Business Casual Superstar
Look, I'm not saying that Huma just came up with an EPIC fan mix that blew my fucking mind. But I'm not *not* saying that either.
Oh, man, you guys, do I come bearing goodies today. This is going to be a long one (that's what she said), so, paraphrasing Barney Stinson played by the genius and not at all "useless" (ANDY >:( ahem) Neil Patrick Harris, BUCKLE UP. ...Yeah, 'suit up' sounds better.
Anyway, as you've already seen from the title (spoiler ALERT) this one is about Lily Aldrin, the character that spends most of her time as Marshall's fiance/wife. Lily is one half of creator Carter Bays's vision of an ideal romantic couple. Lily and Marshall fell in love in college, basically right when they met on the first day of orientation, and have only ever been with each other (although, personally, I don't believe that Scooter doesn't count; SCOOTER COUNTS DAMN IT).
And frankly? This sickens me. Because while Lily and Marshall are an awesome couple, they're only a TV-awesome couple. As in, they're great on paper, and they're great in story form. But that's where it ends. Because if I knew a couple that was like it, that shared every detail of their day with each other, that knew literally everything about each other except for Lily's horrible credit, and wanted to be together all the time, and just acted like...this, I would haul off and shoot them both in the face.
Because that's not real love, and that's not a real relationship. That's a delusion. And furthermore, I guarantee that if Lily and Marshall were 'real,' Marshall would be boning everything in a skirt on the side while Lily would drink two bottles of wine a day and have a killer secret Vicodin habit, okay? Because THAT is how things work.
Wow, I'm just a little ray of sunshine, aren't I? Can you tell how much commitment and relationships freak me out?!
But this isn't about me. This is about Lily Aldrin.
And believe it or not, you guys, not everyone thinks the way I do. Some people love Marshall and Lily, The Couple. They do buy that their relationship is some ideal of true love that we should all aspire to. (BARF.) They do believe that that is as good as it gets. And, not surprisingly, they're unhappy with their own relationships because of it. Or, like the two posters of these secrets below, they're desperately wishing that their love stories play out like Lily and Marshall's did.
Observe.
The B!S stands for Bonus Secret, because the rest of the text that preceded it was the actual secret. (Also, if you see N!S that means not a secret, or non-secret, in which the OP, or original poster, is saying something obvious as paart of the larger secret, or to play off it. Fandom secrets is a science, you guys.)
Anyway, in this one, it makes so much sense to me that it's written by a girl comparing herself to Marshall, seeing herself to Marshall. It's almost a pathological cliche.
Because as 'man' as Marshall is, there are some very, very girly things about him. Especially when he's in a relationship. With Lily. Very, very girly. So while the B!S was supposed to surprise us, that a girl who thought she was going to be with her fiance forever was left high and dry by her fiance, who left like Lily did, it's just not. It's pathologically cliche.
Sucks for anon, but bonus secret fail. (Since B!Ss are supposed to make us go OMG NO WAI. Or even omg no wai.)
This secret is similar.
Anon is referring to the eternally awesome Barney Stinson, played by NPH. When Lily was in San Fran and the couple was broken up, Marshall was really sad. And cried a lot. A lot. Every time he did, Barney would either get up to go hit on a hot girl nearby, or put in his earbuds and listen to his music, or whatever.
And one day, when Marshall was crying about Lily, Barney immediately got up, excused himself, and left the bar. Ted and Marshall thought that it was because he didn't give a shit about love and relationships and monogamy, which he doesn't, and that he was sick of Marshall being a baby and didn't like to deal with emotion and didn't care enough to stick around and help talk Marshall down.
Instead, Barney got up, left the bar that day, and hopped on a plane to San Fran. He showed up unannounced at Lily's place, told her she made a big mistake leaving Marshall and that he missed her and loved her and she should go back to him because if she didn't, she'd always wonder what could have happened and she'd hate herself for it. Or something like that.
And then he killed 2 hours at a local attraction and flew home to Manhattan.
Because Barney Stinson is awesome and believes in true love.
Or the maudlin crap masquerading as true love in this situation. But whatever, it's television, so it counts. :)
And yes, the secret is a little pathetic, but not really. It's just sad. It's never easy to go through something like that, and of course it hurts. And you get to be pathetic when it happens to you. And no one gets to judge.
So to break us out of this funk we seem to have settled into, I thought I'd put together a soundtrack. A fanmix, really, in fandom speak. There are tons of Lily and Marshall fanmixes all over LJ, but there aren't that many Lily fanmixes. And since I despise when women are defined by their mates, and especially those women that do that themselves, I wanted to put together something that was just about Lily being Lily, and not Lily in relation to Marshall.
