#the merch artist really deserve an award for this

[amber-lucca44]

Some music asks hehe 💖🎶

Favorite 3 artists/bands?

Favorite 3 songs?

Favorite 3 albums?

Last song you played?

Favorite music genres?

Favorite decade in music?

Play any instruments? If not, which would you like to play?

Do you like singing?

Do you like dancing?

Singing or dancing?

Have you ever written a song?

What do you think makes a great song?

Are lyrics and their meaning very important to you?

Do you like classical music?

Some songs that make you cry?

Think of someone; what song do you associate them with?

How many concerts have you been to?

Do you own any band/artist merch?

Do you own physical albums or singles?

Do you make/listen to your own playlists, or do you just shuffle all songs?

Favorite music video?

If you could meet any music artist, which would it be?

Your biggest crush in music?

At what age did you start enjoying music, and what kind of music did you like at first?

Alternative or "mainstream" music?

Have you ever been in a heated argumemt with someone about music?

What do you think of the Grammy awards? Do they deserve credibility?

What's more trustworthy? Popularity or critical acclaim?

Do you listen to music written in different languages?

Are you a close follower of a specific musician/band?

Any artists you absolutely hate?

Your least favorite music genre?

Have you ever dedicated a song to someone?

Do you listen to music while studying or doing homework?

Do you play music while taking a shower?

Do you think certain types of music could have a bad influence on people?

What's the most underrated musician/band in your opinion?

What's the most overrated musician/band in your opinion?

"Weirdest" music you like?

An album or song you dislike from an artist you really like?

[starsinkpop]

KPop Game

Thank you @hy0ung for tagging me. I think we have a few things in common which is lovely 💖 since I’m not following any other kpop blogs besides the one who were already tagged, feel free to join if you’re a follower, i’d love to get to know you guys better too.

1. When did you first get into kpop? 2012

2. Who was your first ultimate bias? jimin

3. Who is your current ultimate bias? wooyoung

4. How did you get into kpop? Youtube recommended me a kpop mashup that was an absolute banger and made me check out the groups in that mix

5. Favourite girl group? everglow, aespa, 2ne1 (they probably don’t count but xg are my current number one, their songs just slap)

6. Favourite boy group? ateez, the boyz, monsta x

7. Who do you stan right now? mainly ateez and the boyz

8. What's your favourite kpop ship? i’m not into ships

9. Give an unpopular opinion about something kpop related? most people go to concerts for interactions and y/n moments only and don’t really care about the music or the artists.

10. Favourite solo artist? taemin, but i prefer krnb soloists, so let’s just add dean as well

11. Own any merch? if so, what? yes, it’s too much to list it here lol

12. If you could date one idol, who would it be and why? wooyoung, we have very similar interests and opinions and he knows how to treat people well. plus we can cook together and he knows how to take care of himself unlike most men lol

13. Last k-pop MV you watched? jimin - who

14. Favourite kpop songs? Take me home, mist, halazia precious and horizon by ateez & shine shine, insanity, russian roulette and scar by tbz (this list could be endless but i’ll stop here)

15. Do you prefer the old generation of kpop, or the new? if by new gen you mean all the kids debuting these past two years i’d definitely say old gen.

16. What is your most favourite kpop song? take me home by ateez

17. Favourite school themed MV? the real by ateez

18. Would you ever debut in a group if you had the chance? nope, but i’d love to work in the industry as a dancer/choreographer or makeup/nail artist

19. What's your favourite photo of your ultimate bias? you’ll see at the end of the post (the whole bias line hehe)

20. Your favourite group leader? hongjoong and chan

21. If you could meet one idol and one idol only, who would it be and why? hongjoong because he’s one of my biggest inspirations

22. Would you date you ultimate bias? yessss

23. If you could see one group live who would it be? ateez, tbz, svt, shinee or 2ne1

24. Can you do any k-pop dances? a few of them, yes.

25. Which idol would you love to go on a date with? san and hongjoong

26. What'd your opinion on non-korean idols? what matters to me is talent, not a nationality or ethnicity. gives the groups a nice spice

27. What idol would you like to be bestfriends with? keeho

28. which groups do you think deserved better? every group which is not part of big4

29. Name an underrated solo artist? not really underrated but i wish more people would love them, dean and sunmi

30. What was the first kpop MV you watched? bigbang - fantastic baby

31. Who is the prettiest female idol in your opinion? karina, momo and sunmi

32. Ever written a fanfiction about your favourite idol? if so, what was it about? yes and i’d like to keep this chapter closed

33. Do you prefer cute or sexy concepts? sexy

34. If you could say one sentence to your ultimate bias, what would it be? thank you for being your amazing self

35. Which MALE group do you think has the strongest visuals? ateez, the boyz, monsta x

36. Which FEMALE group do you think has the strongest visuals? aespa

37. How old were you when you got into kpop? 19 or 20

38. Do you have any friend at your school/work who are also into kpop? nope

39. Do you consider yourself a kpop fan or a kpop STAN? a fan

40. Do you prefer english songs or kpop songs? i like both

41. Who is the most handsome male idol in your opinion? chanhee from tbz

42. Any groups you think deserved a certain award they didn't get? again, almost every group outside big4 lol

43. Any kpop songs/groups you cant stand? txt, nct dream and ive

44. Kpop song that'll never get old? wonder girls - tell me

45. Ever met a kpop idol/group? if so, who and where? not in person outside of a concert, no

46. Are you planning on seeing a group in concert soon? YES (next concert is changkyuuuuun)

47. Any idols that have retired from kpop you wished would come back? nope

48. Favourite song by your favourite solo artists? want by taemin and die 4 you by dean

[whysojiminimnida]

My Latest Crazy BTS Military Service Theory: WANNA HEAR IT?LET'S GOOOO --

Here's what I think. I've been thinking it for a second but it took a minute to work its way through my brain SO

This whole Vegas concert date flex has been in the works for awhile. It was planned as soon as they were invited to perform and got hosed in the nominations. BECAUSE.

If the Grammys sees the press and feels the heat and actually AWARDS THEM the Grammy they deserve (and let's be honest, they have deserved it MORE THAN ONCE) - they will be the ONLY Korean group with a Grammy. That qualifies as an international award. That's a gold medal at the Olympics, kids. THAT GIVES PARLIAMENT A LEGAL REASON TO EXEMPT THEIR SERVICE ENTIRELY and keep the cash and influence flowing into Korea.

We can hate the Grammys all day but there is a method to the madness and is is based on Korean law and precedent for exemption of military service.

And Korea wants BTS not to have to serve. It's better for the GDP of the country for them to be out here spinning gold out of thin air while they're in their prime.

But it's tough to get that through Parliament without changing law, and they've already gotten the law changed once with the BTS Deferment amendment. SO in order to protect themselves, the politicos are all like "IF YOU GET A GRAMMY" which let's be honest has been a thing for YEARS. Literally had they gotten one last time we wouldn't even be wondering about military service now. But this is about the LAST YEAR THEY CAN PULL IT and not have Seokjin and Yoongi having to go in anyway. COVID has done a number on the timing, too.

SO. WHAT IF THEY DON'T GET THE GRAMMY? It's a fair question, a really fair question, because we know how the US awards system likes to fuck over our guys. Racist asshats, the lot of them, and jealous into the bargain, but what can BTS do about a system over which they have no control?

THEY CAN FLIP THE GOT-DAMN SCRIPT. Paint the town purple. Call ARMY out of reserve status and into active duty. Combat, if you like. If they can show up on the red carpet and go "yeah that's cute how your capacity venue is now our movie theater for overflow because our fans will pay admission to watch us BE IN THE SAME CITY" and smirk while the American jackwagons get really uncomfortable really fast because WE AIN'T GOT A SINGLE ARTIST THAT CAN DO THAT.

Then, when they go home, they make some calls. They go "look here's the thing, y'all want us to bring in $30-50 MILLION US DOLLARS per tour stop OR you want us to come home and play trumpet in the Korean Army Band like Lee Taemin, because those are your options" and Korea likes money as well as the next country. Also Taemin hasn't enjoyed military service up to this point, government publicity be damned. And SHINEE isn't out there pulling in huge crowds or cash into Korea without him, either. It's a longer shot, conservative politicians are assholes about honor and glory as we all know, but it's better than just enlisting and calling it a day.

And given that BTS is at least, in my brain canon, 4/7ths not heterosexual, it would be really nice if they could just NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE GAY-IN-THE-MILITARY BULLSHIT. That's what I think. So if you are going to Vegas, wear your Borahaegear proudly. Show off your merch. Ask everyone if they know BTS. Talk loudly about the amazing shows, the talent, the flex, the beauty, the How You Learned To Love Yourself. WE ARE ARMY AND if I'm right and I think I am (because I always think I am), our guys need us more than they're letting on right now.

They don't get to do this in the military kids Y'ALL WANT GAY ELVIS-THEMED GAY VEGAS GAY WEDDINGS YOU BETTER GET 'EM OUT OF THE KOREAN MILITARY FIRST IS WHAT I'M SAYING. Am I crazy? Maybe. But what if I'm not?

[1ddotdhq]

❌Wed 25 Nov ‘20🎫

Harry and Louis are having another competition, clearly! This time, they’re competing for which one keeps us updaters busier - Louis won today, by the way. The tickets for his livestream went up today as promised, and, like clockwork, the Veeps website went down. Sighhhh come on, guys! We WARNED you about this - PLEASE don’t have this happen on the day of! But fear not, Louis was around and tweeting the whole time, assuring fans that it would work, and everyone could get a ticket. (It took the Intern about six hours, but I finally got mine! Discourse got it in two hours, so that’s the time discrepancy on ticket purchase time). Louis expressed his surprise that site was having issues (literally howwww??? It’s been TEN YEARS!), and said, “you’re all legends! Here we goooooo” , and told fans that we “deserve it!” - it being a chance to watch him perform lmao I stan a confident king! He also promised “one or two” surprises during the concert, said of a piece of fan art “boom! That’s fucking amazing” (it really was, congrats to the artist for a phenomenal piece), confirmed that he loved all his fans, saying yes that one and also that one to various countries for a while before presumably realizing that could continue all day if he didn't draw a line, and promised a bucket hat in his next merch drop. AND! Speaking of merch! You can get a shirt with the cool backlit stage pic they used for his new socials and the veeps background that says CREW on the back and comes with a 'crew' lanyard, or a black mask (!!!) with xx smiley face! All proceeds go to his chosen charities, so go get the merch while it LASTS!

