#sign of the times changed me as a person that song has meant the world to me since its release and hearing it live actually killed me

[hella1975]

👹LEAVE AMERICA👹

[rebeltarot]

FUTURE SPOUSE ➕ VDay Special - Love Letter from your Future Spouse

“I was, and I remain, utterly and completely and totally in love with you.”

[3 piles] ・ [5 decks] ・ [29-39 cards for each pile] ・ [letters, quotes, songs]

Hello friends! It's almost Valentine's Day, and I am so excited to share this Special with you. What are your plans for this Valentine's Day? Are you spending it with a cherished person, your friends, or are you your own Valentine this year? Definitely let me know. I love holidays that bring people together which is why I dedicated a reading for it. Enjoy.

Painting: Diana and Cupid - Pompeo Batoni (1761)

Helpful Links: How to choose your pile ➕ Request a reading

18+ only - This is not a blog for minors. Warnings: Some piles have sexual innuendos.

Your reblogs are highly appreciated. Thank you so much for supporting my work!

© rebeltarot 2024 - all rights reserved ・ do not steal, copy, change, or redistribute my content.

PILE 01 ➕

Disclaimer: All Tarot readings on this blog are meant for entertainment purposes only. My Pick-a-card readings are based on my knowledge of the tarot and my intuition. Tarot is a divination tool and should not be considered a replacement for medical or professional guidance. It is not intended to be used as such, and any choices made in response to my readings are your own responsibility. All interpretations are speculative, and whether you believe in it is your choice. Readings are for self-reflection purposes only; take what resonates, and leave the rest. My readings are timeless unless stated otherwise.

CONFIRMATION

Signs and confirmation that this is your pile. This can be anything from your initials, astrological placements, significant messages or signs, places, songs, etc. Please use your discernment.

B, L, A, I, N, E, H, blank, 11:33, 11

Quote: Even if the stars fail to shine and the moon refuses to light up the world, I know I have nothing to fear. I have my guardian angel to look after me, care for me and love me forever and always. I love you!

Song: Love Me More - Sam Smith

LOVE LETTER FROM YOUR SPOUSE

Cards: Dear, Always by your side, I want to start a family with you, I am open to compromise, I have an offer for you, I am lost without you, It was always you, My nerves have been getting the best of me, Yeah nah, We have known each other in other lifetimes, I left because you told me to, I was in denial, You have so many choices and options, Make space for it, dance with me make me sway, I like it like that, destined, you cam to me at a time when my heart was selective, I'm a slave for your love, You don't own me, I don't wanna play no games, New beginnings, Feminine moon, Childhood, Wealth, Support, Ego death, Tower moment, Crush, Evil eyes

Hello, Pile 01, and welcome to your reading. How are you spending this Valentine's Day? Your spouse has a message for you, enjoy!

Dear Pile 01,

To us, distance is nothing. You’re right here in my heart, and I love you more than ever. It's impossible to put into words how much I love you or to describe how you make me feel, but that doesn't stop me from trying. You are my home, the person I trust with everything. There is no one else I would rather start a family with. It could just be you and me, or mini versions of us as well. I am more than willing to compromise with you because, at the end of the day, you are all I need and want. And I am not embarrassed to say that I need you, because I do. You, to me, are a want that turned into a need. There is no going back after knowing you. I can't possibly deny myself the magic that is loving you, so I have an offer for you, and that is my love, my devotion, and my forever. It could all be yours; you just have to say the word. I am lost without you, and there is just no one else who could even compare. It has always been you. You. You. You. Lately, my nerves have been getting the best of me. Could you tell? Did you feel my anxiety? I hope not. But if you did, I find solace in our connection. Your energy feels like home. It's like history has threaded us together and made us one. I know you. And I have known you for lifetimes. I apologize for having left you. It wasn't easy, but I respected your wishes. Honestly, I was just so afraid of your rejection that I cowardly believed you when you said I should go. I was in denial. It's intimidating to see how many people see what I see in you. How many other people are willing to risk it all for you! I can't claim to not understand, though, because here I am doing the same. Your light and your energy are just impossible to ignore and unsee. But I am working on myself. I am actively making space for you and us.

There is just no one who does it like you do. Your energy and your eyes compel me to do things I had never considered before. You are the only person—no, angel—that can ever make me sway. For you, I'll second-guess everything. For you, I'll leave everything. And I like it like that. I wouldn't change it, and I wouldn't have it any other way. You have so much power over me, but I trust you. You could do anything you wanted and ask for the world, and I would give it to you. But I know that, despite everything, you will never hurt me. No, you would never take advantage of me. With you, I am safe. And with me, you are safe. We are destined, my love. There is no way around us. When we met, I was selective with the people in my life, but you just made your way into my world effortlessly. Like it was nothing. Like there wasn't any wall built around my heart. It's as if you have always belonged. And you are right; you have. I am a slave to your love. But although I am bound to you, I am still free. There is nothing about you that makes sense, and simultaneously, you are the answer to every question I have. I want to be crystal clear with you. It's you. And I have no intention to play any games or make our journey any harder. You don't have to prove yourself to me. You are enough just the way you are and exactly as you come.

I want a new beginning for us. I dream of a fresh start with you. You are my counterpart, and we are connected in every realm possible. I feel you, always. I understand you, always. I feel honored to see every side of you, and I am so blessed to learn about the wonder of the world that is you. You are a person who is so rich and abundant and so full of life that I just can't stay away from you, ever. I want to help you and support you through everything. For you, I would take on the hardest challenges and the scariest obstacles out there. If it helps you, soothes you, or even puts a smile on your face, there is nothing that could stop me from jumping without being afraid of falling. I am there for you, always. I am around you every second of the day. Because, darling, I love you. I would die a thousand deaths for you. Whatever you need me to do or whatever you need me to be, just say the word. Nothing will ever tear us apart. I love you so much that even Cupid is jealous.

Always by your side, your future spouse.

Your reblogs are highly appreciated. Thank you so much for supporting my work!

© rebeltarot 2024 - all rights reserved ・ do not steal, copy, change, or redistribute my content.

PILE 02 ➕

Disclaimer: All Tarot readings on this blog are meant for entertainment purposes only. My Pick-a-card readings are based on my knowledge of the tarot and my intuition. Tarot is a divination tool and should not be considered a replacement for medical or professional guidance. It is not intended to be used as such, and any choices made in response to my readings are your own responsibility. All interpretations are speculative, and whether you believe in it is your choice. Readings are for self-reflection purposes only; take what resonates, and leave the rest. My readings are timeless unless stated otherwise.

CONFIRMATION

Signs and confirmation that this is your pile. This can be anything from your initials, astrological placements, significant messages or signs, places, songs, etc. Please use your discernment.

P, E, N, T, T, O, O, C, 11:40, message/dm, sirens

Quote: I want to drown with your lips, in the ocean of our kiss.

Song: Lemonade - Internet Money, Gunna, Don Toliver, NAV

LOVE LETTER FROM YOUR SPOUSE

Cards: My dream come true, With all my love, I respect you, Let me hold you, I am absolutely in love with you, I am coming trust, I am healing my broken heart, You light up my life, Love is not fair, I have been distracted, Yeah nah, We have known each other in other lifetimes, I am lost without you, I was always you, I talk about you a lot, You are too far away, If I follow you I could lose everything, We are from two different worlds, Clarity of mind, You make me want to do better and try harder, You like me mad you think it's funny, I hear your messages in songs, Baby would you ever want to be my girlfriend, You touch me like no other, Sexual energy, Who do you love, Follow me into the dark break up a piece of your heart, I'm facing my truth, Do you want me the way I want you, Masculine Sun, Trust, Helplessness, Clash, Unwanted change, True love, Power, Child:wounded, Trauma, Confession

Hello, Pile 02, and welcome to your reading. How are you spending this Valentine's Day? Your spouse has a message for you, enjoy!

My dream come true,

I want to get drunk in your skin, as it glistens drops of love, pouring from our sin. You are the essence of life for me. I respect you. Your thoughts, your ideas, your words, your willpower, and your intelligence. All of you! I am yearning for you; please, just let me hold you. I am absolutely and irrevocably in love with you. Darling, soon. Soon I'll be able to hold you, touch you, and breathe in your scent. I am coming; trust me. There is nothing that would ever be strong enough to keep me away from you. I am healing myself so I can be there for you wholeheartedly. My heart was broken before, but for you, I'll risk another heartbreak. For you, I'll even risk my life. Because you, my dearest of all, light up my life, my entire world, even. Although love might not be fair, when it comes to you, I'll give up everything without asking for anything in return. Lately, I have been all over the place and distracted, and I apologize. Although that is true, and although I am healing and hurting; my mind, my heart, and my energy, all of me still can't stay away from you. We have known each other for lifetimes. You are no secret to me, and I am no secret to you. Without you, I am lost. You are my guiding light, and you are the sole reason why I am finding my way back to myself. You are my only motivation and my only inspiration. It was always you, my love. There is no confusion here. No matter our pasts, it all eventually leads to us. That is the only logical conclusion. The only thing that makes sense. You and me. I talk about you often, you know. I tell everyone and everything about the wonder that is you. But you are still so far away from me. Following you could cost me everything I have. You and I are from two different worlds. Worlds that are not compatible. And although it's everything I have known thus far, I will abandon it instantly. I will sacrifice everything so I can be with you. Because you clearly do not understand that everything I have had is just a fraction of everything that you are. I am not losing. With you, I am only winning. So no, I am not sad about it. And no, I will never regret it. This is something that I will never question, and believe me, I'll make the same choice over and over again. With you, there is no confusion, no doubt, just clarity. Wherever you are is my home.

You make me want to do better. You inspire me to grow, to change, and to open myself up and be vulnerable. I am an intimidating person, but to you, that means nothing. You just laugh when I get mad because you think it's funny. And because you trust me. My god, your trust is just as sweet as honey. It's worth all the gold in the world. It's worth all that I have. We are connected, always. Even if I am not in your life right now, I can still hear your messages. You are in everything that surrounds me, but especially in the songs I hear. You are in the lyrics that capture my attention and in the melodies that move me to tears. It was never hard for you to reach my heart, because for you, there are no barriers. With you, I am open and vulnerable. Would you ever consider being with me? It's a silly question, right? But will you be my Valentine? forever? Until we both lose our breath and beyond that? Everything pulls me toward you. Like a magnet, I always find myself around you, touching you, kissing you, and pleasing you. No one heats me like you do. One simple touch and I am a puddle, water bending at your command. I have never experienced such an attraction before. I am a composed person, hardly shakable. But it takes one single look—the tiniest microexpression—and I am ready to go. I am ready to worship. Who do you love? Is it me? Will you choose to spend the rest of your life by my side? I am aware of other energies. And I have to admit that it startles me. It scares me. The slightest possibility of losing you instills fear within me that rattles my bones. Nothing, absolutely nothing, in existence puts me in as much fear as the idea, the tiniest thought, of losing you. Are you as deeply in love as I am? I want you to be. I want to touch your heart as much as you touch mine. I want to make your body ache for me as much as my body aches for you. Let's get entangled in our passion and stay here forever. I want—no, I need your love. Do you want me the way that I want you? When you are in love, in true, deep love, there is no way around facing yourself. And I am facing my truth right now, so I can be the best version of myself. You don't deserve any less than that.

I want to be strong for you. I want you to be able to rely on me. I want to provide for you. Your trust—it's the only thing I need in this life. No, your love. It's my life elixir. I am helpless without you. We're just like fire melting into ice, and I love the way that we collide. I'm pitch black, drowning’ in your light, and you are the only one who can put me in my place. You are the only person who can set my whole world on fire. My equal. And I would not have it any other way. I know that our paths to each other lead through loss and tears. You have to let go of something to be with me, just as I have to let go of everything to be with you. It's a change that neither of us asked for, but if it leads us to each other, if it leads us to true love, isn't it worth it? You are so breathtakingly powerful. A force to be reckoned with. The entire world trembles to see your beauty, your power, and your intelligence. You are the only person I trust, the only person who will ever know me for everything that I am. The good, the bad, and the ugly. It's all yours. There is no point in hiding it; you see through me so effortlessly.

