#just missing them and 1D in general. after everything | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

twopoppies · 11 days ago

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Hi Gina, lately I’ve been thinking about how I first joined the fandom and my origins as a larrie, and I wanted to share it:

I joined the fandom at the end of 2014 (I was like 13/14), right when the rumors about a possible split were going around because of Zayn missing some public appearances with 1D. I don’t remember the exact moment my interest started, but I do remember following a bunch of UAs and fan accounts on tw. During that time, I didn’t really pay attention to what the media said about the boys. I just didn’t care. My main source of info was always content directly from them:interviews, youtube videos titled “1D funniest moments,” and of course, I followed every one of their concerts through tw. And I think that’s the main reason why larry seemed so obvious to me. Like, my perception wasn’t “influenced” by outside noise—I was just watching them in settings where they had a bit more freedom. From the beginning, it was super clear to me that they were together. I remember it actually took a while before I even did any real research because it just felt so obvious that I didn’t need further confirmation.

Later on, when I wanted to dig deeper (especially around the time BBG started and the hiatus was announced), I created a tumblr blog and the first blogs I followed were Amy’s (lesbianlouis) and Lorna’s. I know Lorna’s not around anymore, and I’m not sure if Amy is still here or if her views on the boys have changed. But both of them were such great sources of information and helped me understand more of the complex situation with H and L. That’s when I started understanding what it means to be closeted and learning just how awful the music industry is. I also started to notice how the version of H and L I knew didn’t line up at all with how the general public saw them. It was kinda shocking. And of course, fimq’s videos helped me navigate all of that too. I’ll always be thankful to them.

Continuing with the story, after 1D ended and their solo careers started, I was in and out of the fandom. I wish I’d been more consistent and had followed them through all of it, but stuff happened. Then, I basically left completely when the whole dwd promo started (like from the first official appearance of ow). And apparently, I wasn’t the only one who left around that time 😅.

Fast forward to the end of 2024, I came back when Liam passed. At first, it was all nostalgia. Then I started catching up. I was surprised by how much info and how many resources there are now. And obviously, that content comes from all over the fandom: larries, ex-Larries, solos, etc.—and some people write their arguments so well that if you didn’t have context, you’d totally believe them.

Things are definitely different now. One thing that surprised me was that when I first came back, I struggled a bit to reconnect with Harry, because his public image seems really polished. But then I started listening to his songs again, opened myself up to different interpretations of his art, listened to him speak, the symbolism he uses, watched him on stage… and after all that, I reconnected with him—just in a different and more meaningful way than before. Like, on the surface you might think “he’s gotten a bit full of himself” or whatever, but then you realize he’s still that quirky guy from before, just more emotionally mature. And I feel like that consistency in who he is really comes through in his songwriting and how he talks about certain things. He’s evolved for sure, but the core of who he is hasn’t changed. I don’t know if that makes sense, but that consistency in his character is really clear to me.

I know that with all the opinions and info flying around, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or start doubting everything—whether you’re new or just coming back after a long time. But my recommendation would be: before diving into opinions, take the time to watch and listen to them directly—from the 1D days until now. It’ll give you a pretty clear sense of who they are as people. And that helps you recognize all the inconsistencies in what the media says about them. For me, it’s kind of wild how H and L are the only public figures I’ve seen where there’s such a clear disconnect between their public image and who they actually are—and that says a lot.

I think that’s why for most larries who’ve been around since the 1D days, some things just are. Like, they don’t even need to be explained, because we were there when it was all way more transparent. It’s like we’ve already got this established sense of who they are, how the industry works, and the patterns in all the inconsistencies.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that. I know it’s long, sorry lol. Thanks for reading and for still being around after all this time!

Hi, sugar. I wish all newer fans would read this and take it in because you’ve really hit the nail on the head. There’s so much nonsense cluttering this fandom that it’s very hard to see through and understand context.

And yes, some people sound like they’re making very sound arguments against Larry or against one or the other of them being a good person. But if you are able to clear that out and really watch and listen to both Harry and Louis, you can see there’s so much more than their public images.

Amy is still around. She just just got fed up with being jerked around and doesn’t talk about fandom stuff anymore. As far as I’m aware. And I still speak to Lorna. She only left for mental health reasons. I wish their blogs were still up because you’re right, they were extremely helpful when it came to navigating the chaos.

I’m glad you came back and that you were able to push through all of that. ❤️

#origin stories #fandom dynamics #for newbies #fandom history

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alarrytale · 6 months ago

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I have said many times I miss the Louis of the Wall tour as opposed to FITF Tour Louis

I promise I’ll make this short

Those that weren’t around then or before have no idea how much his persona has changed even from tour to tour, he at least had fun laughed enjoyed the audience now he would come on stage and look like he’s sizing up the crowd of who he was going to sleep with that night and we know it’s gone further with the gestures with other things (by other things I mean maybe wear better undies under those snug joggers Louis) honestly at times it was too much and WE KNOW it’s not him. Is part of his natural personality in it maybe but the super hetero act is ridiculous and the teenies are buying it and it’s scary because the more tickets he sells that way what would coming out do for him?

I have friends who aren’t fans and had a few watch a live stream, they liked the songs but as one said, “Liam Gallagher called and wanted his actual personality back”

Occasionally he shows his mannerisms when he doesn’t cover them up so quickly but again anyone who has been a fan longer than a few months or dares to go and look at what he was like can see the difference, it’s actually rather sad and the child that’s a whole other situation but maybe someone should ask where he was when he wasn’t promoting an album

It’s not just his on stage persona that has changed, we all know that but I definitely won’t get into anything regarding his denials or non-denials the day of the Chickegate denial which still made no sense seeing as it wasn’t a “Larry” question he was incredibly rude to some other fans asking very simple questions. I will support him but I also am no one’s fool open to abuse basically greenlit by him and over talking about things he himself did on camera too

Some anons about Louis' image then and now. More under the cut.

You sound optimistic but the way I see it there’s no turning back from this. Older fans will continue to leave and the new ones will start joining so I don’t see a reason for things to change. I’m assuming your last anon is a new fan so they don’t understand that the ones who try to put him in a box are not the fans but his own team and managers and I’m assuming that most of the new fans think exactly like your anon because they weren’t here to witness how it all played out. In my eyes everything his team has been doing is working so far, and thank you for listening.

As a newer Larrie, I’ve been going thru some old 1D footage and have seen this drastic change in him. I then saw a video of a guy almost bragging how they reigned in Louis because he was a loose cannon. It was kind of gross to see him talk about Louis like that. Saying louis could’ve sank the ship or something like that regarding 1D. Just sad. Im wondering if having this reinforced continuously really just altered him to the point where this image is a part of him now? We do see a lot of raw emotion from him often, especially while performing certain songs so luckily he’s never lost that about himself. He seems to be a person who really wears heart on his sleeve and very animated when talking. And we’ve seen his little slip ups from time to time, where he acts stereotypically gay I guess you could say, so he hasn’t lost that part of himself. There are a few videos I can think of right away during his solo career. I just love how his face is so expressive when he talks about something he’s interested in.

I guess if im looking at Louis with his image now as a part of the general public perspective, I would think of him as a regular 32 year old. But because I’ve seen footage of him in the early days of 1D now, I can see why Larries and OG directioners would get upset by it.

Louis’ mage the way he sits or carries himself when he thinks people are looking or there’s cameras is so different than when he thinks no one can see. We know there were times he’s been LOUIS we have seen the vids, his mannerisms are there but then (esp after the band) he would see a phone and you could actually feel a change back into Louis and his super straight lad bro role he plays.

Anyway my point is what it all reminds me of is a movie, have you ever seen the movie The Birdcage? They’re trying to make Nathan Lane’s character “act” straight and it’s all about him changing how he walks, sits and even eats and I keep thinking of this is like Louis as if they showed him movies on how straight guys “act” and he is just mimicking them. It’s sad it really is because his mannerisms are a part of who he is, same as an arm or a leg and having to hide them must hurt more than we can know, but every once in a while especially if he has had a drink he let’s one or two shine and it’s glorious to see, it’s when he’s LOUIS again.

Hi, anons!

Louis image has changed drastically, but it's only noticable if you know how he used to be. His mannerisms and behaviour in front of a camera vs. when he thinks he isn't being watched, is night and day. I don't think Louis' image will make fans leave, i think the bullying and fandom culture change will be the cause of that if that happens. Or the lack of content.

#louis image

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dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram · 2 years ago

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What are your thoughts on Matty Healy (esp in light of the new profile on him)?

My main thought about Matty Healy is that I think he's interesting. Perhaps particularly interesting when you've spent 8 years following a boyband who were media trained as teenagers and have very much settled in with how they're going to have their boundaries. I find the contrast - and Matty Healy's willingness to name things - really interesting.

As regular readers of my tumblr may have picked up - being interesting is quite important to me. I feel like I should point out that I started following 1D less than two years after Harry tweeted RIP Baroness Thatcher. Saying things that go against everything I believe has never been a dealbreaker for me finding someone interesting

I have a lot of thoughts - I'm going to share a smattering of them.

********

One of the things that I've found so fascinating about Matty Healy these last few months is his ability to stay where he is while there is so much directed at him.

I think most people, facing even a fraction of the backlash he has faced would do one of two things. Either acknowledge that people were right, apologise and try and make amends. Or move in a reactionary way in response - become what people say you are.

I had a discussion with an anon about this - but as far as I can tell that's not what Matty Healy is doing. His politics seem to be in the same place as they ever were. There's no evidence of him moving to a more reactionary position on any issue of substance.

This is one of the things I'm most interested in watching (and hearing him talk about eventually). I'm curious about whether he's stayed still - and if so how. (Even more so because the New Yorker profile revealed that the pattern of being driven into a more reactionary position is something that he's interested and aware of).

********

It seems to me that doing heroin, going on The Adam Friedland show podcast and dating Taylor Swift have something in common - part of the attraction of each of them is that they might destroy you.

********

The comment about Matty Healy that really clarified things for me was Jon Caramanica describing Matty Healy as 'bumbling'. I think one way that Matty Healy has come to be understood is as a provocateur. Both detractors and defenders will suggest he is doing things to provoke a reaction - and I don't think that's really true.

Disclaimer - none of this section is intended as a defence. I don't necessarily think any of this is important when it comes to how people receive him. But I am interested in what's going on for him

I think he does like to be a bit transgressive. But generally that intentional transgression is usually pretty well judged. The bit where the band cuts him off is basically understood by everyone who isn't acting in extreme bad faith.

