#maybe mid- or late-november/early-december

[nascentwaves]

"Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, the world goes 'round and 'round until it collapses on itself~. Fret not for the bygone future, the reapers of today will oust that with a flick of their wrists!"

[recentadultburnout]

Info for writer in Thai series fandom: Mismatch bits and pieces.

All things too short to have their own ch.

A way to call a class

I noticed that when I read about a class of students in English, it was called by the year that class graduated, which is different from how it is in Thai. In Thailand, we count a class based on the school they are in. For example, Pat and Pran from Bad Buddy are in Class 36th. That means there are students who have already graduated from this school in total 35th generation, and they are the 36th.

Education system

อนุบาล-anuban-Nursery

3 years 

about 3-5 years old

The class number is typically written as อ.year/room number or simply year/room number, with the assumption that anyone who will need to use the number is aware that they are for nusery. 

อ. is the abbreviation of อนุบาล-anuban-Nursery (ป. for prathom and ม. for matyom. Read aloud as Or, Por, and Mor, respectively.)

If you're in the third year, the first room, it can be written as อ.3/1

ประถม-prathom-Elementary school

6 years

can be divided into 2 parts, 3 years each, prathom ton(ต้น-first) and prathom plai(ปลาย-last)

about 6-11 years old

มัธยม-matyom-Secondary school

6 years

can be divided into 2 parts, 3 years each, matyom ton and matyom plai

After matyom ton, one can choose to continue studies in matyom plai or switch to vocational classes. At present, the choice of vocational education is not very popular among families with wealth, and there is some negative bias.

about 12-17 years old

มหาลัยวิทยาลัย-mahawitthayalai-University

Usually 4, but this can vary depending on what you study.

*Most schools in Thailand have 2 semesters.

From nursery to secondary school, it usually like this:

Semester 1 starts around mid-May and ends in late September or early October.

Semester 2 starts around the beginning of November and ends in late February or early March.

At the university, it is usually like this:

Semester 1 starts around September and ends in December.

Semester 2 starts around February and ends in May.

But it may change if there is an announcement from the Ministry of Education.

*There are 9 years of compulsory education. From prathom to matyom ton.

Money

Thai Baht bank notes are divided into five denominations: 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 baht, which are sometimes referred to by their colors: 20-green, 50-blue, 100-red, 500-purple, and 1,000-gray(1,000 baht banknotes are actually more brown than gray, but maybe because brown 10 baht notes were used before, or the 1,000 baht notes might have used to be grayish, they are called this way.) As for coins, we have 1, 2, 5, 10 baht and 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 satang. One hundred satang is one baht. Satang is not used much, and if we do use it, we will mostly use only the 25 and 50 satang coins.

System of measurement

The metric system is the most popular. Other systems will be used if the topic requires it, such as using tea spoon and cup when baking or using Thai measurement for gold weight and land.

Meal

In Thai we have the word กับข้าว-kapkhao, which is things to eat with rice. When we eat it, it's commonly with many people, and we share it together, not somebody's in particular. At each meal, the kapkhao and the rice will be placed on the table for everyone to scoop up and put on their own plate. If you eat with someone you are not super close to, then you should have an extra utensil for scooping up kapkao and rice as to not make the other party uncomfortable. As for when you eat with friends, I would recommend using it also, but it is up to your group of friends' hygiene standards.

Grounded

Disclaimer:this is my perspective as a daughter of a family in Bangkok.

Getting grounded by one's own parents as a punishment is not a real concept here. I'm quite sure about that. Like, it's kind of redundant? Most of us already have to tell our parents all about where we go, when we will be back and with whom before we go out, and if they don't want us to go, then we don't. Plus, our public transportation wasn't that covered, so if a kid who still can't drive and lives far from it wants to go out, then having parents drop off and pick up after is kind of the only option. It's not like normally we are free to go out whenever.

Gap year

Taking a gap year wasn't the norm. It is often seen as a waste of time, and the people who did it might get gossip that they had to do it because they couldn't pass the exam.

Colors of the day

We have a color for each day, which came from a tale about Songkran, and it is common knowledge. Thus, when we want to color code something day-related, we use it and assume people will understand. A bakery company, Farmhouse, had been color-coding a bag sealer as a sign to tell what day their bread was put on shelves since 1987.

Sunday – Red

Monday –Yellow

Tuesday – Pink

Wednesday – Green

Thursday – Orange

Friday – Blue

Saturday – Purple

Year

We use both the Buddhist era (BE) and the Christian era. Sometimes we choose one to write down and sometimes we write them both side by side, Thai numerals for BE on one line and Arabic numerals for CE on another. But if it's an official document, it's more likely to be only BE. 

This year(2022) is 2565 BE.

Tip

Tiping is not part of our culture. Nowadays, some people have begun to start tipping due to the influence of other cultures, and there are both positive and negative opinions about that. Some say extra money is definitely a good thing, but some say if we started tipping people, the employer might see it as an opportunity to reduce their employee payment.

Chinatown

There are no words that translate directly into "Chinatown" in Thailand. Each neighborhood is usually called by its street name or landmark near it, and those Chinatown are that way too. The most popular one in Bangkok was called Yaowarat.

Move out

Not moving out of one's own parent's house is normal. Moving out is normal too, but from what I know, nobody will expect their kids to move out for no reason. Some families even dislike that very idea. Like, if you want to move out for no other reason than you just want to, there must be something wrong.

One of my friends who has a big family and really wants to try to live alone for once, but can't say so because her mother will surely be upset, is now planning to apply for something that requires her to stay somewhere else, so she can use that as the reason she has to move out.

Insect as a snacks

While it is a thing we do have, it's not that popular. Many have never eaten it before. Many eat it once just to try it and never again. There's a good chance that there's no one at all in a room full of people who eats fried insects on a regular basis. It's not exactly rare, but also not something that sells everywhere.

Don’t touch the head

Is something I heard many foreigners talk about Thai people, and I guess, while it might be something they were told by a Thai, it got exaggerated. Sure! You shouldn't go around touching strangers' heads. But that's just common sense, right? Why would anyone think they could touch any part of a stranger at all? For a close person, it's a completely different thing, and don't forget, everybody has a different and will have different boundaries!

Touching monks

It's not that women can't touch monks, it's that monks can't touch women, and we cooperate with them to make it easier for them to stay in the precepts.

Religion

The religion in Thailand consists of about 94% Buddhists, about 4% Muslims, about 1% Christians, and the rest are others. It can be seen that there are more Muslims than Christians, but Christians are mentioned slightly more in the entertainment media in my opinion.

