#I need to emphasise how much I love this verse

[stagefoureddiediaz]

you should explain it instead of mock people that have a right to be upset. explain what the writers are putting down because I'm still not seeing a valid reason why Eddie was completely almost erased from this episode.

Hey!

I've seen your other ask as well and I'm answering it here.

I did explain it and I wasn't mocking people - and if it came over that way then its because I'm fed up with my inbox filling up with anons being incredibly rude to me (and others in the fandom) - I've had over 40 anon messages since the episode started - most of them either rude or nasty. Everyone has the right to feel how they feel about things, but they don't get to come into mine and other peoples inboxes and mouth off about there unhappiness over something which I've (and others) have interpreted differently to them - they have their own feed they can post it there - just as I do - our inboxes are not here for hatred - I have no issues saying what I think for everyone to ready - using anon for nastiness is not what its there for. They clearly don't think about the mental health of those whose inboxes they go to and that is never ever ok.

I won't turn my anon because I believe in its value - some people are shy about asking questions that they worry about being silly questions and I've made mistakes in things I've posted in the past and I've had lovely people in my inbox on anon explaining to me why I've got something wrong - its allowed me to learn and be better so I will leave anon on, but is it really any surprise that lots of people turn theirs off?

But to get to the question at hand;

For starters Eddie wasn't completely erased from this episode - we saw his reaction to Buck being in a coma - he was full in crying and trying to stop himself breaking down - not once but twice. I'll go into it in my costume meta, but the fact that he only has one outfit for the whole episode (after his turnouts), despite clearly being in the hospital for several days - thats very telling to me - especially coming from a costume background!

The reason we didn't see much Eddie in the real world, or any in the coma verse is because Buck and Eddies relationship is not a familial one - as in they are not brothers, nor are they a parental figure to one another - that was the entire point of the episode - to emphasise the familial relationships and their importance to Buck (and the firefam as a whole more widely). I don't know how to explain that this episode was about family - about fathers and sons and siblings - in a different way!

The show by not including Eddie in Bucks Coma dream was very clearly saying that Eddie doesn't fit into the parameters of those boxes - that Eddie has his own box - one that is very much separate from any one else in the episode and one that Buck is not in a place to open yet. because opening that box means reckoning with romantic feelings and accepting that he's in love with his best friend. Buck needs to do a bit more work on himself before he reaches that point (and Eddie does as well actually).

Hopefully this has helped you understand more of where I'm coming from. Subtext is a very powerful tool in the writers arsenal and they are very deliberate in how they use it.

[pissgoblin973]

i have a wee theory about the whole “canon” events thingie mentioned in atsv. it’s been marinated in my mind for a while. here’s my take, yes this will include spoilers, i love this film so so much even after my fourth watch >:3

1. canon events are not set in stone. or at least in the way that miguel makes it seem.

here’s my reasoning: there are some canon events that cannot possibly be met for all variants of spider-man (eg. having a love interest, getting married, being bit by a radioactive spider) these events function better if they are understood as a mathematical formula with a quota ???

i’ll break it down like this — what each canon event has in common is the purpose and the lesson it is supposed to teach spider-man. the universe can adjust and create exceptions much easier that way, leading to why there are gaps where some universes are intact when according to miguel they should not be.

eg. finding a love interest vs an aromantic spider-person

keeping my interpretation in mind what could happen instead is that the spider-person harbours a strong platonic relationship that serves it purpose to teach the same lessons/award them with the same outcome of character development to help them on their journey. thus, meeting the quota and being recognised as a canon event, continuing their story without altering their universe.

2. not all canon events are necessary.

i think this one is pretty obvious but it has to be said. i think it makes more sense for the “universe” to be as fluid as the spider-person who exists within it. some canon events will not be necessary for their story, especially if my theory is correct and taken into account.

miguel suspiciously emphasises the importance of how these story beats creates who spiderman is …

if that is all a canon event is then there should be wiggle room or at the very least fluidity that allows more important/life altering or impactful events to occur and trivial or unnecessary situations to be optional especially if the lesson or purpose they are required to serve there is no need for them??

3. spider-man is not needed for a canon event to take place or be interrupted.

this one will take a bit more explaining so please be patient with me and of course, major major spoilers from here on out.

i’ve seen a lot of rebuttals against the “canon” events theory (and rightfully so, fuck miguel) HOWEVER.

i think we are judging him too quickly, i don’t think miguel is completely wrong but in the same way there’s no way in hell he is right either.

earth-42 is the only universe (that we know of) with no spider-man but how come it hasn’t been swallowed out of existence???

i can’t remember where i found it but when i do find the article i’ll attach it to this post but the creators of this film have hinted to miles g morales — prowler from earth-42 having a key role in the final instalment with them specifically saying “don’t judge a book by its cover…”

now we know that heroic portrayals of power exist, who’s to say that miles from earth-42 is not operating as a heroic prowler albeit with more unethical/violent methods. in that universe alternate miles has lost both a father and a police captain two canon events in one, it is possible that if the message/lesson he was intended to learn from that life event passed that the canon event was accepted …

remember it is through losing uncle ben that spider-man understands that “with great power comes great responsibility” if that lesson is learned and shapes the individual to fight crime in their own way isn’t that them being spider-man?

miles g morales was supposed to be spider-man not the miles we know from earth-1610, he may not be operating as spider-man but he has had his share of trauma and development to fulfil the quota of those necessary story beats, he is still destined to be spider-man. if those things remain intact, technically the canon is unchanged.

there are hundreds of spider people that canonically did not obtain their spider powers through being bitten but their universe still stands.

the implications of the “canon” event theory miguel presents places more importance on the trauma one has to face to become spider-man rather than the journey of healing, self discovery, identity and love that makes the hero.

ok i think that’s all ??? idk, i’ll add more things i noticed and extra points later. feel free to repost, interact with this post + gimme some of your thoughts/takes on the topic. i don’t think i’ve seen enough people discussing it so yea, i wanna create a space to uhh discuss…

anyway bye!

[spockandthings]

Day 4 - Shapeshifter ; Set in the Aconitum verse (Werewolf!Hob)

Written for @mr-sadman Dreamling Week

The werewolf smiled at his partner. “I’m so happy you could spend the full moon with us,” Hob said to Morpheus.

“I would have been loath to miss it,” Morpheus simply answered, a small smile stretching on his lips.

“And the pack would’ve given you a bit of hell, I know. But hey, can’t fault the kids for loving you,” Hob smiled grew even further as he teased Morpheus 

“They are a lively bunch,” Morpheus nodded. 

“That they are, bunch of rascals,” he emphasised the last part of his phrase just as they entered the den, where the pack was already lounging in preparation for the night. 

“Hey!” came a chorus of half-hearted protests.

“Relax, kids,” Hob raised his hands in mock surrender.

“Evening,” Morpheus simply greeted the group.

“Morpheus!!” the pack cheered once he spoke. 

Morpheus chuckled at the pack’s antics, before turning back towards Hob, who was simply observing him with soft eyes. Morpheus didn’t need to read the werewolf’s mind to know that he was very thankful that Morpheus had come to join them in this special evening. Morpheus knew just how much the pack meant to Hob, and a part of him couldn’t help but feel at home with this rag-tag group led by his partner. 

They all felt like family, but Morpheus tried to not dwell on this fact too much and, instead,  simply enjoy all of their company.

[On AO3]

[socialtomcat]

DISCLAIMER. the following post will be discussing characters whose canon consists of around 6 hours of comedic musical improv and most of their personalities are based on stuff i made up/projected onto them or decisions the actors made to be humorous taken deadly seriously. hold my hand. look into my eyes. its all going to be okay.

also there will be challengers spoilers

regarding last post the thing about moshe and neal is theyre both kind of canonically pathetic wet cats so its hard to find tension between them personality wise which would result in the kind of tashi/art vs tashi/patrick dynamic. i think the difference is neals refusal to accept help is more out of principle and in many ways a need for independence makes him much more like patrick whereas moshes difficultness stems from his abandonment issues which means as much as he will huff and get upset when ppl try to help him in ways he doesnt like, he is incredibly loyal and will eventually listen to the ppl around him because he craves both guidance and validation. i think the hotel scene would play out very similar but i think moshe would be more explicit about his desire for an ultimatum (not on purpose) while also emphasising how much he wants to stay with her despite knowing she will never truly love him like that

that post about tashis one true love being tennis and how she will always love tennis much more than she will ever love the boys while also knowing they are her only way to have that rings pretty true for kharm too. like as much as she cares for and loves neal and moshe in ways her true love is performance and connecting with her fans. as much as she spends so much effort trying to maintain her cool persona, she wants to be vulnerable but they all love her so much and place her on a pedestal so its difficult. shes also honest in little ways like telling them her dreams and crushes which feel like a big deal to her but the only time she can really truly connect and be seen is performing and putting her feelings into songs and she knows she wouldnt have that without the rest of the band. when theyre singing together, whether its with a live audience or a jam session, for those moments they truly understand each other and it is kind of like theyre in love. or something. i dont remember the actual quote but u get it

anyway this ties back to art/patrick & moshe/neal playing together without realising the vulnerability in it thats been there the whole time. i think moshes style kind of mirrors art in the way of like his verses are sometimes a little clunkier he might get focused on one thing and have to jam it in there, art might be a weaker player than patrick but he has tells in the same way moshe is kind of involuntarily showing his inner psyche when he sings, and they still connect to each other. havent thought this part out much but moshe being the new kid at school and being welcomed by the others vs art being a “late bloomer” and patrick helping him are definitely linked. if i follow this thread any further i will start experiencing vertigo but u get where im going

im not sure if they would get a similar satisfying ending like the movie solely because theyre very prone to messiness and poor communication and as im typing this im realising thats kind of challengers whole thing so idk. maybe theyd work it out. i think moshe does sort of have enough admiration and love for neal that he could accept it but he might also spiral and get upset and do moshe things etc u get it. i am not going to talk about did system moshe but it definitely adds layers to this that could either bring it closer to the events of the movie or complicate things further (in a fun way) but also tbh moshe does that on his own anyway

ummmmm also blair witchproject is there

[forever-third-wheeling]

Every Change I Remember from the West End version of Mean Girls the Musical

I went to see it yesterday and was honestly very disappointed at the sheer amount of changes so here are all the ones i noticed:

(i haven’t watched a bootleg of the broadway version in a while so sorry if some of these aren’t actually changes at all!)

It Roars is completely different with only a few lines following the same rhythm as the original

Cady’s father has been completely removed as a character just like in the movie musical

The part of It Roars where the other students ignore and are rude to Cady has been replaced by a dance number.

