#the music video for revolution was perfect

[simonsapelsin]

Fics That I Won't Write For Wille's Month But You Can If You Want To

Feel free to use any of these ideas, which vary in quality. 🤭 Maybe there's a good one? Who knows!

Sandwich

Wilhelm declares it to be the Month of Sandwiches: he makes a different kind of sandwich for Simon every day for a month and Simon rates them.

Summer

Wilhelm has an amazing summer with Simon but it's coming to an end. He says, “I wish this summer would never end,” and then when he wakes up the next day, it's the same day again, and again, etc, groundhog day style

Literature

Wilhelm studies literature in university and ends up teaching it back at Hillerska.

Revolution

The monarchy is abolished. Twenty years later, Wilhelm is interviewed about it.

Cooking/Baking

Wilhelm goes to culinary school with Felice and becomes a pastry chef in her restaurant.

Video games

AU where Wilhelm is a virtual reality video game character that Simon falls in love with (or the other way around)

Erik

Wilhelm finds Erik's letter to his future self.

Wedding/Engagement

5 times Wilhelm and Simon are guests at weddings and one time they have their own kind of wedding.

Riding

5 times Simon watches Wilhelm ride a horse and one time Wilhelm rides Simon.

Secret

Wilhelm nervously tells Simon about a secret fantasy he has. Simon is very much into it.

Future

Future Wilmon AU. Year 2222. Wilmon in space.

Social media

Maddie sends Wilhelm a link to a tumblr blog about the Swedish royal family. He has many thoughts and feelings about it.

Lake

Late in the summer, Wilhelm and Simon return to Hillerska to go swimming again in the lake.

Mental health

Adult Wilhelm starts a foundation to support youth mental health initiatives.

Fashion/style

Missing moment: the origins of The Pink Sweater and The Studded Jacket

Friends

Felice is going through a very tough time and good friend Wilhelm is there to support her.

Joy

Wilhelm is a new father realizing all the ways his son's childhood will be very different from his own.

Soulmates

Simon asks Wilhelm, “Do you believe in soulmates?”

Frogs

Wilmon have a baby and Wilhelm can't help but buy every tiny frog-themed item of clothing he can find. Frog onesies, frog booties, frog hats, etc.

Movie

Adult Wilhelm learns that someone wants to make a movie about his life.

Family

The first conversation Wilhelm has with his parents after driving away.

Party

Felice, Simon, and Sara organize a belated birthday party for Wilhelm at the karaoke place.

Freedom

Wilhelm and Simon go on a late night summer bike ride around Bjärstad.

Vacation/holiday

Wilhelm tries to learn Spanish in preparation for a trip to Venezuela with the Erikssons.

Hands

Simon watches Wilhelm do things with his hands.

Date

Wilhelm plans the perfect date but everything goes wrong.

Dream

AU where Wilhelm's dreams keep coming true.

Birthday

Missing moment: What happens to the gifts that Wilhelm flung about on his birthday?

Music

It's the 90s and Wilmon have been forced apart and now go to different schools, but they have a secret long distance relationship via letters and mix tapes.

Fantasy/fairytale

Simon has been turned into a frog by the evil wizard August and Wilhelm goes on a long and dangerous quest to lift the curse. He talks to Simon the whole time and Simon ribbits back.

[wolf-light3]

Gaming (Myoui Mina x Male reader)

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon when Y/N found himself at his favorite arcade. He had always been passionate about video games, and today he had decided to spend his free time doing what he loved most. As he was engrossed in a challenging game of Dance Dance Revolution, he couldn't help but notice a girl out of the corner of his eye, watching the game with keen interest.

The girl had an aura of elegance and beauty that captivated Y/N. Her name was Myoui Mina, a member of the popular girl group TWICE. Y/N recognized her instantly, as he was a fan of the group's music, but he didn't want to make a fuss. Instead, he continued dancing, trying to impress her with his skills.

Mina couldn't help but smile as she watched Y/N's graceful moves on the dance pad. It wasn't often that she saw someone who could dance so well. After his performance, Y/N finally noticed her and approached with a friendly smile.

"Hi there," he greeted, trying to sound casual despite his racing heart. "Enjoying the game?"

Mina nodded, her eyes sparkling. "You're really good at it. I've always wanted to try, but I'm not sure I'd be any good."

Y/N chuckled. "It's all about practice. If you'd like, I can show you some moves."

Mina's face lit up with excitement. "I'd love that!"

They spent the next hour playing games together, from shooting zombies in the arcade's VR section to competing in a friendly match of air hockey. Y/N discovered that Mina was not only beautiful but also incredibly kind and down-to-earth. They shared laughter and stories, finding that they had more in common than just their love for gaming.

As the afternoon sun began to dip below the horizon, Y/N mustered up the courage to make a move. "Mina, I've had a great time hanging out with you today. Would you like to go on a date with me?"

Mina's cheeks flushed, and she smiled shyly. "I'd love to."

A few days later, Y/N picked Mina up in his car, a picnic basket filled with their favorite snacks in the back seat. They drove to a picturesque park near the beach, where Y/N had planned a romantic picnic.

Under the shade of a cherry blossom tree, they spread out a cozy blanket and began to enjoy their picnic. They talked about their favorite games, shared childhood memories, and even discussed their dreams and aspirations. Y/N couldn't help but be enchanted by Mina's charm and intelligence.

After the picnic, Y/N took Mina to a nearby game store. He knew that she loved games, and he wanted to surprise her with something special. Mina's eyes widened in delight as she browsed the shelves filled with the latest releases and classic favorites. Y/N insisted on buying her a game of her choice, a gesture that left her feeling touched and appreciated.

Next, they headed to the beach, the setting sun casting a warm, golden glow over the waves. They strolled along the shoreline, the sand beneath their feet, and talked about life's simple pleasures. Y/N couldn't believe how lucky he was to be spending such a perfect day with Mina.