 And now for Harry’s valiant entry to today’s competition: He won best international artist at the ARIAS!!! It’s a fan voted award, and, in a rare move, he made a thank you video to the fans for voting: “...thank you to the fans who voted for me, and for the support that you’ve given me offset the last couple of years and also the years before that. So thank you so much. I hope you’re staying safe.” You too, man! Especially with how BUSY he is going to be in the next month! And now for the “people around Harry talk about him” portion of the update: Anne reminded us that Harry used to be a (Star) baker in her Grammy congrats tweet,  Molly Hawkins posted some pictures yesterday celebrating the Grammy nomination, including one behind the scenes picture in which she had fully blacked a person out. Fans were quick to wonder why she had done that and who it could have been (Louis. People were wondering if it was Louis. There were paps and fans with cameras all over that filming but I mean sure anything is possible!) And Stevie Nicks came back to, uh, suggest a Sunflower Vol 6 music video that depicts a love story between *double checks* a flower and a bee. I wish I was making that up, but there you go - hey, at least H already has the tattoos for both parts of that story! She also goes on to say that she’s happy he decided to become a rock star and eschew the pop roots that were forced upon him in One Direction (and that he's apparently being forced to continue to celebrate and honor and enjoy in his free time mhmm), and that she has the perfect role for him in a miniseries based on Rhiannon (“a magician who doesn’t want to be king”). And in that same vein,Greg Berlanti's hot footie player husband, has signed with CAA,who is producing the upcoming My Policeman. The article says that it is “starring Harry Styles and Lily James”. The last we had heard about this, they were in negotiations... is this an update or simply careless phrasing? Seems a done deal either way, so let's have that exciting announcement! Or not, we do have a lot of other excitement to keep us busy right now.

Niall is being funny on twitter again, making fun of Trump with an “I WON THE GRAMMYS” tweet which landed really well with me and so I'm excited to report it! He also says that he wasn’t snubbed by the Grammys, “I’ll make the music and it’s ok if they decide it’s not Grammy worthy this year, I’ll try my best and hopefully it happens next time or another year.” It was a show of grace, sense, and maturity, love to see it. Also, his merch is 25% off today, and it’s all super high quality, so now’s your chance to get some at, well, cheapER prices anyway. And Liam’s thirst traps are BACK: Liam posted a shirtless selfie with necklaces around his neck and a few tattoos on display, and uh, a really YOUNG looking Maya making a silly face in the background. I don’t say this a lot, but sometimes I am reminded of how she is not even twenty years old, and it is...disconcerting. The picture is captioned “Work starts in 8 hours” and I HOPE that means work on his Christmas concert, which will go really well, if Naughty List is any indication: the song has been number 1 on the Top Triller US Charts for two weeks!

(update from Discourse: there was an error in early versions of yesterday's post, apologies to anyone who saw that one-- Harry is not the first member of 1D to receive a Grammy nod, that was technically Zayn, who hit so many of those milestones first, but Harry got the first solo noms and is well positioned to become the first winner amongst them, get in Harry! )

[ilooklikeaburntchickenugget]

Only Mine Pt. 2

A/N: Part 2! I’m really sorry if there are any grammatical errors. I haven’t updated in a bit, wanted to give you guys something, so I haven’t really proof read... like at all. So yeah, if there’s some weird mistakes it’s that. Pairing: Gerard Way x F!Reader Word count: 2339 Warnings: Implied smut, a few curse words (I think one, tbh)

The Grammys. An artists dream award.

To even be recognized by the Grammys was already a huge deal for any singer, songwriter, or band. But to be nominated for 10 awards? That was a whole other ballgame.

That’s where you stood tonight though. On the large red carpet in a formal ball gown, an off shoulder look with a slit next to your leg, and it was a beautiful emerald green color, Gerard next to you in a solid black tux. Usually he would say no to these events, but it was you. And this could have been the night you received your greatest accomplishment ever, so he was not going to miss it for the world.

Just like Gerard had predicted, My Midnight Boy was an absolute hit. Many were already considering it the album of the decade, and was placed on to Billboard Top 100 at #1 for over 12 weeks, with over half of the songs reaching the top 5. While that was exciting for so many reasons, a lot of other things in your personal life took a 180. For starters, paparazzi were everywhere. Anytime you or Gerard walked out of your New York apartment, a line of at least half a dozen paps were suited with large cameras to take as many photos as possible. When the two of you were together, there were usually 20. So naturally, you both had to hire security. It was never a decision that you wanted to make, it was one that needed to happen.

Next, your band broke up. Apparently, the boys there couldn’t take your individual success and broke up in a screaming fight which left you crying in a studio, and Gerard having to come and console you for a few hours, reminding you that they left because they couldn’t handle your fame and success.

Your fandom also grew immensely, which was great. You loved scrolling through your Instagram and Twitter everyday, only to see hundreds of fans show off your merch. Some even had Y/N Y/L/N themed parties, rooms, and costumes. It was all so overwhelming, in a good way.

You and him had both done numerous interviews at this point. You were especially glad that Gerard was being asked about My Chem, and not just you. And the questions that did come about you, he would always have the sweetest most genuine answers. “She’s honestly the most incredible woman I’ve ever met, and I’m so lucky to have her as my best friend and fiancee.” “She’s a musical genius, honestly. She’s way smarter, way more beautiful, and way more talented than me. Which I’m okay with because she deserves and has earned everything she has.” “She surprises me everyday. She has new, crazy ideas for music. And they all work. She just makes it work.”

And every time you would stand off with a huge smile and even more prominent blush on your face. Finally, at one point, you were asked about Gerard. After all, it was pretty well known now that “My Midnight Boy” was, well, Gerard.

“He’s honestly the best man ever.” You smiled and looked over at him as he just smiled, “I wouldn’t have written as genuine, and heartfelt songs about anyone else. He just makes me feel every emotion, and he’s the one who brings out the best me. He’s my number one supporter, and he always reminds me of that. I couldn’t dream of a more perfect person to spend the rest of my life with.” You could feel your lover squeeze your hand in a small gesture of thanks. You both smiled, departing from that interviewer where your manager met you at the end of the carpet.

“You both did great.” He smiled, “Now the official show starts in about 20 minutes, so they’re beginning to urge everyone to take their seats. Since both of you are done with interviews, it’s probably a good time to head in.” The two of you nodded, being led into the auditorium where you were seated in the first row. Best of the best.

You had an insane amount of people, stars who you had never even dreamt of meeting, coming up and introducing themselves, starting small talk about just how incredible your album was.

You were quite overwhelmed by everything, being at the Grammys hadn’t really sunk in until you were actually there. Gerard could tell, pretty easily, and simply placed his hand on your knee, giving it a lightly squeeze. “It’s okay, sugar,” He whispered into your ear, “You’re doing great.” You gave him a tight smile, him returning one back.

Only a few minutes later, the awards started. You had to admit, it was less glamorized than what seeing it on TV made it out to be. Of course the performances were great, but the moments of complete boredom during commercial breaks and such made you realize were so many stars had complained some about the Grammys.

“After this,” You yawned during once of the breaks, placing your head on Gerard’s shoulder, “Can we go home and eat get some Chinese take out?” “Whatever you want, love.” He kissed the top of your head. You and him were not into much PDA, so anything beyond a hand hold or kiss was a lot.

“And a movie?” You asked next and he smiled.

“Of course, darling.” You smiled back, picking your head back up. The show restarted, both of you sitting back up as they continued going through some of the smaller categories, finally hitting the large ones.

“Next up, we have song of the year.” The two announcers smiled. They went through a list of artists along with their songs, Ariana Grande, Beyonce, and a few more were included, “Cardigan, Y/F/N Y/L/N.” They said and you smiled, Gerard next to you smiling as well as the cameras flashed to the two of you.

“And the award goes to...” It took them a few moments to open the card, your heart beginning to race. You grabbed onto Gerard’s hand, giving it a squeeze, and him squeezing back as your eyes went wide in anticipation, breaths caught in your throats.

“Cardigan, Y/F/N Y/L/N!” You heard cheering as you let out both a breath and a huge smile. You stood up with Gerard, who was already standing and clapping as you gave him a hug, him immediately hugging you back and giving you a kiss on the lips as the cheers continued. You only stayed for a few seconds before smiling at him again, and running up to the stage to the best of your abilities.

You hugged the two announcers as they handed you your very own Grammy. You looked at it only for a brief moment, holding it while you walked up to the mic. “Okay, so this is absolutely insane.” You sighed as a few people began laughing. “This is my first Grammy ever, and to even be able to be nominated for something like this was enough for me. But winning is beyond my wildest dreams.” You took a brief pause to actually breathe, “I want to thank all my friends and family who let me follow my passions and dreams of being a musician, I would like to thank my wonderful fiancee and muse who, without him, this song and no other song on that album would have been written. And I would like to thank every single fan who has stuck by me through thick and thin. You guys are what keeps me running every day and give me motivation to keep pushing my music further even when it may seem like I can’t, or it’s impossible. This is just so crazy, but thank you everyone!” You smiled as the cheers re-erupted, the trophy being taken away from your temporarily.

You found yourself right back in your loving fiancees arms before sitting back down. “You just won a Grammy.” He sat in awe and began lightly laughing, “You just won a Grammy!” “I know!” You responded, too in shock. “I really hope you do realize I couldn’t have ever done it without you though.” You smiled at him.

“Oh, please,” He scoffed, “You’re a musical genius. You could easily do anything without me.” “But you’re my muse!” You defended.

“Which is extremely flattering, thank you.” He gave you a peck on the lips, “But seriously, you deserve every inch of that award. You worked hard for it. You deserve it.” You smiled up at him.

“You’re incredible, you know that?” “Oh, not nearly as incredible as you darling.” By the end of the night, you had managed to do what almost no other artist had done. Won 10 Grammys in one night.

You stood on the large red carpet, dozens of Grammy logos behind you as you yourself held 10 trophies, stacked on one another, up to your chin. You smiled at all the cameras, flashing from a million different directions, your name being yelled over and over as they tried to get your attention.

Finally, you got the okay to walk off, a few people helping to retrieve your awards, which would later get your name engraved into them. At the end, behind everyone and all the chaos was your manager and Gerard, who both stood and smiled at you. You ran into his arms, giving him a tight hug as he gave you one back.

“I’m so proud of you.” He smiled down at you, your height difference pretty visible.

“Thank you.” You smiled like a fool giving you a quick kiss.

“I can’t believe it, Y/N,” Your managed spoke, “You did it!” You nodded and gave him, too, a hug. “This is huge. I mean, absolutely huge!” You nodded. “You set a record, you have 10 Grammys, I mean-” “It feels too good to be true.” You commented and he nodded. “Are you two heading to any of the after parties?” You shook your head, “I assumed not.” He smiled, “Which actually makes my life easier because I don’t have to go and monitor either.” You lightly laughed, “Well you two go home, and relax. Have some fun, but not too much fun.” He smirked.

“Oh shut up.” You rolled your eyes and waved as you and Gerard went to the back entrance to be picked up by a driver who was taking you back to your LA home.

Gerard opened the front door, letting you in first, and closing it once he got in. You slipped off your shoes with a sigh. “I think I’m gonna go upstairs, take off my makeup and all.” You lightly smiled at him. “I’ll come with you.” He smiled back. The two of you ran up the stairs like foolish teenagers in love, stumbling from one stair to another before reaching the top floor and running to the master bedroom, Gerard shutting the door eagerly behind you.

