#there's also songs and singers that i didn't fit on the list because i wanted it to be albums only (because less work) sorry | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs | Tumgik (2025)

Not exactly a character sheet but something akin to it... an all around sound reveal/analysis for my punk funk guy

yapping on top of yapping under the cut:

Les's musical style is a wide range that typically leans heavily into funk metal or punk rock, or both!, although he is quick to get inspired by other genres too. In general he likes music that sounds at least a little droll and unexpected. I hope the selection of albums I compiled can paint you a good idea of it (because I sure as hell don't know what I'm doing!).

He is, first and foremost, a bass player and he's very good at it. Heavy funky slapping and popping is prominent in his music as is usual in funk music in general. He's got an old (ugly) second-hand bass guitar, that he cherishes like it's his baby. He could probably save an get a cooler-looking one for the stage but that in itself is uncool in his book.

He's also not so bad with the trumpet too, doesn't own one though, so he only plays it when he gets a chance. He learned to play it from his uncle Adewale.

Singing on the other hand is not his forte; he doesn't have super impressive vocals plus he's holding himself back. His singing style sounds droll and kind of jaded (often even deadpan and monotone although thought out and not lazy in any way), and closer to speak-singing. Big reason for that is that genuine honest singing makes him feel vulnerable in an uncomfortable way he's not willing to face, and it hints at a possibility for emotional release he very much prefers to not see happen. Y'know, singing is therapeutic and he doesn't want the therapy. 🥲

He typically balances out his singing with sarcastic/dramatic lyrics or unusual storytelling that keep his true thoughts and feelings well encrypted under layers of metaphors and allegories (subconsciously or intentionally) — which funnily enough makes him a very clever lyricist. But he doesn't put any of it down and has no interest in joining Hed and Floyd with writing songs for the band.

His singing VA is John McCrea from Cake, and when I say this I mean from the sound of his singing voice, all the way down to how he delivers his lines and the lyrics themselves. ':) More examples: 1, 2, 3. (I put only two of their albums on the drawing but honestly Cake has so many good Les songs.)

NoMeansNo is a close second when it comes to lyrics, but they're more like vent songs for Les, when you catch him in a weird angry/depressed mood. I also really like that band's prominent use of the bass, it's not very funky but it scratches my Les itch very much.

Butthole Surfers' songs have good Les lyrics too, although those are more "him singing about weird hallucinations while high out of his mind" or when he wants to be shocking for the sake of being shocking. That band is just weird overall, I like the singers southern drawl though. I'm still on board the idea of Les and Hed having a bit of a southern US accent.

Incubus is an amazing band overall but their first two albums are such a good flavor of funk metal and early band experimentality. Their singer is really good in regards to the word intonation I imagine Les having, he's too skilled for Les to keep up with in some parts though. 😅

I think the perfect Les sound would be some kind of chimera of these four bands... or maybe not, maybe that would sound terrible. XD

But still, to get a feel for Les's sound overall you have to give all of the examples below a listen, or at least the ones I put in bold.

- The albums featured in the drawing ↴

Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.

NoMeansNo - 0 + 2 = 1

Cake - Comfort Eagle

Incubus - Fungus Amongus

Beck - Odelay

The Damage Manual - The Damage Manual

Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese

Cake - Motorcade of Generosity

Fungo Mungo - Humungous

NoMeansNo - Wrong

Butthole Surfers - Electriclarryland

L.A.P.D. - L.A.P.D.

Bonus "Lena" album:

13. Jack Off Jill - Clear Hearts Grey Flowers

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black beauty

dallas winston x reader

word count: 1.9k

warnings: none! just some angst i guess?

authors note: this is sort of based on lana del rey's song black beauty :) i think i'll be basing a lot of my oneshots off of songs until i can conjure up some more plots! also, i know the grammar isn't perfect let me live!!! btw I'm not sure if I'll write a part two to this or not

years had passed since you last saw dallas, it hurt more than anything keeping away from him, but you knew you couldn't do anything about it. memories of the last night you had spent with him haunted you, kept you awake at night, and sometimes brought you to tears to the point where all you could do was lay in bed, staring at the wall wondering if you could've done anything to keep your relationship.

eventually, you learned to live with it. you didn't cry every night, you could sleep a few more hours than before, the pain was still there but you learned to numb it as much as you could. you decided to turn your heartbreak into something else, something that people would listen to, that he would possibly hear.

your friends all thought you were talented, that out of all the greasers you had something going, you would get out of tulsa and live freely, without a worry in the world. many told you to go to open mic nights, sign up for talent shows, sing in the church, anything or anywhere that someone other than just your friends would be able to listen to your voice, but you always refused. you had thought about wanting to sing but quickly snapped out of those thoughts as it would be near impossible to make it big, especially considering where you were from. the only person who ever got you to attend an open mic night was dallas, at a random bar in town.

the two of you were in your room, an elvis record played in the background while you talked, it was getting late and you were starting to get bored after being inside all day, dallas just arrived a few minutes after you decided to call it a night. he suggested going to a bar, and you agreed, wanting to spend some more time with him and he drove to the bar which had a notice on the door saying "open mic night, come sing!"

the two of you talked, and he drank a beer while you sipped on a daiquiri, not with much enjoyment but as the night went on, you and dallas judged the singers, people watched and enjoyed each other's company, and you began to like the drink. when you were on your second one, dallas suggested you go and sing a song. you said no about five times, telling him you were nervous.

"come on, doll, i've heard you sing before, you've got a pretty voice," he told you, he had heard you sing before, but that wasn't the reason behind the nervousness, you had never sung in front of a crowd of people you didn't know, the thought of them not liking how you sounded frightened you. another person went up to sing, you had just finished your second daiquiri, and once again, dallas suggested you sing.

you gave in because of the liquid courage, you put your name on the list with the song you wanted to sing, stupid cupid by connie francis. it seemed fitting as it was the beginning of february and everyone had been singing songs relating to love, whether it be about a broken heart or a love confession, you decided to be on theme.

you had your moment, up on the makeshift stage, some people sang along quietly, and you earned some claps and whistles, satisfied with yourself you went back to where dallas was sitting.

"told you, the people liked your singin','' he told you, his arm wrapping around your waist before giving you a kiss on the cheek.

that night had been just a little over two years. the night you remember the most out of all was the last night you spent together.

for two weeks before that, you had felt him getting distant. you tried not to worry so much over it, you two had been together for almost a year and you constantly heard people talking about how sometimes in long relationships there will be times one person can be distant, there isn't a spark like there was before, one or the other could get bored but it was all a matter of staying together and working through these times. you thought it was just that, so you didn't pay any mind to it.

he came over to talk to you, that was what he said when he called to check if you were home. when you opened your door and saw his face, you noticed he didn't smile at you like he usually did. with no kiss from him, he walked in and you two sat in your living room.

"I think it's the best for us to end things, doll." you saw in his face how he noticed your eyes were starting to tear up. "why, dal?'' you asked with a shaky voice, hoping you wouldn't cry in front of him. "it's for the better of us," he told you, he had an expression you couldn't read, he looked so calm but at the same time bored.

all you could do was nod, walk him to the door, and whisper an "I love you," before closing the door. the days after seemed like a blur, you couldn't sleep, you couldn't eat, and you didn't want to do anything, not read, write, listen to music, or get out of bed.

but that was months ago and today, you were going to meet with a journalist for an interview that would be going in the newspapers. you were excited, after all, you couldn't believe how far you had gotten in only a few months after the release of your first record.

"so, tell us about the song people have been most interested in, black beauty, what is it about?" the man asked. i took a moment to think about how to word everything because that was the first song i wrote and it meant a lot to me. "it's mostly about myself but a partner i had a few years back inspired it. things didn't end in the best way, i was left with a lot of questions and it left me in a horrible state for a few months, i forgot how beautiful life was because i let the sadness consume me. eventually, i started to live normally, well as best as one could after such a big heartbreak," i joked, trying to not sound too serious. "i wrote it after looking back on everything and thinking 'wow I was really in a bad place' and once again turning that into even more of a realization of me being able to enjoy life once again.”

౨ৎ

"you won't believe who's on the paper!" ponyboy told johnny, walking into the living room of his house and taking a seat next to his friend.

"who?" johnny asked, taking a peek at the newspaper pony was holding. he smiled upon seeing the black-and-white picture of the girl the gang had spent so much time around before.

the pair read the newspaper, making comments here and there on the answers to the questions. when they had finished reading the last column about the song black beauty they turned to look at each other seemingly connecting some dots in their heads. "do you think she wrote it about dally?" ponyboy asked and before johnny could answer they heard the door open, revealing dallas who was smoking a cigarette.

they turned quiet, dally took notice and saw the newspaper in ponyboys hand. "anything good?" he asked, taking a seat on the couch. "see for yourself," ponyboy answered, handing him the newspaper.

dallas raised an eyebrow at him as he grabbed the paper and read it. he thought it was gonna be some boring story, but his eyes widened as he read your name and about your song.

he regretted leaving you, it was always a constant thought in his head even after two years. the guilt of it ate at him every day, especially when he heard the gang talking about how you hadn’t been doing well after the break-up, they avoided saying your name or mentioning how you were doing, but sometimes when dally would leave for a moment they took it as a chance to talk about you.

it hurt him to know he was the cause of your pain but he knew it would be for the better. he thought you deserved better, somebody who could give you more.

ponyboy and johnny watched him as he read the paper trying to grasp what was going through his mind.

“I’m glad she’s doin’ good.” dallas said, handing the paper back to pony.

“do you think it’s about you?” ponyboy asked. dally looked at him for a moment before replying. “maybe,” he said with a shrug. he knew it was about him, he knew how you wrote poems when something affected you, he thought only this time you chose to make something bigger out of the pain.

although you got where you wanted to be, there was always something missing. you thought of him every day, what he was doing, how he was feeling, if he even remembered you. in every letter you wrote to one of the guys from the gang, you asked about dallas, they all wrote back with seemingly the same response. he was alright, still causing trouble where he could and whatnot.

a few weeks after that interview, johnny received a letter from you. you updated him on the things going on in your life, you asked how he was doing, and what the gang was up to but most importantly you asked him to tell dally you said hello.

johnny kept the letter folded up in the pocket of his jean jacket, waiting for a chance to show it to dallas. the gang decided to go to the drive-in that night, johnny went over to the curtis household to show ponyboy the letter. sodapop was there when johnny got to the house and the boys read the letter.