As evening descended, they arrived at a rooftop restaurant with a breathtaking view of the city skyline. A table for two had been reserved for them, adorned with flickering candles and a vase of red roses. Y/N ordered their favorite pizza and soda, knowing that sometimes, the most special moments were the simplest.

They dined under the stars, their conversation becoming more intimate as the night wore on. The skyline sparkled with city lights, providing the perfect backdrop for a confession Y/N had been eagerly waiting to make.

"Mina," he began, his voice filled with sincerity, "I feel a deep connection with you, and I can't imagine spending my time with anyone else. I'd like to ask if you would be my girlfriend."

Mina's eyes met his, her expression soft and affectionate. "Y/N, I feel the same way. I'd love to be your girlfriend."

Their smiles spoke volumes as they sealed their newfound love with a sweet, passionate kiss under the starry sky. The world around them faded away, leaving only the two of them, connected by their shared interests, dreams, and the promise of a beautiful future together.

And so, as they savored their pizza and soda, their hearts brimming with happiness, Myoui Mina and Y/N embarked on a journey filled with love, laughter, and endless adventures—all sparked by a chance encounter at an arcade and a shared love for video games.

[slaviclore]

Chopin biographies from 2010+

keeping track of my chopinology resources, and I figured someone might find it useful -- this is not an exhaustive list of available literature, just stuff I've personally read, and I will be adding to it over time.

Chasing Chopin: A Musical Journey Across Three Centuries, Four Countries, and a Half-Dozen Revolutions (2020)

by Annik LaFarge

English language, audiobook available

Summary: This is a partial biography of Chopin from the perspective of his composition of the funeral march. This book is written in a super engaging, conversational style, and it comes with a fun multimedia web site with music and videos for context.

Major pro: What sets this book apart from the other biographies in the field is LaFarge's exceptional empathy for her subjects. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is for a field that has been at times unnecessarily cruel to some of the humans in the story. That's partly why this book is my top recommendation for anyone wanting to understand Chopin's contentious relationship with his famous life partner of 9-ish years, George Sand (a woman using a man's name).

Major con: Using the composition of Chopin's arguably most famous work as the blueprint of his life story works well organizationally, but it doesn't actually add much to our understanding of the funeral march itself, beyond its personal impact on the author or, perhaps more broadly, the modern music lover.

Best for: anyone just wanting to read something engaging about music and history. If you don't know anything about Chopin, the history of Poland, or the funeral march, this is perfect.

Chopin. Miłość i pasja (2020)

by Iwona Kienzler

Polish language, no translation available as far as I know, audiobook (in Polish) available

Summary: This is a full biography with emphasis on the various romances that have been linked to Chopin over the last 200 years or so, real or not, even the ones we're not talking about anymore.

Major pro: There has been so much flowery language dedicated to the many and varied romances that Chopin did -- or maybe did or definitely didn't but we still talked about it a lot -- engage in, this book is refreshing for its sober tone and healthy skepticism on the subject. The author tells us what we know, what we don't know, and gives a historical perspective of the shifting notions the field has entertained over time.

Major con: The biography is fairly standard and doesn't expand the field much.

Best for: the casual reader of history, or the serious reader of the history of shipping.

Fryderyk Chopin: A Life and Times (2018)

by Alan Walker

English language, audiobook available

Summary: This is a full biography meant to encompass not only the entire course of Chopin's life but also the relevant social, political and cultural environment, the fates of people important to the story, and the musical context.

Major pro: Walker's effort to recreate the rich historical and social background of Chopin's life is unique in the field for its scope and detail, i.e., he gives a lot of information where most biographers stick only to summaries of critical events. This fact, as well as Walker's efforts to introduce or emphasize unknown or marginalized resources and documents, make his book an important blueprint for anyone studying Chopin, or even the early 19th century overall.

Major con: Walker's interpretations of Chopin's correspondence are dated and dense, which is a problem because the correspondence is the most important primary source we have (the musical compositions cannot be directly analyzed for concrete meaning). Most of Walker's takes on the content of the letters can be traced to interpretations made by previous biographers (whether or not he cites these is a toss-up), so it's not like anyone has ever done better per se -- however, the field now has the resources to do this work more perceptively. Walker had the opportunity (and I believe the responsibility) to step up to do that, but because he didn't, his biography was outdated the day it came off the press.

Best for: the reader already somewhat familiar with Chopin's biography, who is interested in developing a more complete image of the story, but who is also able to make critical judgments on the historical analysis, or at least recognize where such were made by the author. Also good for historians.

Chopin's Piano: In Search of the Instrument that Transformed Music (2018)

by Paul Kildea

English language, audiobook available

Summary: This is a partial biography of Chopin from the perspective of his composition of the Preludes and one of the pianos on which he composed them. The history picks up long after his death with a partial biography of Wanda Landowska, the famous pianist who eventually came to own the piano, through WWII.

Major pro: This approach is unique in Chopin biography for addressing his impact on the difficult history of the 20th century, with Nazis stealing the piano and Landowska's efforts to get it back. This creates depth of perspective where Chopin biography usually ends shortly after his death. It's a different type of story than the field is used to.

Major con: Because the scope is so broad, this book gives less of Chopin's own story overall, and sometimes the thread feels disjointed.

Best for: casual readers looking for an interesting, well-written story, or a historian interested in WWII-time chopinology.

Chopin: Prince of the Romantics (2010)

by Adam Zamoyski

English language, no audiobook

Summary: This is an updated edition of Zamoyski's 1979 Chopin biography (which I did not read, so I can't compare). This is my personal recommendation for a casual reader looking for a full biography, Chopin birth to Chopin death, and a good read.

Major pro: engagingly written, hits all the important points, and contains ample citations to direct the reader to major resources in the field.

Major con: contains some mythology that historians wouldn't take seriously today.

Best for: the casual reader, no previous Chopin knowledge required.

[jamisonwritestf2trash]

[Alarm meme sfx] [breaks door] Hallo! I have come up with a suggestion for you!

