#this movie had a huge impact on my life and I'll love it forever

[elcoffin]

And when the morning sun

Reveals her hills and plains

Then I see a land

Where children can run free

[swallow-wind]

I was tagged by @mickgaydolenz to talk about my favorite musicians and why I love them so much :D

Al Stewart

One of my biggest inspirations and all-time favorite artists. I admire his lyricism so much, and his ability to transport you to different times and places with his music. He's described it many times as each song being like a little movie. Also, it means so much to me to have a musical role model who is just as enthusiastic and deeply interested in what he is doing as I am! It's so clear that he's writing about what he loves, and I've definitely learned a lot from listening to his music. Also, his songs are just so so beautiful, and all of the musicians he collaborates with (Shot in the Dark, Laurence Juber, Dave Nachmanoff, the Empty Pockets) are incredible.

They Might Be Giants

Similarly to why I love Al Stewart's music so much, I love that TMBG songs can be about literally anything at all. Motivational songs for floating hats! Sinking a city because of a bad break-up! Metal detectors! You name it! It's so refreshing to listen to songs that cover more unusual topics. Also, their songs are so interesting music theory-wise, and the melodies and chord progressions are amazing. Plus, cool technology noises! And they're super cool guys, too :)

David Byrne (Talking Heads & solo)

Sounds! Such cool sounds! It's impossible to listen to his music without dancing, and it's got such a distinctive texture and feeling that I love. Also, in his solo stuff especially, he writes such wonderful melodies! Lyrically, I find his songs really relatable, especially the themes of observing things but not judging them, and appreciating the little things in life. In addition, learning about David Byrne helped me discover and accept the fact that I'm autistic :)

The Beatles

I was raised on the Beatles, and they're the band that got me into learning about music, rather than just listening to it, in the first place. I was in a Beatles parody band in high school, and it was my dream to be like them someday. Listening to their music from the early days to the later days, and their solo careers, felt like going on that journey with them, and they've inspired me endlessly. They've done so much for music and have had such a huge impact on so many. I'm still amazed at how much those four guys were able to accomplish in such a short time. The Beatles will always have a special place in my heart.

Donovan

His music enchanted me the first time I heard it, and continued to for a long time. He has a beautiful and calming voice, perfect for storytelling. I love how Donovan has always used his music to provide comfort to people (there's a reason he's known as the Troubadour for Troubled Times), and especially how he's always focused so much on making music for the younger generations that teaches them the importance of loving each other and the planet. Donovan is also the reason I play guitar the way I do - I learned by emulating his picking style - and has been a huge songwriting influence on me.

I think I'll just stick to top 5, or else I'll have to go on forever... anyway, no pressure tags: @theydoctor @wreckofthehesperus87 @walkingcontradiction42 @mystical-one @ninetimesbluedemo and anyone that wants to!

[ashtraythief]

You said you haven’t been in any fandoms before, what made you pick this one and stick with it for as long as you have? I can answer for myself and say I watched Supernatural during a really important and influential time of my life and it just really impacted me. I’ll watch other shows and enjoy them, but it’ll never mean as much to me as this show and fandom does. I will forever be thinking about Sam and Dean and the insane love they had for each other. What about you? What has made you stay this long? Is it the friends, the fanfic, Sam & Dean?

That sounds very familiar 😅

Sam and Dean were definitely the main draw. They just sucked me in and wouldn't let me go. I basically bought the DVDs immediately and made all of my friends watch it with me.

And yeah, I started watching the show in a time of my life where I had a lot going on and I don't know if it was the show itself, but fandom and the creative outlet definitely helped me work through some things.

more ramblings under the cut

There are other shows that I really love and that, at this point I might even rewatch more often (supernatural is rarely a fun, lighthearted, comfort rewatch. There are a couple of eps with uncomplicated joy like Monster Movie or Hell House, but a lot of the time there's too much pain in there fora light rewatch 😅).

