#Also what i mean by vibes is like maybe the style of music sounds like something that would be associated with them

[satxnsupreme666]

Love in the darkest hour: Agatha Harkness x fem!reader x Rio Vidal

Masterlist

Requested by: @perfectartisanwerewolf

Summary: During Agatha´s trial, you are the one that gets possessed, Rio and Agatha get protective of you but you end up getting hurt, your girlfriends feel guilty and all of the wicthes get worried about you.

Warnings: Reader gets hurt, mention of wounds, broken bones, angst and fluff,  I think that´s it (Oh, and English is not my first language but I still try hard to check my own grammar)

Word count:  6k+

Author’s notes: In this story Alice does not die.

Hello, this was a requested story, and I wanted to write it before posting the final old stories I wrote three years ago, sorry that I took three days to write this and that is not longer, but I will be honest, I divide my time between doing nothing at all or doing everything at the same time (that means writing, reading, listening to some music, playing something, watching a movie etc.)

I hope this is what you were waiting for @perfectartisanwerewolf ♥️

I hope you like it! ♥️

If you enjoy, could you comment, like or reblog? it would help a lot really ♥️

Taglist: @midnight-lestrange  @eliscannotdance

“We’re ok” Agatha announced after all of you had had to fly away from the Salem seven, it had been close, really close, all of you really needed to be more careful, you still were worried about those entities trying to get Agatha, she had told you that you didn’t need to worry about, but still, you didn’t want that something happened to Agatha.

“No, we’re not, the entire Halloween aisle’s outside waiting for us” Maybe Jenn was right, could they be really outside?

“Well it doesn’t look like they can get in, does it? All we have to do is complete the trial and continue on before they can get us” Her sentence seemed to calm everyone a little bit, Jenn seemed to relax a little.

“My spell book, I can’t find it!” The teen started to look inside his little bag.

“Where’d you have it last time?” Lilia tried to reason with him so he could think clearly.

“Flying on a broom” The teen sounded sad, so you went towards him and put your hand on his shoulder, you felt bad for him, you wanted to reassure him somehow.

“Forget about it, you can take the training wheels off” The older witch said to him still standing in front of the door.

The teen looked at you and Lilia with a sad expression.

“Hey it’s alright, Agatha’s right, you don’t need it, all of those spells that were on your notebook are also there inside your head, you know all of them, so don’t worry alright?” He seemed to understand because he quickly smiled at you and nodded.

Agatha saw the interaction with a smile on her face, she loved how you were be able to make everyone feel better; you knew how to cheer someone up, you could not only heal physical wounds, but also wounds that were not visible and that only hurt people emotionally.

You sensed someone watching you and turned to look at the direction where you sensed the gaze on you, Agatha was looking at you from her place, she was staring at you with so much love, she winked at you and smiled back at her.

“Look at you!” The teen suddenly said to you, you looked back at him and then at your clothes, noticing the style of the clothes that you were wearing, it was kind of like the ones in the slasher movies you liked to watch.

Looking back at the teen in front of you, you noticed his shirt and shorts as well, glancing back at the other witches you realized they were wearing the same clothing style, same thing that had happened during the last trials, you still wondered when would be your trial and what theme would it be, would it have a creepy vibe? With maybe a haunted house? Or maybe an abandoned house in the middle of a forest? A hill? You were excited to find out.

“You look like one of the teens from those eighties and nineties slasher movies” You had to tell him, if not you knew the idea would never leave your mind.

He took a glance at his clothes and then at the surroundings, he could not deny that you were right, all of you looked like one the main characters of a slasher movie set in the 80’s or 90’s, he remembered something so suddenly that he had to take you by your shoulders, you giggled before he even had the chance to say what had crossed his mind.

“Oh my god, y/n I have the perfect playlist for this!” You grinned and saw how he moved his hands to his sides, as if he was trying to find something, he pursed his lips and looked back at you.

“Right, I forgot, I don’t have my phone either” He sounded a little bit annoyed but smiled at the end anyway.

“You don’t even have pockets remember” you were right, he should have remembered that first.

Rio had heard your comment about the slasher movies and turned herself to look at him, she smirked and walked closer to the two of you.

When she saw you from behind, she noticed that you were wearing clothes that were similar to hers and her eyes looked you up and down, when she got closer to you, she passed her arms around your waist and pulled you closer to her, you instinctively rested your head against her chest.

The teen noticed the smirk on Rio’s face which only made him squirm, Rio scared him, her deadly stare made him grimace.

“Hey, she is right, you do look like a character in a slasher movie from the 80’s, you would be the first character to die at the start of the movie” She said to him while staring without blinking and on top of that, the smirk had never disappeared from her face.

You couldn’t help but giggle at her comment, slightly you patted her chest, the teen swallowed hard and blinked several times trying to laugh awkwardly.

“That is not something nice to say Vidal, don’t mess with him, you scare him” You said to her with a pout on your face.

“She does not scare me” The teen replied back, but Rio turned her head hastily at him and bit into the air, as if she was warning him that she could bite him, the teen jumped slightly.

“Maybe just a little” The dark-haired boy commented being wary of Rio.

“Don’t mind her” Was what you said to him while looking at him with a smile on your face.

“I think you would be one of the final boys that make it to the end of the movie” The boy in front of you seemed to think about it and nodded, he seemed convinced that he would actually be a final girl, and you didn’t doubt it, he smiled fondly at you, and Rio started to caress your back.

“Who would you think I’ would be in a slasher movie set on the 80’s sweetheart?” Rio asked you rising her right eyebrow.

You brought your hand to your chin and acted as if you were in deep thought, but of course, you already had your answer.

“You would be the killer, the killer everyone suspects but cannot actually prove it” You said out lout and the teen gasped.

“She is right, you would be the killer” You had not noticed that the other witches had walked towards you, they were already near you and were looking at you with small smiles on their faces.

Even if they did not trust Agatha at all, and were a little bit scared of Rio because of her antics, they find you really adorable.

In their minds they still could not comprehend how someone as sweet as you, who only used magic to heal people, was with the other two witches.

They still did not understand what a healing witch whose magic was as pure as the meaning of white lilies was doing with Agatha Harkness, former user of the darkhold and with Rio, the witch who did not care about anything and seemed to be so scary, the same woman who agreed on being a “psycho” with a big smile on her face.

Even if they did not comprehend it at all, they could see the way the two witches acted around you, and the way they treated you, they were soft with you, you were the only one that could see and had the privilege to see that side of them, you felt really lucky.

Rio turned her head back at the teen and tilted her head slightly.

“If I was the killer, you would be my first victim, you would not even make it to the second act” Your girlfriend said as if she was just saying facts.

“That is not right Rio, I am pretty sure he would be one of the few that actually makes it to the end” Rio cackled and you tilted your head to give her a disapproving look.

“Ah, fine, he would make it to the end” This deep down made the teen jump internally, it made him feel excited that she had admitted that.

Rio gave you a playful pat on your shoulder.

“Let me look for Agatha, we don’t want her to cause more trouble do we?” She winked at you and left your side.

Alice then came to stand next to the teen, with a curious look on her face.

“Who would I be in a slasher movie?” She inquired looking excited to know your answer.

Examining her carefully you came to the only conclusion that seemed accurate for Alice.

“I think you would be the main character, the protagonist who is tortured and stalked by the killer, because she was the only one who escaped, you would be one of the original final girls, the final girl who fights back, like Laurie Strode on Halloween” Her eyebrows were risen and nodded her head in understanding.

“Yeah, she is totally right, you would be a total badass” The teen agreed with you. Alice beamed with happiness and pressed her hands together.

“You heard that?” Alice asked glancing at Jenn and Lilia.

“I am not really a fan of horror movies, so I really don’t know what you are talking about” Explained Jenn and Lilia nodded her head in a way of showing she felt the same.

Smiling at them you started to explain everything “It’s fine, basically, the horror or slasher movies tend to have a series of “rules” that characterize them, one thing for the slasher movies is for example, that there is a killer-“

“Sometimes there are two killers” The teen quickly said.

“Or sometime yes there are two killers, who usually start their murder spree killing different characters, and the final girl is the character who makes it to the end of the movie and defeats the villain” You finished your explanation.

“Who do you think Agatha would be?” The teen inquired.

“I would say that because of her personality traits she would be the killer that no one suspects of, I mean she is smart, charming” The four of them nodded in agreement.

“And who would you be?” The boy asked you again.

“I would be the character who dies at the start” You simply said, and they all started to discuss that in fact that would not be true.

“I think you would be the character that everyone is attached to, like the character who is friends with everyone and who also everyone tries to protect, you know? also I can see how you would be close to the final girl and you would get extra protection” The teen said and put a finger on his chin, looking at you, analyzing you, you only smiled at him and shook your head.

“Is this how people really looked at the time? I mean, the clothing style, the vibe, all of it?” You wondered out loud and jumped when you felt someone hugging you from behind, you felt the arms of Rio pulling you closer to her.

“Yes, people actually dressed up like this” Agatha said behind you, and all of you turned to look at her, she had kind of a disheveled look, he hair up in a ponytail and the oversized purple shirt fitted her amazingly.

“Whose trial is this?” Asked the teen while looking up at the ceiling.

Rio looked at the window in front of you and you did the same thing, the blood moon could be perfectly seen since your position.

“Agatha’s” answered the witch holding you from behind, you were a little bit worried, so you turned your head to look at Agatha, she saw your worried expression and gave you a reassuring smile, it was a tad scary for her, but with you and Rio there by her side, she knew the trial would be easily passed, or at least, that’s what she hoped.

Hearing Lilia’s explanation about the blood money and the believe of a misconception she mentioned, everyone turned around to look at their beeping watches in their wrists.

“The road wants us to Ouija” The teen showed all of you the board, and everyone started to gather closer, then he proceeded to read the rules.

“Number two, do not speak over each other” And all the witches began to speak over each other, clearly not realizing what they were doing.

Rio and you heard clearly when Agatha demanded to be shown the rules to see if it actually said that and you couldn’t help but share an amused look with her,

Rio shook her head smiling and sticking her tongue out a little, you tried to hide your laugh but you couldn’t, Agatha realized who was laughing and she looked at you, you were next to her left and Rio was next to you.

“What?” Agatha asked with feigned innocence, and you just shrugged your shoulders.

“What is so funny doll?” Agatha asked again and came closer to you to caress your hair, you unconsciously leant into her touch, and let her guide you to rest your head on her chest.

“I love the way you look in those clothes” She commented dangerously close to your ear witch a husky voice.

“Not the time for that” You replied amused, you had to focus on passing the trial.

“Shall we start?” Agatha seemed to tense and you saw the way she started to swallow, it was obvious that she was nervous, the teen sat on the floor and the other witches started to do the same forming a circle.

“Hey, are you alright?” You asked her while she squeezed your hands, you felt the way she pulled you closer to her, and you happily leant into her touch.

“I will be alright, don’t worry” She said to you in a whisper.

“Rio and I are here for you, you know?” You replied back at her and she nodded with a smile in her face.

