#i have a tradition to hit shuffle on all my liked songs on spotify on new years and my bday

[arrogant-sonofa-bitch]

...

[dragodina]

10 Songs, 10 People

Thanks so much @except4bunnies for tagging me 😊! That was interesting, a bit emotional but so much fun 🙂.

Since I don't have Spotify I just shuffled my phones music libary.

This is possibly going to be real odd for me 😅 (me and my very strange taste in music 🙈)

But anyway, here we go:

1. "Midnight City" - M83

I don't know why but that song just really positively lightens my mood and makes me want to sing the lyrics loudly at the end and dance along ... against the beat (so I don't). There is even a drum cover from Coop3rdrumm3r on Youtube that I like just as much as the original because, suprise, it has some more additional drums.

2. "Poison" - Freya Ridings

My favourite song of Freyas first album, to me it has some Bond touch to it and her voice ist just soo wonderful. Then those touching lyrics. And listening to them now I feel in some way they are pretty fitting for Julia Grosz and Ela Erol (small wink to @except4bunnies 😉✌🏼).

3. "Cosmic Love" - Florence And The Machine

FATM definitely belongs to my top 3 favourite artists. Not only does she has a unique breathtaking voice but also her lyrics are so heartwrenchingly beautiful. Especially with "Cosmic Love" but also "Falling" in particular. Florence just writes songs and words like they are poems, each song being a chapter and leaves me in awe, in tears and in wonder. And I absolutely love how she includes ever so often a choir in her songs, that feeling of many voices singen her lyrics together with her voice is just so damn powerful (especially in her debut album). And sometimes I'm a sucker for just one line of lyrics that becomes very special to me.

I took the stars from my eyes and then I made a map

And knew that somehow I could find my way back

Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too

So I stayed in the darkness with you

4. "Evigheden" - Scala & Kolacny Brothers

Funny enough (and my music player did that all on its own) Scala is a girls choir from Belgium that became famous for their cover versions. And I absolutely freak-fu**Ing love them. For about ten years I made it a tradition to see them live at least once a year. Another of that top 3 artists of mine. "Evigheden" is just so gently beautiful. Every time I hear that song I close my eyes and at some point it just hits me right in the feels ... and in the heart. The end of the song always seems to destroy me. I can't remember ever not crying when that song comes on. To listen to it live is even harder but also more special. I remember that one time, after loosing a very close loved one, I went to their concert, they played that song. And I burst out in tears sobbing. But I felt it was some sort of a good crying, because I was so deep in memories and the music brought me there and carried me through. It was really embarassing but somehow I needed that in that moment. It will always have a special place in my heart.

(The atmosphere this creates is just so freaking crazy ... yes ladies at 2:45 and 5:42, I get you 😭)

5. "Take Me Home" - Jess Glynne

Another female artist with. I absolutely love her uptempo and dancy souly songs yet the lyrics for "Take Me Home" are so beautiful and Jess voice is just so full of soul.

Came to you with a broken faith

Gave me more than a hand to hold

Caught before I hit the ground

Tell me I′m safe, you've got me now

Could you take care

Of a broken soul?

6. "Happiness" - Jónsi & Alex Somers

No lyrics. Just sound. And that so beautiful that it always takes my breath away, brings me to tears, touches me on another level. Especially the live version of theor performance at the White Festival. Jónsi is part of Sigur Rós and Alex Somers back then was his partner. They together released that one album called "Riceboy Sleeps". One of my favourite albums of all times. There are so many feels, so much history that I can't put into few words. Just that its very special to me.

7. "Hero" - Chad Kroeger feat. Josey Scott

Song to the first "Spider-Man" movie with Tobey Macguire. I liked that one back then 😅. Honestly I haven't listened to that in ages but I sang along right away. Such a cool song after all those years. Even though I'm still chuckling by the beginning line "I'm so high, I can hear heaven". Yeah Spidey, what good stuff did you take?

Someone told me

Love would all save us

But, how can that be

Look what love gave us

A world full of killing

And blood spilling

Now that the world isn't ending

It's love that I'm sending to you

It isn't the love of a hero

(That historical up side down kiss scene 😍 I need something like this for Tinia ..... 😅🥰🙈)

8. "La Terre Vue Du Ciel" - Armand Armar

I'm a bit of a sportsfreak (maybe not so much for the WM right now but normally I really am). I didn't know the song before but in 2018 at the winter olympics Aljons Savchenko & Bruno Massot performance to it. I'm not so much into figure skating but that performance had me in awe, made me speechless. Because it was so damn perfect, just as the song. I really screamed at my screen when they took home gold.

9. "Tornado" - Jónsi

Okay, I probably don't have to state it, but I'm a huge . His first solo album Was just awesome! I love it still so much. And I did had the chance to see his live. I was so insecure back then myself, really shy and I'm an introvert. But I wanted to see him live so badly that me (coming from a small town in saxony) drove to the big city Berlin. I was shoved and mocked. But it was all okay and fine in the end because just to see him live and hear the songs made it all allright.

I wonder if I'm allowed ever to see

I wonder if I'm allowed to ever be free

(That intro and that drummer ...)

10. "Unser Stern" - Ron van Lankeren

Okay, now it get's really embarassing ...

One song from the soundtrack of the anime "Digimon". That was my youth. I loved that anime. And I can still sing along to all of those songs. ALL OF THEM. I probably should look up where I can watch that again, just for the feeling of good old times.

Unofficial additional number (because I made a stupid mistake and suddenly had two number 5s and continued on, wooopsi 🙈)

11. "Ny Batterí" - Sigur Rós

Yep. Thanks smartphone, I almost thought it would leave me without a Sigur Rós song. Sigur Rós. That one band that changed my life completely when I was a teenager. Jónsi with his falsetto voice, the bowed guitar and that way of using his voice as an instrument rather than singing lyrics (they called it hopelandic). At first I even thought it was a woman singing 😅. I don't even know if there is one song of them that I don't like. And yes, it's strange. It's so strange. But I just simply love their music. I can't even describe that feeling. Ever since I first heard that bowed guitar solo intro of the live version of "Ny Batterí" I was under their spell.

There is so much history, so much emotions, so much tragedy and joy and everything in between I connect with their music. The way that "Sæglópur" carried me through when I needed emergency surgery twice and was so fucking scared. My brother came into the hospital and left me with his MP3 player where he had put on all their albums for me to listen to.

Sometimes all you need is to hear, to feel, to listen. And to let go. No words needed. But make up your own story to the music.

Sigur Rós did that for me. And so much more.

Since probably all people that I know and follow around here already got tagged for this I will not tag again or evetypne will get this twice or thrice 😅.

Just have a wonderful 2. advent evening and a good start to the new week all you lovely peoples 😊!

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 5th January

It's 1956! We are officially in the second half of the 1950s, and rock and roll has arrived! I don't think you could fully have said that at this point last year, but come 1956, something hip's definitely in the air. Will our New Year's songs reflect that? Only one way to find out...

Join in and Sing Again - The Johnston Brothers (peaked at Number 9)

This is 10 minutes long! Turns out it's a medley, a Winifred Atwell-style mix of hit popular songs, except with lyrics, this time. I can kind of see the appeal, especially in the 1950s, when it would have been hard to otherwise obtain a compendium of hit songs by different artists. This is essentially the only way to put a playlist on "shuffle" until the genesis of hit compilations in the 1970s. This then evolves into shuffling an MP3 and eventually into the Spotify playlists we have today, and seeing this track in that light does kind of make it make sense, I guess.

I still think it would hit better if I knew the tracks, similarly to what happens with a lot of Winifred Atwell tracks. There are one or two tune I recognised - honourable mention here to Alexander's Ragtime Band and to Bye Bye Blackbird - but generally, songs like I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover or The Darktown Strutters Ball are unknowns to me. Which is probably for the best with the opening track, the stunningly dated Coal Black Mammy. Thankfully it's less than a minute, but still...

Racism aside (and yes, I know that's a bit of an ask) it's a fun record, I guess. The Johnston Brothers previously did Hernando's Hideaway, which I think is a better and more enjoyable track, purely for its recognisable shtick and evocative Spanish instruments. But these songs, despite having completely different messages and lyrics, all do share a sort of boogie-woogie ragtime style. It's borrowing from some really old-school American jazz traditions, and it's good toe-tapping stuff. In particular, shout-out to whoever plays trombone for some top-notch brassy playing.

I also do appreciate how smooth most of the transitions are - there are one or two that are just a stop-start affair, and the circus music at the start of Nobody's Sweetheart is a bit jarring, but for the most part, the songs flow together well, and have a really consistent style and energy. They all fit well together, and I could definitely imagine myself in the 1950s putting this on at a party. I don't think this is what "the youth" are all listening to, but it's not wholy uncool, you know?

Never Do a Tango With an Eskimo - Alma Cogan (6)

Well, the title smacks of novelty. And yes, let's address it. We have more racism here, even just in the name. The term "eskimo" is an exonym (a name for a people group not used natively by those it's supposed to describe) for the Inuit and Yupik peoples of Canada, Alaska and Siberia, and is largely considered offensive and even derogatory. We can't necessarily blame Alma for this - especially since the agreement to use terms like "Inuit" comes from mostly the late 1970s, so people in the 1950s definitely didn't know about all this - but still, worth pointing out, and worth finding distasteful.

Thankfully, the lyrics aren't all that stereotypical, or at least not in a particularly offensive way, I don't think? I mean, if somebody from that culture told me they were, I'd have to change my tune there, but as far as I can see the full joke is just "wow, it's cold there". And so Alma sings about how once those Eskimoses start to wiggle with their toeses / You can bet your life, you're gonna get a chill and about how If you do, you'll get the breeze up / And you'll end up with a freeze up.

You can, apparently, do a tango, with a whole host of other people, which gives you low-key saucy lyrics about how You can do it with a sailor from Peru to Venezuela / You can do it with Apaches in Paris (or is it just me who gets a puerile giggle from the phrase "do it"?)

And the whole thing is wrapped up in some bright, cheery tango music, all horns and trumpets and castanets. It suits Alma's giggly, bright style. She throws in a few jolly little brrrrrrr trills, and a sassy no no no at the end, and generally she just sounds like she's having a whale of a time throughout. It's fun!

So yeah, racism aside (again, yes, a bit of an ask) this is fine. Good fun, even, and to be honest, I think it could have been a hit well through into my childhood - its daftness largely overpowers its offensiveness. I think it's actually better than the Coal Black Mammy segment of the previous track?

I don't massively want to endorse either of these. Neither is at the level of the genuinely execrable She Wears Red Feathers, but they're visibly products of the same culture, and come from the same primordial ooze of disposable novelty songwriting, careless stereotyping and from-the-outside sideshow gawking at people who are somehow "different". Not a fan.

Least objectionable song of the bunch: Never Do a Tango With An Eskimo

[froppy-the-frog]

Electric Love- Kaminari Denki x Jiro Kyoka

So, I have never written fanfiction before. But then I read this beautiful fic by shikastemari and honestly I was so inspired by it that I wanted to take a crack at writing my own. Please go read their writing because it’s so good ahhhh. So, my fic shares a similar premise/situation to their fic- Kaminari asking Jiro for help playing guitar for the school festival. 

Note: Listen, we all love Kaminari for the flirtatious, hilarious, friendly loser that he is. The boy does not excel at school, but he does actually possess knowledge regarding the arts (literature, art, etc) and I think we all need to remember that. So, I personally headcannon that while he sucks a school in a traditional classroom environment, he actually really enjoys reading classic literature, has quite a broad vocabulary, and writes down his favorite quotes in the notes app on his phone. I also think he really would enjoy indie rock and pop. Idk he gives off those vibes imo. Jiro prefers rock music I think, but she is listens to a lot of different songs and constantly is recommending songs to people that she thinks they would like. She is very shy but also really enjoys calling Kaminari different nicknames. 

Anyways.

This story takes place sometime before the school festival where they throw that concert. Also, idk if you’re supposed to use character’s last names or their first names, so I did a mix. Also, there may be some spelling errors and grammar errors. Please forgive me if that’s the case. Fic title inspired by this song. 

Word count: 4,948

Part: 1/? Idk I might write a sequel if I feel like it and/or have time

Warnings: fluff, maybe some angst?

Pairings: Jiro Kyoka x Kaminari Denki

Outside sources referenced/used: Practice; The Learn’d Astronomer, Prometheus Unbound, Electric Love

Kaminari Denki had had enough of today. His last class had ended for the day, and honestly it wasn’t a second too soon. Everything today had been an absolute train wreck- between the ungodly amount of homework the teachers has assigned for over the weekend, the absolute bs that had gone down in third period between Bakugou and Midoriya that resulted in a singed classroom and a broken door, and the thunderstorm that had been booming on and off throughout the day, Kaminari was ready to scream into a pillow. Walking out of the main campus building, Kaminari pushed his headphones over his ears, pressing shuffle on his Spotify playlist adequately named ‘jams for when ur ready to lose ur goddamn mind xD’. This was the beginning of the short walk from the main campus building to the dorm building where he lived during the school year. It was overcast. A gust of wind pushing his honeyed blonde hair back, bringing with it the smell of impending. Great, Kaminari thought to himself, another thing ruin today. Kaminari absolutely loathed the rain, or really, any sort of water-electricity and water don’t exactly mix well. His foul mood festered as he quickened his pace, his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, and he felt a few drops of water hit his forehead. Yep, definitely is gonna rain tonight, Kaminari thought to himself. He was so looking forward to bursting into his dorm and falling face first on his bed. Unfortunately, this dream would be a nearly impossible task, at least without being interrupted, as he lived in a dorm building with all of the other students that attended UA. UA, despite being the most prestigious hero-training high school in all of Japan, still had its fair share of the typical shenanigans that teens get into-drama, gossip, flirting, Mariokart tournaments, pranks, impromptu dance-offs, etc. Kaminari normally was totally ready to get insert himself into whatever social situation was going on in the common spaces. He considered himself to be a pretty gregarious, easy-going guy. He really liked hanging out with the other heroes in training. They were great to banter with, and he especially loved playfully flirting with the girls. But tonight, he wanted none of that, only hoping to slip unnoticed into his dorm so he could scream into his pillow. After a few minutes of walking, Kaminari reached the entrance of the dorm buildings. He scanned his ID and the door buzzed, signally it was unlocked so he could enter. Taking a deep breath, he mentally prepared himself for whatever was going on in the common areas that laid between him and his final destination, before he entering the common room. Luckily for him, the common areas were actually pretty empty for once, and Kaminari sighed a breath of relief. Everybody must have just gotten back and were probably in their rooms. Elevator or stairs? He quietly asked himself. Hm, less chance of running into anybody else in the stairwell. So with his book bag over his shoulder, he made a beeline through the common room to the stairwell door, opening it, and started his ascent to the third floor. He cast his gaze down at the steps as he climbed so as to avoid eye contact with any other soul he might encounter in that stairwell. He was lost deep in his ruminations, so it wasn’t a surprise that he didn’t register hearing footsteps from another person who was descending the stairs.

“Hey!” A waving hand appeared in his face suddenly, catching Kaminari off-guard. He accidentally took a step back in surprise, missing the stair beneath him, and falling on his ass on the stair landing. 

“Kamimari! Holy shit! are you okay?!” The sound of boots pounded down the steps then Kaminari felt warmth next to his shoulder where somebody was kneeling next to him. 

“Ughhh” Lucky for him, he had landed on his ass and hadn’t hit is head. 

“Holy shit Kaminari, I knew you looked out of it today, but Jesus, this is a lot, even for you.”

 Regaining a bit of his senses, Kaminari sharply snapped back “What the hell do you mean by that?! And what are you doing here in the stairwell leading to the men’s wing, Jiro?” Normally, he wasn’t the type to get super angry, but he had just fell on his ass in front of Jiro, one of his closest friends. His face flushed red, a stark contrast against his honey-colored hair.

“Whoa, chill Denki. This isn’t like you. Listen, I didn’t mean for you fall backwards, I just wanted get your attention, Megawatt. You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No, I’m fine” he said, getting up and brushing himself off. Well, so much for avoiding people. 

Jiro stood up from kneeling and took a step back from Kaminari. “Well, anyways, I was in the male’s wing ‘cause I was actually looking for you. You said earlier this week that you needed help with the guitar, right?” she asked earnestly.

“Well, yeah... but right now really isn’t a good time. I’ve had the shittiest day and I don’t think I can handle any more failure...” 

Jiro stopped and blinked, looking upset. “Denki... what happened today? Was it about third period? Really, you didn’t incite that incident, I was only kidding-” She asked earnestly. 