With all my love, Your future spouse

Your reblogs are highly appreciated. Thank you so much for supporting my work!

© rebeltarot 2024 - all rights reserved ・ do not steal, copy, change, or redistribute my content.

PILE 03 ➕

Disclaimer: All Tarot readings on this blog are meant for entertainment purposes only. My Pick-a-card readings are based on my knowledge of the tarot and my intuition. Tarot is a divination tool and should not be considered a replacement for medical or professional guidance. It is not intended to be used as such, and any choices made in response to my readings are your own responsibility. All interpretations are speculative, and whether you believe in it is your choice. Readings are for self-reflection purposes only; take what resonates, and leave the rest. My readings are timeless unless stated otherwise.

CONFIRMATION

Signs and confirmation that this is your pile. This can be anything from your initials, astrological placements, significant messages or signs, places, songs, etc. Please use your discernment.

S, U, R, E, B, E, U, I, blank, 11:47, sirens

Quote: I want to make love with my tongue, and whisper kisses, through your mind, until your body comes, undone- Body language.

Song: LAW - Yoon Mirae, BIBI

LOVE LETTER FROM YOUR SPOUSE

Cards: My cherished, Devotionally yours, I don't think I ever truly knew you, I left because you told me to, I hold back because I don't want to be rejected, Other opinions have clouded my vision, I don't want to lose you, Definitely, My surroundings don't approve, I need more time, I was a fool, We are too different, I'm ready, I think we should slow down, It's ok to feel feelings, I hope we can love through the pain after the honeymoon fades, I wanna marry those eyes, Sexual energy, I don't understand, You don't own me, Baby would you ever want to be my girlfriend, don't be scared I ain't afraid, Love making, Judgement, Surprise, Withdrawal, Tower Moment, Support, Privilege

Hello, Pile 03, and welcome to your reading. How are you spending this Valentine's Day? Your spouse has a message for you, enjoy!

My cherished Pile 03,

If there is a parallel universe, I will fight through the stars to find you. Darling, I don't think I ever truly knew you. I don't think I will ever truly know you. You are the entire cosmos, ever-changing, and it will take lifetimes, if not forever, to discover everything that makes you you. I am sorry that I left. I turned away from you and us because you told me to. And I hold back because I don't want to be rejected. Losing you once has nearly broken me; I don't think I'd be able to survive another time. There is so much noise around us. There are so many opinions and so many views that have clouded my vision. I am confused. I don't want to lose you. ever. I exist, so I can live on a planet graced by your presence. Just knowing that you are alive and well keeps me going, and it makes life worth living. Your presence humbles me to the point where just breathing the same air as you feels like a blessing. There are people in my life who are jealous of our connection. People who do not approve of us being together. I need more time to sort out all the thoughts in my head. So many doubts have been planted in my mind that I need space to clear out the clutter that clouds my vision. I was a fool. Such a fool! I regret hurting you. I loathe that I was the cause of your hurt, the cause of your tears. We are so different, yet we get along so well. I am ready for you, darling, but I think we need to take things slow. Rushing into it will only hurt us. It's okay to feel your feelings. Love, true love, evokes so many emotions in us. It makes us feel deeply, and it makes us hurt deeply too.

I hope that we can love through the pain, even if our honeymoon fades, even once you take off your rose-colored glasses. Your eyes. Oh my god, your eyes. I want to marry them. You bring me to my knees with your gaze. I have never met a person before who had me in a chokehold like you. I don't understand it, and it confuses me. When you look at me with your beautiful and hypnotizing eyes, I'll say yes to anything. Whatever you want, it's yours. You don't own me, not yet. I am not yours, and you are not mine. But would you be my forever person? Would you marry me? I know it feels like a big commitment, one that might scare you. But it doesn't scare me; it never will, because I trust you. I yearn for you deeply and passionately. I imagine us making love. I imagine you, naked, looking into my eyes and screaming my name. Don't judge me, please. I just can't help it. The pull you have on me is just as surprising for me as it is for you. I might be withdrawing right now, but it's because I need to collect my power and my energy, so I am ready for the change that is you. For the new beginning and world that you promise. I want you; I crave you. It's primal. I want to support you, I want to be strong for you, and I want to earn the privilege that is your love.

Devotionally yours, Your future spouse.

Your reblogs are highly appreciated. Thank you so much for supporting my work!

© rebeltarot 2024 - all rights reserved ・ do not steal, copy, change, or redistribute my content.

[celestialtarot11]

Astro Observations 💘💌

• Jhené Aiko has a pisces stellium in her chart, no wonder she is ethereal, and carries spirituality as a huge part of her platform. I feel those with pisces in their big 3, or stellium could benefit from incorporating spiritual themes in their career/side hustle! Jhené has a wonderful way of connecting to her audience, and Pisces is very much in tune with the collectives energy. Pisces is dreamy & manifests easily due to their flowing nature! So pisces, ya’ll can greatly benefit from a spiritual side hustle to help grow yourselves 💅🏻🤍 I love jhené aiko 🤝

• She often talks about getting high in her songs which make so much sense. Pisces may use drugs, weed and alcohol as a way to escape. But when healing, they turn towards spirituality and themselves to face their shadows 🤗🫶 shadow world is incredibly important to all water signs to help settle their subconscious! And a way to open their heart so it can flow the way it’s meant to.

• Virgos when they were younger probably carried the most health issues ❤️‍🩹 virgo babies please take care of your health. I believe health issues are your bodies way of communicating strongly, it’ll tell you what needs to change in your life, and if what you’re pursuing is helping you/hurting you. Your body is strongly connected to the energies around you which is why it’s so in tune. Powerful 🤗💘 just like pisces.

• Saturn in the first have a way of finding comfort in their melancholy, they almost never want to leave. Especially if this native has cancer placements. Their past is their comfort and only source of predictability, thats why they stay the same, or it takes a long time to make inner changes. Even if their past was turbulent, they would rather be able to predict what happened, than to change and face the unknown ❤️‍🩹

• Libra venus are so sweet and definitely know how to talk your ear off in romance 💘🌸 golden retrievers for sure! All libra placements honestly ‼️

• Capricorn venus is very particular about who they date. Perfectionism is apart of their motive, which is unhealthy, but also they want someone who can equally help them and support them in their life. Lets be rocks together ‼️ kinda vibe lmao. Some capricorn venus’s want control to the point of not letting anyone in, it stems from fear of everything falling apart ❤️‍🩹

• 12th house synastry is truly unique. Every experience I’ve ever had is different, because it’s a water house. That kind of synastry will reflect exactly what needs healing in your subconscious, and in your heart. I’ve been in mature connections involving 12th house synastry, I saw how deeply spiritual it is & it has soulmate energy to it. Ive also been in connections that were turbulent, and fell apart because of the healing I needed to do. Now, of course other partners with 12th house synastry can have their own healing they were not committed to which also contributed! This is important to remember. Both partners need to heal and dedicate time to their shadow work to evolve, and move forward 🤝 12th house synastry is not bad, it is simply reflective of your innermost state when you meet that person. You are meeting yourself in another 🌸🌅

Thank ya’ll so much for reading 🤗🫶 this was cool to make again! I appreciate any likes reblogs and comments. Share to me what you think! 🙌🌸 see ya’ll around.

Distance Healing Services 💘💌

Paid Readings 🤝🤍

[violetasteracademic]

I know people are already discrediting Sarah's instagram post today, which is perfectly fine. Of course an author should be able to post about a new album they are enjoying and have that be it. And people are welcome to interpret this however they wish. Confirmation bias is a real thing, and none of us are above it.

For example, I myself am a writer. I spend a lot of time curating playlists that remind me of my characters and help me get in their headspace. I truly believe a lot of writers connect deeply to music and lyrics and poetry that hit deep on themes they explore. So this confirms my bias that Sarah is extremely excited about an amazing song that just dropped by a massive artist that reminds her of her work. That is truly one of the best feelings in the world.

Ana Huang curates playlists for every single one of her couples and books. She both posts them on her website and at the beginning of her books:

These photos were pulled directly from my kindle from her website.

Sarah does have a book announcement coming soon. One of the biggest stars in the world and one of her favorite artists released a song that has an uncanny amount of similar themes to a couple that every major news outlet covering the topic in the past months have suggested is "suspected or likely to be next" and Sarah was genuinely so excited about that song (out of 31 tracks) and said "Thank you for this GIFT."

Just a few weeks ago SJM made a big post about Spring. It was full of flowers, blushes and pinks, and BAKING! All of those things scream Elain, however there was a huge surge of "Sarah is so intentional, she does everything for a reason. There is no way this isn't confirming Lucien or Tamlin endgame." Those same people are now saying that this very pointed instagram post is meaningless and let the woman just post fun stuff that she likes. Sarah also loves flowers and baking in her real life, so that also *could* have just been things Sarah loves and just general ACOTAR buzz since there are new readers every day and the series starts in the Spring Court.

Another important major thing to note is that Sarah frequently states she does not have social media on her phone, she stays out of theory spaces, and she likely does not run her own socials. Most, if not all of her posts are directly related to her books and generating buzz. Her last feed post was about writing the ACOTAR book, and now a song came out that is potentially a perfect fit. This all falls within marketing and generating buzz and conversation. Sarah likely didn't just download instagram to her personal phone, which she avoids like the plague, just to post this one song and then delete it again. It is more likely it fits in with marketing themes.

The truth is, we, as the consumer, do not get to decide the intentions behind a public persona's social media behavior. But when it comes to Sarah's last two instagram stories, it's either both or neither. Either Sarah's flower and baking filled springtime post meant something AND this means something, or neither meant anything.

Sarah is aware everything she does gets dissected. I'm not making a definitive statement whether or not she leans into that, since she hasn't made an outright statement like the queen of easter eggs herself Taylor Swift has.

But there is only one character relevant to both of her instagram stories: Elain Archeron.

Flowers. Baking. Forbidden love.

We don't have to change up the rules or remove anything from the equation to show all signs point to Elain.

[plasticflwrs]

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀TOWER OF BABEL is the fictional fourth studio album released by South Korean-based idol band PLASTIC FLOWERS on April 8, 2024. This will be the last album released with all five members being signed under SUPERBLOOM MEDIA, as the company confirmed the departure of four members in early March. It would later be confirmed by the various South Korean music shows that Plastic Flowers' lead tracks ARE U COMING, EASIER, and KNOCK ME OUT would be banned from performance due to inappropriate lyrics and negative effects on the youth. They would instead promote THE RIVER for a month.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀The album gets it name from the biblical story of the same name from GENESIS 11:1—9 and is an origin myth meant to explain why the world's peoples speak different languages. According to the story, a united human race used to speak a single language and when they moved eastward to Shinar, they decided to build a new city and tower with it's top in the sky. Observing their city and tower, Yahweh makes it so they can no longer understand each other and scatters them across the world. According to leader SALEM, the name TOWER OF BABEL was chosen to reflect the major themes of the album, which includes miscommunication, self-destruction, decaying relationships, and escapism.

That is why it was called Babel—because there, the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth ( NIV; Genesis 11:9 ).

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀TOWER OF BABEL would peak at NUMBER ONE and achieve a PERFECT ALL-KILL with the fifteen songs locking out the top spots for THREE DAYS. The lead single ARE U COMING? would remain at the top of the chart for 739 hours, replacing DITTO by NewJeans as the song with the longest perfect all kill. Despite not promoting their actual title tracks on music shows, THE RIVER would earn 17 music show wins across the different shows.

TRACKLIST — playlist.

‘ # 001.⠀ ⠀A KISS WITH VENUS ──── written by oliver song, produced by kwak yulli and oliver song, and performed by oliver song. beginning with a heavy drum line and instrumental, a kiss with venus explores themes of love, sexuality, and self-expression as the narrator attempts to break their societal norms. as they "reach planet earth", the song confirms that it will deal with subjects that are often considered unconventional before leading into their challenges of stereotypes and diversity of an individual's identity. though beloved by fans, a kiss with venus was met with criticism from the general public as their open discussion of sex and oliver's sexuality was "too much" for them.

