#thought up the first line randomly and ended up writing a little ballad

[starlling-writes]

Why the Alder Roots are Wet

In the depths of the alder grove Where the morning fog lingers Hides the runaway fae princess Slowly bleeding to death The trees wept as the princess died –with nothing they could do Taking her blood into themselves The first dryad was born

#thought up the first line randomly and ended up writing a little ballad #vaguely looked up alder tree lore & loosely made a little story around various tales #might add more to it eventually - but for now i like it #fairy lore #tree lore #alder trees #poems #fae poems #dryads

[watchmegetobsessed]

I Hear A Symphony - Harry Styles

Extra blurb for Floating Through Space!

a/n: this idea came to me out of the blue and i suck at controling myself so i just had to write it! it’s an extra in the universe of FTS, just a little moment for our power couple in their life after the grammys!

the fic again contains an already existing song, credits to the artist, it’s going to be linked in the right place, make sure to listen to it when you see the vid!

pairing: Harry x Famous!Reader

word count: ~2k

masterlist

It’s been two weeks since the first time Harry told you he loved you. Fourteen entire days since the man you’ve been with these past three months told you he loved you, not just with his actions but with his words as well.

It happened so randomly, so out of the blue. You were at his place and following a long and dreading day the two of you decided to have a shower together. He asked if he could wash your hair and you enjoyed the way his fingers massaged your scalp, the intimacy of such a simple yet heartwarming moment ending the day on a wonderful note.

As the water was washing away the soap of your body he leaned down, captured your lips in a simple kiss before the words fell from his lips.

“I love you,” he said, his eyes searching for yours as first you looked down at the floor before your gaze meeting his, lips parted, heart pounding in your chest.

You wanted to say it back, it was on the tip of your tongue, but no word came out your mouth, a slight panic rushing through your senses from his confession. So you pulled him down and kissed him hard, hoping he can feel that you meant to say it, but you weren’t ready to actually form the words just yet.

It’s been eating you away for so long, because the feeling has been there for a long time, probably since the Grammy’s when the two of you sang your heart out in your duet, but your body is plotting against your mind, not letting you say it the way you want to. But you feel like the moment has come and being the dramatic artist that you are, you want it to be big. Because Harry deserves a grandiose romantic gesture.

You’ve been working on your new album for a while now, but needless to say that when you met Harry, you wrote quite a few songs about him that demanded place on your upcoming record, but so far you haven’t shown him any of them and you have a major reason for that.

The very first one you started writing about him turned out to be a massive song. Not because it has a full ballad as the lyrics, it barely have just a few verses. It’s because what started as just a simple melody for the piano soon turned into a monumental symphony with a full symphonic band and you decided to compose the entire melody, to all of the instruments yourself, because it was the only way the song would feel entirely yours. And Harry’s.

Recordings have been going on for weeks just for this one song, because you needed it to be absolutely perfect since it’s been in consideration to be the title of the album. Now the song is done and you are ready to show it to Harry and finally tell him how you really feel about him.

Sitting at your dining table you watch him type out an email to Jeff, eyebrows furrowed as he is still chewing on the last bit of his dinner. His unruly curls are covering his forehead and you smile to yourself as you reach over and push them back, making him glance up at you.

“What’s gotten you so smiley?” he asks, putting his phone away to turn all his attention to you.

“You,” you tell him, tilting your head to the side.

“Me? And why is that?” he smirks, grabbing your hand before you could pull it back and bringing it to his mouth he gently kisses your knuckles.

“What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?” you ask, ignoring his question.

“I’m guessing you are about to tell me,” he smirks, letting go of your hand so he can rest his chin in his palms. “What were you thinking about?”

“Would you like to come to my recording session?” Harry’s eyebrows shoot up from surprise, he surely wasn’t expecting this.

“You want me there?” He knows how you like to keep your works to yourself until you feel comfortable enough to show it to someone outside of your little team. You’ve only shared with him bits and bites of songs, nothing major, so this invitation is clearly a big deal for the both of you.

“Yes. I want… I have something to show you.”

He could tease you about finally showing him something, or crack a joke about being so into him that you wrote a song about him, but he doesn’t do anything of that sort. Instead, he just smiles back at you with so much adoration and love filling his eyes, it could make your chest burst. Leaning closer he kisses your lips softly before pecking the tip of your nose as well.

“Would love to join you.”

You hold onto Harry’s hand for dear life on your way to the studio where you’re going to have your final recording of the song. His song. A whole orchestra is going to be playing for you and while you’ve recorded the song in layers before, today you’re gonna perform it all together for the first time, every instrument playing at the same time as you sing. You really wanted to have a version of this sort, so you know what it’ll sound like when you perform it later with the prerecorded music.

You can tell that Harry is just as excited as you are, but he is keeping it bottled inside, not bugging you about what he is about to hear. He knows it’s going to be about him, you wouldn’t want to show him if it wasn’t.

When you pass by several studios and head to the grand room, the only place that fits the whole orchestra in it at the same time, Harry seems to be growing curious, but still doesn’t question anything, just follows you silently.

“Hello everyone!” you call out upon walking into the room, the majority of the band is already there, greeting you happily, especially when they see who you’re with. “Um, Harry is going to join us for the recording, hope it’s alright,” you announce with a nervous chuckle and you get a few knowing looks. Everyone in the room knows it’s about him, you’ve been an item publicly long enough and it’s not a hard task to put two and two together.

Harry waves around with a few short hellos and how are you’s as he takes a seat at the front of the room, facing the orchestra and essentially, you when you’ll be singing. You sit next to him and before the recording starts, you feel like you owe a few words for him.

“I’ve been working on this song for… the longest, because it started with just a piano, but then I kept adding more and more until it grew into a whole orchestra,” you admit chuckling and it brings a smirk to his lips as well, his dimples digging into his cheeks. Then you take a deep breath and try to calm your nerves for the next part you’re about to tell him. “Two weeks ago you… told me you loved me and… I’m sorry for never saying it back…”

“I didn’t expect you to,” he speaks up softly. “I didn’t say it to hear you say it back. I know it takes you a lot to figure out your feelings, Y/N.”