He immediately ran up to you after that, giving you a long and passionate kiss. You melted into him, letting him gently push you onto the plush bed. “So we’re on the same page?” You pulled away for a brief moment to catch some air. He lightly laughed.

“Yeah, babe.” He went right back to his assault on your lips, moving down to your neck and collarbone, finding your sweet spot quickly where you let out a loud moan. “Gee,” You begged and he hummed.

“Yes, baby doll?” He inquired, looking up to you from where he continued to plant kisses on your collar bone.

“Please.” Your strained and needy voice sounded.

“Please, what, baby?” He teased you a bit and you lightly huffed.

“Just fuck me.” You said with confidence this time.

“Your wish is my command.”

That led you to laying beside him, your body covered in both his and your own sweat. His arm was tightly wrapped around you as he played with your hair. He gave you a quick kiss. “Where’re you going?” You whined. He looked back and lightly laughed.

“To clean you up, sugar.” He lightly smiled, walking into the en suite. “I don’t deserve you.” You muttered and smiled, pulling the duvet over your bare body.

“I could say the same for you.” He smiled, coming back with a towel. “You’re just too damn perfect.” He sighed.

“Oh, c’mon Gee, don’t lie to you or me.”

“I mean it,” He climbed into bed next to you, “You are perfect.”

“Sure,” You sighed, he leaned in and gave you a kiss.

“I’m going to work my entire damn life to make you understand you’re perfect if I have to.” You placed your head on his shoulder.

“I love you.” You smiled up at him.

“I love you too.” He smiled back.

“Now can we get Chinese food.” He lightly laughed.

“Yes, of course.” He got up, wrapping himself in a towel, “And then watch Star Wars?” He asked hopefully.

“Yeah, what else we would watch?” “I don’t know,” He sighed, “A horror movie-” “I don’t like those, Gee.” You whined.

“I know,” He smiled, “That’s why we don’t watch them.” You got up yourself, taking part of a throw blanket to cover yourself as you walked into your walk in closet, grabbing your Star Wars PJs.

“Gee,” You called into his closet, “You better be wearing your-” “Star Wars PJs? Yeah, I know.” He walked out with them on, and you with yours.

“Perfect.” You smiled and he wrapped an arm around you.

“You know I am so proud of you, right?” He looked over at you as you were walking down the stairs. You smiled, blushing and involuntarily covering your face with your sleeves to hide it. “Oh c’mon! I wanna see your pretty face.” He complained.

“Thanks.” You looked up at him lightly, still shying away from the praise.

“C’mere sugar.” He opened up your arms which you walked in as he held you tightly, kissing the top of your head. “You really are perfect. Too perfect, but perfect.”

[bisluthq]

Yah but I’m the kind of person who gives people chances but if they cross a specific line, they’re out. It applies to many things in my life. Like I was a big fan of this artist bec #humble was his thing but then he end up selling a humble merch which is the exact opposite of humble. This is liek with Taylor, #artist’srights is her thing and she did this. It screams fakeness to me and I really dislike people who lacks integrity. Maybe I’ll just leave the fandom temp cause idk now.

Yeah it’s defs hypocritical and disappointing in a way that absolutely no other issue would be for her. Like I say yeah she’s not the best at politics stuff a lot of the time and she’s done petty bullshit which is lowkey to highkey annoying but like this feels actively duplicitous and centers around her pivotal issue which is just... not right.

I have no issue with Joe contributing though again he was only there because of his dick game but whatever. But if he deserved this award he should have been on the credits from the very first day.

[hobidreams]

@petty-talkofthecharts-discord-members You people really have 0 idea how industry, market, major music awards and charts work and it shows. Sit down. People are streaming because they enjoy music. You consume the music by streaming. Stop portraying people as bots and rabid fans. You listened to BE? Sorry to break it to you that you streamed. It's not about breaking records, it's not about other acts, it's about giving back love to BTS. THE BOYS explicitly said, multiple times, on a national 1/6

under a cut cause multipart 

television, in US and Korea, that they want all BE songs to chart on Hot100. THEY said they want #1 BB debut w Korean song. THEY all said, multiple times, including last week, they want a Grammy. THEY all wept whole night after #1, Jimin literally cried until 4 AM on the timeline together with armys. THEY SAID in the skit, after expressing euphoria, "Hoba, don't you think this is what happiness is like?". THEY said in the skit, "This is the best gift of my life... what... what just happened" 2/6

We appreciate them and the comfort, happiness their music brings us and we want to make them happy in return. So we give them what makes them happy. By doing what makes us happy. Which is listening to their music. If you don't want to see BTS happy, if you don't want them to get the awards they want, don't be a pressed anti in other people's business and let armys do what they want. If you think BTS is inorganic, that's fine, whatever helps you sleep at night, but know that so are all your 3/6

faves whoever they are. Name one organic big western act. Don't be shy, baby, speak into the mic. And it's cute how you think the strategies are a new thing on the west and how it's tied to BTS and ??kpop?? somehow? Do a little research on the history of Billboard charts. Whole history. Not just the last decade. Although the last decade has plenty of gems, too. Come on, sweetie. And let's not even BEGIN to talk about payola and blacklisting and fucking bundles. DON'T FUCKING LET ME START ON 4/6

blacklisting and payola and western acts and other certain acts and all your precious organic gp-loved "critically-acclaimed" radio-loved faves. You don't wanna have that convo, you really, really don't. It's gonna get real embarrassing for all non-BTS real quick. The receipts are out there, honey. So maybe don't start convos about charts and music industry when you're absolutely oblivious about everything, including how much you don't know about anything. 5/6

Y'all pressed people need to stop disrespecting BTS. You come and say THAT after everything Joon said and expressed just recently? Seriously? I hope the fuck you're now spewing this on weverse or twitter where there's even a tiny possibility he can see it. I have 2 questions for you: how could you? Why do you hate him so much? 6/6

my dude. first of all i literally disagreed with the anon that said streaming is inorganic lol.

as i have said through my responses multiple times, i think STREAMING IS IMPORTANT AND VALID. i said streaming serves a lot of purposes and streaming gets artists growth. i literally said this at least 3x. i am not here to argue organic/inorganic. please don’t put words in my mouth. i did not say that any of the western acts are organic. i never said that they don’t have strategies to get their numbers higher. i said western artists have easier times getting radio play than our boys do because they compose music primarily in english and that’s absolutely not fair and xenophobic, and streaming is a way to combat that from our side. i was praising those who take the time to stream. i am literally saying its UNFAIR that our boys don’t get more chances to get heard on the radio.

the only point i am trying to make is that nobody is obligated to stream. my original post was made in response to many many tweets i saw that were straight up BASHING on those who dont stream, saying they’re not real fans or they don’t deserve to get decent concert tickets. there are MANY MANY ways of supporting BTS or any other artist you like, and that’s buying tickets. buying merch. buying albums. i don’t want anyone to feel guilty or bad because there are people telling them theyre not doing enough, when they are. the only obligations we have as fans is to enjoy the music. that IS streaming. the very definition of streaming is to listen to a song in real time. please take a look at my answers again. i’ll even quote one here:

we have a right to enjoy content however we want. if that means streaming to you, then yay! if that means listening once today and once tomorrow, yay!

i am trying to say that there should not be any bullying of people to stream. im no way am i discounting the importance of streaming. i am saying it should be something undertaken willingly.

(p.s. what? lol i can’t even fathom why you think i would dedicate nearly two years of my life to run a blog about a guy i ‘hate’?)

edit: also in case it isnt clear, ive been talking about mass-streaming. not just listening to the album. ive been talking about the culture that promotes people staying up and sacrificing sleep/health to stream.

[auxgod]

Top 25 Best Rap Logos Of All Time

The great rap logos from the history of hip-hop acted as cultural co-signs, and for every great artist or label there is a memorable stamp of approval. For the past 30 years we’ve seen artist develop a logo the minute they arrive and we’ve seen others get one 3 albums down the line. 

We made a list of The 25 Greatest Rap Logos of all time. Let us know who you’d add

25. G-Unit 

Like the signature Coca-Cola logo, G-Unit’s script font stood out the moment “G-Unit Merch” was officially for sale. It was simple, It was clean, and it was effective with how they had a script to take over the entire music scene in 2003-2005

24. Outkast 

The Atlanta duo Outkast exploded on the hip hop scene in 1994, packed with a logo that immediately let the general public know the South Had Something To Say. Outkast dropped five classic albums that all featured the original logo in some capacity–an impressive feat, considering how unique each cover is compared to the others.

23. Marino Infantry

Marino Infantry may be the newest establishment on this list but they sure deserve the recognition. What ASAP Ant has been able to do with the rap culture/skate culture has been impressive to watch proving there’s no limit to what you can do with shades of the classic “No Limit Logo”

22. 2Pac

The best logos don’t have to be elaborately designed by the world’s greatest artists, but they do have to be recognizable, memorable, and unique to the artist. 2Pac accomplished all of this, despite arguably having the most basic logo on this list. 

21. Sick Wid It

E-40 gets little respect when it comes to content and longevity but his logo says it best. He’s been cashing out and going Ham since the late 80′s and even in 2020 Forty Water takes no days off.

20. Ear Drummers 

With the way MikeWillMadeIt hit the scene in 2011with towering 808′s, this logo fit his “Ear Drummers” brand to a T

19. Eminem 

Similar to 2Pacs logo, it’s minimal but the backwards E would forever standout leading up to Eminem’s success solidifying him and his brand

18. Hypnotize Minds 

With Three 6 Mafia taking the rap game by storm in the 90′s and mid 2000′, one thing that always stood out was the Hypnotize Minds Logo. The Grim Reaper with the Pendulum was always iconic.

17. Young Money (1997)

One of the Newer and underrated logos, Young Money mimicked the New York Yankees logo and made it their own. It works because knowing the History of the Yankees being one of the Richest baseball teams, Wayne using that logo to symbolize their a mini version of them was always raw

16. Odd Future

Odd Future hit the scene and slowly started to change the game. As their cult following started to grow, more fans were buying merch and the Pink Donuts were everywhere in 2010-2013

15. UGK

The Underground Kings have a logo that fits their sound perfectly. Old School, straight to the point and regal. When you saw this logo on the front of an album cover you knew you were Gonna be blessed with some gems.

14. Freebandz

Future hit the ground running. The music, the visuals, and the branding was all the there. The FreeBandz eagle similar to the Diplomats was inspired by the Ramons

13. KEY! 

KEY! is your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper and can definitely be regarded as one of the pioneers of the new wave of Atlanta artist. Whether it be his image or his music, KEY! came out the gate a goat with his one of a kind logo matching his name with a Key of Coke.

12. Young Jeezy

There was a time when a snowman didn’t mean much of anything. But in 2005, Young Jeezy had people like myself getting suspended from school for wearing shirts with this very logo saying “Can’t Ban The Snowman”. Though Jeezy hasn’t used the Snowman in a while, no one will forget wondering just what was going on when it first came out.

11. N.W.A.

Words can not truly explain how iconic this logo is. NWA has been an acronym for a few great things but the Niggas With Attitude changed the atmosphere and those 3 Letters will forever be intense.

