#TWICE What is Love album review

[married-2-the-music]

TWICE: From Naive Kids To Fully Realized Idols

[musicalthought]

album review; twice's what is love? (2018)

♡ fav song: ho!

♡ least fave song: say yes

♡ overall: 7.4/10

♡ something cute, something for the girlies - giving me very princess peach realness

[yridenergyridenergy]

Burrn! Japan vol. 23 Individual Interview Translation Notes

Kyo's favourite movies are those that leave a really bad aftertaste, which he just can't watch more than once or twice. Besides Holy Mountain, some of his highlights have been Pearl, MEN and Midsommar. Ideally, he'd love to replicate this in a live show: as a fan, you would be so shocked and blinded by tears that you couldn't even see Kyo. He thinks that Dir en grey is more and more working toward this kind of mission. Kyo would also love to perform in Las Vegas' SPHERE venue, with this type of overwhelming shock.

If he had to make a movie, it would also be one that leaves a bad aftertaste and which nobody could sanely watch more than twice, but since he would have to do multiple reviews as the director, it won't happen.

Kyo finally explained the focus on Uroboros more: he feels that Dir en grey was able to build something more from this point onward. The worldview started with Withering to death. too, but the base was set more firmly with Uroboros.

For Kyo, the inclusion of Oboro is what totally changes a setlist. He feels that it's a bottomless pit, like he's cutting deeper and deeper into a wound. For Die, The World of Mercy is the song that can make a whole difference in a setlist, because of the change of tempo in the middle.

Die described that when they try to compose songs, sometimes, after 25 years, they can have the impression that the melody's already been done before. But then, let's say Kyo adds his singing on top of it, and it goes through the filters of the other members too, and in the end, Die feels like: "Wow, it's something totally different now!"

Die doesn't usually work on melodies in his free time. The ideas come to him the most when there is a concrete release decided and deadlines, even if he doesn't like deadlines.

Regarding the upcoming European tour, Die reflects that Withering to death. was the first time that they toured in Europe, and in general they have never done "concept tours" overseas. He feels that the band will be able to do things in 2024 that they weren't able to do back then.

Apparently Dir en grey is thinking of celebrating the 30th anniversary since their formation!! And they are wondering whether to release the next album before that or around the same time.

Kaoru mentioned that at first, only Acro no Oka and Zan were supposed to be recorded with Yoshiki in LA, but when they arrived, it was decided to add Yurameki. About Acro no Oka, Yoshiki commented that it was a concern because of the lack of "collision of sounds", whereas Zan was a problem of collision of sounds.

In Yurameki, apparently they recorded some strings separately and overlapped them in post-production because Yoshiki asked Kaoru to play something in a specific way that was impossible, because the string couldn't be held down simultaneously. They figured: "No one will notice."

This European tour was supposed to happen in 2022 to coincide with the band's 25th anniversary.

Shinya would have preferred to sleep until 4PM on the day of this interview. He also appreciated that the songs of Phalaris were introduced in three segments/tours, because he had trouble memorizing the structure of the songs. It would have been impossible for him to play all of the album's songs at once live.

His favourite kind of ending is when the show doesn't end with a bang, but that it instead leaves a lingering worldview, which was accomplished with Kamuy. His favourite part is when the curtain was lowered in front of the stage as soon as Kamuy started. Ideally, he would always just walk off the stage without throwing drumsticks or anything.

For the first time, the rehearsal for Tour23 Phalaris Final –the scent of a peaceful death- was not just [rhythm section] then [whole band]. At Die's suggestion, they had rhythm first, then the four musicians, and finally the whole band rehearsed together.

Shinya was ecstatic that his composition, Yurameki, was chosen for the major debut and that it was produced with Yoshiki. Ever since then, he felt like he could die happy, and all the way up until now, Shinya has continually felt like he could be content to die at any moment.

For ten years now, Shinya has wished to record simple drum melodies. Also, he thinks that he will struggle to re-learn how to play the Uroboros songs.

Toshiya reveals that the imagery projected on the curtain in the opening (during Otogi) and ending (during Kamuy) of the shows in Tour23 Phalaris Final –the scent of a peaceful death- were generated by AI.

It seems that a lot of people have commented that going to see Dir en grey is more like a spectacle than seeing a rock band's live performance.

Toshiya was initially opposed to the idea of re-recording the three singles of their major debut. He feels that old songs are out of their hands, and some things about them belong to the listeners and their past experiences of it. In other words, he is worried that re-recording could destroy something about the memories associated to the songs. In his view, it's better for the creators to re-imagine the songs, like they have done with their remakes so far. At the same time, in retrospection, Toshiya is glad that they decided to do it, because it made him realize that a lot has changed in 25 years, but a lot also hasn't changed, with the band.

[puppiesandnightlock]

I saw a post of yours that hypothetically combined Batman’s Robins with Six: The Musical and that you do fanfic reviews. So. Here. 12k words of script fic be upon ye. It’s all mine! No beta, we die like… well… you know.

WHOO OKAY

i was genuinely so excited upon receiving this in my inbox, haha. So, starting off! Robins: The Musical is what the above description from @inamindfarfaraway's ask says, this fic is a whole script based from SIX the musical, while still being incredibly original. Let's dive in, shall we?

I listened to the whole thing with the SIX album in the background, matching each song with the lyrics and good Lord I was absolutely enthralled with how each rewritten lyric matched up with the given song. Some required a backtrack so that i could say the new lyric out loud to fit it better with the song, but that was to be expected and once I figured out, it was myself and my dog having an impromptu karaoke session with these new lyrics. The thing that I do have to mention is that while the Robins are in chronological order, the songs are not. For example, Dick has No Way, but Jason's song directly after is a re-imagining of All You Wanna Do. In all fairness, the way the lyrics were written (the fighting noises were a delight to act out instead of the 'mwah, ah,') matched up with Jason's character well. It's more of a personal peeve that the songs weren't in order, despite everything matching up.

Favorite lines and random little tidbits:

Damian's entire version of Sorry Not Sorry. Heart-wrenching. The transition from no remorse to regretting everything, the internal conflict? Gorgeous.

"Since I’ve both won and led two highly eventful lives, it’s only fair that I do another song to explain Jason Todd 2: This Time, It’s Personal. This one is inspired by the moment I learned Bruce hadn’t killed the Joker to avenge me. It’s called “Wearing Red to My Funeral”. Sing along if you know the words. 

Rock ballad intro.

Batman is a MASSIVE - "

3. Duke's group being the band! Wonderful little detail there.

4. Damian: I think you would fail the Turing test. 

Steph: Not now, Dami.

5. Steph's entire part. I love you, Stephanie Brown.

6. DAMIAN, DESPITE NOT HAVING "ALL YOU WANNA DO" HAD HIS OWN VERSION OF THE KATHERINE HOWARD ROAST.

7. Erm. Listen, i know the entire point of the musical is competing over who's trauma is the worst, but damn, reading all of it made me do double-takes sometimes.

8. THE END NOTE: "Katherine Howard 🤝 Damian Wayne: having horrifically high body counts as minors."

9. Tim has Heart of Stone, and while that one is the only song that is pretty much the original, I don't think it leaves much room for editing. Admittedly it's one of the songs I most often skip when listening so i didn't think twice of it.

To sum up, Robins: The Musical was amazingly thought-out, keeping both the heart of the musical and the essence of the characters we love so much. This was an awesome experiance for me to read, thanks so much for sending this in! This is both found in the original ask and here, if that link didn't work.

Guidelines for sending fics in are in my pinned post, if you'd like to send someone's or your own in! Happy Reading! ~Harley

[lillaurenp96]

I have only listened to Kendrick's album twice and I still can't give it a proper review yet.

