#The Cheers theme song hits different now

[guess-i-do-art]

LOSING MY MIND LOSING MY MIND LOSING MY MIND LOSING MY MIND LOSING MY MIND LOSING MY MIND LOSING MY MIND LOSING MY MIND LOSING MY MIND LOSING MY FUCKING MIND

[phen397]

Sonic adventure 2 but told through notes I took while playing part2 electric Boogaloo

OK here we go again

Tails in the Chao garden is too cute

Love the way his tails sway and flop on the ground

Feed the children all the tubes

Only one though

He will be the most drugged up Chao at the races

OK

Time to leave

Sonic in jail

Amy from the sky

Have no fear Amy rose is here

How did she get that key card

"That black hedgehog"? Amy please come see me after class

Marry me if I tell?

Did sonic write the stuff in the walls

Nah he too dumb for all that math

Who built these ramps and loops in the middle of the ocean?

Guess gun did since their name is on everything

Thanks omachao I didn't know how to do a homing attack

Cuccked by a bot phasing put of existence

Can I just not hit ghost bot?

No omachao I haven't tried using the light dash I don't even have that yet

Oh hey light dash shoes

Go fast on rings

Lots of peacocks in this level

The seal is so cute look at him

Rocket time

Bigger rocket

I gotta ride it!?

Oh snap

To space baby

Oh God he jumped

Where did this stuff come from

Snowboard down tube to goal

Sonic seems to like taking panels off of gun's stuff

I am sure they aren't important

New gate in Chao space

The kindergarten

I am going to go get apple sauce and have a nap

Oh it seems to be empty

Little drawings of chaos on the walls

Wonder if these where drawn by fans

Chao bulletin board

What browser?

Different doors for things

Can't do anything cause I didn't bring a Chao

I am a teen just wandering around a kindergarten

Not weird at all

Let me talk to the principal

Lots to say

Now how do I get my Chao here?

Poor all the animals and tubes into one Chao

What could go wrong?

Maybe if I pick up a Chao and leave I can take him to the kindergarten

Nope

Next level time

In the forest

So far so good

Hi shadow I mean faker

Not even good enough to be my fake

"I'LL MAKE YOU EAT THOSE WORDS" damn sonic let the man finish

Time to fight shadow

Did he just say he is the coolest?

Shit I fell

Wait for him to land after his attack then hit him

Do you even know who I am

Green forest

Yes

Yes it is

Close your mouth shadow please

Island gonna blow up

Soundtrack picking up for this epic race against death

Oh yea Amy and tails are here too I guess

8 minutes till boom

Epic vine swings

Love my naturally growing springs

Level done

More tubes for the child

Let's see how the child has grown

Race time

Mushroom forest this time round

Look at my child go

Not dead last so doing good

Ha some tripped

Cheer em on

3rd place thanks to a trip right at the end

Try again?!

So I need to win huh?

Fine I will be back

Island blowing up cutscene

Plane flies away

Pumpkin hill

Getting jiggy with it

Place feels haunted

Knuckles time

Shovel claws

I can dig now

I can dig up Graves

Ghosts not happy

This place feels familiar

How train why train?

Found all 3

Eggman psa

Creepy child

Eggman empire

Egg face in space

The ark

Laser beam

NOT THE MOON

24 hours

Gang saw it all

How did he get all that energy

Chaos emerald

Talis has one just cause

I am sure you saying something important tails but I can't hear you over the sound of your theme song blasting my eardrums out

Oh shoot the popo

Yes Amy you are an accomplis now

No backing out now

Ah yes mission Street

Right next to objective lane

If you hit side quest ally you went to far

Tails level

Gonna get so many tubes

Boosters

Fly high?

More like hover mid

Okay

Okay

Okay

Okay

Okay

Thanks tails

More tubes for the child

All for now But next time I don't know maybe the child attends class or smth idfk

[empty-dream]

I wanna talk about the MV of Frieren 2nd OP song Haru (which surprisingly doesn't mean Spring (春) but Sunny (晴る)) Almost missing out this MV because it's not done with original Frieren AMV just like the first OP. But someone recommended to watch it anyway and I did. And DAMN IT'S SAD. AND HEAVY.

The story itself is pretty straightforward and easy to understand once you finish the entire MV. The fun part comes from the Youtube comments. There are several interesting insights about the MV, the song itself, and the relationship with Frieren series. After digging and crosschecking here and there plus some thinking, few points I'd like to bring up are:

Relation to Sousou no Frieren

This. Enough said.

On more detailed note, 晴れる (Hareru) means to clear up, to stop raining, to be sunny. Himmel in German means heaven. So it's basically turning into "clear heaven/sky"

You know Himmel's presence was so big and brought hope wherever he and his party was. Even in the Demon King era, his heroism and kindness brought light the people's life. Even now, long after he's gone, Frieren keeps meeting people who are directly or indirectly impacted by his actions, even for the smallest things like helping around the village. It was enough to cheer everyone he comes across.

I was thinking of how Serie and Frieren could end up so different despite being the same race as elves with unprecedented talent for magic and similar rather cold distant personality. Perhaps I'll talk in another post about it but for me, I feel like one of the biggest differences is that Frieren got to meet Himmel. Long after Flamme died, Serie is basically still alone at the top despite having more disciples, while Frieren meets Himmel and through him meet the others and then she walks the same path as them. Even after the two people she ever cares about die, Frieren's sky becomes clear as she learns about her own feelings and what should really be treasured in human limited time versus her own limitless one. Or at least that's how I interpret the anime.

The song itself

The lyrics often mention of how beyond the rain pouring down from the clouds, the sky up above is sunny. Beyond pain, there is peace. It's fitting the whole "clear (up the) sky" theme.

I've listened to a few Yorushika's songs before Haru, and while their songs are kinda hit and miss for my taste, I enjoy Haru a lot. And I didn't know that wordplay is Yorushika's specialty. After looking at some of their songs, I found out they like switching kanji of the titles so that the titles hold double meanings.

And honestly, whenever I picture "spring", I always pair it with "clear sky." Even though rains do fall in spring too, I always go with sunny. This whole kanji switch is genius, ngl.

Once I knew that one of the member, n-buna, is a Vocaloid composer, I was like "Huh. No wonder." Sometimes wildest profound lines do come out from Vocaloid songs.

The MV in general

The MV itself is straightfoward. The father is unaware he's dead. The son has been alone all these times. But still, the wish to live in a world of sunny days free of war and loss just like back in the day goes on.

An interesting top comment theorizes the wall here resembles the Western Wall in Jerusalem, while the tree with flowers shown in the last seconds looks like the olive tree. Olive tree means peace and reconciliation. The metaphor "offer an olive branch" means "wanting to end the quarrel and disagreement." Olive branch is present in the emblem of Israel while olive tree is considered as a national symbol for Palestinians. As of this writing I haven't found any official confirmation for those theories. But either way, this is clearly about living in war state-something that is unfortunately ever-present in the world.

I personally think that the release timing, the choice of story and certain elements in it like the wall, the plant and the sea, all make the MV extremely relevant to the genocide and occupation of Gaza now, whether it's actually intentional or not.

The director of the MV, Kohta Morie, tweeted something along the line of 'I present this work to those who did not have the chance to be "sunny."' Incredibly sad, when you think about it.

[girlinthetardis04]

LIVE VENGEANCE SAGA REACTION!!!!!!!!

Here I am totally on time and not two weeks late. In my defense ☝️ I moved to another continent and got sick (the events are not correlated). I'm still sick, but the thought of being able to hear Poseidon and Hermes in the same saga was irresistible. Onward!

Not Sorry for Loving You

The kalimba is lulling me into a false sense of security.

CALYPSO JUMPSCARE

My boy Ody can finally leave!!!! In yo face bish!!!!

EXQUEEZ ME? "I'm sorry my love's too much for you"? I know a guilttrip apology when I see one! At the very least have the decency to have a good beat!

"Let me speak" NO TF I WON'T

Is she gonna shut up any time soon? 😐

Ody??????? Oh, phew.

Wait, wait, I heard those strings before....but where

Dangerous

★WHOOOO HERMES I'M COMING DAHLING★

AH! "Full Speed Ahead" melody jumpscare! JAY I NEED A WARNING!!!! OH MY GOD THERE'S ONLY SILENCE IN PLACE OF THE CHORUS CALLBACK!!!! CUZ THEY'RE DEAD

YEEEEESS

HERMEEEEEEES!!!!!! I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAAAAAN

I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOUUUUU

💃💃 "It's gonna get a little bit ✨dangerous✨" 💃💃

(fair warning, I'm gonna be completely useless for the rest of this song, I will be dancing and nothing else)

Odysseus finally sounds like he has some life back in him.

"We went through so much to get this" why do I have the feeling Hermes just hit up Aelous like "hello ✨dahling✨ would you happen to have a spare wind bag?" and Aelous was just like "oh yeah sure, np"

WINIONS!!!!

Ah <3 Hermes you magnificent trickster, you. Come back anytime!

Charybdis

★Cariddi! The ✨SUPERIOR✨ sea monster. Yeah, that's right, Scylla slander. Come at me★

Oh damn, that's loud.