The ending line ‘welcome to Northshore High’ is at first replaced by someone pushing Cady over and saying ‘bitch move’. It then takes place after.

Cady goes to class immediately after It Roars. The classes are almost identical to those in the movie musical, including Cady needing to pick a french name in french class and not knowing a bathroom pass is required in Coach Carr’s sex ed

Cady meets Aaron in class before befriending Janis, Damien or the plastics. She doesn’t sing stupid with love here. Instead there are several gags about how attracted to Aaron she is, including her answering a maths problem with ‘sex’ instead of ‘six’, and hitting her ‘pubic bone’ on the desk. We then transition into It Roars (reprise), which is again unrecognisable.

There are lots of lyric changes in Where Do You Belong, including the rich stoners and gangster whites being replaced by the young marxists and wealthy preps

Part of the end of Where Do You Belong has been cut off. They no longer sing ‘hey Cady this is where you fit’ etc., and the tap dancing at the end has also been removed.

There are a few lyric changes in Meet the Plastics. ‘I never weigh more than 115’ has been replaced by the line about filters from the movie musical. Gretchen’s lines have also been changed. She sings about staying in favour with Regina and her lines about worker bees and being a Jewish Princess have been replaced by some sort of chess reference.

Karen does not start her verse facing the wrong way

The entire overlapping section in Meet the Plastics has been cut.

lots of lines from the movie musical are used, such as Karen’s life goal of not touching a tiger, and Regina telling Jason ‘can you hear me now?’

overall Regina’s character seems more similar to the movie musical portrayal than the original movie or the original musical, with slightly more aggression than fake kindness and aloofness

The lyrics of Apex Predator are unchanged but there are a lot of dialogue breaks that interrupt the flow of the song somewhat. What’s Wrong With Me also seems unchanged

Stupid With Love takes place now. It is a duet between Cady and Aaron. Some of the lyrics are the same as the original Stupid With Love Reprise but the rhythm changes slightly towards the end, specifically after Aaron says he’s swearing off dating.

Cady pretending not to know the answer when Aaron questions her is massively drawn attention to. Janis comes onstage breaking the fourth wall to emphasise to the audience that ‘Cady just acted dumb to get a boy to like her’, in a way that I felt spoonfed us unnecessarily.

The calculust line is much more understated. set to a completely different tune, and immediately followed by ‘that’s not even a word’

The October Third reference is emphasised so much it loses its comedic value. It is not set to music. Cady flounders for ages while Janis and Damien break the fourth wall to tell her that even the audience knows the answer, before she finally gets it out

Sexy was almost exactly the same except for Rosa Parks being replaced by Joan of Arc, and the dance break being cut completely

Regina is wearing a different costume for the halloween party

Janis’s backstory from the movie musical is used.

The dialogue in Revenge Party is stilted, constantly switching between Janis and Damien singing and Cady interacting with the plastics. the part where Cady is giving Regina the kalteen bars is particularly hard to follow, especially for such a crucial plot point

Gretchen’s outburst at Cady’s candy cane gram is very different. The way she tells her about Regina cheating on Aaron is phrased in a drawn out way that kills much of the comedy. The lion costume doesn’t come out during the chorus of revenge party, but instead has its own moment where the music is understated and there are few people on stage other than Aaron. it comes off more awkward and uncomfortable than funny

Revenge Party extends all the way to the end of act one, replacing Fearless and the first Someone Gets Hurt reprise. They change a lot of lyrics, with the end of the song saying ‘a party with revenge is really great’

A Cautionary Tale (Reprise) and Stop are both cut. The act two opener is I’m Blowing Up which i’ve heard is the same as a song called Bossed Up from the dc version of the musical.

What’s Wrong with Me (Reprise) is the same.

Who’s House is This is very similar to the original but is shortened so Kevin does not repeat his lines at the end.

In More Is Always Better after Aaron compares Cady to Regina he immediately sings 'you say more is always better…’ skipping over the lines in between.

Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise), World Burn and I’d Rather be me are unchanged

Do This Thing is cut. It is replaced by a Stupid With Love Reprise. The line tends to be ‘i was stupid’, with a gap where ‘with love’ would previously have been. It is sung by Karen while getting ready for Spring Fling, and then by the mathletes.

I See Stars has a few minor lyric changes. Cady calls Gretchen ‘fetch’ and Karen ‘rare’. ‘we’d say what we are, say what you are’ has been replaced by ‘we’d light up the sky, you and i’

and that’s all i can remember! not all of these changes were bad but i felt it was entirely unnecessary to update a musical from 2018 to this degree. it’s pretty upsetting to wait six years for a show to come to your country only for most of your favourite songs to be completely unrecognisable for no discernible reason. if you like these changes though i’m super happy for you! it’s still a super fun show and i’m sure if you go into it with less knowledge of the original soundtrack than me it’s much more enjoyable

[phoenixcatch7]

Love how LBH bonded with all the Batkids. And being technologically illiterate. The protagonist halo is not helping for once XD! But it’s ok, he can always go to SQQ for help UWU. Also, yes, I would like to hear more about Batman! SQQ cross dressing for infiltration purposes 👀 👀.

All the protagonist halo in the world can't make you technologically literate lol.

*slams hands together* SO! I had this thought a couple days ago that there is a lot of things sqq would have mastered by living in an alternate pidw, archery and painting and music and horse riding and hair care and all sorts, but most importantly - wife plot/gay idiots hunt demons plot starters. A lot of fanfic and heist movies and adult 'coming of ages' and all sorts LOVE crossdressing as a trope, and I I do love me a good oblivious gender queer sqq!

He has 100% had to infiltrate a brothel or club or gathering or acted as demon bait at some point in his long life, and with his already lean and pretty figure, his own appearance perfectionist tendencies for the role of sqq, and his husband's refusal to let him out the house looking anything less than stunning, he's put a good effort and practice into it. Nanda parbat (or the other places he studied) is also well versed in disguise as a job. Canonically he uses stage makeup to create other identities, most famously matches malone. SO! By all logic batman would be EXCELLENT at disguising as a woman!

Also in this au I headcanon that cultivators are rarely super muscled, with agility and flexibility also being very important. Think more swimmers and barbarian and lumberjack builds - the muscle isn't for show at all, but some can lift more than the body builders twice their size! Unfortunately for sqq, system demands an imposing presence, and so he fills the bats suit out with fake padding and extra armour and tech. He tucks his long hair in the cowl. It helps emphasise the difference between Bruce Wayne and Batman, and the first time Jason saw him undress after patrol he thought batman was peeling his own skin off lol.

And what that means is he is completely unbothered when a pair of women are needed to infiltrate a club to gather information, and wonder woman is the only one free. She gamely volunteers to go herself, but is vetoed on grounds of safety and efficiency. So then the solution is Martian manhunter but he's off world.

So batman volunteers.

He's met with confusion and disbelief, and for good reason?? He's huge! Buff! Deep voice! Aloof! Batman is a very manly man!

But no, he can do it, are you doubting that he can't? It's fine.

Diana is very excited. Also very curious. Sure, there are amazonians bigger than him, but he is very much a guy and they're not going to a place known for inclusivity.

But despite their misgivings they set a time and place.

And as they're talking, waiting for batman to arrive, a bombshell of a woman walks past. Long dark hair, boobs peeking out of a window, glittery earrings, six inch heels, long and painted nails, big puffy jacket, trousers that flare at the knees, the whole works.

She walks past them again a minute later, and stops. Greets them with a low and sultry voice.

It's batman. Wtf.

Sqq rather thinks he's done a good job with the outfit. The trousers hide his calves, fake boobs are so much more realistic in the modern era, he took his voice changer out. Makeup changes his whole face. He's got contacts and brush through hair due so he doesn't look like Bruce Waynes sister. His voice probably sounds a bit funny but it's close enough! It'll pass!

The group of veteran heroes are choking on their tongues. Diana is delighted.

It's still early days for the league, they're still feeling each other out, seeing if they can trust each other with matters outside of heroism.

For Clark, it's the first of many existential crises.

[l-e-morgan-author]

Love in Hands Made For Gentleness

One of the themes in this book are the different forms of love, and - like many others - I think about the Greek words to ensure I explore it the way I want to. It's an interesting thing to think about, how each form of love is manifested, and is something I hold very close to my heart, because after all 'these three abide, but the greatest of these is love'. Given that both faith and hope are also crucial elements (hope gets more of a talking-about, but that's inextricably tied into faith as it is for me), it's important that I don't forget about their greater counterpart, love. I wanted to break it down and discuss a bit about how the different forms of love are displayed.

This necessarily involves spoilers, so if you want to scroll right past and remain unspoiled, feel free to! (And yes, I do indeed overanalyse my own works, what of it?) Also note: trigger warnings consistent with the book itself, since some of the topics discussed may be distressing (if you find discussion of topics like suicide distressing, a) please take care of yourself, and b) this probably won't be the book for you).

So in no particular order:

Philia

Philia is the love of friends, platonic love. This is really where Vaniah and Anneka start out, in a way - very good friends, very affectionate, and entirely platonic. Before we get into the more complicated feelings as they grow closer after their marriage, one of my aims with this book is to emphasise the importance of platonic love, as well as its depth, and that it absolutely doesn't need to romantic to be very close and extremely important to the people in it. For Vaniah, Anneka is the most important person in his life, even before their marriage.

Eros

Eros is the interesting one here to me - the passionate romantic or sexual love. It's definitely important to this story and these characters; Vaniah has some trauma around all of this to work through, but ultimately, they're married, they're going to be doing married people shenanigans. (Not on page, don't worry. There'll be discussions around that topic, as necessary, but since it's not a topic I really want to touch for personal reasons I doubt it'll have a great deal of page time.) It's important, but most of the hints around it will probably be accidental; I know I've shared excerpts that are just them playing around and being silly, and certain people look at them and see sexual undertones I never intended. Ah well.

Agape

Agape is the most important love here, I think - the self-sacrificing, selfless love. It's unconditional, and very much represents the bond between Vaniah and Anneka as it heals. Both are willing to do whatever it takes for the other to grow better and closer to God, at least in theory, and over time that translates to wanting their own healing in order to stop grieving the other person (more relevant for Vaniah than Anneka). At a certain point with a lot of mental problems, I feel like one stops caring about healing, and it's a struggle sometimes to remember why you would try, because it's easier to just exist and not try to improve. Over time, though, Vaniah and Anneka help one another to heal from their respective problems. They won't go away completely, of course, but whatever they can do to help, they do, and I love them for it. Anneka, for instance, is very willing to hear about dark, graphic thoughts and see some very graphic things, if it will help Vaniah (like when she helps him to care for self-inflicted wounds, which understandably deeply upsets her). Despite how it may make her feel, she's determined to continue to love him no matter what, and that's something she emphasises, especially when he gets existential and at one point even suggests she should divorce him and let him die by his own hand. (She refuses, reminds him of her love and God's love, and pulls out verses to support her point.)