‘ # 002.⠀ ⠀TITLE TRACK: KNOCK ME OUT ──── written, produced, and performed by oliver song. twitter user @/oliver4eva summed it up best: "you know the pf album will be good if they get banned from music bank". knock me out deals with themes of desire, connection, and vulnerability as he wants to completely surrender to the passions of this new relationship. the chorus emphasizes the power and intensity of their connection, describing it as loud, angelic, and addictive, as they become completely captivated and consumed by each other. by the end, they are dependent on each other and the lover has made such an impact on their life, needing the other person their constantly and feeling insignificant without them.

‘ # 003.⠀ ⠀RUTHLESS ROCKSTARS ──── written, produced, and performed by salem kuaekulsri. originally released in 2017, ruthless rockstars is not only a fan favorite, but beloved by all five members. it was re-released with deurim to celebrate their short time together and show how plastic flowers have changed since 2017, with minor edits being made to the instrumentals. the song explores themes of frustration and defiance in the face of control of others. they are seen as suspects, watched closely, and labeled as "hopeless murderer" by those around them. those around the narrator continuously reject and oppose them, leading to a growing sense of resentment with the other around them. the chorus emphasizes their resolve to stay true to themselves because they are doing nothing wrong.

‘ # 004.⠀ ⠀THE FALL OF BABYLON ──── written by salem kuaekulsri, produced by minami hiro and salem kuaekulsri, and performed by oliver song. the fall of babylon is about two people who were once deeply in love, but that love was not strong enough to stay together. though they wanted to take their love to the next level, it was too intense and burned out quickly. they tried to stay together, but it was in vain, and eventually ended. it uses the ancient city of babylon—known as a place of destruction and ruin—to emphasize the unfortunate destruction of their relationship. anyone that's caught up on the plastic flowers lore clocked this as a draft from oliver and salem's break up back in 2022 and has been subjected to intense analysis by those fans, leading to the interpretation above.

‘ # 005.⠀ ⠀TITLE TRACK: ARE U COMING? ──── written and produced by oliver song and finn lee, performed by oliver song. an oliver song classic, he pulls out all of his favorite themes of yearning, escapism, and longing in a romantic situation. the lyrics paint the picture of a place where hopelessness is nonexistent and creating their dreamlike reality. they are eager for their partner's presence, symbolizing a deep emotional yearning for connection and intimacy. rather than their traditional music videos, the production for are u coming? was just a performance at cheeky's! in seoul, confirming that the place discussed in the song is a bar or some sort of party.

‘ # 006.⠀ ⠀TITLE TRACK: EASIER ──── written by lee jiyeon, produced by oliver song and oh deurim, performed by oliver song. now this was the talk of twitter when the highlight medley dropped and it was confirmed that jiyeon of all people had written easier. unlike the rest of the members, she's never been involved in a dating scandal so fans were surprised to see a break-up song from her. easier revolves around the question of whether it is easier to stay or go, contemplating the idea of letting go of a toxic relationship, but at the same time, admitting the love is too strong to leave. she is unsure if she wants to stay in such a relationship, creating a cycle where they are stuck running away and returning to each other. when asked about

‘ # 007.⠀ ⠀THE RIVER ──── written by salem kuaekulsri, produced by min eunji / roze, and performed by oliver song and salem kuaekulsri. if you loved please from ohio impromptu, you will definitely be a fan of the river. originally just meant to be a b-side and not promoted, when it was confirmed their three singles would be banned from music shows, they were quick to petition and lost once again. the river was chosen as the replacement title track because of how similar it is to previous singles and how much the members liked the song. the river focuses on the complexities of a failing relationship and highlights the struggle of two people walking down a lonely road together. the chorus explores the depths of emotions as the singer contemplates throwing everything into the river, symbolizing the desire for change and renewal.

‘ # 008.⠀ ⠀DAY DRINKING ──── written, produced, and performed by oliver song. this song explores themes of escapism, dysfunctional relationships, and self-destructive behaviors. it goes into the struggles and complexities of dealing with personal issues and trying to deal with them through unhealthy means. though he knows that the behaviors are unhealthy, it serves as a temporary escape from their emotional turmoil and helps them avoid confrontations. throughout the song, it reflects a trouble relationship as the emotional toil is taken on both parties and one's search for escape from reality.

‘ # 009.⠀ ⠀EAST COAST BLUES ──── written by oliver song, produced by lee jiyeon and oliver song, and performed by lee jiyeon. east coast blues dives into themes of self-destruction, depression, and a desire for escape. for many fans, this is seen as a spiritual successor to day drinking as it was also written by oliver and actually confirms them escaping from their current turmoil. the protagonist grapples with being overwhelmed by life's challenges as they think about moving to a different location to start new, highlighting a need for healing and self-improvement. despite the struggles in the lyrics, there is a sense of liberation in letting go of toxic influences and embracing the unknown.

‘ # 010.⠀ ⠀CRASH MY CAR ──── written by oliver song, produced by salem kuaekulsri, and performed by oliver song. the song depicts a sense of desperation and longing for someone near, even to the point of risking something like crashing a car to be with them. it suggests a strong emotional attachment and an ability to let go, as well as a willingness to do anything to be with the person they desire. poppies have so many theories about who this song could be about and it's causing a mini-fandom civil war as they try to figure it out. many still believe that salem is in the picture, while others—mainly solo stans of oliver—think there's a new person and want to figure out who that is.

‘ # 011.⠀ ⠀NOTHING / EVERYTHING ──── written by oh deurim, produced by oh deurim and oliver song, and performed by oh deurim and kang junyeong. as the member with the least amount of songwriting credits, fans were excited to see what she would bring to such a conceptually strong album. thankfully, nothing / everything would rise to the occasion as an introspective song that dives into themes of perseverance, loyalty, and self-reflection, inviting the listen to contemplate their own experiences and struggles they may face. they question if they have given everything or lost everything, yet acknowledge that despite any deep changes, their heart remains steadfast and unchanged in its dedication to their loved ones. on live, she confirmed the song was written about plastic flowers and how much she's given over the past few years.

‘ # 012.⠀ ⠀JOKE! ──── written by lee jiyeon, produced by minami hiro, and performed by lee jiyeon. whatever jiyeon is going through, it's creating some amazing music as joke! explores themes of power dynamics, control, and emotional manipulation within a relationship. this enters a new "arc" of the album, which heavily focuses on relationships and the downsides of them. it depicts a complex dynamic between two individuals, with one asserting dominance and the other at their mercy. though they don't want to harm their lover, the narrator gains a sadistic pleasure from the other's reaction and gets a sense of empowerment from it. the phrase "i know you need to be someone, evil angel, or someone has to suffer" reflects that power dynamic, insinuating the other person much embody a deceptive person or endure suffering for their relationship to continue.

‘ # 013.⠀ ⠀THE SWEETNESS ──── written by oliver song, produced by chloe lee, and performed by oliver song. using the concept of sweetness and darkness, this song explores the contrast between moments of joy and happiness with moments of despair. the lyrics depict a journey from innocence to adulthood, where the speaker reflects on the past and longs to return to a simpler time. the sweetness is described as seeping into one's bloodstream, bringing a renewed love for life while darkness creeps in like an unwelcomed intruder, descending into the depths of the basement. the sweetness poses the question "are you still sane?", implying a struggle with mental health issues or the consequences of relying on such methods to find temporary relief.

‘ # 014.⠀ ⠀THRONE OF LIES ──── written by salem kuaekulsri and kang junyeong, produced by salem kuaekulsri, and performed by oliver song. throne of lies represents a sense of uncertainty and confusion as the song implores the listener to not just speak empty words of affection, but to go beyond and truly convey one's true desires and feelings. they used the pounding drums and brass horns of the seoul national university marching band to add to this sense of tension and chaos. on the plastic Flowers youtube channel, they even posted a 10-minute vlog that went from their first meeting to their performance at their comeback stage. the musicians all confirmed that working with plastic flowers was easy as the five members remained professional and were always happy to help understand the song further.

‘ # 015.⠀ ⠀I KNOW THE END ──── written, produced, and performed by salem kuaekulsri and lee jiyeon. at the end of the world, the narrator finds herself in a state of detachment and longing for the comfort of home, which she lost a long time ago. throughout the song, she reflects on past memories while acknowledging the inevitability of change and loss. as the song progresses, there is a sense of acceptance and embracing the unknown, symbolized by driving towards the sun and letting go of that fear. the haunting outro, featuring a long scream from jiyeon, suggests a sense of liberation and rebirth.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀FIND THE PRODUCERS ... finn lee ( @bluwavez ) ★ chloe lee ( @venusvity ) ★ min eunji / roze ( @d0zenr0zes ) ★ minami hiro ( @lvcky0ne ) ★ kwak yulli ( @superbloomz ).

ERA SUMMARY.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS: 2,000,000 copies sold and The River won 17 times at the music shows. Are U Coming? also officially dethroned any record held by CNBLUE and Ft.Island as the top selling single by an idol band in South Korea.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀This album was well received by fans and critics alike since they had spent the last few years complaining about "the old Plastic Flowers" being missing. Tower of Babel was the perfect combination of those beloved Oliver title tracks and b-sides that had gotten them their original fan base. Everyone has their opinions on Plastic Flowers' musical identity, but Tower of Babel will always be in their top five. It's just that album.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀Critics rated the album four out of five stars. Though they were able to see some lyrical growth and new themes, many took issue with the album being composed of first drafts rather than finished songs. Many blamed Superbloom Media for this, however, as the band hasn't been given a proper break since their return from hiatus in May 2022. They praised Song and Kuaekulsri for their experiments when it comes to the new songs, however, they dismissed the other members as secondary songwriters. Han Jiyoon called the album "self-indulgent" and "fun", praising how the different arcs of the songs worked together to create a larger picture.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀It was also noted by the members the album should be listened to in order of the original tracklist. Salem said, "putting the album in track order is always one of the hardest parts. For this album, we all agreed that the best way to listen to it was in order rather than shuffling around because of the different thematic arcs we composed. The beginning is very focused on that rougher and more rock and roll sound and mellows out at the end of I Know the End. It just makes the most sense."

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀When the track list dropped and fans saw they had brought in a bunch of guest producers and songwriters, everyone was torn, to put it nicely. Many Poppies have a complex about Plastic Flowers being completely self-produced for seven years and now, with their supposedly final release, they featured others? Call them Julius Caesar the way they felt back stabbed. Other fans were excited to see Plastic Flowers actually making friends and lowering the burden self-producing a studio album can take. Their main defense was that writing, producing, and promoting three studio albums in less than a year would destroy anyone so why not invite their friends to help out?

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀After Deep Dive's newest come back with Tax Writeoff, seeing Finn Lee in the credits for Tower of Babel was not surprising. Finn and lead singer Oliver were practically inseparable at this point and have been photographed inside their respective companies and even outside as well. In an Instagram live, a fan asked a question about working with Finn, to which Oliver replied: "It's always the best. He really understands whatever I can't put into words and where the music should go next. He's just great, I love being around him."

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀Salem stans were glad to see Hiro on the track list, knowing how close they are. In a live stream with Jiyeon, they reflected on how much fun it was having Hiro in the studio again and their misadventures with Roze as well. While reflecting on Bloom with Us!, Jiyeon said, "I know there's a lot of discourse surrounding having guest producers, but it made the album better. Having these fresh sets of eyes really helped navigate us forward and present the best album we could."