Is Cariddi gonna be voiced? Because if Scylla can sing, so can he. If he's not, I will be severly disappointed (but not too much cause I got Hermes back)

It's so good to hear Odysseus with life back in his voice :)

I'm sorry, was that electric guitar? Is it because of Cariddi or because Odysseus isn't very human anymore? Food for thought.

Are those howls Cariddi? No singing? :( damn, fuck me ig.

I'm scared, this is too good to be true, what's the catch?

I knew it. What is it this time?

Get In the Water

★POSEIDONPOSEIDONPOSEIDONPOSEIDONPOSEIDONPOSEIDONPOSEIDONPOSEIDONPOSEIDONPOSEIDONPOSEIDONPOSEIDON I GET TO HEAR STEVEN RODRIGUEZ'S VOICE AGAIN WHAOOO THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE(ANCE SAGA)★

Oooh, the temperature just skyrocketed 🥴

YESSIR I'M DIVING 🚣

Poseidon <3 you can do whatever you want, it's fine bbg <3

I mean...an eye for an eye ig?

Damn, trying for open arms one last time? 🥹

What just happened? Why the water sounds

AAAAAAA

AAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAA

I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE MENTIONED IT

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

JAY STOP REPRISING "OPEN ARMS" I AM NOT GOING TO LIVE TO THE ITHACA SAGA AT THIS RATE

EURYLOCHOS???????

Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow that fucking HURT.

Six Hundred Strike

The title is making me nervous....

Damn, that's some boss fight music.

That's the Aelous theme tho? Is he gonna use the wind bag???

WHERE'S THE CHORUS COMING FROM?????

YOU TELL HIM ODY!!!!

STORM REPRISE!!!!!

FULL SPEED AHEAD REPRISE!!!!

What an anime ahh attack name /pos

So like, are... the ghosts... helping him...?

But...he didn't open the bag tho :/

Bitch are you THREATENING A GOD????? Also beating us over the head with that "gods can't die" thing, huh? (ATHENA ISN'T FUCKING DEAD YOU MORONS)

That's the same melody as "Different Beast"!!!

...the fact that I have no visuals kinda dampens my understanding of wth just happened. Can someone fill me in? For now I'm choosing to believe he chucked a Uno reverse card at his forehead.

Even Poseidon is like "damn, chill bruh"

"Next to my wife" Oooooooooooh FUCKING OWNED

[chemicalarospec]

My Death Note Playlists (prt 1 of my fav lyrics)

They're basically all "emo" btw.

I have two: the full playlist

and the "canon compliant" version -- which does NOT mean the songs support a canon-compliant interpretation, but that they were released before 2010. Canon timeline, you see, ignoring the 9/11 thing. (I'm a little more picky with this one in general.)

Okay now I'm just going to highlight my favorite lyrics that I blorbo brain all over (predominantly Light, and lots of Lawlight ranging from platonic murder to romantic lovers to romantic murder). It will be long, so here's a cut!

I'll pick out songs going down "full playlist" in order.

"Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" by Taking Back Sunday

Obvious, but "we're all choir boys at best" deserves attention. "It takes one to know one" shouted at the end -- all of Light and L knowing each other better than anyone.

"Juneau" by Funeral for a Friend

"I'm nothing more than a line in your book." Hey, I didn't say all these connections were good.

"Spin" by Taking Back Sunday

The whole thing is very Light to L.

"Looking for a Tornado" by Chiodos

Maybe I got a little lost while searching for my faith stuck to your cross You set fire to everything around [...] Do I believe in love; do I believe in heaven? (At the sound of church bells, they come running) All my clocks stuck on eleven; afraid if I hit my knees, I might get nothing

^ Lawlight /romantic intent /sexual intent

This is the sound of your savior running in need of anything to save you from nothing

^ bonus God/savior complex Light

"Always and Never" by Silverstein - "Don't have a heart attack"

"War Crimes" by Waterparks

kinda Light and Misa. "I wear a smile that's about a mile wide" lol. and "My death will be the fandom [sic]" for L.

"The Words 'Best Friend' Become Redefined" by Chiodos

The title as their fake-friendship-with-murderous-intent. Lyrics as romantic dying Lawlight. +"To hide from our twisted ways/I've been hiding in this bed"

"Fist Wrapped in Blood" by Silverstein

I love toxic couples. Cannibalism couples. Violence couples. (Some tntduo vibes in this one too, xoxo tntduo, still kinda my OTP.) "A Midwestern State Of Emergency" for similar reasons (we got the wild line "Bound and gagged but I enjoy it") + "Your saving grace, my final rites"

"One Day All Women Will Become Monsters" by Chiodos <3

That title but also "Always being the blind villain" -> Blind Lady Justice Light Yagami!!! + "Rip the haunting smirk from his face"

"Thank You for the Venom" by My Chemical Romance

Now I want to listen to Three Cheers looking for Death Note songs. (If I wasn't still finishing tntduo demolition lovers, Death Note demolition lovers would be sooo in.) Anyways: "I keep a gun on the book you gave me."

"Hard to Breathe" by Hawthorne Heights

"I spent my whole life lying/I just got caught." This one gets a big heading b/c that line is still the working title for my Light fic (yeah, it'll get posted. one day).

"There's no Penguins in Alaska" by Chiodos is a rare Misa moment on the playlist.

"Timberwolves at New Jersey" by Taking Back Sunday

"Literate and stylish/kissable and quiet/that's what girls' dreams are made of" and "This is you trying hard to make sure that you're seen/With a girl on your arm and your heart on your sleeve" = Light. Plus, the "me at my worst (committing murder)" theme of second half of the song

"Where Can I Stab Myself in the Ears" by Hawthorn Heights - "This is the ending, here's my surrender" & the complementing each other bridge theme. and lying.

"Why the Munsters Matter" by Chiodos

"I don't want to fit into your world/your heart/I hope I scare you"!!!!! It's NOT what happens in Death Note but it IS what Light and L are about IN MY HEAD.

"Ole Fishlips is Dead Now" is another rare Misa song. The "she's in love with herself" line but the subject is Light.

"Goldmine" by Paper Tigers

(link leads to song b/c the band is pretty indie)

Maybe that's something I admire Maybe you've made another enemy of me ... You goldmine Every little thing that you say It blows away my mind ... They say that pride proceeds the fall And that the sword is weaker than the pen

rare L to Light song on the playlist

"Your Sword Versus My Dagger" by Silverstein

Another Discovering the Waterfront track. "I'm cutting through, you're bleeding out/And I would tell the truth, but I can't help myself" + "I wasn't asking for the world" as another Light inverse/lying line (or kinda Misa) + "And I can see your face, and I can hear your name" in reference to Death Note rules lol.

"Is it Progression If A Cannibal Uses A Fork?" by Chiodos

"Listen up, sweetie!/We all know that you're a beautiful girl in this horrible world." - Light lol

"The solemn tolling of the funeral bells. I want to know what's going on in that pretty little head of yours where everyday's a Bone Palace Ballet."

"Divine Intervention" by Taking Back Sunday

rare soft song -- cutesy by Lawlight standards

Despondent, distracted You're vicious and romantic These are a few of my favorite things ... Something real, make it timeless An act of God and nothing less will be accepted ... We're stubborn and melodramatic A real class act

~a little skipping ahead to songs I wrote up out of order... part two will probably come next week!~

"The Brothers Karamazov" by The Used

all of it. but especially "I'm more than just my father's son" as an inverse of Light who is so little more than the son of a cop, "I see myself in everything I hate about you/I shut my mouth to stop myself from sounding like you" as him and L, and "Take me away from who I could become" as the conflict between Light and the influence of the Death Note.

"Chemicals" by Armor for Sleep

Lyrics about "you" dying ("I can picture your coffin"!!!) and the general vibe and:

And I’m on my back, on your floor. Tell me how you fooled the world again, I like how you laugh when you tell it

^ both L and Misa work. Light's evil laugh.

Play dead, cause I’ll be playing dead with you. I’ll play you when you’re dead in a year or two.

^ Light pretending to be L after he's dead.

"Three Simple Words" by Finch

"My hand's around your throat/who will stop me now?" !!! throwback to "Until the Day I Die", which I didn't highlight but also has "hands at your throat". I like the aggressive & repetitive usage in this song better. Light to L, of course.

Tune in next week for more of the same! (btw I had a lot going on so it's still not up but will edit this when I do it)

[mysticalthingphantom]

Hey! I wanna get to know my Swiftie mutuals. Tell me your top 5 songs and albums from her. Feel free to go into depth/explain if you'd like!

hey!!! meowdy! ( yup, i read your bio and agree) nice to meet you! i'm sorry for all my lore but it is hard to talk about things i love without bringing personal matters with it. i feel like i can talk about taylor lyrics without trauma dumping so i am truly sorry for the things i wrote. but since you said you want to know your mutuals here i go!

TOP ALBUMS

1 - folklore: it is such an ethereal experience for me. i love how all the stories in it are connected in some way and the way she could create so many details for all the characters tbh i feel like i could have been any one of them and in some ways i am. i love how every song feels like summer rain, is comforting and vulnerable. i was the first album of her that i felt i could relate to 100%. is my all time favorite.

