#WHY CANT WE HAVE THE PIANO SOLO MORE OFTEN? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

avvidstarion · 4 years ago

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For the album ask game... how about The Black Parade?

oh ABSOLUTELY. i LOVE you. this is all subject to change at the drop of the hat bc im wishy-washy and i love all of these songs anyway so

this got WAY too long so i am putting it under a readmore shhvkldlkdgjlkdsj

not including b-sides:

1. Teenagers- kind of a basic pick i know, BUT, in my defense, the song slaps. it’s such a fun song, especially when you’re singing it at the top of your lungs. the guitar part is super cool too- im trying to learn it rn but it’s a slow process bc im bad at guitar.

2. Mama- what can i say. it fucks. the old time-y feel, the harmonies/background vocals, the layers. the guitar goes so fucking hard. banging lyrics- “you should’ve raised a baby girl, i should have been a better son”??????? songs to be trans to.”but the shit that i’ve done with this fuck of a gun” is the kind of lyric that you can only properly convey if you’re screaming it at the top of your lungs. the whole ending is just. mind blowing

3. The End.- LISTEN!!!!!!!!! the end is WAY TOO FUCKING UNDERRATED!!!! oh my goddd i love it so much. i love it SO much. it’s such a perfect beginning to the song. the lyrics are great (”now come one, come all, to this tragic affair” if you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see, you can find out first hand what it’s like to be me”, “another contusion, my funeral jag. here’s my resignation, i’ll serve it in drag. you’ve got front row seats to the penitence ball, when i grow up, i want to be NOTHING AT ALL!!! SAVE ME!!! GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!! SAVE ME!!! TOO YOUNG TO DIE, AND MY DEAR!!! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME JUST WALK AWAY AND TAKE ME!!). the bit with the snapping and the ooooohs is fun too. such a good song, it could honestly be 1 or 2 but my ranking system isnt based in logic and makes no sense to even myself

4. House of Wolves- house of wolves was my favorite mcr song for a good chunk of time, but as a result i’m kinda burned out on it, which is why it isn’t higher. however it is still number four because it’s objectively a fucking amazing song. the guitar is so fuckin fun, the lyrics are great, and it’s just. fun to dance around and sing it at the top of your lungs. you better run like the devil cause they’re never gonna leave you alone!!!!! tell me i’m a bad, bad, bad, bad man!!!

5. Welcome to the Black Parade- the big man itself. the titular song. their biggest hit. a lot of people shit on wttbp for being popular and, like, pretty much the only song of theirs to ever be on the radio anymore (and even then it’s once in a blue moon), BUT. it got popular for a reason. it’s a really good song. i love the structure of it, i love how it builds and builds and builds. the lyrics are wonderfully done- “a world that sent you reelin from decimated dreams/ your misery and hate will kill us all”, the whole “do or die, you’ll never make me” stanza is The Ultimate rallying cry. and the “im just a man, i’m not a hero” is just. ughghghdlkslakdjglsdkg. the titular song of an album entirely about death and dying and misery being SO hopeful and SO upbeat really portrays the album as a whole much differently- mcr is known as The Emo Band because, yeah, their aesthetic is dark and their songs touch dark stuff but they have never been all whiney and boo-hoo-y and melancholic for the sake of melancholy. there’s always been a positive note to their music and a lot of people just don’t get that which makes me sad. anyway. wttbp is fun and i like it and i like the drums and the trumpets at the end. marching bands fuck

6. Blood- ok so the pattern here seems to be that i favor the fun songs over the slow ones, and blood sticks with that. much like with mama, i love the old time-y feel. i love that this is like a fun little bonus ditty to end the album on. the lyrics are silly and fun and jovial, and the piano is great. love it and it makes me happy

7. Disenchanted- OUGHH. OUUUUUGH. i know cancer is objectively the saddest song on the album, but disenchanted just hits different. “when the lights all went out, we watched our lives on the screen/ i hate the ending myself, but it started with an alright scene” just DECIMATES me, man. the acoustic guitar is a nice change of pace, and the vocal performance is just. so fucking emotional. especially the “woahhhhhhhh-ohs” at the end. great song, makes me Feel Emotions

