#(idk how to make lyrics look cool but OH WELL LOL)

[griancraft]

Ok as per my last post. This is Long and very much about my feelings so uh don’t read it if you don’t want to. Also I’m aware I sound genujneky crazy for half of this I’m just really really mentally ill in ways I don’t talk about here at all and now I am sharing them and it’s. A little scary but oh well. The system stuff is the stuff I’m most concerned about right now to be honest bc it effects my day to day and if anyone has any kind words or thoughts on what to do I’ll be happy to listen

Please read my previous post if you’re mad /gen I don’t think I say anything bad here but I have really bad morality ocd so like uhm I am scared to post this!!! Prev post

Also I’m very sorry that the prose is terrible to read and my spelling is shit I have dyspraxia which is a coordination thing and it’s worse rn

The maybe I was boring album came on yesterday while I was cleaning and I had to stop what I was doing and turn it off halfway through because I just couldn’t stop hearing an admission. I wasn’t even sad I was just. So done with it. I still am just kinda like. God I hope Shelby is doing ok with all this being public now. I’m glad she was able to heal like she said and I’m glad she made the video dude.

I almost got his lyrics tattooed if that’s testament to how much I loved his early music. It’s not connecting in my brain that this music that’s been apart of my life for like 4 years and helped me through so much was made by an abuser.

But like, in retrospect you can see it. I can’t bear to delete ycgma off my mp3 player bc I related to his songs so much as an abused lonely teenager but I also can’t bare to listen to it. I learned the fall on my guitar as my final exam and I used to repeat his lyrics to myself to cope with abuse and I wish I could still love these songs. I dressed like his dsmp character bc I thought it made me look cool. Which is lame as fuck to admit now lol

Originally I was planning on pirating them and I like, can’t especially after that manipulative ass statement. How much was an act? I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m a bad person because I still kinda do want to listen to that music again. I still want to feel that safe but I know I won’t feel that way anymore.

with dsmp stuff I think I’m going to be still able to look back fondly on it generally and I don’t think I’ll ever stop. The community was what made it and the community is what I loved, and i still do. I don’t think I’m going to reblog art of him specifically but if he’s in it I might. Idk. My policy on dream fanart is if he’s not alone in the art and it’s dsmp or mcc related I reblog so I guess I’ll continue that here. Im sorry if that sounds callous I just. Am not prepared to talk about this so I’m going back and forth

And like. We also have a wilbur factive/fictive and we have for years now and nobody in our system knows how to feel about that. He formed to fill the role of a big brother (I was being heavily emotionally neglected at that point and needed someone to be there for me) and protector from my parents abuse. Obviously, he is entirely separate from his source now bc alters change a lot for me but how we picture him is still wilbur. he’s literally just some guy now but grappling with that connection is fucked up dude it’s weird. He’ll probably further distance himself but it still fucking sucks and I don’t know how to communicate the cognitive dissonance we had to push through bc our brain struggled at first to make sense of how this person who we liked so much that he became the template for a Protector to shield us from the emotional neglect and abuse, essentially, is a terrible person. I’m sorry I know people who aren’t systems, and some who are ngl, will find this fuckibg nuts and I get that but we’re a very very internal person like I just. Kinda am with us as a system a lot and nobody else. It feels like my safe space that I’ve created in my head has been marred. Also. uhm. Our alters speak in distinct voices so it’s bad bad for me rn and we are trying to fix it. I know I know fictives and factives arenttheir source but that doesn’t change that it makes me feel gross. I’m rambling rn I’m sorry. Support Shelby.

[acatinafancyhat]

Watched Chess Netherlands today because... well, I can 🙃 It was surprisingly not all horrible. Definitely flawed and problematic but it had some parts I really liked! Of course I had lots of thoughts again so here is me venting them. 99% sure no one else cares about Dutch Chess but what the hell, tumblr is for screaming into the void right? ✨️

Act I

- You can instantly tell this is a Dutch production because the championships take place in what looks like a school gym. I mean we do our rubiks cube tournaments there. Is fine for chess, no?

- Explaining chess to the audience bc that's what the show is really missing

- Many Svenska Vibes

- Anatoly with an i is the most Dutch Soviet Russian i've ever met. Just, no nonsense. 'go take care of my children woman.' Calling each other names is how we show affection <3

- I will say the boys (Anatoli's kids) playing chess during the opening is a nice touch

- Story of Chess also has very to the point lyrics. "chess requires reticence so u don't kill each other" see now this actually sets up the show real well :)

- Awkward humor no one laughs at ✅️

- Anatoli's kind of a downer

- Freddie's sort of charming but his relationship with Florence is gonna be garbage i can tell

- strike 1: ableism

- (honestly he just reminds me of every Dutch white guy on tv)

- strike 2: assault

- Florence is already so done with his shit good for her

- also "with me there, he is brilliant" tru tru

- Singing Nobody's Side while random people have a lil party behind her?

- oh it's an excuse for karaoke ONIB

-Are they really gonna do the whole song though do we really need that

-lol Freddie pushes karaoke guy off stage so he can finish the song. honey this is a little early in the show to be getting this drunk what are you doing she hasn't even left you yet

- Arbiter leads morning exercise... ok well why not

- No dancing during the chess game. It's cool we can just watch two guys play chess from a distance for a couple minutes. Fun times.

- Freddie sticks his gum under the table real subtle like he hasn't got multiple cameras pointed at him right now

- Actually on second thought i think the chess game might be better without the dancing. Characters are doing interesting things. The contrast between Anatoli sitting stiffly at the table while Freddie is prancing around fistfighting the cameras is Most Amusing :)

- Did he just try to make Anatoli's move for him omg 🤣

- Freddie @ arbiter "uh it might be time u keep things under control around here" and off he runs HE'S SUCH A LITTLE SHIT ngl i kinda love him here

- However Florence's defense of him just seems completely unreasonable considering toli literally just. sat there. the whole time.

- Anatolyi gets the 'i'm ridiculous' monologue like in Svenska

- 'Hey my people killed your people oops now let me sing a song in the language you probably don't remember and it's somehow romantic and not creepy or overstepping any boundaries at all :)'

- Running away from Molokov in a shittier version of Svenska. Meh. But again they are aware of the lack of embassies in and around Merano which I do appreciate bc i'm pedantic like that

- Freddie: hey what's she doing with that Russian

Freddie: hmmm idk

Freddie: they're definitely talking abt me tho 🤨

- Flo & toli have a healthy conversation about the fact that he just left his kids behind i support that!!

- However this timing/setting for Anthem sucks. He's just singing it to Florence. And it's literally about how he misses his family? Weak. This needs to be an epic declaration of love for his homeland to all the world not whining to your girlfriend. Ugh can't believe they fucking ruined Anthem!

- So far all of this strikes me as discount Svenska but without the investment in Flonatoly and the only thing it's really got going for it is a handful of good lines BUT we'll see about act 2...

Act II

- Why the fuck would you start your second act with Merchandisers?

- Nice audience interaction though, it doesn't completely not work

- But following it up with Heaven Help My Heart is hmmmmmm really not ideal pacing-wise.

- Freddie's woman verse is even more cringe in Dutch i can't accurately translate it but it's so..... yikes..... The word he uses instead of "woman" ("popje") literally means "little doll/puppet" (but with slightly different connotations). It's sometimes used as a term of endearment but in this scene it is very much derogatory and ew.