10. SoSo Def 

JD and SoSo Far were really one of the best companies who actually had a mascot for their logo. Kanye would later 

9. Bad Boy 

One of the first rap logos i can remember, the Bad Boy baby has been around for some legendary artist. Biggie, Mase, Black Rob, Shyne, Diddy has always has a great roster but could never duplicate the same success he shared with BIG.

8. Death Row 

Death Row Records logo fit their entire demeanor, The Stories told about Suge Knight and various studio sessions along with the incredible Source Awards Speech, Death Row was nothing to be fucked with.

7. Kanye West

One of the best things about “Old Kanye” was seeing “Drop Out Bear” and anticipating how Kanye would apply him into the album artwork some how. Sadly after the Graduation, Ye stopped using him for whatever reason.

6. Run DMC 

The Queens New York Trio Run DMC might honestly have the most replicated logo of all time. This Logo has been copied countless times but it’s mainly because of how trendsetting Run DMC was during this time.

5. Cash Money

You can’t say legendary logos without mentioning Cash Money. The dollar sign along with the Cash Money Records text would be the image rap fans would have to get use to from 1996 til now but mainly in 1999-2000 where the Cash Money Millionaires were virtually impossible to ignore.

4. No Limit 

No other logo would best represent what Master P and the No Limit Soldiers were about to do better than this Army Tank. P bringing out the Gold Tank in the Make Em Say Uhh video use to be a moment you literally couldn’t afford to miss because P was really setting the bar high

3. Diplomats 

Growing up you either wanted to be in No Limit, Cash Money, or the Diplomats. Cam’ron and the Diplomats started to take New York by storm and this logo began to pop up everywhere. Adding Guns to the Talons for the merch, the logo alone was the finishing touches to solidify the Diplomats as one of the best groups of the 2000′s

2. Wu-Tang 

The Wu-Tang “W” is the hip-hop equivalent of the McDonalds Arch. The legendary classic logo represents an entire Clan and their brand of Kung Fu-influenced Staten Island rawness. Even if you don’t listen to their music, this logo may be the most recognizable.

1. Rocafella Records 

While Wu Tang may have the most recognizable logo, the most iconic to us is the Rocafella Logo. Not only the artist, the plan Jay, Dame, and Biggs established, or the way they went about their business, it was the legendary diamond along with the Rocafella chain itself. Watching Kanye get his at the end of the Through The Wire video is still one of the best moments in music history.

[the-y-generation]

Not My Type (Chapter 3)

Summary: “Do you know how you stop a craving? You give in to it.”

When she signed on to be a road manager, she had no idea it was going to be for one of the biggest bands in the world, much less how they were going to turn her life upside down, nor how she was about to flip theirs too. Especially one irritating frequently-late vocalist who knew exactly how charming he could be.

Pairing: Idol!Jimin / Manager!Original Character (I personally haven’t written in “y/n” format, so I just gave the reader a name, but barely even mention it)

Genre/Themes: fluff, angst, friends with benefits, friends to lovers

Rating: Starts off G, but M in later chapters

Status: Ongoing (Masterlist)

Things got better between her and Jimin after the awards fiasco. Not right away, and definitely not painlessly, but they got there eventually.

Jimin would still be late but only sometimes now, and she’d no longer want to rip his head off. Nowadays, when he’s come rushing in, aware of how late he was, he’d flash the irate girl his best boyish smile - the one where his eyes scrunched up into crescents and he showed all his pearly whites.

In retaliation, she’d reach over and flick him on the forehead once, just to slip the cheeky grin off his face and earn a few chuckles from his bandmates.

Other times, he’d take the charming route - leaning in close when she fixed his collar until their faces were only a breath away, and her every exhale pushed into his lips. He’d stare so deeply into her eyes, it was almost as if he could read the future of the universe in them.

Jimin knew what he was doing. But so did she.

Most of the time, she’d shove him on the shoulder and walk away.

But sometimes, when she was particularly frustrated with him, she’d hold his spell and push back. She’d lean in even closer, just until she could almost feel the warmth of his mouth on hers. She'd watch the panic slowly simmer in his eyes that she might actually finish what he started. Then Jimin would back away and let her win that round.

So it went, their little game of cat and mouse when they were on the clock as road manager and artist.

But when they were off the clock, things went a little differently.

Being of the same age, they forged a friendship that was easy-going and relaxed. Without a senior-junior dynamic, the two built a bond as equals, founded on their ability to make fun of the other, where both could be their authentic selves.

She laughed at his dumb jokes and put extra pieces of fruit on his plate. He let her sort out his messy suitcase and stole from her fries. She borrowed his plain sweaters sometimes. He used her hair products.

Without the underlying tension of work, they became fast friends, much to the relief of the rest of the band. Namjoon was particularly grateful as he was getting tired of having to pull the two apart, in fear that one might actually murder the other.

Now, she and Jimin exchanged spare hotel room keys, knowing that they’d end up hanging out in each other’s rooms anyway.

But sometimes, on their days off, she wanted to be alone. Like today.

She decided to stay in her room and get some quality rest. It had been an exhausting week - they crossed a continent, she fought with one venue partner for not providing an airconditioned dressing room (“There are seven of them! What are you going to do if one of them collapses with a heat stroke in this cramped room?!”) and Hoseok had a wardrobe malfunction last night.

Feeling like she deserved some Me Time, she planned out her day - sleep in, grab a fancy brunch, get a mani-pedi, and end the day with a long soak in the tub.

But Jimin and Jungkook seemed to have other plans.

Just as she had finished getting dressed for her brunch out, the pair barged into her room unannounced and plopped down on her bed.

She rolled her eyes at them in the mirror as she applied some light lipstick. Jungkook rolled over and buried himself under the covers while Jimin laid on top of the sheets and met her gaze in the mirror with a curious smirk of his own.

“Don’t tell me you have a date,” Jimin asked as she fluffed her hair.

She chuckled. “Fine then. I won’t tell you.”

The boy frowned, brows meeting to scrunch up his button nose. “So you do have a date?”

“I thought you said not to tell you.”

It was Jimin’s turn to roll his eyes and groan at her. “Fine. Be that way.”

She laughed and turned around to face them properly instead of having to converse through the mirror.

“I’m going out to brunch by myself, okay?” She said, starting to pack her essentials into her purse. “So you guys are gonna have to leave the room.”

“You’re not gonna invite us?” Jungkook pouted, voice muffled by the pillow partially suffocating him.

“Nope, I just want some personal time today.” She shrugged unapologetically.

She turned to face Jimin to tell him not to use his spare key to enter her room without her permission while she was gone. But the second she met his eyes, she immediately regretted it.

He looked at her with the full force of his puppy dog eyes, his baby cheeks puffed out, and his plump lower lip pushed out in a boyish pout.

It was adorable and sexy, and just about everything sinful in the world.

“Are you sick of us already?” He pouted at her.

She stabbed an accusatory finger in his direction. “Put that face away before I make you regret it.”

He laughed hard, the type that squeaked at the end, causing the pout to slip from his lips. Then, without prompting or permission, he crouched over her open suitcase lying by the foot of her bed.

“Is this a BTS sweater?” Jimin chuckled, holding up an oversized black sweater.

“No shit,” She deadpanned, eyeing the “BTS” printed in big bold letters at the back, with their tour dates underneath.

Jungkook got to his feet as well and joined Jimin in violating her privacy. She remained standing as she watched them - like little kids digging for treasure, they sifted through her clothes in search of more of their merch.

“Why do you have so many of our shirts?!” Jungkook asked amusedly, holding up another band shirt with "BT21" printed on it.

Anna glanced at her watch, resigned to the fact that she’s going to have to let them ride this curiosity out. With a sigh, she sat on her bed, her ankle gently kicking Jimin’s shin as he sat on the floor by her feet.

“You guys own a lot of your own merch too, you know?” She countered, smirking at Jungkook. “I figured I should buy some too.”

Jimin snapped his head towards her, eyes wide in confusion. “Wait, you actually bought these?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Jimin looked at her like she just grew two heads. “Why would you buy them? You could just ask us to get you some.”

“But I didn’t want to do that." Anna shrugged, lifting her feet to fully sit on the bed. "That’s like abuse of position or something.”

“But you’re with us. You shouldn’t have to pay for our merch." Jimin replied.

"Yeah. Do you think Taehyung would go to a store and pay for his own band’s shirt?" Jungkook chimed in.

She rolled her eyes at their strange sense of protectiveness. They really got worked up over the weirdest things.

“Well, Jin buys every RJ he comes across, so what’s your point?” She countered. The two boys opened their mouths to retort, but nothing came out. Taking advantage of their silence, she swept the conversation under the rug. “And anyway, you can’t do anything about it now. I already bought them so….relax.”

Jimin narrowed his eyes at her in a final attempt at being intimidating but continued sifting through her pile of shirts.

"Oh! Speaking of-" Jungkook exclaimed, holding up a Tata shirt.

The two boys exchanged looks, starting with pleasant surprise, blending into mischief.

“Did you get all of the characters?” Jimin asked, but he needed no answer. He and Jungkook were already halfway through her suitcase and elbows-deep in her clothing. The exasperated manager sighed, already anticipating that she had a lot of cleaning up to do later.

“I think so?" She chuckled, leaning back on her elbows while keeping an amused gaze on the child-like boys before her. "I don’t even know anymore.”

They continued digging, laughing at each character they find - an RJ sweater, a Cooky hoodie, a Van shirt, and so on.

But when they reached the bottom of her luggage and her suitcase lay nearly empty on the floor, Jimin looked up at her with doe-eyed confusion.

“Where’s Chimmy?”

God bless those eyes. That hair. It's disrespectful, really.

Wait. He asked a question. What did he say?

“What?” She blinked at him.

“Chimmy." He repeated, pointing a finger at himself. Then he looked down, gesturing to the shirts that lay before him. "You have everyone but Chimmy. Where’s Chimmy?”

Anna tilted her head, sifting through her memories of interviews and fan merchandise, to try and place what the hell a Chimmy was. Eventually, the visual of a yellow hoodie-wearing chubby-cheeked canine came to the forefront of her brain.

“That’s the yellow dog, right?”

“What the-" He choked, jaw slack with shock and distaste. "Yes! Yes, the yellow dog.”

“Oh. I think I don’t have that.”

He looked like she might as well have slapped him across the face. Or kicked him in the balls. Or told him that she was a puppy murderer.

“Why not?” He whined.

“I don’t know, okay?" She rushed to backpedal. "I just...don’t? I’ll buy one next time.”

Jimin didn't respond, looking positively livid and thunderous that it made her head spin with confusion. Then, without another word, he got on his feet and stormed out.

The slamming of the door rang through the stillness of the room.

"O...kay?" Jungkook broke the awkward silence. "What just happened?"

"I have no idea." Anna chuckled dryly, still staring at the door.

"Did he seriously leave me?" Jungkook groaned, rising to his feet. "We actually came here to invite you to lunch, but I guess that's not happening anymore.