All I will say is y'all really pissed Kendrick off, but I know he was especially hurt by Lil Wayne. Cause even with Wayne saying all he said about black people he still respected Wayne as an artist. That was one of his idols next to Pac. He always shouted him out in his interviews and his music. So for Wayne to be in his feelings about not getting the superbowl and apparently a bunch of you other negroes, well I'm glad Kendrick got to see it. Cause now he knows, "oh ya'll are whack and bitter cause here I'm thinking we a community, guess not" I think he honestly realized this with Mr Moral, but I think he thought if you really about hip hop you would still respect each other when you do something great for the genre. But...like he said in his song, "There a few solid niggas, but it's not enough" lol

Anyways, back to the music, The samples in this album were everything. Sampling Luther, SWV(Gloria), Tupac (reincarnated), he even samples "Friends, how many of us have them" (wacced out murals) which was perfect knowing the theme of that song. What's funny is this honestly didn't feel like an album though it felt like a mixtape. So if he drops something else I wouldn't be surprised. But I am enjoying listening to this project and still have to listen. Kendrick really saved hip hop this year, same way how y'all had to be reminded that R&B isn't dead this year. But that's a separate post I will make. I just love and appreciate good art. THANKS KENDRICK, HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY TO ME 🧡

[jlheon]

PENGIE’S ROMANCE : UNTOLD REVIEW !!!!

this is me dancing to album of the year BTW.

moonstruck — IM CRAZY. OH MY HOD. GHIS IS MY DAMN SONH. im speechless its so good … PLEEK INJECT INTO MY VEINS 10/10

xo (only if you say yes) — OH MY GOD..??? hello. why did the music stop that scared me so bad. EVERYTHING IS COMING OUT OF THEIR HANDS??? chloe reveal pleek i wanna know if i want her too. THE WINGS?? peng just died BTW. JORTS !!! OMG!! ok wow super bop. WHY WAS IT SO SHORT THO !? T^T guys bring back 3 min songs i beg. 8/10 FOR NOW BECOZ NO BRIDGE N SHORT 😓

your eyes only — this is so glitter gel pen of them oh my gosh !!!! what i’m lit in love!!! WE CAN INDEED SUGAR TALK WUTTTT !!! this reminds me of twice formula of love era is this too niche?? 9/10 TEW SHORT.

hundred broken hearts — oh my god. i keep saying oh my god but OH MY GOD. THE VOCALS PLEEK SEDATE ME. i am holding my super not broken heart becuz jay said so. this is so yukika coded (dont ask why) this sounds like city pop i might be wrong tho?! 10/10 WOWOWOW

brought the heat back — IM JUMPINH AROUND N BOUNCINH OFF THE WALLS!!! OKAY FSOS !!!!!!!! wahooooooo YAS U R BRINGING THAT HEAT BACK!! JAY VOCALSSSSSS 9/10

paranormal — anna’s song!!! okay pinkpantheress ❤️ I LOVE THE BEAT HELLOOOOOOO? let me die rn! GUYS IM DANCING!!! 8.5/10 OH MY GOODNESS

royalty — this is summer happy time me at the beach (i hate the beach but id go for them) THIS IS SO HAPPY I AM SO HAPPY RN!!! this is so teenage girl montage coded!! 10 more seconds and it could have been 3 mins sobs 10/10

highway 1009 — this is me and imaginary bf song i thinks !! wow i need this at my wedding i think 🙁❤️ ME AND MY FAKE BOYFRIEND R DANCING TO THIS AS WE SPEAK 10/10 im so happy rn

xo ft jvke — THE ENGLISH LYRICS ATE WAHOOOO 10/10

highway 1009 (narr ver) — i couldnt find the track yet becoz only on cd BUT OYY PHILIPPINES!!! 😭😭❤️❤️ omg so many languages :3 this is awesome guys i hope your lang 10/10

ok guys now i need to sleep. THIS IS SO GLITTER GEL PEN GIRL GROUP CODED OKAY!!!!!!!!!!! ENHA BRINGING BACK REAL MUSIC ❤️ BRING BACK 3 MINUTE SONGS.

[martinsharmony]

I saw David Tennant play Macbeth Twice and it was nothing short of amazing (pics & videos below)

I kind of can't think right now. I came to London specifically to see David in this play. When I heard how amazing he was earlier this year I pined and wished that I could go see him. See this man on stage. When it was announced (and a little birdie told me that David himself manifested it - IMO because he just loved it so much) that there was going to be a 2nd run, well. I make pretty good money and have some saved up, so I decided to go.

Originally I had only bought 1 ticket, but then at the last minute I bought one more for the night I arrived. I fully did not expect any to be available but surprise! There were so I snapped one up. So glad I did.

I already shared @Ingravinoveritas' excellent review. I really don't have anything to add to her commentary. It really sums it up.

My intention here is to just share a bit of my story and my pics/videos.

I'm actually feelng a bit under the weather today but nothing would keep me from seeing this show (nothing contagious).

The 1st night, I got David's autograph inside the program. But even after rushing out right after the show as fast as I could, it was still slow going to get outside, I was able get an autograph though. David is so patient and tries to sign for everyone - but he does go fast. As I was waiting I had the idea though to come back the following night (I actually almost stepped out of line when I had this idea) ...when I had no plans so I could be at the rail when he comes out. What I wanted to do was give David a little card that I made explaining all of the beads in the bracelet I gave him at Fan Expo, since I corpsed when I met him in Dallas and didn't say any of it. I actually had it with me next to his biography page but in all the pandemonium and because I was kind of far back from the rail he did not see it.

So on Friday night that is what I did. I went up to the theater at a little after 9. Nobody was there but I did see a few people hanging around. Sure enough they had the same idea I did. I was indeed able to get him to sign the front of my program, and give him the card I made. I'm happy :) I also got Cush's autograph on the front - now I can frame it <3

Tonight since I already had my autographs, I took video instead. Since I'm by myself, I really can't do both. I didn't have anyone to take pics/video for me. There are too many people around, and I had too much to manage with the program, my phone, a bottle of water, plus the cast recording album. Aside from that my purse broke which was adding to the difficulty.

I added all of my videos to YouTube. Enjoy :)

Here is David on 10/18/24 after he signed my program. I couldn't turn on my phone fast enough to get any photos or video when they all came out for the curtain call.

Here is curtain call #1 from tonight 10/21/24. This time I put my phone into airplane mode instead of turning it off. Much better!

Here is curtain call #2 from tonight 10/21/24

And here is David at the stage door tonight 10/21/24

I took some photos as well - here is what I wore on the 17th and his autograph inside the program.

And here are the pics I took on 10/18/24 but without seeing the show that day

And finally tonight 10/21/24

All in all...so worth it. I'm very happy.

[moons-epiphany]

clancy album review

i have finally listened to clancy and watched all the music videos so i thought it'd give a little album review

okay first i'll give each song a star rating out of 5 which will mean:

1 star = i didn't like it

2 stars = it was okay

3 stars = i liked it

4 stars = i really liked it

5 stars = i loved it

(also disclaimer in case anyone tries to come for me lmao - i've been a clikkie since 2016 back when i was a young cringefail teen so just bc i'm not a massive fan of all of their songs does not mean that i hate the band or that i'm not a true fan or anything. fans can be critical of the bands/media they like and in fact i encourage it. okay anyway, let's go.)

album rankings

and, because why not, here's my ranking of all of the top albums so far:

trench (5 stars): you can take this album from my cold dead hands. i firmly believe that this was top's best album music wise. (also the bandito tour was an overwordly experience that i'm grateful i saw twice so i'm very biased towards this album).

vessel (5 stars): my favourite album (despite being second). it's very nostalgic for me. when i think of twenty one pilots i usually think of guns for hands first as both the song and music video are peak.

blurryface (5 stars): i love every song from this album :) also tear in my heart was the first ever twenty one pilots song that i listened to <3

self-titled (5 stars): every song is a banger. ate no crumbs.

regional at best (5 stars): again every song is a banger.

clancy (4 stars): some songs will have to grow on me but i largely like most of it.

scaled and icy (4 stars): i did really like this album and i did like the sound but only after listening to it a few times (and the live stream experience really helped me to like it even more because that slapped).

track rankings

alrighty now for the actual songs themselves. also another disclaimer, i'm not a musician, i don't know a lot of the terms lmao i'm just a sensory seeking autistic and listen to music a lot. also i listened to all the songs first and then watched the music videos (not including the singles - overcompensate, next semester and backslide - though) if that adds anything at all.

1. overcompensate (4.9 stars): okay the reason why i put my album ranking is because you need to know how much i love trench lmao. the bandito sample at the start was the peak of the album for me. the rest of the song is why it's a 4.9 (i'm being kinda petty with this lmao) and not a 5 star song but i have listened to it a bunch of times and it is a banger. also the muscial video created the perfect level of hype for the album, it made me very excited for the rest. a strong opener indeed!