“It’s nothing!” He snapped, his face turning a darked\r shade of vermillion. Jiro looked surprised and hurt by his reaction, and Denki immediately felt bad.  He stiffened, and looked down, softening his tone. “I just...need some time to let off some steam. You know, get into a better headspace, recharge. I want to be left alone right now.”

“Oh, okay... well, if there’s anything I can do to help or you change your mind, you know where I live.” Then she reached out to gently touch his arm, startling him. He looked up, caught off guard by this. His felt his heartbeat quicken, and he prayed that she couldn’t hear it. Jiro added “Stop by. I mean it.” Denki mumbled a quick thanks to her, and not looking up, made his way up another flight of stairs to the third floor.

He flung open the door to the hallway in the men’s wing. He trudged down the hallway, finally arriving at his dorm. His hand went to his pocket to get his key only to hit fabric. SHIT he thought. I must’ve dropped it in the stairwell when I fell. He swiftly spun around to retrace his steps only to turn and bump right into Jiro, knocking both her and himself to the ground. 

“Watch it, Sparky! I mean, Shit... sorry.” Jiro quickly scrambled to her feet, red faced and stammered “Look, I didn’t mean to- listen, so you, uh, dropped your keys and- I uh- just- here” She tossed Denki’s keys onto his lap and quickly ran down the hallways towards the door to the female wing. 

Denki sat there, blinking, just trying to comprehend what had just happened. Shit, that had really just happened. Jiro looked really embarrassed. All she was trying to do was help him out. Denki felt awful for not only having snapped at her in the stairwell but then having knocked her to the floor. His thoughts shifted from anger from the day’s events to determination to fix things with Jiro. Rising to his feet, he unlocked his door, and quickly changed into some more casual clothes. He grabbed the guitar that was propped against the wall and slung it over his shoulder, taking note to also bring the sheet music for the song he was learning. With that, Kaminari headed out of his room and toward the female wing. When he got to Jiro’s room, he hesitated a brief moment before knocking. Does she even want to see me after having been so rude? Only one way to find out. 

Kaminari knocked on the door and waited. “Yeah? Who is it?” An icy, familiar voice from rang out from behind the closed door. “Um, uh, it’s me, you know, Denki Kaminari, your friend.” He heard footsteps, then the door unlatch.

Jiro opened her door enough to stand in the doorframe. “Yeah?” 

“Hey Kyoka, I am here to for some practice. I wanna be ready to impress everybody for the school festival!” He flashed a bright smile at her, and she rolled her eyes. 

“Alright Sparky. C’mon in”. 

Denki walked in, looking around at her décor. Band posters plastered the walls and tons of different music equipment peeking out from every available nook and cranny. “You know Kyoka, I still can’t get over how cool your room is. It really looks like a music store or somethin’” 

Jiro scoffed “Well, it’s just some stuff to help set the vibe. Gotta keep it rockin’” Jiro sat on the edge of her bed, and gestured for kaminari to come over. He plopped himself down on the floor in front of Jiro and took off his jacket. “Alright Mr. Jammingway, let’s start off with some warm-ups” 

“Awww, Kyoka, do I  have to? I wanna get jamming!” 

“Dude, you wrists and fingers are gonna get so sore if you don’t warm up. Besides, even the legends like Jimmie Hendrix and Eric Clapton would warm up before playing. You’re not any better than them, so shut up and get started” 

“Aww okay. I wouldn’t want tendinitis or anything.” 

“Let’s start off with getting you tuned. Your guitar I mean.” Jiro got up and went over to her electric keyboard, and started off with a low E. Kaminari tuned his guitar string to match, and followed suit with the remaining strings. After getting his guitar tuned, he cracked his knuckles and stretched out his digits and rolled his wrists around to loosen them up. He then started on some warm up exercises, practicing picking and strumming. 

Jiro smirked as she sat back down on her bed. “Wow Sparky, you actually listened to me. You have been warming up before you practice” 

Denki stopped and looked up at her, grinning. “’Course, why wouldn’t a listen to a talented rocker such as yourself? I’m not completely obtuse.” 

“You are though most of the time. I swear, there’s lots of cobwebs in the brain of yours” Jiro said followed by a laugh. 

Kaminari frowned. “I’m really not that dumb. I swear. I’m just not so much a math-science-logic sort of guy. I’m more of a Whitman sort of guy”. 

Jiro looked at him, puzzled. “A what?” 

“You know, Walt Whitman, the poet? Here, lemme look up a poem real quick-” Kaminari reached over to his jacket and took his smartphone out of the pocket. He tapped quickly and scooted closer to Jiro and began reading aloud:

When I heard the learn’d astronomer,

When the proofs, the figures, we ranged in columns before me,

When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,

When I was sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,

How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,

Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,

In the mystical moist air, and from time to time,

Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars

They sat in silence for a moment before Denki spoke. “That’s probably my favorite poem by him. I really just, I don’t know, I feel like it was almost written about me in a way. But I guess that’s the great thing about poetry-it reminds you that you aren’t alone in your human experience”. 

Jiro was quiet. She hadn’t expected such a deep philosophical sentiment from the same guy who regularly and non-ironically used the word ‘yeet’. 

“Um-“ Jiro started, but Denki interrupted her “Heh, sorry. Let’s get back to practicing. I am having problem with the barre chords. I just can’t seem to get my fingers to do that.” 

Jiro snapped back to reality “Oh, yeah, barre chords are hard. If the song only had barre chords, you could use a capo, but since it has other non-barre chords, unfortunately ya gotta learn them the hard way. So,” She reached over to the wall and unhooked the electric guitar, bringing it down to her lap. “what you’re gonna do is take your pointer finger like this” She put it across all six strings “and then roll it to the side so the bony part is up against the strings. You’ll get a cleaner sound and it won’t hurt as much.” 

She turned to look at Kaminari, who was staring at her, his eyes glistening under the fluorescent light. “Um, so, uh, why don’t you give it a try Denki?” She watched as Denki tried to copy her hand position but it was clear he was struggling. 

“Nah, more like this” she showed him again on her guitar, and watched as he hopelessly tried to copy her hand position. She scooted off the bed and knelt in front of him. She took his hand and moved each of his fingers to the correct placement. She looked up from the neck of his guitar, close enough where he could feel her exhales on his face. His heart thumped loudly in his chest and he prayed she could not hear him. Jiro continued, “…See, like this. Try strumming now.” Blushing, Kaminari strummed downward, and a clean sounding chord rang out.” 

Jiro sat back and smiled. “See? You got it! Try it again, upward stroke this time.” Denki repeated, and let the chord ring out fully. He grinned at Jiro. 

“Thanks Kyoka! You’re a really good teacher.” “Jiro began an attempted at denying it, but Denki cut her off “Jiro, accept a compliment! You’re good at teaching and you’re even better at playing. You really are talented.” 

Jiro stayed quiet for a few moments, then stood up. “Well,” she exhaled. “You seem to be progressing really well. I think that if you keep up with the practicing, you should be ready for the school festival by the time it rolls around. I say let’s call it quits for the evening. She looked out the window over her balcony. Attempting to change the subject to distract herself from blushing, she said “Looks like it stopped raining.” 

Denki put down the guitar and stood up. “Yeah. Hey Kyoka?” She looked at him, and he continued “Wanna go for a walk in the courtyard? I know it’s probably a bit wet out still from the rain, but it’s always really refreshing to be outside after a rainstorm.”

Jiro thought about saying no, until an idea struck her. “Yeah, sure thing. Lemme grab my jacket and shoes real quick.” She grabbed her jacket and slid on her boots, then they both headed for the door. They both reached for the door handle at the same time, accidently touching hands for a split second before yanking their hands back. 

“Oh! Um, sorry” Denki stammered, turning slightly red as he tensed up.

 “It’s all good; don’t worry ‘bout it, Sparky.” She smiled reassuringly at him, and his shoulder relaxed. They walked next to each other, heading towards the stairwell. Descending the stairs then walking through the common area, they headed towards the exit. 

Unlike earlier, there were students from 1-A now sitting on the couches surrounding the TV, watching some sort of rom-com. Ochaco, Tsuyu, Tokoyami, Mina, Midoriya, Iida, Todoroki, and Momo were spread out over the couches. Uraraka turned around when she heard their footsteps and called out to them. 

“Hey Kyoka! Hi Denki!” She grabbed the TV remote and hit pause. “You guys want to watch “A Cinderella Story” with us?” 

Mina chimed in “Tokoyami, Iida, and Todoroki haven’t seen it before, which an absolute crime. Can you believe it?! it’s an absolutely iconic movie that defined a generation”. 

Todoroki’s eyes widened “Its a crime?!” 

Momo laughed. “No Todoroki, figure of speech. And well mina, maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement, but seriously, Jiro, Kaminari, it’s a good movie. We started it only a few minutes ago, so you haven’t missed much. Bakugo, Sero, and Kirishima are in the kitchen working on dinner for everybody.”

Iida added “We extended the invitation to the other students to join us for this screening, but most of them either went home for the weekend or are studying.”

Tsuyu added “We stopped by Jiro’s room to ask you to join us, but it sounded like you guys were practicing for the festival, so we decided not to interrupt, ribbet.”

Denki responded “That was real cool of you guys. Jiro and me are gonna go for a quick walk, but we’ll join you afterwards. Its one of my favorite movies”. 

Mina laughed from the couch. “That’s a surprise, Kaminari. I wouldn’t peg you as the rom-com type”. 

Denki shook his head and grinned “A movie with hot girls, humor, and happy endings? What’s not to love? Anyways, we’ll be back.” 

Uraraka waved and said “Alright, have fun! We’ll see you guys soon!” Denki waved back then he and Jiro headed outside.

When they got outside, they walked for a few minutes, saying nothing. The air was still, and the streetlights softly illuminated the sidewalk, slick with water. Jirou and Kaminari walked closely side by side, unconsciously syncing their strides, only a few inches between their hands that swung loosely at their sides. Kaminari finally broke the silence. “Isn’t it nice out? I don’t like thunderstorms much, but I love the air afterwards. It has a weird feel to it, you know? Its… I don’t know how to describe it. I guess it almost feels like it’s a liminal space of sorts, like between good and bad weather.” 

Jiro looked at him confused. “You don’t like thunderstorms? You literally have an electric quirk. I would’ve thought that you would love them.” 

Denki laughed, and put his hand on the back of his neck. “Aha, yeah, not so much. Water and I don’t exactly mix…” 

“Ah, that makes sense. Well, every time there’s a thunderstorm, it reminds me of you ” Jiro replied. Kaminari felt a hot blush spread across his face and he was grateful for the dim lighting to disguise his embarrassment. Jiro looked away from him quickly as to also disguise the blush that was creeping across her face. Silence once again befell them and the continued walking.

Is now the time to bring this up, Jiro thought to herself. Well, she thought, might as well give it a try. Jiro broke the silence to say “Hey, so I, uh, well, so I came across this song the other day and I think you might like. You like indie rock and that kind of music, right, Jammingway?” 

Kaminari was surprised. “How did you kn-” 

Jiro laughed. “Dude, your Spotify playlists are public. I’m always looking for new songs so I sometimes randomly listen to other people’s playlists. Plus, you give off that sort of vibes. Anyways, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” Denki smiled sheepishly as she continued “so I came across this song that I think you would like. You got your phone on you?” 

“Of course. What kind of teen would I be if I didn’t?” He laughed as he pulled his smartphone out of his jacket pocket, unlocked it, then handed it over to Jiro. She walked over to a nearby bench, brushed off the water, and tapped the bench, inviting Kaminari to come sit next to her. She pulled a pair of earbuds from her pocket, plugged them into his phone’s headphone jack, and then handed Kaminari one earbud. She put the other one in her own ear, then hit play. She closed her eyes, and Kaminari followed suit, listening to the beginning of the song.

“Candy… She’s sweet like candy in my veins…”

He was very aware of how close they were sitting together, how her arm was resting against his, her warm breath on his skin, his knee touching hers.

“Baby, I’m dying for another taste. And every night my mind is running round her, Thunder’s getting louder and louder”

He blushed hearing the lyrics, wondering if she thought this way about him or if it was just the style of music that reminded her of him. If it was the first of the two, would that mean…?

“Baby, you’re like lightning in a bottle! I I can't let you go now that I got it! And all I need is to be struck by your electric love”

The chorus hit, and he got it: it was because it was about electricity. I mean, he thought, that’s kinda a shallow connection to me, but a connection nevertheless. At least she thought about me… 

The song ended, and Jiro turned to look at him expectedly. “So… what do you think? You like it?” 

“Yeah, “he laughed. “That is a great example of the kind of music I like. Guess I have a pretty predictable music taste.” He ran his hand through his hair. 

Jiro frowned “Nah, I just know you, dude. What did you think of the lyrics?” She hoped that he had picked up on the general message so she wouldn’t have to explain it… 

“Yeah, I see why you thought of me. ‘Cause of the thunderstorm metaphor used. I have an electricity quirk. You said earlier thunderstorms remind you of me. It’s a superficial level metaphoric comparison.” He saw her face change under the dim streetlight, and he quickly clarified “Superficial in the sense of like not like ‘uh you’re soooo superficial’ but more like it just being a surface level observation, like not skin deep, you know? Sorry. I do like the song though, and” he took a deep breath and touched her arm gently. “I’m glad that you think of me. You’re a good friend, Kyoka”. 

Jiro’s heart sank. Dammit, she thought to herself, I really am gonna have to explain it. “So, um, I guess like I saw the lyrics as a sort of way to describe how I feel about you. Like how earlier you read that poem to me and said you said you thought it described you. I feel like this song really captures how I feel about… well, how I feel about you.”

Denki took a moment to process what she had just said. Please oh please oh please I hope he picks up on what I’m trying to say she prayed. 

Kaminari’s face broke out into a grin. “So, I think I catch your drift.” He paused, then said “Are you familiar with the work of Percy Bysshe Shelley?” 

Jiro shook her head “I don’t see how this connects Den-“

“Shh, lemme continue, Earbuds. Percy B Shelley, English poet, husband of Mary Shelley who authored ‘Frankenstein’, real cool guy. Anyways, he wrote a play called ‘Prometheus Unbound’ which was like his response to the story ‘Prometheus Bound’ which is like an ancient Greek play… sorry, tangent.  Yeah, so there was this one line I read that I wrote down in my notes…somewhere…” He bit his bottom lip as he scrolled through all of his notes on his phone. “Ah, here it is. It reminded me of how you make me feel” He read out loud:

As in the soft and sweet eclipse,

When soul meets soul on lovers' lips,

High hearts are calm, and brightest eyes are dull;

So when thy shadow falls on me,

Then am I mute and still, by thee

He leaned forward and softly placed his lips against hers for a few seconds. Then, they broke away, saying nothing. Kaminari leaned back and looked up at the sky, smiling to himself. I finally did it, he thought. 

Jiro’s thoughts were racing 100 kilos an hour. THAT JUST HAPPENED OMG what do I do now ahhhhhh. Okay, get it together, Kyoka. She reached out and took his hand. She gave it a light squeeze, and joined Kaminari in looking up at the sky. A few softly glowing specks of light glimmered amongst the dark clouds that filled the void. Jiro leaned her head on Kaminari’s shoulder, and he leaned his towards her in response. Their gazes directed towards the sky, thoughts intertwined, sharing warmth from each other’s touch, they stayed in this seemingly infinite, gentle moment. 

A few tiny drops of water descended from the sky, bringing them both crashing back to earth from the sky. Kaminari turned his head and kissed the top of Jiro’s head. “I think it’s time to head back, Kyoka.” he whispered, making no attempt to get up. 

Jiro rotated her body to face Kaminari, delicately placed her hand on his cheek and pulled him close, meeting her lips with his. “Okay” she softly responded. 

Both of them reluctantly broke apart and stood up, and began leisurely strolling towards the UA dorm building. Suddenly, lightning bolts instantly zagged across the sky above, followed by a deafening boom that echoed through the air. The clouds above broke open, and hard droplets raced to the earth below, aggressively soaking the world in a layer of water. Kaminari grabbed Jiro’s hand and pulled her forward as he ran towards the entrance of the dorm building. He fumbled for his ID, only then realizing he must have dropped it somewhere. 

“Jiro… I can’t find my ID. Do you have yours?” Jiro’s hand instantly went to her pocket and pulled out her ID. She quickly pressed it against the scanner on the wall, the door buzzed, and they were able to quickly enter into the dry, brightly-lit common room. They were dripping wet, but grateful to be out of the storm.

