#what is wrong with people's lyric literacy?

[phantomoftheorpheum]

.

[hugshughes]

betty C. Bedard

Connor Bedard x fem!reader

synopsis - senior year starts, and Connor tries to fix everything after you were left torn to shreds after rumors all summer spread through your small town that Connor had a fling with someone all summer. a fling that supposedly began not long after the messy and unclear "end" of your relationship with him.

wc - 5k

contains - based off of Betty so... <\3. but not that bad because it's less James (Connor) being a douche and more teenagers love to spread rumors and misinformation!!!! crying, sadness, anger, shouting :( but also!!!! touching, hugging, kissing, making out a little bit. reader is 17, and her birthday isn't exactly clear but it's in september. Connor is a jealous teenage boy, and reader is a jealous teenage girl <\3. OH also my high school was 4 periods with over 2000 students and home room was just first period??? i know others are obvi different but that's just what im going off of!

an - hai!!! me when i cut lyrics like this when they don't exactly match how im writing the fic >_< i missed u people. i'm very genuinely sorry i've been gone but i genuinely have had one of the best summers of my life. IM SORRY A CHORUS GOT CUT IT WAS GONNA MAKE THIS HAVE TOO MUCH FILLER OKAY I DID THIS FOR US.

-

betty, i won't make assumptions, about why you switched your homeroom. but, i think it's 'cause of me.

Second day of senior year, you prayed it would be better than the first.

Yesterday, August 27th, you'd walked into homeroom, and your heart had dropped. Connor sat at a table in the back, laughing at something with his friends. Your Connor. You couldn't even call him that anymore. He wasn't yours. Apparently, he was another girl's, now. A girl from your town's rival school, Augustine, or something.

You sat through first period financial literacy with a weight in your chest. You sat at the very front table with a few friends, trying to smile and converse with them. They could tell something was wrong, and when your teacher said Connor's name during attendance they'd realized what.

You went to second period, feeling a bit better. Then, during lunch, you sped to the guidance office, begging your counselor to change your schedule. She was skeptical, having a feeling it had to do with something social, which she didn't believe called for a change. But when she noticed the tears that welled up in your eyes, she just smiled and clicked her mouse a few times, handing you a brand new paper for the classes you'd start the next morning.

To say Connor Bedard noticed you when you came into homeroom yesterday was the understatement of the year. The boy's smile dropped, his eyes locked on your figure as you shrugged your backpack off, smiling at your friend you sat next to. Yes, this class would be his chance to reconnect with you, fix and explain everything.

He walked into day 2 with a plan, a plan to somehow talk to you in first. He sat in the same seat he had yesterday, talking with his friends while his eyes never left your chair. He waited, and waited, and waited for you to walk in. You never did, you were in another classroom, first period AP Spanish, laughing with your best friend as you did icebreakers.

When the bell rang, he stopped the girl you sat next to the day before, awkwardly calling her name. He asked her where you were, and your friend faked confusion while she fought off laughter.

"Oh, she had her schedule switched, she has like Spanish now I think."

He nodded, mumbling a thank you as he swiftly exited the classroom, his friends shouting at him from the doorway.

As the school day went on, your day got significantly better while Connor's did the opposite. He got in his car after the final bell had rung, sitting in silence for just a minute before his friends piled in. Of course they'd all lived in your neighborhood, it being the most common one for your high school.

betty, one time, i was ridin' on my skateboard. when i passed your house, it's like i couldn't breathe.

He dropped them off at their respective homes, turning down your street to exit the neighborhood. He slowed down as he passed your house, your car was already in the driveway, you must've just got home. Last year Connor drove you to and from school almost every day, he missed that.

You two had broken up, if you could even call it that, in late May. The two of you were arguing about something both of you would now call dumb and you'd stupidly blocked his number after an angry phone call. Connor took that as you ending it, you took it as you were sick of arguing and couldn't speak to him in the moment. You were an emotional wreck when Connor had started ignoring you, still believing it was just all stupid misplaced emotions that needed to be talked through. You let him give you the silent treatment, knowing you were both still very upset.

About two weeks later, still nothing was resolved. School had been over for about a week, but you were miserable. Everything went to shit when you were tapping through Snapchat stories one night. One of your mutuals from school had posted a photo of her and her boyfriend, Connor, and another girl sitting next to each other on a bed in the background. They weren't cuddling, but their thighs were touching while they both looked at something on Connor's phone so basically your life was ruined.

You had over a dozen girls send you the story, asking what the fuck had happened. You had to tell them and yourself that you were broken up.

you heard the rumors from inez, you can't believe a word she says most times. but this time it was true.

It was extremely embarrassing for you once people that you barely even knew were telling others your business.

Connor knew he was royally fucked whenever a random girl he knew you were friends with had come up to him at a party during the summer and asked him about Augustine.

"Is she your new girlfriend?"

"What? No. I don't have a girlfriend."

"That's not what she thinks."

He almost asked who, but he knew who she was talking about. You. Everything was you. He couldn't get you out of his mind no matter how hard he had tried.

the worst thing that i ever did, was what i did to you.

Augustine didn't mean anything to him. His friend had tried to set him up with her because of how sad he'd been. But, he didn't have eyes for anyone but you, so she was just a friend of his.

All summer, he'd tried to find ways that put you two in the same place at the same time. Your town's annual Fourth of July fireworks? You were at the beach with family. Your mutual friend's huge 17th birthday bash? You were at young life camp with friends. The one time it could've worked was when you hosted a party, it was an open invite, but of course, it was the weekend Connor had his biggest hockey camp of the summer. It's like the universe wanted him miserable.

but if i just showed up at your party, would you have me?

You tried to erase Connor from your mind, but it was too hard. Living in a town where everything reminded you of the blonde boy sucked. And even if you were gone, you couldn't get away from him online, either. He was the guy to be watching for next year's NHL Draft. He was amazing, but he was also a very young and socially dumb boy.

You and Connor had gotten together towards the end of freshman year. It'd been about a month since your two year anniversary when the whole miscommunication and breakup took place. He was your first boyfriend, and you were his first girlfriend. Everyone at school knew about you two, even the people who didn't know you at all. It wasn't because you two were grossly comfortable with PDA at 8 am on a Wednesday.

You two weren't at all comfortable with your relationship being too on display to anyone, but the small and subtle things that made people silently root for the two. People saw just how you looked at each other, and how your moods changed with and without each other. They watched you two together at every event. Saw you as the loudest girl in the student section at hockey games. It was just sweet.

would you want me?

Connor was fucked. Although he couldn't confirm it, he was convinced your disappearance from first period was due to his presence. You changed your schedule to get away from him, that's how much he'd hurt you.

would you tell me to go fuck myself?

He wondered what you'd do if he just showed up at your house, or came up and asked to talk to you at school. Would you tell him to fuck off? Would you agree to talk, and listen to his apologies?

or lead me to the garden? in the garden, would you trust me, if i told you it was just a summer fling?

Connor had to speak with you, he couldn't contain himself any longer. When the final bell rang he sat in his car and waited for his friends, driving them home, through your neighborhood once again. He passed your house, only your car was in the driveway. He parked on the street, closing his car door gently behind him as he trekked up your driveway and to the front door.

He knocked softly, stepping back a few feet to wait. After thirty seconds the door opened a third of the way, your body coming into view. You were already in comfy clothes, you hated when your outside clothes touched your bed, Connor remembered. Your eyes widened, your brain sending panic signals through your body, your limbs freezing up.

"Oh my God. Uh, hi?"

You had no clue why Connor would be standing awkwardly on your front porch at 2:38 pm on a Tuesday.

"Hey. You can tell me to fuck right off and I will but, can we like, talk?"

i'm only seventeen, i don't know anythin'. but, i know i miss you.

You blinked a few times, the words taking a moment to register. Connor wanted to talk to you? About what? Did he need real closure after all the dumb shit that happened between you?

"Oh, yeah, sure. Come in."

You led him to your room, you weren't sure why you didn't just go to the living room, silently cursing yourself halfway up the stairs. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Was it clean? Were there clothes on the floor? You were now mortified by the idea of Connor seeing a bra on your bedroom floor, something that wouldn't have crossed your mind five months ago.

Your room was fine, only some socks and a sweatshirt on the ground. You sat in the cushy chair in your corner, pulling your knees to your chest. Connor sat cautiously on the end of your bed, he was always the one person you'd let wear outside clothes on your bed because you didn't care as long as he was laying with you.

It was eerily silent for a few moments before Connor spoke up, your head snapping to him.

"Um, I've been wanting to talk for a really long time, seriously."

You nodded, your eyes leaving his, the air too tense.

"Me too."

Connor's eyes widened at that, seriously? You wanted to talk to him? That was what he'd been hoping for months.

"I can't really think of a better way to say this but, uh. I miss you, a fuckin' lot. And I know I royally fucked up but I really just want you in my life. I hate the tension and the fuckin' like, uncertainty between us."

What? You were so confused. He missed you? But you had people all damn summer nothing but happy to fill you in on all of the Connor and Augustine news. Connor took your silence as you expecting more from him, so he filled it.

"And I know that everything that happened was because I was being a jealous asshole. I'm really sorry and I will show you that."

betty, i know where it all went wrong. your favorite song was playing from, the far side of the gym.

Ah, yes, the fight that ruined it all. See, in May, Connor and the Regina Pats were fighting through the playoffs, and he had one of the biggest games of the season on the night of prom. It was your first prom, and you'd been so excited to go with your boyfriend, so you can imagine the disappointment when he told you he wasn't going to be able to make it. You were crushed, to say the least, and sulked the entire time.

i was nowhere to be found, i hate the crowds, you know that.

The only few minutes you had fun the whole night was when a group of your friends had gotten you to dance after hours of begging, and a photo was taken of you with an arm innocently and extremely appropriately around a guy friend of yours' shoulders. It was platonic, even another girl friend of yours was on the other side of him and had her arm over yours.

It was really not a big deal, but Connor had seen it and was extremely jealous, and felt guilty. He was envious but also beating himself up over not being there.

plus, i saw you dance with him.

"Connor, that wasn't all your fault. I was a crazy bitch and blocked you, even if it was for like forty minutes. I shouldn't have done that, it was stupid. All of it."

He nodded, both of you unsure of what to say next.

you heard the rumors from inez. you can't believe a word she says, most times. but this time, it was true.

"And, I don't know if you care or not. But, I know all sorts of people have been saying stuff about me and Augustine. I promise you that I hung out with her that one time with Adam and hated it. I told her that and we were just kind of friends I guess. I only saw her one other time all summer. I wasn't already moving on from you, 'm still not."

He'd be the death of you, you were sure of it. Did he know how badly you needed to hear that? Even if you were skeptical if it was true when it first came from his mouth, the moment of silent eye contact between you two spoke volumes. He wouldn't lie to you, he was the most honest person you ever knew.

"I think it's stupid for us not to be friends, Connor. We were best friends before and while we dated. I miss that with you."

the worst thing that i ever did, was what i did to you.

You also missed kissing him, and cuddling, and whispering sweet nothings, and holding hands under the table at dinner.

You might as well have dangled Connor's heart on a string in front of him then decided to stomp on it. Friends. That would have to be how it was, he knew he couldn't have none of you, and some of you would always be better than none of you.

"That'd be really good."

You both smiled, although in your minds you both wanted more, you were too scared to say it. You stood up, Connor right after. You just looked at him close up for the first time in a while and sighed happily. You hugged him without caution, arms around his waist and face in his chest. His came around your shoulders, squeezing tightly if only for a few seconds before you let go of what had to be a friendly hug.

You both walked downstairs, Connor opening the front door and stepping onto your porch.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Connie."

"Yeah, okay."

You shut the door with a smile, immediately freaking out as Connor did the same on the other side. You had no desire to be only friends with Connor, but it was the safest route to having him in your life without getting hurt.

i was walkin' home on broken cobblestones.

Connor sat in his car, staring through the windshield. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. He finally had his favorite girl back in his life, but not the way he wanted. That would have to be enough though, some of you would always be better than none of you.

He snapped back into it when he realized he'd been parked outside your house for multiple minutes and drove off. He went home and then later to hockey practice, and you never left his mind.

just thinkin' of you when she pulled up, like a figment of my worst intentions.