2. midwest indigo (5 stars): now i know it might be silly to have a 5 star song below a 4.9 star song but listen this is my ranking list and i can do what i want ;3*. when this song first played it reminded me of what i call my "don't stop believeing" song. essentially, songs like these make me react like how every white person, like myself, reacts to don't stop believing when it comes on. that song for me is magnolia by gang of youths. as soon as the first note is heard, i am up. midwest indigo is a close second to magnolia. this is the highest praise i can ever give to a song lmao. also the music video is very twenty one pilots to me seen by tyler tweaking on the ice and dancing - remember when i said that guns for hands is the first thing i think of when i think of twenty one pilots and have you seen how weird he dances in that music video? /pos (dw this is a compliment) [*it's second and not first because overcompensate is a certified twenty one pilots song, if you don't know what that means, i can't help you just trust me on this.]

3. at the risk of feeling dumb (5 stars): okay so this song just makes me want to cry because 1) it hits close to home and 2) i'm going through some shit right now and this song just perfectly describes it. i also love the music video, it may be simple** but i really like it. the way that at the end it gives like classic band vibes? like i can think of a lot bands that have had that same shot of very close up to the camera stood on top of a building lmao. [**in comparison to some of their higher production music videos with the special effects and what not]

4. vignette (5 stars): as soon as this song started i liked it. it gave me gang of youths vibes (one of my fav bands, listen to magnolia linked above!!) tyler's vocals in the chorus come throughhh (this means that i loved them). such a groovy and cool song, how can you not like it is the real question. i also love the shouted (or at least in top terms just a slight volume rise lmao) "where do i go from here?". and don't get me started on that little music break oooooh so stimmy. the "(denial)" part after "no-no, not me, it's for a friend" is also hilarious in a way i can't describe. the music video: what was that red piece of paper??? that's a lovely portrait of josh, but tyler, what is that paper????

5. navigating (5 stars): loved this song as soon as it started, i loved the groovy retro almost 80s vibes to it?? and in typical top fashion i thought "oh this song sounds groovy the lyrics must be really sad" and then bro started saying "disassociate" in the chorus lmao. but anyway yes, i instantly adored this song. the song is just so stimmy, i was stimming pretty much the whole time this song was playing. obsessed with the music playing in the background of the verses. also obsessed with the way tyler sings "navigating" idk he just says it in a way that's fun. further, obsessed with the bridge and the bass. so the music video. first of all, why did the aspect ratio change, was that just me? secondly i'm welsh so i loved the daffodil cameo <3 thirdly, WHAT??? WHY IS MY BLOOD HERE? WHAT'S WITH THE MY BLOOD SAMPLE? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THE MY BLOOD SAMPLE??? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN???? HUH???

6. the craving (both versions): listen i'm not rating this, it's a cute wholesome sweet love song for his wife. it would be evil to say anything bad about this and it doesn't really feel like my place to say anything about it in the first place, yk? the song isn't for me. however, the music video... what? there was me thinking they were making a cute music box for their family or something only for it be a box for a bullet??? huh???

7. backslide (4 stars): we now enter the songs that i didn't instantly love, but i'm sure they'll grow on me. i really like backslide but what's stopping me from giving it 5 stars is the chorus, which is complicated. i love the sound paired with the vocals but i just feel weird about it??? idk how to explain it. the music video also doesn't help bc i don't really like the part where he rides his bike through the wind and rain. i get it. i get why. but i just don't really vibe with it??? i'm being really petty about this but i just can't get over it. apart from all that i really liked it. i loved the references in the music video but justice for that meat patty damn.

8. next semester (4 stars): okay not an instant hit for me. it sounded very pop punnky 5sos-y??? which isn't a bad thing but it's not my usual taste. however, i loved the chorus. the vocals and the sound are peak, i love it. also the ukulele part, love love love. also the "oh-whoa-oh" part is amazing too, i'm a massive fan of "oh-whoa-ohs" and i also love it when vocals overlap. i alsoooo love it when there's a group of people singing together :) it's also so catchy? i find myself humming and singing it a lot. the music video was very sweet, having members of the clique there singing along was a lovely detail. the bow at the end too :')

9. lavish (4 stars): this song took me by surprise. it still sounds like the classic top sound but in a way i never expected they'd go, yk? and i think it worked! honestly, there's no reason why this is a 4 star rather than a 5 star, i just feel like the 5 stars are in a different catergory if that makes sense? i loved those better. also the music video for lavish is my favourite out of all of them. it's so fun. the suits and sunglasses. the weird ass dancing from tyler and josh just being there. it's groofy, it's got charm. i love it so much.

10. routines in the night (3 stars): okay i know a three doesn't look great but this song isn't my usual taste in music, nothing necessarily bad on the song or anything. i loved the vocals on this track and i find it catchy because i will sing along to it. i also found it was too cool for top if that makes sense?? like it's very different from the ukulele emo band yk? again, not a bad thing, just not *my* thing though i can see this growing on me for sure. also i see those references in the music video.

11. paladin strait (3 stars): this song is confusing. i like it but there are parts where i don't like it so i averaged it to a 3. i feel like those vocals don't really match the song? i'm not sure. i know i just talked about the good old emo ukulele days but i feel like the ukulele doesn't really fit here?? i did like the "here's my chance" bit, though i still felt like something was wrong about it?? idk. i also really liked the lyrics, they were very sweet and encouraging :) i've listened to this song a bunch of times and still the random ukulele that starts playing jumpscares me T^T it happens so suddenly lmaooo but that part is nice :) then the rest... the fpe???? hello clancy??????? hello???? clancy is still in the thick of it, huh? finally showdown vibes, i'm ready let's go. i've also seen theories about how this relates to the isle of flightless birds which is very interesting and i mean they did play it recently sooooo.

12. oldies station (3 stars): okay when this first started playing it gave me children's song vibes, you know? like it was a kids song or even a song in the background of youtube videos or something. that is to say, i didn't really like it. however, the lyrics were sweet and i liked the line "your favourite song was on the oldies station" :') yeah that hits oof. i also liked the "you don't quite mind" part! it saved the song for me i won't lie. it was very sweet and nice :) nothing really bad to say about it. also the lyric "you're in the crowd at her first dance recital" was very sweet :') as for the music video: yo homies you just killed someone. anyone gonna comment on that at all? and the white pole things moving was really trippy T^T i hated it, it hurt my eyes.

13. snap back (2.5 stars): honestly when this first started playing it gave me like txt / kpop vibes??? not a bad thing as such but just surprised me. however... i gave it a 2 so i wasn't really a fan of this song. though i did like the "i've been praying for my elasticity..." part. that was really vibey :) if we wanna get personal real quick then i'm someone who becomes quite angry and quick to irritation when i'm not doing well mentally and can lash out at people as a result so normally i relate a lot to lyrics like the ones in this but something just felt off about them??? it kinda felt like 'oh i hurt people when i was mentally unwell the other day but why haven't they forgiven me?' type of vibes??? (i got this largely from the lyric "blacklisted from forgiveness") essentially it sounds like an excuse for doing something shitty to someone when you're mentally unwell which doesn't sit right with me.* which i know is referenced in the song itself -> "i have seemed to run out of excuses of why i am this way" which yeah i relate to that because i have said those exact words to myself before, so i get it. i have first hand experience. it's something that i have done before but deeply regretted and don't really want to be reminded by a song. in short, "i am in this and i don't like it." the music video itself was fine i guess but didn't really change my opinion of the song at all. [*also remember that music is up to interpretation, so just bc this is how i see it does not mean that this is the actual meaning, reasoning or the thought process behind tyler's writing. art is subjective and we're all allowed our own opinions and all that jazz. i mean no hate or disrespect when i voice my opinions and only ask for mature responses that contribute to a healthy discussion.]

anyway we got deep at the end there but please don't jump on me bc my opinion is different from yours i beg T^T i left twitter to avoid that, please don't disappoint me tumblr clique :') but i was being serious innit, feel free to add your own opinions onto this :) i'd love to know what everyone else thought!

[enam3l]

Your writing skills are pure gold. I literally ate your rockstar Eddie posts.

