#Released their Album : Meddle

[musiclandoux]

Studio Album, released 5th November in 1971

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. One of These Days (5:56)

2. A Pillow of Winds (5:13)

3. Fearless (6:08) *

4. San Tropez (3:43)

5. Seamus (2:15)

6. Echoes (23:27)

Total Time 46:42

[lesbiancarat]

you know what makes me the most mad is that in 2020 there were so many people saying that this would be good for seventeen's careers, it would give them more money and more opportunities to promote, especially in the west. and i'll be honest, i didn't care about that then and i don't care about it now. what a lot of people failed to realize at the time is that, even if things end up being fine for seventeen, doesn't mean the same is true of the fans

of course I want seventeen to do well. but i'll be honest, i only care about them doing well insofar as it means they're well off enough financially to be stable and support themselves and their families, and to be popular enough that they can keep making music for a long time. anything above that i could take or leave, and if taking it means having a shitty fandom experience, i'd rather leave it. and i don't want to create a false dichotomy here, i'm not someone who believes that success is synonymous with having an unhealthy fandom. but i'm tired of kpop fans acting like the fans' interests, OUR interests, are always the same as our artists' interests

and the truth is, the fandom experience over the last 4 years HAS gotten worse. merch has gotten vastly more expensive, we're constantly being advertised to about it, even though half the merch is crap anyway. albums have gotten more expensive without necessarily being higher quality, and you have to pay a membership fee just for the chance of getting presale, or the CHANCE to get access to a special event attached to a concert you already paid tickets for

money aside, there's also the fact that going seventeen and other seventeen contents on youtube NEVER used to have midroll ads, now it's not unusual to have 3 or more midroll ads in a single video. they also seem to fail to understand aspects of seventeen's brand, the caratbong V3 was such a fail because it felt like it aligned more the "hybe brand" of being sleek, black, and modern, while completely disregarding the seventeen brand of rq&s

there have also genuinely been so many more fandom wars in caratland since the hybe acquisition, there was a noticeable difference immediately after the announcement, and it has not died down. this is obviously not intentional on hybe's part, and i'm not going to blame this on any one fandom, because carats have also been more combative since that time. but i do see the hybe acquisition as a clear cause, because it forced fandoms that were not used to it to share space. it made fandoms more aware of each other's presence, and that's always going to create tension. and it exacerbated any pre-existing tensions between fandoms

in a similar vein, there's been more discourse within the fandom since the hybe acquisition too. over the last several years, every comeback there's been discourse about how much influence hybe did or didn't have over the music, the concept, the merch, whether the acquisition was worth it or if it was the end of the world. regardless of where you stand on each of those things, you can't deny how many fandom arguments there have been over the last 4 years purely centered around hybe. you can't deny that hybe is much more devisive

and yes, before hybe, fandom wars existed. despite carats' "peaceful" reputation it did happen. there were times pre-hybe that carats weren't satisfied with the merch, like the time they tried to sell replicas of seventeens rings. there was sometimes even discourse about how much pledis had meddled with woozi's vision of their music. but trust me as someone who was in the fandom pre-hybe, that these things have become so much more prevalent since after the acquisition

there's also the fact that under hybe, us fans have far less influence than we did with pledis. with pledis we were able to successfully scare them into not releasing the ring replicas, we were able to successfully boycott the getting closer MV when pledis wanted to start uploading seventeen's MVs to the pledis channel instead of the seventeen channel, which had more subscribers. tell me, how many decisions have been made under hybe that made carats angry, and among those, how many were carats able to successfully convince hybe to change their approach on? because personally i can't think of one. hybe has many other lucrative streams of revenue. they aren't scared by threats

and now here we are with seventeen collaborating with an artist none of us asked for, who stands against the values that many of us hold, and we're expected to just support it anyway? because it's seventeen?

tl;dr the fandom experience of carats has gotten worse overall since the hybe acquisition, and carats should be angry about it, regardless of if seventeen themselves seem to be doing well

[rubinaitoart]

There’s a lot going on here that I frankly don’t have the energy to cover, but here’s some food for thought.

I’ve been thinking about the current state of the fandom, and the actions Dorian has been taking. It’s been putting me off because for the most part, there’s a gray area in which fandom operates in any piece of media; and Dorian is effectively meddling with that gray area in a way that is driving fans away. It’s been bothering me on a level I couldn’t really put my finger on.

And then I remembered, Dorian may be the copyright holders and owners of the game. But they aren’t the creators. This is where the disconnect is, and why they’re overstepping.

Legally they are within their right to do (most of) of what they are doing. It’s cruddy and violates a lot of the unspoken rules that exist between the fans and the creators, but they can do it. It’s very obvious that it’s targeted right now but that’s an entirely different topic that I don’t think I can comfortably discuss.

It’s interesting because there is another fandom I know of that is seeing (if it hasn’t concluded already) a slightly similar problem. The Undertale fandom has recently flocked around a fan game, Undertale Yellow—which used music from the original game. As far as I’m aware, the creator—Toby Fox—was fine with it. However, the copyright holders were not. Materium Music’s CEO did not want to allow the release of UTY’s album on YouTube and other streaming services even though Toby Fox approved of it. The soundtrack had many original elements but reused motifs and other fragments from Undertale’s soundtrack.

Sound familiar?

But while UTY had the original creator helping fight for their rights as fan creators, we do not. And so the copyright holders, Dorian, are doing what they can to protect the assets they own with very little thought for the creations outside of their own platform. The time and effort that goes into creating. The beautiful dedication to the game that, while they own, they did not create and as such they cannot appreciate it fully.

[katerina-marie]

I Know Everything You Don’t Want Me To (Meddle About)

Sukuna x Reader

Part 2

Two months ago, on a beach under golden sun, Ryomen Sukuna vehemently denied ever writing lyrics that could be misconstrued as anything close to romantic. At an awards show, when his band debuts a brand new song that seems to hint at the beginning of everything, you begin to wonder which one of you is the bigger liar.

Word Count: 8.7k

Notes: Sukuna x Reader celebrity!au. Meddle About by Chase Atlantic is the song that brought the idea of band member Sukuna into my head and it’s directly referenced in the fic below, so I recommend listening to it if you haven’t already heard it.

Content: bandmember Sukuna x actor female Reader (referred to as such, but left descriptively vague), no y/n, manager Nanami, bodyguard Toji, actor Gojo, found family vibes, some angst, fluff, crack, humor, out of character Sukuna (he's so fluffy), lightly explicit content (vaguely described sex), so please avoid accordingly. All characters are 18+ but only reader and Sukuna are involved in explicit content.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

—————————————————————————————

“A friend of a friend,” is how Nobara had described them, prattling on excitedly as you joined her in the car to venture off to god knows who’s house to listen to “some album” that the ‘friend of a friend’ was releasing with his band in a mere few days. You couldn’t quite discern if she was being intentionally secretive or was just as oblivious of the situation as you. The only reason you were talked into going was the fact that the ‘friend’ Nobara was speaking of was Toji’s son Megumi, and it was one of his friends that just happened to be a musician.

“They’re letting us get a sneak peak of the album before it comes out!” Nobara squealed, drumming her hands rapidly against her leather-wrapped steering wheel. “Isn’t it exciting?”

You weren’t sure if you would call having to sit and listen through what was probably some b-list band’s basement album exciting, but you didn’t want to spoil your friend’s fun, and you hummed in reluctant agreement.

So imagine your surprise when, upon first stepping into an elegant foyer of a meticulously decorated mansion, you recognized the shock of blossom-pink hair associated with the world’s most popular band of the last couple years. Yuji was all jubilant smiles and boundless energy, jogging towards you and Nobara with arms wide open. You hadn’t quite recovered as he wrapped the two of you in a hug, and you could only gape stupidly over his shoulder as you watched his brother Choso, and Megumi, trail in behind him. You were overly cognizant of the fact that there was a third brother missing, as if anyone could be ignorant of the so-called ‘King of Curses’, and you swept your eyes across the rest of the house that you could see, just to possibly catch a glimpse of him. You were a fan, you supposed, not overly invested but you enjoyed their music nonetheless. If that enjoyment had anything to do with the sharp eyes and handsome grin of a tattooed rock star, you would never admit it.

In an effort to calm the jitters coursing under your skin, you excused yourself in pursuit of finding a bathroom, vaguely hearing the directions thrown over Choso’s shoulder. You meandered down a hallway, took a detour through an expansive kitchen, and tucked yourself through the door to a polished half-bath. Once finished, you took a second to peer into the mirror, smoothing down any flyaways on your head and making sure your outfit sat neatly. If you pinched at your cheeks lightly to bring some color to them…no you didn’t.

You had gone no further than a couple steps after leaving the bathroom when you heard a voice sound out from a small breakfast nook across the kitchen.

“I know you,” it crooned, and with barely there restraint, you turned slowly to face the one who’d spoken, locking eyes with Sukuna.

“And I know you,” you replied back calmly, praying you didn’t look as nervous as you felt. He was leaning forwards on the table, elbows propped up so he could cradle his chin in his hands. His expression was neutral, but his eyes were observant, not missing how you cocked your hip slightly and shoved your hand into your pockets.

Sukuna and Yuji, despite having a couple years and another brother between them, looked eerily similar. Though, where Yuji’s hair usually flopped over his forehead and into his eyes, Sukuna kept his swept back. The planes of Yuji’s face were soft and round, some remnants of youthful exuberance still clinging to his cheeks, and it made you wonder, however many years ago, if Sukuna’s face looked the same before time, age, and responsibility angled his jaw and narrowed his eyes. You made a note—that you also tried to pointedly forget—to search the internet for any evidence of such that might exist. You doubted you would find any though. For as famous as he and his brothers were, there was never much to be said about him. He kept to himself, seldom giving interviews or granting more than a scant few pictures with fans here or there. Sukuna’s romantic involvements were treated the same way. He wasn’t so much a womanizer as he was simply detached, you suspected for some reason unknown to you, and only on occasion would a photo get circulated of him with a woman caught in the mundane, never anything sensual or scandalous. They wouldn’t ever be seen together again, but never did any one of them ever say or do anything to indicate that something regretful befell their relationship—if that’s what one could call it.