Which rhythm games do the mercs play, or would play? And why?

There's a lot of different mechanics —such as judgment lines, kinds of notes, spam— and characteristics to explore and compare, so go wild! I'll add some links as guidance: Arcaea, Phigros, Lanota, and Project SEKAI.

Take care! > ◡ <

What Rhythm Games Do The TF2 Mercs Like and Why?

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Hello to you too! This is such a cool ask! Also, mutual appreciation comment: Love you and all the kind reblogs from you 🫶🏻

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I haven't played a lot of rhythm games, so I hope you like these 😭

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Gotta get this out of the way, the reason they all love these games besides the reasons specified is because of the praise. These guys are so desperate to be told they're doing a good job it's crazy.

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Demo- Rhythm Heaven, this man loves cute things. He definitely gets upset about the issues that come with a lack of depth perception. He makes it work, though, and always tries and has fun regardless of if he does well or not.

Engineer- Dance Dance Revolution. He's insane. You'd think a middle-aged man who's used to sitting, sketching, designing, and creating things in his room wouldn't be the best at DDR, but he's so good. He loves to dance!

Heavy- Arcaea is one that he really likes, but I don't think he has a favorite. Rhythm games are hard for him. There's lots of room of error. He loves how like absolutely hard the music in Arcaea goes, so he'd definitely pick that one a lot more than others, if he had to choose.

Medic- Lovebirb. He loves music (so he's already a fan of rhythm games), and now he can add birds into it!? Sign him up. He adores the art style and the idea of birds finding love. It's beautiful to him!

Scout is a killer at Beat Saber. It's almost scary. Once he gets focused on it, good luck beating his high score. So quick tie into another headcannon, Medic loves music and has tried to play Rush E multiple times and struggles, (Ik Beat Saber and acutal instruments are different but like omg they all look super hard.) Scout on second try did Rush E perfect on Beat Saber. Medic was mouth agape. He's a fan of having to spam things. He loves quick moments because he's always in need of a way to burn off energy. (This man is so Jerma coded I'd be so wrong not to say he didn't play the same game Jerma played with Miku even if it isn't a rhythm game 😭).

Sniper- Osu! Laser accuracy. He could be playing the hardest level out there and is pinpointing it perfectly. He is the worst to try and play against. He's almost as bad as Scout, but Scout doesn't really get why people are so shocked at how good he is. Sniper is smug about it.

Spy- Just. Dance. King. This man has played every just dance game out there. He's too good at this game. It's worrying. He's not even really a good dancer or anything. But this man has every dance locked into his memory. He loves the songs and also likes the idea of being a pop star, but he won't ever admit that.

Soldier- Guitar Hero. This man can shread on the guitar. Like Spy and his pop star dreams, he loves the idea of being a rockstar, but he's willing to admit that. I actually think when he was younger, he saved up money and bought himself a guitar and an amp and used to play it all the time. But as he grew up, he didn't have time for it. But now, anytime someone brings up video games, he's super excited to whip out the plastic guitar.

Pyro- Melatonin. Genuinely not a fan rhythm games. It's a sensory overload. Loud noise, lots of movement, and too many things to pay attention to. (Just like me fr). The minute they saw Melatonin, they were thrilled and fell in love instantly.

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I'm sorry if this wasn't as good as my other's. I had a hard time with this bc I don't play rhythm games 😭 it was still super cool to do!

[adrianicsea]

Hello, I just want to say I'm getting most of my film recs from you. And I was wandering, have you seen any fioms that aren't western that you would recommend. I just don't know where to start. Anyways, have a nice day.

hi!!! that means so much to me— i love sharing the movies i’m passionate about, and it means a lot when people tell me that they check out a movie because of me 🥹

by non-western films, i’m assuming that you mean films not from the US or from western european countries— if that’s not the case, please let me know!!

i actually haven’t seen a ton of non-western movies myself, and that’s something i’d like to address!! but as far as non-western films i HAVE seen and enjoyed, here’s some that i’ve recently seen or ones that are still memorable:

promare— japan, anime, action/scifi. follows the adventures of galo, an enthusiastic member of a team of firefighters facing off against a terrorist group of pyromancers known as the mad burnish. as galo learns more about the mysterious leader of the burnish, lio, galo comes to question the way burnish are treated in society and if lio’s actions are truly in the wrong.

perfect blue— japan, anime, horror/thriller. mima, a retired j-pop idol, is being stalked as she pivots to an acting career. she loses her grip on reality as a series of strange, violent events begin to happen around her, including a vision of her own former idol self.

sweet home- japan, horror. when a film documentary crew sets foot in the mansion of a notorious deceased artist to research and create a tv special about his frescoes, they awake a dormant evil. this movie is notable because its tie-in video game was a direct inspiration for the resident evil series!

noroi: the curse— japan, horror. this is kind of a found footage/mockumentary style film that starts as an exploration of a purported “curse” and the strange events surrounding it, and then escalates to become something absolutely wild and ABSOLUTELY terrifying.

beau travail— france/djibouti, drama/thriller. while this film’s director, claire denis, IS french, she grew up in colonial french africa, and this film as well as many of her others explore west african culture and issues. in beau travail, the disgraced french legion sergeant galoup recounts the tale of his fall from grace and his cardinal sin of betraying one of his own, a beautiful, kind, and noble young cadet named sentain. this film is a loose adaptation of herman melville’s story billy budd, and it also explores the ongoing effects of the french legion’s presence in djibouti!

nosferatu— silent film (made in germany), horror. if you’re interested in learning about film history at all, western or otherwise, you can’t NOT look at the german expressionist movement! this is a classic, quintessential vampire story— in fact, nosferatu was made as a dracula ripoff when the director FW murnau was not permitted to make an ACTUAL film adaptation of dracula.

metropolis— silent film (made in germany), scifi. this is another legendary entry in the german expressionist movement! in a far-off, hyperindustrialized future, the richest people in metropolis live high above the ground, oblivious to the constant, dehumanizing labor and miserable conditions that are endured by the workers living down below. a sweet, naive young boy from the upper levels named freder finds his way down into the guts of the city, and he is awakened to the suffering of his fellow man and begins to agitate for a workers’ revolution. the work and effects in this movie are BEYOND impressive, especially for something that’s nearing 100 years old!!!

good manners— brazil, horror/fantasy with some musical elements. in são paulo, a poor nurse named clara manages to secure a job as a house sitter, nurse, and nanny to a rich single soon-to-be mother named ana. as the two of them begin to fall in love, ana recounts the story of her baby’s father, and reveals that both he and her unborn child are werewolves. this is a gorgeous, sensitive, and original take on the werewolf genre, and the creature effects are amazing!