- "here I stand wondering / if I ever knew you / have I ever really known who you are?" I like this translation!

- Pity the Child pulls no punches (does it ever?) He's so pathetic, he's such an asshole, and as a teacher I weirdly feel this one (at one point he talks about how no one ever noticed him at school either and just... oof don't get me started). Also the desperate rapid-fire chess game he plays against himself in the musical break and during the final verse--that needs to be in more versions holy fuck go watch this bit it's GOOD!!

- The Deal but without a political angle. Fascinating.

- No

- no. no no no i hate this i hate this Freddie wouldn't sacrifice his game not even for Florence NO. CANCELED.

- Interestingly instead of honey/parner, Freddie uses the same word as in the woman verse when he's talking to Florence during The Deal but this time it's the endearment variant. That's a little bit problematic.

- Molokov's plan is still to bring Flo and Sveta together even though Anatoli is now supposed to win 🤷‍♂️

- Anatoli casually downs several shots of liquor (vodka?) during Soviet Machine. not sure this will help him win the game but at least he sleeps through Russian Guy screaming that final whoooooooo high note in his ear

- Florence tests Freddie's chair... demands they bring a different one... is she still working for him? idk. I'm guessing it's meant to be sweet but it just looks silly to me idk

- Fuck reverse I Know Him So Well honestly. "he wants me / no he wants me" boo fucking hoo. You two deserve each other.

- Oh! Oh! Talking Chess, yay! 😁

- Gosh this is actually really cute?!? Freddie literally just came to discuss this random chess gambit he came across and thought was interesting? Nothing even to do with their current game just 'hey found this thing i thought you might like and i like and can we be friends now i really like chess 😶'

- Unlike in Svenska and RAH, I actually don't know for sure who is going to win this game. They do a good job of making this really about chess in the end. I like it.

- Freddie reminding toli it's about chess even during their match now that is the freddie i came to see!

- He calmly sips his water as Sveta and Florence are physically removed from the premises

- It is Quite Unfortunate that this production hates women...

- Really they seem to only be here to get in the men's way. Ugh.

- I don't support any of the relationships except Freddie and Toli being pen pals and playing long distance chess for the rest of their lives.

- Ending feels a little OOC but still nice to see some healthy Freddie & Flo interaction for once 😌

tldr; not the worst production out there, worth watching if you've already seen Svenska and don't mind Freddie being the most likeable character. (okay likeable is not the right word he sucks but, you know. He reminds me of RAH Freddie but slightly more yike.) PTC and Talking Chess are highlights!

[idolatrybarbie]

Hey darling, these questions please

10, 11, 12 from personal asks

18, 19, 20 from the writing asks

skyeee ! thank you 🥺 you are always so cool and it always makes my day when i see you around 💕

10. last movie you watched?

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023) !!! I have been following the production of that film since January of this year (I love Josh Hutcherson.) It was so dope to see in theaters as a childhood fan of the game and a huge fan of both Matt Lillard and Josh Hutcherson. Also wanted to lick JHutch's face the whole time. That's my girlfriend. Have I mentioned how much I love him?

11. last book you read?

oh girl...uh. not counting Shakespeare it's been...a minute. probably Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. no I didn't finish it.

12. last show you watched?

criminal minds is my comfort show, unfortunately for everyone, and also unfortunately for everyone i have been needing a lot of comfort this past month. idk if falling asleep to the serial murder show or the silent hill 3 OST is worse. you decide!

18. when do you get most of your ideas and inspiration for writing?

honestly when i'm doing fuck all is the best time for my brain to create things. high fever brought me the idea for revisionist history as it currently is, and having this cold now (one month later) has me co-writing a mad men au 🤠 and finishing a marcus pike oneshot. not getting any scripts done for class but whatever lol

19. describe your editing process

honestly...bad. ok well no. let's go with light. lighter than it should probably be. I edit in chunks as I write, then I'll leave it and specifically go back in to edit. Then I'll make some more tweaks and although I know it isn't perfect, I post and then usually ~the next day-ish I go into the post (on ao3 or Tumblr) and find any typos once again.

20. music, ambient noise, or silence when writing?

music always unless it's a specific scene that I can pull up specific youtube soundscapes for ...like a zombie apocalypse for example *cough*. anyway— the world tipped on its side and subsequent chapters are named after songs/lyrics, music heavily influences what I write and how I write it. with my place on the spectrum, it's really hard to function without music - it's kind of an integral part of my existence at this point. that's why my headphones look like shit 😭

questions!

[supergenial]

Cool songs I heard in 2023

Well obviously I am not the busiest doujin music nerd anymore (at least not busy with doujin music in particular) but I still heard a fair amount of cool stuff this year. Going to keep it jp of course, I’m not about to write a long recommendation for Beautiful Mind or Barrel to you all. Also might as well go over some 2022 picks too since I forgor to make that post last year (get it? forgor? cause people still said that in 2022? haha). Anyway, let’s dive into my top picks (in no particular order).

Tishtrya

Bro I have no idea what “Deemo” is but this song from that game has to be the coolest song I’ve heard in these two years. We’ve already liked Ai Ohsera for a while but this goes even further beyond. Honestly, I take my metaphorical hat off to such a majestic piece and hope the "weird rhythm game" money pipe never shuts off cause I'm assuming it's a major relief for an artist when they get a call to compose for any of these.

Seigiron Alpha

EVEN IF I SWALLOWED A THOUSAND NEEDLES, I’D STILL THINK THIS SONG IS COOL. The lyrics on this song go insanely hard, that gif with the pen writing while on fire is the one thing that can describe the tremendous righteousness of the words depicted in this one, I just love it. Too bad they won't just upload it singularly on spotify or whatever so I can only post the xfd.

Shuumaku no Mialuca

"Oh look the ariabl'eyes guy likes the climactic song on their new album, how original" shut up. It's cool as hell. I get emotional singing it when I drive. Fuck off.

Maindo maindo

Have already said I really like mabodofu so it's no surprise this made it in. Just very catchy, love hearing this when I drive.

Oread/オレイアス

Hell dude fuck jp composers, even finding the xfd for the song I'm looking is hard as balls and of course I can never find the actual song itself as a standalone. These people are genuinely begging for irrelevancy. Sorry to get titled but not being able to share something I really like makes me incomprehensibly upset, and I REALLY, REALLY like it a lot. Yes it's not even from these years but I heard it in these years we're covering so just put up with the rant.

Mirai donna darou

Yes I know it has +3 million views and it's basically an ad for the most profitable IP in the planet but you know what? Fuck you. I CRIED hearing this. I STILL cried by the 4th time I heard this. Pokemon brain is real and my generation is fucked. Doesn't help that I reconnected with pokemon quite a lot this year, first it was pokemon sleep, then pokedoku, now I play showdown on the daily, it's like can't live without these creatures, every time I lose interest something eventually happens that pulls me back in. Too bad SV runs like shit so I haven't finished it lol.

Also kudos to the translator managing to fit the puns into the translation, that's some real skill.

Kuroki nemuri no majo

"Wait why didn't you translate this" idk man it's cool as hell though, this is the kinda stuff I expected them to always do back when we first translated some of their songs.

Enhancer

Every once in a while you gotta wonder if Noriken is actually the best there is at tano*c.

Uru's cover of Mahou Shoujo to Chocolate

This song also fucked me up emotionally. Take the time to look up what it says cause I think it's fair to say We've All Been There. This just happened to be my favorite version.

