#Honestly I don’t care that Art wasn’t on the album

[1134soup]

Paul Simon you’ve gotta stop doing this to me

[cleolinda]

Weekend links, May 5, 2024

My posts

It seems like it couldn’t possibly be true, but Lauren Bacall seems to be the first “Lauren,” and you can see in the U.S. baby name graphs when she hits the screen. I’m leaving open the possibility that someone female, somewhere, was named Lauren before 1944, but as a Lauren, I haven’t seen evidence of it yet. 

Reblogs of interest

Late-breaking news: Bernard Hill (best known as Théoden in Lord of the Rings) has passed at age 79. 

The Hot Vintage Lady Polls: Reminder that I’m not affiliated with the Hot Vintage Brackets (or any brackets); I just like vintage ladies and get easily obsessed with things. Greta Garbo and Rita Hayworth are in danger this time (I am letting the chips fall where they may with Ava). I would say I don’t understand people, but I’m sure Audrey people don’t understand me, either. That said, the Flaming Chaos Elmo inside me wants to see the Hepburns matched against each other. 

@hotvintagepoll is also running polls to cast an imaginary vintage Dracula movie, as a treat.

Speaking of: Season’s Greason’s, Dracula Daily fans! Good Friend Jonathan’s time loop begins again. 

May the Fourth be with you (And also with you)!

New music from Garbage! “Better Not Lie to Me,” “Revenge and Hurt,” a cover of “Song to the Siren,” and a new mix of “Bad Boyfriend” with Dave Grohl on drums this time. 

New music from Dua Lipa! I’ve liked all the singles a lot so far, and ”Whatcha Doing” is the album song I like the most as of this writing. Good luck to Dua this week cracking the Billboard Taylor 100!

Hozier Watch 2024: At first I was just poking fun at myself for having links here two weeks in a row, and now it’s just a thing? I see this “All art has political dimensions” gifset go by at least once a week, but I’m reblogging it this time for the user discussion.

(“I wrote a song called the Monster Mash, so you should play that. That’s one of mine.”)

“Here are some more articles about the increasing number of First Nations who have been able to reintroduce bison to their lands.”

How to spot fake news (namely: slow the fuck down)

The illustrious career of clip-art wolf Lumpy Kiba

Call an ambulance… but not for Alfred Pennyworth

No one was doing it like costume designer Eiko Ishioka

Crab Cake (Scott Fraser, 2019) 

Unhinged lifestyle editorials, a triptych

Video

Honestly this dual mating dance was my favorite video this week

The Donna Summer song that Brian Eno called “the sound of the future”; I added a video of her performing it 22 years later, and he wasn’t wrong

This seems fine: An... upside-down... deer guitar that...?

Watch for the exact moment this dad realizes why his child thinks mothers in labor foam at the mouth

Come for Werner Herzog’s fear of chickens; stay for a quote that will blow you straight back to Journalfen 2004

This video of birds eating seeds and drinking orange juice is also self care

Eventually someone will stop Chocolate Guy, but today is not that day

The sacred texts

Hope is a weapon. Hope is a skill

Personal tag of the week

Cats, including this cat full of love, designed by poll, and the two types of kittens.

[colourstreakgryffin]

Hiiii Could i req Mui in like modern au ver with a Jennie from blackpink like reader? Thank youu..,,

Oh? What is Jennie like? And we are a K-pop icon, I assume so that sounds very fun! I’ll do it and it’s a bit short! Kimetsu Academy AU again!

Tokito Muichiro [18+]

Muichiro is a big fan of you and your albums. He finds your music so calming and gorgeous, he loves listening to it as he works through the hours

You’re a transfer student. Moving to Japan to get better education and to shy away from your insane popularity in the Korean Pop community, you wanted to take break from fame for a semester or two

This is where you met Muichiro in class. He was oblivious to the fact you are his favourite musical celebrity, and he treated you so much differently then you’re use to. He treated you… like a normal person

Muichiro thought your face was familiar but he didn’t tie the knot for a long time until he showed you your own music during a private study session. You were nervous as you tried to pretend you’ve never heard of you but Muichiro noticed your singing matched the idol’s

Muichiro was very shocked when you revealed yourself as his favourite K-pop icon. His face exploded in blush and he stuttered out apologises. Complimenting you for your work and listening to you lovestruck sing to him

Muichiro loves how passionate you are and he encourages your desire to express yourself. You are who you are, and your music reflects that. He is your biggest fan in every form and he will defend you if he must

Muichiro has matching strong values to you so he always stands besides you in moral arguments and he won’t let anybody try twist the way you care about what is morally right and wrong. You and your values are important so they must be preserved

Muichiro admires your creativity, both in and out of the Kpop music genre. You’re intelligent and you know exactly what you’re doing, he just loves that and he could ramble on and on why he loves it

Muichiro follows your lead without a second thought. You’re a experimental one, and everything you come up with always comes out lavish and beautiful. He always suspects your ideas and your experiments succeed, he doesn’t believe you can mess up

Muichiro also shares your style of learning with you. He prefers to try something new and learn as he goes along, and the fact you’re the same has his heart beating so fast. You match him in many ways, his idol and crush clings onto his hand happily

Muichiro hides your identity from the Academy as much as he possibly can. He doesn’t want anybody to rat you out and flood you with Japanese fans of yours. You really appreciate his kindness and your own crush on him grows

Yes. Muichiro has introduced you to his older twin brother, Yuichiro and it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would go!

Muichiro swore he is constantly in a dream. His longtime idol is his friend and blushes at the way he compliments them, it’s incredible. He never wants you to move away, and honestly, you are heavily considering moving to Japan permanently

“Dokusha. Y-your music is incredible, don’t you know that? Huh? You don’t like your new music video? Why? It’s amazing. Just like every other one. You’re amazing, so much more than your art”

[girlreviews]

Review #438: Parklife, Blur

In some ways this review is going to be like the antithesis to the one I wrote for Pulp’s Different Class. In that, this album features songs that are so important to British culture, and individually to my formative years, that I can’t ever be mad to hear them. However, unlike my ongoing and steadfast admiration for Pulp as a band, I have way more complicated feelings about Blur, and about this album in particular. Okay, so some context and education first. Blur had success in the UK with their debut album, Leisure, but had really dug themselves into a financial hole through poor management. They owed the taxman a lot of money. As such, they were essentially forced to go on a long, arduous tour of the US to promote their successful album. In theory this would be great. But it wasn’t great. They were touring tiny towns and venues that had never heard of them. The grunge scene had just exploded out of the Pacific Northwest and literally nobody Stateside had any fucks to give about Blur, British Music, or what they were doing on this tour. The band themselves have described the space and time immediately preceding the creation of Parklife as pretty bleak. Miserable. Oppressive. They felt backed into a corner, exhausted, downtrodden, underappreciated, and homesick.

Where they sort of lose me on this is where they express feeling as if they were shamed for being British and they were resistant to just create a record that adhered to the current trend of music. They returned to the UK with a concept in mind: a quintessentially British album, about British culture, that makes a statement: British music is a thing of its own, and it’s worth your time. I mean, I don’t disagree with that. I just fail to see how grunge being a popular genre at the time meant that they weren’t able to be proudly British, and proudly produce whatever music suited them. Artists make art for the art, and if someone likes it, that’s great. But they were young men at the time and I imagine egos and the lures of chart success influenced their feelings about it. You don’t get into a tabloid frenzied ongoing rift with the Gallagher brothers because you’re a really chill bunch of guys that only care about the music. There’s an irritating overtone of testosterone and national pride that has an icky vibe to it. It’s too easy for it to be co-opted. And it was! And it still is!

So let me just get the following points off my chest and then I’ll work my way through them:

1. Parklife is and was an important record in British music

2. It’s also not Blur’s strongest album by a BIG margin, but it’s managed to persist as somewhat of a defining album for them. I’m glad they shook it off, and we didn’t just get record after record of Parklife from them. That’s honestly how a lot of people would have done it and I can respect their commitment to art as a band: we’re going to do something different than what you just loved, and if you don’t like it that’s a you problem. People did like it.

3. Parklife also paved the way for an obnoxious marketing/PR ploy from the music industry surrounding British Indie/Rock artists, that created a ridiculous craze and wave that was surfed by bands ranging from incredible and deserving, to absolute dogshit. Ladies and gentleman, I give you: Britpop. If you were there you know what it was like, and you understand all the nuance and resentment surrounding it as a “genre”. We’ll get into this more later. In hindsight it all worked out okay and we live in a world where – at least to my knowledge – you can appreciate and criticize both Oasis and Blur for their talents and their fuck ups without it representing some massive class and cultural divide. This was absolutely not always the case and it was, for some reason, a really big deal, and it mattered to everyone, a lot. Blur or Oasis? I was 7 turning 8 years old at the height of this manufactured-turned-real rivalry, and it genuinely caused me stress. As a child! I loved them both. But I felt forced to choose. I chose Blur. I understand how ridiculous it sounds, but I wish I could go back in time and refuse to choose. It mattered, and it also really didn’t. They don’t sound similar enough to compare or compete? So why did we have to? But WE DID. It was on the news. It was the biggest thing going on at the time. It dominated the papers. Bookies were taking bets on who would be #1 between the two of them. Blur won that battle with Country House. I don’t think anybody won the war. I think everybody got bored, gave up, and went home.

So Blur kicked off Britpop with their return from this grinding US tour and they made a full blown concept album about being British. And it was good. But all of a sudden there was just this… Overwhelming influx of bands who were banking their success solely on this “being British”, thing. It had a look, it had a sound, it had a style, it had a location. The same thing happened with the Indie wave in the early/mid-2000s. It’s so annoying to me though. You end up just having to sift through a whole bunch of fucking garbage to find the stuff that is legit, and would be legit with or without the “scene”. Parklife is legit. It’s just responsible for the aftermath and onslaught of bullshit. Is that their fault? No, but they definitely participated in it all for a bit. There was a lot of great music that technically fell under the Britpop genre, but essentially looking back most of it isn’t Britpop – because that was just made up. It was just good music from various genres, and they all happened to be British artists. That’s not the same thing. It was just a music industry scheme and boy howdy did everyone buy-in.