Storge

Storge is the familiar love, love of family. This is one most represented by Anneka's bond with her brother, Ben. While Vaniah has two siblings, one is already dead by the start of the story, and the other, Susan, doesn't get a great deal of page time. Because the story is told from Anneka's point of view, the two most important male characters are Vaniah and Ben. Her relationship with Ben mimics my own bond with my siblings. I wanted him to be her protector, to some extent, until that role is handed more to Vaniah. Though she can stand for herself, Anneka still needs the love and support of her family and friends, just like we all do. For Vaniah and Anneka, the support and protection goes both ways.

Mania

Mania is another interesting one, and not one I'd really considered specifically until writing this post. As part of his mental health journey, Vaniah sometimes veers close to obsession, or stumbles into it completely. He is at times violent, but never towards Anneka, only himself. There's a spice of codependency as well, as they both know he would have committed suicide years earlier if it hadn't been for her, and at times, at his lowest, he resents her for it. There are a lot of toxic emotions tied up into this relationship, but together (and with the help of others from their church) they work through it and out the other side.

Ludus

This is another form of love I hadn't considered until writing this post, but I'm glad I did. It's an integral part of Vaniah and Anneka's relationship, and serves to lighten the admittedly heavy tone of this book. They have a lot of fun together, even despite the terrible darkness that sometimes assails one or both of them, and it's important to remember. It's also tied into the banter between Anneka and Ben, which can sometimes be pretty similar to the way Vaniah and Anneka interact. But they absolutely can't be sad or depressed all the time, because that would be a terrible book to read. I need to work more on putting this in, and the balance between light and dark, so that it doesn't feel jarring or confusing, or different to the tone of the rest of the book.

Pragma

Pragma is an enduring love, and it's extremely important to their relationship. Both Vaniah and Anneka have to make compromises to make things work, and as they mature and heal from their traumas and disorders, they learn to work together better, and the codependency they previously experienced is transformed into a strong, healthy and abiding bond in Christ.

Philautia

Oh look, another one I hadn't expressly thought about before this post! Philautia is the love of self. This one is interesting because it ties into my opinion that both 'self love' and 'self hatred' are expressions of self obsession, which isn't really a very good thing, obviously. At the start of the story, Vaniah absolutely can't get past his feelings about himself, his guilt over what he was forced to do or chose to do, and the way he perceives himself at that point. However, as it progresses, he learns to forgive himself (there's one scene in which Anneka argues that God has forgiven him if he has repented, and he bitterly retorts that all he needs to do is forgive himself, for he has repented a thousand times), and finally to move on after years of feeling stuck in one place. This is only really possible after he hits the lowest point and attempts suicide, and finally makes the decision that he will never end his own life, no matter what. He eventually reaches a point at which he is less self-obsessed (tying it in to the development of agape love as well), and is able to look more outwards without obsessing over his own behaviour; he doesn't love himself, but he has learned to accept himself and to largely stop punishing himself for his own existence, which is what is tied into his significant habit of self-harm. (Which he does eventually manage to stop completely; I'm not sure that's entirely possible for some or even most people, at least given how established it is as a coping mechanism for him, but there might be a little bit of wishful thinking helping this one along, and that's okay.)

So those are the different forms of love as expressed in this story! I could probably talk a lot more about them if I sat down and thought about it for even longer, but I really shouldn't. I have an exam to study for. God be with you.

In a slightly edited form, this post will also be available on my website, lemorganauthor.wordpress.com, shortly. (Edit: the post is now available at this link which I hope works because I've never done a hyperlink on tumblr before.)

[eurovision-del]

4. Austria – Who the Hell is Edgar?

Every single part of this song is gold! Musically it’s catchy and exciting, I love every production choice made, from the fast little guitar run following ‘his brain is in my hand and it’s moving really fast’, to the dubstep ‘wub-wubs’ at the end of the first verse, to the choral backing on ‘Oh, mio padre’, and so much more! The lyrics are witty and sharp, a satire on the music industry, particularly the lack of recognition for songwriters and the struggle artists face to actually make a living off of music in the streaming era. It's also really funny – in the surface level premise of being possessed by famous gothic author Edgar Allan Poe, in the juxtaposition between the serious image his name evokes and the bouncy, irreverent music, and in the valley girl style delivery of the title and that single ‘ugh’ at the end of the bridge. If I wasn’t already completely in love with this song by that point, that moment would have won me over, it’s so damn good!

The way this song uses repetition is brilliant. The lyrical repetition of all the ‘Poe’s creates an insanely catchy chorus, but it also uses repetition to highlight the real message of the song with ‘zero dot zero zero three’ – repeating ‘zero’ a few extra times to really emphasise how little artists get paid per play on Spotify. However, the overall structure of the song isn’t repetitive at all – the first two verses are similar but distinct with different metres and rhyming patterns, and the bridge tones it down and provides a moment of seriousness in an otherwise deliberately absurd song. The chorus also builds upon itself each time it comes around, starting to incorporate the ‘o mio padre’ line in the second chorus, and then the final chorus puts that line front and centre.

There are aspects of this that I was worried might struggle live, particularly the opening dialogue and choral ‘o mia padre’ sections, but Teya and Salena proved they could deliver them in the pre-parties, and they bring all the attitude and confidence this song needs. Overall, Who the Hell Is Edgar is an absolute bop, it’s irresistible! Only one other song this year is better at hyping me up, and that one sets an incredible bar to clear. I expect Austria to do very well in the contest, but no matter what happens, Who the Hell Is Edgar should go down in Eurovision history as an absolutely iconic entry!

[existentialmagazine]

Review: Jake Kulak’s new high-energy indie-rock tune ‘The End’ longingly reflects on the passing of our childhood

Hailing from Hartford County Connecticut, the upcoming musical prodigy Jake Kulak has quickly found his place in the regional music scene, carrying through his work everything from the raw emotion of the blues to the infectiousness of modern indie-rock. With plenty of awards under his belt, tours across the states and an always shifting sound that shows off every nuance of his potential, Jake isn’t slowing down anytime soon. His latest single ‘The End’ offers another stunning addition to his discography that just confirms there’s no one else like him, and there’s never been a better time to start listening.

With the bright, addictive energy of indie-rock hurtling through from pressing play, ‘The End’ really is anything but the end, instead just the start of what’ll surely be many, many listens. Through quick guitar strums, tumbling beats and a blaring electric guitar riff, the introduction alone is mesmerising, getting you on your feet and ready to mindlessly dance the night away. The verse simmers a little, captivating you just through booming bass twangs and steady drums, a little lighter on the momentum but still relentlessly catchy. Jake’s words add a richness to the sound that can’t be understated either, charismatic but deep and emotive in his delivery too, making sure the heaviness of the words lingers even when the sound begs for you not to get hung up. That contrast in itself mirrors some of the meaning perfectly, reflecting on what once was but trying to remember not to live in the past, always bringing you back to reality.

The chorus is the most gripping moment of them all, brought in through more speeding guitar strums before the sound collapses into frantic drums, deep strums and a colourful guitar riff, pushing the most euphoric of instrumental highs against the most crashing of emotional lows for an unforgettable intermission from the slower spirits. Jake’s vocals soar with a little hint of a rasp too, pushed into a higher tone and leaving every word resonating on your tongue.

With a sound you can’t get enough of, Jake’s written a narrative just as memorable and deeply relatable to match. Exploring themes of idealising nostalgia and growing into oneself while missing the person you were, it feels as though even in the title that ‘The End’ is a fearful admission that adulthood feels like the end, longing for simpler days and things that have been lost. Through the first line alone it’s as though Jake compares life to that of a game, singing ‘you’ve been changing the game, but the rules are the same, never wanted to win’ , perhaps feeling lost and unsure of how to proceed when everything feels both the same and yet so different at once. Continuing ‘I don’t need you right now, always better alone’, it could be inferred our protagonist is ashamed of who they have become, or perhaps simply finds it easier to process their emotions in solitude. Yearning to go back, further lyrics like ‘I liked it back then’ really emphasise the difference in where they are now and where they were, not acknowledging the present day as they seemingly found more happiness in their youth. The chorus hook rings out with the most hard-hitting line of them all, ‘didn’t notice a change, then it’s too late’ , a reminder that often time passes us by so slowly and yet quickly all at once - but the same applies just as much to the moment we’re all living in right now.

If you’re looking to reflect on what once was, while never quite letting yourself settle back there, then you’ll love the upbeat reminder through ‘The End’ for yourself here.

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Unknown

// This coverage was supported and created via Musosoup, #SustainableCurator.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 29/04/2023 (Nines, The Weeknd/Future, Tyler the Creator/Kali Uchis!)

Content warning: some graphic imagery/violent lyrics, brief mentions of rape + swearing

Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding retake the #1 – just barely – with “Miracle”, with its third non-consecutive week on top of the UK Singles Chart. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we start with the notable dropouts, which are songs exiting the UK Top 75 – the region I cover – after five weeks there or a peak in the top 40. This week, we actually have a pretty hefty list of big hits, including “Fly Girl” by FLO featuring Missy Elliott, “Like Crazy” by Jimin (already), “The Kind of Love We Make” by Luke Combs, “Home for My Heart” by ArrDee and Cat Burns, “TRUSTFALL” by P!nk, “Afraid to Feel” by LF SYSTEM, “Riptide” by Vance Joy and finally, “Shivers” by Ed Sheeran which is actually only out due to the three song rule, and since Ed’s new single isn’t latching on, I think it’ll be back next week.

We do have two returning entries, both of which are bottom-feeders: “SLUT ME OUT” by NLE Choppa at #75 and “Make Me” by Borai and Denham Audio at #72. So for what’s actually filling up the gaps we need to look at our debuts – which will come later – and our notable gains, which this week is a short list but it includes “Karma” by Taylor Swift at #57, seemingly being the next single, “Flip a Switch.” by RAYE at #35 thanks to a remix with Coi Leray, “Cupid” by FIFTY FIFTY at #18 and finally making its way into the top 10 is “REACT” at #8, becoming Switch Disco’s first top 10 hit, Ella Henderson’s ninth and the first for the late Robert Miles since 1996, being his third overall.

