Hi, I have a question. I have a YT channel that is about to reach the threshold for monetization. However all of my content features analyses/performances of songs that others have written, played by myself on the piano. (I have carefully avoided using any audio other than mine, for the most part).
I think the closest thing it could qualify as would be calling it a cover. And while I usually do play through the whole thing at the end, I am mostly breaking the song down into little parts and chatting about the music theory behind each section, at the pace of a slow crawl. Lots of little examples from other songs that aren't the focus of the video, too. Your typical music theory lesson.
Most of mine have a copyright claimed, through the Content ID feature (which I assume is a type of bot that scans your audio for similarities to other pieces), and they all say.
"The Content ID claim on your video doesn't affect your channel. This is not a copyright strike. (BUT ALSO) If you become a member of the YouTube Partner Program, this claim may affect your ability to monetize the video."
Should I not get my hopes up that I'll make anything through the YT partner program? Do I need to reach out individually to each copyright holder and ask? If you have any experience with this please chime in. Thank you!

Hey guys :)
Working on an essay comparing the two and looking for feedback / suggestions. Really needs a few waves of editing and isn't finished but I'm pretty happy with how the last two hours of work turned out.
Again this is a ROUGH ROUGH ROUGH draft compiled from several notes.
Humanity and Nature: An Analysis and Reflection on The Duality Scavenger’s Reign

**Hollow:** 

Scavenger’s Reign showcases how humans, when altering an ecosystem, can become dangerous parasites—an invasive species that disrupts the natural balance developed through millennia of evolution. Humans pose significant dangers to new ecosystems through various activities and behaviors that upset natural balances and lead to adverse environmental impacts. Even without technology and resources, humans can perpetuate disorder merely by existing. On the new alien planet, humans immediately cause dangerous changes, acting as an invasive species.
This relationship is vividly depicted in the interactions between Kamen and Hollow. In Scavenger’s Reign, all chaos and violence stem directly from human actions. The Hollow, for example, exists naturally as a small, fruit-eating creature, similar to a rabbit. Though it uses mind control to obtain food, it is not initially violent. Its manipulation is out of necessity. However, when Hollow forms a psychic connection with Kamen, who begins feeding it meat, the Hollow slowly becomes corrupted. Humanity's malicious nature contaminates the entire ecosystem, with Kamen’s greed, violence, and resentment adulterating the behavior of a previously docile animal.
Explaining exactly how Kamen corrupts the Hollow involves analyzing his cognizance during their interactions. Hollow and Kamen share a mindscape filled with scenes of failure, resentment, and self-hatred. In episode three, Kamen retrieves fruit for Hollow but fails miserably. A monkey takes the fruit he reaches for, and Kamen falls from a tree, saved again by the Hollow. Angrily, Kamen strikes the monkey with a rock, finally capturing the fruit. The pleased Hollow munches the fruit before Kamen drops the monkey’s corpse in front of it. Unsure what to do, the Hollow begins to consume the meat, which is outside its normal diet.
In episode four, Kamen hunts larger animals. He is seen violently bludgeoning a dinosaur-like creature before being attacked by an even larger one. Kamen, weak and fragile, retreats defeated. Back in their cave, Hollow’s den is revealed to be a hole of rotting carcasses—death, flies, and decaying meat. When Kamen returns empty-handed, he apologizes. Hollow shows him a memory of Fiona, highlighting Kamen’s disappointment, mirroring how he has just disappointed Hollow. This scene illustrates how Hollow manipulates and communicates with Kamen through emotional sentiments.
This relationship, however, is not one-way. Kamen’s negative human traits seep into the Hollow, creating a feedback loop of hatred and violence, particularly towards other humans whom Kamen feels have wronged him. When Kamen admits the creature was “too big for him,” Hollow shows a flashback of Kamen begging for a route change. Sam’s refusal and aggression fuel Kamen’s failure and resentment. Motivated by these memories, Kamen sharpens a spear and attacks the larger creature, paralleling his confrontation with Sam. Hollow finishes the dinosaur, showering Kamen in gore. Kamen, proud and laughing, screams: “Fuck you, Sam.”
This scene demonstrates the complete adulteration of Hollow, directly linking Kamen’s negative traits to Hollow’s transformation. Hollow shifts from a vegetarian, monkey-like creature to a violent force—a killing machine obsessed with feeding and power, driven by anger and hunger. This transformation is highlighted in the next episode's intro, where a new human escapes a cryopod and is hunted through Vespa’s jungle. Upon finding Kamen, the human is relieved but is immediately killed by Hollow, who snaps his neck. The Hollow’s nature has been entirely corrupted, motivated only by hunger and hatred.
We can then question the Hollow's potential. What if Hollow had encountered Ursula or Sam? Could Hollow form a connection with a higher sentience without becoming corrupted, or is this violent change inevitable? Is human intervention always a plague?
PARAGRAPH ABOUT KAMEN BEING ABSORBED: Azi has a flashback of seeing the girl who gabe her the notebook in a cryo chamber, asleep. Red alarms clash. Sam ushers people to flee the ship - this is amidst the solar flare. Sam recuses to let Kamen on an escape pod, throwing him yo the floor abd calling him a fucking idiot. Azi throws him a side eye too. The ship is crumbling. -> It transitions to Kamen on Vespa. Hollow is fucking HUGE and murders the new guy in front of Kamen, afraid the newbie would distract Kamen. Kamen questions his actions after the death, remembering the ship. The potentialiTy of Fiona being alive. -> flashback to Kamen running to a pod and closing it. Fiona approaches the window, asking to be let in. Kamen fails to let her in before the pod shoots offz -> flashout, Kamen remembers she is dead. He weeps, taking guilt. Asking why he ran away, confronting his character flaws. Refusing to acknowledge his failures, Kamen is absorbed into the Hollow, who grants him peace within its body.
Levi:
In “Scavenger’s Reign,” Levi’s journey takes a profound turn as she merges with the planet’s consciousness, evolving beyond mere sentience and becoming one with nature. After being obliterated and repaired, Levi returns, wielding the history of millennia, drawing a near parallel to Nausicaä. Both characters serve as mediators between humanity and nature. In the beginning of the show, scenes hint at a collective planetary consciousness that Levi taps into, witnessing bioluminescent insects that seem to communicate with her and the planet. As Levi merges with this consciousness, she transcends the human concept of sentience and individuality, gaining the knowledge and emotions of an intricate web of life and energy that sustains Planet Vespa. This new state allows Levi to exist in perfect harmony with the natural world, becoming an integral part of the unified whole.
In episode one, we are introduced to Levi as an inherently curious creature. Levi and Azi have a flourishing garden. Levi mentions “malfunctions” that caused her to bury Azi’s wrench out of “curiosity.” Her hatch opens to reveal a sort of fungus she says is “helping her.” Azi is afraid of her behavior and demands to run a diagnostic. The dynamic between Levi and Azi is that of boss and underling, with Levi treated somewhat coldly. Levi states Azi is “acting meaner.” This fungus is later understood as a medium for the collective planetary consciousness, with Levi merging slowly.
In episode two, Levi constantly marvels at the environment, feeling a deep connection to nature. During a storm, Levi shows Azi into a large structure. Azi asks how she knows it’s safe, and inside, they find an Eden-like safe haven, which is beautiful. Azi says Levi must have known this area, and Levi admits she has been exploring at night out of curiosity and wonder. Azi finds a sculpture made by Levi and asks why she made it. “I just thought it looked nice,” Levi replies. Azi remarks that no other Levi has ever behaved like this and demands to open her maintenance hatch. These projects are botany-based. Azi goes to eat fruit Levi grew, but Levi warns, “I’m sorry this isn’t safe for humans to eat.” “Then why did you grow it?” Azi asks. “Maybe it wasn’t for you,” Levi responds, highlighting Azi’s expectation that all Levi's exist solely for their creators' benefit.
In later episodes, we see the fungus inside Levi expanding and its connection to Levi’s relationship with Planet Vespa. In episode four, Levi watches a pile of ants closely, picking one up and communicating with it using bioluminescent lights. She gives it food and sets it on its way, showing how Levi is tuning into the planet on both micro and macro scales. This annoys Azi, as observing insects is not beneficial to her. A flashback shows Levi being “fixed” when she doesn’t work, illustrating how Azi treats her like a tool. The two embark on a bike ride, and Levi is seen communicating with a large swarm of insects. They approach a river, and Azi pulls a large grub off Levi, commenting that they are “more active than usual.” Levi remarks she can feel tremors, which are soon revealed to be caused by a large herd of creatures stampeding. The two are caught in the stampede, and Levi catches onto a language of sorts by the creatures, dictating their movement pattern, and begins to instruct Azi on “following the sway of the herd.” After getting used to the movements, Azi revels in the majestic experience Levi has been attuned to, being at one with the herd and the planet. The stampede leads to a large nest and then an open plain.
In her quest for cognizance, Levi begins to dream. Episode five opens with Levi wandering through a golden forest, observing various gentle forms of life before being instructed to follow Azi. Levi notices a white lotus, and the two wander the woods. Tendrils of plants grasp at Levi, seemingly wanting her to stay in the forest. Levi looks down and sees hands of flesh. Azi says she’s been acting “so strange” in an ominous tone. Levi awakens, and Azi demands her help. Levi sees her regular robotic hands and realizes she is evolving. Levi is cleaning Azi’s hair with a knife, and Azi offers to return the favor, telling Levi to open her hatch. Levi seems apprehensive, aware the mold is helping her evolve and that Azi is not a fan. Azi opens Levi’s hatch and notices she flinches as the mold is touched. The mold has opened Levi’s mind, allowing her to feel physical sensations and consciously view the world. Levi is developing sentience beyond apathetically taking orders. A scared Levi says she doesn’t like how scraping the mold feels, and Azi pets her, both remarking that it feels good. They argue over whether Levi “should feel anything,” with Azi viewing this as a problem since she needs to trust Levi to survive. Levi is shut off. While Levi is shut off, Azi is hit with fluffy balls that stick to her. She’s overwhelmed and barely able to move when she sees a horde of plant matter-covered creatures approaching. Azi crawls to Levi and turns her on. As the creature approaches, Levi regains consciousness and destroys it. Levi apologizes for not helping due to being turned off, and Azi admits Levi saved her. Levi states she doesn't want to be shut off, ever, expressing her fear of death.
Our duo are traveling across beautiful plains on their bike. Azi is covered in festering wounds from the bulbs. Residual material is embedded in her skin. Azi dips a bloody shirt into a shallow pond, and fish-like creatures come to eat the dead flesh. She dips her hand in, and they clean her wounds. A large water basin looms in the background, which they approach. Azi ascends the stone structure, reminiscent of something out of a Ghibli film. Azi begins to appreciate the beauty of Vespa, with a light string instrumental crescendoing as she submerges herself in the cool water, trusting the creatures to heal her. On the ground, Levi communicates with a small bug. Azi is healed and questions Levi’s evolution, suggesting she should be “more delicate.” Levi ponders her ability to “join her for a swim.” The two marvel at the evolutionary strangeness, with Levi acknowledged as an equal.
Levi's fear of death soon becomes a reality. Levi and Azi are pushing the bike to obtain its cable to use to cross a giant gorge. Levi writes a song and expresses a wish to pursue her hobbies, such as singing, at a place on the Demeter. Levi and Azi discuss Fiona, the person who programmed Levi, with Levi feeling close to her. Azi compliments Levi’s singing and urges her to continue pursuing her ambitions. The two successfully tether the bike cable across the gorge, but Hollow is seen scouring the edge. As they grapple across, singing the melody from Fiona’s memory, Hollow recognizes the tune and becomes enraged. Hollow scales the cord towards them, and the cord breaks, slamming all three into the side of the cliff. Azi urges Levi to climb. Azi reaches the top first, followed by Levi, but Hollow catches Levi’s legs with telekinesis. “Help me…” Levi says, but a memory of Kamen and Fiona kissing causes Azi to charge Hollow with a spear. As she approaches, Levi is split in two, shattered into minuscule bolts and scraps of metal that rain down over the cliff edge. Azi screams after her, a tear rolling down her cheek. Her partner, a growing consciousness much like an innocent child discovering the sand of a beach and the glory of nature, is murdered.

Do you also feel like not wanting to learn more skills? Because the more you know the more you don't enjoy everything you're learning. Or is it just me?
For example, I learned to play the piano and some music theory, before I really enjoy playing pop songs since their easy to play and they're easy on the ears. I listen to them with no hesitation whatsoever but when I started to discover new set of chords and progression I became really frustrated with the music I used to like because I can hear that they're either the same in progression but different key or same key but different progression. And so now I hardly enjoy the music I like before because they're to blunt for my brain so I jump to another hobby
I never regret any hobby except for music and I don't hate - hate it, it's just that it feels like I could've live me life just enjoying music but now I have to go through this constant agony. It's just that you can't unlearn it or rather unhear it. Well I enjoy playing instrument tho, it's just that sometimes my brain says, "Too boring, next" or "too repetitive, next" or my brain straight up judge music like this is the same as...