RRR— india, musical/action/epic. this is kind of a fictional “what-if” scenario about the meeting of two real-life indian revolutionaries. bheem is a man from a tribe living traditionally in the jungles of india; raju is living as one of the only indian members of the occupying british forces, a traitor to his own people. by rights, the two should hate each other— but they meet while cooperating to rescue a child and become best friends instead, neither one aware of their true identities or motives.

zindagi na milegi dobra— india, comedy/road trip movie. three childhood friends meet up to go on an adventure before one of them gets married, and along the way, they each find the courage to do something that they’ve always wanted to do, like skydive or run with the bulls in spain!!

monkey man— india, action. an anonymous young man going only by the name Kid undertakes a years-long revenge quest in order to avenge his family and village, long ago destroyed by a fascist quasi-religious leader. this film has a lot of american influences/people working on it, but given that its director and star dev patel has indian heritage and that the film deals so squarely with indian culture and politics, it felt fair to include it here.

flee— denmark/afghanistan, partially animated, drama/biopic. amin, an openly gay man living in denmark, arrived there as an unaccompanied minor from afghanistan when he was a teenager. using a combination of documentary-style interview footage with amin and animated recreations, flee tells the story of his exodus from his home and of his coming to terms with his identity.

i hope that at least one or two of these sounds interesting to you!! and if you meant something different by non-western (ex ANY non-english film, just films that aren’t from the US), please let me know and i might have some alternate recs for you :)

[ericdeggans]

Purple Rain at 40: Speaking with The Revolution on the film which made Prince a pop superstar and changed my life

I sat in a darkened movie theater 40 years ago, transfixed by a story that felt like it was centered on my pop culture life. Only years later, would I wind up living a reality that felt imported straight from the film’s narrative.

The movie was Prince’s introduction to superstardom, Purple Rain.

That film is now celebrating its 40th anniversary – the actual date was Saturday – and to mark the occasion for NPR, I caught up with two of Prince’s bandmates from The Revolution, guitarist Wendy Melvoin and drummer Bobby Z Rivkin -- with Morris Day, lead singer/leader of the Purple One’s funk band offshoot The Time chiming in through email. (read the story here)

Back then, I was a straight up disciple of Prince’s Minneapolis sound – a fan after listening to his 1981 album Controversy, I sifted through albums like 1999, Dirty Mind and For You for the funk bits that made an aspiring drummer sit up and take notice. To be honest, like a lot of Black folks back then, I was little more into the hardankle funk of The Time, with me and my friends growing up in Gary Indiana regularly sporting the Stacy Adams shoes and baggy pants favored by the group.

So imagine my surprise when I saw all that pop culture uniqueness splashed all over a movie screen in July 1984 courtesy of Purple Rain. Prince charged through scenes on a custom-made, lavender colored motorcycle like a guitar playing superhero, thundering through dazzling musical sequences like a new school James Brown, while Day and his onstage foil Jerome Benton provided the kind of comic relief needed to keep the whole scene from taking itself too seriously.

As someone who had just started a funk band in college at Indiana University, I was in awe of the powerful pop tunes and kinetic, sharp performances in the film’s musical moments. And backstage scenes where Wendy fought with Prince – known only as The Kid onscreen – urging him to play a song she and her girlfriend/keyboardist Lisa Coleman had written together, felt like 100 arguments I’d seen in all the band I’d ever played in.

“It was sort of the perfect mix of time, place and people,” Wendy told me a few weeks ago, when I interviewed her by Zoom about the experience of making Purple Rain. “They wanted the dynamic to be as real as possible. So they did, when they were writing the script, come to us and say, okay, what would you say if this situation happened? Or how would you act if that happened? So they were able to capture a kind of authenticity and put in into the script.”

The film turned Prince into a superstar, powered by a simple story: The Revolution is on the verge of failure until The Kid agrees to play Wendy and Lisa’s song – Purple Rain, of course—at the legendary Minneapolis club First Avenue. His emotional performance kicks off a scorching finale that galvanizes the crowd and saves the band.

Just a few years later, I would live that same storyline when the group I co-founded in college, Voyage Band, was on the verge of failure, rescued by a hit single written for a charity record that exploded over local radio in 1986. When we played a show at a local club that we expected to be lightly attended, and the place instead packed with fans who sang along with our song when we played it onstage, I felt like I was living the story of Purple Rain in real time. Eventually, we signed contract with Motown Records, though our record was never released - the song Strange Situation, can be heard here.

Back in the mid-1980s, MTV had only recently begun playing videos by Black artists. And there was nothing like the level of information available to fans now about their favorite performers via social media. So seeing music videos and a film that provided a fictionalized history for Prince – showing him struggling with an abusive father and navigating tensions with his band – felt like a brief window into an artistic world fans had previously only seen through listening to the music and poring over album liner notes.

All of it was shrouded by a mystique in which Prince and his collaborators rarely talked with the press, which helped stoke interest in the work, but also made it tough for some musicians from The Revolution when Prince decided to disband the group in 1986.