Apart from the podcast, I think people have got angry at Matty Healy when he was being bumbling at saying something sincere, rather than trying to be provocative.

What is fascinating about the podcast - is that whatever was going on - Matty Healy didn't go on it to say provocative things. All the comments that people are so angry about originate from the hosts. Matty Healy eggs them on, but does not initiate. He positions himself as someone who likes to be transgressive. But I think when it comes to politics he likes the idea of it more than the reality, while at the same time being unintentionally transgressive. Which makes for a very messy combination.

I think part of it is that the system he's trying to be transgressive in, and the system he's so interested in, is fame, rather than politics.

*********

Finally (and this is more a Taylor thought), I have watched Miss Americana - the thought that Taylor might have broken up with Matty Healy because everyone was mad really worries me. I don't want that for her. I also think it would be just as awful if he broke up with her because it was too much.

So I hope either they broke up for one of the many other reasons that people break up. Or they're lying to us all and they're still together.

*******

Imagine you're Jia Tolentino and for whatever reason you've agreed to write a profile of Matty Healy. The first concert you go to Taylor Swift (at that time still with her boyfriend) turns up. Then as your preparing to interview him again Matty Healy goes on a podcast and there's a significant backlash. Then after you interview him he gets together with Taylor Swift.

I think I want a long-read, possibly a book, on what that process was like.

#I suspect nobody who follows me is that interested in Matty Healy #But I do think the questions of how to navigate celebrity are really interesting #And I find the contrast with Harry particularly illuminating

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louisliamforever · 3 months ago

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The way I see it is it’s all just style exploration, trying on new aesthetics to see what fits and feels right for that time in life. Maybe it might be deeper than that but as of now that’s the way I see it for the most part. I don’t think there’s any Management™️ force involved either, and I agree with what you said about Harry as well tbh. I think comfiness plays a role too for Louis’ style preferences- he does always look very comfy lol. Yeah, he definitely isn’t as open about his softness anymore, he often seems very guarded. But I understand why he would be like that after everything. I don’t see this style being a permanent thing either, and I’m curious what the next era will be lol.

I am in the same boat as you though- I miss the style and softness of 2013 Louis a lot at times. :( I miss the 2012-2013 era in general :( I LOVE 2015 1D, the music my fave (MITAM is my favorite album, Four is a close second) and especially 2015 Lilo, but there’s just something about all the boys (all 5 of them seemed to still be good friends back then :( ) and the music (TMH and MM my beloveds), the energy and the vibe during 2012-2013 that just hits all the right spots (including 2012-2013 Lilo ofc)-oh man I have big nostalgia for 2012-2013 1D. Maybe I just really miss the early 2010s too lol.

Yeah I think you're right that it's mostly style exploration and then I think the vibe I'm also picking up on is the guardedness. He's never gonna be that soft 2012 Louis again. I feel so sad that life has dealt him some shitty cards.

But I'd also love to see him in a softer style era again. And even the skaterboy era fit him pretty well. But something softer is the era I'm hoping for, but still comfy.

And I think I'm with you in also missing 2010s in general. I wasn't in the fandom until 2013 so I can't miss 2012 in that way but I definitely miss early 2013 and I miss them all still being obviously friends too :( if I had a time machine I'd either go back to 2013 for 1D or 2015. I think MITAM was my favorite album but maturing for me was realizing FOUR has more playable bangers for me than MITAM. I think they're tied for sure for 1D album for me.

#answered

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1d1195 · 5 months ago

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The fact that you even remember your dreams enough for fic inspo is so cool! Plus I knew your mind is so powerful even when you’re sleeping because it has given such perfect plots! I do enjoy that you do keep in mind leaving your endings a bit open ended! I think especially the way you do extras it does give you room to explore other creative options to continue their story!

Omg I remember being obsessed with frank ocean in middle school lol and I get what you mean about sharing stuff! I’m sure it’s just the age that they are at because I ever kids being either really into over sharing or just being the complete opposite lol

I cannot lie they just don’t make merch like they use to! I remember seeing 1D merch everywhere and it was cute! Very much an era where I think peak fan girl culture was huge especially with the internet!

Did you end up reading your book?! Are you liking it so far?! I’m so sorry you had such a bad week :( I hope the weekend allowed you to recover from that! And I hope that this week is a least a bit better💕 I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be a teacher in general but especially with everything going on… I’m really sorry :( though I just know you’re doing your best and really that’s enough!

I cannot afford to be ran over!! I use to welcome of in some way but I’m too close to finishing so THIS CANNOT HAPPEN!! Unless it makes me fall in love with an ER doctor because I got her then perhaps I may let it slide lol

My weekend was not great lol I tired to be productive by cleaning my room since it was giving depression lol but instead I hurt my ankle and shoulder during the process! I swear I can’t catch a break 😭 and my week currently is sooo boring! I’m still busy but I’ve been so tired! Nothing exciting tbh lol

Alsoooo bestie that sneak peak you posted, I’m seriously so excited for it!!

Miss you loads and I hope your week is looking so much better!-💜

The dream I had of Love & Dryer Sheets was literally making out with someone in the laundry closet with someone in the other room and her saying "not here." Idk how I came up with any of the other details. I envisioned my college dorm on Saturdays when I did laundry. As you know I don't feel very strongly about Love & Dryer Sheets anymore. It feels like a lifetime ago and idk how I came up with literally any of it lol.

The Ding dream was about the door slamming into the car next to me, the stare, and the "you'll have to pay for that" with a scary face and then "just kidding." I think from there I thought about the pun of having a ding in the car, the iconic boxing bell ding and just went with it. Most of the time I really don't know where the finer details are going to come from or how I'll get to it.

Some of these kids are oversharers. It's cringey sometimes and I feel bad for them. One of the hardest things is making my students feel heard when I want to shake them and be like "In five years you're going to be like 'I can't believe I told my math teacher that.' ☠️" One of my younger students has a massive crush on my older student (fortunately he's oblivious--typical boy) and it's cute but it's so awk.

I parted ways with a lot of my merch 😭 but I kept the CDs of course, the perfumes, some bracelets, I have pillow cases too but my bf would probs sleep on the couch if I used them 😂 Claire's was primo for 1D shit. I love to think it was peak fan girl culture what a VIBE.

I did NOT end up reading. I reread basketball bf bits and pieces 🤭 I love this man so much it's unhealthy. I haven't wanted to read unfortunately. Maybe this weekend. I'm feeling very anxious idk. I did clean and that helped a bit. This week has been better I suppose. I'm hoping for a quiet weekend to get caught up on some things.

Oh yes! You've hit the point of no return hahahahaha getting run over would not be great! (Hot ER doctor could work though 😉) I know it's hard to think about because it probs still feels miles away but what's the plan for after graduation? I hope you get to rest for some time!

Giving depression lol I feel that. I'm sorry to hear about your ankle and shoulder! I hope it's not too serious. I'm glad it was fairly boring even if it was busy. You need a break where you can get it. How's your mom doing this week? Random, but what's in store for your bday?! It's a Saturday, so that will be good right!? I hope you can go out with friends, thrift, see a drag show brunch or something 💕

I hope you like the new story when you have time!

xoxo

#💜#love and dryer sheets #ding

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mouthfulloftoothpasterry · 7 months ago

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honestly what crazy weeks it's been between Liam passing and then the election. I get what you mean, it's heartbreaking when someone you grew up watching and everything passes away and you realize damn every generation goes through this, losing someone from their childhood so soon. I don't think about it every day and it really hits me when I'm reminded. that weekend I did listen to 1D and some songs hit differently but when I see him on the album covers I can't believe it

as for the holiday spirit, I'm usually not the type to get into the holiday spirit as soon as Halloween ends but this year I kinda did, unfortunately I think the election results killed a majority of that for a moment. I've been soooo depressed over that like I can't believe he won the popular vote, how??!!! a convicted felon??!! took me back to 2016 election night which was absolutely awful but the future looks very grim

and yeah omg if I told you some of the sweet things he said to me this week, you'd swoon. also I'm so thankful he shares the same political beliefs

but aw yeah 15 years is a lot of time so I can imagine that even if it wasn't unexpected it's still hard. my childhood dog was going on 12 and he was sick the last week so it wasn't unexpected and we knew he was sick but it went by so fast and it still hurts to think about it

- 🍓

SORRY I DIDNT SEE THIS I hate tumblr sometimes

No bc the past few weeks have TAKEN me out... Liam passing, my dog passing, the election😭 I'm just happy I'm still standing!

Ive been on a one direction KICK since Liam's passing 😭 I forgot how good some of the songs were and I was kinda shocked I still remembered all the lyrics! Then me and my childhood bestie went to see one direction this is us together in theaters! It was rlly fun to be honest

I'm not happy you're depressed over the election but I'm just happy I'm not alone in this. I think the day after Election Day I texted every woman in my life just telling them how much they mean to me. I honestly just sat and cried all day 😭

I'm sorry about your dog :( with the holidays coming up I didn't realize just how much I'd miss him. But we'll get through this together! ❤️

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ialwaysknewyouwerepunk · 3 years ago

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Hi! Sorry in advance that this is a bit of a long question! I’m fairly new to Larry (I fell down the rabbit hole a few months ago and am now hopelessly invested), but I’ve been reading everything I can to piece the story together myself. A lot of the established Larries I’ve seen have been pretty staunch to their belief that HL have been together beginning to end, but when I listen to the solo albums (Walls especially), I can’t help but feel there is a pretty conspicuous theme of splitting apart

and coming back together again: there’s “should’ve never let you go,” “I cut you off,” “I know you said that you'd give me another chance… mentally you were already out the door,” “I *was* better with you,” and “the day you walked away and took the higher ground,” from Walls, and also lines like “I know that you're tryna be friends” in Fine Line. These lines feel to me like they imply not just a rough patch, but an actual split. Not only that, but there is the video of Harry saying he wrote Two Ghosts “the first time he broke up with me” (unless this has been debunked and I totally missed it?) I’ve read your lyric analyses (which are incredible by the way, and I may have had a small emotional breakdown the other night while reading them — ESNY hits hard), and while it seems like you agree that these lyrics may allude to some kind of break happening, I’m really curious about what might have happened (and when it may have happened, if there was a breakup). To be clear, I firmly believe they are together now and whether or not they broke up doesn’t impact how I feel about them or their relationship, but I really don’t want to be the person that romanticizes their relationship and I *especially* don’t want to be the person that glosses over things just because they are painful or I don’t understand them, and the fact that a breakup really doesn’t fit in the timeline despite the above just keeps nudging me in the brain (hopefully that makes sense?). I’m really sorry if you’ve answered this question before and I didn’t see it or if I’m misinterpreting your analysis!! And thank you for all of the work you've put into your blog!