Month

The name of the month in Thai can tell which month has how many days. Months with 30 days end with "Yon(ยน)", months with 31 days end with "Kom(คม)", and February ends with "Phan(พันธ์)".

Christmast

Although Christians are not the majority in Thailand, we do have some Christmas celebrations. The mall will play some Christmas songs and sell decorations or other Christmas-themed items, for example. It might not be that big, but it's there.

My mother says that we Thais will take every chance to have a festival and a celebration. Lol

Dishwasher

Dishwashers aren't a popular household item. I don't know the reason.

Age

Age of majority

In Thailand, one will reach their majority at 20 years old, but you can become majority before 20 after your lawful marriage, which can occur with legal guardian permission at 17 or older, or, in a special case, when you are younger than 17 but older than 15, and there is a reasonable cause for marriage and the court grants the permission.

Age of consent

Doing something indecent to someone who is under the age of 15 is illegal, regarding that person's consent. As for someone who is more than 15 but still under 18, it will need both that person and their legal guardian's consent to be legal. If one of them gave consent, it is still illegal. If both parties are under age, then they are both in the wrong and can both be sued by each other's parents.

Driving license

The applicant for a temporary personal motorcycle license must be at least 18 years of age, but if it is for a motorcycle with a total cylinder of not more than 110 cubic centimeters, it must be at least 15 years of age.

A temporary car driver's licensee must be at least 18 years of age.

Public-car and public-tricycle licensees must be at least 22 years of age.

A public motorcycle licensee must be over the age of 20.

A road roller, a tractor, and other driving licensee under section 43 must be at least 18 years of age.

Floods

Floods are the most common natural disasters in Thailand.

Transportation

In Bangkok, there are a few choices for in-town transportation. such as Bts, Mrt, buses, mini buses, taxis, tuk tuks and motorcycles. As for travel between provinces, there are trains, tour buses, vans, and airplanes. Once arriving in other provinces, public transport options vary from area to area but are often more limited than in Bangkok.

Insect screens

Typically, windows are equipped with insect screens. They can be hinged, sliding rails, or something else, but they are usually there.

Apparently, in some places, they are not typically installed. I'm a bit culture shocked. Do you usually have it or not? If not, could you tell me what it is like?

Social media

Facebook currently has some reputation for being an old people's platform but is still popular.

Twitter is also quite popular.

Line is the most popular one for chat apps. It is something you will need to have if you need to communicate with a lot of Thais. Many people complain about how it's not a good way to send files for work or that it makes it hard to separate between private time and work time, but it still maintains its status as being the main means of communication in offices and universities.

Tiktok is gaining many new users during the quarantine.

COVID 19

I searched in English for a bit and think you could find information such as daily cases or any regulations easily enough. As for the Thai people's opinion in general, we can sum it up by saying that many of us have no confidence in our government.

and here are some details:

We have worn a mask for PM 2.5 since before COVID-19 broke out and many will likely still wear it until we are sure there is no COVID left.

Vacine distribution is not very consistent and thorough. So, at the same time, there is someone who gets their third vaccination and someone who hasn't gotten their first yet. 

After COVID-19, no-contact deliveries have become extremely popular.

Y

The first queer media that gained popularity in Thailand were Japanese manga and anime. So we adopt the Japanese term "yaoi" for BL and "yuri" for GL, and that is the reason why we usually call queer series "series Y" in Thai.

Index

[felassan]

Do you think were going to see a Dreadwolf reveal trailer at Dragon Age Day or at the Game Awards?

hello!

I'm not sure, and I'm also hopeful/excited (so.. a regular felassan state of affairs hh..). if it's in a place where they feel ready to show it to the world more then that'd be neat, it'd be cool to see what's being worked on. and ofc anything said here is only speculation.

it's been at TGA before (2018 trailer, 2020 trailer), the last time being 3 years ago in 2020. if the 2024 internal currently-aimed release window mentioned in error on a dev profile recently is indeed still current (I'd guess that the change to "TBD" won't have been because the aim changed since the dev put that there btw, it'll have been because there isn't supposed to be any public info about the currently aimed release window yet but the games press noticed it on the profile, prompting BW/EA to ask the dev to change it. separate note: this being the case doesn't mean that there's no possibility that the window will slip more though), appearing at TGA 2023 wouldn't be a shock. maybe it depends on whether the possible 2024 release window is in early (but still after April 1st 2024 because of the fiscal quarter & FY24 slate stuff) 2024 or late 2024? as if it's later in 2024 (like say November) I could see a world where it isn't at TGA23 but is somewhere in the summer video game event/news expo period instead, because of the recent trend that's been observable in the industry generally and commented on by a former bioware dev re: an industry move towards shorter marketing periods (like more in the realm of a few months-6 months than a year). it's been said that the policy for this for a lot of AAA games has become a lot shorter, tending towards a lot shorter and louder marketing campaigns.

jeff grubb recently said on DA:D, "The Game Awards 2023 sounds right to me, they’ve done stuff at The Game Awards before. I’m expecting them to be there. If they’re not, it better be soon after, because Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, was, you know, there was a chance Dragon Age: Dreadwolf could’ve came out this year. Obviously it did keep moving internally, as I’ve reported before. It’s now, they’re looking at, you know, by the mid of next year, something like that.” and "The reality is, we very well could get Dragon Age: Dreadwolf content at The Game Awards. They’ve had teasers there before, it would make all the sense in the world for something to show up there." [link] this is interesting bc i'm pretty sure I remember a tweet from him last year about TGA22 where he straight up said "no it won't be there" or something basically when he was asked about it.

what I would say is that if it's gonna happen in a substantial way (as in not a codex entry and a blog post) in early December 2023, it'd likely be at TGA, not on DADay. this is based on how it was done previously and also on what's been said about DADay (an unofficial fan holiday event that just happens to occur very close to when TGA is held, thereby being overshadowed by it in terms of scale) vs TGA (a massive industry-wide high publicity event). DADay has seemed to have been more of a community-focused thing, a place to announce something smaller in scale like a tv show or a new book or to have something smaller highlighted like short stories or a codex. it's more of a 'today we are announcing we will be at TGA' with a new trailer-type [hypothetically] context rather than a 'here is a new trailer that isnt an ingame cinematic' type context, if that makes sense. saying that if it isnt going to be a 'big' trailer at TGA23, maybe there's something at DAday like last year where they showed an ingame sequence, which is smaller than a 'big substantial trailer' but still a video.