“I know, thank you, I love you so much” Agatha said near your ear and she pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“Let’s get started” She said, you did not notice the way Agatha nodded at Rio, Rio understood and Agatha took your hand one more time to hand you to Rio, Agatha gave you one last squeeze and Rio took your hand in hers, the brown-eyed woman smiled reassuringly at Agatha and put her arm around your waist, she pushed you slightly and placed you next to her right, while Agatha sat next to you as well, leaving you in the middle of the two of them.

Everyone on the room put their hands on the board and waited for Agatha to start, when her hands got separated from the board you really got scared and quickly turned your head to look at Rio, she saw your worried expression and quickly mouthed a “Don´t worry” and smiled slightly at you.

“She´s scared” Commented Rio while you sighed in relief, for a moment you had thought your girlfriend had been possessed, Rio then patted the sit ordering Agatha to come and sit again.

“Do not do that, it was funny, but you got her scared” Rio said to Agatha and nodding towards you, while the blue-eyed woman sat back next to you and she gave you a shy smile.

“Sorry love, I thought it was funny” The older witch commented with an apologetical look.

Sighing you just shook your head and slightly bumped your shoulders against her.

“It alright, I just do not want anything to happen to you” Rio then looked back at her and nodded, she felt the same even if she found her little joke funny.

“Alright” The blue-eyed woman proceeded to place her hands on the board and everyone did the same, you were not going to lie, feeling the board moving so hard and faster made your heart beat in fear, you never had played it and it actually made you feel scared, but you knew you had to do it in order to pass the trial.

“Punish Agatha” Was what the board said and you quickly felt yourself getting tense, but before someone could actually understand what was happening you heard Agatha yelling at everyone to stop it and you were not sure what or how it happened but Agatha got her hands off the board and you panicked.

The scream that was all over the place, was so loud and it pierced you ears.

You saw her getting to the floor and she covered her ears just as everyone else did, but you were still worried of what could happen to your girlfriend since it was her trial, so you uncovered you ears not caring if the loud sound made your ears hurt and went to kneel next to Agatha to check if she was fine and did not have any type of physical wounds.

Agatha noticed your face contorted in pain, but her heart melted when she realized you were checking her to make sure she was not hurt, out of instinct she uncover her ears and made sure your ears were covered using her own hands, even in the middle of the chaos she still managed to show you how much she cared for you.

You were so lost in her eyes that you did not even notice when things calmed down, the scream could not be heard anymore and the things flying around the room were already scattered all over the floor.

“Is it over?” Your eyes stared to examine the room and the witches around you, getting closer and closer, what happened?

“Sorry y/n, but it seems like in order to pass this trial we have to punish Agatha” Jenn was looking right at Agatha, her gaze not darting somewhere else.

“There has to be another way” The teen said out loud and you agreed with him.

“Wait no! You cannot just decide that you are going to hurt her” You said to the three witches in front of you, your pleading eyes started to get glossy, they could not actually think that this was their way out right? Even if the ghost or whatever was wanted that, there had to be another way.

The teen looked horrified about what could happen, it was clearly they were not thinking clearly and with Rio walking faster towards the two of you, he panicked as well.

“I am sorry but you have to move” Jenn said with what you thought maybe, just maybe was guilty.

Alice was unsure, they were not actually going to do something to Agatha right? She looked at Lilia who had the same unsure look on her face.

Your pleading eyes with tears about to be shed made them feel unsure on what to do, they knew that you loved her and you would not be able to do anything to her, but what if that was what the ghost wanted them to do?

Before they got the time to get closer to you Rio appeared in front of the two of you and got her knife out of wherever she hid it, you were always amazed because whenever you saw her getting something out of her pockets or her clothes, you never really understood where she hid all of the things she carried with her.

“No one is touching Agatha, nor y/n” She said with a firm tone.

Agatha caressed your back and nodded at you, she gave you a reassuring smile and squeezed your hand.

“It´s alright, don´t worry, nothing is going to happen to me, ok” She pressed her forehead against you and you nodded, Agatha then stood up and came up behind Rio.

“Listen, we can talk about it and see what other options we have, let´s not get wild” She said trying to be reasonable, but then a sound was heard from your spot, and everyone turned to where the sound had come from.

“Where is she?” The teen asked with his eyes wide open, the witches started to turn themselves around looking for you.

“Sweetheart? Where are you?” Agatha asked out loud, and everyone started to move to different directions trying to see if they could catch a glimpse of where were you.

“We have to find her! She was right there and the next second she was not, how is that even possible?”  Your girlfriend Agatha started to panic, it was something weird when it came to her, being panicked was not a state she was used to, but when it come to you or Rio, she could not help but worry more than anything.

“Hey, look at me, we are going to find her, she could not have gotten too far” Rio reassured her and Agatha nodded, she was right, you could not have gotten too far.

They all gasped in unison when the lights went out.

“Hey, we were not going to actually hurt your girlfriend Agatha, just come out wherever you are” The potions which announced while she examined the room.

The teen started to look for something that they could use to get some light, and when he found a lamp, he looked pleased, now it would be easier to look for you.

“Hey, does anyone hear that” Lilia inquired and the teen felt something that had touched his shoulder, he visibly tensed and pointed the lamp towards the ceiling.

The scream that came after seeing you was inevitable, the other witches looked up as well and started to scream as well.

“Oh my god, what happened to her?” Jenn screamed and walked back until she hit one of the walls.

“Agatha get her out of the ceiling!” Alice yelled at her.

“I would if I had my powers!” Agatha yelled back; her face was full of worry.

“She is going to get hurt” Lillia declared while covering her mouth with her hand.

What they were not waiting, was that you jumped from the ceiling, landing with a hard thud against the floor.

“Is she hurt? Someone please check her!” Alice yelled again

“She is not y/n” The teen screamed when suddenly your body got up from the fall and started to contort your body, he squirmed and crawled back to try to protect himself from what he was seeing in front him.

“She is possessed for real” The teen was horrified, the look you had on your face was clearly not something he was expecting, he just hoped that neither of you would get hurt.

“Someone needs to grab her!” Someone in the back yelled, but due to everyone screaming the teen did not even recognize whose voice it was.

“No! wait, she could get hurt! No one is touching her!” Rio glanced menacingly.

“Then how can we help her?!” Agatha asked desperately, she came to place herself next to Rio, the two of them wanted to actually try and do something, maybe catch you and bring you to the center, but the way your body was contorting made them afraid that they could hurt you more.

“Oh my god guys, why are her bones sounding like that?” The teen screamed out of fear at the sound of your cracking bones, you were getting too close to him when suddenly your body for some seconds went limp and crashed against the floor, they were going to go and help you but after only some seconds your body stood up again crashing against the wall, Lilia was quick to get the power back and in a blink of an eye, you disappear again.

“Where is she? Where is she?” Rio looked several times around the room trying to see if you were again on the ceiling.

Before the withes could have more time to look for you, they saw something that looked like white fog forming in front of the stairs.

“That is a ghost, I hate ghosts” Rio said completely angered, Agatha was next to her looking at it with her brows furrowed, where had you gone?

What Agatha saw next made her gasp; her mother had materialized in front of them.

“Mother?” Agatha asked not believing what her eyes were watching.

A sound caught their attention and they looked up to see what was going upstairs, there you were, Agatha sighed in relief but after the worry could be gone, it took over her again, you were trying to stand up, grabbing your left arm with your right hand, you were crying, your sobs were loud enough for them to hear.

“What did you do to her?” Rio asked angrily taking a step forward, and Agatha did the same.

“You have to keep walking the witches´ road without her” The ghost of Evanora Harkness said to them.

Everyone gasped in shock.

“No way, we are not leaving her with you, she comes with us” Agatha said with a firm tone, never hesitating.

“Leave this girl with me, then you will be free to go” The ghost replied.

Lilia, Alice, Jenn and the teen looked at each other, they were not going to leave you there with her, and if they also needed to fight a ghost even if they did not how, they would do it.

“Taking one of the people I love the most?” Agatha laughed bitterly at the thought.

“There is no way we are leaving her with you!” Rio replied back at the ghost with a threatening tone in her voice.

“We are not letting her stay with her, you hear me? She is going to leave with us Agatha” Rio assured the blue-eyed woman.

“It is your time to pay for what you have done, you were born evil, you should not have a chance at love, I repeat, leave her with me, and you can go” Agatha clenched her jaw, Rio who was next to her was fuming, even if they wanted to do something, what could they do against a ghost?

You were crying, your whole body in pain, you were sure you were going to have bruises, you could not even lift your arm and you wondered if maybe it had been broken.

You heard everything Evanora said to her, that she was evil, but that was not true, Agatha was not evil, she was a misunderstood witch who did not have anyone to back her up and show her to control her powers, and even if you were in pain you would let your girlfriend know that her mother was not right.

“Do not listen to her Agatha, we know you are not evil, you are worthy of love” You managed to say between sobs, Agatha did not have time to answer to you, because her mother spoke again.

“I will not repeat myself” The ghost announced.

Agatha could not help the tears falling from her face, it was all her fault you were in pain, her own fault that you had been possessed by her mother, she was being punished for al the things she had done in the past, seeing you in so much pain was breaking he heart, Rio was so mad, it infuriated her seeing you and Agatha both in pain.

Before they could do something else, the ghost disappeared and they watch the way your body started to contort again, you came crawling down the stairs, the witches watched in horror.

“Leave her alone” The witch with the red strands on her hair pushed the teen, Agatha and Rio to the side, all of them saw Alice throwing her powers at you.

“Don´t hurt her!” Agatha shouted ready to go and push Alice away from you, but the teen and Rio stopped her, and watched they way your body return to your normal form, the paleness leaving your skin, and the white fog dissipated.

After some minutes Alice stopped, and you felt to the floor with a loud thud, you quickly started to groan in pain, trying to get up from the floor.

Agatha and Rio ran towards you to help you stand up.

“It hurts so much” You said to them still crying, Agatha could not take in how much pain you were, she did not want to hurt you more, but they needed to check your body.

“I know sweetheart, we know it hurt but we have to touch you to check your body alright?” Rio whispered to you in a reassuring way, it pained her too much too see you suffering.

They tried to help you stand up, but the pain in your body was too much, Agatha could see the bruises forming on your legs and on your arms, and seeing the way your arm had taken a really weird position, she knew it was broken.

“Baby, can you tell us where it hurts?” You heard Rio asking you, her voice sounded a little bit shaky.

“My arm, is what hurts the most” Yous said between sobs, you wanted the pain to stop, but you knew that even healing yourself was going to hurt a lot.

“I think… I think I can try to heal it but, but I am scared, it is going to hurt so much” Agatha turned her head to look at Rio, she closed her eyes, your sobs made her so hard to maintain a hard façade as always.

“Listen, we are here with you, we are not letting you go, you can take my hand and squeeze it as hard as you want, alright?” Agatha said before pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

Rio placed herself next to Agatha, the blue-eyed woman placed you on her lap, and Rio put her hands on your back, caressing you up and down.