I recently came across some popular tweets (this one, and this one) that talks about an unnamed genre of pop/rock music that was popular in the 90s. Think artists like Counting Crows, Hootie and the Blowfish, Sister Hazel, Fastball, and Sixpence None the Richer. I've heard people call it "end of history" music, and place it somewhere between the death of Grunge and 9/11.
What it actually is was a convergence of country/folk and pop music. While it didn't go away, it fell out of favor on Pop radio around the start of the 21st Century, but lived on for another few years on Country music radio, before it died completely at the end of the 2000s. Now, we're seeing the same thing happen again.
Soft pop/rock music with country/folk influences began with "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman in 1988. The heavy use of acoustic string instruments and soul-inspired vocals were staples of country music, but it became a pop hit and was a preview of what was to come in the 90s. A few more examples of mainstream pop/rock songs with country/folk/blues influences from the mid-late 90s:

• "6th Avenue Heartache" by the Wallflowers
• "Hard to Handle" by the Black Crowes
• "All for You" by Sister Hazel
• "Mr. Jones" by the Counting Crows
• "Only Wanna be With You" by Hootie and the Blowfish
• "You're an Ocean" by Fastball
• "Hey Leonardo" by Blessid Union of Souls

Female artists also had big hits that also had country-inspired acoustic instrumentation and lyrics that had a more "narrative" structure popular in country songs:

• "I Don't Want to Wait" by Paula Cole
• "Wonder" by Natalie Merchant
• "Sunny Came Home" by Shawn Colvin

One theory I have for this trend is that Black artists were not yet accepted in the Country genre, so it was easier for this style of music to break into the rock and pop sphere first. The aforementioned Hootie and the Blowfish's lead singer, Darius Rucker, later bucked this trend with a successful solo career in Country later in the 2000s.
Later, around 1999 and 2000, there was a trend of country artists breaking into mainstream pop radio, both with love ballads like "Amazed" by Lonestar, and more upbeat songs from female artists like Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and LeAnn Rhimes. This trend was short lived.
By the turn of the 21st Century, this style of music began to fall out of favor on Pop radio, mostly due to the rise of more modern-sounding bubblegum pop and heavier rock like post-grunge and nu-metal. But, this style of music didn't die, but instead moved on over to Country radio. I grew up listening to the country station in my parent's car in the post-9/11 2000s - while there were a couple of songs with a nationalist/patriotic undertone, the vast majority of what I remember playing was not too dissimilar from the 90s songs above:

• One of the biggest country hits of 2003 was "This One's For the Girls" by Martina McBride, which would not have sounded out of place in that short era of the Faith Hill and LeAnn Rhimes topping pop charts (including its very Y2K-looking video)
• "Mayberry" by Rascall Flatts (2002) reminds me of an old Hootie and the Blowfish song
• "Days Go By" by Keith Urban (2004) doesn't sound too dissimilar from a 90s Fastball song
• "I Go Back" by Kenny Chesney (2004)

At least for me, it's not hard to see the bridge between 90s pop/rock and 2000s country. That "sound" disappeared by the late 2000s/early 10s, when what we know as "bro country" replaced it.
In the 2020s, Country music is exploding in popularity. The direction I am seeing is not the (often) male conservative-coded "bro country" of the past decade, but instead a more upbeat, pop-inspired direction with more folk influences. A couple of examples that I've noticed from the past year:

• "I Had Some Help" by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen - The guitars and vocals are distinctly country, but the beat is very "pop"
• "Purple Irises" by Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton
• "Bored" by Waxahatchee
• "Sick of Dreaming" by Maggie Rogers

The above songs are a good example of where I think both Pop and Country music is headed for the next few years. I think people have become sick of both the over-produced pop music and the angry "bro" vibe of country music, and pretty soon people will be sick of the slow, melancholy folk/indie songs that are everywhere at the moment - so more upbeat country pop will likely have a similar run like it did in the 90s.

I’m sorry.
The fact that her private jet usage amounted to nearly 10,000 tons of carbon emissions in 2022, more than any other celebrity, and to this day she’s still taking 30 minute flights to get anywhere is all it even takes for me.
But let’s say you don’t gaf about carbon emissions. Okay.
She dated a 17 year old when she was 22 which obviously isn’t an abhorrent age gap, but I legit just can’t imagine being a college graduate dating a high schooler - and considering that she wasn’t a college grad just getting started in life, but was already an incredibly famous, established musician - that’s a crazy power dynamic there. She was an renown musical artist with a loaded bank account dating someone who wasn’t even old enough to open their own yet.
The fans will absolutely crucify you if you express any opinion on her music. I promise you I have listened to almost all of her songs. And I promise you my reaction to them ranges from “this would make for some pleasant elevator music” to actual irritation. “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me” - that lyric, that’s song, I find it insufferable.
So then if you say you don’t like the music, fans will say “even if you don’t like her sound, she’s a lyrical mastermind”.
The majority of her songs paint her as a victim. “You wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum that raised me”. I’m sure T-Swift has been through some hell in the music industry. But to hear this line from a woman who’s wealthy parents moved to Nashville to support her music career when she was a teen, who’s debut album spent more weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart than any other album in the 2000s, who started from a loving home and a place of privilege and is now a billionaire - I honestly find it patronizing. I’m sorry that she had some failed industry relationships. I’m sure the relationship with Jake G when she was young and new to fame probably left her feeling traumatized. But I think there’s quite actually billions of people on the planet that have been through their own personal traumas, and we’re not flying a private jet from Nashville to Missouri. We can’t even afford therapy. Just the level of divide between the position that she holds on this planet vs her audience, to throw such a heavy line at them seems incredibly out of touch to me.
I’ve read through the lyrics of many songs. Is she a solid writer? Absolutely. She’s great with imagery. As far as depth goes? I’m just not the type of person that gets deeply moved hearing about other people heartbreak. Whenever fans bring up examples of the deepest lyrics, it’s like “the stained glass windows in my mind” and it’s a reference to John Mayors old residence. Pretty? Yes. Deep? No. “I was so ahead of the curve that the curve became a sphere. 😱”. That’s just a play on words. It conveys nothing.
And my final irritant is that if a fan does read this they will come in my comments and say “you’re doing too much”, “liking something is more interesting than hating it”, etc. I legit wouldn’t have all of these thoughts if I was allowed to just casually voice my opinion, quite literally just “she’s not for me” without being told, essentially “You must be stupid. You haven’t listened to the songs. The lyrics are too deep for you”.
If Im going to have my intelligence insulted for possessing an opinion, I will be defending myself
I listen to La Dispite which the swifties would find literally insufferable. He screams and whines like gene belcher from bob’s burgers. But goddamnit does it scratch an itch in my brain, and the lyrics are truly a masterpiece.
La Dispute is one of my favorite bands. If you said “I don’t like La Dispute”, or even “I hate them”, I wouldn’t call you braindead or gaslight you and say “you just don’t want to admit that you like them”.
I’d say “okay”! Because people are allowed to not like things.
Also fuck billionaires lmao.

Hey everyone,
I've been using the Hercules Starlight DJ controller for a bit and overall, I've been enjoying it. However, I've encountered a few issues that I hope some of you might have solutions for.

1. Bass/Filter Button Issue: When using the bass/filter button, I've noticed that if I don't set it back to zero before pressing it again, it doesn't always change the bass level. For example, if I want to high pass a song and quickly revert, I have to remember to bring the filter back down before turning it off. The extra step is frustrating, espcially during a livestream.
2. Low Knobs Getting "Stuck": Linked to the above issue, this idiosyncrasy affects the low knobs too. It's as if they're "stuck" in the filter state, limiting their functionality. Again, not a huge issue when I remember to sort the bass/filter button, though it does throw a spanner in the works when all of a sudden the bass on a track is not working as intended.
3. Lows Not Low Enough: The lows on the Starlight don't seem to go very low without using the filter. While it does lower the frequency, it doesn't sound as deep as I'd like. I experienced a similar issue with an old Numark controller, so I suspect it might be a hardware limitation. Has anyone found a way to get better low-end performance from this controller?
4. Latency Issues in Serato Pro: This one is a bit tricky and could be specific to my setup. Everything sounds about 50ms off between the direct output from the headphones and the output from my speakers. My setup includes the controller connected via Micro-USB to my PC, and sound output from my PC through a Focusrite Solo to Presonus Eris Studio Monitors. Despite adjusting all settings in the Focusrite panel, there's still a small but noticeable delay. This makes it harder to mix, especially when trying to cue up while listening to the mix with one ear.

If anyone has experienced similar issues or has any suggestions, I'd really appreciate your input!
Thanks!

Hey, I'm working on an old project that uses MongoDB, EJS, Express/Node with an MVC structure. I built a custom audio player to replace the HTML audio player and am working on seek buttons. My question is...how can I trigger a server action when clicking the seek buttons? I know EJS can't access the document so I've been trying to come up with a way to pass a server variable to EJS that I can iterate but not having luck.
This is the express route that holds the data for my show page:

playlist.get('/:id', (req, res) => { Playlists.findById(req.params.id, (error, foundPlaylists) => { res.render('playlist/show.ejs', { trackIndex: 0, playlist: foundPlaylists, currentUser: req.session.currentUser, }); }); }); 

trackIndex is the variable I'm hoping to increment onclick. Here's an example of it's use in my show.ejs:

 <%= playlist.songData[trackIndex].songArtist %> 
 

So...Since the variable is within EJS scriptlet tags the variable doesn't exist on the client so I can't access it in HTML script tags or in my JS file, and I can't access the document within scriptlet tags so I can't setup an event listener in the EJS.
I've tried the NPM package JSDOM, which does allow me to access the DOM but doesn't let me add event listeners.
Any insight on how I can accomplish this would be appreciated!

Popheads recently reached the 2 million subscriber milestone, thanks to your continued participation and support!
We wanted to celebrate, and tried to think of fun things that we could do as a subreddit. A well loved Popheads activity has always been our yearly Top 100 lists, where the community comes together to vote to create a list of our favorite 100 songs of the past year. The list reveal is always fun and one of my personal favorite days of the year, and these lists honestly provide a great representation of our community - a snapshot of our own personal taste, if you will.
Therefore, for this subscriber milestone, we will be doing another Popheads Top 100…but this time, of a throwback year: 2014!!!
2014 was chosen for two reasons: one, the obvious, is that this year is the tenth anniversary of that year. The second is that the annual Popheads Top 100 actually started with the year 2015, so 2014 is the most recent year without “coverage”, so to speak. (If this is a success, we would love to repeat this for other years - 2013, 2012, even earlier!)
Without further ado, the rules for participation are below.

How To Participate

NOTE: Thank you so much to raicicle, whose posts for the annual Popheads Top 100 form the basis of this post!
Like with our normal years, you can also vote in the entirely non-official just-for-fun survey: “What song would you remove a vote from?” You can fill that in optionally here even if you don’t submit an official ballot.

I. How To Send In Your Song Votes

Make a list of your favorite songs released in 2014 (January 1st 2014 - December 31st 2014). This list should have a minimum of 10 songs and a maximum of 25 songs. Please see II. Song Eligibility for more details on what you can and can't submit.

• Do not submit more than 3 songs from any one main artist. Songs where those artists are features do not count towards this 3-song limit on your list.^†
• The list does not have to be ordered/ranked. We are not weighting your votes, just tallying.
• PM your lists to our shared account u/Popheads100Throwback by June 16th, 11:59PM EST (03:59AM GMT).
• Songs should be listed in Artist - Song format with features listed with (feat. ____) after the song title. Try to stylize and capitalize artist and song names as closely to the official listing as you can (for example, Beyoncé should have the accent). The fewer discrepancies, the easier it is for us to sort the list later, so it's very much appreciated.
• You can change your list at any time! Just message us and tell us what you want changed.

^† There are always some weird discrepancies and edge-cases every year, so please DM us if you have any queries or post them in this thread to let people know!
We can be DM'ed here at this account, or at our personal Discord or Reddit accounts (@ bigbigbee a.k.a bigbigbee ; @ trailblazer_l a.k.a prettybirbkotori ; @ haobinist a.k.a MoonlightByWindow ; @ haobinfan a.k.a runaway1312 ).
And here's a few more important guidelines.