“But I have them figured out,” you reply. “I just…” You take a deep breath, feeling yourself getting emotional already. “This song is the first one I wrote about you.”

“The first? So there’s more?” he asks with a small smirk.

“Of course,” you admit chuckling. “But this one… is the most important one. So I want you to hear it.”

Harry nods and doesn’t question you about never finishing your trail of thoughts about your feelings. He just lets you do your thing knowing that it’ll become a whole sooner or later.

Leaning in you kiss him shortly before you stand up and join all the incredible musicians and get ready for the recording. Harry gets a headset so he can hear everything clearly and when everyone is settled, the recording starts. The song kicks out with you singing acapella.

“I used to hear a simple song, that was until you came along. Now in its place is something new, I hear it when I look at you.”

Then the piano starts playing and eventually the violins join softly before you start singing the second verse, making the melody flow perfectly. You keep your eyes off of Harry, but you can feel his intense stare on you as he listens.

“With simple songs, I wanted more, perfection is so quick to bore. You are my beautiful, by far our flaws are who we really are."

The piano and the violins continue playing, getting more and more dynamic with each played note and you feel a shudder run down your spine. The whole song starts to grow as the wind instruments join in, slowly pulling the melody up to its peek that’s about to come soon. And then it happens. Your eyes find Harry’s when you start to sing the next verse, the whole orchestra playing behind you at its fullest.

“I used to hear a simple song, that was until you came along. You took my broken melody and now I hear a symphony…”

The melody continues as you add some vocals, singing your whole heart and soul out, your eyes still set on Harry before suddenly, the instruments cut out and you sing your last line with just the piano playing the last few chords along with you.

“And now I hear a symphony.”

The room grows quiet and your chest is heaving, vision blurry as you couldn’t stop yourself from tearing up. Your emotions washed over you, sweeping you off your feet and now your bare soul is lying in front of Harry’s feet who is still staring at you frozen.

At first you panic at his lack of reaction, but then you see him wipe his eyes and you realize he is crying. Just as you step off the podium and head in his way, he takes his headset off and starts walking in your way and the whole orchestra start cheering and clapping when he envelopes you in his arms, holding you so tight you can barely breathe. You laugh through your tears when he lifts you up and twirls you around in the air before setting you back down and kissing you all over your face, wherever he reaches you. Cupping his face in your hands you pull back a little so you can look into his glistening eyes.

“I love you,” you finally tell him with shaky lips, a weight finally falling off your shoulders and chest now that you’ve said it.

“Oh baby, I love you too,” he smiles, before pulling you in for a kiss that’s soaked by your tears, but by far the sweetest you’ve shared. “I love you so much,” he mumbles against your lips.

“What do you think about the song?” you ask finally pulling away, wiping your tears off your cheeks, not even caring that there is a whole orchestra watching the two of you interact.

“I’m pretty sure this is what they play when you enter Heaven,” he chuckles making you laugh as you smack his chest playfully. “No, but really. It’s brilliant. I’ve never heard anything like this. And having you sing it live for me with the whole orchestra… My mind is blown, baby. It’s going to be hard to top it with anything,” he adds chuckling.

“That was my plan all along,” you admit with a laugh before you pull him down for another kiss.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

#harry #styles #harry styles #harry styles oneshot #harry styles one shot #harry styles blurb #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #floating through space #harry styles fluff

[12moonas]

Debut Concert Notes

It’s late and I’m super tired so I’m just gonna write everything down super quick, if it’s a little disorganized I apologize!! also it’s super long lol

OKAY, so first of all, THE Yujin of bbc was sitting in my section and everyone was going crazy, she’s super pretty and very nice, she took pics with a few fans

the concert started with a fancy vcr thing featuring all the members, but the music was SO LOUD so i was a little distracted trying not to die and didn’t pay much attention to it

but THEN THEY WERE THERE THE QUEENS THEMSELVES IN ALL THEIR GLORY!!!  I was sitting kinda far back, but the venue was still very small so I could see fairly okay

they IMMEDIATELY started performing favoRiTe and they S L A Y E D, they really are as powerful in person, i cannot believe.  they were wearing the school uniforms from the mv

when that song was over they went straight into performing one of the songs on the new album (idk which but it was hecka good)

after that was a talk time and they are so amazing, I love them so much.  they kept interacting with the audience, and you could tell how happy they were

once they all left, thery played the trailer for 1/3 and then heejin performed vivid.  she wasn’t live-singing, but still performed SO well, and goodness it was amazing

then hyunjin came out and they did I’ll Be There together, it was SO cute (lip-synced)

and then, and THEN!  Haseul came out and they all three did LOVE LETTER AND I DIED IT WAS SO GOOD AND THEY WERE STANDING ON CHAIRS,  AND THIS ONE WAS LIVE SINGING

next came my glorious queen herself, ViVi, and they performed the remix version of Love&LIve, wearing the outfits from that one leaked video of it!  (they were also wearing these outfits during the other songs)

then they talked for a while and interacted with the audience, they are all so wonderful holy cow

then Valentine Girl played as they walked around the stage, tossing things to the audience (i was to far away to tell what it was, maybe chocolate?  hyunjin said she wanted to eat chocolate, and it would make sense with the song)

after that they left :( :( :(

but THEN they played the trailer for oec and ‘twas beautiful

then, we were all shooked by CHOERRY performing LCM!!! THE SONG ITSELF!  sHe was AMAzing and baUTIful!!  i want that purple dress so bad

tHEN we were killed ONCE AGAIN by Miss Lip performing Eclipse with the silkiest images of an eclipse palying behind her, it was a life changing moment

and THEN was singing in the rain, and jinsoul RAPPED THE RAP LIVE!!! THE OTHERS HAD BEEN LIP SYINCING AND SHE HAD BEEN UP UNTIL THEN BUT THEN SHE DID THE RAP LIVE!! i died

then they all came out wearing these awesome black outfit things (that kim lip and jinsoul had worn for their solos) and talked for a wile, the were so cute, esp choerry

they came up to the closer stage and bLEW EVERYONE’s MINDS by performing ROSY wITH MIC STANDS!! I DIED!  AGAIN!!! AND THIS SONG WAS ALSO LIVE-SUNG

then they went back to the back stage and performed Girl Front, the only song i knew the fanchant to, lol, but it was so good!  I was so proud!!

then we got a fancy, new vid played that ended with a ? and we were all like tf? unTIL little miss YEOJIN appeared and performed KISS LATER, BOP OF THE CENTURY!! i love my firey frog princess

but then she just left? and i was like??? 

