#taylor pale icon

[erosedits]

Cursing my name, wishing I stayed. Look at how my tears ricochet.

[moontryall]

Emma (2020)

[todayontumblr]

Friday, October 27.

1989 (Taylor's Version)

Out with the old and in with the new. So long as the old and new are basically the same thing, of course. 2023 is the new 2014. 1989 (Taylor's Version) is the new 1989. Standing and smiling against a pale blue sky, flanked by the seagulls, is the new sepia-toned polaroid shot taken just above the waist and just below the eyes. And @taylorswift is the new @taylorswift. The more things change, the more they stay the same, which is perhaps the best way of understanding eras. They are the same, and they are different.

Well, for you folk who are fans of things that are the different versions of the same thing, y'all would have enjoyed precisely 12 AM EST last night, when Friday became the new Thursday. And when, more importantly, Tay-Tay reblessed the world with the rerelease of a modern-day icon, 1989.

Welcome to 1989. Only this time, it's Taylor's Version. A very happy rerelease day to all who celebrate x

[scribble-dribble-writes]

Plastic Hearts - (26)

<<<Prev Next>>>

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It felt like a joke. The box feeling solid in your hands. This had been your destiny, a passed down doll that was now forgotten. But as sad as it was supposed to sound, to you, it held a different meaning.

The loneliness of being stuck here, the plastic box the only perimeter of your life, you tore out of it. Through the spell and your adventure, you were now someone of substance. But when you glanced at the doll next to yours, his pale hair swiped back in place, his face holding the same joy as you now missed. It wasn’t just you who had escaped, he did too.

He had found his freedom here, with you, however long that was supposed to last but those nights where he held you close, that was the happiest you had ever seen him.

The text on the outside was faded, the advertisement ringing in your ears but the plastic box looked flimsy. That advertisement you had heard about yourself couldn’t even hold true for the dolls present within. Against all odds, you and him were meant to break the matrix, to go against the tide.

It felt like a joke because you weren’t let to enjoy the fruit of your decisions. It all just felt a little premature. Your doll held her iconic frying pan in one hand and the other rested on his. There was no rush around you, so you stayed there in the dim warm light, admiring how her head rested on his chest. The smiles on their faces seemed more complete than a smile of your own. They existed in a world of their own, so much so you wanted to preserve it like a snow globe.

This was how your story should have gone. But maybe it was holding the box in your hand or just the fact that reality had not yet totally sunk it but you still felt tethered. That if you could close your eyes and breathe in, you could remember the smell of his cologne. His memories weren’t just memories, he was a part of you. That not even the ocean did justice to the colour of his eyes. There was only one Ken in your universe.

His doll had the surfboard he never used tucked by his side. He was in his beach clothes, it made you smile, he never liked wearing shorts in the real world, but the yearning to witness the sea was tangible in his eyes.

Can we go to the beach one day?

His question resounded in your ear. When he had whispered it in the middle of the night, as you both laid in the tent.

"Aren’t you afraid of the waves?", you had asked him then.

"Tell you’ll take me.", he had turned to you and you could understand that what he asked held a deeper meaning.

"I’ll take you", you said immediately without letting him wonder.

It was his hope, you were his hope and you had let him down. The turn of events too cruel to not get to say goodbye, to not get to tell him that his love was the one thing you can never recover from.

You held the box tighter, it was time to go back home, to the long days of trying to piece yourself back together. But now you could understand why this place had felt familiar. This had been your home in a way, that housed you and kept you safe over the years. You drew in a deep breath to let that feeling of familiarity wash over you. It was rare now. At least it was going to be.

Your world had been pulled off its axis, everything around you only felt new. You checked your watch to see the time only to note that it had only been five minutes since you had entered. It felt whimsical, it had surely felt longer but you heard the soft muffled sound of footsteps behind you. You turned to leave.

“So that proves you and I are meant to be?”

You froze, your breath hitched in your throat, the edges of your vision turning blurry. That voice. You had heard it in your dreams. You could recognize him anywhere. Your eyes settled on the man who stood next to you. His eyes lifting up to meet yours after spotting the box you carried.

Your words died on your tongue, your eyes searched his to then roam over his face, his injuries were no longer present, his hair fell elegantly over his forehead and his smile was full of life. He beamed with a freshness as though he had been revived. There was nothing you could bring yourself to say, there was nothing to question in this moment. All you knew was you needed his presence, so you reached for him like a woolen blanket in a wintry night. You buried your face in his chest as your hands wound across his torso and held him tight, like two magnets coming together. You never wanted to be separated, even if this wasn’t real. His hands wrapped around your body and you felt his warmth surround you.

You didn’t care for when the shop closed, you were going to stay here as long as you could. He didn’t peel away, he was gentle with you, holding you till you needed it, you weren’t willing to move, the rapid pace of your heart beat sobered.

“This is getting so bad now I’ve started hallucinating.”, you mumbled as you placed your cheek in line with his collar bone as you felt his finger hold you closer, as if this was just as much cathartic for him as it was for you.