(now the positions after folklore vary depending of the day for me so i may change them later)

2 - the tortured poets department: i know is new and everyone is freaking out about it but for me that's one of the most honest pieces of music i have ever listen to it. i keep caught on all these debates about to whom she wrote it but is so stupid because these songs were never about anyone BUT taylor. she could have dated anyone and still wrote these masterpieces, it isn't about a man, it is about taylor swift. and she put SO MUCH of her heart in it that i can feel it. all that anger, all that pain, all that fear it all came from her. she is the artist. i know some critics say is easy to write 31 songs if they all look similar (haters gonna hate is so fucking true) but for me as an inspiring artist is a relief to know you can create different things about the same topic and don't feel ashamed about it. you can write about the same theme a thousand times and guess what? it can be a thousand times different because it will be a thousand different parts of yourself. everything about ttpd is so beautiful ( plus dead poets society references makes it perfect bc is my favorite movie)

3 - evermore: follows the folklore aesthetic and vibes. marjorie? champagne problems??? tolerate it???? Does she have a hidden camera in my backpack or something?

4 - speak now: i'm nineteen wtf she wrote something like THAT when she was nineteen?????? this album is so magical, It has some of the fantasy she later put on folklore and evermore but with more joy and cheerful melodies. listening to speak now is like opening my favorite book over and over. i wish i could be emma falling in love and i wish to live a timeless love and i wish i could sing long live with my friends/found family after winning a battle. i just love it all so much and never grown up? i listened to it when i was packing my things to move out of my hometown so you can imagine how much i relate to it. castles crumbling is also so close to my heart because i constantly feel i'm burning bridges and fucking things up. so yep all these fears of loneliness and failure goes present in this album goes deep .

5 - midnights: as a HUGE fan of the moon ( the moon is my true soulmate and i don't care if it "just a sattelite"or a "bunch of rocks and dust glued together" because guess what? i'm also a bunch of universal dust glued together) the whole celestial aesthetic of the album hits me like a train. all these confessions, these letters, these maniacal thoughts i have after the sun sets are not only mine. i love how she hugged me through these lyrics and showed me that everyone is haunted by ghosts after midnight. but the night time isn't just a place for nightmares, there is also hope, and joy and good dreams.

TOP SONGS

1 - mirrorball : since the first time i listened to it all i could think about is "someone finally sees me"

2 - the archer: she saw right through me. i am so scared of being seen because if someone sees me, if someone truly knows me it would hurt 1000 times more being rejected by them.

3 - you're on your own, kid: i lost all my friends after high school, literally no one of the fucking people i used to talk to every day and go to their houses and remember their birthdays. all of the people i used to open up to, the people i used to cry and laugh with just didn't reach out anymore and i know it is half my fault but it made me realize how truly alone i am as a human. It doesn't matter how much you connect with someone you are always on your own at the end of the day and she literally summarized that feeling in a fucking song.

4 - i can do it with a broken heart: because you still can be a mirrorball even when the ones you built the show for have left.

5 - the lakes: dead poets society vibes and i'm also a poet and i also want to run away.

6 - renegade: (you asked for 5 but here is a bonus track for you haha <3) i sing that song is a platonic way because it translates so much of my relationships with my friends and family. i sing along thinking about them and i know they could sing thinking about me because of trauma and miscommunication is such a top topic in all that.

[presumenothing]

ZHOU SHEN: UNCONDITIONAL SURVIVAL

translated from 《人物》 magazine, part 1 of 5 | main post

Proof of Existence

Last December, on the recording day for CCTV's New Year's Eve gala, Zhou Shen walked onstage and realised that there was an audience in the seats.

"Like a lifetime ago"; it'd been so long since anything like this. To hear the audience's cheers from such a close distance – Zhou Shen felt that was the single most important moment he experienced in 2022, "because it'd been too long without such close communication", "to have people hearing you sing, that utterly real sensation hitting you in the face". That day, Zhou Shen sang with little restraint, wanting to properly enjoy this moment when he could have such a face-to-face dialogue of emotions with the audience.

It was three years ago when he found himself abruptly quarantined at home, recording two full episodes of Singer 2020 with his back to the white walls of his home. From then on, amidst the waves of the pandemic, he'd gradually grown accustomed to singing to empty broadcast halls; voice gliding out along the microphone, and perhaps it would reap an audience's response at some point in the future, but never in the present.

To a singer on the rise of his career, this was an immense regret. "Personally I've always felt that a singer's greatest charm must be at live performances. No matter that you might not be able to perform a hundred percent perfectly when live – we'll definitely have some notes floating off now and then, we're human after all – but that's the charm of live performances. Everything you are is right in that moment."

Even so, through the screen, Zhou Shen was reaching more and more audiences.

In the past year, Zhou Shen has almost continuously appeared on various shows and stages. Our interview was conducted at 7:30pm two days before Chinese New Year; throughout the first half of January, he was busy with rehearsals for CCTV's Spring Festival gala, and on the same day of our meeting had still gone to a publicity event for The Wandering Earth 2 earlier in the day, having performed the defining theme song 人是_ for that movie. After the interview's conclusion at 9pm, he would still go on relentlessly to his next assignment. And on CCTV's Spring Festival gala just the next day, Chinese New Year's Eve, he once again appeared on televisions in the living room of each household.

Especially in this new year period, Zhou Shen has practically been the one artist with the most onscreen appearances. He participated in New Year's Eve galas across four networks, so regardless of which channel you switched to, there were always glimpses of him. Within one night, he presented eight songs to the audience, and even that would understate his diverse richness. In just one song of 四大名著连连看, he'd already demonstrated four different voices and singing styles, like seemingly endless treasures to be drawn forth from his pockets. "A bringer of surprise" – that has become everyone's tacit expectation of him. 

Yin Yue, the lyricist and producer of 大鱼, is also Zhou Shen's good friend of many years. In her view, Zhou Shen is an especially "well-armed" singer: "He has every cold weapon you could possibly want, and can also give you that bombastic kind of hot weapon. He can perform with incredibly fine detail, or the etherealness of fantasy and ancient styles, or brimming with explosive power… his performance is suited to many occasions, and he's capable of mastering works across many styles and genres; that's why he's been able to be seen and heard by so many people in various settings and stages."

Zhou Shen too has always wanted to shatter the labels and boundaries that the wider world has put on him. "Because my [initial] characteristic and style was very obvious, perhaps everyone's first thought would be 'graceful and floating'; that's a very good side to it, but afterwards it seems like people end up using that one impression to narrow down your capacity", and thus he is always using new changes to overwrite that rigid impression. 

To be seen and known, to Zhou Shen, is almost like finding his own "proof of existence": "Because in the past there would inevitably be [some people] who listened to me singing out of curiosity or so-called 'exoticisation', but now that everyone has started to accept that Zhou Shen's voice is just such a voice, and then going to hear me sing again, I think that'd make a difference in their mentality too."

Thinking back to eight years ago, when participating in the blind auditions for The Voice of China, Zhou Shen heard such a muttered comment from beside him before he'd even gone on stage: "Can someone who looks like that even sing?"

At a New Year's Eve gala several years later, a friend in the audience told Zhou Shen after seeing his performance: "I'm gonna cry!" Zhou Shen was confused – why cry at such a lively event? His friend said: "Because when you went onstage, the voice of the audience members around me were all that this guy is really good at singing, we must listen to him properly. What you hear won't be those words from that blind audition anymore."

A while back, one of the music directors from The Voice of China sent Zhou Shen a message over WeChat: "I'd never thought you would have this much power stored away later on." He had thought that Zhou Shen could astound everyone, but little had he expected that Zhou Shen could make everyone stay.

(part 2)

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Vol:13 - Looking back at the 25th Anniversary tour. 

*As soon as the wait screen appears, the sound of the director instructing Kaoru about the plan for the free half and the paid half can be heard. A few comments pop up saying, "We can hear you" etc, and the mics are promptly turned off until the official start time😅*

K: Hi, and welcome to The Freedom of Expression live on our Niconama channel. Im Kaoru from Dir en grey. 

J: Im Joe Yokomizo. 

T: And Im Tasai from Tokyo Sports. 

*applause*

K: Its been a while since we were here. 

J: This studio? It has, yeh. Is this where we did the Christmas tree last year?

K: Was that last year? Yeh, last year. 

J: Was it this year?

T: It was last year, wasn't it? Eh?! Was that last year??

K: Eh? haha

J: It was last year, right?

T: Yeh, yeh. It was last year. 

J: Since covid though, don't you feel like its kinda hard to know what happened when over these last two years? Don't you like, lose a sense of it? Or is that just me getting old?

K: Hm, Im not sure. 

J: We did do the tree here though, right?

K: Yeah, we did. And we made that cake. 

J: We did! 

T: Oh, yes. 

K: And we made Takoyaki. It makes me think we are gonna eat whenever I come here. And we had all the Umaibos!

J: Was it here where we went up to the roof at New Year?

K: Oh, what was it?...Bubbles, and stuff. 