The song Parklife, is pretty genius, still. Damon Albarn, unable to commit to the concept with a cockney accent, enlisted well-known British actor, Phil Daniels (of Quadrophenia fame) to deliver the lyrics. This was both creative and super novel. People went pretty nuts about it. They still do. It’s got the same pull as Common People. If you want to see an entire nation lose their shit over a song – you might stick on Parklife. It’s just deeply entrenched into the fabric of British culture and it’s as if it was from the moment it was released. It just is. I actually saw Parklife live at Reading Festival when I was 16 or 17, and they brought Phil Daniels out. The most memorable thing about the whole thing, was that Damon Albarn fell off the stage. I guess the most surprising thing about the wider record, is that you expect it to be more of Parklife the song. And it actually isn’t. It’s just a Blur record, and a not bad one at that.

It's just so weird how a regular album took on this entire life of its own, turned into a cultural phenomenon, and produced this era of music that for better or worse is part of history now. Some of the subsequent singles from subsequent albums honestly seem like they were more “Britpop” than a lot of the tracks on Parklife. Maybe they were running with it for sometime to bank on its success, but ultimately they grew tired of it too and changed directions. I’m glad.

I guess the other thing about Blur, is the individuals its made up of. They’ve been indie darlings forever. Graham Coxon was a nerdy little weirdo, he left and came back. I think Britpop almost killed him if I’m being honest. Damon Albarn was a pretty-faced front man and has gone on to produce some absolutely insane albums for other artists and with other bands. He’s got something, that’s for sure, but it’s not always good. Some ego and misogyny always sort of leaks out and it would make my life easier to enjoy his creative output if he just kept his mouth shut. He seems to have a problem playing nice with successful women and insists on tearing them down publicly, only to be forced to admit that he hasn’t actually worked with them, met them, talked to them, or even listened to the music that he is loudly criticizing. That’s fucking annoying, but, is also par for the course regarding male opinions being inexplicably important and accepted even absent of any actual valid perspective or input. Damon, you have a lot of great things to say with your music. That doesn’t mean you have to say something, about everything, all the time.

Alex James, floppy-haired and handsome bassist, for a time was the biggest darling of them all – attracting praise for being so quirky and unique by establishing a cheese farm. Over the years, I have come to suspect he’s really just hidden in plain sight and really what you get with him is a basic man, with basic opinions, who loves some attention. I can’t ever really quite put my finger on it with him but there’s something deeply off putting about his whole persona. I’ll just say it. Whatever image he puts out and however quirky and cool he makes himself out to be: he’s just a fucking Tory, man. With that comes everything else: classism, racism, misogyny and fucking over everyone worse off than you, so long as you get yours. But hey everyone, who cares right? He makes cheese! Isn’t that so weird and kooky? He’s gotta be a cool guy! It was this exact fucking line of thinking that allowed Boris Johnson to take advantage of the comedy panel show circuit for years and years and years, elevating his reputation among liberal young voters. Everyone thought Boris was a funny joke, so let’s vote for him! He goes from MP, to London Mayor, to high-ranking cabinet member, to the fucking PRIME MINISTER. And it wasn’t a funny joke then, was it? So let’s pay attention to the things people actually say and do, and not just the music that they make and the cheese they produce. The other guy in the band, whose name I can literally never remember – Dave Rowntree – he’s just the drummer, who brought nothing to the band visually, and was just sort of along for the ride. Seems like a nice enough guy, it’s just that nobody cares.

If you’re interested in making more sense of this review, I will recommend that you turn your attention to Netflix series This Is Pop which does a pretty decent overall rundown of Blur, Oasis, and the Britpop era. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty good, and I appreciate that it gives a voice to the women in that music scene at the time, who were treated like shit and had to deal with all of the masculine national pride shit that came along with it all. It’s pretty clear from listening to them: Oasis, literally didn’t give a shit – about anything – and that was pretty hilarious. Blur, despite being genuine talent with good music to offer, bought into the hype and acted like a bunch of pricks publicly. They were all pricks, it’s just some of them were more authentically pricks than others. Ha.

I guess all I can say is this: I love Blur, and I hate Blur. I don’t know that I’m inclined to agree with Parklife’s inclusion in the Rolling Stone Top 500, but I can also appreciate that I’m talking from the inside and the majority of listeners didn’t also absorb the cultural moment as it was happening. If you happened to be there, you know it was all kind of nonsense. It’s kind of wild watching documentaries or reading write-ups of a particular time in music that you were actually present for in real-time. Like how I imagine people who were at Woodstock, or when Bob Dylan went electric, or the original British Invasion of America with the Beatles. It was a whole thing, and if you were there, you remember.

[jimin-bangtan]

Jimin & Bangtan - 2024

What a year 2023 was in Bangtan World. 🤩🤪😱💜

For Jimin specifically, I hope he was able to hear about all of the recognition and achievements he has earned from enduring his experiences and then exerting so much creative effort in so many different directions (music, dance, photoshoots, Lives, art, etc.).

As 2024 begins, we are still receiving word of accomplishments that his album and his subsequently-released single song (Closer Than This) achieved - and are still achieving.  I am a little disappointed that he wasn’t able to go receive awards in person in order to hear the applause and thank anyone and everyone he wanted to acknowledge publicly.

On the other hand, it may have worked out for the best with all that Jimin had going on in preparing to pause his career and go into the military for a while - not to mention pulling together all of the work he was leaving behind for fans. I do feel Jimin has seen and internalized at least some of the positive feedback because he seemed more relaxed, happy, and comfortable in the final appearances and performances we were able to see (so far! ����).

With all the negativity Jimin receives, the fullness of the love and support so many more people feel for him possibly gets muted by the volume and persistence of the hate. It is reasonable that Jimin would (as anyone would) need to be encouraged and reminded every now and then about the true, larger amounts of love and devotion that people have for him. It was heartwarming for us to know he saw the hearts and loyalty of fans, whom he loves and speaks to with such affection, by way of the results and response to his album. I feel that, with his work, he also wanted to finally show all the naysayers what he was capable of, and I feel the results exceeded even his own expectations. As is Park Jimin, he is grateful and proud of the results, and so are we.

The point for this post is that there have been 2 items on my mind recently. One is a clarification of something I had written about and the other is a thought about future projects.

First, I want to clarify that although I have stated that I don’t feel the songs Letter nor Closer Than This are solely fan songs, I don’t want it to seem like I am implying that JM does not genuinely care about his fans immensely. I feel that all BTS members love and appreciate the fans significantly, especially because they know how passionate, loyal, and hardworking the fans have been in spite of all the trouble and pressure they all have endured throughout their career. They all have stated and realized that without the collaboration of BTS’s hard work and the fanbase’s hard work, they would not have been able to overcome the sabotage, obstruction, and malevolence that was against them from the start - and still is today.  Jimin also loves and appreciates the fans a great deal for the same reasons. 

With that in mind, I believe that due to the accumulation of hate, threats, and harmful actions against JM, he significantly decreased the amount of time he comes online and the amount of information he shares. He used to be one who continually kept us informed of things happening with the group. He would tell fans how he was honestly feeling and was much more open and light when he was talking with fans online. Now he is considered one of the more reclusive, guarded, and private members of the group. Their harm was our loss, and I don’t blame and am not angry with Jimin at all for those changes. I totally understand his decision, which could change again over time.

In light of all of that transition, Jimin found other ways to connect with and express his feelings for and to fans. So I want to say that Jimin is not trying to fool anyone by saying those songs are gifts to Army. They are. I have said that I feel JM is able to write so all parties involved can receive the gifts and hear the love intended for them in those songs. It’s a clever way of honestly and genuinely speaking to all parties using the same words but with slightly different meanings depending on who the listener is. JM has demonstrated he is a sincere, caring person, who shows love openly, whether it is in the form of songs, charitable donations, letters, actions, or spoken words. Those songs are genuine gifts from Jimin, presented to fans, but also to anyone else he may be speaking to.

Second, my other topic is not a concern as much as it is a thought about future projects.  I just found out (but haven’t verified) that Face-Off is the 4th song from Jimin’s album, FACE, that achieved over 100 million streams. Jimin has had huge results for his debut album. I’m very proud of him and the fans who worked diligently against a lot of odds.  Because of these results, I was thinking about PJM2, as fans call his 2nd anticipated album.

FACE, his 1st album, set the bar pretty high. I am hoping that the work, the fans, and the results for the future items are equally as impressive, if not better. The excellent results for Closer Than This comforted me in that JM has, of course, prepared quality work and is trying new things (which can be courageous and risky). Also, after all the hard work fans did for FACE, they are still enthusiastic and engaged in JM’s projects, as is seen with CTT results.

As I said earlier, JM being busy with military efforts may have worked out for the best.  It has been said that the anticipation of putting out a sophomore (2nd) album after a successful first venture can be nerve wrecking on the artist, even if it turns out well, so Jimin being distracted might spare him the possible anxiety. Either way, this year my appreciation for JM and his fans has increased beyond the impressed feelings I already had. 

2023 has been emotionally, financially, and mentally exhausting for this fandom. As I’ve stated in my BTS Fandom post, I look forward to the entire fandom getting cleansed, stronger, and more unified by the time we get to Chapter 3. [By the way, I’ve been trying to find a place to say this: I know RM says Chapter 2 begins after they all return from the military, but honestly, the solo period has been so action-packed, substantial, and noteworthy, that I think it deserves its own chapter.  So for me, Chapter 3 is when they all return from the military and reunite. Whatever chapter you call it, we all are looking forward to the healthy, safe return of all 7 Bangtan members.]

Happy 2024, everyone!

[alarrytale]

I think that when a fan of 12 years is about to give up, because there isn't anything there for them to be a fan of or to support, it should be taken seriously. It's a sign they're losing their core fanbase.

Even as a Larry I will never understand this! I’ll almost first and foremost be here for their music, not because of Larry! I became a fan because of their music, not because of a relationship we have never had confirmed was real. Yes I do believe it’s real and that they are still together, but even if it wasn’t and even when they don’t give me signs of that relationship I’m here for their music and their art, not because of who they date. If people are only here for the relationship, then in my opinion they are bound to be disappointed, because H&L don’t owe us anything but their music and their art.

I've talked about this many times before, but i firmly reject the notion that they don't owe us anything. They do. We're in a symbiotic relationship, where they get our support, money and engagement (free promo) and they give us content.

How do you define content though? I have paid for and consumed 3 amazing Harry albums and 3 amazing Louis albums. I have paid for and consumed 4 Harry shows and 2 Louis shows. I listen almost daily to all of their albums and watch and enjoy videos I took from my concerts. Their music has given me so much enjoyment. I can’t wait to see what is next from Harry, and hope after an equally long break we will get something great from Louis. They are musical artists and what they owe us is their best efforts.

I’m a Larry since 2011. I’m sad we will never see an OT5 reunion. I’m sad that there doesn’t seem to be any move towards a more open relationship. But that’s not contingent on my support. I love their music and that is the content they provide, that I happily pay for.