“You’re not hallucinating.”, he told you softly but it was said with confidence. That you could take his word and believe that your life had changed this very second. As if it was a fairytale.

But was it?

“That’s what an hallucination will say.”, you chuckled sadly unwilling to believe his words as his hands cradled you, slowly swaying you as if this was your living room.

But to your statement, you felt the tender touch of his fingertips tilting your chin up, so you could see him as he dipped his head, for his lips to find yours.

You couldn’t make this up, his fingers slipped down to your neck and you lost yourself in the way the kiss brought you back to life. As if the past week had never happened, that he had just been late from work. He pulled away and your eyes fluttered open to see that he was still here. The feeling of his pulse thrum with new found energy as your hand caught his wrist was the clue to reveal that all this was real.

The mirror behind him captured his reflection, his eyes softened as he admired you, his thumb tracing your cheek as if he was coming to terms with the fact that you were real too.

Ken let you go but you didn’t step away too far. He didn’t either. His eyes didn’t stray away from your face and you couldn’t look at anything else too. He was a meteor shower and everything else was just dust. Your lips were flushed and blood rushed to your cheeks, your fingers traced over the last place his lips had been in unbelief.

He blinked as though he had remembered why he was here, to then pat down his jacket and slide his hands into a pocket. When he pulled it out, in his hand was a little velvet box. It could have been the light but his cheeks turned red as he softly held it out to you. Like a little boy who wanted to see the treasure he had found.

You took the object from his outstretched hand, it didn’t weight much as you held it. The brown velvet soft to the touch, you looked up at him to see the rise of anticipation in his eyes. He nudged his head forward, telling you to open it and so you did. The lid popped open and within it was a crystal that glimmered a mix of colours. It wasn’t a diamond but it was entirely ethereal.

The light made the crystal to light up or atleast allude to it, it had a calming white glow to it. But as a second passed, you could draw a connection between the object in your hands and the light that blinded you in Barbieland. Your eyes snapped to Ken’s just as he his lips parted as though he was about to tell you the reason behind his reappearance, because nothing was making sense so far.

“The blinding light.”, you stated to which he nodded his head. But that didn’t seem to answer any of the questions that lingered in your mind. You edged closer.

“How are you alive?”, you asked, your gaze flickering to where he had been hurt. But to your question, he reached out to hold your hands in his. His thumbs threading over your knuckles as he phrased his answer.

“You’re the hero of my story, Brie.”, he said quietly, his eyes reminiscing the last moment he had held you. A moment he never wished to ever witness. To have to send you away. He never wanted to lose you.

It was solemn, he meant it, everyone in Barbieland could have forgotten and the world could continue to revolve as if it wasn’t a few hours away from being destroyed, but he will always remember.

For so long he had no memories or hopes for the future that it was easy, to live like the rest in Barbieland. But once he got to make a few memories of his own, he couldn’t stop, coming to the verge of losing it all was unthinkable. So as his fingers fiddled with yours, to keep him rooted in the present, there was nothing else he had so surely wanted but to continue making memories with you.

That was all. And that was all he had in him to fight for the right to survive, because he now believed that he deserved it. A life of happiness.

“But how?”, you thought out loud. All you did was be sent back here, Ken was the one who took the step you couldn’t.

“The light from the crystal”, you piece it together. That was the only moment that you could vividly remember, you held the jewel box tighter.

“That protected you from the reset?”, you asked to which he softly shook his head. So if it wasn’t the gem you held, what was it?

“Not quite.”, he narrowed his eyes as a smile spread across his face.

He reached up to the collar of his shirt to pull it to the side. Around his neck was the necklace he had worn before, the one with the heart shaped pendant. But the crystal now looked lifeless and ordinary as compared to when you had seen it before.

“It was your love that was stored with the enchantment.”, he beamed and it took you back to that night, when it changed colours as you spoke into it.

“To remind me I will always be loved by you.”, his eyes softened and a soft gasp left your lips.

“It protected me and those who were near me from the reset. So Allan and weird Barbie still remember everything that happened.”, he explained.

“Wow”, you said almost breathlessly , you needed a moment. That all it took to save him wasn’t a grand gesture or the most valuable object you owned. It was what you had given freely.

So when he had closed his eyes, sure that he was at the end, his world lit up around him. Engulfing Allan and weird Barbie too as it covered the three of them with a pink sheer protection veil. But as he was in it, all he could feel was the depth of your love. Slow motion captures of the times you had thought of him, fast paced replays of the time he had spent with you and as he was there witnessing all of it, he could feel his wounds seal. His heart that had been shattered with the thought of losing you had been put back together.

When the blinding light faded, Barbieland was reset but he wasn’t. He still remembered the warmth of your lips against his and he fell back in relief.

All he wanted to do then was run back in search you that very instant.

“How long have you been here?”, you asked noting that he looked all dressed up.