Everyone was still watching the movie in the common room. Tsuyu was the first to notice their return; she picked up the remote that was laid on the coffee table to pause the movie. “Looks like you guys got rained on, ribbet.” 

Jiro didn’t know how to respond, so she was relieved when Kaminari answered for them. “Yeah!” He smirked. “It really just started downpouring out of nowhere, no warning or anything! Guess good ol’ Zeus decided one rainshower today wasn’t enough” He caused a few of the other students to chuckle. 

“Oh, Kaminari” Iida tossed a lanyard at Kaminari. “You dropped your keys and ID here in the lobby. Try to be more responsible next time.” 

“Thanks Iida” Kaminari mumbled, turning a shade of crimson. 

“Well…” Jiro began “I am going to go change into some dry clothes. Be right back.” 

“Oh, Jiro!” Uraraka called out. “Dinner should be done by the time you are back! So don’t forget to bring your appetite! Also, this is a pajama party so wear your pjs!” Jiro smiled and left for her room. 

Kaminari watched her as she left the room, smiling to himself. He heard somebody clear their throat, and he snapped back to reality. “Well, I will probs go change too. Don’t want to catch a cold or anything. That would be pretty tragic. Also, I’ll bring some M&Ms for everybody. Be right back!”. Kaminari smirked as he left the common room and climbed the stairs to the third floor. He couldn’t have asked for that to have gone any better, except minus getting rained on. But Kyoka… she really kissed him, huh. He wanted to talk to her about what had happened outside, but he didn’t want to complicate anything yet. 

Kaminari got to his dorm room and unlocked it, quickly changing into some comfy pj bottoms and a t-shirt, then he grabbed the bag of M&Ms, the lanyard with his ID and keys, and walked towards the female wing. He got to Jiro’s door and knocked, and waited for a response. 

“Yeah?” Her voice rang out from behind the door. 

“It’s me”.

 A minute later, the door opened, and Jiro stood once again in the doorframe, this time, wearing a pair of pajama bottoms with a tank top. “Hey Megawatt, you ready to head back down?” She spied the bag of M&Ms in Kaminari’s hands. “Bruh. M&Ms are actually my favorite candy in the world.” 

Kaminari smiled. “I know. That’s what I was thinking when I got them. You gotta share them with everybody else though too”. 

Jiro pouted “Aww, alright Sparky, I will. I’m not gonna be happy about it but I guess sharing is caring. Let’s go.” 

They walked together towards the stairwell door, and before going through, Jiro stopped suddenly. 

“So, before we go join the rest of the gang, Sparky, um, can we quickly maybe talk about what happened out there? You know, before it started raining...” 

Kaminari responded “I would love to, but I really really want to watch the movie with you and the others, so maybe let’s put a pin in that for now. Don’t worry” he paused, and gently placed a kiss on her check, causing her to cheeks to flush pink. “We’ll talk about it. Tomorrow maybe?” 

Jiro smirked, threw her arms around his neck, and smashed her lips against his before saying. “Alright, whatever you say, Mr. Short-Circuit. Let’s grab some tea or something when we do. You know, make it a date.” 

Kaminari’s brain whirled, but he managed to respond “Yeah. Tomorrow at 1?” 

“Yeah, sounds good. Stop by beforehand though so you can practice guitar more. Ya gotta be able to shred for the festival.” 

“Course.” Kaminari said. “I gotta keep up so I don’t look idiotic next to a hardcore rocker such as yourself”. 

Jiro smirked, opening the door to the stairwell and bounded down the stairs to the floor with the common areas. Kaminari smiled, following her into the common area to join the other students.

[jinniesmeow]

Club Sandwich - Bang Chan

MASTERLIST ; REQUEST

➵ Pairings : chan x gender neutral!reader (feat skz)

➵ Warnings : none ; kinda cliché I guess ?

➵ Summary : Your best friend Chan loves food a little too much, especially club sandwiches and salted caramel ice cream and you love movie nights with your friends. This one ends up a little differently though.

➵ Genre : best friends to lovers ; fluff ; a little bit of humor (?)

➵ Word count : 3.5k

➵ Note : I don’t know, man. I dreamed about the first scene so I wrote it and then I improvised. I hope it’s not as bad as it sounds though.

You looked at Chan with a disgusted face, shaking your head in disbelief. « Don’t you ever stop eating ? » you asked, mouth falling open as the man sitting across from you shoved another spoonful of rice in his mouth.

He chewed on his food happily, even doing a little dance before he answered « Nope, never » and flashed you a grin that showed his dimples.

You shook your head once more, « Unbelievable » you said as you stood up, disgusted by how much food he had shoved down to his stomach in the past twenty minutes. How could one eat so much and in such a short time ?

Chan watched as you stood up, eyes opening wide in curiosity : « Where are you going ? » he asked as you gathered your stuff before picking up your tray.

You stopped before leaving, looking him dead in the eye and stated : « You’ve literally swallowed three bowls of rice before this one, two whole steaks —one of which was mine— and you ate Jisung’s omelette along with a club sandwich you found god knows where » you listed and he only watched you with an unreadable expression.

« But you said you weren’t going to eat your steak » he said and you rolled your eyes. « That’s not the point, Chan ! I’m disgusted, how can you eat so much at once ? How can you eat food you found without knowing where it comes from ? » your voice raised as you spoke.

He blinked a few times, under shock. « The sandwich was still in its package and I checked, it hadn’t been opened before » he stated, serious as ever. Seeing your unfazed expression, he added : « It was a club sandwich ! I couldn’t leave it there ! It would’ve been sad if I hadn’t eaten it » he exclaimed.

And with this, you had reached your limit. « Anyways, I’ll see you later » you said as you stomped away from the table, leaving a dumbfounded Chan with eight snickering boys. You heard them tease him and call him a ‘pig’, telling him he disgusted even his best friend and how he would end up alone. He glared at them and they backed off, knowing full well how Chan could have unexpected reactions sometimes.

You put your tray on the conveyer and left the cafeteria.

—————

Slowly but surely, the day came to an end and it was finally time to head back home. You stretched in your chair before putting your stuff inside your backpack and making your way out. You were tired but still felt good anyways, as it was Friday and the weekend was just starting. And just like every Friday night, it was movie night.

You were excited to watch another bunch of films with the boys while eating pizza. The boys were loud and messy, but you still loved going more than anything else. It was part of your routine and it was just the perfect way to end the week.

You were glad to have these nine dorks in your life, although sometimes they were difficult to deal with, as they made your life brighter and easier. They always acted as if life was okay and there was no such thing as common problems, somehow. You had met them through Chan, your best friend of twelve years, when you had gotten into high school. You had transferred from a school on another part of the city when you had moved so that you wouldn’t have to be stuck in public transports for two hours straight every day. Bonus was, you got to be with your best friend every day since then, putting an end to meeting up at a café downtown, halfway from both your houses.

The eight others had made you feel welcome instantly, being open and joking around with you, and you were thankful for that. You were really close to them now, a year and half after first meeting them.

On your way out of school, you bumped into Felix and he cracked a bright smile at you, reminding you of your little Friday Night tradition as he told you « Don’t forget ! Tonight, at six, my place. Jisung and Chan are taking care of the pizzas and Hyunjin and Jeongin are in charge of snacks so you don’t have to bring anything this time » he explained while slinging an arm around your shoulders as the two of you walked out.

« Felix, how could I forget about movie night ? I’ve never missed one » you laughed, raising an eyebrow at him. He shrugged and you continued : « I’m feeling like eating ice cream tonight though, so I’ll bring some of that » you smiled.

Felix’s eyes widened as you said this, fist pumping in the air in victory : « Oh my gosh, yes ! I love you, you know that right ? » he exclaimed and you laughed.

« Yeah, yeah I know. Now let me go get that ice cream, will you ? » you demanded, pointing at his arm over your shoulders. He let go of you and grinned as you waved at him, walking towards the ice cream parlor.

When you stepped in, you already knew what flavors to buy and as there wasn’t anyone else in the shop, you greeted the cashier and recited : « two cartons of cookie dough, two of vanilla, one of strawberry cheesecake and one of salted caramel »

She seemed shocked at how much you were buying while you wondered if the six cartons would be enough for the ten of you, seeing how much the boys ate. Especially Chan.

« Actually, make that two cartons of each » you changed your mind. You could hear your wallet crying in your back pocket, anticipating the moment you would have to pay, but you ignored it. I’ll just make them pay for me next time I buy books, you thought to yourself.

When everything was ready, the lady handed you your freezer bag full of ice cream. You payed. As soon as you stepped outside, you regretted buying so much, both because of your wallet and because you started to think the ten of you wouldn’t be able to finish it all tonight. You hoped Felix’s freezer wasn’t broken anymore.

Checking the time on your phone, you decided you had enough time to leave your school stuff at home and change into some more comfortable clothes before you had to go to Felix’s house. He only lived a few blocks away from you anyways.

—————

Entering your house, still empty at this hour, you quickly put the ice cream bag to rest in the freezer while you went upstairs to change your clothes. You decided on just trading your pair of jeans for a comfier one and packed your toothbrush and pajama shorts. You would just borrow Chan’s shirt or sweater to sleep in, as usual.

The time on your phone read 5:43. You headed back downstairs with your bag ready, not forgetting to take the ice cream from the freezer before you left.

You put in your earphones while walking and let Spotify play on shuffle, choosing a song for you. It played I miss you by blink-182. You were almost surprised at such a nice pick, and then remembered it was your own playlist, made by yourself. Of course it would suit your taste.

You walked over to your friend’s house, bag in hand, walking to the beat of the song.

You didn’t bother knocking on the door before getting in, knowing no one would actually hear you anyways. You’re proven right as soon as you’re inside : the boys were already a mess, the youngest ones —along with Minho and Changbin— throwing pillows around the living room as Woojin watched. Felix and Chan are in the kitchen, putting snacks in bowls.

You sighed at the sight, walking to join Chan and Felix in the kitchen as Woojin greeted you.

« I bought ice cream ! » you screamed, making everyone stop. Jisung gets hit by the last flying pillow, not quick enough to dodge it as his ears perked up at your words.

The silence only lasted for a second though as they all began cheering and screaming excitedly. You rolled your eyes when they started throwing all sorts of compliments at you.

« You’ll pay for me next time I go to the mall then, right ? » you asked rhetorically, making their shoulders drop and instantly shutting them up. You smirked proudly. « Now get the blankets ready boys, will you ? » you ordered. And they heeded.

You turned back to Chan looking at you. « Hey » you said as you smiled, as if nothing had happened. You pointed to the freezer and asked Felix « This still works, right ? ». He nodded in affirmation and you opened it to put the cartons of ice cream inside.

« What the hell, how many of those did you buy ? » Chan asked as he saw you taking them out of your bag one after the other.

« Eight » you replied, « I thought six wouldn’t be enough with the walking stomach you are around » you told him, quickly meeting his eyes. He smiled to himself without you noticing as you looked away, walking back to the living room where the others were finishing to set the blankets and pillows around the floor and couch. You sat on the couch, taking the opportunity before there was no room left and you would have to sit on the floor.

« All set ! » Seungmin called for Chan and Felix to join. They took the pizza boxes, putting them down on the small table before settling down themselves. Felix plopped down next to Changbin, close to the pizza, as Chan sat next to you on the couch.

« You better not keep all that pizza for yourselves » Minho warned Felix and Jisung, seeing as they were already biting into their first slices while the movie wasn’t even on yet.

« Well then maybe you should get closer to it if you’re so scared you won’t have any » Jisung challenged, earning a smack on the back of his head from the older boy. Still, Minho got off the couch to sit next to him, which only made Jisung smirk proudly.

« Okay kids now shut it, I’m playing the movie » Jeongin said as he pressed the ‘play’ button, making you laugh at his boldness. « Let’s have a Star Trek marathon » he said and you all cheered in approval.

You leaned down from the couch to grab two slices of pizza before Jisung could react and sticked your tongue out at his hurt expression, then handing one of the slices to Chan who smiled like a kid as he shoved it whole in his mouth in one big bite. Your mouth fell open. You couldn’t understand how nor why he did it.

He looked at you innocently, « Chris is hungry » he only said as he went back for another one, swallowing it whole like the first. You rolled your eyes and focused on Chris Pine appearing on the screen. I’m sure this Chris chews his food before swallowing it.

—————

About thirty minutes into the movie, Hyunjin had gotten up to get the ice cream as the pizza was long gone. The ten of you were now sprawled over Felix’s living room floor and couch, rolled up in the blankets and finishing the last bits of ice cream, full, as Benedict Cumberbatch was getting beaten up by Zachary Quinto on the tv. You had finished watching the first movie a little while ago and the second one was close to ending. The ice cream was finished too and you had barely had a few spoons of each flavor. As per usual.

Chan licked the last drops of salted caramel ice cream off his spoon, putting the empty carton down before he propped his legs up on the couch and laid his head in your lap.

Your hand automatically went to stroke his hair gently. Although a bit dry because of the several times he had dyed it, it was still quite soft and you gently passed your fingers in his curls, thumb and palm brushing on the side of his face earning a contented sigh from him.

You averted your eyes from the screen to look down at him. He had closed his eyes, hands joined resting on his stomach as he lay on his back, head in your lap. His soft features barely visible as they were only lit by the tv screen, you thought about how beautiful he was and how important he was to you.

He looked so peaceful, contented after eating as much as he had wanted, and you couldn’t help but smile shyly to yourself.

As a soft blush started heating your cheeks, you decided it was better to look back up at the screen and focus on what was left of the movie.

You tried. You really tried to focus on the movie, hand still running in Chan’s hair, but your eyes felt as if they were drawn to him and you had a hard time resisting the urge to look at his face. Your eyes were fixated on the screen as though you were piercing through it, not actually seeing anything that was happening in the movie.

At some point, you stopped resisting and your gaze fell back on Chan’s face, only to see him staring back at you. Your breath hitched as your heart jumped in your chest, surprised at his eyes unexpectedly staring back into yours. He didn’t look away though, eyes boring into your own as if he was piercing all the way through to your soul.

Heat rose through your upper body, blood running to your face and you looked away, fixating your eyes back on the screen like before, as if you were watching the movie. You didn’t dare look back down, nor stop moving your fingers in his hair. You didn’t know what to do.

Just as if he were trying to make it all even harder for you, Chan snuggled closer to you, turning his face to your stomach, almost breathing in your shirt.

You were completely frozen, but he didn’t move for the rest of the movie, allowing you to gradually get more comfortable with it, though you were still a bit tense and your heart kept beating like crazy. There was no way you were going to be able to sleep tonight.

—————

Eventually, the movie ended and Woojin grabbed the remote, cutting off the credits as he pushed the ‘off’ button. Seeing as everyone was sleepy —if not already sleeping— you silently agreed not to watch the last movie.

Felix and Changbin were long gone, sprawled on each other and legs entangled with the blankets on the floor as Minho and Jisung mirrored them on the other side of the table. Seungmin and Jeongin got up to change their clothes before getting to sleep. « I’m not sleeping on the floor, so I’ll take the guest room » Seungmin stated and Jeongin followed him, nodding in approval.

Hyunjin was wiping away his tears after crying again at the near-death of Captain Kirk. You couldn’t blame him though, you would have cried, too, if your mind hadn’t been preoccupied by other thoughts. He sobbed a few more times before making dramatic hand movements and deciding he was okay after inhaling sharply. He gave himself a nod and got up as well.

« I’m taking Felix’s bed tonight. I need some time to recover from… this. Again. » he said before walking upstairs to his friend’s room.

You tried not to laugh at his actions. It was the third time you were watching the second Star Trek movie with him, and the third time he balled his eyes out before fake-isolating himself to recover. He was just waiting for someone to come and comfort him with hugs, though.

Woojin sighed. « I guess I’ll go get him this time » he said and pointed at your lap, « since you’re kind of busy already ». You smiled although blushing and thanked him. He got up, wishing you a good night as he walked up the stairs.

You were left with four boys sound asleep and another sleepy one on your lap. He wasn’t asleep yet, though.

« My sweater’s on the kitchen chair » he mumbled at you as he sat up a little, allowing you to stand up.

You nodded and went to grab it, sitting back down next to him on the couch in Woojin’s previous spot as you handed it to him. He chuckled softly. « No, I meant for you » he said.

You blushed again. « Oh, right. » you sheepishly said. « I-I’ll just go change real quick then » you continued, standing up again and he hummed. It was true you usually slept with his sweater on, you were just too tense to act normally.

You locked the bathroom door behind you, mind running wild as you changed into the pajama shorts you’d packed and Chan’s sweater, completely forgetting you should have brushed your teeth, too. The scent of his cologne on his sweater was making all of your senses numb.