“So, you’re one of Yuji’s friends that came to listen to the album?” Sukuna asked, drawing your attention back to him. You nearly died inside when you realized you had zoned out with your eyes on him, and the bemused look on his face told you he noticed.

“A friend of a friend,” you muttered, “but yes.” He didn’t say anything back and took the opportunity of silence to drag his eyes up and down your body once or twice. You were about to start squirming when he stood up from the table and made his way over to come to a stop a half step in front of you. He bit down on the corner of his lip, looking an awful lot like he was considering something, and as you went to open your mouth and ask, he lifted his hand and used it to gesture towards the kitchen exit.

“We shouldn’t keep them waiting,” he said, taking the lead and leaving the same way you came in. You followed after him, not quite walking next to him, but just a bit behind his shoulder.

The evening hours passed by you in something close to a fog. The group of you lounged in a great room overlooking a beautifully manicured backyard and a pool through glass french doors. Music was coming out of speakers you couldn’t discern the location of, and you spent the passing time furtively watching as Sukuna would come and go from the room, bringing a round of snacks or drinks and mingling for a few minutes before disappearing again. In between his comings and goings, the two of you would meet each other’s eyes for a fleeting second before returning to whatever conversation you each were having. At one point, Sukuna had leaned down over your chair to place down a platter of glasses, and it took all your self control to sit still as his torso passed over your shoulder and filled the space around your head with the smell of his cologne. The whole time you tried to focus on the music, as it was truly incredible—as expected for the three brothers—but a buzz of anticipation was building in your chest, and didn’t seem keen on tempering down. When nearly an hour passed since the last time Sukuna left the room and hadn’t returned, you resigned yourself to leaving without seeing him again that evening, especially now that Nobara, Yuji, Megumi, and Choso were chatting about some restaurant with a late-night menu and a hidden back room.

“Are you coming?” Nobara asked you. You considered it for a moment before responding.

“Well, I am hungry–,”

Movement from behind the group caught your attention and your breath stuttered in your chest when you caught sight of Sukuna leaning against the doorway, shaking his head slowly.

“–But I’m also pretty tired, so I think I’ll take a raincheck. I’ll have Toji come pick me up so I don’t keep you guys. I’ll just wait here if that’s okay?” Choso gave you a small nod while Yuji shot you a joyful grin, and then you were waving them off as they filtered out of the house, the front door closing with an audible click that echoed through the suddenly quiet house. Sukuna padded through the open lounge until he reached where you sat on one of the couches. The two of you observed each other briefly before he held out a hand in front of you and motioned with his head towards the french doors leading to the backyard and beyond.

“Follow me?”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you following me?”

Toji’s voice jerked you from whatever daydream you had been caught in, and you stared at him wide-eyed as he looked at you expectedly.

“I…I’m sorry, I was off in my own head,” you told him, shaking away the memories as you forced yourself to focus on what your bodyguard had been saying. “Can you repeat that?”

Toji looked at you strangely for another moment before cutting his eyes towards Nanami who sat across from you and next to your bodyguard in the back of a modified SUV. No one spoke for a minute, Nanami watching you with a knowing eye until Toji finally resumed conversation.

“In the hopes of keeping the evening incident free and mine and Nanami’s blood pressures low, let’s go over a list of things we aren’t going to do tonight, yeah?”

You had hoped the displeased look on your face would have kept Toji from continuing on with whatever was rolling around inside his head, but he didn’t seem any more likely to stop himself than you were likely to get your wish to go home.

“Can I opt out?”

“No,” he said firmly.

With a resigned sigh, you motioned Toji on with a wave of your hand.

“Number one, we will not insult Gojo Satoru to his face on camera, no matter how strong the temptation.”

You scoffed, leaning back in your seat to cross your arms and level Toji with a haughty stare. “I do have self control, thank you very much.”

He cocked a brow and returned your retort with a look of such blatant disbelief that you couldn’t help being offended.

“Number two,” he began pointedly, “we will not sneak off to inappropriate places with certain pink-haired rock stars to do very inappropriate things.”

The feeling of confident self-satisfaction disappeared as quickly as it had come.

“That was uncalled for,” you hissed, embarrassment flaring at how Toji laughed and even Nanami seemed to be fighting off a smile.

Traitor.

“Anything else then?” you asked. Toji’s smirk faltered and he shot a quick look down at his hands as if a page full of notes for his predetermined rules would appear out of thin air.

“Ah…no. That’s actually all I got.”

You rolled your eyes with a shake of your head and shifted your body towards Nanami, “Everything is set to happen according to what I asked for?”

Ever dutiful and prepared, Nanami gave you a nod as he whipped out his phone and grabbed a peculiar pair of glasses from his suit pocket to place high on the bridge of his nose.

“You are set to arrive on the red carpet five minutes after Gojo does. You’ll take photos individually, and then come together for more photos as previously discussed between you, him, and your producer.” Nanami glanced up at you, his eyes keenly aware of what you were doing with the demands you gave him, and you cursed his perceptiveness. There must have been something unwelcoming on your face because he continued on with a clearing of his throat.

“The two of you are seated on the other side of the room from ‘The Curses’, and you’ll be presenting the final award of the night with Gojo, of which the aforementioned band is not nominated, so there will be no chance of interaction in front of the general public. Other than a brief after-show interview with Gojo on the way out, there are no other requirements of you for the night.”

You let out a shaky exhale, wishing it would take along with it the jumble of nerves that had taken over your mind the last couple of days, only for them to have increased exponentially as the event of the evening neared. There wasn’t anything particularly worrisome that had happened recently, but this would be the first time you would see Sukuna in nearly two weeks, the longest the two of you had gone without seeing one another in the nine or so months since this…thing between the two of you began. Everything was fine, you had been telling yourself, despite getting antsy from the absolute undoing that you and Sukuna seemed to be on the precipice of. You’d be fine with nothing more from him than secret meetings and unspoken feelings, just like you’d be fine if the two of you walked away from each other with nothing but memories behind you.

Liar, liar, liar.

You felt the car begin to creep to a slow halt, and you anticipated no more than a minute or two to check your appearance before you were expected to exit the vehicle and parade yourself down a carpet lined with photographers.

“Do I look okay?” you asked, nervously glancing up at Nanami and Toji as the routine nerves that accompanied huge events like this began to make you tremble slightly.

“You look gorgeous,” Toji encouraged, offering you a quirk of his lips as Nanami echoed his statement, “the dress was a good pick.”

You took a glimpse down at the garment, noting how it melded to your form in some places and flowed in draping waves in the next. Your chest and shoulders were left bare, just a skimpy pair of wilting sleeves falling down your upper arms until they nearly brushed your elbows. In place of a high neck or straps, a necklace of diamonds wrapped around your neck, settling over your collar bone and dripping down a small delicate line to dangle between your shoulder blades. If someone asked you about the color of the dress, you’d insist that you singled it out from a litany of others because it would perfectly compliment the navy of Satoru’s suit and that it had absolutely nothing to do with its burgundy brown hue that reminded you of Sukuna’s eyes.

“It’s time,” Nanami announced, and you watched with bated breath as Toji exited the vehicle, knowing he would appear to open your door in the next couple seconds. “We’ll be waiting for you here in the car when the evening is over.” You replied with a nod and scooched to the edge of the seats as Toji pulled the door open, leaning in with his hand out to assist you out of the car.

“Have a fun evening, Princess,” he said, flashing you a quick wink as you took your first step onto the concrete. The red carpet started just a few feet in front of you, and you could hear a roar of voices and the shuttering of cameras as photographers got wind of your arrival. You bid Toji goodbye with a small wave and took off down the path in a mellow walk, concentrating on pasting a dazzling smile on your face and kicking the front of your dress out of your way on the side that wasn’t slit halfway up your thigh. You stopped midway down the carpet and allowed for the flashing of cameras to work you into a mindless daze. Occasionally, you would change which hip you leaned on or would turn to offer a demure smile over your shoulder. When the shouting escalated, you looked to your right and watched as Satoru sauntered up to your side.

“Hey,” he greeted you, sliding an arm low on your back and grinning down at you, “how’s your evening so far?”

“Well, my boobs are being held up with something akin to duck tape. How do you think I’m doing?” Satoru grimaced at your words and you couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of you. In true fashion, the cameras were quick to shutter their lenses to capture the interaction.

“Despite filling my head with that painful image, you should know you look stunning—if it isn’t obvious.”

“Thank you,” you told him, still smiling through the words for the sake of the photos. You broke your focus away from the barrage of flickering light and studied him out of the corner of your eye. His navy suit was tailored to fit his exact form, skimming over his body in a way that even you could admit was mouthwatering. The color offered stark contrast against the paleness of his skin and white of his hair, but did nothing to detract from the captivating cerulean of his eyes. Not that you thought there was anything existing that could. “You look handsome, Satoru.”

Your co-star turned to you with a brilliant smile on his face, the lines at his eyes tightening with the motion, and exclaimed, “Don’t I know it!” You scoffed good naturedly.

Only another minute went by before Satoru was suddenly pulling away from you, dropping his arm from your back to take a step behind and around you, only to appear again on your left side. Before you could question him, you felt his hand slide across your shoulder to tease at the rope of diamonds at your back, the whispers of his fingers against your skin causing you to shiver. He only paused there for a heartbeat or two before his hand continued on to smooth down your side and come to a stop to rest over your right hip. His fingers curled into the fabric of your dress slightly, and he used his grip to haul you against his side. You thought nothing of it, considering it Satoru’s usual antics all done in the name of offering a convincing performance for the sake of padding your pockets. You didn’t think twice as you leaned into it, nor did you break far from him as the two of you walked away from the unrelenting photographers and found solace in the covered entryway leading into the event center. Nothing about the situation would have made you stop to ponder it beyond thinking of what a pretty photo it would make, not until you happened to catch a glimpse of pink hair weaving in and out of the crowd ahead of you before disappearing through double doors.