Superman (Masketta man?)

Yea, it's not jp, BUT it's at the end of the list so I can get away with it. Blame tumblr for only allowing 10 vids per post.

Anyway, lots of cool albums recently like the new goetia, new yumi, new polysha, new rigel, and I haven't checked out mell sweet and laura bitter but I have high hopes for them. Honestly music is still great just as it's always been, just make sure you keep looking out for new stuff, you never know when you'll find a new obsession.

[carneflower13]

perceives those character questions... how about ur man seymour anddd.. homura. variety. you don't gotta do both if you don't want

SEYMOUR!!! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH <3

favorite thing about them: Oh god do I have to pick just one thing?? I love his hair, I love his glasses, I love his clothes, I love his voice....I love how sweet he is to Audrey and to his plants <3 I also love how he was immediately convinced to kill orin when he saw him hurting audrey like YESSSSS KING!!! THE GUY SURE LOOKS LIKE PLANT FOOD TO ME!! He is also so SO sopping wet and pathetic and that only makes me love him even more.

least favorite thing about them: NOOOOOO I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING I DISLIKE ABOUT HIM I LOVE HIM TOO MUUUUUCH

favorite line: "Hi, Audrey! You look radiant today~ <3" OR "Twoey, that's disgusting." OR "You watch your language!"

brOTP: i guess him and twoey but only in AUs where twoey is actually nice and isn't trying to eat the world. I would like for him to have more actual people to be friends with!!

OTP: Him and Audrey, obviously. Literally they made me believe love is real <3

nOTP: Seymour/Twoey or Seymour/Orin. He does not deserve that kind of suffering.

random headcanon: He has autism (just like me!) and his special interest is plants/botany, specifically weird and exotic plants (His monologue in "da-doo" could be interpreted as him infodumping). Also, he's prone to sensory overloads bc he gets overwhelmed easily ;w;

unpopular opinion: hmmmm. idk. i think some people give him too much credit for his actions. some people like to act like he was some secretly fucked up mastermind from the beginning but he's literally Just Some Guy who was talked into killing people by a giant plant bc his life sucked and as far as he knew, he didn't have any other chance to make things better. he was living in poverty and stuck in a dead-end job. he was desperate. did he make mistakes? yeah of course he did. but like. idk. i feel like everything was more twoey's fault than seymour's.

song i associate with them: "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" by Paul Anka. Its from around the same era the movie takes place in and I can picture him singing it for whatever reason.

favorite picture of them: LISTEN i have a whole folder of pictures of this man its impossible for me to pick just one BUT:

this recent addition to my collection is pretty cute <3 he looks soft i just wanna kiss his cheeks and give him a big ol hug

aaaaaand now homura

favorite thing about them: SHE IS LITERALLY SO COOL. I like that she seems cold and distant but is actually feeling SO MUCH beneath the surface. I also like when she uses her guns or her time-shield thingy. OH and the sassy little hair-flips she does sometimes!!! ALSO she kicks kyubbey's ass all the time it's great. I also have a weakness for characters who have distinct "before" and "after" personalities (Homura's being her shy pre-magical girl/time loop self and her serious self that we see for most of the series)

least favorite thing about them: Her whole deal at the end of Rebellion is kind of weird I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it (I think the main series ended on a well-enough note) but her demon design is still pretty cool. Also she kind of gets into Madoka's business a lot like showing up at her window in the middle of the night?? It's funny but also girl what the hell are you doing?

favorite line: Uhhh I don't remember any of her actual quotes from the series so here's one from the legendary video Meduka Meguca: "MEDUKA DON'T GOOOOOOOOO"

brOTP: I feel like if her and Mami had a better, less antagonistic relationship they could be good friends.

OTP: Her and Madoka of course! <3

nOTP: I have no idea.

random headcanon: She is autistic and also a lesbian to me <3

unpopular opinion: ummmmm i don't know lol i don't really interact with the pmmm fandom much

song i associate with them: "In the End" by Linkin Park. I'm pretty sure I saw an AMV with her set to that song way back. Plus, the lyrics fit her situation pretty well

favorite picture of them: This one speaks to me

[thomaslightwoodenthusiast]

alright fuckers u asked for it u got it

here is my thomastair playlist

its fifteen songs long, could be subject to change we’ll see lol

it’s on spotify so i’m going to link it at the bottom of this post, but first i’m going to list the songs and artists and provide a little context as to why i believe it qualifies as a thomastair song 😈😈

1.) dixie boy - april smith and the great picture show

chose bc i absolutely love this song, and i love belting it when i’m home alone lol. it *is* sang by a girl, however a) her voice is beautiful and b) the lyrics just fit thomastair SO well. no spoilers ofc but think of when alastair said that he always noticed when others were looking at thomas and how much he hated it. that’s this song. although it could also be how thomas feels about charles LMAO

2.) medicine - royal sugar

got recommended these guys on ig and they’re great!! no reason other than it’s just a rly cool song, kinda sexy, it’s just great lol

3.) fleeting love - royal sugar

reminds me of earlier thomastair 💗🙏

4.) indigo - mouth culture

there aren’t many lyrics to this, but it’s one of my fave songs. such a chill, great vibe, just makes me picture the two of them sitting together in the evening, no words, just relaxing :)

5.) why’d you only call me when you’re high? - arctic monkeys

possibly the only song on this any of u will recognise HA. again no real reason. just i guess when they had their oh moment??

6.) loud - feed the biirds (not a typo)

they’re out. they’re happy. they don’t give a fuck who says what. they love each other and the whole world is gonna know.

7.) palo santo - years & years

the first of 3 y&y appearances. olly (the singer) is gay and i love how his music expresses his identity; he’s not shy about it. reminds me a little of the sanctuary scene??

8.) i need you to hate me - jc stewart

okay i’m gonna be honest this is here for 2 reasons. one, bc it makes so much sense for thomastair. how alastair was so desperate for thomas to not care about him so that neither of them got their hearts broken. two, because apparently jc stewart is from a place just down the road from where i live HA ni represent fr

9.) DKLA - troye sivan, tkay maidza

fuck it lol just makes sense to me

10.) sanctify -years & years

one of the lines is ‘you don’t have to be straight with me’ with heavy emphasis on the word straight and it makes me giggle so

11.) tout l’univers - gjon’s tears

okay it’s a eurovision song BUT i needed a french song!!! cause paris!!! if you want to look up a translation of the lyrics feel free, but here’s (roughly) what the chorus says:

all the universe // our two hearts beneath the earth // in the midst of failures, everything explodes // to be at the point of impact // without you

i am aware they are kind of sad lyrics but i think this song captures how tumultuous everything was for them at the start, especially from a personal point of view for alastair

12.) moon - the cab

i love alexander deleon’s (lead singer) work as bohnes soooo the cab are great too. again just a silly kinda sexy song lol. also just realised it’s called moon and la voyage dans la lune guys i’m so smart

13.) hypnotised - years & years

more early thomastair vibes. actually the y&y songs on this make me want to write smth. idk. i think early thomastair owns my heart tbh

14.) love it if we made it - the 1975

yes i dislike matty as much as the next person however this song means a lot to me personally. i don’t know why, but it has helped me through a lot, like a note to self kind of thing? anyways. yeah i love this song and i think it really represents the desperation of thomastair, particularly how thomas put so much effort into convincing alastair that they’d be ok, that they could be together. ‘i’d love it if we made it’ just makes me think of thomas tbh. and!!! it’s all good bc!!! they did!!!

