Me and Music

I was tagged for this incredible tag created by Sophie @ Me and Ink by Kaelyn @ Kaelyn’s Life. Thank you so much, Kaelyn!

Rules:

(1) Link back to original (Sophie @ Me and Ink) so she can see your answers and listen to the tunes.
(2) For every prompt you choose to do, name 1-5 songs (you can use Sophie’s graphics).
(3) Have fun and play your music LOUD!

Note: I haven’t used Sophie’s graphics here, you can find them on her post if you’d like to use them!

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Source: Me and Ink

Hometown Glory
~songs that remind you of home~

I don’t think I have songs that remind me of home but there are few that make me feel like I’m at home.

Take me Home by John Denver
There’s just something about this song that makes me long for home and make me proud of home all at the same time.

Lost Boy by Ruth.B
My, this is such a beautiful song and it’s been one of my favourites for well over a year now. It has a certain warmth and sense of belonging to it. And I love Peter Pan too.

Cry with you
~songs to make you cry and cry~

I don’t think I’ve been moved to tears but I have gotten to the point where if someone were to ask me something, I’d have burst into tears (which hasn’t happened thankfully).

Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran
This song is immaculately beautiful and so heartfelt. It’s been a favourite for a good few years and is also a little personal. I love this song so much.

Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi
It is so emotive and the lyrics are so poignant, the song is so powerful and relevant, this is as close to perfection as art can go.

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I think I’m in love
~your latest musical obsessions~

Somewhere in Ann Arbour by Anson Seabra
I love slow, sad or contemplative songs and Anson Seabra’s music is always so beautiful and the lyrics alone are almost poetic in nature. Somewhere in Ann Arbour has got such beauty to it.

exile by Taylor Swift
I never expected to love folklore but I did and exile is my favourite of the album. I love the melody and the lyrics and just about everything about it.

Afterglow by Ed Sheeran
This song just calms my heart down. It’s not the kind that I’d play on repeat but it’s the kind I can’t leave without listening to if it begins playing.

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Writer in the dark
~favourite lyrics from songs~

If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather
So, before you go
Was there something I could've said
To make it all stop hurting?
It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless
-Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi

Dancing through a dream underneath the stars
Laughing 'til the morning comes
Everyone that leaves has a heavy heart
Oh, Wonderland I love
-Wonderland by Anson Seabra

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Sign of the times
~song in the charts that you love~

One More Light by Linkin Park
This is yet another song that has profound lyrics and a powerful beat and gets you all thoughtful at the end.

Warrior by Demi Lovato
I love how this song is about strength and courage, and she has such a firm and powerful voice and that accompanied with amazing lyrics makes for a wonderfully uplifting song.

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Sing to me instead
Warning: terrible singing likely
~those songs you have to sing to~

Haha, I don’t sing at all. I used to love singing when I was younger but grew out of it at some point. I love music but don’t sing because then I find it difficult to forget how I sounded and it’ll haunt me for life. I don’t feel like singing at all, no matter how amazing the song is, I just like listening to them in peace.

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If this was a movie
~favourite songs from movies/tv/broadway~

Holdin’ Out by The Lumineers // Storks
I love how upbeat this song sounds. It always calms me down and makes me feel good and happy about life.

A Million Dreams and Tightrope // The Greatest Showman
The movie was great and its soundtrack was even more brilliant! These are my two favourites of the whole album and they’re such lovely songs with great lyrics and catchy tunes.

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More than a memory
~songs you have specific memories attached to~

Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran
I used to listen to this song on almost every car trip, it was the most played song on my playlist a few years back and I still listen to it occasionally, especially when I’m looking for inspiration to write or draw something that is cheery and just makes someone smile in general. It’s very nostalgic too.

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Comfort crowd
~songs that make you feel calm~

"..Some people would say
To accept their fate
Well, if this is fate
Then we'll find a way to cheat
Cause, oh, we'll say a little prayer
But, oh, if the answer isn't there
You know you can call on me...
-Call on Me by Starley

"...Oh I loathe, anyone sways me
Back and forth, porcelain daisy
I'm sure, puppeteers made me
Tied, arms high
Uncontrolled, strung up and crazy
Take hold, patient constraining
I loathe, how I've been tamed to
Fear goodbyes.....
-Tired and Awake by Oliver Riot 

 "...I just want to show them that I can make it on my own
I want to go up up and away
Up, up and away
Ninety-seven more days until I'm living out in the worlds
If it's true what they say then I'll turn my problems into pearls.."
-Up up and away by Chance Peña

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I wasn’t expecting that
~songs you didn’t expect to love, but you do~

Diamonds by Sam Smith
My friend Srisha @ Sky and Soil shared this song and I loved it! I didn’t really like Sam Smith’s music in general except for a few favourites till then but I’m growing to love most of his songs now.

exile by Taylor Swift
I wasn’t a huge fan of Taylor Swift until folklore happened and I surprised myself by loving almost all the songs on that album. I loved the slow, folklore-y vibes it gave off. I was a tad disappointed when I realised there was no song named folklore but evermore made up for that.