(idk if this post/ramble made sense but there you go). guess we'll find out in < 3 weeks. (❁´◡`❁)

[mayadoesfandomstuff]

Considering the psychic damage my previous post on the protags' ages are, I've decided to compile ALL persona users' birthdays and list them according to date from earliest or oldest to latest or youngest. Enjoy!

Teddie (P4) - unknown, shadow so could be as old as time, maybe as teddy bears existed in humanity's collective unconscious memory, could be a month before he met the team, could be a week, could be last Thursday idk

Zenkichi Hasegawa (P5S) - unknown, in his 40s, probably late 1960s to mid 1970s

Baofu (P2:EP) - June 13, 1967

Tatsuya Sudou (P2:EP) - 1971

Katsuya Suou (P2:EP) - December 30, 1973

Ulala Serizawa (P2:EP) - November 30, 1974

Maya Amano (P2:IS) - July 4, 1976

Yukino Mayuzumi (P1) - April 9, 1979

Maki Sonomura (P1) - June 4, 1979

Masao Inaba (P1) - July 11, 1979

Reiji Kido (P1) - August 18, 1979

Eriko Kirishima (P1) - September 21, 1979

Kei Nanjo (P1) - October 2, 1979

Naoya Toudou (P1) - December 24, 1979

Hidehiko Uesagi (P1) - January 1, 1980

Yuka Ayase (P1) - March 3, 1980

Tatsuya Suou (P2:IS) - July 27, 1981 (EP), August 21, 1981 (IS)

Jun Kurosu (P2:IS) - February 14, 1982

Lisa Silverman (P2:IS) - May 4, 1982

Eikichi Mishina (P2:IS) - November 15, 1982

Tohru Adachi (P4) - February 1, 1984

Takuto Maruki (P5R) - unknown, possibly in his late 20s to mid 30s, probably mid-1980s to mid-1990s

Strega: Chidori Yoshino, Jin Shirato, Takaya Sakaki (P3) - unknown, late 80s - early 90s

Mitsuru Kirijo (P3) - May 8, 1991

Shinjiro Aragaki (P3) - August 11, 1991

Akihiko Sanada (P3) - September 22, 1991

Minato Arisato/Makoto Yuki (P3); Minako Arisato/Hamuko Arisato/Kotone Shiomi (P3P) - 1992/1993

Yukari Takeba (P3) - October 19, 1992

Fuuka Yamagishi (P3) - December 22, 1992

Junpei Iori (P3) - January 16, 1993

Koromaru (P3) - unknown, likely mid 1990s to early 2000s

Souji Seta/Yu Narukami (P4) - 1994/1995

Sho Minazuki (P4A) - unknown, possibly the same as P4 Protagonist, 1994/1995

Yosuke Hanamura (P4) - June 22, 1994

Chie Satonaka (P4) - July 30, 1994

Yukiko Amagi (P4) - December 8, 1994

Naoto Shirogane (P4) - April 27, 1995

Rise Kujikawa (P4) - June 1, 1995

Kanji Tatsumi (P4) - January 19, 1996

Makoto Nijima (P5) - April 23, 1998

Goro Akechi (P5) - June 2, 1998

Ken Amada (P3) - June 24, 1998

Haru Okumura (P5) - December 5, 1998

Akira Kurusu/Ren Amamiya (P5) - 1999/2000

Labrys (P4A) - April 20, 1999 (activation date)

Ryuji Sakamoto (P5) - July 3, 1999

Ann Takamaki (P5) - November 12, 1999

Yusuke Kitagawa (P5) - January 28, 2000

Aigis (P3) - February 2000 (manufacturing date), September 10, 2000 (activation date), May 1999 (Aigis First Mission),

Futaba Sakura (P5) - February 19, 2001

Sumire Yoshizawa (P5R) - March 25, 2001

Morgana (P5) - unknown, between Persona 4 Dancing All Night and Persona 5, 2010s

To give you some more perspective:

The oldest confirmed Persona user (Boafu) is 33 years and 9 months older than the youngest (Sumi).

Tohru Adachi is just two years the Persona 2: Innocent Sin cast's junior.

Katsuya Suou is turning 50 next year (2023).

The only confirmed S.E.E.S. members that are not yet in their 30s (this 2022) is Junpei, Ken, and maybe Koromaru [if he's still around which I hope so].

Sojiro Sakura might be the same generation as the Persona 2: Eternal Punishment cast.

Ryotaro Dojima (1970) is the same generation as the P2:EP cast and is three years younger than Boafu, and three years older than Katsuya.

Reiji Kido's child is probably the same age as Ken Amada and the Phantom Thieves.

Please send in any additions or corrections! I'll edit this the list if necessary.

[likeadevils]

which albums do you think took the shortest amount of time to put together? i think that evermore was very quick (only two or three months?), am i right in thinking that lover and folklore were pretty quick too?

evermore was super quick! there were about five songs written from october-december, but about 12 songs were written in about a month, between mid august and mid september. which is just crazy. like that’s more songs than the standard edition of debut like that’s insane

the bulk of folklore was written in two months, between may and june, though the jack songs were mostly written between march and april, with some pre pandemic songs (my tears in dec 2019 and trying in jan/feb 2020)

midnights was a bit more spread out— high infidelity and would’ve could’ve should’ve were written in march 2021, i believe bigger than the whole sky and snow on the beach were in early 2022– but still the bulk of it came together in november/december 2021, making it a year in total but mostly done in two months.

rep took almost exactly a year— she starts writing it in september 2016 and finishes in september 2017. the bulk of the album was likely finished by july 2017 though, so it goes was just a super last minute addition.

lover was recorded in about four months— the bulk of the album was between november 2018 and february 2019. there are some exceptions, like death by a thousand cuts in late april and likely london boy in early june, and maybe a few jack songs throughout 2018, but we don’t know for sure which. she was also probably stockpiling songs a bit before jumping into the studio, but we don’t know for sure.