"are you gonna tell him she said hi?" soda asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. "well she asked me to, so i have to." the boy replied. he nodded and ponyboy chimed in. "do you think he'll take it well?" "possibly, there's no hiding the fact he still cares for her. you saw his face when he read that paper about her." "i think he'll be happy, i know dally likes showing off as tough but you could tell he really loved her. do you remember his face whenever he brought her up? i still don't get why he decided to leave her." the boys agreed with soda and left the conversation at that.

"hey, i got a letter today that you might wanna read." johnny told dally nervously, taking the letter out of his pocket and unfolding it before handing it to him. dally was confused, but he took the letter from johnny and began reading it. he immediately recognized your handwriting and he was even more confused as to why johnny was making him read the letter that was clearly not for dallas, for a moment he thought johnny was taunting him. it wasn't until he got to the last few lines that he realized why johnny had him read it.

he handed the letter back without saying a word and was quiet during the whole movie, the gang quickly noticed but didn't mention it, because they knew why. at the end, when they were walking out, dallas turned to johnny.

"you think you could give me her address so i can write to her?"

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Better than flowers♡

18+ ---- {Masterlist} {Tag-List}

♡♡ Happy Valentines Day ♡♡

You've always hated valentines day until Elijah changes your mind with a magical date.

3.2k words - Warnings: smut, oral, so corny and romantic it hurts …

You always hated Valentine's day because most of the time, you were alone. Last year, you'd just been dumped, so you spent the entire day in bed. It wasn't until you saw everyone's pictures from their cute dates that you really felt bad.

Even though you were dating someone new, you didn't expect anything. Elijah was always sweet and thoughtful, but you didn't want him to feel like he had to go over the top for this holiday. You had only been dating for a few weeks, so you were happy with just a card and a bouquet of flowers.

It was naïve of you to think that would be enough for him. He was the most romantic guy you'd ever been with. He would randomly buy you things or take you to dinner just because. He even planned a weekend away with you, which was the best.

So, when you got home from work on the 13th you found a garment bag on the bed and a note, you couldn't hide your excitement.

Y/n, I know you dislike Valentine's Day, so I wanted to show my appreciation for you the day before. I'll pick you up at 8. -Elijah

He liked to leave notes like that for you. It wasn't surprising that he did this. He was such a romantic man. Sometimes it made you uncomfortable because it felt like it was out of a fairy tale, almost surreal.

You were curious about what was in the garment bag and carefully opened it, the hanger still on the inside of the sleeve. The beautiful blush-colored dress inside made your jaw drop. You gently ran your hands over the fabric, a slow smile spreading across your lips. It was romantic and flowy, the kind of dress you would see in an old Hollywood movie.

You took your time getting ready, making sure every part of you looked perfect. Elijah was worth going all out for. When you went to get dressed you noticed he had also bought you lingerie. It was incredibly luxurious, the set probably cost more than your rent.

You smirked to yourself as you slipped into the lingerie. You checked yourself out in the full-length mirror. It fit perfectly, and the color matched your dress. You weren't the lingerie type of girl, but sometimes you could appreciate how good they made you feel.

When Elijah knocked on your door, you finished putting in the pearl earrings he bought you when he asked you to be his girlfriend. The memory made you blush, he'd been so sweet when he asked.

You put your feet in your matching shoes before heading for the door. Your breath was taken away when you saw Elijah. His hair was perfectly styled, and his dark eyes were shining. He dressed for the occasion.

"Hi," he breathed out, giving you that cute lopsided grin. "You look- you look beautiful."

You returned his grin, pressing your hand to his cheek, enjoying the feel of the stubble there. "Thank you. So, where are we going?"

He reached up and held your hand in his, bringing it away from his face and placing a kiss against your knuckles. You could never get tired of that.

"It's a surprise," he said as he led you down to his car.

“Always with the surprises," you teased.

Once you were sitting in the passenger seat, he smiled over at you, and started the car. He reached over to place his hand on your thigh as he drove. You turned on the radio, surprised when the song you always sang along to came on.

Elijah gave you a soft squeeze when he heard you start singing. He probably thought it was funny, you knew you were not the greatest singer, but you couldn't help but sing along to songs you knew by heart. Elijah always thought it was cute.

When you realized he was taking you outside of the city, your curiosity growing.

"We're almost there," he told you, and squeezed your thigh again.

He parked in a gravel parking lot, there was no buildings near by, just a forest path. You weren't sure if you should be nervous, but you felt calm around him. He was always protective and sweet.

"If we are going on a hike I didn't wear the right shoes," you joked as he helped you out of the car.

"Not that kind of hiking, not tonight anyway," he commented, and you were a little relieved by that.

His hand held yours as you started down the gravel path. It was dark, you used his phone to shine a light. Your heels didn't do the best on the uneven ground. You stumbled a bit and Elijah scooped you up, making you giggle.

"If you are planning on murdering me in the woods, this is the most romantic way someone has ever done it," you joked, you couldn't help thinking of the worst-case scenario, it was just in your nature.

He chuckled and kept walking, his hands supporting your thighs and back as he carried you. "I wouldn't put in this much effort to just murder you in the woods, love." He teased.

You arrived at a clearing just before the sun was beginning to set. There was twinkle lights strung in the trees and a few lanterns that provided light. At the center of it all was a large wooden table set with plates, champagne, and roses. Candles were lit in every corner of the space.

There was a trail of red rose petals that lead from where you stood to the end of the table, disappearing into the dark of the woods. The moment was surreal.

"Whoa," you muttered, looking around in awe.

Elijah carefully placed you on your feet and held your hand. "You like it?" He asked, his eyes searching yours for approval.

"Elijah," you breathed out his name and placed your hand on his cheek, "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I love it."

His hand reached up and cupped yours against his cheek. You could feel his blush. He always got so nervous and shy around you, and it was honestly the cutest thing.

Out of the woods came a few servers that began to put food on the table and fill your glasses with champagne. You smiled up at Elijah as he thanked the servants. He led you to your seat, and you grinned as he pulled out the chair for you.

"Such a gentleman," you cooed at him before sitting down. He sat down beside you, turning his chair to face you.

"I would do this for you every day if you would let me," he whispered, his hand sliding across the table and taking yours.

You didn't know how to respond to that so you took a sip of champagne and smiled. He continued smiling back at you, both of you growing more comfortable in silence. You talked for a while about each other's day and you finished off a bottle of champagne by the time the food was ready.

The meal was incredible. Everything was so good. You didn't even notice the sun had set because the whole area was lit up. Elijah had planned it all out and he was amazing.

The table was cleared and moved out of the way so you had room to dance. A violist came out of the trees and started playing, slow jams that you and Elijah could sway to.

You knew he'd been planning this for a while, all the trouble he went through, the lengths he went, just to make tonight special.

"You really didn't have to do all this, all I was expecting was flowers," you confessed.

His mouth brushed against your ear and you felt yourself growing warmer from the intimate gesture. "If I didn't do any of this, then you would continue to hate this holiday. I'm going to show you that it's worth celebrating."

"Show me then," you murmured, wanting his lips against your skin.

He pressed his lips to yours, his tongue lightly brushing against yours before slowly pulling away. "I'll show you every year, every holiday, for the rest of our lives," he promised.

"I can live with that," you purred and sealed your promise with another kiss.

"I do have a confession," he whispered, his fingers weaving through your hair.

You pulled back and looked up at him. His dark eyes were soft, relaxed. You sighed contently, feeling happy and loved. "I'm listening."

"I have another surprise," he muttered, and you hummed at him curiously.

He stepped away and held your hand, leading you toward the trail of rose petals. You held on tightly and leaned into his body. You couldn't stop the silly smile that was spreading across your lips.

Once you got passed the line of trees you could see the cabin. The rose petal trail ended on the porch. It was simple and quaint. Just as beautiful as the romantic clearing you were in just minutes ago.

He scooped you up in his arms. "Elijah!" you squealed, but quickly wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him.

Elijah quickly carried you up the steps to the door and set you down. You were both laughing and kissing. He smiled against your lips, his nimble fingers unlocking the door.

You let out a gasp as you took in the place, flowers were everywhere, their smell sweet and welcoming. There was a four-poster bed with vines of roses that were climbing the columns. A fireplace was already lit, making the entire place warm and cosy. The place was only one room, with the bed off to the side. There was a ottoman near the fire and even a telescope to look out into the night sky.

"Elijah... This is amazing." You sighed as you felt his arms slip around you from behind.

"You like it?" He inquired, his lips pressed against your cheek.

You rested your hands against his, leaning back against him. "It's gorgeous, thank you."

He took your hand and led you to the fire, where another trail of red rose petals guided you to the fluffy carpet at your feet. There were more gifts for you laid out, a massive teddy bear and a stack of chocolate bars. It all made you laugh.

"You are ridiculous," you teased, hugging him.

"Is that a good thing?" He mused, holding you and kissing you.

You hummed and sighed. "Yes, yes it is," you assured.

You felt butterflies fill your stomach, knowing what came next. The two of you had only had sex a few times, it was still new, and you were still shy around him when it came to intimacy. He'd always been respectful and sweet. It wasn't as if you were new to this, but he was unlike anyone you'd been with before.

You looked up at him. He gave you that smile that made you weak in the knees. You brushed your fingertips against the creases around his eyes, you loved how they deepened when he smiled.

He leaned in and kissed you slowly, softly, guiding you to the bed as his fingers unzipped the back of your dress. You pushed at his jacket, helping him shrug out of it. Your hands ran over his chest, fumbling with his tie. His hands pushed the straps of your dress down, kissing the newly exposed skin.

He helped you to step out of the dress, gathering it up to fold it carefully before he placed it on the ottoman. Always so organized, everything in place, clean, perfect.

But him seeing you in the sexy lingerie made him drop the dress. The look on his face was unlike anything you've ever seen. For a second it was almost as if he didn't know what to do. He seemed frozen in place, all he was doing was stare.

You felt your cheeks heating up under his gaze and you looked at him shyly. "Thank you for this," you told him, gesturing to the sexy underwear.