Maybe the next step could be the tour and y/n accompanying Eddie as much as she can. Both living the tour life? And how about a spontaneous wedding when they have a show in Las Vegas? Nothing is more rockstar than a wedding in Las Vegas!

thank you so much!! so Eddie and y/n don't get married until 94 and that fic is coming - don't you worry. but your wish is my command! this is a bonus fic. a huge thank you for 500+ followers. thank you for enjoying everything and being a part of this story.

half the world away (rockstar eddie munson x reader) 4k / fluff / smut / slight angst

a direct follow up to rockstar eddie munson is gonna get the girl and god help anyone who stops him you can see all rockstar eddie x reader stories and lore at #enam3ls rockstar eddie or the masterlist!

Corroded Coffin’s first nationwide tour for their debut album started in New York with a full house. It started the precedent that Corroded Coffin were the must see band of 1989, it's also where you and Eddie parted ways. Much to Eddie’s despair, your work whilst flexible, couldn't allow you to chase your boyfriend round the country in a tour bus. Between weeping tears and desperate kisses, you said goodbye before Eddie got onto the bus, departing New York to complete the East Coast leg of the tour – leaving you behind. For a month you would be apart, only rejoining him in October for the West Coast dates. It was the longest you'd ever been apart since meeting earlier that year in February. Since confessing you were in love with each other over the summer, you could admit your heart ached without him, like part of your soul left on the tour bus with him. Ultimately you were pleased and proud, despite the boys insistence it was okay, you knew this was their first tour and they needed to experience it just the four of them without you crashing. Gareth had pinky promised to look after him and he had.

Before every gig, no matter the time zone, Eddie would call and you'd run through a pre-show ritual you'd developed over the weeks. Before you could ask anything, Eddie  would insist on knowing every detail he was missing; what happened at work that day, what you ate and how you slept. As if he wasn't the one living the adventure. Then in return  he’d recap the night before, how their journey had been, what his review of this city was and what the guys plans for the set were. Tonight’s show was Texas before the band took a week break in California then making their way through the west coast, curving over the top of the country and ending up in Indiana again. You were supposed to meet Eddie in California in a weeks time but some sweet talking to your boss found you on the plane from New York to Austin, Texas. The past month you'd been meeting deadlines early in hopes you could persuade your work to let you finish early and using the California offices before following Eddie on the last leg of the tour. In the months you'd been together you'd discovered one thing; Eddie would do anything for you and loved surprising you. Whether it be as simple as keeping your favourite snacks stocked to cancelling his whole schedule to nurse you when you had tonsillitis to surprising you with your favourite flowers. For once, you wanted to be the one surprising. It had been hard to keep your lips sealed as you heard the broken turn in his voice over the phone when he confessed how much he missed you. It was nearly impossible during last nights phone call when he said he’d call you tomorrow, to not burst into giggles and say he wouldn't need to call. 

Eddie was pacing anxiously as he dialled your number for the fifth time only to again be met with torturous rings. He was cursing himself for not having another way of contacting you, for never getting your work or neighbours number incase of emergency. He felt sick, he had heard your voice twice a day for the last thirty-two days, it's what kept him calm everytime he realised he was on tour and all these people were paying to see him. Your soothing voice was the only thing that helped him feel grounded. He was frantic now, rambling round backstage begging anyone to point him in the direction of another phone incase the one he'd been using was faulty. On his third phone he decided this wasn't technical errors - you weren't there. Eddie stared at the phone as the dead line hummed, the jarring noice only adding to his nausea. His mind raced with possibilities, none of them he liked. 

Were you okay? Had there been an accident? Did you forget? Were you angry at him? 

Eddie hadn't been pushy with the calls, every night he reassured you it was okay if you had plans and couldn't make the call but so far you had everytime without fail. Even when you'd been out you'd found a phone behind the bar, easily charming any staff into letting you use it to call your long distance sweetheart. 

The rest of Corroded Coffin watched anxiously at Eddie’s panicked ranting. They knew exactly why you weren't answering but they'd been sworn to secrecy and didn't want to ruin a surprise that he'd be grateful for in two hours time. Once it was show time Eddie felt awful knowing these fans had used their hard earned money to see him, he'd been there before, saving every penny to see his idols. But instead he could barely hear the music or the audience cheers, all he could picture was you hurt: hit by a taxi, fallen down the stairs, mugged, murdered, somewhere alone and in trouble when he should be there to protect you. There was also another horrifying possibility that nagged at Eddie, despite knowing you'd never believe anything, he couldn't help but fret Carla or someone like her had fed you something to make you angry at him. Eddie is grateful the set list had stayed the same, drilled into him so much that playing was instinctual and any mistakes were hidden by the other guys who could see him chewing his lip out the corner of their eyes. By the time the gig has finished, he's running off stage. Shouting a ‘Sorry man!’ at the roadie he just hurled his guitar at. Gareth is quick on his heels, not wanting him to go awol and miss the surprise. Luckily Eddie is back at the phone, rapidly punching in your number before chewing his nails as he's met again with taunting rings. Gareth carefully approaches, careful not to spook his friend. 

‘Hey bro… I'm sure there's a totally reasonable explanation. Why don't we head back to the bus?’ He attempts to carefully guide Eddie towards the exit but he digs his heavy boots into the ground. 

‘No Gareth! You don't understand! Something is wrong, I know it. I gotta keep trying!’

Gareth sighs, attempting a new tactic. 

‘Well if you get on the bus, you can get to the hotel where you can dial to your hearts content from the room. Right?’ 

Eddie nods his head letting his now red nails find his mouth again as he allows Gareth to tug him along. The rambling continues all the way to the bus door and Gareth is thankful you're not actually in trouble because he's not sure he could cope listening to the improbable situations falling out of Eddie’s mouth such as ‘rats are getting really fucking big in New York now man. What if one got her? What if it came up the fire escape?’ 

They're in the living area of the bus when Eddie tries to double back and return to the venue, 

‘Fuck!’ He whelps, 'shit, I should've called Marissa. Got her to go round and check on y/n. Fuck I gotta go call now!’ 

Gareth swoops round to barricade the door, attempting to block the exit of his friend who towers over him. 

‘Good god man!’ Gareth cries, ‘just go check you've got all your stuff in the room and then we’ll get you to the hotel. There you can call Marissa, the mayor, fuck me, we can even call President Bush and see if he can track her down. 

Eddie groans, scowling at Gareth as he opens the door to the bedroom area. He's puzzled to see a smirk spread over Gareth's face before leaving the bus completely. Brow furrowed, Eddie turns to face into the bedroom and his hand drops from the handle. 

There you are, perfect and in one piece, just as Eddie left you in New York. Your sat on his bunk wearing a new Corroded Coffin t-shirt from the tour and somehow looking more ethereal than ever. Eddie bounds over to you, the force of his steps and the leap onto the bed causing the bus to shake. You're in fits at giggles over his eagerness, Eddie’s face immediately burying his face into the crook of your neck. He's completely flattened you with his chest whilst he straddles you and you can feel wetness on your neck. Eddie looks up at you his hands grasping either side of your head, stroking back your hair and you can see tears escaping his big brown eyes. 

'You're here…’ he barely whispers. 

You smile at your sweet boy, your hands now brushing back his curls and fringe so you can take in the face you missed so much. 

‘Yeah, Eds. I’m here baby.’ 

Slowly the shock and overwhelming emotion leaves his face, replaced by his most smitten grin. He dives back into your neck, smothering all exposed skin in kisses between his confessions. 

‘I…missed…you…so…much…sweetheart…I can't… believe…you're really…here!’ His kisses and curls tickle you. 

‘I missed you too baby. I never even went back to my apartment. Just stayed in yours, needed to be surrounded by all your Eddie-ness.’ 

He's beaming at your sentimentalism until he remembers the panic he was in just minutes ago. Eddie’s face turns into a childish sulk and he begins to bat at you gently for worrying him. 

‘Hey!’ You gasp, ‘what the hells that about!’

‘You scared me! I was so worried! Missed our call! I thought something happened to you’ Eddie moans and you can tell by the look in his eyes how genuinely worried he was. You pull him down to your chest and press kisses to his head.