“Got here a few hours ago.”, he told you.

“Wanted to help Allan settle into Weird Barbie’s dream house. I told them I’ll be back for Christmas with you. If you want to come that is.”, he raised his hands up defensively knowing that Barbieland had caused you enough hurt.

But Allan and weird Barbie were the closest to family you had before you met Melissa, so it wasn’t too hard thinking of visiting them.

But before you could say you would love to join him,

“Actually.”, he shook his head as though he had found the courage he needed.

“I came by your restaurant earlier and they told me you had quit.”, he tilted his head.

“I thought it was time I started my own place.”, you smiled and he inhaled deeply, his face lighting up with a sense of pride for you.

“Finally”, he raised his eye brows.

You held up the velvet box to him, waiting for him to tell you why he was giving it to you although you were now beginning to guess the reason.

“About that.”, he began looking at the box. He reached for you his hands effortlessly finding your waist again.

“I found it in the cave near the lake. It’s a love stone.”, he said.

“It’s shines the brightest when it finds the purest form of true love.”, he told you but the awe from this revelation filled you up with a happiness you could never describe.

Just when you had thought you had lost everything, you were actually receiving it all back. Now that you thought about it, it had glowed every time you were near him

“So our … love.”, you began softly.

“The purest form there is.”, he finished your sentence.

Maybe this was the moment you had been waiting for. That the wish for your dreams had come true.

You placed your hand on his chest, to smooth down the edge of his coat but it was only so that you didn’t breakdown thinking of how utterly hopeless you had felt a few minutes ago.

“I felt so alone the past week”, your voice broke but he pulled you closer, to place his chin on top of your head as he shushed you to calm you down.

“Which is why I wanted to ask if you would like to have me as your forever partner?”, he whispered against your ear.

“For your new business, to share your home with or to just be there to hold your hand whenever you wanted.”, he explained further as you pulled away to see him.

He waited for your answer. It all made sense and only proved you right as the edge of your lip tipped up, his sophisticated attire, the gelled back hair and the velvet box. He was a man on a mission.

There was no reason to think it through, or give it more thought because the answer was already on your lips.

“Yes.”, you say and watched as his eyes light up again.

“Yes, yes, yes, yes.”, you held the sides of his face as you kissed his cheeks, his forehead and his lips in happiness and that feeling doubled when you heard the sound of his laugh.

He set you down half heartedly after giving you another soft peck. He didn’t want to stop but now he had forever. So he intertwined his fingers with yours and walked back to the cashier.

The old man smiled at the two of you as though he knew or maybe he had heard everything. You placed the dolls on the counter and bought them. With one final look at the dolls in the box before you put them into your bag, you exited the store with your own Ken.

With your only Ken.

The city lights sparkled and the breeze felt sweeter than before. He turned to look at you and you knew that you were finally home.

---

Tags:

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[whythehellnaut]

Why's Furiosa review

Not to be negative, but I do want to give my thoughts on Furiosa as well. It's another movie that sounds great on paper- a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road focusing on the deuteragonist, possibly making her just as iconic as Max himself, but where Fury Road was masterful in its execution, Furiosa is lacking nearly everything that made it's predecessor the success it was.

It starts out pretty well, with a prologue involving Furiosa's mother hunting her down when she's kidnapped as a child, resulting in plenty of gratuitous bloodshed, but once that chapter is over, I expected to see Furiosa as an adult, played by the cover girl, Anya Taylor-Joy. To my horror, we spend nearly an hour with Furiosa as a child, watching her do next to nothing, saying maybe 3 lines in total, and being far from the feminist hero I wanted to see, if not the stark opposite. Instead, we see Chris Hemsworth ham it up as the villain, who's charismatic and gives an entertaining performance, but feels no more despicable than any other villain from a similar post-apocalyptic movie. The plot is nearly an hour of Hemsworth playing politics with the villains of Fury Road, with little action or humor. It's borderline unbearable when you preemptively know what you want to see in this movie. This 45 minute chapter in the story could have easily been summed up in a minute long narration, which the movie doesn't shy away from, so it wouldn't be out of place. Think of how fast-paced Fury Road was, how the action was nearly nonstop through the whole film, and put that side by side with this, and it's a jarring difference.

I'll give it that the movie has great camera work and cinematography for the most part. Action scenes are greatly enhanced by the way drone cameras are used, especially in what is arguably the best scene: a raid on a moving big rig in the middle of the movie. But this scene, as cool as it is, illustrates traits that I dislike about the movie as well- in particular, it's hard to follow. It's not easy to identify who the viewer should be rooting for. I would have assumed we want Furiosa and her pale-faced crew to win, but I could have sworn I saw the white faces fighting on both sides of the battle. Furiosa spends the first half of the fight on the underside of the vehicle seemingly doing repairs, but she doesn't speak to anyone until the end, so I couldn't tell if she was helping the driver or hijacking him. How does the titular character get sidelined so hard in her own movie by characters whose names and personalities are a mystery?