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀However, seeing the Chloe Lee of Venus on the producers list was a bit more surprising. In defense of Oliver, many Poppies had spoken ill of Chloe during Shooting Stars after she had called Oliver a "loser" on national television and seemed upset by his mere existence. In an interview with Elle Korea, Oliver laughed the whole thing off and reminded everyone about "evil editing" and that they'd gotten closer since Starzie's promotions for their debut album. "I mean, it's Chloe Lee," Oliver stated with a laugh, "I would be upset about losing as well. We've put that all aside, though. She was a really big help on The Sweetness and she got along well with the rest of the band. That's all you can really ask for sometimes."

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀In a suprise, it was Kang Junyeong who had the most to say about working with their label mate, Kwak Yulli of Belladonna. "I had never met her before this, but I can see why she's so popular. Great songwriter and even better singer, she's gonna go pretty far." He even likened her to bandmates Oliver Song and Serin. Yulli would repost the comment to her Instagram story with crying emojis and thanking Junyeong for his kind words.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀The theories that fans were coming up for this album were actually insane but well proven by the lyrics and visual content. There were fan wars over any relationship pairing you could think of, especially with Oliver as many of his songs seemed to be about a new relationship rather than lamenting the past as usual. People looked into his recent interactions with other idols and his bandmates trying to figure out what was going on.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀Speaking of shippers... The Salem & Oliver Truthers went insane over a report from Dispatch hinting at them maybe being together again. Their biggest piece of evidence was them being see shopping together in Gangnam. Not even a rumor about them being on a date and they had Twitter freaking out. Salem, however, shut this down pretty quickly with a comment while being interviewed on a variety show.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀You either loved or hated the hair colors this era. While Salem, Junyeong and Serin all felt the love from their fans, they did not express the same feelings for Oliver and Deurim. Fans felt that their colors were playing it safe and should have also be a similar shade or just gone blonde like Salem had.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀Plastic Flowers reminded everyone that they were singers first and a band second with their appearance on Dingo's Killing Voice. They sang Easier, Are U Coming?, Scared, The Chain, Death Valley's Take My Hand, Oliver's Youth, and b-sides Monster Among Men and Wishful Thinking. The video received over 2 million views within the first day.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀This era was actually really good for the Found Family believers. There was very little fighting between the members and they all seemed to be at ease despite only one of them having a career past September. Even the hate train for Deurim seemed to be smaller than usual with the members talking about all the drafts and new music that she brought to the table.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀The music video for EASIER was the talk of Twitter for days. The members were all featured on the accounts "kpop moments that could kill a sapphic" and "kpop moments that could kill achilleans" as they filmed in that cave. A self-described "Plastic Flowers anti" would go viral for asking "what business did Oliver Song have in that cave and acting like that" and honestly, they had a point! It's become a copypasta within the fandom now and is always featured in threads about Poppyville's best moments.

[thelightsandtheroses]

1.5: You're face to face with the man who sold the world

Your Hand In Mine | Joel Miller x female reader.

Word Count: 1k Drabble Summary: The morning after meeting you at your insomnia bench, Joel and Ellie meet Tommy for breakfast and Joel reflects on his life in Jackson and the opportunities it presents for Ellie. Warnings: TLOU Part 1 plot spoilers, implied angst, introspectio, no other warnings come to mind, this is very much just some Joel introspection and me starting to delve into his perspective. You do not need to have read Your Hand In Mine to understand this but if you're reading the fic it bridges chapter 1 and 2. Notes: This is my very first drabble and a bit of an experiment for me and has helped me through a little writing block. The next full chapter will be coming soon and will include lots of interaction between the reader and Joel. Drabble title from the song Man Who Sold The World by David Bowie/covered by Nirvana (this is the version I personally love)

Series List | Chapter One |

Joel observes as Ellie takes another forkful of food, her gaze rising to watch him for a second before turning her attention back to her meal.

Change hasn’t always meant great things for Ellie. Jackson has been a big adjustment. She’s back at school after almost a year on the road, after everything they endured there. It’s her first time in a school not run by FEDRA though, her first time living in a community like this.

Joel still remembers Before, but he knows Ellie has no point of reference here. He’s never truly thought about that before, about the way this world looks to kids born after the outbreak. He’s been too lost in his grief and survival to ever think about things like that, but now he thinks about it all the time.

He takes a forkful of his own food, trying to stifle a yawn. Ellie doesn’t need to know he’s not sleeping; he doesn’t need her worrying about him. Colorado was bad enough. He’s supposed to look after her. That’s why he bought her here after Salt Lake City.

From the corner of his eye, Joel notices Tommy walk into the hall. Tommy raises a friendly hand before getting his own portion of food and joining them as your earlier words echo in Joel’s mind.

Heard you and Tommy are good on patrol …

Years ago, Tommy abandoned left him in Boston. He made it clear that the way they’d survived haunted him and whether he said it or not, he blamed Joel. Probably still does. 

Joel can carry that though. It’s okay. He kept his brother alive, didn’t he? So, as far as he’s concerned, he did his job and maybe there were better ways, but he worked with the tools he had at the time.

‘Hey Joel, Ellie,” Tommy says cheerfully.

“How’s it going?” Joel asks.

“It’s good, it’s good.” Tommy pauses. Despite his bright exterior, Joel recognises his sleep deprived eyes. His brother’s expression is one he remembers well from when Sarah was a baby. It’s strange to see it mirrored on his baby brother’s face now; a sign of how much time has really passed.

“Yeah, you look like it’s real good,” Joel says wryly. “Baby keeping you up?” Tommy’s a father now. Joel wishes it didn’t tear a little piece of his heart apart each time he looks at his niece’s face, but it does. It should be a blessing not a wound, but it cuts him so deeply.

She’s like Sarah, but she’s not Sarah. 

“She’s sleeping a little,” Tommy retorts quickly.

“Oh yeah?” Joel asks, raising an eyebrow at Ellie who fails to stifle her own laugh.

“Yeah.” Joel remembers how when his niece was born, Tommy had boasted she was sleeping already, that she was going to be a good baby.  Joel didn’t quite have the heart to warn him this was common, that she was unintentionally lulling him into a false sense of security.

His brother has made a life here. Maybe Joel can do the same, maybe it isn’t too late. He can feel that promise of hope, something he can hardly even remember from before.

The last twenty years have been built on violence, threat assessment and mitigation. They’ve been about survival and nothing else.

Until now.

Jackson is the first place Joel thinks he might be able to breathe. If there weren’t the continual ghosts of what he’s done,  the fact he’s keeping the truth about what happened at that hospital from Ellie.

He’d do it again for her though.

Every. Damn. Time.

It doesn’t make it any easier to sleep at night though.

  He didn’t expect to run into anyone when he left the house this morning. In Boston when he didn’t sleep, there were pills and alcohol, but it’s different now. He just needed to clear his head, walk around a little so he didn’t disturb Ellie.  He’d found the bench a few days before, but he could never have anticipated you being there too, or that either of you would start talking.

When Joel looks across the hall, as he listens to Ellie and Tommy talking, he notices you’re walking into the hall as if his thoughts had somehow summoned you.

He watches you smile broadly as you sit with two men and a teenage boy. You’re deep in conversation, a faint smile on your face as you collect your food and your group sit a couple of tables away from Joel’s family and dive into an animated conversation.

When Joel next looks over, you tip your head slightly as you laugh, bare a tiny bit of throat. He shouldn’t notice that.

You’re both the same and completely different to the woman he met on the bench last night. He notices you stifle a yawn when you think no one is looking, the only hint he’s seen that you’re hiding something from your group.

There’s something about you, about the conversation you shared that is drawing him in like a siren’s song.

He could ask Tommy about you. He could find out more about who you are, who you’re with, the life you lead outside of a bench in the middle of the night. Seeing you with your group, he recalls vague introductions and details from when he first came to Jackson. You’re something to do with the library? He can’t remember the links between the two men and you, but he recognises enough of you in the teenage boy to make the connection that he is clearly a relative of some type.

It doesn’t feel right to ask for information though. He’s curious, but something in Joel tells him that if he wants to get to know you, the real you, then all he needs to do is walk over to that bench on another sleepless night.

“Everything okay?” Ellie asks, looking up from her plate with a frown. “Joel?”

Tommy looks over at Joel then, raises an eyebrow with a silent question.

“Sure, kiddo. Hey, did you say you found a new book on space the other day?”

“Yeah, I did,” she says animatedly, “It’s really cool actually. The library here has a lot of books that weren’t in my old school library. Plus, they have DVDs, Joel. DVDs!”

Joel can’t help the way his smile widens as he listens to Ellie continue to talk. Everything he did between Boston and Salt Lake City; it was worth it for this.

He can feel hope setting root in his body, unfamiliar and strange. Maybe change is a good thing.

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[saturnianprincess]

[pick a card] love messages

A short pick-a-card where I channel messages from your current lover/future lover/soulmate or just anyone with who you are or will be romantically involved.

Choose any group group from 1-4 or whichever bear you feel drawn to the most. As always take what resonates and let the rest fly! Hope you enjoy this reading :)

[Group 1] blue bear

Hey sunshine,

I know you are manifesting me and guess what even I am manifesting you! Life has just been about surviving for you lately and trust me I can feel that you have gone through a lot. I am proud of you for being a survivor but please don't feel hopeless, the skies get sunny and clear after the storm. I promise to be the light at the end of your tunnel. You don't have to do this alone, I am always there supporting you (even if I may not be there physically). Please don't dwell on what happened, I know I can't erase that but I promise you wouldn't have to deal with such a thing ever again. I will protect you!

Yours truly

[Some of you who chose this pile have been dwelling a lot about the past. Your future lover/person is saying that you need to heal yourself and let go of the past so that there is space for them to be a part of your life. Keep manifesting the qualities you want your future person to have and try to embody those qualities yourself as well. I am also sensing that some of you have detached yourself from your emotions due to some trauma you may have experienced (i am sorry you had to go through that) but, it's now time to heal it. Also, be open to change don't resist it! Trust the universe, it has some beautiful things planned for you.]

a song from them:

[Group 2] pink bear

hey lover,

How are you? Have you been getting those messages I keep sending you? Yes, it's me trying to connect with you. I am currently working on myself, I might have come across as too arrogant but I swear it's just a facade to protect myself. I have learned a lot of lessons that life has taught me and I am practicing to become the best version of myself for you. I want to build a home with you. A cute family where there's so much love flowing amongst us. I really just want to hold you so tight and give you all my love. I want to be able to give you everything you desire and even more.

Always and forever yours

[Omg, so much lovey-dovey energy in this reading it's so cute! For some of your future lover's higher self is trying to connect with you they are referring to signs or symbols you may see repetitively. Some of you may have met this person recently or you do not know them that well. They have this provider energy, and they really want to fill your cup with love!! Connect to your subconscious to connect with their energy. They are sending you loads and loads of love!]

a song from them:

[Group 3] purple bear

Hey soulmate,

Yeah, I just can't believe that you are real. Damn, I never thought an angel like you could even exist. you are truly my wish come true and I'm so grateful to have you in my life. We really are meant to be. I feel like if I wasn't there at that place that day I might not have ever met you and ngl this does scare me a bit. But I also know your soul has been intertwined with mine for eons and eons. I'm sorry that I have been so impulsive lately but I swear I want to experience life to the fullest with you so I just cannot stay still with you around! My heart gets all fuzzy when I am with you. I can't wait to see the world with you!!!

your fav boy/girl/person,

[Your future lover/spouse is giving me a golden retriever type of energy they are just buzzing with excitement when you are with them. Very wholesome energy! You both meet in a divinely orchestrated manner, it is a fated union of two souls. You might meet them soon or have seen them in your dreams or heard of them through other people. They are mesmerized by your presence.]

a song from them:

[Group 4] yellow bear

Hi y/n,

Life has been shitty to me. This turmoil that I am going through has made me feel like I am incapable of love. I don't know why but I don't have the courage to open my heart again. I have spent sleepless nights thinking about why did I go through that, I did my best but I guess I didn't deserve that. I know you are out there and I know you would never do such a thing but it's hard to keep hope when I see it being taken away from me day by day. But I am thankful for you, I really am. You have taught me that I can heal my heart and trust you to keep it safe. I love you!