hello, kind anon! yeah this is one of those subjects that divides the fandom, ig, which is probably why you're having trouble finding answers. some ppl are adamant that they never broke up, others think they were apart for years, and yeah, i mean, we know nothing for sure, so either of those options could be true.

as is very clear from my blog, i love to base a lot of my convictions i have of them on their music. the stuff they themselves have written and put out, which contains so much truth maybe under a few veils of symbolism but we can work through those can't we. to give a quick answer to your question: i really don't have a firm idea of when a split might have happened.

and then i'll let myself loose a little and speculate, based on my obsessive reading of their music, some timelines here and there and my constant mulling over of anything they have ever done. their music, and then especially hs1, tells the story of a deep-rooted relationship suddenly going through changes in a way that has its members lose their footing (to put it super bluntly). my general idea about this is that they started having issues as soon as 1d ended, bc of the abrupt context shift, and them suddenly being forced to find a way through daily life without that dependence on the band's schedule. i don't mean their relationship was held together by the band, but i suspect that at some point they might have feared that. they lost sight of who they were supposed to be and it fucked with their brains. bad.

hs1 definitely mentions distance and separation, "you" being shut off, not calling, etc. so, to set my time frame super wide bc i genuinely don't have an idea, i'd say their main issues were very very active during the writing process of hs1 (which started pretty much after 1d). i do believe that h and l were in contact on and off throughout their break(s), though. their songs mention them taking time apart, and h waiting for l to be open, but there is always that baseline of being in touch, thinking about each other, loving one another okok ella don't get sappy yet save it for the end. and i also believe louis was there in jamaica for a brief period of time, while harry was making hs1. i don't mean everything was fixed by then, but they were def v happy at that point in time.

throughout the years, i think more of these ups and downs have happened, until hs1 finally got its reply in walls. louis took a while - and ofc walls was also written over the course of many years so i'm seeing this time frame very wide too - to come out into the hallway. hs1 has harry realising, slowly, what's wrong, and figuring out he needs to work on himself in order for the relationship to work, just like "you" has to. and he's just also sad about being lonely ofc, waiting for the other to come around. and then in walls, louis tells the story of an internal struggle he had to overcome to finally see what was in front of him, to finally be able to apologize and love properly. fine line, in my mind, fits in after this timeline, especially bc louis has made it clear that so much of walls was written long before its release, and simply bc the storyline makes most sense to me that harry is recounting their life after overcoming those major personal and relationship issues. by this i don't mean all of their problems are solved ofc bc in fine line there's still struggle but it's more on a personal level for harry and yk what i mean.

sooooo what's my conclusion. my view is that they struggled a LOT after 1d until hs1, then struggled some more but started talking, started working shit out properly, and during their semi-simultaneous polishing of fine line and walls, they reached that point where they could convincingly say they made it. fine line is just so full of gleeful, sappy love and walls is full of confidence and faith in their foundation as well as their future. bc hs1 still had that foundation, which we can hear the loudest in sweet creature - meaning they never gave up on each other - but in fine line the ecstasy of that love thriving is sung from the rooftops. and walls tells that entire story, to be honest. the struggle, the tenderness, the limitless dedication.

i hope this is.... somewhat of an okay answer that stills the mill of your mind trying to figure it out. i know this isn't really a straightforward answer, but i don't have one for myself either, and i've found i don't want one either. bc at the end of the day it doesn't matter, yk! they always loved each other, no matter what, and now they made it

#kind anon #discourse #pls if you don't agree w this that's totally okay #i will never argue about it in favor of one interpretation #also anon tysm!!!! you're so nice and thank you for being so considerate and nuanced in your wording #and for reading my posts :') <3

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skepticalarrie · 3 years ago

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Hi Allie!

I am a newer fan of the boys. I came across your blog and have fallen down the Larry rabbit hole. I was curious about the fandoms overall reaction to certain stunts and your thoughts. It seems to me (again I am new so maybe I am missing something or not reading through the right things so feel free to correct me) that the fandom seems more forgiving or less frustrated with certain stunts in particular with those associated with Harry. From what I can see, stunts like Haylor and Haroline seem to anger the fandom in general less than say Hamille and Holivia (all of these couples names make me laugh sometime). Wondering if you think this is true and/or if you have seen any takes on why this might be? Thinking it might be just because those stunts were so long ago and these other two are more recent. You don't have to answer this but I am just trying to sort through everything and you seem like someone who is knowledgeable about all of this and have given a lot of thought to the fandom dynamics and just Harry/Louis in general. Take care!

Hi anon, welcome to the fandom 🥰

It’s hard to talk for other people, or about larries in general.. there are all kinds of people here. But based on the people I follow, I agree and disagree at the same time lol

IMO some of Harry’s stunts are less revolting, because most of them happened as simple PR relationships for publicity and not necessarily to hide his sexuality (although it obviously works that way too. Like Holivia, for the movie, or all the girlfriends he had every time 1D would release a album. Besides that, all of them lasted just a few months, Hamille and Holivia are the ones who lasted longer, and Holivia doesn’t seem anywhere near the end so we’re definitely hitting the one year mark pretty soon. Plus they’re both more recent and the only ones on his solo career, so I think that you’re right about that, some people didn’t even live through the other ones. But I must say that the most hated one after Holivia is probably Haylor, it was awful and it’s still awful to this day. I wasn’t even around when it happened but it’s the worst for me. Haige is also a very hated stunt. Hamille was kind easy I guess?! She is was annoying but nowhere near Holivia and Haylor.

As for Louis’ stunts, it’s more frustrating because 1) Elounor and babygate, they’re both long-term stunts. We’re all exhausted. 2) those are completely different kind of stunts, although babygate was used a lot for publicity as well, I personally think both of them are basically there for punishment and to conceal the true about his sexuality. I mean, come on, although Elounor is a very low maintenance stunt and I couldn’t be less bothered about it, Eleanor is only there as a beard. And I don’t think I even need to mention the absurd babygate is….

#ask #stunts

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dailytomlinson · 5 years ago

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A bathroom figures significantly in the origin stories of at least two classic One Direction songs. The first will be familiar to any fan: Songwriter and producer Savan Kotecha was sitting on the toilet in a London hotel room, when he heard his wife say, “I feel so ugly today.” The words that popped into his head would shape the chorus of One Direction’s unforgettable 2011 debut, “What Makes You Beautiful.”

The second takes place a few years later. Another hotel room in England — this one in Manchester — where songwriters and producers Julian Bunetta and John Ryan were throwing back Cucumber Collins cocktails and tinkering with a beat. Liam Payne was there, too. At one point, Liam got up to use the bathroom and when he re-emerged, he was singing a melody. They taped it immediately. Most of it was mumbled — a temporary placeholder — but there was one phrase: “Better than words…” A few hours later, on the bus to another city, another show — Bunetta and Ryan can’t remember where — Payne asked, maybe having a laugh, what if the rest of the song was just lyrics from other songs?

“Songs in general, you’re just sort of waiting for an idea to bonk you on the head,” Ryan says from a Los Angeles studio with Bunetta. “And if you’re sort of winking at it, laughing at it — we were probably joking, what if [the next line was] ‘More than a feeling’? Well, that would actually be tight!”

“Better Than Words,” closed One Direction’s third album, Midnight Memories. It was never a single, but became a fan-favorite live show staple. It’s a mid-tempo headbanger that captures the essence of what One Direction is, and always was: One of the great rock and roll bands of the 21st century.

July 23rd marks One Direction’s 10th anniversary, the day Simon Cowell told Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson that they would progress on The X Factor as a group. Between that date and their last live performance (so far, one can hope) on December 31st, 2015, they released five albums, toured the world four times — twice playing stadiums — and left a trove of Top 10 hits for a devoted global fan base that came to life at the moment social media was re-defining the contours of fandom.

It’d been a decade since the heyday of ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys, and the churn of generations demanded a new boy band. One Direction’s songs were great and their charisma and chemistry undeniable, but what made them stick was a sound unlike anything else in pop — rooted in guitar rock at a time when that couldn’t have been more passé.

Kotecha, who met 1D on The X Factor and shepherded them through their first few years, is a devoted student of boy band history. He first witnessed their power back in the Eighties when New Kids on the Block helped his older sister through her teens. The common thread linking all great boy bands, from New Kids to BSB, he says, is, “When they’d break, they’d come out of nowhere, sounding like nothing that’s on the radio.”

In 2010, Kotecha remembers, “everybody was doing this sort of Rihanna dance pop.” But that just wasn’t a sound One Direction could pull off (the Wanted only did it once); and famously, they didn’t even dance. Instead, the reference points for 1D went all the way back to the source of contemporary boy bands.

“Me and Simon would talk about how [One Direction] was Beatles-esque, Monkees-esque,” Kotecha continues. “They had such big personalities. I felt like a kid again when I was around them. And I felt like the only music you could really do that with is fun, pop-y guitar songs. It would come out of left field and become something owned by the fans.”

“The guitar riff had to be so simple that my friend’s 15-year-old daughter could play it and put a cover to YouTube,” says Carl Falk

To craft that sound on 1D’s first two albums, Up All Night and Take Me Home, Kotecha worked mostly with Swedish songwriters-producers Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub. They’d all studied at the Max Martin/Cheiron Studios school of pop craftsmanship, and Falk says they were confident they could crack the boy band code once more with songs that recalled BSB and ‘N Sync, but replaced the dated synths and pianos with guitars.

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The greatest thing popular music can do is make someone else think, “I can do that,” and One Direction’s music was designed with that intent. “The guitar riff had to be so simple that my friend’s 15-year-old daughter could play it and put a cover to YouTube,” Falk says. “If you listen to ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ or ‘One Thing,’ they have two-finger guitar riffs that everyone who can play a bit of guitar can learn. That was all on purpose.”

One Direction famously finished third on The X Factor, but Cowell immediately signed them to his label, Syco Music. They’d gone through one round of artist development boot camp on the show, and another followed on an X Factor live tour in spring 2011. They’d developed an onstage confidence, but the studio presented a new challenge. “We had to create who should do what in One Direction,” Falk says. To solve the puzzle the band’s five voices presented, they chose the kitchen sink method and everyone tried everything.