This brings me to what I think is my biggest complaint, and that's the lack of characterization. I don't remember a single new character's name besides Hemsworth's. Furiosa hardly has any lines and remains stone-faced throughout. Taylor-Joy is a good actress who does a good impression of Charlize Theron for the few times she speaks, so she's being wasted here. She has a comrade, whose relation to her is beyond me. Is he her friend, boyfriend, acquaintance, blackmail victim? I have no idea, because nothing about their relationship is fleshed out. Furiosa herself is so bland throughout, compared to her previous iteration, and so lacking in her namesake fury, that I'm not even concerned for her. How do you take such a great character and waste her this badly? It frustrates me that she could have become an iconic character with her own series if they nailed this, but after all this time, it seems there are still no men in Hollywood that understand how to write female characters.

It boggles my mind that this movie cost $168 million to make and is considered a failure for making about $32 mil in its opening weekend. It was shot in a desert and has only two big names attached, besides the director, who is long past his prime. The visual effects are of noticeably poor quality, which might have been funny if it was an intentional choice like George Miller's earlier works, but it seems like they're actually trying to make the effects work instead of aiming for campy charm. I can only imagine that they padded the story with so much dull political drama that they dumped their budget into useless background effects for the extra hour of footage unnecessary for the film to work. This is something I'm concerned about in both movies and in gaming: companies are too concerned with making their products "big" instead of simply good. In their attempt to make an epic saga, they lazily came up with a big waste of time that I can't recommend.

[old-lorarri]

hiiii! i wanted to congratulate you on 4k and request a "─ lost cause . . . ❨ send me a description of yourself + a fandom and gender preference, and i’ll ship you with a character. ❩" for real madrid (mens team)

im not sure if you do football teams in specific, and if you dont im sorry but i saw you do a few football related posts and so why not

im a 20 year old american girl studying in university. im from the city (and a city girl deep down) but moved to a small town for my high school. im into a lot of things, skincare, fashion, doing nails, formula one, watching movies, music (tswift mostly but lots of r&b and latin music too), reading, writing, but especially football (or soccer!) im a rma fan (obvi), and ive been one since the sergio ramos (my man if he wasnt old and married <3) x luka modric day

i hope to be an author/actress/screenwriter/director, something of a mix of those three! ive always been into making stories and writing scripts, and i think itd be fun to cast myself in a movie i made! my main idol in the film industry is definitely greta gerwig because she can't write a bad movie.

for appearence im a mostly pale white chick who thrives to be tan all the time. i have blue eyes, a heart shaped face, good cheekbones a high hairline, and brown hair. i could be a model if i wasnt 5'4 im convinced, but only high fashion cause my look is kinda alien. i like to do my makeup and nails (ive gotten prtty good at gel manis!) in minimalist ways, ex. no makeup makeup and nuetral colors. i want to be clean girl but i just dress however i want. for fashion i really like baggy pants/jeans, mini skirts, sweatpants (its the american in me), tight tops, baggy graphic tees, cool hoodies, crewnecks, and lots of accesories. if i had more money id be so fashionable.

a few random things are, i love summer, swimming, and fruits. i cant do a small town because in the city theres just so much better food, clothes, and more stuff to do. i want to learn more languages, and visit lots of countries

VINI JR

obvi since you are a madrid fan

both of you are fan's of rnb

let's you do his nails from time to time

sings taylor swift songs with you

buys you a penthouse in the city

kinda jealous of ramos and luka cuz of how much you love them

is your proof reader of all of your scripts

loves your natural look

fashion icons

buys you everything u want without you even needing to says it

shows you his home country

and takes you all around the world

[thesinglesjukebox]

CHARLI XCX FT. ROBYN & YUNG LEAN - "THE 360 REMIX"

17 pop writers out here doing damage...

[5.94]