"I'm sorry." She pouted at him.

But before she could continue, a sound came from the door, pulling Anna's and Jungkook's attention.

Jimin stomped back into the room, eyes blazing so much that Anna had to look away. He clutched some balled-up black thing in his hand, which he aggressively chucked into her suitcase. Then, he spun on his heel and stormed back out.

Anna and Jungkook didn't move, gazes transfixed on whatever the hell Jimin just tossed in the suitcase. Eventually, she snapped out of it and reached for the offending item.

It was his Chimmy shirt.

[ssfoc]

Re: The Metro articles.

It’s incomprehensible to me why Louis’ team is sticking with the same narrative. It didn’t work before to promote his songs, and it won’t work going forward.

No industry figures have been mentioned except Nile Rodgers, and then only to say Louis didn’t have the courage to ask him for a collab.

We have the rehashed fact that Louis has a huge trove of unpublished, unreleased songs. It’s no longer exciting to hear it eighteen months in a row, but frustrating and tired. He even states that he’s running out of creative tricks. How can he possibly know what works and what doesn’t, when there hasn’t been any new music released and therefore no audience or critical feedback?

The angle of not wanting to be “radio popular,” of saying that he identifies regionally and provincially to northern England, is such an odd statement for an artist with a global following, someone who wants an international career and concert audience. Would new audiences really warm to a person who seems to want to retreat from the biggest band in the world, and to reduce his own audience demographic?

My gut feeling is The Metro was not given an actual interview. The “quotes” are not quotes, just PR bullet points fashioned into some Louis-like pastiche (complete with expletives). But why these bullet points? Why hasn’t a competent team changed the direction and tone of Louis’ image? Wasn’t that the whole point of changing management?

Why did fandom patiently wait for the X Factor to be over? So we could have this again?

One indication that this was a press release from SJPR rather than a live interview is the fact that Louis mentioned Freddie. Louis was recently reported to be in LA, yet the article published a photo from more than a year ago— because it had been posted on Louis’ Instagram. They weren’t given a new photo. The article also shows Louis holding his award, so presumably he’s back in the U.K., or took the photo before he left for LA. So, not spending Christmas with Freddie?

I’m pleading for Louis’ team to do something. This isn’t promo. Louis and Louis’ fans deserve better. Yes, fans deserve better. Fans have done the heavy-lifting, and we deserve music, proper promo, tours, merch. Behind-the-album specials. In-studio specials. A BBC Live Lounge. Magazine covers and mentions in industry periodicals that matter. These things are achievable with money, and if there’s anything Louis has, it’s money. The goal is a real music career, so show us a structured plan to a real career.

[dismirroirnoir]

Cheap wine, cereal and a made-up evil megacorp: The story of Arcade Fire's Juno-nominated album art

Every corporation employs a team. The same goes for the imaginary ones. So when Catherine Lepage and Simon Rivest saw "Money + Love" last week — Arcade Fire's new two-for-one music video — the Montreal art directors could spot their contributions all over it.

The short, directed by David Wilson, stars Toni Collette as the cartoonishly sinister CEO of the Everything Now Corp., a conglomerate that's bought the band's contract, forcing them to shill cars and junk cereal along with the music. That story, plus all the products and packaging associated with EN Corp., have figured in every element of the album's roll-out, from music videos to dummy Twitter accounts — to the album artwork. Designed by Lepage and Rivest, it's up for a Juno Award this year — one of the band's five nominations going into the March 25 show.

The art directors walked CBC Arts through the process.

Arcade Fire calling            

Rewind to 2017. "Exactly a year ago," says Rivest.

"We were approached by the band at the same time they approached JR for the cover installation," he explains. (That French artist, perhaps best known for his global street art project Inside Out, created the trompe l'oeil billboard that's splashed on the cover, but more on that in a minute.)

From first contact, Rivest says that nearly everything about Everything Now was already mapped out by the band, and he and Lepage were supplied with a detailed brief, Win and Régine's wish list for the album package.

"This idea of the Everything Now Corporation owning Arcade Fire" — that was all them. "And having all those songs being products, and having their own logos? They really came up with that idea first," he says.

How'd they land it?

Both art directors are working artists. Lepage is an author and illustrator with an NFB film in development and Rivest is the co-founder of artist collective Doyon-Rivest, but they're also the founders of an award-winning design studio called Ping Pong Ping.

Among their clients is Kanpe, a non-profit co-founded by Arcade Fire's Régine Chassagne to help families in Haiti. Ping Pong Ping designed the foundation's corporate identity. That's their connection to the band, Rivest says. Still, being recruited for the Everything Now assignment was a surprise, he says, though the duo were uniquely suited for the job.

"The briefing for Everything Now was really corporate," says Lepage, and that posed a challenge when it came to representing what the band's about. "They always had a feeling in their artwork that was 'artsy,'" she says, reflecting on every Arcade Fire album that had come before, right back to the scratchy, silkscreened look of Funeral. "I was wondering how we would make that make sense with their legacy."

Both she and Rivest had put in some time at ad agencies back in the early days of their careers, satisfying mega-chain clients. "We can connect to that," she says. "We know how to work that way." Would delivering design work to the totally fictional Everything Now Corp. be any different?

To see how they mixed a little bit of Arcade Fire's DIY-loving character in with Everything Now's commercial vibe, take a closer look at how all song logos are printed — not just throughout the album artwork, but in music videos, merch, you name it. Sometimes, the branding appears hard and clean — just like a regular corporate logo. Other times, it's "distressed" to hint at "the band's universe," says Rivest.

The logos

Is there anything special about designing a logo for a song?

"It's kind of the same, but different," says Rivest.

"Every logo was a different briefing," he continues. There'd be some "vague" notes on the song and the general desired tone — "more commercial, more artsy," says Lepage, by way of example. Plus, there was always a pitch for a tie-in product.

"Creature Comfort" is probably the most recognizable example. The song doubles as an all-marshmallow breakfast cereal, and the band sent fans on a scavenger hunt last June for that particular item. Real boxes were hidden on store shelves as part of a social media campaign for the single.

Part of the brief, though, was to make sure everything seemed just a little bit off. Says Rivest: "We were looking at [making] something corporate, but corporate in a way that's not the coolest."

"We used really shitty fonts, if you look at it," he says, pointing to the logo for "We Don't Deserve Love." On the lyric sheet, which is designed to look like a grocery flyer, "We Don't Deserve Love" is a brand of six dollar plonk.

"It had to look like cheap white wine," says Lepage of the logo.

"We don't get briefings like that very often in real life," laughs Rivest.

"Or sugary cereal!" adds Lepage. "We don't work in that field, you know."

Catherine Lepage (right) works on a prototype for Creature Comfort cereal. Are the Lucky Charms there for inspiration? A snack? Both? Writes Lepage: "[They] were there for reference as I wanted to fake their texture. Now way I would put these in my mouth." The Creature Comfort cereal box was one of the first products created for Everything Now, she says, and Lepage is sculpting with modelling paste in the picture. The finished shapes were photographed then Photoshopped into the box design.

Brief first, music later

But they do work with musicians plenty, and on that front, one thing was unusual about this assignment — at least at first. It was months before they got to hear the record.

"Oh my god! We were too shy to ask!" says Lepage, laughing. "I think it was two months after we started working on the project and at that point I asked, I took all my courage and I asked."

"The pace was so fast at the beginning. We really were in deep right at the beginning, so we didn't really ask because we knew they were in the studio," says Rivest. "We understand the feeling that maybe they're not ready [to share the tracks]."

While they waited, they at least had the lyrics. Says Rivest: "The first time [we listened to Everything Now] we were able to sing every word to every song because we saw the words so much."

"It's a weird way to work but at the same time it was magic to hear the album for the first time," says Lepage. "We were so excited and thrilled to hear it."

What about JR?

Delayed album delivery aside, the duo say they were always in communication with the band — emailing links and images and ideas back and forth. But they say that JR was never part of the thread.

While Rivest and Lepage were fine-tuning the album's graphic design  — and possibly branded coffee mugs and paper clips and lanyards, too  — his team was working on a parallel assignment.

In May 2016, JR unveiled a new outdoor installation at the Louvre, and Arcade Fire's Butler and Chassagne played a show in the nearby Jardin des Tuileries to mark the occasion, wrapping the set by hopping into a park pond with the artist himself. A year later, they'd tap JR for another surprise stunt.

To announce the arrival of Everything Now — plus its eponymous lead single — the band launched a livestream last June. "Live from Death Valley," the feed offered nothing but a live eye on JR's latest installation, a mountain-shaped billboard that blended into the actual hills like a wheatpaste and scaffolding chameleon.

It's also, of course, the picture on the front of the record.

Rivest and Lepage were kept in the loop on the installation's progress, and they were involved in certain details that would be important to the final album design — selecting the font for the billboard's LED ticker, for example.

"This was the at the beginning, maybe somewhere in March 2017," writes Catherine Lepage. "We had chosen Avant Garde as the font to be displayed on the LED sign under the billboard." The same lettering appears throughout the album packaging, as well. Here, it's been photocopied to "degrade the look."

They had no communication with JR himself, they say, but the artist gave them total freedom when it came to how the installation appears in the album artwork.

They were sent "something like 2,000 pictures" of the billboard — raw photos, taken by JR. "I'm not used to that. Most of the time, photographers want to control the image," says Lepage. "I don't know why, but JR sent us the hard drive and trusted whatever the decision would be."

"We didn't meet him. We never had feedback on the Photoshop, or if he didn't like it," she says.

"Maybe he does not exist at all," jokes Rivest.

Choosing the cover...and then another and another and another

With thousands of images to work with, Rivest says "it was hard to make a choice." But then, Everything Now required seemingly endless iterations on its design.

The album is a collector's dream — or nightmare, depending on their budget. If we're just talking about the vinyl offerings alone, there are 20 limited edition "language" versions of the LP available. In each one, the billboard reads "Everything Now" in a different language, from French to Bengali to Vietnamese, and the cover photo is given a unique treatment.

How do you say "GIF" in Portuguese, Hindi and Korean? Everything Now's limited edition "Language" vinyl.(Courtesy of Ping Pong Ping and Sony Music Canada)

Plus, you can find the LP in a "Day" or "Night" variant, with the daytime photo being the "official" look.  According to Rivest, those pressings exist because nobody could choose which one they liked best, tbh.

Infinite Arcade Fire content

Says Rivest: "We have two versions of the vinyl, two versions of the CD and we have a cassette that is different, a different point of view for the billboards. It was, yeah — kind of a challenge to manage."

"And then there's the products, too," he says.

"Cereal! Cereal boxes and energy drink," says Lepage.

"Even wine. We have a bottle right here!" says Rivest.

That arcade game is the same one that appears on the back cover of Everything Now. Writes Lepage: "It was not on the original photo of the billboard, but the band felt like there was something missing there. So on a quick turnaround a photoshoot was set up. Twenty-four hours from idea to shoot. The idea came from the band. I was provided with this old arcade game (don't remember what it was) and we crafted the stencil and spray paint job pretty fast with what we had! (We were working from New Orleans that week, with limited tools.) It didn't have to be perfect as we were setting it on fire in the dark."