“I kind of resented the fact that, you know, people just thought I turned on a machine and went to play and then turned it off,” said Bobby, who began working with Prince in the late 1970s and stayed friends with him until the pop icon’s death in 2016 of an accidental fentanyl overdose. “There was a lack of transparency about how it all went down…But I knew the mystique was cool…definitely didn’t want to blow that. And he trusted us to not give out the secret sauce.”

I actually met Prince months before his death at his home studio in Minneapolis, Paisley Park. He had invited the National Association of Black Journalists, which had a conference in the city, to his facility, sitting down with a small crowd of us to talk passionately about the need for artists to retain control of their work in the face of the streaming revolution (here’s the story I wrote for NPR about it).

Wendy says The Revolution had talked with Prince about year before his death about reuniting; her last conversation with him was about plans to visit him at his home studio Paisley Park with her young son. Bobby recalls hearing local news reports in Minneapolis about an ambulance called to Paisley Park and then later learning of Prince’s death.

“This shy kid that I met…turned into one of the greatest entertainers of all time,” Bobby says. “I got to know him. He was probably my best friend….someone that people just revere and are mystified by and I got to have an intimate relationship musically and personally [with him.] He changed the world. And it’s just incredible to have lived that moment with him.”

All of this explains why Purple Rain was such a landmark for me personally and pop music in general. It’s an achievement worth remembering, at a time when the march of technology and pop culture too often threatens to erase the memory of how we all got here, in the first place.

[sharpestasp]

Fem February: Music

Okay my brain instantly went hard mode when I saw 'female fronted bands', before catching 'singers'. Because I was having a hell of a time remembering names of mixed gender bands with female singers.

Five faves, huh? Of Women Singers/Fronted Bands?

Muses of Yore, if you ever grace me with the name of the black heavy metal lady with the braids I will love you forever. I remember her from Headbanger's Ball but never did remember to write her name down. If this rings a bell with anyone, HER. She had fucking stage presence like whoa, and was awesome.

Anywho, moving on to the ones I can actually name.

TRACY CHAPMAN. Fucking hands down, Tracy is my all-time favorite woman singer AND song-writer. "Fast Car" might have been the gateway drug to knowing about her, but "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" sits in my soul and won't let go, right beside "Give Me One Reason". Her voice is in the perfect range to soothe and call to me, and the lyrics bring all the emotions, evoking a lot of how I grew up.

Janelle Monáe. She is (they are? I cannot remember where Janelle stands on pronouns at this moment), without a doubt in my mind, the absolute perfect heir to Prince's legacy. From the concept albums to the sheer vitality of the music and lyrics blending, Janelle is my favorite of this century so far.

The Bangles. Wait, Asp, really? A bubblegum pop girl group? At least pick the Go-Gos or something — NO. "Walk Like An Egyptian" slammed them onto my awareness. I LOVED the way vocals alternate between the women. I was over the moon that one of their names was Michael. That she was connected back to the Runaways just made that sweeter. The videos were great (they got Leonard Nimoy in one!). I truly blame the music business for them not going further, with the insistence on headlining Susanna Hoff as the lead singer.

Basia. While it is common for non-English speaking singers to lose their accent when singing English songs, Basia's still came through on her earliest albums. It added a different quality to the music that hooked me. Her second album was one of several in rotation as self-soothing on-repeat listens for me.

I'm going to cheat on number five, because I have three younger stars of the current century to highlight, and their sound/subjects all pull at me in a very similar fashion. Maggie Rogers ("Light On"), Rosa Linn ("SNAP"), and Alessia Cara ("Scars to Your Beautiful") were likely all introduced to me by my son's musical sharing. All three of these woman have a soothing range that I can listen to for hours. The way they approach life and love in their songs strikes a chord with me.

(I could go on for hours. Others considered for this included Donna Summer, The Pointer Sisters, Dionne Warwick, Florence Welch, Sarah McLachlan, Tina Turner, The Eurythmics, Enya, and Melissa Manchester.)

[thesobsister]

Natalie Merchant, Michael Stipe, "To Sir with Love," "Candy Everybody Wants"

It's the briefest of episodes in American history, and at its start, Natalie Merchant twirls joyous and radiant in the perfect dress.

Shot at the MTV Inaugural Ball in January 1993, she and Michael Stipe, both at the apex of their trajectories, the cool king and queen of the prom, sing and dance like champagne was in their veins, making even the acerbic "Candy" sound like an effervescent love song.

It was in the air. I was in D.C. at that time, and the city could not have been more ebullient. The election of Bill Clinton brought 12 ruinous years of Reagan-Bush to an end, and everyone was so very happy for the future. Two young couples—the first Boomers, before that became a slam, to occupy the highest positions in the nation—who brought fresh air into government and the country. The "America's Reunion on the Mall" pre-inaugural concerts had tents featuring all kinds of music. The biggest names in music came to D.C. to celebrate Clinton's victory. Michael Jackson performed. Fleetwood Mac reunited just to sing "Don't Stop," the Clinton-Gore campaign song.

We were all so optimistic.

Then, two years later, the "Republican Revolution" in the midterm elections flipped the House to the GOP—and, really, the worst elements of the GOP, as moderate Republicans ran to the exits soon thereafter—and ensured that Clinton would face the no-compromise politics that would come to mark GOP intransigence for the next 30 years and counting. And then Clinton shot himself in both feet by preying on Monica Lewinsky and lying about it with the most weaselworded legalistic doublespeak I'd ever heard a president utter.

And that was that.

Galvanized "values voters" turned out en masse for Dubya in '00 and made what should've been a slam dunk for Al Gore the tight race that was finally called in Bush v. Gore, setting up everything that ensued from January 2001 forward in the de facto Cheney administration.

So, watch the video above as that evanescent soap-bubble moment when Hope, Clinton's hometown in Arkansas, was very much an apt name for the mood in this country.