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In the time following the red carpet, you and Satoru found yourselves seated in the grand auditorium, placed at a nondescript white table that sat next to many others as they all curved around the stage in a crescent shape. In a silent, grateful prayer to Nanami, you were relieved to find that Sukuna’s table, where he was joined by his brothers and their friends, was situated behind you and at a far enough distance that you didn’t have to worry about catching glimpses of him out of your peripheral vision. In an effort to further distract yourself, you dove into the dinner that was sitting in front of you and continued to mingle on and off with Satoru and other famous acquaintances.

The night carried on without cause for concern, moments of conversation paused as awards were announced and speeches were given. You clapped when it was called for. You smiled accordingly when a camera passed in front of your table. You even remained perfectly composed when the show went to commercial and the stage came alive with movement as staff prepared it for the biggest performance of the evening. It wasn’t until Yuji, Choso, and Sukuna appeared at the corner leading to backstage that your heart started to hammer in your chest. They looked out over the floor and to the audience with mild disinterest, talking amongst themselves and occasionally pointing towards something on the stage as instruments were brought out and microphones were adjusted on their stands. You just barely managed to flit your gaze away from them as Sukuna turned his head and seemed to spot you in the crowd.

“What’s wrong with you?” Satoru asked lazily, his elbow braced on the table so he could drift into your space. You raised your brows at him, fiddling with a ring adorning your finger.

“There’s nothing wrong,” you told him, but even you weren’t convinced by the strained nonchalance in your tone.

“Really?” He asked, drawing out the first syllable in a way that told you he had seen right through you, “because your secret lover has been tossing glimpses your way and not once have you looked back at him in that adoring way of yours. Trouble in paradise?”

You sputtered, “No! Nothing’s wrong!”

Liar, liar, liar.

Before you could try and further convince Satoru of something you probably didn’t even believe yourself, the lights in the auditorium suddenly went dark, and there was a collective gasp from the audience as a dark red haze illuminated the silhouettes of Sukuna and his brothers in all their glory on stage. Your stomach fell out from under you in a sickening swoop, and you clenched your fingers into the napkin in your lap to give them something to do, lest you begin picking at your manicure.

You watched with nervous anticipation as a few more dim lights turned on, and it was just enough to see the band as they formed a triangle in their designated positions. Sukuna was at the very front with an electric guitar in hand and a microphone in front of his mouth. Choso and Yuji were situated parallel to each other a ways behind their elder brother, one seated at a drum set and the other standing at a keyboard, respectively. At the very back of the stage a congregation of other musicians and staff were there to offer their required support.

There was one second before Sukuna began playing his guitar that you contemplated sneaking off to the bathroom for the entirety of the performance, but his eyes flashed to you ever so briefly, and it was enough to pin you to your chair. He didn’t stray his gaze your way again as he opened his mouth to begin singing.

Even in spite of the turmoil swirling around inside of you, there was no denying how magnetizing Sukuna looked on stage. His hair was done in its normal style, but gleamed under the light from the pomade that held it in place. His suit was black and the shirt under it—which you could’ve sworn was the same swatch of color as your dress in this light—was opened one or two buttons more than usual, allowing the jagged black shapes of the tattoos on his chest to peek out.

Sukuna wasn’t known for being overly energetic on stage and didn’t jump around from place to place. He stayed rooted at his spot in front of the microphone, only dropping back to play next to one of his brothers if a particular moment in a song allowed for it. Instead, it was the subtle movement of his body that so captivated people. At more than one performance of theirs, you had been distracted by the way he would trace his fingertips up and around the microphone stand as he sang, knowing he had done the same thing against your spine the night prior. You’d once gotten caught up in the slow gyration of his hips as he matched a beat, or even lost your train of thought at the way his shoulders would glide along with a rhythm one of his brothers would play. All of it, every little move and dip and ounce of him kept you completely enthralled, hanging off every word that came out of Sukuna’s mouth, and there was absolutely nothing you could do about it.

“...Cause it’s not just a figure of speech, you got me down on my knees, it’s getting harder to breathe out…”

Right, cause that’s believable.

“...I’d take you back to my house so we can meddle about…”

The hand that had been reaching for the glass of water in front of you spasmed, and you just narrowly avoided spilling it all over your neighbor’s dinner plate as you scrambled to keep it upright. You felt your mouth part as your breath left you in a strangled gasp and you could no more keep your head from snapping up towards him than you could forget exactly as to what he was referring to.

“Tell me,” you started, turning around to walk backwards and grin at him as the two of you followed the cobblestone path that connected the main house to the equally impressive guest lodge that Sukuna called his own, “what is there to do in this grand ol’ house of yours?”

He let out a small laugh through his nose and reached out a hand to grasp your arm when you teetered just slightly on a loose rock. You flashed him a grateful smile.

“Well, there’s a fully stocked gourmet kitchen if you’re still hungry for a late night snack.”

“Mhm, tempting,” you said, pretending to consider it as you fell back to walk normally at his side, “what else?”

“There’s a library. Aside from books we’ve all collected over the years, it's full of some eclectic poetry and a couple of paintings, amongst other things.”

“Intriguing. I’ll make sure to remember that for next time.” You had hoped it came off as interested and flirty, but not too presumptuous. It was hard to gauge his expression in the fleeting flashes of light that were cast upon one side of his face by the lanterns that littered the walkway. “Anything else?”

The two of you had just stepped into the alcove of his front door, and you used the small space to justify taking a half step closer as you tipped your head to look up at him. Sukuna was quiet for a moment, glancing away at the door, and then turned back towards you.

“It depends,” he said, shrugging lightly, “we could just kind of meddle about.”

You tilted your head to one side, unsure of exactly what he was implying. “What does that mean?”

Sukuna lips curled into a dangerous smile, his eyes closing slightly and in a way that felt daring, and he jerked his head towards the front door. “Why don’t we find out?”

All the memories involved in “finding out” that night rushed back in a flurry, flipping before your eyes as you struggled to wade through them while also focusing on the performance in front of you.

How it felt to kiss him for the first time. Sukuna had pulled you through the open front door only to push you back against it as soon as it closed. He continued kissing you in between hurried steps down a faintly lit hallway.

The urgent shuffle towards the bed, his room dark in color, but not nearly as cold and moody as you would have imagined. The way his hands traveled over every inch of you, grasping at your shirt to tug it over your head and peeling your bra straps down your shoulder so he could run his nose along your collarbone unencumbered.

Your small squeak of surprise when he finally removed his clothes and you were able to see exactly where else those tantalizing black tattoos marked his body, and the strangled noise he had let out when you dropped to your knees to kiss and lick a trail of them, starting from the tops of his thighs, to his chest, and eventually stopping to nip at one that curved over his shoulder.

You heard Satoru asking if you were okay, but he sounded miles away, muffled by the music, the excitement of the audience, and what was going on in your head. You felt similar to that moment, when the two of you were walking to his house and you had stumbled on a rock, and just before Sukuna had stabilized you, you had felt a flip through your stomach as you anticipated falling backwards.

The ghosting of his lips down your neck before he went farther down to mouth at your breasts. His weight pressed you into the plushness of his mattress and the muscles in his arms bowed and flexed with his movement. How your legs had parted to make room for him to settle between your thighs, and the way the fullness of him the first moment he was inside you had your back arching and the air in your lungs escaping with a gasp. Sukuna had sounded equally as wrecked. And in the end—some indistinguishable amount of time later from that first moment—when you had finished yet again, he followed right behind you, clutching you to his chest and groaning in your ear in a way that gave you goosebumps.

“Hey!” You felt an arm twine around your lower back as Satoru’s mouth brushed up against your ear. “Are you okay? I’ve called your name a couple times already?”

You turned to Satoru with a stricken look on your face, unsure of what to do other than shake your head at him and try to wrangle your features into something neutral. You ignored his concerned touch to your shoulder and reached out to take the glass of water in your hand you nearly spilled minutes ago and gulped the whole thing down in just a couple swallows.

You could begrudgingly admit to yourself when you were lying about what this whole involvement with Sukuna meant to you, if for nothing else than to protect your heart and mind. You knew you wanted him, and in more than just a lust-driven way. And you knew he wanted you, but were unsure if that desire ventured beyond the realm of physicality. But, if the way Sukuna let his eyes linger on you for the second time during his performance, and how he stumbled over his words and feet that day at the beach in a way that was undoubtedly uncharacteristic of himself, you would wager pieces of yourself that he had to be conflicted over it too.

The band’s performance wound down and finished with a flourish of grand applause and raucous cheering, and you clapped robotically as to not stand out from those sitting around you. Chatter continued amongst the room, and only a few minutes passed as the stage was being cleared before you and Satoru were fetched to present the final award of the night. The two of you lingered backstage until the cameras resumed rolling and a thick white envelope was pressed into your hand. Satoru held his arm out to you, and you tucked your hand into the crook of his elbow so he could lead the two of you out and onto the stage. You managed to keep an easy expression on your face and a cheerful smile stretched over your lips. You bantered with Satoru at the designated prompts and shouted gleefully when the two of you announced the winner of the award, before you both were swept away and set free from contractual obligations.

“I’m so sick of this damned dress,” you complained, yanking the fabric at your chest upwards as the sweat garnered from the sheer amount of nerves you had the entire evening was causing it to slip. You and Satoru hurried down the hallway exit to where reporters were waiting to get their post-show interviews, and you couldn’t tell if you kept your pace quick because of your intense desire to go home or because you desperately wanted to avoid running into a particular someone.

“That’s a shame,” Satoru pouted, batting his eyelashes at you in a way that was supposed to be endearing, but really just came across looking like he had something in his eyes. “I really like it.”