"It was a purely selfish purchase," he chuckled, closing the distance between you, his hand coming to rest on your waist.

He traced his fingertips across the see-through pink lace. His touch was gentle and loving. You were growing impatient. You were getting turned on by the way he was touching you, his eyes drinking you in.

You started working on the buttons of his shirt, undoing them slowly. He leaned down and kissed you again, his lips capturing yours. He walked you back to the bed, the back of your knees hitting the edge of the mattress.

He gently guided you to lie down, his mouth following yours, not breaking the kiss. You helped him to undress, removing the last of his clothing and tossing it aside.

You ran your fingers through his hair, admiring the way his dark hair was a little messed up. He smelled so good, like the cologne he always wore and just the faint smell of his natural scent.

He was on top of you, his hands holding yours. His lips were trailing soft kisses down your neck. His hips moved, rubbing himself against you. You let out a soft moan, your breath hitching in your throat.

"I love hearing the sounds you make," he confessed, his lips against your ear, sending a shiver through your body.

You felt the warmth of his fingertips brushing against your inner thigh. Your body tensed in anticipation. He was taking his time, teasing you. He kissed you slowly, his tongue gently slipping between your parted lips.

You wrapped your arms around him, keeping him close as his fingers teased your panties, pushing them to the side. He was still being slow, driving you crazy.

He groaned against your mouth as he felt how wet you were. You whimpered, feeling his fingers brush over your clit, circling it slowly, watching your responses. He loved the way you were looking at him, the sounds that were escaping your pretty little mouth.

He began moving down your body, kissing your neck, your collar bone, between your breasts. You reached up, trying to unhook your bra, but his hands stopped yours.

His lips closed around your nipple through the sheer fabric. You ran your hands through his hair, pulling on it, urging him to continue.

He continued to move lower, down your belly, smiling against your skin as he spread your legs, settling between them.

He hummed at the sight of your arousal, your wet panties clinging to your skin. He kissed along the waistband, his tongue peeking out to taste. You could feel his breath, as he moved the delicate fabric to the side.

Your hands tightened in his hair as his mouth found your clit. You couldn't help but rock your hips, pushing against his mouth. His hands moved over your thighs, his fingers digging into your skin as he devoured you. You moaned softly, your toes curling as his tongue slid inside of you.

He looked up at you, his eyes watching as you started to fall apart. He wanted to stay this way forever, with the taste of you on his lips, the sounds of your pleasure filling the room.

Your breathing was becoming uneven, your moans growing louder. Your thighs were trembling, your back arching as his tongue flicked against your clit.

You let out a soft cry as your orgasm hit you. Your eyes shut tight, your hands gripping his hair, trying to keep yourself together. His tongue was still on you, working you through the wave of pleasure.

He kissed his way back up your body, his lips capturing yours, his fingers caressing your face, pushing your hair back. He was looking at you like you were the only person in the world, and it made you melt.

He was resting between your legs, his erection pressing against you. He was still for a moment, his gaze soft and warm, just gently kissing you.

"I love you," he murmured.

You couldn't stop the smile that was spreading across your face, and neither could he. You ran your fingers through his hair, holding him closer.

"I love you, too," you said, your voice barely a whisper.

He pulled your panties off, his eyes never leaving yours as you pulled off your bra as well, tossing it aside. You felt a blush creeping up your cheeks as his gaze fell upon your naked body.

His hands wrapped around your waist, pulling you close, your legs wrapping around him. He eased into you slowly, watching your eyes widen then turn hazy with lust.

His lips found yours, kissing you passionately as the two of you moved together. Your hands were tangled in his hair, pulling on it as you formed a perfect rhythm.

You looked down to watch him slide in and out of you. He was holding back, trying to make this last. He was always so focused, his expression almost stoic, his breathing even.

Your hands ran down his shoulders, gripping onto his biceps, your eyes never leaving his, not even to blink. You didn't want to miss a second of this.

"You're beautiful," he murmured, his forehead resting against yours, his breath ghosting over your lips.

You felt your face grow hot from his words, and you kissed him to avoid making eye contact. You could feel his heart beating in time with yours. He caressed your cheek, tilting your head to look at him.

You couldn't hide from him. He was looking at you so intensely, all of his love pouring out of him. He smiled at the sight of you, flushed and sweaty, you were gorgeous.

He cupped the back of your neck and held you in place as he kissed you again. Your legs began to tremble as another orgasm crept up on you. You moaned against his mouth, trying to keep your breathing even.

You couldn't hold back anymore, not with the way he was looking at you, the way he was touching you. You came, moaning his name, his fingers laced with yours, your foreheads pressed together.

He followed right after, letting out a low groan that made your skin prickle. He kissed you, his mouth swallowing up your cries.

You wrapped your arms around him, clinging to him as the two of you rode out the high. Your heart was still racing, your breaths ragged.

The light of the fireplace cast an orange glow over the both of you, your bodies intertwined in the low light. You smiled at him, kissing him softly.

"That was a lot better than flowers," you giggled, feeling a little silly and lightheaded.

He chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." He hummed, kissing you again, his fingers caressing your cheeks.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Elijah," you whispered, nuzzling his nose with yours.

He brushed his lips against yours. "Not yet, it's still the 13th," he reminded, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips.

"Does that mean we have another night?" you purred, giving him a playful smile.

"I like the way you think," he teased, kissing you again, rolling you on top of him.

He held you close, the both of you giggling as he kissed you all over, making you shriek and squirm.

You'd never had a Valentine's Day quite like this one. But you hoped that this was just the first of many.

♡♡ Today is my three month anniversary on here & I just want to say thank you so much for all the love ♡♡

♡♡ Tag-List ♡♡

♡ @gorgeouslydangerous ♡ @starkleila ♡ @lydia1369sworld ♡ @notleylaaa ♡ @vampiresluv ♡ @vamprium ♡ @myanmy ♡ @xflowerbombxo ♡ @maryvibess ♡ @always-and-forever-daydreaming ♡ @criminallminds ♡ @theesexystallion ♡ @rosemarypotion ♡ @spnaquakindgdom ♡ @amournoir ♡ @loving-and-dreaming ♡ @meeom ♡ @damienmorton ♡ @wickedmuse ♡ @sunkissedebony97 ♡

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MY NOT THE LIFE IT SEEMS BOOK PROJECT!

I just realized I never posted this here! I decided to read Not The Life It Seems for my English class. After we read (but as you'll soon find out, I didn't finish it), we were given a list of project options, and one of those was digital design or smth like that.

I decided to make a little collage thingy. And since I didn't think I would get a good grade, I decided to write a whole ass letter (under the cut) to my teacher in an attempt to get more points under the guise of me explaining what the hell is going on with my project.

CW: drug use

Mrs. [Teacher's Name],

Let me preface this by saying that I know you did not require those who went the artistic route to write a thesis on how or why they chose to do what they did, but I just wanted to explain what in the world is going on with this project as I pulled a lot of inspiration from one of their albums. Before I stopped reading my book (I read over a third of it before I absolutely had to stop reading so I could begin this project), the main point of conversation was how Gerard Way's substance abuse had gone into such a downward spiral that his bandmates thought he was going to die. Before you posted the project options, I knew that if there were an option to be creative, I wanted to make something inspired by their second album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. This album happens to be my favorite of theirs. I mean, it must be if I have two CDs of the album, multiple tees, various accessories, and a jacket with the cover art on it.

In addition to the mountain of merch I have for this album, my top two songs of the year last year were from this album, and according to Airbuds, I listened to that album almost five hundred times last year—yikes! The title of this very book comes from a song on this album, I’m Not Okay (I Promise): “What will it take to show you that it’s not the life it seems?” Another song on this album, Thank You for the Venom, fits what I am trying to convey with my project. To me, this song is clearly about substance abuse and the singer trying to help someone. There is speculation about whether this song is about Gerard’s own substance abuse, but I won’t delve into that here.

The lyrics which frame Gerard's face ("so give me all your poison / and give me all your pills”) and the lyrics in the bottom left corner ("what's life like bleeding on the floor?”) are from this song. As for the blood splatter on a black background, I took inspiration from the original album art, which features two lovers on a dark background, about to kiss with blood splattered faces. I also took inspiration from the fact that Gerard would sometimes smear fake blood—or in one instance, real blood, courtesy of Frank Iero—across his face before live performances during this time. This is something he still does to this day on occasion, as seen most recently during the 2022 reunion tour. During the Revenge era (what many fans call this time), photoshoots with the band would sometimes include fake blood in some capacity.

Some notable examples include the band dressed in school uniforms with bloodied faces, the band standing on a set of bleachers amidst a violent scene of slaughtered cheerleaders, and another where the group have their hands dipped in blood as Gerard Way outstretches a hand toward the camera while the others are covering their faces. I figured that, if I pulled this much inspiration from the album and the band during this era already, why not keep going?

The doves seen behind Gerard are in reference to another song on this album. This song is titled You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison, but for my sake and yours, I will just call it Prison. There is a line in Prison where Gerard sings, “Well, they’re never gonna get me / Like a bullet through a flock of doves.” I also included the doves because they are a symbol of renewal. In Life on the Murder Scene, the documentary that followed them throughout this time in their life, Gerard himself says that after he got sober, it was like they were a brand-new band.

Thank you for listening!

Paige

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Kamaitachi songs that I think fit JSHK characters

Hello there! I thought about making this post because many of this artist's songs remind me of JSHK

–> Well, but who is Kamaitachi you ask me? Kamaitachi is a Brazilian singer and composer who writes songs on a variety of themes, the most common being romantic and horror themes. His musical style is varied, with indie, rock, blues, pop, jazz and others in his composition.

–> In addition, Kamaitachi created his own universe in his songs, having connected songs telling a story such as 'Bob', 'O Sono de Emily' and 'Sr. Sono'. The name Kamaitachi is inspired by Japanese folklore, where "Kama" means cuts and "Itachi" means weasel, representing the sweet and sour crowd.