The next day at school you smiled at Connor in the hallway. He was teased for the rest of the day by his friends at the blush he possessed after it happened.

For the next month or so, you two danced around each other. You talked often and hung out together in group settings. At school, you'd talk and laugh, all of your friends demanding they could tell you were still in love. The both of you would insist that you were now just friends and happy about it, even though both of you were yearning to be so much more than that.

she said, "james get in, let's drive." those days turned into nights. slept next to her,

Your birthday was approaching, your 18th. You insisted you wanted something small, a dinner party with your favorite people. You'd invited over a dozen of your friends, receiving RSVPs of yes from all of them. There was still one more blonde boy you wanted to ask, though.

When the final bell rang, you ran out of school like every other teen with a car. Instead of going to yours, you found yourself walking up to Connor's black jeep, one you were oh so familiar with. He was on his phone but noticed you immediately as you were walking up.

He rolled his window down, a grin gracing his face.

"Hey, what's up?"

You lent your elbow against the window sill, resting your cheek against your hand.

"So, my birthday's on Saturday, and I'd really like if you came. It's just a small dinner party at my house, nothing crazy. You might be the only guy attending but I'd love if you could make it. I totally get if you can't though, it's a bit short notice."

Connor's eyebrows raised in shock. You wanted him at your birthday? This felt more intimate between the two of you than any other moment in the past couple weeks. Connor wasn't gonna let you down like he had at prom.

"I'll be there. Can't wait."

Connor wished he didn't love how your eyes instantly brightened, the corners crinkling to match the grin on your face.

"Great, awesome. I'll see you there Connie."

You brushed your hand over his shoulder as you said bye and turned to trek to your parking spot.

"Yeah, bye. I lo-"

I love you. Connor cut himself off before he could say he loved you. Holy shit, why did he almost say he loved you? He prayed you couldn't hear it, the way you kept walking didn't make it look like you did, but he couldn't see your face.

Your jaw dropped, hearing the first two syllables out of his mouth before he caught himself. Oh my God, Connor almost just told you he loved you. You kept on to your car, waiting until you were alone to freak out. Of course, you'd said it all the time while dating, but he hadn't told you that in months, you assumed he didn't feel that way about you anymore.

Connor had told you he couldn't wait for your party, and it was the truth. He had never been a patient boy, and waiting to see you all day on Saturday had him fidgety. He was wearing jeans and a navy Ralph Lauren quarter-zip, a white t-shirt peeking out from the unzipped section. He was wearing his cleanest sneakers and held a small gift bag in one hand, flowers in the other.

betty, i'm here on your doorstep. and, I planned it out for weeks.

He knocked on your door at 7:02, having been sitting in his car outside your house since 6:57, telling himself he could do this. You opened the door quickly, a gorgeous smile on your face. Your eyes widened when you saw what was in Connor's hands, wrapping your arms around his neck in what was too close to be a friendly hug. He wrapped his arms around you, careful to not dishevel the flowers.

"Hey, Connor. Thanks for coming."

"Wouldn't miss it. Happy birthday."

You pulled away after what felt like not long enough, leading Connor inside. He handed you the flowers, a moment of tension between you. Your mother greeted him, hugging him and taking the flowers from you to put in a vase.

Connor was first to arrive, followed shortly by your best friend, who silently made fun of you for how flustered you were. Everyone was in your house by 7:18, and you talked and mingled until around 8 when you decided it was time to eat. You sat next to Connor at your big dining table, earning a few teasing looks from your girl friends.

Dinner lasted a while, everyone talking and laughing. A little over an hour passed by before your mom came through the entrance of the room, holding a stand with a cake, 18 golden candles stuck in the pink and white frosting. Everyone sang as you awkwardly laughed. You closed your eyes and wished for Connor, he was all you could think of. You blew your candles out and everyone cheered, clapping and laughing.

You hung out for a while with everyone, another hour and a half passing before people's curfews started falling. Of course, Connor was the last person there, he'd always been the last one there when everyone else had gone.

but, it's finally sinkin' in.

You two sat on the couch, still awfully close even though everyone else was gone.

"You gonna open your gifts?"

You turned and looked at the small pile of boxes and bags, shrugging.

"My mom always said it was rude to open gifts in front of my guests."

"Am I just a guest to you?"

You laughed, shaking your head. You stood and grabbed all the gifts, laying them on your coffee table before you began opening things. Every gift was thoughtful and sweet, you left things in specific piles so you knew what to thank people for later. Connor's gift was last, and his stomach twisted when you grabbed the bag.

betty, right now is the last time, i can dream about what happens when, you see my face again.

Shit, this was when he was gonna tell you everything. You pulled at the neatly placed tissue paper, you could tell Mrs. Bedard had helped Connor out. The first piece came out and you saw the envelope sitting on the side of the bag. You grabbed it and Connor gently grabbed your wrist.

the only thing i wanna do,

"Can you read it after? I wanna see your reaction before."

"Okay."

Your eyebrows scrunched, but you didn't think too much of it. You pulled out the next piece of tissue paper and your jaw dropped. A small teal box sat wrapped in a bow. The color was unmistakable, the bow too. You looked up at Connor with wide eyes, already feeling tears prick your waterline.

"Connor you didn't."

is make it up to you.

"You don't even know what I did. Look at it."

You grabbed the box, pulling it out and gently untying the bow. You slip the lid off the box, your assumption proved correct, a beautiful white gold necklace lying pretty and perfect in the box. Two heart-shaped white gold pendants hung down, shiny and polished to perfection. Your eyes watered, no one had ever done something so kind for you.

"Connor, I can't even accept this. 'S too much."

"Well I'm not gonna wear it, and I'm not returning it either."

You lightly examined the necklace, light reflecting on the second heart causing something to catch your eye. You held the box closer to your face, squinting for just a second before your eyes widened. There was a small 98 engraved in the heart, your jaw dropping slightly.

so i showed up at your party. yeah, i showed up at your party.

"I've had it since June. I'd tried to order it for our two years but it took forever to ship."

You couldn't help but set the small box down and throw your arms around Connor, a huff of surprise leaving him at the impact. His arms wrapped around you, squeezing tightly.

"I love it, I love you."

You took a leap of faith as you pulled back just slightly and kissed your ex-boyfriend. His arms around you tightened, kissing back immediately. Your hands held his face as you kissed fervently. You were practically pulled into Connor's lap by the time you pulled away to catch your breath, chest heaving as you stared at each other. Connor grinned, extremely happy his girl was back in his arms.

yeah, i showed up at your party.

"I love you."

You giggled and leaned your forehead against his shoulder, still taking in what had just happened.

"Missed you so much."

You turned your head and left a kiss on his neck in response, your boy was back in your arms.

"Missed you more. You don't even know."

"I do know, all summer fuckin' sucked."

"Yeah! And your ass had dating rumors two weeks after we 'broke up'!"

"The key word there is rumors."

You both laughed, Connor kissing you again. You both smiled and giggled into the kiss, tingles running through your bodies.

"Hey, sweetheart! Did everyone leave?"

Your mom had gone upstairs to bed after cake, you thought she'd be asleep by now. You shushed Connor's giggling, pushing yourself off his lap and pulling him up with you.

will you have me?

"Almost mom! Connor's still here, he's leaving soon!"

"Alright, well goodnight you two!"

You both called goodnight to her, turning and smiling at each other.

"I guess that was you demanding I leave."

You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him down and pecking him a few times.

"Shut up! If I had only said that you were still here she'd probably be down here in her pajamas making sure we aren't getting at it on my couch."

Connor just laughed, kissing you again. You two sat back down and just sat together for a while. You both had missed just existing together so much. It was nearing midnight when Connor told you he had to go.

"I have practice at like 6 tomorrow."

"Connor! You're only gonna get like five hours of sleep. Go home."

He stood up, pulling you with him. You walked him out, very quietly opening the front door. Connor's arms wrapped around you again as you stood on the front porch of your home. You laid your head in the curve of his neck with your arms wrapped around his shoulders. You stood in silence for a few moments, before you interrupted the quiet.

"You know what I wished for?"

"No. What'd you wish for?"

"You."

will you kiss me on the porch, in front of all your stupid friends?

He grinned, kissing you sweetly. He held your face as your hands gripped at his quarter-zip. After a few moments, you pulled away, giggly and drunk in love. You didn't know but your Ring Doorbell was catching the whole thing on camera.

You two stood on your porch talking until ten after midnight when you cursed at yourself and insisted Connor needed to go get some rest.

"Walk me to my car?"

"Fine, princess."

if you kiss me, will it be just like i dreamed it?

He failed to fight his laughter as he told you to shut up. You held hands as you walked down your driveway, Connor's jeep parked on the side of the road.

Connor leaned you back against the driver's door and kissed you real good. You almost forgot it was nearing 12:20 am and you were in the middle of your street making out with your technically still ex-boyfriend.

will it patch your broken wings? i'm only seventeen, i don't know anything. but i know i miss you.

You snapped back to reality and pulled away from Connor.

"You need to stop kissing me while I'm trying to get you to go home."

He climbed into his jeep, rolling down the window and leaning his arms against the window frame. As much as you wanted him to go home and get some sleep, you also loved and missed him too much to give up this moment.

"You love it, though."

standin' in your cardigan.

You rolled your eyes and sighed playfully, tilting your head and giving him a smile.

"Might be a crazy question but are we together now?"

"We were never broken up in my mind."

"Cut the poetic shit Bedard. Am I your girlfriend or not?"

He laughed, that was his girl.

"You wanna be?"

You gave him a legitimate eye roll that time, he just laughed again.

"Yes, you're my girlfriend and I'm your boyfriend."

"Perfect, awesome. Have an amazing night. I will text you tomorrow morning whenever I wake up. Which is not gonna be around 5:30 like you."

He groaned thinking of morning practice but was back to smiling at you in less than a moment. You leaned forward, kissing him one more time.

kissin' in my car again. stopped at a streetlight.

You pulled back with a sleepy smile, your whole heart content.

"I love you, Connor."

"I love you."

“Drive safe.”

Connor watched you all the way up the driveway and into your house, waiting a few extra seconds for you to lock the door before he sped home.

Once you closed and locked the door, you were smiling and giggling to yourself. You put on your new necklace and cleaned up from your party.

The two of you slept soundly, you knowing you finally had your person back, and wouldn't lose him again anytime soon. Connor would've been okay with 20 minutes of sleep if that's how long you kept him. His girl was finally his again, and he wasn't going to lose her again.

[mcytblrconfessions]

I'm eternally grateful to the life series fandom for introducing me to the crane wives band. They're my favourite music artist by far and have been a special interest of mine pretty much since I started listening. However. I don't think a single person in the life series fandom has an ounce of lyric literacy because why are you people assigning songs to characters that blatantly dont fit, then claiming its "literally written for them". Just no?? For example, "Pretty Little Things" is about a woman lamenting over her past physically and mentally abusive loves and how they have ruined her ability to love again and the trauma she bears from them (simplified). That is not desertduo? That is not flower husbands? That is not any popular yaoi ship? What song did you people listen to for you to think that fits them? this is a really small and petty thing to get annoyed over but my life series and tcw hyperfixations are completely separate and my autism is so utterly infuriated by people being wrong about my Thing.

[mysticheathenn]

Why Are You Ugly? Your Traits, Habits, Etc...

Hi, Hexlings!

This pick-a-card is really just for fun. Please don't take most of what is here seriously unless it resonates. This is just to show some of your features or traits that others deem unattractive. Again this is meant to be fun and not a dig at you..unless you like shit like that then by all means do you.

This is a general reading, remember to take what resonates and leave what does not. This reading does not supplement your need to seek professional help.

Take your time when choosing your pile. Ask yourself the question and choose the picture that you can’t stop looking at. Listen to your intuition.

Pile l:

Tarot: 5 of Swords, 5 of Cups / Strength (reversed), 2 of Swords

Pile l others find you "ugly" because you are a coward who lack direction in their life. The phrase from the movie Clueless "You're a virgin who can't drive" just popped into my head. Not only that but you like to cry wolf while also not doing anything with your life. Ex. "I'm so lazy, a fatass, etc" but then you continue to scroll on TikTok and not apply yourself in areas of your life you want to change. You may also like to point fingers at other people whenever something doesn't happen the way you want it to go and blame everyone else except for the matter for what it is, sometimes yourself.