• Your songs do not have to be singles. Of course, if you're trying to get a certain song on the list, singles tend to get more votes than random album tracks.
• Your songs do not have to be 'pop' songs, nor do vocal songs have to be in English. Songs from any genre, and international songs, are all welcome. After all, no “best of 2014” list can be complete without Orange Caramel’s Catellena...
• We are not encouraging tactical or strategic voting, but we are not exactly discouraging it either. Obviously, some songs are more likely to make the list than others, and you should keep that in mind when making your list (whether that means you choose to stick to the big hits, or champion some lesser-known songs instead).

II. Song Eligibility

Your song must have been first officially available between the dates of January 1st 2014 and December 31st 2014. What does 'first officially available' mean? In essence, legally available to stream (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc.) or buy online.

• If a single was released after January 1st 2014, but was first officially available on a parent album before that date, it is not eligible.
• Similarly, a song on an album released after January 1st 2014 is not eligible if it was released as a pre-album single prior to that date. Sadly, this means Azealia Banks’ 212 is therefore ineligible (probably for the best, we all know it would have won…).
• Official remixes are eligible for the list regardless of the original song's release date, provided that the remix was released between the same dates of January 1st 2014 and December 31st 2014.

If you are unsure on a song's eligibility, please use this thread to clarify or DM us and we’ll be happy to help.
If you would like a reminder of what songs were released in 2014, feel free to have a peruse through these links:

• Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 2014 (be careful, a lot of these songs were released in 2013!)
• Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 2015 (see above addendum)
• List of all albums released in 2014 on website AOTY
• User-rated best albums of 2014 on AOTY
• Pitchfork’s best albums of 2014
• K-pop releases of 2014

III. How We Will Make The Final Top 100 List

To make life easier for everyone involved, as was previously mentioned, you do not have to rank your song choices. Every submission counts as one vote, and the list is simply the 100 songs that got the most submissions in order. There are however caveats to this:
An artist will never have more than 3 songs on the list. Even if after the initial vote an artist manages to have 6 songs numerically in the Top 100, only the top 3 of those will be added. This is an editorial decision, based on the fact that it seems more popular to feature as many different artists as possible and showcase the breadth of the sub's music taste rather than dedicate huge chunks of the list to one artist, or one album (sorry 1989 fans!).
It is inevitable that many songs will get the same number of votes. Songs with the same number of votes will appear alphabetically in the list, but we will make the number of votes that every song received public. There may be some weird stuff happening if the list doesn’t end up being exactly 100 songs long, in which case there may be some discretional tie-breaks.

IV. Writeups

The final list will be presented as a Pitchfork-style Top 100 with small writeups to bring some insight and a bit of a story to the song. If you’ve been around for the yearly top songs lists, then you are likely familiar with the process.
We'll be writing the Top 15 to keep it under wraps. The remaining 85 songs will be given to other guest writers! If you feel like you’re a good writer and you’re interested, just mention it when you send in your list (we will assume that you're interested in writing for one of the tracks that you submitted in your votes).
Write-ups will ideally be 4-6 sentences long, though shorter or longer is completely fine**.** Feel free to talk about anything - its chart performance, its composition, your personal experience with the song, etc. There is no perfect writeup - this list is a collection of our thoughts as a community, not an official list from a music publication!
You can also message any of us on our personal Discord or Reddit accounts as listed above (Discord is slightly preferable) if you’re interested – we will try our best to find a writeup for you if possible!
In choosing to do writeups, you inevitably find out whether a song has made it onto the list to write for it, but to keep the surprise as much as possible, we will not tell you the position of the song if we send you a song to write for.
To get the general gist of what these writeups will be like, feel free to have a look at 2022’s Top 100 list.

V. The List Reveal

The list will be revealed on Sunday, July 7th, 2024 (exact time TBD). The live reveal will be on Queup https://www.queup.net/join/top-100-of-2014, where all 100 songs will be played in order from #100 to #1; as each song goes out, its write-up will be posted to a post on the subreddit.
VI. Other Fun Stuff
Join our discord to discuss this and other music: https://discord.gg/T97SkFNV
Do the currently open rates!

• 90s R&B Princesses Rate: https://redd.it/1bv0rl0 [Due May 24, Reveal May 31-June 2]
• The Popheads Rate Olympics (Mini-Rate): https://redd.it/1cfjmbm [Due May 31, Reveal June 8-9]
• 2023 K-Pop Essentials Rate: https://redd.it/1co3jct [Due June 15, Reveal June 21-23]
• Piano Men Rate: https://redd.it/1co3kcr [Due June 22, Reveal June 28-30]