Well, now that you know him, let's get to the songs and characters! :)

Hanako-kun with 'O Fantasma'

'O Fantasma' translates to 'The Ghost', this song reminds me of Hanako not only because of the name, but also because of the ghostly and melancholic melody. The song demonstrates an internal struggle and a search for redemption. In the song, the lyrical self wants to remove a part of himself, which would be the "ghost", a part that haunts him. The part that reminds me most of Hanako is this one:

I was never an angel

I didn't even have wings to fly away

From what afflicts me

But I was once a demon

And I had to die

To learn how to live as a human being

The theme in general fits very well with Hanako, besides at the end of the song the lyrical self apologizes to someone dear to him for everything that happened. Promising to change and to no longer let the "rays of the past" haunt his life and everyone else's. Remembering Hanako with Yashiro or even with Tsukasa.

Tsukasa Yugi with 'O Sono de Emily'

'O Sono de Emily' translates to 'The Sleep of Emily'. The song features themes of friendship, fear and a plan beyond the tangible, featuring the lyrical self as a little boy named Bob who tries to reach out and befriend a girl named Emily. It's also shown that they are "shadows" and that Bob wants to keep Emily with him. This song reminds me a lot of Tsukasa's relationship with the entity, both in the old and new timelines. Unfortunately, I can't really develop the similarities since we don't know much about how exactly the entity works. However, we do know that Tsukasa makes friends with the entity. The song has a more intense and somewhat sinister melody, as if it were on another plane, and Bob's lines are kinda unsettling.

The song fits very well with Tsukasa's aura, as it presents a very powerful childlike entity that conveys fear of the unknown, just like Tsukasa in all its versions.

Nene Yashiro with 'Alice' (tw: drugs)

'Alice' alludes to the character Alice from "Alice in Wonderland" bringing a dark meaning that has been used several times, that Alice was under the influence of illicit substances and hallucinating everything she saw. Supernatural things are not things that people normally see, you shouldn't see things that don't exist, but Yashiro does. It wouldn't be so absurd, if we put it into reality, to imagine that Yashiro would be under the effect of something. The song brings up the theme of drug addiction and its terrible consequences, and yet, Nene, who truly sees supernaturals, has also had consequences (mostly psychological). And let's be honest, to an outsider, Yashiro really does seem to be hallucinating.

Tsukasa Yugi with 'O Treco'

'O Treco' translates to 'The Thing'. the song presents a dark and enigmatic narrative, where the lyrical self describes the unexpected and disturbing visit of a mysterious man.

I had to put him back on the list since this song really suits him as a mysterious antagonist (and there are many edits of him with this song).

Tsukasa is an enigmatic and unpredictable figure, always appearing out of nowhere and giving many jumpscares to the characters. However, most of the time he actually has an "invitation" when he appears, which is a deep wish made by a supernatural. I think the song suits him very well, especially in this new reality, where he's a bizarre and disturbing child entity, presenting the unknown and danger in the face of those who face him.

Hanako-kun and Aoi Akane with 'Às Cegas no Monte'

'Às Cegas no Monte' translates to 'Blind On the Hill' and the song brings a reflection on the journey of life and the relentless search for happiness. This song reminds me of them in the "To The Far Shore" arc due to the literal meaning of the song since we follow a "train" throughout the song. Throughout the lyrics, it's possible to observe many similarities, such as a train that runs without stopping, something that reminds us of dawn and the desire to still want to be happy even if "it's not the time to be happy."

In its meaning, the song presents the search for happiness, which is something that both Hanako and Aoi seek, even if it's almost impossible to achieve, and it's also about the journey of life, or in this case, the journey that has ended. The song has a calm melody, but it manages to bring a weight to certain phrases and this vibe reminds me of the two of them at the beginning of this arc, a heavy atmosphere but they still try to avoid it by talking about what their lives were like.

Hanako-kun and Nene Yashiro with 'Carnaval'

'Carnaval' which translates to 'Carnival' is about longing and desire, intertwined with the hope of reunion. The song features a lyrical self who misses the other person and who always asks if his partner is okay, indicating that perhaps they haven't seen each other for a while. And in the chorus, the song uses a metaphor, saying that the kiss of this person reminds him of Carnival (a typical Brazilian party) because of all the excitement and effervescence that this party brings.

This all brings out the essence of Hananene, this concern for each other, the occasional separations and the desire. And also all the little moments apart where count the minutes until they meet again. The song features an upbeat instrumental that creates a good vibe and brings a feeling of happiness, especially when you think about your loved one. A really good match with these two.

Hanako-kun and Nene Yashiro with "O Sol e a Lua"

'O Sol e a Lua' translates to 'The Sun and the Moon' the song addresses, in a poetic and figurative way, the relationship between the celestial bodies Sun and Moon, presenting the feeling of revealing oneself and mutual protection. Demonstrating love and how both are important to maintain life. In addition to the music having references to other spatial aspects.

I know that the sun and moon are concepts mainly attributed to the twins in JSHK, but considering romantic dynamics, Hanako and Yashiro fit perfectly into "sun and moon". Hanako is the moon being the most mysterious and serious side of the relationship and Yashiro is the sun being the most cheerful and lively part of the relationship.

I put them back on the list because this song is very hananene coded and I don't know how to explain it other than just saying "it suits them".

—

Well that's it for now, I hope you enjoyed this list and if you give the songs a chance I'll be happy too! Kamaitachi is a very plural and unique artist, and I really appreciate his work.

Thanks for reading ^^

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Smells Like Steady Vocals and Perfect Pitch

Part 1.

I wrote this on April 5th, 2024 in a fit of rage/inspiration. I wasn't going to post it but I've decided to anyway because I'd like to give a little perspective about why Jimin, out of all the members of BTS, is popular in the US, and why I think he has amazing potential as a solo artist if he's given the right team and tools.

*******

Today is the 30th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death, so it feels like a sign from the heavens that it's time to write a post I've been composing in my head for months.

So often when I'm on Twitter/X looking for information about Jimin, I see one nasty comment after another downplaying his singing, his artistry, and his talent in general. The phrase repeated the absolute most by the fandom of a particular member is that the reason HYBE invests in one above all the others is because he has the most stable singing voice. And perfect pitch. And the perfect tone for pop music.

Frankly, I get so sick of reading those comments, but I also have to laugh, because it shows such a fundamental misunderstanding of what appeals to music fans in the US/Western countries.

If you open Spotify right now and search for Nirvana, you will see 31.1 million monthly listeners! As a reminder, their last album was released 30 years ago and they only put out 3 major label albums over a 3 year period. Meanwhile, BTS has 28.6 monthly listeners and has a discography a mile long and a career spanning more than 10 years.

Do you honestly think that Nirvana has enjoyed so much popularity over the years because Kurt Cobain had perfect pitch and could sing live? Yeah, no.

I remember where I was the first time I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit." I couldn't decide if I loved it or hated it, but the song held a strange grip on me. It was sooo different than all the other popular music at the time, even in the alternative scene. It wasn't quite punk, wasn't quite heavy metal. The song was angry and raw, but also oddly charming. But mostly, it was refreshingly different from all the highly produced music that was on radio stations' rotations at the time. Don't believe me? Here's a link to the Billboard Top 100 on the week "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was initially released:

Check out the list and tell me how many of these songs you know. Probably a few, but not many have withstood the test of time (shout out to 3 a.m. Eternal by The KLF, though. That was a fun song).

This was the #1 song that week:

Didn't like it then. Don't like it now.

Now compare that to Smells Like Teen Spirit:

Look at the Billboard list again. Lots R&B (love), dance tracks, a smattering of college radio/alternative tunes, and a whole lot of what we would call easy listening/adult contemporary music. A snooze fest. Nirvana came along at the right time when the American music audience was in desperate need of something more authentic and not so over produced.

Sorry for this long-winded pop music history lesson. Believe it or not, I have a point to make. Americans like a huge range of music styles (as can be seen on the current Billboard charts). We get bored easily. We don't demand a steady voice or perfect pitch. What we want is something new. Something innovative. Something authentic. The biggest western pop stars who have enjoyed long careers in North America know that they must push boundaries and release new, unexpected material in order to stay relevant.

Be it BTS' English trilogy, songs that blatantly emulate American pop singers, or the conveyor belt of 2 minute TikTok-ready tunes sung by Korean girls, so far it doesn't seem like we should expect anything terribly innovative or cutting edge now that Big Hit has morphed into HYBE with its many labels/subsidiaries. Fickle American audiences will move on quickly, in my humble opinion.

One last thing. The US is a huge country with very diverse cultures based upon geographical location. Gender, age, ethnicity, urban vs. rural, and region of the US all influence what people are listening to. What's popular in Atlanta isn't necessarily popular in Salt Lake City, for example. Americans are not a homogenous group and neither is our taste in music.

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There is such a strange obession with always having to humble Michael Jackson.

He fits like the extrem case of a Tall Poppy Sydrome.

1# His brothers (Jermaine) how they say he wouldn't be Michael Jackson without the Jackson 5. Kind of dismissing his talent and wanting them to be a part of his success.

2# People who claim Joe beat talent into Michael. And is success is thanks to his abuse. If that was the case. What went wrong with the others then?

3# The constant comparsions with todays artists. Who not only benefit from the streaming era but are also way below him talent wise or impact wise. Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Drake, Chris Brown... Them naming new King of Pops like Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles. The comparsions can be looked as a compliment that he is looked as the standard or as an insult because they try to dismiss him and put him om the same level as these artists not respecting he is a league on his own..

#4 These stupid lists billboard or rollingstone put out ranking him ridiculously low. Like tf you mean Michael number #86 on the best singers list. Or the 20 best Halloween songs doesn't involve Thriller eventhough it's the most recognizable one.

#5 Claiming Eagles Greatest Hits was the best selling album of all time back in 2018. Eventhough it was only in the US. ( allegedly) But of course these trash tabloids had to make it look like it was the world.

#6 The stupid allegations. If they put any effort into reading would know are bs. When their smear campaign failed they just made it look like "separating art from the artist" bs.

#7 Them reporting other artist broke his record. Eventhough it isn't comparable. You can't compare Drakes shitty number ones who are mostly features in it or he features in them to Michaels number ones where he is mostly on his own and also wrote most of it. The songwriting is also something they can't believe and try to dismiss aswell. Also Drake has the benefit of the streaming era. Michael didn't. Aint nobody buying a bus tickets to drive 15 minutes downtown and purchase an album of Drake.

Their pathetic attemps really knows to bound. They would literally choke if they just admit he is the greatest.