[anghraine]

@heckofabecca tagged me in a meme to just list five songs on regular play and tag ten of my favorite followers! Thanks, Becca :)

I thought I'd mix things up a bit and go with my Obscurify data, which says my top five songs are:

Who Wants To Live Forever | Queen

Nevertheless, She Persisted | Audiomachine

Pompeii MMXXIII | Hans Zimmer and Bastille

Frostpunk Theme | Piotr Musiał

Mass Effect Theme | Jack Wall, Sam Hulick

I'm not super surprised, because I think "Who Wants To Live Forever" is one of the most beautiful rock songs ever and certainly one of the most beautiful by Queen (my favorite band!) and it's forever linked in my mind to my most beloved canon Tolkien ship, Aegnor/Andreth.

And I often listen to instrumentals or at least "epic" style tracks when I'm stressed or want to write in something other than silence, so I spend a lot of my music-listening time with groups like Audiomachine, video game soundtracks or covers of themes, that kind of thing. The atmosphere of "Nevertheless, She Persisted" in particular is perfect for a specific story project, so I've listened to it most of all! If I excluded background tracks for writing to, though, and just went with songs with lyrics I actively listen to, the final list would be:

Who Wants To Live Forever | Queen

Black Velvet | Alannah Myles

Under Pressure | Queen and David Bowie

This Is Who You Are | Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Love | Lana del Rey

Tagging: @ladytharen, @grumpyfaceurn, @irresistible-revolution, @inkandcayenne, @incognitajones, @kazaera, @lantur, @melyzard, @nanyoky, @ncfan-1, @nelayn, @liz-squids, @scholarlyhobbit, @sqbr, @steinbecks, @venndaai (wait, that's more than 10... anyway)

[dragonologist-phd]

jumping on the bandwagon for character inspirations! Featuring inspirations for Piper, the lovely and charming bard extraordinaire!

be prepared for rambling under the cut:

Evelyn Hugo - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

"When you're given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The world doesn't give you things, you take things."

Oh, Evelyn. Charming, desperate, manipulative, cynical. She knows how harsh the world can be, and she's not going to be apologize for what she does to survive it. She's protective of the people she trusts, and she doesn't let herself trust many people. Piper's most cynical moments are heavily inspired by Evelyn!

Satine - Moulin rouge

"Diamonds are a girl's best friend."

I think Piper's stage persona, especially in her younger days, is a lot like the stage persona that Satine puts on. She's an enchanting performer and can draw a lot of shallow admiration, but it's a precarious position and she's still very lonely behind the scenes.

(Sad stuff aside, Piper would give a fabulous performance of every song in this musical)

Lindsey Stirling - Between Twilight Music Video

This one is purely aesthetic- Lindsey Stirling was already a big visual inspiration for Piper, and her look in this video is simply perfect. The hair, the dress, the violin- even the fairy light she follows through the forest has Azata vibes that work so well for Piper!

Orpheus & Eurydice - Hadestown

"I've been alone so long, I didn't even know I was lonely / Out in the cold so long, didn't even know that I was cold"

"I believe in us together, more than anyone alone / I believe that with each other, we are stronger than we know / We are stronger than they know"

Yes, I'm cheating and putting both of them.

At first glance, Piper takes a lot more from Eurydice- she's lost, lonely, hungry for a better life. Orpheus's idealism is appealing to her, but so is the cold pragmatism of Hades.

But beneath that, Piper also has a lot of Orpheus in her- she's a bard, yes, but she's also very devoted to the people she decides to care about, and when push comes to shove she'll start a whole revolution in their name. When she loves, she loves with her whole heart- but there's also that seed of doubt and insecurity that would make her turn around at the last moment.

Sophie Devereaux - Leverage

"What kind of world would it be if everyone who committed a silly little crime went to jail? Complete madness!"

I love Sophie so, so much; she's the world's most charming grifter, and is always such a delight. She's a more hopeful version of some of the previous inspirations here- she still has that loneliness in her past, and that uncertainty with who she is beneath all the lies she's told. But she's found herself a new family of people who love her, and she's using the illicit skills of her past to do good and help people who need it. Sophie provides a lost of inspiration for Piper's best version of herself!

Aladdin - Aladdin

"riffraff, street rat, I don't buy that / If only they'd look closer"

Another more hopeful inspiration- someone who, like Piper, has had to fend for themselves and deals with not ever feeling good enough, and who lies their way into actually becoming a hero.

[autisticwriterblog]

Fandom 50 Post 19

I love making lists about my favourite things too much, and that thing is Poets of the Fall at the moment, so, I decided to make a weird challenge for myself. Of course, feel free to do it too, but I only thought this up to satisfy my list-obsessed mind. 🤣

So I thought: why not challenge myself to pick a favourite song from each album, but with some 'rules' to make it more challenging? And this silly post was born.

Putting the 'rules' and my answers under a cut because this got long. 😂

The idea is: pick your favourite song from each POTF album, BUT some songs are struck from the list. You can't pick songs that featured on Alchemy Vol.1, Live in Moscow, or Alexander Theater Sessions, or songs that have an official music video. The point is to start thinking about the more obscure songs on each album.

So the albums look like this after pruning:

Signs of Life - Overboard, 3 AM, Seek You Out, Shallow, Someone Special Carnival of Rust - Fire, Sorry Go 'Round, Gravity, All the Way/4U, Maybe Tomorrow Is a Better Day, Dawn Revolution Roulette - More, Revolution Roulette, Psychosis, Clevermind, Miss Impossible, Passion Colors Everything, Save Me, Where Do We Draw the Line

Twilight Theater - Change, 15 Min Flame, Rewind, Dying to Live, You’re Still Here, Smoke and Mirrors, Heal My Wounds

Temple of Thought - The Lie Eternal, Skin, The Distance, Show Me This Life, Morning Tide, Signs of Life

Jealous Gods - Rumors, Brighter Than the Sun, Rogue, Hounds to Hamartia, Clear Blue Sky, Nothing Stays the Same

Clearview - The Game, The Child in Me, Once Upon a Playground Rainy, Shadow Play, Center Stage, The Labyrinth, Crystalline