15.) hit and run - lolo

okay i’m going to be honest. i wanted there to be specifically 15 songs and so i needed to think of a final one to add. i really like this one, and thomastair often comes to mind when i listen to it. like i could just see them doing something borderline illegal or generally stupid and running away laughing because they’re just two idiots in love. lowkey oneshot idea of them being a criminal duo? who knows

that’s it for now, happy listening and feel free to add your own songs! you should be able to, i think it’s public and if you really want you can follow my spotify lol

here is the link:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6uSxw4bJefjV9iTQaEPZYD?si=BByxWrnLTwObcEM2PYbD3A

[septembersghost]

currently working on a playlist that has most of the modern songs u mentioned e covering, and i was thinking about what i would want him to cover so for ur consideration:

i found - amber run (and i'll use you as a warning sign that if you talk enough sense, then you'll lose your mind— oh, and i found love where it wasn't supposed to be right in front of me, talk some sense to me— and i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take)

tattooed tears (lord, i should know; i have felt lost for so long) and lonely eyes - the front bottoms (they tell me that you're lonely it's no surprise, when you walk around all day wearing those lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely eyes— "it's okay if you're unhappy" i would say before i leave her just take a look around there's no one here that's happy either i can literally hear him speaking this lyric lol (i think he would sing these like softer and melodic))

golden hour - kacey musgraves (keep me in your glow cause i'm having such a good time— you make the world look beautiful, ooh i thought i'd seen it all before but looking through your eyes it looks like paradise him singing this would sound like kacey singing cant help falling in love to me)

cecily smith - will connolly (this sounds slightly insane ik but idk i just think it fits)

big bad wolf - naethan apollo (this song is very poppy and slightly rap so in general this sounds crazy but in my head i can hear him singing it like he sang long tall sally or mean woman blues)

therese - maya hawke (i can hear him singing this with more of a ballad vibe idk, this song is just also really soft and one of my favorites so)

bigger than the whole sky and soon you'll get better - ts (i think about e everytime i listen to bttws so (you were bigger than the whole sky, you were more than just a short time— i'm never gonna meet, what could've been, would've been what should've been you) but i can hear him singing like a gospely version of both of these)

ghost of you - caro emerald (this song is appropriately sad so i can hear him singing a soft ballad version)

runaway - aurora (i saw a piece of heaven waitin' in patience for me— but no, take me home, take me home where I belong)

- same anon that asked u the question originally btw

anon darling, this is extremely cool!!!! i know a few of these, but not all of them, so i'm excited to give the rest a listen! BTTWS *AND* SYGB YOU WANT MY HEART TO BREAK?! 😭 no actually those are such beautiful choices, i would never have even thought of bttws and now i won't be able to think of anything else. sygb takes on a whole new significance for him as well (the holy orange bottles lyric...). i can absolutely hear him making those more gospel inspired. the front bottoms songs and golden hour are so perfect. i'm happy you mentioned softer melodic songs, there were some artists i didn't include because i wasn't sure if their music would make sense on the list, but you get it. plus imagining him doing more fun and bluesy ones, he had such a great time with those types of song. ("this sounds slightly insane," not in my world, not in the world i'm living in. we're insane together <3) i love these lyrics you chose too.

the very last song: "I kept runnin' for a soft place to fall /and I was runnin' far away/Would I run off the world someday?/But no, take me home/Take me home where I belong" makes me think of that line in the movie, he was runnin' from the day he was born...i'll be comin' home, wait for me...💙💙💙

[darishima]

ouhggg Butcher Vanity is really cool it reminds me of Closer by Nine Inch Nails a little! obsession of almost biblical proportions core.

i looked up the english lyrics to Sink and omg????? i love that so much???? I don't usually explore music in Japanese but i really loved this

never really occured to me that drag queens would also make music but I guess that makes sense giving how drag performances are usually a combination of music and fashion (maybe. i think. idk im not well versed in the art of drag)

Idrk how to describe my music taste, i mostly listen to metal or emo adjacent music i think? today my favorite songs are March of the Pigs by Nine Inch Nails and Vulcan Death Grip by Old Gray

scritching your forehead and smoothing out your little puppy eyebrows rn!!!! i love doing that so much lol - 🦴

oh bonesy you have NO IDEA how many drag queens make music. nowadays every queen on drag race releases a few singles, and usually theyre absolute hot garbage but some are super good! my favorite drag queen music artists are probably trixie mattel, katya, violet chachki, gottmik, kylie sonique love, valentina, alaska thunderfuck, and jinkx monsoon

butcher vanity is SOO closer by nin coded, i love it.. i have heard march of the pigs but i havent heard vulcan death grip i'll listen to it!!! have u heard head like a hole by nine inch nails? probably cause it seems like you like nin but im asking anyway cause its one of my favorite nin songs

[mycastlescrumblingdown]

fearless tracks 18-26 + crazier review

SUPERSTAR

this song is one of my favorites on the fearless album. idk what it is about it, I just really love it.

i really like the way Taylor wrote about this experience and then became the superstar herself. it's such a full circle moment and I think that's really beautiful.

i think of myself as quite the hopeless romantic, and this song is so me it actually hurts. I cant count the amount of celebrities that I could relate to this for me personally. but oh well

anyways I love the line delivery in this song, but it does sound a little nasally or over-controlled or something sometimes.

either way, I think this song is really good and underrated. I love it

score: 9/10

points for lyrics, style, personal bias, chorus, verses, bridge, instrumentals, vocals, pretty privilege

favorite line: im invisible and everyone knows who you are (but I would choose the whole song if I could)

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR

the best outro in the album, maybe even taylor's entire discography.

"with your face and the beautiful eyes and the conversation with the little white lies and the faded picture of a beautiful night you CARRIED ME FROM YOUR CAR UP THE sTAiAiAiRs and I broke down crying was she worth this mess? after everything and that little black dress after everything I must confess, I need you <3"

like come on that is such a great outro (although the time between a couple of the lines sounds like they were using different recordings. it's a little bit disconcerting but I can get past that)

what's harder to get past is that i this song kinda reaffirms the whole "women say no but they mean yes so you should just keep trying" thing (because that's the majority of the song) so that's not great and it definitely brings down my opinion of the song and makes it less enjoyable for me, but I'm willing to give Taylor some grace because she was a teenager when she wrote this. but yeah that's not super great

also I just noticed this but in love story she says "you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles" and in this song there's a line that says "to stand outside my window throwing pebbles" so that's cool

score: 6/10

points for style, chorus, verses, bridge, instrumentals, vocals, pretty privilege, I'm subtracting a point because of a previous comment about when women say no

favorite line: me and my stupid pride are sitting here alone

TODAY WAS A FAIRYTALE

it's a fun song. I don't have that much to say about it but I love singing it and I love the fairytale part of the song. the imagery the song gives me is so pleasant. sort of reminiscent of the love story music video

also in the part right before the bridge I could hear it being mashed up with begin again