J: Was that here?

K: Yeah, I think it was. 

T: *reading comments* One year since the cake, that black cake.  

K: *notices the comments* Eh?! It looks like umaibo. (*there is a kind of wierd graphic in the comments*)

J: Woah. How do they do that? People are so creative. Ahh, the cake of darkness, yeh. 

T: That tasted good. 

J: Ah, memories, memories. Well, anyway, today we dont have any cake, or Christmas activities, but more importantly, Kaoru, congratulations on completing the 25th anniversary tour!

*applause* 

K: Thank you. 

J: So, the tour is now finished, after starting on October 25th and continuing nationwide. And you did one extra show on Dec 16th, with audience cheering allowed! I wonder if anyone who went to that show is watching now? I think a lot of the people watching us today will have gone to at least one show during the tour...Oh, whats that? Kaoru's mic is hitting his necklace? 

*Kaoru fixes his mic*

T: (*reading comments*) "Thank you for coming to Tokorozawa!"

J: Ah, "I went to Shinjuku". That has become a legendary performance. 

T: "It was so much fun!"

J: "At last, I could use my voice!" Ahh, keep sending in your comments. Oh, so by the way, the theme of this live broadcast is 'Tour 22: From Depression to____ After-Talk Special'!

*applause*

J: Ahh, "I couldn't get tickets to Shinjuku", "I went to Sendai", "I went to Osaka and Amagasaki". Ok, so Leader, the tour is over, but first just give us a quick word on your feelings about it. 

K: Well, hmm, a lot of people came, so I'm really thankful to everyone who did. 

J: I see. Tasai, what would you like to ask?

T: Well, I went to Haneda. It was quite a different feeling there. It looked like you guys were having a lot of fun on stage, but how was it really for you?

K: Well...I'm gonna get a bit serious here, haha...Uh, well, normally we'd release an album, and do a tour, and the songs would be all kinda new, right? So as we do the tour, we'd be kinda gradually chasing the songs up to a higher level as we play them. But this time, we've already done all there is to do with these songs...It might sound strange to say it, but there is nothing higher to achieve with them. Plus, parts of them are ingrained in us, so we know exactly how they will flow out. 

J: You mean, you've perfected them live?

K: Yeah, so it wasn't really a case of 'How is this tour going to go?', but rather, 'How can we make each day exciting?'. So, that was actually quite difficult, haha.

T: Ah, like retaining your motivation?

K: Yeh, or like trying to decide which parts we need to spice up on each day, and stuff. It wouldn't be very exciting if we just played the songs the same old way as usual. I mean, even for us too. So we kinda fumbled along, trying to make each day of the tour exciting. 

J: I see, so if you have a new album out, your big goal is to perfect the songs live, but with these songs that you already know so well, you had to kind of set yourself new objectives, or missions for each day of the tour?

K: Yes. It also reminded me of my past self, well, in my playing style too, but also in my movements and stuff. It was almost as if my past self was trying to emerge, I remembered how I used to be on stage. It felt too different from my current self, and I didn't really want to go there. That was hard for me.  

J: Well, a live show is a bit like a documentary of current times, so in that sense, you didn't want to fall back into your old habits?

K: You could say that, for me. It was difficult anyway. 

T: What exactly do you mean by your past self emerging? 

K: Well, it could be anything. When I'm playing a song, the feelings I had in the past emerge in my body, you know? I mean, I don't know if thats actually how I really was, but, you know? 

J: It happens spontaneously, right?

K: Also, we had a bit of leeway with them this time, right?

J: Ah, yeh, because they are not new songs? 

K: So, I ended up feeling like I need to do something different with them. I could simply just play them as they were, but I did end up feeling like I need to do something with them. I had this kind of ongoing internal conflict in my head..'You don't need to change it, its fine', and 'Oh, you need to do something with this!'. 

J: Were there any parts of the tour where you really tried to challenge yourself with the old material?

K: Well, no, in that sense we put a group of recent songs in the middle of each set, then we put in the new 'ain't' after those. That was the part where we could challenge our current selves. So thats what we considered while making the rest of each setlist. 

J: I see. Someone asked, "How do you feel about the re-recorded versions?" Everyone is sending a lot of enthusiastic questions. But, I was gonna say, a live show happens in the moment, right? So you must have had a lot of incidents ocurring on tour, like in the dressing rooms, or in transit etc? Can you tell us about anything that happened during this tour? 

K: Now? Incidents?(*thinks*)

J: Yeah, backstage gossip. We wanna hear about it. 

K: Well, at Haneda, my amp broke. 

T: Which day at Haneda??

K: Day 1, during the rehearsal before the main show. (*To his manager off camera*) It was day 1 wasn't it? Yeah. So we had an emergency substitute brought in. Oh, no, actually on that day we just used a back up one that we already had, but we got a proper substitute in for the following day. I still havn't got mine back yet. 

J: Oh, its still being repaired?

K: Yeah. 

J: ???

K: Well, the staff did their best.

J: Ahh, I see. Well, this kind of thing can happen on tour. 

T: What about food? Did you eat anything nice?

K: Well, we went to Hokkaido at long last. I ate some nice things in Hokkaido. Well, there is good food everywhere though. 

J: Well yeah. What did you eat in Hokkaido?

K: Seafood...Uh, I had Shirako ponzu (*cod milt/sperm with ponzu sauce*)

J: Ahhhh, I wanna eat that!!

K: Hahaha

J: I couldn't go to any of the regional dates, I wanted to go to Osaka though.

K: They don't call it shirako in Hokkaido though, do they? What do they call it again? Tachi?

J: So like 'tachi ponzu'? 

K: Tachipon. 

J: Ahh, did you have sake with it?

K: No, I had a highball. Haha

J: You always drink highballs!

T: Thats the type of thing that would come up in a Kaoru quiz. 

J: Oh, will it?

T: Yeah, you have to remember this. 

K: For another time, right? haha. 

J: Yes, for another time. Thats the keyword to remember with Tachipon. Oh, look, some people are saying they went to Hokkaido. Well, we'll talk more about those details later, but for now the director is telling us to move to the next page. 

(*They all pick up thier notes and turn the page*) 

J: Ok, just notifications to read out. Uh, on this show we really, really welcome lots of comments and messages. Suppport, thoughts, feelings about the show, anything is ok, so please send them in. Twitter users can use the hashtag TFOE. The first part of this show is free for anyone to watch, but the second part is for channel members only. As a member, you can watch the live broadcasts in the archives for one year, and there are also members only videos for you to see, so please everyone...can you see the link at the top of your screen? Leader, point to it. Thank you. Everyone, please use this link to become a member and stay with us to the end. Ok, so for this 25th Anniversary Tour After-Talk Special, here is our first corner. "Ego-surfing for reports of the tour!"

T: Lets do it!

J: We did this once when the album was released, right?

K: Yeah 

J: Well we are going to do another forbidden search, now that the tour is over. Its scary, right?! Searching for yourself online. Eh, someone said  "Aghhh, don't do it!" No, we will do this live. Tasai is currently searching on the PC, but this same Tasai has an injured foot. 

T: Haha, sorry. 

J: What happened? Show us. 

(*Tasai lifts up a bandaged foot*)

T: Its embarrassing, haha. 

J: What happened?

T: I fell over. 

J: Where? 

T: In front of my office. 

J: Ehhh?! Were you drunk?!

T: No I was just setting off for home like normal, and there was a pothole in the road. My foot got caught in it and I fell over sideways. 

J: Honestly though, Leader, don't you think Tasai has gotten bigger? I think he has. 

K: Well, he looks big. 

T: Oh dear, thats not good. What should I do?

J: Whats your weight?

T: About 100kg. 

J: I bet it is, that sounds about right. You fall in a hole with that much weight, this is what happens! How embarrassing. 

K: (*Laughing at Joe*) How embarrassing? Hahaha

J: Look, someone said, "I want to nurse him"

T: Thank you. 

J: There are people like that out there! When you get guys like me laughing at your pain and embarrassment, there are still people out there who want to nurse you. Haha, someone said, "He's getting plump" haha, "Tasai is becoming a Titan". Oh, ok  yes, lets do some ego-sufing. 

T: (*Reading tweets*) Ok, whats this one..."ワシら(wasihra/us)"

K: Thats my tweet, haha.

T: Hahaha  

J: The first one you chose, and its Kaoru's?? Oh, right, Im being told to explain the hashtag. Right, yes. So what we are doing is searching on Twitter for tweets about the tour. We want to see the reports from people who went to see the lives. We are searching using the tag DIRENGREY25th, so if you havn't already tweeted your thoughts, do it now with this tag, and the injured Tasai may just pick up your comment. 

K: These tweets go right back to the start of the tour. 

J: There's so many, its hard to choose, right?

K: Should I do the scrolling (*takes over*)

J: Poor Tasai with his foot, he can't move much. 

T: Haha 

J: Well, if you remember when we did this with Phalaris, even if you write something now, it might still get seen. 

K: (*Reading a tweet*) "There were a load of songs from Vulagar and Withering to Death, it was a great setlist. I wish they had played The Final and Obscure though". 

