Avatar

Untitled

@thehawkowl

I’ve been on the internet for 19 years, since I was 15 years old.  I find it HILARIOUS that the teenagers think they discovered the net and it’s only for them and that it’s weird that adults use it too.  I mean, when i first got on the net there were grown ass men and women in the fandom.  People with kids and mortgages and jobs.  I never thought it was odd.  There were one or two creeps, but generally they were super nice people who I became an extended child to. They were people I could ask awkward questions that I couldn’t ask my parents.  They were the older siblings I needed.  The ones that said, “Don’t date that guy, he sounds like he’s abusive” and “don’t kill yourself, I know you’re really feeling alone right now but it’ll get better” and “don’t change yourself for that guy, he’s not worth it. He’s a moron” and “I think maybe it’s time to ask your parents to take you to a counselor”

But hey, if you think it’s creepy that I exist, don’t follow me.  I’m a 34 year old woman and I’m only getting older.  But if you need someone to ask weird and embarrassing things, like what it’s like how to brown meat or how to look for an apartment or short cuts to getting unsightly dirt rings off your bathtub or you need someone to look over your art portfolio or what it’s like to have an IUD or get a breast reduction I’m your adult.  I’ll be your big sister. Because God knows *I* needed someone to be mine when I was your age.

winterazalea:

CLASSICAL

The old masters. I tried not to include most opera composers, since singing/lyrics interfere with concentration. Most of these playlists are at least an hour long:
Baroque (prancing through the flowers with royalty):
  • Albinoni
  • Bach
  • Corelli
  • Handel
  • Guerre
  • Purcell
  • Scarlatti
  • Telemann
  • Vivaldi
Classical (sipping tea with royalty while listening to their woes and gossip):
  • Beethoven
  • Haydn
  • Mozart
  • Paganini
Romantic (watching a heartfelt, teary-eyed scene in a soap opera):
  • Berlioz
  • Bizet
  • Borodin
  • Brahms
  • Bruch
  • Bruckner
  • Chopin
  • Dvorak
  • Field
  • Franck
  • Gade
  • Grieg
  • Liszt
  • Mendelssohn
  • Rachmaninov
  • Rimsky-Korsakov
  • Rubenstein
  • Saint-Saëns
  • Schubert
  • Robert Schumann
  • Clara Schumann
  • Smetana
  • Strauss II
  • Tchaikovsky
  • Wagner
  • Weber
Impressionistic (stargazing in an open field at midnight):
  • Debussy
  • Ravel
Late Romantic/Early Modern (dramatically confessing your love in the pouring rain):
  • Albéniz
  • Beach
  • Chaminade
  • de Falla
  • Dukas
  • Elgar
  • Fauré
  • Glazunov
  • Mahler
  • Respighi
  • Satie
  • Sibelius
  • Strauss
  • Vaughan Williams
Modern (these get sub-categories because they’re so different):
  • Emotional and moving
  • Barber
  • Bartok
  • Glass 
  • Holst
  • Ives
  • Kabalevsky
  • Kodaly
  • Poulenc
  • Schoenberg
  • Trimble
  • We’re off on an epic adventure!
  • Copeland
  • Grofe
  • Prokofiev
  • Tailleferre
  • Dramatic theme for every super villain ever
  • Adams
  • Musgrave
  • Shostakovich
  • Stravinsky
  • Tower
  • Curious and off-putting, but hypnotic
  • Cage
  • Higdon 
  • Rodrigo
  • Jazz hands and big city lights
  • Gershwin
  • Joplin
  • Milhaud
  • Still
Long, random playlists: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)
Youtube Channels:
  • Classical Music
  • The Spirit of Classical Music
  • TopClassicalMusic
  • naxosorchestral
  • Classical Music11
There’s also playlists on Spotify (just go to Browse > Genres & Moods > Classical).
__________________________________________