(i've been looking at the song title too much. how is fairytale a word)

score 5/10

points for style, chorus, instrumental, vocals, pretty privilege

favorite line: you've got a smile that takes me to another planet

YOU ALL OVER ME

first vault track!! I think the lyricism is incredible here for the era. it would take me months to write even the first verse

i think if I had to guess which song this almost replaced on the track list it would be white horse. they just seem similar to me

also clean reference?? no amount of freedom gets you clean. also the wine stained dress in clean could relate to the you all over me line

i think this song could've done without the feature as well. I don't really hear maren morris on this song as well as I would like to, but I don't think it takes away from the song that much

score 7/10

points for lyrics, personal bias, chorus, verses, instrumental, vocals, pretty privilege

favorite line: held out, and held on God knows, too long

MR PERFECTLY FINE

omg this song. I love this song

i can't even articulate my thoughts but I love it so much!!!!!!!!

score: 8/10 (that even feels too low lol)

points for personal bias, chorus, verses, bridge, instrumental, vocals, pretty privilege, loopability

favorite line: so far above me in every sense, so far above feeling ANYTHING

WE WERE HAPPY

she did us so dirty removing the production of the original. listen to it and tell me I'm wrong

other than that it's a great song and I have absolutely no criticism for it (and I will accept none)

again I feel like this song was super ahead of the fearless album and that might've been why it was left out. I feel like this one would replace you're not sorry (at least with the re-recorded production)

score: 9/10

points for lyrics, personal bias, chorus, verses, bridge, instrumental, vocals, pretty privilege, loopability

favorite line: I hate those voices telling me I'm not in love anymore, but they don't give me choices and that's what these tears are for

THAT'S WHEN

not my favorite. I honestly think I skip it most times

it's sweet I guess but that's all it really has going for it imo

score: 3/10

points for style, instrumental, vocals

favorite line: and you said "honestly when you were gone did you ever think of me?"

DON'T YOU

it took forever for me to understand this song. I thought it was more accusational with the don't you's. like I thought it was saying "but don't you?" as in do you not when it's actually saying "please don't"

the bridge on this one is superb as well. I just love the whole one

score: 8/10

points for style, personal bias, chorus, verses, bridge, instrumental, vocals, pretty privilege

favorite line: my heart knows what the truth is, i swore i wouldn't do this

BYE BYE BABY

this song is so superior I LOVE IT

the eptiome of fearless songs. cause I never doubted it!! then the here and the now floods in! feels like I'm becoming!!! part of your past!!

score: 10/10

points for style, lyrics, personal bias, chorus, verses, bridge, instrumental, vocals, pretty privilege, loopability

favorite line: feels like I'm becoming part of your past

CRAZIER

it's not really my cup of tea, but I can appreciate it (and I would've recognized it on the eras tour, unlike a certain crowd)

anyways I think this song is really sweet and it'll probably grow on me when I actually find someone I love like that but for now it's not hitting the same as it is for some people.

score: 3/10

points for lyrics, chorus, instrumentals

favorite line: baby you showed me what living is for

[vitaminwaterreviews]

aespa - Savage

Overall… this album is Not for me. Like, if you’re fan of the aespa sound, then this album is perfect for you, but if you’re not, then there is very little for you here. But more importantly: the aespa sound is very clearly defined here, and they’re very clearly moving away from that sound over time. Welcome To My World was a huge step away from this sound, and the majority of Drama was Not this. I’m still amazed that some of the songs on Drama are aespa songs, that’s how dramatic (no pun intended) the sound shift is. Anyway, this album is an average of 6.3 which is fair enough. Not great, but decent, very aespa-sounding, and that sound isn’t usually my jam.

Since I’ve listened to aespa’s most recent EP, it makes sense for their other entry on this list to be their first EP. The only song here that I know is Lucid Dream, I’m fresh to everything else, including the title track.

Savage

OMG it is Mr Black Mamba

I don’t actually know a ton about aespa lore, it’s not really my thing, but I guess this video will probably be lore-heavy, so here we go

OHhh that’s where this line is from, duh

Phew, there’s that aespa bass

Pure rap first verse, singing in the pre-chorus (very Blackpink of them)

Yeah wait this song is basically Pink Venom structurally so far lmao

Winter rapping is So cool actually

Are the computer sound effects in the actual song, or just the MV?

The ae’s are actually creepy as fuck, nope no thank you

Lol wait did they just say “Naevis we love you” haha

Yeah they did oml I’m crying

Ohh this bridge slaps

This is one of those songs where I feel like I’d enjoy it more if I didn’t know English

Honestly? It’s no Black Mamba. It’s definitely no Illusion. it is Very aespa, but frankly I’m not a huge fan of this aespa sound

7/10, we’ll see where the album goes from here

Oh shit aenergy is first on the album haha oops I watched the title track first. Okay let’s just pretend that I listened to them in the right order. Anyway:

aenergy

Oh this intro is neat, the chanting type

Looking at the lyrics and I’m sure there are probably some massive lore implications in this song

I wonder what this sound is called. Like, Red Velvet have Red and Velvet. aespa have … idk, I don’t know the names of their worlds. But like, real world music and technology world music? And this is technology world music, although the chanted chorus makes it sound kind of anthemic and real-worldy

5/10, that song didn’t do much except make me a bit uncomfortable

I’ll Make You Cry

We’ll see about that, so far the only song to make me cry was Toy

I love how plain her vocals are here

That intro was nice

I have such a love-hate relationship with Winter’s voice

“Got to go” that was cool

I don’t hate this song, I just don’t really enjoy the aespa technology sound, like it all makes me a bit uncomfy

That can work really well in some cases, but not in this one

5/10, it was Fine, definitely had interesting moments and sounds, but I would never listen to this for fun

Yeppi Yeppi

I guess aespa love to do good intros

I’m vibing with this verse more than the previous song though

I’m enjoying this a lot more than the previous two

I’m not commenting on the music at all because … it’s aespa. We know what aespa sound like, and this is what they sound like

Way more upbeat than the previous songs though

I’m expecting something big from the bridge though

Oh this is pretty

Oh this is cool, the background synth doing the “lalala” thing is Really neat

7/10, I ended up jamming to this, and it could totally grow on me

Iconic

It’s funny having a song called “Iconic” when they’re still in their first year, like they haven’t even been nominated for Rookie of the Year yet, I don’t think they get to be iconic at this point

The pre-chorus was pretty fun but the chorus is Not it for me

6/10 I enjoyed it, but only barely

Lucid Dream

I have a love-hate relationship with this song

Really I love this song except for the bridge, which makes me wish I didn’t speak English

r&b with an aespa twist

I really do enjoy the chorus here though, it’s very subdued and very pretty, but also fast

This song could be straight off of a Red Velvet album and nobody would bat an eye

Even the bridge is Good, the lyrics just make me wanna jump off a cliff

Also let’s just appreciate how hard the bass is working in this song, I see you

8/10, this is the second aespa song I ever heard, and I’ve only grown to love it more

[notebookmusical]

Hi!!! I missed talking to you! I'm so sorry you're not feeling well. I am happy you had a nice trip though! I forgot to tell you that Boston makes me think of this one song from 5th or 6th grade with the lyric I think I'm going to Boston where no one knows my name..lol and I hadn't thought of that song in years. My brother's bday was good! We just made dinner for him but I got pretty drunk before I could eat cuz I had two drinks and 4 shots. At one point my sister was on the floor laughing so hard haha. I usually just like to have margaritas, or something in a can though. What about you? I'm guessing you don't have any siblings..do you? Your trip sounds fun. What musical and concert did you see? Hope you have more strength and get better soon. I hope I don't become sick during the winter months but I usually do.