J: Ahhh

K: Ahh, we didn't play those two on this day. We did on other days, just not this day. 

J: I see, yeh. It depends on the day. Well, later we will talk more about how every single day was different, the director is telling me. 

K: Haha, they weren't that different from each other. They were only a little bit different each time. 

T: You can talk about the reasons for the changes and stuff. 

K: No no, its not that we planned to change stuff, its just like I said before, we just needed to make each day more exciting by changing little things here and there. 

J: Oh, so you didn't have a big plan from the start to make each day totally different?

K: No no. 

J: It was just a little bit to keep up the excitement after each show. 

K: Yeah. 

J: So would you like, finalise or change up your setlists at the last moment?

K: On the same day?

J: Yeah. 

K: Well, we have done that...

J: Amazing!

K: Well, I mean, thats not really a big deal for us. haha. The staff will have to change a few things round for us, but thats about it. 

J: Ahh, I see. (*reading comments*) "Thats backstage gossip too". Right?

K: (*Looking at computer screen*) These are all tweets from Sendai. 

J: Did something special happen at Sendai? 

K: No, no, I mean, we've only scrolled as far as Sendai, haha. 

T:(*Reads out a tweet mentioning Rasetsukoku*)

K: Hm, yeh, we played Rasetsukoku each time. Im just gonna scroll right down...Ah still Sendai.

J: There are so many tweets for each live. 

K: There's still tonnes. Tasai, I was hoping you would have scrolled a bit further by now. Hahaha. 

J: Yep, there they are both, scrolling away. Are you past Sendai yet?

K: Uh, Zepp Sapporo. 

T: (*Reads out a tweet saying that Saku was the first song*). Ah, starting with Saku!

J: Yeh, I noticed a few days started with Saku when I saw the setlists. Im honestly a bit envious. Starting with Saku is epic, right?!

K: Really?

J: Yes. 

K: Actually, we started with Rasetsukoku for the first two days. 

J: Oh, really?! Thats the rule??

K: The rule? Haha, no, we just decided off the cuff. 

J: Oh, is that it?

K: Yeah. 

(*Louds noise blares out. Kaoru looks shocked and wide-eyed. The sound goes off, and then the video stops for several mins. A message pops up informing of technical difficulties*) 

K: Ok 

J: Ok, we're back! We did it!

T: We're back!

J: The tech staff got us back. 

K: That was quite scary wasn't it?

J: Yeah! Like 'Kyaaaaa' all of a sudden. 

T: It was like a screech from another world. 

K: I was pretty shocked. 

J: Someone in the comments asked if it was Kyo. 

K: Haha

T: Haha. One comment said that its because Joe was predicted many blocked paths this year. You remember our shrine visit?

J: Ah, maybe thats it. I was predicted that at the start of the year, wasn't I?

K: It was Tasai's mic acting up though  wasn't it? And then this huge noise exploded. 

T: As soon as I talked about my leg, it started doing stuff. 

J: Tasai, you need to be purified at the shrine, you have evil on you. 

K: We went at the start of the year though, right?

J: But if its Tokyo Sports there could be all sorts hanging around. 

T: No, but since I hurt my foot, my wife won ¥10000 on the lottery, and WestLand, who I'm reporting on, won the M-1. So there are a lot of good things happening around me. 

K: What about us(Dir)? hahaha 

J: There's nothing bad hanging around you! Ehh, what could it be? Well, at least we've got the sound back. What were we talking about before? Oh, Saku!

T: Yeah, Saku. 

J: Where was it? Hokkaido! Saku was the first song in Hokkaido. 

T: You need a lot of power to burst open with Saku though, right? 

K: What else did we say? About how we opened with Rasetsukoku only on those two days. 

J: Yeah, I think the viewers probably heard that. So continuing the search. Actually there was a question about Sendai...something about a sauna in the dressing room? Did you go in the dressing room sauna?

K: Ahhh, no I didn't. 

J: Oh, more background noise? There is definitely some evil hanging around. 

T: Is it me??

K: We didn't hear anything here, right? Its better now?

J: Ah, lots of ghost emojis..."Its Rasetsukoku" (*land of rakshasas*)

K: Well, I mean, weird stuff just happens to us a lot. 

J: Yeah, so we are probably ok, right? 

T: Anyway lets do this search. 

J: Yes, lets get on with that. Someone wrote, "Sprinkle salt around Tasai's leg"

T: Haha 

J: Someone bring us some salt!

T: Haha, yes please. Ok, now we are at Nov 18th which is Amashin..

K: While we were off air, we did some mega scrolling, haha. 

J: Yeh, the sound guy and you two were working hard, I was just sat here. Sorry, haha. 

T: Ok, here's a tweet. "The speed at which Toshiya crossed the stage during KR cube was incredible!" Do you remember this Kaoru?

K: Uh, I dunno. Haha. He's being doing that for years though, right?

T: Another one, "C straight after Merciless Cult was amazing!" What do you think? This song order is great on the album too. 

K: Yeah, we tried that. I think we only did that once though. 

T: (*Correctly reads out a tweet containing a few song names*)

K: Oh, you really do know the songs! Just from this?!

T: Yes (*reads the name Mamachen/Marmalade Chainsaw*)

K: You even know Mamachen!

T: Yes, because I listen to them. 

K: Oh, thank you. 

T: (*Reading more tweets*) "It was amazing beyond words", also, "Toshiya is really macho" etc. 

K: (*scrolling*) Joe, speak for a bit. 

J: Ah, ok. There are a lot of comments coming here, as well as the tweets, especially about Toshiya cutting across the stage, like his legs are so long he can cross the stage in three steps.

T: No way!

J: Thats was was written in the comments! There are lots of comments about Toshiya..."I was happy to see Die all in red"...."I thought Toshiya's body was 90% legs"

K: Hahaha 

J: That must be a joke. But people are saying its right! Someone wrote that you were chasing each other around the stage at Amashin. 

K: Eh?

J: Were you chasing each other? 

K: Uh, no. What does that mean?

J: Give us some more details people...Did you chase the other members around the stage? 

K: Oh, like following behind? Yeh.

J: "Kaoru and Shinya chased Kyo"

K: Ahhh, yeh.

J: Also, "Kaoru's paper airplane"

K: Oh yeh, I did that. Where was that again?

J: Osaka? 

K: Yeh. I folded the setlist into a paper airplane while I was on stage, but my folding technique was a bit off. I folded it like this (*demonstrates with notes*), so it just flew in a vertical drop as soon as I threw it. Haha

J: It didn't even reach the audience??

K: It fell in the space just infront of the audience. 

J: Ah, someone just said it was Osaka day 2, the paper airplane story. If you guys have any other events from the tour that you want to know about, please send a comment...."The towel throwing was also great". Did you throw it far, Leader? 

K: Well, it flew. 

J: Oh, someone said the water bottles and towels flew as far as the second floor at Hatch. 

K: If you throw the water bottles right, they do go quite far. 

J: To the second floor?

K: Yeah. 

T: (*scrolling*) I think I've reached to the newest tweets...."I made so many memories, it was amazing. My neck is sore"..."I was glad they played Saku and Kodou"...Where is this? Hm, maybe Hatch day 2..."The 25th anniversary tour was great! KR was so much fun, and I've always wanted to hear songs like Wake, Drain, and Jessica live, so I cried a lot during the show"

K: Well, songs are like that. Each person has their own particular meaning and memories attached to each song. So yeh, I can understand that. 

T: It seems like there were a lot of songs from earlier albums. 

K: Well, that was decided by the song battle which Fujieda did. Sitting and talking by himself all that time, haha. But we tried to just include most of the highest ranking songs from that. The songs that we chose ourselves are actually very few. 

J: Ahh. "The mistake at the start of Jessica was also good" Did you make a mistake?

K: Yeah 

J: They spotted it. 

K: Well, we stopped the song. 

J:Oh! Please write where that was if you saw it, guys. "Thank you for spraying water on me, Kaoru". 

T: "The excitment was crazy with Rasetsukoku at the start". That must have been one of those two lives. 

K: Yeh, people like that song.

J: They really do. "Citta day 2"? Ahh. 

T: Also "They didn't play 'I'll' after all". A fan sent this with a crying emoji. 

K: Well, well, well...hahaha. 

T: Ok, I get you, haha. 

J: "I love Rasetsukoku so much, I want it at the start and the end!"

K: Nah...I don't think so, hahaha. I'd want a different song. 

J: Yeh, we get that they love it, but we need variety too. 

T: "Happy Birthday to my favourite guitarist, Die"

K: Ah, yeh, it was his birthday yesterday. 

J: Happy Birthday Die. 

T: Yes, Happy Birthday. Hm, what else can I find here.."It was so emotional at Shinjuku Blaze"

K: Oh yeh, it was the first time in ages for me to go to Kabukicho, the last time was for that talk event we did in Loft. 

J: Oh yes, that was 4 or 5 years ago, right? Ah, but Blaze, yes. 

K: Yeah, Kabukicho really doesn't suit me. Hahaha. 

J: Its so garish, right?

K: Well, it felt kind of dirty. 

J: Ahhh, yeh. 