Ultraviolet - Fool's Paradise, Standstill, Moments Before the Storm, In a Perfect World, Choir of Cicadas

Ghostlight - Firedancer, Sounds of Yesterday, Revelations, Heroes and Villains, Lust for Life, Chasing Echoes, Weaver of Dreams, Hello Cabaret, Beyond the Horizon

My choices:

Signs of Life - Overboard

Carnival of Rust - All the Way/4U

Revolution Roulette - Clevermind

Twilight Theater - 15 Min Flame

Temple of Thought - The Lie Eternal

Jealous Gods - Brighter Than the Sun

Clearview - The Game

Ultraviolet - Standstill

Ghostlight - Chasing Echoes

[capsyst]

Procreate Dreams is a remarkable app, but I do not begrudge anyone for struggling with it. It bucks a lot of conventions of what we expect to see in an animating app. Like Procreate before it, Dreams places a much greater emphasis on keeping things minimal… which leads to confusion as key features are hidden away behind obtuse gestures and menus.

It’s also new. And with any new app there’s always a learning curve. I’m not gonna say I didn’t also struggle with the app. I find some of their design choices… questionable. However, I maintain that if you go into the app with a plan of attack then it is a remarkably powerful tool to have.

I’m an old school animator. Give me a pencil and some paper and I’m content. The digital revolution happened around me. I never adapted to rigging characters or more modern animation programs. And never have I encountered an app that let me just work where I was. I dislike being stuck behind a monitor.

Dreams is not perfect. There’s a lot left to be fixed and added. But for the first time in some 25 years I feel like i can just… animate. Anywhere. At any time. And I can export finished movies and videos from my iPad that look as good (if not better) than stuff I could do on my desktop computer.

That’s so freeing.

I cannot wait to see what I can make with this app. And I also cannot what other people make too! I feel like for the first time in decades, traditional animation is more accessible to more people than ever before. Anyone with an iPad and $20 can make something that looks like it belongs up on the big screen.

Think of how many new artists will come from this! Think of how many new shorts, storyboards, animatics, and music videos will come from this! Think of how much easier it is to pick up a pen and just DRAW what you want. No need for 3D technical skill. No need for rigging. Just you, the screen, and your imagination!

God, I cannot wait to see what amazing new works come from this potential 2D animation revolution! It makes me so happy to think that a whole new generation of artists are going to have such powerful tools!

[lichenstone]

This is honestly just me yapping about irl stuff (I had to watch some TedTalks for a class/lab) but I need to see more of this kind of discussion.

I love science. I love biology. I love hearing about the new discoveries that people are making every day so that we can understand more about ourselves and the world around us and maybe even make life better for everyone. But for the love of all that is good and sacred people in the scientific and academic community HAVE GOT to think more critically and deeply about the wider implications of what they are trying to accomplish. I'm not just talking about considering alternative applications for things; I am talking about social impacts. Political impacts. I think sometimes we get too caught up in the excitement of finding something new and thinking of all the good it could do or the money it could make that we fail to consider the fact that discovery does not exist in a vacuum.

I just watched some TedTalks about the "Genomic Revolution" or whatever they're calling it and judging by the comments on the videos and how the speeches are written I'm worried that not enough people are looking at this from a wider perspective. Most of the discussion about genome sequencing and improvements in genetic technology revolve around the hope that it can bring personalized healthcare to a level heretofore unseen. Talk about detecting things like cancer before they even become problems, finding the exact perfect medication to use for a patient, and having a comprehensive health record that follows you from cradle to grave.

These things sound incredible, like they'd streamline various forms of healthcare to the finest possible point, but something that one of the presenters said stuck with me like some sort of slime. He asked the audience to consider - rather offhandedly - the possibility of using genome sequencing to see if one would be naturally good at math or music. He also brought forth the possibility of using genome sequencing to judge the merit of political candidates. He said these things with wonder and excitement and it honestly shocked me how quickly those possibilities were brushed past.

I don't know if y'all caught it, and this might just be me reading too much into things, but what that man was talking about is eugenics. For those unaware, eugenics can be boiled down to the idea that only people with certain traits should be allowed to reproduce. This is also softened to the idea that people could be selected for jobs based on their genetic traits making them more "suitable" for whatever job. Eugenics is - and I cannot stress this enough - dangerous pseudoscientific bullshit. It is Social Darwinism at its vilest and most absolute. It is a belief that has led to the incarceration, torture, and deaths of a truly unknowable number of people; and while "hard" eugenics is a bit harder to find these days than it has been historically, "soft" eugenics very much persists.

I have all the faith in the world that the majority of scientists studying genetics and developing these technologies really do want to help people and make healthcare easier and more precise. However, more people in scientific fields in general need to be taking into account the world we live in.

We, unfortunately, do not live in a world where the latest in scientific advancements will be able to do the most good for the most people as soon as possible. We live under capitalism. We live in a world where the very wealthy will have near unfettered access to the fruits of the scientific community's labor and where everyone else exists to be exploited. We live in a world where the powers that be would rather assist in the eradication of the disabled and the mentally ill and prevent the possibility of them existing in a future (which any disabled person knows is a pipe dream) than make the world a better place for the ones currently living now simply because they believe it is not profitable for them to do so.

Anyway

[iwozlegit]

Post 5 songs in your current song rotation and tag 10 people

Oh my god, yesssss. I was tagged by @lets-try-some-writing and @spreadwardiard, and adored the latter’s wee Megop/Megaop take on things so I feel like I could maybe rustle up a few wee songs that I adore for the disaster duo as well (and those ones that help me write, too, especially!)