You went back to the living room where Chan had also changed into sweatpants in the meantime, now lying back on the couch, head on the armrest as he opened his arms at you when you approached.

He smiled, arms wide open as he gestured for you to come to him with his fingers. Your heartbeat picked up a little as you snuggled into his chest on top of him and rested your head on his shoulder, your breath fanning his neck.

He circled his arms around your waist, holding you impossibly closer. You were pretty sure he could feel your heart pounding in your chest against his, betraying you. His scent became even stronger, almost making you dizzy.

« Thanks for the ice cream » he spoke, chest vibrating. « You even bought salted caramel, and Chris loves salted caramel » he said like little kid. You giggled and pushed yourself up a little to face him. « I know » you said, « that’s why I bought it you dumbass. I also know strawberry cheesecake is Hyunjin’s favorite and that Minho prefers simple vanilla. And that you prefer pizza with lots of cheese on it and like your ramen as spicy as possible, and that you’re upset when you haven’t eaten enough which for you is the equivalent of three sandwiches, two bowls of rice and a dessert at minima. And that you have a very special relationship with club sandwiches, as you eat some at least twice a week or your body ‘can’t function correctly’ » you continued and he stared into your eyes, again.

You blushed as you became aware of how close to yours his face was. He had an unreadable expression, something between « Wow that’s amazing » and « Of course you’d know ». He pushed your hair out of your face with his right hand, gently cupping your cheek afterward.

« Y/n ? » he called and you breathed out a small « Yes ? » in response, breath catching in your throat as you got lost in his eyes.

« Can I kiss you ? » he asked softly.

Your heart was pounding so hard you were surprised it hadn’t broken your ribcage yet.

« Yes » you whispered right before Chan crashed his lips onto yours. You could taste the salted caramel ice cream on his lips.

The kiss lasted for a what seemed like three hours and ten seconds all at once before he finally pulled away and brushed his thumb on your left cheek as he looked at you lovingly.

You bit your lip, the taste of salted caramel lingering on your tongue.

« I swear if I get sick because of that stupid club sandwich you ate earlier, I’ll kill you » you said.

He laughed and nodded, « Sure » before pulling you back to his chest. « But for now just sleep, you’ll have more reasons to nag at your pig-of-a-boyfriend for his eating habits tomorrow » he told you as you closed your eyes, head resting on his chest that heaved up and down as he talked. You smiled. « Is that what you are now ? » You asked, « my boyfriend ? ».

You could almost see him furrow his eyebrows, even with your eyes still closed.  « Yes. Unless you don’t want that » he answered and you noticed a little tone of worry in his voice nonetheless.

You shook your head « No, I’d love that » you said as you snuggled even closer to him, burying your face in his neck.

« Then it’s all good » he said, sounding a little distant as you were now relaxed and slowly drifting off to sleep.

« All good » you answered. You felt him tighten his embrace around you before finally falling asleep.

A/N : Hi. It’s me again. I hope this didn’t suck, tell me though. Thank you for reading anyway. I’m really glad so many people liked my previous imagine and was really shocked :’) I have another Hyunjin, another Chan, a Minho and a Jisung one in my drafts. Tell me which one you’d like to see first, maybe ?

[ja-barakrispy]

The Moon in Your Eyes - Chapter One: Jasey

OK, so this is an original story that I have written - it’s your typical teem romance story, full of lil dramas, about a 16-year-old girl who moves from Baltimore to a new school, and falls in love with an aloof ‘bad-boy’ type, who has also had his fair share of heartbreak in recent years. It’s honestly a tumblr-perfect teen story.

Lots of music and pop culture mentions as well - the likes of Harry Styles, Elton John, Nirvana, Lewis Capaldi (my characters have really good taste in music, if I do say so myself), and both main character’s favourite film is Donnie Darko. Just so you know the characters a little better, and to give you as a reader a better idea as to wether these will be characters that you can relate to!

The chapters flip between the point of view of Jasey (the female protagonist) and Spencer (the male protagonist), but I will highlight this at the beginning of each chapter.

Posting this online is a BIG confidence thing for me, as I love writing, but have 0 confidence in my ability. BUT I have enjoyed writing it so far, and feel like maybe others would enjoy it too?

Any feedback, likes, reblogs would be so greatly appreciated! If this gets like no response, I probably won’t post any more, but we will see!

                                                             One                                                             Jasey

Warnings: Few curse words, slight anxiety.

Word Count: 1,848

A/N: These characters have all been created by me, and this is not based on true events - any character resemblance to anyone alive or deceased, and any story resemblance, is purely coincidental.

I checked myself over in the full-length mirror one last time. I tugged at my burnt-orange, corduroy skirt, the buttons running down the centre of it cold against my fingers. I pulled up the polka dot tights around my knees, and straightened out my over-sized, white sweater embroidered with maroon, orange and yellow flowers over the chest. I’d paired the outfit with plain black Doc Martens – because really, you can’t go wrong with Docs.

   I’ve always tried to look my best. Back in Baltimore everyone used to say I dressed like hipster/indie kid hybrid, but I never really cared. I was always comfortable with my look, and that was all that mattered to me.    But there was something about my outfit today that I questioned; what if people thought I was… overdressed?    Usually, I wouldn’t care, but today was my first day at Nightingale High, and I wanted to make a good first impression. What if the people here were a little more refined than I was?

   My dad is a Chemistry Professor – he used to teach at my old middle school, so when he was offered a position at Orley University, just outside of Pittsburgh, my family packed up our life in Baltimore and headed west. I was excited. Mostly.

   Born and raised in Baltimore, leaving it behind was tough. But, really, I guess I kind of knew I was ready for life’s next adventure.    As I stared myself down in the mirror, I clasped my necklace close to my chest and began to fiddle with it between my fingers.

   “Jasey, come on, we gotta go.” My older brother, Tyler, called me from downstairs, snapping me out of my trance.

   I grabbed my backpack, took one last glimpse into the mirror, and made my way down.

   Tyler was waiting for me at the bottom of the staircase, tapping away on his phone. I gently slapped him on the forehead as I passed him – no reaction.

   Tyler was 17, and going into his Senior Year at Nightingale. Being so close in age, we always used to get mistaken for twins, until 9th Grade, when he started to get taller and bulked out from playing football.

   “Sociable as ever, I see, Ty.” I rolled my eyes slightly.

“I am being sociable,” He looked up, gesturing to his phone. “Everyone back home is sending me good luck texts, and I - being the polite young man I am - am making sure I reply to everyone individually.” He gave me a sarcastic smile, as I folded my arms across my stomach.

   “Hey, you are home!” My mum pointed a finger at Tyler as she entered the hallway from the kitchen, her British accent still as evident as ever.

  My parents are both from the UK – my mum is from Chelsea in London, and my dad is from Glasgow in Scotland. They moved to the US 16 years ago, when Tyler was a year old, and mum was pregnant with me, along with my two older half-sisters from my dad’s first marriage, April and Norah.

   “Yeah, OK.” Tyler sighed. “Roddie, we’re getting in the car.”

   Roddie is our youngest sibling – 13 and just starting 8th grade at Westinghouse Middle School. Roddie isn’t short for anything; not Rodney or Roderick; he’s just Roddie. Our mum is obsessed with Rod Stewart, and when she was in labor with our littlest kin, she’d put on a playlist she had created, ready for her sprogs arrival. ‘Hot Legs’ by none other than Rod Stewart himself popped up on shuffle at the exact moment my wonderful little brother made his appearance into the world. And so, Roddie was born, named after the man who was there for our mother during his birth.   “I’m coming!” Roddie ran into the hallway, nearly slipping on the laminate flooring.

“Have the most amazing day, all of you,” Mum embraced all three of us in a group hug. “I love you guys so much.”

“We love you too, mum.” I smiled sweetly at her. “See you later.”

   We piled into Tyler’s car, mum blowing us a thousand kisses, as we pulled out of the driveway and headed to our new schools.    Tyler switched on his car stereo, Drake blaring through the speakers, which prompted me to put in my headphones. I scrolled through my Spotify, before deciding on shuffling the songs in my Elton John playlist.    My phone pinged, a new text illuminating the screen.

Isaac Good luck at your new school today, Stinks. I’ll be thinking of you xxx

I smiled as I read the message.

   Leaving Isaac back in Baltimore was tough. We’d been together for just over a year, and he was the first guy I’d ever really had feelings for (if you discount Warren Princeton in the 7th grade).

Jasey Thanks sweet cheeks, missing you so much xxx

Isaac Facetime later? xxx

Jasey Wouldn’t miss it xxx

I caught myself smiling as Isaac and I sent a stream of messages back and forth.

   “Aw, texting your boyfriend?” Tyler said, making kissy faces.

Rolling my eyes, I took the ear-bud out of my left ear. “At least I have a boyfriend,” I raised an eyebrow at him. “You can’t seem to keep a girlfriend for more than five minutes.”

“I need to spread my wings.” He shrugged. “I don’t like being tied down.”

I rolled my eyes again – harder than last time – and sighed, “whatever you say, Romeo.”

   “Besides,” Tyler grinned. “How could I pick just one girl, when so many want me?”

Roddie began to make retching noises from the backseat, as I belly laughed. “Oh, Tyler,” I gasped for a breath, “You really are something else.”

   Before we knew it, we were at Westinghouse.    As we pulled up in the drop-off layby, Roddie unclipped his seatbelt and shuffled to the edge and the centre of the backseat, so that he was closer to Tyler and I. He put his arms out in front of him, his thumbs hooked together and pinkies sticking out from both hands, almost resembling a bull. Tyler and I both did the same, this time connecting all of our pinkie fingers together. We started to chant softly and slowly; ‘Tanner kids rule’. Gradually, we got faster and louder, eventually swapping to a vocal Mexican wave of ‘woahs’, before breaking our finger circle, lifting our bull-formed hands over our heads and shouting our last name – “Tanner’s out!” It was cringy, and ever so corny, but we’d been doing this since Roddie could barely talk; it was our little tradition.

   “See you guys.” Roddie smiled, climbing out of the car.

“Have a great day, bucko.” I waved.

Roddie skipped up the steps to his new school, excitement in his eyes, before turning back to the car and giving us a cheerful wave. I blew him kisses as Tyler waved back.    “OK,” Tyler began, once Roddie had disappeared inside. “Let’s go take Nightingale High by storm, little sis.”

                                                        *     *     *

We walked up the school steps together, shoulder to shoulder, holding our breath until we walked through the front doors.    The hallway was alive with hundreds of teens, some stuffing their blue coloured lockers with bags, books and binders, while others stood around chatting, chortling and checking in on what had happened over the Summer. It was almost too loud to hear yourself think, the buzz was electric.    The school’s crest was displayed on a huge banner above the doorway, as well as laminated onto the floor in front of us – a nightingale bird, with a lamp hanging from it’s beak, displayed in blue and gold.

   “So, this is it.” I breathed in. “I guess we should go and find the office.” Tyler placed a hand on my shoulder, looking down at me. I nodded boldly, as we searched the hall for any clue as to where we needed to go. I noticed a board a little way further into the hall, which had a map of the whole school. “Over here,” I tugged on Tyler’s arm. “We need to carry on down the hall, and take the second left.” Tyler studied the map. “OK, let’s go, I’m ready for this.” I attempted to pump myself up.

   In reality, I was petrified.    I grew up with all my friends in Baltimore: we had known each other since Pre K, so I’d never really been in a position where I had to prove myself as worthy to a bunch of new people in one hit. Making friends is a lot easier when you’re 4-years-old.    Now, I had to try and make fresh friends, and settle into a new school environment, all whilst trying to maintain my high grade average.    Tyler and I followed the directions on the map and came to the main office. A young woman sat on the other side of the desk, and greeted us with a warm smile. She looked pretty young - perhaps only in her early 20’s - her short blonde hair framing her soft face.      She gave us both our timetables for the semester, along with a locker number and combination each, and a map of the school to keep.    “You’ll both need to go to your homeroom classes first, and if you need any help at all with finding your classes, the teachers, and I’m sure your fellow students, will be more than happy to help you out.” She smiled.    Tyler and I said our thank yous and headed back out into the hallway. It wasn’t as busy as when we’d first arrived, but the after-Summer-buzz was still apparent.

   Tyler studied his timetable, his brow forming into a frown. “My first day of a new school, and they give me all the worst classes – I hate this place already.” “I dunno,” I smirked. “My classes don’t seem to be so bad.”

Tyler grabbed my timetable out of my hands and whispered each class to himself; “English Lit, Music, Astronomy, Art…” He opened his mouth wide and made his frown even deeper. “Study Hall?

“So I get all the whack classes, and you get let off with a fuckin’ Study Hall?” Tyler whined. “Sorry dude, I didn’t write the timetable.” I held my hands up.    I jumped slightly as the bell rang, signaling the start of our first period of the day.

   “Right, I’m out. See you later, loser.” Tyler began walking to his homeroom class, flashing the ASL for ‘I love you’ to me as he walked away. I put my fingers up in the same formation, “Hope you have a shitty day.” I called after him.    I looked down at my map and timetable while simultaneously walking, trying to figure out where my homeroom was.    I came to a bright red door, with one singular square window in the centre. The door had ‘C7’ engraved into a plaque right at the top – I was in the right place.    “OK,” I breathed, prepping myself to go inside. My stomach flooded with anxiety, filling to the brim with intense butterflies: “you can do this Jasey. You are OK.”

[ben-winch-writer-rocker]

Live, Masonic Auditorium, Detroit, 01/14/1978

Fred “Sonic” Smith and Oppositional Defiance Disorder:

The appeal of MC5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith goes beyond his guitar work, savage, deft and incendiary as that work may have been, and far beyond what traces of that work remain via studio and live recordings. In this era of “over-diagnosed” psychological disorders, Smith’s “condition” might well be labelled, like Kurt Cobain’s, “oppositional defiance disorder”. But unlike Cobain, Smith had neither the drive to be a frontman nor the good grace (or self-doubt) to back down in the face of physical opposition. And unlike Cobain, he was no suicide; his anger faced squarely outwards, driven by a righteous indignation that, at first, was anything but self-implicating.

A famous MC5 creation myth paints the young would-be revolutionary. While discussing the band-to-come at a Detroit restaurant with Wayne Kramer and Rob Tyner, Smith knocked a glass over mid-rant and (according to Kramer) said, “Yeah, this is what we’ll do, we’ll just knock shit over if we wanna knock shit over. We’ll be powerful. We’ll take a stand.”

“That ain’t cool,” Tyner said. “That ain’t being powerful. You’re not taking a stand. You’re not proving anything.”

Smith: “Well what are you gonna do about it?”

Tyner: “I’ll do what I have to do.”

Smith: “Then let’s fight.”

So they fought outside in the icy parking lot. After a couple of punches it went to the ground and Smith, an athletic six-foot-plus, came out on top, fist raised. “I could smash your face in,” he said.

And Tyner said, “Well why don’t you?”

As Kramer tells it, for three teenagers this was deep, and they got in the car and drove around for hours analysing what had happened. For Smith, I suspect it was a turning point, maybe not just in his relationship with Tyner (“After that they were tight,” says Kramer) but in his understanding of what nowadays might be termed his disorder. Of course it didn’t stop him fighting (he’d spar with Tyner again, and tackle two policemen when they arrested MC5 manager John Sinclair), but just maybe it started him questioning, turning his ideals from “smash everything” to “smash what needs smashing”, and giving him the dignity and true-seeming righteousness that comes across so strongly in his future wife Patti Smith’s recollections. (Fred Smith died in 1994, aged 46. See Patti Smith’s book M. Train for some touching writing on the man.)

From Detroit delinquent to doting family man, Smith’s trajectory was always up, despite that the MC5 crashed and burned due to record-company hassles and Sonic’s Rendezvous Band never had the chance to repeat that ignominy, largely or partly, if the other players’ testimonies are accurate, because Smith willed it that way—because Cobain-like he taunted and insulted any A & R man plucky enough to make him overtures.

So, like the MC5, like the Flamin’ Groovies, like even—to some extent—the Stooges (whose masterpiece Raw Power was, production-wise, a misfire) Sonic’s Rendezvous Band are one of the great protopunk should-have-been-a-success stories. In a sense they may be the greatest, because of their failure, because of their mystique. And that mystique is rooted not only in mists-of-time semi-invisibility, but in the aura of rebel iconoclast Fred “Sonic” Smith.