I started reading other fandom's fanfic along the way whenever I discovered the gift of fanfic extended to other shows, but I was really hesitant about writing. I think I mentioned before how much harder it is for me to write existing characters, get their voice right etc. But supernatural had a huge, probably the biggest, rpf fandom connected to a TV show. So I got all the wonderful fanfic tropes without the constraints of an existing world/canon/characters. And like, lots of fandoms have thriving AU fics. SPN I think is special in that most fics are set in the canon universe. So all the AU stuff basically happens in rpf. And that's what I enjoy writing and that's why I stuck with it for so long. Plus the community I found is absolutely lovely and I really enjoy brainstorming fics with friends, running and participating in challenges together. I've been reading in many other fandoms, but it takes a lot for me to want to write for them, both in interest and in confidence. And then I need even more confidence to actually finish and post it, so… it's just not a common occurrence. Recently I've been dipping my toe into the rwrb fandom, both because I really love these two characters and what you can do with them and because the spn fandom (esp the rpf side) is shrinking and being plagued by conflict and wank which is getting harder to avoid and it's just nice to be in a new enthusiastic fandom instead of a few apocalypse survivors sitting around a campfire trading war stories. Now don't get me wrong, I'll probably be sitting at the fire until it goes out, but I'll have to spend some time in the shiny new spaces as well.

I'll always love spn, and I still enjoy rewatching it, and I'm hopeful that I'll keep the friends I've been lucky enough to find long after all of this is only glowing ashes in a half-forgotten firepit. But the spn fandom is a persistent hunch, so I think we'll be here for some time longer.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Im gonna approach this politely because you do seem reasonable but how can you still blog about HP after everything JK has done? Its one thing to give her exposure, that's bad enough, but are you actually planning to see/purchase the new movie? She's literally giving money to transphobes, she's an active participant in this shit.

So this one is complicated and I will do everything I can to approach the subject respectfully. I freely acknowledge that I'm just one person who doesn't have all the answers. This is only my perspective.

Whenever someone has broached this subject, my answer has always been the same. I'd bring up the concept of separating the art from the artist. Which is a divisive topic I know, and everyone has their own opinions about it. But in this case, you do make a good point.

Right out of the gate I want to clarify that I have no intention of giving Rowling one cent, not ever again. If I do see the movie, which I vaguely wanted to do out of a sense of investment for the ongoing story...I wouldn't be buying it. I'd either see if it was free on a streaming service I already have, or I'd go the way of Captain Hook, if you catch my drift.

Exposure is a different question altogether, and you know what, it's not one we should ignore. This is genuinely difficult for a lot of people, or at least it is for me, because the stories we grow up with have a huge impact on us, and I think that's especially true if you're neurodivergent or just generally had a traumatic childhood. Which brings me to what is, if I'm being brutally honest, the real reason I've dug in my heels about stepping away from Harry Potter as a whole. I don't want to.

There, I said it. The more I think about it, the more I realize I'm not proud of it. But when I was growing up, fictional universes were my escapism from the pain of regular life. This shaped who I am as a person and probably not in the healthiest way, I'll admit. This is why the "fandoms" of my childhood are ones I've stuck to for so long. For a while, they were such a large part of my world...so they kind of still are. Harry Potter was chief among them. This is the series that made me love reading, and the fantasy genre. The series that made me want to be a writer. It is not hyperbole for me to say that Harry Potter is a part of who I am.

Which may sound pathetic, I know. But I don't think it is. Potentially unhealthy? Perhaps. But I think the problem is that my background with Harry Potter is not entirely uncommon. My case might be a bit extreme but I think there are many people who feel as though this series has saved them in some degree or another. People who can't imagine trying to cut HP out of themselves, and don't feel like they should have to. The books didn't do anything wrong, right? Speaking as someone who considers themself nonbinary, I am glad to adopt the now commonplace attitude toward Rowling that goes "Thanks for the books, but shut up forever."

But exposure. That is the problem, and I don't think we can ignore it. Part of me almost wants to search out and delete posts I've made in the past about the Fantastic Beast films. Because you're right. Exposure is powerful, and Harry Potter isn't just a cash cow it's a cultural phenomenon. The thing is, it's gone so far that it's beyond our control now. Nothing can kill HP anymore. It will never not be relevant. Best that can happen is that it may mildly fade into obscurity before resurfacing in the next decade with a new film. It has joined the hall of immortality, alongside Star Wars and Jurassic Park.

But does that mean we should just give up? Continue to support Rowling and throw our money at her, give her free advertising by feeding into the widespread popularity of Harry Potter? No, I don't think that's right either. I'm a bit uncertain about what to do. Your message made me feel a degree of guilt, but I'm actually grateful to you for that. Because we should be thinking about these things, and having these conversations. I'm gonna say that it should be a personal choice, and that we shouldn't judge others for continuing to enjoy the series. (Provided they condemn Rowling's actions, of course.) But they should be aware of what they're partaking in.