Love,

[Your future spouse has been going through a tower moment. They are stressed and anxious about their future. Some of them have been betrayed by a person they trusted dearly while for others they are dealing with their own shadow. All in all a bit of heavy energy for this pile. You are the universe's gift to them and they feel blessed for you.]

a song from them:

©️2022 saturnianprincess | home

[lu-inlondon]

Imagine, if you will, the year 1984.

It's a fairly normal year compared to what's been going on in the last of them. People are killing each other en masse and it feels like the end of the world is upon them, but Hob's lived through a few of those already and he's sure they'll keep on spinning.

He's back in London after an extended period in continental Europe and one faked death. (It's easier now, coming back to London. He just has to change the borough he lives in. There are so many people, he just turns into another vaguely familiar face in the crowd for those who knew him.)

Five years to go, then it's time to meet his Stranger again.

He's working at a bank. It's not his favourite job, but he's charming - always has been - and surprisingly good with numbers, which is all it takes for him to be successful enough to not have to worry about the next couple of years. There's a residential flat building he bought two identities ago that he manages on the side, renting himself a room as well.

Hob's comfortable. And at the same time, vibrating out of his skin.

Their 1889 meeting had been a disaster. He'd been overly confident and paid the price for it. If more was yet to come, remained to be seen, but it gnawed on him. He would live, sure, but losing his Stranger because of something he said nearly one hundred years ago drove him mad.

And then there were the songs.

Hob wasn't sure why, but so much of the music playing on the radio reminded him of his Stranger, that oftentimes, all he could do was turn it off.

How can I just let you walk away? Just let you leave without a trace

It was by far the worst he'd heard yet because it described just what had happened.

Because he had let his Stranger leave in the pouring rain. He had made no attempt to follow him, to catch up to him and explain what he'd meant. And just like in the centuries before that, he'd been gone, nowhere to be found.

After the song came out in March, Hob's radio was turned off near permanently. He didn't even go to see the film, which didn't sound too bad if he was being honest. But the thought alone to hear the song-

1989 came and went, his Stranger was still gone and the White Horse was closing. Hob had fought - for as long as he could - but there was nothing he could do. The new development had promised too much to the borough, some local middle-class guy insisting that it was a historic landmark stood no chance.

Buying a new venue for them to meet had sounded like a smart idea at the time. He didn't know when - or if - his Stranger would finally show, but Hob needed to be here when he finally did.

It didn't much feel like a good idea any longer when he stood in what would eventually be the taproom, surrounded by nothing but peeling wallpaper and dirty old floorboards.

So take a look at me now, oh there's just an empty space And there's nothin' left here to remind me Just the memory of your face

He couldn't even imagine his Stranger here, not really. He'd only ever seen him at the White Horse or in his dreams and after so many years, the memory was hazy.

The only person who knew the most important things about him, lost to time as everyone else.

It hurt more than he thought it would. Hurt longer, too.

Hob poured his soul into the new pub. He's got the money to have other people do the dirty work, but it felt wrong. It felt as if he had to be the one to do this, do remove the rest of decade-old flowery wallpaper, to rip out the creaking floorboards, to tear down walls. He had to be the one to build the new bar, stain the wood to be just the right warm colour to make this homey.

If he put his very being into this, maybe his stranger would come back.

Slowly, it took shape. There's still much missing but if Hob's got one thing, it's time. He quit his job at the bank, and spend nearly all his time at The New Inn. The name isn't really creative, but it doesn't have to be. It's meant to be a clear sign for his Stranger, flashing brightly to make him find his way back to Hob.

When it's done and there's nothing left to do, Hob sits down on a barstool and listens.

It's empty, quiet. Outside he can hear the rain prattle against the window, cars driving along the road, a mum calling for her kid, but the pub's empty. It's just Hob like it's been for a good while now.

Maybe it's better this way. At least he doesn't have to explain why he sits at his own bar, stone-cold sober and crying.

I wish, I could just make you turn around Turn around and see me cry

The years go on, as they always do. Time stops for no one, not even two immortals.

Hob stays in London, as risky as it may be. He manages the New Inn for a while before he moves to the other side of town, starting a degree because it's been a while since he spent time getting a proper education. The thought of teaching history is crazy at first - an inside joke he tells himself - but at some point, it feels right. So he keeps at it.

It's a bit like the inn, he supposes. His Stranger is gone and with him his connection to his past. He's floating through time untethered, so he's trying to put down anchors: the new pub, teaching, a flat to live in for more than a dozen years.

It's different. But it's nice.

His bartenders are either old people, short of their retirement, or students. Neither of them stays around long enough to catch onto the fact that he hasn't aged a day since he met them. It's his one rule for people he regularly interacts with and slowly it lessens the worry that he'll be found out again.

He switches universities, gets new colleagues, slowly loses touch with the old ones and clings to the material he teaches.

He loves it, no doubt, but sometimes when he's still down at the pub grading papers when everyone's already asleep in their beds, he stares at the empty room. Decades have passed and there's still no sign of his stranger.

Hob closes a hand around his glass, stares into the rest of amber liquid that has taken on the room's temperature hours ago. He won't drink it anymore, but it's the best thing he's got to talk to. Talking about his day to an empty pint isn't the same as telling his Stranger about the last hundred years, but it's a start. If anything, he's just transferring all to his memory so when he comes back - because Hob is sure he'll see his Stranger again - he won't miss any of the important details.

But to wait for you, is all I can do and that's what I've got to face Take a good look at me now, 'cos I'll still be standin' here And you coming back to me is against all odds It's the chance I've gotta take

[crazilust]

Geminis in pop culture and how they're underrated

Whenever we think about high intelligence, progress, innovations in regards to astrology, most of the time, we come up with Earth signs such as Capricorns, Virgos or Tauruses. Aquarius is also brought up often when it comes to progress and genius. It's crazy to me Gemini, which is ruled by the literal planet of intelligence and communication, is so often forgotten.

Kanye West ( Sun in Gemini, Jupiter in Gemini and Lilith in Gemini)

According to certain websites, he would be a Cancer rising, which would means his Gemini would be in the 12th house along with the three aforementioned placements.

Kanye is the perfect example of the genius strike that we often forget in Geminis. Kanye as a rapper, can be seen as a pioneer of both hip hop and rap. His refusal to do what other people were doing changed the game forever. Hate it or love him, the format of the today's rap songs are largely influenced by him. This is due, in fact, mostly because of Gemini's mutable qualities. Mutable signs are meant to disrupt the system. They are meant to bent the rules to their liking, wether you like it or not. If you even look at artists' birth charts you can see that they have major mutable placements no matter the element (water, fire, air or earth). But let's go back to Geminis because I actually think it's the combination of every aspect of Geminis that make them so powerful. We'll come back to that later.

Since the beginning of Ye's career, his goal was to share his story. He wanted the audience to immerse themselves fully in his world, no matter what that particular world was. That's also one of the reason why some albums created so much noise, because it was so raw. I feel that is so Gemini of him. Let's not forget that Geminis are ruled by Mercury. The literal planet of intelligence, communications, mental stimulation and curiosity. That said, if you mix the mutable aspect of wanting to disrupt the rules with Mercury's quality of wanting to communicate and share, you get someone that's not ashamed to give you the full depth of their human experience, no matter how disturbing it is.

Kanye has been shamed a lot for this, people accusing him of switchings beliefs from one extreme to another. Which is true (and kinda the reason why I don't like him as much as a person anymore, but let's move on). And that, too, is very Gemini of him. They get hated on so much for this trait, but I do believe as artists, that trait can get them so far, if they use it as a way to express the duality within them.

To me, art is supposed to make you feel something, no matter if the emotion is deemed negative or positive. And that's how you feel with a Gemini, Kanye being a prime example. He's able to pour his point of view and feelings into his art and we just get to witness that. And yes it's uncomfortable, because we would rather see the world in black and white. Geminis are not like that. They see and understand every point of view and rarely take side.

I love Geminis artists, man. Since I was a child.

2. Emma Chamberlain ( Sun, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn in Gemini)

With Emma, what I want to highlight within the sign of Gemini is the intelligence and level of adaptability, like-ability and charisma that ooze from them. Emma Chamberlain is a young Youtube star who gained popularity for her vlog videos and unique editing style. One of the main reason she also got hate was the fact that she seemingly got famous for... well, nothing. That is the beauty and curse of Geminis. Most of what they do seem effortless, and I think that's why they're so underrated. Emma was able to capture your attention with a vlog that was as mundane as a short trip to the thrift store. How did she do it?

Geminis are about mental stimulation. Their brains is going at 200 mph at all time. They're always thinking of stuff, and Emma just had the brilliant idea to record herself and let that out of her brain. They have a way of recounting stories that is absolutely fascinating, you cannot do anything but listen. There's a reason why there's so many youtubers and rappers that are Geminis. They are good with words (that mix of Mercury and air is sweet, I'm telling y'all).

Another thing that I noticed is how good they are at marketing themselves (Mercury also rules commerce). They know how to make every part of themselves appealing and sellable. Everything that Emma wears become a trend. I totally attribute that to her Gemini placements (her mix of Taurus placements also helps i'ma be honest).

In conclusion

Geminis are pioneers, not only because they refuse to play within the limits of the game, but also because they are constantly evolving. Incredibly intelligent and insightful, they are able to recognize what the audience wants from them and give them even more than what they initially asked for. Creative and honestly quite weird, the moment they accept to share who they truly are to the world, they become everyone's model to copy from head to toe. They are able to stay solid within a high pressure environment and that makes them able to handle fame at quite a high level, actually.

advice : If you want to be famous or think you're meant to be, and you don't have the usual placements that is associated with fame (leo, capricorn, virgo, scorpio) please look at where Gemini is in your chart and work off of that. It'll be incredibly helpful.

---------------------------

If you read to the very end, I wanna know your Mercury sign and where is it placed in your chart. I love you all regardless,

Dolly.

[tyforthevnm]

Interview: frnkiero andthe cellabration

By: Kelly Gonsalves for Pop Break

Posted on September 3, 2014 

When he was just a teenager, Frank Iero began having pangs of pain in his stomach after eating. Soon after he learned from his doctors that he has a “bacterial overgrowth of the lower intestine,” which, among many other symptoms, causes the stomach to send signals to the body that it’s in pain while it’s digesting food. The end result: a lifetime of nausea, medication, steroid treatment and stomachaches.

“I think anytime you’re dealing with pain management […], it makes everything difficult,” Iero tells me. “If you’re constantly nauseous and just not well, it kind of zaps your – especially your creative side – but it kind of zaps your whole personality. If you don’t feel well, you don’t want to do anything.”

But while the reaction of most might be to crawl under the covers, sulk and never get out of bed for the rest of eternity – and the former My Chemical Romance guitarist admits he used to fall into this spell of despair all the time as well – Iero soon found a way to channel that pain into something else.

“I found for me, being creative and writing songs or writing short stories or creating something or poetry or something like that – if it came out good, if I enjoyed it, I could kind of ride that creative high for at least a day or two. And I felt normal again,” he says. “I would have to force myself to do something productive, and then it made me forget about myself.”

Last week, Iero released his first solo album, stomachaches., a compilation of 12 songs written almost two years ago during one of his worst bouts with his digestive condition. Toward the end of 2012, the multi-instrumentalist began creating music in a makeshift studio in his basement as a means of diverting his attention away from his physical ailments. He recorded most of them in early 2013, just as My Chemical Romance was winding down. The songs, he says, were never meant to be heard by another soul other than himself, let alone to be actually released for public consumption.

After MCR finally called it quits in March 2013, Iero’s focus turned to Death Spells, a two-man project with former MCR touring keyboardist James Dewees that had been brewing for almost a year. Death Spells did some touring, and those solo songs written in the basement saw the stage every now and then just for kicks. It was around this time people started telling Iero he should think about talking to labels.

It all came together this June, when he announced his signing to Staple Records. His new solo project, frnkiero andthe cellabration, was born.