Kings and Queens by Ava Max
I don’t really like loud songs where the chorus is very loud and there are a lot of instruments, especially drums in the background. I don’t like much of Ava Max’s music either but I loved the subject of Kings and Queens and it is very catchy too.

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Favourite record
~name the albums you couldn’t live without~

Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent by Lewis Capaldi
One
Before you Go
Someone You Loved

Just the Beginning by Grace Vanderwaal
City Song
So Much More Than This
A Better Life
Actually I love all of her songs on this album!

folklore by Taylor Swift
exile
epiphany
this is me trying

Divide by Ed Sheeran
Supermarket Flowers
Hearts Don’t Break Around Here
Save Myself
Castle on the Hill

Always remember us this way
~songs that remind you of your childhood~

What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction
I’ve never been a fan of One Direction. I was in the third grade or so when I first listened to this song. It seemed like schools and stores and even radios were all obsessed with this song for a while, I’d hear it everywhere I went.

Hall of Fame by The Script
Again, this was a song that I’d widely hear in a lot of places and I grew to like it eventually. It’s not the kind of favourite I’d play on repeat but I sometimes find myself searching for it on Spotify.

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And that was all for this tag! I tag:
Roshni
Diamond
asic
Maggie
Evin
Shanessa
Millay
Lizzie
and anyone else who’s interested!!

Thoughtfully yours,
Introverted Thoughts aka D

The Puppet Heart

Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
― Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches

He found her on the roadside, many thoughts ago. Like a flower frozen in spring was she, with blond ringlets and stark blue eyes. He could see her story the moment he laid eyes on her. She had been brought into a home loved, she was used and finally discarded with. His mind was penning her destiny as he inspected her, rotating her ever so slowly so he could get a good look at her features.

He took her home, cleaned her and changed her into clean clothes. She looked 6, but neglect had taken years off the fragile child. He set her up on ledge and shone a soft amber lamp on her dainty face. As the bell tolled midnight, the man sat and toiled through the night to sketch her pretty face.

Photo by Susanne Jutzeler on Pexels.com

As the world was beginning to be bathed in the gentle glow of a new day, the streets saw a lonely man and his newly acquired treasure walking barefoot, plastering posters on walls high and low. He was charging a penny per person but it had been weeks since he had had a meal or a drink.

He held on close to the broken doll and prayed children would want to know her story as badly as he wanted to be the one telling it.

Into a little shed were they seen going into, a box and a princess came out, a man almost lost under the huge box shuffled stolidly and set the box on the street where children were known to stop for a popsicle or two. Into the box did the princess go, the man on the floor and the show was off to a start with an audience of a thrush and two early worms and one cat. The man distorted his voice to resemble that of a child to say:

“On winter’s death was this story birthed
As a little human decided he was in need of a daughter.
Needles and fabric were summoned,
Blue buttons and golden yarn.
Silk frills and sapphire eyes were brought in.

Day and night did my father toil
As the cuckoo sang on the second morning
With a child’s touch, was I brought to life.
Days and years did I live to be
Her sole advisor and friend.
On nights when thunder rattled the earth,
I held her in my arms and
And sang her to sleep.

The child fell prey to an evil I was safe from.
On growing up, she lost sight of life
And I was dumped in the shed I was created,
Only my father was no longer there to breathe new life.

On streets and foster homes, did I die the rest of my life
For the world sees not the heart of a puppet
But it’s beauty that age takes away.”

Here, a gentle whisper, unlike the forced childlike voice that spoke till now was heard.

“For the child that said heaven is a toy store,
Bless you, darling.
I shall welcome you home
And hold you close till your heart breathes in peace.”

Photo by Flora Westbrook on Pexels.com

As the overhead sun bore witness to the little souls dropping their precious pennies and waiting to give the puppeteer a hug, the angel of death had just finished a song of his own making and watched as the poor man nodded off, to a slumber, not of Earth. The little child clung to his hand as his soul went in search of what dreams called home.