“They were searching for themselves,” Falk adds. “It was like, Harry, let’s just record him; he’s not afraid of anything. Liam’s the perfect song starter, and then you put Zayn on top with this high falsetto. Louis found his voice when we did ‘Change Your Mind.’ It was a long trial for everyone to find their strengths and weaknesses, but that was also the fun part.” Falk also gave Niall some of his first real guitar lessons; there’s video of them performing “One Thing” together, still blessedly up on YouTube.

“What Makes You Beautiful” was released September 11th, 2011 in the U.K. and debuted at Number One on the singles chart there — though the video had dropped a month prior. While One Direction’s immediate success in the U.K. and other parts of Europe wasn’t guaranteed, the home field odds were favorable. European markets have historically been kinder to boy bands than the U.S.; ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys found huge success abroad before they conquered home. To that end, neither Kotecha nor Falk were sure 1D would break in the U.S. Falk even says of conceiving the band’s sound, “We didn’t want it to sound too American, because this was not meant — for us, at least — to work in America. This was gonna work in the U.K. and maybe outside the U.K.”

Stoking anticipation for “What Makes You Beautiful” by releasing the video on YouTube before the single dropped, preceded the strategy Columbia Records (the band’s U.S. label) adopted for Up All Night. Between its November 2011 arrival in the U.K. and its U.S. release in March 2012, Columbia eschewed traditional radio strategies and built hype on social media. One Direction had been extremely online since their X Factor days, engaging with fans and spending their downtime making silly videos to share. One goofy tune, made with Kotecha, called “Vas Happenin’ Boys?” was an early viral hit.

“They instinctively had this — and it might just be a generational thing — they just knew how to speak to their fans,” Kotecha says. “And they did that by being themselves. That was a unique thing about these boys: When the cameras turned on, they didn’t change who they were.”

Social media was flooded with One Direction contests and petitions to bring the band to fans’ towns. Radio stations were inundated with calls to play “What Makes You Beautiful” long before it was even available. When it did finally arrive, Kotecha (who was in Sweden at the time) remembers staying up all night to watch it climb the iTunes chart with each refresh.

Take Me Home, was recorded primarily in Stockholm and London during and after their first world tour. The success of Up All Night had attracted an array of top songwriting talent — Ed Sheeran even penned two hopeless romantic sad lad tunes, “Little Things” and “Over Again” — but Kotecha, Falk and Yacoub grabbed the reins, collaborating on six of the album’s 13 tracks. In charting their course, Kotecha returned to his boy band history: “My theory was, you give them a similar sound on album two, and album three is when you start moving on.”

Still, there was the inherent pressure of the second album to contend with. The label wanted a “What Makes You Beautiful, Part 2,” and evidence that the 1D phenomenon wasn’t slowing down appeared outside the window of the Stockholm studio: so many fans, the street had to be shut down. Kotecha even remembers seeing police officers with missing person photos, combing through the girls camped outside, looking for teens to return to their parents.

At this pivotal moment, One Direction made it clear that they wanted a greater say in their artistic future. Kotecha admits he was wary at first, but the band was determined. To help manage the workload, Kotecha had brought in two young songwriters, Kristoffer Fogelmark and Albin Nedler, who’d arrived with a handful of ideas, including a chorus for a booming power ballad called “Last First Kiss.”

“We thought, while we’re busy recording vocals, whoever’s not busy can go write songs with these two guys, and then we’ll help shape them as much as we can,” Kotecha says. “And to our pleasant surprise, the songs were pretty damn good.”

At this pivotal moment, too, songwriters Julian Bunetta and John Ryan also met the band. Friends from the Berklee College of Music, Bunetta and Ryan had moved out to L.A. and cut a few tracks, but still had no hits to their name. They entered the Syco orbit after scoring work on the U.S. version of The X Factor, and were asked if they wanted to try writing a song for Take Me Home. “I was like, yeah definitely,” Bunetta says. “They sold five million albums? Hell yeah, I want to make some money.”

Working with Jamie Scott, who’d written two songs on Up All Night (“More Than This” and “Stole My Heart”), Bunetta and Ryan wrote “C’mon, C’mon” — a blinding hit of young love that rips down a dance pop speedway through a comically oversized wall of Marshall stacks. It earned them a trip to London. Bunetta admits to thinking the whole 1D thing was “a quick little fad” ahead of their first meeting with the band, but their charms were overwhelming. Everyone hit it off immediately.

“Niall showed me his ass,” Bunetta remembers of the day they recorded, “They Don’t Know About Us,” one of five songs they produced for Take Me Home (two are on the deluxe edition). “The first vocal take, he went in to sing, did a take, I was looking down at the computer screen and was like, ‘On this line, can you sing it this way?’ And I looked over and he was mooning me. I was like, ‘I love this guy!’”

Take Me Home dropped November 9th, just nine days short of Up All Night’s first anniversary. With only seven weeks left in 2012, it became the fourth best-selling album of the year globally, moving 4.4 million copies, per the IFPI; it fell short of Adele’s 21, Taylor Swift’s Red and 1D’s own Up All Night, which had several extra months to sell 4.5 million copies.

Kotecha, Falk and Yacoub’s tracks anchored the album. Songs like “Kiss You,” “Heart Attack” and “Live While We’re Young” were pristine pop rock that One Direction delivered with full delirium, vulnerability and possibility — the essence of the teen — in voices increasingly capable of navigating all the little nuances of that spectrum. And the songs 1D helped write (“Last First Kiss,” “Back for You” and “Summer Love��) remain among the LP’s best.

“You saw that they caught the bug and were really good at it,” Kotecha says of their songwriting. “And moving forward, you got the impression that that was the way for them.”

Like clockwork, the wheels began to churn for album three right after Take Me Home dropped. But unlike those first two records, carving out dedicated studio time for LP3 was going to be difficult — on February 23rd, 2013, One Direction would launch a world tour in London, the first of 123 concerts they’d play that year. They’d have to write and record on the road, and for Kotecha and Falk — both of whom had just had kids — that just wasn’t possible.

But it was also time for a creative shift. Even Kotecha knew that from his boy band history: album three is, after all, when you start moving on. One Direction was ready, too. Kotecha credits Louis, the oldest member of the group, for “shepherding them into adulthood, away from the very pop-y stuff of the first two albums. He was leading the charge to make sure that they had a more mature sound. And at the time, being in it, it was a little difficult for me, Rami and Carl to grasp — but hindsight, that was the right thing to do.”

“For three years, this was our schedule,” Bunetta says. “We did X Factor October, November, December. Took off January. February, flew to London. We’d gather ideas with the band, come up with sounds, hang out. Then back to L.A. for March, produce some stuff, then go out on the road with them in April. Get vocals, write a song or two, come back for May, work on the vocals, and produce the songs we wrote on the road. Back to London in June-ish. Back here for July, produce it up. Go back on tour in August, get last bits of vocals, mix in September, back to X Factor in October, album out in November, January off, start it all over again.”

That cycle began in early 2013 when Bunetta and Ryan flew to London for a session that lasted just over a week, but yielded the bulk of Midnight Memories. With songwriters Jamie Scott, Wayne Hector and Ed Drewett they wrote “Best Song Ever” and “You and I,” and, with One Direction, “Diana” and “Midnight Memories.” Bunetta and Ryan’s initial rapport with the band strengthened — they were a few years older, but as Bunetta jokes, “We act like we’re 19 all the time anyway.” Years ago, Bunetta posted an audio clip documenting the creation of “Midnight Memories” — the place-holder chorus was a full-throated, perfectly harmonized, “I love KFC!”

For the most part, Bunetta, Ryan and 1D doubled down on the rock sound their predecessors had forged, but there was one outlier from that week. A stunning bit of post-Mumford festival folk buoyed by a new kind of lyrical and vocal maturity called “Story of My Life.”

“This was a make or break moment for them,” Bunetta says. “They needed to grow up, or they were gonna go away — and they wanted to grow up. To get to the level they got to, you need more than just your fan base. That song extended far beyond their fan base and made people really pay attention.”

Production on Midnight Memories continued on the road, where, like so many bands before them, One Direction unlocked a new dimension to their music. Tour engineer Alex Oriet made it possible, Ryan says, building makeshift vocal booths in hotel rooms by flipping beds up against the walls. Writing and recording was crammed in whenever — 20 minutes before a show, or right after another two-hour performance.

“It preserved the excitement of the moment,” Bunetta says. “We were just there, doing it, marinating in it at all times. You’re capturing moments instead of trying to recreate them. A lot of times we’d write a song, sing it in the hotel, produce it, then fly back out to have them re-sing it — and so many times the demo vocals were better. They hadn’t memorized it yet. They were still in the mood. There was a performance there that you couldn’t recreate.”

Midnight Memories arrived, per usual, in November 2013. And, per usual, it was a smash. The following year, 1D brought their songs to the environment they always deserved — stadiums around the world — and amid the biggest shows of their career, they worked on their aptly-titled fourth album Four. The 123 concerts 1D had played the year before had strengthened their combined vocal prowess in a way that opened up an array of new possibilities.

“We could use their voices on Four to make something sound more exciting and bigger, rather than having to add too many guitars, synths or drums,” Ryan says.

“They were so much more dynamic and subtle, too,” Bunetta adds. “I don’t think they could’ve pulled off a song like ‘Night Changes’ two albums prior; or the nuance to sing soft and emotionally on ‘Fireproof.’ It takes a lot of experience to deliver a restrained vocal that way.”

“A lot of the songs were double,” Bunetta says, “like somebody might be singing about their girlfriend, but there was another meaning that applied to the group as well.”

Musically, Four was 1D’s most expansive album yet — from the sky-high piano rock of “Steal My Girl” to the tender, tasteful groove of “Fireproof” — and it had the emotional range to match. Now in their early twenties, songs like “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” “No Control,” “Fool’s Gold” and “Clouds” redrew the dramas and euphorias of adolescence with the new weight, wit and wanton winks of impending adulthood. One Direction wasn’t growing up normally in any sense of the word, but they were becoming songwriters capable of drawing out the most relatable elements from their extraordinary circumstances — like on “Change Your Ticket,” where the turbulent love affairs of young jet-setters are distilled to the universal pang of a long goodbye. There were real relationships inspiring these stories, but now that One Direction was four years into being the biggest band on the planet, it was natural that the relationships within the band would make it into the music as well.

“I think that on Four,” Bunetta says with a slight pause, “there were some tensions going on. A lot of the songs were double — like somebody might be singing about their girlfriend, but there was another meaning that applied to the group as well.”