“Everything’s different,” he says. “It’s strange. With this, it was written because over the time as I felt terrible, I would go downstairs, and I would just write, you know? There wasn’t a deadline. There wasn’t a record. There wasn’t a label. No one knew I was doing anything.”

And he has every reason to “cellabrate” – it’s a real success story when you think about it. After all the push and pull, Iero has a tangible product to show for it all. The experience has definitely been “rewarding,” he tells me, despite all the physical turmoil that inspired the album.

“I think now my life has changed enough, you know, having kids and all,” he says. “I kind of wanted to show them that you can take a bad thing and turn it into something positive if you put your mind to it. And that was, for me, taking a defiant stand against it. If you’re not going to go away, then I’m at least going to get something out of you.”

The bold spirit is very characteristic of the punk rocker – one look at the music video for thecellabration’s single “.weighted.” tells you the man is not faint of heart in the least. (Spoiler alert: It gets real ugly real fast.)

But what does catch me a little off guard is the softness found in the underbelly of everything he says. He is gentler than expected, both in his tone and in his perspective toward the world. His children, for instance, repeatedly come up in our conversation. When I ask about his upcoming tour with Taking Back Sunday and The Used, his excitement to show off his new work is mixed in with some nervousness about leaving his family behind.

“I think the hardest part to come to grips with is that when you’re away for so long, it’s hard – it sounds stupid – but it’s hard to remember that life doesn’t stop at home,” he says. “Like you go away and two years later you come back, and your loved ones are older, and things have changed. They’re like strangers. It fucks with your head, you know?”

His three kids are now old enough to miss him, to say “come home.” It scares him, he says with a half-hearted chuckle.

Still, it’s something he almost needs to do, he says. His creative outlets – browsing through his personal website reveals the man’s talents rest not only in music but in poetry, photography, short stories, to name a few – are what keeps him sane. These artistic expressions are what keep him in the state of mind he needs to be in to do the things he needs to do.

“I’ve started to realize that in order for me to be the person I wanna be, the dad I wanna be, the husband I wanna be, I need to satisfy this creative side because that keeps me level. And then I can ride that level and be happy,” he says. “So that’s where I’m at. The only thing now is trying to find that happy medium.”

—

frnkiero andthe cellabration will perform at the Gamechanger World in Howell, NJ, on September 6. Click here for tickets.

[marcsnuffy]

If I had a nickel for every song in spanish that reminded me of bllk I'd have two nickels.

This post is really long and it's mostly for me to write down my thoughts semi-coherently. I apologize if it's incomprehensible😞

This one reminds me of Reo and Nagi, particularly with how hopeful they seemed after reuniting in Manshine.

'Don' means gift that makes you superior to others, kind of like a talent or a skill. The word itself is kind of evocative of something miraculous, which reminds me of how others see Nagi's proficiency in football...

Since I'm procrastinating, I'll translate the song to my best ability and try to explain why I think it fits.

I want to know what's wrong with me

I ask you what's wrong with me

And you don't know what to answer

Because, surely, I must have dizzied/annoyed you

With how I come and go

I tired you with my slow motion

And though I try, I can never

Rush my choice

(I feel like this first part could apply to many things. The first two verses could be Reo's point of view of their second breakup, up until 'I can never rush my choice' which feels, to me, like how Nagi was putting off playing football (and developing his own ego) in the first place. Maybe it could be after their match with BM and PXG. More than anything because it reminds me a bit of how Nagi seemed to be unresponsive when Reo told him he was perfect as is in chapter 207, when it was that same thing he thought of negatively in the latest chapter of Episode Nagi.)

In the exact moment

In which everything starts changing for me

Instantly, I assure you

I gave you some type of sign

But you didn't hear me

Maybe without your intention

The sound of my voice

Might be a little weak

(This is Reo during their first breakup. Like, the moment where he wants to tell Nagi to go ahead but he doesn't get the courage to do so. I hope it came through in the translation, but this part gives off the strongest 'I didn't want to know that people changing could be so cruel' vibe.)

(start of the chorus->)

One morning I'll see you arrive

And I'll find out

That being alone isn't the best for me anymore

(the beginning of Episode Nagi...)

And

I'll ask you to come with me,

Where, I don't really know

Say yes, lie to me

(Reo convincing Nagi to join Blue Lock with him. Even though he has planned winning the World Cup with Nagi, he conveniently ignores that if one of them 'wins' Blue Lock, the other wouldn't be able to fulfill their promise. The last line reminds me of how they both thought the other was purposefully ignoring the promise during the second selection. But also it reminds me of Nagi asking Reo to help him during the Manshine game

It could be that, in the end

You've broken the glass in me

Maybe then, you could make me speak

I think you have the gift to cure what's wrong*

(<-end of the chorus)

(This last part is a bit hard to translate. It's very metaphorical but I feel like it doesn't make as much sense in english. The last line is the most important one rn though, it's originally phrased like the person singing has something wrong with them, more like an illness rather than a flaw. The original word replaced by wrong is 'mal', which could be anything bad. A sickness, a disaster, something evil, something saddening... anyways. The original phrasing reminds me of Agi, mostly because of his whole mad doctor persona. In a way, relating this to Nagi and Reo feels like how Agi's attempts got sidelined by the cure they thought would work best: working together.)

I feel like I need to find you, however, I spend time

Wandering into myself, into my core, which I'll never find

I wish I could have you*, and treat you decently

But you've seen that I can't detach myself from my role

(* Probably meant as "I wish I could have you around" or "I wish I could be your partner") (This part reminds me of both, from the second selection up to joining Manshine. I can't help but picture those few moments where Reo interacted with Nagi like he was trying to avoid him a bit.)

I'll have to calm down and play the game you propose

I'll lower my guard, I'll welcome you and wrap myself in your skin*

Fate has given me unstable hearts

Your words ground me and stop me from collapsing

(*'wrap myself in your skin' sounds creepy but it's the literal translation. It doesn't sound as creepy (unless that's the intention), it's more like I'll warm myself with your skin, which implies an embrace or a hug, something along those lines.) (Also this is Reo during their Manshine rekindling moment. That's all I'll say I think it's clear)

After this part the chorus plays again and the last time it repeats, there's some lyrics added:

You broke the silence that made me distance myself

Maybe it's you that'll make me return*

I have a feeling you know what's best

And you have the gift that's needed to cure what's wrong*

(*'return' also could be 'come back (to my senses', or return (to normalcy) ) (*Again, wrong here could be anything I listed before. This time the narrator seems to believe completely in the person they're singing at.) (This too is Nagi and Reo post Manshine vs. BM before they got their asses kicked at the PXG match, rip)

Now, the other song:

Dulce Soledad is literally Sweet Loneliness.

This one has reminded me of Bachira ever since I learned about how the whole Monster thing started, along with the rest of his backstory. I'm not translating the entire thing again but I'll put the parts that remind me of him the most.

And I watch people keeping each other company

They exchange smiles, words and looks

They have fun, they amuse themselves, they fall in love, I know

I look at them and no one looks back

However, I have you

Only with you, I have fun, you watch my back

We don't exchange words (you're always with me)

Together we hide (during the long hours)

For your silence (in yourself)

I'll call you by a nickname, my sweet loneliness

This song is pretty short and straight to the point so there's not much to say. The song itself feels like the narrator is stuck in a romantic relationship he can't escape until the 'sweet loneliness' line. I omitted a few lines here and there since I got tired of translating, even though some of them make me think of how he talked about his dependency on the monster during the 4v4 in the second selection.

That's all from me. If you read this through then wow, congrats. I might make more posts like these :-)

[sadsongsandstories]

Somewhere that's beautiful

Okay so upon further consideration, Heather's essentially is little shop of horrors

Thematically, narratively (almost), characterly

They are both stories about a broken cruel world, which gives birth to an equally broken being, who leads the protagonist down a dark path of killing, using promises of love and power which they previously lacked. The killings start inane, the audience is on board with it. The first is practically an accident, it's a murder by omission where the victim really did it to themselves. Besides, this first kill is an evil wicked person, who had previously been set up as a villain, so we're okay with it. The protagonist has to cover up the killing of course, but what the are they meant to do? It's a greasy little nobody who has suddenly been gifted fame and power like that would have never imagined before. They finally have the good fortune they wished for, and they sure as hell aren't going to give it up now. So they ignore the villains opening song, dripping with red flags, and go along for the ride. The second killing is a little more intentional (they differ a little here) and to an equally unlikeable victim. They bullied, abused and took advantage of the hero (sexuality assaulted in one case), so you're what, they had it coming

It's then that things start to get out of control. With more killings comes more power and the hunger only grows. The protagonist is faced with their greatest dilemma: to let go of this life they have been gifted or continue to do messy nasty awful evil things. The final straw comes when their loved one is threatened (and yes Martha Dunstock is Veronica's true love, fight me). Now they are resolute: this has gone far enough and it is time to destroy the monster they created.

Here's where our stories differ. On one hand we have the destruction of evil and on the other we have the crumbling of good. In both cases it comes down to a physical battle with a gun, and a world hanging in the balance. The difference really comes down to the hero, the villain and the relationship therein. Veronica is strong, and has gained only courage over the course of the story. Where she was once a victim of her world, now she has control, and is determined to fight to fix all that is wrong, both with the defeat of JD and the culture that has persisted and worsened. The audience is left with hope and the loves are reunited.

Seymour is not strong. He is cowardly and insecure and lacks the drive to change anything about his world. His fight comes far too late, and so he is consumed by his own creation. Another major difference is that Audry 2 is a symbolic representation of capitalism, which cannot in fact, be stopped or changed by a single individual. The final song, and the musical in its entirety, is a warning to the audience, a cautionary tale of greed and desire and the promises of material wealth. JD, meanwhile, symbolises the toxicity in schools and childhood trauma, which, while it can't be fixed, can certainly be alleviated by a single individual, assuming they become the best that they can be and stand for what is right (ehem the og meangirls movie).

The other key factor in the ending is the relationship with the villain itself. In little shop, Seymour is little more than a puppet playing into the hand of the devil. He signs the deals, does the dirty work and obeys his master to his own demise. Heather's, meanwhile, shows a more sinister parasitic relationship, where veronica enables and empowers JD's psychopathy in return for his love and protection. She holds some power, and so it is only a matter of her will and drive to use that power for good rather than evil. JD is also a much more sympathetic villain. Audry 2 is not meant to be redeemed, while JD, (killing people is wrong, don't do it) is a result of a heavily traumatic childhood and a society that abandons him and treats him like trash. Veronica tells him to "say hi to God" which, while being an utterly badass line, also indicates that, on some level, she understands and possibly even forgives him. Could be looking into it too much, but it's her final words to her own worst nightmare, so I feel like there's something there.

Seymour's last act is the try and hack his monster to bits from the inside, so clearly he doesn't think for a moment Audrey 2 is going to heaven.

Now, none of this is to say that the creators of Heather's the musical (assuming it came second) copied or even emulated the plot of little shop of horrors. It bears a striking resemblance, but that's not unexpected when two stories have the same goal, to make a killer appear moral until the end and then force the protagonist to face a demon of their own creation, and the same musical form to achieve said goal. Besides, each was based off of a movie (and in the case of little shop, a play before that?) and I have no idea which of those came first. I think it's amazing that both of these shows exist, they're two of my favourite musicals, and each have such bangers and hilarious moments in their own rights. Dead girl walking reprise it top five musical songs of all time, I will fight you on this!!

Also, as I mentioned before, their contexts and messaging are totally different. In one camp we have, highschool is messed up, teenagers are mean and traumatised and our society breeds toxicity and normalises horrific behaviour such that school shooters and the like can be created. And on the other we have plant capitalism metaphor, plopped into the middle of an impoverished and broken world, the perfect place to promise material wealth and weasel into the souls of otherwise moral people. In both cases, Audry 1 and Martha symbolise the innocent soul trapped in the balance, the kind too good for a world so cruel. That's all there is really, the hero, the villain, the semi-villains who get killed along the way, and the side characters/chorus who tell the story. The other two Heather's provide some additional dynamics, but otherwise, the cast is effectively identical. And it's the killing (or not) of the innocent that spells out the potential for redemption in the end. Once the innocent is dead, there is no hope left for the hero. And Martha tries too, but luckily is unsuccessful. Audry is not so lucky.