UNTIL VIVI WAS THERE AND MY HEART INSTANTLY EXPLODED AND SHE PERFORMED EVERYDAY I LOVE YOU AND IT WAS SO GOOD I LOVE HER SO MUCH AND WOULD GIVE HER THE WORLD IF I COULD AND THEN YEOJIN APPEARED AGAIN AND COVERED HASEUL’S RAP AND THEY FINISHED THE SONG TOGETHER, IT WAS AMAZING!!!

and then that’s when they talked.  vivi’s korean is SO GOOD!  I”M SO PROUD!! yeojin accidentally called vivi haseul at one point, and then we learned that vivi’s mom was in the audience, and she was in MY SECTION TOO!!! AMAZING!!!  so  in other words i met my mother-in-law today

then we got the teaser for yyxy and were all blown comPLETELY away by Chuu performing Heart Attack!!! SHE IS SO FREAKING ADORABLE!!! She did SO good!!  (purple plaid outfit)

and then Yves performed New and she KILLED IT!  SHE KILLED US ALL!! that girl is so powerful, i was surprised, she also kinda gives me sunmi/chungha vibes?? but she live-sang some of the last parts of her song and Slayed. she was also wearing THAT outfit from the mv

then!  Gowon appeared in the audience and started singing You and Me Together!! and then Olivia joined her on the other side of the audience and joined in!  They were both live-singing!!  they made it to the stage together and were completely cute in every way

then they all came out and talked, interacted with the audience a TON, and then did Love4eva, which was amazing to the T

then they talked and interacted more and then did Frozen, with live-singing!! there was a cool castle snowglobe clock thing on the background

and then they played a SUPER cool vcr with clips that I assume will be from the mv?? and it was set to fairytale, super cute, i loved

AND THEN THEY WERE ALL THERE AGAIN, SITTING IN THEIR UNITS BUT ALSO AS A WHOLE AND THEY LIVE-SANG ONE OF THEIR NEW SONGS (not sure which, but it was a ballad) and vivi had TWO WHOLE LINES ALL TO HERSELF I’M SO HAPPY my girl did so gOOD!! they were wearing these nice white outfits

then they talked for a bit, and since it was Haseul’s birthday yesterday, the members surprised her with cake!! she was so surprised!!! (and a lil confused at first lol) and we all sang to her!!!! <3 <3 <3

and then they performed another of their new songs (i know this one!  it was Perfect Love!! it was wonderful!!)

and then they ran off stage, BUT there were these things that had been sitting on our seats when we came in with instructions on the back, and so we were all shouting encore (sounded like ankle with the korean pronunciation) for five-million years until they came back out (wearing an outfit from the mv tomorrow!!) and performed Hi High!!! ‘twas amazing!! Vivi had a line to herself, Olivia had another killing part, i really liked it!

and then we held up the signs!!!!! they read “From my head to my toes, I’ll give you it all, even my heart”  (line from favOriTe)

and then they talked and expressed their gratitude for orbit and how they were so glad to finally be debuting. yves stuck confetti to her face to look like tears but half of them (heejin, olivia, yeojin, vivi, chuu, haseul, hyunjin) were having trouble speaking bc of either trying reaaalllyyy hard not to cry, or actually crying <3 <3  (esp heejin and olivia).  i also cried.  it was a great time all around.

then, they had to leave :( :( :(  

Overall, I can’t believe any of that actually happened.  I saw them live??? foreal?????? i wasn’t dREAMING?????????????????????  hhhhnnngggg i must be in heaven.

other notes i would randomly add are:

i’m a lil salty about some of the solos not being performed but oh well

YEOJIN IS SUCK A HIDDEN TRICK?? AMAZING TALENT??? GIRL CAN SING HOLY COW SHE GON GO PLACES

the background vocals were SUPER loud, so for some of the solos (and even the live-singing songs) you could kiiiiindaaa hear their actual voices but mostly just the background audio track, which i thought was annoying tyvm

yeojin is SO funny, I couldn’t understand what she was saying half the time, but she kept making everyone laugh and it was amazing and yes she does talk super fast in real life too

all of the songs up until vivi’s sounded more aegyo than they are? like they edited them or soemhting? but it might have been just me? or the speakers or smthn? idk

there were SO many people walking around making sure no one was taking pictures.  like, at least two people i saw got kicked out bc of recording.  is that normal for concerts in korea?  idk, but I felt like i was risking my life taking these pics secretly on my phone 

there were more guys there than expected, but the audience was majority female

i also kinda ran into yeojin’s fam, but didn’t interact with them at all other than to eavesdrop long enough to figure out that they know/are related to yeojin somehow

i loved the wholething

this album will be bomb

ummmmmm, stan talent, stan loona

#text #my post #loona/birth #loonabirth #loona #loona/ #i got lotsa goods too #but that story is for another day

[jules-hoard-of-stuff]

Stranger Roads and Blinking Lights - A WTNV fiction

(Author note: This nonprofit, noncommissioned drabble is NOT officially affiliated with or canon information about Joseph Fink, Cecil Baldwin, Welcome To Night Vale, or Commonplace Books, nor do I own any content affiliated with aforementioned parties. It's just some writing I did because I like the series, and felt inspired. Let's get into it, shall we?)

Everyone ends up in Night Vale somehow. For some, they just snapped and started driving, and never went home. For some, the airliner they had paid good money for suddenly screamed through the town, and plopping them down milliseconds after, unsure of what had just happened.

Then there was me. I was fortunate enough to know I had not ended up there by mistake, while driving aimlessly. I was unlucky enough to have been picked for the endeavor.

Usually, my life was pretty dull. Go to work, drive home, read a book or two, and go to bed. It really was that boring. But then again, I'm a simple person. I didn't mind that my life, as far as others were concerned, was average and dull.