8. The Sharpest Lives- ok so i know this is pretty much in the middle of the list, but i want to stress that i dont hate any of the songs on this album, so even the middle of the list is pretty fuckin good imo. the sharpest lives makes me go batshit. the lyrics are so fucking wild. “a light to burn all the empires, so bright the sun is ashamed to rise and be” is SO fuckin sick like OH my god. what a line. also “there’s a place in the dark where the animals go/ you can take off your skin in the cannibal glow/ juliet loves the beat and the lust it commands/ drop the dagger and lather the blood on your hands, romeo” like WHAT?????????????? GERARD POPPED OFF W THIS ONE FOLKS!! also i love how at the beginning the whisper-y vocals bounce from ear to ear. also “so why don’t you blow me......a kiss before she goes” is fuckin hilarious. honestly this song should be higher but i havent gone through a phase where i’ve been obsessed w it yet so it stays down here for now. one day it will take hold and be all i can listen to for a month straight and THEN it will climb the ranks.

9. Cancer- makes me cry like a liddol baby. my mom doesnt let it play in the car cause it makes her too sad. twenty one pilots covered it and it was FUCKING AWFUL so the song is kinda ruined now cause i can only think about their shitty cover. like the AUDACITY. but anyway besides that the song is heart wrenching and amazing. the hardest part of this is leavin you!!!!

10. Dead!- look, i know technically the end. and dead! are the same song/ are just continuations of each other but i’m listing them separately bc dead! is, to me, the worse of the two. not that it’s bad or anything, it just doesn’t pop off the same way the end. and all the songs before it on the list do. however i do love the guitar at the beginning and the solo, and the “one! two! one two three four! LA LA LA LAs” are super fucking fun.

11. Famous Last Words- i used to hate this song!!!! i truly did!! it’s obvs not on the top of my list now or anything, but i have grown to appreciate it a lot more than i used to. like with wttbp, it is the silver lining of the album that betrays its optimistic side. it’s a happy final message to a dark album. the ending is fucking amazing. I am not afraid to keep on living!!!! i am not afraid to walk this world alone!!!!!!

12. Sleep- Sleep is, unfortunately, just kinda boring in comparison. i almost forgot to even put it on the list. however, i do like the “the hardest part’s the awful things that i’ve seen” and the “a drink, for the horrors that i’m in. for the good guys and the bad guys, for the monsters that i’ve been” lines. also the “three cheers for tyranny, unapologetic apathy!” line. but overall it’s just. eh

13. This is How I Disappear- i have. complicated feelings on tihid. on one hand, it reminds me of my favorite oc, re, and is on their playlist. on the other hand, i have grown bored with it over time. it just doesn’t stand out to me at all really. that being said, i do really like the “who walks among the famous living dead” and the “can you hear me cry out to you” stanzas.

14. I Don’t Love You- while i dont think idly is a bad song at all, it just simply isnt my kind of song. i do think gerard’s vocals are extremely strong throughout, especially during the “when you go, would you have the guts to say/ i don’t love you like i loved you yesterday” line. like wow ok maam please continue. but overall i just dont vibe w breakup songs bc i cant relate

including b sides: 1. Heaven Help Us

2. Kill All Your Friends

3. Everything else

4. My Way Home is Through You

my reasoning:

heaven help us is tied for my favorite mcr song Of All Time. everything about this song is catnip for lil old me. the angsty christian imagery, the vocals, the guitar. all of it. the lyrics make me lose my mind, especially the “will you pray for me? or make a saint of me? and will you lay for me? or make a saint of- cause i’ll give you all the nails you need/cover me in gasoline/ wipe away those tears of blood again/ and the punchline to the joke is asking ‘SOMEONE SAVE US’” and the “you don’t know a thing about my sins/ or the misery begins/ you don’t know, so i’m burnin! I’m burnin!!!” parts. like i absolutely vibe with this song so fucking hard. i sing it constantly, it’s great to sing (very stimmy for me), it sounds beautiful. i am obsessed with it through and through