I know as original 1D fans, we were fed constant content. And that was fun but that type of engagement can’t last forever. It never does. I would love a big splashy coming out article. But I’m not owed it because of my support of their careers. I get that you feel differently, just wanted to say my peace on this topic.

All of the guys have had changes to their fanbases as time has gone on and it’s been interesting to see over the years. I’ve been here since 2013. I still firmly believe they’re together but I’ve always sort of been in Louis’ lane so if my mind ever changed it wouldn’t really affect my musical choice or support for him. I like Harry as a person but his current music just doesn’t speak to me like HS1 & FL so I wasn’t able to support Harry’s house, etc. For me their music exceeds any relationship they may or may not have because I choose to focus on their careers as musicians firstly. Not saying people have to do that, but I find that more and more people are shifting to that thought process.

The line isn’t so clear anymore between Larry & anti. There are ex-Larries who don’t know what to call themselves anymore so they just go with neutral because they don’t care either way but that’s not even an all encompassing term.

You have the ex-Larries making it their mission to debunk Larry lore and label Larries a cult, Larries who believe F is Louis’ son, conspiracy theory Larries who are trying to fight the music industry and try to link even the most obscure things (no stunts), other Larries who don’t want to be associated with no stunts, solos, OT4/5, Larries who think they broke up but still ship Larry and the list goes on and on. A Twitter post was going around for a bit with a graph of where your beliefs fall regarding Larry. And honestly I was shocked seeing all the different answers. My point is I guess that Larry has evolved into all of these shades of gray currently and things aren’t so black & white anymore so their support is based less on Larries than it was previously. Harry’s fanbase reached casual listeners and built a solid fanbase outside of Larry for a while and now Louis has also built himself a solid fanbase not based solely on Larries. Seems like his casual listeners are growing a bit more also after people discovering him more. And yes there seems to be a bit of Larry resurgence happening at the moment since Liam’s passing but thats probably not going to last. I don’t want to seem like a Debbie downer here, I’m just noticing more of a shift of focus to their music vs a relationship in regards to the very diverse fandom now. 130k+ people on twitter in mere hours showing support of F being Louis’ son with just a pic of F alone was not on my bingo card but that’s a just an example of how things have changed around here.

Hi, anon! (Yes, i believe you are the same anon, because i doubt i got three larries referring to themselves as "a larry" in a row making the same arguments...)

First off. Some people come into this fandom as larries, without knowledge (or interest) in 1D's music or their solo music. They're just larries. You are no worse or better fan for also loving their music and ventures. I came into this fandom as a larrie first, and then found 1D's music. It's okay to be here just for larry and not here for their career and music. It's okay to be a fan of them as people and want freedom and a coming out for them, and want them to help change the music industy and be role models for their queer fans. Some fell in love with larry and their story, because they're queer themselves. Some are here because larry is a romantic love story that captures people, and unites people. Some are just here waiting for larry to come out and tide themselves over by reading fics and answering a bunch of asks or contributing to the community or fandom in other ways. It's okay to not be here for the music.

Even if you are here for the music, please understand and respect that not everyone is like you. And they do owe us, i'm not going into that discourse again.

Second. About defining what content is. I think people define that differently, because fans are different. Some people need albums and tours, others need tabloid articles, social media fan service or just about anything that will engage fandom and have us talking for days. Some don't need content from the boys, because they're happy with the content fandom or the community creates. I'm happy you are enjoying their albums and tours (3 Louis albums?) and that a coming out isn't contingent on your support. If i didn't think they were coming out at a point in time, i would be out of here a long time ago lol. So me and you are very different.

Third. Yes, the fandom is fractioned. Larries are also fractioned. It's because there is less tolerance and respect for other people's opinions, and it's impossible to debunk stuff and correct wrong information when everyone is spread over different social media. Nobody does research anymore and makes masterpost, putting things together in order to paint a picture everyone can agree on. But it's also a big misconseption that we larries have a hive mind and used to believe in the same things. We never did.

Since it's so hard to debunk things, and explain 14 years of history to 14 year olds on tiktok, you get 130k likes on a F pic. People are gaslighted, because they weren't around when H and L more explicitly fought the fake narratives. Explaining it to them in a way they'll understand takes effort and energy no veteran will bother with. The new fans will forget it by the next gaslighting attempt from lthq and hshq. So it's useless work. So i'm kind of just like sitting here watching them being wrong, coming to the wrong conclusions and using debunked information as a foundation for their beliefs. It's frustrating, but it is what it is i guess. They'll figure it out at some point when they get older.

As long as you believe larry is real, L is not a father and that H and L wants to come out, you're good in my book. The rest is just details of no importance.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP!!! WOW!!!

mianhae Billboard~ mianhae worldwide~

and f*ck all your opps~

indeed

**

Yup that’s right! He must feel so happy and so loved. I’m glad for him.

*

ARMY did their thing, and for all the Anons who were worried about the hate against Jimin from the wider k-pop fandom, now you see how ARMY responds every time to unwarranted hostility against the guys: they buckle down, stream, buy, support the guys, and enjoy the music.

Then ARMYs gloat about the achievements afterwards. Lol.

The tannies are happy, the fandom is happy, and the antis never learn to cope. So it’s rinse repeat for the next time those people get an opportunity to hate. This is one reason I don’t take seriously the claim that the BTS fandom hates Jimin or is trying to sabotage him, because though some of his most vicious antis are akgaes of other members, those akgaes also happen to belong to rival k-pop fandoms that honestly hate anything related to BTS by default. And if there’s anything that should be clear to you after the last few weeks, from fans of Taemin and SHINee going after him for an album name, fans of Red Velvet and Loona going after for an album colour, fans of NCT and EXO trying to claim he assaulted his female dancer and going after ARMYs for apparently not caring for the female dancer’s well-being, k-pop fans in general going after him for an in-ear that wasn’t working properly, after all that just in the last two weeks, it should be clear to you the level and scale of pointless but wicked animosity towards anyone in BTS from most k-pop fans is orders of magnitude above what is psychologically healthy.

ARMY typically responds by focusing on the music. And now Jimin is smiling, happy, overjoyed and overwhelmed. His bandmates are over the moon, and his producers and co-workers are crying with happiness. I’m thankful to everyone who continues to support Jimin, because he is one artist I hope continues making art for as long as he lives. His artistic contribution resonates with so many and he has a lot more to offer. I’m thankful ARMY has always tried to make those who make music for them, feel seen and loved.

It also helps that Jimin promoted his album like a typical BTS comeback, down to the music shows and remixes, so ARMYs could fall back on tools they were already familiar with. And the fandom had been hungry for a typical high-octane comeback for months now, and Jimin did what he always does: he delivered.

Anyway, keep streaming, keep buying. For anyone angry or upset about Yoongi’s album release and how his performance metrics compare to Jimin. I have a reply for you coming right after this.

[tessstudyingpopularmusic]

Death Grips and the Art of Defiance

(TW: Genitalia)

Today, I wanted to talk about an event that particularly struck me when I started listening and discovering Death Grips music and controversies.

Death Grips’ dummer, Zach Hill, really doesn’t care what anyone thinks—and that’s exactly why I can’t stop thinking about their « No Love Deep Web » album cover, which originally released via their website on October 1, 2012. At the time when the album was getting produced, they were stuck in a battle with Epic Records, their label. The industry wanted them to play by the rules: wait for the “right” time to release the album, follow the marketing plan, do everything by the book. Except that Death Grips doesn’t do “by the book.” They’re chaotic, unpredictable, and fiercely independent. So what do they do? They leak the album online, for free, because to them, it wasn’t about money or labels or the industry machine. It was about the music. It was about fighting control.

On the cover album, Zach Hill took a picture of his own genitalia with the name of the album written on it. There’s something so absurd, so over-the-top, about taking a picture of your genitalia and slapping it on your album for the world to see. But it’s also genius in its own way. When I first heard about it, I couldn’t tell if it was just a cheap shock tactic or if there was something more. But the more I thought about it, the more it felt like Zach Hill and Death Grips were making a statement about the music industry and labels. A loud, unapologetic statement, especially when I learned about their battle with Epic Records.

That cover feels like it’s their way of saying, “This is our art. You can’t censor it. You can’t control it. We’re going to shove it in your face whether you like it or not.” It’s raw and uncomfortable, but that’s the point. It’s a literal middle finger to anyone trying to box them in. Zach Hill especially embodies that chaotic, rebellious spirit. He didn’t just play the drums; he basically beat them into submission. He wasn’t interested in perfection, it was all about raw emotion, expression, and especially, freedom. Stefan Burnett was 100% for the idea of using this picture as the album cover, as he felt the same way as his music partner about how controlling music labels can be. The cover of « No Love Deep Web » feels like an extension of that: this brazen act of defiance that perfectly captures Death Grips’ way of life. They don’t just push boundaries, they obliterate them.

Zach Hill’s decision wasn’t just a stunt. It was a declaration! And it’s kind of inspiring, in a weird way. They remind me that true art isn’t about following the rules or making everyone comfortable. Sometimes, it’s about making people uncomfortable, about challenging everything we think we know about what art should be. Many artworks, as well as songs, were made to provoke a reaction and open people’s mind about the world around them. It could be about inequalities, unfairness, raw emotions, death… Art embodies so many aspects, and Death Grips wants the world, or at the very least, their fan base to realise how much more there is around all of us.

It makes me think about the role of the music industry today. So much of it is built around controlling artists, packaging them, making them digestible for the masses. But Death Grips refuses to be part of that system. And honestly, that’s why their music hits so hard for me.

Here’s the censored album cover in case you’re curious— the uncensored version still exists to this day…

[hwauroras]

THROUGH THE INFINITE CANVASES OF YOU. (제2장)

pic sources in order left -> right: pinterest, pinterest, pinterest

wc ≈2.6k. unedited. painter!seonghwa x artstudent!reader (ft. musician!san, artstudent!wooyoung and artstudent!rockstar!hongjoong). written in two different perspectives - third person for seonghwa and second person for the reader. no massive genre yet - but the story does develop a little more. hongjoong is introduced as wooyoung's friend. hongjoong jokingly flirts with the reader. hongjoong calls the reader "sweetheart". hongjoong and the reader mildly curse.

“hyung.. this is beautiful.”

“you think?”