1989 was another stockpiling album— she did this love in 2012, a couple songs jan 2013, and then that aforementioned stockpiling period while she’s on tour, and then a big rush in oct/nov 2013, and then another rush in jan/feb 2014. it sounds like now that we don’t talk came fairly late in the process though, possibly as late as fall 2014, which would make it a two year long writing period, but as far as the original album goes, about a year and a half.

red was also about a year and a half— we have all too well being finalized in march 2011 (after being started in dec 2010), and then 22 and i knew you were trouble in june 2012. there are probably some outliers— stay stay stay might’ve been as early as summer 2010, some stuff on the vault might’ve gone up until september 2012– but that’s at most about two years of consistent writing and recording.

if we’re counting sparks fly (halloween 2006) then it took four years to write speak now, but excluding sparks fly georg the earliest song we know for sure was if this was a movie in april 2009, and then it ended with the story of us in june 2010, which is a little over a year. she was likely writing songs for speak now earlier in 2009 though, making it her standard year and a half, but we just don’t know for sure. the recording process was also spread out throughout both years— the first session for the album was in march 2009, and the orchestra sections were the last thing recorded, in july 2010.

fearless had two big recording sessions, in december 2007 and march 2008, so recording wise the album came together super quickly. that being said, if we just take the first and last songs written for the album, fearless has a pretty big stretch— she had stuff from the vault from like 2005, and then come in with the rain in september 2006, and white horse in december 2006. and then the last song is similarly up for interpretation, with forever and always in late september 2008, and mr perfectly fine in march 2009. so even though it came together very quickly once she got in the studio, counting the vault it was four years to write it, making it one of the longest timeframes, but standard edition is still a fairly long two years.

and then debut! i’m a bit more hazy on debut’s timeline, but a perfectly good heart was written sometime in 2003, and should’ve said no was the last thing written and recorded, on august 10, 2006, making it about three years.

so it’s pretty much an exercise in counting— the earlier and album came in her career, the longer it took her to make it, until we get to post pandemic where she’s busting out almost complete albums in two month periods (ts11 looks like it’s bucking that trend though, so let’s see!!)

[whenthegoldrays]

willow is... october. november maybe. it’s autumn it’s bending in the wind but it’s also crisp, sharp like the cold water of a stream.

champagne problems is november, it’s thanksgiving and the very beginning of december. the first snow of the year falling on the train tracks.

gold rush is september. it’s walks on the beach under the cool sun of early autumn. it’s cold enough for a sweater but still warm enough to walk barefoot on wooden floors.

ttds is the thick of december, a hard freeze, crunchy snow that stops traffic and shivering under an old quilt that could never quite warm you up.

tolerate it is february, long dismal bitter february when all the neighbors have left town for warmer weather and it feels like your house is the only one still inhabited.

nbnc is the decay of late december, quiet backwoods interrupted by tramping boots and the sound of a motorboat on the lake.

happiness is the same dismal february, a suitcase packed slowly and set by the front door. it’s the tree with a heart carved around two names, standing bare and dying in the backyard.

dorothea is mid december, just before the unexpected hard freeze hits. the sun is shining through the branches of the half-naked trees as a queue forms outside the tiny movie theater in town.

coney island is december 15th. the day is gray and bleak and you sit on a bench with a cocoa that’s grown cold. half a birthday cake sits forgotten in the freezer.

ivy is frost-covered january, icicles that grow on the eaves of a stone house and a fireplace seen through the window. it’s pawing away at the snow in the garden and finding the herbs still surviving underneath.

cowboy like me is december, lush green and gold. glitter and light in a holiday resort but quiet shivering in the dark empty courtyard beyond the ballroom’s glass doors.

long story short is the 28th of september. it’s a day of bright clear sunlight and a sharp wind that makes the aspen trees quiver.

marjorie is november, amber skies and flickering front porch lights and walking through the city in the brisk air. but it’s also november, 20 years ago, moonlit swims and cream soda in the car with the windows down on the highway.

closure isn’t as well-defined — it’s more of a sharp abstraction vaguely resembling february.

evermore is, well, gray november and december. it’s walks in the forest with wet leaves underfoot and it’s deep dark water under a gloomy sky.

rwylm is the end of december, dark setting in at 5pm and the year turning to dust under your fingertips.

ittg is a cloudless day in the first week of either january or march, cold air sweeping through open windows and filling your lungs. it’s a moment of brilliant, liberating clarity.

[joemomrgneissguy]

I think it's probably safe to say that most geology students have probably heard the analogy of a Geologic calendar at some point in their academic careers, but it's kinda been lodged in my brain lately.

At the start of the year, I decided to make it literal, and took a calendar and just started marking down dates various things happened.

A fun tidbit that came of this was that some things that formed over long periods of time in a human scale now had birthdays, hence one of my posts about BIF earlier this year, but it kinda just stands out how recent the world as we know it is. A lot of the calendar I have is just kinda empty. It's not because nothing is happening, this is a world that is just as dynamic as today and life shows up surprisingly early, but most everything we have in any amount of detail just doesn't happen until mid-November.

But now I'm wanting to take things further, like having a geologic calendar in the same form as a planner, where there's 10 months of calendar with significant dates marked and then November and December zoom in to Daily Planner scale down to minutes. Throw in a normal geologic scale and then a geologic scale to scale, and maybe a splash page detailing New Years Eve and the final seconds, etc.

I don't know how I would even get such a thing into the world but it's something I want to have.

[twopoppies]

I know we should ignore these things, but I like debunking them. So, the article about Harry and Yan Yan Chan originally came from Woman’s Day in Australia, which is bottom of the barrel. Not like other tabloids are better but Woman’s Day will literally say whatever.

I searched her name on Twitter just to see if maybe they got a tip from somewhere, cause it seemed random, there are very few tweets with her name, but I found two from a hardcore Harrie who tweeted in early March that she knew they were hooking up (lol) and that she had confirmation four days ago (double lol).

In the second tweet, a friend replies “how do we know?” and she says that Pip Edwards (another Australian influencer) works with her sister and told her they were hooking up casually in the US and that Yan Yan was at two of his shows in Australia (Perth and Sydney) and they had breakfast together. She didn’t give a source for this last part (I presume she was spotted at the Sydney show because the article says the same). The fan says “apparently” about the shows and the breakfast.

So I went to Yan Yan’s instagram to track if it would even be possible for her and Harry to have hooked up in the US (I obviously don’t believe it, but would the narrative fit?)

Well, Harry was “dating” O until November, correct? Yan Yan was in New York until early November, then she went to a Chanel event in Miami for a few days, then back to NYC until early December. She posted almost every day, tagged her locations and the captions are like “today I took a stroll” or “finally arrived in Miami.” Harry was in LA the entirety of November with his residency, until very late November when he went to his Latin American leg of tour, which finished in mid December. So no cigar there.

Yan Yan then went to the Cayman Islands in early December and back to New York. Harry did a pit stop in LA after Brazil (AFTER Yan Yan was back in NYC), then straight to London, where he stayed until late January, then flew to LA for the postponed shows and the Grammys. Yan Yan went to Australia in mid January and has been there ever since.