The one about his father's abuse being the thing that "made him what he was", as well as the unfair slander against MJ for accusations that were so ridiculously they were laughed out of court are, by far, the ones that piss me off the most.

Joseph abusing his son was not the reason why Michael was the greatests, it was one of the many reasons why we lost him so soon. I'm always EXTREMELY suspicious when people try to push that kind of narrative of "abuse is not that bad and has positive consequences if you're not a crybaby", especially when it's someone in a position of power, because it just screams "I want to get away with exploiting people AND I want to be praised for it."

The lies of "Michael was a pedophile" are just the kind of stuff that breaks my heart and makes me furious. And I gotta laugh when the same people that tried to destroy MJ because of stuff they KNEW was bullshit now pretend it never happened or, like you said, use the "separate art from the artist" argument. It just proves that Michael had earned so much respect from both the public and the few decent people in the industry, AND was so fucking talented, that those idiots were eventually forced to realize that they would have made much more money celebrating him than they ever made by tearing him down

And we all know THAT is why they did it, the good old business model of "Give the public a great icon, then tear said icon to pieces in front of them." The people that are still on the hate/devalue MJ train are split between people that are too proud to admit they fucked up, and the people that built their entire lives around telling the public which popular thing is actually not that good (be it in a "I'm too good for stuff that the masses like" way or in a cancel culture type of way).

Plus, we all know Michael was not afraid to openly trash the media and even his own record label when they pissed him off enough, and you just know some rich assholes that are not used to people talking shit about them and getting away with it and still hold a grudge for it.

As for the comparisons with modern idols - it's not just things like streaming that make said comparisons not just unfair, but downright nonsensical.

The very fact that people will go "Oh, this person is the new Michael Jackson/King Of Pop" is already a contradiction. The reason Michael has the status he has is because there WASN'T a "king of pop" before him. He had people who influenced him and there were artists that were HUGE, sure, but there was no one that fit the role of "The MJ before MJ" so to speak. The closest "match" I can think of is Beatle Mania, and even then, that was a group. Even when people talk about the "most important/famous" Beatles, it's always Lennon AND McCartney.

Michael Jackson's fame as a solo artist was on the level of "People legitimately did not fucking know someone could be this famous" and to this day nobody has done it again - which is a big deal since, like you pointed out, it is a lot easier to have acess to an artist's work now.

And yet everytime one of today's artists is called "The new king/queen of pop" in some internet article it just never catches on... yet the title of said articles DON'T have to add a "(Michal Jackson)" after saying the words "King of Pop" because if you know these three little words, you know the ONE person they refer to.

Another important factor here is that all of these "new coronations" so to speak happen literally every year - to more than one artist. We are TOLD "this random music critic saying this about this artist is a big deal" but it doesn't match what we're SHOWN because, again, to reach Michael's level of fame, one would need to be literally "The only artist that matters, everyone elsa can just fight for the title of second best." If everyone is "the new MJ" then no one is, not really. At most they're just "Super popular artist" and there's nothing wrong with that.

Things like the internet and streaming have also made the term "fifteen minutes of fame" much more literal than it ever was. So sure, you easily find people that went viral - but how many of them had any real, lasting sucess? How many times did an artist do something cool that pushed to everyone all over the globe, and then just a month later they were a has-been?

And even the well-stablish artists of today, even though who started really young, don't have the same kind of long career Michael had because most artist don't start singing at the age of five, spend their entire childhood and adolescence gaining more and more fans, and then spend their adulthood as the biggest thing ever because they put out the first AND second best selling albums of all time. Michael had already been performing, and been absurdly famous, for nearly two decades when he finally released Thriller - which just got a 40th anniversary edition because even after four decades since it's debut, and 14 years since Michael letf us, he is STILL such a powerhouse that the world just had to celebrate his music once again.

Comparing that to artists that have only had one or two decades in the industry is ridiculous because of course they're gonna lose, just like their modern songs are obviously going to be front and center instead of the ones made decades ago, from an artist that is deceased and whose sales did not benefit from streaming, or even CDs, for a long time. And once again, the fact that Michael STILL has a presence on Spotify, Youtube, TikTok and literally very platform ever speaks volumes of just how solid his legacy is. Meanwhile all these singers he's being compared to are still making stuff that will one day become their legacy. It's comparing apples to oranges.

And since I mentioned the (ungodly evil thing) that is TikTok, that brings me to yet another major difference between MJ fame and modern fame: how artificial it all has become. Don't get me wrong, musical trends and popular "formulas" to make a hit have always existed, but things today are often SO calculated to have "viral qualities" (a part the is guaranteed to become popular on TikTok, never going over a specific length, everything needing either a sped up version or a slow reverb version, etc) that they might as well have been made by algorythm.

Meanwhile, Michael became the biggest singer ever because the priority when making anything was to make sure it was GOOD, no matter the style, length or topic of the song. Michael often said his approach when making records was to have no songs you can skip - compare that to artists and labels trying to make 20 seconds of a song catchy to blow up on TikTok, rest of the thing be damned, and you have yet another reason why MJ's legacy is solid, while plenty of promising new artists disappear overnight.

And, finally, we that brings us to the final difference between Michael and plenty of artists today: how he COMPLETELY altered the industry, in every way.

Michael Jackson is the reason why Superbowl performances are a thing, why music videos have all kinds of cool aesthetics and even enough plot to be considered short films instead just being an artist dancing to their own tunes on camera. He was the first black artist to ever have his music videos air on MTV. Fans passing out during his concerts was a regular thing. Plenty of artists all over the globe have him as a reference to how they should sing, dance, dress, or even just stand on stage because Michael had such presence he could stand on stage without moving for an entire minute then slowly, dramatically remove his sunglasses, and people would still be screaming their heads off.

Once again, let's look at Beatle Mania: it was a level of fame nobody had seen before, for artists that were breaking all the rules. But nowadays a group of young men playing love songs and having seemingly every teenage girl in the country following them around is nothing out of the ordinary, and while their songs are still fantastic, plenty of bands over the decades have done awesome things with rock music that are just as revolutionary, if not more.

Meanwhile, Michael is still THE reference, and his music is still the definition of "quality." If you hear his biggest hits, you can totally tell which bits modern singers were inspired by - yet if you didn't know who he was, you could wrongfully assume some of these songs are modern because they were SO ahead of their time they still sound groundbreaking today.

Seriously, there's a reason NONE of these artists that was ever compared to Michael tried to actually claim his title: saying you're as good as him is one hell of a bold claim that gives people a ton of impossibly hugh standards that you better meet, without flaw and making it look effortless, otherwise you look like the most arrogant person who has ever lived - and nobody wants to deal with that kind of pressure.

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And we're back to the breathing issues and broken-up sleep.☹Knew I would be sooner or later. Yesterday, I noticed my nose was getting stuffy again, and I woke up struggling to breathe through my nose a few hours after I crashed. Naturally, this left me tired when I got up later on. That wasn't the only time I woke up. Seems like I woke up half a dozen or more times along the way. I was either snoring, or I had to pee, and then I had to dream of my shit sister and her fucked-up brood.

We were living in what looked like our Maricopa house. I guess we all just moved in or something. A couple of her brats were there giving me the silent treatment, but I ignored them in return and didn't pay it much mind. As the morning wore on, it was getting hot in the house, and I suggested we shut the windows and kick the AC on. Then some kind of service guy was at the house that the termite seemed a bit suspicious of. She said something about measurements being taken.

Anyway, I did more research, and my symptoms definitely suggest polyps, and then there's the fact that that was the first thing Rhonda mentioned. So I would guess that first, a valve issue second, and septum last. I'm really screwed if they'reallan issue! They can shrink and swell at random, and they don't know what causes them, but there are some known triggers. One is ibuprofen, and I happened to take some before bed. I didn't take clonazepam, though, because I was caught up on sleep. But now that I'm tired, I'm going to take it when I crash, so hopefully, it helps me sleep better. Again, I don't want to overdo it, but I'm glad it's there when I need it. So no more ibuprofen. I'll be switching to Tylenol when I have any kind of pain. Besides humidifiers, eucalyptus or peppermint oil, vitamin D, and apples were on the list of recommendations I dug up.

I found the vitamin D thing rather interesting because I had increased my vitamin D before labs, and my nose had gotten better a few days or so before seeing Rhonda. I thought it was simply because I was less stressed out knowing I would soon be seeing her, but maybe there was more to it.

With tomorrow's groceries, apples will be coming. I'll also put some eucalyptus oil in my diffuser before bed and put the humidifier on as I've been doing ever since I got it. I don't know if it will do me any good, though, or the clonazepam, but we'll find out.

Since it had been better, I've been wearing the kids' nose strips because they fit my tiny nose better and are more comfortable, but they aren't as thick and strong, so I will make sure I sleep with an adult one next time.

I just hope this spell doesn't last for weeks like it did the last time and that my lungs don’t join the party! The lungs I still think were on account of the Levo building up.

Despite being tired, I managed to dust the bedroom because I know allergens don't help, particularly dust, while the bot vacuumed.

We also grabbed breakfast at Burger King, but I haven't done much else. I napped a couple of times, although one of the times I didn't actually fall asleep.

I also recharged my herbs and gems by smudging them. If I'm getting to be as good of a witch as I am psychic, then maybe they too, will be another positive influencing factor in letting me get better sleep next time around.

Speaking of being psychic, someone asked if I ever thought of making money with it. Nope. It's not anything I can control. I can't control what information or abilities come to me and therefore wouldn’t necessarily be able to give people what they wanted. A singer can go on stage and sing a group of planned-out songs. Someone can go to someone's home to repair something. But if I'm asked to predict this or predict that, there are no guarantees I can deliver.

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Well, I was playing around on Picrew, made another trans girl Izuku from the pretty short singer AU, and with another song on her album with the rest of the band.

Denpaku has become more popular for Izuku's unique style of singing, accompanied by very talented musicians in Velma and Riku. People make fan AMVs and stuff with their songs. Instead of using her name, Izuku goes by Denpa-chan or Dii-chan.

Because of that, Denpaku fans call them D-chan, V-san, and R-kun, or DVR. Izuku, thinking that could be cool, learns some editing to make some of the videos look like they're recorded from analog video cameras and played back on a DVR screen.