Oracle: Talent/Dreams (Reversed), Life Purpose The TikTok meme "You are looking so cute doing ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOTHING GET YOUR ASS UP. GET YOUR ASS UP." For those who don't know the meme here is the link to the original video: http://tinyurl.com/3fa4xth2

Pile ll:

Tarot: 3 of Swords / The Magician / 6 of Swords (All Reversed), 5 of Pentacles.

The only thing you like to let go of is money pile ll. Anything else in your life you like to hold onto especially toxic people and grudges and sometimes for no dam reason. Someone could step on your 5-year-old shoes and say sorry but because they stepped on your shoe you're out for revenge...okay maybe some of you may not be that petty but you still like to hold grudges and then wonder why no one or barely anyone is in your life...it's because you let people go for breathing wrong pile ll. Someone says your name in a tone you aren't familiar with, blocked. Someone didn't bring you food even though you said you weren't hungry, block. Again maybe not this crazy for some of you but you get it. You may have also been attracted a bit to pile one because you also don't like to do sh*t with your life and when you do decide to do sh*t with your life if it doesn't happen fast enough for you, you give up as if everything is supposed to bend you to your will when, where, and how you want it.

Oracle: Prosperity/Love (reversed), Trust

There's a lyric to a song that I can't think of but the song part that is playing in my head is "That's why you believe in lies..."...I wish I knew the song but that is the only part of it that keeps playing with no melody in my head. Learn to trust...not only yourself but others and love yourself. Let love in your life without treating everything like a checklist or transaction. Also, stop overspending, pick up a Financial literacy book or course and learn how to save, plan, and budget your money properly.

Pile lll:

Tarot: Death, 8 of Wands, The Fool, Knight of Wands

Pile lll your trait that others may deem "ugly/unappealing" isn't so much of a bad thing. you were probably told when you were younger that you always were "Acting fast" or if not people as an adult tell you all the time that you are always on the move as if you are on the run. You can't sit still maybe you have or deal with ADHD. Every time you get a new idea, or opportunity, or you see something that could possibly get you ahead in life you are on it and you never think about whether this is the right move for you? Is this opportunity legit? or anything else substantial that you need to make sure that you land safely, if not safely at least have a parachute when you jump. You may also move from job to job similar to pile ll anytime you see even a milligram of bullsh*t you are out of there. "Miller when you are done running and want to make a home, make it with me." Book Quote from the book Caught Up by Liz Tomforde (love that book) it's about a female who is always on the run and she does a favor for her dad and nanny one of his teammate's son and when they start falling for each other he says that to her. I am getting this is more so from your higher self pile lll. When you are done running from your past, inner thoughts, poverty, chasing gimmicks, and temporary people go back to yourself and actually see what exactly do you want to do, what is your purpose, what is something you can build for your life that is stable and secure than these fleeting moments you keep trying to create for yourself. Some of you may be either in situationships that you hate or like to have a lot of flings only to feel lonely afterward.

Oracle: Boundaries, Life Purpose, Compassion

This goes back to the quote in your reading pile lll. Stop running from yourself and the things you really want vs the things you chase.... I may do a reading on this let me know if you want that or not. Either way show yourself more compassion and place boundaries on yourself not others. You have no problem in that department for a lot of you but others you need boundaries for yourself and others.

REMEMBER THIS IS MEANT TO BE A FUN READING AND NOT AN ATTACK.

Thank you to everyone who are subscribed to my Patreon and those who like and reblog my pick-a-card readings. I always appreciate you. I hope you enjoyed this reading.

Until next time, stay safe and blessed.

[k8lynjoy]

I know the Live Action Little Mermaid came out forever ago, but I wasn't blogging then, so I have to discuss my grievances with it now. I want to start off by saying that I think the live action was good, this is in no way intended to slander the movie because as far as live actions go, this one is one of the good ones (Halle Bailey, I love you, marry me). That being said, I have got to talk about how much I hate the lyric changes made to "Poor Unfortunate Souls".

I understand why they decided to change the lyrics in "Kiss the Girl" to remove the lines of kissing people without their consent, but the lyric changes in "Poor Unfortunate Souls" irk me to no end because they completely miss the point of the original song. Are the lyrics incredibly misogynistic and rooted in outdated stereotypes surrounding women? Yes. Is that the whole point? YES! Ursula is MANIPULATING Ariel. She wants her to believe that giving up her voice is in her best interest. Of course she's going to be spouting bs about how "it's she who holds her tongue that gets a man", she's the VILLAIN. We are not meant to be taking any of what Ursula says seriously. Changing the lyrics to "remove the sexism" misses the intention of the original song. It's SUPPOSED to be sexist, not because it's sexism for the sake of sexism, but because it serves a narrative purpose within the story.

I also want to add that URSULA IS PROVEN WRONG! I know The Little Mermaid gets a lot of flak for having the FMC give up her voice "for a man" (I use quotes bc Ariel had an interest in the human world BEFORE Eric, but I also understand that he was the main catalyst for Ursula being able to manipulate her into giving up her voice and becoming human), but I don't think enough people- or anyone really- ever talks about the fact that Ariel NEEDS her voice in order to be with Eric. Now obviously I know that Eric was falling for Ariel even before she got her voice back, but her not having her voice was the main source of "conflict" for their relationship. This was once again, intentional on Ursula's part. She knows how powerful Ariel's voice is, which is why she takes it in the first place, she knows that without her voice, Ariel is going to have a very hard time winning Eric. What Ursula doesn't count on is Ariel having a personality that still manages to win Eric over. I also feel compelled to add that Eric spending the movie wishing that Ariel could speak to him also disproves the points Ursula made because "on land it's much preferred/for ladies not to say a word" becomes null and void when Eric actively wants Ariel to speak, but she can't. I digress.

Regardless of Ariel being able to sway Eric with her personality, they do not end up together until AFTER she has gotten her voice back. Ariel did not need to lose her voice to gain a man, she needed to WIN IT BACK. Ariel's voice holds a lot of weight in the movie- being the thing that drew Eric to her and what Ursula now covets in order to keep Ariel from succeeding to get Eric to kiss her- so her taking it back from Ursula is very important within the context of the story. And it is only after she has gotten it back that her and Eric end up together, fully cementing the point that Ursula WAS WRONG. Ariel NEEDED her voice, its important and holds its own kind of power. We were never supposed to believe what Ursula was saying, and even if some of us did get manipulated right along with Ariel, by the end of the movie, we see that what Ursula was saying wasn't true.

Now this isn't me trying to spin some revisionist, feminist take on The Little Mermaid, where I'm lamenting on how beautifully feminist the original message of the movie is, because that is most definitely NOT what I'm saying. What I am saying is that there is an ever-growing lack of media literacy and nuance when it comes to the things we read/watch and changing the lyrics to "Poor Unfortunate Souls" because they're sexist, just proves that A.) some people lack the ability to understand context and nuance and B.) that Hollywood doesn't trust people to have the brain capacity to understand complexities within plot and character.

It's just a shame to see because one thing that remakes keep doing is removing a lot of the things they deem "problematic" in order to make it more palatable, but- in reality- the only thing they are doing is reducing the complexity of the narrative because they can't trust audiences to work things out for themselves.

[piraytoro]

Okay so I haven’t talked outside of like tags and stuff about racism in the MCR fandom bc it’s honestly draining and sometimes triggering for me but I did want to talk about like. A trend I’ve been seeing in the way people talk about Ray. And this isn’t a callout for any specific people, I honestly don’t remember where a lot of these examples even came from, they’re just things that kind of stuck with me bc they made me uncomfortable.

Anyway, there’s been kind of a trend with people calling Ray dumb? Whether it’s for the crypto thing or for his poetry or his lyrics, I’ve just seen it happening a lot, even within circles of people who love Ray Toro! And I get that calling fictional characters dumb without meaning it is just a part of fandom culture, but this is a real person and honestly it feels like sometimes people kind of do mean it. Generally making fun of his spelling and writing rubs me the wrong way because there is a definite disparity in literacy support and education between Latine people—ESPECIALLY those who are (probably) neurodivergent—and white people in this country that has nothing to do with intelligence and ability, it has to do with racism.

And like. We all know Ray has suffered from self esteem issues in the past. He bluntly stated he didn’t like how he looked, has said he didn’t think he had a good voice, and he demurs whenever Gerard says he’s the best guitarist ever. But he is so wrong on all counts! And he’s super intelligent and widely knowledgeable about a ton of things! If anything, the only issue with his lyrics is that he’s trying too hard bc HE DOESNT THINK HE’S GOOD AT WRITING. Like We Save is literally amazing lyrically, he’s contributed lyrically to a ton of MCR songs, most notably Early Sunsets, and people are saying things like “oh he can’t write” as if that mentality isn’t literally the issue in the first place. It’s a common problem with people who aren’t confident in their writing abilities to try too hard to Sound Poetic, but poetry/lyricism is so much about creating a feeling and an experience that trying too hard doesn’t translate well. When he goes for very direct and specific visuals/sensory experiences, his lyrics are actually really good.

And the thing is that the people who are saying these things just aren’t thinking about the implications because they don’t have to. Because most people just aren’t fully, viscerally aware of how insidious these prejudices are. But when you say that Ray is “the only true himbo in the band bc he’s kind of dumb” or whatever, just remember that what you’re implying by that is “out of these four guys, the only dumb one is the only one who’s not white.”

[earlgreydyke]

i’m not a #gaylor because i like maintaining some level of sanity but as a lesbian who has loved taylor swift since fearless was released and then maintained a healthy level of love, nostalgia (and autistic special interest) around her as an artist, i have many thoughts on gaylorism. i’m also a music and literature student who analyses things a lot and is familiar with scholarly discourses around what is a “correct” lens of interpretation.

i find it really fascinating that people object so much to analysing queer themes in her lyrics. ultimately, taylor swift has reached a point in her career where people consider her a literary figure. the “canon” of taylor swift’s art is revered and will certainly remain as such as it ages and future generations reflect on her undoubtable impact on art. taylor swift as an artist benefits directly from people analysing her work. the themes they identify create a life outside of it. whether or not the queer subtext in her lyrics is deliberate or based in her true experiences as a queer person, it exists because people see it and identifying, seeking, finding and engaging with themes and techniques is quite literally the purpose of engaging with media. taylor swift, the artist, wants you to do that, no matter what you find resonates with you. to say people are “wrong” for identifying certain things in her work is weird and not showing a great deal of media literacy and probably tells me more about your tolerance of gay people than anything else.

i also personally think it’s funny when people are so adamant taylor swift is straight and hate queer interpretations of her songs because straight people finally see what it’s like for the biggest artist in the world to not make something that’s about their experience (something that queer people experience constantly) and they are soooo mad about it

anyways, please don’t come for me! i don’t even go here and am genuinely just interested in enjoying the music and analysing it! swifties are so scary but i’m just sharing some really harmless thoughts on literary analysis and how it functions in popular culture :)))

[dearreader]

my tldr version of the media around brat v ttpd would be: the media and a loud group of fans are so focused on the potential conflict and drama (for clicks/views) that they neglect to engage with the music as an art form and then everyone is disappointed bc instead of knowing the background that’s needed to appreciate the art they’re just listening so they can dig for gossip that may or may not be there

but maybe you’re thinking of something else, I think there’s a lot to discuss

this is also true! i was thinking more about how we’re in a massive media literacy crisis and more and more people are getting upset when art isn’t easily digestible.

before i start this:

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH LIKING STRAIGHT FORWARD ART!

but what i was thinking was that brat dives into complex emotions but in a more straight forward/simplistic way. that’s not an insult at charli xcx or the album at all! she isn’t going for the same type of lyricism as other artists (think taylor but also chappell roan or flyna boss). it’s all to personal preference. but a big issue with people discussing brat or preferring it is that they’re saying they don’t want to decipher a bunch of lyrics to relate to it, they just want it and can go. which is fine. but it does create a problem of people then misinterpreting other lyrics because they refuse to actually see what is being said or done. i really enjoyed ttpd:ta because im a pretentious english major but i knew i wasn’t gonna be for everyone or it would take awhile for others to understand it, which is fine. but instead of doing that people instead just conflated it all to being bad. which is where ive seen a lot of the two albums being compared to.