Omg how were you 9 in 6th grade? Did you skip grades or is the school system just different internationally? I'm sorry..I really don't know so I'm genuinely asking haha. Was it also the Teardrops on my Guitar video!!! I remember finding it randomly in 5th grade and I never looked back haha. Ooh yes..so usually at the end of the year my sister and I pick out top 10 albums and songs of the year..so maybe I'll share a list when the time comes. I can recommend you a few of my favorites by them if you want just to see if you like it so just let me know..since that is not technically new music to me from this year. I think you recommended Del Water Gap to me once and I finally listened to his album last week and enjoyed it. This week, i am listening to new music from some of my favorite bands..Plain White Ts, Cannons and Bad Suns, which are kinda in a similar genre to Del Water Gap. Although his music almost sort of reminds me of the 1975 too. Tied Together with a Smile was probably really special cuz I think that was one of the only times she has performed it live. Ooh that's awesome! It would be a dream for me to go to the Europe tour to see her and Paramore but it sadly won't happen but I think that's so cool. It will be interesting if there will be any changes to the show by then.

It's literally one of my favorite movie musicals so I hope you can watch it soon. It's a little weird and crazy but also unique and interesting to me and I love it! Ya i think it's just different from the original movie cuz it felt more updated and modern. Idk how I feel about the cast..like Cady and Janis seem off to me but I like Renee so hopefully it's good but I don't have high expectations either. Idk if I will see it or not either. Oh wow cool! I'm not sure what immersive actually means but that's so far away haha. I can't imagine planning anything for then. Every concert I go to is usually so last minute but it seems cool.

I looked up the book and it seems pretty similar to conversations with friends actually so idk if I would like it. I've actually been reading Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cuz the movie came out. I'm actually almost done and only have two chapters left. I was able to read it pretty fast but I basically speed read it and skim read some parts too. I think it was okay but I wasn't sure if I really liked it but I also don't usually read that genre either. It felt too long and was just okay to me. It definitely wasn't as interesting as Hunger Games. I think the movie will be better though and I might see it this weekend and can let you know how it is if I do. But I'm still proud of myself for mostly finishing it..since I never do that. But it has been on my shelf and I knew I wouldn't read it if I just saw the movie, but I also think you could just see the movie and don't have to read it. But you should definitely be familiar with hunger games if you do, but I hadn't read or couldn't remember much of Mockingjay and was fine so it's up to you.

It is pretty! I'm excited for the new Bleachers album and love the Japanese House album too. Sunshine Baby will probably be one of my fav songs of the year. I will listen to Sabrina's EP when it gets closer to Christmas. It seems like you have a lot of vinyls..I don't really play mine as much but just have a collection of old musicals cast recordings I can find and my absolute fav artists.

She sang Slut on the piano and I loved it so much! She also sang Suburban Legends and Stay Beautiful..which goes with my point about how those songs were pretty similar ideas. I always always connected Stay Beautiful and Dorothea since I first heard it and I think Suburban Legends is another layer of that. Also Maisie's song Truth is has a similar lyric to this song. I love the song a lot now and it has really grown on me. But in the song she says I always knew it and used the word ruin as well so I thought that was interesting, even if the songs are still pretty different. Then my sister pointed out that Taylor sings the lyrics truth is in one of the vault songs. I didn't believe her at first but she was right! She sings it in Now that we don't talk! Truth is I can't pretend it's platonic..its just ended, and it just felt like the craziest connection to me. She also sang Me and So it Goes as a pair! Haha well I would say the same for me and my sister..she is like dark and wears black and I'm more like Lover and love to wear pink. But I also love rep which also has a lot of love songs. I am also Red and Folklore haha but my aesthetic is definitely like Lover. So people seem very split on if new music or the other two rerecordings is coming first next year so I guess I'll ask your opinion on that. I kinda think she wants to finish out the rerecordings cuz of the eras tour but I can see an argument for her wanting new music out too I guess. As for rep..I think she will announce it at one of her next shows in February and sing IDSB to announce it since that's the only song left. I also think the karma video hinted at rep being announced around then. I also hope she is taking care of herself..especially after everything that happened this week. It made me so sad but also Taylor shows and music makes me feel better when I feel sad but I always hope she does what's best for her. Thank you. I didn't mean for it to come off that way really but I just wanted to let you know in case things get too busy for me. It was so nice to hear from you and I really hope you're taking care of yourself too!!!

hi hi friend !!! it is okay 🤍 i have laryngitis :( (and i'm still getting over the plague that i picked up in boston) so that's fun! it's funny because i texted my best friend that and she was like "who said that? webmd?" and i was like "no the urgent care doctor" 😭 but it's funny because i am very good at going down a webmd spiral </3

i don't have any siblings! i'm an only child! my drink of choice is usually white wine / rose — i really love trader joe's peach pie wine but that's seasonal (i stock up during the summer though)! i love my drinks sweet, and if i'm drinking something ✨ fun ✨ i'll usually get either a b-52, a lemon drop, strawberry daiquiri, peach bellini or a espresso martini. but not a very big drinker (especially in the last year, with all my health stuff). i hope you don't get sick in the winter either!! 🤍

you're totally fine! they start school earlier in hong kong, which is how i was 9 in 6th grade! it was indeed teardrops!! and then i went down a rabbit hole, found all her music — and her unreleased stuff — at that time, and then just fell in love! i would love to see your top 10 albums + songs of the year — i will do the same and we can chat about our favorites! and yes, i loveeee del water gap! i'm super bummed his seattle concert was when i was in boston, because otherwise i definitely would've gone. speaking of concerts, i had to sell my japanese house concert ticket which i'm really bummed about but ... given laryngitis and everything, it's definitely the right move. i've never heard of bad suns or cannons but i'll give them a listen soon 🤍 and yes, i loveee the 1975-esque sound, that's one of the things that first drew me to DWG!

i wonder if she'll sing castles crumbling instead of long live in europe, or if she'll do both, since hayley will be there? some of my friends are going and i'm really really excited for them — going to make them bracelets too!

i am very bad at doing things super last minute! i am incredibly type a which is something i'm working on! but i just really like knowing what i'll be doing next and all that!

i think i'm going to try to do a hunger games reread and then read TBOSAS in december!! i'm hoping to finish at least reading cleo & frank this month, and then work on night circus, les mis, and hunger games etc. in december? i'm trying to be a bit more realistic with goals and factor in plans and also ... sickness, since that just seems unavoidable at this point! let me know how you find the movie! it's taken over my entire tiktok fyp!

i have a lot of vinyls, yes! but i don't spin them as much as i should (oops)! i have some old musical cast recordings too (and some newer ones), but i actually very rarely listen to cast recordings on vinyl! i think once and sunday in the park with george are the only ones i've listened to? sitpwg was my first vinyl! very special to me 🤍

oh i love the truth is → parallel! and i was SO happy to hear her sing me! although i was manifesting it for my friend who is seeing her in tokyo! i just love how every surprise song pairing is so so so good. just like, a completely unmatched discography. and i also think she'll do reputation soon and then debut last! which would be great for ME! i want her to release debut close to the end of next year so i can bank on a debut vault song haha! i hope she's doing okay too :(

this is what i thought of when i read your message about you and your sister! my friend and i always joke this is us too:

hope you have a good thanksgiving if you celebrate! / long weekend!! 🤍

[tiredbunblogs]