I was driving home one night, later than usual and trying to tune into my usual jazz radio station to unwind after a long day at work. But then it cut out for a second, and I frowned, looking down for a second to change it. To my surprise, it had tuned in to something totally different. The station's name read as, "NVCR, 106.776." That was more digits than my radio usually had...

Dulcet, deep tones came over the radio. Tones I had never heard before, but felt like I should know.... Somehow.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, other creatures of unkowing and unknowable entitlement and who we fear quite literally, we are proud to announce our town's annual 'New Citizen Day' has been reinstated! The Sheriff's Secret Police have confirmed, the tradition of randomly teleporting anywhere from one to twenty five unsuspecting people across the planes of existence, and into our little town, continued to help with town growth rates, will be in effect as of today! The streets are abuzz with citizens lined up, their temporal umbrellas shielding them from the aftermath of the new arrivals adding that extra special touch to the event.

"Newcomers will have this radio station broadcast into their vehicles, cell phones and homes, thus allowing the Secret Police to locate and transport those lucky travelers into our tiny town. We hope to see new additions soon, but while we wait for that to happen, let us go, breaths baited and ready to greet our new neighbors with open arms... To the Weather."

I scoffed a bit as some calm bluegrass started to play, shaking my head. An unorthodox podcast, surely. At least, that's what I thought all this was. Just a silly radio show, speaking nonsense that was fictional. That's how it had to be, right? That's what I thought.

Until the space around my car... Began to warp. Shifting, bending, squashing into a million pieces and then back again. Suddenly the scenery changed from raining city to... Sleepy desert. I jump, nearly swerving off the road, and steady the wheel with shaking hands. How did I get here? How long had it been? What day was it? My body felt shaky and numb, and on fire at the same time. But the same music was still playing. Calm, bluegrass ballads about someone named Chuck. I shake, blinking, and starting to pull over. I needed to clear my head.

Oh perfect. An Arby's. I pull in, grateful for at least some shelter... Until I notice something strange.

Lights. Floating about the dimly lit Arby's sign. Not like floating strung lights, or balloons... Just... Lights.

My eyes widen as the music cuts off and the sound of the man's voice comes back on the radio. "Welcome back, listeners. It looks like we have our FIRST new arrival, who is driving a green Sudan, and has parked in the Arby's parking lot, witnesses say."

... No. This wasn't true. That couldn't be my same Sudan. I huddle into my seat, gripping the wheel... But I don't turn off my radio. Even though it's terrifying to hear someone describing what I'm going through, I don't want to feel alone.

"Oh my. It appears they are too frightened of what just happened to even get out of the car. And who wouldn't be? The first time travelling through a plane of temporal existence and multifaceted dimension is ALWAYS a doozy. Some of the citizens near the Arby's are heading over to give them a proper welcome! Welcome, new citizen. We hope you enjoy your stay in Night Vale, no matter how short."

I see people walking up to my car... One bangs on the side door, like he has no idea what a door even does. Another is greeting my car, as if it's the new arrival. I'm frightened, hands off the wheel and now around my knees, glancing around cautiously at the figures trying to get inside...

One at the edge of the parking lot just watches. An older woman, with dark eyes, and a kind looking gaze. She shakes her head, as if these are her foolish grandchildren with a new toy they know nothing about.

She hobbles over, knocking on the window like a sensible person usually does when they want your window rolled down for something.

"Oh dear... It seems we have someone TOTALLY new to Night Vale customs, folks. Old Woman Josie is helping out, though!" Says the man on the radio,sr

I roll down my window, cautiously.

"... Are you... Old Woman Josie...?" I ask, voice quivering. She nods sagely, and offers her hand to me.

"We have a lot of work to do, alright? You just have to keep pushing, you must succeed for the others."

For some reason... That calms me down. And I open my car door...

And I take her hand.

(WILL HAVE MORE EDITS LATER!!!)

#wtnv #welcome to nightvale #fanfiction #drabbles

[lanadelreyfiles-blog]

Lana Del Rey: Read NME’s exclusive interview with the modern icon. Lana Del Rey’s new album ‘Lust For Life’ is her most ambitious yet. Mike Williams meets her in the city that inspires her the most, Los Angeles – a place, she says, that “enhances something in me that’s already cooking” – to talk about music, happiness and witchcraft. Interview by Mike Williams. Photography by Neil Krug. It will surprise no one to learn that Dr Dre has very good speakers in his studio. And when I say very good, I don’t mean very good in a pricey and popular headphones kind of way. I mean very good in a “holy s**t, I can hear every individual speck of space dust in this galactic wall of sound” kind of way. It’s how we would all listen to music if we were billionaire music industry moguls. Dre has given us permission to use his Santa Monica studio – across the road from the legendary Interscope Records – to hear ‘Lust For Life’, the latest Lana Del Rey album, for the first time. The inside of the studio is clad with expensive-looking wood. The lights are seductively dimmed. It looks both like Don Draper’s office and the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. There’s a bubbling lava lamp next to a Bruce Lee lampshade on top of the main desk. The drinking water is perfectly cool. It’s totally LA. It’s a fitting place to listen to Del Rey’s coming-of-age record. Huge in scale in every sense – sonically, vocally, thematically – it’s the culmination of two years of relentless work. Writing, editing, discarding, rewriting, tinkering, erasing, rebuilding. As she’ll tell me the following day: “I kind of felt when I started I was going to be in this whole new zone when I was done, a whole new space. I’m really proud that there’s a shift in tone, a shift in perspective. There’s a bit of reflectiveness on what I’m seeing and it’s integrated with how I’m feeling. Normally I’m just, ‘Let me just put this all out there,’ and then I’m really surprised when people are like, ‘You’re f**king crazy.’”