‘Oh, Eds… I'm so sorry. I didn't think. But I'm here now, yeah? We’re back together now. I needed to see you, couldn't wait any longer.’ 

Eddie peaks up at you and nods and whispers, 'thank you baby, the best surprise I ever got,’ a dark look comes over his eyes and a smirk appears, ‘wish you'd worn nothing but a bow though.’

Later when you arrive at the hotel, Eddie is dragging you to the room. The second you're through the door he's throwing your bags down, manhandling you and throwing you on the bed before crawling on top of you. Your hands roam his body, desperate to reacquaint how he feels under your touch. Eddie’s eyes are closed in complete bliss as you lean up to kiss him. Instantly your lips melt together, craving to taste each other again. You're both desperate as your tongues meet, eager to get as close as possible. You bite Eddie’s lip as you pull yourself apart to catch your breath. 

‘God, I love you,’ he pants. 

'I love you too Eds.’ 

For a while you just look at each other, taking in every little detail of the other that you've missed as hands trail over bodies. 

'Shall we get into bed?’ you sigh contentedly. Eddie nods. 

Eddie’s breath hitches as you appear from the bathroom wearing nothing but a smile. 

‘No pjs sweetheart?’

You shake your head. 'Don't think they'd be staying on long,’ you purr. 

A groan leaves Eddie’s throat and his hands grab for you. 

‘Get. Here. Now.’ 

There's no need for him to persuade you, you're skipping over and straddling him immediately. Every part of you has ached for every part of him for over a month. His lips at immediately on your chest, dotting kisses over your breasts and his fingers run over the curves of your body. You sigh blissfully, feeling relaxed finally now your skin is touching. 

‘Need you Eddie.’

He murmurs in agreement, feeling the growing wetness from your folds through the thin fabric of his boxers. In return you can feel his aching hardness. 

‘Going to fuck your girl good, baby? Like I'm your favourite groupie?’ You chuckle. 

Eddie looks up and the look in his eye makes your heart stop, he looks serious but his chocolate eyes full of so much adoration. 

‘No sweetheart. I'm going to make love to you, make you feel how much I've needed you with me this whole time.’ 

A gasp escapes your lips as he carefully flips you over so you're lying down and he hovers above. Lips reuniting in a deep passionate kiss, inhaling the other. Your fingers pull at his waistband and Eddie sighs as his throbbing cock is freed and you sigh at the sensation of your bodies completely bare against each other. Without realising, you're pushing your hips up to feel his length against you, both of you mewling at the friction. 

Foreheads pressed against each other as you both whimper as you grind against each other. Wetness covering Eddie’s length as he slides between your folds, catching your clit as he makes each movement.

‘Need-need you inside Ed’ you pant. Eddie tries to compose himself so he can form words. 

‘Not… not yet sweetheart. I just - I really need to taste my girl, okay? It's been so long.’ 

You can only nod as he litters kisses down your sternum, between your breasts, your stomach where he licks a stripe down to your belly button and then continues his kisses until he reaches your mound. Eddie doesn't care, he can't resist burying his nose into your triangle of curls. Inhaling your most natural smell, it's soothing, it's like home. It makes you giggle slightly, endeared at how blissed his face is. Your giggle is stifled as your mouth turns into an ‘O’ as Eddie quickly buries his mouth this time into your folds. His wide tongue lapping you with one broad swipe, his face blissed at the taste of you. Then his mouth finds your clit, suckling it causing your head to fall back against the pillows. The sensation alone nearly unravelling a months worth of pent up sexual frustration. Eddie brings his thumb to replace his lips over your bud as he watches the way your hands seek out your breast, pinching your nipples. He sees how hard you're trying to keep your head up so you can look at him. But regardless of how overwhelming the pleasure is, it's hard to look at Eddie when he's like this, his big eyes dark and sparkling with primal lust and love. Your mouth is agape and your eyelids fluttering as he continues to rub your clit whilst fingers circle your entrance. 

'You're so beautiful like this,’ he croons, 'I can't believe somehow I make you feel like this.’

Your hand reaches to caress his face, you're sure he's the most beautiful man you've ever seen. 

‘Eddie… no one has ever made me feel like this. No one ever will. My pretty boy.’

The nickname makes him moan and reattach his lips to your clit as he slides a finger inside you. You can see how he's started to rut against the bed and you're longing to make him feel good too. Struggling to speak you manage to whimper out 

‘I-I need you… inside b-but it's been a month. Need you to warm me up.’ 

Eddie freezes and looks up at you, his pupils now fully dilated. 

‘A month? Sweetheart… have you not touched yourself since I left?’

You bite your lip, a little embarrassed as you shake your head. 

‘No. Wanted to wait for you… it's not the same now I know how it feels with you.’

Eddie isn't sure whether to cum right then and there or cry over how much you need him so he settles with making his girl feel amazing. He slides another finger inside, scissoring them to ready you for his thick cock. 

‘Fuck, baby. I don't know what I ever did to get you.’ 

He fastens his fingers inside you as he returns to sucking your clit. Once he feels your fingertips begin to dig into his scalp and hears how loud your pussy is getting for him, then he knows you're ready. 

Eddie comes back up, arms propping him above you. Your mouths meet and you can taste yourself on his tongue, it only makes you more desperate to feel him inside you. You're longing for the closeness and reuniting of your bodies that can only come with feeling his cock within you. 

‘Please, please, I need you inside me,’ you beg now. 

Eddie spreads your legs further and guides his cock to your entrance. Both of you watch where you finally merge as one. Both moaning at the euphoria of your bodies finally joining again. You cradle each other's faces as he begins to thrust into you, tantalisingly slow. You look at each other adoringly, eyes filled with so much love. 

'Nothing compares to you sweetheart,’ Eddie pants. 

Eddie takes your thighs, draping them over his shoulders. The new position allows Eddie to bury deep inside you. The feeling is overwhelming filling and you love it, knowing you're physically unable to get closer to him. His movements remain luxuriously drawn out, his tip dragging past your sweet spot each time. You're only left with the ability to mewl, mouth agape. He begins to fasten feeling the way your walls clench him, making his balls clench in return. You reach out to pull him forward, giving you access to kiss and suck his pulse point in his neck causing him to keen your name. But your movement some how manages to bring him even deeper inside you and it makes your body freeze in shock and pleasure. 

‘Oh god, Eds… I need you to cum there. Deep. Inside’ you gasp. 

His pace fastens but remains as hard, ensuring he completely fills you.'Christ yeah okay baby, god I can feel how full of me you are… look at your belly.’

And he's right, as Eddie hits the deepest he can, your belly bulges with his cock and it makes you whine knowing he's completely taken over your body and heart. The pair of you struggle to look away, only doing so because Eddie's quickening pace has your head falling back. 

‘I don't think I can last much longer sweet boy, it's too good,’ you're practically whining. 

‘Me neither baby, missed fucking you so much.’ 

Eddie brings his hand now to rub at your clit and your stomach tightens instantly, your thighs clenching his neck. The noises you make are pornographic and drive Eddie wilder, near folding you in half so he can steal away the noises with a kiss. You make your walls pulse around him to edge him further and it leaves you mouth moaning into each other's open mouths. 

'I'm gonna cum Ed,’ you cry, ‘I love you so fucking much.’

He grunts, ‘fuck. Sweetheart say it again please.’ 

He's thrusting now deep and sloppily, his thumb pressing fast circles into your swollen clit. 

‘I love you I love you Eddie,’ you wail as your climax hits you harder than ever before. Your legs spasm round his neck and your fingers tighten round his biceps. 

'Jesus fuck I love you too y/n,’ he gasps as he says your name, his cum spurting deep inside you. He shudders and another rope fills your walls. 

Eddie collapses on top of you, exhausted after finally spending the cum he'd also been saving for you. You both pant as you brush away his fringe from his eyes. Both of your eyes and drooping, completely fucked out. After a while, he attempts to move but you stop him. He quirks an eyebrow at you. 

‘I… I need you to stay inside me. I've missed you so much… just need to stay close.’ Eddie’s heart melts at your need for him, he tucks your wild hair behind your ear before pressing a delicate kiss to the tip of your nose. 

'Of course. Anything for you, sweetheart.’ 