Love and poison, all the same 

They share these interchangeable names 

And I’m jonesing for the dopamine 

These things are the means to my end 

But I still            pretend 

That there ain’t no drug in all the world like  loving you

Cocaine and cigarettes will have to do

[allamericansbitch]

random full collected thoughts on midnights

bejeweled immediately a fav just for the way she says shimmered. it satisfied my brain. also am a sucker for soft cutesy taylor songs i feel like she's gotten better at them!!! like stay stay stay is a target commercial song but gorgeous is camp. anyways

why does her face in that one teaser with the big hair and yellow dress look exactly like her face in the speak now era. and i was thinking about this and i saw her wear the speak now costume and my soul gravitated a lil bit

took me so long that the daughter girl from the anti-hero video was caroline from new girl!!! that was a great casting choice imo

speaking of anti-hero that line about her getting killed for the money in the will is just so funny to me. like did she just make it up and be like oh this is a good line plus it will be a good scene in a mv or did she actually have a dream like that and was like welp. time to write a song about this

cat eye sharp enough to kill a man one of the lyrics that actually made me laugh out loud (plus the dickhead lyric) it's so cringy and taylor that it's funny

actually a lot of lines on the album made me laugh out loud. her songwriting has progressed from really deep and poetic to really deep and poetic but also humor lol how fun

why is hits different a bonus track i need to put it on repeat right this second (i know WHY but like still. seriously. the 2000s romcom vibes are immaculate that's my favorite brand of movies)

not the 70's vibes i was expecting but still! slapped! (also more poppy than i thought but hey i'm not complaining)

i thought it was so interesting that there are parts of songs (samples???) that sound like her past songs! i like how TS10 is kind of like a culminating milestone album type thing idk words anymore

not a thought just 10 for TS10

sorry this was so long lmao i hope you have a wonderful day sarah!!!

best way is to respond in the same format:

it's like you can hear her smile when she says the word shimmer it's so cute i love it to

i think that speak now purple dress pic is for you're on your own kid mv when she's going through her career 1000%

i didnt know that i knew she looked familiar!!

the line basically means that she's afraid she's gonna have a bad relationship with her expended family in the future, and that they'll use her for their own fame and fortune and they dont actually care about her. idk if it's an actual dream she had and she just thought is summed it up well or thought about it while writing.

same that line is a little cringey it's giving 2013 tumblr but the rest of the song has good lines so it's forgivable.

same i love that this album deals with self-reflection but also really shows how trauma and humor can mix really well. karma is a cat. sexy baby. thats hilarious.

yess! i thought the same thing. very early 2000s rom com and i bet it'll be on streaming in like a week but i need it asap get on it swift earn your last name.

yeah a lot of people are mad at her for the aesthetic/sound disconnect but honestly i dont care she looks great and the album sounds good too so. a good photoshoot and vibe is something we have been starved of for so long lol.

yes i think thats so cool. i've seen so many people just forget teh whole concept of the album and are like?? why do these songs sound like other ones?? like it's because she's going back into her career and referencing songs from the times those moments happened helloooo.

10/10 like a goddamn acrobat

[cocoartistwrites]

what are your favorite t swift lyrics to date? “just between us did the love affair maim you too” recently has me on the verge of tears just thinking about it so yeah ….

I have honestly no idea how long you expect this to be lol I've been waiting my whole life to answer this and now there's too many, so here are a few stand-outs that are by no means the only best ones or my only faves.

I'm ignoring all the bridges because I think Swiftian Bridges are their own category. I'm also just gonna do post 1989 otherwise this will be too long.

1. the whole of peace but specifically:

And you know that I'd swing with you for the fences Sit with you in the trenches Give you my wild, give you a child

2. you already picked one of my fave All Too Well 10 lyrics but I can't overlook this (and also ofc the punchline)

You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath

3. all of Majorie, which is one of her greatest-ever songs, and always makes me cry:

Never be so kind / You forget to be clever Never be so clever / You forget to be kind

4. The story this one single fucking line tells in august:

I remember thinkin' I had you

5. mad woman is again filled with incredible writing but this always grabs me:

And you'll poke that bear 'til her claws come out And you find something to wrap your noose around

6. LWYMMD gets slated and I don't know why, she really threw herself all in to the campy villain bit look at this fucking writing:

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time I've got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined I check it once, then I check it twice, oh!

7. is this the saddest lyric in Swift's canon? maybe. fuck you scott bruschetta.

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace 'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave

8. cruel summer is <3 but this line is especially clever:

I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you

9. there's enough spilled ink on the glorious storytelling of TLGAD so I'll just say the switch from she to I? flawless.

I had a marvelous time ruining everything

10. No one has ever captured the fragility of the start of new love this well. The contrast of cool/delicate in terms of vernacular and literary language is *chef's kiss*

Is it cool that I said all that? Is it too soon to do this yet? 'Cause I know that it's delicate

11. seven makes me go absolutely feral as I too feel girls are robbed of something as they grow

Please picture me in the weeds Before I learned civility I used to scream ferociously Any time I wanted

12. the way she writes about finding shelter in love on reputation, an album that is just so Dear to me but especially call it what you want:

And I know I make the same mistakes every time Bridges burn, I never learn At least I did one thing right

13. idk just fucking love this one from willow. like we have all these ideas and goals about what our lives will be then we fall in love with someone and realise we have to take them into it and everything might change, and that's ok (in contrast to the wave of you can have it all feminism)

Wreck my plans, that's my man

14. the noise i made when i first heard this:

They told me all of my cages were mental So I got wasted like all my potential

15. this is so evocative and the delivery is unreal:

And I was catching my breath Barefoot in the wildest winter Catching my death

16. remember when she wrote this and called the damn song happiness:

But now I'm right down in it, all the years I've given Is just shit we're dividin' up Showed you all of my hiding spots I was dancing when the music stopped And in the disbelief, I can't face reinvention

17. every single second of ivy but specifically,

I'd meet you where the spirit meets the bones

18. I could write a phd about the archer, but I won't. I'll just say that when Taylor said:

I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost The room is on fire, invisible smoke And all of my heroes die all alone Help me hold on to you

I lost my fucking mind. [XR name one hero who was happy from TSOA, and every writer and artists anxiety that they'll have to choose between art and happiness in love]

19. the fact that she wrote a song about cunnilingus already makes false god incredible but the way she wrote it as

religion's in your lips / the altar is my hips

ma'am,,,,

20. cardigan is lyrically fantastic around the central image of the cardigan itself, which I think distracts from knife cuts like:

Leavin' like a father Running like water And when you are young, they assume you know nothing

[side note there are very few father refs in Swift songs - see also 'a careless man's careful daughter']

21. turning her own Americana (remember those 4th of July parties) back on herself here, iconic Trump call out, etc.

American stories burning before me I'm feeling helpless, the damsels are depressed Boys will be boys then, where are the wise men? Darling, I'm scared

22. leaving you on number 22 with this absolute soul-destroyer from nothing new

Will you still want me when I'm nothing new?