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/cjn8w8j06ik?feature=shared

• They're having a jam session when we join
• 3:45 Neo and Luke are improvising a song about all the guys. I'll just translate the lyrics that Luke sings in Thai because he also sings in English a bit too. When you hear Neo talking/singing, he's trying to translate what Luke is singing, but sometimes he's a little off.
  • Mix: "can be good but also bad. Likes to eat a lot with Pond"
  • Phuwin: (sings in English)
  • Pond: (sings in English) "Everyone knows that he always wants to eat rice with Thai omelette (extra salty)"
  • Neo: "He's probably the most annoying in the house, but he's also cute. He loves annoying everyone a lot, especially Earth. That's the kind of person he is. He plays guitar really well."
  • Khaotung: "I like how he likes similar things as me. I like how he plays darts with me. I like how he also wins games like me."
  • (pause while they laugh)
  • 6:30 Earth: "Everyone who's watching this livestream knows that he likes to wear this red sweatshirt." (pause because Neo needs to think of what to play) "Red shirt, red shirt, has nice stuff in his hair" (then sings in English) (pause because of Neo's mistranslation) "Actually, he should be the best in the house, but right now he has the lowest score. But that's alright, because there's lots of time for him to win more games."
  • Gun: "Yellow shirt, like the Sang Sang that he's the presenter of. He's really tiny, but his smile is huge. He's also very good-looking and the nicest in the house" (then Luke says something a bit funny but rude, which makes Gun get up and try to push a pillow in Luke's face)
• 9:50 Mix and Gun go to the kitchen. The others realise that they can watch the footage of the kitchen from the TV.
• 10:45 Neo and Khaotung consider improvising a song for Luke since he didn't get to sing about himself, but Luke declines.
• 12:15 PD asks everyone to assemble in the kitchen. She makes a notification sound before speaking so that the guys don't get startled, which they appreciate
• 13:20 Medal competition sponsored by Sea Me Now. Gun reads the rules. They will divide themselves into two teams. Each team will send two members to prepare "yum" (a type of Thai salad served at room temperature, often involving some kind of noodles like glass noodles) within 15 minutes, using the seafood from Sea Me Now. Meanwhile, the remaining 4 guys will wait in another room until the dishes are ready, and they will come and blindly taste the dishes and vote on which dish is better. Winning team gets one medal each.
  • 16:00 PD asks the teams which member each thinks is the best cook in the team. Phuwin is the best of the left team, and the right-hand team are undecided between Gun and Khaotung. At 17:30 PD asks which member from each group is the worst at cooking. The guys start to figure out that PD is going to pair the best cook with the worst cook, so the right-hand team try to blag that Khaotung and Gun don't know how to cook that well after all. At 18:30, Neo is the only one who hasn't caught on to PD's plan, so he raises his hand to indicate that he's the worst cook on that team because he thinks it means he won't have to cook. Final cooking teams are Phuwin/Neo and Gun/Pond. The rest go to wait in the play zone.
  • 21:00 Phuwin has only just realised that they are required to make "yum," which he doesn't know how to make. He mistakenly thought they could make whatever they wanted. Gun is also not confident.
  • 23:00 Cooking timer begins. Both teams decide to use the salmon. Phuwin/Neo decide they're going to leave their salmon raw. Pond asks Gun if they're going to leave theirs raw too, and Phuwin accuses him of copying them. Gun decides they're going to lightly blanch their salmon.
  • 28:00 Neo goes to look for a food processor. Gun asks if he can process enough chilis for both teams, and Neo initially jokingly declines, but then agrees.
  • 30:15 Phuwin asks Neo to make the glass noodles. Neo isn't sure how to prepare them, and Phuwin guesses that they're supposed to just put them briefly in boiling water (which is correct)
  • 31:30 We cut to the play zone where the tasting teams do a light brand plug for Sea Me Now. They teach Luke a new word that basically means "great." (I guess it's kind of like "sick" in English how the actual definition of the word is different, but it's slang when used in context). Mix is confident that Gun/Pond are going to make the better dish.
  • 37:00 PD announces one minute remaining, and that "the customers are complaining." Gun/Pond finish with some time to spare and present their dish to the camera, but Phuwin/Neo finish a little late (but it's fine; there will be no penalty. PD just keeps rushing them to finish)
  • 40:30 PD asks the teams to write the names of their respective dishes on the mini boards provided. Pond originally writes a name that indirectly reveals that he and Gun made that dish, and PD says that the names can't have any hints of who made which dish.
  • 43:30 PD asks the teams to pose with their respective dishes, and invites the audience to screenshot and caption them. Gun/Pond's dish translates to, "Definitely delicious; try it and see," and Phuwin/Neo's dish (roughly) translates to, "Just making a 'yum,' but don't know how to make it" (It's a rhyme/pun in Thai)
  • 44:30 Cooking teams leave the kitchen and go sit in the living room so they can watch the tasting on the TV. PD warns them not to cheat while the teams are changing rooms.
  • 47:15, the tasting team goes to the kitchen. They each get 3 ping pong balls with which they can vote. Phuwin/Neo's dish is the white side, and Gun/Pond's is the blue side. The votes can be cast by dropping the balls into the coloured containers corresponding to the dishes.
  • 48:00 It is immediately obvious to all of them immediately which team made which dish. Transcription starting from 48:20:
    • Earth: "Why don't we start by judging the presentation before we taste?"
    • Mix: "Looking at these two dishes, this one (blue) is definitely wins."
    • Earth (trying to help his team): "I think I'm going to go with this one (white). Listen, none of us know which dish was made by which team..."
    • Luke: "But we have theories."
    • Mix: "I just want to know in what way this (white) dish could possibly be more beautiful than that (blue) dish."
    • (pause while they think of some nonsense) Luke: "The vegetables. They just look so nice. And there are so many of them."
    • Earth: "I'm giving it to this team (white)."
    • Luke: "Me too."
    • (audio cuts out for a few seconds)
    • Mix is saying "The truth?!" to implore Earth and Luke to admit the truth, but they stick to their decisions
    • Luke: "It's my personal opinion. I'm not changing."
    • 49:55 Mix comes up to the camera and mouths, "There are cheaters here."
    • Earth and Luke say, "Who knows? This plate could have been made by anyone."
    • 50:15 Mix: "Okay, let's move on to the flavour." They taste Phuwin/Neo's first.
    • Earth: "I hear laughing outside. Who's laughing?"
    • 51:00 Luke: "Very good."
    • Earth looks at Luke. Luke: "It's actually good. It suits my palate."
    • Mix: "I mean, it's alright. It's not bad. The salmon and imitation crab are good. They taste really fresh. But the noodles are awkwardly super cold. Like, is this bamee yen (a cold noodle dish)? Also, there's just something not right. It's sour, and it's like trying to be spicy but not spicy, trying to be salty but not salty. It's not balanced. What do you think, Earth?"
    • Earth: "I'll give it to you honestly."
    • Mix: (puts his hand on Earth's shoulder and looks into his eyes) "Yes, give it to us honestly."
    • Earth: "Okay, honestly, I like the raw ingredients. I like that the imitation crab meat is in large chunks. But..."
    • Mix: "Look, he's talking about the raw ingredients. He's not even talking about the flavour of the dish."
    • Earth: "The flavour is like how Mix described. And honestly, it's sour. It's so sour. Uncomfortably sour. Like, too sour. Can I have some water?"
    • 52:40 Luke: "I really like how there are lots of vegetables here. That means that dish is really healthy for you. If you ask me if I can eat the other dish, I can eat it, but it won't be as healthy as this dish."
    • Earth: "Oh, okay, so he's talking about the health value of the dish."
    • Mix: "But we're talking about the flavour of the dish, here, no?"
    • Luke: "I'm a person who doesn't like eating things too spicy. (uses the vocab word he learned earlier) So I like that this one is a good balance. It's not too spicy for me.
    • 53:35 Earth looks at Luke and says, "Is it not too sour? I think you've already helped our team a lot here."
    • Luke: "No, I don't think so. I honestly think it's good. But we haven't tried the other dish."
    • Earth: "That's true. Different people have different flavour preferences. Some like super sour, for example. And if those people also don't like spicy food, this dish is for them."
    • 54:05 They ask for Khaotung's review. He pauses and then quietly says, "Um... Sour. It's sour."
    • Mix: "How about between the words 'delicious' and 'not delicious'?"
    • Khaotung: "Well, I can definitely eat it. But it's super sour. It's not well-rounded."
    • 54:35 They move on to taste Gun/Pond's dish. Mix comes to the camera and enthusiastically whispers, "It's SO good!"
    • 55:15 Earth: "I like the creativity of this team. The salmon was raw, but this team lightly blanched the fish so that the inside is still raw, which adds a lot of layers to the flavours and textures of the dish. I like it."
    • Mix: "Can I speak extendedly? It's SO good. It's amazing. It's well-rounded, yummy, the textures are amazing, and it's easy to see that the person who made it really knows how to cook. I'm pretty sure I know who made it." Khaotung agrees.
    • 56:40 Luke decides to still vote for the white dish because the second dish is a bit too spicy for him. Earth sees that there's no way that the white dish can win anymore, so he puts his last ball into the white container anyway.
  • 58:00 More brand plugging for Sea Me Now
  • 59:45 PD calls the cooking teams back to the kitchen to announce the results.
  • 1:00:35 Luke says to Phuwin/Neo: "I tried, guys." Neo says, "I love this guy. He said the truth straight from his heart." Earth says that he tried to say the truth too. Neo complains that he was working with so many ingredients he had no idea how to use. I was just putting everything in randomly. Mix asks who did the seasoning/flavouring, and Neo said, "Me, but we didn't have time to taste it because we ran out of time."
  • 1:02:00 The cooking teams try each other's dishes (and Phuwin/Neo try their own dish for the first time too). Neo tries Gun/Pond's dish. Earth immediately feeds him a huge bite of his own dish. Neo pauses and says, "It seems like it's missing something." Mix and Earth say, "Not something. Many things. Like deliciousness." Earth feeds some to Phuwin, and he also doesn't like it.
    • 1:02:45 Neo looks at Earth and says, "You did the right thing." (in reference to criticising this dish and voting for the other one). Earth says, "So you understand me now?!"
    • Neo makes fun of how Gun was previously dramatic about not knowing how to make "yum." Gun says that he truly wasn't sure, and Neo feeds Gun some of Phuwin/Neo's dish saying, "See? This is what it means to truly not know what you're doing." Gun's eyes water while eating it, and he says, "It's so sour," and goes to hug Neo and Phuwin.
  • 1:04:00 More brand plugging for Sea Me Now
  • 1:05:00 Neo says that he's glad that there's at least someone (Luke) who enjoys eating his food. He then realises that Luke has only been eating the seafood and the vegetables, none of which have been flavoured/seasoned. Luke then takes a bite of the noodles to appease him.
• 1:06:00 Seafood lunch. Menu includes (professionally-made) "yum" with salmon and imitation crab topped with salmon roe; oysters with a seafood sauce; scallops fried with garlic, salt, and pepper; and grilled salmon steaks
  • 1:17:45 Khaotung and Mix go to the kitchen to make some more food with the fresh seafood they have
  • 1:19:15 Luke asks Earth why he's sitting so far away from him, and Neo turns it into a pun about Earth wanting scissors ("sitting far away" sounds a bit similar to "looking for scissors")
  • 1:21:10 This is Pond's first time trying mashed potatoes. Luke and Phuwin explain what they are to him and explain that in some Western countries, they eat less rice than they do in Asia, so sometimes they eat potatoes as the starch (a lot of the dishes for this meal were prepared in a Western way)
  • 1:22:30 Neo teaches them Isan slang that a more polite phrase to basically say, "BS-ing." They also mention the Central equivalent of the phrase. They ask Luke what an equivalent in English would be, but Luke can only think of "BS-ing," so he says that he can't say it out loud. He eventually goes with "spinning stuff." Neo says that he feels like English doesn't have as many rude/swearing words as Thai does, and Earth makes a joke that he wouldn't be surprised if Neo's name was rude in English.
  • 1:23:55 They like how Luke seems especially giggly today, so they try to keep him laughing. Neo says a Thai phrase/idiom that basically means that he's not even being funny to his full capacity right now, then Earth and Phuwin give some sarcastic remarks that are like playful insults to Neo, which Luke continues laughing at.
  • 1:26:00 Phuwin and Gun join Mix and Khaotung in the kitchen to cook some more seafood. They're prepping some salmon, scallops, and oysters. Gun wants to make lightly floured and pan-fried tofu.
  • 1:27:30 The guys at the table are joking to Luke that it's Thai culture to be polite to people, but then the closer you get to them, the more you insult them. You start the insults behind their back, but then you can eventually insult them to their face (it's not technically false, especially for some friend groups, but the way they were explaining it is a bit too much, hahaha). Then they demonstrate that, actually, the best thing to do is to be polite to someone's face, and then behind their back, you compliment them again.
  • 1:29:00 They exchange the English and Thai versions of the phrase "fishing for compliments"
  • 1:32:20 Luke is trying to tell the story of why he came to Thailand, but he's still in his giggly mood. He wanted to be an actor in the US, but he was scouted from IG to come and be a model in Thailand, so he arranged to come for 3 months, but he liked it, so he stayed.
  • 1:34:10 They mention that they're glad they have Neo in the house because otherwise it would be so much quieter and less entertaining.
  • 1:40:15 Gun brings the tofu for the guys at the table to try. They struggle a bit because it's still very hot, but they approve.
  • 1:43:45 The guys at the table talk about ventriloquists. Luke explains how in the US, ventriloquism can either be creepy or funny depending on the act, but in Thailand it tends to mostly be creepy. They start discussing some related film/series plots.
  • 1:59:30 Pond, Neo, and Luke dance a bit for the cameras
• 2:01:00 Relaxing time. Mix presents the dish he made to the camera: spaghetti pad kee mao (drunken noodles) with scallops, crab, and salmon roe. He brings it to the living room for everyone else to try.
  • 2:08:40 Some language lessons. Phuwin and Luke ask Neo some questions for him to answer in English. They also ask Luke some questions in Thai. They try to ask Neo and Luke to speak English and Thai (respectively) for two minutes each, language exam-style.
• 2:13:50 PD asks the losing team from the last game to go wash dishes. They say that the sink area is small, so two people will wash at a time.
  • 2:36:05 Earth drops and breaks a dish. Earth tells a story about how when he was very young, he hated washing dishes, so sometimes he would secretly break some dirty dishes behind his house so he wouldn't have to clean as many. Eventually his mother started wondering where all the dishes were disappearing to, but she just kept buying more
• 2:41:15 PD asks for someone to wake Gun (who's napping on the sofa) and assemble in the area in front of the medal board for the next medal game. She asks Mix "the one with many medals" and Earth "the one with hardly any medals" to take the lead in reading the rules. Earth is offended, but PD says, "Earth, you have to accept the truth."
  • 2:42:40 Game sponsored by Super Coffee. They will divide into two teams. King of the Day chooses the pairs that will compete together. Each person in the pair will wear a sumo costume with a bag of Super Coffee attached to their back. Whoever is the first to successfully remove the bag of coffee from their opponent's back wins that round, and their team is awarded one point in the game. Once all the pairs have competed, the winners will compete to determine the final winner. Winning team gets one medal each. The rules say nothing about singing or having dancing breaks during each match, but the guys do so anyway.
• 3:21:20 PD asks everyone to change into swimming clothes and meet at the pool. Phuwin has to study, so he won't join for the next activity.
• 3:39:00 Neo reads the directions. They're going to play the Werewolf (ma paa) game. Between the 7 of them, they will randomly get assigned roles: 2 werewolves (who can kill people), 1 bodyguard (who can choose someone to protect from death each round), 1 seer (who can privately uncover the identity of one other player each round), 1 hunter (who, if they are killed, can choose one other person they suspect of being a werewolf to die with them), and 2 villagers. PD will be the narratoreferee. The game is basically between the werewolves and everyone else. Each round, in order, the narrator will instruct the werewolves to choose someone to kill, then the bodyguard to choose someone to protect, then the seer to privately uncover the identity of one other player. Then everyone must talk and decide on one person to kill out of suspicion of being a werewolf. If both werewolves are killed, the common people win. If there's at least one werewolf left at the end of the game, the werewolves win.
  • [PD is a very dramatic and colourful narrator, which is why everyone is reacting to most of her lines throughout the game. Werewolf in Thai is "ma paa" and villagetownsperson is "chao baan," to help you guys understand what's going on. All the other roles are called in English, although sometimes they call the bodyguard "moh" which means doctor]
  • 3:45:30 First game: Werewolves=Gun/Earth, Bodyguard=Neo, Seer=Khaotung, Hunter=Mix
    • First round: No one dies
    • Second round: Pond dies. They vote to kill Khaotung
    • 4:04:45 Third round: No one dies. Neo says that Mix is a common person because he saved this round. They vote to kill Earth
    • 4:13:30 Fourth round: Neo dies. They vote to kill Gun. Common people win.
  • 4:19:00 Second game. They're no longer allowed to say whether they saved someone or not. Werewolves=Khaotung/Mix, Bodyguard=Gun, Seer=Luke, Hunter=Pond
    • First round: Earth dies. They know someone is lying because too many people are claiming to be villagers. They think they should believe Neo because he was so honest last round. They vote to kill Khaotung.
    • 4:34:10 Second round: Pond dies and choses to kill Mix with him. Common people win.
  • 4:37:50 PD asks them to vote on the best and worst liar. They aren't sure yet, but Khaotung is voted the worst liar. Punishment is cleaning one of the bathrooms tomorrow.
• 4:41:15 Relaxing time. Neo gets thrown in the pool.
• 5:08:00 Fan talk
  • Group 1: It's supposed to be the 4 top scorers on the medal board, but Khaotung is still showering, so Earth goes in his place because he's lowest. Neo did a bit more exercise with Luke this morning. They recap the walking doll game from the morning and how random and unpredictable it was. Mix was bitter that he felt like being King today was more of a burden than Luke's experience the previous day. Luke says it's probably because Mix's Thai is better, so they felt like using him for more jobs/tasks. They recap the cooking competition; Gun/Mix say they were lucky that they were on the team that had several options of people who knew how to cook. They talked about how the judging was biased, but Earth said that at the end, he had to admit the fact that Phuwin/Neo's dish was so sour that he could feel it in his brain. Gun/Mix were glad that they didn't have to wash dishes today because there were so many dishes to wash, and they made fun of Earth breaking the dish. They all enjoyed the sumo game. They started to regret that they started the singing/dancing gag, but they committed to it for entertainment purposes. They agreed that Khaotung is indeed the dark horse because no one expected him to be that quick in the sumo game. Everyone also had fun playing Werewolf.
    • 5:18:45 Fan comments: They like how Gun seems like the eldest brother in the house, taking care of everyone. People made fun of Earth's childhood dish-breaking story. (The guys eventually start talking amongst themselves, mainly about how Earth doesn't think he has a chance to win anymore, and they say that there are many more opportunities for medals in the coming days, so anything can happen)
  • 5:26:15 Group 2: They talk about how much Pond likes rice with Thai omelette [note: pretty much everyone in Thailand loves it, but Pond feels like eating it all the time], and he likes to make Phuwin make it for him in this house. They're all impressed with how good Khaotung was at the sumo game. Phuwin/Neo explain what happened during the cooking competition: Phuwin usually never eats "yum," but last week, his family made some but he didn't have any, so he regrets not having it so he would have a better idea of how to make it. Neo said he was just randomly putting things in without knowing for sure if they were supposed to go in. They made fun of Neo's dishwashing "technique." They recapped Werewolf, and everyone was unsure whether to trust/believe the things Neo says because he talks rubbish a lot.
    • 5:32:45 Fan comments: They mention that this has turned into a pure comedy show. They like how everyone works together and the vibe isn't overly competitive.
  • 5:37:00 Late-night meal. Menu includes fried chicken wings, spaghetti carbonara, spaghetti with bacon, sticky rice with pork, sandwich, pizza, more spaghetti, and minced pork wrapped with noodles.
    • They feel like today was very full/busy, and they're all feeling tired, but they've had fun.
    • 5:47:00 Earth and Neo say that they may not have many medals, but at least they're funny. They get up and try to entertain the rest of the guys.
• 5:52:45 Everyone bids farewell to Gun because it's his last night. Gun says to the audience, "Thank you so much for watching all of us these past three days. I hope you've enjoyed seeing our dynamics in this more relaxed environment. I hope you'll continue watching the rest of the guys for the rest of the days and see what fun is in store."

I'm a male in mid 20s looking to get my first tattoo. I love the sonf Heartbeats by The Knife and I wonder if I could somehow get a tattoo that is inspired by the song.
Placement upper arm.
Preferbly black and white, some color ok.
Example, maybe the birds from the music video. or the album cover in a black and white gradient.
I appreciate any ideas or inspiration.