“You wear it then!” That got a hearty laugh out of him, and you were grateful when the joy of it actually lightened just a little the heavy pressure in your chest. Satoru recovered himself as the two of you were stopped by a reporter and began answering the relatively harmless questions about your shared movie and experiences working with each other. It was mindless work, and you could tell that the reporter was nearly finished before they turned to you and asked you a question directly.

“Tell us,” they began excitedly, “what did you think about ‘The Curses’ performance and the new song they debuted tonight?” With a tilt of their microphone in your direction, they watched you expectedly, and you scrambled to come up with something that would sound objectively positive.

You wished Sukuna would use actual words and tell you directly what he felt about you instead of hiding it in a song.

You wished he would leave you alone if he wanted nothing more than for someone to warm his bed when he felt like it.

You wished you felt nothing.

“I think the sound was great and typical of them, even if the lyrics seemed atypical. It'll be interesting to see what the band puts out together going forward. What did you think, Satoru?” You swung your head towards your co-star, rerouting the reporter’s attention to hopefully prevent any more questions regarding Sukuna and his band from being presented to you.

“Oh, yes, I agree with what she said,” Satoru replied, nodding his head as a mischievous twitch of his lips had you narrowing your eyes at him. “Although, I find the idea of the “King of Curses” being on his knees for anyone hard to believe.” Satoru gave a small, sad shake of his head and looked over at you.

Oh, god.

“I pity Sukuna if he’s never given himself a chance to experience such a thing. I can tell you, Princess here is a sight to behold from down below on one’s knees.” His bold declaration had you—and the reporter— staring at him with mouths agape, both of you taken aback by his brazenness. It took Satoru winking at you before your brain would begin working again.

“He, uhm, he’s referencing a scene from our movie! Please understand, he’s referencing a scene from our upcoming movie and nothing more, I swear!” You nearly shouted, throwing your hands out towards them to plead your case, lest you wake up in the morning to headlines talking about Gojo Satoru putting his head in places it absolutely didn’t belong. The reporter nodded slowly, eyes wide and vaguely disturbed, and borderline hysterical laughter made its way out of your mouth as Satoru thanked them for their time and ushered you down the rest of the way to where SUVs were waiting to pick up their assigned passengers.

“You seem to exist only for the purpose of wreaking absolute havoc on those around you, Satoru, and I’m not sure what I did to deserve being on the receiving end of it,” you lamented to him, watching in sheer exhaustion as he raised his arm to wiggle his fingers at one of the vehicles at the end of the line.

“Don’t lie and act like I don’t enrich your life,” he teased, and if you detected the slightest hint of vulnerability in his eyes, it was gone before you could give it any more consideration. “Besides, I made you laugh. You looked like you needed it.”

Perhaps you didn’t give Satoru enough credit, nor had you even stopped to realize what a good friend he could be. At least when he wasn’t implying to the world that the two of you had seen each other naked, or trespassing onto your property in the wee hours of the morning. And because you knew he was right, you wrapped your arms around his waist and squeezed, feeling more comfort than you had in days when he threw an arm around your shoulders and returned the hug with equal gusto.

“Now go,” he told you, dropping a quick kiss to your temple and pushing you towards a black SUV that had just pulled up on the street in front of you. Toji stepped out from around it, shooting you a grin, and opened the door to reveal Nanami sitting inside.

“Thank you, Satoru,” you told him, and gathered the skirt of your dress in your hands so you could step into the car. You felt Toji’s hand against your back to offer support as you climbed in and you collapsed into the seat next to Nanami with an exaggerated groan of relief.

“Pleasant evening?” He inquired, a smooth blonde brow arching upwards as he moved his attention from his phone to your slouched position in the seat.

“I heard your boy toy confessed his love through song in front of a live audience. How romantic,” Toji snarked, shutting the door behind him as he took his spot across from you and Nanami.

“That’s not what happened,” you snapped at him, “and how do you even know about that?”

Toji shrugged in that annoying way of his, not bothering to hide his shit-eating grin either, and you figured you were better off not knowing. Letting out a sigh, you lifted your legs and dropped your feet into his lap, heels and all, and raised your brows at him in expectation. He grimaced, glancing down at your shoes with trepidation before shaking his head. You snarled at him as best you could, feeling triumphant once he curled his lip but proceeded to unbuckle and pull off each shoe from your feet before swiping them off his lap. You snickered.

“Children, the both of you,” Nanami grumbled, but didn’t say anything more as he leaned his head back against his seat and let his eyes drift closed. The rest of the drive home passed in silence. Toji played some mindless game on his phone, Nanami kept his eyes shut, and you stewed in your own messy thoughts, convincing yourself you had all of this rightfully figured out and would be perfectly content with whatever outcome prevailed.

Liar, liar, liar.

Once the three of you arrived back at your home, Nanami was quick to bid you and Toji goodbye before leaving in his car. Your bodyguard disappeared into your kitchen, and you went upstairs to your room where you spent twenty minutes prying yourself out of your dress and another ten putting it—and the stunning set of diamonds—into their packaging to be sent back to their respective lenders. You had just left your bathroom after finishing your nighttime routine when your phone dinged twice. With half a mind to leave the message unread and simply throw your phone out the window, you went about getting dressed in a soft set of lounge clothes and rubbing some lotion into your hands. You were about to go downstairs to get a snack when another notification sounded through your room, and this time you had no self control left to keep yourself from reaching from your phone.

Sukuna: I would like to speak with you tonight. If you’re willing.

Sukuna: I can come to you.

Sukuna: Don’t ignore me either.

You grumbled incoherently at your phone, feeling both somewhat relieved that Sukuna had reached out to you, and also like you were one more message away from throwing up. With that in mind, you sent him a quick text back, ultimately deciding that you would know no peace until all of this was hashed out between the two of you.

You: Be there in 15.

You desperately needed the time it would take to drive to his house to formulate a rough idea of what you wanted to say to Sukuna, as well as wanting the opportunity to flee the scene in your own vehicle if it came to that. After grabbing your keys from your dresser and sliding your feet into a pair of casual shoes, you made your way downstairs and out the door. You were grateful that Toji was nowhere to be seen. While he would surely hear about what happened from you in the next day or so, you weren’t keen on having his knowing gaze on you as marched out the door in an outfit akin to pajamas at nearly eleven thirty at night.

You arrived at Sukuna’s house a short time later, having spent the entire drive singing some random song at the top of your lungs to avoid having to think about anything other than keeping your car straight and centered on the road. You nearly threw it back into reverse and peeled out of the driveway when you spotted him standing outside his front door, arms crossed in front of his chest. He had clearly been waiting for you to arrive, and you had to swallow back a knot in your throat as you got out of your car and approached him.

“Hi,” you called out tentatively, taking note that he too was in lounging clothes, and you wondered for a second if he had been intending to sleep away the night’s events before something compelled him to message you. Sukuna nodded at you, only murmuring back a quick greeting before grabbing you around the wrist and pulling you through the front door. He didn’t stop once he closed the door behind you, instead leading you down the hall until you reached his bedroom. You shook your wrist from his grip and took your spot a couple feet across from him while he chose to lean back against his bed. You needed the distance between the two of you to think, to breathe, and to simply resist the overwhelming urge to throw yourself at him. Because looking at him now, as you could hear his earlier lyrics echoing inside your head, you were sure that you wanted nothing more than to be with him, to never leave him, and you desperately hoped that he felt the same way too.

“You lied to me,” you blurted out, “on the beach that day. You said you’d never write anything that could be considered romantic. What changed?”

“I don’t know if you could necessarily consider that song romantic,” Sukuna said, crossing his arms again so he could drum his fingers against his bicep, “a bit reminiscent maybe, or a touch lustful would be better.”

“Semantics, then,” you replied, starting to feel somewhat put off at his blasé attitude that you had noticed the second you saw him, “but you weren’t exactly being subtle. “Meddle about” doesn’t have to refer to me specifically at every given moment, but if it doesn’t at all, you did a poor job of convincing me that I…we…that night are not the muse for that particular lyric. I would argue that having a muse like that in the first place could be considered romantic given our involvement with each other.”

Sukuna was quiet, and didn’t offer any physical indication as to what he was thinking or feeling about what you had said. It was starting to make you angry, and you moved a touch closer to him.

“If you don’t care, if you don’t want me, you should just be honest.” His jaw clenched tight, and you hoped if you pushed just far enough you could figure out what was going on inside that head of his.

“I never said that,” he growled, standing up from his place against the bed and taking a step towards you.

“But you’re not saying anything else either!” You said, your voice raising in frustration. “I know I never told you anything different, so I’m willing to be patient with you for a time while you figure out how you feel, but I would like to do more than this with someone, and right now, that person is you.” You paused for a moment to catch your breath and noted how his eyes lit up subtly. “However, I will not continue to have us dance around each other like this forever. I know a significant part of our lives will always be subject to a large amount of scrutiny and prying eyes, but somewhere, someone is out there who would be willing to do it with me.”

Any previous emotion that had been on his face was wiped clear. “That’s not fair,” Sukuna spat out, hands clenching and unclenching at his side, and you were appalled by the nerve he had.

“It’s a hundred percent fair!” you yelled, closing the distance between you two so you could jab a finger into his chest. “Just because you don’t want me doesn’t mean you can keep me from anyone else!”

“I. Never. Said. That.”

“Then say something different! Or else I won’t believe you.” Your head jerked up close to his as you grit your words out between your teeth. Both your chests were rising in rapid succession, tension and nerves escalating in your bodies as the two of you stared each other down, neither of you willing—or brave enough—to bend the first knee.

Sukuna did, however, smash his lips against yours. It took you by surprise, how hard he pressed his mouth to yours, and just how quickly it wiped your head clear of all thoughts except for how his body felt against yours. It was exhilarating and delectable and everything you wanted, but you refused to follow him into bed one last time before addressing what would happen after. You ripped away from him, slapping your palms against his chest to keep space, but the way his hands clutched desperately at the tops of your arms and his head bobbed down towards yours in an effort to reconnect your lips nearly made you falter.