He continues: “It’s tough going through that age, having to spread your wings with so many eyeballs on you, so much money and no break. It was tough for them to carve out their individual manhood, space and point of view, while learning how to communicate with each other. Even more than relationship things that were going on, that was the bigger blanket that was in there every day, seeping into the songs.”

Bunetta remembers Zayn playing him “Pillowtalk” and a few other songs for the first time through a three a.m. fog of cigarette smoke in a hotel room in Japan.

“Fucking amazing,” he says. “They were fucking awesome. I know creatively he wasn’t getting what he needed from the way that the albums were being made on the road. He wanted to lock himself in the studio and take his time, be methodical. And that just wasn’t possible.”

A month or so later, and 16 shows into One Direction’s “On the Road Again” tour, Zayn left the band. Bunetta and Ryan agree it wasn’t out of the blue: “He was frustrated and wanted to do things outside of the band,” Bunetta says. “It’s a lot for a young kid, all those shows. We’d been with them for a bunch of years at this point — it was a matter of when. You just hoped that it would wait until the last album.”

Still, Bunetta compares the loss to having a finger lopped off, and he acknowledges that Harry, Niall, Liam and Louis struggled to find their bearings as One Direction continued with their stadium tour and next album, Made in the A.M. Just as band tensions bubbled beneath the songs on Four, Zayn’s departure left an imprint on Made in the A.M. Not with any overt malice, but a song like “Drag Me Down,” Bunetta says, reflects the effort to bounce back. Even Niall pushing his voice to the limits of his range on that song wouldn’t have been necessary if Zayn and his trusty falsetto were available.

But Made in the A.M. wasn’t beholden to this shake-up. Bunetta and Ryan cite “Olivia” as a defining track, one that captures just how far One Direction had come as songwriters: They’d written it in 45 minutes, after wasting a whole day trying to write something far worse.

“When you start as a songwriter, you write a bunch of shitty songs, you get better and you keep getting better,” Ryan says. “But then you can get finicky and you’re like, ‘Maybe I have to get smart with this lyric.’ By Made in the A.M. … they were coming into their own in the sense of picking up a guitar, messing around and feeling something, rather than being like, ‘How do I put this puzzle together?’”

After Zayn’s departure, Bunetta and Ryan said it became clear that Made in the A.M. would be One Direction’s last album before some break of indeterminate length. The album boasts the palpable tug of the end, but to One Direction’s credit, that finality is balanced by a strong sense of forever. It’s literally the last sentiment they leave their fans on album-closer “History,” singing, “Baby don’t you know, baby don’t you know/We can live forever.”

In a way, Made in the A.M. is about One Direction as an entity. Not one that belonged to the group, but to everyone they spent five years making music for. Four years since their hiatus and 10 years since their formation, the fans remain One Direction’s defining legacy. Even as all five members have settled into solo careers, Ryan notes that baseless rumors of any kind of reunion — even a meager Zoom call — can still set the internet on fire. The old songs remain potent, too: Carl Falk says his nine-year-old son has taken to making TikToks to 1D tracks.

“Most of them weren’t necessarily musicians before this happened, but they loved music, and they found a love of creating, writing and playing,” Kotecha says

There are plenty of metrics to quantify One Direction’s reach, success and influence. The hard numbers — album sales and concert stubs — are staggering on their own, but the ineffable is always more fun. One Direction was such a good band that a fan, half-jokingly, but then kinda seriously, started a GoFundMe to buy out their contract and grant them full artistic freedom. One Direction was such a good band that songwriters like Kotecha and Falk — who would go on to make hits with Ariana Grande, the Weeknd and Nicki Minaj — still think about the songs they could’ve made with them. One Direction was such a good band that Mitski covered “Fireproof.”

But maybe it all comes down to the most ineffable thing of all: Chance. Kotecha compares success on talent shows like The X Factor to waking up one morning and being super cut — but now, to keep that figure, you have to work out at a 10, without having done the gradual work to reach that level. That’s the downfall for so many acts, but One Direction was not only able, but willing, to put in the work.

“They’re one of the only acts from those types of shows that managed to do it for such a long time,” Kotecha says. “Five years is a long time for a massive pop star to go nonstop. I know it was tiring, but they were fantastic sports about it. They appreciated and understood the opportunity they had — and, as you can see, they haven’t really stopped since. Most of them weren’t necessarily musicians before this happened, but they loved music, and they found a love of creating, writing and playing. To have these boys — that had been sort of randomly picked — to also have that? It will never be repeated.”

#rolling stone #ROLLING STONE SAID ROCK BAN SO ITS A ROCK B AND PERIDOT #220720 #10years1d #one direction

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stylesnews · 5 years ago

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“The guitar riff had to be so simple that my friend’s 15-year-old daughter could play it and put a cover to YouTube,” says Carl Falk

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Working with Jamie Scott, who’d written two songs on Up All Night (“More Than This” and ��Stole My Heart”), Bunetta and Ryan wrote “C’mon, C’mon” — a blinding hit of young love that rips down a dance pop speedway through a comically oversized wall of Marshall stacks. It earned them a trip to London. Bunetta admits to thinking the whole 1D thing was “a quick little fad” ahead of their first meeting with the band, but their charms were overwhelming. Everyone hit it off immediately.

“You saw that they caught the bug and were really good at it,” Kotecha says of their songwriting. “And moving forward, you got the impression that that was the way for them.”

“We could use their voices on Four to make something sound more exciting and bigger, rather than having to add too many guitars, synths or drums,” Ryan says.

“A lot of the songs were double,” Bunetta says, “like somebody might be singing about their girlfriend, but there was another meaning that applied to the group as well.”

Bunetta remembers Zayn playing him “Pillowtalk” and a few other songs for the first time through a three a.m. fog of cigarette smoke in a hotel room in Japan.

“Most of them weren’t necessarily musicians before this happened, but they loved music, and they found a love of creating, writing and playing,” Kotecha says

#rollingstone #july20 #10years1d

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babyhoney-28 · 4 years ago

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So this is me trying to type out some of the thoughts I have regarding the current stunt around Harry.

I have the feeling a lot of us are still trying to make sense of what is going on, because so much about this situation just doesn’t seem to make any sense at all. People are definitely confused and irritated and it seems like no one has really been able to make sense of it all as of yet.

What I want to start with, because it’s what’s been the hardest for me to wrap my head around, is the wedding situation. Especially the pictures showing Harry happily officiating Jeff and his wife. I don’t want to really go into the fact that holding a wedding these days, especially in a city like LA where covid cases are running over the hospitals, is extremely ignorant, inconsiderate and basically a big fuck you to everyone who is struggling because of the virus for whatever reason that may be.

I think we all felt extremely disappointed in Harry for not only attending this wedding despite the pandemic, but also officiating it. This behaviour is quite frankly very hypocritical, especially considering he put out that stay at home shirt, yet has since then not at all been acting accordingly. We all thought he knew better and would do better than this and we have every right to be upset about it.

It also was really weird to see Harry so happy next to Jeff, when most of us had the feeling, especially over the last couple of month, that Harry isn’t doing very well atm. We’ve seen the acceptance speech videos, watched the jingle balls performance and how off, exhausted and unhappy he seemed. Tbh it was and still is really concerning. We therefore have been worried and suspecting that Jeff is miss-managing Harry, trying to create an idol and image out of Harry that he himself has said multiple times he doesn’t want to be. All Harry wants to do is make music and entertain people. But here is his team, pushing him down everyone’s throat and creating fake narratives to make him more interesting, to the point where people are already getting tired of him, because they are basically creating an image for him that is just not very likeable (e.g. queerbaiter & homewrecker).

People have been quite vocal over their dislike towards Jeff, while simultaneously another part of Harry’s fandom have been aggressively defending him, those that view Jeff as Harry’s best friend (which ironically are the same people that not only shit on the other 1d boys but also on Harry’s actual familiy).

So here we were all worried about Harry, believing he was unhappy with the situation he was in because of what his team and Jeff are turning him into (which has gone as far as articles being written about it) when suddenly those pictures of Harry officiating Jeff’s wedding drop, contradicting what we were thinking, while simultaneously proving what other fans believe, that they are in fact close friends.

So this was the part that confused me the most over this whole situation. Why would Harry so happily participate in this wedding and stunt when he seemed so unhappy and had every right to be so?

Here comes the part where I might be reaching, but the more information we got about this wedding, the more sketchy and sus it became. When I first hear people suggest this whole wedding was a stunt, I thought people were reaching, but the more I think about it the more realistic I think it is. Because:

1) why was there paparazzi if this was a private wedding?

2) why did Harry bring a +1 when this was a small private wedding that took place during a pandemic. There’s really no justification for her to have been there, especially when they just started dating

3) when did this wedding take place? This weekend? In November? Because there apparently haven’t been any events at that location due to covid

4) the wedding dress situation is sus. A dress from 2018 that was most likely second hand, whatever. But the fact that it was not fitted to her at all is just very suspicious

5) They might have been married for some time according to some articles

It looks like the paparazzi were there for Harry alone, both to show that he officiated the wedding (and prove the close friendship) and be used in order to announce the relationship. The paps were called there with an intention after all, and Olivia, even if she really was Harry’s gf, had absolutely no business being there given the current circumstances and restrictions. You just don’t bring +1 to a wedding at the moment, especially not if you only just started dating them.

All of this considered, I have the feeling this entire wedding might have been faked with the function to 1) show that Harry and Jeff are close friends and 2) to announce the relationship. Faking a wedding really isn’t that hard if you think about it, all you need is a location, some people in suits and robes, a couple and a photographer. I’d say the current situation makes it even easier because everything is smaller and toned down anyways. It also isn’t that unimaginable that they would pull shit like this. Jeffs dad is allegedly worse than Simon, and we all know what Simon did to Louis. What is faking one wedding that helps dealing with two issues at once compared to baby gate? Even if said wedding took place during a pandemic (this is where I think this whole thing may have actually taken place in November when the covid situation wasn’t as bad)..

Obviously, H&O is a PR stunt. It’s so painfully obvious in fact, it’s pretty much developed into a comedy show within less than 24 hours.

Now, the question that we are all still having is why? Why pair these two, when it puts both of them in such a bad light and certainly can’t be beneficial for their careers in any way, shape or form? Why did Olivia agree to this when this compromises her professionalism? Those seem to be the main questions that people are struggling to come to find a reasonable answer for. However, if one looks back at other Hollywood scandals, this seems to fit right in there, or isn’t even half as bad as some previous scandals or gossip. Think of the Jennifer, Brad and Angelina situation or the cheating scandal around Kristen Steward for example. It’s stories like this that are eaten up by the media and the general public (especially the American audience), because it’s juicy and scandalous and something to gossip about. But in the long run, it’s probably not as career damaging as we make it out to be, since people will get tired and move on to the next drama. It will taint their reputations yes, but also bring them a lot of attention and will most likely not be as ruinous to their careers as we think.