i saw people on tiktok (my first mistake was opening the app, i know) saying that charli is actually making GOOD pop music while taylor isn’t. and while ive already established “brat” isn’t for me i was still very surprised by how well recieved it was. it doesn’t seem like what mainstream pop music would want or like, and while charli has her fans and does deserve her praise and roses i was still surprised. i do stand by my statement that i think in 1-2 years a lot of the general public will say brat was an album of the time because it, to me in my opinion, won’t age well to the general public. i can be wrong, we’ll see. but i think people like it because charli is diving into emotions or relationships we’ve all had. sympathy is a knife and girl, so confused are at the top of my head because those are somewhat universal situations we all have been in. and with charli’s writing style she’s more straightforward so people don’t have to think to hard on it. they can get it on the first listen and go. but this is then tying back to what i wanted to discuss with the media literacy crisis.

i’m going to use my favorite album of all time, “the good witch” by maisie peters, to explain this since i think if i continue with ttpd and taylor people will ignore my point. but i loved tgw because it was not only phenomenal on my first listen but the more and more i listened the more details i noticed and the more i saw just how talented of a writer maisie is. history of man is a prime example obviously, but in watch she uses antanaclasis, which means using the same word but in different ways, with the line “I fought it, but I saw it and it sawed me right in half”! this is an incredible line and realizing she did that word play made me love the song more! and the more i listened the more i found stuff like this and became obsessed with it. and this was because i kept going back and listening to it because i wanted to know more. art and literature are supposed to do this, we’re supposed to sit and think about it and find deeper meaning. not all art but we’re supposed to sit and think on what we saw and what that means for us and the art.

another example with a movie is oppenheimer. i remember when the movie came out people were saying not to see it because it was problematic. and one review i saw even said “all biopics are problematic because the director controls the narrative and therefore controls how you’ll view the person” which was the worst take id EVER seen because this person just said they never think critically about any media they consume. they just let the person making it control them and don’t think about the implications. because oppenheimer is a great movie that explores and discusses war and destruction. and it is a good film to watch but i don’t think the guy who made the ATOMIC BOMB is a good guy and was rooting for him. i still think he is awful cause he is awful. but i still enjoyed the film and thought critically on it and what it means for society. like art should be. but not every movie is like that or intends to have that same meaning. another movie i like is bottoms, which is literally about lesbians starting a fight club to get pussy. no one meant for it to have a deeper meaning than that and it succeeds in what the plot is. this doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie but rather the art is doing something different. it’s a silly comedy for wlw to just have fun. and yet, both films are good.

or with books to. ali hazelwood is a fine author who writes cute romance stories and doesn’t go farther than that while RF kaung is writing books that ask you to think and contemplate what she’s discussing which has made people upset. i remember when babel came out a person read it and made a review talking about how she hated it because she thought it would be a fun fantasy book to read before going back to grad school and was instead confronted with colonialism and racism. she said she made this review to tell others it was okay to not like the book while missing the point that the book was literally describing people like her.

this has gotten slightly miss jointed and is all over the place, but my point is that people are slowly gravitating toward more simplistic or straightforward media that doesn’t necessarily ask them to think more on something. which isn’t inherently bad, you aren’t required to always think hard on everything you consume, sometimes you just wanna listen to fun club music or watch lesbians kill football players. there’s nothing wrong with that. but we’re in a media literacy crisis because a lot of people refuse to sit on media that makes them think. they refuse to think about how songs can have deeper meanings and will instead just focus on “the golden retriever line in the title track is stupid.” and ignore that it was intentionally done like that because taylor was trying to show her and her muse weren’t being smart or as tortured as they thought they were, they were just two idiots being high together. but people refuse to think on that and will only look at a surface level example.

which is what i was getting at, brat isn’t bad and if you like the album im happy! but ive seen a lot of people use this album to tear ttpd down and miss the albums are not only doing two separate things but also then trying to create unnecessary drama.

i hope this makes sense, it was why i wanted to kinda wait to post it so i can get my thoughts in order but this was what i was getting at. it’s not on charli or her album but im more so just talking about the general public.

[shakespearerants]

Ed not being able to read is a fan theory, NOT canonical. Him signing "x" on a paper doesn't prove a thing and insisting it does has created some really annoying (and often racist) discourse

Hi Anon, I was really surprised to find this message in my inbox considering a) if you do a quick search for 'our flag means death' on my blog you might have seen that I rarely post about the show at all, and none of what I post includes discourse about the literacy of the characters - this message was the first I heard of this discussion!, b) the sentence of mine you're referring to wasn't even a reply to the post, but in the tags, and lastly c) racist discourse aside, how is a character signing their name with an x and requiring someone else to write down song lyrics for them while sitting in an office filled with ink and paper...not considered canon evidence that they can't read? Like I'm genuinely sorry this discourse exist and also that this is apparently stressing you out to the degree that you feel the need to come into my inbox and tell me, an evidently casual fan who's never heard of it, about it but. In my opinion as someone who's watched the show once and didn't pay thaaaat much attention 'Ed can't read' is not a fan theory. Considering we are shown that he cannot spell his own name or write. Which even I as someone who mainly watched the show while making breakfast managed to remember. If season 2 shows him reading Stedes letter I will gladly admit I was wrong but I really don't care either way. Also considering no one except Lucius, Jim and Stede can read of Stedes' crew either I can understand how racist discourse around Ed or other non-white characters not being able to read started but I don't think Ed not being able to read is, by itself, inherently racist. But I'm also not interested in participating in this discussion any further, as, again, I am at best a casual fan of the show. And again I'm really sorry this discourse exists and I hope you don't take this reply as me being somehow mad at you for telling me about it (imagine me reading your message more as a dog tilting his head and that one video game "huh????" sound) but I am really not deep enough in the fandom to care. And also I would gently recommend you block some people in your fandom (and also me if this is not the response you were hoping for!) to have a better experience while talking about your blorbo on the internet.

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Shaw’s S2 R&S - Glacier Navigation

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a Rumours & Secrets, 冰川行舟, which has not been released in EN! 🍒

This R&S features S2 Shaw

In terms of sequencing, this is Shaw’s first S2 R&S!

[ Chapter One ]

On this rare break, a phone call from Shaw brings me to the entrance of Loveland University.

At the school gate, a huge “Welcome New Students" banner waves in the wind. The osmanthus petals at my feet exude the unique scent of late summer and early autumn.

I follow Shaw through the bustling crowd and towards the graduate student registration point.

MC: The registration office... this should be it.

Shaw: Are you sure it's here? Just look at these registering students - how do they look like graduate students?

MC: You’re clearly the one who doesn’t look like a graduate student, okay?

Shaw glances at the long line outside the door of the office. Clicking his tongue, he eventually stands at the back properly.

Not having to wait for long, the both of us reach the head of the line.

MC: You don't need me to accompany you for the registration, do you?

Shaw: What are you thinking? Are you treating me like a kid?

MC: Then why did you drag me along to school...

Shaw: I just took you out for a breather after seeing you squatting at home for a few weeks.

He waves his hand at me in self-assurance, turning his head and entering the office.

I lean against the wall, waiting for him. As soon as I take out my phone, the tall figure walks out of the office fiercely.

MC: ...how did you settle it so quickly?

Shaw doesn’t respond. He suddenly leans forward, his eyes almost within reach. His half-squinting eyes contain slight irritation.

MC: W-what do you want... Ah! Don't touch my hair!

I raise my hand to protect my hair, but my cheek ends up getting pinched twice by two of his fingers.

Shaw: This is your punishment for leading me to the wrong place.

MC: No way, we really went to the wrong place?

Shaw: This is the registration point for the Chinese Department. The Archaeology Department is in Zhi Hua Building.

MC: Zhi Hua Building... I remember now. I think we passed by it earlier.

Shaw: Really?

Knowing that I was in the wrong, I quickly lift both my hands up as a guarantee.

MC: Really, I definitely won’t be wrong this time!

Shaw: Fine, I’ll reluctantly believe you this time. The last time.

-

[ Chapter Two ]

Since heading to the wrong place led to quite a delay, the door to the registration office of the Department of Archaeology is completely empty.

Shaw knocks on the office door. Inside, there’s only one middle-aged teacher who is currently reading the newspaper.

Teacher: A freshman? Come, fill in this form. Did you bring a copy of your ID card? If you didn’t bring it, give me the original. I'll make a copy for you.

Shaw: I brought it.

Teacher: What about the one-inch photo?

Shaw: Here.

Teacher: Oh, the boy's ID photo is so handsome! Sit for a while, I have to make a record.

Shaw: Mm, thanks for the hard work, teacher.

The teacher sits in front of the computer leisurely, then casts a curious glance at the door.

Teacher: Is that young lady outside your girlfriend?

Shaw: No.

Shaw pauses, then adds on.

Shaw: Just a friend.

Teacher: Oh... I understand~

The middle-aged man reveals a meaningful smile, and can’t help but gesture at the young man in front of him

Teacher: Young people have to be braver. How can a boy be so shy!

Shaw suppresses the urge to roll his eyes, squeezing out words one by one from between his teeth.

Shaw: Teacher, are you done with the registration?

[Note] There are different ways of saying “you” in Chinese, depending on formality! When being polite and respectful, especially to an elder, 您 (“nin”) is used. When talking to friends or someone younger, 你 (“ni”) is used. SHAW USES 您 HERE BECAUSE HE IS A POLITE BOY

Teacher: Yes yes, sign here. There’s one more thing I have to tell you. Because you filled in your identity as an Evolver on the form, I’ll have to trouble you to submit a copy of the Evol inspection report.

Shaw: The notice didn’t mention that I had to bring it.

Teacher: It’s a new requirement. It conveniences the school in terms of management, so I hope you can understand. Last semester, an Evolver lost control of his ability and almost lifted the entire classroom. The STF were called down for a day, and it was very troublesome. 

When he hears the term “STF”, Shaw’s expression stirs slightly. Then, he clicks his tongue impatiently.

Shaw: So troublesome...

Teacher: What did you say?

Shaw: Nothing. Can I hand it in another day?

Teacher: It's fine, just come back within five working days. Here, your notice.

Shaw: Thanks.

-

[ Chapter Three ]

Schoolmate A: Schoolmate, want to check out our e-sports club? We organise competitions every month, and you can receive exquisite merchandise!

Schoolmate B: Schoolmate, come take a look at our basketball club! Handsome guys and beautiful girls gather and keep fit...

Today happens to be the club recruitment day. When Shaw and I pass by the public square, students constantly stop us, asking if we wish to join their clubs.

I look at Shaw curiously, but he doesn’t seem to be interested in any clubs. He walks quickly, not even giving them a glance.

When we’re about to leave the public square, we are once again stopped by a student.

Schoolmate C: Schoolmates, I can tell at a glance that you’re both from the Arts Department, right? Tsk tsk, your outfits have such an artistic quality. I’m from the rock club of our school. Even though the club was only established this year, I believe we have great potential! Usually, the club will organise activities introducing various instruments and music appreciation for hobbyists. Our club president even formed a band himself! They’re performing over there. Do you two want to have a listen?

I initially thought that Shaw would once again ignore him and leave. Unexpectedly, he suddenly stops in his footsteps, then arches his eyebrows with interest.

Shaw: Oh? You guys have a band?

Schoolmate C: Of course! We don't do covers. They’re all original songs!

Shaw: Let’s have a listen then.

MC: Do you actually want to join this rock club?

Shaw: We’ll talk after listening.

After saying this, he walks towards the area surrounded by a cluster of people.

The venue is simple, but there’s a sizeable number of audience members. The band members in the middle are wagging their heads while performing a song.

The vocals are discordant, and the sound quality is inferior. I’m unable to hear the lyrics clearly, but the melody is really catchy.

MC: I didn't expect them to look like an actual band... Shaw?

Shaw: ...tch.

Shaw grabs my arm, leaving the scene without saying a word.

MC: What’s wrong?