Scott Morgan and the Tonic:

But since Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, despite the name, were a two-singer band, let’s discuss the second singer, especially as he was, by any traditional yardstick, the better frontman—louder, more professional, with clearer diction (Smith’s was, make no mistake, awful; fans will be arguing over the substance of his lyrics forever), and more possessing of what some listeners may have taken as charisma. And in any case, the first song on the album is his: “Electrophonic Tonic”.

Scott Morgan, a veteran of fellow almost-made-it Detroit rock band the Rationals, had cut his teeth as a frontman singing Otis’s “Respect” pre-Aretha’s-version and turned that song into a regional hit, which, thanks to the last-minute non-involvement of Jerry Wexler’s Atlantic, never made it national. (Faced with the Rationals’ lofty demand of five grand upfront, Wexler demurred, handed the song to Aretha, and the rest is history.) A soul singer, then, with a hard rock edge, which may simply have been what it took to get across in the intimate and sonically inadequate venues of Detroit in the late 1960s, Morgan delivers his parts here with an R & B frontman’s panache, positioning himself on the classic-rock continuum somewhere between Ted Nugent and Steve Marriot, though when he sets his band loose they kick harder—thanks to ex-Up bassist Gary Rasmussen and ex-Stooges drummer Scott Asheton as much as to Smith’s semi-insane, close-to-breaking-point, post-Chuck-Berry guitar solos—than almost anyone except AC/DC, and with a sheer abandon which the famous Scots-Australians, ever the professionals, rarely mustered.

But let’s back up a little. Harder than anyone? What about Sabbath, Zeppelin, Deep Purple? I’ll make it clear: Sonic’s Rendezvous Band doesn’t do lumbering. Much as they’re classic, classic as hell, you couldn’t call them dinosaurs because they’re too fleet-footed. But nor do they sprint, they’ve got too much distance to cover; every other track here clocks in at over five minutes, and two of them (Smith’s masterpieces “Sweet Nothin’” and “City Slang”) are nearer to seven. The tempo is Sex Pistols and up, the beat almost motoric. (Asheton focusses on hitting hard and keeping the pace; he hasn’t got time for fancy flourishes.) Their roots are in R ’n’ B boogie, just as Sabbath’s were in blues. And I’d say they were just about as ahead of their time as Sabbath, if inevitably (given they had no record deal) nowhere near as influential.

But back to the “Tonic”. It’s a good song: deft, workmanlike, shuffling the same old three classic-rock chords in a natural and not entirely expected fashion. There’s a nice halftime breakdown in the middle. It’s got grit. Those who weren’t bemoaning its classicism (this was a support slot at a Ramone’s gig, after all) were probably shaking their heads in disbelief at its onslaught, unless they were shaking their asses with sheer abandon, tearing up seating, going wild. As an opener and a mission statement, it kicks ass. But for me, it’s only in track two, “Sweet Nothin’”, that the magic happens.

Sweet Nothin’:

Who can say what arcane voodoo is at work here? On the surface it starts out not so dissimilar to track one. We’ve jumped from E to B though, a good sign. (B is a great guitar key, enabling riffs that E makes obscure.) But to start off with, at least, it’s the same three-chord theory. There’s a subtle key-shift in the pre-chorus, and then with the chorus we’re in new territory: the minor sixth—the “Raw Power” chord, the “Suffragette City” chord, the “Sonic Reducer” chord—rears its head and Smith puts his cards on the table. Like Sabbath’s embrace of the devil’s interval, this is a chord-change that would inspire an entire genre—postpunk—and it darkens proceedings and ups the drama as soon as Smith unveils it.

What can I say? “Sweet Nothin’” is an anthem, despite or maybe because of the fact that I can’t hear more than a few words of it. It’s a love song, that much I’m sure of, maybe penned for the soon-to-be Mrs Patti “Sonic” Smith. (Patti Smith was on the scene intermittently in Detroit around the time: the two had sparked up an affair—she was still married to her last husband—and SRB would support her in bigger venues, breaking away from their intimate, not to say dead-end, bar gigs, where according to legend they played for as few as six people.) Whatever the “message”, I don’t care; I feel it in my bones. And when Smith, after repeating the simple refrain “You’re really really something sweet nothin’” in the plainest of minor-key melodies five or six times before the final solo, sing-shouts “You take my breath away”, barely caring if he’s in earshot of the microphone, I know exactly what he’s saying. Besides, whoever said an anthem has to meansomething? What does “Pretty Vacant” mean? “There’s no point in asking, you’ll get no reply.” You either know it deep down, deeper than words, or you never will. “There’s more to the picture than meets the eye” after all, and “Sweet Nothin’” is as good an illustration as any.

To make it clear, “Sweet Nothin’”, in my opinion, is one of the top twenty rock songs ever. It gets in. It obsesses you, or obsesses me, and I say this as someone who discovered it at age 43, via Spotify, through a $200 portable Bluetooth player. As Roberto Bolañosaid, if you want to find out if something’s a masterpiece, translate it. Translate it badly. If it stillretains its power, there’s your answer. And this album, smothered in tape saturation and poorly mixed from the live desk, was hardly a good translation to begin with. It’s not a classic like Bowie’s Low, or Abbey Road, or even the flawed Raw Power—not a finely-wrought work of art. It’s more like a jam tape. And what’s more, like a jam tape that doesn’t half sound familiar. I’ve beenat those jams. I’ve played in them. Not that our jams were as powerful, but I’d say Sonic’s Rendezvous Band stake a convincing claim to sounding like what, to this day, many rock bands want to sound like.

Into the Red:

And so it goes, through the five-minute semi-psychotic choogle of “Asteroid B612” (weird name for Morgan’s declaration of righteous love for his woman, bisected by a brilliant, dexterous-soulful blues-at-11 solo from Smith) to Smith’s five-plus-minute slightly more contemplative but still excoriating “Gone With the Dogs”, which to tell the truth slightly pales, given that Smith’s voice is already hoarse and he’s just graced “Asteroid B612” with some of his tastiest guitar-work. But wait, that accolade may well go to track six, “Song L”, which attempts a truly strange percussive minor-chord motif that doesn’t quitework but adds a new-wave-like aspect to Smith’s palette (it almost sounds—wait for it—sophisticated), before the nuclear explosion of the solo. By now, admittedly, following Morgan’s “Love and Learn”, it all seems slightly like business as usual: high-energy rocker after high-energy rocker; two guitar solos a piece, apparently thrown in whenever Smith feels like it; each song culminating in a swelling classic-rock crescendo. Nonetheless it’s precisely the lack of dynamics that makes this feel so modern. It’s unrelenting.

And I wonder, was it only in the space above zero VU—well into the red—that Smith felt the thrill of being powerful, of knocking stuff over, that had made him want to play guitar in the first place, but without the need to do violence that had very nearly made him cave his friend’s face in? Whatever their motivation, for the remainder of the set he and his collaborators play their hearts out, so much so that by “City Slang”, pretty much the ultimate showstopper, it’s hard to believe they can still play at all. Yes, the performance is patchy compared to the seven-inch version (the only record released by SRB in its lifetime, and a flat-out masterpiece). Smith is barely enunciating by the last shouted refrains. But he always maintained he liked performers that stepped up to or over the line, and all four players do that here. It’s pure adrenalin.

Plainly no band could have kept up this intensity without some serious motivation. And the truth is that by “City Slang” Smith sounds tired. Probably he didn’t have what it takes to be a frontman, at least not a touring frontman, and possibly he knew it. Maybe all he wanted was to sing his songs—because they existed, because he’d written them, because if he didn’t no-one else would. And it’s this near-complete lack of ego—this hesitating on the verge of doing nothing at all, then throwing himself in regardless body and soul—that makes Smith’s performance here one of my all-time favourite perfomances by a male singer, despite its faults. It’s the tone, bluntly masculine but vulnerable, straight-talking, speaking calmly from the centre of the storm. What can I say? He means it, and he really doesn’t much care how it goes over. Or better put, sure, you can tell he’s humbled by the crowd’s ecstatic response, but get a record deal, tour the country, maybe get rich and famous? The song and its performance are their own rewards. And, just maybe, this degree of selflessness could only have come from a singer who didn’t think of himself as a frontman.

From playing back-up to Rob Tyner and sharing the stage with Scott Morgan, Smith transitioned, shortly after this recording, to playing husband and sideman to Patti Smith, collaborating on her 1988 album comeback album Dream of Lifeand its breakthrough single “The People Have the Power”. For someone who started with a will to destroy, the adult Fred “Sonic” Smith had learned humility. His story, or what I’ve managed to uncover of it, is a true inspiration, because though he never hit the bigtime he lived the dream, doing what he wanted how he wanted at maximum volume, and never with that preening strut of the peacock that suggests it’s all theatre.

Live, Masonic Auditorium, Detroit, 01/14/1978 is a flawed document, and who knows, it may be that Sonic’s Rendezvous Band were never going to break through outside of Michigan. Regardless, it’s a classic. It takes your breath away.

[aestheticallyinlovewithcaitlyn]

(YAY LOOK LOOK I CAN SEND YOU ASKS LOOK I'M SO HAPPY) Ehem For the fandom ask: B, C, J, N, O, Z:)

Thank you for the ask!B: kasinara. I didn’t pay much attention to the kree at first, but @sinarasmith got me shipping themC: skyeward. I watched season 1 after finding out about Ward being hydra, so I didn’t even ship them during the time when they were being set up to be canonJ: Ok, I’ve got 2 for this one. The first is supergirl. I’d seen the first episode, since I’d wanted to check it out, but I never continued it until I saw a ton of stuff about supergirl on my dash. The second is Wynonna Earp. I’d never heard of the show until a bunch of Wayhaught (canon lesbian couple) gifs kept ending up on my dash, and now I’m hooked.N: answered here - https://shadowhunteragentofshield.tumblr.com/post/178737302457O: Ok, so I hit shuffle on my Spotify, and the song that came on was take me to church by hozier. Thanks to @pizza-is-my-buziness, that song always makes me think of skimmons.Z: Ok, you wanted me to ramble, so here it goes. Earlier today I was reading the magnus chase books (branch off of percy jackson), which I haven’t read since before I started watching marvel. For those who don’t know, magnus chase is the son of the Norse god, Frey, and all of Norse mythology is real, basically. So anyways, there are so freaking many marvel references. For example: Loki was eating pop tarts. That’s right, mcu Thor’s favorite food. (Oh, when I say marvel I mean mcu btw). Magnus also mentioned Captain America, and they joke around about bread and potatoes being named Phil and Steve. Phil Coulson and Steve Rogers? I have accepted it as a marvel reference. Also, Magnus said “I don’t feel so good” to Loki, and that made me think about infinity war, which is not a good thing. I also find it interesting how different some of the stuff is in Magnus Chase as opposed to marvel (also, I just noticed that marvel cinematic universe and magnus chase universe have the same initials - mcu). Instead of being all handsome and Chris Hemsworth, Thor is more of a traditional viking. Loud, bushy red beard, etc. Frey looks more like Chris Hemsworth, actually. Sif is very very different. Instead of the warrior she is in Marvel, she is a literal trophy wife (her hair is made of gold, and she uses it to make trophies). There are some good changes though. Loki is gender fluid, for example. Take a hint, marvel! Another interesting thing I found is that the magnus chase books are about stopping Ragnorak. Hm, marvel did something about Ragnorak recently. Magnus chase came out in 2015, with Thor: Ragnorak coming out in 2017. Interesting. I was actually looking forward to Thor ragnorak even though I hadn’t seen any marvel before because of the magnus chase books. The first marvel movie I watched was Thor, and then thor: the dark world, then ragnorak, and then I just kind of went on a marvel spree. I was excited to see how they would portray the valkyries, as one of the characters I really like in Magnus Chase is a valkyrie. I found it odd that Valkyrie in ragnorak didn’t have a name. How did they differentiate between them before they all died? Also, as messed up as the godly family trees are in Magnus Chase, at least they stick to the original myths. Marvel, not so much. Loki isn’t a frost giant. Loki is odin’s brother, not Thor’s. Hela is Loki’s daughter. Fenris wolf (hela’s pet wolf in ragnorak) is also Loki’s child. Yes, this is really weird, but look at any form of mythology, there’s gonna be weird stuff. Take the Greek gods for example, they marry and have children with their siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews all the time. Ok, I think I’ve rambled for way too long, so I’m gonna stop now.Thanks again for the ask!

[sabraeal]

Music Shuffle

Tagged by:@utsukushiiyume

rules: set your entire music library on shuffle and list the first 13 songs that pop up, then choose 10 people to tag

1. Dear Fellow Traveler - Sea Wolf (I think I got this off a playlist Andi made once? Or maybe she had some Sea Wolf somewhere on a playlist and this got recommended to me by spotify on my weekly mix? EITHER WAY, a good find)

2. Margarita - Great Big Sea (lord, get ready to see a lot of Great Big Sea on these two memes. I have their entire discography on spotify. This isn’t even one of their better songs in my opinion, but it’s passable. Good summer driving music)

3. Memories - Myrath (A song I’m only meh on that’s on an album I find general strong. I don’t do much metal, but I do like a good part of the prog genre, and this band has a really interesting sound since they mix prog metal with traditional Tunisian music)

4. Swan Songs, D. 957: Ständchen - Franz Schubert (I actually took years to find this movement. I sang a choral song to this like...in middle school? That I really loved, and all I knew was that the melody was Schubert, and it wasn’t until you could pretty much get music on demand YEARS LATER that I finally found out what piece it was)

5. Tourner Dans Le Vide - Indila (I started listening to Indila because of an anon I got back when I first joined the fandom, recommending Bas La Vida -- which is a song NOT ON SPOTIFY and I’m still mad about it. But I put her whole album in my music collection and haven’t regretted it sense)

6. The Path - Zoe Keating (Absolutely an Andi find. I think I put her entire discography in my spotify collection)

7. Chemical Worker’s Song - Great Big Sea (Definitely in my top 10 of GBS songs. I have to sing this every time it comes on)

8. Staillite - Guster (hands down my favorite band, and this is one of my favorite songs off this album. My husband told me once that he thinks of this as one of “our songs” and I went from being a little ambivalent to this song as a whole to AWW THIS SONG)

9. I’m a Rover - Great Big Sea (A solid second tier song; sometimes I’m in the mood for it, sometimes it’s a skip)

10. Seven Nation Army - Post Modern Jukebox ft Haley Reinhart (PMJ is a big hit or miss for me as a whole, but anything with Haley Reinhart is an instant win. She has got an AMAZING voice)

11. Dragostea Din Plic - Carla’s Dream (This was a Madi find! I heard Te Rog on this speedpaint and was obsessed. Put the whole album in my spotify collection. This is definitely another favorite)

12. Jolene - Pentatonix ft. Dolly Parton (Kids, I’m not even going to lie. This was the first version of Jolene I ever heard)

13. Hobson’s Choice - Carla’s Dream (I probably like this one less than a lot of the other songs on this album, but honestly...the whole things is solid, so that’s like trying to pick episodes of a:tla as the worst. It’s still better than a lot of other stuff out there)

[thetwotorches]

Tagged by @empyrealmoth !!! Admittedly the only collection of music I really keep anymore is a spotify where I hoarded mood music for writing so a lot of it is *that* mixed with a selection of weird shit and a dash of nostalgia- my true musical soul is in my cd book even though I no longer have a cd player to play them in. Ah well. Here’s the spotify shuffle!! But be warned- the *majority* of this music I’ve only listened to once so uh...it’ll probably be as new for me as it is for you! 😂

rules: you can usually tell a lot about a person by the music they listen to! put your music on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, then tag 10 people.

1. トルキア - Gabriela Robin(?), Yoko Kanno (apparenrly this is some ghost in the shell shit and I have no idea how it got here but it’s cool)

2. Darkness - Theodor Bastard (are you in the Altai grassland planes that suddenly morph into a weird goth musical? that’s the vibe, with a weird riff on “hello darkness my old friend” to a completely different tune. I really do add shit at random.)

3. Kroppar - Valravn (we’ve moved into western europe now with indo-european undertones)

4. Dzikaje Palavańnie - Dzivia (west slavic vibes)

5. Virkelighetens Etterklang - Kalandra (pretty, acoustic chill vibes with a lil electro dashed in and a vocal style you’ll recognize immediately)

6. Ego - Indila (French! I actually liked this song enough when spotify recommended it to me that I listened to it twice, and her voice is clear enough that I could understand a lot of what she was saying. Very rhythmic, her singing style is unique (to me at least), it’s a cool track!)

7. I Will Always Love You - Chase Holfelder (if you’ve not run across this guy’s fantastic minor key cover of “all I want for christmas is you”, you’re missing out. when spotify spit this one out, I knew I was in for something interesting and it didn’t disappoint. What a cover!)