But what could be in it for Olivia? Promo for the movie, maybe because the interest from the go wasn’t big enough yet? She might have other projects coming up that she could need the attention for.. I don’t know but she will have her reasons.

As for Harry, I think we have to admit that he has been without a stunt for much longer than we could have hoped for.. He’s been in involved in narratives just as bad before, this only earns him one more bad title (homewrecker). This stunt however certainly helps in making him even more of a household name, which is exactly what his team has been going for. Thinking further ahead, Olivia might be who future songs of his could be claimed to be about. My hope for the reason of this stunt, as it is the hope of all of us, is that something is going to change about Louis’ stunt situation soon, that baby gate might really soon come to an end and that H&O serves to prevent Larry speculation to arise.

This leaves the question of how long this stunt is going to last. It by now seems like they really are going through with this stunt, so we might have to deal with this for a while (though part of me still hopes they will pull a they are just friends and he is being there for her after her break up card)...

#harry styles #stunting #pr stunt #closeting #larry stylinson #harry styles olivia wilde

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chattegeorgiana · 4 years ago

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Hello! It's been yrs & I still feel totally disrespected by how Naruto declined after/during the Pein arc. I thinking everything including & before Jiraya's death was 👌, but after it just spiraled down like a bad fanfiction. Everyone's character suffered tremendously. Of the things I wished happened: 1) I wish Naruto made a personal mistake. He had protag protection that prevented him from his personal wrongs & flaws from having real damaging affects & consequences, like Sakura's confession. It made him a bit 1D & predictable (aside from god power ups w/ his reincarnated brother but who would have guessed that...). His personal growth felt lacking bc the story didnt show the flaws in his personality as real consequential flaws. 2) GOD I WISH OROCHIMARU RETURNED AS/REMAINED THE MAIN VILLIAN. Orochimaru was absolute top tier antagonist & was genuinely terrifying & unsettling. And, most importantly, he was bad almost just for the sake of being bad. They didnt try to soften him to the audience with an overtly tragic backstory (not that a tragic backstory SHOULD redeem his honestly autrocious crimes, esp in a shinobi world where tragic backstories are as common as weeds) & I just really, really appreciated that.

Ooh there's something else I rlly miss: 3) Intelligence in battles. Genin!Sakura & Shikamaru fights were my favorite to watch, even in filler movies, bc they utilized much more clever thinking. The Sasori fight was a great balance between intelligence & action & we see it again...never? I'm bitter about the missed genjutsu too but moreso what happened to my girl who worked her way through an impossible chunin exam test filled with college level questions requiring critical thinking, understanding & application of theorums, & proofs? & Even tho they were just filled movies from SP of all ppl, where's the girl who thought to lure a wolf beast woman to a natural (?) applifier so that her howl would cause the pillars to collapse on herself in Stone of Genele? And where's the girl who took a few seconds to calculate the flight pattern of an enemy snow ninja to such precision it was like she had clairvoyance in Clash in the Land of Snow? I KNOW studying medicine is HARD, those 7-12 of school required to be a medical practitioner are no joke. We know Sakura is intelligent, I wish we saw that intelligence & clever thinking used more often in a combative situation. Not just with Sakura fights, but in general. (2)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wholeheartedly agree with what you said! The only good thing about Naruto after the Pein arc is his mother’s arc. After that?

It’s sprinkled with good moments here and there, but the plot overall and its mechanics? An absolute mess! It defies its own logic and it becomes more fantasy than fantasy itself.

One thing that the story did wrong is like I said, being too fantasy. And when you’re writing a fantasy story, in order to not overbear the reader is recommended to add realism into it.

And that’s why Naruto was so successful back in part 1.

Because despite the fantasy lore he was built into, it brought a lot of realistic elements into it. Like you said, in Sakura and Shikamaru’s battles we had peak display of what truly meant to be a ninja: a combination of brains, techniques and body capabilities.

All those things went down the drain after the Pein arc and that’s where the story fell flat, sadly... And it’s a shame because it was what drew us all into it back in part 1.

The fact that even if they lived in a fantasy world, we had elements of realism that we could connect to. We had mechanics that made sense and functioned within the established rule, not outside them.

And about Orochimaru, OH MY GOD YES! For me he was the epitome of villain. I don’t see Pein as a villain, more like a political antagonist. But Orochimaru?

Orochimaru was pure evil and that is what I loved most about his character. Because in the real world that’s what happens with some people too: they are pure evil. They don’t care.

I get that Kishimoto wanted to explore the path that gets some people evil but like you said, at some point that shouldn’t even care. A sobbing story shouldn’t excuse your actions though?

And that’s a major problem this story had: accountability. It lacked a great deal in this department and gave people motives to excuse every shitty action of every villain. And that’s not ok.

We could’ve had medicine being explored from both povs: that of a mad scientist like Orochimaru and that of a normal doctor like Tsunade & Sakura.

But sadly we also missed that opportunity. We also missed the opportunity to see WHY it’s so hard to train a medical ninjas. Imagine the mechanics we could’ve had there.

The story just tells it to us, but never really shows it. Which is so sad.

But yeah, like I said, I wholeheartedly agree with you 100%. I think this is a subject we could talk for eternity lol.

But at the end of the day, they did it the way they did so eh, what can we do?

#naruto

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jamilelucato · 5 years ago

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Stay — George Weasley

Pairing: George Weasley x Gryffindor!reader

Requested: yes

hello hehe, i saw ur recent post and can i request a hufflepuff/gryffindor reader? idk but completely uty, also! for song recommendations idk if youre a fan but maybe change my mind or 18 or once in a lifetime by one direction? ahh hope this helps

Summary: (based in Change My Mind, by 1D) y/N is Gryffindor student sad because she’s no longer a first year, but the Weasley twins promised to help her feel like every day is better than the last — and with George by her side, she thinks it’ working.

A/N: Not one of my favs because I just didn’t know how to end? I guess I’m just really bad at writing short fics lol

Words: 2.435

It's funny remembering when you were one of the first years, walking in Hogwarts surprised and excited, staring at every detail and corner, anxious to walk around and discover new things.

But now, as a sixth year, things were slightly different. Firstly, nothing was a surprise — in fact, thanks to Fred and George Weasley, you knew every corner of the castle. Secondly, because you were starting to get sad. You'd soon be leaving, and you loved the school too much to think about a day you wouldn't come back to Hogwarts.

You were watching the kids get sorted — two had already been selected to Gryffindor, and your table was cheering still — when George poked you.

"What's wrong?" he asked, in a low voice.

His eyes were sparkling joyfully, but he seemed worried about you. You shrugged.

"Can you believe that just six years ago, those kids were us?" you said, looking at the new Gryffindor boy, who was happy with his house, "And next year will be our last?"

George proceeded careful, noticing that it was a delicate matter to you.

"Don't think of it like that. We still have a lot to enjoy — it's only the first day of two long years to come," he pointed out with a sympathetic smile. "Stick around Fred and me, I'm sure we'll make every minute an adventure."

His lasts words made you smile. Those boys were generally trouble, but you would give anything to spend more time around them, especially George.

He had no idea of your crush, of course, because you would never gather courage for that. You liked the way you were; close friends to hang around and make jokes. You didn't want to ruin it for a thing you were sure was not mutual.

"Thanks, George," you sighed, giving in. "Do invite me to your messing around," you continued but regretted at the same time.

What were you thinking? That sounded incredibly odd!

"Yours and Fred's pranks, I mean," you quickly added, hoping to have fixed it.

He didn't seem to care, giggling even at your embarrassment.

"Sure, y/N, I'll be in touch."

***

You were thankful for having a friend in Ravenclaw. Anna was a short girl, with freckles all around her face, but she had an extra cute accent. She became your friend after being paired with you to the Transfiguration's classes, and seeing how untalented you were for that class, she offered to help you — in that way, your duo would never be behind.

You two were currently in the Library, going over the last thing Professor McGonagall had taught. We were actually doing well with those lessons, and even Anna was surprised.

"I think my help might be working," she commented, smiling.

Anna had left, she had some things to do, but you stayed in the Library, rereading everything she had helped you study, in hopes to stick the content in your mind.

Fred and George Weasley walked in, with confident smiles. They looked around, and you waited in silence, pretending not to be interested.

George did stick to his promise — every time he and his brother planned some mischief, they asked you to tag along, and you did, happily.

You had lost count of how many pranks you helped them with, but the funniest was, no doubt when they Engorgio Professor Flitwick —he was about to start the class; there wasn't a student that didn't start laughing.

You weren't surprised when they took a turn to your direction. Fred sat at your side and George in front of you, gazing at your eyes.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, gentlemen?" you asked, faking an accent you did not have.

"We need your assistance, ma'am," said Fred, his voice a pitch higher than his brother had become recognizable for you over the years.

"For, so, we have a problem," George continued, copying your fake accent, "and we heard around these parts that you are the one they say is good with the Potions."

You raised your brows, letting your lips shape a smirk.

"I might be able to help you, gentlemen," you said, diverting your eyes to each of the twins, "but I will need to be convinced I will be saved by your secrecy."

"We will make sure thou, miss, are protected," George responded, smirking too.

Fred sighed, giving up the play.

"Ok, ok, now that we have your 'yes'," he said, in a rush looking around to see if anyone could hear you, "we need to start as soon as possible."

The older twin got up, and, with the help of George, they packed all of your spellbooks that were over the table. Fred took the ones that were from the Library and walked to return them to their places, leaving you and George alone for a while.

George took your backpack, throwing it over his shoulder, and he pressed his lips together, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't know if he should.

"What have you guys planned?" you asked. You couldn't stay in silence around George, it made you too nervous.

"Fred wants to prank Malfoy," he said, shrugging, "then we are heading to the kitchen to get some food for Harry."

You stared at him, confused with what Harry Potter had to do with it.

"He had an excellent score at the first task of Triwizard Tournament, remember?"

You looked at him, squeezing your lips together while you shrugged.

"You stayed in during the task?" he asked, losing his smile.

"I had to study," you replied, not really caring about missing the spectacle.