Taylor Alatorre: Elvis Presley/The Clash/OutKast = iconoclasts become standards, e.g. "Dancing on My Own" in RS 500 Greatest; "Elvis moment" = Eminem c. 2000; "lyrics on your booby" = hip hop mode of dominance over male competitors/listener, but femme-coded; "Robyn on the beat" + muffled "hey!" chants = long tail of DJ Mustard; camera flashes as skeuomorphic e-fame; demographic triangulation as art/alchemy; “no one understands it” + "so carelessly" = indie aesthetic of insularity/self-sabotage, still necessary for branding/coping; cult of the child star = youth’s gravitational hold over memory, easily exploitable; 1994 = beginning of Robyn's career, but also Max Martin's, represented here by apprentice Cirkut; Scandinavia as pop/anti-pop breeding ground; my dad: “cross between Britney Spears/Kesha" = highest possible praise for Charli song; he doesn't even know about "Till the World Ends" or "Die Young" remixes; conspicuous whiteness of collaborators + calculatedly ableist lyric video = winking at Dimes Square reactionary chic, though Benga is on "Von dutch" dubstep remix, and Robyn is Robyn; "pets/family" = emergent Millennial desires for domesticity, cf. "I think about it all the time"; Brat = niche pop stardom as crowdfunded perma-adolescence; Julia Fox in Uncut Gems + True Romance/"Ginseng Strip 2002" = sublimated wish for Eternal 2013, i.e. pre-Ferguson/Gamergate -> future blueprint for Gen Z conservatism? I don't see how I can hate from outside of the club – I can't even get in! [8]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: “360” is the most complete Charli pop culture moment (and video) we’ve had in years, and “365” perfectly wraps up the confessional, raw moments of Brat in delightful, utter mess. The first time I listened to both, I couldn’t help but think to myself how incredible it is that Charli’s self-reference comes across as effortlessly cool rather than cloying or annoying. I must have spoken too soon, because this remix is awkward. Yung Lean and Robyn sound fine, but “360” removed from the iconic hook is, just, not Julia (ah-ah-ahhhhhh). “Dancing on My Own” is one my favorite songs of all time—yes, I have big feelings—yet that can’t prevent me from cringing a little bit when Robyn references it. Two extra points, though, for Robyn saying the words "email" and “booby.”  [7]

Jonathan Bradley: In “360,” Charli XCX has one of her most compelling songs in years: sharp and hooky, drawing on the hyper-pop palette but translating it into reinvented, broad-appeal synth pop. It dispenses with one of the more frustrating tendencies she’s had throughout her career, which is to make concepts rather than songs. “Boys,” for instance, was about the idea of Charli making a song about boys rather than actually evoking love or affection; “1999” was about the idea of ’90s nostalgia rather than anything distinct about the era. The remix of “360" (I won’t bother with the twee titles Charli’s used for Brat's various expansions) loses the focus and efficiency that makes the original so replayable and returns to concepts. It’s Charli with two more artists whose niche and highly online fanbases are noted for enthusiasm rather than size, and they don’t do anything more interesting than provide their names to be credited alongside her. For a posse cut that features each performer finishing one another’s sentences, they have zero chemistry and provide none of what makes their own work special. Robyn should be encouraged to never rap — her cutesy “Konichiwa Bitches” mode is her worst side — and Yung Lean… well, I’m not sure what appeal he usually adds, but he should also be encouraged to never rap. [4]

Andrew Karpan: Rustled up and confusing, neither Robyn nor Yung Lean succeed in turning the Brat opener into a SoundCloud loosie. Instead, their new, rattling voices make the song feel crowded, an email correspondence that pales in comparison to the more movingly distant Lorde remix that quickly overshadowed this glittery mess.  [3]

Jackie Powell: What bothers me about this fascinating collaboration is that "360" loses what makes it most compelling. The original "360" is essentially a slice-of-life song. It paints a subculture and a social circle incredibly well and showcases Charli XCX’s ability to manipulate vowel sounds and write with such assonance and consonance. She’s a magician with how she can manipulate the name Julia (as in Julia Fox) into an earworm or an aria. Charli, Robyn (!) and Yung Lean definitely vocally complement one another. Lean’s rapping almost acts like a baseline, while Charli and Robyn harmonize with each other, talk-singing more than rapping during their respective verses. It’s also quite amusing when Lean hops into a pre-chorus that is supposed to pay tribute to Ciara’s "1, 2 Step" like the "360" original, but instead just sounds like an interpolation of Pitbull’s “Hotel Room Service”: When Lean says “supersonic, push up on it, right in your ear,” he sounds eerily similar to when Pitbull raps “we at the hotel, motel, holiday inn.” But what’s disappointing about the remix is that it’s so much less clever than the original: it's less redundant, but it doesn’t have as much purpose and direction. Also, I’m not sure how much of a remix this is when the only thing that remains is the instrumental. [6]

Harlan Talib Ockey: One of the great things about Brat is that Charli went in assuming she was talking to her closest friends, who know the world she moves in and the life she lived in the late ‘00s club scene. Hyperpop has always been obsessed with nostalgia, but this isn’t just about old pop and internet esthetics. It’s about Charli’s own experiences. “The 360 remix” only kind of carries this over for Robyn and Yung Lean. “Three child stars out here doing damage” sounds like it’s about to crack open an interesting train of thought, but it quickly veers back into "we got many hits,” rather than anything more revealing about their past or present. This remix also doesn’t reach the heights of the original (a [7], btw) without its soaring chorus; because the same riff underpins the whole song, it starts to feel like one very long verse. Plus: “now my lyrics on your booby”? [4]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The most extravagant act of self-mythologizing this side of the J. Lo autobiopic — I'm not quite as impressed by these three as they are, but I'm meta-level impressed that they managed to get in this many boasts in such a compact passage. Robyn sounds diminished relative to her standards, while Lean sounds enlivened after his recent stay in the Drain Gang Post Punk mines. Charli hits right down the middle — so it's up to A.G. Cook to pick up the slack, delivering one of his best beats since the heyday of PC Music. The taut synth riff sneaks perfectly in between the overlapping vocals, at once accentuating and playing foil to the melody. It's unspeakably stylish, cool enough to cover up what is ultimately a threadbare song. [7]