Carefully, he rolls you both over so you're on your sides. One of your legs hooked around his waist, allowing him to stay inside you. Both of your eyes begin to close and his cock softens inside you. Relaxed for the first time in a month now you're reunited, you both fall asleep, bodies intwined. 

Everyone can't help but notice how the tour improves drastically with your presence. Eddie has never played better in his life knowing you're metres away, eyes full of awe and pride at your boyfriends talent. The way you fit perfectly into his life like this only adds to the lingering feeling you're meant to spend your lives together. Every night watches how you chatter with the roadies, always offering help, how you make sure the band has always eaten and are feeling good, how you point out shy fans to Eddie and how you love being immersed in the after parties. No bitterness resides you after the Carla situation, the usual girls who follow their shows respect you and apologies for her behaviour. Eddie’s heart melts at the sight of you tipsy and mouthing along to his songs. Then at parties how you fawn over him chatting every bartender and security guards ear off about how the guitarist is your man. That along with the t-shirt you'd shamelessly produced that read ‘PROPERTY OF THE LEAD GUITARIST’, Eddie has never felt so supported, so loved in all his life. 

The tour bus had been upgraded with a mattress on the floor for Eddie. He insisted on taking it whilst you took the bottom bunk it was placed alongside. Both your lip reading skills developed rapidly so you could continue to talk to each other long into the night without disturbing the other guys. Unable to fall asleep in each other's arms like you'd both prefer, you found yourselves drifting off; your hand dangling over the edge of the bed so Eddie could hold it all night. More often than not you woke up fingers still intertwined unless Eddie had sneakily pulled you out of your bed overnight so he could feel your full weight on top of him. The guys were deeply grateful for not having sex in the bus so it resulted in you and Eddie getting creative with locations for the few weeks you were on tour. Bathrooms and dressing rooms across the country were marked by you both. Praying the pulsating speakers covered the noises of your moans and Eddie’s balls slapping against you as he bent you over sinks and sofas or propped you up against bathroom stall walls. Eddie insisted he played better knowing his cum was dripping out of you backstage or that you were struggling to stand, legs still trembling after having his face buried in your core. 

The final show was in Indiana and butterflies filled you both, knowing the last time he played here is when he met you. It was the most meaningful show of the tour. Neither of you needing to say a word as your hands gripped thinking about it. You went into the crowd to meet the whole gang who'd travelled into the city for the gig. Eddie played like a man possessed, his eyes unable to part from yours the whole time as you stood with everyone he loved most at the barriers in front of the stage. Seven months ago he was performing here in Indiana, not knowing the person he'd spend the rest of his life with was there and now you're stood in front of him, beaming and bopping around. Eddie wonders if this is heaven, convinced this is the greatest sight in the world, watching you carefree and excited just from watching him do what he loves. He watches your face turn to confusion as during the encore he starts with some unfamiliar notes. It's a new song, your song. Eddie wrote it whilst longing for your presence on the first half of the tour. Tears well as you realise this song is describing you. Steve, Dustin and Robin grin seeing the love between the pair of you, thrilled their meddling resulted in their friend getting the love he deserves. As Eddie reaches his solo you mouth 'I love you.’

Never taking his eyes off you, he mouths back 'I love you too, always.’ 

Eddie can't imagine playing music now without you by his side. The two things that saved him. 

[lil-tachyon]

For the last couple years I've been keeping a handwritten list of good horror stories I've read. I guess the most recommendable ones are The Music of Erich Zann by Lovecraft, The Stolen Body by Wells, Mimic by Wollheim, The Thing in the Weeds by Hodgson, Cyclops by Leiber, The Screaming Man by Beaumont, and The Open Window by Saki. I might type up and post the whole list on my blog after I've done some more reading (my list of things I still need to read grows much faster than the other list).

Including your other suggestions so I can tackle them all in one post.

I wasn't sure I was going to get to all these but I ended up being kinda knocked out by a nasty cold this week and had time to lay up in bed reading through all of them. Which was an absolute pleasure! Thank you for putting this list together. For fun I thought I'd do a mini-review of each story.

For context, I'm the kind of guy that's read probably every H. P. Lovecraft or Clark Ashton Smith story ever published. I had devoured most of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells by the time I was 14. What I'm trying to say is that I'm already a nerd pre-disposed to loving any Weird Fiction or early sci-fi/horror. If that kind of stuff isn't your speed, then adjust your expectations accordingly.

Also SPOILERS AHEAD for 50-100+ year old short stories.

"The Music of Erich Zann" - H. P. Lovecraft - 1921: This was always going to get a recommendation from me, I just enjoy Lovecraft too much. I'm glad I re-read it though, it had been a while and I think this might be one of my favorite of his stories now. The thing that stood out to me this time around was the exploration of the relationship between Zann and the anonymous protagonist. Feels uncharacteristic of a Lovecraft story to focus so much on the interactions between two human characters and it's done with a fair bit of depth. Bonus: no Lovecraftian racism in this story! Also check out this thrash/prog banger from the Mekong Delta album named after this story.

"The Stolen Body" - H. G. Wells - 1898: So when I opened up my copy of A Dream of Armageddon: The Complete Supernatural Tales (a misnomer it turns out, because it didn't contain the other Wells story on this list) I was surprised to find a bookmark exactly halfway through "The Stolen Body" from where I must've stopped the last time I tried reading this anthology over a decade ago. And I can understand why I would've stopped there because this story is kind of a slog. The premise is fine- a man severs his consciousness from his physical body in the course of an experiment in astral projection and is alarmed to find that when he attempts to return to corporeality another spirit has already taken possession of his frame. The problem is that this story is recounted twice- first from the perspective of a friend where, in spite of their incomplete information, it's pretty obvious what has transpired, and then a second time from the astral-projecting protagonist himself. In the protagonist's telling there's an interesting account of his journey through a kind of vapid hell where body-less spirits wander through eternity suffering of boredom and only able to interact with the physical world via mediums but the concept isn't explored in any depth and is recounted in a painfully "tell, don't show" manner. Can't say I recommend, but it's an interesting artifact of a time when late 19th century occultic beliefs showed up in sci-fi. Kind of like how a lot of 50s-70s sci-fi features psychics.

"Mimic" - Donald A Wollheim - 1942: My favorite story from the list. It's weird, compelling, and extremely brief. I won't summarize it because I think you should just read it. Surprised I hadn't heard of it before, especially since there's apparently a Guillermo Del Toro film adaptation of it? Also surprisingly difficult to track down the text. There are a few incomplete versions of it floating around but if you want the full story, I found it as part of this anthology on archive.org.

"The Thing in the Weeds" - William Hope Hodgson - 1913: - Before this, my only exposure to Hodgson had been "The House on the Borderland" (great story by the way), and reading the "The Thing in the Weeds" has me thinking I should dig a bit deeper into his bibliography. Conveys a sense of claustrophobia and anxiety that feels like classic "Weird Tales" fare while dealing with much lower stakes than unnameable cosmic beings. Maybe more horror stories should be set on the open sea...

"Cyclops" - Fritz Leiber - 1965: This is not a story, this is Leiber's idea for a cool vacuum-dwelling space creature dressed up as a story. Dialogue feels totally unnatural, characters are blank slates, tension is set at zero. But the creature is pretty darn cool and the story is very short. So if you want to just read about a neat alien, go ahead!

"The Howling Man" - Charles Beaumont - 1959: I had already seen the Twilight Zone adaptation of this story a while back so I knew the outline of the plot already, but that in no way diminished my joy in reading this. Beaumont's prose is highly engaging and contains a surprising amount of humor that I don't remember being present in the television version. The only real weak point is the ending. I think a bit more ambiguity over whether and to what the extent the Howling Man and the Abbott were lying to the protagonist would've demanded more introspection from the reader. The idea that releasing the Howling Man / Satan is the direct cause of WWII feels a little too simplistic and also depends on this weird assertion that the early Weimar Republic was experiencing an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity that I'm pretty sure doesn't hold up to historical scrutiny. Still highly recommend, a very fun read!

"The Open Window" - Saki / H. H. Munro - 1914: Less a horror story and more a... silly story? I don't know how to describe it other than it feels like the kind of thing you would have to read and analyze for a single high-school English period. Didn't really do anything for me but it's like a 5-minute read so check it out if you want. Does make me wish I could go on one of those "retreats to the countryside for my nerves" that turn-of-the-century English gentleman and ladies are always going on.