K: Like, people lined up everywhere,  drinking. I know people do that from the daytime in Ueno and places too, but Kabukicho has a kind of slimy feel to it. 

J: Yeah, Shinjuku is unique. Uneo and places are different. 

T: People are commenting about Tōyoko (*トー横 - An area in Kabukicho*). 

K: Yeh , it was next to Tōyoko. 

J: But this was the first 'cheering allowed' live in ages, right? How was it?

T: Yeah, I wanted to go. 

K: Well...it was a step in the right direction. 

J: Yeah. So cheering was allowed from when the members appeared on stage?

K: Yes 

J: Ahh, somebody write how it felt in the comments! Well, as Leader said it was the first step. Uh, we will talk more about the setlist in the second half. Ah, someone said, "I cried". Well, of course yeh, its been a long time. 

T: (*Reads out a couple of tweets praising the Blaze live*) 

J: Oh, but that moment where the lights go down and everyone screams, right? 

K: But at first, when the lights changed, everyone clapped. 

J: Oh, out of habit? 

K: Yeh. Then when Shinya went out, he was the first out...thats when the cheering started. Well, as far as I heard.

J: Ah yeh. "I wanna scream their names". Yeah, people who couldn't go to Shinjuku will be feeling this. People really want to know whether cheering will be allowed at the tour next year?

K: Well, with current circumstances, the answer is no. It depends on each venue. A lot of them are saying that cheering is allowed at half capacity, which would be a bit tough for us. But if they say cheering is allowed at full capacity...well, I don't know yet. But for now, no. 

J: Its not really something a band can decide on their own, right? It depends on the venue and the region, but im sure people will understand. Anyway, we had a bit of a break earlier, but we are now at the end of the first part of the broadcast. I think we've made up for the part that we lost earlier. In the second part, we will take a much closer look at the setlists from the 25th Anniversary tour, so please join us for that. As was mentioned a bit earlier, each setlist was different!

K: Haha, I don't think thats such an impressive thing really though. 

J: Oh no no. Im not sure if the audience and the performers feel the same about this, but changing just one song can change the whole atmosphere, right?

K: Well, that is true, yes. 

J: So its really exciting for the audience, if they compare it to previous shows. You may even see setlists from the shows you went to, so please send in any questions you like. Ok, ill just inform you of how you can watch part 2. The next part is for channel members only, so you have to be a member if you want to watch to the end. Then you'll be able to watch this broadcast in the archives for a year, and we also have members only videos for you. In these we set various challenges for ourselves. There are some funny ones and some more serious ones. Ok, here's how to join. There should be a blue link at the top of your screen. Leader, point to it please. Thank you. Leader's fingers are on the move. If you click this link you will get a payment method screen. Thank you for pointing sideways, Leader. Choose you preferred method, click proceed, and then enter your info. Its really simple, so if you haven't already joined, please do so to stay with us to the end. Ok, Leader, before we switch over, do you have any announcements you'd like to make?

K: Announcements? 

J: If you have any. Its ok if you don't. 

K: Hmm, do I have any?

J: Haha, I don't know. For example, TheTheDay stuff, or something?

K: TheTheDay is the day after tomorrow. 

T: How about what you will eat tomorrow morning or something? haha

K: Should I really announce that? haha. 

J: I think you could. 

K: I haven't decided yet, haha. Oh, just earlier...today we were rehearsing for the New Year festival, and I had a bit of time before coming here, so I got some ramen, but the soup was lukewarm. It was so disappointing. 

T: Hahaha

J: Ahhh, what a shame for your post-rehearsal ramen!

T: Thats quite an important announcement. 

J: Yeah, it is. 

K: I was disappointed. 

J: Yeah. What will the New Year festival be like? Well, you probably can't say anything, right? 

K: Nah. Anyway, we don't even have a timetable yet. 

J: Well, we can look forward to it. Someone asked what kind of ramen you had?

K: Soy sauce type. 

J: Is that your usual type?

K: No, I like miso, soy sauce, tonkotsu, anything salty, but I guess if im trying a place for the first time, i would choose soy sauce. 

J: Ahh, but still, the sauce was lukewarm. Well, lets get rid of your disappointment and cheer you up in the second part. 

K: In Hokkaido I had miso ramen. It was the first time in absolutely ages to have ramen in the middle of the night after drinking. 

J: Ah, but I guess you didn't care much if you were drunk?

K: I wasn't that drunk though. 

J: Was it like, you went straight in without having to wait in line?

K: I did have to wait. 

J: Oh, you did? Ahh, someone wrote "ramen report". Maybe we will have to do that next year. Ok, we will stop here to switch over. The change over screen will appear for a moment, so members hang tight. See you in part 2 for more 25th Anniversary tour talk!

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 18/07/2023

The expanse of meme in past was split, A fiendish trap has now been set; Behind a tree the villains sit, Terror of sport, the Robbie's Net.

Season 5 Featured on: The SiIvaGunner Spooktacular Halloween Horror Special: Curse of the Fallen Angel

Ripped by Blookerstein

In deciding what would be todays post, I had to make a REALLY hard choice between this rip and the equally as excellent When the Impnosktor is Void, both by the same ripper made under the same event. They're both absolute titans of Season 5 and rips that never leave my mind, but I have to play toward my We Are Number One bias just this once.

You may recall (or have just seen, thanks to the reposts) that I covered a We Are Number One post very early on into this blog's life, throwing bunches of praise onto Nape Mango's ability to wield it in Chillin' Like a Villain. While I did touch on just how cool its been for the YTPMV community to have the entire WANO stems and source files available for use, what I wish I'd sold home even more is what that has LED to: A bunch of WANO arrangements with moods and theming wholly different from the original's ska silliness. That's of course notable in Chillin' Like a Villain itself having a far happier, more holiday-cheerful vibe to it due to its original song's instrumentation, and on the complete opposite end of that you find...todays rip, that I won't be spelling out the name of for obvious reasons. This time, shit's SINISTER.

Through the mixing of WANO's instrumentals and the source track's organ backing, this insane boss theme manages to retain almost every aspect of its original oppressive mood despite being sung by Robbie Rotten from LazyTown. Its an absolute treat to the ears to try and decipher what parts of the original WANO are being used where in the song, so densely layered together specifically to create that same dark atmosphere. I think my favorite part althesame is the vocals - in a way, the goofiness of Robbie's original performance starts to fade out of focus thanks to this aforementioned atmosphere, leaving nothing but the overacted villain role performing with full sincerity. Near the middle of the song there's some really clever and well thought out spacing and added reverb to the vocals to specifically make them sync up with the hits of the original song, and it just hits so perfectly. Its not a mere mashup or an automated conversion, but filled with tons of these small little tweaks and layers of depth to ensure the song's full potential is realized.

I remember both this rip and its other potential candidate for the day having a sort of reverance upon being uploaded, due specifically to the sparceness of Hollow Knight rips on the channel before them. The SiIva team have a tendancy of responding to fan requests in a very tounge-and-cheek way, which they'd done previously in the season with Hollow Knight as well, but on this day - the Grimm Trouppe's 4th Anniversary, in the midst of the season's Halloween event - everyone was celebrating with genuine quality. Blookerstein is one hell of a guy to committing to this anniversary as hard as he did, and trust me, he WILL show up again in the future.

[uzumakisavior]

𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄 (with relevant lyrics) .

Share at least 5 songs that you associate with or remind you of your muse!

SUGURUUUUUU Geto —

Paint the Town Red #1 Yeah, bitch, I said what I said //Geto KFC break up I'd rather be famous instead (walk on by)// Becomes Buddhist Cultist I let all that get to my head // His downfall and Yuki's Convo I don't care, I paint the town red (walk on by) // Murdered 112 and counting. The fire in that village. x2 Mm, she the devil She a bad lil' bitch, she a rebel (walk on by) She put her foot to the pedal It'll take a whole lot for me to settle (walk on by) Mm, she the devil She a bad lil' bitch, she a rebel (walk on by) She put her foot to the pedal It'll take a whole lot for me (yeah) to settle (walk on by) Yeah, said my happiness is all of your misery I put good dick all in my kidneys (walk on by) // Gojo...obviously

Applause By Lady Gaga I've overheard your theory, "Nostalgia's for geeks" // Memories of youth I guess sir, if you say so, some of us just like to read // He understands that intrusive traumatic memories are too painful to relive, so he decides to distance himself by taking on a new identity One second I'm a Koons fan, suddenly the Koons is me // One second I defend the weak, suddenly I they're punished by me Pop culture was in art, now art's in pop culture, in me // I abided by the moral of the majority now the majority abides by me/(my moral) I live for the applause, applause, applause // I mean....you know...star plasma vessel, yes? I live for the applause-plause, live for the applause-plause, live for the- Way that you cheer and scream for me The applause, applause, applause // I Just love the idea that he uses his trauma to mock the lay people.