Del Rey has been Interscope labelmates with Dre since October 2011, when she bought herself out of her contract with 5 Points Records, where she’d toyed with different identities and different sounds. Six months earlier, she’d become an overnight star when her aesthetic clicked and she released her debut single proper, ‘Video Games’. In the space of three acclaimed albums (2012’s ‘Born To Die’, 2014’s ‘Ultraviolence’ and 2015’s ‘Honeymoon’) she’s gone from lo-fi internet queen to fully formed Hollywood superstar. And now she doesn’t just have the songs – they’ve been there since the first day Lizzy Grant looked in the mirror and Lana Del Rey winked back – but also the production, the ambition, the pulling power and the brass balls to make ‘Lust For Life’. I hear nine tracks through the big speakers – ‘Love’, ‘Lust For Life’ (Ft. The Weeknd), ’13 Beaches’, ‘Cherry’, ‘White Mustang’, ‘Groupie Love’ (Ft. A$AP Rocky), ‘Coachella – Woodstock In My Mind’, ‘Beautiful People Beautiful Problems’ (Ft. Stevie Nicks) and ‘Tomorrow Never Came’ (Ft. Sean Ono Lennon) – before driving up to a rooftop bar in Hollywood to order drinks from wannabe film stars and looking up towards the hills to meditate on what I’ve just heard. Shoo-wops, doo-wops, wall of sound production; tender moments, angry moments; sex, cars, uncertainties; opulent LA life. If you squint, you can see the famous Hollywood sign in the distance. If you close your eyes you can see Del Rey looking out from her window right inside the middle of the H. The next day we’re in a different studio in a different part of town, this one belonging to Del Rey’s longtime collaborator and producer Rick Nowels. He greets us at the door with a massive grin and ushers us into the main room where the album was recorded. It’s untidy, in a warm and homely way. He wants to know what we think of the record. He’s excited to talk about it. Nowels is a 57-year-old music industry legend who’s worked with Madonna, Tupac, Stevie Nicks and more, but it’s obvious that there’s a particular space in his head and his heart reserved for Del Rey, who he repeatedly describes as “special” and “remarkable”. Del Rey arrives. She’s wearing a crocheted T-shirt and jeans. We sit down in a side room and both press record on our phones. There’s a book about Manson Family victim Sharon Tate on the table that neither of us notices until after the interview is over. I ask her if she’s as happy as she looks on the cover of the new album. “Yeah…” she says. “That was my goal, you know, to get to that place of feeling like in my daily life I had a lot of momentum. Like a moving-on-ness from wherever that other place was that ‘Honeymoon’ and ‘Ultraviolence’ came from. I loved those records, but I felt a little stuck in the same spot.” How did she move on? “I just felt a little more present. Writing a song like ‘13 Beaches’ – it’s a little bit of an abstract notion, but for me it took stopping at 13 beaches one hot day to find one that nobody was at. And I just thought, you know, the concept of needing to find 13 beaches might seem like a luxury problem for someone, but that’s OK, I’m going to go with that.” It’s a key song on the album. Her voice has never sounded bigger or more emotional. “I usually do things in a few takes,” she says, “but I took a lot of takes to do that. The mood that I needed to convey was better than what I was doing. I knew it was important that I came in straight as an arrow with that one. I always feel like I’m creating a new path when I’m doing a song.” Writing, editing, discarding, rewriting, tinkering, erasing, rebuilding. Not that Lana Del Rey has been completely reinvented on ‘Lust For Life’. The title track, the first of five collaborations on the album (no previous LDR album had ever featured a guest artist), may not come from the melancholic cool world of ‘Video Games’ or ‘Terrence Loves You’, but it’s just as nostalgic. Nostalgia can be sad and nostalgia can be happy, and at her best – and let me put it out there, I think this song could be her absolute best ever – Del Rey taps both at once. Does she agree? “I’m thinking about that. It goes in line with how I thought I was going to be in this more grown-up zone [writing this record], but actually I’m still somewhere right in the middle. When I think of that song I think of nighttime and this idea of, I don’t know, breaking into somewhere and carving up and kissing. That’s fun for me; like the place where I’m not 100 per cent in something really solid relationship-wise, where you’re still going out and meeting new people and all that stuff. And also, this Hollywood-centric environment is still an important thing that gives me life, being in town and the characters and the constant heatwave. It’s a little bit of a cliché – I totally get it; but I still feel like it enhances something in me that’s already cooking.” Hollywood and the sunshine can be quite an intoxicating cocktail really, can’t it? “It can. I’m naturally a careful person, so I like that the ambience… I wouldn’t go out and take a cocktail of pills or whatever, you know, but there’s something about the vibe of just being around that gives me a heightened feeling.” The biggest deal collaboration on the album is the duet with Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks. Del Rey says hearing her vocal takes made her re-evaluate her own tone. She was convinced Nicks would turn her down. She still speaks about it with a look of happy disbelief that it actually happened. But the most interesting duet is actually with the person who is, in their own personal right, the least famous and accomplished of everyone on the record, but by virtue of his surname, the most fascinating. “I’m a huge, huge John Lennon fan,” she says. “I didn’t know [his son] Sean. I got his number from my manager, who called his manager. I kind of was nervous about what he was going to say. I FaceTimed him – he was amazing. He was very excited.” The result is the sweetest song on the album, a tender folky ballad that gently taps through the fourth wall as they reference John and Yoko, then Del Rey sings, “Isn’t life crazy now that I’m singing with Sean”. There’s a story that goes with the song, where Del Rey calls up Lennon to tell him that she thought his part was perfect, and he says that he’s so happy because no one’s ever said that to him before. He’s John Lennon’s son, he’s lived his entire life in his father’s shadow, and Lana Del Rey has just given him his greatest ever compliment. There’s a tragedy in that, don’t you think? “Absolutely. It’s why I think it’s more than just a song for him – for both of us. He’s sensitive, you know. I assume that’s from his father and I think he would probably say that it’s been… some of his reviews have been difficult. I thought that was one of those moments on the record where it was a little bit of a ‘bigger than us’ moment. I told him, ‘I’m the one who’s honoured, I’m the lucky one; so I just want you to remember that, Sean, I’m singing with you.’” The interview goes off in lots of different directions. We talk about hanging in LA with Alex Turner and Miles Kane (“I randomly see Alex. I’ve been working with Miles”); about her deep friendship with Courtney Love (“I can call, and probably just ’cause she’s done so much crazy s**t, I can tell her something very weird and she’ll be like, ‘Been there, done that’”); her love of Kurt Cobain (“top influence other than Bob Dylan”); people watching (“I’m a weird observer”); detective novelist Raymond Chandler (“I’m a big fan, I love The Big Sleep”); and Californian independence (“I’m a proponent of keeping the country together, but it’s so its own zone it may as well be a different country.”) We end by talking about magic and the power of words. Firstly, Donald Trump. He’s still the president, which means that the hex Del Rey asked her Twitter followers to cast on February 24 hasn’t worked (yet). So did she get involved and do it herself? “Yeah, I did it. Why not? Look, I do a lot of s**t.” Do you cast other spells at home? “I’m in line with Yoko and John and the belief that there’s a power to the vibration of a thought. Your thoughts are very powerful things and they become words, and words become actions, and actions lead to physical changes.” The quirky video trailer that you did for the album (a magical Lana looking down on LA from her home in the Hollywood H, ruminating on the world and the space it takes to make a record) – it’s more than a trailer; it’s a personal manifesto, isn’t it? “There is a message. I really do believe that words are one of the last forms of magic and I’m a bit of a mystic at heart. And I’ve seen how I feel about changing those people’s lives and I’ve been on the other side of that as well – on the other side of well-wishes and on the other side of malintent. And I’ve realised how strong you have to be to be; bigger than all of it, even bigger than your own vibrations. “I like that trailer because I talk about my contribution, which is something you start to think about. I’ve got good intentions. It’s not always going to come out right – it hasn’t come out right a lot of the time – but at the core my intentions have always been so good. With the music or when I get into a relationship, it’s always just because I really want to. That’s what’s at the root of this really cute, witchy B-movie.” You make a point in the trailer of saying “in these dark times”. Is there more pressure to contribute something positive right now? “I didn’t like hearing that come out of my mouth. I have a song, ‘When The World Was At War We Kept Dancing’, and I went back and forth so many times about putting it on the record because I didn’t feel comfortable with what I was saying. I don’t like hearing myself say, ‘In error it’s the end of America’, ’cause it’s a troubling sentiment. I didn’t like saying, ‘In these dark times’ either…” We both stop recording but keep talking about the state of the world we live in. I tell her that I can see more and more artists starting to come to terms with the fact that they need to be more outspoken and opinionated. She agrees and says people need to be bold because there are consequences. For the next hour, she makes silly videos on my phone, eats a messy sandwich and helps me choose photos to send to the NME art desk. She couldn’t be less like the idea of Lana Del Rey that most people subscribe to. There’s a confidence in her that perhaps she didn’t have before, a confidence that comes, maybe, from knowing that she’s about to release her most complete album, but knowing too that there are tweaks she could have made, things she should have done differently, things she’ll make right on the next record, ideas she’ll try when she’s next in the studio with Rick. Writing, editing, discarding, rewriting, tinkering, erasing, rebuilding.