Exposure is such a tricky subject, because it's difficult to measure objectively. Both sides can argue that it's real or not real, that it's a problem or that it isn't. Frankly, you kind of have to go with your gut and ask yourself what you think is true, what is happening. Whether or not the risk is worth it to you. Because we can still be Harry Potter fans. We can still love the series. We can do all of that behind closed doors without supporting Rowling. But what does that mean for the fandom? I'm writing a Marauder Era fanfic that has fossilized with how long I've gone between updates and I have to ask myself, is that exposure? Or does my own writing style, including things like LGBT characters for example, negate this?

What about properties that Rowling has no stake in? Is that fair game, or does the Harry Potter brand name itself count as exposure? This is, first and foremost, a Hogwarts Mystery blog. Rowling has no involvement with this game. Can I still talk about HPHM? I'm not even trying to confront you or make a point or anything, I'm asking genuine questions that I do not know the answers to. HPHM's story is near complete, is it bad if I want to stick around to see how it ends?

And what do I do about Asks? Because they are the lifeblood of this blog. They are what really brought me out of the darkness on Tumblr. If people sent me messages or questions about the potterverse, should I just ignore them? Because being a Potterhead is one of the main things I've established about myself on this blog. Should I say that I'll ignore asks about Harry Potter? Because most of them are about HPHM. And while it's hardly more important than the damage Rowling is causing, I'd be quite sad to see my beloved anons disappear.

This is inherently a selfish question, but it's also trying to gauge what the new status quo would be. At what point does this go from being our moral responsibility, to being something silly that is a person's own business? I don't know. But you've given me a lot to think about anon, and I do genuinely appreciate that. I've got to figure this out.

[bittertoastmarket]

Okay! I was tagged by the amazing @a-death-like-icarus to throw up some cover art and talk about my fave music. I honestly listen to mostly playlists that I've made so I tried to lay out albums I grew up with or enjoy every song of, but this was way hard lol.

(Forgive the format I am on moble)

You're Awful, I Love You by Ludo: This was the first band I ever saw at Warped Tour which was my first concert! I genuinely love this albumn and love that half the songs are love songs and the rest are huge fuck yous with ukulele solos. My first tattoo were song lyrics from their song Topeka.

Lest We Forget The Best Of by Marilyn Manson: I actually originally got this album in secret as a young teen because my mom was very anti Marilyn Manson. I was so paranoid about her finding it that I recorded it over to A MIX TAPE I SHIT YOU NOT that started with 3 Days Grace so she wouldn't find it. It was so worth it to me at the time.

Discovering The Waterfront by Silverstein: This album single handedly got me out of a really abusive and horrible relationship. Sounds stupid but i was really lovedrunk about the guy but I couldn't figure out why I was so unhappy. The song that holds the album name has a part that goes like this: Pretend it's not forever, I'll pull myself together I'll say that I'll forget her, I'll breathe. And I'll say she never hurt me, And look at it as learning, And laugh about the good and the bad. Because I won't live forever We don't belong together, I know I'll feel better, One day when I can make it through.

It helped me realize that losing love I thought I wanted was okay because he was awful for me and wouldn't change but one day without him I would be fine. Just needed that shove.

A.M. by Arctic Monkeys: this almost didn't make the list because I wanted to put What Seperates Me From You by A Day To Remember, but this album was my driving soundtrack back when I was in a really low place after said bad break up. I would just aimlessly drive around Boise, Meridian and Kuna just trying to run away from how I felt but I would always end up in Swan Falls watching the sun set while listening to this albumn. Very good for my dramatic ass.

This is when shit gets fun!

One Of Us by Mystery Skulls: I actually loved his first albumn a lot but this is the one I got to see him in concert for first. My boyfriend showed me his music, somehow I missed the Ghost music video that everyone loves, and when we saw him live I realized he was traveling with his childhood bff and his girlfriend. Both of whom are also in good bands and you get a really nice comradery vibe from their live shows. I followed them to two concerts this year. It was dope af.

UNDERTALE Soundtrack by Toby Fox: Alright, I know almost everyone loves UNDERTALE, and for good reason, but something about Toby Fox and his amazing music talent really resonated with me. He has become a really big inspiration for me and I ended up loving his characters so much I got a Flowey tattoo. Mostly to remind myself that there are multiple paths in life and sometimes even the most well meaning of characters can become soured by their own greed and misery but everyone deserves another chance and can grow up and see how they have negatively impacted those around them. Plus its a poppin album that makes my anxiety melt away. If DELTA RUNE had been longer I would have chosen that one because it's going to be something fantastic I can feel it lol

Studio Killers: Alright, if you haven't heard Ode to a Bouncer, fuck off right now and go listen. This whole album is amazing and I just recently found out that its four people and an animator who makes all their vlogs and MV and shit. Which is really fucking cool because they produce almost all of their own shit. I like that they're set up like the Gorillaz where the band is actually created personas. And their personas are hilarious.