“absolutely!”

seonghwa and san stood side by side in the art studio, their eyes fixed on the finished piece that would become the cover art for san’s new album. the canvas displayed an absolutely breathtaking combination of colors, and the raw emotions from the soul seemed to leap off the surface. to say it was capturing and alluring would be a total understatement. it was the perfect combination of paint, love, passion and longing - a true window into both artists’ souls.

san’s eyes glimmered with awe as he took in and absorbed every detail. the painting depicted seonghwa’s elusive muse with hauntingly expressive eyes, ones full of love and fear and yearning, painted with a delicate and carefully crafted mix of blues, purples, and hints of gold. behind them was a whirlwind of vibrant, dramatic and contrasting hues, capturing both the intensity of emotions that san poured into his music, and the conflict of emotions seonghwa fought within.

they both continued to stand in silence, letting the artwork speak for itself. the whole room seemed to hold its breath, even the dust particles seemed to stop in time - as if in complete deference for the deep, profound connection between music and its visual counterpart.

san finally broke the silence, and time seemed to flow again.

“i mean - seriously, seonghwa. this is more than i could have ever imagined. i would be lying if i said i was surprised though - only you could pull this off.”

seonghwa smiled humbly, a soft pink blush creeping back onto his cheeks.

“you’re too kind, san. and i want you to know that - it has been an honor collaborating with you. my only regret is not doing it sooner.”

with a chuckle, san lightly punched seonghwa on the shoulder.

“then may this be the first of many.”

“... hey san?”

“mm?”

seonghwa took a deep breath.

“i listened to a bit of the title track. you know, just so i knew how to put your own voice, your own words, your own emotions, into visual form. and i’m just curious…what inspired you?”

san’s smile softened as he averted his gaze, eventually opting to close his eyes and take a moment to relive the melody before answering seonghwa’s question.

“what inspired me? well… it's a mix of things, really."

“you don’t have to tell me.”

"no, it’s okay. honestly, the entire album, is a reflection of my whole life journey. it's about the highs and the lows, the love and the heartbreaks, the gains and the losses, and the constant search of meaning and purpose. each song represents a different chapter of my life. except for one.”

“that’s beautiful, sa- sorry, except for one?”

san meekly looked back at the painting, his eyes tracing the careful, delicate strokes and vivid colors that bounced back at him.

“yeah. the title track you mentioned. i wrote and sang it for you. well, more so how i think you feel about the person you keep painting.”

seonghwa’s eyes widened in surprise, his head snapping to look at the other with complete awe. his heart began to race, and his hand quickly flew to his chest. the room returned to its original silence - one that seemed to go even deeper as san’s words sank in. the humble painter was completely taken aback as he struggling to find the right words to such a jarring reply.

"f-for me?" seonghwa finally managed to splutter, something san smiled warmly at.

“yeah. for you. and that person. i mean... even though i said i wasn’t able to understand you, anyone can still see the true love and longing you have etched into your features. you’re not able to see the way you look at them whenever you bring them to life through your passion of art. and that's what inspired the song. it’s my own personal perception of your own personal emotions."

seonghwa stood there, still stunned by what he had just heard. the thoughts and emotions that had been buried deep within him, the ones he thought he had concealed and hidden away from the rest of the world, had just escaped san’s lips in word form.

"i… never expected you to see it," seonghwa murmured, his face now tinted pink. "you know me. i’m not an emotional person. i thought i was good at hiding my feelings."

san laughed and shook his head.

“hey, hyung, listen. i do know you, and you’re right - but also incredibly wrong. while you may be good at hiding your emotions from others, you can’t hide them from me. and when it comes down to your art, your mystery person, you can’t hide them from anyone. the vibe is beautiful, at times bittersweet - so in a sense, hyung, you and your muse have become my muses.”

the revelation that san’s title track was inspired by seonghwa and his emotions left the studio enveloped in yet another silence - this time one of profoundness and comfort. it simply became a moment between two artists and an enthralling muse.

"san," seonghwa finally broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper. “thank you for understanding me in a way that no one else ever has. and… thank you for giving my thoughts and my muse a voice."

“hey, you don't have to thank me. i couldn’t have done it without you.”

“and through the pages of time, i’ll still search every space, and through the darkness of shadows, i’ll still chase every trace, and though you maybe may be a love undefined, i’ll give to you this promise, ‘til our destinies can entwine…

~

“through the realms of dreams, i’ll journey far, for the love that's written in every star, with every heartbeat, i’ll stay true, until the day, the day i finally find you.”

“oh my god, wooyoung…”

you gawked at your best friend, who grinned at your reaction.

“so? what do you think?”

“i think it’s amazing. you really wrote that?”

“yeah.”

you shook your head at him, the rest of your body paralyzed in its place.

“dude, you have to take that to a recording studio or something.”

“hah, you really think so?" wooyoung replied with a playful smirk, trying to hide the genuine feelings of relief he felt at your positive response.

they were inspired by your love for your muse, after all.

but of course, he could never tell you that. not when you were already deeply troubled by the unfulfilled feelings of love and longing you had for him. he figured if you were to know, you would figure it out in your own.

“maybe i should consider it - though, i don’t want to put an end to everyone else’s careers.”

you nudged him lightly with your elbow, poking your tongue out at him playfully before letting out a laugh.

"okay, mr humble. if you’re going to be like that, i’ll take it all back. the fame’s already getting to your head and you haven’t even left the room yet.”

feigning the utmost shock and betrayal, wooyoung gasped dramatically and draped an arm over his eyes - which in turn, resulted in probably your biggest eye roll to date.

“oh y/n, you wound me once more! you’re so willing to retract your compliments - were your words merely superficial?”

you couldn't help but laugh loudly, drawing a few curious glances from your classmates. which of course, only resulted in wooyoung laughing loudly at you too.

“okay, okay. come on, wooyoung, you know i’m just kidding," you teased, nudging him again. "but seriously, i think you should at least try and contact a few studios. even if you don’t hear back, it’s worth the effort. you have a true gift for art. it’s beautiful, just like your photography."

as he absorbed your words, wooyoung’s playful demeanor shifted to a warm, gentle one. he looked at you softly, a small smile etched into his features.

“thank you, y/n. all jokes aside, your support means a lot to me. i’ll consider it, i promise.”

returning his smile, you took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. but before either of you could even have the chance to speak again, a scoff caught your attention.

peering over the shoulder of the purple headed boy in front of you, your eyes landed on another student, who you immediately recognized as one of the more recent transfers into the fashion department. you guessed he would roughly be around wooyoung’s height if it weren’t for his shoes, he sported a rather colorful mullet and he was dressed head to toe in a messy array of clothes and accessories.

you arched an eyebrow at him, noticing a glint of amusement in his intense gaze. he looked like he was holding back a laugh, as if he found something amusing about the conversation you were having with your best friend.

"what?" you questioned, eyes narrowing at the unique man.

rather than replying, he shot you a wink before making his way over, seemingly unaffected by your scrutiny.

“nothing," he replied casually, his chunky platforms causing him to tower over wooyoung - something you had to hold back on joking about. “i just couldn't help but overhear the two of you talking about music. and then some sappy shit."

a playful grin tugged at wooyoung’s lips as he sized up the new arrival.

“oh, so you were eavesdropping, huh? you’ve got quite the sharp ear. but i suppose that’s to be expected by such an esteemed musician like yourself.”

you glanced between the two, a puzzled look taking over your once suspicious expression. you were aware of this guy - he was hard to miss - but they seemed to share a camaraderie that you weren't aware of.

“wait, you two know each other?" you blinked, still trying to figure out the dynamic between them.

the vibrant multicolored haired man extended a heavily ringed hand, swiping his pierced tongue along his bottom lip and shooting you another wink.

“pleasure to make your acquaintance, sweetheart. the name’s hongjoong. but you could call me yours for tonight, if that’s what you’d prefer.”

you quickly pulled your hand away from his rather tight grasp, a slight blush creeping onto your face.

“uh… nice to meet you too, i guess. but i think i’ll stick to calling you hongjoong."

“yeah,” wooyoung snickered, clearly amused by the interaction. “unfortunately for you, ‘sweetheart’ isn’t really the one for cheesy pickup lines, hyung.”

“oh, i see how it is,” hongjoong chuckled, visibly unfazed by both of your responses. “well, the offer still stands.”

you couldn’t help but find yourself intrigued by this newcomer you now knew was named hongjoong. he certainly had a magnetic personality that demanded everyone’s full attention, but despite his playful demeanor and rather straightforward flirting, there was still an underlying feeling of genuine warmth radiating off of him. wooyoung looked comfortable - and you laughed when hongjoong flicked his forehead.

“you know, i appreciate it, but i’m still gonna pass,” you replied to him. “so how do you guys, you know, know each other?”

“wooyoung and i met when the fashion department and the photography department collaborated on a project last semester. we made the pieces, they took the pictures. then they served as our professional photographers when we had a showcase modelling our creations.”

wooyoung chimed in, his eyes glinting with fondness as he recalled the encounter.

"we were assigned together. honestly, i thought it would be a disaster at first. hongjoong has such a wild and bold sense of style and i’m all about subtle elegance. but somehow, our creative differences ended up complementing each other perfectly - i really got to gain some experience with experimental looks and got to expand my portfolio. it could really help me if i wanna apply for something surrounding haute couture.”

as you listened to wooyoung speak about his collaboration with the uniquely dressed man with a belt made of chained up teddy bears, you couldn't help but admire a rare instance where fire and ice were actually compatible. never in a million years had you thought someone as poised, sophisticated and traditional as wooyoung could come close to being friends with someone as bright, daring and unconventional as hongjoong. but alas - here it was in front of you, a strong friendship between two polar opposites (besides their humor).

“that’s amazing," you said, nodding your head in approval. "i think it’s amazing how two ‘contradicting’ art styles can create one extraordinary art form.”

hongjoong smirked at your words and took a little bow.

“thank you, sweetheart. you bet it was extraordinary. our work had people talking for weeks. did you read the local paper? we got an article and everything. it’s all about pushing boundaries, you know? not just in art, but every aspect of life is more exciting when you dare to step out of your comfort zone and take that risk."

you nodded again in agreement, finding yourself captivated by hongjoong's outlook on life.

“besides,” hongjoong continued matter-of-factly, “the exposure really helped with my music career.”

you tilted your head, eyes darting to wooyoung.

“wait. music career?”

“yep,” wooyoung reaffirmed. “hongjoong’s in an indie rock band.”

you were taken aback, pleasantly surprised by the sudden turn in conversation. though the subject of hongjoong being a musician came up earlier, you weren’t sure how serious wooyoung was being.

"an indie rock band? that’s incredible! why didn’t you say so when you scoffed at us?”

hongjoong shrugged with a nonchalant grin.