"No, you didn't!" he raised his voice, seeming to be angry. "I thought you were with your friends, that's why I didn't go looking for you. But now I see I should've."

"Don't be too bothered — I bet Harry was awesome, so I wouldn't have seen anything too new," you pointed out, trying to calm him down and being thankful when Fred reappeared.

"Ok, who's ready?"

***

The potion Fred and George wanted you to prepare was theoretically simple, but it would take at least two days to be ready, so they gave up on pranking Draco Malfoy that night, postponing it to when you managed to finish the potion.

George still looked bummed out for not noticing you weren't at the Triwizard Tournament first task, but he didn't scold you anymore.

The kitchen was rather quiet since the feast was over. Gryffindors were instructed by the twins to eat not much because they'd be able to do it at Harry's surprise party later.

You had a way with house-elves, they seemed to like you very much, and Fred thought it was good to have you around to get extra food.

"Stay away from these, do you hear me?" he said, pointing to some sort of candy he was dropping a liquid on top.

"Sure, chief" you giggled, scared of what magic could that be.

George still had your backpack in his back, even when you said you could carry it yourself.

You three walked in Gryffindor common room and came across a lot of students, wearing casual clothes, all possibly waiting for the party to start.

Fred took the snacks and started talking to Lee Jordan about where to organize everything, but you and George were left behind.

"I'm sorry I missed the task. I didn't know it was that important," you said, looking down, avoiding George's eyes, "I'll be there for the next one."

"You don't have to apologize — I just overreacted," he replied. "It's not up to me if you watch the Tournament or not."

"Don't worry; it's nice knowing you care," you smiled, trying to convince him you weren't mad at him.

He gave you your backpack back, and you rushed to your room to leave it there. Someone shouted Harry Potter was coming and you all stayed in silence, to surprise him.

You were next to George, sat down at one of the couches.

"SURPRISE!" someone shouted, followed by a thousand others, when Harry walked in, followed by Ron and Hermione.

That was the kick the party needed to start. Everybody started eating, talking, joking, some were playing card games by the fire. You didn't get up from the couch next to George, too scared of losing an opportunity to be next to him. But you two didn't stay there for longer. He put your names to the next round of games with cards, and after the game, you were playing judge for the twins — they wanted to see who could eat more in one minute.

"Sorry, Georgie, but Fred won," you said, checking your chronometer one more time.

George didn't look upset, but his twin looked beyond happy.

"I won! I won!" he shouted melodically.

"Maybe a glass of water?" you offered George as Fred walked away screaming.

"Thank you," George said after you gave him the glass. "maybe next time I'll beat him."

You giggled and said, "I hardly doubt that."

"You don't think I could have won?"

"Well, based on the way you were just now, no," you answered.

"You disappointed me," he pretended to be shocked, positioning his free hand over his heart as you sat down next to him. You both laughed hard.

***

The party went on until 1 a.m., but you and George were so focused on your game that you didn't even notice everyone gone.

"Are you guys staying?" Fred asked before going up the stairs.

"We have to finish the game," Geoge answered, not looking to his brother.

You looked at Fred and smiled, "He says he can win me, but that's a lie!"

It was just five minutes after Fred left that you won the match.

"I won!!" you shouted.

George looked worried at you. "People are sleeping, y/N."

"You're just mad because you are not the winner," you replied, crossing your arms.

"I let you win," he crossed his arms as well.

"HA! As if!" you shouted, rolling your eyes.

You both started laughing, so distracted at the moment that you didn't even care that it was late in the night. However, even if you had noticed it, you wouldn't have changed a thing — having George around was I you wanted, you weren't going to waste it.

"Maybe we should go," George said, getting up.

You didn't want the moment to end, so you stayed sitting on the floor, and hugged your legs.

"One more game, how about it?" you suggested, quickly thinking of a way for him to stay. "You can try to win me."

He paused, stopping close to the staircase. You couldn't tell what could be going on inside his head. Did he want to stay? Was he thinking of a polite way to say 'no'?

"Do you want me to stay?"

"Of course!" you answered without giving much thought to it.

Then it hit you. The way he asked — how his eyes gazed at yours with expectation. George wasn't just asking if you wanted to play again, he asked if you wanted him to stay. It could have sounded simple, but it was far from that — and even if he wasn't thinking between the lines, now you were, and your heart was beating so fast you thought that George had a big chance of winning, but not just the game.

He was still staring at you, but this time, he was sitting on the floor next to you. You slowly let your legs down.

"So, huh, the game..." you said, trying to diverge your eyes from his, but failing.

"The game, yes," he repeated and reached for the cards. "Aren't you tired?"

Boy, I'm more than wake! you thought but said nothing, swallowing nervously.

"Tired? A bit," you gave in, "Which is lucky for you, 'cause you might be able to win me."

"Maybe I don't want to win you," he says, as if a confession, "not in the game, at least."

You didn't know what to answer. It couldn't be real; you were going to wake up in your room. George, the George Weasley, your crush since he helped you find your class in the first year, was now showing reciprocity?

"George," you used a warning tone, "if you don't mean it, please don't continue."

"What?" you had caught him by surprise.

He was very close to you, your faces just centimetres away and you wondered, looking at him so confused, you thought perhaps you were reading too much into it.

"If you are..." you elaborated, breathing hard with his proximity, "being a prankster right now, if you don't mean what you are going to say, then just don't. Please."

He swallowed. "I'm not pranking right now if that's what you wanna know..." he replied, "unless.."

"No 'unless'. If you mean me, I'm serious. I'm always serious."

"OI! JUST KISS ALREADY!" a voice shouted from upstairs, and you thought it was probably Fred.

You and George exchanged looks, before giggling at his twin. And, catching you by surprise, George reached for your chin, pulling you closer to him. His lips met yours in what felt like an explosion — of anxiety, of desire, of passion.

George tasted just like you imagined it — sweet. But he wasn't delicate; he seemed hungry, hungry to pull you closer, to tie you in his arms, to hold you, squeeze you. You liked that passion, especially because it was something you didn't imagine George like.

His touch, all over your body, sent chills all over your spine, and you wanted more, more and more.

You didn't know how long you stayed there in the common room kissing, but you were thankful to be from the same house as him, in that way, the kiss could last more; you didn't have to rush to your house.

When you finally pulled way was because you were, officially, tired.

"Thank you," you said, pulling away.

"Thank you?" he repeated, in a mocking tone. "I should say that."

You giggled while getting up with his help.

"Same time tomorrow?" he proposed and you smiled, feeling your cheeks turn red as his hair.

You nodded your head a 'yes'.

"IT WAS ABOUT TIME!" Fred shouted again, and you started wondering if he could have watched the whole snogging session.

"Somewhere else, tho," you added, tilting your head towards the direction of Fred's voice, meaning that you didn't want him around.

"Definitely," George agreed, pulling you for just one more kiss before you went to bed.

#george weasley #Fred and George #Fred and George Weasley #fred and george imagine #george weasley x reader #george weasley x gryffindor reader #george weasley imagine #george wealsey fic #hp #hp fanfic #hp imagine #Harry Potter #gryffindor #gryffindor reader #fred weasley

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hlupdate · 5 years ago

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The second takes place a few years later: Another hotel room in England — this one in Manchester — where songwriters and producers Julian Bunetta and John Ryan were throwing back Cucumber Collins cocktails and tinkering with a beat. Liam Payne was there, too. At one point, Payne got up to use the bathroom, and when he re-emerged, he was singing a melody. They taped it immediately. Most of it was mumbled — a temporary placeholder — but there was one phrase: “Better than words …” A few hours later, on the bus to another city, another show — Bunetta and Ryan can’t remember where — Payne asked, maybe having a laugh, “What if the rest of the song was just lyrics from other songs?”

“Songs in general, you’re just sort of waiting for an idea to bonk you on the head,” Ryan says from a Los Angeles studio, with Bunetta. “And if you’re sort of winking at it, laughing at it — we were probably joking, ‘What if [the next line was] “More than a feeling”? Well, that would actually be tight!’”

“Better Than Words,” closed One Direction’s third album, Midnight Memories. It was never a single, but became a fan-favorite live-show staple. It’s a midtempo headbanger that captures the essence of what One Direction is, and always was: One of the great rock & roll bands of the 21st century.

July 23rd marks One Direction’s 10th anniversary, the day Simon Cowell told Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson that they would progress on The X Factor as a group. Between that date and their last live performance (so far, one can hope) on December 31st, 2015, they released five albums, toured the world four times — twice playing stadiums — and left a trove of Top 10 hits for a devoted global fan base that came to life at the moment social media was redefining the contours of fandom.

It’d been a decade since the heyday of ‘NSync and Backstreet Boys, and the churn of generations demanded a new boy band. One Direction’s songs were great and their charisma and chemistry undeniable, but what made them stick was a sound unlike anything else in pop — rooted in guitar rock at a time when that couldn’t have been more passé.

Kotecha, who met 1D on The X Factor and shepherded them through their first few years, is a devoted student of the history of boy bands. He first witnessed their power back in the Eighties, when New Kids on the Block helped his older sister through her teens. The common thread linking all great boy bands, from New Kids to BSB, he says, is, “When they’d break, they’d come out of nowhere, sounding like nothing that’s on the radio.”

In 2010, Kotecha remembers, “everybody was doing this sort of Rihanna dance pop.” But that just wasn’t a sound One Direction could pull off (the Wanted did it only once); and famously, they didn’t even dance. Instead, the reference points for 1D went all the way back to the source of contemporary boy bands.

“Me and Simon would talk about how [One Direction] was Beatlesque, Monkees-esque,” Kotecha continues. “They had such big personalities. I felt like a kid again when I was around them. And I felt like the only music you could really do that with is fun, poppy guitar songs. It would come out of left field and become something owned by the fans.”

To craft that sound on 1D’s first two albums, Up All Night and Take Me Home, Kotecha worked mostly with Swedish songwriters-producers Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub. They’d all studied at the Max Martin/Cheiron Studios school of pop craftsmanship, and Falk says they were confident they could crack the boy-band code once more with songs that recalled BSB and ‘NSync, but replaced the dated synths and pianos with guitars.

“You saw that they caught the bug and were really good at it,” Kotecha says of their songwriting. “And moving forward, you got the impression that that was the way for them.”

“We could use their voices on Four to make something sound more exciting and bigger, rather than having to add too many guitars, synths or drums,” Ryan says.

Bunetta remembers Zayn playing him “Pillowtalk” and a few other songs for the first time through a three a.m. fog of cigarette smoke in a hotel room in Japan.