A Break by Phangs: okay so Phangs is the childhood bff of Mystery Skulls and he as a person is really fucking amazing. I got to meet him at the last concert and his music reminds me of the one scene from George Of The Jungle where George is dancing with his lady and its all romantic and airy feeling. It's pretty chill music, you can tell live that he has a lot of passion for what he does and even tho the album is hella short the two bangers on it are legit. I also got to see him do a cover of Eye to Eye from The Goofy Movie so you know he's a feel good artist.

And lastly Pop Food by Jack Stauber: I like just found his music through my weird ability to make obscure playlists on GooglePlay. Honestly it's just hella chill and Oh Klahoma gets stuck in my head so fucking bad but in a good way. This album led me to a lot of Synthwave I ended up enjoying a lot but as a whole album I had to go with this one.

[icharchivist]

Thanks for the links I'll be sure to watch them. I like watching analysis on Disney movies. Belle is my most favorite Disney princess. Has been forever. I was eager to see the live action movie until I kept hearing all this stuff about Belle being 'better' smarter and stronger. I was thinking Belle was already perfect. Why fix what's not broken? I'm not sure how any of this is an improvement. Instead of appreciating who Belle is and why her nature ended up destroying a curse to save countless -

2 people and redeem one soul who also proved he was a awesome selfless guy underneath that spoiled attitude. We get a character who we’re suppose to be impressed by her talents or, as you put it, how ahead of her time she was. Original Belle would be special yet easy to misunderstand no matter where or what time period you stuck her in. She was role model for her selfless attitude and independent mindest that didn’t go w/the crowd. She saw past images and cared about what was underneath. -

3 Belle was also relatable because she liked what she liked and felt lonely sge didn’t have friends who liked or accepted her. We all have yearnings to escape a place we feel belittled or trapped in. We all want to have at least 1 person to love us for who we are w/o wanting to completely change us first. But in the remake we got Belle the inventor. I’m not going to relate to someone alone for being an inventor. As you said, I feel like they lost what made Belle Belle when they turned her into -

4 into a mini version of her Father. We didn’t need her to become her dad and inherit her dad’s problems. She had her own problems. Just like what they’re doing w/Jasmine. Once again I thought the Aladdin remake looked fun until they talked about Jasmine veing a stronger version. She’s into politics and stuff. Forget that Jasmine wanted to marry for love and stood defiant against her well meaning Father’s picks for a husband. All men who only wanted her for status. That she was brave enough to-5 escape her sheltered world to be herself. That she never once looked down on Aladdin or anyone for being a street rat and treated him like a equal worthy of respect. She’s never once impressed w/material gain and showed more awe for a kind thief’s world then a boastful Prince’s magical parade that enchanted everyone else. That she stood up to Jafar of all villians w/o breaking a sweat. That she forgave so much. That she got her freedom and true love in the end. That’s only 1 movie too.

Yeaaah that’s so true I agree with all you said.

Tbh this is kind of another problem, Belle was more “ordinary” in a way that was relatable: but that was part of what made her this “extraordinary”. She was the “simple bookworm” who had a golden heart and could have people be their best selves around her. And it’s.. good. I mean I think people forgot those movies originally target kids or the kids inside of us. Sometimes it’s just good to tell the kid that even simplest things make them amazing. That they don’t have to be “special”, to be smarter, stronger than everyone else to be taken seriously, that you could just be yourself, that you could still have an impact on people’s lives. 

Like yeah it’s cool to tell kids they can be more too!! It’s important that there are stories that can tell kids “and you can do extraordinary things” but htat doesn’t mean that the likeable ordinary characters shouldn’t exist. And it’s such a disservice to Belle bc she was relatable. Any kids could feel for her journey, for who she was, and didn’t have to feel.. unadequate because y’see they’re not a genuis like her.

Already I feel like we’re losing a bit of her agency by making her an extension of her father, but as it is, it’s just… again that apparently to be considered a “good protagonist” you have to be a step ahead, to not just be a normal person see, you have to be a SUPER person who is more amazing that everyone and super transgressive.