[unproduciblesmackdown]

speaking of winston in general & like ensemble comedies or what are we doing, who needs anyone particularly Playing It Straight especially when that role can rotate & be more flexible than being “normal” or whatever. and another thing is Considering The Element of indignity like, you know a standard usage of that is being the butt of the joke / at someone’s expense / like a punishment for being weird or doing things wrong or not meant to be likable/relatable or whatever but also what’s so necessarily Relatable about supposed constant dignity / never seeing anyone in an undignified moment b/c like, how often is anyone ever like oh if someone walked in right now it’d be like oh you caught me being really cool & impressive & probably sexy even, As Always. vs like obviously idk there’s an endless range of what’s Not cool & epic & impressive but for sure i think there’s also just a reasonable range of what’s both fairly everyday / relatable, even when supposedly Exaggerated, when sometimes what’s presented as like within the range of normal(tm) is pretty narrow &/or polished in terms of behavior & appearance. and certainly when it’s often like, the indignity of [another person being aware of xyz / pwning another person with it] i suppose it’s the secondhand embarrassment / Cringe factor, or even that when it’s just the character and the viewer Potentially i guess, just depending lol, but idk it’s like well the potential inherent sympathy in embarrassment and how that could already be considered a Relatability sort of reaction too lmao. we’ve all been there potential, or all could’ve been there, and anyways the point isn’t ig like Nothing Is Cringe Only A Mood but rather just that it’s sure idk Limiting to posit that an even Potentially Embarrassing Moment should only be the realm of like, oh you have to deserve that, b/c only more loserly / unlikable people ever do things that wouldn’t seem epic And/Or if a cooler more likable more deserving person did anything that wouldn’t seem epic, nobody would ever be aware of it, maybe not even an audience.......and kind of underwhelming imo when billions sort of does this lol like nobody’s cool & epic all the time but indignity is sort of also this “objective” cudgel at times / used more generously for some people, just always a Factor Of Interest like how’s this being used atm then

also thinking of this makes me think of the joe iconis repertoire lol like when was that parody broadway beat tweet how apparently it’s like oh his thing is um checks notes. songs about masturbation. and like are there really That many, i mean i’d immediately think of like okay consider bmc the most relevant thing & that Notably the first lyrics are about the intention to do so, and i guess it just depends like how much of a big deal you consider that lmfao it’s not Cool it’s not that Dignified but it’s also like even beyond like tfw high school experience things ramped up sex drive wrangling, people masturbate a lot lol like common enough and frequent enough and to even sort of adjacently bring it up At All need hardly be like wow so fuckin Out There lol, especially you know, when it’s just part of some person going about their day, anything about their own sexuality doesn’t have to only come up as a very special occasion and/or through only the most oblique metaphorical handling.....and even beyond That specific concept it’s like, how joseph iconis will always talk about performers getting to look like the Actual People that they are rather than a certain “polished” Acceptable “standard” look, and especially liking actors who are Weird and not afraid to make some “ugly” choices in their performances, like, that one’s character needn’t always be peak Dignified, and how often enough it’s like yeah the material knows it’s gonna come across as weird or messy and yknow feels like pick any sort of Standalone Story / Character Songs and that can especially be true, often being pretty Distinct & creating a fairly intimate portrait and yknow cue the mortifying ordeal of being Known as a real relevant tl;dr here lol, intimacy involving vulnerability which may come in the form of this more transparent window onto goings on for this person and that might just be a bit messy and unimpressive and undignified

[wickymicky]

wickymicky’s Top Ten Kpop Songs of 2021

4: Billlie - Ring x Ring

Wow, ANOTHER rookie group??? This has gotta be the last one on the top ten list, right? Jeez...

Billlie, huh? Billlie. With three Ls? Sure, why not. My first reaction when I heard the song was just “god damn it, I hate that this slaps, because now I have to stan a group called Billlie” haha

Their concept is so unique and strange haha... they’re looking for a missing person? Or something? Is it supernatural somehow? In their Christmas song comeback, they have a yeti named The SNOWY Man? With SNOWY in All Caps? They added a member during the promotions for this song, with her debut stage being Ring x Ring’s goodbye stage... is that part of the lore? She’s not the Billlie that they’re looking for, right? All the lyrics in this song are about looking for this Billlie person, I think, and they’re kinda dark. “Is it blood?” “Is she dead?” “Can we talk? Not anymore” etc. That’s all so weird, and the music video is kinda disjointed, with the lore scenes and dance scenes clashing a bit, aesthetically speaking. But to be honest, there’s something kind of endearing and kind of fun about all of this. I’m on board, haha. I’m not gonna get super into their lore or whatever, but I’m down to see where all of this goes. And damn, this song slaps. 

The synths in this song are so absolutely blaring haha. That turned a lot of people off, I know that because I saw a lot of people talking about how they think this song is garbage. They’re wrong though, because the noisiness of this song is exactly what makes it good. It’s not just that the synths are blaring, it’s that they sound so urgent. That fits their concept so well. This song sounds like a race against time. From the moment the song begins, it gets your adrenaline pumping. The autotune on their voices is tasteful too, not just because it sounds cool, but also because it makes it sound kind of off, kind of uncanny. Combined with how frantic the song is, I think it serves to give the vocals a sense of like... worry, or something. If that makes sense. That’s what I get out of it anyway. It sounds like an internal monologue you’d be having in a panicked situation. Am I reading too much into this?

God, this instrumental just goes and goes and goes and goes. There were so many minimalist girl group songs this year, but this song makes up for it by being maximalist as hell. And while a lot of those minimalist songs ranked highly on my list, as I’m sure you’re aware by this point, I mean... man, I really needed this haha. Ring x Ring just makes my brain light up. There’s so much STUFF. The first moment when I realized I was in for a treat was right at the beginning lol, right after the intro synths but right before the first lines are sung. It has that blaring, urgent-sounding synth and then this little synth melody that sounds like... like glass? Does that make sense? The synth sounds like glass. idk lol. It does though, listen to it. How would you describe it? And then Siyoon sings her first lines in that robot voice, while the instrumental explodes underneath her. This instrumental just has so much punch.

And damn, that chorus is so catchy. Both the “come find the miiiiiiissing” part, which is catchy in the way that many pop song choruses are, and the “oeroun himihan sumaneun ireumdeuri” part, which is catchy because it’s so frantic, so urgent, so fight-or-flight, especially when Suhyeon comes in with the vocal layering under her that raises the melodrama of the part up a couple notches... it’s great. This song is so great. The chorus ends with a more relatively calm part, the “neo-e bell-i ullimyeoooon (it’s truuueee)”, but then the panic is ramped right back up as the next verse begins. How many songs transition from chorus to second verse by turning their volume up? 

And that dance break... oh my god. That dance break. That dance break, though. Even without watching the choreo, just on audio alone, that part just hits like nothing else. 

Alright, I think I’m done here. I could go on and on. I’m not even gonna get into how incredible the bsides are. Hopefully I’ll do that in a separate list haha. I’m not even gonna talk about Moon Sua and her history, and how much people were awaiting her debut. I’m not even gonna talk about Kim Suyeon, now going by Sheon, who wasn’t in this song, but obviously is a pretty big deal, and was one of my favorite GP999 contestants and I am so happy for her. I’m definitely not gonna talk about Lee Soomin, who is known for being a predebut member of this group as well as a predebut member of Weki Meki AND Weeekly. There’s a lot that goes into this group and my decision to put them at the number 4 spot, but honestly, just this song would be enough. 

links to the rest of the list: 10 - After School (Weeekly) 9 - Love So Sweet (Cherry Bullet) 8 - Odd Eye (Dreamcatcher) 7 - Eleven (IVE) 6 - Rub-a-Dum (TRI.BE) 5 - Holiday Party (Weeekly) 4 - Ring x Ring (Billlie) 3 - Zombie (Purple Kiss) 2 - ASAP (STAYC) 1 - First (Everglow)