1.) I See Fire - Celtic woman

I actually stumbled across this pretty recently (probably less than a month ago) and honestly this is so beautiful. I think it serves well to foreshadow and then kind of elucidate a world falling apart to the flames. It’s got a great narrative flow, and personally as far as my tf writings go, this I find is perfect for Orion starting to see those small breadcrumbs that all is not well with the bot he’s so frequently calling his brother 👀…(fun fact: it’s written by Ed Sheeran)

2.) On My Soul - Tobe Nwigwe, Nas & Jacob Banks

I mean…this is probably predictable, right? The film for me personally could have been a bit tighter plot wise (I did like it btw!), but honestly…this song slaps! I remember they released this a week or two prior to the film and I wasn’t as invested with it, but damn the bass of this shakes my car the right amount 🫶🏼

3.) Maria Maria (sped-up) - Santana [feat. The Product G&B]

Now if this isn’t Megop, heh, I don’t know what is. This is totally like someone exterior creating a bit of gossip and narrating about the higher caste archivist taking all his leave to go and see the gutter-born gladiator a little too regularly. I mean, the lyrics: “…Stop the looting, stop the shooting. Pickpocketing on the corner. See, as the rich is getting richer. The poor is getting poorer. See me and Maria on the corner. Thinking of ways to make it better…”

4.) Mary On A Cross - Ghost

Because this is completely original and didn’t take over most social media platforms a few months ago 💀🫶🏼. No, but for real, this is such a class driving song, oh my god! Probably a good pre-war Megop song, too! Like I see this very much as Orion finishing up with the week, and rushing to catch the transport to Kaon as fast as he can with all his datapads he’s bringing for revolution research.

5.) 4 minutes - Madonna [feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland ]

Again, this is just a recent feel-good song that I pray plays when I’m driving with my driving playlist. It’s just got a good beat. I think I’d heard the intro tune on a video online and had to find what song it was and well…here we are. (Sidenote: there’s a trend online at the moment where a certain music piece plays and all your favourite characters just walk on all badass to the tune…this could be one of those songs fr. Like the intro really does slap!!!).

Tagging:

@malika-carnelian @wolfkid22 @lesbianambulon @sugarand-everythingnice @thebrokenbean @justawannabearchaeologist @rewindedart @echoblaze5 @letslipthehounds @melishade + anyone else who would like to have a whirl ;) (no pressure to those tagged btw! <3 )

[hanaamara]

I think it's funny how about 90% of people on TikTok, who're making videos about boycotting the mob vote, are using Feed The Machine (Poor Man's Poison) as the background music.

Like, Feed The Machine is about a group of people controlling others through pain and manipulation. Not a great song for an uprising.

However, the second part to Feed The Machine, called Give And Take, makes much more sense. It's about rising up against the oppressive and taking back what's yours. If that isn't the perfect revolution song, I don't know what is.

All this to say, I think people should use a different song that has the same vibe, but has a much better meaning.

(Disclaimer: Everyone has a right to their personal opinion on music, and I'm just sharing mine. I am not saying everyone should change what music they use, nor am I trying to cause problems for them.)

[reefer-reelz-n-reviews]

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

Smoking: Jaaayyysss

 

So this is another favorite. RomCom with a video game feel 😊 I’m not the biggest fan of Michael Cera, but I do like some of the movies he is in. Scott is in a relationship with a girl name Knives, played by Ellen Wong, and falls in love with another girl named Ramona Flowers played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Scott has to battle all of Ramona’s ex’s in order to date her. Collects coins, levels up, acquires skills and objects.

I for one am a fan of the music that is played in the movie. Scott is in a band and I dig their music.

The ever amazing and beautiful Anna Kendrick is in this movie. She plays Scott’s sister, if I’m not mistaken she only shows up in phone calls with Scott. Hmmm, lets watch and find out! Lol! Then Aubrey Plaza, her ever creepy beautiful self, is playing a creepy girl, surprise lol!

Knives and Scott go to an arcade and play this ninja game that is like dance dance revolution games. I wish it was real, or if it is, I wish I lived near it so I could play. It looks like more fun than DDR. But who am I kidding myself, I wouldn’t be able to do those things.

Geeze… Apparently Scott just dates and dates around. I never really realized that before.

He ordered something on amazon and just sits and waits at the door for it to be delivered. We’ve all don’t that lol.

Time for jay 2!

Throughout this whole movie there are different video game type references and I love it! MC was just walking to the bathroom and he had a “Pee Bar” and it was yellow and showing full. Then as he was using it, the bar reduced...

And I was wrong!! AK is at the bar where the battle of the bands is going to be. So not always over the phone.

Now for the first Ex fight. Matthew Patel, played by Satya Bhabha. It’s almost like a version of street fighter. With a story line surrounding 7 Ex-lovers.

One of the Ex-lovers is Chris Evans!

~side note~ I just found a lighter in my jacket pocket. I have no idea why it was in there… but it was.

Back to Chris Evans, he is Ex 2, fight 2!

How funny. I never realized he mentions getting blazed. Guess this was the perfect movie to do my Reefers and Reviews.

Brie Larson plays Scott’s Ex Envy Adams. It was a pretty rough break up. Well for Scott. She ends up coming back into town while everything is going on with Ramona’s exes.

Ex #3 – Todd Ingram, played by Brandon Routh. Who is also dating Envy. He’s super because he is a vegan apparently lol. Says that being vegan makes you better than most people.

Ex #4 – Roxy Richter, played by Mae Whitman. “I’m a little bi-furious!” She’s this like ball of furry and I think she looks so adorable with her pigtails and goth look!

Ex #5 and #6 – The Katayanagi Twins, played by Keita Saitou and Shôta Saitô. Final part of the battle of the bands and Scott’s last battle before he has to face the most recent and evil Ex Gideon. The battle with the twins is my favorite. The music takes on different forms of creatures and they fight that way. Very trippy and cool looking.

Now big Numero 7! Gideon Graves, played by Jason Schwartzman. The last battle. Mano y Mano.

Not gonna lie, Gideon is a douche. But Scott kind of is too…

I love a movie with a katana. Kill Bill should be on my list to review. Love Uma Therman in that.

Once again, trying not to ruin the movie or certain parts. That is it for now!

Thanks for stopping by ❤

 

-RRR