“I want this with you,” you said quietly, sliding your hands down Sukuna’s chest to splay out your fingers against the solid planes of his abdominal muscles and letting your thumbs slip ever so slightly under the waistband of his pants as you locked eyes with him,“but not without all of you. Otherwise, I can find this elsewhere.”

His eyes narrowed and a snarl scrunched his nose while the grip he had on your arms tightened. “You’re being a brat.”

You laughed bitterly. “You know, that’s the second time you’ve called me that, but I don’t think I like it as much this time. Doesn’t quite sound the same, don’t you think?”

“Ah,” he sneered, “she’s perceptive.”

“Enough to know that you’re stalling,” you countered. He didn’t say anything back, but his eyes bounced between yours, asking for something, pleading with you for just one more minute. You were willing to give it to him, but only according to how you wanted to.

“If you’re not able to continue this any further,” you said to him, “and the lyrics in that song don’t have any deeper meaning, then you don’t care if I walk right out of this room, do you?”

You were vaguely aware that Sukuna was allowing you to push him around, to act like you had an equal measure of control in this dark room of his. And just maybe, if you thought about it enough, you did. Because he didn’t protest when you urged him backwards onto his bed with the hands still on his chest. He said nothing when you landed in his lap, thighs spread to straddle his hips. He didn’t resist when you dug your fingers into his hair, as soft as it was pink, to drag his head back so you could look him in the eyes.

“Exactly,” he bit out, but his hands danced over your waist and then used the fabric bunching at your hips to close the distance between your chests. You giggled lowly in his ear, dragging your lips down his jaw before coming to a stop over his so your mouths could hover a breath apart from each other.

“You’re brave to lie to me as I sit here perched on your lap. Don’t you know I can tell that your heart isn’t the only thing throbbing?” You ground your hips down onto his with as much force as you could muster, and his answering moan nearly had you giving in, ready to forgo the difficulty of talking through emotions to satiate the desperate need to have him. But, for the sake of your own bleeding heart, you resisted, sitting back on Sukuna’s thighs and hoping your pleading expression conveyed everything you couldn’t say.

Please, put me out of my misery.

“We are at an impasse, it seems.” Sukuna’s voice was low and neutral, and it slid through your ears and nestled painfully in your gut.

“It seems we are,” you whispered. Your voice was hollow and final.

Please, let me run, let me hide, let more go somewhere you’ll never find me.

You wanted nothing more than to slink back home and huddle under your blankets than spend another moment in here with him, convinced he would prefer the two of you part ways just because he refused to be vulnerable, and you made a move to swing your leg off him when Sukuna twisted and in the next breath you were under him.

“Here’s what I know,” he said, letting his body settle down on top of yours, and you noticed that his eyes were brighter and the corners of his mouth were ticking upwards in a smile he couldn’t fight. His voice was light and optimistic. “I am stubborn to a massive fault, and I have not been fair to you in how I have behaved and approached my feelings for you. I am sorry.”

A shaky breath of relief passed from your mouth and you opened it to reassure him—,

“I also know that I would prefer it if Gojo Satoru never came within 100 feet of you again.”

Your eyes bulged as a fit of laughter replaced whatever words were at the tip of your tongue, unable to control the amusement that followed his declaration. Sukuna eyed you warily, and you slapped a hand over your mouth to muffle any more sounds in order to encourage him to continue.

“However, I know that is irrational and improbable given your careers, so I will be content with hoping that by making this relationship between us official, he will have to respect some obvious boundaries.” Sukuna sounded quite proud of himself, smirking down at you with a cheeky gleam in his eyes. You didn’t have the heart to tell him that doing such a thing, while lovely, would have no effect on Satoru’s inability to acknowledge, let alone follow, said boundaries.

“Noble,” you quipped back at him, utterly transfixed by the way he nuzzled his nose against yours, “and something I can happily agree to.”

Sukuna grinned, all white teeth and slightly dimpled cheeks, and you went to throw your arms around his neck when, suddenly, he was no longer over you, but standing at the edge of the bed as he dragged you by your ankles towards him. He kept his eyes on you as he tugged your pants down your legs and threw them over his shoulder. In the next moment, he was sliding to his knees in front of you, kissing his way down your leg.

“What are you doing?” you asked, propping yourself up on your elbows to get a better view of him. You didn’t need to clarify what specifically he was about to do. There had been numerous times before this one where Sukuna had his head between your legs. You couldn’t begin to count how many instances you had hovered over his face, fingers clenched around his headboard as he drew circles with his tongue, nor could you recall exactly which surfaces in his home he had spread you out on, his mouth already on you as he pulled your legs around his ears because he couldn’t wait to get to his bedroom. That being said, it was a bit of a shame to admit that you hadn’t ever seen him on his knees before you.

“I’ll be damned,” Sukuna growled, already slipping his fingers into the band of your underwear to shimmy them out from under you and toss them in the same direction as your pants, “if I go another day knowing Gojo Satoru has seen you from an angle I have not.” And with that, he grabbed your thighs and spread them open around his head as you tangled your fingers in his hair.

“Well,” you breathed out, throwing your head back as your eyes fluttered shut, “we can’t have that, now can we?”

————————————————————————————————-

Thank you to everyone who has taken time to read this little series! It means a lot!

As I mentioned above, this is the last major update for what I had originally planned out for this fic. I will happily write little extra bits if/when inspiration strikes or if anyone has any suggestions.

Also, please forgive me if this part seems less flowing/has worse pacing than the others. I am going through it as I try to fight off some cold or virus over the last couple days and just needed to get this out.

[loonarii]

Ari's K-Pop Roundup: July 2024 (aespa, KATSEYE, KISS OF LIFE, STAYC, tripleS, + MORE)

last months installment ✦ full masterlist welcome back to episode SIX (!!!) of this review series I started back in february - I've tried a lot of review formats in my time on kpop tumblr, but this one feels the most fun to do, and is by far the most well received. thanks so much to everyone who likes, reblogs, or even just reads these rambles, I appreciate it so much <333 This month was pretty fun from the get go so lets go get into it ~ ari

Hot Mess - aespa

A month and a half after their first korean full album, aespa have dropped their first proper foray into Japanese releases with 'Hot Mess'.

This is a classic aespa style track, like something off the 'Savage' or 'Girls' mini albums. Powered by a distorted trumpet base melody and filled with vocals delivered with a hyperconfident attitude, 'Hot Mess' is very Bratz doll, very Y2K. The chorus is reasonably catchy, but the verses fall somewhat short in my opinion, and the post chorus feels slightly out of place? The bones for a great song exist within 'Hot Mess', but for me the song peaks at 'good'. Is it anywhere near on the level of 'Supernova' or 'Amargeddon'? No, but it is cute and shows off the aespa members' skills well, as a debut song should do.

Giselle, as the member who speaks the most Japanese, is the BEST on this song, she sounds the most comfortable in her delivery and the tone of the song suits her style perfectly. Ningning is also a huge highlight of this track.

'Sun and Moon' is a classic SM style b-side, half way to a dance track, half way to a ballad. Where 'Hot Mess' highlighted vocal tone, 'Sun and Moon' emphasizes vocal range and the runs the members can pull off - in that sense it is the perfect b-side for a song like 'Hot Mess'. It's an easy hit, I like it a lot.

'ZOOM ZOOM' has actually already been released, so I won't delve into that one today, but the tl/dr is that it's a 10/10 aespa dance track that is forgotten about FAR TOO OFTEN.

Overall, this was fun. 'Hot Mess' didn't quite do it for me as much as I would have liked, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The b-sides are great, and as a debut, it works well. With their influence on the Y3K aesthetic in japan, success over there is inevitable and I'm wishing the best for them as always.

Touch - KATSEYE

If nothing else can be said about 'Touch', at least it was a decent song this time around.

Let's not lie, you can hear the PinkPantheress print on this song as well as I can, and while that results in an enjoyable song, it does not bode well for the future of KATSEYE. The derivative nature of 'Touch' isn't inherently bad - PinkPantheress coded songs have been popping up in kpop frequently over the past year or so (though granted never quite as obviously referential as this), but contextually the song is a bizarre choice. Even though their 'Debut' was released last month, KATSEYE is still extremely fresh on the scene, and every choice they make right now in musical, conceptual and creative direction will impact how they are perceived by global audiences.

Making music that sounds like a another artist will almost always tarnish your reputation and brand as a soloist/group UNLESS the artist you are emulating caters to an entirely different market. For example, ILLIT got backlash from kpop fans both inside and outside of Korea for emulating the sound of NewJeans, but the discussion of Tinashe's undeniable influence on kpop is limited to select groups of international fans. KATSEYE are trying to appeal to the western market presumably, so while 'Touch' imitating PinkPantheress may result in a few million streams and TikTok song of the hour status, it does nothing to build a brand, create a signature sound, and make a name for KATSEYE outside of kpop. Not to mention, it sounds unconnected from 'Debut' sonically, tonally, and conceptually, further meddling with any chance they have of building an iconic (in the original sense) discography.

However, this concept did seem to suit some of the girls better, Yoonchae especially seemed comfortable taking the centre this time, she was the star of the song for sure.

I would be remiss if i didn't bring up the song length after bitching about it so heavily last time, so here we go for round two. From 'Debut' clocking in at an appalling 2 minutes and three seconds, the HYBE overlords have blessed us with SIX MORE SECONDS on 'Touch'!!! At least this song calls for a bridge slightly less than 'Debut' did, but regardless this is absurd. I may be glad that the recession has triggered a resurgence in upbeat pop music from the west with BRAT summer and all that, but if it means song length shrinking by minute every year, I'm not sure if it's worth it.