"In 2018, it's always much more than an album design. It's more of a platform, let's say, that we need to use in various contexts. This time, honestly, it went beyond what we thought at the beginning because it turned out to [include] merch; it turned out to be onstage design somehow."

"We're nominated for an album, but it's much more than that."

[weepingexpertsharkprune]

About me!

I'm a fan girl of k-idols. The first ever group that I stan is BlackPink, I'm not an active fan. Actually, I fell in love to theirs songs, I don't really know what is their true name, their age- those things. I just listen to them. I really don't know anything about having an stan account,how to support a band. Since I never been into this. That was back then. Year 2019 came, My friends introduced me to BTS. Again, I don't know anything about internet, social medias back then. I only got facebook when I was 13-14 years old. I'm not really so fan to BTS, but i like them A LOT. Then again, I'm not updated to whatever they did back then. I listen to their songs, that's it. I don't even know they have albums. Its so funny 'cuz i never tried to know. I thought they just release song, i don't know what a b-side is, the title track, ep albums. I sometimes ask my self if I deserve to be called by the fandoms names. But now of course I am, I always love and support them. Always.

March 4,2019, Bighit Music announced that a new group will debut, junior of BTS. I really got interested. Again, I can't keep up with the updates, their comeback, their socials. I think the reason is I am really busy with my studies. 7-5 is my time for school. I do my homeworks, chores and i need to rest, I need to sleep early since i should wake up around 4am. That is how my life is. School-Home-School-Home.

2020 my worst year ever. Cut off all people in my life. I'm not professionally diagnosed so i can't say I'm depress. I not okay. Sleepless, always sleeping, can't eat anything, vomiting, headaches, always feel empty. I want to let out all my emotions. But to who. I got into k-pop again around late 2020. TXT became my comfort group. I already know them, but you know I never got so into into into them. I got to know them more now. I relate to them so much. How them work so hard. They got so many hate for so many dumb reason. I created stan account in twt. And I telling you, I always gasp, dumdfounded whenever i get to know reason for why they are being hated. I created weverse back then but i deleted it. I actually don't know why. Bts, Gfriend and Txt is the only group back then. I wowed when i saw how many artist is there now.

You know i really wish I was there to those moments of txt. How Moa protected them, support them, shouted their name because of excitement when they received awards. I never love a group until now. I really love how they communicate to moa on weverse. It feels like we are known each other for so many years,like we are best of all friends. I tried to stan, get to know other groups but no,i always come back to txt. I listen to other groups of course, i support other groups. But you know, my heart always find txt. It feels like home. I don't have friends that really into txt. Even to twt, hahaha. I friends always talk about - . Kinda sad that when i talk about txt it feels like they are not interested. But its okay ^_^ i'll just support txt silently. I get to used not having friends. Most important thing is I love and support txt always. Kinda sad that u want to buy their merch but i'm a student. And my family is not wealthy. No, my parents don't give me money, if i ask for it of course they will ask what for. What will I say huh. "I want to buy an album Mom". It's not that easy if you hear that you can't pay for this months rent or you don't have have enough money for your electric bill. Kinda envy my friend who can buy whenever she wanted. Paying for three thousand pesos photocard. I envy her privilege. You will just wish you have that kind of life.Someday I will have that! I promise my self that.

It's comforting, I saw a moa say that it's okay. I read posts that as long as you love the group, that it is okay to not have albums,merch if can't afford it. Always priorities your needs,yourself. Happy collecting they said. And they are right. If you can't but doesn't mean you didn't support them. I know you wanted it but you have priorities. I wish i can afford anything. I can buy whatever i want. I want to work but i can't find a job right now. I'm also a student. I want to help my family financially.

Well, this is so long. All i want to say is how txt help me to feel emotion again. How to feel alive. Honestly, I didn't know if i stated that. They really help me to my mental health.

Tomorrow X Together, so cozy, comfort,a warm hug. I'm healing. A long process but I can see progress.

투바투 정말 감사합니다 !

🤍🤍🤍

[rndyounghowze]

I Hate Award Shows: Or “How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Dana”

Even the thought that I would be hosting an award show was totally laughable. Until Dana convinced me. #younghowzetheatreawards

By Ricky and Dana Young-Howze

Mays Landing, NJ

Venmo: @rndyounghowze

My name is Ricky Young-Howze and I hate award shows. In fact I will go out on a limb and say I hate awards. Now I’m immediately going to qualify this statement. From my first start of theatre training in High School all the way through Grad School there were few awards in my area. No one in my theatre community won them and no one seemed to care. So my professional aspirations never included winning awards.

In over a decade of theatre training I’ve applied to one competition twice (SETC’s Getchell for playwriting) and won one separate award (my undergrad’s award for Exiting Senior). With the Getchell it was because I had, had a successful reading of a play and knew I was probably stupid if I didn’t enter while I was still eligible. As for the second I knew that the award was given out but I would have never thought in million years that I was going to get it.

That started a pattern that I’ve kinda stuck with. If an award landed in my lap then I would be ecstatic but I don’t really see putting in all the effort to get one. If one of my shows had a decent run and I made some decent money (I’m talking $500 bucks or so) then I would be happy. Those are my aspirations.

Then there are my opinions themselves. I don’t watch, follow, or even care about any major award show. The last time I really cared about an award winner was either Black Panther or Pentatonix because I’m huge fans of theirs. I don't even like Broadway or the Tony awards and I can’t name a single Tony Award winner from the last two years. I believe awards invite toxic thinking. If you have an award winning show you have no incentive to try out a new team. You keep that team and keep doing what you’re doing to replicate that success. Yeah some people are going to say that they award innovation but those innovations don’t seem to really be there to make the lives of every artist better. They’re just there to win the award. Also any person who hasn’t been living under a rock knows that these award shows are rigged against Black and LGBTQ+ artists. They have to win by a mile to even be nominated. There’s something seriously wrong here.

Dana knows I feel this way and, for the most part, agrees with me. That was why before the pandemic we were planning to do a hokey Weird Al style award show that parodied everything we hated about award shows. An award show where the categories are made up and the awards dong matter.

Then a pandemic happened and we got thrust into the forefront of a new landscape of American Theatre and a worldwide movement to make digital theatre a new genre. We have thrown up our hands in exasperation as colleagues and theatre reviewers are still asking “what is digital theatre?” Like it hasn’t been here for a solid year. I keep on swearing that this isn’t a race but I can’t believe we are winning it.

That was when Dana started talking about this award show like it was going to be a real thing. Like a really legitimate thing. I think the first thing I said was “why? Award shows suck.” They said that they knew and didn’t care. Dana wanted artists to know that the work that they were doing last year was seen and someone valued them. I was slightly intrigued with the idea that everyone who made art last year did it without thinking about what awards they would win. There were some powerful plays done mainly because the artist involved had nothing left to lose. I really did admire that. So I thought that we should do “something”. I just didn’t know what.

I think the second thing I offered was some weird scheme where everyone would send in a self-taped speech and it would be pre recorded. Dana really didn’t like that option. They said that they wanted it to be live. I asked them if they were crazy (I’m just perfect spouse material aren’t I). Dana was insistent and they were the ones who reached out and built our whole team from the ground up. It was them who got the ball rolling and I felt like I wasn’t helping at all. Dana and I don’t always agree on everything but we have never been so far apart on how to handle something.

Dana and I fought about it for about a month even after we started to get our team together and the date was already set. Then the anxiety started to set in and they finally broke down. They unloaded on me and accused me of dragging my feet and they were correct. Over the next few days about three weeks before we had to announce nominees I had to talk them out of cancelling the whole event. In about the span of a week or so I started to understand what Dana was doing. I was the one dragging my feet and then I had to convince the person who started this not to give up. Why? Well let me tell you the argument I gave to them.

Dana’s award show is different. We are trying to get away from the words “best” and “won” and more of the words “exemplify” and “of the year”. We have started to parse out the best standards of digital theatre and we wanted to identify the shows that best exemplify those standards. This is the first time that we are categorizing and studying this art form. We were hoping that if we put the standards out there that artists would start trying to meet or even exceed them. We were also hoping that if we made a big enough splash maybe the mainstream media would start to cover it as a real thing that is happening. What better way to do that than with an award show?

We’re not trying to ingratiate ourselves to our friends, or talk about what was popular. We’re trying to talk about what was effective and bring the community together. We’re also not saying that we’re always going to get it right. We started with the idea that everyone has already won. Anyone who is making theatre deserves a medal in our book. No one ever asked you to do theatre, especially during a pandemic. We wanted a way to put a big bow on this crap storm of a year and celebrate the hard work of this worldwide community. This award show was just a way of amplifying that work. You guys are the real stars and you guys are what made this show work. Without your great work ours would have fallen on its face.

Check the Show Out For Yourself Here

*****A Word From Our Sponsors*****

https://teespring.com/rnd-younghowze?pid=972

We have official merch now! Keep us fed and get gifts for the family all at the same time!

Wanna be a sponsor? Email us for rates at rndyounghowze@gmail.com

Check out our Social Media

Twitter: @rndyounghowze

Instagram: @rndyounghowze

Facebook: Ricky and Dana Young-Howze

[tswiftslover]

Today is the last day of voting for the @amas and I’m here to remind you that, ALSO I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THE GOODIES CARLY SENT ME!! I won her rep tees giveaway on twitter and she’s the first person that gifted me merch and I’m just so happy and thankful. I’m starting this little collection filled with things from giveaways/gifts because I really can’t afford Taylor’s merch but I wish I could have🙃 DON’T FORGET TO VOTE ON THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS TODAY BECAUSE IT’S THE LAST DAY TO VOTE AND TAYLOR TRULY DESERVES THE AWARDS SHE IS NOMINATED FOR! - I’m voting for Taylor Swift for Artist of the Year at the #AMAs - I’m voting for folklore for Favorite Album - Pop/Rock at the #AMAs  - I'm voting Taylor Swift for Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock at the #AMAs  - I’m voting for cardigan for Favorite Music Video at the #AMAs —— @taylorswift @taylornation #taylorswift #taylornation #taylorlurking #taylurking #taylor #swift #swifties #folklore https://www.instagram.com/p/CHoKk4yH-yu/?igshid=csdzsf7hmbwi

[punkwithpaints]

A weeb story, one of many.

Key: 

T and M= Weebs

Okay, so, I don’t even know where to start, considering this went on for years, and even recently, so, I don’t even know if I’m out of the woods?

So, I’m an art major, and I’ve been really devoted to art since like, 7th-8th grade. I got serious about art around my sophomore year in high school though. Now, the high school I went to had an art show every year, at the end. Basically, all art made would be hung up based on categories, and judged by a guest judges. Each level art class did different things, so none of the categories normally lapped over. Everyone had an equal chanced. The categories would have a 1st-3rd place, and sometimes a 4th depending on the size. 