“you judged a book by its cover sweetheart. but yeah, now the cat’s out of the bag, we started playing gigs at local venues and have been slowly building our presence in the music scene. now we play at festivals, and shit. you and wooyoung should come along next time. i’d like to see some familiar faces that don’t belong to the groupies trying to get into my pants.”

the more you learned about hongjoong, the more fascinated you became. he was a true artist in every sense of the word, an epitome even, excelling in multiple creative avenues. suddenly it all made sense why his and wooyoung’s friendship worked so well – despite their differences, they were both passionate and unafraid to explore their own personal boundaries.

“you know, that sounds great, i’d love to come to one of your gigs one day. hey, i was just talking to wooyoung about the possibility of him making music. what do you think? genuinely this time, don’t be a smartass.”

“well,” hongjoong’s eyes shifted back to wooyoung as he considered your question. “i didn’t know wooyoung was interested in making his own music, but from what i know about his ethic and from what i heard just before, i don’t doubt he would excel in the industry. tell you what - i’ll speak to the others, maybe we could collaborate on something.”

as soon as hongjoong’s preposition left his lips, a spark of excitement danced in both your and wooyoung’s eyes. the idea of combining their talents seemed like an incredible opportunity to create something special - and your mind began filling with possibilities.

it was apparent that wooyoung thought the same, as he barely managed to get out a faint “are you serious?" - something hongjoong chuckled at.

“of course! i think our styles could create something powerful. i trust your artistic abilities, so let’s give it a shot. but just know, i hold a high standard and i’m going to be tough. i may believe in freedom of expression but i’m still a perfectionist.”

“understood, hyung. i won’t let you down."

~

TAGLIST: @hwalysm, @downbadreading

[eyes-on-the-weather]

the thing about the el zebro project is: i’ve heard mashups that go busier, more ambitious than its, and i’ve heard mashups that are generally far simpler. what made the former was the ability to make something coherent & texturally engaging, often thematic, and what made the latter was sticking to a core joke and/or making something that sounds plainly & simply good with the joke part put in the background. now, what i’d say the project is going for in its overall/core thematic joke is el scorcho & weezer in general. and i’m not sure it lands all that well. humor is repetition, sure, but music is making art out of time, and using one song a bunch makes me feel like mine is being kinda wasted. from a musical standpoint, i think something like track 4 - party it all away worked pretty well because it was willing to introduce more than one component to the soundscape at once; just the one added melodic part (we are number one) elevated the track musically where the joke wasn’t keeping it all the way up. i don’t want to Just make mouth album comparisons when reviewing mashup albums, but still, i have to say, neil’s (musically) simple mashups/remixes that have the joke in the forefront usually bring out humorous components at a pretty consistent, if not fast rate, my examples being closerflies, vivid memories turn to fantasies, fredhammer, and sexual lion king. in an album with such a repeated sample of jokes, i feel like the execution of the humor in the tracks ought to have more care put into it. track 9 - black eyed weez came sorta close to this. admittedly, a lot of the tracks that are so simple know not to overstay their welcome, but other times it goes fairly thoroughly through a backing piece with a pretty low average amount of jokes going at once. i don’t actually think that badly of this album (& the el horso project) because it’s a passion project for friends and that passion is honestly fairly clear. it’s nice in that way

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

EVANESCENCE's 'Fallen' Album Certified Diamond In U.S.

On November 30, EVANESCENCE's "Fallen" album was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) for sales and streams of ten million units in the United States.

Led by the smash single "Bring Me To Life", which also appeared on the soundtrack to the movie "Daredevil", "Fallen" yielded three more singles with "Going Under", "My Immortal" and "Everybody's Fool". EVANESCENCE also won Grammys in 2004 for "Best New Artist" and "Best Hard Rock Performance".

Asked in a recent interview with Rock Sound if there are any plans for EVANESCENCE to commemorate "Fallen"'s 20th anniversary in 2023, singer Amy Lee said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I do have an idea. It's gonna take a little bit of work. But I think it probably won't be what everybody expects. I think everybody just is, 'Oh, why don't you do a show that's, like, [playing] the album front to back?' We've been playing so many shows, I would rather do something that, to me… I don't know. I don't wanna give it away, in case it doesn't work out. Maybe I'll do nothing. Expect nothing, and then if I do something, you'll be really, really grateful. [Laughs]"

Amy also talked about the fact that "Bring Me To Life" experienced a resurgence this past summer, 19 years after its original release. The song, which initially reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was EVANESCENCE's first U.K. No. 1 single, reached No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes chart in August.

"It is satisfying," Lee said about the track's renewed popularity. "And it's cool now, because I remember a lot of the feeling in the beginning. It was so much about, like, 'What's next?' And, 'Are we gonna be able to make it?' And, 'Are we gonna be able to survive?' And, 'Are people gonna listen to our next song?' And, 'What about the next record?' And just getting to the next place always.

"There is an element to a song like 'Bring Me To Life' that didn't exist before, which is this nostalgia," she explained. "The song has grown live. It's something that we've added to. But part of how it's grown is with its history and with what it means to everybody in the room. It's not something new; it's just something that you already have known for so long that has a place in your heart. It's just able to be more than it would have been then. So I, in a lot of ways, love it more than I did."

The success of "Fallen" led to turmoil within the group, as founding guitarist Ben Moody left in late 2003, leaving Lee as the only original member of the band.

Lee continued with new members, and EVANESCENCE issued "The Open Door" in 2006. While a hit, it did not equal the sales of "Fallen". Lee told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that she wasn't concerned about matching the previous album's success. "I just haven't ever looked at it that way," she said. "'Fallen' is a great record, but I don't think you can try to match the success of another body of work. I think that's only gonna frustrate you. And if, honestly if what you really care about is record sales and money, there's no way you're gonna make a great piece of art, because then you're just gonna get all confused and make something ingenuine."

This past February, EVANESCENCE's music video for "Bring Me To Life" — which featured guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 STONES — surpassed one billion views on YouTube. The Philipp Stölzl-directed clip, which was uploaded to YouTube in December of 2009, was filmed in Romania in January 2003. It features Lee in a night gown and barefoot, in her room, inside a tall building in the city at night. The rest of the band is playing on a higher floor of the building.

In March 2021, Lee told Alternative Press that EVANESCENCE's original record label Wind Up threatened not to release "Fallen" if she and her bandmates didn't add a male voice to lead single "Bring Me To Life" to make it more palatable for radio.

EVANESCENCE's latest album, "The Bitter Truth", arrived in March 2021 via BMG. It was EVANESCENCE's first album of original music in ten years.

[sapphictuesdays]

My Personal Bible

Learn who Alexa Chung is, and invest everything you can into her while you still can.

Moisturize. I’m a big believer in Vaseline, 70 SPF sunscreen, and Nivea Creme.

Lipstick is a vastly underrated asset. It’s all you need for makeup honestly. It will always make you look more put-together. Trust me.

I prefer Revlon, it’s not cruelty-free, I have no excuse for this, but it’s inexpensive, doesn’t smudge horribly, and has the world’s-best pigment. Forgive me, father.

Have a signature piece of jewelry. Something you never take off that goes with every outfit. I’ve been wearing the same ring since 5th grade. It’s never failed me.

For writers: write every day. I make sure to, even if it’s just a journal entry. You don’t even have to finish it. It doesn’t have to be beautiful or profound. Just have fun, let those emotions and those ideas come to fruition.

Keep a journal. Write in it every day. None of you will do this. I’ve been journaling consistently for over 2 years straight, the best decision I’ve ever made.

Oranges are the most artistic fruit. They’re the most poetic, and arguably the most common yet exclusive, as they aren’t at their best for very long. There’s a reason there’s so much art about oranges, they are, inherently, an infinite inanimate muse.

I despise the wrong shoe theory, I think I’m far too in love with a classic silhouette.

Try to have at least one main character, coming-of-age moment every day, it makes life feel like it’s worth living.

I know it’s cliche, but don’t follow trends that you don’t like. Develop a personal style, you’ll feel much more comfortable. Personally, I wear a lot of skirts, I always love a plaid or argyle print, and I seldom wear sneakers.

I should probably branch out more with colors, I almost solely wear black, white, red, white, blue, and occasionally, pink. But then again. Personal style.

Put bows on furniture, do not resist the urge to be girly.

The thing I struggle with most while writing is turning aesthetics into depth. I’ve always been the most interested in the mundane. In plotlessness, in simplicity, and close observation. Yet, I yearn for the dramatics, it’s a shame I wasn’t old enough to work on Gossip Girl when it was airing, I'm the perfect candidate.

Heart-shaped is the best type of sunglasses.

Embarrassment is a mindset, my embarrassment complex has never been properly intact, life is far more fun when you barely care what other people think.

Sleep with socks on, don’t resist it. Stop judging people for doing so. We are living far superiorly, have fun waking up and touching the freezing floor.

Life can suck, that’s why God made pasta.

You are never too old for chicken nuggets. Never.

Be cautious when living life “for the plot”.

I literally do not trust people who actually floss every. Single. Day.

Do not call your ex and tell them you love them. Please.

Every single person on this planet should listen to Jeff Buckley’s Lover, You Should’ve Come Over at least once.

The same sentiment goes for Arctic Monkeys AM album.

Christmas is the best genre of music.

Observe the beauty of life. Notice things, people, and their habits, and turn to them when you feel an impenetrable sadness about the world.

If you are warned against someone, believe it, they are not different, and you cannot change them.

Alex Turner is the best man ever invented. It’s no competition, the rest of you can go home.

[crybabyddl]

In honor of grammy noms coming sometime this week, I’d like to once again say…

FUCK THE GRAMMYS!!!

(If you’d like to read my rant about the grammys snubbing demi lovato, along with an unintentional tangent that came from my ranting where i analyze demi’s confident, tell me you love me, dancing with the devil… the art of starting over, and holy fvck eras, that’s below here lol.)

It has honestly lost all its credibility for me since Demi Lovato wasn’t nominated for pop vocal album for Tell Me You Love Me, OR for a best performance for Anyone. Not to mention, the amount of hype and build up they created around Demi all those years only to snub them TWICE. Like I’m sorry but Demi is one of the very few actual vocalists left in this day and age, and is someone who actually cares about music, how it’s made, and is genuine about why it’s being made.

