal with German music, the arrogant insular behavior... Until the European musical idea has been liberalized, I find any comment superfluous. As far as the Riefenstahl video itself is concerned, it is about aesthetic recordings, but they are detached from the image and placed in a political environment, which of course imposes itself. There might also be a degree of flirtatiousness in playing with these things, but it's definitely a clear taste positioning - I like things like that too. Riefenstahl certainly took place in this environment (the Third Reich), but I think that art has to be seen in a different context than the political one. People who have what it takes to do something special, be it artistic or in other areas, have to come to terms with it. Otherwise the only way is to turn your back on the country.”

Rammstein did so last year, if only for career reasons. SEHNSUCHT went gold in the US in 1998 after touring with KMFDM, Korn and others. An album with German lyrics. "Americans like things that are mentally German," Witt explains. Perhaps more logical than the fact that the USA was waiting for a right-wing export article from Germany. He himself will soon be playing two showcases there as well.

“Here in Germany you are almost forced to deny your mentality. If you don't offer Anglo-American music, there's something wrong with you. Something is really wrong here. I am shaped by certain things in my environment. And that's German because I grew up here. I have no reason to work against my mentality because it suits some people better in their 'pc' thinking, but I find that the German mentality is too easily confused with what happened in the Third Reich, and one has to be very careful there. Some journalists jump into arbitration or play inquisition, and I find that presumptuous. At the moment they are working with the same means of exclusion that they denounce in the right-wing extremists, they have to be clear about that. They should do their research before spouting any garbage. There are various articles accusing me of such tendencies, but no one spoke to me. On the other hand, I recently had a very long and interesting conversation with the Taz. I give the paper credit for that, because this newspaper in particular would be an organ that could help to fill the gap in ‘Der Witt ist ein Rechtser’. But they didn't allow themselves to be influenced by other writers. And you have to give everyone you write about a chance, not spread prejudices.”

What is certain is that since Rammstein, national bands have been relatively more successful than in the past. “Is there a stronger national consciousness?” is a question that can be asked. "Possibly," says the man in his mid-forties, who was able to sell 670,000 singles with the 'flood'. “In the sense that is meant by that, I myself have no national consciousness; I am only committed to my roots. That doesn't mean I can't live in other countries. But the denser the information network is worldwide, the more people turn to regional things, there is a need for proximity and one's own culture. But that's the way it is worldwide and not specific to Germany. I would like that too, because it has been pathological and distorted so far.”

And in contrast to the "Neue Deutsche Welle", which Witt experienced with hits like "Goldener Reiter" in the 80s, he doesn't believe that German music is only temporarily popular this time. “One shouldn't underestimate the fact that German-language pop music played an important role in the former GDR. I think this has benefited the German music scene immensely.” However, he can only make fun of the term “Teutonic”: “What does that mean? I only know the Teutoburg Forest”, he pushes back the question. In the end he concludes: "It's all about freely admitting one's own mentality without putting it above another's.”

So everyone, whether in front of or on stage, will have to decide for themselves in the future where to draw the line between music and politics. Think for yourself whether he feels comfortable at an Onkelz concert, for example. And anyone who goes to a Frankfurt concert as an 18-year-old because they are, as the reasoning is often heard, “simply a great band” should not be labeled as right-wing in Germany 1998, just as little as a flat rate for the 888,000 SEHNSUCHT buyers applies. And above all, when intellectualizing a topic that still belongs in the entertainment category, care should be taken not to mix too many different German bands into one stew. Because they are mostly brown in color.

#Rammstein #Weissglut #Josef Klumb #Till Lindemann #Paul Landers #Flake #Richard Kruspe #Christoph Schneider #Oliver Riedel #translation #interview #*scans #* #1999