Empty Walls (This song reminds me of the village Suguru has burned) Your empty walls Your empty walls Pretentious attention Dismissive apprehension Don't waste your time On coffins today When we decline From the confines of our mind Don't waste your time On coffins today Don't you see their bodies burning? Desolate and full of yearning Dying of anticipation Choking from intoxication Don't you see their bodies burning? Desolate and full of yearning Dying of anticipation Choking from intoxication I want you to be left behind those empty walls Taunt you to see from behind those empty walls

Ungodly Hour Song by Chloe x Halle (How I feel his love for Gojo would be in a song. This entire song screams satosugu to me) Hit me with your eyes I never seen that kind of view You walkin' over here The way that it went down, that's when I knew We be talkin' all night But I can tell you need to work on you, you, you Like you, you, you, like you Like you, mmm You be playin' sweet But, baby, don't you know that talk is cheap Can't fool me I wish that you could back it up for me, me, me Like me, me, me, like me

Go Forth and Die by Dethklok Trapped inside a box Four long years Hiding from the world Punished by your peers Studied teachers words Staff appointed hearts Earned a piece of paper No go forth and start Go forth, be conquered Go forth and die //The song about the disillusionment of higher education and its true, consumerist underbelly motivated by fear....not much different than the themes of JJK, sorcery, and its abuse of the youth. I think Suguru would relate to this. Newly graduated sorcerers go forth, just to be conquered, and more go forth and die

BONUS!!!! Bongos by Cardi ft Megan thee Stallion

Thick bitches in a black truck, packed in Eat whoever in my way, Ms. Pacman // Eating curses Hermes, made a real big purchase // Toji Purse so big, had to treat it like a person // Suguru's new pet worm

Any song with Megan and Cardi makes me think of Sato and Sugu, just saying

Tagged by — @ashestxashes

Tagging — anyone who ever reads this

[lifeofkaze]

The Vaulties - Day 1

BEST SONG YOU VIBED TO WHILE CREATING

My most music-heavy story of course has got to the Rockstar AU fic When Stars Ignite. I'm usually not one to listen to music while writing, but this story was just different on so many levels.

Each of the many many chapters is prefaced by a rock song that mirrors the story in either lyrics or mood and when I saw today's theme, I *immediately* knew which song/chapter to nominate:

The very first time I listened to Alive by Arrows to Athens, I knew this was going to be my song for the finale of the fic.

The energy of the lyrics and the beat, the defiant yet hopeful mood, it all created an image before my inner eye that was so vivid like nothing I had ever experienced before. Even now I immediately see the events of that part of the story play before me when the first notes hit, and it gives me the feels every single time.

To me, this couldn't have been more perfect💛

@hphmmatthewluther

also @the-al-chemist because that gif is too perfect. Cheers🌻

[jamboreeofsurprises]

i had just, the most incredible and visual dream last night and i really dont want the imagery i experienced from it to fade. hopefully typing a written record about it will at least refresh my memory of it any time i return to it.

so, i was in a crummy motel with my aunt and grandma, i was sleeping in as it was early morning but i heard faint traces of what was on the tv. lots of people performing songs on stage. i heard a pleasantly good cover of running up that hill by a soul group called Mystery so i looked it up on my phone for later, but the search results also informed me of something very valuable: sparks were about to go on on that very same show that was airing right now. as soon as the show host announced their presence, i started cheering and whooping loudly which startled and annoyed my aunt as she thought i was still asleep but apparently i can pull myself awake for sparks lol.

and this is where dream logic comes in, because i was both still in that motel bed and also there where the show was being filmed in the audience. now, they weren't going to perform live, which i was a bit disappointed in at first, but the stage inexplicably became a gigantic triptych screen, slightly folded inward on the outer screens, think like the garden of earthly delights by bosch (fittingly). ron and russell were there to announce the debut of this special sampling of their new album and it would indeed be an hour long which i was excited about (aunt was ambivalent). they came into the audience to personally greet/thank the fans for showing up in support and i, despite being far in the back, received a handshake from both brothers, ron noting that he remembered me and apologized that "nothing is as exciting as the first time meeting i know but thanks for coming." i thought, what a classically ron thing to say!

the screens went on and a pan of the audience was shown. camera was on me for a second so i ruffled my bangs that were out of place and i heard a few friends of mine cheering for recognizing me, lol. embarrassing but funny.

an animated intro began for a new video of an extended the girl is crying in her latte. this was faithfully recreated 30s-style animation of a mop (?) falling into a river and stating the name of the song in a child's voice while a latte cup poured tears into the river. there was a further extended intro involving the chosen four from earthbound and pokey also talking about everything we were about to see and i was on the verge of messaging everyone i know about what i was seeing out of sheer disbelief. not sure how this was relevant in retrospect but i was absolutely not gonna complain

then began a really grand animated video showing cartoon girls throughout the ages going in semi-chronological order, in styles faithfully recreated and some being actual iconic animated girls, shown crying over various scenarios in fast transitions. i was immediately hit with 'oh they finally had the absolute budget and it is paying off so hard.' black and white animation became early 30s painted animation and czech and soviet stop motion and cutout animation, and at some point anime gets introduced and the video gets a lot more experimental as the animation starts warping and transforming on itself and i swear the extended version of the song also does some interesting and unique things, picking up more instruments and more of an orchestral flair as it progresses, getting a little bigger every time as the visuals become just plain hypnotic. sailor moon was also there crying about tuxedo mask and had a dedicated verse in the song, Somehow. it all just got so kaleidoscopic and every corner of the three screens had something to fix your eyes on, almost grotesque in a good way as the figures abstracted to the point you could barely tell they were girls crying. it was a really fascinating tribute to the medium of animation and the theme of cartoon girls crying throughout the ages over very different things was so fun. i wish i could remember what more of the extended lyrics were but i thought to myself, what we got with the cate blanchett video really was only a tiny sample huh - this is absolutely the way this song should be experienced.

the cheering was really thunderous even if sparks fans only comprised a pretty small amount of the show's total audience, those of us who were there were in shock and awe at everything we were seeing. in real life i actually woke up a few different times to turn off the fan, turn off my alarm, etc and was greatly relieved that the dream picked up right from where i left it each time i fell back asleep. i'm not usually lucky enough for that to happen. in the dream i got on twitter a few times to tell my friends, you should really be here, i'm scared that this is a dream because it's all too amazing it might not be real. i know a video for an extended veronica lake came on shortly after - i think ron and russell also showed up to thank everyone again inbetween. they were dressed in suits and looked very proud of their creation. and i guess that's the basic extent of what i remember.

[iceiceparis]

Assigning Star Rail cast the songs they would sing in Yakuza/Like a Dragon karaoke along with the cinamatics.

1. Tail - Bakamitai

He's the most unfamiliar with emotional attachment so he def the type to rather just sit in a room and drink helio-whiskey instead of showing any real affection as a green ball floating above a stool.

Of course the pictures being replaces with his moments with Huohuo in his mind cuz hes basically her family now 😭😭😭

Also its funny cuz Huohuo would be too scared to sing but the gang somehow got him to sing so she has to akwardly stand off the stage nearby so he has his wifi connection.

2. Caelus and/or Stelle Judgement -Shinpan-

Its all about breaking za law and they always say that "Rules are meant to be broken." They would be into that cheesy image of cool.

March (or even the other Trailblazer) would be in Nishiki's spot with Dan Heng or Welt as the keyboard player as they rock out.

3. Caelus - 24 Hour Cinderella

Of course both TBlazers can be interchange able but I like to think they have their own slight personality differences.

In their mind this would have a March theming in colors and outfits and who ever they first think up as the background dancers. He did this to out-idol and out-cute March, somehow gets a higher rating from the machine at the end.

4. Stelle - Machine Gun Kiss

Much like Caelus, this is her way of out-cooling Welt even though he sung a completely different genre of song. Also gets a higher rating but just barely. She especially would really ham it up especially on the end with the "aaaRRUUHHGGG!!!" like Adachi.

5. Clara and Svarog - OtoMetal MY LIFE

The name alone should be enough. Small child with a red and white color scheme with a menacing seemingly emotionless legendary guardian with a deep voice? Heck yeah it works.

First, she asked for him to participate in karaoke,

Then she asked he do the actual back up vocals instead of replaying the built in cheers. After a few songs, Svarog began to understand the energy he had to put into the vocals.

6. Sushang - The Future I Dreamed of

Both Ichiban and Sushang dream to be a hero who does good and with friends even if they have more heart than brains.

Basically are both shonen protags who hit things with metal objects with a big smile on their face and never back down even at impossible odds (unless its ghosts).

It wouldnt even matter if she could hit the notes either because she rarely sings due to her training, Sushang would put in alot of effort in her singing and that alone is enough.

7. Bronye and Seele - Like a Butterfly

Seele and butterflies, what else is there to say.

Bronya singing the softer vocals with Seele complimenting it with more "aggressive" back up matches their dynamic pretty well, also its funny imagining her going all out on a song and going "Oh yeahhhh."

8. Guinaifen - Spring Breeze

"All the pictures that I could take,

All the gigs these videos make,

None of it replaces the you that I know.

But they'll be there after you go."

I mean cmon, this is easily her singing to her SQUAD outside of her streaming stuff. 'Blazer, Sushang, Huohuo, they would all be in her imaginary MV as she sung. Would be one of the better singers in raw quality.