Anyway, I had this person (T) who I actually considered a friend my freshman year. We’d known each other since around 7th-8th grade, so, obviously it continued into high school. Now, I’ll 100% admit, I had a weeb phase during the period of 7th-Freshman year. Now, I wasn’t running around like NYA NYA PASTAAAAAAAAA (like this person did, no joke.) So, with those years of drawing, I had taken time to look over tutorials, check out other peoples art work, ask for help and criticism, took suggestions, read books, everything I could to learn how to improve, even if it was (shitty) anime. I tried super hard to improve. T didn’t. At all. In fact, they would get upset at any form of criticism and ignore it completely. 

I’d like to say, I learn very quickly if shown how to do something. Due to this, my art teacher noticed me and would talk to me a lot, and would take me over to the other art teacher to let me talk to her and show her my stuff. (not the anime, the actual assignments, like still life drawings). This other teacher taught art 2-4, also any independent studies, so I was kinda nervous to be around them at first. However, I warmed up and would typically get both of their opinions on things and ask them questions. T had started to get jealous at how quickly I was learning and improving, seeing that I was starting to go outside the anime range and want to do new things. I use references VERY heavily. I really want to make sure I have the details right. She notices this one day and goes: 

T: What is that?

Me: My references….

Her:..Well, real artists don’t use references. You shouldn’t be doing that!

Um, what? What are we looking at when we draw our still life drawings???? (We typically would look at a black and white print off photo, actual sight drawing started in art 2) That made me worry that I was cheating as an artist. I wasn’t sure if she was right or not, and was very shy and quiet at this time. I asked the teachers later that day, which they assured me artists did in fact, use references and that it was very good that I invested so much in multiple references and sources. So, I continued doing that despite her telling me it was wrong. 

Fast forward to the end of the year, after the art show had been judged. T runs up to me and asks: 

T: How many ribbons did you win?

Me: Oh, uh, 9. (I didn’t really wanna talk about it too much, given that she was jealous all the time)

T:…..You don’t deserve that many, it’s only because you had a category to yourself!! 

This isn’t against the rules. Any art can be submitted, and if it doesn’t fit in a predetermined category, they make one. Even none art students can enter. I had, not hate me, a category called, “Realistic anime”. I still have the drawings and want to burn them so badly. Literally, what the hell me? But honestly, to tell someone they don’t deserve to win something solely because you’re jealous is insane. I had even double checked with my teachers to see if they were okay with it, and if it was something show worthy. I didn’t know, at the time, they made new categories. I just thought they would put it under pencil drawings, since it was pencil. 

Anyway, I get over it, and next year rolls around. Now I’m in the other art teachers class (gonna call her mama, cause that’s basically what she was to me) taking 2 art classes, Art 2 and 3. I took them because my previous art teacher had said she believed I could do it. So I did. Now, all that summer between freshman and sophomore year, I continued to draw and draw and draw. I stepped away from anime completely and had started to get on the road of semi-realistic and began to develop an illustrative style. T was only taking art 2, along with another weeb, M. During this year, everyone in my classes worked kinda slow, so while it took them 2 weeks to complete a project, I could make 2-3, or work on one of my own drawings. Basically, I had a metric shit ton of art by the end of the year that I had completed. Also, in the art show, it doesn’t have to be art made while in school. I had mentioned to mama that I made a bunch of art that summer, and she encouraged me to put it in. So I did. I had probably 60+ things in the show. IN NO MEANS, WAS I SHOWING OFF, I WAS TAKING 2 CLASSES AND WORKED FAST. And besides, if a teacher asks you to enter your stuff, are you gonna turn that down? It normally takes us a week or 2 to get everything together with matting the art work and tagging it and all that good stuff. I was also in drama, and was next in line to be the paint mistress. So, I ‘m hanging out in the paint bin with the current paint mistress when a friend comes to me and asks, “Do you know what T and M are saying about you?”  No?

Apparently, they had been messaging each other and talking about how I was showing off, hogging the spot light, arrogant, that I wanted the show to be all about me, all sorts of stuff. Now, still, I was still shy and always felt bad if someone was upset at me. The next day in art, when I was helping with the art show displays, I was talking to my teachers and casually told them I might take some stuff out. They asked why and I explained. They were upset someone had suggested that and told me not to, that it was perfectly fine considering I had 2 classes and worked fast. My first teacher (most chill one ever) was like, “Add more, screw them.” So, with her encouragement I added a few more pieces. I ended up winning like, 40+ ribbons, the Art 2 award (I was told they wanted to give me the art 3 award too, but students were only allowed 1 award per area.) I won best in show (or 1st, I can’t remember, it all mixes up after a while.) Well, T is still acting like my friend, but is obviously trying to put me down for winning. M never liked me in the first place so she just kept complaining to T. 

3rd year rolls around, and I had been told by my drama teacher that not only would I be Paint Mistress, but Makeup because of my special effects I could do. T runs up to me on the first day and asks me what position I’m taking in drama. I tell her and she goes off, telling me that I was wrong and that he told her she was getting it. No???? I have the messages to prove it??? So, drama rolls around, he goes over who’s taking what positions and such, and T and takes the moment to tell him that “They don’t need 2 positions! that’s too much work for one person.” Even though paint was pre-show and make up was during???? Her and another girl basically harassed me out of the position and made me give it to them. Now, this year, I’m just taking art 4, which was full of seniors that I really enjoyed talking to. (Remember, I’m a junior) during this year, I had made a pen and ink drawing of Sam and Dean from Supernatural. My teachers LOVED it and would bicker over who got it. T took this moment to try and do the same thing, drawing Dean with a ink pen. Long story short, no one noticed. She was pissed. Art show starts to roll around, and I’m minding my own business when T comes up to me (Her and M had been complaining, because, again, I had a lot of stuff.) and says:

T: How many things do you have in the show?

Me: Uh, I’m not sure…..

T: Well, you should probably take stuff out. Seriously, like, you always have so much stuff in the show, give other artists a chance….

I didn’t really know what to say to that, so I just answered with a small and confused, “Um…no?” she continued to tell me I needed to stop adding stuff where they had to make categories (other people did this, and nothing was stopping them?). She still hadn’t moved from her anime stage, hadn’t improved at all, still didn’t even grasp basic shading, like???? It’s not my fault you can’t win, honestly. It’s your own. 

Another thing about this year, it was around the time I had started to collect my markers and use them in my work. When T and M found out, they tried so hard to make me feel bad for having them. “Wow, must be nice being rich.” I’m not rich, I saved up money from commissions and other things to get them. But to have them always say, very loudly, that I was rich and fancy because I had some copic markers was very embarrassing and made me uncomfortable. Basically, they were hoping to make me stop using them. Funny enough, while M was saying stuff like this, they were holding like, an Ipad, headphones, bunch of anime merch, same with T. Excuse me, but if you didn’t buy 40 plushies and key chains, you could get these too?? 

So, I again talked to my teachers, (We’re really close at this point) and explain to them I feel guilty and worry that what they’re saying is true. They again, gave me a great pep talk telling me it was because they were jealous and that I was doing just fine. They pointed out that everyone else in the classes loved seeing my art and encouraged me as well. (I actually kinda had a fan base) With that, I found my backbone suddenly and realized, Yo, this is dumb as shit. You think I’m being an asshole? I’m gonna show you being an asshole. I entered all the things I had picked out, and noticed that we now had a digital category full of T and M’s edgy monstrosities. I waited until the day of the art show (it’s after school) to bring in my final few pieces.

5 digital drawings.

T and M weren’t in the room and I got the go ahead to mat them, tag them, and hang them up. Later that day, T and M came in and I’m telling you, their faces dropped, and they had realized they fucked up. 

Lmao guess who took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in that category? Me. I would like to make a disclaimer that I will ALWAYS try and support an artist, regardless of skill level, but if you’re an asshole, nope. You gonna be an asshole, I’m gonna be a bigger one. Watch me. (Also my friends/fan base was pumping me up cause I told them what was going on, and had actually talked to a lot of them to ask if I had too much in the show, since a lot of them was in art too) 

I won so much, that for the last week or so of school, I wore all my ribbons over the last 3 years on a wire, and attached them to my satchel, just to remind them I was done with their weeb shit and negative attitude. (I’d like to quickly mention that the art teachers have NO SAY in judging. The art Teachers don’t judge the show at all) It was even better, since we had a lot of classes together, because a lot of people, including teachers would ask me if all of the ribbons were mind and I got to talk to the class about it, and mention the fact I had won Best in show and First in show that year too, and Best last year. They were triggered. Majorly. Was I an asshole? Yes, Yes I was. Do I regret it? Nah, they had it coming. 

BUT WE’RE ONLY ON THE 3RD YEAR! 

Senior year rolls up, I honestly have no fucks to give and I’m a passive aggressive angry bean. I was just so fed up with T and M trying to walk over me and trying to make me feel bad. Now, at this point T is still acting like their my friend, although I know they talk shit behind my back constantly. I tried to just avoid her. We had a class in the library called RTI, basically a free period to be honest. I’d draw of course (I was taking two independent studies in art, meaning I could work on whatever I wanted. I took that year to help render my style and such) and she would constantly be breathing over my shoulder. (Still drawing cringe anime that was horribly incorrect. I never had said anything to her about her art, because frankly, I didn’t care.) She would constantly think it was SO FUNNY to try and hit my arm while I was trying to ink a drawing. She would even laugh when she did it, like it was some funny joke, and not like I’ve taken 3 hours to sketch something out only to have her try and fuck it up on purpose. She’d also always find the need to shove her input in while I was working. 

“Their head is too big.”

“Omg they look so funny!!!”

“That body is messed up!!!! Hahaha!!!”

“Can’t you draw that right??”

Bitch you can’t even shade as a senior. Sit down. I know I said I’m always open for critism, but you probably understand why I didn’t take theirs. Also, you’re suppose to point out what you think is good, then explain what you think is off. It’s a magical thing called CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. I never really replied, just kept working. One day, I’m talking to my friend who is watching me work on a sketch of a merman. I’m fine with this friend watching me draw because they would offer to take photos of me working so I could post them on my art page, or help hand me my tools. 

Well, T suddenly leans over, breathing over my shoulder before pointing to the mermans hand that I’m CLEARLY erasing to fix and goes, “That hands messed up!!! hahaha!” Literally ridiculing me, mid fix, like it’s the funniest thing. 

It’s Monday, I had had no coffee, I’ve dealt with this for years. Nope. I’m done.I’m not dealing with this. Now, t had some crooked teeth. Disclaimer: I don’t care what you look like, I find things like that (’imperfections’) likable, and like to try and including little things like that in my drawings. However, if you act like an asshole, nothing is off limits, and I will destroy you.) 

She goes, “That hands messed up! Hahaha!!!!” 

I don’t even pause drawing and just reply as calmly as possible, “Yeah? Well so are your teeth, but no one mentions it because you didn’t ask.” she shut up real damn quick after that. I never had any more problems from her after that involving my art and the art show. Was it rude? Yes. Again, do I regret it? No. You give me unwanted comments, I give them to you. My savagery has only grown since entering college. 