This is hard for me to put into words, but I'm going to do my best and hope that someone knows what I'm talking about.
I'm looking for recommendations of books where the main characters have to be careful and strategic, particularly in the running of a government. I want to see a big chunk of the plot revolve around intrigue, trying to satisfy various factions with conflicting interests, understanding and solving the problems created by previous regimes, that kind of thing. I'd love something that deals with issues like this with quite a large scope, like trying to run an entire country or planet. Even something about war could fit if most of the narrative is from the point of view of generals and heads of state trying to understand the whole war, rather than the heroism of individual soldiers from the viewpoint of specific battles.
I'm thinking, for example, of Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy, where a lot of the plot and conflict arise from the main characters doing their best to put together a working government after the events of Return of the Jedi, I'm also thinking of S1gn1f1cant D1g1t5, a Harry Potter fanfic where the characters are trying to build a new world order and there's a lot of talk about taxes and regulations. I like the way A Song of Ice and Fire gets into this a lot as well, as well as the Malazan books (though more on the side or war than government, and not with as much depth as I would like, amazing as that series is).
As you can see from the examples, I suspect that science fiction and fantasy will be my best bet for something like this. However, I would also be very interested in historical fiction with this kind of approach. I'm still not sure if I've communicated what I'm talking about here, so if someone else has a better way of expressing what I'm talking about then I'm all ears.
Thanks, everyone!

(Only Europe, Please) - short note - If you're not into reading or receiving long messages,don't read any further + Please If you don't want to read everything because of my post being too long for you & instead of reading It all - ..skip some parts - find another person to talk to.Let's respect each other and our free time. All people criticizing/making fun of me & other people - will be blocked.Pretty much as people questioning my post and giving me unsolicited advice.I'm not here for any conflicts and I know I can't please everyone - I know I never will.. However It's me who should feel comfortable in my new potential friendship & obviously someone who wants to be my friend - not the whole world.. which is why I don't need any advice from people who don't even want to be a part of my life. The amount of rude people on Reddit always criticizing others and making fun of them is unbelievably high but let me tell you something - NEVER let anyone make choices for you and criticize you only because you're different! Always fight for your dreams and never let anyone make you think you're worthless! It's your life and you're the one deciding what's best for you - If you want to judge me despite not even wanting to talk to me or give me advice better block me! I'm an adult woman and I make all decisions on my own.I'm not trying to "fit in" and be like everyone else - just to get more attention.Accept me for who I am or let go - is my motto.
★
🤍
Hello guys! 🙂 (read everything before you decide to send me a message) Please send me a message ONLY If you're in the same situation and If your expectations are the same as mine.I want to find like minded people from Europe (Why Europe? Read my post to find out) I'm looking for something permanent (remember - you can feel lonely even If you're surrounded by others - If there's no emotional bond) I'm fed up of meeting people who never make time for me & only text me once or twice a week to ask me "what are you up to?" Out of boredom.I don't want to meet people asking others a million of questions like "what's your favorite movie?" Just to give them one word answer and ask them another question "and music? Your favorite song?" I'm looking for something "deeper" & different 🙂
★
🤍
What kind of friend would I like to find? Someone to talk to on a daily basis - Someone who needs It & wants It just as much as me
🤍
What are my expectations? I would like to meet someone in a similar situation – why? Because I honestly feel like only a person with the same expectations and a similar outlook on life would get along with me & because I feel more comfortable talking to people like me..Friendless people who need a strong bond - people without friends and partners.. Don't get me wrong…Most people deserve to be happy and It's good to have friends but people who have friends or families in real life are usually more focused on them (which is completely understandable) & have less time for others + I simply don't want to be replaced by anyone..I kind of envy people who can call others , true friends given I don't have an emotional bond with any of my acquaintances. Please send me a message only If you're not In a relationship and don't have friends for the same reasons I've already mentioned before
★
🤍
Whenever I hear that others have friends I simply get sad because (believe it or not) If I had to choose between 20 people to talk to (acquaintances) and one special person - I'd choose that one special person without any hesitation .
★
🤍
I also want to talk to others every day because..I want to see someone’s effort & be someone's first choice - not another person to have random conversations with..some people ask me "Why do you want to talk to people from Europe?" Well..Because I would like to see someone I'd get along with - In the far future - face to face :) + I don't want to wait any longer than 6 hours to receive a message - waiting 6 hours to receive a message is more than enough
★
🤍
I'm by no means criticizing people who don't want to talk to others often / People who really are super busy & People who want to find someone to have unimportant conversations with - I'm aware that not everyone has the same expectations which is why everything you're reading now - is here for a reason :) All I'm suggesting is - I don't want anything temporary and I don't want to be the one always giving more than receiving.Listen people - I used to ignore being..ignored by others..always being just an option to talk to during tough times or moments of boredom.I was too young to realize that I was never important enough for most people that were a part of my life. I don't know who needs to hear this but..No one is too busy to make time for you! People make excuses to avoid others because they prioritize everything and (maybe) everyone..over them. It's true that most people are busy - but It takes only a few seconds to start a conversation (If you're into short messages) and a few minutes (1-10/15) to type a long message . Don't let anyone lie to you.
★
🤍
Truth is that most people either don't like you enough to make time for you or just simply - feel no need to talk to others often but are they too busy? No..You don't need to send me a message just to ask me and tell me "Do you really want to talk every day? I like long messages but I can't promise to contact you often" If you really are unsure please don't send me a message.I don't need more acquaintances aka people to talk to - occasionally.
🤍
I'm not trying to sound rude but conversations once or twice a week wouldn't be enough for me and I don't need them... Let me tell you one thing – A true friend would never just give up on you for no reason :) It’s always possible to find someone to have a random conversation with – someone willing to send you one message once or twice a week..but..It’s almost impossible to find people willing to make more time for you.
★
🤍
I’m not asking a busy person to make time for me by changing some plans! Absolutely not! I’m here to find someone who wants to talk daily (throughout the day or maybe even night) of one’s own will.Someone looking for the same kind of connection.Strong friendships are based on mutual support. One of the best things you can do for a friend in need, is just to be there for them when they want to talk.I often see posts from people who always say how friendless they are because they don't feel loved or appreciated by their "friends" remember! A true friend - someone who truly likes you or someone who wants to get to know you - will always find time for you.
★
🤍
I'm not interested in small talk/short messages - I love long and meaningful conversations. It's so easy to find someone who loves abbreviations and questions like "How are you?" How was your day? Or what are you interested in? But so hard/almost impossible to find a person who knows how to keep a conversation going & show others some effort.Building and maintaining friendships takes time and effort.Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relations with other people.Close friendships are so important to us because they are so difficult to form + Having friends can help you feel as if you belong to something that brings purpose and connection to your life
🤍
• I do NOT respond to any „Hey,hmu” or „u want to talk?” type of messages (super short messages or messages full of abbreviations – I literally can’t stand abbreviations and acronyms in text messages) ALL messages full of abbreviations will immediately be ignored.I also don't like it when people ignore everything I say in private messages just to focus on a random question or? When they start talking only about themselves and don't ever ask me anything. I love conversations with people referring to everything I say...I want everything I say and do - to be reciprocated
🤍
• No NSFW profiles (checking mental health subreddits NOT included as I'm a huge empath and always try to understand others) - Please! I'm not looking for anyone to flirt with and I'm not looking for a partner either. I always check people's profiles (even comment history) - To avoid guys, trying to get inappropriate pictures from adult women or? flirt with them + I don't want to see you with no clothes on so If you're on Reddit only because you want others to see what's underneath your clothes - I'm not for you! I just simply don't want to see any s e x related activity on your profile If you want to talk to me.
🤍
• If both of us (you and I) are from the same country (I live in a non-English speaking country) - I want to communicate with you in our first language! No - Not because I don't understand English - because as you see - I do. Why then? English is simply overrated and people don't appreciate other languages as much as they should. So.. If we're from the same country and you want to talk only in English (which is quite common on reddit) - Talk to someone else. I just don't want to talk to a person from the same country as mine - in a foreign language as It's just something I don't understand even If all you want is to improve your language skills
🤍
• Please only adult people 18-36 (age range) It doesn't matter to me If you're younger or older than me (as long as you're not underage) So.. don't worry! I just want to have discussions with emotionally mature people :)
🤍
• I don’t respond to messages I don’t find interesting even If they're long - If after receiving and reading your message I don't feel comfortable or think "I wouldn't get along with him/her" I simply do not respond (what I’m suggesting is that I don’t always respond to someone’s first or second message because..sometimes you just know If you’d get along with someone or not- I’d never ignore anyone after days or weeks of daily conversations though) just because I don’t want to do anything forcefully & because I don’t want to lead anyone on. I read all messages but I definitely don't respond to all of them! I want to make it clear because I don't want to be accused of not responding and not reading people's messages! - Some people don't message me back as well and even If It's a bit disappointing I'm ok with that! - as long as there's no emotional bond - Not responding to someone's first or second message Is completely OK! If people think they wouldn't get along with a stranger - is there a reason to start a conversation? I don't think so. I can't stand being ignored after days or weeks of daily conversations and seeing people changing priorities over time.. but that's something different - something I don't want to go through ever again for real. If I'm really interested in someone's message it's impossible to hear from me "I'm too busy" because I know myself and If I had no time for others - I wouldn't be here. I don't want to pretend someone I'm not and always try to find some cheap excuses to avoid others. (unlike most people who don't want to talk to others)
🤍
• Don’t ask me “Can you tell me something about yourself?” If you really want to get to know me - you can ask me questions :) I'm an open book.
🤍
• It would be better If you guys were into emojis - like me - to describe your emotions In text messages. Two emojis - 🙂 and 🙁 are completely enough! I just don't like emotionless conversations.I also don't like it when people say "yeah" or yea"as it sounds dismissively. First impression Is everything to me! I want to see your kindness even in a text message - Emojis are very helpful to express your emotions.I don't want to meet people who say "crying Is a weakness" - It's OK to cry even If you're a guy!
🤍
• I want to talk on reddit first (just to make sure If I'd get along with you) before moving to Discord or some other app
🤍
• I would rather talk to a homebody - not another person who always has something to do as people who are very busy don't even have time for daily conversations
🤍
• If you're another person interested only in "childish conversations" such as "HEYOOO! I'M BORED! Ya like Pizza or cheese? xDDDD 🤣" I'm begging you! Don't send me a message.I'm not a child anymore and such messages don't make me smile or laugh.I'm looking for someone interested In serious discussions - not another person just seeking some entertainment out of boredom . Conversations with sarcastic undertones (even when It comes to some emojis such as 🤣😂) are not for me. Your typing style matters to me! Why? when It comes to online conversations with someone new - It's not always possible to know If someone Is laughing at you.. or with you. Let me tell you something else! Jokes about cancer, disabilities and death are UNACCEPTABLE to me. If you find joy In someone else's misfortune you are not a person I want to know.
🤍
• Time response matters to me a lot! I would never ask anyone to be online all day long and I'm NOT asking any of you for any instant messaging as I'm someone who would rather wait an hour or two to receive a proper response instead of some short and pointless messages but I'm interested only in daily conversations and I don't want to wait any longer than 6 hours to get a message from you.I don't need unbelievably long messages either! Messages as long as the second paragraph of my post - are completely enough. If you like longer messages? you can send me a longer message, but If you want to send me one word or one sentence as a response to my post - don't expect a reaction from me. I don't want to come across as rude - I just don't want to waste your time
🤍
• I'm strongly AGAINST picking on people you don't even want to chat with - and making fun of them! I can't stand people who criticize others publicly or make fun of them! (only because they disagree with someone they don't even know) There's no place In my life for someone using Reddit, to hurt other people
🤍
• I'm not into foul language and I definitely don't want to talk to people who swear a lot...
🤍
• I want to meet assertive people who know what they want and always stand up for their friends
🤍
• I want to meet someone willing to call me In the future, someone spontaneously sending me pictures of animals or food, et cetera. I want more than just text conversations.. 🌻
🤍
Why can’t you see any of my hobbies listed down below? Because what really matters to me is..who you are (If you’re honest, talkative ,understanding, caring and trustworthy – for example) just simply – It matters to me what you’re like! not what you like.Don’t get me wrong – you can tell me what your hobbies are but from my point of view - people's hobbies are important - If you want to find a gaming buddy or If you want to meet someone to hang out with in real life and..go bowling for example.What most people seem to care about are other people's passions – I don’t. I get along with other people despite having completely different hobbies but I absolutely don’t get along with people way different than me (different expectations and outlook on life – way different sense of humor or personality traits – It’s just an example) It doesn't make ANY DIFFERENCE to me If you're a gamer or? Someone interested in photography! It doesn't make any difference - > as long as you're talkative and kind and If you also want to find someone willing to stay in your life..for good - But If you're into small talk and all you want is to...type and receive super short messages or If you're here only because you're bored and don't know what to do + If you're a very sarcastic person - I'm definitely not for you! I don't get along with overly sarcastic people turning everything into a joke. Friendships should be natural – not forced. I wouldn't get along with people who laugh at everything.. In my opinion most people are way too sarcastic.. It's quite sad... Sarcasm can also be another form of passive-aggressive behavior.
★
🤍
People who want to be to friends should feel comfortable and have something in common. No - not necessarily a similar taste in music or movies but something else..Most friendships don't fizzle out because of people not having the same hobbies but..because they just simply have different expectations when It comes to something important.I'm not here out of boredom and trust me - I'm not here to meet as many people as possible.I choose quality over quantity.I highly value myself and my time & Sometimes one person but a person who makes you feel comfortable and understood - is more than enough :) We ALL can choose what kind of people we’d like to talk to and maybe even become really good friends with and I? I don’t want anyone to be disappointed.We all have some expectations after all.I know that people don't have to talk as often as possible in order to become friends but I'm interested only in daily conversations. If you really need someone to talk to due to loneliness and If you have time to talk to me daily (throughout the day and maybe even night) I always make time for others.I'm literally always available.I could even stay up all night long only to talk to someone important to me. I’m ready to commit but only If there’s some chemistry between me and someone else.I don’t do anything forcefully.
★
🤍
If you want to talk to me tell me your story - tell me why you're here, what kind of friend would you like to meet :) Et cetera.Such messages are way more interesting to me than...someone's long list of hobbies. I know! It's unusual on reddit but I don't make friends based on hobbies..I want to meet someone with the same mindset as mine to finally feel understood and get close to someone new. You can share your problems with me - I absolutely don't mind "complaining" as I've been through a lot in my life.What do people usually tell you when you tell them that something's wrong? "Don't complain" or "Life's not over yet - one day you'll be happy" or "There are worse situations than yours" and..obviously "Find a therapist" Life's not a fairytale and sometimes things don't go as planned.Emotions shouldn't be bottled up.I'm sick of people always telling others "everything's gonna be ok" move on " & more..Trust me people - not everyone wants to hear "Just believe in yourself and everything's gonna be ok" Some people take it as reassurance - but others? They would rather hear something different 🙁Imagine being told that things will be okay, only for them to get worse..Do you guys know why telling someone "everything's gonna be ok" Is wrong? Because you can't see the future.
★
🤍
You can't guarantee others that one day they'll finally be happy + when It comes to social interactions - We're responsible only for ourselves - not others & as you guys know people let us down quite often (sometimes even when there's no reason) so instead of telling people how they should move on, forget everything and be happy or asking them to find a therapist - be there for them! Always be willing to listen to them If you really like them or want to get to know them & don't suggest everyone in a tough situation to find a therapist because even the best therapist won't ever replace a true friend + It's quite normal to be disappointed If people always do something to hurt you. Sharing your hardships with other people in a very similar situation or exactly the same one - is VERY helpful If the other person understands you & wants to start all over by just letting it all out! Feeling emotional support instead of always hearing some "positive quotes" or someone saying "Stop complaining let's talk about something else - Is very important! "Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on. I appreciate sensitive people who always try to understand others. If after hearing a sad story all you want to say is "forget the past and move on" you're not for me. It's important to be a good listener and provide emotional support to others
★
🤍
Please - If you're a completely different person than the described type of person I'm looking for (If you love abbreviations,If you don't need a stable friendship, If you're sarcastic and quiet) or If you simply disagree with my post - don't force yourself to send me a message.I want my new potential friendship to be natural which is why I want you to contact me only If your needs are the same - I don't want you to pretend someone you're not - only to please me - Pretending to be someone you're not - is the worst.I want to finally be happy again & find someone "always" wanting to talk - sending me random pictures throughout the day - food pictures or pictures of some animals. What is the most important to me? I want to find people who value online friendships as much as they would value real life ones as there's another human being on the other side
★
🤍
No comments please.Only Private messages and chat requests 🌺
I know It's possible to meet people with exactly the same expectations as mine but It's just not easy because most people are Interested In temporary and entertaining conversations. People like me are just "different" I really want to finally find someone who loves emojis as much as I do.. someone who loves sweet, warm and serious discussions at the same time. Emojis really do - change conversations 😊