This week’s top five on the UK Singles Chart is much of the same from last week, with “Calm Down” by Rema at #5, “People” by Libianca at #4, “Wish You the Best” by Lewis Capaldi falling to #3 but still pretty stable as it stays in the top 3, “Daylight” by David Kushner up to #2 (God, I hope this doesn’t stick around but it seems like it will) and of course, “Miracle” at the very top. Now, we have a batch of new arrivals that seems promising, or at least interesting, so let’s get through those.

NEW ARRIVALS

#71 – “Too Many Nights” – Metro Boomin and Future featuring Don Toliver

Produced by Metro Boomin, Honourable C.N.O.T.E. and Allen Ritter

We start our list of new arrivals with a great hip-hop song that has been streaming very well but took a while to get enough to chart... and our first of two this week, with the second being a more extreme example of both quality and time it took to chart. That’s not to say this cut from Heroes & Villains – boosted by its music video – is not worth checking out though as this was always one of my favourites from the album. Don sells the Travis Scott-esque nightclub decadence with a lot of frail uncertainty and desperate lingering as he battles against the wonderfully fuzzy bass which just goes all kinds of hard, as well as the sneaky keys making up the foundation of the beat, not that you can hear them at all outside of occasions with all the muddied, cloudy reverb they drip Don in, adding a lot of atmosphere to the track. The wiry synths in the pre-chorus alongside Don’s very percussive whining vocal make it even sleazier, in a way that really emphasises how he struggles to keep this woman with him considering how terribly he treats her: the manipulation, beating her both out and inside the house (I think he means sex, but he’s absolutely not clear), admitting that he often goes brainless and loses control. The luxury spending and drugs all seem like a way of roping her in, which is only emphasised by the Future verse, which due to the lack of drums and how he’s surrounded by melodramatic strings, feels like the man’s last words. If anything, I’d prefer the song go more in depth but its brief timespan makes perfect sense for the chaos Don causes, so I’d say this passes with flying colours. It’s still not “Walk Em Down (Don’t Kill Civilians)” but I’ll take this as a second hit from the record, it’s pretty great.

#66 – “Dancing is Healing” – Rudimental, Charlotte Plank and Vibe Chemistry

Produced by Rudimental, Vibe Chemistry and Billen Ted

It’s been a while since we saw Rudimental on the charts but thanks to some help from drum and bass outfit Vibe Chemistry and sly co-production from Billen Ted, they’re back with this new single clinging close to the bottom and is it any good? Well, I’m not a big Rudimental fan in the first place but their songs have always had a certain drive and energy to them I can appreciate even if I’m not impressed by any of the melodies or writing on display. I definitely hope that this song carries that drive since Charlotte Plank sounds like any other British dance-pop vocalist, and the writing is generic as all Hell, with the tempo change in the intro being a bit more awkward than I think was intended... so yeah, I’m glad I can forget all of that once it gets to the drum and bass drop, though even then it’s kind of muted, which makes no sense for a song wherein dancing is “heavy on your mind” according to the lyrics. The vocaloid drop is honestly kind of horrendous, it really sounds like it was all assembled in post, which is a shame because Rudimental, whilst again I’ve never been a fan, haven’t ever made a song before this that felt “wrong” or not complete. They’ve always been a pop act over an EDM act for at least as long as they’ve been charting, so this odd transitional track feels like it shouldn’t have really happened. So, yeah, this is just an oddly underwhelming track, which is a damn shame. I think it may be a case of too many cooks in the kitchen, considering the amount of writers and producers this had, which is always a risk to be ran when several production groups collaborate. I hope further singles from the upcoming Rudimental album are better is all I can say.

#62 – “Giving Me” – Jazzy

Produced by Belters Only

We’re giving the person who “sang” that Belters Only song a career seemingly, though for whatever reason, they aren’t credited as lead artists for their production on here – I figured it’d drive a couple more listens, honestly. Regardless, it’s here now, and I’m still not impressed. Her vocals are much better than in “Make Me Feel Good”, mostly because she’s on beat this time around, but she still doesn’t deliver anything that feels all that unique or impressive, especially not when she’s pasted onto a dull future house beat with zero atmosphere outside of an ugly bass synth that just feels cheap as all Hell. I’ll admit that the song is incredibly infectious but mostly as an infectious earworm than a sing-along hook, as the song is mind-numbingly repetitive with no real energy. It’s just a long, draining listen that feels three times long as its runtime states, which may actually be worse than a full-on trainwreck like “Make Me Feel Good”. I really don’t think has nearly enough character to stick around, but I’ve been wrong about EDM hits many a time before so watch this peak at #1 for 10 weeks. And no, for once, I’m not listening to the remixes.

#46 – “Boat” – Ed Sheeran

Produced by Aaron Dessner

“Eyes Closed” was a bit of an ease into the new era from Ed, but it seems that with this single, produced by Aaron Dessner of The National, who conveniently dropped a new album this week, Sheeran is giving us his full indie-folk pivot... right? Well, yeah, it sure is indie folk, with Ed crooning over distant acoustics about resilience, and guiding yourself through life... but it doesn’t do anything for me, which again like Rudimental is more than anything a damn shame since I’ve come to like Ed Sheeran a lot and was excited for a more human, alternative album from him. Yet whilst I appreciate the organic instrumentation which at some times is honestly kind of beautiful, this song needs to resonate with the listener a lot to really work, and to me, I don’t gain much from a motivational ballad like this. The frailty in Ed’s voice when he reassures himself that “the waves won’t break [his] boat” is a pretty striking refrain, showing the real insecurities and uncertainties he has amidst what is essentially a posturing chorus, but it’s not exactly a unique thematic conceit and one good line doesn’t save a sinking ship, no pun intended. I still like the song well enough but I wish it had some better, more personal lyrics, though I know that this will resonate with some people and it’s great that it will. For whoever it needs to help, I think it’ll do a damn good job – I’m just not in the demographic.

#37 – “Alone” – Kim Petras featuring Nicki Minaj

Produced by Dr. Luke and Rocco Did it Again!

This song samples “Better Off Alone” by Alice Deejay, which peaked at #2 in the UK. That song is one of my favourite ever pieces of music. I adore it with all my heart, and have already written about it extensively in my episode about the top 10 best hit songs of 2000. I’m not going to repeat myself here, but I will say that whilst I appreciate any attempt to change the meaning of a song being sampled, turning the transcendent “Better Off Alone”, a song that can bring out the most nuance and complexity – or a lack thereof, and only the basic instinct you feel hearing it – out of the simplest of lyrics and emotions – by all means, a beautiful song that makes me think about how we even consume music – into this basic, slimy song begging for sex, with little in the way of nuance or respect for anyone, produced by a rapist who has poked his way back into the industry through lazy sampling, pisses me off in particular, in a weirdly personal way. I try and let biases not get in the way for sampling because it’s beautiful and brilliant what can be done with the art of those before you... but there’s nothing pretty about this soulless, sleazy garbage. I know – I’m not focusing on the qualities of the song itself. “What about the vocal performance? What about the Nicki verse? What about the beat?” Do I have to if so much of its appeal is based on another song? By invoking that song, they invoke all of the audience’s feelings with that song, which is a great way of reinterpreting or simply reminding you of an older hit but there is a great deal of baggage. And I have a lot of personal attachment to “Better Off Alone”. It’s been sampled well, it can be done – Guapdad 4000 and MC Smallz did it – but this just feels like someone taking my first-born to a stadium and ensuring thousands were packed in the crowds before slitting its throat. Fuck this.

#36 – “See You Again” – Tyler, the Creator featuring Kali Uchis

Produced by Tyler, the Creator

Alright, since we’re being straightforward: this is one of the best love songs of all time. I don’t think I can do it much justice honestly, but it’s a fantastic song about being in love only within a fantasy and longing for that moment of intimacy before you lose the grip on that infatuation, living in that temporary moment of rose-tinted love. Apparently it was originally written for ZAYN... which would have made ZERO sense so I’m glad Tyler kept it for himself and Kali, as their performances help the song out a lot, not that its writing and composition needed it. The recurring “okay” motif keeps that balance between fantasy and reality, and Tyler’s strained falsetto is at its cutest and most naive here. It helps that his chemistry is off the charts with Kali here, who sounds heavenly over the full-feeling production... before we get that manic, obsessed verse from Tyler that adds a needed slice of his classic deep-belted rasp to the song. The playful in-between as Kali wraps around her lackadaisical vocalisations around Tyler’s mantra of “okay, okay” in the outro is a brilliant touch... and I haven’t even touched the instrumentation. The beeping synths act as a reminder of how temporary this do-no-wrong infatuations is amongst all the drizzling strings and brassy horns that struggle for main stage against the momentum-carrying claps, perfectly hitting that sense of uncertainty and urgency that comes with this infatuated stage. The immense bass of the verse sounds unfitting in concept, but combined with the bursts of horns and irking bleep synths, as well as Tyler’s youthful delivery, it sounds like a mind bloated by thoughts and daydreams, and when the bass finally finds itself hitting in that final chorus it is just a transcendent moment. And do I even need to mention the outro, with the military drums and the array of horns coming in at the perfect moment? Kali saying “one more time” as quickly as possible before the final burst of love-addled joy is one of my favourite moments in pop music, and I’m glad that for whatever reason, this song is getting its time in the Sun as it is fantastic... and somehow not even my favourite on Flower Boy, which should show you how incredible that album really is. Knowing what I know about Tyler, I’m sure he’s slightly annoyed that his older stuff is getting the recognition, but I don’t think he can be too mad about one his masterpieces finding a second wind.

#21 – “Twust” – HStikkytokky and General G

Produced by ???

In contrast, this is a song with a title in uWu speak by a guy who calls himself “HStikkytokky” – a name I think I’d consider if I were to name my worst enemy’s child – who doesn’t credit his producer. Surely, I don’t need to pretend that this is an actual song, right? Right? Welp, now that this is covered... this is Bad Boy Chiller Crew for people who are scared by the insinuation that they are “bad boys”. This is hip house for middle-class racists. Andrew Tate had better flows in his club-rap tracks, and somehow less misogyny than HStikkytokky, who essentially stole the Andrew Tate flow anyway. General G raps like the Louis Theroux novelty Auto-Tune remix is the only rap song he’s ever heard, and his Auto-Tune would make T-Pain consider if life was really worth living. This song is useless to me, you, and the people making it. Let’s move on.