Katherine St. Asaph: The thing about pandering to nostalgia -- there are people who formed their personalities around Charli and Body Talk, and I'm sure Yung Lean was formative for someone -- is that it inherently causes listeners to think about the things they're nostalgic for. And this sounds like "Fembot" running on energy saver mode. [3]

Julian Axelrod: "The von dutch remix with addison rae and a.g. cook" is the sound of one pop scoundrel passing the torch to another and burning down the song from the inside. "The girl, so confusing version with lorde" is a parasocial inversion of its source material, deepening and resolving its initial conflict. By contrast, "The 360 remix with robyn and yung lean" is ... fun! And a little silly! And very Swedish! Charli's always been a pop nerd at heart, which is both her secret weapon and the reason she will never know peace. No pop star in their right mind would think, "I must turn my biggest single into a '90s boy band B-side where Robyn sings about her boobs and Yung Lean interpolates JJ Fad." That's the kind of sick shit only a stan would dream up. If this remix feels less essential than its brethren, it's because the original is such a complete statement on its own. It's easier to fill in the cracks on an album cut than build upon perfection. [7]

Brad Shoup: Huge whiff to not go the "I Got Five On It (remix)" route and make this a true Swedish pop posse cut. Rednex can take a lap as the best band with a fiddler since Alabama. Whale gets their flowers for putting on the hobo' humpin' slobo girlies. Army of Lovers can take credit for... damn near anything they want. Get Petra Marklund bragging about changing the trance-pop game. (It would be a nice 360 moment.) As it is, this remix ends up a tribute to Robyn with some Ciara/Missy love tossed in. Lean takes the "1, 2 Step" baton from the Charli in the original, though he's never more engaged than when he's acknowledging that yes, Robyn's on the beat. That might not be true in all senses, but the couplet "I started so young, I didn't even have email/Now my—lyrics on your booby" was totally worth the wait. Charli's line about "three child stars out here doing damage" is really smart, really canny. Better than anyone I can think of, she embodies the child star's soul war: the twin impulses to dial into shimmering subcultures and to just phone it in. [6]

Nortey Dowuona: The problem with Charli XCX being the popstar of the future is that she is very much the popstar of the now. The ability to absorb newly born sub-genres born of nostalgia for the '80s/'90s and twist them into stranger, wilder forms is a current popstar ideal, not a futuristic one. When Robyn enters, you can barely tell her and Charli apart, so closely they've been tied together in being smooth, catchy and lithe -- their voices blend right into each other. Hence the presence of Yung Lean, whose clumsy, awkward flow disrupts the song and allows it the appearance of rough charm that AG Cook and Cirkut's scalpel-cut drumbeats prevent from emerging. Robyn seems happiest to be here, while Lean comes across as disengaged. That could count as cool elsewhere but feels apropos of nothing next to Charli, who is always on, no matter the cost.  [6]

Mark Sinker: “Complicating, circulating / New life! new life!”: something sweet and funny to me that Charli is igniting old-school critical discourse where discourse is still found (“rockism” on bluesky; “auteur theory” on ilx), when both versions of this song are the words and moves of self-declared super-hot cyborgs stepping out and taking a fine narcissistic-mechanistic strut through in the city. Killing this shit since 1981 (complimentary).  [9]

TA Inskeep: Pure fun, giving nods to 1987 Miami freestyle -- this would sound great bumping from cars that, y'know, go boom -- while Charli, Robyn, and Yung Lean party your body. I actually wish this track were denser and had more going on, because it could handle it; as is, it's great but yet too spare.  [7]

Will Adams: In its original form, "360" was thin, its silly references obscuring the astounding insight that the rest of Brat offers. This remix does it no favors; the instrumental is unchanged, the earworm hook of "bumpin' that" is downgraded to "got that," and Charli and her guests pass the mic aimlessly. It was already inessential before it was rendered entirely superfluous by the superior remix that is "365." All that's left is me wondering which Robyn lyric someone got tattooed on their boobs. [4]

Oliver Maier: The "360" remix mercifully spares us a guest verse from Julia Fox, but still feels like a misstep -- perhaps the only one, in fairness -- in Charli's zeitgeist-conquering Brat campaign. The more I listen to the original, a near-perfect pop song that thrives on its conciseness, the more it feels like a strange choice for a repurposed posse cut. There's a tinge of the Pop 2 mix-and-match philosophy to the feature choices, but the manic, first-thought-best-thought intuition of that era is not so present here, and the poor Swedes sound a bit adrift. Lean just about holds his own, but Robyn's contribution is woeful, particularly for an OG brat. By the end, you're desperate for Charli's hook from the original to break through, but relief never comes. [4]