#Lana Del Rey #NME #NME Magazine #Magazine #Editorial #Interview #2017 #July 2017 #Neil Krug

[daninator-and-rickyblitz]

SING | Part 1

Genre: Romance

Words: 3249

Warnings: Lots of theater/vocal performance jargon

Summary: Dan is the lead in his school’s show choir, the Hearts of Berkshire, where he writes all the music and practically runs the entire group. Their biggest competition is the Rawtenstall Grammar Counterpoints, led and instructed by a very hot Mister Phil Lester. After the Counterpoints crush the Hearts at the national competition, Dan harbors a grudge to get back at them next season. Then Dan’s forced to leave Berkshire and transfer to Rawtenstall, and all bets are off when Mr. Lester asks Dan to sing for him. 

Part 1: Harmony and Counterpoint

If you ask anyone, they’ll tell you there have never been more teenagers in the West End than the night of the National Show Choir Competition. Every show choir and glee club in the United Kingdom traveled to London for a chance to compete for the trophy, and while everyone gets a consolation prize and a great weekend in the city, it’s not a weekend to take for granted. At least, not for the competitors.

Approximately fifteen minutes before their scheduled performance time, the Hearts of Berkshire captain and lead Dan Howell walked through the back halls of the theater to deliver his set list to a judge runner. This deadline was the same for every competition, just in case disaster ever struck, but this ritual was getting very old very quickly. You’d think it would already be old after three years of it, but Dan was eternally stubborn. Besides, it was better than having the judges guess what you’re singing. Dan scoffed at the thought. This probably benefited the choirs who had no shot at the title, which of course didn’t include his.

The Hearts were an institution, an all-male a capella group with six national titles to their name, and Dan’s been there to lead them to two of them. He was there for a third as well, but that was before he took over. He’s only continued the tradition, and all the boys in the group respected him for it. That, and his killer pipes and arranging skills. They always win first place in the choir competition, which is the most important, but in past years other titles like Best Arrangement and Best Soloist have alluded them.

With this year’s setlist, Dan hoped to change that.

The runners’ room was a small dressing room filled with production assistants for the judges, who were out in the audience at that moment listening to a bottom twelve choir from Kent. Dan wasn’t concerned about them. There was really only one to be worried about…

One of the runners approached Dan right away when he entered the room. “The Hearts?” she guessed.

Dan grinned. “That would be us.” He handed her his stationary, which had their three songs printed on it in red ink.

She added it to her clipboard and gave Dan a smile of her own. “I’m rooting for you guys. You’re always so good.”

“I know,” Dan replied. He gave her a nod and turned to be on his way back to the green room to continue rehearsing, but he almost smacked right into another body in the doorway. That body was much taller than Dan was, and smelled amazing. Like expensive cologne.

“Whoops, my bad,” it was a man, and he gave Dan an easy smile. His eyes sunk down and seemed to zero in on the heart pinned to Dan’s lapel, marking him quite obviously from Berkshire. “You’re a Heart,” he pointed out, looking back up.

After being struck for a second at how blue this man’s eyes were, Dan nodded. “I’m the Heart,” he replied. Being the one who did most of the work, he reserved the right to say that.

“Ah,” the blue-eyed man’s smile grew a little wicked, “Daniel. You’re very talented.”

“Dan,” he corrected straight away, “And I know. That’s why I’m in the position that I am.”

“Right. I’m Phil Lester,” he said and held his hand out. Dan shook it, and at the same time, he wondered where he had heard that name before. Once they let go, Phil gestured ahead of him. “I should go turn in the setlist. Pretty important.”