The HOLY FVCK album is in the top 3 of their discography and it was barred from promotion FOUR (4) DAYS after its release. Physical copies of the album were literally banned from being sold in stores in the UK. Demi said in an interview that they knew HF wouldn’t be a mainstream success. They don’t make music for the money, fame, or commercial reasons. They almost DIED, they have no time for the insincere bs that comes with promoting music or selling your brand as an artist. They’re simply making music to make music because they are talented and have a gift that needs to be shared. Notice how most of the grammy noms are songs and albums that have been the most commercially successful? Yeah, Demi doesn’t fit that mold and I’m glad they don’t. I’d rather have a “flop” album that was made with genuine feelings and heart than a grammy winning album that was made to get on the charts.

Demi has said that confident was their attempt to get a grammy nom and sure enough, that’s the one album of theirs that got a grammy nomination. It wasn’t fully genuine, and while being a lovatic during the confident era was one of the most fun and memorable times of my life, and the album is without a doubt INCREDIBLE, it’s extremely noticeable that it wasn’t as Demi as an album like HOLY FVCK. What I mean by “Demi” is that there’s a certain… metaphorical wall between the music they’re putting out and the listener. With Confident, while I love the album with all my heart and listened to it nonstop until TMYLM came out, there’s a palpable separation between the art, the artist, and the listener. When I think about the Confident era, it just feels like Demi was so disconnected from the music. Yeah, they were SUPER active with the fans on social media, but when you look back, you can see what was promo and what wasn’t. We recently learned the kind of stuff they don’t like doing, like going to red carpets and the Future Now Tour outfits, which makes the disconnect more obvious. Plus, now that it’s been a few years, along with taking into account the things Demi’s said about their previous albums and their respective eras, it’s easier to see the degrees of separation that existed.

With TMYLM, of course Sorry Not Sorry had a lot of commercial success, and the documentary Simply Complicated coincided with the album’s release. It was an incredibly effective tactic created by Demi’s (old) (and awful) team, I won’t lie. And with this era, we also saw a more vulnerable Demi. They’d split from Wilmer in 2016. It made for an emotional life on the Future Now Tour, (a joint tour with nick jonas set up by demi’s management. It was basically the Confident album tour.) and TMYLM was the product of it. So to recap, Demi relapsed with their ED after their breakup with Wilmer, was on tour with Nick Jonas who she had unreciprocated feelings for, and she began dating again. They were connected to Bomba, Luke Rockhold, Neymar Jr., Lauren “Kittenz” Abedini, Kehlani, and of course was famously caught setting the perfect thirst trap for Mr. Henry Cavill. (Although I personally don’t believe Demi dated Neymar or Kehlani. Neymar was a not-so-sneaky link. As for Kehlani, they were just on tour together and shared a kiss. Maybe they hooked up tho.) All of this struggle and romance allowed for some really intense songwriting. That’s why we have so many scrapped songs from the TMYLM era. (Also bc it is believed that it was going to be a living album that had droplets during and after the TMYLM tour, but that didn’t happen bc they relapsed with alcohol & substances.) Anyway, from the album AND the discarded masterpieces, it’s obvious that Demi was feeling A LOT of strong feelings. Navigating loss, rejection, casual sex, new love, relapsing, being controlled, etc. It allowed that wall between a masterfully calculated, commercially successful album and its listeners/enjoyers to fall. While it still isn’t akin to watching Demi write a song in front of you, it’s definitely a glimpse into what their life was like during 2016-2017. At the start of tour, you can tell the wall goes back up a little bc it has to be promoted and the show has to be captivating so that people show up bc these days, talent isn’t enough to be successful, and everyone knows Demi has more than enough talent. But the wall comes back down as they get more comfortable, but it goes back up once April hits, when Demi starts the European leg of the TMYLM Tour. It’s there where they relapsed with alcohol, which led to them eventually relapsing with drugs. People had assumptions, especially when they wore sunglasses to that one show, but it wasn’t until June that Demi revealed they were no longer sober, and even then, it seemed like it was only alcohol that Demi had picked up again. I don’t remember when they relapsed with drugs, but I do think it was a bit after, like after Demi left Europe. I think it might’ve been in May when Demi picked drugs up again. Anyway that’s not the importance of any of this. I kinda got sidetracked. Whatever. Anyway, tmylm was more genuine than confident but the pressure for the album to be successful was what created that separation that can still be felt there.

With dwtdtaoso, you can feel a lot of authenticity within the album itself. Not just the songs, but just like the stops in between the songs and just holding the physical album. But again, there was the pressure of a comeback album, a new manager, a sense of having to prove that they were back and better than before. The album was also made and came out during covid so that messed EVERYTHING up. Literally 2020 was set to be demi’s year with the success of Anyone at the Grammys, the acclaim of their national anthem at the Super Bowl, and a clean slate to start this new chapter, it was looking so great. Then the buzz single I Love Me came out and it wasn’t exactly what fans were expecting, but we supported it like crazy and it’s honestly a cute bop in my eyes and for Demi, someone who was healing and getting back on their feet, it was fitting for them. Anyway, then covid and m*x happened so the soulful, petty, r&b-influenced, and collaboration-heavy album was scrapped. Or maybe, it was scrapped after Commander In Chief. Idk. Anyway, we got Demi’s droplet era in lieu of an album, with collabs up the wazoo. I can’t speak on how genuine this era was bc Demi wasn’t even Demi during the droplet era. They were still figuring out their sobriety, they were dating and engaged to a psychopath, they were in their activist era on social media, and they were struggling with their ED. Anyway, go to 2021 with the alphabet album and i love it. I love that album so much, and even tho demi has said it felt like they were making the album for everyone else to show they were okay, it still was very genuine bc all the songs can be connected to parts of demi’s life. Anyone was written 4 days before the od, dwtd is obviously about addiction and relapsing, icu was about the aftermath and how it affected their sister, taoso was about starting over and not letting a partner define them, lonely people was about the bittnerness that comes after a breakup and trying to turn it into something positive, twydlam is about demi’s ed and how being in a relationship can trigger than, especially bc it was rumored that wilmer would try not to be seen with demi when they were heavier, and it made them feel like crap and question everything ofc, melon cake is word for word about their ed experience with their old manager, mhln was written by ariana and since she and demi are friends, she knew it was fitting for demi’s situation with maxipad, wops actually had lyrics leaked somehow in 2020 so we knew it was coming and demi was basically reflecting on how they lost sight of what really matters bc of being a celebrity, their sobriety, etc. carefully is literally about learning to trust someone and letting someone into your life after being hurt in the past, tkolia is about demi’s journey of acceptance with their sexuality and imagining themself with someone new and what they would preface their relationship with, easy is about losing a lover and trying to mourn, 15 minutes is a genius song about maxipad and how he overstayed his welcome in demi’s heart and took them for granted and how he’s going back to the streets where he belongs. mgamb is about surrounding yourself with good friends after a breakup bc nobody understands you better than your besties so focus on the fun and friendship. California sober is about being california sober and that is what demi tried doing. Mad world is a cover about how society is fucked up and the world makes you feel like you’re doing everything wrong and it feels like you’re in a spinning state that you cant escape and everyone’s watching you try to get out and criticizing you for not being able to navigate it all at the snap of your fingers. Butterfly is about demi’s birth father and how they learned to accept his passing and their strained relationship. Good place is about being in a good place even if it took a lot of bad times in bad places to get there. It all ties into what demi was going through during their hiatus and up until the release of the album.

Holy Fvck is what I consider to be their most genuine album bc it’s honestly the first time we’re given a glimpse into Demi’s anger. It also talks about grief, being in the public eye, and addressing and/or overcoming trauma. If you know enough about Demi, you can connect each song to a theme in Demi’s life that explains what the song is about, just like I did for dwtdtaoso. I’m tired so maybe I’ll edit this post and add that in at some point, but I also feel like if you get it you get it and if you feel unsure about any of it, you dont get it. And that’s ok. But i love holy fvck and i love being able to scream it in the car when im feeling intense feelings and dont really want to cry about them. So i just belt it out to demi’s music

[pancakes4two]

hi i love everything you write like ur just so good!! could you pretty please write an angst where harry broke up with y/n because he found someone else and then years or months later they bumped into each other and y/n pretended that she was in an accident and pretended she has amnesia because she feels embarrassed about how shes still not over him and then so harry kinds of regretted that he left her so he did everything to get her back (you can end it how you like if you ever do write this :) )

aw thank you so much i really appreciate that! and thank you for sending this request :) i couldn’t figure out where to start with it for a while, but then i watched harry’s performance of no hard feelings and it clicked. i don’t write about cheating so i tweaked it slightly so that the new girl comes in after yn & harry break up, i hope that’s okay!

no hard feelings | h.s

words: 2.0k

preview: Harry wants to ask you so much. How are you? to start. 

Then, Do you still dance barefoot in the kitchen to Ella Fitzgerald whenever you cook dinner? Are you taking care of our old dog? Does she still climb into bed with you when it storms, so you’ll protect her from the thunder? Whose hand do you hold to help you fall asleep, now that I’m gone? Did you listen to my last album? Do you know that all of the songs I’ve ever written are about you? Do you miss me like I miss you? When did you stop loving me?

MASTERLIST | REQUEST | READ MY NEWEST SERIES HERE

TWO YEARS AGO

“So what do you want me to do?” Harry asked, exasperation lining his voice. The two of you were sitting in his apartment in New York, the one he rented temporarily to be closer to the studio. It was small, barely big enough for two people, but that was okay for the purpose that it served. It was a place for Harry to sleep after long nights spent recording and mixing, and a roof over your head for forty-eight hours when you visited him on the weekends. Nothing more. It wasn’t home.

“I’m not asking you to give up everything,” you sighed, drawing imaginary circles into the wood of his dining table. You’d picked it up at IKEA and built it together when he first moved in, the two of you getting hopelessly confused by the simple instruction booklet. You both had spent hours putting screws in the wrong places and parts in the wrong order, and by the time you finished, the table had come out looking more like an abstract sculpture on display at a modern art museum than a dining table. But you both liked it better that way, and over time you’d grown to love the piece of furniture, with its uneven legs and crooked tabletop. Looking at it reminded you of that afternoon and how happy the two of you were, how beautifully messy and innocent your love was. You hadn’t made memories like that with each other for a long time now.

“It kind of sounds like you are, Y/N,” Harry replies. He twirled his fork in his plate but picked nothing up. You down at the Chinese takeout noodles in front of you, long since gone cold.

“I’m really not,” you say, picking up the glass of water beside you. You brought it up to your lips and swallowed, hoping to wash the bitter taste out of your mouth. “And honestly, Harry, if prioritizing your girlfriend is equal to giving up everything to you, then I have nothing more to say to you.”

“You can’t be serious?” Harry questions, his voice raising slightly.