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.
― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

This was inspired by a stuffed monkey that’s been laying around our house for a good while. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write but it ended up being a tale that (hopefully) portrays a puppeteer’s tender love towards an abandoned doll he found on the roadside. I didn’t want the ending to be tragic but it just seemed fitting that telling the girl’s story after all she went through, set the story-teller free of all earthly obligations and seemingly breathed life into the puppet girl as well. I’m not sure how this comes across in general but I hope you enjoyed reading!

aforementioned monkey
Christened Mr. Pink Monk by Evin, stuffie photo approved by Diamond (thank you so much, guys!)

Speaking of love, I wish you all a very happy Valentine’s Day! Love comes in all shapes and forms; be it for a person, a pet or a toy, love is making the bright side of life shine stronger!

Photo by Gabby K on Pexels.com

Thoughtfully yours,
Introverted Thoughts aka D

A Study in Hand Lettering

The Best View

I apologise for the terrible lighting..

Some people tend to categorise this as faux (meaning fake) calligraphy because calligraphy effects are added manually rather than from using tools. But this is actually more hand lettering than calligraphy. According to Lettering Daily, “Hand lettering focuses on drawing and illustrating the letters. Calligraphy, on the other hand, is the art of beautiful writing.”

The image above is a visual example of the difference between hand lettering, calligraphy, and typography.
Image Source: Lettering Daily

Any way, this is how it ended up looking like!

Hand Lettering #2

This quote by Dr.Seuss reads, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out!” I discovered this quote just a few months into my new school (years ago!) and it meant the world to me!

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~A Little Background~

Theodor Seuss “Ted” Geisel was an American children’s author, political cartoonist, illustrator, poet, animator, and filmmaker. He is known for his work writing and illustrating more than 60 books under the pen name Dr. Seuss.

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During World War II, he took a brief hiatus from children’s literature to illustrate political cartoons, and he also worked in the animation and film department of the United States Army where he wrote, produced or animated many productions – both live-action and animated – including Design for Death, which later won the 1947 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. After the war, he wrote classics like If I Ran theZoo (1950), Horton Hears a Who! (1955), If I Ran the Circus (1956), The Cat in the Hat (1957), How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957), and Green Eggs and Ham (1960). He published over 60 books during his career, which have spawned numerous adaptations, including 11 television specials, five feature films, a Broadway musical, and four television series. Geisel died of cancer on September 24, 1991, at his home in La Jolla, California, at the age of 87. {Wikipedia}

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Apart from how it echoed my ‘new kid’ struggle, I also loved how the quote ends in an exclamation mark, rather than a question mark. It makes the quote sound like something that is already so obvious. If it ended with a question mark, it would appear to have different answers depending on the person.

For example, if I said, ‘The moon isn’t made out of cheese!’, it sounds like it’s an obvious truth everyone knows but if I had said, ‘The moon isn’t made out of cheese?’, there’s a 0.0001% chance, someone is going to say, ‘Why, yes, it is!’

I used a reference image to get the different fonts right and a pencil for the initial sketch, then went over with a black gel pen and a used a fine liner for some parts. And this is what it ended up looking like!

Now you know exactly what to say, when someone tells you, “You need to try to fit in with others’!

Moving on to the last one,

Does it ever bother you when you forget to do something that is seemingly so small there was no way you should have forgotten in the first place? Or when someone smiles at you but you were moving so fast by the time your brain ordered your face to smile, you were already far from the person? Or when someone who helps you all the time asks you for a pencil when you didn’t have a single one and had to say ‘Sorry, I cant help you’?

Sometimes it ruins the entire day when these occurrences start plaguing you with ‘What ifs’. “What if I’d written it down?” “What if I’d walked slower?” What if…What if..?”

As much as I love the quote, I wasn’t happy with how the purple ink wasn’t opaque enough or how the gradient on the word ‘little’ didn’t turn out prominent but I loved the contrast of yellow and purple. This is how it ended up!

The little things hold so much significance and play a crucial role in everybody’s life, whether you want it to or not, whether you accept it or not. They are what makes the big things seem big. How could you say something big has happened in your life unless you had a little scale to compare it to?

So cherish those little things that come your way. The little moments, the little gifts, the little memories, everything you think is little is going to play a big role one day.

Cheers to the little things in life that help us see the bigger picture!

Thoughtfully yours,
-Introverted Thoughts aka D