Harry followed Yan Yan in 2020, so maybe they hooked up before O? Wrong, Yan Yan was in a relationship with Nathan Jolliffe, ever since 2017, they broke up in July 2022. So either they’re gonna go with “they cheated”, they’re gonna wipe Yan Yan’s social media to make them meeting plausible, or it’s just a het Harrie who wants them to be together (she’s seriously super weird about it), probably because she’s Australian and wants him to date a fellow Aussie 🥴, who tipped off Woman’s Day, and Daily Mail picked it up.

Honestly, tho, part of me hopes that if they’re gonna give Harry another beard, it’s at least a woman of color lmao, I seriously can’t stand Brad and I’m (no offense) tired of white blonde women. I hope he doesn’t have to for a while, O was exhausting. But I’m ngl the amount of ridiculous rumors Australians made up about him hooking up with random women in their periods, I’m like “oh god maybe a beard would be better” 😭 but ik that’s selfish cause he’d have to actually do something with a beard

LOLLLLL! Bless you for the patience it took to look through her IG and compare their schedules. 😅😅😅 The whole thing is so stupid. And yeah, I agree with you about at least it’s a WOC. The same thing happened with Kiko Mizuhara when he was in Japan a few years ago and it obviously was fake (she even said she’d never met him when the rumors were first spread). But the rumors were non stop about them until the article came out denying it.

I just wish everyone would ignore this stuff. When they want us to know, we know. Like, fucking holivia was splashed everywhere. It wasn’t leaked by some random clout chasing harries.

[mymomandi]

late october

It’s late October, I haven’t told anyone about us. it’s a secret, and for once I don’t mind. initially, I wanted to scream it from the rooftops, as usual. I wanted to tell the entire world. wanted to hold you in your arms in a crowded room, wanted everyone to see.

I’ve realised something since that first week. I don’t need people to know. I need you to know.

when I press a kiss onto your forehead, my red lips temporarily staining your skin, I want you to know it’s out of love. the mark doesn’t need to stay long, you can wipe it off with your sleeve. I will see it forever. in my mind, your forehead, and your cheeks, are covered in my red lipstick.

a week before we met I decided to embrace autumn, finally gave up my summer lip stain, and dug up the lipstick I stopped using when the weather got warm. it’s been my signature colour for years, yet now I only associate it with you.

you don’t wear lipstick. you barely even put on makeup, yet you’re the most gorgeous person I’ve ever seen. do you even realise it? at least five times a day, I ask myself that question. does she know she’s beautiful? do you know you could make me lose my breath by just looking at me?

it’s mid-November and the ache is back. I want the world to know. every time we’re at a bar someone hits on you. every time you give a different excuse, but the words “I’m taken” or “Actually, this is my girlfriend” never leave your lips.

when we’re in my bed, you swear you love me. you don’t tell me, don’t confess, you swear. it’s in the way you say it. like you’re in court, trying to convince the judge that you’re innocent when you aren’t.

you said it first. I think I thought it first but I refused to say it. I knew you might think we were moving too fast if we said it, so I bit my tongue. every time you raked your fingers through my hair, caressed my cheek or placed your lips on mine, I had to bite my tongue.

until you said it. drunk, on Halloween. we were at your friend's party and you pulled me into one of the apartment's two bedrooms. between kisses, you said you loved me. between rough, lipstick-smearing kisses. I was as happy hearing you say those words as I would be ashamed when leaving that stranger's room later on.

I managed to convince myself (and later you) that “accidentally” dressing up as an angel (you) and the devil (me) would be a super cute couples-costume-adjacent-but-not-obvious for the party, and I was right. people didn’t ask, but their eyes had a tell. the thought of people knowing, but not knowing whether to ask gave me a thrill. a thrill I was ashamed of. so I drank. a lot. you too, you never told me why?

Early December, all we do is sleep together. you seem too paranoid to even risk going to my apartment, so I make the trip to yours almost every afternoon. I tell myself it’s fine. I’m fine with it, really. we barely talk. we watch movies and the dialogue we exchange is almost entirely related to the movies, or in bed. my thoughts are swimming as I lay next to you, tangled up in your pillows, but as soon as I try to share them with you, you put your lips on mine, and it’s lovely but it has a purpose. shut up. be quiet. I’m fine with it, I love you.

you only say I love you when we’re in bed. I make breakfast in your kitchen, it’s “thank you, angel” I make you a midnight snack, I'm "too sweet”. I do it because I love you. I tell you that, your smile is a riddle I can’t seem to solve.

when Christmas comes around, I want to spend it with you. you insist I go home to my family, I invite you to come with. “you don’t celebrate it with your family, won’t you come to mine?” no. okay. I go home, alone. it hurts to leave you in your apartment. all alone. I wait as long as I can to take the train ride to my hometown. to stay with you as long as possible. but it’s okay, "I’ll call you when I’m there!"

you don’t pick up. maybe you’re busy? I know how into it you get with whatever you decide to spend time on. I’ll call again later.

no, you don’t pick up this time either. okay.

christmas eve, I called you as soon as I wished the family a Merry Christmas, but you didn’t pick up.

christmas day, I text. no response. call, no.

boxing day? no reply, I text and call like crazy.

the day after, I got on the train again. I even leave a day earlier than my mom wants me to. a day earlier than I told you I’d come home, but I’m scared. did something happen? I have to know. I worry about the entire ride home. my hands shake as I go directly to your apartment, not even for a second do I want to go to mine to drop my bag first.

there’s no time to knock and my white knuckles are gripping onto my set of your keys as my hand forces my fingers to open your door. during the train ride, I’ve picked all of my red nail polish off.

for a second, I hesitate. realistically, it’s too late to do that. I’ve already unlocked the door. it only lasts for a second. deep breath, open the door.

I can’t find it in me to move my lips as I do so, I hold my deep breath.

there you are as if frozen in time. a deep sigh escapes me, and as I blink back a tear of relief, I see another figure in the room, in your arms.

oh.