Shaw: Hearing plagiarised songs dirties my ears.

MC: That song from before was plagiarised?!

Shaw: They copied an unpopular old song from the 80s. No wonder these people didn’t realise it. You should also improve your musical literacy so you wouldn’t be confused by copied songs.

MC: So what you mean is... I should listen to your band’s songs more?

Shaw: Of course.

I burst out laughing, and Shaw raises his eyebrows in dissatisfaction.

Shaw: What are you laughing at?

MC: No, no, I just think that you’ve always been very serious about your band...

Shaw: You seem pretty concerned about my band?

MC: Mm. I know that you really like this band.

Shaw glances at me, as though verifying the sincerity of my words.

Then, he turns his gaze away, and sunlight touches the corners of his sharp and slightly raised mouth.

Shaw: Even if it’s just for fun, I’ll do even better than everyone else.

He says these words matter-of-factly, as though so long as he’s willing, every difficulty can be stamped out by him.

Shaw takes a final look back at the noisy public square. Retrieving a pair of earphones from his pocket, he hands it to me.

Shaw: Wear it properly. I’ll let you listen to truly good music.

-

[ Chapter Four ]

Shaw: Let’s go. Also, we’ll stop by the supermarket along the way. I’m buying some daily necessities.

MC: I really couldn’t tell that you’d be willing to stay in a dormitory.

Shaw: Who said so? I don’t plan to stay in a dormitory.

MC: Huh?

Shaw: I never stay with outsiders. 

Shaw: Anyway, there’s a small room in Live House, and I plan to live there. Rehearsals will be convenient too.

MC: Oh... but your place is really too empty. Aside from a bed, it doesn't look liveable.

Shaw: Hm? How’d you know that my place is empty?

MC: I...

I bite my tongue, hurriedly tossing out a reason to muddle through it.

MC: I don’t even have to think about it to know. Judging by your personality, your house definitely has nothing but bare walls.

Probably because of my self-assured tone, Shaw retracts his scrutinising gaze, pursing his lips. 

Shaw: That’s not how you use “nothing but bare walls”. Did you even pay attention in school... Let’s go.”

[Note] The reason why Shaw says this is because what MC used was 家徒四壁 (“jia tou si bi”), which is an idiom literally translating to “nothing but bare walls”. However, this idiom is supposed to describe someone who is very poor!

Shaw has always been very proactive. When he finishes speaking, he quickly takes me to the nearest supermarket from school.

After a short while, the shopping cart is stuffed to the brim.

Shaw: ...wait. I asked you to get a washbowl for me. Why’d you get me three? Do you need to use three washbasins to wash your face every day?

MC: These three washbasins have their respective uses! This one is for washing your face, this one is for washing your body, this one...”

Shaw: Washes what?

MC: Fruits!

Shaw: So troublesome. I might as well buy fruits that I can eat directly without washing.

MC: This is a refined life, okay? If you think it’s too much, then I'll reduce... Hey, what did you put into the cart?

Shaw: Daily necessities.

Lowering my head to take a look, I see three boxes of animal-shaped clothes hangers. The chubby little animals have their cheeks puffed out, lying in the washbowls I’m buying.

MC: Wow, so cute! You’re quite good at picking things too! ...but why are you buying three boxes?

Shaw: I learnt from you. One box for clipping towels, one box for clipping clothes, and one box...

MC: Huh?

Shaw doesn’t finish the second half of the sentence, and I subconsciously look up at him, meeting his sly eyes.

Shaw: Since you came out to run errands today, I’ll give it to you.

-

Shaw leans against the door of Live House, quietly watching the taxi drown in the neon glow. Suddenly, the phone in his pocket vibrates slightly.

An unknown number appears on the screen. Shaw frowns, then lifts his hand to tap the answer button.

?: I heard you reported to school today?

Shaw: Looks like you guys are really free. You even have to bother about my enrolment in school?

?: How is it? Is everything going smoothly?

Shaw: It’s fine. Some situations cropped up, but I’m still in a pretty good mood. Also, you guys have to help me with something. The school wants me to submit an Evol inspection report. Forge one for me.

?: No problem. You can collect it from the usual place. Is there anything unusual about Nox from BS recently?

Hearing this alias, Shaw subconsciously glances into the distance. However, all that is visible is the gorgeous night of the city.

Shaw: She's been very busy recently, and seems to keep working overtime. That's it.

?: You know that’s not what we’re asking about.

Shaw: ...what’s the rush? I haven't finished investigating what you guys want to know.

?: Let me remind you not to mix in unnecessary emotions. Don't forget your mission either.

Shaw: I know. I'm hanging up.

The streetlights lining the long street light up in succession, dyeing Shaw’s hair in a warm colour.

He looks at the phone for a long time, and an untamed smile surfaces on the corners of his lips.

Shaw: I have the final say on how to deal with her.

He takes the long skateboard he had set by the side, lifts his ankle slightly, and skates into the night without hesitation.

More from S2: here

[gayspock]

alright my good Egg since I rly love that you have such strong opinions on this so: Arcane OST ranked by how appropriate each song is in its in-show context? (or jus honourable mentions for some of the most and least appropriate)

okay so heres my thoughts going off of just the songs on the spotify soundtrack. im linking the actual scenes theyre in though for reference.

and you know what. ok. turns out im not as mad as i was. but im still mad abt imagine dragons. but also- i must say im like ... THIS IS SO FUNNY BC ITS LIKE. IM SUCH A MUSICALLY UNINCLINED PERSON, HELP. like you know how people have no media literacy... yeah thats me but for music 💖 so watch me spit venom just on vibes alone

songs i like

- dirty little animals: not much to say- just that i like this one! and i liked this montage a lot- they did a really good job with the editing here and its lovely and cohesive. like, its like... a much better version of playground down below because it actually has personality AND compliments what we see visually- things that playground does neither of.

- dynasties and dystopia: i was obsessed with this scene and i think the music goes well with it. its also, again, got some personality to it you know? i mean- fine it... DOES also face some issues of getting carried away moreso with the track (will talk abt tht later) and leaving the scene itself behind in the dust but im like giving it a pass bc of bias

- and as a sort of bonus, misfit toys: i mean... ok i was reticient to put this here bc i think it does indeed fuck BUT i mean?? also hesitant to say its, like- actually in the context of the show... it was more of an alternative opener. but ekkos my bestie. it can stay here.

totally neutral

- our love: cliche as it is, i like the "happy music over montage despite building tension and imprending doom". shrugs. and i dont have a problem with the song itself i guess.

- snakes and when everything went wrong: theyre both good scenes but the music is, like, just sorta in the bg. which i mean- i prefer that. but i dont actually have much to say about it, itself. its nothing remarkable to me personally.

songs i could have liked

- guns for hire and goodbye. im lumping these two together. initially i reacted badly to them both- but i think i was a little too keyed up. on rewatch, of these scenes by themselves... im less mad, but i stand by the fact i still dont like them. that being said there's a version which COULD have appealed to me. i just think... with both of them, they detract from two really big impactful scenes. i can see that a lot of ppl might disagree with me for that, but eh. (shrugs) like- guns for hire in particular: i think it starts off working well but then its like.... my god forgive me for this, BUT HAVE YOU EVER SEEN YES TO THE DRESS? OKDGOSGJPSDGJ. BECAUSE ITS LIKE... you know when theyre like "the dress is wearing you"? thats... how i feel about that scene in particular and it makes me sigh and shake my head a little. as a personal taste, also i just. do not like either of these songs. and also, like- i think... personally? im not a fan of lyrical music in soundtracks. does that make sense? i dont know- like i said, im really not a musically inclined person so im not sure if thats the best way to put it. but i think its just distracting more than anything. granted, i grew up on murray gold working for doctor who- so im very much a guy whos preference is big bombastic orchestral scores, the type to make a sandwich out of theyre that hammy. but yeah anyways

songs i loathed

- what could have been the eviller brother to guns for hire and goodbye. yet another really emotional scene devastated... pushed over into this section by the fact i just dont think this works at all for me and i hate the vocals all the more. like god man be quiet... oh hell hell hell on earth

- playground: this is peak, peak, PEAK cw teen show music ass choice. no personality - some really generic sound... and its just the most corny, almost literal lyrics. like help.

songs that send me into a rage

- enemy i hate it so much i dont know what the fuck it is about imagine dragons that sends me into a furious frenzy but my god i couldnt fucking COPE with it being the intro, them having their own little inserts singing did nothing but give m e a face to vilify and to see as the enemy AND THE ABSOLUTE CRIMINAL ACT OF INSERTING VIKTOR ON HIS DEATH BED IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS... THIS CLIP I LINKED CUTS OFF AT THE START OF VIKTOR, BUT THE WAY IN THE SHOW IT JUST GOES RIGHT BACK TO IMAGE DRAGONS . ENEMY. MY GOD. I JUST- I DONT KNOW. ITS LIKE THE PEAK OF IT ALL. ITS PERSONALITYLESS, GENERIC SOUND, CORNY ASS, LITERAL SHITTY LYTICS, CW ASS, ALMOST EXACTLY AND 0GHPSFJPAFJAFK-0RI202RIAP0SFKAS[LAS[PFLAS[F. SORRY. IVE BEEN SO MAD BC ITS BEEN IN MY HEAD ALL DAY GIRL HELP....

[minipliny]

it’s 1am and I am angry about 2019 moby dick musical lyrics

I have been wanting to write my historical-context-of-Queequeg-in-Moby-Dick and what-the-fuck-was-the-musical for 10 months, and I have been continually aware that it is not going to be a good version of this post and that I know nothing about this subject beyond some judicious Googling and JSTOR access. On the other hand, Dave Malloy had Google too and created…….these song lyrics. So please imagine me waving at you, the reader, frantically, in the direction of more information, rather than a learned disquisition of any sort. Also if I get anything wrong (WHICH I HAVE BEFORE) tell me.

Also point one: the source text Malloy is working with is absolutely also a racist text. He just didn’t have to do…that with it. And obviously, he’s writing it as a joke! I realise this! But when you explicitly decide to do a song about cultural relativism, and then you decide to present what I think even I can notice is kind of a wildly inaccurate caricature which doesn’t really have anything else in mainstream media to counterbalance it, and then you never ever get any of the delicate character work or adaptational work that you get in Great Comet…I don’t know that this is something that was thought about or if Malloy decided to take the entire concept of 19th century Pacific Islanders and leave it as “they eat people! I can make up how exactly by consulting the Wikipedia cannibalism entry and not scrolling down to any specific examples! Also I don’t need to think about any social or historical ramifications.

So, point two. The “Autobiography” section of Moby Dick clearly and obviously draws on the account of Te Pehi Kupe’s journey to England on 26 February 1824. Geoffrey Sanborn has written several articles and books discussing this, with further articles by Juniper Ellis and Caroline Schwarz.

(I’d add at this point that this one of many many Maori journeys to Europe and America at this point, with many different aims – while Te Pehi Kupe was looking for a military resource which was giving a devastating advantage and determining much of the balance of power at the time, many other people were more interested in architecture, agriculture, manufacturing, windmills, trade, law and justice, literacy, religion, politics, and of course acquiring a printing press. So Melville’s idea of trying to find a way of making the people happier than previously is semi a joke, semi reflecting what was an actual thing)

Te Pehi Kupe, a rangatira (chief) of Ngati Toa, paddled out to the ship Urania, and resisting being thrown aboard, demanded to stay on board, go to Europe, and ask King George for guns. He befriended the captain and saved him from drowning, travelling to England to meet George IV, observe military matters (like regiments being reviewed) and visit factories. Returning to a complex and escalating series of wars partly fuelled by the huge imbalances of firepower that muskets brought, he was ultimately killed during conflict with Ngai Tahu.

For the history and conflicts of Ngāti Toa, released only a week ago is a new book containing a 50,000 account in te reo Māori of Te Rauparaha’s life, written by Te Rauparaha’s son Tamihana between 1866 and 1869.

The very same day that Aperahama Te Kawe spoke to him, Te Rauparaha announced: “In the morning we shall go, migrate; the pā is about to fall.” At this, Ngāti Toa’s spirits were lifted, the 140 who were inside their pā, Te Arawī.