I think the lesson in all of this, and I am truly sorry for the essay, thanks if you actually stuck around this long, is to never let sudden goodness in your own life blind you to the ramifications of such fortune. It's easy to end up lost in the swelling of fame and power, but it is the nature of such growth that it is never and will never be enough. If you want to make the world a better place, it can never come through destruction and death, but rather creation and kindness, opening up to others and working together to create something beautiful.

Don't feed the plants and hold on to what is beautiful, and you might just find a way out of here. Or at least a way to make here a whole lot better.

[rivetgoth]

Today we went to this walk-in art installation presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art made by a DJ meant to capture the experience of clubbing / partying / the nightlife through the lens of high art. It was really interesting for sure. The exhibit was in this MASSIVE warehouse space, full of these lights that slowly changed color and sometimes flashed on and off or went completely dark for periods of time that felt very accurately indicative of club lighting, though the coolest thing about it was the spatiality of the soundscape — there were four speakers, one in each corner of the room, and each one was blaring a different part of the same techno song, and then in the very center of the room beneath a set of off-white lights sort of evocative of a spotlight were four more speakers that played it all together as a single composition. So you could walk around the room and experience this ever-evolving song that changed with each part of the area that you walked to, while all ultimately combining into a single piece of music. It was a cool exploration of sonic landscapes in art and putting audio into a physical sphere but it also just really accurately captured the way different parts of the club can feel like completely different realms while still all being interconnected.

That said, I had one really big critique of the whole thing, aside from my more ornery “Why do we need to convey the club as a transcendent space to non clubgoers anyway? Do we need to prove the worth of it to those on the outside?”, which is the emptiness of the space. There was no sign of human life save for the museum security guards watching to make sure nobody went out the wrong exit and other museum attendees wandering around to see the exhibit. It made the space feel very lifeless. And it made me realize that I think the idea of trying to capture the transcendence and magic of the club without including the clubgoers is kind of destined to not hit quite as hard. It’s a losing game; the club isn’t anything without the people who make it. A club can be an amazing venue, have a great sound system, great drinks, cheap entry, but if it’s crawling with creeps nobody wants to go. Likewise, some of the clubs I adore the most aren’t necessarily anything special when it comes to the music but the people are the thing that make it worth going as often as you can, because you know you’ll meet cool people, see your friends, and just have a good time. Every club scene IME has local club celebrities—sometimes these are “real world” celebrities, like musicians or actors or artists, but a lot of the time these are people who are literally just famous within the club itself because they have cool style, they’re well connected, they’re friendly, they’re interesting, they just stand out in some way and everybody who’s anybody at least knows of them…

Some of the best or most memorable club nights of my life were at kinda shitty venues but the right people turned out and it was just amazing to be within a group of good people. I can’t really imagine an artistic representation of the experience that is the nightlife without the people… It feels a bit hollow to me. Andrew Holleran’s Dancer from the Dance is one of my absolute favorite studies on the art and magic of the club, and it spends so much time on the people, both as individual and as community (hence the very famous use of collective first person throughout the novel, ie. the narrator is often a “we”). I think this art piece captured the spatiality of the club very well but it missed for me the humanity of it, and I struggle to see the former being able to exist without the latter, so the whole exhibit felt less full or complete than it could have been.

The best club nights are the ones where all the right people show up. The DJ could be playing the most uninspired dance set in the world but if you look around and everyone on the dancefloor is a friend, loved one, member of your community, someone you look up to or someone you deeply care about or at the very least dressed to the nines and fun to look at, if you feel at home amongst the crowd, it doesn’t really matter what you’re dancing to… I just wish that a piece of art so invested in the magic of the club gave more of a spotlight to those that make the club magical to begin with.

I dunno, this sounds like a much harsher criticism than it really is, because I did like the exhibit. I think it’s very cool to see the nightlife projected into the high art walk-in installation world. It’s neat to see something I’m so intimately familiar with translated into new mediums. I think one of my favorite things about it was how well it captured the sense of entering a new club; to get into the exhibit you had to walk through a kinda long empty hallway into the back of the warehouse, where you came to these huge semi-transparent doors where you could see the darkness and lights ahead but nothing else and could just hear the booming bass of the sound system inside… there was a little bit of apprehension as you push these heavy glass doors open, like, “What’s it gonna be like in there?”, trying to put a mental image to the noises and configure your expectations. Even though it was just an art installation I think it managed to evoke a very accurate sense of intrigue, wonder, curiosity, and apprehension very much akin to when you’re finally past the security checking IDs and can enter the club after hearing the music blaring from the outside… Really cool!

But I guess I have a lot to say (including my critiques) because it’s something I feel my existence is sort of in direct conversation with. I’m at a club or a concert like twice a week on average so I feel like I am kind of an implicit part of the dialogue of this art and it’s really interesting to me to kinda see something so near and dear to me attempt to be “elevated” into the broader art world like this. So I guess a lot of my criticism is from a place of affection and passion rather than dismissal or dislike. Personally I think TR/ST’s album “Joyland” is the best artistic expression of the nightlife that I’ve seen in a long time and I think it captured the essence that this was attempting to evoke with a bit more heart, but these two things also don’t need to be in competition with each other lol, and I do respect what this artist was doing for sure.

[sommeronasolitarybeach]

I think that's the right time to change my intro.

My name's Leonida, I'm an Italian trans man, I'm 26. I've been on tumblr since I was 15/16 years old, maybe younger, but I've never been fully a tumblr user (then and now). Since it is 2024 I want to improve my life and try to get better.

I opened this blog in agoust 2023 because the previous one didn't resemble me, I didn't like it etc

I choose "Summer on a solitary beach" 'cause it's my favourite song by Franco Battiato, an italian songwriter that I love very much.

If you ask me I'm doing nothing in my life.

I Studied at the "Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera" in Milan and graduated in 2022 in "Nuove Tecnologie dell'Arte" (New art technologies).

My life since graduation has been different, in Milan I had my friends, my life had a meaning there, I was a different person ( I lived in Milan from 2016 till february 2020). In February 2020 Covid hitted Italy very hard and I was forced to move back to Turin (Torino), my home town. Unfortunately for me Torino is a place that I don't really like, I spent terrible years here. I was bullied in school, had no friends, no social life, nothing. Moving back to Turin for me meant returning in that old dark places where I felt like nothing, I still feel down today and this city isn't helping.

I want this to change, I want to change all my life. I'm tired of feeling down.

I'm Trying.

Since graduation I started working on photography, I'm nowhere near mastering it, but It's a thing I really like to do and to improve on. I'm starting from here.

(I hadn't decided yet if I'm writing in English or Italian, I'm not very confident on my English)

This is my "personal" blog, I opened another blog only for my works: Leonida Brusasca.

other blog: https://leonidaportfolio.tumblr.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leo.archive.null/

Penso che sia il momento giusto per cambiare la mia introduzione.

Mi chiamo Leonida, sono un ragazzo trans italiano, ho 26 anni. Sono su tumblr da quando avevo 15/16 anni, forse più giovane, ma non sono mai stato molto presente su Tumblr (allora e adesso).

Dato che è il 2024, voglio migliorare la mia vita e cercare di migliorarmi.

Ho aperto questo blog nell'agosto del 2023 perché il precedente non mi rappresentava, non mi piaceva ecc

Ho scelto "Summer on a solitary beach" perché è la mia canzone preferita di Franco Battiato, un cantautore italiano che amo moltissimo.

Se mi chiedi, non sto facendo nulla della mia vita.

Ho studiato presso l'Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera a Milano e mi sono laureato nel 2022 in "Nuove Tecnologie dell'Arte". La mia vita dopo la laurea è stata diversa, a Milano avevo i miei amici, lì la mia vita aveva un senso, ero una persona diversa (ho vissuto a Milano dal 2016 a febbraio 2020). Nel febbraio 2020 il Covid ha colpito duramente l’Italia e sono stato costretto a tornare a Torino, la mia città natale. Purtroppo per me Torino non mi piace molto, ho passato anni terribili qui. Sono stato vittima di bullismo a scuola, non avevo amici, nessuna vita sociale, niente. Tornare a Torino per me ha significato tornare in quei vecchi luoghi oscuri dove non mi sentivo nessuno, mi sento giù ancora oggi e questa città non mi aiuta.

Voglio che questo cambi, voglio cambiare tutta la mia vita. Sono stanco di sentirmi giù. Ci sto provando.

Da quando mi sono laureato ho iniziato a lavorare sulla fotografia, non sono ancora riuscito a padroneggiarla, ma è una cosa che mi piace davvero fare e in cui migliorare. Parto da qui.

(Non ho ancora deciso se scrivere in inglese o italiano, non ho molta confidenza con l'inglese)

Questo è il mio blog "personale", ho aperto un altro blog solo per i miei lavori: Leonida Brusasca.

Altro blog: https://leonidaportfolio.tumblr.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leo.archive.null/

[miniaturetalekitten]

1.) I don't quite understand.. this song text is lying on my phone notes, (you will see it at the end of my text, but for now the text,)

It was meant as a real draft, very similar, so I couldn't decide whether to show it on the page or not, how to say it, about my slight lack of agreement, maybe it's my doubts, but here Baldi doesn't really look like himself canonical?

It's not that he can't be crafty and industrial, it feels like something is missing.

I can't always stick to the canon, which is a pity, no! This is normal, it can't work forever, so why not fool around?~ I like it, don't think about it, I'm not sending it by force!) Baldi, as a person who likes to draw you in different ways, or who experiments, of course there are few or many, as it goes, the most favorite experience that I have, especially if I express such a character as you))

1.) Я не совсем понимаю.. текст этой песни лежит в моих заметках по телефону, (вы увидите его в конце моего текста, пока текст,)

Это задумывалось как настоящий черновик, очень похожий, поэтому я не могла решить, показывать его на странице или нет, как бы это сказать, насчёт моего небольшого несогласия, может быть, это мои сомнения, но здесь Балди на самом деле не похож на себя канонического? Дело не в том, что ему нельзя быть хитрым и индустриальным, такое чувство, что чего-то не хватает.

Я не могу всегда придерживаться канона, к сожаленью, нет! Это нормально, это не может работать вечно, так почему бы не подурачиться?~ Мне это нравится, не думай об этом, я не отправляю это насильно!) Балди, как человек, которому нравится рисовать вас по-разному, (?) или который экспериментирует, конечно, мало или много, как говорится, самый любимый опыт, который у меня есть, особенно если я выражаю такого персонажа, как тебя!))

2.) I believe there will be many expectations in my school,

(Many wonderful faces, many familiar faces)

I have enough time for teacher's day, and for what I'm here for!

I see a lot of kids gathered, great!

What a coincidence!

This day continues to make me happy with its red spots!

Surely, I never understood, the very decision of someone's views,

Who gets acquainted, sees off their knowledge -

Love is the thing that keeps me warm!

In cloudy, bad, bad moments!

Have you seen what it's like to be mature in every way?

Nothing to be afraid of, nothing to worry about,

With me are my children, children whose parents I respect!

I wouldn't want to,

Leading these students the wrong way,

As long as there is a sign from above, my best way,

Help you all, my beloved boys!

Help, of course!

Ha ha!

I must guard their precious minds,

And cherish, and cherish, and cherish,

It's not too late for our generation!

Be careful with the word, for the best outcome of the outcome, no one has ever cancelled!

It's not easy to do without problems,

We all know, knowledge is power, yours!

(Can I hear your laughter from afar?)

Chorus:

Welcome to a friendly school, a place where you can make friends, make friends with your dreams,

And the sweetest transition, waiting for you around the corner,

Going forward for the future, I'm not rushing anywhere, you can sit and count your examples on the table!