(Only Europe, Please) - short note - If you're not into reading or receiving long messages,don't read any further + Please If you don't want to read everything because of my post being too long for you & instead of reading It all - ..skip some parts - find another person to talk to.Let's respect each other and our free time. All people criticizing/making fun of me & other people - will be blocked.Pretty much as people questioning my post and giving me unsolicited advice.I'm not here for any conflicts and I know I can't please everyone - I know I never will.. However It's me who should feel comfortable in my new potential friendship & obviously someone who wants to be my friend - not the whole world.. which is why I don't need any advice from people who don't even want to be a part of my life. The amount of rude people on Reddit always criticizing others and making fun of them is unbelievably high but let me tell you something - NEVER let anyone make choices for you and criticize you only because you're different! Always fight for your dreams and never let anyone make you think you're worthless! It's your life and you're the one deciding what's best for you - If you want to judge me despite not even wanting to talk to me or give me advice better block me! I'm an adult woman and I make all decisions on my own.I'm not trying to "fit in" and be like everyone else - just to get more attention.Accept me for who I am or let go - is my motto.
★
🤍
Hello guys! 🙂 (read everything before you decide to send me a message) Please send me a message ONLY If you're in the same situation and If your expectations are the same as mine.I want to find like minded people from Europe (Why Europe? Read my post to find out) I'm looking for something permanent (remember - you can feel lonely even If you're surrounded by others - If there's no emotional bond) I'm fed up of meeting people who never make time for me & only text me once or twice a week to ask me "what are you up to?" Out of boredom.I don't want to meet people asking others a million of questions like "what's your favorite movie?" Just to give them one word answer and ask them another question "and music? Your favorite song?" I'm looking for something "deeper" & different 🙂
★
🤍
What kind of friend would I like to find? Someone to talk to on a daily basis - Someone who needs It & wants It just as much as me
🤍
What are my expectations? I would like to meet someone in a similar situation – why? Because I honestly feel like only a person with the same expectations and a similar outlook on life would get along with me & because I feel more comfortable talking to people like me..Friendless people who need a strong bond - people without friends and partners.. Don't get me wrong…Most people deserve to be happy and It's good to have friends but people who have friends or families in real life are usually more focused on them (which is completely understandable) & have less time for others + I simply don't want to be replaced by anyone..I kind of envy people who can call others , true friends given I don't have an emotional bond with any of my acquaintances. Please send me a message only If you're not In a relationship and don't have friends for the same reasons I've already mentioned before
★
🤍
Whenever I hear that others have friends I simply get sad because (believe it or not) If I had to choose between 20 people to talk to (acquaintances) and one special person - I'd choose that one special person without any hesitation .
★
🤍
I also want to talk to others every day because..I want to see someone’s effort & be someone's first choice - not another person to have random conversations with..some people ask me "Why do you want to talk to people from Europe?" Well..Because I would like to see someone I'd get along with - In the far future - face to face :) + I don't want to wait any longer than 6 hours to receive a message - waiting 6 hours to receive a message is more than enough
★
🤍
I'm by no means criticizing people who don't want to talk to others often / People who really are super busy & People who want to find someone to have unimportant conversations with - I'm aware that not everyone has the same expectations which is why everything you're reading now - is here for a reason :) All I'm suggesting is - I don't want anything temporary and I don't want to be the one always giving more than receiving.Listen people - I used to ignore being..ignored by others..always being just an option to talk to during tough times or moments of boredom.I was too young to realize that I was never important enough for most people that were a part of my life. I don't know who needs to hear this but..No one is too busy to make time for you! People make excuses to avoid others because they prioritize everything and (maybe) everyone..over them. It's true that most people are busy - but It takes only a few seconds to start a conversation (If you're into short messages) and a few minutes (1-10/15) to type a long message . Don't let anyone lie to you.
★
🤍
Truth is that most people either don't like you enough to make time for you or just simply - feel no need to talk to others often but are they too busy? No..You don't need to send me a message just to ask me and tell me "Do you really want to talk every day? I like long messages but I can't promise to contact you often" If you really are unsure please don't send me a message.I don't need more acquaintances aka people to talk to - occasionally.
🤍
I'm not trying to sound rude but conversations once or twice a week wouldn't be enough for me and I don't need them... Let me tell you one thing – A true friend would never just give up on you for no reason :) It’s always possible to find someone to have a random conversation with – someone willing to send you one message once or twice a week..but..It’s almost impossible to find people willing to make more time for you.
★
🤍
I’m not asking a busy person to make time for me by changing some plans! Absolutely not! I’m here to find someone who wants to talk daily (throughout the day or maybe even night) of one’s own will.Someone looking for the same kind of connection.Strong friendships are based on mutual support. One of the best things you can do for a friend in need, is just to be there for them when they want to talk.I often see posts from people who always say how friendless they are because they don't feel loved or appreciated by their "friends" remember! A true friend - someone who truly likes you or someone who wants to get to know you - will always find time for you.
★
🤍
I'm not interested in small talk/short messages - I love long and meaningful conversations. It's so easy to find someone who loves abbreviations and questions like "How are you?" How was your day? Or what are you interested in? But so hard/almost impossible to find a person who knows how to keep a conversation going & show others some effort.Building and maintaining friendships takes time and effort.Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relations with other people.Close friendships are so important to us because they are so difficult to form + Having friends can help you feel as if you belong to something that brings purpose and connection to your life
🤍
• I do NOT respond to any „Hey,hmu” or „u want to talk?” type of messages (super short messages or messages full of abbreviations – I literally can’t stand abbreviations and acronyms in text messages) ALL messages full of abbreviations will immediately be ignored.I also don't like it when people ignore everything I say in private messages just to focus on a random question or? When they start talking only about themselves and don't ever ask me anything. I love conversations with people referring to everything I say...I want everything I say and do - to be reciprocated
🤍
• No NSFW profiles (checking mental health subreddits NOT included as I'm a huge empath and always try to understand others) - Please! I'm not looking for anyone to flirt with and I'm not looking for a partner either. I always check people's profiles (even comment history) - To avoid guys, trying to get inappropriate pictures from adult women or? flirt with them + I don't want to see you with no clothes on so If you're on Reddit only because you want others to see what's underneath your clothes - I'm not for you! I just simply don't want to see any s e x related activity on your profile If you want to talk to me.
🤍
• If both of us (you and I) are from the same country (I live in a non-English speaking country) - I want to communicate with you in our first language! No - Not because I don't understand English - because as you see - I do. Why then? English is simply overrated and people don't appreciate other languages as much as they should. So.. If we're from the same country and you want to talk only in English (which is quite common on reddit) - Talk to someone else. I just don't want to talk to a person from the same country as mine - in a foreign language as It's just something I don't understand even If all you want is to improve your language skills
🤍
• Please only adult people 18-36 (age range) It doesn't matter to me If you're younger or older than me (as long as you're not underage) So.. don't worry! I just want to have discussions with emotionally mature people :)
🤍
• I don’t respond to messages I don’t find interesting even If they're long - If after receiving and reading your message I don't feel comfortable or think "I wouldn't get along with him/her" I simply do not respond (what I’m suggesting is that I don’t always respond to someone’s first or second message because..sometimes you just know If you’d get along with someone or not- I’d never ignore anyone after days or weeks of daily conversations though) just because I don’t want to do anything forcefully & because I don’t want to lead anyone on. I read all messages but I definitely don't respond to all of them! I want to make it clear because I don't want to be accused of not responding and not reading people's messages! - Some people don't message me back as well and even If It's a bit disappointing I'm ok with that! - as long as there's no emotional bond - Not responding to someone's first or second message Is completely OK! If people think they wouldn't get along with a stranger - is there a reason to start a conversation? I don't think so. I can't stand being ignored after days or weeks of daily conversations and seeing people changing priorities over time.. but that's something different - something I don't want to go through ever again for real. If I'm really interested in someone's message it's impossible to hear from me "I'm too busy" because I know myself and If I had no time for others - I wouldn't be here. I don't want to pretend someone I'm not and always try to find some cheap excuses to avoid others. (unlike most people who don't want to talk to others)
🤍
• Don’t ask me “Can you tell me something about yourself?” If you really want to get to know me - you can ask me questions :) I'm an open book.
🤍
• It would be better If you guys were into emojis - like me - to describe your emotions In text messages. Two emojis - 🙂 and 🙁 are completely enough! I just don't like emotionless conversations.I also don't like it when people say "yeah" or yea"as it sounds dismissively. First impression Is everything to me! I want to see your kindness even in a text message - Emojis are very helpful to express your emotions.I don't want to meet people who say "crying Is a weakness" - It's OK to cry even If you're a guy!
🤍
• I want to talk on reddit first (just to make sure If I'd get along with you) before moving to Discord or some other app
🤍
• I would rather talk to a homebody - not another person who always has something to do as people who are very busy don't even have time for daily conversations
🤍
• If you're another person interested only in "childish conversations" such as "HEYOOO! I'M BORED! Ya like Pizza or cheese? xDDDD 🤣" I'm begging you! Don't send me a message.I'm not a child anymore and such messages don't make me smile or laugh.I'm looking for someone interested In serious discussions - not another person just seeking some entertainment out of boredom . Conversations with sarcastic undertones (even when It comes to some emojis such as 🤣😂) are not for me. Your typing style matters to me! Why? when It comes to online conversations with someone new - It's not always possible to know If someone Is laughing at you.. or with you. Let me tell you something else! Jokes about cancer, disabilities and death are UNACCEPTABLE to me. If you find joy In someone else's misfortune you are not a person I want to know.
🤍
• Time response matters to me a lot! I would never ask anyone to be online all day long and I'm NOT asking any of you for any instant messaging as I'm someone who would rather wait an hour or two to receive a proper response instead of some short and pointless messages but I'm interested only in daily conversations and I don't want to wait any longer than 6 hours to get a message from you.I don't need unbelievably long messages either! Messages as long as the second paragraph of my post - are completely enough. If you like longer messages? you can send me a longer message, but If you want to send me one word or one sentence as a response to my post - don't expect a reaction from me. I don't want to come across as rude - I just don't want to waste your time
🤍
• I'm strongly AGAINST picking on people you don't even want to chat with - and making fun of them! I can't stand people who criticize others publicly or make fun of them! (only because they disagree with someone they don't even know) There's no place In my life for someone using Reddit, to hurt other people
🤍
• I'm not into foul language and I definitely don't want to talk to people who swear a lot...
🤍
• I want to meet assertive people who know what they want and always stand up for their friends
🤍
• I want to meet someone willing to call me In the future, someone spontaneously sending me pictures of animals or food, et cetera. I want more than just text conversations.. 🌻
🤍
Why can’t you see any of my hobbies listed down below? Because what really matters to me is..who you are (If you’re honest, talkative ,understanding, caring and trustworthy – for example) just simply – It matters to me what you’re like! not what you like.Don’t get me wrong – you can tell me what your hobbies are but from my point of view - people's hobbies are important - If you want to find a gaming buddy or If you want to meet someone to hang out with in real life and..go bowling for example.What most people seem to care about are other people's passions – I don’t. I get along with other people despite having completely different hobbies but I absolutely don’t get along with people way different than me (different expectations and outlook on life – way different sense of humor or personality traits – It’s just an example) It doesn't make ANY DIFFERENCE to me If you're a gamer or? Someone interested in photography! It doesn't make any difference - > as long as you're talkative and kind and If you also want to find someone willing to stay in your life..for good - But If you're into small talk and all you want is to...type and receive super short messages or If you're here only because you're bored and don't know what to do + If you're a very sarcastic person - I'm definitely not for you! I don't get along with overly sarcastic people turning everything into a joke. Friendships should be natural – not forced. I wouldn't get along with people who laugh at everything.. In my opinion most people are way too sarcastic.. It's quite sad... Sarcasm can also be another form of passive-aggressive behavior.
★
🤍
People who want to be to friends should feel comfortable and have something in common. No - not necessarily a similar taste in music or movies but something else..Most friendships don't fizzle out because of people not having the same hobbies but..because they just simply have different expectations when It comes to something important.I'm not here out of boredom and trust me - I'm not here to meet as many people as possible.I choose quality over quantity.I highly value myself and my time & Sometimes one person but a person who makes you feel comfortable and understood - is more than enough :) We ALL can choose what kind of people we’d like to talk to and maybe even become really good friends with and I? I don’t want anyone to be disappointed.We all have some expectations after all.I know that people don't have to talk as often as possible in order to become friends but I'm interested only in daily conversations. If you really need someone to talk to due to loneliness and If you have time to talk to me daily (throughout the day and maybe even night) I always make time for others.I'm literally always available.I could even stay up all night long only to talk to someone important to me. I’m ready to commit but only If there’s some chemistry between me and someone else.I don’t do anything forcefully.
★
🤍
If you want to talk to me tell me your story - tell me why you're here, what kind of friend would you like to meet :) Et cetera.Such messages are way more interesting to me than...someone's long list of hobbies. I know! It's unusual on reddit but I don't make friends based on hobbies..I want to meet someone with the same mindset as mine to finally feel understood and get close to someone new. You can share your problems with me - I absolutely don't mind "complaining" as I've been through a lot in my life.What do people usually tell you when you tell them that something's wrong? "Don't complain" or "Life's not over yet - one day you'll be happy" or "There are worse situations than yours" and..obviously "Find a therapist" Life's not a fairytale and sometimes things don't go as planned.Emotions shouldn't be bottled up.I'm sick of people always telling others "everything's gonna be ok" move on " & more..Trust me people - not everyone wants to hear "Just believe in yourself and everything's gonna be ok" Some people take it as reassurance - but others? They would rather hear something different 🙁Imagine being told that things will be okay, only for them to get worse..Do you guys know why telling someone "everything's gonna be ok" Is wrong? Because you can't see the future.
★
🤍
You can't guarantee others that one day they'll finally be happy + when It comes to social interactions - We're responsible only for ourselves - not others & as you guys know people let us down quite often (sometimes even when there's no reason) so instead of telling people how they should move on, forget everything and be happy or asking them to find a therapist - be there for them! Always be willing to listen to them If you really like them or want to get to know them & don't suggest everyone in a tough situation to find a therapist because even the best therapist won't ever replace a true friend + It's quite normal to be disappointed If people always do something to hurt you. Sharing your hardships with other people in a very similar situation or exactly the same one - is VERY helpful If the other person understands you & wants to start all over by just letting it all out! Feeling emotional support instead of always hearing some "positive quotes" or someone saying "Stop complaining let's talk about something else - Is very important! "Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on. I appreciate sensitive people who always try to understand others. If after hearing a sad story all you want to say is "forget the past and move on" you're not for me. It's important to be a good listener and provide emotional support to others
★
🤍
Please - If you're a completely different person than the described type of person I'm looking for (If you love abbreviations,If you don't need a stable friendship, If you're sarcastic and quiet) or If you simply disagree with my post - don't force yourself to send me a message.I want my new potential friendship to be natural which is why I want you to contact me only If your needs are the same - I don't want you to pretend someone you're not - only to please me - Pretending to be someone you're not - is the worst.I want to finally be happy again & find someone "always" wanting to talk - sending me random pictures throughout the day - food pictures or pictures of some animals. What is the most important to me? I want to find people who value online friendships as much as they would value real life ones as there's another human being on the other side
★
🤍
No comments please.Only Private messages and chat requests 🌺
I know It's possible to meet people with exactly the same expectations as mine but It's just not easy because most people are Interested In temporary and entertaining conversations. People like me are just "different" I really want to finally find someone who loves emojis as much as I do.. someone who loves sweet, warm and serious discussions at the same time. Emojis really do - change conversations 😊