In the morning when the sun was high, near midday, they migrated, they left their pā. They did not allow themselves to weep, they left Kāwhia behind, following the paths along the coast. The men and women who did not have the strength to travel were left lying on the trail and some perished from starvation.

They carried on throughout that day until nightfall. When they reached Marokopa my mother was left there, heavy with child — for indeed I was inside her womb about to be born — along with some other chiefly women of Ngāti Toa who were also left at Marokopa. The travelling party with the fighting men carried on, including Te Rauparaha. My mother was not abandoned there, another relative, Pukeroa, stayed with her to look after her, along with some others of Ngāti Toa.

The Ngāti Toa travelling party carried on. When they got to the top of Moeātoa [30 km south of Kāwhia], the hill, they looked back down at Kāwhia lying below. Now the love for their home, for Kāwhia, welled up. Then the people of Ngāti Toa and their elder, Te Rauparaha, wept, their grief was like the sighing sea. How could he not be overcome with love for the homeland that he was leaving behind, the land of his birth where his placenta was buried?

And I’m putting this really wrenching excerpt here because the history and culture that Melville very shakily and ignorantly nonetheless draws on (from religious beliefs, to the idea that the afterlife involves travel back to a specific island, to art and carving, ta moko, warfare, wedding customs to humour) is….real people’s history. The warfare of the Musket Wars did involve the ritualised consumption of the bodies of dead enemies – that didn’t actually make everything a joke to the people who took part in it, or leave their descendants without legacies to reckon with, painful memories or acts of heroism.

And I’m just going to put Ross Calman, the author of the book’s quote here regarding the very contemporary relevance of history:

We can’t pretend that it’s all going to be happy families. It’s been a very difficult past and we have to face up to the violence of the early founding years of this nation. It’s been built on violence and on deceit and on land being taken from Māori in a variety of ways. It’s left us as an impoverished people and we’re still feeling the effects today.

A lot of Pākehā say: “Oh, that’s in the past. You can’t blame me for that.” But the impact of the violence and deceit and theft is still very much with us, and that has to be addressed.

(And for more there, there is this Vincent O’Malley article for one of many, many examples)

Or for a commentary by an early 19th century Māori speaker on both European and Maori societies, have the debate between  Te Whareumeu and Augustus Earle quoted in Tangata Whenua: “the only difference in our laws is, you flog and hang, but we shoot and eat”.  

And finally, here is an actual comic song from the 1820s/30s Māori world, full of irony, wordplay, and double-entendre.

This was sung by some women of the Te Namu pa which had successfully withstood a siege from a taua (war-party) of Te Ati-Awa. The war-party was armed with two muskets. They made a great noise but killed nobody.

Guns came down

To Te Taniwha

To Huri—whenua—

Calling out to the weak ones

Driven here by the guns—

Ha! Come to me, black death,

Come to my thighs, conquering earth—

They shiver at his breath

He beats and burns and roars

Ha! He is done.

What a weapon of love

A sharp bullet from above—

Ha! I am caught in his cold fire

There is no end to his desire—

Ha! He is done!

[enby-hawke]

OC Facts With Lucky Hawke

I was tagged by @isalavhenan, thanks again for the tag. I love being able to rant about Hawke so thanks for letting me. 

PLACE IN SOCIETY

✖ FINANCIAL – wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty

Hawke never knew hunger until he came to Kirkwall. His father ended up being conscripted into the Grey Wardens at the end of Leandra and Malcolm’s love affair. Though Malcolm could legally be a mage his children couldn’t and so moving around was necessary to avoid detection as well as for his job but because of the Grey Wardens the family was well taken care of. Because Malcolm was elven, even if they could afford better houses, they were usually forced to live out in the country where the laws aren’t as strict about those things. After Malcolm died, the budget was much tighter without a Grey Warden salary, but they at least had their family home in Lothering. When they lost it, the Hawke’s had to get used to hardship in Kirkwall. It wasn’t like Lothering where they could hunt freely for game in the Kocari wilds and forage from their garden when the month was tight. It was a year in poverty that Hawke was determined to dig himself out of, no matter what it took. Though even after his success with the Deep Roads and he had all the gold he’d need, it was still a difficulty to get his family’s estate in his name. For 3 years he would build connection and influence enough to get the court to recognize his claim as legal.  

✖ MEDICAL – fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged

From a young age, Carver, Bethany, and Lucky would recieve strict Grey Warden training as well as Malcolm’s mental training. Lucky is very fast and often casts haste on himself to move even faster. Though he is slight of build, he is strong even without his magic to enhance him and often doesn’t need his magic to win a fight.  

✖ CLASS OR CASTE – upper / lower / middle / working / unsure

With Leandra’s training in courtly etiquette and grace, the Hawke children often were able to charm guests with their manners and wit which helped make a better impression of their mixed race family. The tensions of race and class often came up with Hawke growing up and learning that sometimes passing as human didn’t always shield him from the realities of being elven especailly in school. Hawke was often hyperaware and dysphoric about his race, unsure how to navigate what it meant to be something in between. From a young age it was ingrained in him that he must assimilate into human culture because he’s human, even if other humans don’t exactly see it the same. Meeting Merrill, he found an ally in his struggle to identify with his other roots.

After the Deep Roads and his nobility officially recognized he enters upper class society but it is clear that the other nobles do not see him as equal, until he defeats the Arishok and becomes Champion. By then Hawke has become disillusioned by the upper class lifestyle and decides that the best course would be to become Viscount, if only to have a real chance at changing things in Kirkwall.  

✖ EDUCATION – qualified / unqualified / studying

Though Lucky had a loving home, it was often strict and full of studies of all sort which he resented. His mother would try to tutor him in the Game which is the only lesson he refused to learn because he never thought he’d need it. Malcolm was absent a lot due to his work, but when he was home, time was often spent teaching Lucky and Bethany magical training. He knows a lot of things from his forced education, and when he’s truly interested will sometimes lose focus trying to solve a magical problem. However he’s bad at articulating things at times and sometimes forgets to use his mind when he solves problems. 

FAMILY

✖ MARITAL STATUS – married, happily / married, unhappily / engaged  / partnered / divorced / widow or widower / separated / single / it’s complicated

✖ CHILDREN – has children / no children / wants children / adopted children

Hawke ends up having a Dalish wedding with Merrill, a Chantry wedding with Fenris, and Isabela and Hawke remained lovers. Merrill and Hawke have a daughter named Aerys. 

✖ FAMILY – close with siblings / not close with siblings / has no siblings / siblings are deceased / it’s complicated

✖ AFFILIATION – orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by both parents / it’s complicated

Hawke was closer to his father than his mother which was difficult because Malcolm wasn’t exactly accepting of Lucky’s trans identity. Since they were young they felt weird about their gender but weren’t very concious about their dysphoria until he started puberty. He discovered he was queer young and had to be in the closet about it because the family has strong Chantry beliefs. When they decided to magically transition, he asked for support with Bethany to help him transition at least while he was at school though he still had to ask for help from his father to master shapeshifting which he struggled with for a long time. Carver found out and though he thought it was a bad idea, he reluctantly supported Lucky too. This eventually culminated into Lucky getting found out by his parents which started a fight. To make a story short it gets ugly but eventually Leandra and then Malcolm come to terms with who Lucky is. When Lucky wanted a new name he asked his father to rename him, and his father renamed him “Lucky because I’m lucky to have you in my life.”   Neither of his parents encouraged interest in his elven heritage and so often he was told to pride himself in being and Amell and a Hawke. When Hawke took back his estate he renamed House Amell to House Hawke, partly as a fuck you to all the nobles that gave him a hard time and kept calling him “Lord Amell” but also because he knew he would never be an Amell. He would never be anything other than the person he fought to become.  

TRAITS & TENDENCIES

✖ disorganized / organised / in between

Organization is Lucky’s enemy. His organization is *stick this into a void and deal with it later*

✖ close-minded / open-minded / in between

Hawke can admit when he’s wrong. “I’m just not often.” He uses blood magic to augment his shapeshifting and other magic as well. He is super wary of Chantry folk and the templars, templars being obvious, but in the Chantry that’s where some of his most racist bullying came from. He’s a very chill person most of the time, but once he’s made a bad judgement of you it can be hard to change his mind. 

✖ cautious / reckless / in between

One of Hawke’s biggest weaknesses is his temper makes it hard to think before he acts. To save his family and friends he will dive headfirst into danger or use incredibly dangerous magic forgetting that he’s not invincible. 

✖ patient / impatient / in between

Hawke can’t be bored. Their short attention span leads them into trouble.

✖ outspoken / reserved / in between

Hawke has a hard time holding his tongue. Impulsively saying whatever comes to mind also gets him into trouble. 

✖ leader / follower / in between

Because Hawke is impatient he will sometimes take control if no one is stepping up. He doesn’t like the burden of leadership, though and doesn’t mind hearing other people’s opinions. He is also stubborn so while he won’t force anyone to follow him, he’s not afraid to break from the pack to get where he thinks he wants to go.

✖ sympathetic / unsympathetic / in between

Hawke is very empathetic and likes to make people to feel at ease around him. He often tries to joke to break tension which doesn’t always work. 

✖ optimistic / pessimistic / in between

Lucky has fits of despair that he attempts to bury with stubborn optimism. He doesn’t give up easily, though. He will endlessly look for a solution, though if he comes up to a wall that won’t budge, it will sometimes leave him spiraling.

✖ hardworking / lazy / in between

If Lucky is interested in the project he will work the hardest at it, giving it his utmost focus. If he’s not, it’s a struggle and he will procrastinate or give up.

✖ cultured / uncultured / in between

Hawke learned “culture” from Leandra. That doesn’t mean he will choose to use it. 

✖ loyal / disloyal / in between

Hawke is loyal almost to a fault. You mess with someone he loves, you might lose a tooth. His friend’s enemies are his enemies and he’s fiercly protective.

✖ faithful / unfaithful / in between

Hawke is poly but he is faithful. It just the boundaries are different in his relationships. 

SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION

✖ SEXUALITY – heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual / omnisexual / demisexual

✖ SEX – sex repulsed / sex neutral /sex favorable

Sex is one of Hawke’s vices so he does occasionally have casual safe sex with hot strangers, but more than sex he craves closeness and connection with people. 

✖ ROMANCE – romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable

Hawke would say his heart’s a slut. There are many people that make his heart thump. Hawke often struggled with the idea of finding “the one” because there were so many people he felt romantically connected to to the point where he thought something was wrong with him. 

✖ SEXUALLY – sexually adventurous / sex experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious / uninterested

Hawke is usually up for new experiences and often uses his shapeshifting and magic in the bedroom (with people he can trust)

ABILITIES

✖ COMBAT SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

Though Hawke can easily kill with their blood magic they often use it to incapacitate, and wipe enemies minds. Killing makes the demons whisper louder so if he can avoid it he will.

✖ LITERACY SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

Though Hawke is smart he struggled in school especailly reading. It took a lot of effort to get the grades his parents expected of him, on top of all the other training that was expected of him.

✖ ARTISTIC SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

Lucky started writing poetry in his diary when he was young. Karaoke was something the family did a lot so Lucky started writing lyrics and eventually started making music on his computer. He still enjoys karaoke. 

✖ TECHNICAL SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

I looked it up and I either don’t understand this question or he has none lol

I  tag , @prplhawke​ @embajadora-montilyet​ @envy-kitty​ @antivan-surana​ @mahalzevran​ @red-wardens​ aaand whoever wants to do it tag me. No pressure if you don’t feel like it of course. 

[milliondollarbaby87]

Here are the Male performances that have made my top 25 for the 2019 films that I managed to see throughout the year. This will include some 2018 films by date but due to the UK release dates they were available for this list. I actually had 45 on the long list so to cut it down it was a very tough ask! Some amazing films and therefore performances in 2019!

Taron Egerton as Elton John in Rocketman from Paramount Pictures.

My Cinema 2019 list – here 2019 Films overall – here

25. Viveik Kalra – Blinded By the Light (Review)

I am a massive Bruce Springsteen fan which is certainly a good start when you see Blinded by the Light and Viveik Kalra gives a truly lovely performance in this film. Really capturing the magic of the Boss’ lyrics and highlighting just how life changing music can be, putting in the lyrics into very good scenes and moments. 