similarly, kill all your friends also speaks to my very soul. i can’t pick favorite lyrics bc id just have to copy and paste the whole song. i love the build-up, i love the time progression throughout the song (it’s been TEN FUCKING YEARS since i’ve been seein your faaaaaace rounnnnnd heeeere), i love the “you’ll never take me alives”. literally everything about this song makes me emo. it just Gets Me. it’s literally about my greatest fear. all my friends growing up and moving away and getting on with their lives without me, leaving me to rot in my hometown waiting for them to return. we only see each other at weddings and funerals, so it’s time to kill all your friends so we can party when the funeral ends!! it’s probably tied with heaven help us, but i’m putting it at number two just because it didn’t hook me as strongly as hhu did. it’s more of a strong, steady favorite than a “this song has latched on to my very soul and i have to listen to it on repeat over and over and over again”, if that makes sense. it’s still in my top 5 mcr songs though

i never vibed with my way home is through you. i don’t listen to it often, and i just don’t really feel it. it’s not bad, it’s just. eh.

anyway if you’ve read this far down i love you so much. thank you for listening to me ramble, mcr means a lot and i love to infodump about my music tastes. i really really appreciate being given an opportunity to do so <3

#mcr #asks #anon #SERIOUSLY. ILY. MWAH.

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anyhao-archived · 5 years ago

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1OFAKIND

9 member boy group

debut song: DUNK IT!

debut album: welcome to 1nderland

members:

mattie (16)

dancer, vocal, maknae, ‘02 line

energetic & hyper; cute & charismatic

still in school + incredibly short but still growing

drama queen & loves bothering RBF a lot

doesn’t speak any english despite his english (stage) name

the main advocate to get a cat. when they go to the shelter he doesn’t even bother going in the dog section. he goes straight to the cats and is literally the epitome of the “pls mom can we get him :(((” cliche while showing a cat to the CEO

he likes to joke that his only skill is cooking pizza rolls to absolute perfection. everyone knows that is a LIE but its funny so.

nathaniel (16)

dancer, rapper, speaks basic spanish, ‘02 line

mischief twin with mattie (though nathaniel’s a little eviler, and less hyper) the other members can’t leave them alone for a minute (like that 1 scene in community where the guy goes to get the pizza and a minute later the apartment is on fire) -- yeah.

calls the CEO “mom” jokingly until he slips up and means it

dropped out of school but getting his GED slowly. takes online classes and jack +suhyun help him

the first to volunteer for brightly colored hair (he gets the bright blue that vav’s ace had in dance with me)

suhyun (18)

vocal, composer, can play piano and guitar, born in 2000

soft, sweet and polite boy. well liked by everyone

he gives off the impression of being shy and quiet but he’s really not. he just waits for the right moment to roast someone. its not that he’s shy he just. really doesnt have much to say. when he does, though, everyone listens to him. more often than not its a quip at another member

speaks english pretty well, almost fluent

literal aegyo king. he looks so soft and sweet he’s already cute, but when he does puppy eyes and asks jaeyong/the CEO for something they immediately give in to him. he uses it for bad & selfish reasons, and refuses to do it on command (like on shows)

self proclaimed fashionista, gets irritated with the members when they purposely dress bad

the second to volunteer for colored hair (gets a dark red/burgundy)

haeyoung (19)

power vocal, dancer, 2nd leader, born in 1999

helps jack with choreographing

drama queen (part 2) always tries to one up mattie

even despite the rivalry to be dramatic, he LOVES mattie. he loves all the younger members, which is why he’s elected as 2nd leader -- to be an advocate for the younger members who sometimes perhaps don’t have the courage to complain to the hyungs

he loves dogs but animals don’t seem to like him.

one day he gets fed up with being ignored by daisy and dramatically falls to the ground in the practice room floor and whines about daisy hating him. one of the members kick him to get up but he refuses. daisy slowly comes over, as if sensing his distress, and licks him on his face.

to this DAY he maintains that he did not cry, the members are all slandering him! from then on, though, daisy sleeps on haeyoung’s bottom bunk bed with him

he’s recently got his driver’s license but no one likes to be in the car with him. he’s literally a mess and no ones sure how he got the license

he followed the hair color trend: a light, cotton candy pink color

he LOVES SPARKLES!!!! always asks for sparkles in his makeup. his aegyo skill is second only to suhyun. haeyoung always just. GOES for it. he’s less pleading and more cutesy high voice pitch. half the members cringe, and half of them love it. the one who seems to enjoy it the most though is jaeyong, surprisingly.