8. Spaceman - Chløë Black (feels like it should have been a top 40 hit that would have at least been interesting for once, cool accidentals, the song absolutely floats with a gentle, airy scifi feel. Explicit, but in an upfront almost clinical way. One of those cool unusual tracks you might run into while shopping in an H&M.)

9. Рано-раненько - Go_A (traditional and modern vocals on top of a techno beat with a bit of electric guitar thrown in. No idea why I saved this one, it’s not anything particularly special, but the repetition is catchy I guess.)

10. Целуй - ALEKSEEV (he’s got quite a pretty voice. Very cool chorus in trance style but the accidentals in the background instrumental go all over the place giving it a constantly-tilting-floor feeling which is super neat.)

So ahhhh...shuffle didn’t pick any songs I actually actively listen to, but it was fun to be reminded of what’s actually in there! There’s some cool stuff, so I hope someone finds something they like! ❤️

I feel like most everyone’s been tagged, so I’ll leave this open for anyone who’d like to join in! Tag me as your tagger so I can see what you’ve got, too! 🤩

[sinkingorswimming]

CONGRATION FOR 600 FOLLOWERS U DONE IT

more X-Men coming through, maybe not so “soft” anymore @linneakou

He could be doing a gig in DC at the 930 Club right now, but Ciao Ciao and his teammates are playin’.

An old friend of Celestino’s, Dr. Mireya Thomas, mentioned during a lunch date to check in and catch up her close neighbor’s son disappeared six months ago. She’d been searching for him—Leo had confided in her that he was a mutant, having moments where flames would appear on his body. Leo was a kind kid, she told Celestino—went to mass every Sunday, was in the church band, good grades in school, helped his local Kiwanis chapter—but he’d come to her because Mireya is a leading geneticist in the field of human mutation.

He prayed every night for a cure, he said then. 

Celestino handed her a tissue to dry her stoic tears and said he would try to find out what he could, keeping an eye out for posters or social media posts.

Thanks to some creative computing on Seung Gil’s part, they have the following—

1) There is some shadow org called The Right taking recently mutant-presenting teens.2) They have some kind of crazy financial backing that no one can properly trace. (”Yet,” grumbled Seung Gil with some acid.)3) Blackwater looking goons with masks do the aductions, and some shady dude who speaks only in a mixture of German dialects calls the shots.

Yuuri is in a costume that’s mostly different from his stage outfits. It’s black and made of some fabric Seung Gil calls “unstable molecules” so it’s fireproof, waterproof, bulletproof, shockproof, and Andre Leon Talley’s scathing critique proof. Chris handled the design, making a point to compliment its inventor on how it goes through a serger like a hot knife with butter. It’s a black-form fitting number covered in prismatic crystals, mesh inserts, and fingerless gloves so he can still use his Laser Hands (TM Phichit, not to be confused with his Laser Pants, also TM Phichit) and he puts in red contacts instead of the UV purple ones. His hair’s gelled back and the make-up that obscures his features is charcoal and crimson. 

Yuuri could dance before he could run, which is how he keeps ending up the point man. Little rainbow shimmers float in the air around him, a sublte method to distract people from paying too much attention to his voice or face. 

“I hate this.”

I know you do, Dazz, replies Phichit over their special earpieces. Just know Forge and I are right behind ya’ once you clear the security systems.

“He really can’t just hack it?” Yuuri arches his back, holding his right foot above his head in a Bielmann. The boots he wears have split soles like dance or wrestling shoes.

Sure I can, if I want the FBI on our door in two minutes, comes the inventor’s scating reply.

Yuuri stretches his other leg. Standing at the wall behind him, Longshot clears his throat. 

Yuuri gives him a look. Since he doesn’t have a secret identity at all really, he just lets his face show with nothing to conceal his features. 

His suit’s been modified by Chris to use the same fabric as Yuuri’s—instead of hot pink, he now wears a purple top attached to black fingerless gloves that begin at his elbows. His pants are a tight shimmery black like oil slicks, but his boots are more traditional combat style unlike the Dazzler outfit. The embellishments on his top are actually weapons—the cord doubles as a whip, the “braiding” is actually those short silver darts he throws, and so on. 

Longshot smiles, his eye glimmering with the gold burst for a moment. “Your lucky charm’s on stand by, beautiful,” he assures Yuuri with a wink.

Yuuri turns forward again so he won’t see that his cheeks now match his make up. He coughs, takes a look at the grid, reminds himself of his forays into acrobatics, aerial silks, and capoeira…and goes.

Phichit should really be doing this, he thinks as he manages to get a hold in a cloth banner above the laser grid, climbing it and then doing a triple somersault to the next one. He’s the one who can cling to surfaces that have friction and can freaking teleport. His eyes are better in the dark, too, but since they couldn’t get the schematics on where the grid stopped or if they continue inside the rooms in the facility (since if Phichit BAMFs into a room full of them, they’ll go off), Yuuri has to do it. 

He tumbles through, avoiding a moving grid with a randomized pattern using the steps from a Paso Doble Minako insisted he learn. There’s not much sound here, but it’s enough and when a random beam almost hits him, he manages to shield himself with a bit of white light at a differeing optical density so it refracts around him. 

Nice, Forge and Nightcrawler say in unison.

Only after doing a full split under the last few does he make it and disables the grid. He’s oddly not sweaty or throwing up or anything. Huh.

Longshot saunters to him, and when they’re face to face, he picks up Yuuri’s right hand, kissing his ring finger and then his cheek, the day’s stubble prickling against Yuuri’s skin in a way that makes his breathing stop and his heart stutter. 

The smell of sulphur and a black bit of smoke heralds Nightcrawler and Forge. Phichit doesn’t need a mask since his daytime appearance with the Image Inducer is one—his gold eyes, deep blue fur, and short fangs make him cute in a sinister manner. His costume is deep red and gold, while Forge wears a sedate gray-blue and black jumpsuit as Chris vetoed his idea for a loud costume like a rainbow.

They find an office with a terminal, and Forge cracks his neck and sets to work. It only takes him a few minutes before he can copy the relevant data. There’s a guard rotation but they timed their entrance with the shift changes. 

It only takes three minutes and they have six more before the gig is up. 

“Done,” Seung Gil says. He pockets the HD. 

“Jěng âh!” Phichit grins and his tail swishes like an excited puppy. The four of them link hands, Longshot giving Dazzler a particularly happy look, and they’re BAMFed out to an alley a couple blocks down.

Longshot pitches forward with a pain-filled cry. 

“Sorry,” Nightcrawler says with a sheepish shrug. “It’s hard on passengers the first…eighteen times.”

“I threw up twice,” Seung Gil adds in a voice that has no comfort whatsover.

Dazzler helps Longshot get back upright. “You okay?”

“It’ll be alright, beautiful,” he answers as Phichit sings some of the lines from Ellie’s “Something in the Way You Move” in the background. 

Yuuri might add it to his rotating encores after he punches Phichit for the heckling. It’s a moot point he forgets, because they end up back at the house Chris bought them—it’s a Park Slope multi-million dollar home that the Giacomettis have owned since it was built. 

Chris perfers a skyscraper’s penthouse so he can stretch his wings…literally, so since this was in disuse, they all moved in. There’s seven bedrooms—Celestino has the master, Seung Gil’s converted the parlor into his sleeping area and work shop, and Phichit keeps waggling his eyebrows that Dazzler and Longshot should double up.

Their rooms are the two on the second floor, which take up the whole thing. They share a bathroom and Yuuri let Victor have the room with the terrace access. 

The cellar has been expanded through the backyard, outfitted with steel walls, soundproofing, and Seung Gil’s hologram tech. It’s a gymnasium on steroids for all of them to refine their skills with their gifts, and boy did Seung Gil get a sour expression when Phichit called it the Danger Room.

He twitches every time someone else says it. He twitches a lot, because it’s caught on.

Chris happens to be waiting in their living and rec room when they get back—he’s discussing something with Celestio. Since he’s not acting as the face of Intoxicated by Giacometti or as a board member of Giacometti Corp, he’s wearing a shirt with a low back so he can have his wings out. 

Seung Gil boots up his computer to run the analysis of what they got. and Phichit BAMFs into the kitchen, returning with a bottle of Mekhong and glasses for everyone filled with ice. He pours and they all take one, though Victor looks at his from every possible angle like it’s poison.

“Mote gaow!” Phichit shouts, and they echo it as they drink.

Victor stares at his glass after his initial sip. He looks confused. 

“It’s more or less rum,” Yuuri explains. Victor doesn’t look like he understands better. Right. Alien. Not from Earth. “Uh, it’s a…sugarcane beverage that can get you drunk.”

Victor lights up. “Ah!” He takes longer sip, and things seem pleasant enough until Seung Gil does a literal sitcom-style spittake at his montior.

“That’s not gonna be fun to clean,” Phichit deadpans. 

“What happened?” Ciao Ciao asks with a serious tone.

“Chris—” Seung Gil begins. “When’s the last time you reviewed GC’s R&D budget?”

Chris pauses, thinks. “Five years ago, if I’m honest. Josef insisted on handling the line items and minutiae so I can be free to do the public appearances and philanthrophy without conflicts.” His expression shifts from thoughtful to grim. “I’m not going to like what you say next, am I?”

“…Let me ask a follow up in that…you’re sure Josef is okay with mutants?”

Yuuri’s spine goes rigid. Even Phichit stops smiling. 

“He’s always told me he is since I presented,” Chris answers with no emotion in his voice.

“Well—” Seung Gil says. “He’s clearly lying. GC-0963 Project: The Right. There’s dozens of mutants in here that have either been abducted for experiments or—”

The silence hangs heavy, leaden with horror and dread.

“How many?” Chris says.

“Chris, maybe—” Ciao Ciao begins.

“How. Many.” Chris snaps.

Seung Gil gives Chris a look uncharacterisically filled with sympathy. “198.”

Phichit gasps, dropping his drink before catching it with his tail.

“They’re imprisoned at a facility out in Montauk,” Seung Gil says. “It’s similar to Supermax but for mutants—they have power dampeners most likely, or they’re sedated.”

“Well, we’ll get them out,” Victor says with resolution and stilted cheer. “It’s a good old fashioned jailbreak!”

“No.” Chris stands, reading the data on Seung Gil’s screen. It all bears out, it seems given the pallor in his face. His eyes look haunted. “We’ll do this in a softer way.”

“You’re hitting him in the board room, then,” Ciao Ciao answers.

“Yeah.” Chris nods. “There’s a nuclear option I can employ with the Board to get him out—and I’m sure we can kill this Project: The Right easily enough too. I don’t want my family name aligned with bigotry or human rights violations, and I’m fairly confident they’ll agree.”

Chris narrows his eyes.

“Plan B though,” he begins. “You all are my Plan B.”

[polyx]

Get to know me tag:^)

I was tagged by @criminalmastermine

Name:

Polyxeni

Gender:

Female

Star sign:

Virgo/Sheep

Height:

170 cm

Put your music on shuffle, what are the first six songs to pop up?:

Ok because I listen on Soundcloud, Spotify and my folders on my phone, I’ll do 3 separate :^) Spotify 1) VIXX LR – Chocolatier 2) BTS – Lost 3) MOBB – Hit me (feat. KUSH) 4) Taemin – Thirsty 5) VIXX – Dynamite 6) BTS – Moving on (Ok it’s pretty obvious that I use Spotify mostly for k-pop lol)

Soundcloud 1) Sunday – Only 2) Sofi Tukker – Hey Lion 3) マクロスMACROSS 82 - 99 - 葛城 ミサトYEBISU (YUNG BAE EDIT) 4) Vantage // - Patrick Converter (ft. Chrollo)

5) M.RUX - Rembetiko Mon Amour // ρεμπέτικο αγάπη μου 6) Seiun – otogibanashi My folders on my phone 1) Lorde – Liability 2) Clueso - Achterbahn (Handgepäck Version) 3) Incubus – Pistola 4) Lana Del Rey – Once Upon A Dream (Maleficent OST) 5) Little Boots – Working Girl 6) Banks - Haunt

Grab the nearest book, turn to page 23 and write line 17:

“(…) because “a realisation that comes from society itself” could “already contain a reform (…)“. (roughly translated from German)

Last time you played air guitar?:

Uhm… I don’t know ^^° I rarely do it tbh… I usually dance

Celebrity crush?: The first person that comes into my mind is Lucy Lawless :^)

What’s a sound that you hate/love?:

I love it when it’s 4 in the morning and my window next to my bed is open, and the rain softly hits the glass and no car drives by, or when you sit by the beach at about 7pm in Greece in the summer, when most people had their share of sun and leave the beach, and the water softly hits the shore and a seagull are audible somewhere in the distance, or when you float in the water and your ears are under the water and  you hear the water and your heartbeat… also the soft flat breathing of the person laying next to you, or the rustling of the fabric of your bedding when you lay down to sleep… Idk I like a lot of subtle sounds. I hate hearing my joints cracking because I feel like I am breaking apart or something (?)

Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?:

Ghosts not so much, aliens? Definitely.

Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?:

I’ve had my licence for 5 years now and I never crashed :3 I don’t drive much though.

What was the last book you read?:

Simon Beckett – Totanfang / The Restless Dead (original title)

Do you like the smell of gasoline?:

Hm… kinda.

Last movie you saw?:

Fack Ju Göhte 3

Worst injury you’ve ever had?:

Broke my left arm.

Any obsessions right now?: A lot, although I should focus on studying: k-pop (like the biggest obsession atm), writing/reading fanfiction, drawing (my go to instant stress reliever), gaming (I still need to finish Hellblade!!), music overall, manga, my succulents (my babies)

Do you tend to hold grudges against people who’ve wronged you?: Yes. I try to forgive or forget (or both) for my sake, but often it doesn’t work.  

In a relationship?:

Yes.

_______________

SECOND VERSION

Appearance:

I have long brown and blue hair, brown eyes and a long thin nose. My face is quite rectangular, and I have olive skin tone (but pretty light compared to others). I am chubby and well-proportioned I’d say. My nails are always short (except for holiday season because my nails won’t constantly break like during work) and usually some kind of varnish is on it. 50% of the time I wear clothes with some kind of pattern on it or colourful stuff, 25% of the time black and 25% pink shit, and always my casio on my wrist. I have 2 tattoos and 4 piercings, one stretched earlobe. Usually I wear make-up, and everyone knows me for wearing colourful eyeshadow.

Personality:

I am quite outgoing and like spending time with my friends and family and partner, but as much as I love having people around me, I need time to be alone. I just need to. I try to have an open ear for other people’s problems, but be prepared I might cry along with you because I am a very emotional person (like on Friday I was in a concert and started crying because the song was so touching lol). I’d say I am quite confident, but I need time adjusting in a new environment before returning to my confident self. At work I am the most patient person, but with my family I tend to be impatient a lot and I hate myself for it, but it’s getting better. I am very creative and love dwelling on details on random stuff (like I could tell you for an hour why I like a particular song for example). That’s also a reason why I can’t get shit done sometimes because I daydream a lot. Like… a lot… one person told me I remind them of Luna Lovegood because I seem trapped in my own bubble. I love arts. I used to be super tidy as a child, but now I am quite messy. I am often late (sorry to anyone affected by this v.v°). I love travelling. My bag is always ready for my nomad life, as I am always on the go.

Abilities:

I speak 3 languages! Also I draw and make jewellery. Also I have the ability to make a mess out of my room in the shortest amount of time, just watch me :^) professionally I am a druggist (but not the one working at a pharmacy, mind you) and I have a bachelors degree of trade and commerce. Also I’m a certified trainee instructor.

Experiences:

Well? I don’t know what this refers too… Maybe some random shit: -I used to do traditional greek dance as a kid. -I’ve never left Europe (sadly), but I’ve travelled to London, Vienna, Paris, Berlin and other cities. -When I was a smoll bean, I went to the central plaza of my dad’s village in Greece and returned with a puppy in my arms. My grandmother kept the pupper. -I love freaking LOVE technology, when I used my huge ass multitalented wireless printer for the first time and printed something via my phone I almost cried in excitement. -I can stop reading a book if it’s boring. -Once on my way home I sat in the tram, and there was a group of friends, drunk, pretty loud and happy, they were wearing traditional Bavarian clothing (Tracht), and they were …deaf! And one of the girls sat opposite to me, and complimented my hair, like we talked without using words, only by using our facial expressions and our hands, and she grabbed on piece of her hair and pointed at mine and we laughed, and then she offered me some of her vodka and I was so yolo at the moment I accepted, although I don’t accept drinks from strangers usually. I had such a blast these 10 minutes we spent together on the tram, I often think about her, and hope she is doing fine :’) - I remember as a young girl, I was sitting on an old faucet which was built in the short wall framing my grandparents’ house, and I was starring at the sky in disbelief. There I was, a young city girl, born and raised in Munich, sitting on an old faucet somewhere in an small village in Greece starring at the beautiful nightsky, seeing something I’ve never seen before. There were so many stars, just…so… so many stars… thousands and thousands of shiny dots across a black canvas. And they seemed to be alive. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Till this day, I remember this night, and I hear my mom asking what I was doing out there alone, surrounded by the wild noises of thousands of bugs around me. It has been more that 10 years, and this night is so vibrant in my memory. I will never forget this moment till my dying day. Still, I often spent time in Greece watching the stars, always in the back of my mind what my grandma told me once: don’t count the stars, it brings misfortune. - I pierced my ears on my own (…stupid). - I pretty much had my hair dyed any colour of the rainbow (except yellow, but I guess blonde counts?). - I’ve been to A LOT of concerts.