"In the Abyss" - H.G. Wells - 1896: A much better Wells story! And I was lucky enough to find this in the other print Wells anthology I own. (I have an addiction to bringing home old paperbacks I don't need but it's a cheap addiction and I don't have the heart to break it. Plus they're all on shelves and alphabetized so my wife can't get mad at me. Anyway, it's the shelves and shelf space that gets expensive...) It can be a little bit "gadget fiction-y" in its description of the submersible but overall it's well-paced with some good tension and a truly weird exploration of an underwater world. Recommend if you're looking for something outright odd or you like specifically underwater sci-fi. Don't recommend if you don't like thinking about the ways you might die in a submersible.

"The Stone Ship" - William Hope Hodgson - 1914: An interesting and definitely weird story, again about strange happenings on the open sea. Stretches the premise a bit too much, both in the actual length of the story and in my willingness to suspend my disbelief of the "scientific" explanation given at the end. I enjoyed it, but for a spookier and shorter take on a similar premise I'd recommend Lovecraft's "Dagon."

Anyway, thank you again @siryl for your recommendations, I had a blast reading through them!

[married-2-the-music]

TWICE: K-pop Discography Deep Dive (Part ONE)

TWICE is one of the most popular k-pop groups right now—as they’ve been for the last decade—debuting on what was actually my birthday (October 20th) in 2015, after being formed through survival show Sixteen. They have nine members, who have been there since the beginning: Mina, Momo, Sana, Chaeyoung, Dahyun, Jeongyeon, Nayeon, Jihyo, and Tzuyu, the first 3 of which are Japanese and have been one…

[inthenight-inthedark]

Ok I’ve given it time, I’ve watched the debut stream twice and listened to the album all the way through at least a dozen times so here it is

Clancy review - full version

Initial thoughts as written to my partner

Ranking + what I think after full review

Next semester: this one is personal to me and hits me at my core. I love the technical aspects of the song but what speaks to me more is how much we have grown since being in school and being reckless with our lives. It is everything I have lived

Routines in the night: this is the stressed out of the album. It’s so catchy and I catch myself already singing it out loud dancing in my kitchen just because

Oldies Station: another personal one. I can’t hear the line about the first dance recital without tearing up because I have people in my life that pulled through because they wanted to be there for MY firsts and I continue to do the same for those who look up to me

At the risk of feeling dumb: it is the tøp I fell in love with, and is at the core the way I choose to interact with my friends, checking in, because we cannot go through this life alone

Lavish: do I need to say more? It’s catchy and the music video makes me laugh. Also the vibe is like summer floating in a pool, I felt every bit of it

Midwest Indigo: I grew up in the Midwest, I know the exact experience he’s talking about. It is a solid song for sure

Overcompensate: my beloved opener. It is lore heavy so it’s a bit lower because as much as I love the lore, it’s easier for me to relate to the non-lore songs

Backslide: listen some songs just have to end up lower on this list. I love backslide but other songs are more meaningful or impactful to me

Snap Back: this one sits so heavy with me and I think because it weighs on me I can’t sit with it too long without overthinking

The Craving: the stripped down uke is great. I still think this song is just sweet and simple

Vignette: I like the vultures. It’s growing on me too, the more I read interpretations

Paladin Strait: the style is good but the story isn’t complete in my mind. This may change over time

Navigating: Tyler and I will be friends in this camp

Overall commentary

I really love this album in all its glory. It has tucked itself into a chamber in my heart and probably won’t leave. I am forever grateful for Tyler and Josh and the work they do - they have saved my life more than once and I will always be in their debt for that. Perfect album ❤️💛 |-/

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Another day/week/hour of accumulating thoughts which haven't marinated enough.

That Zzinu guy (I can't remember his actual name) is really hanging out with everyone relevant in the industry, he's everywhere 👀 I saw him with RM on IG and at some concert, had no idea they were buddies.

Why did Jungkook come back just for a few days? What was that damn urgent to fly to Seoul only to go back to US in no time? I thought someone would enlist, but nope.

I took the bus downtown twice today instead of calling for a car. I have to stop being delusional and accept that I'm not rich.

I'm not gonna write a review of Tedros' album cause I don't feel there's a point, but I do have like a few things to say. Why is it being talked about like he started working on Layover 3 years ago? I mean, he started working on music, yes, but this thing that came out? That's like some team who probably put together the music a lot more recently. But hey, I'm just babbling so what the fuck do I know? Slow Dancing sounds good. I mean, nice enough to have it in the background in a playlist. All the songs feel too short, like they're some samples and they just decided to release them that way. Since his contribution was mostly singing the actual songs, it feels like he gave Min Hee Jin a pinterest board of who is Taehyung and from that entire thing, she created the Kim Taehyung artiste aesthetic. It's her vibe all over it. Just as it's her entire shtick all over NewJeans. It screams more MHJ than the actual idols.

I tried so hard in the past 30 min to stop myself from being bitchy, but I can't help it. To those who think that they got out of the jikook cult and now they're smarter and feel the need to still use the tag to post their bullshit? Wake up, you're still in a cult, you just switched to another. Absolutely pathetic. I wish I could fuck with pjms cause I admire the way they stand up for Jimin and they're like the most organized fanbase. But the moment they started using cult/tkkr narative and making Jimin sound like a puppet, I just knew they're not better. And a sign that I cannot affiliate myself to any group in this fandom, I'm riding on my own like I always have.

You know what's ironic though? Jikookers are basically the only ship fandom within bts who since the beginning and especially in the latest years, should have just sat back and relax cause they're so damn privileged. No other pair in bts is giving what dumb and dumber (I call them that with all my love) are doing together, but there's not a day in which I don't see stupid anons or jikookers fighting and bringing arguments. Waste of time!

And in that vein, pjms would only have to learn from their god damn classy bias who is no doormat and act accordingly. Fight for him without acting so damn stupid. In terms of artistry, he's the best out there out of this group and others in his generation. Isn't that fucking cool? And look at his behavior. Let army and kpop stans get frustrated thanks to Jimin's achievements and how you can contribute to that, not using the same foul language which only trashy stans are using. Do better ffs. Fix that attitude. And stop believing you know Jimin's brain and soul inside out. No one does. It only makes you sound like any other delusional kpop stan.

Key's Good & Great is out. I only had time to watch the mv once during actual work hours (fitting) and I can't get into anh details, but I liked the idea of workaholism tied to a simulation. There's tons of layers and stuff to be analyzed there, perhaps some other time.

[fantastickkay]

Album Review of the Week: Lady Gaga - Born This Way (2011) ☆☆☆☆☆

Buckle up! This is one of my favorite albums of all time and I have 12 years of thoughts to share! I absolutely loved The Fame and The Fame Monster, so when this album was announced I was ready! I wasn't too impressed with Born This Way (single) at the time, but I still had faith that this was going to be a fantastic release. This is while I was in graphic design school, so I had a MacBook and the week this was released, my charger had broken. I remember using the very last little bit of battery I had before a new one arrived to buy this on iTunes and sync it to my iPod. Yes, this was the dark days when I would buy music digitally. A few years later, I found the deluxe edition at Electric Fetus in Minneapolis to finally have a physical! The deluxe edition is definitely worth having, not only does it have an alternate cover (I absolutely hated the motorcycle design!) but the bonus tracks and remixes are fantastic. The competition is very stiff, but this is definitely my favorite Gaga album! The singles are iconic, the energy throughout is great and the deep tracks are soooo good.

The album opens with Marry the Night, this is the perfect song of the bunch to open the album. It's an energetic declaration that nothing is going to hold her down! "Kiss the bartender twice, I'm a loser".

Born This Way served as the lead single, like I said earlier I wasn't too impressed with it at first and it still isn't one of my favorite tracks on the album, but it has a great message, guaranteed to be heard at Pride festivities! Even if it's not my favorite, the quality of this album is so high that I still consider it a great song! "Don't be a drag, just be a queen."

Government Hooker brings us into what I consider to be the main sound of the album - dark and a little experimental. I've thought this song was the coolest ever since I heard it for the first time. I love the call and response/spoken word of the chorus, it has such a cool sound, as well as the HOoooOOooOKahahah. "I can be good, unless you want to be bad."