The witches standing in front of you, could not also take the sight, the teen had to look away, he could not stand seeing you crying from pain, and the way your arm was positioned, made him feel uneasy.

Lilia was holding Alice´s hand, watching with glossy eyes, they could not believe that you were the one that had got hurt, Jenn wanted to do something to help you ease the pain, but nothing came to her mind.

 You clung to Agatha´s shirt, and focused hard on the pain you were feeling, Rio never stopped running her hands up and down on your back, trying to soothe you and waiting the pain would stop.

“Everything will be alright, you are going to be fine, we love you so much” Agatha said into your ear, you were trembling and she hated so much that she could not anything.

After several minutes of sobbing harder, you felt you arm getting back to its normal position, your magic had worked, the powers accommodating the bones, putting them in their normal place, Agatha was caressing your legs with her free hands and noticed the bruises disappearing.

With one final breath, you felt yourself relaxing, the pain going away completely, and when Agatha and Rio were sure you were not hurting anymore, a door opened, all of you looked at it.

“We passed the trial” The teen said out loud, they were relieved you had stopped crying, but felt immensely guilty for not have been able to do anything to help you somehow.

 “We have to go sweetheart” She squeezed your shoulders lovingly, and the two of your grilfriends helped you to stand up.

Agatha quickly pulled you closer to her, her left hand on your waist, Rio put her hand on your shoulders, afraid of letting you walk alone.

They started to walk towards the door to get ready to leave and go back to the road.

“Alice” Agatha called for her when she started to walk in front of you, she turned quickly to look at you and to the other two witches in front of her.

“Thank you, for saving her” Agatha said with a soft look on her face, it was sincere, Agatha sounded sincere for the first time since the have arrived at the road, and smiled at her.

“It is alright, you do not have to thank me, I really wish I had done more” Alice gave the three of you an apologetically smile.

“You saved me” You replied at her.

“It was more than enough, Alice” Agatha let her know, Rio gave her a nod and the shorter witch smiled, it was a big smile, she turned herself around and started to walk back towards the door.

The three of you were the last standing in the room right in front of the door that would take you back to the road.

Agatha made you stop and you looked at her, with a frown on your face.

“Listen, I, I am sorry, it was my fault, because of me, because of what I have done in the past, you got hurt, and, none of us could do something to actually help you, I feel so-“ You abruptly interrupted her.

“Don´t blame yourself please, it was not your fault, please stop blaming yourself” You wiped her tears out of her face before talking again.

“I would never blame you for anything, I am fine, we are fine, we passed the trial, I am happy nothing happened to you” Before you could continue speaking, you felt her arm wrapping you in a hug, she passed her arms around your waist and you heard her cry, she loved you with her entire heart, and she could not stop blaming herself, what if something worse had happened to you?

Rio went to place herself next to Agatha and started to caress her back before looking at you.

“Hey, it´s alright, I would never, really never, let anyone hurt any of you, I would break the rules for you, so you can rest assure Agatha, that I won´t let anything else happen to her, alright?” Rio knew what to say, because you felt Agatha getting relaxed and she sighed.

“We are going to keep an eye on you, we are going to make sure noting else happens to you, we swear” Agatha commented while looking into your eyes, and Rio nodded quickly.

Smiling at them, the three of you started to walk again, ready to face whatever would be next, Agatha and Rio let you in first, and it made you laugh, you were not sure what was going to happen, or if something really worst was waiting for you outside, but what you were sure, was that with the two of your girlfriends taking care of you, you would be fine, and that was alright, you knew that if anything happened, Rio and Agatha would be there for you, ready to fight against anything that would even just threaten you, so you smiled pulled yourself closer to them when you stepped outside of that place, Agatha came next to you and again she pressed her hand on your waist, and Rio put her hand on your shoulder, they started to guide you to the group that was waiting for you in the middle of the road, and you smiled, you were going to be alright, no matter what.

When you got closer to the group, they heard the leaves been stepped on by someone and they quickly turned their head to look at you, they all had smiles on their faces.

You saw the way the teen turned his body completely towards you and he opened his arms, the closer you got the more you noticed his puffy eyes, when you arrived in front of him, you quickly opened your arms as well and let him engulf you in a hug.

“Thank god you are fine” He said while the two of you slightly swung due to the teen moving to the sides, you giggled and separated yourself to look at him.

“I am fine because Alice saved me” You replied to him and realized all of the witches had come closer and were standing really close to you and the teen hugging you.

You looked to your left to see Alice wiping quickly one tear that was running down her face, and tried to act as if she did not want to cry, she quickly cleared her throat and saw how Lilia and Jenn were smiling at her, Lilia put her hand on Alice´s shoulder and caressed it lovingly.

You chuckled and walked closer to Alice until you were standing next to her, she looked up from the floor to look at you and she shrugged her shoulders.

“No big deal, it was what anyone else would have done, so we´re cool-“ Before she could continue talking you hugged her, your arms around her shoulders.

“Thank you so much Alice, you really are a protection witch, please never doubt that, you are amazing” Your words had touched her heart and she hugged you more, she nodded and when you looked back at her face you noticed she had left the tears ran freely down her face.

“Thank you y/n” Alice replied back at you.

“I am sorry I, I just let you there, in pain, I, I should have done something else, try to look for something to ease the pain but-“ You quickly took Jenn´s hands on yours, you knew she was not really keen on physical contact so you tried to respect that about her.

“It´s alright, you don´t have to be sorry, it was something that was out of your hands, I am grateful that you were able to save him and stop the bleeding, and that´s more than enough, thank you about that, we did not have the time to thank you for that” You said to her smiling, Jenn nodded and caressed the back of your hand.

“Can I get a hug? Everyone seems to love your hugs, I wonder what is so special about them” You nodded laughing and got yourself close to her to hug her, she always smelled amazingly, her perfume seemed to never actually leave her.

“Oh darling, I am so happy you are fine, I cannot imagine what Agatha and Rio would have ended up doing if something happened to you” Lilia pulled you closer to her after you separated yourself from Jenn, and you let her hug you while caressing your back, Lilia then took your hands in hers, and looked straight into your eyes.

“You are so important to everyone, do not ever let yourself think you do not matter alright?” She said to you with a firm tone, yet it was soft at the same time, you could only nod and your eyes filled with tears.

Agatha and Rio looked at the scene in front of them, and Agatha could only think that no one was going to let you get hurt, if for any reason Rio and her were not able to actually protect you, they knew they still had a coven that would do anything to try and protect you as well.

“It looks that you will have to start being kinder to them” Rio said to her with a smirk but she actually meant it.

“Shut up” Agatha said while pushing her slightly in a playful way.

“But you are right, we are a coven after all” Agatha commented while the two of them got close to you and placed each one of them to your sides, both of their hands on your waist.

“We still have to keep on walking, let´s go” Agatha caressed your back again, and while everyone nodded and continued to walk, you couldn’t help the smile on your face from getting bigger, maybe this would be the time for Agatha to start trusting in others, apart from only trusting in you and Rio, but you would still have a lot of time In which you would be able to help Agatha with that, right now, you still had a road to face, and you had never felt so safe and ready to face whatever that would appear.

After all, you had your girlfriends to take care of you, and a whole coven that now, looked after each other.

[roo-bastmoon]

Thoughts on 3D

So Jungkook's collab with Jack Harlow is out. It is catchy; it will go viral. I have purchased it; I will add it to my new releases playlists--same as I do for all our boys.

But while the dancing was cool and JK's parts are okay (I'm not thrilled that the word "girl" is used literally 20 times, but I get what the western music industry is), I was--I need to be honest here--really taken aback and unhappy with how misogynistic Jack Harlow's rap lyrics were. As far as I'm concerned, he's absolutely unnecessary, and I'll be supporting the alternate version with a lot more enthusiasm.

A deeper look at the lyrics and more of my thoughts are under the cut if you're interested (but by clicking, you're agreeing to keep it respectful in the comments or you'll get banned.)

All my ABG's get cute for me I had one girl (One girl), too boring Two girls (Two girls), that was cool for me Three girls, damn, dude's horny Four girls, okay now you whorin' (Hey, hey, hey) Hey, I'm loose I done put these shrooms to good use

Setting young women up in a line and talking about how sleeping with just one is too boring but sleeping with four is whorish? Yeah, miss me with it.

Then there's this:

You won't regret me (You won't regret me) Champagne confetti (Champagne confetti) I wanna see it In motion In 3D (Show it to me, girl, now, why?)

I was given to understand that "ABG" stands for "Asian Baby Girl" and refers to an Asian party girl who likes clubbing, wearing excessive makeup and tattoos, and revealing clothes, etc.

I also learned from Urban Dictionary—which can be an unreliable site with outdated or incorrect information—that "champagne" has referred to underage girls in the past and "confetti" or nowadays “champagne confetti” refers to orgasm, or sometimes when a group of men or women surround someone, masturbate, and then ejaculate on them.

Not even going to get into the shrooms thing. I'm not in a hyper conservative country with harsh punishments for those type of drugs so... I was a bit taken aback about a song about being fucked right, and now there's lyrics about what amounts to harem girls.

*sigh* Do you know how much I hope I'm reading into things incorrectly? Please correct me if I'm misunderstanding the innuendo, but this is what urban dictionary says. I'm 44 and live in a cave. Maybe I'm wrong.

But in any case, the vibe of Jack's parts in the video was not coming off respectful.

I don't care how many other rap songs objectify and insult women--I won't get behind any content that does. And don't even try to gaslight me or other ARMY into saying we should like this because it's comparatively worse in other rap songs. Don't try to suppress any discourse about it, either--let women discuss how they feel about how they are represented. Don't police women. Don't silence women.

BTS' rap music got so much better once they incorporated feminist feedback, so I'm used to a higher standard and I won't be lowering those standards for anyone. I have no hang ups about sex, but please miss. me. with. misogynistic. bullshit.

Then again, it seems some of the rap hyungs were on board with this.

So I guess industry pros have a different take on stuff like this!

*shrug*

Okay, we have established that I really don't like Jack Harlow's contributions to this song. Which means I'll support the alternative. Thank goodness they had the foresight to provide an alternative!

Now I can work for JK's charts in a way that doesn't aggravate my conscience. All good. Enough said on 3D.

Personally? I really hope JJK1 showcases JK's range of genres, but also has a range of topics besides pursuing girls or being cool.

I just can't vibe with a fuckboy persona; I never liked Justin Bieber or Justin Timberlake for that very reason, even if some of their songs sound fine. Now, if Jungkook really admires their style and wants to pursue it, I'm not going to rag on him for it. Of course not. It's his choice and I can respect people's choices without making the same choices myself.

I will always try to support our members as far as I can, even if not everything is my cup of tea.

But I can't help hoping for something personal and authentic and substantive, when it's just Jungkook coming to us without a collab. (And with Scooter at the helm for an all-English EP, I guess I'm not holding my breath. But maybe this is all part of the learning and growing process. Time will tell.)