Of course, fans who know about vintage recording equipment love it because it fits. Other folks learn more about old recording stuff because Izuku starts getting fancy with the different styles they use. Riku also starts playing around with using more crackly sounds in some of their songs. With the crackle came Velma's desire to put a bit more funk in what they did.

The single that came out a little after the USJ incident became one of their best.

// Flash Warning for Video //

A song about throwing caution into the wind and living life to your fullest. To push forward and give their efforts their all.

When members of Class 1-A listened to it after their harrowing ordeal, they felt more motivated. It was as if Denpaku was cheering them on.

And, of course, the teachers and staff at U.A. noticed the positive influence. So, one day, a bit after Izuku finished her homework for the day, she logged in on the web and saw a bunch of messages from V-san and R-kun, telling her to quickly read a recent email they received.

It was from U.A., asking if they'd like to be musical talent at the upcoming Sports Festival.

Of course, being a little indie group, they never imagined such a huge publicity break. If more people picked up their music after this, they could very well become mainstream. But...

R-kun indicated he wasn't really interested in that, liking their little, manageable community. V-san was anxious about it, but overall, was ambivalent, regardless of the choice. However, they both knew how much D-chan loved heroes and had wished to get into U.A. when she grew up before, after an incident she didn't really talk about, she decided to do all of her schooling from an online school.

If she wanted to go, they'd follow.

And yeah, Izuku wanted to go. But she was very scared about it...

Still, their most recent single was about throwing caution into the wind and moving forward, wasn't it?

So, she said she'd like it if they could talk out the details with U.A. to see if it was a good fit. If so, then maybe they would all agree on going.

As they usually did in their email responses, especially since they weren't really professional, they signed off on their answers individually:

["Hello. Thank you for reaching out, Mr. Nedzu. Before we agree, I'd appreciate it if we could discuss some of the details, if that's okay?" - D-chan

"We can decide as a group, so I'd also like to discuss the details. Preferably in person, if possible." - V-san

"As long as it's safe, I'm cool." - R-kun Denpaku]

The principal's response? A list of dates and times he'd be open for discussion.

Izuku was already vibrating out of her skin, and she hadn't even met him yet.

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Fizz's spotify wrapped deep dive

(because I love to yap <3)

TOP 5 SONGS

1. TTYL - Loosemble Just had a hunch that this was my no.1 because I put this on loop when it came out. Such a fun song with an addictive dance too. RIP Loosemble, wishing all the girlies the best in their careers. They've been through so much dear lord.

2. GPT - STAYC Phenomenal song! Actually surprised that it made it in and it's at no. 2. This song was released in Oct 30 2024. Damn I was really looping it the day right after it came out 3. Drama - aespa Expecting this to be more in the no.1 spot? Love this song for the entirety of the year. I also put this in my smalletho playlist because it fits the vibe to me 4. The Moon Will Sing - The Crane Wives Getting into the life series fandom also entails to getting into the crane wives. No other notes other than "THE MOON WILL SING A SONG FOR ME, I LOVED YOU LIKE THE SUN, BORE THE SHADOWS THAT YOU MADE WITH NO LIGHT ON MY OWN, I SHINE ONLY WITH THE LIGHT YOU GAVE ME, I SHINE ONLY WITH THE LIGHT YOU GAVE ME"

5. Virtual Angel - ARTMS I love this song to bits. There's something about this that's so kpop christian horse girl music. It's such a dreamy song! This is the best 2024 kpop comeback. Would recommend this song to non-kpop listeners! Here are other songs I loved this year: 6. Funeral Grey - Waterparks Mr SmallishBeans got me into Waterpark bc of his stupid 'Neck Kisses' playlist.

7. It's all futile! It's all pointless! - Lovejoy I would like to preface this by saying FUCK WILLBUR! This song still made it in my wrap from all the streams were BEFORE the news. I have to be honest, I am still attached to this song and so many other songs after the news. I easily get attached to music, or anything really. But this song has done so much for me in helping me to cope through this year. I have been listening to this without giving them my stream count. I think it would have been higher on the list if Willbur didn't turn out to be an abuser. Yea FUCK WILLBUR AND DON'T LISTEN TO HIS MUSIC.

9. Good Luck, Babe! - Chappel Roan I was here before the song blew up. I wish I could listen to this song for the first time. Such a phenomenal song. The goosebumps I got listening to this song at first. Chappel Roan is such a great singer man... Literally had this song review entry in my journal and it was like 5 pages long. SO GOOD. LOVE YOU CHAPPEL THE MEDIA CAN'T MAKE ME HATE YOU.

14. How I'd Kill - Cowboy Malfoy Love me a good experimental song!!!!! SO GOOD. Got into this because of Cherrifire's animatic of Martyn. Thank you Cherrifire. This is a gem of a song.

17. Supernova -aespa This song is just SO aespa. This song solidifies and cements their group identity. You cannot take this song and give it to another group bc no other group can pull this off. Like, this song is nothing without aespa. Just. I love this.

26. Supernatural - NewJeans I just want to say that I love this song and I wish NewJeans members the best in whatever that's going on. 30. Supersonic - fromis_9 This really is the year of kpop comebacks having super in the song. Also just want to say I love this song and I love fromis ever since their debut. They are such a group I hold near and dear to my heart. I wish we had gotten more songs because they've been through so many hiatuses in their careers. Literally fuck 'Off The Record' and 'Pledis' entertainment. Big emphasis on Pledis. I never trusted y'all with whatever happened to Pristin.

48. Cosmic - Red Velvet The longing in this song is so good I felt it in my bones.

54. Nemonemo - Yena THIS is what kpop is about. Such a fun quirky song. 65. Love Bomb - fromis_9 I still think this is their best song. This song has always made it into my wrap every year since it came out

TOP 5 ARTISTS

I have to be honest; I'm surprised The Crane Wives got such a high placement. Dreamcatcher had always been my no.1 lol. It feels like I have betrayed my dreamcatcher girlies lol.

Overall thoughts: This was such a fun music year for me! My music taste really expended so much this year. This is the year I had the least amount of kpop songs that made it in. It actually resulted in a weird mismatch 2024 song playlist, which I weirdly love.

Apparently, my spotify subscription would be changed to duo instead of family. Which is sad because more money. But I don't like paying for subscriptions so I'm gonna find other ways.

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Writing Update

I haven't written, but I have finally come up with a new title for Golden Maiden, Silver Bride! I didn't like the original title from the beginning, but it's easier to talk about it when it has a name, so I used it as a working title. The new title is The Song Of A Golden Ghost. In Kalevala Väinämöinen calls the Golden Maiden a ghost of gold, when he is explaining to Ilmarinen, why she's not a good bride. I thought that sounded nice and i think it captures a lot of thematic meaning. It can be interpreted as meant in a dismissive way and as a contrast to humanity, so as a title referring to the hero of the story it's kinda reclaiming it. And it can be also interpreted as spirit of gold, which does fit Miävi.

I'm planning for this being a trilogy and while Miävi will be staying as the main character, the first book focuses on her story, which loosely adapts the Forging of the Golden Maiden myth, while the two other books will focus on stories of other characters. The second book will focus on Vaan, who is loosely based on Kullervo, and will loosely adapt Kullervo's myth. The last book focuses on Eio (Vaan's sister), who is loosely based on Lemminkäinen (gender swapped though), and adapts parts of that mythology.

I haven't decided on the names of the two other books yet, but they will follow "The Song Of..." formula. I'm planning for the narrator to be omniscient and a sort of storyteller/bard in-universe who much later relates the story, though I don't think I'll ever make that explicit. Because the story is based on Baltic-Finnic mythology, stories are passed down by basically bards (the Finnish term is "poem singer") and are therefore songs. It also refers to the magic system being based on songs. I have decided on the series name though, which is Songs of Veerelings. Veerelings are sort of elves/demigods, based on Kalevanpojat (Kalevapoeg in Estonian) from Baltic-Finnic mythology, and Vaan, Eio and kinda Miävi too are veerelings. (Though Miävi is also other things because she's a robot.)

GMSB (from now on SOV) tag list: @siarven @worldbuildng @outpost51 @faelanvance @poetinprose

Let me know if you want to be removed or added!

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hi yes you aren't just a gifmaker to me. ive listened to take my hand because of you! question: what are your fav buddiecoded 5sos songs? i wanna listen to them and develop a new band obsession

I'm happy you've listened to take my hand because of my edits!!!!! I've been preparing my whole life for this question mspaksoakaokapakaoa

I'm actually gonna start this list with a 5sos adjacent song, the lead singer, Luke Hemmings, he has a solo album (incredible album, it's called when facing the things we turn away from, maybe check it out if you feel like it) but he has a song called slip away that I can't hear without thinking about buddie, I even made a video (you can watch it here if you want).

Invisible is the most pre 118 Buck song ever and I take no criticism about that. That one has a set because I didn't feel emotionally stable enough to make the video lol. And TEARS! is very Eddie coded (here's the video lol). High is also really Buck coded. (Edit)

I like making castaway, if you don't know and moodswings about the cemetery and the lawsuit, the moments where we question how we can keep watching buddie breakup if they're not even together. If you don't know is not available in the us tho, so if you're from there you may not be able to hear it. I like picturing established buddie to disconnected so that's another one. I also have video edits of caramel, and lover of mine, those are a bit about me really liking the song (lover of mine is why my url is what it is lol) and forcing it to fit but they are really good songs.

Some blanket recommendations that I take out of context to fit them are: ghost of you, talk fast, close as strangers, story of another us, you don't go to parties (there's a line about a couch lol) and lonely heart. And I am legally required to recommend jet black heart to anyone asking about 5sos. And outerspace/carry on. And my personal favorite 5sos songs are airplanes, red line and wrapped around your finger (I am writing a whole buddie fic based on wrapped so maybe you can make it about them kspakapakap)

And I have a tag for 5sos inspired edits. I'm pretty sure all the songs I've used in an edit before are here tho. (I went to check and that's a lie: other songs I have used for 911 are: emotions (this one is very Eddie coded), bad omens (highkey one of the best 5sos songs), kill my time, not in the same way, vapor, tomorrow never dies, thin white lies, take what you want and bleach, but these are mostly out of context lines I think would fit them)

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I WISH so badly that I could make PMVs or didn't have too much social anxiety to host a MAP (and knew how to) because the AMOUNT OF BEAUTY THAT COULD BE MADE--

It would also be such an awesome way to show off our characters and their personalities.