(I have some negative experiences too of course, but I don’t want to dwell on them) My life:

I still live with my parents, because I cannot afford anything on my own atm, but also due to other circumstances. Till the end of September I worked full time, now I started studying sociology (BA). I have been employed in the company I work for for 10 years now, and I love my work although it’s tough :’). I have a little sister who I love dearly, and she is making me a proud big sis:). My parents are the best parents, seriously you could not wish for better parents. I am super grateful to them for all I’ve been able to do in my life and all the love and support they have given, and are still giving me. Also, I’m so proud of them. The thought of what my parents have gone through makes me cry. I used to think I don’t have a lot of friends, but I do! And they all are beautiful unique personalities, I love them! I live the nomad live, as I feel I’m rarely home, always on the go. My co-workers are the sweetest people, I love seeing their faces light up when they see me :’) (ILY!!!) And my partner… there are no words to describe what sweet of a person he is. A puppy is nothing against him. I want to cuddle him forever. I am online a lot, but I don’t get involved with a lot of people online, safe for… 2 :’D Rach and Mine! I usually admire from afar, and fangirl in the tags for example. Overall I wake up everyday being thankful, my life is good! I appreciate every moment. I am blessed.

Relationships: I’ve only had 2 lmao, and I’m still friends with my first partner. Random stuff:

Ups I think I answered this earlier already…

THIRD VERSION

Relationship status:

In a relationship. We have an imaginary daughter lol.

Fave colour:

All hues of blue! Basically every colour but blue is the most dear to me.

Lipstick or ChapStick:

Lipstick for sure. I always have one in my pocket.

Last song:

Shahmaran by Sevdaliza

Last movie:

Fack Ju Göhte 3

Top 3 shows:

I don’t watch TV, neither do I have the time for series (I have GOT on halt, as well as “Halt and Catch Fire”) … But “The Vision of Escaflowne” is my favourite series of EVER. The story, the characters, the music, the art, the world building, I could cry it’s so beautiful. Also the whole ATLA and TLOK Series, it is so good!!! *cries*

Top 3 ships:

Oh man… ok. I’ll go for Amorra (Amon and Korra, TLOK), Truhan ( Gohan and Trunks, Dragonball Z) and basically every possible VIXX ship, because I love them all (but Wontaek though…)

I’d like to tag @valkerymillenia, @abnaxus, @coolera but you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to :’)

[partiallyvoidmostlybees]

The Playlist Shuffle

Alright @howtotrainyournana, I’m game! Hola Tumblrinos! Today we are going to see what songs are in Norrison’s Music Library! As tradition from last time I did something like this, I will be doing both my iTunes library AND my Spotify library. You are welcome! (I’ll even try to link songs for ya’ll since I love you that much!) Enjoy!

Rules: we’re snooping on your playlist!! Set your entire music library to shuffle and then report the first 20 tracks that pop up! Then tag ten additional victims.

iTunes:

Reminder by Mumford & Sons (Album: Babel)

I Bet My Life by Imagine Dragons (Album: Smoke + Mirrors)

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah by Barenaked Ladies (Album: Barenaked for the Holidays) [you said the entire music library :/]

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Angels We Have Heard on High by Straight No Chaser (Album: Holiday Spirits) [again, entire music library :/]

This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now by U2 (Album: Songs of Innocence) [thanks Apple for the random U2 album. I don’t think I’ve ever even listened to this one tbh]

In The Car by Barenaked Ladies (Album: Stunt)

Texas Stars by Carbon Leaf (Album: Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat)

You Idiot by toby fox (Album: UNDERTALE Soundtrack)

Metal Crusher by toby fox (Album: UNDERTALE Soundtrack)

Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen (Album: Greatest Hits 1)

Break Your Heart by Barenaked Ladies (Album: Rock Spectacle (Live))

Dust Bowl Dance by Mumford & Sons (Album: Sigh No More)

Sleep Like a Baby Tonight by U2 (Album: Songs of Innocence) [thanks again, Apple]

Every Night by Imagine Dragons (Album: Night Visions)

CORE Approach by toby fox (Album: UNDERTALE Soundtrack)

Death Report by toby fox (Album: UNDERTALE Soundtrack)

Now I’m Here by Queen (Album: Greatest Hits 1)

Flash by Queen (Album: Greatest Hits 1) [Side Note: If you haven’t heard this song, definitely click the link, and if you haven’t seen the movie this song is for, I have, hit me up!]

Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is A Mass Of Incandescent Gas) by They Might Be Giants (Album: Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun Is A Mass Of Incandescent Gass)[EP])

Don’t Give Up by toby fox (Album: UNDERTALE Soundtrack)

Spotify: 

Five Night’s At Freddy’s: Night 2 (feat. Markiplier) by Random Encounters and Markiplier (Album: Season 5)

Fixer Upper by Maia Wilson and Frozen Cast

Maybe I’m Amazed by Paul McCartney (Album: Wingspan (US Version))

Oasis by A Great Big World (Album: When The Morning Comes)

Thnks fr th Mmrs by Fall Out Boy (Thnks fr the Mmrs Hit Pack)

Lose Yourself - Soundtrack Version by Eminem (Curtain Call (Deluxe Explicit))

What Makes You Successful by Ryan Higa (This song is from this nigahiga video) [fun fact: I had this entire video memorized at one point, still kinda do]

Mr. Brightside by The Killers (Album: Hot Fuss)

Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall by Coldplay

The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani and Akon 

Honor To Us All by The Mulan Cast (I didn’t feel like writing all the names)

I Have A Dream - from Mamma Mia! Sountrack by Cast of Mamma Mia The Movie

Geronimo by Sheppard

Mrs. Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel (Album: Bookends)

Rainbow Connection by The Muppets 

In Summer by Josh Gad from Frozen

All Star by Smash Mouth (Album: All Star Smash Hits) [I promise you, I’m not even kidding. I unironically like so many meme songs]

Spaceman by The Killers (Album: Day & Age)

Just Say Yes by Snow Patrol (Album: Up To Now)

I Just Wanna Run by The Downtown Fiction (Album: Best I Never Had)

And there you have it! 40 great songs for you to listen to!

10 Victims: @spidermans-pet-llama @money-comb @ed0398 @still-trying-2-figure-out @mythicalsky @emywho15 @smoothjazz98 @sam-septic-girl @thatsthat24 @jacksepticeyetrashsblog

[jessicakmatt]

SubmitHub Founder Jason Grishkoff Talks Blogs, DIY Promotion and Artist Discovery

SubmitHub Founder Jason Grishkoff Talks Blogs, DIY Promotion and Artist Discovery: via LANDR Blog

Promoting your music effectively on a DIY basis is tricky.

Watching big artists pour thousands into massive campaigns can make the limitations of a low budget seem hopeless.

But there are some tried and true techniques that all artists can take advantage without breaking the bank.

One of the most effective is submitting your music to playlists and blogs to share with their audience.

Reaching out to them properly used to be a big job in its own right. That’s why Indie Shuffle founder Jason Grishkoff created SubmitHub to streamline the process.

We sat down with Jason to talk to about the blogosphere, DIY music promotion and the future of artist discovery.f

Q: Hi Jason. Like many musicians, I have vivid memories of sending hundreds of cold emails to music blogs hoping for a post or review. It was difficult, tedious and I barely ever got a response.

SubmitHub seems to have eliminated all that while simultaneously rescuing curators from the endless pileup of pitches in their inbox.

When did you realize the blog submissions model was broken?

I started my music blog Indie Shuffle back in 2008-2009.

At the beginning I was just finding songs I liked on BitTorrent websites and I really had no idea there was a blog culture.

But I quickly found myself on Elbo.ws, which was kind of the precursor to Hypem.

There was a really nice community of other blogs there and we’d exchange tips on how to generate more traffic and get more awareness.

When Hypem took off and Indie Shuffle got added I started to get emails from musicians, managers, publicists and record labels.

When Hypem took off and Indie Shuffle got added I started to get emails from musicians, managers, publicists and record labels.

And I thought, “hey this is cool, they’re just sending me music to put up on my website.”

But a couple years later it got out of hand. I was receiving hundreds of emails a day.

And so I set up a fake submissions address and just said I can’t deal with it anymore. It’s all rubbish, nothing’s personalized and everything was getting lost in the BCC lists.

It was clear that people didn’t want to build a relationship. They just wanted to use me to get on Indie Shuffle. And I wasn’t even really making any money as a blogger. Not enough to do it full time.

That was 2013. 2015 was when I started SubmitHub. I think the idea was spurred by the fact that Indie

Shuffle was no longer a viable business for me to be employed by and I had to come up with a different idea.

I was playing around with all kinds of different business ideas that weren’t very inspiring and I was still faced with this problem of a completely overflowing inbox.

So I decided to try to tackle that with a smooth blog submission system.

Q: One reason blogs became as influential as they did is the success of aggregators like Hype Machine. How do you view the legacy of Hype Machine in formalizing the blog system?

Don’t get me wrong, Hype Machine was great for blogs. I don’t think Indie Shuffle would be where it was without it.

And it was incredibly influential for a time. I definitely heard stories of record labels where every Friday they would sit around to discuss the popular chart on Hype machine.

But in my mind a lot of of its success was due to the fact that you could game it. If you were a publicist you got pretty good at figuring out the formulas and how to get ahead on it.

And since the blogs had stopped paying attention to their submissions, they just started watching what other bloggers were posting on Hypem.

And from there it just became a rehash of the same music. Even when I wanted to find new music, I would go to Hype Machine. As a blogger on Hype Machine! It’s kind of ironic.

A couple of my writers were still responding to publicists, but in general small independent acts rarely got a chance to get any sort of coverage.

A couple of my writers were still responding to publicists, but in general small independent acts rarely got a chance to get any sort of coverage.

When I enabled SubmitHub and starting paying attention to submissions again I thought, “wow this is back to the origins of why I was music blogging in the first place.”

With SubmitHub you finally have the bloggers actually listening to everyone’s music. It doesn’t matter if you are represented by a massive major label or if this is your first ever single.

Your song has just as good a shot as anyone else’s. What that means is that the bloggers aren’t paying attention to what any other blogs are posting nor are they paying attention to what hype machine’s posting.

They’re all just focused on the fact that they’re all getting 20-50 submissions per day in their feed, and that’s what they’re paying attention to.

Q: SubmitHub does an amazing job of balancing the needs of both curators AND artists. Did the ideas behind the platform come more from the perspective of one side or the other?

It was a natural progression for sure. It’s been about three and a half years since I kicked off SubmitHub and what’s cool is that I’m the only developer.

It’s been about three and a half years since I kicked off SubmitHub and what’s cool is that I’m the only developer.

Our team is still really small. As the guy who does all the customer support and all the development I can see exactly where people’s pain points are what the users’ issues are.

For example, a very common complaint that would come up is that the genres didn’t match well.

People would say, “I sent this person a hip-hop track but they’ve never posted hip-hop, why are you telling me to send to them?”

And I would say well, I’m not telling you to send to them—they said they like hip-hop and it’s your decision ultimately.

Ok so that’s a bit of a problem, People are obviously frustrated so I’ll try to solve it.

So I’d go in and ask well how much do they like hip-hop? Sometimes even if these blogs have hip-hop enabled you probably shouldn’t send them that, but here’s a blog who totally loves hip-hop based on their history.

Taking this kind of information and trying to solve the pain points for the artists was definitely part of that progression.

Q: Music promotion platforms that rely on paid transactions from artists are sometimes viewed with suspicion. How do you balance bloggers’ and artists’ expectations with a sustainable business model?

As they should be! [laughs] This actually gets to something about SubmitHub that I feel like has been taken out of context in the past.

People have asked me why bloggers like SubmitHub and I say besides the fact that it makes their lives a lot easier, they use it because of the money!

People jump on that but it’s part of the reason that I rolled out the monetization component.

If SubmitHub existed without any sort of premium and I was a blogger on there getting 50 submissions a day, I would have almost no incentive to actually check them.

My only incentive would be that there’s potentially good music here that I could share with my audience. But for 99% of these curators, that audience isn’t generating them any money.

So premium credits are really a way of keeping bloggers engaged, active and feeling like it’s actually worth their time to spend 2 hours everyday going through these submissions.

The money is a small amount. It’s anywhere between $0.50 and $1.50 USD for each submission.

SubmitHub keeps what’s left and at the end of the day if you’re going to argue that $0.50 is payola well…[laughs]…it’s hard for me to counter that if you’re really stuck on the idea that it is.

But that’s the basic rule of the platform. Anyone on SubmitHub absolutely cannot have any form of payola. They get kicked off if we catch them and we’re always running sting operations.

Q: SubmitHub offers connections to everything from traditional music blogs to Twitch streamers. What are your insights on which channels will become the most important for DIY promotion?

Well everyone is still talking about independent playlists.

I still get Indie Shuffle emails and they’ll email me asking to be on my Spotify playlist. And I’m like, “hey I’m an OG blog! And you want to be on my Spotify playlist?”

But I think it’s becoming increasingly hard for them to stay relevant because of how many fake playlisters are out there.

For myself I still really see the value in a Hype machine campaign. I would filter SubmitHub to hit every single Hypem blog I could and start out with a premiere request.

Even if your goal is to get on Spotify playlists the blogs still matter because the Spotify editors pay a lot of attention to them, especially Hypem blogs.

In the end though there’s no one clear path to success. To reference Chris Hillard’s recent quote from a piece on Pigeons and Planes, there still isn’t a formula that can find an artist before the formula does.

If you’re doing a promo campaign today SubmitHub can help but you still need to tell your friends, your family and hit it from as many angles as you can.

All I can say is that if someone offers you placement for money, turn the other way. No matter what, even if it looks good.

All I can say is that if someone offers you placement for money, turn the other way. No matter what, even if it looks good.

There’s a reason that’s illegal in the radio industry!

Q: Any other advice for artists promoting their own music aside from using SubmitHub?

Not being an artist myself, you’ll have to take this with a grain of salt, but today’s state of music allows listeners to dive into their specific niche.

Your strategy should be to find a niche of listeners people who care about your music and are focused on that, rather than looking for some runaway success.

What is my music? Is it ambient drone? Is it christian soundtrack music? Whatever. You can get in on that and really focus on that.

Q: What’s next for SubmitHub?

We’re working on multi-language support which is incredibly exciting. I’ve got a translation system I’m working on that will help me get the whole entire site into 10 or 20 different languages, which could open things up a lot.

There’s also the Hot or Not section. It’s a feature for artists to rate other artists. I coded it just for fun over christmas and it’s totally taken off.

We’re up to 3000-4000 ratings a day, so I’ll be giving that a bit more attention to see it where it goes.

It’s like a whole different product within SubmitHub, but people really like it!