9. March - All Idol songs + 3x SHINE

I am certain she would be a bonafide idol if she had the opportunity. All the interjections are basically any of the Star Rail passangers minus Pom Pom unless she convinced him its an essential for the sake of the ride.

Even someone like Dan Heng would be going off with their interjections she just has that latent power.

[afamineinyourheart]

What are some albums that you would consider no skips albums?

Wow this is the best question that I could have been asked. Music is my #1 interest so allow me to geek out about certifiable no skip records (in my opinion)

Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge by My Chemical Romance. This album has it all, a great story, action, guitar solos that will have you think Brian May is recording something for Iron Maiden, perfect drums, and rage that’s been calmed a tad since their first record. I know Danger Days is a “comic book” record but I think that this one is the same vibe just darker themed. Its like listening to a movie really. I can never get enough of this album and even almost two decades later I find new stuff out of the mix.

Third Eye Blind- Third Eye Blind. Once you look past the hits like semi-charmed kind of life & jumper this album is actually really kind of dark. At least thats the way I take it. I mean obviously those hits are dark themed but- this album is like a transition-in-your-life record. It was the theme to my summer of 2021. Every single song is built up, has relatable lyrics, and just hits everybody different. Every song is undeniably catchy and I think everybody needs to listen to it.

(What’s the Story?) Morning Glory- Oasis. This album has been constantly spinning for me this year. I can. Not. Get. Enough. I think every Oasis record is great but this one has zero skippability. Every other record of their’s has at least one song where I’m like “yeah this blows/is silly”. From front to back this record oozes self confidence (perfect for my ‘fake-it-til-you-make-it’ god complex) & it is so catchy/vague that anyone can find meaning in any and all of the songs. Its has highs, it has lows, the sound/mix is a little dense so I usually listen to a remastered version- but regardless the songs are meant to be ear-worms and they are. Whether you’re on the metro, on the bus, walking through a park or a city- this record is perfect to walk to and jam out to.

Honourable mentions: The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails, Violator by Depeche Mode, any record by Brand New, Take This To Your Grave & From Under The Cork Tree by Fall Out Boy, The Used’s self titled, and probly a few more that i’m missing/can’t remember right now.

[juunimeta]

So I think I’m gonna take some time to talk about the music in touhou. I have a hard time saying my favorite song, but I can say my favorite for most stages/bosses. Two things I love about the series’s music is that they play with rhythms and run at a certain BPM. Most are at 180 bpm, which is literally the bpm I run long runs at, so having footfalls on downbeats is super satisfying. The songs also establish a certain groove early, then either play with that rhythm throughout the song, or start a variation of it and then switch into a sort of combo between the two. This is why I’ll say that certain soundtrack sound touhou-esque, because they follow that pattern. Here are my favorite songs for each stage.

Stage 1 - touhou 16 stage 1. This song has no right to go so hard, but it does.

Stage 1 boss - because princess inada is scolding me. Also pretty good, keeping it short and sweet as well. Fits Minoriko pretty well too.

Stage 2 - touhou 10 stage 2. Really nice beat, and honestly fits Hina more than her own theme. Anybody get a strong purple vibe from this song?

Stage 2 boss - a tie between beware the umbrella left behind forever and September pumpkin. Both go really hard, but for different reasons.

Stage 3 - touhou 15 stage 3. Really catchy, as well as kinda calming. Honorable mention to walking the streets of former hell and touhou 17 stage 3 as well though.

Stage 3 boss - a pair of divine beasts. Aunn got an excellent theme, with it having an interesting use of guitar in it.

Stage 4 - touhou 12 stage 4 and touhou 18 stage 4. I’ve ran meets to both of these songs, but they also go really hard. Honorable mention to unlocated hell as well.

Stage 4 boss - Captain Murasa. I love both mixes of this theme, and they both have differing tones. Honestly, they both just go super hard.

Stage 5 - touhou 15 stage 5. Really nice theme, following a similar pattern to Clownpieces theme.

Stage 5 boss - three way tie between corpse voyage ~ be of good cheer, crazy back door dancers, and shou’s theme. Each hit like a truck, and have nice grooves to them.

Stage 6 - A sea where one’s home planet reflects. A genuinely great theme among all the other bangers in touhou 15’s soundtrack. Really great for a stage 6 theme too.

Stage 6 boss - now this is a hard one to pick. I’d probably say a tie between shotoku legend ~ true administrator, okina’s theme, keiki’s theme, and Yuuma’s theme. They all hit like a brick tbh.

Ex stage - UFO romance through the night sky. Probably what I would say if you asked what my favorite theme is. Honestly, this one fits me as a person a pretty good deal.

Ex boss - Princess slaying dragon kings. Really cool feel to this one, as well as a interesting space-y feel to it.

[project-sekai-new-spark]

RAINBOW🌈STARBURST Kizuna Ranks

This is a masterpost for every kizuna rank involving one of the members of RAINBOW🌈 STARBURST (Arisa Tomotaki, Akari Yaegashi, Tsunemi Hirabayashi, Harumi Hachiouji, Natsuna Konoe, Miyo Ajimi, Maruka Aihara and Hikari Fukasaku). It will update on occasion when I come up with new ranks/rework old ones

Ranks between two characters are listed in the order they are unlocked

Unit ranks

Arisa + Akari

"Shall We Dance?"

"The Nature That I Lack"

"Once More, Combining Our Strengths"

Arisa + Tsunemi

"Full Of Energy"

"Can You Really Hit That Note?"

"Challenging Each Other To Go Further!"

Arisa + Harumi

"We're The Directors!"

"To Inspire Others"

"The First To Accept Me"

Arisa + Natsuna

"Accident Prone Vs Safety Measures"

"Please Be More Careful"

"Someone To Rely On"

Arisa + Miyo

"Polar Opposites When It Comes To Energy"

"A Break Every Now And Then Is Good"

"Finding Passion From Our Childhood Heroes"

Arisa + Maruka

"Afraid Of Deadlines"

"Seeking Perfection"

"Achieving Something Seemingly Impossible"

Arisa + Hikari

"Enthusiastic About Clothes"

"Need A Model?"

"Stunning As Always"

Akari + Tsunemi

"Fun Music! Fun Dancing!"

"Should We Go For a Slower Pace?"

"Someone Who Gets My Vision"

Akari + Harumi

"I Wish We Were Classmates"

"I Know We Can Count On You"

"A Good Perspective To Have"

Akari + Natsuna

"The Responsibile Duo"

"Grand But Realistic"

"We Can Be A Bit Daring At Times"

Akari + Miyo

"Turning Your Words Into A Dance"

"How Would We Portray This?"

"Please Take As Much Time As You Need"

Akari + Maruka

"Don't Stress Too Much"

"How To Combine Set And Dance"

"To Truly Enhance Our Performance"

Akari + Hikari

"Something Good To Dance In..."

"We'll Make Sure It's Comfortable!"

"Being Able To Truly Pursue Our Passions"

Tsunemi + Harumi

"Classmates AND Troupe-mates"

"We Should Be Paying Attention"

"A Shared Cheerfulness"

Tsunemi + Natsuna

"Don't Run Around The Stage!"

"Vaguely Familiar With Each Other"

"The One Who Keeps Me On My Toes"

Tsunemi + Miyo

"So Full Of Energy..."

"Working Closely Together"

"Reminding Me Of Someone"

Tsunemi + Maruka

"Joyful One And Stressed One"

"How Do You Manage Time?"

"Helping You Smile When It's Needed Most"

Tsunemi + Hikari

"More Sparkles! More Glamour!"

"Need To Keep On Theme..."

"You Captured My Song Perfectly!"

Harumi + Natsuna

"Reliable Director And Stage Manager"

"Safety First!"

"You Can Count On Me!"

Harumi + Miyo

"A Bit Air-Headed"

"Your Calming Presence"

"I'm Sure We Can Take A Breather"

Harumi + Maruka

"I Love Everything You Make"

"More Relaxed Deadlines"

"We'll Push The Other When Needed"

Harumi + Hikari

"Differing Tastes"

"Things I Can Learn From You"

"We Inspire Each Other"

Natsuna + Miyo

"Wide Awake And Fast Asleep"

"Don't Sit Down There!"

"I Can Breathe For A Moment With You"

Natsuna + Maruka

"Working With Pride"

"We Tend To Be Too Serious..."

"Don't Forget To Take Breaks"

Natsuna + Hikari

"Cautious Even Towards Each Other"

"That Incident Which Shaped Us"

"We'll Look Out For Them Together"

Miyo + Maruka

"Seemingly Relaxed And Seemingly Perfect"

"Sleeping At Unusual Times"

"Why Theatre Sekai Has Blankets"

Miyo + Hikari

"Let's Keep The Details Clear"

"Club Members Who Rarely Spoke"

"We Share More In Common Than I Expected"

Maruka + Hikari

"Careful In Our Craft"

"Afraid Of Something Happening"

"A Reliable Second Eye"

Other ranks

Ouwa + Tsunemi

"Musically Inclined Sisters"

"Those Memories I Hold Dear"

"My Biggest Inspiration"