Please know that I don't expect other people to suit me and my tastes, but neither will I enthusiastically support content with my time and money when they don't suit me at all or actually really turn me off, ya feel me? It's a real and respectful relationship I have with BTS and their music; not performative. I don't follow along quietly out of obligation, but rather a sincere joy to participate.

I love Jungkook deeply. He's a sweet and intelligent and kind-hearted young man. Amazingly talented and humble. Sincere, open to being vulnerable, protective of those whom he loves. He donates to kid's hospitals, for goodness sake. Jeon Jungkook is a good egg.

I guess I'm just sort of feeling a bit whelmed by the type of music that is in vogue these days. JK worked hard, he did well on his parts. I just am hoping his album showcases some of the emotional depth and meaningful thoughts I have seen from him in the past, if I'm being purely honest. *shrug*

Those are my less-than-two cents. Of course, you may have a vastly different perspective and I appreciate that. Just please keep it respectful of all members and each other in the comments here. It's been a long day and I desperately need some real rest now. I'm trusting I can post this and not come back to a warzone.

I've got a Friday Thirst post in the queue for you guys, and then I'll be taking a bit of a break from social media for a few days to work on work deadlines. Please keep voting for Jimin and of course stream and buy for Jungkook and other new releases.

Sending you all so much love!

~Roo

[soshadysoquiet]

If TUA had bird wings indulge me:

What birds do you think TUA crew would be if they had wings of the species that best matched the combo of their personality, powers, physiology and birth country? (Just dealing with the OG 7 here)

I'm thinking:

Luther - A strong bird obvs / powerful, more known for strength than agility, maybe a Condor / Vulture - both are fairly social birds which I feel is where Luther should have been able to thrive / truly wants to be. (Also why then he would have been messed up further as a kid if the birdy-bit of him wanted to bond and was limited in this). Both species can be monogamous which fits with him and Sloane. *Then I remembered he's from Sweden and looked up Swedish birds and the biggest is the White-Tailed Sea Eagle.. Potentially could he be an Albatross?

Diego - Gotta be a bird of prey, right? I think he'd suit an ornery bird species, ideally one that's agile - I found there's a species called a Laughing Falcon and as he's always teasing and testing his siblings that sounded fun. They're typically very solitary though (fits the lone wolf vibe he rocks in S1 but are they enough of a mummy's bird for him?) The Caracara sounds like an interesting option too though and is agile and more social though less high-flying. Or should he be a water bird - the Neotropic Cormorant?

Allison - I wondered about birds that could mimic other sounds to suit her abilities in a way - like a Mockingbird, or are capable of some form of manipulation / cunning / 'acting' in a way like a Raven, Magpie or a Cuckoo (apparently American birds aren't allowed to act btw? Also never knew that there is an extinct Carolina Parakeet). But I'd also like a flashy-plumaged bird for her in a way to signify that aspect of her interests.

Klaus - Again we need a mischievous bird / and the obvious choice would be one associated with death. I do quite like a Crow for Klaus, because they're cawing often sounds like cackling laughter and humour is very much a go-to defence for him, they're also (I believe) typically smaller than say Ravens and I feel he has a less powerful build and more a nimble one. However Magpie would work well too and I worry that a 'death bird' is too obvious a choice; he could be a more flashy bird to show off his personality - the Baltimore Oriole, Indigo Bunting, or Blue Jay could be fun for him (Plus I feel Reggie would look down on frivolous birds)

Five - I feel this is a good opportunity to use an Owl species - known for their silent hunting style which works for someone who can appear and disappear at will along with his potential for being an assassin. Also they're methodical and pair / family-orientated rather than colony birds typically. The barn owl is the one that screams which lets be honest kinda fits. But they're not the most intelligent species and most Corvids would fit him well too. (Could also poke fun at him by making him a tiny aggressive bird like a Robin, or a Seagull - also with the screaming).

Ben - Loons live in Korea which I didn't know before today - and they can have a very unsettling cry if you don't know it's a bird (a sound that's often used in horror films) so that could work. Albatross is also here, and the migratory nature of them makes them feel other-worldly to me. Heron; because they lurk. Or potentially a Crane -they have elaborate courtship dances, which links nicely to the romantic /artistic side of Ben's personality.

Viktor - I kinda wanna say a Goose because you don't fuck with Geese. But then maybe a more musical bird - the Eurasian Blackcap is meant to have a beautiful song. A Bullfinch could be quite fun for Viktor because the male has bright bold colours and the female is more subdued in colouring; which could signify his confidence and happiness increasing following his transition. (Transgender peeps feel free to advise on whether this would be appropriate or not I do not mean to harm anyone)

Any other bird offerings please to say!

[arogustus]

Splatband Analysis - Chirpy Chips

(Disclaimer: This analysis is based on what I get out of looking into the character descriptions we have of the splatband characters. If you disagree with what I say, that is fine, we are all beheld to our opinions. Just don't be a jerk about it.)

Splatband Analysis - Chirpy Chips

It’s the autism and ADHD squad! The chiptune chippers, Marie’s and Nintendo’s favorite band and the only one to survive Nine years together without drama (bar that one time), it’s the Chirpy Chips! Love these dudes.

Now, before we go into this, let’s address the Harmony in the room. Specifically that she has a room, in-game, where she exists in the polygonal flesh to interact with as a shopkeeper. Her autistic swag made her popular enough to be the first Splatband character to show up in the games, which means we actually know her and how she behaves. So, I’m gonna leave her for last and go about her like this: First, I’ll look into what we used to know before Splatoon 3 about her, and then we’ll compare that to her appearance in-game to see if it matches up. See if she was done right by the game. Now let’s meet these chips!

The Band

The Chirpy Chips debuted after Squid Squad all the way back in Splatoon 1, nine years ago (God). Dominating the charts thanks to their chiptune rock style, made with the help of multiple Nintendo machines (Gamers), this band has managed to outlast Squid Squad without disbanding all the way to Splatoon 3!.. Ok, actually that’s not true. According to a Famitsu Interview for Splatoon 2, the Chirpy Chips actually disbanded ever so briefly! No word as to why, but they reformed shortly after and wrote and performed Blitz It during the high of joining back. After that they’ve stuck together ever since, only really going on break because Harmony started working at Hotlantis. 

Don’t site that NoA post for Chirpy Chips Splat 3 that said there was drama by the way. The band was just on break, they are fine and NoA is just trying to stir up fake drama. It’s just like real life!

All of these guys are autistic. Like, that’s not a theory, but a fact. None of their descriptions make them sound neurotypical, that’s for sure. The band just seems to vibe perfectly with each other despite some of their issues, and they all go at their own pace. Turns out the secret to surviving in the music industry all along was to make neurodivergent friends. 

One of their performance tricks that they do is to glow in sync during songs. It’s a super cool visual to imagine, though probably done through artificial means, at least for Orion and Sid. As far as I know, there aren’t any bioluminescent crabs or flapjack octopi. Anemone and squid on the other hand do have glowing members, but it doesn’t confirm if they do it naturally or are using artificial means too. Either way these guys are a colorful bunch. And also none of them know how to dance, emphasizing further that these four are all dorks.

Noiji

Noiji is the hyperactive guitarist of the band, a stark contrast to the significantly less energetic rest of the band. He’s described as uncontrollable and bright, with a sunny disposition and an irresistible urge to run up and down slopes. He sounds overwhelming, and maybe impulsive if that slope running thing can be applied to other actions, but somehow he manages to get along well with the others. What is his secret? Also to keep with the neurodivergenceness, he has a special interest for vending machines. He would have loved them in Side Order, that’s for sure. Honestly I love vending machines too, they’re really cool, but just too expensive for someone of my income level (for now, anyway).

He used to be a part of a punk band called BariBari before he joined the Chirpy Chips.Surprising considering his colorfulness, but he seems to either formerly be, or still is, a punk. No word why he left the band though or what happened to it, but during that point he met and befriended Orion and formed the Chirpy Chips with them. They’re described to be on good terms with each other, which makes sense since, again, they knew each other before the rest joined up. 

Orion

The band's bassist and composer, a shy flapjack octopus. Yeah, despite being an octopus, they’re not an octoling, likely because of the fact the flapjack doesn’t naturally produce ink. They must be classified as something different to the inkfish, but what that is is something I don’t know. They’re an introvert, they don’t enjoy standing out or performing in front of crowds, and the compositions they upload independent of the band are done quietly. Makes one wonder how exactly someone like them made friends with Noiji. They’re an intellectual, geeky type, with a taste for outdated and strange subjects, as well as a preference for chiptune that they ensure the bands music keeps to. 

Surprising us all, Orion also got actual dialogue of sorts in the Splatoon 3 Chill Season 2023 update! Specifically in the form of Harmony reading a letter written by them. As Harmony herself describes, they talk the way they play the bass, EXTRA. Mostly in the form of excited statements and jokes about the band's lack of dancing ability. Kind of a stark difference from what we know of them, either because they’re doing this via text without having to face anyone, or because they’ve become more outgoing over the years. Either way an honor. Also canon they/them! Good for they.

Sid

The band's drummer, and the eldest among them. They’ve been drumming for a while, having performed for several other bands before joining the Chips, and they have a strong reputation in the community because of it. It seems that because of this, they’ve taken something of a silent mentor role to the others, supporting them in the background without ever taking the lead. Sort of a big brother style relationship going on. 

They’re described as easygoing, but with a hidden temper that only ever surfaces once a year, where they become way crabbier. To me it says that they don’t really express their frustrations often, just letting them simmer before they snap and vent it out. And even then they don’t draw a lot of attention that way. 

Harmony (and fish)

The anemone of the hour, the band’s vocalist and visual designer. As said above, I’ll first go over the info we knew of her before her appearance in Splatoon 3, and then compare it to what we’ve learned now to see if it was faithful to her character. 

She’s described as relaxed and going at her own pace, but to the point of being unmotivated. She’s frequently late for practice, and considering the state of her fish, who is “dying” of neglect (quote marks there cause the little guy is still alive somehow), it sounds a lot like executive dysfunction. I would know, I’m like her sometimes. Her singing voice is mentioned to also have been pretty flat and listless, but it seems years of performance has made it change to a much livelier tone in the intervening two years. She talks loosely and moves peculiarly, something the fans secretly enjoy. Why secretly? Is there a stigma against it? Her listless singing is mentioned to be a hot topic, so it might be the case.

We see in the bands’ album art for Splatoon 2 that she’s the one who mixes the chiptune music on nintendo consoles. Easy to say that she’s the pre-requisite in-universe Nintendo fan for this game. There’s one in pretty much every franchise. Skipping to “3” a bit, we can also assume she’s the one who edited the trailer, which shows off a lot of fun visuals and jokes, as well as her just goofing off like the dork that she is. For how reserved she comes off, she’s got an eccentric, goofy side hidden under there.