minchan (20)

vocal, dancer, and visual, ‘98 line

dumb and dumber with wooyoung. (minchan is the dumber) literally never knows what’s going on. tends to get lost, and if wooyoung is there, wooyoung’s lost too. jaeyong finds them and drags them back by their collars

though he’s mainly a vocal, he’s a wonderful dancer, too. he’s got (some) background in ballet, which makes his dancing perfect for this group

an amazing artist and incredibly creative. he designs their album designs and helps with photography. he’s also incredible at makeup and loves to do members’ makeup. sometimes he teams up with suhyun to give a full makeover to one of the members -- makeup, hair, outfit, etc. their victim is usually haeyoung or jack.

a dog person, came up with daisy’s name

he’s got light brown hair, and he makes sure to make it fluffy every day

he prides himself on learning certain niche skills. he’s first aid and cpr certified. he can also knit! he’s also the best cook in the dorm (not the only one, but certainly the best)

wooyoung (20)

dancer, rapper, knows basic english, ‘98 line

loves dogs & is best friends with minchan. he’s the dumb portion of the dumb & dumber duo, even though both of them really aren’t idiots

HIMBO!!! like he is kind of dumb (in a good way at least) and he’s the one who posts the most selfies. he enjoys stripping and ripping off his shirt

he likes to edit videos, and learns how to compose from suhyun. he’s the one members go to if they’re having tech issues.

somehow, he is a technology nerd but also a gym rat?? he’s THAT GUY who takes gym selfies and meanwhile jaeyong’s in the background with his shirt off lmao

he’s the actor of the group. if there’s an offer to be in a drama or whatever he’d be the first to be picked

also has background in dance! more street style though, like pop/locking or bboying. when he and minchan work together their dancing is beautiful. almost like art in its own form

BJ -- aka: RBF (21)

stable vocal, dancer, face of the group, ‘97 line

doesn’t like to be touched

dramatic, but not drama queen type. more like draping himself over pieces of furniture in silk outfits while there’s candles barely lighting the old room

has black hair that needs a trim, always wearing black clothes, bracelets, etc. (like the cliche emo in middle school in 2009)

what a fucking MESS! he’s always cheating during games and refusing to move/work out more than strictly necessary.

his stage name is literally BJ (their CEO thought it was funny, and he was always like ??? until jack told him what that means in English LOL and he’s SO SCANDALZIED! he’s that member who does a solo interview while the rest are off fuckin’ around. he does an entire vlive for this one rant. hes like, hey guys. now i know why you all laughed when i was introduced. jack told me what bj means in english! so im gonna change my stage name. i like the idea of letters. what do you guys think of rbf?’

‘you know what that stands for, too, right?’

of course! resting bitch face! don’t you think that suits me? nd thats how he goes from bj to rbf. their ceo thinks rbf is hilarious, too

he seems aloof but he actually has a lot of emotions. he tends to rant about anything, and jack’s the only one who rly listens to him.

he’s closest with suhyun, bc hes the only member who seems to understand him more than at a surface level. basically they’re a yin/yang type of friends

is very happy with his appearance. he likes being that dancer with swaying hips and lifting his shirt up. sexy dance!

jack (21)

rapper, fluent in english, choreographer, ‘97 line

closest with jaeyong (they were together at a different company before)

quiet, responsible, and well liked

makes sure all members are heard and understood. he also teaches them english (especially mattie)

basically: hes the long suffering mother type and lives in the bedroom with mattie and nathaniel to watch over the mischief twins

probably the most intelligent but doesnt act like it. kind of a nerd and wears glasses, but he’s ... well built. looks good. hes basically the “hot nerd” with flannel and beanies cliche

his only downfall is he’s extremely unlucky. everything he touches breaks or falls apart lmao. like, he’s the tallest member and gives off ‘rough’ vibes but. he’s constantly tripping, or falling down stairs. however the members know better than to laugh at him lol they’ve seen him angry.