24. Randall Park – Always Be My Maybe (Review)

I think I enjoyed this film more than I actually was supposed to and Randall Park was certainly a big reason behind that. He was brilliant in the leading role as the guy who had pretty much been friendzoned and works very hard to get out of that. His comedic timing worked so very well and you could not help but like his character.

23. Daniel Mays – Fisherman’s Friends (Review)

I don’t really feel like many people actually saw this film with it being quite a small British one. But I am pleased I managed to see it because it certainly brought to life the lovely true story of the group of Fishermen who ended up singing together on albums. Daniel Mays is the producer who comes across the group and feels they could make some money off them, but it ends up more than that and he shows some very good character development.

22. Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes (Review)

The Two Popes certainly wasn’t my idea of an interesting topic for a film, but the performances are truly outstanding that was something that I was expecting especially from Hopkins who can do nothing wrong when it comes to films. He was engaging enough from start to finish and really was believable in the role.

21. Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes (Review)

Following on from Hopkins it really was amazing to see Jonathan Pryce in this type of role as he is certainly one of my favourite actors. Working well as the pair he gets the slightly better and bigger role as it was the more difficult character to take on.

20. Bill Nighy – Sometimes Always Never (Review)

Another of my absolute favourite actors in a rather unseen film with Bill Nighy as the father searching for his missing son and in return neglecting everything else that is going on around him. Using scrabble as a way to connect and believing he has been reunited due to an online game. A very different type of role and very enjoyable to see him branching out to something different.

19. Kenneth Branagh – All Is True (Review)

I can totally appreciate how amazing Branagh was as William Shakespeare in this film as he also directed himself. I wasn’t a very big fan of the film overall but the performance really does deserve a lot of praise, I mean come on just look at how unrecognisable he is! You can tell how passionate he was about the story and bringing Shakespeare to life in a different way to performing in one of his plays.

18. Sam Rockwell – Jojo Rabbit (Review)

Is there any role Rockwell cannot do? I mean playing a Nazi is now added to his list, but not any Nazi, a Nazi that is willing to poke fun at the poor decisions and being what turns into an amazing role model for young Jojo. Everything around his performance is so good mixing emotions with comedy in key moments.

17. Tom Holland – Spider-Man: Far From Home (Review)

I really don’t think the world was emotionally ready for Far From Home, the first post-Endgame film from Marvel. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker was all of us in grief for the legend that is Tony Stark. In what is an impressive action film it packs so much emotion and we felt fully on the journey with Peter. Holland has really grown in the role and made it more than his own with a unique carefree style.

16. Nicholas Hoult – The Favourite (Review)

In a strange way it makes me sad that Hoult did not really receive enough credit for his pretty much perfect performance in The Favourite. The female performances are truly outstanding and it felt that he was just overlooked, so I am making sure he gets plenty of praise by having him rightly in this list!

15. Al Pacino – The Irishman (Review)

Sometimes I feel that due to my age and the years I really started getting into film that I still haven’t caught up and see the best of Pacino. His Jimmy Hoffa in The Irishman is an amazing performance and really makes me want to try and watch his better films as in recent years it has been rather mixed. He was outstanding on screen with De Niro and Pesci that is for sure!

14. Steve Coogan/John C. Reilly – Stan & Ollie (Review)

I have done this one as a double feature as Coogan and Reilly are both amazing and one would not be amazing without the other. The level of performance to truly become Stan and Ollie is amazing. You just have to see the scenes compared to the original clips to appreciate how much work was put into this lovely little film.

13. Clint Eastwood – The Mule (Review)

You may or may not know that Clint Eastwood is another of my favourites and lets face it he was pretty much the only actor around who could pull off this role. The old man who became a drug mule!

12. Archie Yates – Jojo Rabbit (Review)

Archie may not have had the biggest of roles in Jojo Rabbit but he was certainly stealing those scenes he was in, with perfect delivery and the innocence to really pull it all off. Amazing that this was his first ever film role and you have to look forward to him being cast in the Home Alone reboot!

11. Robert Downey Jr. – Avengers: Endgame (Review)

Everything had built up to this film and the moments within it and the character development for Downey Jr has been going on for so many years now with Tony Stark growing with each film. We would see another side to him throughout Endgame and it was an amazing performance to watch.

10. Robert De Niro – The Irishman (Review)

I feel De Niro has not actually been given enough credit for his performance in The Irishman you know as the actual Irishman. He has not received any award love and I personally feel it is such a shame, especially when you think it is best acting he has done in the past 20 years. Working so well with Pacino and Pesci!

9. Christian Bale – Vice (Review)

Unrecognisable for his role in Vice which was an incredible performance even if the film is not the best in terms of enjoyment factors. But it has also confirmed that I really watch just about anything with Bale in it, he pushes the boundaries in all of the right ways and that is why he is at the top of his craft.

8. Daniel Craig – Knives Out (Review)

The soon to be former James Bond has a complete change in roles, although we could say Logan Lucky was that turning point. In Knives Out he is a character you would never have thought he would play especially when he gives the unreal donut metaphor scene! Linking together with the very talented cast and quite frankly holding the film together as the detective.

7. Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory (Review)

Now I feel seeing Pain and Glory which was actually on as a Cineworld Unlimited Screening which I must add only had about ten people attend the cinema, which was a shame because Banderas is utterly outstanding in the leading role. A Spanish film which I throughly enjoyed from start to finish. Attempting to battle his demons as his life has come crumbling down around him.

6. Joe Pesci – The Irishman (Review)

I feel Pesci is truly outstanding in The Irishman and stole every single scene he was in, absolutely love that he came out of retirement to take this part. It’s actually different to the style of character he has played in the past which was an added bonus because his acting was then different, the silent assassin at times.

5. Richard E. Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Review)

A true gem of a film and Grant works so well with Melissa McCarthy to bring to life the true story of Lee Israel who committed literacy forgery, he became her only friend. Grant was outstanding to watch as the over the top Englishman and I loved everything about his performance.

4. Taron Egerton – Rocketman (Review)

Isn’t is a shame for Taron Egerton that Bohemian Rhapsody and Rami Malek came out before his Rocketman performance as I truly believe because of that film he has not fully received enough praise for his turn as Elton John. Not only the acting performance but he recorded all of the songs himself as well. He is quickly becoming one of my favourite young actors.

3. Joaquin Phoenix – Joker (Review)

I don’t care what anyone says Phoenix is outstanding in Joker and his character development is on another level. When the casting was first announced he was always going to be amazing and that is shown within the film, he does not take on easy roles at all and that is confirmed with this one!

2. Adam Driver – Marriage Story (Review)

I don’t think a performance broke my heart as much as watching Adam Driver in Marriage Story. The layers and level of performance was amazing and on a totally different level. He had an amazing 2019 taking on so many different characters and I loved everything about this especially with the Losing My Mind scene as well!

1. Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit (Review)

Could only be on actor in the top spot for 2019 in my opinion and a very young actor with that 12 year old Roman Griffin Davis. Jojo Rabbit is his first ever film role and he completely nails every single thing throughout the film. The range and level of emotion he must show from start to finish really shows that he is a true star in the making. He can make you laugh and then cry in later scenes as he is attempting to come to terms with the war and wanting to be Hitler’s friend. I honestly think he deserves so much praise as what a way to make your film debut!

Which were you favourite male performances in 2019?

Top 25 – Male Performances in 2019 Here are the Male performances that have made my top 25 for the 2019 films that I managed to see throughout the year.

[ypcdreke-blog]

Alphabiographies

N for notes is another word I chose off my list. I chose this word because a note is one of the best things you can receive. It can be mental or physical taken notes. Taking notes is a healthy literature practice.  Just by taking notes, it helps you remember better. Notes can be short and simple, as long as you understand what you are writing down.  The more you take notes helps refresh the brain, so you won’t second guess yourself or even forget something.  Notes are kind of like clue finders or helpers. It can even be like a review tool.

Q for quotes is one of the words I chose off my list. I chose this word because you can find them anywhere. Quotes are meaningful to me when it's a reason behind it. Quotes are healthy literacy because you can see them, and some quotes give motivation. It's crazy when you can see a quote and it relates to your problem or situation. I feel if you see a quote it's meant for you. Some people overlook quotes when it really means something. Just by reading a quote a day helps you because you're reading and using clues in a way. 

L is for lyrics. Reading lyrics is a healthy practice for literature. It actually helps you read better. I chose lyrics because a lot of people don't like to read but can listen and sang music all day. So if you take just a couple minutes out of your day to read a couple lyrics, it can improve the flow of how your read. It helps with not boring you while you read but really understanding what you're listening and singing about. It's a really weird interesting way of healthy literacy but it helps me out because I like music.

K is for knowledge. I chose this word because without knowledge I wouldn’t be where I am today. Knowledge is awareness or understanding something such as facts, information, and skills a person has experienced. Building your knowledge is a healthy practice for literature. Just by experiencing new words and ways of writing can build your knowledge. Knowledge can refer to a practical understanding of a subject. Just like notes the more you take them, the better you know the information. Therefore, knowledge the more you practice the better you build on it.

 O stands for online work! In this case, this could be a good or bad case for some people. Online work is good because you can do it online and don't have to worry about pencils, papers, or pens. Also you don't have to travel that much when you got online classes to do your work. It can be a bad case to, some people don't have access to computers to do work online. Doing work online helps me stay organized and on top of my game. I don't haft to be around everyone to do my work, I can do my work anywhere and anytime.

U stands for underline. I chose this word because underlining is a healthy way of practicing literature. Just by underlining certain words and sentences can help out a lot. Some people underline sentences and words they don't understand. Underlining helps me out by taking the underline sentence or word more serious. I'll rather know what I am reading instead of just reading over it. Even if you forget a word or sentence, if you underline it you can go back and review over it. Underlining key words and important things will help you stay organized by the way. It's basically like highlighted words. 

 T stands for text messages. One of the biggest problems in the world nowadays is a phone . Some people think that a phone gets to much attention and not having enough time for a book. Well I think receiving text messages can be healthy in some ways because you're actually reading and replying. It's something that you want to read so you're more focus than ever. You also have to reply, so that plays a big role in reading and writing. Most of the time you receive text messages thru the day so therefore you constantly reading through the day. 

B stands for brainstorm, this is a tool for healthy literature. Brainstorming is a way you can generate your ideas within your group setting. When brainstorming you should think freely and have many ideas. Brainstorming can be done in a group, this also makes it funnier to have everyone's opinion and ideas. This tool is usually done in the beginning stages of a project when someone don't quite understands what's really going on. I been using this tool since I got introduce to it. Brainstorming helped me out doing my previous years in school, hopefully this tool will be a success in college. 

J stands for Junie B. Jones.  When I first read this book, I was in the third grade. The book captured my interest when I first read it in Mrs. Jones class. The whole class took turns reading out loud which made it fun to read. Junie B. Jones books became my favorite books to read. I think if every child read this book it would make them want to read more because it is for kids and really interesting. 

R is for review. Reviewing is a practice for healthy literacy. The more you review your assignments or whatever you need to know makes you more confident with your answer. I use to review my Spanish words for 20 to 30 minutes a day before the quiz. Just by doing this it showed me how important this strategy was. If you don't quite get the understanding of something reviewing will be the best thing to do. 

P is for phone. Once I got my first phone I would say it effected me in a bad way but also a good way. Well for one it helped me by learning how to spell words that I had problems with. I can pull up anything on safari or download a book app to read books on the phone. It also effected me in a bad way. I got to the point where I ain't want to do anything but be on my phone either texting or watching highlights. It helped me with spelling but also hurt me in a way because I ain't to have to do anything but click on the word I was trying to spell. 

D stands for Dr. Seus. My first time reading the Dr. Seus books played a major role in why I find it interesting to read. I think I was in Kindergarten when I first read it. The book was easy to read so I read more of them. I continued reading those books until my vocabulary grew and I heard about new books. As time pasted on, playing football became apart of my schedule and I became so busy perfecting my craft. I then found reading tiring and boring. Most teachers use to assign books to read that was very boring and not something that I was interested in.