“This isn’t some stupid argument about you not washing the dishes properly or me not being able to make an important performance. You said you wanted to start a life together. But I can’t do that myself, Harry. I can’t sit here alone in your apartment and wait for you to stumble in at 5 AM drunk from partying with your producers after I took a red-eye flight to see you. I can’t put my life on pause for you every time you disappear off to another country to record music. I have my own life too. I love you so much, but something has to change.”

“But this is my career we’re talking about! I can’t just completely change the way I make music for you!” Harry says indignantly. The light from the candle at the center of the dining table flickers across his face, washing his angry features in a red-orange glow.

“I get that, Harry, I really do, and I’m not asking for you to change everything,” you answer sadly, getting up from your seat. The legs of your chair scrape against the old hardwood floor, squeaking roughly as you approach the kitchen and pour your leftovers into the trash. “But I can’t sacrifice myself in exchange for your success. If we can’t compromise on this, then I’m done.”

“So just like that, you’re going to walk out?” Harry looks at you, a mixture of confusion and sadness flashing candidly from his eyes. As you hold his stare, you find a glimpse of the boy you first fell in love with. You want to reach out to him, grapple desperately at an invisible rope and bring him back to you. But you’re left with the reality, the two of you standing across from each other, ghosts of who you used to be. There’s only a foot of distance between the two of you, but it feels like an ocean.

“I’m sorry,” you said, grabbing your shoes. You ignored the suitcase that was left unopened in Harry’s bedroom. You were scared that if you went back there, you might change your mind.

You didn’t look back at him. Behind you, the apartment door slammed, plunging you into silence. Quietly, you walked into the elevator and hit the button for the ground floor, feeling hot tears fall down your cheeks.

“Maybe in another universe, it could’ve worked out,” you whisper softly.

PRESENT DAY

Harry should’ve thought a little more carefully about this. He should’ve consulted with a friend before coming here, because of course you would be at your favorite bar on your birthday.

He’s honestly not sure what he was thinking, coming here. He’s been cut up over you since the breakup, and Jeff must have been absolutely sick of seeing him wallow in his own misery for two years, because he cancelled Harry’s press appearances for the entire week and demanded that he go out and do something fun, for God’s sake—even though Harry has an album coming out in four days and desperately needs to be promoting it.

Because Harry might be something of a masochist, the only bar he could think of was The Lounge. Your favorite spot in Soho, because as you put it, there were “no pretentious fuckers gallivanting around and they played the best music.”

Tonight, you occupied the middle of the bar, surrounded on both sides by your closest friends. You looked beautiful as ever: you had your hair slicked back and your skin looked more tanned than Harry remembers. He watched your profile as you laughed with your friends, your hand curled delicately around a glass of tequila sour. You held yourself more confidently than you did back then, but your face hasn’t changed. It hurts Harry more than he cares to admit to see you sitting there, laughing as if he never existed.

Two years ago, he would’ve been right there with you, tangling his legs with yours and holding you in place as you spun around happily in your seat, singing along loudly to (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life.

Harry finds his feet are automatically bringing him closer to you. It’s as if his body is having some sort of psychosomatic reaction to seeing you again, like it can’t bear to be away from you for any longer than it already has. As he approaches, he can tell that you’re already quite drunk. There’s a rosy flush to your cheeks and you’re wobbling ever-so-slightly in your seat. You seem to lose focus of your surroundings for a moment as you grab the hand of your friend sitting closest to you, giggling close to his face as he whispers a joke into your ear. It leaves a sour taste in Harry’s mouth, seeing you like this. A part of him bitterly wonders if it was even hard for you to move on from him. He was dating a model now, more or less, but it didn’t matter because she wasn’t you. He doesn’t think he could ever love someone like he loved you.

Loves you.

“Y/N,” Harry says, mustering up all the courage he possibly can to lightly rest his hand on your shoulder, directing your attention towards him. It genuinely feels like the rest of the world around him fades as you slowly turn around to look at him, your eyes sparkling brightly despite the dim lighting in the bar.

The walls, the furniture, and the people beside you continue to fall away as you look at Harry searchingly, a sort of mock-confusion painted all over your face. You cough softly into the front of your elbow and smile at Harry apologetically. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I know who you are.”

And just like that, Harry is brought crashing back into reality. The rest of the bar is still buzzing with activity, but everyone else around you seems to have stopped in their tracks. The side conversations your friends were having previously have slowed into an awkward, flat silence, everyone looking at him with varying degrees of pity. Even the bartender has stopped drying empty glasses with her towel, her attention turned towards the scene in front of her.

Really, Harry can’t fault you for lying. He’s had a lot of time to reflect on your relationship in the past two years, and in spite of his ego, he can admit that he was an utter asshole at the end of it. It makes sense that you wouldn’t want to acknowledge his existence, especially if you’ve moved on, which it seems apparent that you have. But Harry is nothing if not persistent, and he’s not willing to let go of you that easily. Especially now that he’s struck up some sort of newfound confidence to talk to you.

“It’s Harry,” he says softly. In his peripheral vision, he can see your friends eyeing him up, though none of them are stopping him from talking to you. They were once his friends too, and Harry finds some small level of comfort in knowing that you didn’t portray him too badly when telling them about your breakup.

“Don’t know a Harry,” you slur sadly, shifting your attention back towards your drink.

Harry just looks at you solemnly, committing your features to his memory. He used to know you blind, but as time passed, the picture of you tucked safely in the back of his mind had begun to fray and fade. If this would be the last time he saw you, he wanted to capture a mental image of you that would last forever.

Harry wants to ask you so much. How are you? to start. 

Then, Do you still dance barefoot in the kitchen to Ella Fitzgerald whenever you cook dinner? Are you taking care of our old dog? Does she still climb into bed with you when it storms, so you’ll protect her from the thunder? Whose hand do you hold to help you fall asleep, now that I’m gone? Did you listen to my last album? Do you know that all of the songs I’ve ever written are about you? Do you miss me like I miss you? When did you stop loving me?

“I guess you don’t,” is what he says instead, “I’m sorry. I must have gotten you confused with someone else. I thought you were -- never mind. Have a good night, and sorry again for bothering you.”

He turns on his heel, ready to walk away, when your hand reaches out and clasps tightly around his wrist.

“Wait, no,” you say, “stay. I don’t know why I did that. Sit here with me for a while, I think we have a lot to catch up on.”

Harry smiles at you and sits down on the empty stool beside you, vacated by your friend. Your head is now resting comfortably on the bar, your cheek squished against the varnished wood as you look up at him. He brings his head down a little and rests it on the palm of his hand as he matches your eye line. He relishes every second he gets to spend with you, you drunkenly telling him about your new job and the annoying teenaged interns you were forced to train while he sits there dumbly and grins, just so happy to be near you again. It almost feels as if he were transported into the past and this was any random night from two years ago, the two of you sharing a tub of dairy-free ice cream and attempting to stargaze from his balcony. It never quite worked out, as New York was far too industrialized to be able to see any sort of constellations beyond the city smog, but neither of you cared. You didn’t need the stars, anyways. All that mattered was that you were spending time in each other’s presence.

Later that night, Harry helps your friends take you home and slips a tiny note into the pocket of your jacket.

Y/N, it reads, call me when you wake up and have sobered up. My number hasn’t changed, but in case you deleted it (I won’t be mad if you did), it’s XXX-XXX-XXXX. You were right that we have a lot to catch up on. Let’s have dinner sometime this week, if you’re up to it.

Love, H.

He takes it as a tiny victory when you call him the next afternoon, demanding that he take you to the most expensive restaurant in London after all the heartbreak he put you through. This time he knows for sure that he’s never letting you go again.

[chill-pills-yandere-haven]

Can you do the Yandere idol au with 4nemo. Cause they’re all beauties nothing can change my mind😤

Wooh! First ask! Here is a little drabble I made for you, enjoy! (Might also make headcanons for the group)

Tw: Yandere, mention of violence

Disclaimer: Yanderes are abusive, this is not a healthy crush.

Made, finished, and posted same day.

A Dream of Coffee and K-pop

(Not my art)

Sunlight shone through the window, the smell of freshly ground coffee beans wafted through the air, it was truly beautiful. You and your best friend had decided to stop for a drink break and found yourselves here. Honestly, you were thinking about becoming a regular here, the atmosphere has heavenly and the food and drink were delicious. Then you heard camera clicks and squealing. You let out a slight sound of confusion and irritation. Forced out of your state of serenity, you looked back at your friend to see what happened. Their face was red and they seemed to be holding back an almost terrifying grin. It didn't make sense to you, all that happened was that four men and a bunch of other people entered the cafe. "Holy archon of idol groups! It's 4NEMO!" Your friend was now shaking you, making you look even closer at the four men who had just entered. Even on further inspection they only looked like rich people with hair dye, you didn't see anything special. "Who?" You blinked, just annoyed that your peaceful coffee break had been interrupted. "I swear to God, you uncultured swine. That's 4NEMO, the hottest new K-pop group. I sent you a link to their newest album, you know, the one I've been going crazy over because they had a collab with DCKZ and Lumine from ABYSS?" They facepalm at your obliviousness to the literal celebrities that are in the same place as you. "Sorry, I forgot to check it out yesterday, I was studying." You apologize for not at least trying to see what was so good about these K-pop bands that were your best friend's newest obsession. But you did have a life of your own, you were studying to become a surgeon so you never really had much free time. "Hello, there! I was wondering if you two could share some space? seems that there's nowhere else for us to sit in this place." Out of nowhere, a young man with braided hair that faded from dark brown to teal and emerald eyes that almost made you want to trust him, was at your table, asking if he and his three friends could sit with you all. "Oh my lord, 4NEMO is asking to sit with us! Squee! Please say yes, my dear best friend who has brought us both insane luck, please?" Resistance was futile when your best friend was almost begging you to let them sit with you two, trying to do the best puppy dog eyes they could. "Yeah sure, you all can sit with us, just squeeze in." You relented and moved further into the booth to create space. The one with the braids and a guy with mostly white hair that had part of it dyed red sat on your side of the booth while a blonde with golden eyes and a man with an edgy vibe to him sat with your friend. The before almost empty cafe was now bustling with people and you swore you could feel a couple of people glaring at you. You gave a close-eyed smile and a small sigh, this could've been worse. The six of you ended up getting along quickly, talking the day away. Your friend was malfunctioning most of the time from being in the same room as their idols so you tried to calm them down from the shock but it didn't work. You found that the 4NEMO boys were actually quite sweet and easy to talk to, maybe excluding Xiao who wasn't one for small talk, or any talk. All of you exchanged numbers before you had to leave and even gave your super fan best friend some signatures. Kazuha then handed you both VIP tickets and backstage passes for their next concert saying that you could be his plus twos. But only because all the boys were allowed to give out two free tickets to whomever they chose. You all said goodbye and you made a mental note to check out their music once you got to the comfort of your apartment. But as you left, you just couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with your new friends no matter how many times you tried to brush it off. (On the other side.) Kazuha was the one to first notice you. A serene being in the middle of the cafe, face illuminated by the evening light. On your face was a beautiful smile more genuine than anything he had ever seen. You were the only one whose head didn't turn as they