Because I feel that most of the time, Lily herself gets lost in the shadow of Marshall and Lily, couple extraordinaire, except they're not a great model for love and if Carter Bays really thinks that, then his life is sad and pathetic. (They're based on two of his friends from college, who are married and blah blah blah.)
Traditionally, in fandom, posters provide zipped folders of MP3s, or individually downloadable MP3 files for each of the songs they pick for a fanmix or just an EP.
But as most of you guys know, I'm a third year law student, and I know the Coypright Act and DMCA like the back of my hand. And I cannot possibly give you MP3 files for you to illegally download. So, to keep things only mildly legally improper, I'm just going to link to the songs on YouTube, and you can go and legally download the songs on your own time. Sure, some of the songs posted on YouTube are done so in violation of the Copyright Act, and some actively encourage violation of the DMCA in the "info" section that accompanies each video, and even YouTube's way of policing for copyright violations violates copyright protections, but whatever. Why don't we all just go sit in a box, then?
Because then the terrorists will have won, you guys. The terrorists will have won.
So here's a little fanmix I put together in honor of Lily Aldrin. Enjoy.
1. Good Day Sunshine - The Beatles
I need to laugh, and when the sun is out I've got something I can laugh about I feel good, in a special way I'm in love and it's a sunny day
Good day sunshine Good day sunshine Good day sunshine
Lily's probably one of the most upbeat characters on the show. She's all about goodness and peace and love and hugs and happiness, and would have been a poster child for the hippie movement of the 70s. I bet she hums this song to herself every morning as she walks into her classroom where she teaches kindergarten.
2. A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing) - Romeo Void
There's a time when every girl learns, to use her head Tears will be saved till they're better spent There's no time for her to be afraid So instead, she takes care of business Keeps a cool head
How this song isn't on all of those Kick-Ass Girl Songs list, I'll never know. It's from a little-known 80s band, and it's probably my favorite girl power song. It works as well for Lily as that happy-happy-joy-joy Beatles song because underneath her cute little stuffed animal exterior, Lily is a tough as nails bitch that doesn't let anyone walk all over her. She doesn't start fights or cause trouble, but she gets things done and will never back down. It's probably what I like best about her character, for all my ragging on her.
3. Make Out Kids - Motion City Soundtrack
Hooray for the madness, we are better by design, Let's hope we'll never have to say goodbye.. Say goodbye.
Yes, this song is actually about a couple, but it works so well for the whole gang that I had to use it. Lily has a great group of friends that are, for all intents and purposes, her family, and she fits in perfectly with them.
4. Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect - The Decemberists
And I am nothing of a builder But here I dreamt I was an architect And I built this balustrade To keep you home, to keep you safe From the outside world But the angles and the corners Even though my work is unparalleled They never seemed to meet This structure fell about our feet And we were free to go
The thing is, Lily loves to paint. That's her favorite hobby, her favorite thing to do. And she doesn't get a whole lot of time to do it, between horsing around with the gang and her fiance, and teaching her kindergarten class. So her talent kind of takes a seat on the backburner, and all the while, she wishes she had a way to pursue it the way she always hoped she'd be able to. And that's why, when she finds out about the art program in San Francisco, it's tempting enough for her to consider taking a break from her fairytale romance with the only man she'd want to spend her life with.
5. Running Out - Juliana Hatfield
You're too young to die In a double suicide With the wrong guy
Because in the end, Lily realizes that she has to pursue her art, and leaves Marshall on the East coast as she settles on the West coast. Even though as she does it, a part of her knows it might not be the right decision.
6. If You Are Going to San Francisco - Scott McKenzie
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair If you are going to San Francisco You are gonna meet some gentle people there
You've got to be pretty brave and optimistic to pack up everything you own and move all the way across the country.
Or just really bat crap stupid.
7. Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl - Broken Social Scene
Used to be one of the rotten ones and he liked you for that. Used to be one of the rotten ones and he liked you for that. Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that.
Now you're all gone got your make-up on and you're not coming back. Can't you come back?
Because everything - everything - falls apart in San Francisco. And she's a completely different person now, but she still wishes she could come back and be herself as if she never left.
8. New York, I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down - LCD Soundsystem
New York, you're perfect Don't please don't change a thing
Your mild billionaire mayor's Now convinced he's a king
So the boring collect I mean all disrespect
In the neighborhood bars I'd once dreamt I would drink
New York, I Love You But you're freaking me out
So Lily comes back to New York, but it's not the same. She's a failed artist and she carries that with her and flounders for a bit, uncertain as to what she should do and who she should be. And because she dumped Marshall and he's starting to move on and doesn't take her back the second she shows up at McLaren's pub, she's unsure of how she fits in with her old gang of friends - if she even does at all anymore.
I linked to the Kermit version because it's amusing. A simple YT search will pull up the authentic version.