Sticky - KISS OF LIFE

Kiss Of Life are just KILLING it, every release has been fucking incredible and 'Sticky' is no exception. Built on a foundation of afrobeats and powered by spirited vocal runs from all the members, 'Sticky' is the perfect song for the summer. It doesn't over-complicate itself, this is a song all about wearing short-shorts in the blaring July heat and having a blast with your friends. the melodies aren't especially new but they are classic and highly enjoyable. Hanuel is the beating heart of this song. Her vocal tone is on the more nasal side which usually means she's delegated to the verses or adlibs while Natty takes the frontline, but in 'Sticky' she is centre stage and I couldn't be happier about it. Natty and Belle take the post chorus sounding incredible as always, and Julie punches up the verses and post chorus ad-libs with her citrus-esque vocal tones. All the girls come together on the chorus in a chant thats been stuck in my head since I heard it. This and Chuu's 'Strawberry Rush' are my songs of the summer.

If 'Sticky' is a midday bike ride along the beach, 'Te Quiero' is a midnight beach party lit by campfires and neon swimsuits. Its the perfect b-side for 'Sticky', equally as addictive but slightly more unique in its construction. The strings on this track are to die for, and the lyrics are surprisingly enjoyable too.

A great single album for the summer months, Kiof have done it again - are we surprised?

Cheeky Icy Thang - STAYC

STAYC's last couple of releases, 'Bubble' and 'Teddy Bear' have been highly divisive, and while they didn't perform poorly by any means domestically, they were pretty unpopular among international kpop listeners. It seems HighUp recognized this lack of interest, and when the head prophet said the omens were right for STAYC to have a full album, they dropped the more childish concept and circled right back to 'RUN2U' - and now we have 'Cheeky Icy Thang'.

To be honest, the first couple of times i heard this song I didn't get it. My main impression was that it was messy - there were too many elements fighting for dominance, too many hooks, too many words in one line. And while I do still stand by some of those elements (you cannot convince me Sieun says 'rock' in the line 'on-the-rock whiskey ring-a-ring ding-dong'), but now I see the song as more maximalist than messy. I consider 'RUN2U' to be one of the most polished and well executed kpop songs of all time, and 'Cheeky Icy Thang' is not that at all - but it's charm comes in how rough and chaotic it is. While yes, the lyrics did need a second draft in some cases, notable exceptions being Sieun's '미녀와 야수면 내가 Beast' in the intro (excellent, no notes), the song's structure is genuinely a masterpiece - J's subversive pre-chorus having that tinny answerphone layer was amazing, easily the best part of the song. The production is top tier throughout, but that is to be expected from Black Eyed Pilseung.

It's difficult to pinpoint what exactly is so charming and subversive about 'Cheeky Icy Thang', because on paper it is neither something new for STAYC, nor something new for the industry at large in terms of concept or sonic style. However, what this song does that is so odd for kpop is that it does not put all of its eggs in one basket at all. Kpop songs, especially kpop songs post the TikTok era (thanks SO MUCH for that Zico), tend to be top heavy, and concentrate all the fun and creativity and catchiness into the chorus. 'Cheeky icy Thang' does not do that - the verses are a treat, the pre-chorus is a stunner, the breakdowns are groovy, and the chorus leaves us just satiated enough to keep listening. Crucially, 'Cheeky Icy Thang' cannot be compressed, and while they undoubtedly will make a dance challenge out of it, you cannot get the full experience of this song from a 20 second soundbite, as you can with so many other songs coming out right now.

### - tripleS

Lack of music video aside, '###' is the perfect tripleS japanese debut. A lovechild of anime intros and tripleS's iconic maximalist sound with a tS trademark 'lalala' post chorus, EVERYTHING about '###' is deliciously addictive. It's hyper-cute to the point of psychosis, and the members vocal delivery is perfectly imperfect.

Like a year ago I started yapping about what I called 'love island pop', and with this review I would like to introduce another micro-genre my prefrontal cortex cooked up 'Rhythm Heaven Fever pop'. Basically, music that sounds like it wouldn't be out of place in a Wii U rhythm game from 2011. '###' fits this perfectly, other notable examples being 'Dumb Dumb', 'Rookie' and '#Cookie Jar' - Red Velvet, and 'BBoom BBoom' - Momoland. This is the kind of music that keeps kpop going in my opinion, it's been a steady undercurrent of the trending sounds over the last 3 generations, and I am more than glad to see tripleS stoking the embers.

Such an unabashedly FUN song, it never takes itself seriously and that works FULLY in it's favour. Definitely a must-listen track from the July roster.

MINI REVIEWS:

[ALBUM] MINISERIES 2 - SUMIN & Slom: Wasn't sure if I should include this since it's not really kpop, but what the fuck SUMIN IS BACK BABY and yeah its another FUCKING BANGER of an album. Just go listen to it. I might do a separate review of it because it's just that good, so expect that in the next 2-5 business years. Just go stream it.

Klaxon - (G)-IDLE: For all I don't really like (G)-IDLE's music, I can usually admit that it is at least catchy. And yet, somehow Klaxon is not that catchy? The first line of the hook feels like a bizarre Frank Sinatra interpolation, and that post chorus does most of the heavy lifting for this track. Overall, this felt pretty derivative, but hey, sometimes a throwback isn't the worst.

FOREVER - BABYMONSTER: Babymonster are leaps and bounds away from my stan list, and even though this is vaguely something different from them (not really, it's just that there isn't an empty chorus), it's once again not for me. The vocal mixing on this song is very odd and as a result any emotion or power the girls used in their vocals is totally lost and tonally the song falls flat. The key change in the final chorus is a nice touch, and Pharita and Haram especially shine on this track. The fact that this was somewhat 'something new' gives me hope though - perhaps all is not lost over at YG. Perhaps.

Something Ain't Right - XG: XG are so consistent in the quality of their releases it's actually insane - from the production to the hooks to the vocal direction this is such a fun song. I don't know if I love it as much as TGIF or New Dance from X-GENE, but it's a very solid release. XG are well and truly the ones to watch, and the dichotomy between this and 'Woke Up' proves that perfectly.

Let It Burn - H1-KEY: You know, this was so close to being one of several contenders to be included on my mini reviews segment that just get cut, but this release really shocked me. I went in with almost no knowledge of H1-KEY, I had heard of them, but I had no idea what the concept was, who the girls were or even how many of them there were. 'Let it Burn' is a fucking delight from start to finish. A lot of these kpop takes on punk rock anthems fall flat for me, but this one keeps it honest and heartfelt throughout. The lyrics are honestly a delight, the chorus is fun, but the verses are the real star of the show, snappy and well delivered, and backed by a clean, classic hip-hop beat. You probably missed this track this month, and I would definitely recommend a listen.

JUSTICE - Dreamcatcher: Trust me, I am SO CLOSE to getting dreamcatcher to click for me, and 'Justice' proves that. It's lowkey fucking amazing, SO well executed. I truly think I am one discography deep dive away from falling in love with DC, this song is SUCH A BANGER. I really appreciate how DC never sacrifices their unique sound for whats trending, no one else is doing what they are doing, and holy hell are they doing it well.

Don't - LEE CHAE YEON: It's cute? I guess? Not overly spectacular, but not spectacularly awful either. I still don't know who the fuck Charlie is.

[ultra-francesca-mercury]

OCTOBER 30, 1971

Pink Floyd release their sixth album, Meddle, in the US.

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

Hi! Could you please explain what a word lord is, and how they differentiate from time lords?

Follow up to that, if that’s ok. Could a word lord and a time lord technically loom a child together?

What is a Word Lord?

The Word Lords are the best rap collective on Gallifrey, releasing such albums as Sonic Screwdrivers and Sick Beats, Gallifreya Gangsta, and Rassilon's Rap Odyssey, then-

Okay, they're not.

Imagine a Time Lord, but from a universe where everything is made of words and language. Instead of being powered by the laws of physics as we know them, Word Lords operate on the power of words and communication, like Carrionites.

📜 The Basics

Universe of Origin: Word Lords hail from a universe 45 billion dimensions to our left, where language is the building block of reality, so normal space-time in our universe doesn't apply.

Powers: Their abilities are fueled by words. The more language around (like books, TV, radio), the more powerful they become. They just love a library.

Physiology: They look just like Time Lords, and they share similar biology, with two hearts, a respiratory bypass system, an internal temperature of 15°C, and the ability to regenerate.

Social History: Their equivalent of Rassilon is 'All', and the 'Hand of All' is a bit like their version of the Eye of Harmony/Web of Time.

Containment: Word Lords can be 'trapped' inside anything with words, like a book or a comic.

🧙‍♂️ Abilities

Weaponry: Word Lords can fire weapons inside a TARDIS's state of temporal grace, something impossible for others.

Immunity: They're immune to physical assaults and ordinary guns. Bullets just won’t cut it, literally.

Powers: Word Lords gain power if somebody says their name. For example, if you were a Word Lord named 'Field', and someone said 'the field is very green', you would gain the ability to be able to turn very green at will. This has no limits - you could say, 'The field has a nuclear bomb', and guess what you could suddenly make appear?

📚 The CORDIS

Travel: Their version of the TARDIS is the CORDIS (Conveyance Of Repeating Dialogue in Space-Time). It’s a non-physical time/space vessel that runs on common words and phrases used throughout the multiverse.

Chameleon Meme: Unlike a TARDIS, which can blend in visually, the CORDIS blends in linguistically, hiding with the use of a phrase or word, but can't hide the noise of its engines.

Time Lords and Word Lords, despite their similarities, differ vastly in their operational universes. Time Lords control time and space with a penchant for meddling (or not), while Word Lords harness the power of language and communication.

Could a Word Lord and a Time Lord loom a child together?

Now, there’s a spicy hypothetical.

🧬 Biological Compatibility

Physiology: Given that Time Lords and Word Lords share similar physiology—two hearts and all that—they could theoretically combine their genetic material with minimal risk.

Genetic Fusion: The unique genetic traits of both species could be integrated into a single being through loom technology, which can handle complex genetic templates. You would have to do some jiggery-pokery, though.