[albatrossmuffin]

A Subtitler’s Hypothesis for the Timeline of the End of FS2

Be prepared for a novel here 😂

So the opening montage through the night pool scene is likely March (potentially early April, but no one is actually -seen- going to school yet, so probably end of March)

Although clearly everyone has some kind of arrangement or virtual accommodations with school, because they are ALL at training camp from April – August/September, maybe even through early October (so Haru, being out of the country away from school for a couple months? Paltry lol he did not quit school imo)

              -Nationals in DF were in August (high school nationals are in August, I checked lol), which was followed by the All Japan, however based on how warm everyone is dressed in Tokyo afterwards in FS2, it can’t be earlier than September/October-y 

Fukuoka Tournament – (late?) October – I say late based on those warm clothes again; I’ve worn shorts in early October in Tokyo before lol. And yet those in Iwatobi aren’t dressed too warmly yet, so it couldn’t be later than that. It doesn’t seem like a lot of time passed between the All Japan and Fukuoka, so they could both realistically be in October, even. But there’s two facts to sort of reverse engineer that this was Octoberish

-A Japanese fan pointed out the clock at sunset when Rin is showing his family his bronze medal, it’s around 5:10, and the sun is starting to set. Looking at sunset time maps, this would fit in October. (The sun sets in the late 5 o clock range in mid to late October in Fukuoka)

-Ikuya tells Ai in early December that Haru “got out of the hospital last month” aka November, which saying last month idk it makes it sound to me like it was a different month than the actual competition lol

But why is Ikuya and Ai’s convo in early December, you ask? With the phrase “last month,” there has to be a month in between Fukuoka and Haru going to Iwatobi. I would say there is no more than that based on Ikuya’s clothes in the scene. The girl, and others around are wearing wintery coats, yet Ikuya, compared with his coat in FS1 when everyone leaves for New Year, isn’t that bundled yet. So it’s cold, but not cold enough for Ikuya to be in full ‘winter mode’ yet, aka early December. So:

Fukuoka Tournament – October-y

Haru in the hospital for some length of time – November (with My MakoHaru heart, I’d vote he gets out before Makoto’s birthday lol ^^ BUT he does need to be out with a few weeks left in November so he has time to shoot the advertisement billboard, and get his stuff ready/school affairs in order to go to Iwatobi in December)

-sidebar, after this convo would be where Ai goes to Hungary to study abroad (maybe after New Year); the line “soon after entering university” has to mean within his first year of school, so away he goes lol

(Even if the tournament & hospitalization were both in October somehow, and “last month” meant October [the deciding factor would be how long you think he was in the hospital for], this would still be mid or late November because of the Ikuya clothes thing, and needing the time for the billboard and school, so everything still applies lol)

Haru in Iwatobi – December; where it makes sense he wouldn’t leave before New Year, when people are home to celebrate

So January he would get his affairs in order in Iwatobi and Tokyo, and be gone from late January/February through the end of March

Why I think the epilogue is the end of March: We’ve got both new students showing up in Tokyo, and also Momo hasn’t had his send off race yet – it’s a between period where things are happening over the break. Further evidence, in ES1 when they go to the send off race, a calendar showing a third week in a month is seen (you can see a digit in the teens in the week above, and a digit beginning with 2 in the week below) – there is no month, but it can only be March, because February would be too early, and April way too late.

Unrelated to the timeline lol: so in my headcanon world, Rin & Makoto have come to Hungary for some form of tournament: Haru is back now (precise verbs were “is back” & “is returning”), so his rehab must be in its end stages. There could be a tournament happening in Hungary that will be Haru’s first ‘official’ tournament of his return, and Rin is there to compete, and Makoto is there to support/shadow trainers, etc (that could have happened through a connection with Azuma, Nao, or his school, or even Natsuya take your pick lol). After said tournament, Haru may stay in Hungary a few more weeks to get his stuff together, then return to Tokyo.

Why is it a tournament, not some kind of training camp? We were given one tiny, tiny clue lol: When the world championships were in Budapest last year, Free’s website made some kind of note about broadcasting or something I cannot recall tbh lol but the important thing is they called it “Hungary Tournament,” the same way they call all the tournaments in FS. Smart Japanese fans pointed out that nowhere in any media coverage of the Budapest championships was it called “Hungary Tournament.” So it had the vibe of a subtle wink to fans lol, but it could be either one (headcanon stays almost the same lolol).

Yeeeah lol I hope this is helpful to anyone!! :D

[kukisana]

Lucemond - birthday calculation [note]

Heads-Up! This is a very, very rough calculation of Aemond’s and Luke’s birthdays, based on information in Fire & Blood. This is a pure fan-theory, NOT something Canon! Do NOT take if for a fact, please! It’s a personal note I need for my Fics, because my brain won’t let me rest. Maybe this is old news for some, but well. It’s just a personal note, so who cares.

The starting point of the calculation is the death of King Visery I. He died “on the third day of the third moon in 129 A.C.” - March 3rd 129.

• Aemond: He was born in 110 A.C. and when his father died, he was “ninteen years old”. Which means his birthday must be in January or February. Since F&B does not state his birth to be “in the early days of the year”, nor that he had his nameday right before the King’s death, it is save to assume he was born mid January to mid February (Jan. 15th - Feb. 10th). For funny reasons, I personally think February would be nice; the second month of the year, for the second born son.

• Lucerys: It is stated that he was born “late in the year 115 A.C.”. Jace was born “in the last days of 114 A.C.”, so it is save to assume Luke was born in November, perhaps early December.

• Zodiac: I do not think these exist in the world of ASOIAF, but it’s fun, so I will include it here. If Aemond was born during my calculated time, he would either be a Capricornus or an Aquarius, tho I think Aquarius is more likely, but that’s just my personal idea. Fun Fact: Aquarius is an Air-Type element, hehe. Luke could either be a Scorpio (Water; Driftmark, hello?) or Sagittarius (Fire; it needs “air” to keep burning and I... Will just leave I guess).

I hope you’re happy now, dear brain. Let me get some rest now... OTL

[todays-just-a-daydream]

in absence of a reunion noel interview i'm going back to revisit the great gallagher thaw of late 2014/early 2015 to try to make some sense outta these strange reunion times we are in now.

i've been really curious about this time period for awhile and stockpiling posts with the intention of assembling them in some kind of chronological order. still not quite sure what i'm looking at but it's a bit like find the edge pieces of a puzzle and snapping them together for a frame. you can get a vague idea while understanding much of the pieces are missing to complete the picture. most notably noel is giving interviews at this time while liam is mostly out of the public eye entirely.

assembled them in the queue and looking at them in order now and getting a bit choked up by what we have. even factoring in the normal album press cycle, noel's interviews have noticeable outlier moments during this time. charting his uncharacteristically relaxed calm fondness to emotionally raw moments when mentioning liam, it does look like any attempt at a truce all goes south within a months time (mid february to mid march 2015). coincidence it’s when dead in the water is written and the chasing yesterday is released? of course it’s not lost on me it also is at a period of nostalgia with the 20th anniversaries of their first two albums and part of the buzz about a reunion driven by stone roses reunion. but in the course of the entire feud it sticks out as different. and suggests noel was more invested in a reconciliation than he’d ever be willing to admit.

queuing them up now. when they're done posting i'll link them to the chronological list below to access them easily.