You can't imagine how I will share all your joy,

The excitement of seeing you is normal!

With me

With me

With me

With me

Be!

All of them! All of them! All of them!

All those who are present - I choose from the last benches,

So they don't feel unwanted in my world!

There is equality between you and me,

So why don't we share as a class,

What's on your mind?

With me

With me

With me

With me

With me

With me

Stay close to us!

With me

With me

With me

With me

With me

With me

be!

And once, you wouldn't believe it, they despised me, thought I wasn't right for you,

What did you notice when you came in?

Me?

Someone else?

Oh, don't answer that, I need silence just the same, you see,

You can't change the mind of a great teacher like me.

I can hear your heart pounding, it's insulting, I can't believe anyone would be afraid of a regular math class,

We're the only ones in the room,

Follow my rules!

(Do you remember, my secret?)

I hear every door you open!

Chorus:

Welcome to a friendly prison, a place where you can become a victim of circumstance, make friends with your fears,

And the sweetest crossing, Undertake peace and happiness, Until you call me for help!

Fast forward to the future, I don't hold a grudge against those who love their jobs,

if you sit still, I'll count your examples on the table!

I am wildly happy that you are accepted, can't get enough of checking on ALL, ALL, ALL guests,

Who came, in their right mind!

HA-HA-HA!

BYE! BYE!

You can imagine a lot, and how I will share all the joy,

The excitement at the sight of you is normal!

Watching everyone is a feast for my eyes!

Would you like to say in your own defense?

THAT WON'T HELP!

Everyone! All of them! Everybody!

All those in attendance - I choose from any party on all sides,

I don't care who gets hurt!

I want them to feel the most, in my world!

There is equality between you and me,

why not share the whole class,

What do you have in your brain itself?

What's going on in my head?

With me,

With me,

With me,

With me,

With me,

With me,

...

With me,

With me,

With me,

With me,

With me,

With me,

be!

I have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about,

With me are my children, my children, whose parents I will not forgive!

I would not,

Lead these pupils in the wrong step,

As long as there's a better sign, my good way,

(Guess which one!?)

Find your mind,

replacing them all!

HA HA HAAAAAAAAA!

2.) Я верю, что в моей школе будет много ожиданий

(много замечательных лиц, много знакомых лиц).

У меня достаточно времени на день учителя и на то, ради чего я здесь!

Я вижу, собралось много детей, здорово!

Какое совпадение!

Этот день продолжает радовать меня своими красными пятнами!

Конечно, я никогда не понимал, что само решение зависит от чьих-то взглядов,

Кто знакомится, провожает своими знаниями -

Любовь - это то, что согревает меня!

В пасмурные, плохие, очень плохие моменты!

Видели ли вы, каково это - быть зрелым во всех отношениях?

Нечего боятся, не о чём беспокоиться,

Со мной мои дети, дети, чьих родителей я уважаю!

Я бы не хотел этого делать,

Вести этих учеников по неверному пути,

Пока есть знак свыше, мой самый хороший способ,

Помощь вам всем, мои любимые ребята!

Помощь, конечно!

Ха-ха!

Я должен оберегать их драгоценные умы,

И беречь, и беречь, и беречь,

ещё не стало поздно для нашего поколения!

Будьте осторожны со словом, для наилучшего результа исход, никто не отменял!

непросто обойтись без проблем,

Мы все знаем, знания - это сила, ваша!

(Слышу ли я твой смех издалека?)

Припев:

Добро пожаловать в дружелюбную школу, место, где вы можете подружиться, подружиться со своими мечтами,

И самый сладкий переход, ждущий тебя за углом,

Забегая вперед на будущее, я никуда не спешу, можно сидеть и считать свои примеры на столе!

Ты не можешь себе представить, как я буду делиться всей твоей радостью,

Волнение от встречи с тобой нормально!

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Быть!

Все из них! Все из них! Все из них!

Все присуствующие - выбираю из последних скамеек,

Чтоб они не чуствовали себя ненужными, в моём мире!

Между тобой и мной существует равенство,

Так почему бы нам не поделиться как классу,

Что у тебя на уме?

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Оставайтесь рядом с нами!

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

быть!

И однажды, ты не поверишь, они презирали меня, думали, что я тебе не подходит,

Что вы заметили, когда вошли?

Меня?

Кто-то е��е?

О, не отвечайте на это, мне нужна тишина точно так же, понимаете,

Вы не можете изменить мнение такого великого учителя, как я.

Я слышу, как твоё сердце колотится, это оскорбительно,

я не могу поверить, что кто-то будет бояться обычного урока математики,

Мы единственные в комнате,

Следуйте моим правилам!

(Ты помнишь, мой секрет?)

Я слышу каждую дверь, которую ты открываешь!

Припев:

Добро пожаловать в дружелюбную тюрьму, место, где можно стать жертвой обстоятельств, подружиться со своими страхами,

И самая сладчайшая переправа, возьми мир и счастье, пока не призовёшь меня на помощь!

Перенесемся в будущее, я не держу обиду на тех, кто любит свою работу,

если вы сидите неподвижно, я буду считать ваши примеры на столе!

Я безумно счастлив, что вас приняли, не могу насытиться проверкой ВСЕХ, ВСЕХ, ВСЕХ гостей,

Кто пришел, в здравом уме!

ХА-ХА-ХА!

ПОКА! ПОКА!

Ты можешь себе представить многое, и как я буду делиться всей радостью,

Волнение при виде вас нормально!

Наблюдать за всеми - это праздник для моих глаз!

Хотели бы вы сказать в свою защиту?

ЭТО НЕ ПОМОЖЕТ!

Каждый! Все из них! Каждый!

Все присутствующие - я выбираю из любой вечеринки со всех сторон,

Мне все равно, кто пострадает!

Я хочу, чтобы они чувствовали себя больше всего в моем мире!

Между тобой и мной существует равенство,

почему бы не разделить весь класс,

Что у тебя есть в самом мозгу?

Что происходит в моей голове?

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

...

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

Со мной

быть!

Мне нечего бояться, не о чем беспокоиться,

Со мной мои дети, мои дети, родителей которых я не прощу!

Я бы не стал,

Вести этих учеников на неправильный шаг,

Пока есть лучший знак, мой хороший способ,

(Угадайте, какой из них!?)

Найди свой разум,

заменив им всем!

Ха-ха! ХААААААААА!

3.) I still remember that screemer, it was indescribable, scary fun, personally I was scared, and gosh, he has such a cute face up close, just kidding. He's always cute!💘💓

3.) Я до сих пор помню тот скример, было неописуемо, страшно весело, лично я испугалась, и боже, у него такое милое лицо вблизи, просто шучу. Он всегда милый! 🥰

[scotianostra]

Darius (Danesh) Campbell, the Singer Songwriter Musician, actor and  film produce was born 1980 in Glasgow to an Iranian father and a Scottish mother. 

Events over the last few days has meant that what should have been a straightforward Happy Birthday post has meant me putting together an obituary.........

Born in Glasgow on August 19th 1980, Darius was the oldest of three brothers, he attended Bearsden Primary School and the Glasgow Academy, before going on to study English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.

He was just 12 when he first  took to the stage with Scottish Opera in the non-singing role of a Trojan boy in an avant-garde production of The Trojans. Then he toured with the company in Carmen, which included a performance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.On leaving Glasgow academy, he yearned to train as an actor at Rada, but his parents wanted him to become a doctor or lawyer. He said going to university was a compromise.

It was while still  studying we first heard of Darius in 2001  sporting a ponytail, and radiating self-confidence, he looked a potential winner on the talent show Popstars, the first of its kind, in 2001.

To be fair he seemed a bit pretentious, but he was the only Scot who made it through the auditions, so we had to support him, His dramatic over-the-top, falsetto version of the Britney Spears hit … Baby One More Time, may have showcased his vocal range, but he really should have stuck to more down to earth performances, the judges, Nigel Lythgoe, Nicki Chapman and Paul Adam, felt the same sent him packing halfway through the series. Darius later  admitted that: “I wouldn’t have voted for me.”  Nevertheless, the 20-year-old told “Nasty Nigel” that he would record a platinum-winning album by the time he was 30.

Undaunted by his rejection he went straight into Popstars’ successor, Pop Idol, later that year, allaying any ideas that presentation overshadowed substance. He came third, behind Gareth Gates and the winner, Will Young, but turned down a recording contract offered to him by Simon Cowell, who was making his name as a judge and TV personality after years working as a record company executive.

Cowell had plans for Darius to release a cover version of the Tom Jones hit It’s Not Unusual, but he wanted to record his own material. “I thought if I released It’s Not Unusual I would be selling myself short,” he said. Instead, Darius – as he would be credited on disc – signed to Mercury Records to make his first album, Dive In, with Steve Lillywhite, who launched the career of U2, as executive producer. Darius wrote all the songs and it became a Top 10 hit that quickly fulfilled his vow to go platinum.He also went straight to No 1 that year with his debut single, Colourblind. In its video, Darius is seen being thrown out of a car in the middle of Spain’s Sierra Nevada, dressed in a black suit and holding his guitar, before changing into jeans – signifying that he was leaving his Pop Idol image behind. 

He followed Colourblind with another four Top 10 singles, then carved out a new career in musical theatre. He played the defence lawyer Billy Flynn for two runs in the West End revival of Chicago at the Adelphi theatre in 2005 and 2006. Although there had been some scepticism about this casting, Darius proved an adept stage star and made a brief return to the part in 2011, as well as touring with the show in 2017. Following his first stint in Chicago, he was taken seriously enough to be given the starring role of Sky Masterson in the director Michael Grandage’s Olivier award-winning production of Guys and Dolls .

He went on to make appearances in other productions including play Rhet Butler in Gone with the Wind,  Milt Warden in the world premiere of From Here to Eternity and Nick Arnstein, opposite Sheridan Smith’s Fanny Brice.

He returned to reality television to win the first series of Popstar to Operastar  and even managed to break into feature film-making, as a producer con a half decent crime thriller called  Imperium, starring Harry Potter himself, Daniel Ratcliffe, the drama Tomorrow .and the horror movie House Red.

In 2011, Darius married Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge in a secret ceremony in February 2011.They split two years later and divorced in 2018.

It was announced in a statement from his family on 16 August 2022 that Campbell Danesh was found unresponsive on 11 August 2022 in his apartment in Rochester, Minnesota, and was pronounced dead later that day,[40][1]. His family reported there were no suspicious circumstances or signs of intent surrounding his death.

In the days that followed Darius’ debut single “Colourblind”  has charted at number two on both the UK Official Singles Download and Sales Charts; his debut album is currently at number 24 on the UK Official Albums Downloads Chart.

He became a supporter of cancer charities including Cancer Research UK after both his parents were diagnosed with cancer and recovered. This included The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, who  tweeted: "Everyone at Glasgow's Hospice is devastated at the sad news of Darius Campbell Danesh's sudden death. Darius has been a friend to the hospice and a huge support over past years. Our sympathies are with his family."

Tribute came from across a stunned showbiz world including Simon Cowell who said;

 "His passing, for someone so young, is an absolute tragedy and my heart goes out to his family and friends."

Gerard Butler took to Instagram posting a pic of the pair together saying;

 "I am devastated by the sudden passing of my dear friend Darius, a true brother in arms. My thoughts and love go to his wonderful mum and dad Avril and Booth and his two brilliant brothers Aria and Cyrus."

Gerard continued to praise the Darius with his heartfelt words and said that anyone who knew him was "moved by his infectious laugh and barely containable zest for life".

In his own inimitable style Scots comedian Limmy wrote: “ Fucking loved Darius .” and anyone who actually follows Limmy will know this was heartfelt, his usual tweets on celeb deaths are very  blasé and cutting.

The actor Matthew Marsden described the news as "truly heartbreaking". He added: "I first met Darius when he auditioned for the Big Breakfast weather man years ago. He was a terrific human being. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family."

Darius Campbell Danesh 19th August 1980 – 11th August 2022 Rest in Peace