Risk Factor: I say this confidently, but remember that there are huge swathes of information about their physiology that we know absolutely nothing about.

🧩 Hybrid Abilities

Time and Language Mastery: The child could potentially wield both the power of time manipulation and linguistic influence. Imagine a being who can travel through time and alter reality with a few words.

Enhanced Cognitive Skills: This child could possess extraordinary cognitive abilities, combining the Time Lords’ strategic genius with the Word Lords’ linguistics.

⚔️ Cultural Clash

Dual Heritage: The child would be a unique blend of two powerful heritages, potentially facing identity challenges but also having a rich cultural background to draw from.

Training and Education: Balancing Gallifrey's rigorous education with the abstract, language-based skills of the Word Lord universe could create an unparalleled learning environment, shaping a prodigy of sorts.

⚠️ Potential Challenges

Integration of Powers: The child might need to learn to balance their time-based abilities with their language-driven powers, ensuring that one does not overshadow the other.

Acceptance: Given their unique nature and potential capabilities, both Time Lords and Word Lords might view this hybrid with a mix of awe and suspicion.

🏫 So…

Word Lords are the linguistic wizards of a universe built from words, wielding power through communication, while Time Lords dominate temporal matters and physics. Hypothetically, a union between the two could be pretty incredible, but that's one very powerful and very confused child.

Related:

What is looming and how does it exist alongside natural reproduction?: Overview on looming and its place alongside natural reproduction in Gallifreyan society.

Can a human and a Time Lord loom a child?: Overview of the looming process for hybrids.

Hope that helped! 😃

(Edited for some additions 13/09)

Any purple text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →😆Jokes |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired😴

[pinkfloydbt]

OBSCURED BY CLOUDS, 1972

Wedged between Meddle and The Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd released Obscured By Clouds. The band's second outing as composers for a Barbet Schroeder film (the first being More), the material consisted of music for the soundtrack to the movie La Vallée.

Either side of a Japanese tour, the songs had been hastily written and recorded during two one-week periods in February and March in the Strawberry Studio at the Château d'Herouville, near Paris. Musically ahead of its time, it contained excellent harmonies between David and Richard Wright both vocally and instrumentally. Along with the bullet Strat, David Gilmour used The Black Strat for the recording.

Exploring what could be achieved utilising the additional second socket, an XLR wired as a send and return that David had recently fit to the guitar, he used it with his usual set up of equipment consisting of Hiwatt amps with Wem 4 × 12 cabinets plus effects: a Binson echo, Fuzz Face distortion, Dearmond 610 volume/tone pedal, Vox Wah-Wah, Univibe and Colorsound Power Boost. The recently acquired newly developed EMS VCS3 and AKS Synthi synthesisers offered an additional range of sounds.

Despite the hectic recording schedule the album gained critical praise and contains some powerfully sublime moments, exhibiting elements of what was to come with The Dark Side Of The Moon

Disc & Music Echo called it "an amazing album” …

credits | Phil Taylor - JD Mahn - Nick Mason

[pinkfloyd-musicartnaturelove]

Meddle - the sixth studio album released in 1971

[spinomusic]

The madness called PINK FLOYD

The history of Pink Floyd is one of the most iconic in rock and world music. The British band was formed in London in 1965 and is known for its musical, visual and lyrical innovations. The history of Pink Floyd is marked by periods of great success, but also by internal conflicts and line-up changes. Here is a summary of this trajectory:

Formation and Early Years (1965-1967)

Pink Floyd was initially formed by Syd Barrett (guitar and vocals), Roger Waters (bass), Richard Wright (keyboards) and Nick Mason (drums). They started out playing in small clubs in London, with a psychedelic sound influenced by the music scene of the time. The name "Pink Floyd" was inspired by the names of bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.

In 1967, the band released their first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, which is a landmark in psychedelic rock. The album featured compositions by Syd Barrett, who had an eccentric personality and unique creative visions. However, his mental health began to deteriorate due to drug use and personal issues, which led to his departure from the band in 1968.

The Post-Barrett Era and Early Success (1968–1973)

Following the departure of Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd went through a period of adjustment. David Gilmour was recruited to replace Barrett on guitar and vocals. The band's sound evolved into something more experimental and cohesive. In 1968, Pink Floyd released A Saucerful of Secrets, which reflected this new phase.

In the following years, the band began to explore deeper themes, such as alienation, war and the human condition. Albums such as Meddle (1971) and Obscured by Clouds (1972) began to show the progressive and conceptual style that would make Pink Floyd famous. However, it was with The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) that the band achieved enormous commercial and artistic success. This album, considered a masterpiece, explored themes such as madness, time and death, and became one of the best-selling albums of all time.

The Heyday and the First Tensions (1975-1981)

In the following years, Pink Floyd continued to expand their sound and artistic ambitions. Wish You Were Here (1975) was inspired by Syd Barrett and his departure from the band, and is considered another of the band's greatest albums. Animals (1977) presented a more critical approach, with metaphors about the social and political system.

However, during the recording of The Wall (1979), internal tensions between the members increased. The idea of the album, conceived mainly by Roger Waters, was to tell the story of a character named Pink, who builds a metaphorical wall around himself, isolating himself from the world. The Wall became a cultural phenomenon, with iconic tracks such as "Another Brick in the Wall" and "Comfortably Numb". However, disputes between Waters and the other band members, especially Gilmour, were growing.

The Split and the End of the Classic Era (1982–1994)

The height of tensions led to Roger Waters leaving Pink Floyd in 1985. This left the future of the band uncertain. However, David Gilmour took over the reins of the band, and with Nick Mason and Richard Wright (who had been fired by Waters but was reinstated after his departure), Pink Floyd continued to release albums. The first post-Waters album was A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987), which continued the band's progressive style but with a more 1980s rock-oriented sound.

In 1994, Pink Floyd released The Division Bell, which was also a great success, but tensions between the band members were evident. This album marked the last studio recording with the Gilmour, Mason and Wright lineup.

The Return and Legacy (1994–Present)

Although internal infighting has persisted, Pink Floyd has always maintained its huge fan base. In 2005, the members of the classic lineup reunited for a historic show at Live 8 in London, a moment of great emotion and nostalgia. However, since then, the band has not reunited to tour or record new albums. In 2014, Richard Wright passed away, effectively ending any possibility of new projects from the classic lineup.

Today, Pink Floyd is remembered not only for its groundbreaking music, but also for the cultural and philosophical impact of its albums, especially The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall. The band has left a lasting legacy as one of the most influential bands in rock, both musically and in its artistic and conceptual approach.

Although surviving members, such as Gilmour, have gone on to pursue solo careers, Pink Floyd remains a fundamental part of rock history. The band's impact is still felt today, with their music being widely revered and their messages timeless.

listen on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0k17h0D3J5VfsdmQ1iZtE9?si=9ud6evLxSpiv9T0k1KotXQ

[allwaswell16]

[4 pics, 4 quotes, 4 iconic 1D fics]

Iconic Fics by...

- Layne Faire -

1.

Zayn hesitated just long enough to send the butterflies in Liam’s stomach into a frenzy, then nodded and turned away. He picked up his things, plucked his keys from a bowl on a side table, and opened the door. Quinn looked up at the sound and stood up quickly to follow. Liam grabbed his collar.

“Oh no you don’t, pal. You’re staying with me.”

“Thanks again, Li. I’ll call when I get in.”

“Please.”

The door closed softly behind him, followed by the sound of a car engine turning over. The crunch of tires on gravel slowly faded away, leaving Liam in silence, alone in the house of a man he wasn’t sure he knew anymore, if he’d ever truly known him at all.

2.

“Zayn, you know? He’s so far out of my league, that I figured if I lucked into that, then… well, I’d go with it and damn the consequences.”

“Wait! No! Fuck that, Liam!��� Harry’s sudden outburst had Liam staring at him in shock. “Zayn is not out of your league! Who the fuck ever gave you that idea? You’re kind, caring, compassionate, and loyal to a fault.”

“Harry - you’ve just described a labrador retriever.”

3.

“Hey, Louis, it’s Harry... Styles... uhm, Zayn’s friend. And Niall’s, I s’pose. That’s why I’m calling. Niall said you might have a room to rent in your flat and that it’s available now? I need something kind of immediately, not too big, not too expensive. Niall said it could be what I’m looking for. So, uhm, if you’d, I don’t know, maybe give me a call back and let me know if it’s still available and how soon I can come by to give it a look and discuss things with you, that’d be great. I can pay the rent upfront, maybe buy some groceries. I cook, too, if that helps. I dunno. Just...  uhm… yeah, give me a call back.”

Louis played the message again, then a third time. He saved the number in his phone, with a simple H to mark the contact, then played the message one more time. Disbelief gave way to cautious elation. He texted a quick reply to Harry that he’d call once he got home, then typed out a swift message to Niall.

Bless you, ya Irish cunt. I’ll change nappies on your firstborn for a month.

4.

Zayn looked up. “I don’t think so. I might be teaching him dance, but it doesn’t negate how I feel about what he does.”

“Saving people’s lives and homes? Of course. Allah forbid he be so selfless.”

“Don’t be an arse.” Zayn settled back in his chair. “He beats people up for fun.”

“That’s a little simplistic, don’t you think?” Doni argued. “He fights in sanctioned boxing matches, under strict guidelines established by the boxing commission. He’s not street brawling after a few pints at the local. That’s hardly the same thing.”

- answers below -

1. Live a Thousand Lifetimes 

It’s 2025.

After secretly writing and producing their first album in ten years, One Direction is weeks away from releasing their first new single and announcing a world tour.

With the whirlwind about to begin again, Liam re-evaluates the last ten years - the fame, the money, the people who changed his life forever - and the person who walked away.

2. Untamed Hearts

It could have been the heat of the summer sun; it might have been the silvered sheen of an early harvest moon. If he dug deep enough, Liam could find every reason ever needed to explain away what happened. In the end, though, it all came down to two meddling friends, a touch of Prince, a bit of Keats, and the moon over the ocean. Its a recipe for disaster. Or love. Probably love.