—

2014/2015 gallagher timeline

2014 february : beady eye cancels coachella gig, manager splits 21 october: "we're on good terms." 25 october: "beady eye are no longer." ?? october: "don't give up"

17 november: in the heat of the moment released (do the damage bside) 31 december: "i think liam should make a solo record"

2015 12 january: ballad of the mighty i released (revolution song bside) 4 february: "i’d write him a few songs. i've got a few songs lying around that he'd be good at singing." (also takes a dig at beady eye) 20 february: "[liam] sends me cheeky texts from time to time." (interview) 25 february: "we're alright. i'm a bit concerned that he's starting to grow facial hair....family is family, you don't have to patch it up do you?…blood is thicker than mud." (interview) 26 february: dead in the water writing 28 february: playing dead in the water live at 2FM radio studios in dublin

2 march: chasing yesterday released 14 march: "keeping it in the family" lg tweet with nghfb pass 21 march: "you're already ruining my day talking about him" 24 march: "liam is a very angry man still and as long as he's angry we won't be friends i'm afraid" 2(?) may: "can't be arsed" + lg tweet goad 7-11 may: "busted" lg tweet (in response to AA interview)

11 may: riverman released (leave my guitar alone bside)

26 july: liam playing bold in a pub (video)

28 august: lock all the doors single (here’s a candle for your birthday cake bside)

21 september: noel wishing liam a happy birthday 5(?) december: "and maybe one day you know we will get back together" (video)

[blubushie]

How long have you been clean on alcohol man?

Since this morning!

Ah, I'm just joshing. But I did have a drink last night.

I've got this thing worked out where I only drink on weekends and I don't let myself get maggot. I stop at tipsy (usually on Friday nights—Saturdays and Sundays are just one or two drinks per day for flavour and not enough to affect me at all). It's good for practising my self-control. Once Monday rolls around I'm cut off except for a beer ONCE during the week, and only the one (and that won't elevate my BAC enough to cause dependency).

I don't know when I actually went clean as in no longer dependent but I know it was sometime in early to mid December because I had another relapse around late November and wanted to not be like that when I went home to my kid. So I weaned off and by the time late December came around I wasn't having withdrawals.

Total abstinence unfortunately doesn't work for me. Maybe it's the culture or whatever of Australia but it just. Doesn't work. Even here in the States, if someone else is drinking, I'm hit with that need to drink and it becomes so overpowering that I'll end up binging instead once no one's around to supervise me. Maybe it's because of the recklessness from the ASPD, maybe it's because of the constant intrusive "just one drink" thoughts from my assumed OCD.

Either way, it makes total abstinence hell, so instead of not drinking at all, I'm focussing on drinking responsibly. And it's working! I can drink on weekends but I'm restricted to one beer a week and I no longer have withdrawals when I go without drinking. I can go off alcohol entirely without fuss because I'm not trying to go off alcohol. It's just that when I have to tell myself "you can't drink AT ALL EVER", it makes the intrusive thoughts that much worse because then drinking is all I can think about.

We're managing. :]

[misshowdoyoudo]

Wtf has been going on?

Lol, glad you asked

So, back in like August, I got all my stuff packed up and I move back in with my parents because I am Finally Done with College, right? Except I'm not, because apparently one of my professors did not agree with my Internship because it wasn't to her standards.

So now I gotta redo my entire internship. Okay, that's fine, I got some connections, I'm only a little upset. Except I'm slowly losing my mind because that was a lot of work down the drain and she didn't tell me until the very END of the semester. Cool.

Well, then I find out I still needed ONE(1) singular credit in order to graduate. And it's not the internship credit, it's a movement credit.

At this point in time, I had also been dating trash dudes left and right. All these guys either wanted sex or someone to take home for the holidays so they didn't look worse than their brothers or whatever. My self esteem is dropping lower than it has in the past.

I set up a plan to end things. My dog has no idea how she saved my life.

ANYWAYS

About a month later, I meet a really good man. We hang out a bunch and things actually start looking up. We start dating for real mid-October. I really fall for him, and he falls just as hard (as I have been informed by him, at any rate lol)

Bf's mom (I will refer to her as Mamasita) has had chronic pain for a while now. Bf's dad (who I will refer to as Papa-san) has been looking around for things to help. Stumble upon this guy who can do surgeries to help.

So Mamasita goes in for TWO surgeries late November, early December. The first is a success and I help with chores while Mamasita is in bed and Papa-san is at work.

Second surgery rolls around and everyone is much more nervous about this one. This one is a lot riskier and could lead Mamasita to be paralyzed if done wrong (so could the last one, but the room for error is MUCH smaller on this one). Bf is sick with worry, so I'm keeping things upbeat and providing food and comfort while everyone is freaking out. I'm keeping Mamasita calm day of, and by extension bf and Papa-san.

The second surgery was a success, but Mamasita is in a LOT of pain the next day. I'm once more helping around the house (as is bf, but mostly in helping his mom), which isn't a big deal to me because I actually like cooking and cleaning, I just have a hard time staying focused on the tasks or even getting them started. Which is, huh, similar to how I go about writing.

TURNS OUT I HAVE ADHD

Surprised? I sure heckin was. Bamboozled, in fact. Got diagnosed shortly after a visit to a professional who was like: bro, you should get this checked out it might be adhd

And I was just 👀

I do exactly that. Now I'm going on Adderall, which will most likely help with my spasticness. Maybe. Hopefully.

TLDR: Had some bad thoughts for a bit, got some doctor help, got a wonderful boyfriend, helped with bf's mom having two surgeries, and found out I have ADHD for realsies. Wild.

[rhapsodyred-writes]

How about Nightmare, Nyx, Ash, and Violet decorating a christmas tree with their S/o? That sounds cute.

We're a little late for Christmas but that's fine.

You had to talk Nightmare into it. He'd never been big on the holidays, for a variety of reasons, and you didn't hold that against him. You did, however, expect him to help, even a little. He had three times the grabby limbs as you after all, and what was that saying? Many hands make light work? Once you convinced him that the decorating process would take at least twice as long without him, he agreed, albeit reluctantly.

It was the promise of Christmas baked good that sealed the deal. Nightmare was especially fond of your "special occasion" baking - things you only made a couple times a year, that were considered a rarity. And if you got the tree up fast enough, you could start baking today. He was usually patient, but the falling snow had sparked a desire for his new favourite winter routine - a plate of your cookies, a mug of tea and a book, with him curled up in his armchair in the corner under a soft throw blanket. As it turned out, he wasn't willing to wait much longer.