But now we’ve actually met her as Hotlantis’ shopkeeper! She’s a fan of the place, so despite the threat of having to work retail, she’s staying in the area in the actual manager’s place while he’s gone. She’s a fan of the store and all its useless knick knacks. As for herself as a person, it’s safe to say it all matches what we used to know of her. She’s pretty self-paced and blunt, commenting on your achievements out loud no matter how rude it sounds. She admits to it too if she beats you at tableturf, she doesn’t really know how else to talk. Her lack of motivation shows up anytime she needs to recite something Barry told her to do. She just plain doesn’t want to do any of it. She still does the work she’s willingly doing, she’s just going at her own pace. 

The fish is a fish, no telling what is up with them. Though according to some artbook information in “3” (correct me if I’m wrong), the reason they’re so sick is actually because Harmony’s hair isn’t protecting it very well. They’re still sticking around anyway, granted we’re not sure how clownfish do without an anemone, but it still seems like they’re staying of their own volition.

—

Harmony’s, and later Dedf1shes inclusion, gives us all hope we can see more of our favorite obscure characters in the games themselves. And looking at Harmony, we don’t have to worry too much about them being out of character, since she’s pretty accurate to the info we know.

I love these weird goobers. They should continue showing up. But now we are in the finale. Ω-3 is all that’s left now. See ya next time!

[startwelve]

Feeling love's strange

Hellooooo Well I love the band Black Sabbath, rockers and Goddess Maddy... so I wrote this shit Hope you like!!!

Maddy Perez was accustomed to the fast-paced and party-filled life in California. But everything changed when a new boy moved to town. He was different from the others: he had a rough appearance, listened to heavy rock, and most notably, he had a motorcycle that accompanied him everywhere.

From the moment she saw him, Maddy felt a strange attraction to him. Although his defiant image contrasted with her lifestyle, she couldn't help but feel intrigued. She wanted to know him beyond appearances and discover what lay behind that facade.

At one of the famous weekend parties, Maddy attended with Cassie, Lexi, Rue, and Jules. For most of the party, Maddy danced, drank, and avoided eye contact with her ex-boyfriend Nate. At one point, a jerk on the dance floor grabbed her face and kissed her. Maddy pushed him away, slapped him, and left the crowd to go to the bathroom to fix her ruined makeup.

Maddy was looking at herself in the mirror when someone entered the bathroom. It was him. She couldn't help but glance at him, intrigued by his appearance and mysterious aura.

"¿Hello, do you mind if I join you here? This place is a bit crowded," he said, smiling slightly.

Maddy looks at him and smiles.

"Sure, go ahead. No problem." She bites her lower lip. "By the way, I've never seen you at these parties before. Are you new in town?"

"That's right. My name is Roger," he introduced himself.

"I'm Maddy."

"Lovely name, Maddy," Roger said subtly, savoring the girl's name. "I moved here recently. Came in search of a fresh start, I suppose," Roger said and shrugged.

"A fresh start, huh? Sounds interesting," Maddy said curiously as she crossed her arms. "And what specifically brought you to California?"

Roger leaned on the sink and took a cigarette from the pocket of his jeans, lit it, and took a drag, under Maddy's watchful eye.

"Freedom, I guess. I wanted to escape my old life and experience something different. Also, I like the weather here and the vibe of the city," he chuckled softly. "And, of course, the music."

"Music? What kind of music do you like?" Maddy asked interested.

"Heavy rock. It's my passion. Music has a unique way of expressing what I feel, and heavy rock makes my heart beat faster," he said with a spark of excitement in his eyes.

"I understand what you mean. Music is my escape too, but I tend to lean more towards a different style, something softer and melodic."

"So, I guess we're like polar opposites in that sense. But maybe that's what makes it interesting," Roger said with a grin.

Maddy laughed. "Yes, I suppose so." She moved a little closer to him. "But sometimes they say that opposites attract."

"That's true. And I think I might be feeling that attraction right now."

Maddy blushed slightly and nervously played with a strand of her hair.

"Oh, really? Well, I guess it could be mutual."

Roger leaned in a bit closer to her, crouching a bit to reach her height, and looked into her eyes, whispering, "Why don't we find out?"

Maddy took a deep breath and felt drawn to him.

"Maybe we should."

She leaned in, and their lips met in a passionate kiss, tasting the alcohol and tobacco on each other's lips.

The background music and noise from the party faded away as Maddy and the motorcycle boy immersed themselves in their own world, exploring the connection they had just discovered in the middle of the party.

The unexpected encounter only fueled Maddy's desire to get to know the motorcycle boy better. They started to meet casually, sharing laughs and conversations about music, life, and dreams. Although their worlds seemed opposite, they found a deep connection between them.

With time, Maddy discovered that behind his rough appearance, the boy was someone sensitive, passionate about music, and had a heart full of dreams. And he, in turn, admired Maddy's courage and authenticity, how she was different from the other girls he had met.

The End

[gothicprep]

so... joker 2 was not great. i wasn't expecting it to be. it's a very good looking movie, and you can tell a lot of intentionality went into shot composition. i also didn't realize that these movies were meant to take place in the late 70s. like '78 or '79. all of the music the characters sing and listen to is from the 70s (there isn't original music in this). the tech and the vehicles are all from the 70s. the characters talk about this being the first nationally televised trial, so it's pre-OJ at the very least. maybe this was obvious in the first movie and i wasn't paying that close attention. oh well.

this is going to sound very weird, but if you do end up seeing the movie, you'll understand exactly what i mean. now. i cannot prove this. there is absolutely no verify whether this is true or not. however. WB was supposed to release this movie called "coyote vs acme" last summer. they ended up pulling this from the release schedule and replacing it with barbie. it was a whole ~thing~ and it's currently stuck in distribution purgatory. it's probably going to stay there. but like. i swear to god. it seems like elements of that script ended up in this movie. it opens with a looney tunes style cartoon. looney tunes cartoons are featured pretty prominently in the movie. arthur/the joker does this strange accented voice in the courtroom, which is where most of the movie takes place. just the way it plays with unreality in general. it sort of has that cartoony vibe to it in some of its scenes.

another thing the movie is trying to do is play with how, when the first movie came out, there was this weird thing that happened where a ton of journalists said that this was going to inspire, like, incel mass shooters, based on... i don't even know. and nothing ended up coming of that. that whole thing was very strange. i don't think it entirely works in this movie, though. and the ending is rough.

i went to this thinking to myself "i don't what this is going to be about." turns out todd phillips and scott silver didn't know either. thumbs down. i don't regret going to see it, but it's not good.

[whiskeyswifty]

What’s your favorite thing about folklore?

oh my god what a question. I'm just gonna riff off the dome here because if i try to go at this in any kind of organized way, i'll write a deranged thesis paper. (this is about the album proper, sorry to the lakes. too bad she never released it and we'll never know what it sounded like)

Gut reaction to this question is just how complete it is. It's an idea and concept, a writing prompt if you will, compiled neatly and cohesively in a way that's the perfect digestible length for it's form (music/an album) and also all killer, no filler. All the vignettes are not a "story" (save for the love triangle which i largely ignore because it's shoehorned) but come off like an anthology; that is to say that they're a series of emotional vignettes across a range of life experiences, but explored through the motifs and styles of one writer. I cannot jump around with folklore, i must press play on the 1, which has never happened before with a taylor album. It has no skips, every single one flowing smoothly but efficiently with the ebb and flow pacing of a babbling brook. (i do skip mad woman occasionally cuz its not what i wanna hear at the moment or epiphany cuz it's too heavy and too soon to go back to that mental place, but they're both excellent and fit perfectly within the album when i'm casually listening)

The sound is also just so perfectly aligned with my tastes. I contain multitudes, but unfortunately one of those is being a sad indie white girl lol. I love soft rubber bridge guitars, and whining violins and piano and minimal but expertly layered textures. atmospheric ones that carry the mood and the fill the space like fog but let you feel close to the artist, as i've said once before, as if she were sitting next to you and talking directly to you. There's a lushness to live instruments played softly and as pieces of a whole, and it makes any additions from a moog softened and supplementary. It just, for me anyway, really helps to hear the tactile nature of the instruments and mistakes and the breaths and the pedals on the piano and all the rest. it's the perfect mix of what i love musically from that genre, akin to Sujfan or Lucy/Phoebe or imogen heap or the xx or lana at times. even as way back and like dashboard, which shows my age a bit. you know the vibes. And i love how jack leaned into his more orchestral side, which he doesn't often do with taylor, still to this day. august in particular is just outstanding and he's great at stuff like that and i wish they would do more like that together!

I think its the PERFECT use of her voice. it's not blasphemous to say of all her artistic talents, she does not have a voice that can stack up against her peers vocally. But, as i've also said a million times before so sorry to bring it up again, she has a very emotive voice when it comes to the tiniest and most nuanced of emotions. maybe because she's less focused on vocal runs or hitting notes, but this album has her voice really shine. it's textured and rough and soft and smooth at the same time, fully bringing you whatever raw emotion is on the page. its the voice of a scribbled journal entry if that makes sense, off the cuff, unpracticed (even though i'm sure it is), and so intimate. you can hear her smile and hear when her throat is thick, it's just a showcase of her voice like nothing else. the pared down sound really lets all those tiny moments rise to the surface.

visually, i mean what can i say. her second best album cover ever. Fully removing herself from the center of it, diminishing herself with the trees for scale. Trees that have existed before her and will outlive her, as if to say this, the act of making art and ultimately the art itself, is so much bigger than me. my life and my problems. but everything is bigger than me, and it's important to not lose sight of that. which, if you were an adult at that time, particularly of a similar age to her at least, you commiserate with that sentiment. the black and white isn't actually black, but more of a warm gray, which i also love. i also know it was mainly out of necessity, but embracing how dressed down and simple her styling was. wrinkled dresses and limp, unruly hair. really suited the look of someone who's going to spin you a tale. NO TEXT TOO LIKE YEAHHHHHHHH god it's perfect and so well designed.

rapid fire now, lets see. i love that peace was done in one take, and you can tell, in a good way! and it's her HEARTBEAT???? i'm a sucker for that, no matter how played out that trick is, and imo it's justified because they disguise it with a dissonant tone of sorts. i love the PERFECT knee jerk answer opening of "i'm doing good" and then proceeding to delve into some of her darkest emotions she'd explored thus far (and in some ways since). i love that illicit affairs is missing it's final chorus, a song that is structurally unfinished and just peters out, the way doomed affairs always do. the way she never mentions the location or even the event, but the soundscape and the lyrics of my tears ricochet paint a perfectly clear church and funeral in your mind!! i love the word ricochet and i love how easy it is to spew it with vitriol. as corny as it is in the context of the rest of this more subtle album lyrically, i love the swiftian turn in the bridge of tlgad like.... damnit it's always so delicious. that harmonica in betty is just like a glass of sweet tea on a muggy summer night, it's SO bright and fun and puts a smile on my face every time!

But all that to say I think my favorite thing is seven. seven is a perfect song. her best song. the best version of a taylor swift song. a song so emotionally poignant and transcendent it wins over, however begrudgingly, even the biggest haters of her and indie music as it pokes at that one spot that will always be soft, and it's blank space's spiritual successor and therefore foil in that way. incredible feat to use the motif of your childhood self and not come off trite, like most other attempts by other artists can be. the most opaque she's ever been lyrically, which is a huge risk to take. small in scale but massive in it's implications and intentions. a song where the meaning and gravity exist in your reaction to it and not the song itself. perfect art. an opus of a song on an opus of an album.