Once again Dan nodded. “Right, of course. See you,” he said and stepped aside to let Phil inside the room. He was only a few steps into the corridor when he heard the voices filter from inside the runners’ room. It was the same woman who took Dan’s setlist.

“Mr. Lester! I’ll take that.”

“Thank you, Karen. I have high hopes for this season. We’ve gone in a bit of a different direction.”

A pause. “I see. I don’t recognize any of your song titles.”

“That’s because I wrote them.”

Dan froze. He knew he recognized that name from somewhere…

“Really? Maybe it’ll be gold this year for the Counterpoints.”

“Let’s hope so. Good seeing you, Karen.”

Of course. The steepest competition of the night, the only other a cappella group in the competition, the current holders of the Best Arrangement title; the Rawtenstall Grammar Counterpoints. They were co-ed where the Hearts were only boys, and they had an actual advisor with a music degree to lead them. Dan heard through the grapevine that was show choir based Tumblr blogs that the Counterpoints coach was a babe and a half. And damn were they right.

The Counterpoints have been second place to the Hearts for years.

As Dan was still frozen in the corridor, Phil Lester walked right past him out of the runners’ room. “Break a leg out there.” The smirk was practically audible.

In a huff, he stomped back to the Hearts’ green room, because damn if the Counterpoints were going to beat them with originals. No. Not his group.

As soon as he entered, the others could basically feel that something was off. Some of the boys near the door looked concerned. They all matched; Berkshire Academy of the Sacred Heart had uniforms, like most schools, and the group always performed in them as a sign of pride and consistency.

“What happened?” asked another of the senior members, Thad.

Dan swallowed. “I met the Counterpoints’ coach.”

The energy in the room changed from apprehensive to interested, and a couple rose to their feet to get closer, hungry for gossip.

“Well?”

“What was he like?”

Dan held up his hands for quiet. “What they say is true, he is very, very attractive,” he told them, “But all that is beside the point. Their setlist is comprised of only originals. The coach wrote them, his name is Phil Lester, and he sounded sure that they were going to win.”

“They’ll have to beat us first,” stated Steve, a younger member whose uniform was a bit too big for him.

Still, Dan nodded in reply. “Exactly. And we are champions, aren’t we?” There were nods and words of agreement. “We know a capella. We’re the tradition of a capella. We’re classically trained, we’re all males, and we’re student run. We deserve to win, and we’re going to run those northerners into the bloody ground!”

“Yeah!” The group fist-pumped into the air together.

Dan grinned. “Our performance will be in less than ten minutes. Let’s do some practicing, and we’ll be sure to show them who really owns that stage,” he stated. With Dan at the head, the Hearts of Berkshire gathered around the piano, and they rehearsed their setlist for one last time.

Later, the lights were dim, and the Hearts were waiting in the wings to be announced. Dan bounced on his toes but held in all other impulses to fidget. His uniform needed to look immaculate for the performance or the looking good factor would not be on their side. Also, he was not happy with their performance time. They were the current title holders, they should be performing last, but apparently, the times were assigned randomly and there would be three groups going after them. One of them was the Counterpoints. He hoped that this wouldn’t hurt their chances of retaining their place.

Dan was soon handed a microphone, as the soloist, and told it was time to go on. Right beforehand, he turned to the rest of the group. “This is it, guys. If any of you mess up, we lose. We need to be perfect to win and beat those goddamn Counterpoints. So let’s go,” he implored them seriously. They all nodded in reply, and then Dan led them onto the stage.

“And now welcome to the stage, the reigning champions of the Masters of Show Choir national competition, the Hearts of Berkshire!”

When the lights came up, Dan raised his head and the microphone to his mouth, and four counts later their opener started. It wasn’t his favorite song of their setlist, but it was the most difficult, just for the sake of getting the crowd’s (and the judges’) attention. That and the second song went off without a hitch and with much applause, which gave Dan even more confidence in their winning and their choice to do a ballad as their finale instead of in the middle. It was a bit of a change from traditional performances, but if they didn’t change with the times then they weren’t going to get anywhere.

The ballad put Dan in the light on the apron, while the Hearts formed two small arcs behind him. He hoped to knock this one out of the park with just his voice alone, and at the same get that Best Soloist award.

“Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you, Look away, you rollin' river,

Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you,”

When the rest of the group came in, all the lights brightened to highlight the lines. This number was different than the rest of their set, as this was the only number where Dan soloed the entire time and there was no dancing. It was meant to be slow with a focus on the vocals instead of the entire spectacle. In Dan’s opinion, this was the way to draw a crowd’s focus. That, and a spiced-up American folk song.

“Look away, we're bound away Across the wide Missouri.”

Dan could see the Counterpoints in the left wing out of the corner of his eye. They were huddled together between two of the legs, watching intently, and Phil Lester was standing in the front with his arms crossed. They must be going next. Since Dan was focused on his song, he didn’t have time to think about it, but he could swear the coach was smiling. Like he was impressed or even encouraging his competition.

Pathetic. Dan would show them.

“Now the Missouri is a mighty river Look away, you rollin' river Indians camp along her border Look away, we're bound away Across the wide Missouri.”

When their performance was over, the applause signified that there was no way they wouldn’t win. Dan first bowed on his own, then led the Hearts as a group to the cheering. The Counterpoints haven’t even gone on yet, but still he was confident. The audience loved them, he was sure the judges did as well.

On their way off the stage, their competition was still standing in wait. Dan met the eyes of Phil Lester for just a moment, and the latter spoke up. “Great performance,” he said.

“Thanks, I know,” Dan replied shortly, then followed the Hearts on their way off the stage without saying anything else. Fraternizing with the enemy was not something that was in their best interest, especially when their coach was so cute and all their members were telling them how good they were.

It felt like they were hardly off the stage when the Counterpoints jogged on to take their places. The Hearts spun around, still backstage, and looked to where their competition was setting up on a dark stage. They looked to Dan, wondering if they should continue to the green room like usual or some other instruction. Dan nodded towards the door to the house, and they left the right wing and filed in to take seats in the audience towards the back.