As you'd predicted, decorating the tree took far less time with your boyfriend and his tentacles - even if he did use at least two of those tentacles exclusively to mess with you. By the time the tree was finished, you had tinsel in your hair, popcorn that had mysteriously detached from the strand down your shirt, and a boyfriend who was coyly denying any wrongdoing whatsoever. Nightmare was dignified, yes - but he still had a mischievous side.

-

Nyx damn near started without you. As soon as it was socially acceptable to start putting up Christmas decorations, you noticed the boxes of your decorations out when you got home. Every year. "Socially acceptable" in Nyx's mind seemed to mean as soon as stores started playing Christmas music - but he didn't wait until most stores were playing it. Oh no, Nyx picked the earliest offender, every year, as his benchmark for when to start decorating. And you knew he was smart enough to know exactly what he was doing.

This year it was around mid November.

Part of you wanted to scold him and put the decorations away until at least December but...you knew he got a certain kind of joy from annoying the neighbours with his premature decorations. And you'd heard him singing Christmas songs at the top of his voice months ago. So maybe it was okay to just let him have this.

For a while it almost seemed like he didn't notice your contributions; he danced and sang around you, never pausing for conversation as he hung the ornaments in clusters that he knew annoyed some people. But when you stepped away, or paused for even a moment, he'd turn, his one eyelight trained on you.

"not havin' fun?" He'd ask, and you'd have to respond that it sure seemed like he was having all the fun.

If you were honest it was a little tiring, but you were glad he was enjoying himself. Even if you knew he was going to make a joke the day after Christmas about all your neighbours having their decorations up a whole year early.

-

"Are you gonna help me decorate?" You asked.

Ash looked up at you from his reclined position on the couch. "for what?" He asked. "we gettin' company?"

You had to pause for a few moments. You knew all the resets had messed with his memory and his sense of how time passed. You really couldn't hold it against him.

"I mean for Christmas."

For a few seconds, he stared at you blankly, and then you heard him mutter a curse before getting up off the couch.

He helped you carry up boxes of decorations and ornaments, and insisted on doing most, if not all, of the grunt work. It was almost like he was pushing himself to prove that being with him wasn't a mistake on your part. Some days it was hard to know how to combat that, but today you let him work; the determined light in his eyes told you it was working - even if you didn't need him to prove anything.

He was just as diligent at helping you decorate the tree as he was at setting it up. He made sure the decorations were spaced out the way you liked them, and only messed around far enough to get a laugh out of you; he was on his best behaviour today.

-

Violet needed a little persuasion to help you. Not much, just a little. All he really needed was a little motivation to leave the couch; he'd been so warm and comfy after all, just teetering on the edge of sleep. You knew better by now than to try and pull him off the couch yourself though. Experience had taught you that while Violet was a skeleton and thus weighed very little, somehow he only moved when he wanted to. If Violet didn't want to get up, no force on Earth could make him. You'd learned your lesson when you'd gone to try and pull him off the couch one day and he'd ended up pulling you down to join him for naptime.

So you gently shook the bowl of popcorn at him.

You'd tried to do popcorn strings once with Violet. When you realized any popcorn you strung up wouldn't survive the night, you'd given up. You still made popcorn for snacking on though.

You barely noticed that he was up before he had his hand in the bowl.

Violet enjoyed decorating for Christmas, even if it was a little bittersweet sometimes. He always went out of his way to make sure you and everyone around you had a good time, though.

You dealt with the fragile ornaments, as always. The first year you were together, his shakes had caused him to drop one. It shattered. Thankfully it wasn't particularly important to you, but from that point on, he made a point to only handle the non-breakable ornaments.

Decorating the tree was always a leisurely affair with Violet. There were always snack breaks and cuddle breaks, so it took the two of you the better part of a day to finish the task.

Last up was the angel topper. Every year you stared up at the top of the tree like it offended you, and that was mostly because you were too short to reach it yourself. But the fact was the angel was always your favourite part of the decorating process; even though Violet was easily tall enough to put it on there himself, he always lifted you up on his shoulders. It was your tree. You'd been doing this tradition longer than he had. He was just helping you uphold it.

[betweenthenotesblog]

My Favorite Music of 2022

I did a much better job of connecting with new music releases this year. So much so that I can identify my top albums of the year. That doesn’t happen every year. I won’t rank these since they are so different from each other. Instead, here they are in order of release date with a little bit of added commentary as to why each rose to the top for me.

Tim Kasher - Middling Age (4/15/22)

This is the Cursive front man’s submission to middle age. Made of mostly beautiful acoustic songs of self-reflection and about growing older, this is a touching album by one of my favorite niche alt-rock legends. As someone facing his mid-50s this album really speaks to me. But come on Tim Kasher, you’re only 48 years young! 

The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention (5/13/22)

I was a bit skeptical when I heard that Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood were going to release an album under a new band name called The Smile. This showed more evidence that maybe Radiohead are done as a band and the thought of that makes me sad. 

That all changed after just a couple of listens. What a fantastic album with unimaginable hooks and progressions. If you enjoyed any of Radiohead’s sounds, you need to give this a proper listen. Seeing The Smile live in Dallas with my son Jonathan in early December only adds to my appreciation of this new musical direction for two of my favorite individual artists. 

Kevin Morby - This is a Photograph (5/13/22)

This appears to be Kevin Morby exercising some demons in Memphis, Tennessee where This is a Photograph was recorded. Songs about childhood memories and our collective mortalities echo throughout. Many with a side of strings and horns. It all fits so well. Kudos to the kid from Blue Valley, KS. 

Flume - Palaces (5/13/22)

“Future Bass.” That’s how Spotify and others label Flume’s sound genre. That makes sense to me because this album sounds like the year 2040. My son Jonathan gingerly walked me into modern EDM a few years ago when he was in college. I’m glad he did because it has opened my ears to a whole different world of music I would have never discovered otherwise. 

Fred Again - Actual Life 3 (10/28/22)

I found this EDM album late in 2022. Fred Again is a 29 year old singer/producer from London. He gained worldwide popularity after a video of his show at the famed Boiler Room in London went viral in July receiving over 5 million views in just one week. My son introduced this album to me in November while listening to music at our place. I try to fight the notion that you shouldn’t be into certain types of music at an older age by being open to new artists and genres. Jonathan has helped me to find new artists like Fred Again and that is a gift.