[suseagull5914]

For ficlet Friday- “No need to be hateful in your fake Gucci sweater” (My Kink Is Karma)

RWRB… maybe Henry focused? ❤️💙

TW for (almost) drowning and CW for drinking/alcohol (not my usual style, but with this prompt, I had to). Also, I know you said Henry... Hopefully it just being about Henry is okay?

Alex can't believe this guy. He's just so… infuriating. 

He's always so pretentious. Everything he says… It's like he took the entire works of Jane Austen and swallowed them whole, regurgitating them at every available opportunity. Plus, his tone is always so condescending. And don't even get Alex started on the way the guy dresses. Gucci, Prada, Armani… it's all fake, it has to be- after all, they're in college. Unless Mr. High and Mighty paid for it with his gran’s money, which is entirely possible. Alex thinks he's heard people say she's the CEO of some really successful real estate agency or something like that. 

He's thinking all this as he spots Henry at the latest frat party. He wouldn't be here, but Nora insisted, claiming that the guy who invited her, Pez, is unlike anyone she's ever met. Not that she's into him- she's been dating Alex's sister since they started college (a fact that had irritated Alex a little, considering he had dated Nora in high school). “He just has this vibe that draws everyone to him,” she had tried to explain. “You'll see what I mean when you meet him.”

And yeah, Pez is cool. The thing is, though, the person he seems to hang out with the most is Henry, of all people, and Alex just doesn't get it. Either Pez isn't as great as Nora seems to think, or Henry is much more laid-back than Alex thinks (but he's pretty sure it's the former). 

So Alex tries his hardest to hang out with Nora and some of their other friends and totally ignore Henry, and he mostly succeeds. 

He’s so happy, and some might say that's at least partly because of what he's been drinking, but he doesn't care. He makes his way over to the pool, looking down at the people swimming in there. If only he'd brought his bathing suit…

Oh crap.

He's in the pool, and he doesn't want to admit it, but somehow, it's like all of those summers swimming in lake LBJ have totally vanished from his brain. 

He comes up spluttering, gasping for air and flailing his arms. Maybe if he does it enough, he’ll somehow make it back to the edge of the pool and be able to pull himself up and out of the water. 

His efforts are useless, though. He seems to stay in one place, and it's only when he realizes that that he starts shouting- not that he expects anyone to hear him, since the music's loud and most of the guests are inside. 

Then suddenly, he hears the muffled sound of a splash as someone jumps in after him. He wants to tell them what a bad idea it is, but he's too busy trying to keep his head above water. 

Then someone’s grabbing him around the waist, pulling him back. 

The next thing Alex knows, he's gasping for air and looking up to thank his rescuer.

He's dumbfounded when he looks up and finds Henry looking down at him. Although he guesses he shouldn't be surprised because, “You wanted to play the hero, didn't you?”

“That, or I couldn't let the most handsome man I've ever seen drown before I got the chance to ask him out.”

Alex just stares at him for a second, mouth agape. “Yes.” 

It was the least he could do, after all.

[akookminsupporter]

Kpop is just an industry not genre. They release songs in different genres.. especially BTS have a wide variety of genres.

For me, I know many kpop groups... know as in just know their names. And some of the very popular members. I listen to kpop songs I vibe with.. but that doesn't mean I stan them or even take an effort to atleast checkout who are the members. Maybe it's one song I like or maybe it's many of their title songs. For eg. Seventeen. I like their 'SUPER' but I can only identify few members of that group. But for TWICE I know most of their title songs and knows members too but except watching their performances like watching a pretty performance I don't have any other connection with members. I don't listen to any groups regularly nor watch any of their vareity contents.

Mostly because even after listening to their songs none of them were intresting enough to check out more about them... It's not that I'm purposefully doing it lol...but just that they don't intrest me much. Now even if I watch some variety contents, in my mind I automatically compare them to bangtan shows because wow the difference is so clear just like the difference in year end shows we watched 🥲💀

Yesterday I watched a skz code episode of straykids with my sister who's a stay. Ik many people enjoy it.. but for me it felt wayyyy to dry and scripted. For eg. They were at a country side for a break, cooking and camping. Now what have we watched in Bon voyage countryside episode? Them wearing minimal or even no makeup, wearing regular clothes suitable for cold climate, each doing their own jobs and cooking delicious looking meals. That's what we've been watching all these years... our standard. And what I saw here ? 8 boys who are styled like they are about to perform on stage with pretty jewelery and designer clothing. Playing football or volleyball to decide who will do each job and cooked some plain af food.. I'm not even exaggerating when I say that chicken was plain af 😭. It was like a cultural shock for me who watched JK taking a lot effort to cook sauces or Tae waking up with drool on his chin or Jimin wearing his puffy jacket and beanie.

So yeah.. till now only bangtan broke that artist vs casual listener barrier for me. They are the most rich, most successful artists in kpop but my broke ass can only relate to them 😭🤡 I can't relate to an idol who's looking like he's on stage to perform while doing a simple live when here I'm seeing JK's 4 hours kinda live.

I agree that it's an industry, but it's also a genre, think about it. Although it's true that K-pop is a blend of many genres, influences, and sounds, there's something intrinsic to them, and indeed, that's one of the differences between BTS and many of their peers, which is why many consider BTS in a different category, and some are even bolder in considering them an entirely different genre, at least compared to their peers in Korea.

When you're so immersed in this, as many of us are, it's normal to learn about the industry, which means learning the names of other groups. I can mention the names of many groups, but I couldn't identify a specific member, much less one of their songs, even if I've heard one of their songs before.

The point is, it's not that we don't believe these other groups are talented or don't have good songs; the issue is that what they have doesn't interest us. And it's not that we don't want to give them a chance; it's that what we've seen hasn't been enough to want to give them one. That's not our problem.

I understand regarding variety content. It has happened to me too; on TikTok, several times I've seen clips that are funny and catch a bit of my attention, but when I look for the full video, I get bored after the first minute, and like you, I can't help but make comparisons with BTS's variety content. Is it fair? I don't know, but that's what ends up happening.

For most of the fandom, the most important thing is the music, the connection to BTS's music, but it's also them. It's the sincerity in their words when talking about the fandom. It's everything they've done for their fandom. It's the fact that, to some extent, they've always been honest with us and have shown us their true selves. And being a bit cynical, it's the fact that they've organically known how to nurture the social relationship the fandom has with them.

[arthuluart]

Hiii - wanted to say first thing first I love your art style, it's so dynamic and fun and those color palettes? Stunning ^^

And second thing second, just some food for thought if you ever want to get angsty about Jerry and Dean, coffee by Chappell Roan sounds like it was written about their break up specifically and I can't stop thinking abt it dndnden

*Cue me losing my mind*

Hiii- they say flattery gets you everywhere and turns out with me, it gets you animatics- jkjk but I do appreciate the kind comments ^^

I’ll put up the animatic separately and take the opportunity to leave the preamble here to keep the video post neat bc until someone tells me to shut up and just post art- I’m gonna ramble… So here’s the commentary you didn’t ask for along with my favourite panels:

First off- You turned me into a big time Chappell Roan listener which is great bc I need music recs to fix my listening habits before Spotify wrapped drops. My roundup last year was shameful… Red Wine Supernova is my new dish washing song.

Even tho it’s not the song’s vibe I kept the content as silly as I could for my own sanity. I don’t love getting too deep into the serious/sad side of M+L for a few reasons but I do find it all very interesting. Point being this song was too good to pass up doing something a bit bigger for.

Ngl tho- this did have me pulling out hair at multiple points. I never colour animatics, rarely even tone them- but you mentioned colour palettes and I was determined to deliver so pardon the messy colouring but (that was the tradeoff) I did not have it in me to stay in the lines. I’m choosing to be kind to myself and opt to call it an artistic choice and not midway burnout. And nothing was gonna get me to open after effects/premiere not even the janky ass golf ball OML this only makes sense if u watch the video.

There are parts of this I’m SO happy with and others I hate. I think it’s really obvious which sections I started losing steam on but overall I lowkey like the end product. Nothing I make will ever be good/perfect- this was one hell of a practice in accepting that lmao- but I can still be ok with the work problems and all yknow? I very nearly shelved this completely bc I got so worked up about the maybe 5 panels I dislike out of 106 total. Counting them was eye opening to ask myself: you’re gonna let that small a ratio stop you from sharing this after putting in days and days of effort? The insecurity goes deep and TBH getting asks has been a nice way of working through it since I post the art I make for answers no matter what only bc I KNOW someone out there wants to see it. It might not sound it but it’s actually quite positive.

Also, although I feel I’ve done my fair share of reading, I’m no expert. So if anything is really off point- sorry my bad (I won’t fix it tho bc I cannot physically stand to look at this another second lol)

I tried to stick to real things found in articles/books/photos/interviews etc bc outside of obviously fictional AUs I’m not super into making stuff up about them (and who needs to I mean the legit stuff is already insane enough) Sure I framed the events in specific ways to suit the song and some aspects are fictionalized (mainly bc the referenced written accounts lacked detail to draw 100% faithfully from anyhow) but otherwise I got my sources cited.

ANYWAYS… sorry for hijacking this answer I need to learn to chill out. Irl I’m a pretty reserved talker so you can tell I’m in a comfy place when I let loose and blather on endlessly lmao brevity is not a skill I possess.

You were probably expecting illustrations or smth but I hope what I came up with is still somewhat alright AND please don’t let my complaining fool you, I genuinely loved making this.

One FINAL Relevant Note: the line “nowhere else is safe every place leads back to your place” is gut wrenching. You’re so right about this song perfectly describing the break up. They always came back to each other and there’s something so devastating about that kind of haunting human connection.

OkAY I’m done promise- I thought I’d implode if I didn’t get all that out

[accirax]

initial thoughts on DCAS episode 16

... is Derek really an incel? like, at the very least, shouldn't him being with Kristal prove that he isn't an incel? i have no qualms with Emily insulting Derek, but she should at least be accurate.

ooh, Emily going full villain mode? we stan :D

girl how would you possibly think this would work

so Ally has resorted to playing a fully emotional game, huh? you either get eliminated a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the Jake.

the music in this scene cracked me up. also, i think aleriya is (canonically) dead after this scene, if it hadn't already died beforehand. (i say canonically bc fans can do whatever they want)

d-does he still...? also, obligatory "just because Connor loves Riya doesn't mean she has any obligation to love him back, villain or not."

i really can't tell if this part of Ally's character arc is meant to be viewed as good or bad. like, the show is obviously telling us that Ally's overall trajectory is bad, and being needlessly cruel to other people for the sake of putting your own emotional wellbeing first could certainly be a part of that. but, there's also been a lot of commentary about how hard it is to be under the scrutiny of social media (likely from the crew's own experiences), so Ally learning to stand up for herself and what she needs could also be a form of wish fulfillment. hopefully it'll resolve as a multi-layered predicament in the end, but i'm just trying to figure out how Ally will respond to her edit in All Stars in either the finale or the Loser's Motel episode.