entered, even ignoring the obvious adoring look on the person beside you's face. He confidentially alerted the other members of his group to your presence. All with some variation of curiosity and something that he could only describe as a breath of fresh air on their faces when they completely took you in. "I don't think they even know about our band." Aether supplied, you had a true expression of complete cluelessness even when he heard your friend explaining who they were just loud enough for him to hear. You were much too enticing and adorable, especially for someone who he just saw. "Why does it matter, we're here for public appearances, coffee and desserts, not some random person," Xiao mumbled, loud enough for the rest of them to hear. He didn't understand what was so special about them, just another attractive stranger. Though, part of him did understand why his group mates felt this way. "Who cares, I'm making a move," The lead singer of the group, Venti announced, making his way over to their table after looking around for anything they could use as an excuse. Ah, of course, because of their appearance, the little cafe was now packed. He brought himself and the others up to your table, acting charismatic in hopes you would let them stay. Though the idol group didn't even need an excuse as your best friend would have convinced you either way. Surprisingly, everyone in the group almost immediately warmed up to you, even Xiao. Kazuha was the one to give you his plus two tickets mainly because everyone else had already invited other people but luckily, Kazuha hadn't used his yet. The 4NEMO boys were a good distance away from the cafe and we're finally able to freely talk. "So, we're sharing them?" Aether asked, getting a nod or a yup from everyone in return. "We should do more research on them. What if they're already dating someone?" The composer of the group, Kazuha supplied. Noticing how the other boys' expressions got just a bit more malicious at that. Xiao looked around, being sure that they were completely isolated. "Then I'll give them a threat or a concussion." Xiao threatened, the other members were mostly in agreement with the statement. Any of them would already do appalling things for their new friend and future lover. "I'm sure as long as we don't scare them away they'll fall head over heels in love with at least one of us. We just need more time with them." Venti assured, not the fondest of using violence to settle his disputes. "Well one thing's for sure, they will learn to love us and will be ours." Aether voiced the idea on everyone's mind as they stepped into their shared studio apartment that could comfortably house about eight people. Leaving them all to individually plan how they would make you theirs.

[elysianslove]

Hiii! I loved your Iwa fluff headcanons and was wondering if you could do one with Suna? thanks <3

yesyesyes i would love to!!! iwaizumi’s version. 

↬ when suna was younger, he really, really wanted a pet bunny. like he really, really loved bunnies, and would beg his parents day and night for one. he even made a really badly edited powerpoint on bunnies and why he deserves one (aside the editing, it was a very persuasive powerpoint. they filmed him while he presented it and the video haunts him to this day). his parents were relentless, though, and didn’t get him his bunny. instead, though, they surprised him with a cat. a cat isn’t as high maintenance since they’re very independent creatures, but can also be very fun. they figured any pet would make him happy. they were wrong. suna hated her so much and would never interact with her. like to the point where he nicknamed her “bitch” and now she mainly answers to that instead of her name. but all that only worked against him, and the cat just kept getting more and more attached to him.

↬ suna now loves her so much, and she’s just as attached to him. like he would kill for her, honestly. it’s his cat >>> everyone else. he has an album on his phone dedicated to pictures and videos of only her, and her bed is in his room because she always ends up sleeping there anyways. he realized later on when he grew older that a cat was the perfect animal for him, and he’s not sure if it’s a parents thing and they really knew or they were just winging it and hoping for the best, but she’s his favorite ever and he would risk it all for her.

↬ his favorite sleeping position with her would be when he’s casually laying on his back scrolling through his phone and she comes and crawls along him to lay on his chest. the warmth he feels within his chest like he just gets so giddy.

↬ suna is crazy obsessed with serial killer documentaries, horror movies, unsolved mysteries, everything like that. his favorite pastime is watching and reading these things, but honestly, it’s not even a like, “wow that’s so cool,” and more of a, “suna what is wrong with you???” type of thing, because he’s the type to have like insidious 2 in the background as he does his homework or gets ready or something. it’s kind of scary how unfazed he is with things like that.

↬ but! yeah he’s extremely brave when it comes to horror movies, borderline unhinged, but his biggest fear? his phobia, if you will? spiders. insects in general, really. he will scream like a sixth grader that’s yet to hit puberty if he sees a spider crawling near him. once he was peeing in the miya twins’ bathroom and some kind of cockroach crawling on the wall and nearly fainted. thank god he was already peeing because he would’ve pissed his pants either way. it’s so embarrassing for him, so he’s so good at hiding it. he just freezes impossibly when he notices an insect and doesn’t take his eye off of it until someone else notices it and kills it. there was this instance when they were at a training camp and he kept feeling as if something was crawling on him, but assumed it was just really hot and his skin was tingling from that. something was crawling on him, though, and it was not just really hot. Top 10 Most Traumatic Moments of his life, especially because atsumu’s first instinct was to record the whole thing.

↬ suna is extremely, and i mean extremely, touch-starved. physical touch has always made him uncomfortable for a reason unknown to him, so he never really accepted hugs or kisses from his family, and would feel so icky if he was roped into a group hug b by his teammates. so when he met you, he thought you’d be so against the fact that he’s uncomfortable with it, because who would want a partner that doesn’t wanna touch or be touched? turns out he actually craves it, and needs it badly, he just needed to take his own time and pace approaching it, and with how understanding you were, he doubted he could ever figure this out without you. he just took it slow, you know? but the more he touched you — held your hand, pinched your cheek, rested his head on your shoulder, pecked your lips for a few seconds longer than last time — the more he wanted you.

↬ when suna became comfortable with the thought and idea that yeah, he actually craves physical touch so damn bad, he wouldn’t stop touching you every second he could. he became insanely clingy, no matter if you were in public or alone. just always has a hand on you at all times. when he’s alone with you, he’s always trying to cuddle with you. you wanna sit and chill on your phone and not really talk? sure, just come do it with your head on his chest. you wanna watch a movie and munch on some popcorn and possibly share a drink? of course he’d love to! just come sit between his legs with your popcorn on your lap so he can steal some and also offer you some sips from the drink. you don’t wanna hug him after a game cause he’s too sweaty? that’s too bad, he wasn’t asking for permission. so you see, suna is a clingy mf. like latches onto you like a koala clingy <3

↬ suna’s music taste is very diverse. his favorite genre is alternative and rock, like the neighborhood, arctic monkeys, etc, but he also loves, loves loves glitchcore music, but also will un-ironically listen to kpop, and rap, and hannah montana’s old music too because why not. he just doesn’t care. if a song is good, it’s good. so what if it caters to a bunch of 12 year olds and not him? who decides that anyways?

↬ suna is very good at hair. like so good. as his sister started to get older, and her hair grew longer, she would sometimes ask him to do it for her before school. at first he was terrible at it, except maybe ponytails cause his hair was long enough at some point to push back into a ponytail, but everything else like parting her hair for pigtails or doing braids or a bun… he was just awful. so, in response, he’d just practice. he’d watch videos as he’s doing his little sister’s hair and be so focused, with his tongue sticking out a little and his eyes squinting as he tries to get it accurate. eventually, he becomes a master at it! you find this out when one day, as you’re just over at his house, his sister comes into his room with a hair tie and a brush and he just carries her up onto his lap and braids her hair as he chats with you and it was so endearing and so impressive and you genuinely believe that was the moment you realized you were in love with him.

↬ he offers to do your hair for you all the time now!! especially if you’ve just showered and are too lazy to brush it and tie it in some way, so he does it for you. he’s actually so, very gentle when brushing your hair, you don’t even feel a thing. if anything, it makes you really sleepy.

↬ when he joined the national team and started to become more and more of a public figure, he’d send you really explicit fan art of him and other teammates he was shipped with just to piss you off. if he was feeling really bold, he’d send you smut written about him. he says he wants to make you jealous. he just wants to provoke you in every way possible, really. one time someone made an edit plot twisting you and him to him and like atsumu so he downloaded video star and made such a bad edit of you and him and posted it on his twitter and instagram and it went viral. like it was one of those edits of just pictures flipping and hearts flashing and lights spasming all over the screen it was so bad it made you cry with laughter. that was his way of telling the world, no one but this person for me, right here <3

↬ i think he’d be very good at doing chores and cleaning and all that, despite how lazy he is. i just think it’s a habit kind of thing, where he grew up doing laundry and making his bed and cleaning his room and washing the dishes that he genuinely doesn’t mind doing it cause it’s natural for him. and he’s learnt to enjoy it.

↬ suna’s favorite color was deep, deep purple at some point, but now it’s between green and black.

↬ he’s caught up with all seasons of keeping up with the kardashians. please don’t ask him why, he doesn’t even know.

↬ once when you were out with him you just gave him a rock that was on the floor and he’s kept that rock with him ever since. like it’s in the drawer next to his bed and sometimes he just takes it out and holds it in his hand while he’s doing homework or scrolling through his phone.

↬ he spams you a lot. like at any time time of the day he just sends you a million videos of him doing the most mundane things; he sends you a video of him eating some almonds and at the end it’s just him going, “i’s good,” or him lip-syncing a song you sent him to listen to, or him trying to do eyeliner because why not. or maybe it’s pictures of him and it’s always ridiculous: him exaggerating him thinking, and then captioning it “thinking,” or just a picture of him on the roof with a peace sign and a pretty smile, or a close up photo of his face saying, “miss u.”

↬ he also spams you with memes all the time. and there’s no set type, it’s just all kinds. really corny memes and really cursed memes, wholesome memes and also memes that bully you. it’s all about the versatility.

↬ suna loves to sleep, he really does, but before meeting you, the only place where he could properly fall into a deep sleep was his bed. after meeting you, anywhere where you were next to him was the perfect place to sleep. if he had your presence near him he could sleep, it didn’t matter, especially if he was resting on your lap or shoulder or gripping onto your hand or resting his legs on your lap. he just wants you close to him, you know? like he feels so safe and comfortable when you’re around, it kind of scares him if he’s honest.