Ian Mathers: Sometimes when you call something a "victory lap" you mean it derisively, but this is an example of when the term feels both earned and positive. If I didn't love Robyn and think she deserves all the praise she can get, you could probably take a point or two off my score. I'm much less familiar with Yung Lean, but he fits in just fine, in the kind of way where despite never actually listening to an album I totally buy that he makes sense rubbing shoulders with Robyn and Charli. It helps that the original is so strong, and that Charli just takes the production and ditches the old vocals so she's more a part of this version instead. [9]

Alfred Soto: Charli's having fun, and I endorse her delight in sharing that burbling synth bass and ticking sequencer with her friends as if it were freshly opened prosecco, but this is a party where she's better off dancing on her own.  [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[killjoypat]

What does it mean to engage with white feminist media as a woman of color? Growing up, I wasn’t all that in tune with my racial identity. Though I’d fallen victim to the Model Minority Myth and its plights, it was my identity as a woman that first got me into advocacy. I clung to Barbie’s You Can Be Anything slogan and played Taylor’s songs on repeat.

Yet as I further understood the significance of my other identities, I began to shun these gorgeous blonde pop-culture icons. Their politics, like the narrow-eyed, pinkish-pale East Asian doll Mattel came out with, felt more and more like they weren’t meant for me. 

I could dissect the problems with Barbie the Movie—the performative diversity, the lack of intersectionality in its politics, its conflating of matriarchy and patriarchy, its being capitalist in its critique of capitalism, and the fact that Ken never really apologizes. And I have. 

But the truth is, sometimes I miss my Barbies. I still want to scream the lyrics to "I Wish You Would" and fangirl over the "they're burning all the witches even if you aren't one" line in "I Did Something Bad". I, too, want to bask in the hot pink, unapologetically feminine, mainstream, in-your-face feminist agenda that sticks it to the patriarchy, however surface level. Barbie the Movie is unapologetically for the girls– for the women. And even if it at times didn’t totally feel like it was for this girl, she still wants to dress up in all pink with her friends and run to the theater in high heels. 

[v1leblood]

if you''re still doing the character thing i'd love to see your takes on TAYLOR HEBERT and BLAKE THORBURN

taylor

bingo! i love taylor to death shes the girl of all time shes joan d'arc she's vriska she's carrie she's a goddess she's a little bug. no matter how much wildbow tries to ruin her by talking about her in the least charitable terms possible and trying to retroactively make her story worse she's too big and iconic to fail

blake's great and #relatable and it's a shame pact's pace is how it is bc i'd have loved to have more quiet times with him and the supporting cast. also pale readers obsessed w power levels should keep his name out of their mouth

[imissthembutitwasntadisaster]

happy 33rd birthday, Taylor! tagged by @francesderwent (cate I hope you know I started typing that out and fully was halfway through typing just @ cate before being like no that's not how this works) thank you for tagging me!!!

six taylor music videos:

Blank Space (I have to it's iconic)

Delicate (the Only Video)

Wildest Dreams

You Belong With Me (also iconic)

Begin Again (beloved beloved beloved)

I Bet You Think About Me

(bonus Picture to Burn specifically for the dialogue at the beginning)

six Taylor looks

That pink and yellow dress!!! It's so pretty to me!

The red and black dress from that one photo that's all gauze and sequins, I love it so much

Begin again purple dress also beloved

The rep tour outfit where she's wearing the leotard but she's got the jacket on for her acoustic dwoht and her hair that era was SO GOOD and the jacket is SO COOL

the long pale pink dress with the slit up the side and the grey flower details on the top from 2018 BBMAs truly I love the colouring (I think she looks good in pastels!)

from the front it's less good but the grey dress she wore for the Grammeys atw performance is so good for the moment and utterly gorgeous at the piano.

six taylor songs which are among my personal favorites:

Long story short!

Delicate!

king of my heart/dancing with our hands tied (they are a PAIR)

Paper Rings! (my first taylor song still my beloved!!!)

The Lucky One (Holy Ground would be on here but I don't like the rerecording)

Mean

Only Me When I'm With You (I know it's more than you said but it's so important also cowboy like me and coney island and i know places and you are in love)

six taylor songs which I believe are objectively her best (OOH THIS IS HARD BECAUSE I DON'T SEPARATE QUALITY AND ENJOYMENT ENOUGH)

All too well

cowboy like me

would've should've could've

Death by a thousand cuts

Enchanted

Getaway Car

six taylor songs which are the most me:

GORGEOUS such a mood

girl at home

the archer

this is me trying

it's time to go

bejeweled

bonus: you are in love bridge

three taylor albums:

Rep

Lover

Evermore

(Debut is also beloved but not quite there, midnights may well sneak in but idk if it's just novelty yet!!!)

Tagging @swinging-stars-from-satellites and I can't remember who else is a Taylor girlie so if you see this and you are then you're tagged (yes I mean you I want to see it I'm VERY nosy!!!)