...can't you just wait, like, two more episodes to directly state the point of your character arc, essentially then concluding it? then i could be sure that you'd win.

HELP

lmao of course the nerd can't rock climb. he can carry 120 pounds on his back but he cannot ascend.

Connor is really fucking strong goddamn?

Ally really can't fight this, because this is the exact rationale that she was trying to use on Jake for their entire games.

i want to see people draw buff Grett in the style of the buff Natsuki meme from DDLC. but, also, go Grett!!!

the intense difficulty of a twelve piece jigsaw puzzle. Venus noted that it really sounded like Kristal was describing a slide puzzle, but I understand why that would've been really difficult to storyboard.

Connor you can't be this stupid (/j)

in-universe, i don't really understand how she beat Alec (he was really good at the block puzzle in s1 and it fits his vibes), but yay Grett! i knew she wasn't going home tonight anyway.

what else could it have possibly been, Ally? regardless, we're definitely setting up the pieces for Grett's downfall soon.

can you really count the TikTok challenge as a "Jake immunity win"? literally everyone except Gabby and Grett won immunity in that challenge.

for a moment, i really thought Connor was going to pull the Kim Possible "out there... in here..." thing.

so true Jake

this feels like a fanfic line

you know Jake's having flashbacks to his last final 6 experience.

well, while i certainly thought that it was Riya's time to go in terms of the cut, it does actually make more sense for Alec to go home here, no plot armor involved! (other than arguably the plot armor of not letting Alec win the challenge.) Alec is much more threatening in a final 3 situation because of his greater athleticism and intelligence as compared to Riya, and Grett is closer to Riya than Alec. it sucks to see one of my favorites go, but it's entirely logical.

Riya out here projecting ("little toy")

this was such a good moment. i especially love the storytelling without dialogue going on with Connor's reaction. anyways, if Riya wasn't going to win before, she's definitely not going to win now. you don't get hit with the "look at what a sorry state you're in" three episodes before the final and then snatch the W.

maybe you shouldn't have fired and humiliated your employees live on TV, then.

is this season going to end with Kristal resigning from the show? i thought that might happen to make way for Emily as the new host, but now that she's going more villainous, i don't think that'll be the cast anymore. maybe Derek and Trevor will take the show back over, as (I think) the more popular hosts in the fandom?

anyways. a solid episode! i think a good number of people saw the Connor idol play coming from a mile away, so it wasn't all that surprising that one of the major villains was going down. still, we had interesting strategy and some great character moments, especially for Connor. they're really making the best of his extended time in All Stars. and, hey, there are only two guys left, so maybe he'll make the finale! it doesn't really matter, though, because it's gonna be Jake. i'll keep riding the Jake winner train until he gets eliminated. not that i think that's going to happen ;)

see you next week!

[stormdragon23]

Top 5 memories 💖

Oof, this one might be a little personal, so I'm gonna hide it as much as possible zxlkvnsdd

Wonder how many people will read this >_>

1. Chatting with fren

You know who you are :3c I enjoyed making AUs and cute situations about our favorite couples and the fluffy moments our blorbos would have. I kept inserting angst, but I'm too soft for hurt/comfort alsdjfdsf Sorry about that

It's really nice to talk to someone who has a lot of the same views as me. Maybe that's a bit weird, but I enjoy us being weird together :3 I think we understand each other well, and being on the same level of weirdness makes wonderful moments for our favorite ships

And also ranting about how people ruin our blorbos xfjlsdjf They do deserve better <3

2. My old college dorm

After having two roommates for a couple of years, I spent my last year in a single dorm. While it was nice having roommates, my single dorm was very cozy to me. It was one of the bigger singles, and I got to arrange it the way I wanted it. It was also pretty quiet, and I set up some nice LED lights that made it even cozier. It was probably small for a bedroom, considering my desk and a few drawers were in my room, but I like small, almost crowded bedrooms personally

I kind of miss it

3. Religious group

I don't consider myself super religious, but I was a member of a religious group back when I was younger. While I wasn't too into the religious stuff (I follow the religion, but I'm not a devout follower), the people who were in the religious group were so kind and welcoming to me. I don't really have any close IRL friends, so being able to feel included in the group was very nice. I don't really keep in contact with them as I feel awkward, but I have very fond memories of them

I still think about them a lot

4. Getting to K-Pop

Funny story: I hated K-Pop when I was younger haha

To be fair, when you're an awkward middle school being forced to dance "Gangnam Style," you have certain feelings towards that music genre >_>

It didn't help that the only groups I knew was. Probably Twice? It was a super girly girl that doesn't personally vibe with me. And BTS. I didn't have anything against BTS at the time. It was the fans. The really. Hyper fans. You know what I mean

I only really got into K-Pop a few years ago because of Stray Kids. I think it was because I was starting to like rap music at the time, so that's also why. I used to dislike rap music too. Now I realize it's because the rap songs I came across had too many curse words in it or just didn't fit the vibe of the song that well as it was usually part of a song with a vocalist (American songs. K-Pop makes it sound better for some reason)

I have a very distinct memory of hearing SLUMP by Stray Kids for the first time. It's still my favorite song. Not only is the instrumental so good, but the vocals, raps, and emotion in the song really take my breath away. The lyrics are also very meaningful to me. The way there are 3 different versions of the song and how each one has their own unique appeal is also very nice. (I like the Korean version the most personally)

5. Getting messaged

This is probably just because I'm a lonely person, but I'm always really happy when people message me before I message them haha

I tend to have a lot of energy at times (and no energy at other times lkcxmvdks), so I'm usually the one who messages people first. I know I'm not (usually) bothering them, but it kind of feels that way at times haha

So getting messaged first always makes me happy because it means they were thinking of me and thought to message me :3 It's a nice feeling. I try to reciprocate the feeling but get embarrassed sometimes haha

Alright, let's hope no one reads all this >_> If you did though, here's a flower 🌸 Okay, bye- *runs away*

[helloiamadrawer]

Class 1-A Boys + music they listen to 🎵🎧 (PART 1)

Ojiro and Shoji would a b s o l u t e l y vibe together to meditation music, yk like the two most calmest bois of 1-A inviting each other to their dorms to chat, study or hang out to meditate after training to find some inner peace within themselves 😊✌️

Koda gives Animal Crossing vibes so much (probably plays Animal Crossing too 🥺) so he would listen to cutecore music for enjoyment, maybe a a bit of lofi if he has to study. Nervous boi would be so scared of showing off his music to his classmates because of how they would feel about it 🥺

Izuku loves all pop songs from 2000's to now pop music. But if you ask who is his favorite artist...probably Shawn Mendes, Harry Styles or Boywithuke. The first song he got attached to was 'Stitches'. Other types he likes are techno and dubstep

One time, after dinner at the dorms, Izuku and Todoroki were washing dishes in the kitchen and Izuku had his headphones on listening to said song and little did todoroki know..broccoli boi started ✨singing✨ it. His lovely voice ringing through the room, making the peppermint haired boy look at him in suprise. And poor boi din't notice it until he glanced back and immediately started apologizing and blushing like a mad man lol.

Todoroki was always a man of variation but he was never introduced to much music cause you know...

Until one day..he was just scrolling around youtube and all he could see was everything ✨slowed and reverb✨

It couldn't go away from his field of vision he clicks on a slowed version of Dancin by Aaron Smith and let me tell you when he did this

HE DID THIS jsgakjsbgiua

Starts to literally v i b e in his dorm room. It's like he's been teleported to another world where he can zone out and dance and when the song ended, he wanted more. Now everytime you see him, he has his earphones in listening to the sweet sounds of reverbed music (until he has to go to bed ofc cause he has curfew) and has about 200 songs on his Spotify playlist (he clearly hasn't stfu about it 😂) but outside of his new addiction, he also likes techno like Izuku does. Definitely plays it on his speaker too if hanging with the DekuSquad

When baking, Sato likes to play some indie music cause for some strange reason, it naturally speeds up the baking process for him. Yes, even the song from Lazytown Cooking by the Book (it's a guilty pleasure

Random headcanon: he gained a liking for broadway music and he had a theatre kid era once before he got into the whole baking/cooking spiel.

Tokoyami is the MOST obvious one of them all. He just loves being the emo/alt lord and loves metal/heavy metal to death. I mean probably every time he sees a new metal band he'll seek them out to see if they're good or not. He did come across a band that Kuroiro showed him once when Class B came to the dorms after the whole training tournament the band was called Nemophila ⬇️

He liked it, buuuttt he wanted 'more power' so he asked him what other bands he liked so he sent him this⬇️ Broken by the Scream

He took one look at the album art and literally thought that his twin emo is fooling him but when he listened to it holy shi- it's so good WhAt so much power 🤟😯 mans was even more shocked that it was an ✨all girl✨ band (yes even a girl did the deep voice) he was s h o o k e t h but in the greatest way possible, he even recommended this song for Jirou to listen and he NEVER does that. He includes it in his playlist and discovers there's more songs by them. He doesn't mind playing it out loud sometimes but he feels like it's only for him not being selfish or anything metal is a genre he treasures to him and doesn't give af what ppl think of it PERIODT.

Part 2 is coming soon since this part was sooo long than expected hope y'all enjoyed this part 🤟✨

[writingmochi]

an honest review of golden hour part 1 purely from musical observation (not proofread because i'll post the proofread on rym)

opening remarks: i'm gonna be honest here: i didn't keep up much with the early promotional aspect such as teasers, etc cause i was overwhelmed with ateez. not that i don't like them, but more in worry, like, what do you mean they have this plan before coachella and are going on tour after this promotional cycle ends? that level of constant promotional cycle is the thing that makes me sick of kpop nowadays: no rest time. and that is much more prevalent now with 4th gen groups now is ever so closely closer to the end of their contracts.

also, the fact that this comeback is the one that succeeded the world era with its fantastical science fiction concept that is very heavy makes this more like a whiplash. it seems rushed in a way? especially in regards to concept photos cause i know ateez has songs in their vault. but the art direction here is so much different than the transition between fever to the world. it seems like their trying to chase the coachella train by releasing an ep after it, to get the momentum of the people who are interested in them. maybe it's gonna be a one-off like the halazia ep but let's learn from the musical aspect cause i think they've spoiled that at the end of crazy form.

let's get to it!