‘im not angry. im just disappointed’ the rest of the group: WE ALL KNOW THATS WORSE!

maknae line (mattie, nathaniel, and suhyun) are constantly following him around like little ducklings. it comes natural to mattie and nathaniel, and suhyun just enjoys being there lol

jaeyong (23)

leader, eldest, main rapper, born in 1995

he’s got experience in the industry and leads the rest of the group with that knowledge. he debuted briefly at the previous company but disbanded early. he left the company with jack and now they’re in the new one.

main driver!! he drives all the members everywhere and its an ongoing joke that hes a chauffeur. however he’s got... a little bit of road rage lmao

GYM RAT! he’s jacked!!! he rarely shows his abs though, preferring to tease fans lmao however wooyoung keeps taking pics of him when he’s shirtless in the gym (both on purpose and on accident)

he’s also a bit cliche. if jack was long suffering mom(TM) then he’s the slightly detached but well meaning father(TM) ! not afraid to call out his members, but listens with an open mind. he’s a great mediator if there’s any issues within the group

though jaeyong is the leader, jack tends to be the one herding all the kids and making sure they eat. jaeyong is more about pep talks and being strong, giving great speeches, etc.

even though he seems like he’d be rough around the edges, he’s incredibly loving. in multiple ways. he teases, he rough houses, LOVES hugging the members until they cant breathe. he’s... also very susceptible to aegyo. like he cant help but be swayed. he will never admit it but haeyoung and suhyun’s aeygo make his heart race

#mtxt #okay anyway here we go #so ... enjoy my take on an original kpop boy group #literally it is soo long but. the dream was detailed #and i added a lot of extra info as i was typing #i put it under a readmore bc there's SO MUCH about the members #but there's actually a part 2 coming!!!#1ofakind #op #kg #mkg

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yn6k · 5 years ago

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hi shine! i wanted to know your thoughts about the book of us: gravity album? any personal favorites? least favorites?

sorry this is so late! i wanted to take my time to answer it because i do have a lot of thoughtsTM hahaha more (like a LOT more) under the cut :)