When things were a little bit clearer, When we got nearer I shrugged from your touch Now that I know what I want, see I think that it haunts me, I want you too much
But Marshall, being Marshall, takes her back, and everyone's thrilled. In a plot arc that seemed too easy, like it minimized their problems or refused to deal with them, Lily and Marshall are back together and the gang is friends again. I was a little disappointed - very disappointed - because it took Lily and Ted longer to work through their issues stemming from her move to San Fran than it seemed like it took Lily and Marshall. Yes, Lily and Marshall stayed broken up for a few episodes, but they were still hooking up and were kinda friends and Lily was being all butt-hurt even though she was the one that broke Marshall's heart and...I don't know. I just feel like the show refuses to really deal with Marshall and Lily's relationship for what it is and constructs this fake pedestal to put it on and relationships and love freak me out enough already that seeing something like that play out on my screen when I'm just sitting down for some good escapist fun is enough to make my stomach turn.
*breathes into paper bag*
But I'll save that for my therapist. Or, rather, my analrapist. He's not as good as Tobias Funke, but he gets the job done.
Living in a material world And I am a material girl You know that we are living in a material world And I am a material girl
My Lily-love really took a beating in the episodes where we learn about her credit card debt. I'm one of those people that pays my bill in full each month and I absolutely do not buy things that I cannot afford, yet I still manage to have nice things. I just pay for them. And frankly, if you have that much credit card debt, then I think you're a fucking idiot and I should get to chase you around with a pitchfork and have a robot do it for me when I get tired.
Really.
There is no excuse to be that bad with money. Lots of people who live off the plastic are like, oh, but I live paycheck to paycheck as it is and need the extra help. Okay, I get that a lot of people make very, very little money, but in the cases I've seen, if you're living paycheck to paycheck that way, it has more to do with your decisions than it does with your salary.
And I get that this sounds holier-than-thou, so I'll stop soon, but if you're claiming that you need the help of plastics and you're racking up that debt, I fricking BETTER not see you with an iPad the day it comes out. You do not need that shit. Grah.
Bad Lily. You do not need all that designer stuff!
11. I'm The Man Who Murdered Love - XTC
He was begging on his bended knee For me to put him from his misery He hadn't worked at all this century Said I'd do a job for all humanity
I'm the man who murdered love Yeah, what do you think to that?
Remember when I said that Lily was kind of a bitch? Well, she's also the Head Bitch In Charge. Because what Lily wants, Lily gets. She runs all their lives, whether they realize it or not, and is basically a puppet master. Poor Ted was shocked - SHOCKED - to learn that Lily had orchestrated his break up with his past girlfriends because Lily deemed that they failed the Porch Test. (Watch the show to figure out what that is - it's actually really sweet.) When Barney was in love with Robin but oblivious Robin was sleeping with Ted's assistant PJ, Barney lamented the fact that Lily wasn't talking to him (because of a really dirty joke he told her) because no one was better at the fine art of manipulation than she was - if anyone could separate Robin and PJ, she could. "She's pure evil," Barney told Marshall, before adding that he got himself a good one.
Because yeah. Lily is the Head Bitch in Charge. She's had a hand in most of the relationships on the show that aren't her own, in one way or another, and it's absolutely inspirational to see the way she controls them all.
:-|
I mean, no, it isn't. It's absolutely disgusting and disrespectful! I would never think of tricking/manipulating boys the way she does!
:-|
:-D
I mean, what?
12. Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John
it doesn't matter what we do where we are going too we can stick around and see this night through
Because in Carter Bays's mind and in his show, these two are going to be together forever, and Lily wouldn't have it any other way.
If this was a too legit to quit fanmix, I'd have made cover art for the front AND back of the nonexistent CD case. And my fanart skills would have blown your MIND, you guys. But I'm tired and this is taking too long and it was too omg!wtf!make!it!stop just to get the little 250x250 images up, so screw it.
And now let's get to the real deal: the clothes.
Short Sleeve Belted Print Dress .......... $29.99 Madden Girl Punkk Slouch Boot in Tan .......... $46.40 Beaded Mix Necklace .......... $8.80 Rhinestone Leaf Ring .......... $5.99
Lily loooooooves her print dresses. They're usually all sorts of different colors, but I picked this sedate black and white one. She adores boots - that's what got her into such massive credit card debt - and likes to mix colors, so I paired these tan boots with her white and chocolate brown dress.
Lily is also trendy enough and fearless enough to mix black and brown, which is why I opted for black accessories. It would be easy to pull off a black bag with this - Lily would pick something oversized with either hardware or fringe.
TL;DR (that means, too long, didn't read), Lily and Marshall's relationship is TV!romantic and RealLife!delusional, enjoy some music, and wear printed dresses.
Posted by Huma Rashid on Aug 18, 2010 @ 10:10 am
