#whyyloiswhy

[whyylois]

Stick Season said "nothing changes, returning is all the same"

The Great Divide says "you've changed, returning isn't how you remember"

Stick Season was the bleak midwinter

The Great Divide is the turning autumn

Stick Season was the stagnant cold sun and bare trees

The Great Divide is the change of the light and the leaves

[whyylois]

hey y'all I have been *struggling* to find the energy to post and reblog stuff here, but I promise I am writing! just not my own wips ;^^

I've just hopped back on the ao3 train for Selfish Fic Summer to write some super duper self-indulgent fanfic BBC Ghosts drabble uwu lol (you can find me as an_honest_puck on ao3 if you're interested 👀)

but I hope to share a little more about The Crew with you! actually, I need some help on that front- what do y'all want to know? drop me a line and give me some ideas, y'all! do you want to read a paragraph from the first chapter? do you want more character dynamics? do you want more character profiles? let me know so I have some sort of idea of what I'm doing XD

anyways, happy pride month to those who celebrate! and happy National Indigenous Culture Month! take care of yourselves, show the ones you love that you love them, honour the contributions of queer folk and Indigenous folk to history and society, and be kind :)

[whyylois]

Everyone else: Gee isn't it swell to start NaNoWriMo, a month dedicated to fleshing out and writing one's own novel? :D

Me, finishing my Honours thesis and has barely written any form of original creative fiction in the last few months: I do not want to look at a word processing document until next year.

[whyylois]

I listened to Gang of Youths' new album 'angel in realtime' this morning and I am /FEELING/ adfshdjkflhsdjf

might eff around and write some poetry after it idk

[whyylois]

Ok so I've been going on a Youtube binge watch and a Spotify spring cleaning and here are my top musical finds of April! 🎶

Top Spot: Tiny Desk Concerts

Albums:

half•alive - 'Now, Not Yet'

Jon Batiste - 'We Are'

Jukebox the Ghost - 'Safe Travels'

Songs:

It's All Right - Jon Batiste

Turntables - Janelle Monae

Artists:

Hozier

[highlights and commentary under the cut]

Top Spot: Tiny Desk Concerts

Thank god for Tiny Desk Concerts! What joy! What artistry! What brilliant finds! If you're any sort of human being, I urge you to explore and meander through the Tiny Desk Concerts archive!

Highlights: (oh dear, where to begin...)

For pure delight, go with Sesame Street, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers (yup, that-comedian-man Steve Martin lol), Sting and Shaggy (idk how it works, but it does XD), and Taylor Swift (I'm not much of a TSwift fan, but hearing her songs acoustically and listening to the stories behind them is magic)

For a whole lotta soul, joy, and sheer musical brilliance, go with Jon Batiste and Jacob Collier. They're both musical geniuses, I'm telling you!

For that spiritual/folk/blues vibe, go with Florence + the Machine, The Lumineers, and Hozier (bonus shoutout goes to Hadestown because I love that musical and they did a TDC!!!)

For some grooves and bops, go with Paramore (for sad bops haha), half•alive (for sick grooves and that intriguing vid description 👀 lol), Lizzo (because Lizzo, duh XD), and Anderson .Paak (pre-Silk Sonic era and showing off his mad drumming skills goddamn!)

half•alive's 'Now, Not Yet' album

It started when I watched the mv for still feel. and I've been obsessed with them ever since

If you haven't watched the mv yet, I highly recommend it: the choreography is absolutely on point and the song itself is a friggin groove!!!

Highlights: 'still feel.' (obviously lol) + 'ice cold.' (with Kimbra) (I heard the Tiny Desk Concert version first, so I was surprised to hear Kimbra on the album track lol but it definitely grew on me!) + 'creature' (which I wrote an after poem of actually lol that's how much it got to me!)

Jon Batiste's 'We Are' album

Guys, gals, and non-binary pals, Jon Batiste is one of the hardest working artists in the business and this album is proof. He worked on this between filming for the Stephen Colbert Show and while working on the multi-award winning 'Soul' soundtrack

Highlights: 'TELL THE TRUTH' (I first heard it on his Tiny Desk Concert, which is where I fell in love with this dude's energy) + 'SHOW ME THE WAY' (beautifully sensual and utterly romantic) + 'SING' (I seem to love songs with names related to singing and this one is no exception lol)

Jukebox the Ghost's 'Safe Travels' album

An older album compared to the two above, but still surprisingly moving (for me personally, at least)

The album is very lyrically poignant, and a few of the songs inspired some of my poetry for NaPoWriMo

Highlights: 'The Spiritual' (the kinda song you wanna scream, just to get rid of the heaviness in your chest- oh, just me?) + 'Dead' (another one to scream; "So if you're there, God / See to it, God / See to it")

It's All Right - Jon Batiste

Y'all definitely should've seen this one coming ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Listen, I watched 'Soul' right after I submitted my lit review late and I was in pieces mentally and emotionally, and I gotta say: it was the perfect movie to watch in that mental state. The best word to describe it for me is 'grounding' and I am very thankful that my pre-lit-review-submission-self made me promise to wait to watch it until after I submitted my lit review. 'Soul' did not let me down.

This is Jon's arrangement of a 1963 song originally performed by The Impressions and written by Curtis Mayfield.

Highlight: "Now everybody clap your hands / Give yourself a chance" (as someone who has been told many times by mentor-figures to back myself, this line definitely struck a chord with me)

Turntables - Janelle Monae

Janelle Monae is a goddamn legend and she has gifted us with this anthem for the people

I swear I've constantly been sleeping on Janelle Monae but honestly, it feels like the whole world has been too???? Like damn. She never disappoints.

This song was written for the 2020 documentary film 'All In: The Fight for Democracy' by Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés, and it carries the energy of a revolution in its melody and rhythm.

Highlight: There are too many good lines (like "I keep my hands dirty, my mind clean", "Liberation, elevation, education", and "You gaslightin' 'bout to meet your match"), so I'll just say that all the vids of Janelle performing this song are amazing. She is on another level, y'all.

Hozier

That's all.

For real though: Hozier always produces hauntingly exquisite music

His voice is similar to Florence's (of Florence + the Machine; another fave) in that they both have such resonant, cavernous voices- the kind of voices that could fill an empty cathedral or the Underworld

Highlights: I've been really digging his 'Hozier' album, particularly 'From Eden' (I just love the sound of it and the playfully twisted lyrics) + 'In a Week (feat. Karen Cowley)' (oh my god it is hauntingly beautiful with an extra emphasis on the haunting) + 'Jackie and Wilson' (some good ol' blues rock for ya, which he does exceptionally well)

[whyylois]

there are some days when you wonder what the point of writing poetry is when you know you can never write anything as remarkable as any of the songs on the 'Go Farther in Lightness' album by Gang of Youths

it's everyday since listening to the album, and I've made peace with this fact

[whyylois]

clipping. is basically the answer to "what would horror stories sound like if they were presented as a rap song?"

[whyylois]

I actually don't mind wearing a mask these days because-

People I may know don't recognise me which means I don't have to interact with people, and

It means I can listen to the audiobook of 'Ayoade On Top' by Richard Ayoade and grin and pull faces like an idiot and no one's the wiser