#14 – “Double Fantasy” – The Weeknd featuring Future

Produced by The Weeknd, MIKE DEAN and Metro Boomin

It’s doubly weird to me that this week, a lead single from The Weeknd is not the highest debut, and we also get two Future-Metro collaborations debut at near the lowest and highest reaches of the chart. Regardless, this isn’t really that big of a deal: this is a soundtrack cut from The Weeknd’s HBO series THE IDOL. The song, by all means a bit of a throwaway, actually has a similar conceit to “Too Many Nights”: maintaining a relationship based on luxury and materialism rather than emotional connection or even moral standards, with the John Lennon and Yoko Ono reference seeming more questionable the more I look into it. I say that it’s not a big deal and it’s a throwaway not to downplay the single or its success but more so to temper expectations: it feels like whenever a really big A-lister who gets both critical and commercial acclaim drops something that doesn’t wow people, a bunch of fans come out the woodworks and say it’s underwhelming or express concerns about the career or even the quality of their music... when I don’t think they realise that consistency of quality is more important here, and The Weeknd is still bringing his A-game – alongside his great producers, MIKE DEAN and of course, Metro – to even his soundtrack singles. The warm sax cuts softly through the harsher, cold 80s synths that dress the track up in sleaziness but also a rich wealth that Abel furthers through his crooning. I adore the melody in the pre-chorus, which seems like it’s going to immediately end up in my head for the next year, and I love how it’s intertwined into the chorus – the two can’t exist without each other: it’s not just hooks on hooks; the song is composed to perfection. With that said, I do have some gripes: I expected Metro to bring out the Atlanta bass percussion but it and the bass feel like they’re interrupting the track a bit and culling its momentum. I’d prefer if they only came in for Future’s verse to give his liquid voice something more percussive to work off of. The looming 808s in the chorus are good but I’d prefer for them to rise and envelope the mix more. I’m also not too big on the weird baby vocal? I don’t really know why Abel put that there – and yes, I’m saying it’s Abel’s idea because come on, DEAN and Metro are beyond that, this has to be some weird artistic vision going on. Regardless of those gripes, the way the bassy percussion rattles is perfect for the nightclub setting, especially due to the addition of some video game sound effects within the groove in the chorus, and Abel’s performance is smooth as butter as always. And Future is Future: he’s toxic, he’s catchy, he’s effortless – I wish there were some ad-libs or extra production on his vocals just so he blended in further, but again, it’s a soundtrack cut. It’s not perfect, but there is a lot of quality here: the claps in the final pre-chorus and Future’s verse rake up the tension a lot, and the clash of ideas in this relationship is executed pretty well. It must be proof to the fact that Abel keeps his fans too well-fed that anyone could be complaining about this, honestly.

#11 – “Tony Soprano 2” – Nines

Produced by Swifta and Benji Miller

I completely forgot Nines existed, but he’s a UK rapper who had a surprise smash hit with this track and, uh... okay, so he released a song in 2018 called “Tony Soprano” which has a pretty cheap-sounding trap beat and monotone delivery. Why it needed a sequel I had no idea, but apparently the people were just raring to hear this second instalment. The song starts with a clip about a guy needing those “Nines double entendres” and “Nines metaphors” so it’s assumed that’s what he’ll provide, right? So where are they? I hear some basic flexing, and awfully corny punchlines about alphabet spaghetti and rap being secondary “like February”, delivered with as much effort and excitement as... actually, interrupting my simile, let’s point that out: it’s a simile. If you say “like” or “as”, it’s not a metaphor, it’s a simile. Every one of Nines’ “metaphors” is a simile. He has no neck LIKE he’s playing Rayman. He’s driving through the other side LIKE it was Sesame Street. This sounds like nit-picking but what else am I supposed to say? He doesn’t care, he sounds half-asleep and anything he raps feels less like a clever lyric than just a random cultural reference tacked onto flexing and gang talk over an icy trap beat. If Nines really put effort into this verse, then I feel sorry for the guy at the beginning. I wonder if he’s disappointed.

Conclusion

Other than a few gems, this really wasn’t that impressive of a week, but it should be painfully obvious where both extremes go. Best of the Week goes to Tyler, the Creator and Kali Uchis for “See You Again” and Worst of the Week goes to Dr. Luke more than anyone for “Alone”. The others are a bit tougher, with the Honourable Mention essentially split between two Future-Metro Boomin collaborations, though I think “Too Many Nights” with Don Toliver just slightly edges out “Double Fantasy”, which is of course still worth a listen. I’ll always stand that sheer incompetence is at least some entertainment factor and being dull is the real sin, so the Dishonourable Mention goes to my old friends over at Belters Only for “Giving Me” with Jazzy. As for next week, I honestly have no idea how much of this will actually last, like all of these debuts feel particularly temporary, regardless of if I like them or not. For now, thanks for reading and I’ll see you next week!

[lulumusicwaterbear]

Term 1 07/11-11/11

Performance:

This week we focused on the song Cochise by Audioslave. I really enjoyed performing this song because it's so high energy and a similar genre to what I picked for my summative. I watched their rooftop performances and loved watching them but I knew I wanted to move around more and really go for it. Whilst in rehearsals I decided to conserve my energy for the next day so I could really go for it and I'm really happy I did because from previous experience if I try too hard in advance my body aches too much to do it the next day. Whilst I really love the song and performing it I did slightly dread the performance before hand because of the lyrics of the song. After discussing the meaning of Cochise I got really inside my head as it's about watching someone deal with alcoholism and not being able to help them and as my mum passed away two years ago because of alcoholism it just got to me that day. Although I was feeling a little sensitive about the song I realised I was getting in my own way so instead of focusing on the lyrics themselves I decided to focus on the energy aspect, the musicians around me and the overall emotion of the genre rather than the emotion in the lyrics. Whilst emotion can be really helpful in performance for slower songs for a high energy song like this I feel it would be detrimental and distracting. In the future I'll know when to add this technique and when not to. For my summative I'll do a similar performance where I'll focus on the emotion associated with the genre rather than with the lyrics.

Technique:

My biggest worry for this song was the sustained scream in the bridge. Before this week I tried researching different ways tottery and achieve this but I couldn't get any of them to work or not hurt my voice. A lot of articles said to try and lower your larynx and use minimal breath but I couldn't get any sound out and when I tried other techniques such as pretending you're yawning it just hurt my throat so I decided it was best for me to try and do a sustained belt as that's still difficult and challenging. Whilst there is a scream in Tempest, I'm not sure if that's something I want to do as I've never been able to scream on cue before and I don't want to risk my vocals however if I'm able to find a way to safely I would like to to add to the dynamics of the song.

Summative Assignment:

This week I had my first band rehearsal for the live performance. The biggest struggle we had was getting the transitions between the intro and the verse / chorus right as they're very different dynamics and rhythms. I was worried about this happening but I planned ahead for it as I knew it was likely. In order to help Ela get the rhythm on the keyboard right we came up with different sayings to make it easier to remember what beats to emphasise, such as "pizza and nachos" . Whilst this worked for Ela, getting the band to remember what sections we were on was still difficult. As it was my choice I had to take lead in the rehearsals which helped my confidence and leadership skills a lot. In order to figure this out I decided we'd play to the song twice and if we were still confused we'd make a subtle gesture so we all know where we are. It did work but it meant that everyone had to have their eyes on me which meant it was easier for them to make mistakes so in order to fix this we changed it to a keyword to listen out for. I found this worked a lot better and I'll definitely do this in the future but in advance so I'll print out the lyrics and highlight the keywords so they'll already have it memorised. This would be especially helpful for session musicians or event work if there's a last minute song change and the instrumentalists are feeling unsure. Next time I'll also find scores for all the parts and send them to the musicians so they can find it easier to learn rather than learning by ear or YouTube tutorials.

[makoblue]

scorching-passion​:

Oh, how Roche dreams of the day that this man would actually be pleased to see him; and in all that’s fair in love verses hatred, the here and now should have been that very moment, typically when he’d been sent specifically on a hunt and had decided his mood didn’t quite fit the ideal of his employer this time… or any time for that matter. 

Courage came in all shapes and sizes, and today it was marginally shaped like a blonde mercenary riding a stolen vehicle~

Fuck the system! DOWN WITH SHINRA! 

“Oh! But don’t you see, my friend? We are already so finely entangled in the fine art of the dip and sway!” as if to emphasise his point, the Third would grip either side of the pillion seat, fingers digging violently into the leather and lilted his body first to the left, and then aggressively to right forcing the body of the motorcycle to bank against its riders will, notably almost having them collide right into the wing of a passing HGV, almost, but not quite~ And the action certainly wasn’t without the trademark “WOOOOOO!” as the driver of the truck beside them would sound his horn aggressively in response to the near miss and Roche would simply wave back at the man as they passed. 

A fit of maniacal laughter would follow, high on adrenaline, the spontaneity, the thrill of it all was simply addictive, the finest of all divine cuisine one could consume to sate their hunger, Roche was of course a very different style of animal with very different dietary needs. Alas, his reasonings for this sudden invasion of space, harbouring one mop-a-top mercenary positively bamboozled and glaring at him with those lovely oceanic eyes of his, were not to cause a critical traffic collision. Quite the opposite in fact. 

With the ease of any veteran rider, Roche would then make himself quite comfortable on the leather of the pillion - certainly not used to being the passenger but there was always time to adjust, never let it be said that Roche was against trying new things at least once - he leans into his fellow swordsman’s back, mindful of the enormous blade still nestled between his shoulders. 

“As for what I want~ Oh, a lot of things, I’m nothing if not a complex fellow!” he would chortle into the blond’s ear, an edge of coquetry hanging in his tone if only to feed into this man’s unease. There truly was something very satisfying about making him feel marginally uncomfortable, though he’s quick to move the conversation along. 

“I am, however, increasingly interested in your secrets, Cloud Strife~” Roche could almost feel the man’s flesh tightening around his bones at the mention of his name, all things considered that a formal introduction had never truly taken place. Or he could at least hope! 

“Alas! That will have to wait, it would seem that we’re being tailed.” his voice would remain calm, not even glancing away as he would lift a single arm and point to the chopper following overhead; ShinRa were beginning to clamp down on all things AVALANCHE it would seem, and Roche’s objectives went very much against it. 

“It may be in both of our interests for you to pick up the pace!”

“Great, you can keep telling yourself that,” Cloud rolls his eyes, prepared to return his attention to the road when he spies Roche angling his body off to one side of the bike. “What’re you–” he starts, knowing, sensing what horrible feat Roche is about to attempt alongside the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

Roche simply defies common sense. Roche moves, and Cloud’s bike moves too.