Judas is my favorite single of the album; this music video is on as many playlists as I can put it on! Her trolling the Christian community by releasing this on Easter Sunday is iconic. She calls back to Bad Romance by having that same "skat" style singing, if you can call it that. The instrumentation is super punchy, and the choreography isn't too complicated so it accessible to someone like me! The bridge is really great as well. "Build a house or sink a dead body."

While Americano is fun, it does seem like a filler track to me. This album is quite bloated, even the standard edition! Even so, the energy level does not falter and we have another great dance track that is fun to shout along to in the car! "I have cried for, I will die for how I care."

Hair is kind of a mix of Americano and Born This Way. It has that same bubbly delivery as Americano with the similar messaging of childhood memories and living as you are as BTW. I also enjoy the youthful lyrics, as if she's singing from the perspective of her younger self, it really helps paint the picture. "I'll die living just as free as my hair."

Scheiße brings us back to the dark side, although it's a good mix between bright + upbeat and experimental, which actually makes it a great transition track between moods which is what it ends up being. The chanting chorus is so silly that only Lady Gaga could pull it off! The mixture of actual German and made-up German is just amazing. The larger message of this song, however, is fantastic as it illustrates the struggle and need for a woman to be her own self on her own accord. "I don't speak German but I wish I could."

It's a close match between this and the previous track, but I have to say that Bloody Mary is my favorite song on this album. I absolutely love how dark and moody it is, and the vocal effects that are used every so often are really cool as well. My favorite parts are the chant and vocal run (would you call it that? I'm not sure) near the end, so fun to sing along to. This song had a resurgence in popularity last year thanks to Tik Tok. "I won't cry for you, I won't crucify the things you do."

Next we have a bonus track, Black Jesus † Amen Fashion, the melody on this one reminds me of Hair a lot. The chorus, however, is where the energy lies! It definitely fits the mood of walking down the runway with your fiercest attitude. "Dancing in my revelation, underground pop civilization."

Bad Kids was one of my favorites when this album came out, now I don't think of it as often but it is still a great track! The lyrics are super sassy although ever since I heard someone mention it sounds like "I'm a f****t baby" I can't unhear it! "I'm a brat. I'm a selfish punk, I really should be smacked."

Fashion of His Love is another bonus track. This is another filler track, I feel. The tone is really light and breezy though which can serve as a break from all the heavy songs surrounding it! "I'm fashionably just designed to be grand."

Highway Unicorn (Road To Love) counts as a filler in my opinion as well. I do like the vocal effects during the chanting. The vocals at the end of the chorus have a really nice tone and sound and the drums in some spots are really dynamic!

Heavy Metal Lover is a strong contender for favorite track as well. This is another one that has a huge cool factor in my eyes ever since it first came out. It is quite an odd song but something about it just pulls me in and doesn't want to let go. Again, the vocal effects create a very distinct mood and the melodies in some spots sound really great (I could be your girl girl girl....). "Let's raise hell in the streets, drink beer and get into trouble."

Electric Chapel introduces us to the last act of this album. It starts with a strong guitar riff and is driving and dramatic. I absolutely love the vocals and melody on this song! It has 80s hair band energy which she does a great job executing. Now, I'm not saying it's exactly reminiscent of that sound, but it just has the energy! "Follow me, don't be such a holy fool."

The last bonus track before we switch to disc 2, The Queen is a bouncy 80s-sounding tune. It's a motivational tune that encourages you to be the best queen you can be!

The last 2 tracks as this long journey comes to a close are the most well-known and radio friendly singles. You and I brought us Jo Calderone, Gaga's male alter ego. This song is a great track that belongs in dive bars everywhere. I used to be in a cover band and would sing this at dive bars! It was one of my favorites to sing. The lyrics are aching yet whimsical and delivered expertly. "Sit back down where you belong, in the corner of my bar with your high heels on." The Edge of Glory pales in comparison to the rest of the album, but that by no means makes it a bad song! It is definitely a great radio hit that appeals to the masses, and it is very easy and fun to sing along to! It also closes out an epic album on a high note.

Disc Two features a few select remixes, standouts being Born This Way (The Country Road Version) and Scheiße (DJ White Shadow Mugler). I normally tend to avoid remixes over 8 minutes long, especially if they are repetitive but Scheiße is just so hypnotic that I cannot resist!

If you made it this far, I very much appreciate you! This is definitely a legendary pop album, and it was a lot of fun experiencing the anticipation at the time and everything else that has happened to solidify this album's legacy since.

[bailaconox]

Seeing OMEGA X in JERSEY CITY and CHICAGO - Nov. 23 to Nov. 27, 2023

I... I don't even know where to begin. Being able to post this is unbelievable. I met OMEGA X... twice? I saw them in concert this weekend... twice! I was the happiest I have ever been in my whole entire life during those shows. I couldn't stop smiling. My face genuinely hurt from laughing so hard in Chicago. It felt like home.

FOR X and OMEGA X are my home.

1. My snapshots and signed album from VVIP Jersey City. Rip to me in Sebin's snapshot.. also kinda rip to me in Hyuk's too... the rest I think I look cute in!!! ALSO I KNOW HANGYEOM'S POLA HAS A DEFECT BUT I DIDNT NOTICE IT TILL LATER AND IM JUST THANKING EVERY GOD IN THE SKY THAT ITS ON MY FACE AND HIS LOOKS BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. and 3. My only two snapshots in Chicago 🥲 I LOOK SUPER CUTE IN THESE THOUGH AND SO DO THE BOYS!!!!! Rip to my last words to Kevin though.. "I'm sorry" ??????

4. MY CANADIAN FOR X FLAG THAT I FOUND THREE (3!!!!!!) OTHER PEOPLE TO SIGN 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 Besties I love you all so much and I'm happy the boys saw the flag 🙏💖🇨🇦

5. Aha.. anyone remember me joking about getting Hangyeom's handwriting tattooed on me..? Well... I did zero vetting of this place and didnt read a single review and just picked it bc it was closest to the boba shop BUUUUUUUUT Sido Tattoo ilysm for doing this last minute 🤧🙏 Absolutely perfect experience and flawless job, the artist was so nice and I got to watch One Piece and talk about OX so 1000000% recommend. Loved it.

6. Is it even an OMEGA X concert if you don't walk home with an arm full of bracelets?

7. Look between Jaehan and Yechan for that Canadian FOR X flag 🫣🫣🫣🫣🫣 That's me!!!!!!! Front row for OMEGA X 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

I miss it so much already and there's so much I could talk about and I will but not right now!! I'll end this post by just saying..

Thank you OMEGA X for being strong and for showing me what this has all been for. This is everything to me... my soulmates... 0.1 하자

[my-castles-crumbling]

hi cas! Swiftie anon. I like the new album, it usually takes me a bit to get used to the fact that there’s actually like, a new album and I’m still processing everything.

I did stay up to listen to the album, I was listening to in it in bed, so I wouldn’t get caught, especially since I share a room with other with my sister. I was like half asleep for the middle part of the album, but I woke up enough to be emotionally devastated for loml.

then I woke up at like 8, turned on my music so I could memorize the lyrics, checked your blog, and freaked the fuck out. I was so shocked that the double album people were right. So I had to download the second half and be emotionally devastated a second time. I would’ve learned from midnights if I had been there. I understand now.

I would rank the songs rn, but I physically can’t, but my favorites at the moment, in no particular order, so long london, loml, which I thought I’d like, I also like I can do it with a broken heart, my boy only breaks his favorite toys. Those are the ones off the top of my head, but there’s probably more since I I’ve only listened to it twice. Folklore is my favorite, so my favorites are probably predictable.

what are your favorites rn?

Hi!!!

Hahaha I'm laughing because those are most of my favorites as well.

I need to re-listen to the second half of the album but my favorites so far are:

So Long, London

But Daddy I Love Him

Guilty As Sin?

Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?

loml

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart

imgonnagetyouback

I Hate it Here

I Look In People's Windows

So yeah...obviously I really narrowed it down :P

I'm gonna write a full-ish review in a bit after I relisten to the second half.

What did you think of the second half?