Now, A lot of shit had hit the fan between me and T during the summer because I helped her boyfriend at the time leave her. She was being mentally and emotionally abusive/manipulative. I.e: I’ll kill myself if you leave!! 

She messaged me telling me I was a horrible person and I had so much coming my way and blah blah blah. But I was at work, making $1000 a month (which was great for gather college supplies) So, again, I didn’t care. I just didn’t message her back. 

Well, I may be an asshole, but I’m sophisticated, I can be civil alright? I don’t just get on Facebook like: *Tags in post* FUCK THIS PERSON Y U A BITCH?? 

No,I take these experiences and use them as a way to give art lessons on my page. (I had a lot of the lower grades, including freshman, come to me for help and enjoy my art. So, I post little art lessons for them to read over. Usually about how to improve their art) Recently, one of my post was more of a motivational kinda thing. I explained that as they grow, they may run into jealous artists. I encouraged them to keep going and gave them 2 lists. One that had a list of things that they need to look out for that may indicate a jealous artist. (I’ve run into more since this story, and deal with it a lot honestly) The other list was things that’s been said to me, and served as an example of some of the things they may have to deal with. NO NAMES WERE MENTIONED AT ALL, VERY VAGUE. T had told one of my friends that she had my page ‘unfollowed’, but not unfriended. So, she didn’t see my stuff. However, today, she posted a long status about how ‘you need to stop acting like you’re in high school. Don’t be mad I’m happy!!” Basically all that jazz, not tagging me of course. Unfriended me, all that. Funny thing was I literally haven’t looked at her page in years…so….I’ll post my status and her status below.

That basically concludes my first story, but there will be more. 

[silenceisbetterthanbs]

K-pop question tag

I was tagged by @suju-bangtan and @jinilin <3

a. Always post the rules. Answer the questions asked then write 11 new ones.

b. Tag 11 people and link them to the post. Tell the person who tagged you that you’ve answered their questions.

@suju-bangtan:

1) Who is your favorite girl group?

Tough question. I used to love 4minute and 2ne1 but if we’re talking about active groups then it’d be either GFriend, Blackpink or Mamamoo. Dreamcatcher is slowly going up my list too, I really like their style.

2) Who is your favorite boy group?

B.A.P. I just love them and their work so much, all their songs are perfectly crafted in every way, and they’re so lovely, hardworking and talented. They’ve been through so much but they fought together and are still trying, I really admire them.

3) Are there any choreographies that you love the most (from any group)?

I have to answer B.A.P again. I just love their choreographies, I think they’re so complex and well executed. I particularly love Power and One Shot but all of them are amazing, really. There are other incredibly talented groups I love too: GFriend, SHINee, Infinite and BTS, to name a few.

4) Do you prefer when groups release hype songs or when they release chill songs?

Normally I like hype songs better, there are some ballads I love but they’re usually my least favorite songs in an album.

5) What was your favorite debut song (from any group)?

I don’t want to turn this into a B.A.P biased meme buuut I love Warrior lol, I’m not a big fan of the all-blond style but I really love the song and the choreo. My other favorite debut song is Fanfare by SF9, I fell so hard for it, had it on repeat for days.

6) Are there any groups you wish that were not underrated/would get more recognition?

I’m going to write a lengthy answer for this and it might not even make any sense so I apologize in advance lol.

I try not to think too much about this because it’s dangerously close to what I personally consider “bad fan-etiquette”. Doesn’t matter how much someone screams underrated, it’s always a biased opinion. A specific group might be the best thing on earth for me but it doesn’t have to be for the rest of the people, everybody has their own taste and their criteria of what’s important in a group. Not only there’s no real way to objectively rank idols based on how good they are or how popular they deserve to be, but I feel like it shouldn’t matter much anyway. I know there’s a limit of how “nugu” a group can be before they disappear so we all worry and fight hard to make sure our groups are known, but as long as they get by well enough to survive I don’t care too much about awards and number of views or stans. Sadly, that’s not really how you measure talent or professionality (even if some people like think so), let alone how lovely or hardworking they are. And sometimes talent isn’t even relevant, in my opinion, sometimes you just like a group simply because you do and you’re perfectly entitled to. I don’t like forcing anything on anybody and I don’t like putting value where it doesn’t belong.

Stuffy rant said (sorry for that, it’s a topic I’m somewhat passionate about and I couldn’t help it lol), I’m going to answer this question anyway. I personally wish B.A.P and Monsta X had more recognition, in my very biased opinion. B.A.P was on a really good path before everything went to hell because of the lawsuit issue, and I think it’s really unfair because they were brave enough to fight back and they ended up being punished for it. And Monsta X is doing so well and they’re so good but they still haven’t won anything and they think it’s their fault, so it’s frustrating. But there’s nothing I can really do about it besides “doing my part” and buying/streaming/recommending them when asked, so why complain about it.

7) Do you choose your biases or do your biases choose you?

They choose me. I always try to choose and stick to it but it’s inevitable, they come for me hahaha. When I get into a new group I choose the cutest member and go with it, but then I get to know them and usually someone else does something that makes me go ‘who are you and where have you been all my life’.

8) What’s the first Kpop song you heard?

Fantastic Baby by BIGBANG.

9) What made you fall in love with Kpop?

I just love the aesthetics and how professional they are. I was in awe, the way they train for this and how hard they work for every single comeback after they debut. They have to sacrifice so much to become idols, they spend so many uncertain years trying to debut without even knowing if they ever will – and when they do, it’s not like everything is done and they’re going to live in luxury the way popular Western artists do. Being an idol is really hard and the competition is brutal, you never know how long you’re going to be up. It’s amazing, you don’t see this kind of commitment and professionality around here, in my opinion.

10) Do you have an merchandise of your favorite groups?

I do! I’m very picky when it comes to merch but I own several t-shirts/hoodies, lightsticks, photocards and some other goodies.

11) Do you have any song or group recommendations?

You seem to have a very nice taste! I feel like you’re going to know everybody I mention. I saw you just got into SF9, Pentagon and 24K. Do you know MVP? They debuted recently and I love their stuff so far! I also got into Victon recently thanks to Eyez Eyez.

@jinilin:

1) Favorite kpop music video?

Aw man, how am I supposed to choose. I’m going to say B.A.P again, sorry. I love Skydive, 1004 (Angel) and Wake me up, such good videos. I love VIXX’s mvs as well, they’re always so dark and dramatic. I love EXO’s Monster, Monsta X’s All in and BTS’ Run too. I can’t really choose one hahaha.

2) Favorite girl group dance practice?

I love 2ne1 and GFriend’s dance practices. 

3) Favorite boy group dance practice?

Monster by EXO. It’s so artistic, I love it.

4) Who’s your ultimate bias and why?

My ult bias is Bang Yong Guk from B.A.P. Where do I even start. I feel like we’re very similar, he looks introverted and quiet and someone who is very active inside his mind, but who is also funny, quirky and sassy. I feel like I’d feel really comfortable around him. I don’t know how to explain it, he seems to have a nice and calm aura and I feel so at ease with such people (introverted things lol). He’s really smart and socially aware, he doesn’t speak much but every time he does he says the right thing. He’s such a good caretaker, all the boys love him and respect him SO much, I feel like it says a lot about him and how he makes people close to him feel. He’s an amazing person as well, he does so much for other people and gives so much to charity, I feel like we don’t even know half of it but it’s already impressive. He’s so incredibly talented too, he plays such an active part in the creation of their songs and they are always so good (and so is the rest of the work he does under his known pseudonym.) I could go on forever but I won’t do that to you lol basically, he’s an incredibly amazing and gorgeous human being, an amazing leader and a talented artist.

5) Who’s your ultimate bias wrecker?

Most of the people I stan, really. I just love everybody so much, they move up and down on the messy list all the time. They’re all amazing. I guess I’d say the rest of B.A.P if I had to choose, specially Youngjae.

6) Have you ever seen a kpop group live/been to kcon?

I have! I went to KCON LA 2016 and I’ve also seen EXO, GOT7, SHINee, Red Velvet, AOA, FT Island, Tiger JK and Dean live. Amazing experiences, all of them. I’m really hoping they’ll do a KCON in Europe this year.

7) Is there a group you want to see live?

B.A.P! They’re coming to Europe next month but nowhere near me and I can’t take the time to travel far because of work (all the dates are weekdays, WHYYY). I’ve already seen Monsta X and GFriend at KCON but I’d love to go a solo concert, that’d be lovely. I’d love to see BIGBANG, VIXX, BTS (if it’s in a seat far away from the rest of fans), Mamamoo, Highlight and Block B too. Who am I kidding, I’d love to see everybody I stan lol.

8) What was your favorite comeback of 2017 so far?

B.A.P, of course hahaha. I’ve loved many comebacks and debuts actually, obviously Highlight’s “debut” is a close second but I also really liked GOT7, Winner, Day6, Victon, SF9, Teen Top, IMFACT, BTS, CLC, AOA and CNBlue. If we’re talking about debuts, I really liked Dreamcatcher, MVP, Seven O’Clock, Black6ix and UNIT BLACK. I’m probably forgetting a couple debuts/comebacks I loved lol.

9) What upcoming comeback are you looking forward to?

Highlight’s Junhyung is making a solo comeback soon and I’m super excited about it! He’s my BEAST/Highlight bias, and I love his work and rapping style. I’m high key excited about Triple H’s debut too, I love Hyuna and Pentagon so I’m looking forward to see what they come up with!

10) Is there a group that you know of that you want to get into?

I have what I call my “side-children”, it’s basically groups I check out when they come back and occasionally see on my dash but I don’t actively follow. I’d like to get more into them, I don’t know much beyond the music and I wish I did. Groups like KNK, IMFACT, B1A4, 24K or Brave Girls, among others.

11) What’s your favorite kind of album concept? (royalty, cute, gang, elegant, sexy, etc.)

I usually like any concept as long as it’s well done and it fits the group, but I’m not very into cute concepts. I tend to favor dark and aggressive concepts best but I don’t have a favorite, I’m in for anything if they can pull it off successfully.

I didn’t give you straight answers, I’m sorry hahahaha. I just love so many groups, it’s really hard to only choose one. I really tried to keep it small, I swear.

I’m procrastinating at work and I can’t think of anything original to ask so I’m just going to recycle your lovely questions, sorry :P

What made you fall in love with K-pop?

Who’s your ultimate bias and why?

Who’s your ultimate bias wrecker?

Do you choose your biases or do your biases choose you?

What was your favorite debut song (from any group)?

Are there any choreographies that you love the most (from any group)?

Favorite dance practice?

What was your favorite comeback of 2017 so far?

What upcoming comeback are you looking forward to?

Have you ever seen a K-pop group live/been to KCON?

Do you have any song or group recommendations?

I tag: @bumgee, @b-laxk, @lovelyzc, @kirspel, @gotsoulmates, @the-princejinyoung, @daehdream, @tzefoxes (I can’t tag you for some reason :/) and if someone else wants to do it consider yourself tagged!