Lips parted, the breath stilling in his lungs, Cloud’s shoulders seize to brace against the swell of rushing air and the rapidly nearing body of a nearby truck. The hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, followed by the swoop-fall of adrenaline when the riveted steel body of a truck whizzes just past his shoulder. Fear, relief; brushing past death lingers in the hammering of his heart in his chest. 

To say nothing of the disorienting and painful ringing in his ears as the truck driver bears down on his horn in a wordless ‘fuck off!’ 

Cloud has the same popular epithet sitting on the tip of his own tongue by the time Roche has properly moved to warm the leather only to find it lost somewhere between the immediate desire to shrink away from Roche’s breath fanning over the shell of his ear and the urge to turn around and connect a fist to Roche’s jaw when Cloud can feel the other man’s chest press up against his back. 

Planet, why.

Thrumming helicopter rotors in the distance are a telling sound. Cloud does not need to look back over his shoulder to validate Roche’s claims. “You ever shut up?” he groans, purely rhetorical as he weaves nimbly through traffic to the farthest lane. The front wheel of the bike suddenly springs up as Cloud leans back, then throws the weight of the bike forward into a bunnyhop over the guardrails. 

Down one level, then careening off the next. The helicopter cannot easily follow them through the criss-cross of intersecting lanes. Off the road, far, far below. To the slums. Cloud can just start to feel him lifting off his seat when the bike makes contact, throws up garbage and debris as they slide down a towering pile of refuse and abandoned construction material. 

He can still hear their airborne admirers circling somewhere above. Cloud twists on the throttle and speeds up as they hit the ground and blow past the gap in the junkyard’s chain link fence. Slow, quiet, from roar to rumble, Cloud takes them directly into the huddled favelas and maze of outstretched awnings to ensure they can break line of sight. Roche has, unfortunately, managed to stick around the entire time. He can already feel the onset of an inevitable headache as he turns off towards a secluded alleyway. Killing the engine with one hand and bringing the other to press against his temples, Cloud fixes his glower on Roche’s unrepentant grin.

“Alright, tell me what the hell I have to do to make you go away.”

[fikidurin]

Art for @marigoldvance​ Mafia-Verse (which you need to read if you haven’t already)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

(click for full size)

[mythvoiced]

@jeoseungsaja​ | "What are you doing out here by yourself?" (YEOSHIN??? Sort of reminded me when we talked about Worried!Shin waiting for Yeo BUT IT ALSO CAN LEAD TO ANYTHING YOU DEEM FITTING UwU) 400 RANDOM DIALOGUE PROMPTS

---

How drastically can a single being change in a few months in contrast to all the things he hasn’t let change him for 900 years?

Now, he hasn’t been lazily dragged along by the never-ceasing passage of time and the ever-ticking hands of the invisible clock of the universe as it continues to move no matter how heavy the weight of the non-corpse hanging on its tips, for nothing at all to ever affect him.

Becoming a dokkaebi in the first place is perhaps the best example he could make, of one of those changes so monumental in his life that he doesn’t recall what rhythm his heart had beaten to prior to this new entering into existence as a whole as a new being, a new individual almost, shaped by all that had come before, but otherwise so different that he wouldn’t know how well he’d fit into a doorframe cut around the silhouette of the general that had once served a nation and forsaken those he held dearest within it, all because he stared into the eyes of a monarch and decided he wouldn’t drop his gaze until he was forced to.

Then, of course, take just how much time 900+ years really are. He’s seen wars, revolutions, he’s watched the way steam started filling the air and the homes and industries of people far and close, he’s witnessed the birth of electricity and was one of the few existing beings ancient enough to turn his head and watch the habitual use of candles vanish out of the normalcy of human society. He’d watched cities and nations fall and others exchange names and wars as if this was all a large game played by beings too weak to handle the scope of it.

He can’t remain unaffected in the face of the birth of nations or a man upon the moon, the rise and fall of deities in Heaven and on Earth, the retreat of beings so common amidst village squares and markets, into nothing more than the protagonists of tales and the defining traits of a culture’s folklore.

He’s watched the way time itself seemed to change, the way it was being chased after, generated in the oddest of ways, the never-ending and ever-present human attempts to beat it at everything they did, progressively wanting more in lesser time, looking out the window at 20 and wondering how much time was truly left to be anything at all, now, when you have four times as much to live before you’re actually meant to look back and wonder how you’d spent the time you had at your disposal.

People can’t remain stagnant, even if their outward appearance doesn’t change. Shin can’t remain cold and unaffected in the face of history and, to his credit, he’s never tried to, the shift from gripping white-knuckled onto the edges of his thirst of revenge into another grain of sand swept up in the wind of time with no way of getting off the ride had happened easier than he’d thought it and himself to be capable of sustaining.

And yet, nothing of that seems to have hit quite as hard and landed quite as significant of an impact on his routine, his way of thinking, the way he looked to the sky and the cement beneath his feet, as meeting Wang Yeo.

It hadn’t been that first meeting, how was he supposed to know how things might turn out between them, when he’d first laid his eyes on the nine-tailed fox and not asked a single question, mental or out loud, in regards to all he could see hidden behind his eyes?

He should have known then, though, that this would be different, because had he spared a second to wonder about his future, maybe he would have figured this all out faster.

Instead, he’d just joined a journey without asking for details, a map without markings the only things shoved into his pocket, never unfolded to be studied thoroughly.

And somehow it had gotten him here, staring up at the window he’d imagine and hope for Yeo’s silhouette to appear in, noticing the growing nervousness somewhere so deep in his chest that he wouldn’t even know how to reach it: is he supposed to take a left at the blade of his sword stuck in his heart or a right?

Is that his heart, clenching painfully cold at the worry he can’t deny etched into every pore in his face, drawing a mask of concern across his entire face so deeply rooted, cut into his facial structure that the hardest of tugging wouldn’t get it off of him, he’d look like this directly at Yeo, if it meant making sure he could look at him at all, and wasn’t that worrisome, how much vulnerability he was willing to offer to the fox, if it only meant knowing he’s still well enough to offer him anything at all, that isn’t a final goodbye he doesn’t even have the mental strength to consciously dread?

It’s enough to make his palm itch for the familiar weight of his hilt, and the familiar stillness of his sword when it gets stuck in someone else’s chest. If Yeo is missing, what are the chances of him being out there somewhere, with his own sword swinging through non-repenting creatures, powered by his beliefs and whatever he’s yet to vocalise that even leads him to these nocturnal challenges to the universe.

And what is he doing instead, standing watch here when he could be out there, looking for him, feeling equal measures uncaring of the image he creates and absolutely foolish considering how capable Yeo is.

That’s a thing.

The Goblin is incredibly powerful, but he too wonders if he could hold his own against Yeo, if he hadn’t that god-forsaken immortality to back him up against even the red-clad deity he can’t seem to shake out of his life.

Swift, dedicated, intense, fights with the prowess and finesse of someone who has received expert training to hone what natural innate talent he could already present to the world.

Yeo knows how to fight. Has been doing it for a while, most likely.

But Shin is still here. Waiting. Lurking?

And when he hears his voice behind him, he whips around so fast that anyone who didn’t know better would point a finger and chuckle behind their teeth, oh the almighty goblin, startled by a sudden voice behind him, how powerful is he truly?

But such a person wouldn’t know anything about the lurching of his heart, happily and oh so ready and willing to slice itself up and along the blade shoved in his chest, if it meant getting to turn around like this and see Yeo standing there every time he longs for it and every time he starts to think how intimate the earth has gotten with drinking from the blood Yeo left behind, trickled out of his own body, out of wounds taken in with a saint’s atoning of a sin.

It’s the kind of sudden sight, the instant relief to an opening wound, the so quick relaxation of his mind that he doesn’t even have it in him to present the entirety of the situation with a bow of mock indignation or stupid excuses wrapped around it.

No, the wrapping paper is missing entirely and all Shin can do is sigh, the tension seeping out of his shoulders, the width of his eyes shrinking to the tired relief he can only accompany with that secret smile that isn’t one, the relaxing of his mouth into an expression that is neither delighted nor disturbed, the weight of someone who knows what he wants and what he feels but how fair would that be on the answer to both those questions?

How fair would this be to Yeo?

He’ll ask another day.

Instead he reaches out and finds enjoyment in being bold in his touch, callused fingertips finding a lock of red hair to brush out of Yeo’s forehead, as if he had enough in it to warrant such motion, as if this wasn’t an excuse to watch if he may get away with letting his touch ghost, half-hovering, over the line that the heavens drew from the spot before Yeo’s ear, a smidgen next to his cheekbone, down to his jaw.

Then he drops his hand, to be put away in his pocket, mimicking the other still sitting there in its own.

“What does it look like? I’m thirsty, let’s get drunk.”

[themonotonysyndrome]

REDACTED verse -  A dinner and a show

Prompt: any | any | competition

Word Count: 2,460

Author/Team: LadyMonotone

Fandom/Original: Redacted ASMR (Vincent Solaire/Lovely)

Rating: T

Triggers: Explicit implications

Summary: It's a tradition within the Solaire Clan that the King would visit his progenies from time to time. Tonight, Will is coming over to Vincent & Lovely's apartment for dinner. What's not a tradition is the karaoke competition that comes afterwards. 

ConCrit: Y

I don’t know what happened. This oneshot just went out of my control but I had so much fun writing it today! I hope you guys enjoyed it! 

Also, I just realised that all the characters in my oneshots have been eating lately. Oh my god, I got so hungry when I was writing them that I subconsciously includes food in some of the scenes 😭 Food is my love language so I guess it’s cute that the bois and their lovers would sit down and eat together. 

That being said, I hope you guys will crave Korean food as much as I am in this oneshot! 😅

-

“Vincent? I need your help. Can you tell me what’s Will's favourite colours?”

“Lovely - ”

“Because I have some formal outfits in our closet, but they don’t mean shit if Will hate the colours.”

“Lovely, hang on - ”

“Is he allergic to perfumes? Colognes? I have some soft-scented bottles that should be Vampire-friendly! I think? Most of them are floral though… oh! Does he have a favourite flower? Do you think I should buy some before he comes over?”

“What? No, Lovely, I think you’re working yourself up - ”

“I know you bought some blood bags for dinner but do you think we should cook some food too? Does Will like to eat? Shit, I knew I should have bought some groceries yesterday after class!”

“You’re not listening to me at all, Lovely…”

“We have to clean up the whole place too. I don’t know how our furniture gets so dusty so quickly! I just wiped them down a few days ago!”

“...”