3. Take Your Time

When Harry finds himself in the middle of a messy break-up with no place to live, Louis offers a spare room in his flat. Unbeknownst to Harry, Louis has been infatuated for years. Over the objections of their friends, who know the truth, Harry accepts. Can Louis survive Harry moving into his home…and closer to his heart? Will Harry see what's right in front of him?

4. Shadow Dancing

As a small child, Liam Payne dreamed of being a firefighter. He took up boxing to defend himself from school bullies, but never lost sight of his dream. 15 years later, Liam is set to be the youngest brigade watch commander in his district, and his recent boxing win puts him in line for the British national title - if he can learn to get out of his own way.

Zayn took his first dance lesson at 5, after watching his sister's tap class. At 18, when an injury derails Zayn's dream of dancing professionally, he sets it aside to attend university, but the lure of dancing proves too great to ignore. He becomes an instructor, and eventually, the owner of a small dance studio, where he encourages other dancers to chase their dreams.

When their worlds collide in a cacophony of misunderstandings, Zayn, confronted with his own biases, realizes there’s more to Liam than meets the eye, and offers to help him prepare for his upcoming fight.

While Liam learns to dance, Zayn learns the art of compromise, and along the way, they find each other.

And when tragedy strikes, Liam finds that Zayn’s love will help him face the shadows of his past, and give him the courage to believe in himself and his dreams for the future.

[zilabee]

Four young men who seemed more alive than their handlers and more knowing than their fans; aware of their own capacity to please more or less everybody, yet apparently savouring among themselves a joke too rich for the general public; professional in so unobtrusive a fashion that it looked like inspired amateurism.

The songs had no preambles or buildups: the opening phrase - "Well she was just seventeen" or "Close your eyes and I'll kiss you" - was a plunge into movement, a celebration of its own anthemic impetus. Sheer enthusiasm, yet tempered by a suggestion of knowledge held in reserve, a distancing that was cool without malice. When you looked at them they looked back [...]

To become involved with the Beatles, even as a fan among millions of others, carried with it the possibility of meddling with ferocious energies. Spectatorship here became participation. There were no longer to be any by-standers, only sharers. All of us were going to give in to the temptation not to gawk at the girl in Ed Sullivan's audience - the one who repeatedly bounced straight up out of her seat during 'All My Loving' as if pulled by a radar-controlled anti-gravity device - but to become her. [...]

The four albums already released by the Beatles would soon be known down to every hesitation, every intake of breath; even the moments of flawed pitch and vocal exhaustion could be savoured as part of what amounted to an emotional continuum, an almost embarrassingly comforting sonic environment.

Listening to Beatles records turned out to be an excellent cure for too much thinking. It was even better that the sense of refreshment was shared by so many others; the world became, with very little effort, a more companionable place. [...]

We thought we knew them, or more precisely, and eerily, thought that they knew us. [...] That presumption of intimacy owed everything to a close knowledge of every record they had made, every facial variation gleaned from movies and countless photographs. The knowledge was not necessarily sought; it was merely unavoidable. [...]

In the print version of Anthology the Beatles were limited to words, words whose frequent banality and inadequacy only increased one's admiration for the expressiveness of their art. People who can make things like With the Beatles or Rubber Soul or The White Album should not really be required also to comment on what they have done. [...]

Before the addition of the sitars and tape loops and symphony orchestras, before the lyrical turn toward eggman and floating downstream, Lennon and McCartney (and, on occasion, Harrison) were already making musical objects of such elegant simplicity, such unhectoring emotional force, that if they had quit after Help! (their last 'conventional' album) the work would still endure. [...]

The records lose nothing of a beauty so singular it might almost be called underrated.

Seven Fat Years, by Geoffrey O'Brien (From Pop Music,Memory, and the Imagined Life)

[pagegirlintraining]

Please tell me all about Fuck The Monarchy and Other Hits

Hey :) So excited you asked about this one 😍 it was born out of an amazing prompt by @thefrizz13 and involves a fiercely anti-monarchy popstar!Simon and absolutely smitten fanboy!Wille. Basically they meet when Simon decides to be a little shit and serenade Wille onstage during one of his concerts. Also featuring, among other things, some highly suggestive Insta comments, the Royal Court meddling like it’s their job (hah), Simon writing some happy music about Wille for a change and, of course, Erik teasing the shit out of his brother.

This may have started as a one shot and evolved into a small (multi-chapter) epos. I may also be co-working with a certain someone 😏

And I know you didn’t ask but let me shamelessly include a little snippet here because waiting to share things is the worst 😅

Wille’s hand is slightly shaky as he reads the announcement on his phone screen for what must be the fifth or sixth time.

“See you on tour, babes 💜”

See, Wille wasn’t born yesterday. He’s aware musicians go on tour every once in a while, especially after they’ve just released a new album. He also knows that the singer in question has done just that about a month ago. Probably better than anyone, actually. Those twelve songs have been on repeat so much, he’s pretty sure his Spotify Wrapped will end up being all Simon Eriksson. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing whatsoever. Just one more way to make it official how big of a fan he is.

Which brings Wille back to the issue at hand. Simon Eriksson is going on tour. And Wille wants nothing more than to snag the first front row seat he can get his hands on. Which is probably any single one he wants, given his royal status. Unfortunately, that’s also what’s holding him back from clicking the ticket link attached to the announcement.

It’s not just that Simon is what Wille’s mother would call “flashy” - “that’s the opposite of easing people in, Wilhelm”- he’s also not exactly holding back about his distaste for the monarchy. Which is to say he’s gone so far as to write and release a song literally called “Fuck The Monarchy”. (It’s an absolute banger. Wille knows every line by heart.)

[storys-got-dust-on-every-page]

Love Redesigned And Love Unwritten, Books 1 and 2 of Lauren Asher's Series Lakefront Billionaires

Love redesigned

Julian If I ever caught on fire, Dahlia Muñoz would fan the flames with a smile. So, when she returns to Lake Wisteria, I fully intend to avoid the interior designer. At least until my meddling mother exploits my savior complex. The faster I help Dahlia find her creative spark, the sooner she will leave town. But while I was busy getting rid of Dahlia, I overlooked one potential issue. What happens if I want her to stay?

Dahlia People say the devil has many faces, but I know only one. Julian Lopez—my childhood rival and family frenemy. I vow to steer clear of him while recovering from my broken engagement, but then the billionaire makes an irresistible offer. Renovate a historic house together and triple our profits. Our temporary truce becomes compromised as we face years’ worth of denied attraction and mixed emotions. Giving into our desire is inevitable…but falling in love? That isn’t part of the plan.

Love Unwritten

Rafael Ellie Sinclair is a hopeless romantic who writes love songs. I’m a struggling workaholic who could inspire a hundred breakup albums. On paper, we have nothing in common except for my son. For eight months, I avoid her until our summer trip. Fourteen days. Two islands. And one nanny I shouldn’t be attracted to. Spending time with Ellie is expected, but enjoying her company? That isn’t part of our travel plans. After my divorce, I swore to protect my heart at all costs. Even if it means breaking hers in the process. Ellie What’s worse than working for a grumpy single dad? Admitting that I once had a secret crush on him in high school. Thankfully, Rafael Lopez and I have changed since we graduated from Wisteria High. He is a billionaire with a company to run and a child to take care of. I’m an unemployed songwriter he hired to watch his son and teach music. We coexist without any issues until a vacation changes everything. Lines blur and old feelings for Rafael return with vengeance as I face a new dilemma. Being his son’s nanny is one thing, but wishing for more? Sounds like a heartbreak song waiting to be written.

Book 3 in this series is expected to be released next year

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Michael Chapman - Peel Session 1968

In the latest edition of Uncut (the one with Broooooce on the cover), I was kindly given a page to wax poetic over a very interesting / very cool new collaborative release — Another Tide, Another Fish by Andrew Tuttle and Michael Chapman. Of course as you know, the mighty Chapman passed away a few years back. But here's the deal:

What we’re left with is indeed a hybrid: part remix album, part cover album, both a solo work and a collaboration, of sorts. Inspired by Chapman’s original ideas and with new track titles directly referencing the numbered but otherwise untitled source material, Tuttle adds his own flashes of colours throughout, including editing, sampling, MIDI transposing and signal processing that twists these songs into beautiful new shapes.

Meddling with a departed musician's unfinished material is always a dangerous game ... but Tuttle's work here is marvelous. It really does feel in keeping with Chapman's always adventurous spirit, but also like a true partnership; Tuttle's additions are much more than mere flourishes. Anyway, it's cool, go grab it.

Chapman's late-career renaissance/celebration was great to see. He was one of those people who, when you finally heard him via a reissue or something, you wondered why you hadn't been hearing him your entire life. With a lot of those guys, they're long gone before that reassessment happens. But Michael got to enjoy it all. A little rarity to listen to? How about his very first Peel Session, from way back in 1968. He was a young man then, but he sounds fully formed and wise beyond his years, ready for whatever came next.

[rastronomicals]

May 14:

On this date in 1971, a compilation album chronicling Pink Floyd and entitled Relics, was first issued.

Intended to tide the audience over as the band worked on Meddle and fulfilled a busy touring schedule, the album is mostly notable for 1) being the first LP source for "See Emily Play" and "Arnold Layne," and 2) the large number of times it was reissued with a new cover.

On this date in 1982, The Clash released their fifth and most successful album, Combat Rock.

On this date in 2006 was released the CD reissue of the Soundtrack to Antonioni's film Blow-Up.

It was significant not because of the Hancock stuff--which we of course already had--but because of the previously unreleased stuff included from UFO club psychedelic band and Steve Howe vehicle Tomorrow

And,

On the 14th of May, 2021, British progressive traditionalists Sons of Kemet sprung upon us Black To the Future, their fourth album.