And it’s.. a shame because the original movie carries that on far better. Belle is still weird, and we know the town is being a bit dumb but…. the thing is that, it’s super relatable? Like in the remake tries far more to relate it to the time period (which is in itself silly, the original “La Belle et La Bête” was published in a lady’s magazine for women to read it’s not,, like it was that weird to “teach another girl to read” in that time period in France,,) and they add this stupid plotline of how Gaston is just having major PTSD and that’s why he’s a douche and they have a whole section showing the townfolks don’t trust him blindly and Le Fou has to pay them to sing Gaston and i’m just??? Bc No, the Town were just mindless people who just would push away anyone who’s different. Gaston is your usual bully. The kind who believes they’re more important than anyone. They’re… people you actually meet in your life. 

So by making Belle “more special” while also in a town that is “more justified” it just… feels wrong and fall flat and it just feels insulting.

I don’t know that remake missed all the marks and Belle especially suffered from it and i hate how superficially they took the character. It’s super annoying. 

For Aladdin i admit i didn’t keep track of the remake, i personally think it looks like a trainwreck but i’m also very, very tired about the Disney Remake trend, and extremely annoyed with the “We’re fixing stuff from the original” ones. Because like, for exemple, liking it or not Maleficient wasn’t trying to fix the original, it was another side of the story. Jungle Book took a different approach but didn’t act all smugly about how they were fixing things. But with Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin they keep talking about things to change from the original to make it “more modern and better” and generally it’s not even on like… actual important stuff (i’ve only ever watched Aladdin in French and they don’t have it in it but apparently there’s a lyrics from the opening song that is downright offensive about how barbaric the culture is. Like. Think about fixing that before fixing your “woman problem” Disney.)

For Aladdin,  I really have no idea where the damn remake is headed but yeah i’ve seen them mention how much the new Jasmine is better than the original and c o m o n. You can try to talk a little more about politics without completely  undermining that she was still having an arc in the original, that she didn’t want her life decided for her, and everything you just said. 

idk i feel like they didn’t even get why those characters were liked to start with. They rush into conclusion about what bad role models they are without even taking into account that it’s… not like that people took them. Legit I’ve never thought “Cinderella/Ariel/Belle needed a Man to save them from their lives” for exemple until people started to smash it all over my head when I was a teen. 

Personally my fav princess growing up was Ariel, for exemple. to me she was a passionate person and people around her kept villainizing what she liked, his father litterally destroys all her stuff in front of her in a fit of anger. she is more pressured into doing the family stuff like singing for his father, but her interests are shunned away. What she wants is to explore her passion, to discover new things, to not be locked where her family tells her is her best place to be, especially when her father for exemple completely overlook her boundaries. Saving Eric happened to be one of the catalyst making her want to set it in motion, but she didn’t do it until her father sent her the message that her passion would be welcomed with violence. And yeah she took rushes decision when she was running away from home after her father terrified her, she was pressured in the contract, but the enjoyed herself on Earth, and whatever “she just wanted to find a man” means, she found what she wanted with Eric. he has boats, they can travel if she wants. He invites her to danse, he makes her visit places, she handle a horse, he helps her live more of her dream that isn’t just living a life with him. 

So to me i grew up with Ariel on a pure escapism sense, of living off your passion, of being able to escape an unsafe place to be with said passion, and hell the ultimate fantasy is that her father admited he was wrong and did right by her in the end. Getting the man was a bonus. 

and Ariel also enters a lot in the bashed princesses category because of Eric and it always kinda frustrated me, but when I was a young teen and everyone told me they were bad role models? I just ended up agreeing because “guess kid me doesn’t know any better”. But as an adult now, I feel like kid!me understood it much more, because those raw emotions are what inspired me in my life. Not the man, the passion did. 

Can’t WAIT until they remake The Little Mermaid to “remake Ariel in a Stronger Female Character” even if that’s not what this story need /sarcasm.

So yea long story short I think executives who are trying to say “how to better female characters kids loved” just completely missed why kids loved those characters to start with, and so instead it’s just pushing down our throat “shhh you love it the wrong way, here how you should love it too be More Progressive” and this is just annoying.

So yeah. Wait and see for the Aladdin’s remake but I have very little hope. 

Oh boy and it reminds me everything they planned for the Mulan remake *takes a huge breath* i dont know if i’m strong enough.

Take care!