“Do you think I should do my hair too? It’s a bit of a mess lately; I could use a trim. Does Will - ”

Lovely's eyes widen as a deep kiss suddenly silences them. Their heart pounds when Vincent brings them close to his chest, trapping his lover in his arms. Lovely's eyes flutter close when he pulls away to press butterfly kisses on their neck. They couldn’t help it; they moan and tilt their head back when they feel fangs delicately drag down their tender skin.

“Vincent!” Lovely hisses, not sure for what, though, when Vincent's fangs pinprick where their pulse is.

“Oh? Are you finally with me again, Lovely?” Vincent breathes, loving how their heart begins to beat faster and faster in anticipation. His chest reverberates when he chuckles deeply. “There we go… I have your attention again, little one.”

They grumbled at the unfairness of it all. Just as Lovely knew all of Vincent’s weaknesses and tickle spots, he knew how weak their knees behaved when he pressed his fangs to any parts of his partner's body. Especially down south.

“I’m serious here, Vince.” Lovely whines. “There are so many things we have to do before Will comes over for dinner tonight. I want to make sure everything’s perfect.”

Vincent gives Lovely a deadpan look. They would’ve coo at how adorable he looks if it weren’t for his Vampiric speed and his habit of chucking them onto the bed whenever Lovely is being too stubborn to listen to reason. “Lovely? A question: are you dating my Sire or me?”  

Lovely blinks; they didn’t expect that. “Uh, you, duh.”

“Then trust me, as your boyfriend,” Lovely has no idea why Vincent emphasised that last word, but they knew better than to interrupt him when he gets like this. “That everything’s going to be fine. Besides, I told you that while this might look like the whole ‘meeting the parent’ shtick, the relationship between a Sire and their Progeny is way more than that.” He patiently reminds them.

“Well yeah, but he means a lot to you.” Lovely points out. Now, why did Vincent look so surprised at that? “So that means he’s important to me too. That’s why this dinner has to be perfect.”

For a moment, Vincent said nothing. He just stares at them in wonderment.

Lovely let out a surprised squeak when Vincent suddenly crushed them in a hug. “How did I get so damn lucky with you, Lovely?” He murmurs, face buried on top of their head. “Sometimes I think that you’re… too amazing to be real.”

So soft and sweet; that’s Vincent. Lovely lets him cuddle them like his personal teddy bear until he's satisfied.

“Now, I need you to do something for me, Lovely. Do you think you can do it?”

Lovely raise an eyebrow. “Depends on what it is, Vince. I haven’t eaten anything yet, so I can only give you at least four hours in bed - ”

“N-Not that!” Vincent hurries to interject, a brilliant red blush runs across his cheeks despite him being a Vampire. He coughs once to get them on track, playfully glaring at Lovely for trying to distract him. “Geez, Lovely. It’s still way too early for… that. But we're definitely going to revisit that. Anyway, I need you to calm down for a second, OK? Will is a pretty chill guy and an open-minded Sire. He knows how much I love you, so you have nothing to worry about.” He gently assures them, rubbing calming motions up and down Lovely's back.

Lovely could feel their anxiety melts away. Just enough for them to finally breathe again ever since Vincent dropped the bomb that William Solaire will be coming over for dinner tonight.

Apparently, everyone in the Clan knows that the King would visit his Progenies at least once a month to check up on them. Just like how a parent would drop by their children's home for a visit, in Lovely's opinion.

“Ok. You win, baby.” Lovely sighs, loving how his rubbing eases the tense muscles. They arch their back like a pleased, spoiled cat when Vincent messages that spot below their shoulders. “Ooooh, yes, that’s the spot!”

Once Lovely's bones feel like they could melt at any time, they throw Vincent a grateful smile.

“Now, there’s the smile I’ve been missing the whole day!” Vincent teases. “C’mon Lovely, let’s plan for dinner before we take our nap. How do you feel about seafood?”

“Oh, I can go for some seafood. It’s been a while.”

“Spicy steamed crabs with scallops, battered pan-fry oysters and some chilled bowl of rice top with raw salmon and sea bass with slices of your favourite veggies? All Korean-style."

“Hell yes. I think we have all the ingredients for that. Wait. Err, can Will handle spicy food?”

"Uh... I have no idea. Maybe we should hold back on that spicy steamed crabs with scallops just in case."

Ever since the two started living together, Vincent really took a shine when it came to cooking and baking. The idea of providing for Lovely makes him ridiculously happy, and besides, him whipping up healthy and delicious food for them results in much richer and sweeter blood flowing within his lover for him to feed on so… win-win!

As the two of them traverse to the kitchen to start preparing the ingredients for dinner, Lovely slowly gain the confidence that their dinner tonight with Vincent's Sire will turn out alright.

And before both of them knew it, the sun had set.

After a fresh shower, the entire apartment is now spotless (to Lovely's standard), and dinner is served on the table, the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it!" Lovely announce just as Vincent finish putting down the plates. They smoothen out the creases on their clothes, roll their shoulders before taking a deep, calming breath and answer the door. Like a soldier marching towards the battlefield.

Seeing his partner's dramatic reaction, Vincent just shakes his head.

As soon as Lovely opens the door, William Solaire greets them. "Good evening. I hope I'm not too early. The evening traffic has been quite a hassle lately. I figured that even if I'm a bit early, I could help you and Vincent in the kitchen." Will explains. In his arms is a bouquet of white pear blossoms, yellow gladioluses and red tulips. When Lovely stares at them curiously, Will smiles knowingly. "Vincent informed me that you don't drink, so I decided that flowers would be the appropriate gift as oppose to a bottle of champagne."

"They're so pretty." Lovely reply, breathless when they receive the bouquet. "Thank you so much, Will! I'll put them in a vase now. Oh, and please come in." They graciously step aside to let Vincent's Sire in.

While Lovely is busy rummaging for a vase in the storeroom, Will and Vincent make small talks over at the dining table. Vincent passes the ancient Vampire a tall glass of blood which Will accept with gratitude.

"Hey, Will. How's it going?"

"I'm fine, Vincent. Thank you for asking." Will reply after dabbing the bloodstain on the corner of his lips. "The Clan is the same as usual; Our Newborn members have finally settled in nicely, much to Sam's relief. I plan to visit them next week."

Vincent tops up Will's empty glass before replying. "That's great to hear." He's about to say something else before a loud bang against the wall in the storeroom stops him. "Uh, Lovely? Is everything OK in there?" He calls out.

"It's fine, it's fine!" Lovely shouts back. "I found the perfect vase for the flowers!"

Vincent groans in exasperation. When Will throws him a confused expression, Vincent is compelled to explain. "Look, Will, Lovely has been freaking out about tonight's dinner the whole day. They think that if it turns out anything but perfect, you're going to be disappointed in them. So just... just play along, alright?"

Will chuckles; his heart warms at the thought that Lovely holds him in such high regard. What an adorable human. "Is that so? Very well then, I will play the perfect guest towards such kind hosts."

And true to his words, when Lovely joins them at the table after putting the vase full of flowers on the coffee table in the living room, Will waste no time in kicking his charm to the max. In between their meal, Will makes sure to compliment Lovely's outfit (which earned him a shy yet pleased blush from Lovely and a jealous kick at his shin from Vincent). He then comments that the spicy steamed seafood dish is his favourite, and when desserts are introduced, Will gently helps Lovely open up by asking about their interests and hobbies.

Will is pleasantly surprised to find one of the many common grounds they share: their love for analysing music.

"I find RM to be one of the most brilliant lyricists in this generation." Will states once his bowl of red bean shaved ice is empty. "His songs are undoubtedly impactful for the youths of today. Not to mention that I'm quite fond of his wordplays."

"You're into K-pop!?" Lovely ask, utterly gobsmacked. Their eyes are wide in shock.

Vincent snorts. "Alexis is a BTS fan. Somehow, she managed to convert Will too."

When Lovely turn to face Will once more, their expression frozen in disbelieve, he adds, "We're planning to catch their concert once the situation permits it."

Will's pop culture admission finally broke the ice. Lovely laughs in delight before launching themselves into an animated conversation about modern music with Will.

However, it wasn't long before their topic suddenly went off the rail when Vincent claimed that he's a better shower singer than Lovely.

"Oh please, Vince, I thought you were dying in the bathroom," Lovely interjects with a roll of their eyes. Vincent splutters at his partner's cruel remark, but Lovely presses on without mercy, much to Will's amusement. He resolutely keeps his mouth shut despite his growing grin slowly making its way up to his face. "Face it, you're tone-deaf. Being a Vampire doesn't magically make you a good singer."

"Those are some fighting words, Lovely. Can you back them up?"

"We can settle this tonight if you want. You and me; we can duke it out in a singing swag off with Will as the judge." Lovey declares with a smirk before they head into the living room. All revved up as if their previous anxiety over dinner had never happened.

"Oh my..."

Vincent turns to Will with a grateful nod. "Thanks for helping them relax. And hey, you don't have to stay if you have some other plans tonight, Will."

Will stares back at his Progeny with a faux, scandalous look on his face, complete with a hand on his chest. "Why, Vincent, where would I be anywhere but here? It's not every day that I get to see you humbled by your lover. Don't think I forget that you were once known as the Playboy of the Solaire Clan."

Shock looks good on Vincent's face. It's cute that he actually forgot how he was before Lovely walks into his life. Oh, Will is going to milk this for all its worth.

"Alright! The system is set up!" Lovely announce from near the TV with a microphone in their hand. "Will, come on! You need to help me prove that Vincent sings like a dying cat. Here, here!"

"Oi, oi! We haven't even started yet!" Vincent rebuke and flits over to grab the spare microphone. "You know what, Lovely? I'm so confident that I'll win this that I'll let you go first."

Lovely grins viciously and accepts his offer. Once Will makes himself comfortable on the couch and signals for them to begin, Lovely open their mouth,

Will couldn't stop smiling as Lovely sings their heart out, and Vincent makes his grand entrance after they're done (singing one of Will's favourite songs in hopes to sway his Sire to his side). Vincent and Lovely are having the time of their life, teasing one another as they sing. Will commits this night into one of his most cherished memories.

*"Dari apa yang aku perhatikan

Manusia mahu senang tapi tak semua mahu berkorban

Dari apa yang mereka katakan

Ada yang jawab jujur tapi selebihnya kuat beralasan..."

However, as the night grows long, Will doesn't have the heart to tell them that they both are horrible singers.

-

Tonight, it's Sam's turn. Will deliver three knocks on his door before Sam swings it open. He looks exhausted, unamused and seconds away from running out of the house.  

"Good evening, Sam."

"Good evening, William. Before you come in, can I ask why my Progenies insist on having a karaoke competition tonight? On the night where they knew you were coming?"