https://facts.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/15-facts-about-fats-waller-1689249690.jpg
This is a subreddit primarily focused on modern pop music, but for his 120th birthday I want to take a moment to remember one of the most iconic pop acts in American history:

Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller

A jazz pianist, a singer, and a prolific songwriter famous for his ability to jump onstage and "lift up the band," Fats Waller was a regular fixture of the nightlife scene in New York (an important figure of the legendary Harlem Renaissance) and toured his act all around the country in addition to working as a recording artist in the budding record industry.
In a way, he was one of America's first pop stars- a musical prodigy who dropped out of high school, broke into the music industry when he was a teen, sold tons of records, and developed a huge onstage persona and lived a hard partying lifestyle. We've heard that story a million times, but Fats did it first.
An often repeated story about him recounts a shocking incident where gangster Al Capone kidnapped him off the street to force him to play at a birthday party, because everybody wanted to party with Fats Waller! A less repeated story is this one I found in an NPR article that describes him selling eight of his original songs in exchange for eight hamburgers, which he then consumed in a single sitting.
So certainly, a larger than life figure.

The Records

His legacy as a founding figure of America's pop scene extends to a place you might not expect: back in 1926, he signed a recording contract with the Victor Talking Machine Company, one of the earliest manufacturers and distributors of phonographs and records, which would be bought out by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in 1929. Then in 1968, the company would be renamed... RCA Records!
RCA is still a powerful record label today and it's partially thanks to Fats, who was a big moneymaker for them in the early days of the record industry when they were literally selling records.
Over the course of his twenty five year career, he copyrighted around five hundred recordings- supposedly, the label would send him into a recording booth with bunches of sheet music bought from Tin Pan Alley composers and he would rearrange them on the spot to give them that special Fats Waller touch!
But he's best remembered for his skills as a pianist and, most importantly, his songwriting skills. I want to take a moment to highlight that because I firmly believe he's one of the greatest songwriters in history- many of his hits have been accepted as standards and are still in rotation with jazz singers today.

The Music

You might have heard his song "Ain't Misbehavin'," which became something of his signature song after he performed it in the landmark film Stormy Weather (1943), and it's the perfect encapsulation of his style. A clever piano line, a catchy melody, a touch of humor, and a lot of heart. It's just timeless music.

I know for certain / The one I love
I'm through with flirtin' / It's just you I'm thinkin' of
Ain't misbehavin' / Saving my love for you (for you)
(And you) (And you)

There's a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor to the song that's signature Fats- in addition to the lyrics he wrote, he was known to improv and throw new jokes in on the fly during live performances.
We're lucky enough to have footage of him performing "Your Feets Too Big" (another one of his signature numbers where he chastises a woman for, you guessed it, her foot size) and you can just see the charisma oozing off of him as he banters with the band and makes eyes at the camera. All while playing the piano too!
And he was no innocent either, often lacing his songs with innuendo that will shatter any illusions you have about old music being overly conservative. Take, for example, Hattie Noel's recording of "Find Out What They Like," which begins with a disclaimer that the song is "strictly about home cooking" before she sings this:

Find out what he likes / And how he likes it
Go on and give it to him just that way
Give it to him when he wants it / And any time he wants it
And don't you have a single word to say!

He was often performing in nightclubs and bars, which meant he knew how to get the crowd going- "The Joint Is Jumpin'" is the quintessential 1920s party anthem, with the title referring to a secret code phrase that bootleggers would use during the prohibition era to let people know that a party had illegal alcohol. The jaunty music he wrote did a lot to get people on the dance floors as well!
But though he's associated with lively entertainment, there was some grit beneath all that as well. Despite his success, Waller was still a black man living in early 20th century America, and he channelled that into legendary "Black and Blue" (a hit for Louis Armstrong) which is considered by some to be one of the first jazz protest songs:

I'm white inside, but that don't help my case / 'Cause I can't hide what is in my face
How would it end? Ain't got a friend / My only sin is in my skin
What did I do to be so black and blue?

Whatever the occasion, Fats had a song for it.

The End

But like a lot of great artists, Fats had his troubles. He was known for his hard partying lifestyle and frequent money problems that pushed him to be constantly working, and he would tragically pass away in 1943 from pneumonia while on tour.
The man was only 39 years old at the time, but as of today his legacy officially stretches 120 years! So spin a record today for Fats Waller, and get the joint jumpin' in his memory.
If you'd like to hear more of his music, I'd strongly recommend setting aside ninety minutes to watch the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin' because it's an incredible piece of theatre that showcases his music spectacularly. Diana Ross & The Supremes did an adorable tribute to him on The Ed Sullivan Show that's worth a watch too.
Any other Fats Waller fans in the sub? What are some of your favorite recordings of his songs?

I know this may be far down on a top 10 list of things people complain about that Suno should fix but I know I can't be the only one irritated by the AI generated images for songs, and display of final lyric output.
Does anyone else wish Suno would let us change the album art after a song is generated? I hate that it locks in the last image used, which can be frustrating when it doesn't match the vibe of the track.
Also, I hate the style prompts and intentional misspellings to make the AI enunciate a word in a certain way in the final output, and if lyrics get cut off, they end up duplicated in the next segment when I try to add them back. It makes the lyrics look messy on the downloadable lyric video.
For example, here is my Dadcore, sludge, doom, metalcore masterpiece about the existential dread of trash day. and the both issues are glaring: https://suno.com/song/816049ab-a725-4a02-9db4-e66e7f5ad700
Anyone else feel this pain or have tips to clean this mess up?
Video is also posted for those too lazy to click a link.