“Please welcome to the stage the current runner-ups and holders of the Best Arrangement award, the Rawtenstall Grammar School Counterpoints!”

There was a smattering of applause and some cheering. Thad, who was sitting beside Dan, started to clap but Dan reached over and grabbed his wrist to quickly end it. No one was going to pretend they were watching this for entertainment; it was simply for judgmental purposes. And spite.

Before the lights came up, the clapping started. Not applause, it was a rhythm. Cla-clap-clap. Then when it did brighten, the entire group was clapping the very quick and snappy rhythm, and a boy was walking towards the front of the stage. He was smaller.

“Woke up whistling like the wind blows Looking out my window just to see the shine.”

And then, for a quick moment, all the males of the group sang a lick. Dan’s eyes went wide. It was only about three counts, but there were enough bass notes in there to make the Whiffenpoofs cry all the way from America.

“Baby, you might call it crazy, how I'm acting lately Skipping through the sky,”

The lick came again, and the lot of the group joined in the backup of the little soloist. He looked smaller than the others around him, and there were a lot of others. All grouped together it didn’t look like the Counterpoints had a whole lot more singers compared to the Hearts, but now it was obvious that they did. They spread out throughout the entire stage, and each one stood out in lovely crimson red get-up that was each just slightly different. They were definitely not dressed in school uniforms.

“I see so clearly why I'm always feeling free So I sleep when my dreams looking like reality Don't it feel like Na na na na na na na na na, na na na na na”

And then the na-nas continued, and were joined with the clapping and choreography that would crush choirs that aren’t a capella. Besides their countertenor soloist, there were two others at the front of the group who seemed to be leading the rest. Dan studied them, and couldn’t help but compare himself to Counterpoint leads. The smallest, the countertenor, had all the high notes of a girl with the masculine appeal of a baby face. To his right was a tall blonde; his pecs could barely be contained by his button up which suggested he went to the gym on a regular basis. And on the left was a girl with flowing brunette locks and dark skin, and just an outstanding look.

Dan scowled. These were all advantages to put the Counterpoints above the Hearts in presentation.

The bridge of the song made several of the Hearts drop their jaws. The bass notes returned, and this time they were in three-part harmony, which was amazing. Dan couldn’t believe they had enough talented basses to harmonize the part… the Hearts couldn’t do that. Not really. The arrangement of this song was genius. Soon after that thought, Dan remembered that Phil Lester had written the songs for the entire set. He hoped the judges took into account that Dan was a student, and he took care of all the arrangements, and there was no way he was as talented as a teacher. Before he watched the Counterpoints, he could only hope as much.

Dan didn’t really pay attention past the opening number. That taste was all he needed to make his judgements. They were much better than they were last year, and no doubt that was because they lost. And while their sheer vocal and dance talents lessened his confidence just a bit, Dan was sure that the performance was just a bit too much. The flashy clothes, the pop song, and the choreography combined was a lot for a show choir and perhaps it didn’t fit into their category.

Besides, there was no way that little countertenor could out-sing Dan.

Once all the groups had performed, everyone was sitting in their designated seats in the audience for the awards. Thankfully the Counterpoints were on the other side of the house. Dan could still see them. It was a little nauseating that they were all holding hands as they waited, even with their coach.

“We might not win,” Thad leaned over and whispered.

“We will. Our fiercest competition paraded around that stage like it was an EDM concert, I doubt they’ll take out a group like us,” Dan scowled at the stage as the lights came on over a table awards and the panel of judges, “Like I said. Integrity trumps showboating.”

The awards started, and fifth place went first. There was a list posted on the website every year with official scores and places, but the top five got to be honored in front of everyone. And between fourth place and third place the smaller titles were given.

Here, the Hearts clapped politely for each award. Fifth place went to a school from Somerset, fourth to Kent. Then, everyone started to pay attention for the smaller awards. Dan sat up a little straighter.

“This year’s Best Arrangement award, judged on originality, musicality, and demonstration of skill goes to…,” the judge paused as he tore open the envelope, “No surprise, the Rawtenstall Grammar Counterpoints! Arrangement by Phil Lester.”

Dan’s expression darkened, but he still clapped slowly while Phil jogged onto the stage to accept the plaque and shake hands with the judges. His group was clapping and cheering obnoxiously in the background. He waved to them with a giant smile on his face before walking off of the stage and back to his seat while the judges moved on.

“And this year’s Best Soloist award, based on technique and overall performance goes to…” the pause was agonizing while the host picked up the plaque to read the name, “Dan Howell from the Hearts of Berkshire!”

The Hearts burst into loud applause, and Dan’s stomach exploded into butterflies within him. Not of nervousness, more of surprise, but then he quickly buried that. As he walked from his seat to the stage, he wore a grin of pride. He deserves this award, he was obviously the best. Take that, tiny countertenor of the Counterpoints.

He climbed the stairs and took the award from the host, then shook each of the judges’ hands. He got a congratulations from each one, and then he went back and sat down. He was very happy with the award, but he wanted to get on with it. There were still three places to announce.

Third went to Cambridge. The Hearts all clapped very politely, as usual, but now the anxiety was fresh in their chests as they waited for the next pace. They had yet to be mentioned, but neither had the Counterpoints. Dan thought the tension air could have been cut by a knife. And when second place was announced, he could have cut anything with a knife.

“Second place and the runner up for the championship goes to… The Hearts of Berkshire!”

No.

The Counterpoints all but erupted across the house but were quickly hushed. Dan hissed at his group to try and look happy, and together they walked to the stage to accept their award. Dan once again took it from the host, shook all the judges’ hands, and led the Hearts to stand next to Cambridge on the stage. His heart sunk even more when they announced the champion.

Amidst the applause and the cheers, Rawtenstall accepted their award and looked thoroughly happy and victorious. Phil Lester held up the trophy for the whole team to see, which inspired an entirely new round of cheering and carrying on. Cambridge clapped politely, and some of them even looked genuinely happy for their place. Dan, however, was seething. Those northerners were in for a storm come next season.

Songs featured in this part:

Shenendoah– arrangement by Peter Hollens Na Na Na– Pentatonix

#phan #phanfiction #phan au #phanfic