Will begins to smile widely. Both he and Sam could hear a heated argument between Frederick and Bright Eyes from the living room.

"No, you can't sing Bambi, Bright Eyes. I won't allow it! You're going to break the windows!"

"Oh my god, would you let me live, Freddy!?"

"We've been over this; you can't sing! Wait. What are you - put down that microphone - "

Music starts to play at maximum volume, and then,

Sam closed his eyes and sighed deeply and in resignation when Bright Eyes began to sing louder to drown out Frederick's shrieking.

**“Feel it like memalla itteon mam wiro

seumyeodeun danbi

dabi piryo eopji

Because you’re my favourite..."

"I don't know what had happened - and I honestly don't want to know - but I hope you're ready to deal with these two tonight."  

"Why, Sam, where would I be anywhere but here?"

-

These are the English translations & link to the songs that Lovely and Bright Eyes were singing: 

*“From what I can see

People want the good life, but are not willing to sacrifice

From what I hear

Some are honest but others are full of excuses...”

**“Feel it like timely rain that seeps into my dry heart

No other answer is needed

Because you’re my favorite...”

[attallahmusic]

Kanye West Against the World

Editors note: This was first posted on February 15th of 2022 and has been edited the 16th. 

A chronology of Ye’s recent activities with particular focus on his recent Instagram posts

The ever controversial and extremely interesting person that is Kanye West has been in the public eye more than usual as of recent months and particularly in the last couple of days. I seek out to firstly document what has been happening and what Ye has posted on his Instagram. This will be paired with background knowledge to his interpersonal relationships and how he has decided to comment on this through recent songs.

This post is not made to ridicule Kanye, particularly given his mental state. This poste is made to illustrate with intend to raise questions or discussions within the reader, as to whether or not this is part of an ingenious marketing plan or the result of a team of people who have failed Kanye, when his mental state is in decline. 

Without further ado, here is everything you need and didn’t need to know about Kanye West. 

Much of Ye’s recent outbreaks on Instagram, have to do with his ongoing divorce with Kim Kardashian and her new relationship to Pete Davidson, the SNL actor/comedian. Now, while this has been a situation in the public eye for multiple months, what springs to mind for me, is when Kanye West did the Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert and at the end of his song Runaway, Kanye specifically mentioned his soon-to-be former wife by name, Kimberly. In the interest of brevity, I will focus on Kanye’s actions beginning with his song Eazy (released January 16th 2022) and thereafter. 

[Verse 2: Kanye West]

How I ain't bring nothin' to the table when I'm the table?

I'ma turn up the music, wake up the neighbors

I'ma get that "Thug Life" tatted 'cross the navel

This is how I am in real life, not just on cable

"Mr. Narcissist," tell me 'bout my arrogance

No more counselin', I don't negotiate with therapists

God Ye, wanna let God in?

But tonight, I guess I'll let my pride win

Cousin Dre sent me scriptures, helped me see life better

Nigga, we havin' the best divorce ever

If we go to court, we'll go to court together

Matter of fact, pick up your sis, we'll go to Kourt's together

I watched four kids for like five hours today

I wear these Yeezy boots everywhere, even in the shower today

I got love for the nannies, but real family is better

The cameras watch the kids, y'all stop takin' the credit

Noncustodial dad, I bought the house next door

What you think the point of really bein' rich for?

When you give 'em everything, they only want more

Boujee and unruly, y'all need to do some chores

Rich-ass kids, this ain't yo' mama house

Climb on your brother's shoulders, get that Top Ramen out

God saved me from that crash

Just so I can beat Pete Davidson's ass (Who?)

And my new bitch bad

I know Illuminati mad

This that Newminati, bitch

This that two Bugatti rich

This that "God did this"

Only God did this

In this verse, Ye begins by telling us that by divorcing him, Kim is losing a great man. He is the table. He continues this conversation by agreeing that he truly is the arrogant person he is made out to be and moreover, he has the right to be. Ye goes on to acknowledge the divorce saying they are havin’ the best divorce ever, something you probably never hear about divorce. Thereafter he takes a dig at Kim, by saying she doesn’t even watch the kids - the nannies and the nanny cams do. In doing so he invokes traditional gender roles within his household, even though Kim Kardashian is also a businessperson and not a stay at home mom. 

Ye goes onto mention, how he bought the house across the street from Kim and his family,  because he wants to be close to them. And if you didn’t already know, yes he did buy the house across from them, this is true. 

Ye then says, God saved me from that crash // Just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s ass this is adlibbed by a young woman voice who says who? To emphasise the unimportance of Pete Davidson. This bar refers to a car crash Ye was in, in 2002 (when Pete Davidson was 8 years old). Ye is obviously enraged by Davidson’s relationship to Kim, and seeks revenge. Having said that, he follows up the line by introducing Julia Fox, his current girlfriend and how hot he perceives her to be.

That’s rather dense, but that truly introduces the main persons of this situation. Kanye West (Ye), Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson, and Julia Fox.

So, in other words - Kanye West and Kim Kardashian who were married for almost 10 years and have multiple kids together, have split up. Kim is dating Pete Davidson, while Kanye West is dating Julia Fox. Both of their respective relationships are very public. 

Now, for the instagram posts at hand. It begins with Kanye posting this following post:

Here Kanye is talking about how his up-and-coming album Donda 2 (a sequel to Donda) will not feature Kid Cudi, as Kid Cudi is friends with Pete Davidson, or as Ye says “you know who”. He then says “we all speak in Billie language” which may be a dig at Billie Ellish, whom he also had issues with recently, unrelated to his romantic life. 

Kid Cudi responds in the comments of the posts with the following:

Now this was merely the beginning. Kanye then posts the three following posts, the day after:

On the first post which is an Instagram post of 2 pictures, the first picture is a picture of the album KIDS SEE GHOSTS a collaboration between Kanye West and Kid Cudi released in 2018. The second picture is as you see, a cross over Davidson’s face.

Now these pictures speak for themselves pretty much. Ye is posting or reposting pictures illustrating him and his associates as if they are in a battle against Pete Davidson and those Ye is publicly against. Besides Ye’s very strong reaction to Kid Cudi’s relationship to Pete Davidson, I also find it interesting how in the Civil War picture Drake is 1) ‘ranked’ higher than Julia Fox and 2) the fact that he views Drake so closely, given that they themselves were publicly against each other not so long ago. Another thing to note is that Ye has nicknamed Davidson ‘SKETE’. 

Ye posts another picture of Davidson, calling him Hillary Clinton’s boyfriend. Then ecstatic by his comments, he posts a picture of those comments, where he cuts himself off in the caption ending it with “AND BY THE”. Thereafter he posts another picture of Kid Cudi, now saying he loves Cudi - but ‘NOT EVERYONE GONNA BE READY FOR THE SMOKE’.

Ye, seemingly in conflict with Cudi because while there’s love for him, Cudi could not/did not help Ye with the situation in regards to Davidson. I wonder what Cudi could say, “Pete please stop dating Kim?”. But I digress. Ye then posts a snippet of a text from Pete, where he says the kids are not his but he hopes he can meet them. Very typical step-dad stuff. Ye posts this snippet alongside a picture of Pete Davidson and Machine Gun Kelley in their briefs and of course replies to Davidson in the caption, “NO YOU WILL NEVER MEET MY CHILDREN”.

Ye reposts a picture alleging that Davidson sent intimate pictures of Ariana Grande (his former fiancée) to Mac Miller (her former boyfriend), breaking her trust and consent. Allegedly. Then he posts a black box, with a caption about a tattoo (which becomes apparent later why). He also tags Charlamagne tha God in this. Followed by another movie poster edit, where he talks about this all be staged? In this post he tags the user @bobigerstan presumably thinking it’s Bob Iger, former CEO of Walt Disney, however the account is run by a teenage girl (?). He also throws a jab at MGK. 

Here it is revealed. Ye called Hillary Clinton Davidson’s ex-girlfriend and talked about a tattoo, because Pete Davidson has a Hillary Clinton tattoo. He tags talkshow host Ellen DeGeneres in this posts, eluding to the illuminati and the idea that a group of select few are in control of the media, DeGeneres being one of them. He then posts three photos, more or less the same looking, proving that he is in fact the one posting these posts to his Instagram and he was not hacked. In this post, he tags Michael Che SNL comedian and coworker of Pete Davidson, telling Che he will double his salary if he stops working with Davidson. Lastly, he again reposts the Davidson/Miller post, this time tagging Kevin Durant the basketball player, saying how KD has liked his post making him feel seen and connected to KD. 

Honestly, these three pictures speak for themselves. Read slowly what he says, he says a lot. Kanye thanks the Shade Room for reposting his story, then he talks about trending over the Super Bowl which took place that day.

Taking over the narrative supposedly?

Afterwards Kanye seemingly takes a break from posting about Kim, Pete and ‘the narrative’ to post screenshots of the Super Bowl half-time show, tagging the artists while calling them legendary. This is followed up by two posts, videos, of his Super Bowl commercial for McDonald’s. In between all of this, he also posts a picture of Pete Davidson wearing a red cap which reads, “MAKE KANYE GREAT AGAIN” taking from a skit on SNL where Davidson talks about Ye’s outbursts and how he should go on medication. 

And he’s back at it.

Then he talks more about Kim, saying he believes they’ll get back together, while posting a picture of Kim and Davidson together. Afterwards he posts multiple screenshots of his fans commenting on his posts in his favour. Here he writes KIMYE (their ‘couple name’) forever. 

This is followed up by a car with flowers on it, which I do not know where it fits into this whole narrative - otherwise than the use of K’s instead of what should be C’s, something commonly done in the Kardashian klan. 

He posts a promotional picture for his upcoming album, Donda 2, which is set to be released on the 22nd of February.

Lastly he posts snippets of a conversation between him and Kim regarding Davidson’s safety as well as Kim asking him to keep the conversations private. It’s interesting to note that he calls Kim his wife in the caption.

After this he posts a screenshot of a google search for former Dolphins coach Brian Flores, saying how he is sending him love.  Then he once again reposts a comment.

Ye has since deleted all of these posts and today on February the 16th only two posts are up, these two following posts:

So that’s where we stand on what Ye has posted.

I want to conclude this post with an excerpt of Ye’s verse on City of Gods by Fivio Foreign, Kanye West & Alicia Keys which came out February 11th of this year.

This afternoon, a hundred goons pulling up to SNL (what?)

When I pull up, it’s dead on arrival 

While he has promised, in the screenshot he has posted, to Kim that he will not incite harm towards Davidson, obviously in the last couple of days and weeks he has also been saying something else.