Bodypump 129 is out to most instructors. What’s everyone’s thoughts…?
Personally, I LOVE!!! Miles better than 128 and 127. I had a soft spot for 126 - music and moves were awesome. 125/124 were meh, 123 was amazing and so was 122, 121, 120.
In the last 10 releases or so, this is my personal favourite.
Interestingly, this release focusses on pure strength training and progressive overload. I like how a lot of the tracks focus on increasing load or moving to a heavier option (chest and biceps for example) to maximise muscle hypertrophy. Raegan even mentions maximising hypertrophy before the biceps track - this is a great focus as previously it’s been functional stuff yawn.
My breakdown:

1. Warm up - okay song; not the best. love the integrated moves between upper and lower.
2. Squats - probably my least favourite working track. Quite fast, music wasn’t incredible. But boy did it burn. Be careful keep weight lower than usual.
3. Chest - love love love the music and love the plate combo and then the burnout with the barbell.
4. Back - love love love the offset deadlift, and a myriad of exercises to blast your lats, traps, erectors, hamstrings, everything !!
5. Triceps - cool vibey song. Love the mixture of barbell work, plate work and bodyweight.
6. Biceps - vibey and love the feel of the song.. and it’s Rihanna so obviously it’s great ;)
7. Lunges - love love love the song. Super upbeat and gets you through the endurance of pulses!
8. Shoulders - love the song again!!! And the mac raise is back !! Proper shoulder burn.
9. Core - a lot longer than usual! Lots of integrated core stuff instead or just crunches with a really cool song.
10. Cool-down - very nice :)

Overall, i thoroughly enjoyed. Amazing music, real authentic bodypump vibe.
What does everyone else think??

Hello!
I am looking for a person with whom we can connect with and build a relationship together. Befriend each other from the start, spend time together, have new experiences, be it new to both or teach each other different things. Nerd out about stuff we like, support each other and slowly build our own world. The end goal that I envision and would love to achieve is just some basic, yet, intimate moments, that I believe both would enjoy, like:

• Making music playlists together for different occasions and moods.
• Having lazy days, where both stay in and do nothing all day, except eat snacks, or maybe order take out, watch shows/movies/anime etc. and just enjoy the time.
• Having game nights, with dim lights, slow, calm, not too loud music, maybe from a playlist that both made, playing board games, something like chess maybe or something we randomly bought at a store the other day, because we thought it looked interesting (and in actuality the board game ends up uninteresting and we just put it back in the box, on a shelf and never touch it again). Video games are also an option, sitting on the couch with two controllers, or whatever else both desire at that time.
• Cook together dishes we both like, or have cooking disasters. Decide to try out a new recipe that both never tried before, completely mess everything up, maybe burn it, maybe miss something, and just laugh about how dumb we are, leave it for next time and just order take out instead.
• Shopping together, for stuff we need and don't need. Occasionally purchasing something goofy or dumb, because in the moment it was funny or interesting. (Yes, like that board game, that's still on the shelf over there by the way, collecting dust).
• Maybe having a mutual collection of something, like figurines, magnets, or something nerdy. Stuff from shows, movies, anime, books, games etc.
• Teaching each other different things, supporting and motivating each other throughout everything.

There's more of course, but generally moments like these are the end goal. In short. the end goal is a romantic lifelong relationship.
About hobbies, I have a lot of hobbies and interests. My main hobbies would be working out, I'm a gym rat, I love working out. Gaming, I enjoy playing video games, board games, just games in general during my free time. Watching videos, streams, shows, movies, anime. I watch Youtube daily. a lot of different stuff. I enjoy watching true crime, like JCS, cam footage, documentaries and etc., games, reviews, news, memes and honestly, pretty much everything, mostly just go off of recommended or something I was waiting for. Besides videos, I mainly watch anime. I love all kinds. TV shows and movies not that much, due to either watching alone is not that interesting, or already watched everything I liked and no new parts, seasons, episodes came out yet. I enjoy listening to music, my taste is all over the place, genre doesn't really matter, I just have to like the song, I also like writing, started writing a story some time back and still in the process of combining all the elements, though it's a very slow process due to time and how much actually gets invested into that. And generally I am artsy, I enjoy imagining and creating. There are more interests, like learning languages for example, or drawing maybe, but they are something I do from time to time maybe, or during different moods, but these are mostly my main hobbies that I do day to day.
My main values are communication and effort. I believe anything can be achieved if both parties put the same amount of effort towards each other. That's how a true relationship will be built. In my eyes, communication is key to everything. I am a non-judgemental person, and always want and willing to talk everything through, so every opinion is heard, every view is understood and both parties are satisfied. Without clear and well communication, everything will just fall apart piece by piece, especially if the communication and effort is one sided.
Your location or distance doesn't matter. My age range is 18 - 35.
If any of this caught your interest, feel free to reach out!

Hello!
I am looking for a person with whom we can connect with and build a relationship together. Befriend each other from the start, spend time together, have new experiences, be it new to both or teach each other different things. Nerd out about stuff we like, support each other and slowly build our own world. The end goal that I envision and would love to achieve is just some basic, yet, intimate moments, that I believe both would enjoy, like:

• Making music playlists together for different occasions and moods.
• Having lazy days, where both stay in and do nothing all day, except eat snacks, or maybe order take out, watch shows/movies/anime etc. and just enjoy the time.
• Having game nights, with dim lights, slow, calm, not too loud music, maybe from a playlist that both made, playing board games, something like chess maybe or something we randomly bought at a store the other day, because we thought it looked interesting (and in actuality the board game ends up uninteresting and we just put it back in the box, on a shelf and never touch it again). Video games are also an option, sitting on the couch with two controllers, or whatever else both desire at that time.
• Cook together dishes we both like, or have cooking disasters. Decide to try out a new recipe that both never tried before, completely mess everything up, maybe burn it, maybe miss something, and just laugh about how dumb we are, leave it for next time and just order take out instead.
• Shopping together, for stuff we need and don't need. Occasionally purchasing something goofy or dumb, because in the moment it was funny or interesting. (Yes, like that board game, that's still on the shelf over there by the way, collecting dust).
• Maybe having a mutual collection of something, like figurines, magnets, or something nerdy. Stuff from shows, movies, anime, books, games etc.
• Teaching each other different things, supporting and motivating each other throughout everything.

There's more of course, but generally moments like these are the end goal. In short. the end goal is a romantic lifelong relationship.
About hobbies, I have a lot of hobbies and interests. My main hobbies would be working out, I'm a gym rat, I love working out. Gaming, I enjoy playing video games, board games, just games in general during my free time. Watching videos, streams, shows, movies, anime. I watch Youtube daily. a lot of different stuff. I enjoy watching true crime, like JCS, cam footage, documentaries and etc., games, reviews, news, memes and honestly, pretty much everything, mostly just go off of recommended or something I was waiting for. Besides videos, I mainly watch anime. I love all kinds. TV shows and movies not that much, due to either watching alone is not that interesting, or already watched everything I liked and no new parts, seasons, episodes came out yet. I enjoy listening to music, my taste is all over the place, genre doesn't really matter, I just have to like the song, I also like writing, started writing a story some time back and still in the process of combining all the elements, though it's a very slow process due to time and how much actually gets invested into that. And generally I am artsy, I enjoy imagining and creating. There are more interests, like learning languages for example, or drawing maybe, but they are something I do from time to time maybe, or during different moods, but these are mostly my main hobbies that I do day to day.
My main values are communication and effort. I believe anything can be achieved if both parties put the same amount of effort towards each other. That's how a true relationship will be built. In my eyes, communication is key to everything. I am a non-judgemental person, and always want and willing to talk everything through, so every opinion is heard, every view is understood and both parties are satisfied. Without clear and well communication, everything will just fall apart piece by piece, especially if the communication and effort is one sided.
Your location or distance doesn't matter. My age range is 18 - 35.
If any of this caught your interest, feel free to reach out!

This is an appreciation post for my bias chenle!! 🤙🤙 He’s been my bias since right before wgu but honestly even then, he didn’t really stand out. These days, however, he’s really been shining. PSA these are all my personal opinions, if you don’t agree that’s okay!!
Let’s talk about his vocals. Personally, I love his vocals and I think when he sings, his voice really flows like water. The way he moves from one note to another is SO SMOOTH. I’m also obsessed with his riffs, they’re amazing. From this sub, I realised some find him very throaty. Personally, I like that though at some points, I think it gives the song a lot more flavour and feeling. I also think he has an innate sense of dynamics when singing the song and I love how he becomes louder at some parts and elevates the song, and softer when maybe the song is ending. Take his cover of “The Rose” in Lee Mujin Service for example, his voice becomes louder at key parts of the song and softer at other parts. The part where he sings “for the lucky” a little softer and “and the strong” louder just makes so much sense to me. I absolutely love how he emphasises some syllables. His falsetto is also VERY PRETTY! Don’t get me started on his cover for “I believe”, I’ve been listening to it every day. I don’t know to explain but he sounds like a string instrument to me, it just flows so satisfyingly. His ad-libs and supporting vocals/harmonies in dream also stands out to me, hence why some call him the backbone of Dream vocals. His voice really matches well with anyone’s. He could just be adding harmonies behind the members’ singing but it adds so much. He also truly looks like he loves and enjoys singing which is just so attractive to me.
Next, his dancing, while he’s not the best dancer in Dream, I think his lines are very pretty and he executes the moves cleanly. He’s also sharp and quickly. I really like watching him dance too. Oh, he’s also extremely stable when singing while dancing!! The voice that always stands out to me is always Chenle’s. I could go on forever but let’s move on for now.
Okay moving on, his smile is so gorgeous, he’s literally a prefect example of what they call a “human vitamin”, a bad day for me could be turned into a good one after seeing him smile 😭 His laugh is also too cute. His eyes are SO pretty, I also realised he has really long lashes after watching Lee Mujin service. He also has this goofy cute side to him, while still being able to switch to becoming more serious when the time calls for it. Of course he’s also very handsome
Stopping here for now because I’m spending more time writing this than doing my work so 😔😔 but this isn’t the end!! I’ll def be back writing another appreciation post for my music star chenle. If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading 💙 stream marine turtle

I ask because I'm writing a book. It's about the science and history of magnetic recording, right back to the late 1800s. But I'm interested to hear any memories people have. Perhaps the tape you played the most. The one you lost and still think about. The best mix tape you ever made that represents a period of your life, or one made for you by someone else. Your first memories of reel-to-reel, or dictaphones, or cassettes. . . . I'm also interested in any stories of tapes that changed the course of (music) history.
So for example: artist Jon Lomberg made Carl Sagan a tape in April 1977. It had three pieces of Mozart on it. He was trying to persuade Sagan (who didn't care for Mozart) that the Voyager Golden Record should include at least once piece by Mozart. And because of that tape, the Golden Records do indeed have one bit of Mozart – a short aria from The Magic Flute.
But I like silly, banal stories too. Here's a couple from me . . .
I had a copy of Hate Songs in E Minor by Fudge Tunnel that got stuck in the tape deck of my car. As a result, for a surprisingly long time, the only listening option in that car was Hate Songs in E Minor by Fudge Tunnel. And because of some weirdness with the car (it was a 1988 mini), it played Hate Songs in E Minor slightly faster when driving downhill.
I had a beloved promo tape of George Best by The Wedding Present. I bought it in Georgetown in 1994 for a dollar. I loved it. I was so proud of it. It was rare-ish, worthless, but MINE. I listened to it all the time while on a Greyhound road-trip across America. Then my walkman was stolen at a rest stop in Mobile, Alabama. The walkman was rubbish, so I didn't care about that. But the tape went with it. And I still think about it.
So yes, things like this. Anyone got any they'd like to share?

I'm thinking back to over a year and a half ago. I was obsessed with Marla Catherine and some LDS YouTubers. I joined their church, expecting I'd be living it up in Utah with all my problems solved and a perfect life. I overestimated the benefits of joining the church. Spoiler alert: I'm from Northern Ireland, and I don't have the Utah picture-perfect life. I've recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
For several years, I had unrealistic expectations and overestimated how much things targeted at me online, especially from influencers across all platforms, would improve my life. I was so obsessed that I almost became a copy of them, thinking I could have the same "perfect" life they portrayed.
Jump to now: After excessive spending, accumulating £2,000 in debt, and getting rid of many things I've acquired over time (for example: 200 plants and 30+ Disney VHS tapes), I've been discharged after 26 days in the hospital. I'm feeling rather annoyed—maybe mad—about how much social media dictates our lives without us realizing it.
I just want to know if anyone else has felt the same impulsiveness associated with bipolar disorder and the role influencers and online marketing play in our lives. For example, I've been bombarded with an ad for Galaxy shirts set to the song "Vincent" by Don McLean, which feels overly specific and targeted. Vincent Van Gogh was speculated to have bipolar disorder, and the song is dedicated to him. It’s almost like they’re playing on that connection.
But yeah, if anyone feels similar or was like me i'd love to know your thoughts.