I said before that I've been listening to a lot of Hazbin Hotel songs, and oh man does Alastor (songs and show) give the perfect Myrtlewing vibe (so much so that it currently has me reconsidering his voice claim). I mean...it's a show about characters in Hell. That already gives such good matches to our own characters.

I guess for now I'll stick to talking about which songs fit which characters...maybe one day we can revisit the list and make it into something

Myrtlewing -- Smile Like You Mean It (and maybe the other singer is Pumpkinpatch?)

Jackdawfoot (maybe)? [as the beginning singer] + Astro [as the second singer] -- Loser, Baby

I also want someone for Respectless, but I don't know who....

------------------

Feel free to add more for your own characters or for who you think fits a song you know!

@ambitiousauthor @wills-woodland-warriors @starfalcon555 @frightnightindustries @meowstival @indigo-flightly-falls @liberhoe

@elementaldeityoffood

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11 songs I want in proseka + groups that would fit them

I see people make lists like this on YT all the time and I want in on this too LOL. It's gonna be in no particular order and also not per unit because some songs fit in with multiple groups. I tried adding in some more known songs and some more niche ones.

The assigned singers/units are all up for debate and some of them were done purely based off vibes and how much I like them. You might interpret them differently!

Balsam - Kurosawa Madoka

Unit: Leo/Need Singers: Saki & Rin

I think the song fits with some of L/N's more calm songs like from Y to Y. The song's themes are all about loneliness, which I think fits Saki. The issue is that Saki largely dislikes the feeling of being lonely and being left behind meaning that the song could be interpreted that she's singing this to herself whilst being in denial. Also, another issue is probably the instrumentation, since all of L/N's songs feature like... real instruments. So

Alternatively

Unit: Nightcord at 25:00 Singers: Mizuki & Mafuyu (+ Miku)

Mizuki tends to want to distance themselves from other people so the song fits in with their theme quite nicely. Though, I doubt they want to be alone either, the words in the song seem to align a lot more with what they tell themselves in private. The vibe of the song also works with N25's sound. Hello how are you? and Cutlery have a comparable sound so I think it works.

Also, Mafuyu going with slightly softer vocals and Mizuki with slightly stronger vocals could be nice. Most covers of this song are all on the softer side so I kind of wanna hear what it would sound like with a bit of contrast between two singers in a duet. Add in Miku if you want some more oooeeoo

Kuu ni naru - MIMI

Unit: MORE MORE JUMP! Singers: MMJ + Luka

Just a super cute feel good song that fits their vibe a lot! The song is all about getting over your anxieties and worries and being able to smile together and if that isn't an idol type song then I don't know anymore. I think Luka with some 'sweeter' sounding tuning would be really nice with this too!

Femme fatale - Kedarui

Unit: VIVID BAD SQUAD Singers: VBS + MEIKO

VBS has been getting some really hard hitting songs lately and I'm here to present you with another one I think can work well. The theme probably works with this unit as well since it's all about being lured into something that is wrong but feels so right-

I also really want to hear the chorus being sung by them. Kohane with her lower registry would sound phenomenal in this song and with me being a major Toya fan I just reallyneedtohearwhatthatwouldsoundlike

High-spec NEET - 40mP

Unit: Nightcord at 25:00 Singers: N25 + Len

The song might be a little bit too pop/rock-y for N25, but other than the instrumentation, I think the song works for them, especially in theme. Ena and especially Kanade would basically be NEETs if it weren't for the fact that they're high schoolers that still occasionally touch grass. I was originally gonna give it to only them, but the whole 'high-spec' part of the song where the MC is talking about being born perfect but being sick of everything despite that fits with Mafuyu, so I decided to give it to the entire unit.

Also the chorus has the potential to sound great with Len :D

Seraphim on the ring - Mitchie M

Unit: MORE MORE JUMP! Singers: MMJ + KAITO

I love Mitchie M songs for MMJ and I feel like it would be (for a lack of better words) very girlboss of them to sing a song about being prowrestling idols. It's super upbeat and fun, but the song might be a little too wacky for them so

Alternatively

Unit Wonderlands x Showtime Singers: WxS + Rin

If they add it in they have GOT to keep the adlibs in. I would do anything to hear Tsukasa shouting: 'BRAIN BUSTER BRAIN BUSTER BRAIN BUSTER-' in the song. The only reason why I didn't just give it to WxS is because the vibe of the song fits MMJ better if you get what I mean.

We are friends, aren't we? - Miyazawa Moyoyo

Unit: Leo/Need Singers: Ichika, Honami, Miku

The song is very pretty and the theme is giving major pre-main story L/N vibes. The instrumentation is a bit of an issue here as well though which I think is such a shame cause the song works perfectly with their story.

Alternatively

Unit: Nightcord at 25:00 Singers: Kanade, Mizuki/Mafuyu, Luka

The theme fits N25 as well and I think Kanade's soft vocals would sound really nice on this song as well. N25 has such a diverse sound that you can probably stick a lot of songs on their roster and it would be fine LOL

Henshoku - Kashii Moimi

Unit: VIVID BAD SQUAD Singers: Kohane, Toya, Luka (Vivids works as well but I'll explain below)

Is this song in here for any other reason than the fact that I like it a lot? I mean...

I gave the song to VBS cause the vibe of the song + the theme works with them the best. They've had songs that are musically similar (Garando) and thematically similar (PaⅢ.SENSATION and Ifuudoudou).

I gave the song to Kohane and Toya because I think this song could really highlight the tones of their voices. Also because most VBS or WxS covers only pair up the girls with each other and the boys with each other. From what I hear, people want to see more diversity in the cover pairings so why not have these two together?

A cover with the Vivids would also be nice. I'm not sure what a BAD DOGS cover would sound like, but y'know go crazy go wild-

Setsuna plus - mikitoP

Unit: MORE MORE JUMP! Singers: Haruka, Shizuku, MEIKO

Haruka and Shizuku sounded amazing on Shoujorei and I think they would sound great on this one too. MMJ can use more melancholic songs and this one would be a good pick in my opinion. It's honestly such a pretty song.

This could also work for N25 in terms of theme but I guess I just wanted ... more more more jump?

Super hero - Nem

Unit: Wonderlands x Showtime Singers: Tsukasa, Rui, Len or Tsukasa, Emu, Rin

They gotta have Tsukasa in this song at least. An eccentric and probably delusional MC singing about being a superhero? Yes please. I originally only would've put the Tsukasa, Rui, Len grouping but we have a lot of songs featuring those three already and I think Emu would work just as well in the song.

ERROR - niki

Unit: Leo/Need Singers: L/N + Len

It is a CRIME that this song isn't in the game yet. I think the song completely fits their vibe and they would probably kill it. Also, I know Shiho would sound amazing covering this song. I can feel it in my bones.

Nisemono Ningen 40-gou - ¿?

Unit: VIVID BAD SQUAD Singers: VBS + Miku

I'm such a sucker for all the grungy and almost angry songs VBS has been getting in the game. I feel like An would sound good in this and I'd love to actually see songs from this producer in the game cause they sound so goooddd.