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL

Sometimes the old masters are too stuffy. I get it. Have some more long playlists from a few of my favorite contemporary artists:
Piano
  • Yiruma
  • Michael Nyman
  • Ludovico Einaudi
  • Brian Crain
  • Jim Brickman
  • Ryuichi Sakamoto
  • Joe Hisaishi
  • Yann Tiersen
Violin
  • Itzhak Perlman
  • Vanessa Mae Storm
  • Emilie Autumn (electric)
  • David Garrett
__________________________________________

EDM

Maybe you don’t like classical at all. That’s fine, too. Here’s some wub-wub to get your mind on track:
Aggressive & Intense (dubstep, deathstep, metalstep, etc)
  • Long, random playlists: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)
  • Youtube Channels:
  • Glitch Mob
  • Excision
  • TheSupremeKronus
Chill & Melodic (chillstep, deep house, melodic dubstep)
  • Long, random playlists: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)
  • Youtube Channels:
  • Pulse8Music
  • ChillYourMind
  • Fluidified
Upbeat & Dancy (electro house, club music, more chillstep)
  • Long, random playlists: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) Youtube Channels:
  • Madeon
  • Paul van Dyk
  • Omnitica
There are countless other Youtube channels and mixes. You can also find some playlists on Spotify (Browse > Genres & Moods > Electronic).
__________________________________________

INSTRUMENTAL COVERS OF POPULAR SONGS

Here are a few channels to check out if you’re starting from nowhere:
Piano
  • Miri Lee 이미리 Pianistmiri -  pop, r&b, rap, some classical, rock, and k-pop
  • David Sides - pop, r&b, rap, some rock
  • oysterlovers - pop, r&b, rap, some classical and rock
  • The Theorist - pop, r&b, and rap
  • TheUnsungHeroine - pop & electronic/dubstep
  • YourPianoCover - mostly pop, a few rap
  • Steve Siu Piano - pop, country, classical, some rock and rap
  • Yoonha85TV - pop, rap, r&b, some k-pop
  • Brooklyn Duo (piano & cello) - pop
  • ThePianoGuys (piano & cello) - pop, r&b, classical, rock
Hour-long, yearly pop playlists by oysterlovers:  2013, 2014
Yearly pop medleys by AlexTanMusic:   2012, 2013, 2014
Violin
  • The Mad Violinist & SCO - pop, r&b, rap, dubstep
  • Lindsey Stirling - pop, r&b, rap, soundtracks, classical
  • Momento - pop & rock
  • Josh Vietti - pop, r&b, rap, rock, classical
  • JuNCurryAhn - pop, k-pop, classical, soundtracks
  • David Wong - pop, r&b, rock, rap
  • Bryson Andres - pop, r&b, rock, electronic
  • JasonYangViolin - pop, rock, rap, soundtracks
Of course, there are countless people who don’t have huge channels and maybe only a cover or two. The search bar is your friend. And don’t forget to make a playlist!
__________________________________________

VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACKS

Think about it, there are tons of people whose only job is to get the atmosphere of a game right by carefully composing the right music. And there are plenty of games with beautiful music. I love these playlists:
  • Remember Me (brilliant mix of electronic and classical)
  • Papo & Yo (relaxing and tropical)
  • Rayman Origins (springy, lighthearted, and amazing)
  • Rayman Legends (energetic, goofy, and wonderful)
  • Dark Cloud 2/Dark Chronicle (beautiful, bouncy, heart-racing)
  • To The Moon (dreamy and moving)
  • Kingdom Hearts (gorgeous, epic, breathtaking)
  • Mirror’s Edge (soothing and mechanical)
  • Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite (adorable 8-bit)
  • Alice: Madness Returns (odd, creepy, and carnival-esque)
  • Journey (peaceful and atmospheric)
  • Child of Light (melancholic and powerful)
  • Trine (epic and mystical)
  • The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (mysterious and haunting)
  • Valiant Hearts (pretty and heartbreaking)
  • Walking Dead Season 1 (depressing and beautiful)
  • Braid (relaxing, Celtic vibes)
  • Botanicula (breathy, vibrant, playful)
  • Machinarium (earthy, futuristic, energetic)
Long, random playlists:  (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)
Youtube Channels:
  • VGameOSTs
  • SoundtrackVideoGame
  • Video Game Soundtracks
__________________________________________

MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS

Just like video games, movies rely heavily on music to set the mood for the audience. Here are some of my favorite playlists:
  • Studio Ghibli
  • Spirited Away
  • Howl’s Moving Castle
  • Princess Mononoke
  • Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
  • Kiki’s Delivery Service (x)
  • Castle in the Sky
  • My Neighbor Totoro
  • Ponyo
  • Porco Rosso
  • The Wind Rises
  • Grave of the Fireflies
  • random playlists: (1) (2) (3)
  • Classic Disney piano covers (1) (2)
  • Lord of the Rings
  • The Fellowship of the Ring
  • The Two Towers
  • The Return of the King
  • Amelie
  • How to Train Your Dragon
  • How to Train Your Dragon 2
  • Coraline
  • The Secret of Kells
  • The Tale of Princess Kaguya
  • The Piano
  • Schindler’s List
  • Harry Potter
  • Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone
  • Chamber of Secrets
  • Prisoner of Azkaban
  • Goblet of Fire
  • Order of the Phoenix
  • Half-Blood Prince
  • Deathly Hallows pt 1
  • Deathly Hallows pt 2
You can also view a full list of Grammy Award-winning soundtracks here
__________________________________________

ANIME SOUNDTRACKS

You’ll look like weeaboo trash, but at least you’ll be concentrating. You might need to skip a few tracks here and there if they have lyrics (that messes up my concentration, at least). That said, here’s some recommended playlists:
  • Elfen Lied (flowy and pretty)
  • Tokyo Ghoul √A (powerful, electronic, heart-wrenching)
  • Samurai Champloo (funky, hip-hop, soothing, amazing)
  • Hellsing Ultimate (epic, funky, aggressive, but also sad and moving)
  • Death Note (emotional, edgy, rock n’ roll)
  • Attack on Titan (sometimes emotional & harrowing, sometimes epic & gritty)
  • Ghost in the Shell (hollow, lonely, mysterious)
  • Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (gritty, funky, upbeat)
  • Blue Gender (funky, badass, intense)
  • Mnemosyne (jazzy, upbeat)
  • Cowboy Bebop (sometimes smooth jazz, sometimes wild & funky)
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion (more smooth jazz)
  • Fishugi Yuugi (emotional, romantic)
  • Sailor Moon (happy & upbeat)
  • Cardcaptor Sakura (lighthearted, bubbly)
  • Inuyasha (epic, emotional, inspiring)
Long, random playlists: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)
Youtube Channels:
  • Dolan Zoldhost
  • EpicAnimeRequiem
  • Epic San
  • MrAnimeSoundtrack
  • Erolox OST
__________________________________________
Like I said, this isn’t a complete list but hopefully a good jumping-off point. Feel free to add to areas with your own suggestions. Have fun listening and go be productive!
Avatar

yuki’s character arc: gay subtext edition

this has probably been a while coming but i’m finally here to talk about the gay subtext in yuki’s story.

[a lil note before i get into things: i know takaya didn’t intend to include this subtext in his story, and with that this is very obviously getting into “death of the author” matters. however, the subtext, though unintentional, is still prevalent, and leads to both an interesting analysis of yuki’s character and, for many, a deeply relateable storyline regarding gender, compulsory heterosexuality, and being closeted.]

yuki’s character arc is, in large part, a story about self-understanding and self-acceptance. he starts off as a character unsure of his true qualities, or of his place in the world; he is self-conscious and driven by other people’s acceptance of him, which causes him to have deeply different private and public personas. he hides away his “real” character in part out of a fear of being disliked or ostracized, and in part because he is still struggling with accepting himself. the result is that he puts on an act to please others, playing a role that is not true to him, and a role that he knows is false, in order to be accepted. his story bears a distinct resemblance to stories and lives of people who struggle with accepting their sexuality: matters of hiding the true self out of fear of being misunderstood or abandoned, dealing with gender and gender expression, coming to terms with compulsory heterosexuality, and finding people who both accept and cultivate his true identity.