The post SubmitHub Founder Jason Grishkoff Talks Blogs, DIY Promotion and Artist Discovery appeared first on LANDR Blog.

from LANDR Blog https://blog.landr.com/submithub-interview-jason-grishkoff/ via https://www.youtube.com/user/corporatethief/playlists from Steve Hart https://stevehartcom.tumblr.com/post/186053321819

[chorusfm]

Liner Notes (December 21st, 2018)

This is the second to last Liner Notes before the end of 2018. This year has been impossibly long while flying by at a record pace. It makes absolutely no sense. I hope everyone is gearing up for a nice weekend and preparing to spend the holidays in whatever way makes you happiest. I plan to spend some time offline, reading, and enjoying the company of family. As a little holiday gift, I’m making this version of Liner Notes, which are usually exclusive to supporters, free for all. This week’s roundup includes my ranking of All Time Low albums. After discovering these “do teens know 2000’s pop-punk” videos on YouTube (and immediately feeling old as hell), I got on a pop-punk kick and ended up listening to their catalog all week. I also share my thoughts after spending a week with Apple Music on the Amazon Echo, ten songs I loved this week, and, of course, my weekly media diet. The supporter Q&A post can be found here. Five Things * This week I did a deep dive on the All Time Low discography, and I’m ready to do some ranking! * Future Hearts: My re-listens solidified it for me that this is my favorite album from the band. It combined a variety of aspects I think they do well, while also playing around with their sound enough to keep it fresh. From “Cinderblock Garden” to “Runaways” to “The Edge of Tonight,” this is just a giant batch of songs I enjoy from top to bottom. I think it combines their pop-punk/rock leanings with just the right amount of a more modern pop styling. I also think Alex sounds as good as ever on this record. * Don’t Panic: This feels like the slightly more “rock” version of Future Hearts to me. A lot of the same sounds are there, they lean into the rock side a little bit more on a bit more of the songs, and therefore it has a little more bite to it. Some great stuff here like “Backseat Serenade” and my favorite, “Outlines.” I’m surprised by how many little moments this album has that elevates it. That little clap like sound on “The Reckless and the Brave,” or the Green Day-like opening to “For Baltimore.” This is pop-punk that doesn’t feel like it’s leaning too hard on nostalgia; almost feels like what Blink-182 were trying to do on California, but didn’t quite get all the way there. (I’d be down for a Mike Green produced Blink-182 song.) * Last Young Renegade: I’m surprised how much this album has stayed in my rotation over the past year. I knew I liked it when it came out, but I didn’t think I’d still be playing it. I’d venture a guess this moves up my ranking list as time goes on. “Dirty Laundry” and “Afterglow” really show the band’s songwriting growth. I hope they continue to play with this direction and don’t abandon it too quickly. It suits them as they move into a new stage of their career. * Nothing Personal: What hit me the most about this album, released almost ten years ago, is how modern it sounds. The songwriting, structure, production, isn’t nearly as dated as I was expecting. The lyrics … well, they’re a little rough in places, but songs like “Lost in Stereo” and “Walls” hold up quite well. * So Wrong, It’s Right: This album always felt to me like it was trying to be too much like the pop-punk classics that came before it. It wanted to be a Blink/NFG album. I guess, with time, it’s now become a classic of its own. It’s still not my favorite, there are too many songs that don’t work for me, but there are some certified greats on here. “Dear Maria” and “Six Feet Under the Stars” are great (although, I prefer the acoustic version of the later). * Dirty Work: Listening to this now, it’s … not as bad as I remembered. There are some huge sequencing issues, and if you cut some songs, and play around with the track listing, I think there’s a semblance of something better here. I still don’t think the album lives up to what came before or after, but there’s a few songs I’ll remember to come back to more frequently than I have in the past. I may even flirt around with cutting together something I could listen to front to back. I can’t get over how bad “That Girl” is. * Put Up or Shut Up: This was a rough listen. It’s the band trying to make their best Fall Out Boy-esque impression, in lyrics, vocals, and style … and it is tough to get through. * The Party Scene: I didn’t like it in 2005. I still don’t. * Conclusion: This band went from one I enjoyed a few songs from, to one I saw a lot of potential in, to one I thought missed their chance, to one that’s released three incredibly solid albums (that I genuinely like) in a row. They’re a band that’s found a sound I could say is very much their own, while being influenced by all the bands I grew up loving. They have a lengthy discography, it’s full of good to great songs, and they seem only to be getting better. I hope they keep making music and I hope they keep walking down this path they started on their last two albums as songwriters. They’re a fun band that’s impressed me with their longevity and maturation into a band I’m legit excited to see where they go next. * I liked this write-up from Craig Manning about Bruce Springsteen. I’ve never loved Bruce to the level that Craig (and Thomas Nassiff) love Bruce, but I will always love reading about artists someone is passionate about. * The post about the glitter bomb vs. package thief was exceptionally popular on the website this week. In an otherwise slow news week, I found that funny. Also what an incredible contraption. * We are finalizing our contributor end of the year list, and we’ll begin writing blurbs and putting the entire feature together over the next two weeks. I really like my final list; some years I’m more tepid, but this year, this year feels good. I like how everything is shaking out, and I can’t wait to read everyone else’s picks and find stuff I slept on. * I spent the week playing around with Apple Music on the Amazon Echo. It’s nice. I enjoy being able to play most songs by saying yelling them out into the air. I’ve used it to play my Best of 2018 and Holiday Music playlists, and it works great. The big missing feature is adding iCloud Music Library to the collection. Right now I can’t play songs that aren’t in the Apple Music library but are in my personal collection. So, for example, I can’t ask it to play the new Copeland album even though the files are in my library and I can play them on the Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, and my computer. Hopefully, that feature gets added in the future. The other flaw I’ve found is that the shuffle kind of sucks. My “paired down to favorites” Holiday Playlist has 150 songs on it. I’ve played it three or four times this week. Put it on shuffle each time. And I heard mostly the same batch of songs. Something’s not quite right there. (Some Googling showed this being an issue for Amazon Music and Spotify listeners as well.) Music Thoughts * Beside doing a full All Time Low discography deep dive, I didn’t listen to much else this week. I spun my playlist of favorites from 2018 a few times, to see if I wanted to tweak any ranking of albums, and also played quite a bit of holiday music around the house. I tried to get caught up on some podcasts, but that’s sort of failing. * The A Very Spidey Christmas EP that was released today is quite a bit of fun. * I also really like the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse original score. (I also found this tweet thread about it fascinating.) Entertainment Thoughts * I enjoyed The Myth of the American Sleepover. In some respects, it’s a lesser Dazed and Confused, but it’s still the kind of movie I enjoy watching and have always had a thing for. A little slice of life in a group of teenagers lives, when done well, is one of my favorite genres. * First Man was quite good. It’s probably my least favorite Damien Chazelle movie at the same time. I thought it was well shot, well acted, well scored, and the sound design was fantastic. It wasn’t as gripping as I expected, it didn’t quite get as deep into what drove Armstrong as I would have liked, and even though the movie was long, I would have loved some more history/story. Even with all that, this was a great watch, and I’ll see it again. * Dumplin’ on Netflix was endearing. A great little film to watch during the holidays when you just want your heart to grow three sizes and enjoy a nice night of entertainment. * It’s been a long time since I’ve watched Home Alone front to back. It was everything I wanted it to be. I remembered the entire movie and loved every second of it. I still remember my cousin seeing this movie before me and telling me in detail every single beat. I begged my parents to take me to see it the next day and laughed and laughed. It then became a tradition to watch it every Christmas. I’m going to have to make sure to bring it back out and get it into the rotation with A Christmas Story and other holiday classics. And never forget: Fuller not only wets the bed, HE LIKES WETTING THE BED, that little monster is excited about the opportunity. * I was pleasantly surprised with Bad Times at the El Royale. It’s a little too long, wears the influences a little too much on the sleeves, but it was very entertaining. I’d say I was pleasantly surprised and came away enjoying it way more than expected. Now, I must know: Is there a clause in Chris Hemsworth’s contract that says he has to be shirtless in each movie? Because that’s just genius. That dude’s body is ridiculous. Either way, this was a good way to spend an evening, and it kept me guessing through most of the movie. And those god damn abs … seriously. * Office Christmas Party is a very bad movie that for some reason we put on while wrapping Christmas presents last night. It’s totally not good, and yet it’s oddly perfect to watch, and chuckle at while doing something else. I think that comes down to the likability of Jason Bateman and Olivia Munn. * The Good Place is still one of my favorite shows. Episode nine of season three, “Janet(s),” was just incredible. * I am unreasonably excited for Titans tonight. Ok, the preview shows Batman, so it’s not unreasonable, it’s just tickling the Batman part of my brain, and that means I don’t want to do anything else — I just want this damn show to download so I can watch it. Without having seen the final episode, I’d say this season ended up being quite good. I enjoyed it for what it was more than I expected and like all the characters and can’t wait to see where it goes from here. Dick Grayson has been played so well I actually would love to see him in movies. He’s been great. * We’re two episodes into Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season two. It’s everything I wanted it to be. Can’t wait to get back into this world and really have the season settle in. I hope to binge more of this over the weekend and early next week. * We don’t talk enough about how Ross has a monkey in Friends. Seriously, that’s the pet … that’s the storyline for multiple episodes … his monkey. And he’s the one everyone I knew wanted to be like; dress like; act like. The nineties were wild. * I’m up to issue #797 of Amazing Spider-Man. I hope to crank through the rest of Dan Slott’s run over the weekend. After that, I’m going to get caught up on Spider-Gwen and as much Scarlet Spider as possible (who stars as my current iPad lock-screen wallpaper). Random and Personal Stuff * My weight dropped more than I would like this week, so I’m adding a few more calories. I’ve sort of slipped into the bad habit of being ok with going over my set limit by 100 or so each day because my weight was right where I wanted it to be, if not a bit lower, and I need to be better about figuring out the right calorie goal instead. It is nice to not stress as much about these things, however. Last night I had some gummy candies, and an extra beer, and woke up this morning and being .8 lbs under my goal weight. That’s a welcome change. The holiday week will be a test to make sure I don’t get carried away. Lots of family meals out which are hard to track correctly. * For the past three years Hannah and I have had a tradition where we get each other a Christmas ornament. We write the date on it and add it to the tree. It’s a fun little way of remembering our life together. This year she got me a Batman and Spider-Man set. Because of course. I bought a few glass bulbs on Amazon and then printed out the little write-up/speech I used when I asked her to marry me. I cut the speech up into long slices, curled them up, and put those in the bulbs with some red and green ribbons, along with some printouts of the date we got engaged. I thought they came out pretty well. That’s an idea you can steal. * I’ve been keeping the Q&A thread updated with my thoughts as I build out the new “thread ignore” system on the website. I should have that completed right after the holidays wrap up. It’s a good, useful, feature, but I’m most excited about fixing up some of the design stuff and using the new thread view tweaks to add even more new features in the future. Like, I get why this is needed, but adding features to the website that everyone will be able to use and get value from, versus one that’s built around hiding things from the site, are always more fun. I think some optimization/bug fixes will be what I work on right after finishing this up. I’ve noticed some stuff, while coding this, that I want to go back and clean up a little. * Holiday get together with my dad tonight, holiday happy-hour/visiting The Grotto over the weekend with Hannah’s parents. And then we plan to order Chinese food and play board games on Christmas Eve before spending the day with Hannah’s family, and the evening with mine, on Christmas itself. That … that’s going to be a day. (Hannah read last week’s Liner Notes and didn’t believe me about how awkward some parts of my family can be. Then she went to the event. Now she knows.) Ten Songs Here are ten songs that I listened to and loved this week. Some may be new, some may be old, but they all found their way into my life during the past seven days. * King Neptune – Terrify Me * All Time Low – Outlines * Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) * Daniel Pemberton – Security Guard * Shameik Moore – Joy to the World * William Ryan Key – Downtown (Up North) * All Time Low – Dirty Laundry * John Mayer – Home Life * Cat Stevens – Father and Son * The Blue Nile – From a Late Night Train The playlists are also available on Spotify and Apple Music. Well, that became a whole lot longer than I expected. I wrote so much after breakfast that now I need to get lunch. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and happy holidays as well. I hope the next week is filled with only good things, and if there are any struggles, that you can find the strength to push through. And, with that, I leave you with some Calvin and Hobbes: Previous editions of this roundup can be found here. --- Please consider supporting us so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/features/articles/liner-notes-december-21st-2018/

[ramialkarmi]

Spotify is vulnerable to bigger tech companies like Apple and Amazon — and its IPO won't change that (AAPL)

Spotify is vulnerable to competition from its better-funded rivals.

The company is reportedly about to be overtaken by Apple Music in the US.

Spotify can't compete with Apple's cash pile, so it's trying some cool experiments instead.

Music streaming service Spotify is preparing to go public in a direct listing of its stock in the first quarter of 2018. It's an unusual decision to forego the traditional public offering and instead list shares directly on the stock exchange, but it lets Spotify cut out the middle man.

However, there are underlying issues with Spotify's business — it's losing money every quarter and it faces looming competition from tech giants such as Amazon and Apple.

But don't just take my word for it, here's Apple Music executive Jimmy Iovine speaking in an interview in November.

"The streaming services have a bad situation, there's no margins, they're not making any money. Amazon sells Prime; Apple sells telephones and iPads; Spotify, they're going to have to figure out a way to get that audience to buy something else. If tomorrow morning Jeff Bezos wakes up and says, 'You know what? I heard the word "$7.99" I don't know what it means, and someone says, 'Why don't we try $7.99 for music?' Woah, guess what happens?"

Apple doesn't normally let its executives pontificate about the industry and the competition as freely as that, but Iovine is a music industry legend who has worked with people like John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Nicks, so he pretty much does what he likes.

And Iovine has hit upon a key issue for Spotify — even after its direct listing, it's still going to be the niche, European competitor to giant US technology companies Amazon and Apple.

Just look at how the competition is shaping up in the US: Apple Music is about to overtake Spotify as the dominant music streaming service there.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple Music has managed to increase its monthly subscribers at a faster pace than Spotify — increasing them by 5% per month compared to Spotify's 2% — which will soon put it in first place.

Sure, the US is Apple Music's home turf. But Spotify losing ground there is a worrying vision of how its fate could play out on a global scale.

Rivals could put the squeeze on Spotify

Spotify simply doesn't have the massive cash reserves that its competitors do. That's a key part of Iovine's point — Amazon could very easily squeeze Spotify on price by hooking in subscribers to its own Amazon Prime Music service for a low price.

Amazon can afford to make a loss on those customers for years to squeeze Spotify out of the market, before upping the prices and starting to make some money in the space itself.

Why pay £9.99 per month for Spotify Premium when Amazon could choose to sell a comparable service for £4.99? The lack of differentiation in streaming leaves Spotify particularly vulnerable.

But surely Amazon wouldn't be so mean? Well, yes, it would. For years Amazon has been in what Recode calls "a high-stakes race to the bottom" with US retail chain Walmart. The companies are slashing prices to try to win over customers — putting pressure on suppliers.

And Amazon seems to be winning that price war. Analysis carried out in October by Retail Dive showed that Amazon beat the daily online prices of its top competitors, Walmart, Target, and Jet, in 12 out of 13 categories.

Apple isn't about to start a price war of its own

Apple is unlikely to engage in a price war — it's really not its style. The closest it has come is dropping the price from $9.99 (£7.16) a month to $8.25 (£5.91) in a yearly offer that was buried inside the Apple Music app.

But what Apple can do is invest heavily in streaming video and exclusive content to squeeze Spotify on exclusive content rather than price.

Apple had $163 billion (£116 billion) in cash to spend at the end of December, and its CFO Luca Maestri told The Financial Times that "our target over time is to take that $163 billion down to approximately zero."

One way for Apple to reduce its cash pile is to invest in original content that could win over subscribers to its music streaming service. It already has shows on its Beats 1 internet radio station from stars including Elton John and Drake, but it could ramp up its spending to include more exclusive content.

Right now, Apple includes streaming television in its Apple Music subscription. It has shows including "Carpool Karaoke" and "Planet of the Apps," but plans to release more. In fact, the company reportedly has a $1 billion (£738 million) budget for shows and movies that it will bring to its streaming service.

And with that budget comes new, high-profile hires from the entertainment world. It brought in Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg from Sony and has tasked them with bringing in original content.

Video could be the ideal way for Apple to compete with Spotify's streaming offering. If Apple can offer a lineup of streaming music, radio shows, and TV and movies, that's going to be a strong offer.

Spotify knows it can't compete with the giants — so it's going for the 'cool' factor instead

So what is Spotify doing to compete with its bigger, better-funded competitors? Well, it's sticking to what it knows best: Cool, interesting products which don't cost giant amounts of money.

Take Spotify's "2017 Wrapped" campaign which saw people share their listening habits with their friends. It's cool, cheap, and shareable. 

Then there's Spotify's latest app, Stations. The free app is essentially a minimalist version of Spotify that lets people navigate through playlists and listen to songs from them on shuffle. Again, it's cool and cheap.

Let's be real: None of these cool stunts are going to overthrow Apple Music and convince people around the world to switch to Spotify en masse. But the company is throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks, and that's exactly the kind of approach it should be taking. 

Apple and Amazon can pontificate about the future of the industry all they like — Spotify has the "elusive" cool factor and is trying to break new ground in tech. It could face uncertain times ahead, but for now it's doing what it can to stay ahead of the pack.

Join the conversation about this story »

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