[erosedits]

I've been sleeping so long in a twenty year dark night (now, I'm wide awake) and now, I see daylight.

[gayshipsandanxiety]

For the ask game: music recs?? Please??? I've listened to the front bottoms' whole discography like 5 times now i have nothing to listen to

your music taste is already iconic but here ya go <3

the psychedelic furs: i started listening to them because they're my dad's favorite band and GOD there is some gay stuff there. they do mostly synthpop (i think??? i'm bad at recognizing music genres). a lot of their stuff can be interpreted as a disdain for typical hetero white picket fence families/relationships. you absolutely HAVE to listen to love my way that song slaps so hard and some of my other favorites by them shock and soap commercial.

echo & the bunnymen: i found this band from this video (https://youtu.be/ek52acrA1lw) and lost my fucking mind. i have no idea what genre they are but they're and 80s british band and no 80s british band has ever done me wrong. some of my favorites by them are villiers terrace, it's alright (bestie you're gonna start crying when you hear it), clay, ripeness, and never stop (discotheque). the entire porcupine album slaps so fuckin hard.

tears for fears: this band has So Much Gender and they're one of the few 80s bands that i like their 21st century stuff. bestie the instruments!!! so many instruments!! pale shelter and memories fade are both mike wheeler anthems and they are very close to my heart. raoul and the kings of spain is a great album, head over heels is fantastic, and shout makes me astral project.

bronski beat: fuckin bronski beat!!! they're another synthpop band and jimmy somerville's vocal range is just *chef's kiss*. their songs are gay as fuck and their music is just so. music. i'm gonna be honest their songs kinda played a part in me realizing i was mlm. some of my favorites are why?, junk, need a man blues, punishment for love, and ofc smalltown boy.

arctic monkeys: yeah so you might not have heard of them because they're suuuper underground and indie /s. i'm pretty sure typing that sentence made me grow a beanie directly out of my skull lmao. anyway i really like vibe of their music and they go surprisingly hard. the am album is a banger, 505 is of course a classic, and the favorite worst nightmare and whatever people say i am, i'm not albums are also pretty good.

the smiths: either everyone in this band is gay or britain was just like that in the 80s idk. they have a lot of angsty gaycoded songs so ofc i'm obsessed with them. how soon is now?, back to the old house, sweet and tender hooligan, there is a light that never goes out, this charming man, and i started something i couldn't finish all gave me psychic damage but i reccomend you listen to all their songs because literally everything they make is a banger.

taylor swift: you're already gay and a byler stan so you're halfway to becoming a swiftie /hj. i can't put into words what her music does for me i'm just so in love with her songwriting. some of my faves by her are you are in love, new romantics, gold rush, exile, cardigan, cruel summer, paper rings, it's nice to have a friend, all too well, don't blame me, delicate, look what you made me do, dress, i did something bad, and wildest dreams. the midnights album comes out on the 21st!!!!

violent femmes: if you like the front bottoms you'll LOVE the violent femmes they have a lot of folk punkish queercoded songs. just like my father and mother of a girl will turn you into an angsty bisexual male character, no killing is a religious experience, love love love love love is the queer agenda, their violent femmes album i literally cannot listen to without headbanging, and their why do birds sing album could be the soundtrack to literally any steddie fanfic.

gin wigmore: i'm gonna be honest i need to listen to more of her stuff but i was soooo obsessed with her back in my mcu era. i loooove her voice it's so raspy and cool. she does country??? but Woman Country that's actually really good and about heartbreak and becoming stronger. her songs make me feel like the main character of a western. written in the water, black sheep, happy ever after, hbic, and hallow fate slay so hard.

black pistol fire: ahhhh i love them omg. they're grunge rock i think? biggg boot stomping energy. black halo, fever breaks, hope in hell, level, look alive, and well wasted are all blorbo anthems.

des rocs: ehehe i'm so obsessed with this weird little rat man (affectionate). his music is just so !!!!!!! idk how he doesn't have a million listeners already. he's a rocker and sings a lot about mental illness and toxic relationships. let the vultures in is a fantastic ep although huge tw for mental illness, mmc is great, suicide romantics absoultley Destroyed me, wayne is a Song, and his album a real good person in a real bad place is the best thing ever god i love his songs.

bishop briggs: another artist from my mcu era lol. literally every fandom has an edit to her song river but dark side, jekyll & hyde, and high water also slay. the emotion she puts into her songs is so <3333 and GOD her voice is amazing.

barns courtney: GENDER MAN GENDER MAN DOES WHATEVER A GENDER CAN <3 another rocker but he has some acoustic stuff too. his albums 404 and the attractions of youth are just incredible and sinners is also fantastic.

sleepover asks <3

[geauxzenfashion]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: NWT original chuck Taylor low top sneaker pale yellow unisex womens sz 9.5.

[poshfind]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Shoreline Slip-in Sneakers Barely Rose Fade 6.5.

[urnderworld]

headers :) 

no one of these pics/arts are mine. credits to all owners