I put the V-Flower version on this post but the self-cover is actually my favorite so you can also check that out if you haven't heard it before :)

~~~

I've hit the limit for videos on a post so I'm calling it here. I have so many more songs I'd like to see in the game so I'll probably make a part two in the future. Literally nobody asked for this but I love talking about vocaloid music and you can't stop me LMAO

Also I originally made this list last year with short notes and all. They've added some of the songs I had on there like

I still think Rui should have been on there LOL

Also considering they just added a MARETU song in the game, I would like to add

and I think everyone agreed on:

but I understand that they don't do cross-unit stuff unless it's for an event.

Anyway, that's it for me. You can agree or disagree on some of the unit choices I made but at the very least I hope you found a new song to listen to <3

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I've been a bit too drained to work on any of my actual theories or detail catching(there's a yuno draft I keep staring at) so with that said, I may or may not have been listening to the entire Mili discography and couldn't help but assign MORE songs. I've previously assigned Yuno(Camelia), Mahiru(Rubber Human), and Mikoto(Sleep Talk Metropolis) songs. So they don't get any. Yeah.

Haruka: Extension of You

There is me, and there is you Who knew everything, teach me how to sing Teach me how to sing, teach me how to sing

I learned the good and the evil Learned your boundaries, learned your mortality You're out of service, out of service

There are still many things that I want to know Stories left untold Does it feel good to love? To hand out your own? To hand out your own? Does it feel good to hate? To shelter one's self? To shelter one's self?

Note: Vibes.

Fuuta: Painful Death For The Lactose Intolerant

Cleanse up your body, cleanse up your soul

Perfect life for you and I People who's trying to get by Painful death for the lactose intolerant For you there is no lament

Begin the revolution!

Note: Technically is the one that gave me the idea to actually make this list, though I came up with Kazui's WEEKS ago, and Amane's I gave to her basically as soon as it was released- which was a few days ago. Either way, Fuuta fits the allegory of this song for me- the disdain for people who 'can't change' in his view. I think his views of change are... changing now, so this is definitely for before he was injured. Yeah.

Muu: GIVE ME RICE

Honey This is all, this is everything All the things you want All you'll ever need

The entire 'give me' section that I am NOT pasting. It makes more sense listened to.

Note: I'm not entirely sure how to explain this song. While the song is mostly of just wanting things, there's elements of the singer knowing that this isn't what they need. It feels like a song of just not knowing how to end a cycle that is actively hurting you, even if you want to, and ending up perpetuating it as you give up. Maybe my explanation of why doesn't entirely make sense as to why I'd give it to Muu. I think with Muu, she didn't really want to break the cycle in the first place- when she was on top, of course- and that she simply fell into her role when she was no longer in that previous position. Muu is fairly passive, and I feel as though this song is better for the Muu shown in It's Not My Fault.

Shidou: Nine Point Eight -special edit-

Please don't leave me behind, leave me behind So you held me tight And said I will be just fine

Take me to where your soul may live in peace Final destination Touch of your skin sympathetically brushed against The shoulders you used to embrace

Note: I don't really have anything particular to say. I don't think it fits well per se, but I think the softness of the special edit over the original better fits Shidou. There's also a lot of flower imagery, so.

Kazui: From A Place of Love

There's just so much work Too much work to be done Committing to commitments Hiding my indulgence The freedom we sacrifice for love

You're a nice girl I'm just not ready now But then mommy said It ain't family biz Get over it Toughen up Just like the man we expected

I know that I agreed to this myself (Myself, myself) I wish it was their fault

Note: I was so tempted to paste all of the song lyrics. I also hope that all Library of Ruina fans that see this post take sanity damage from seeing THIS song here. I don't think any arguments can be made here. There's so much about getting into a relationship that ends disasterously because of being pressured into it, and then the blame that the singer puts on themself, that just works so perfectly for Kazui's story. The version specifically posted here is the battle version, not the Key Ingredient version, because that version leans more into some of the other elements of what this song was made for, elements that just don't fit. Either way. Kazui song. Don't read the comments.

Amane: Duetting Solo

(Holy land, with Her we stand) The love we teach, violence we preach (Knives in hand, we're innocent lambs)

My hands are red, my heart is black

I cried I screamed I slept I woke up mad

Note: Duetting Solo is a song of revenge, one that just so happens to have a heavy layer of religion on it. I know nothing of the source material, it is just kind of there. But yeah, to me, at least, this song feels very similar to Purge March in tone to me. Amane doesn't completely respect the beliefs she's been born into, even if she uses them to justify herself.

Kotoko: Rosetta

For everyone everywhere everything Will betray your innocent heart All of them

Vile, vile Shield yourself Mind my words Don't let yourself corrupt

Come back to me Rosetta No-one nowhere nothing will take anything anything anything from me

Note: There's a certain... anger to Rosetta that I can't really explain. It's just one of those things you feel, you know? Anyways, this one is a Kotoko and Lucky one. The song is so concerned with Rosetta remaining 'pure' and 'uncorrupted.' It's so distinctly paranoid that she will be hurt in some way. I have more reasoning but I began writing it and quickly realized 'oh! I should save this for my very complicated thoughts on what Kotoko and Lucky's relationship was, WHICH I WANT TO HOLD OFF ON BECAUSE LUCKY IS DEFINITELY BEING ASKED ABOUT.' The not-really summary on that though is that the singer of Rosetta, in my personal analysis, seems to be an overprotective/helicoptor guardian of sorts, paranoid of what the world could do to their child, and so paranoid that they end up being left behind by Rosetta anyways. The last lines of the song to me indicate that the singer saw Rosetta less as human, and more of something the singer 'had' in some way- just like how Kotoko seemed to treat Lucky like something she needed to protect and not much else, regardless of her genuine thoughts on her. Please do not make of that what you will I have a lot of thoughts and it's VERY hard to elaborate what I mean. Just. Rosetta. Kotoko and Lucky song.

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saw all the ep 3 performances but not the actual ep lol.

voting list (week 3)

all of these girls are criminally low compared to how they performed imo.

first round commentary (copied from my twitter 🫶🏿)

1. team: hard

my winner(s): like 6/7 but emma jaoying & P.AMP stood out, it's a shame geumhee was hidden for her high note

this team is great but who decided the concept/outfits 😭

2. team: 7 rings

my winner(s): WANG KE (and vita)

the other girlies didn't stand a chance against wang ke this was legit brutal 😭 i do wonder if they were all comfortable with the concept though, this doesn't seem like something liliana wouldve chosen?

also rei is my girl but this performance doesn't play to her strengths at all im devastated 😭

3. team: one more last time

my winner(s): DUNA, rose

duna's experience really shone through, plus she fits this concept super well. very glad she got center. rose also did super well, i only wish she had the second main part 😭 praying this saves her

devi also did great, but i don't think this'll be enough unfortunately:/

4. team: i like you

my winner(s): zoi, TEGAN, tk

i had to think about this team bc once again, so insanely hard to pretend this is live. zoi was just good onstage, tegan has that voice, and tk surprised me. they clearly want preemy gone tho i hate it hereee

5. team: kick back

my winner(s): QIAO YIYU

honestly i love love love this team composition but i don't think the stage really showed their strongest points...i think a different wayv song would've made all the difference tbh

6. team: booty bomb

my winner(s): yeham, coco, MAO XIUTING

tbh there are some people here with lots of screentime who i don't understand the hype for, although both of them did better than their auditions. anyways yeham!!! she barely got screentime apart from her lines but i loved her voice with this concept tbh, it added a much needed freshness? brightness? to the performance. i need to see a full stage ver with no cuts though

7. team: love destiny 2

my winner(s): PANGJANG (everyone did well though)

pangjang just has the voice, what is there to say really. i feel soooooo bad for ninnint, she did well but this was really not the song for her. fly high girlie 😔✊️

8. team: play with me

my winner(s): YEAN, elyn, caith

seoyeon has greater ability than a lot of the contestants but her energy really isn't there to the point where i can't help but wonder if it's on purpose...?

9. team: i'll do it how you like it

my winner(s): ?

the chaba krista rjing vocal meal in the beginning was so sick omg

the rest of the performance didn't really click even though no one was bad at all. need maliya to be saved though like that's a Face

picking a winner is tough for this team because you have some singers who can't dance/perform & some dancers who don't sing as well. in truth pream, rjing, xueyao, and maybe maliya are the most balanced, but xueyao in particular didn't really stand out. pream stood out because of her center time, but this is far from her best (her presence is usually a lot stronger). maybe id go with rjing? but id need to see a full stage with no cuts

10. team: pieces of love

my winner(s): KITTIE

you have to suspend your disbelief a bit with these shows but i couldn't even pretend this was live & it's so distracting 😭 yuan ke & jessica are my next picks but i need them to focus more on facial expressions

my top 9?

honestly i've had a really hard time coming up with a group, if only because i genuinely like 47ish of the contestants (others i dont like or simply don't know). also, i do think it'd be nice for most of the group to be thai. i scrolled through the contestants and just picked the first 9 that i saw who made me go "yeah, you" lmfao and this is what i ended up with:

yean feels virtually indispensable at this point. she can dance, she's a great pop vocalist, and she can fit any concept. the show is also very on her side.

wang ke's performance in 7 rings convinced me of her star power (honestly she's been hit or miss to me until this point). wang ke didn't need to be the best singer or dancer to stand out on stage, it's her energy that really sets her apart and that's a hard skill to learn.

tegan...she's just a surprisingly strong contestant. i wasn't really a fan of how she acted during the theme song arc (all 7.5 minutes of it, lol) but i do understand that she was trying to lighten the mood. from the theme song to round one she showed that she really could hold her own on stage if she put her mind to it. other factors: star quality, demographic appeal, growth idolism, unique tone/strong vocals

rose is my underrated pick. she has a great voice and i think she can be styled to fit a number of concepts. she hasn't gotten much screentime, but i really hope she makes round 2, just to force the show to show more of her strengths. in some ways she's a little bit filler here, but i think she's necessary for the group to gel

ruan, our summer dream center...idk i just like her a lot. she suits different concepts and is super super hardworking & serious about this, while also being really kind. i want to see her learning/speaking more thai and english hopefully!

qiao yiyu is a talent & demographic pick (and one of my overall main picks at this point) she's another member who i see as indispensable. she's a main dancer who can fit multiple styles (but she's also for the girlies). in this pic she kinda looks like yuqi? lmfao

p.amp, my other totally biased pick 🥲 she's so gorgeous onstage and has so much presence i don't understand why the masses aren't seeing her 😭. she's a filler visual here but hot take, we don't need a wannabe gangsta rapper who can't dance self proclaimed quote unquote "real rapper" in the lineup when so many gg raps are pre-written and last for max 4 lines. p.amp can do it while dancing, being charming, and looking hot. i rest my case

geumhee is my pick of the csr members, although duna's rank is the best & seoyeon is the one getting a storyline. geumhee would be slightly filler here, but her singing ability would make her a lead vocal, and he experience and preexisting intl audience would make her indispensable. tbh she's the first member i personally noticed in csr, but i think that csr could live for a couple years without her and then benefit from her return.

mingming is good, although im generally on the fence about her. she has great lead vocal potential and is very likable. i kind of think the mindy members will be fine if none of them make it, but i do feel her voice is a little wasted there.

nationalities: 4 thailand, 2 china, 1 usa, 1 japan, 1 south korea

other contestants to consider:

pailiu! i really like her (and she's currently rank 2) but im not seeing a group that she fits into in the top ranks. maybe if maliya, jessica, xueyao, yuanke, p.amp, jaoying, etc were a bit higher. it's too soon to tell though i suppose

elyn's (#1) fanbase is really showing out for her considering the relatively minimal screentime she's had. her vocals aren't as strong as rose's, but she could potentially replace her in the lineup and add more (in terms of fan loyalty & demographic appeal).

emma not making my off the top of my head top 9 was really unexpected! i make the top 9 and then went wait where's emma? i think i would replace mingming with her, although honestly? emma's a star and should probably try to go to a company with some power, like perhaps yuehua china. for a survival show group, it's good that she stands out as an individual but in terms of cohesion...eh. she couldn't be filler, but she also probably couldn't be the star with the rest of this lineup. it's tough

absolutely LOVE krista's voice, but the reason i stopped voting for her is that she is kind of an absolutely miserable dancer. the great part is that she's super young, and can train to work on her dancing & her stage presence + facial expressions. krista (and others) make me wish that chuang was like produce japan, where the funding company (there lapone, here ryce) takes on trainees from the show for future permanent or temporary groups. krista would be a great candidate for that.

kitty, natty, & jaoying i noticed for the first time this round. i don't have much to say but they would be very solid filler members (not a drag, btw). im looking forward to seeing more of them!

yuan ke & wan yan jiayi are growing kind of indispensable if they want to have a foothold in china it seems. my personal pick would be yuan ke, but i think jiayi is moreso on the rise.

TBH i have 21 more contestant photos saved but let me just move onto another potential top 9

all i did was replace rose & mingming with elyn & emma, which brings the nationality count to: 2 thailand, 3 china, 1 japan, 1 usa, 1 malaysia, 1 south korea. see but now i'd say they need at least one more thai member! now sort of i want to put jaoying in over elyn lol. oh well 🤷🏿‍♀️

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