#harry styles #louis tomlinson #one direction #1d ten #220720

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reversecreek · 4 years ago

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clicks onto the dash wearing kitten heels n coyly holding my bang....... hi. me again. it took me so long to select a gif to use on cricket’s intro n i settled on this one bc he looks so unsure abt his smile n it’s rly his essence <3 u can find his pinterest board here n his (work in progress) spotify playlist here. hmu to plot!!!

* alex wolff, cis male + he/him | you know cricket donahue, right? they’re twenty-two, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, all of their life, on and off? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to should have known better by sufjan stevens like, a million times this year, which slipping on wet leaves to photograph a tree struck alight by lightning, delivering a tedtalk to your own reflection to hype yourself up to buy groceries, hiding your hands inside of your sleeves in case you grew an impromptu megan fox thumb overnight thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is october 1st, so they’re a libra, which is unsurprising, all things considered. ( nai, 24, gmt, she/her )

HISTORY:

cricket ws born to a couple tht lived in lilac ridge. their trailer was tucked closest to the woods n always fell under the shade. it was like the leaves wanted to pretend they were a perpetual hanging cloud on the family n that was kind of fitting. their only reason fr having him in the first place was a kind of shrugged like........... we’re under the income bracket we’d get child benefits so why not! may as well try it to rake in some extra cash! needless to say they didn’t rly think it thru or anticipate all of the responsibilities tht came w children n wound up seeing him as an extremely large burden n boy didn’t he know it!

(child neglect & abuse tw) i’ll try to keep this part vague n brief but things were Not Good for cricket growing up. people in lilac ridge didn’t like his parents n it was for a gd reason. he remembers foggy things. being little n wandering around combing the grass with a stick to search for wrappers to suck on bc he was hungry. feeling uneasy when the front door opened. finding out his name was cricket bc the insects used to crawl into their trailer thru the vents n his parents liked to squish them into the carpet -- his mum told him as much once. i think this says a lot. to excessively trim the fat of the story he wound up entering the system at around 8 after his latest and most serious hospital visit. his parents hd to deal w the authorities n last he heard they bounced to evade charges.

(anxiety & violence & trauma tw) cricket sustained a few lifelong injuries from his time in lilac ridge. his knee didn’t heal right which meant he had (n still has to this day) a limp n he’s partially deaf in one ear. he’s always been an incredibly insecure n anxious person so this mde him rly self conscious going into a strange n new environment tht wld b difficult fr any kid to adjust to, nvm w these added worries. he jst felt like something weird to ogle at honestly. he probably wld have felt like that no matter where he was or what he looked like. he cld be in a huge hall of 200 people all wearing the same uniform n he’d still feel like the odd one out. needless to say this didn’t rly help him make friends

cricket’s coping mechanisms were romanticising the things tht other people found ugly or embarrassing or painfully ordinary. he liked it when the rain hit clunky drops against school windows n forbid everyone from playing outside bc he could feel the vibrations through the rubber soles of his shoes n it was a little bit like hearing all of the world at once fr just a moment. he liked medieval fantasy lore about stout gnomes w crumbs in their beards n cheeks red from ale. he liked fallen nests with the remnants of hatched eggs still dirty from the branches n soil they’d hit on the way down. he liked the way the sunlight leaked thru the leaves of the trees in the woods and how, when he sat very still, he could tune into the ringing that was always in his ear n pretend it was coming from the same place, that light thru the leaves, that the angels were trying to talk to him.

he spent a lot of time in the red room at his high skl (i’m begging u this is not a 50 shades reference) (after googling i jst realised it’s called a darkroom bt i’m leaving this fr the sake of sexy bimbo authenticity) n felt quite at home in there. he borrowed a camera whenever he cld (maybe he did yearbook) n photography became his way of immortalising the world as the romanticised version he wanted it to be. his memories were bad bt his photos were beautiful. maybe if he took enough they’d paste over n bleed into each other. maybe bad cld be replaced w beautiful if he tried his very best.

he got placed into fostering w a family once bt apparently didn’t meet the vibe check of their tastes so he wound up returning to the group home he’d initially been placed in. overall this is where he grew up n he aged out the system rather than getting adopted. there was a sense of floundering/isolation/not feeling gd enough in tht bt cricket made do the best he knew how.

that said there were some gd points! (shocking i kno bc his life hs been so fking bleak so far bt please it’s ok........) (is it?) (🤔). basically he interned as an assistant at this local photography studio during high skl working under this kind of whimsical yet endearing old man. suspected wizard possibly in cricket’s eyes, as an avid fantasy genre reader. for one of his bdays said old man / his boss bought him his very own film camera n cricket cried bc he’d never been bought a bday gift. this ws rly embarrassing bc this old man didn’t know how to emote n neither did cricket so he ws jst sort of sat wiping his eyes n sniffling saying he wasn’t crying as the old man pretended to suddenly clean his lenses. when cricket graduated he offered him a full time position there. they do like. wedding photographs n family portraits n all kinds of things...... pay isn’t huge bt it’s something n he Loves taking photos so it’s sexy <3

PERSONALITY:

SUCH an anxious person it’s actually unreal. overthinks absolutely everything he’s ever said. one morning he might hv put green socks on n for the rest of the day he’s nervously looking around like omggggggg they’re all looking at my socks probably thinking im a little green sock boy thinking i’m a fool n a jester this is all everyone’s probably thinking about i hv to hide my green socks..... even tho literally no-one cares

once saw a girl eating a chicken wing n in his head was like ok she likes chicken good future gift idea..... n turned up at her house with an entire rotisserie chicken

probably thinks WAY too hard abt what to write in bday cards n googles like generic ideas that he can use.... u open a card from cricket n it always says smthn weird like “Warmest wishes and love on your birthday and always!” or “You deserve everything happy. Wishing you that all year long!” tht he got off google

nervously fiddles w things a lot. literally anything. his hair. the cuffs of his sleeves. a thread on his bag. u name it

struggles w eye contact sometimes............ it’s like. he wants to talk to ppl n make friends bt he’s honestly so bad at it. he’s fumbling thru life like a nervous headless chicken

ALWAYS has his camera on him. like always. will tke a photo of u bc he thinks u look nice then be like im so sorry im so sorry...... bowing his head shakily holding his camera bc he doesn’t even kno what possessed him he jst thought it’d be a nice photograph bt boundaries exist. probably breathes very heavily over this later in his room panicking thinking he nw seems like hannibal lecter

probably more confident online bc he has time to think abt what he says more.......... i can see him hving a group of online friends tht he’s more confident w. honestly he’s pretty witty at heart he jst has a hard time verbalising things so ppl overlook him sometimes bt once u get to know him more / he’s more comfy he can b a funny little man.....

loves photographs where he cuts something out of them. loves missing spaces n voids. thinks it’s a rly interesting concept when something that isn’t there becomes the focus of a photograph where everything else is. probably loses his mind fr a collage like a front row 1d stan. likes experimenting w light n perception. pretty artistic honestly hs probably made a stop motion film in the past bc that’s just an extended form of photography in his mind bt i doubt he showed anyone

ummm...... very sweet bt like. he reminds me a lot of this quote. “he had the awkward tenderness of someone who has never been loved and is forced to improvise.” feel like tht sums him up quite nicely

WANTED CONNECTIONS

someone he met at a wedding: cricket probably ws forced to photograph a wedding fr his boss one time n it cld b interesting as a place to meet from that....... like. i can imagine either it being rly awkward maybe he accidentally spilled a drink on ur muse n was stuttering rly apologetic n it ws just a train wreck. or mayb they took pity on him or even (in a shocking turn of events) a shine to him n invited him to drink n dance. omgggg the thought of cricket trying to dance makes me wna die n probably mkes cricket wna hyperventilate bt idk maybe he went wild n let loose. mayb they wound up damaging the camera somehow. mayb they had to scramble to get another one n ur muse covered the cost n it was a strange late night excursion tht cricket thought about a lot since. cricket probably vowed to pay them bk somehow no matter what. idk. we can work things out. lots of diff options here. doesn’t have to b a wedding either can b any event tht required a photographer

ppl he went to school w: pretty self explanatory i suppose...... maybe they were frm completely different worlds..... mayb ur muse was popular n cricket was definitely not but they got paired fr an assignment n had to work on a project together....... mayb cricket asked ur muse on a date one time n it was completely embarrassing bc he didn’t realise they had a bf n it haunts cricket at night still bc he’s rly dramatic.... mayb ur muse felt sry fr him n ate lunch w him n inducted him into their group like a lost puppy finding a home.... world’s our oyster

neighbours from his brief time at lilac ridge: not to reference taylor swift but i’m gna reference taylor swift n say we cld do a seven inspired plot here. sighs a little..... then sighs a lot. he was here ages 0-8 so idk. we cld work out childhood plots perhaps....

sickening simp: i mean.............. cricket probably gets crushes on ppl so easily like just. anyone who’s the slightest bit nice to him.................. he’s a disgrace. ok i take it back. bt also please get it together freak............... i didn’t say that. he’d probably b extra nice to this person n try n pay close attention to things they liked so he cld get them little gifts. just a bit embarrassing n lovestruck bless his heart. wldn’t expect anything back tho honestly that just isn’t something he tends to do.

let’s go gays: cricket’s bi but he probably was rly in his head abt liking boys n tried to sort of squash it internally during his younger yrs...... i think he’s more comfy w it now MAYBE idk bt back then i picture him having a friend tht ws kind of like. similarly loserish as him perhaps (no offence to ur muse potentially filling this plot or cricket bt let’s face the facts) n they’d hang out n play games a lot n one time it jst kind of happened n he was like............. *struts in looking around sharply* What going on here? except not. bc it’s cricket. more like *shambles in looking around anxiously* What’s, uh... What’s... the happenings? S--... I’m sorry. (immediate apology for saying what’s the happenings bc nobody talks like that n it was an impulsive panic bc he didn’t know what else to say)

those who grew up in the system w him: maybe at the group home or i’d also like the family that fostered him n said sayonara. honestly i imagine the parents just thought he ws a bit too much of a handful / had too much baggage which is rly quite merciless n terrible but. if u think that aligns w ur muses home situation hmu......

um. can’t think of more bt just anything honestly. jst go wild.......

#irvingintro #abuse tw #neglect tw #trauma tw #anxiety tw #violence tw #DOES A LITTLE JIG #admittedly i didnt include a formative moments section like my other intros bc idk what kind of superpowers i was inhaling the fumes of #for those intros but #i'm a mere mortal now.

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