1.golden hour: maddox comes back to narrate such an enchanting intro. in a way, this narration kind of portray the ateez journey from their start until now. how they basically started as an unknown group from (what i consider) an independent kpop label with only the support of block b at that time, to now where they are performing the biggest stages in the world. maybe we are experiencing ateez's golden hour, or golden month, or golden year. but definitely, it is a golden era of ateez as they share it with the world

2.blind: not me thinking of enhypen's blind because i always hear it when watching en-o'clock lmao i'll continue

nahh this is different then what i was expecting. i think it's the same type of beat i usually hear in western latin pop, maybe it is more latin pop, especially with that refrain after the chorus. this also reminds me of world cup songs like think the 2010 and 2014 one. it is also being supported by the amount of spanish used in this song. ateez has been embracing the spanish language a lot recently, like with arriba in their last album and their performance where they drink a shot on the coachella stage. i think it is because they know that they have many latin/iberian fans that they decide to embrace it with their songs.

i didn't expect their voices to match this style of genre, especially jongho cause he is so distinct. san's timbre voice sounds so good alongside yunho and seonghwa, especially since they try to use their lower range. mingi sounds like he is having fun here like i have a grin growing when i hear his rap. the party outro though. i think they have been embracing this a lot since it used to be such a yg style, but ateez embraced it and made it their own. i just know that this'll be a club banger with that percussion and bass.

3.work: it's so ironic knowing what i felt about them being OVERWORKED and then them making a song about making money by working D: D: D:

okay, ngl, i'm glad that i've been listening to a lot of hip-hop recently, especially west coast hip-hop like kendrick lamar (because of beef gate 2024 tho fuck drake), so, i get what they're trying. this has such a heavy west coast hip-hop vibe like think dj mustard beats. it's definitely another club banger cause the beat is catchy. i haven't watched their performance but i can already imagine the amount of street-style dance on it (if it's not that, then that is such a shame). that outro has the same latin pop influence of the blind. it's catchy, it's bouncy (cheonyang gochu vibe), and it's funny in a way that it makes we want to have fun (like the rolling rrrrrrr adlib).

hongjoong is such a highlight here. like he's definitely having fun in his rap part. also yeosang being the transition between the pre-chorus with his harmonizing? chef's kiss. gosh, do you know those lowrider car shows? this song could be a background for that. also, i like the contrast in the bridge with the plucked bass. and i think this is like the most complete under 3-minute song i've heard in a while. intro? two choruses? a bridge? and an outro? all check. as much as i prefer songs over 3-minutes, this is how you make a song under 3-minute to sound complete @ kpop composers

4.empty box: wow i think this is the first time i hear a bedroom type of beat coming from ateez, that is usually very bombastic or dramatic.

the subdued guitar riff reminds me of those indie lo-fi pop songs, but the trap beat under it creates a contrast. the boys sing with more subdued voice as well before i'm being startled by hongjoong's jump in voice volume. the difference at the outro of the song makes it end in a hopeful way with the choir type of singing there, creating this image that that's okay to have an empty box aka leaving your memories behind? (based on the lyrics) because you can fill it in the future too. such a hopeful rare, low-beat type of song from ateez

5.shaboom: i just know this one is bombastically skadoosh (wtf does that even mean lol)

wait, this is reggae. ateez is doing reggae. but, what the fuck is that plot twist? why is the chorus in edm? i love the "shaboom" san is doing in the chorus ("shabooooooom~"). but like the whiplash is real. from the reggae sound in the verses to the edm sound in the rest. i also just realized that they modulate the keys between the verse and chorus cause the vibe is very different, like a freaking day and night. this is such a whiplash concept but i guess this like a floridian type of sound lol while blind is more californian (hey, i'm not sorry for stereotyping ateez song into us state because, like, i can imagine people in miami hype up to this)

also the last chorus will eq take out and the outro that sounds so out of the beat we have heard but then it ends so abruptly before i even adapted to the sound. it's fun but i'm confused? help

6.siren: what in the haunted house song is this? the dissonance intro with the strings makes it so creepy

but then it resolves into a more breakbeat in a way with that addictive percussion melody at the back right there. the synth gets louder like a blaring siren in the chorus as the percussion melody pierces the blaring silent like a light in the dark haunted house. the drum breakbeat during mingi's part is clean and i also enjoy how we started the chorus in such a lower timbre before the higher timbre kicks in, like a siren. the pre-chorus sounds haunting alongside the intro, reminding you that even if you're bopping to the song, it still is creepy. the bridge gets rid of the synth that we now realize is actually our anchor to the song before bringing back in the last post-chorus. the bridge also doubles down with the creepiness factor by making them sing so dissonantly. though the outro part is good, i still think that it is pretty abrupt. maybe adding another 4 bar will make it more complete.

closing remarks: i can now finally imagine of the concept of the album based on the music alone: golden hour part 1 wants this to be ateez's introduction to their new era like the coming of summer. hence, the reason why all of the songs have the same overall concept: summer. blind comes in with a more latin pop approach while work is more West Coast hip hop. empty box is more bedroom pop to shaboom aka the reggae-edm hybrid and siren, the summer night festival vibe there. in a way, it is also portraying what ateez has experienced in the us so far with coachella. it creates a pretty broad amount of genre that can encompass summer, but it is also the reason why the album is not cohesive, especially with the inclusion of an empty box which imo is in the wrong place on the tracklist because of the contrast between golden hour and blind is also too jarring. if they can create a much better track sequencing, i think it can make the listening experience better.

my suggested tracklist sequence without getting rid of a track:

golden hour

work

shaboom

siren

blind

empty box (last song cause it talks about leaving memories, a better closer than siren)

i can also finally understand why the concept photos are so mid because, in a way, i think that they don't want to appropriate culture, especially since the latin pop, hip-hop, and reggae influence is so strong in the album. the art director seemed to not know how to market that aspect in a way and i just have one answer: style it like the work mv. make it a bit western-ish cause that's okay.

music-wise, i like that ateez is, in a way, approaching more of world music (if they are still called world music cause they are popular in western mainstream music) in the genre of latin pop and reggae. it makes them stand out and different. yet, i also now know that they have entered the voyage of catering to the western audience with the sounds that usually show up in the charts. is it a bad thing? no, definitely not. but coming from an asian background who enjoyed more of their subdue title tracks like answer and inception, i kind of feel left out. but, to me, that's very much okay cause ateez definitely deserves their success and i like me some diversification in the sound of the kpop industry. but i just wish that they realize that you don't have to seek western validation. it's okay to be kpop. it's okay to be the other when it is your own color.

final ranking:

6.golden hour 5/10 (it's an intro track)

5.empty box 5/10 (pretty repetitive so it's boring if you have it on repeat)

4.shaboom 6/10 (it's too confusing i swear to god)

3.blind 7/10 (good ass song)

2.siren 7/10

1.work 8/10 (it's so bouncy!)

overall release score: 7/10

small conclusion: now yall know how i feel with kpop idols towards the us now. yeah... i hate it. i hate that they have to validate the western style to break even and gain profit. i hate that it is usamerican charts. like i really wanna see an idol taking more of the british populer music, maybe that's the reason why newjeans is popular cause they utilize more of the pink pantheress, british/new england sound instead of the obvious hollywood sound...

[mournmeal]

Good evening my mourning doves! I’m in the market for some longterm roleplay partners / friends for Baldur’s Gate 3! Please read it all to avoid confusion BEFORE reaching out. If this all sounds good to you then feel free to message me! I won’t bite. …. I’ll bite you if you ask. THE VOICES. Sorry it was my demons.

Also wanted to add just in case this may apply to someone’s interest, if you are seeking for a Tav ( or Durge ) to write with, are fine with them being a woman and you are wanting to write Astarion ( Spawn or Ascended ), Raphael, Haarlep, any of them you can also reach out to me!

( And for anyone who finds this and recognizes me, I promise to work on your reply early tomorrow or at some point tonight. )

ABOUT MYSELF :

• I’m 24 and you can call me Asta. Any pronouns are fine by me.

• I will only write with adults who are 20 and will gladly accept older. Please do respect this boundary.

• I’d say my style is Multiple Paragraph Novella. A sucker for details and tend to get carried away when enjoying the roleplay. No need to match length, but do give me something to work with. I write in third person.

• Currently unable to work, but have intentions to work from home. Though this means I will be very active. And at ungodly hours …

• I have decided to no longer be ghost friendly. This goes for myself and others. So, to avoid wasting handing out my discord I’d prefer we feel each other out before that exchange. If I get busy with anything I will properly give a heads up. Should I be away for a long period of time.

• I am comfortable writing mature content ( whether that be dark themes. containing violence, blood, dead dove, to smut. ) However I do not want mainly smut focused roleplays. And I do not want to be thrown in head first into smut. Rich Plot with smut my beloved. THOUGH we can still make nsfw headcanons whenever we please.

WHAT I OFFER :

• A longer term writing partner and friend. I’d love to vibe with you ! Match each other’s energy. I don’t want the connection to be transactional. Let’s bond over our silly little game with our silly little characters.

• Love writing OC x CC. And would love to hype up the ship of your Tav / Durge with the character you want.

• Currently accepting double ups! I am more than happy to play any origin character you desire. Or any other characters. Examples being Rolan, Raphael, Haarlep, you get the idea.

• Parings can be MxM. FxF. FxM. NBxF. NBxM. Whatever! This is a safe space. Trans Tavs/Durges are always welcome!

• Me being absolutely down bad for your Tav / Durge. I will hype that babe up like my life depends on it. If you can’t tell, I adore when people create their own characters and give them lore. Flood me with pictures of them, with your headcanons, ALL OF IT. I crave sustenance. Me having to resist the urge of saying our Tav’s should kiss.

• We can have our own little discord server to send moodboards, headcanons, music, videos edits, and the list goes on. Let’s gush over our characters and ships like insane friends do. Literally. Go crazy. I will chime right in any hour. … As long as I’m not napping.

• I enjoy sprinkling other characters into my writings to really help set the scene or add some more depth / detail to our storyline. So if we end up in a situation where they are needed or if we just want them there from time to time for plot - I can do that.

• Also? If you have BG3 on computer WE SHOULD PLAY IT TOGETHER SOMETIME. Let’s go create mass chaos. But be warned I do encourage trying to fight everything.

WHAT I’D LIKE :

• Honestly damn near everything I already stated above. LMFAO.

• Longterm writing partners / friends only. Consistency will be important. As I’m also going to try and be that way too. So if you know you ghost don’t bother.

• I’d like to write as my Tav / Durge who is a female. ( I plan to make more with various gender identities for other runs! And sexualities. This one is pansexual.)

• For her love interest in think maybe Astarion? ( Spawn or Ascended. ) Raphael? Haarlep? My answer may change depending on my muse at the moment so who knows. ( You can still want for me to write as them for you! )

• Would love for our Tav’s / Durge’s to interact! Love making headcanons for them. Creating a dynamic for them.

• Anyone who wants to write dark themes here and there! Dead dove is allowed! We just need to discuss it of course for each other’s comfort. Eat up whatever drama we want going on.

• Speaking of drama. Should you want some where some other character seems to have eyes for your Tav / Durge to get some jealous action … I will fuel that fire. As I’ve said before. We can go crazy. It’s roleplay, let’s have fun!

• Let’s make moodboards, throw / bounce headcanons, share music, create au’s even, whatever we want.

• If anything else comes to mind I’ll throw it here or in our messages. But yes. Message me if interested!! Look forward to meeting you!