I've Read Some Amazing Fics With Beautiful And Healthy Relationships And Messages About Mental Health

I've read some amazing fics with beautiful and healthy relationships and messages about mental health that have made me the person I am today. I wish I had half the courage fanfic writers do so take this post as a blanket thank you ❤️

Some fanfictions have left a more profound impression on me than published literature, and I want to encourage every fic writer: Write and write from the heart. Don't let fear stop you, because your impact is bigger than you think💜

SONG OF THE DAY

Day #34

Today's track is ‘Butterfly Net’ by American alternative pop artist Caroline Polachek, specifically the alternate version featuring ‘Weyes Blood’. Released in 2023 for her album ‘Desire, I Want To Turn Into You’ the baroque pop song was remixed in 2024 and was featured on the album's deluxe ‘Everasking’ Edition. Caroline Polachek’s vocals always have this shimmery quality, creating a transformative experience, like a waking dream. With poetic lyrics conveying longing and melancholy, the original track is delicate and soothing. The ‘Weyes Blood’ version adds a dusky veneer, giving it a glowing or spiritual quality.

“There I was

With my butterfly net

Trying to catch your light”

P.S. Check out one of Polachek’s older projects ‘Chairlift’ with Aaron Pfenning and Patrick Wimberly, they are brilliant especially their 2016 album ‘Moth’.

SONG OF THE DAY

Day #28

I've had no patience for mopey songs recently and I want to bring some light in, so it's two fun dance tracks in a row. Today's song is Dancing in the Shadows by UK artists TSHA and Clementine Douglas. Released in 2022 and featured on TSHA’s album Capricorn Sun, it's a jubilant track that's electronic bliss. Accompanied by a kicky percussive beat, rippling instrumentals and lush synth, Douglas’s vocals are stunning. Fractured samples during the tracks peak adds to an already delicious electronic track, making it an engaging dance number that's an instant mood lifter.

“Dancing in the shadows

Tell me you remember

I'm moving in the dark again

For your love I will endeavour”

SONG OF THE DAY

Day #30

Today's song is You’ve Got The Love by UK band Florence and the Machine from their 2009 debut indie-rock album Lungs. The track is an adaption of Candi Staton’s 1986 dance number You Got The Love, but Florence and the Machines track is its own beast. The song was first performed for festival sets early on in their career, and Welch has described how “even in rehearsals, playing it was just the most euphoric feeling. Then playing it live... was like tearing ourselves open and just exploding on the crowd.” As Welch describes, it is an emotionally charged number with its dainty harp, melodious guitar, and of course soaring vocals. It pulls you in with its strings, ensnares you when it expands after the first verse, then unleashes like a top spinning with Welch’s spiritual chants into a glorious run at 1:58. It is cathartic, it is brimming with love, it is a lightning strike of joy… it’s everything I love about music.

Lungs was the first CD I ever bought when I was a teen, and I cried and screamed whenever I made eye contact with Florence Welch when seeing the experience live for the first time in my 20s. I truly believe my life winds and unfurls with Welch’s music since her songs are so tied to many of my life's moments: from playing Cosmic Love while getting ready for a school dance, playing What Kind Of Man while dealing with hormones and heartbreak, playing Hunger as I was becoming my own person, to playing Free while moving out of my parent's house. I know I am coming across as ridiculous, but Florence and the Machine have defined who I am as a person the same way performers like Queen, Radio Head, My Chemical Romance, or even Taylor Swift may have for you.

“Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air

'Cause I know I can count on you

Sometimes I feel like saying ‘Lord I just don't care’

But you've got the love I need to see me through”

SONG OF THE DAY

Day #37

Today's song is ‘Everything’s Beautiful’ by Australian alternative Neo-Soul Jazz/Funk band ‘Hiatus Kaiyote’ from their 2024 album ‘Love Heart Cheat Code’. This four-piece from Melbourne is best described as a dynamic relief from the bland monotony of top forty radio hits, ‘Hiatus Kaiyote’ are an auditory delight. This song is an effervescent celebration of life and sound, with the band's leading lady Nai Palm stating that the song is “a testament to the importance of finding simple joy in your day… not the delusion that we live in a utopia... But rather about actively looking for the beauty, grace and joy in life,” (Clash, 2024). I was so lucky to see them live last weekend at the Fortitude Music Hall and it was a religious experience. To quote my dad while exhausted at the end of the night, with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face: “It was a mess, I can't describe it, they were great.”

“Didn't you notice?

Don't you know, love?

Don't you know everything's beautiful?”

SONG OF THE DAY

Day #27

Today's choice is Chase the Sun by the Italian group Planet Funk. Released in 2000 and then included in their 2001 debut album Non Zero Sumness, the track has a lush production with stunning vocals provided by finish artist Auli Kokko. This track is a breath of fresh air and as the lyrics of the song suggest, the track is a bright and summery dance number that transports you to better times.

“I’m flying away

Running like the wind

As I chase the sun”