A stands for alphabet. Well you should know if it wasn't for the alphabet this world would be so backwards. This is the first thing that you actually learn once you get in school. Even before kindergarten kids are learning their ABC's. All the letters make up words with different sounds and pronunciation. I think the alphabet get over looked because it's just a lot of letters. I use to think like this but my professor opened my eyes with this assignments that we're doing now. I don't think the alphabet can harm or effect you in a bad way.   

C stands for Childers. Well Mr. Childers was my 11th grade English teacher. I can actually say that this guy made english kind of fun and funny. I remember when the class would be talking to loud, he would always say “Guys, cut the chatter”. He taught the class in a different way. He made reading and writing so much easier. and built my confidence on reading out loud. What kind of hurt me was when I stopped participating in class and started sleeping everyday. The books that we was reading was kind of boring to me.He wasn’t the teacher to wake you up, he went on with the class. So the more boring books we read, the less reading I did. 

W is for writing. Writing played one of the biggest roles in my life, good and bad. I started taking my writing more serious once I got old enough to understand the correct way to speak. Writing papers, discussions, and other assignments that involved school helped me out because my teachers would correct something that was wrong. It opened my mind up to new ways of how to say new words and how to use them in different ways. I use to write a lot once I got to high school and now that I'm in college writing is more frustrating. I don't like it as much as I use to. 

V stands for verses. I read verses from time to time for faith and words of encouragement. One of my favorites verses is Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I actually got that verse tattooed on my forearm. Just by reading those verses, I taught myself how to read with a better flow. I wasn’t never into reading books unless I picked it myself. Reading a quote a day can help by building knowledge and help out with reading period. 

M is for music. Music played a big role for me practicing my literature. It's kind of crazy to say but it helped me out a lot. I remember when I first started doing this. I use to read the lyrics and flow with the music. It made reading way more interesting for me. When it came time to read in class, I had a perfect flow of reading and was never nervous. Most people can try this exercise but I don't know if it would help them like it did me. The reason why I say this because people don't read the lyrics, they just leave the song on repeat and learn it like that. Also just by reading the lyrics you figure out the true meaning of the song. 

H is for homework. When I was young I use to love to do homework but as I got older that feeling left away. Doing homework helped me out because it was basically extra practice. My grades stayed up just by being discipline to my work. I started getting older and sports became involved in my life, that's when my grades start slipping. I stop doing homework at night and started doing it at the last minute. What made me stop liking homework was when I didn't know any of it and the teacher assigned to much of it. I stated all that just to say stay on top of your work.

"F" stands for father. My whole life, my father pushed me to be great at what I do. It wasn't just on the field but that went for the classrooms to. He always told me to get my school work did first before anything. So there was this  boring summer, If my friends wasn't around I would just do old school work or either read books that my grandma had put up around the house. Just hearing my father telling me to be great at everything I do, motivated me to write more and learn how to read better. Once I got a little older and started getting better at ball, he started slacking on seeing was I still grinding the way I did in the classrooms. 

"I" stands for internet. Having internet is one of best thing a person can ask for. Internet been helping me since I learn how to use it, but I had to realize I couldn't rely on the internet for everything. Anything I had a question about or wasn't quite sure what a question was asking, I would just search it. It's so many different answer and opinions on the internet, therefore when looking for some you should know something about what you searching. The internet also can hurt you in a bad way. Searching information and plagiarizing can be one of the worst thing you can do. 

G stands for good grades! I remember when my dad told me, “ You earn good grades it’ll take you a long way.” If you had good grades in my household you would get rewarded for hard work. This made the house grind extra hard in the classrooms. “How they get a new phone and I didn’t”, my baby sister said. She had brought a bad grade home so she didn’t get rewarded. My parents stop doing this method as I grew up. Even though they wasn’t rewarding us like they use to, I continued to bring good grades home just because. 

E stands for email. I always use to make accounts but never use it. To sign up for a social media pages, you had to have a email. I use to make all these accounts and never checked my email. I started checking my email my senior year of high school. Checking my email keeps me updated on a lot of things. It basically like the message app on a phone. Getting a email isn't hard to set up. Letting all the information pile up is kind of bad because you will just have random junk on top of each other.

S is for silent reading. I like reading silent because you don't get judged on how you read. I use to feel that you learn or understand what you reading better when you read it to yourself. As I got older that mindset approached a little differently. Once I got to high school, we didn't have a choice but to read out loud. When I would mess up on a word my classmates or teacher would help me pronounce the word the right way. Usually I would skip over the word when I was silent read

Y is for yellow. Yellow is a color to many people won't miss. I chose this word because this is the most common color you see words highlighted in. The words was black so therefore you still can see whatever was written or typed. Whatever was highlighted in yellow, I knew it had to be important. It may be bad for some people because yellow might be a color they can't see. They got other colors you can highlight information in but yellow was the one stood out for me. This a color I will forever use because this was the first color I ever used to highlight something.

[stephfm]

Does Classical Music Deserve a Reprise?

Classical music itself is a tricky term. To most, it’s an umbrella term used to describe music you associate with grand concert halls, orchestras, and composers such at Beethoven and Mozart. To those with musical literacy, however, it’s a specific period of music that started in the mid 18th century till the early 19th century. But, that is not the point of this article. Today, let’s use the term to refer to what most people think of when thinking about Classical music. It’s old, it may even be boring, but more importantly, it’s dying. Concerts are receiving less government funding and the audience is somewhat depleting. 

The Audience Agency’s report on UK’s classical music audiences that covers classical music events from 2014 to 2018 demonstrates that the average age for Classical music is increasing. Like how several countries in the world are battling the problem of an ageing population, Classical music is too. But why is this so? Is it possible that Classical music events are just catered to the older generation? People above their 40s probably have more disposable income, more leisure time to attend concerts and are more interested in investing themselves in cultures that nourishes them beyond having Instagram worthy content. Maybe it’s possible that the lifestyle that comes attached to the Classical music scene is more suited to the older generation, but I’m guessing there’s more to it.

So, is there something about Classical music itself that puts off the younger generation? If we look at the music listening habits of the younger generation, YouGov, in a survey commissioned by the Philharmonic Orchestra, younger people do in fact listen to Classical music. Some listen to it by choice, like when studying, and some when they happen to be at a social event that has it on loop in the background. With Spotify dominating in the music-streaming sector, they too offer a wide range of Classical music. From having artist profiles of composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and more, to creating playlists of Classical music streamers can tune in to. In 2018, streams of Classical music rose by 42% according to an article I came across published by The Guardian. Furthermore, with the rising popularity of film music, the younger generation does in fact engage in some form of Classical music, even if it’s just tracks of Hans Zimmer on repeat.

However, looking at the numbers now on Spotify itself, Classical playlists only have the smallest fraction of listeners compared to other more popular genres of music. Again, I’m asking, why is this so? Maybe it’s the fact that it’s instrumental and the younger generation needs lyrics to relate to the music. But I’m sure if they gave it a chance, they will find how moving Classical music can be. In saying that, I do need to admit that I am a millennial who listens to Classical music, so I may be a tad bit biased. If I think about myself, the reason why I got into Classical music is simple—I grew up singing in choirs and I’m now studying Music in University. This then brings me to the idea that perhaps, Classical music has a sense a exclusivity to it. Do people feel like they need to be part of this imagined musicians-only sphere to appreciate Classical music? Do they feel they need some level of musical literacy to even begin listening to it? Perhaps.

Going back to live concerts, I feel like I can describe the audience pretty easily and this is based on my personal experience as well, both as a performer and an audience member. If I look around a concert hall, it’s filled with people that belong to one of these three main categories. First, they are friends and family of a performer on stage. Second, they are frequent Classical concertgoers, the so called connoisseurs. And if they belong to the second category, they most likely fall in the third and last one too—the older generation.  So again with the question, why does the younger generation not want to give Classical concerts a go? I’ve asked a few of my non-music University friends before and most of them shared the same sentiments. They never saw the need to, didn’t know how to and just never thought about it in general, assuming it wasn’t “their thing”. With the misconception that Classical music concerts are for the upper classes, costly, maybe even boring, and not forgetting how some still think they need to show up in black-tie appropriate outfits, I see where they are coming from.

Now, you might be thinking—the younger generation may not attend the concerts, but at least more of them are giving Classical music a shot by simply listening, so what more am I asking for? There’s a difference between streaming a piece of music and watching it live, and I believe most can agree with me when I say that this applies to all types of music. Just walking into a concert hall and seeing a full orchestra in front of you is an experience on its own. This brings me to my final questions. If Classical music was able to survive over a thousand years, why should it die now? If concert-going behaviour is still thriving in the pop music industry, why should Classical music concerts die now? More importantly, how can we help make Classical music and related events appealing to the younger generation to keep it alive?

There are three names that come to mind when I think about that last question. First is Lindsey Stirling, an American violinist, singer and songwriter. She is known for her choreographed violin performances of classical, pop, rock and electronic dance music. 11 million subscribers. Second is 2Cellos, a Croatian-Slovenian classical trained cello duo. They play instrumental arrangements of well-known pop and rock songs, as well as classical and film music. 4 million subscribers. What Lindsey and 2Cellos have in common is that they do use Classical instruments in a pop context or at least one that “spices up” Classical music. Yes, they show what a Classical instrument can do and try to make it more relevant today, but I can’t help but dwell over the fact that their covers of popular music have more views than their Classical performances. Do we really need to forgo centuries of tradition and integrity just to make Classical music relevant again? And if we do re-contextualise Classical music to fit into the modern day taste in music, are we really doing it justice or simply finding ways to force it down people’s throats? Please forgive me for being crass, but I think that’s just the easy way out and dare I say it, sell-out. Don’t get me wrong, they are amazing at what they do and there is no doubt that they have talent, but I think we need other ways to re-introduce Classical music today.

This then brings me to our last case study, TwoSet Violin. Made up of two classical trained violinists, this duo are the faces behind a Youtube channel that has gained over a million subscribers in a few years. Their content revolves around skits, react videos and games incorporating the violin. Some of their most viewed videos are those funny and sometimes painfully accurate ones portraying the life of a Classical musician. You may think, isn’t this still exclusive to people who are musicians themselves? Yes, you are right, but let me tell you about what they achieved in recent years.

Their mission is to make Classical music more accessible to all and with that, continue to inspire the next generation. They did exactly just that with their unique take on a Classical recital. In 2016, TwoSet Violin gave up their respective positions in Sydney and Queensland Symphony Orchestra to host live Classical comedy performances. They created a show which offers an experience, one that integrates humour with actual recital, while still upholding the integrity of Classical music. I never gotten the chance to watch them live, but after scrolling through videos and reviews on various news platforms, I saw how they managed to attract a diverse crowd, one that includes the younger generation and one that includes those who have never been to a classical concert before. From 2017 to 2019, their efforts were channelled into their world tour. With each show, they put in effort in making each one unique, tailoring their show to suit each culture and audience. None of their performances were the same. It is also worth mentioning that it was the first ever crowd funded Classical world tour. Through this, they managed to show that Classical music need not always be dependent on government funding and the typical concert-going demographic, and more importantly, people are willing to give Classical music a shot if you give them a reason to.

We started this article talking about the ageing audience of Classical music concerts and how we may witness the death of Classical music one day. It is safe to say that interest in Classical music is dwindling, be it in terms of concert-going behaviour or listening habits. I, however, have hopes that that day won’t come, or at least not as soon as we think. If we think about how we can “rebrand” Classical music and its related events, without compensating on the quality of it we admire, I believe that a wider audience, including the younger generation, will give it a chance.

Here’s my take—just like every other genre of music, Classical music may not be for everyone, but I urge you to give it shot. Give it try outside of using it as background music when you study. Maybe even attend a concert one day to experience the auditory and visionary spectacle for yourself. I can assure you that you don’t need any level of musical knowledge to listen to and maybe even appreciate Classical music, you just need your ears. You never know where listening to just one piece will take you because in Classical music itself, there’s so much to explore in terms of genres and forms. And if you do give it shot, but still feel like it’s not for you, that’s perfectly fine. I’m just one person and what I do won’t make much of a difference, but I guess this is just my little way of trying to keep a part of history alive.