so on first listen of the album, or honestly even just from the album spoiler haha, my ears instantly focused in on cover and how to love! so i’ll probably have the most to say about those songs + time of our life since ive listened to them the most!!for me: love how its in compound meter! always love me a good 12/8 or 6/8 or whatever it is haha its felt in three basically lskj i dont have a lot to say about this song? i think the focus is more on the lyrics? but musically i cant really identify anything that really sticks out to me alkdj like typical poprock i really dont know what to say maybe theres more interesting things going on underneath that im terrible at picking out (like in the chord progressions) fav part is def the prechorus^^time of our life: its so weird talking about this now bc ive gotten so used to the song that lkj some of what im saying (like the changes i would have done) feels /wrong/ but ahaha still here are some of my thoughts^^ FIRST OF ALL WONPILS PIANO SOLO >>>>> i just really love listening to it and i think an underrated part of his solo is the i think synth drums underneath them and how it creates this driving motion for the song and so like even tho the song starts kind of bare we can go straight into that hype instrumental intro instead of like having only his solo be the intro and going straight into the more mellower verse or smth along those lines? hahaha i think on first listen the first thing that stood out to me was how the chorus sounded like an extension of the verse? like the chorus wasnt very obvious and im not sure why in terms of like chord progression music theory, but in terms of instrumentation i think one of the reasons is because that driving quarter note drum thing we get in the chorus only resolves in the second half of the chorus instead of sometime in the first half of it. so it almost gives off this sense that we might be building up to something greater but we arent? really like all of this energy from the drums piling up for seemingly no reason and also the effect that it has on really accentuating the opening lines of the chorus dissipates imo the longer that drum rhythm plays out. like the whole “a page of beautiful youth” part that opens the chorus is mostly all quarter notes and i love how we have the quarter notes within the actual drum line to back that up but then two things after that happen: 1) we get i guess a reiteration of the opening melody in the chorus with the “let’s write it together” which i feel like having the drumming driving with those same quarter notes underneath it makes the intro of the chorus feel a bit less special and memorable? and 2) and after that line plays out, the melody becomes a bit more loose in in terms of its rhythm (the ‘i want to fill it with our memories’ part) the melody doesnt have those same impactful quarter notes anymore, but u still have the drum playing it so its kind of? like a why? at that point like i personally feel it takes away from the support it gives to the earlier melody that was obviously more driving quarter notes. i kind of wish that driving forward motion in the drumline was resolved within the third measure of the chorus with like a singular drum hit into the release (like going from here to something like here but with a drum hit in between as a transition or smth? hard to explain lks i actually had a made a video a while back kind of experimenting with the sound but idk how to upload it to here) but!! i am a fan of having those driving quarter notes coming out of the bridge i love the usage of it there and would not change a thing! i think it fits because we are actually building up to that release in the instrumental, it feels a lot different than the chorus which just feels like it drags on for a bit too long. but i would also would have liked if we had a bit of an instrumental pause or something like right after sungjin says ‘dont worry about a thing’ like after that ‘ma’ a brief pause or like even the omission of the downbeat that the drum is giving like /something/ missing before we get back into him singing ‘leave everything to me’ idk i feel like that change would have been interesting and way to build up tension again in a way?? anyways to circle back to my original point about the chorus feeling like an extension of the verse..i lowkey feel like maybe day6 felt that a bit too? laksdj and thats why we got that drum intermission bw the end of the prechorus and the start of the chorus but thats just a theory idk how true it is like honestly to me it felt slightly out of place and kind of a random transition? i dunno i could be wronghere are some misc. things not in too much detail since i think talking about one song has already gotten too long alksdj but sungjins part in the prechorus i think could have been sung a bit /gentler/ than his usual throaty approach for day6 songs idk. love the vocal layering in the chorus! maybe my headphones are terrible and maybe im biased (a bit of both or neither who knows) but laksdj i kinda wish youngks bass part was a tad bit louder he has some cool parts that often get overshadowed by the electric guitars + vocals i think (like here! the sound is so tiny in the studio i wish they had brought it out a bit more because when it is brought out it like here sounds gorgeous…that sound actually might be a bit overpowering actually haha but some happy balance bw those two). also totally random but i love the way jae says ‘한 페이지’ its just satisfying to listen to like he slurs the words a bit? whereas sungjin in his part is more staccato and lkj i think i prefer the legato connection of the words to the staccato one. also thank god they brought back the piano solo for the bridge laksjhow to love: SHE!! was a favorite/look out for since the album spoiler and she did not disappoint. wonpil said it was motown influenced? love that for them;; the chord progressions are funky and fun to listen out for! love how we get a bit of instrumental differences between the first and second reiteration of the first part of the verse? (the introduction of this electric guitar kind of in ur left ear if ur wearing head phones thats not there initially but then also this part in the electric guitar in the right ear which isnt there also again in the first reiteration just to keep it different and not redundant! i love the prechorus, introduction of strings for chorus stellar (but im strings biased) but its just so fun to follow how its similar and different to the vocal melody also whats a day6 song without some sort of chanting! love how the rhythm in the melody follows the drum part into the chorus all three times that it happens! the bridge is funky love it haha and also just love how at the end they switch up the ‘cause im ready’ and have sungjin jae and wonpil each sing one of those and then have youngk end with the ‘ooooh’ i thought that was adorable. ok keeping it short thats all i’ll saywanna go back: not to be a svt stan but holiday is that you? hahah jkjk its just a similar genre its like holiday meets maroon 5 haha i actually enjoy a lot of the song the chord progressions in the verses are interesting but also the prechorus is really pretty sounding but lakjd i honestly wish the tempo was just a little bit faster in the chorus i feel like its dragging a bit its hard for me personally to stay engaged with the song because of the murky feeling i personally get from the chorus. also the transition into the second verse is kinda ?? idk ahahaha but yeah main thing is just i wish the tempo was even just the tiniest bit faster for the chorus specifically i feel like verses are fine but just the chorus could have afforded to been a bit faster…but maybe this is just a personal experience cover: this is my personal favorite from the album! musically i just love the sound of the chord progressions in the verses? also the chorus! she! the vocal melody how it goes down but then u hear that piano in the background go up *chefs kiss* art! and i love the changes in the instrumental they introduced for the second verse! they added the bass i believe as well as another electric guitar part that isnt that muted plucking thing that we got in the first verse! AND THEN THE BRIDGE!!!!!!! THAT!!! IS!! A!! BRIDGE!!!! its so stunning and incredibly climatic and beautifully executed!!! i believe thats the first time the drums proper actually come in can you believe it (there are percussion sounds before but i think its a tambourine + a shaker/maraca? essentially not the drumset);; the tension that just the introduction of drums really brings to the piece ahhh and also the chord progressions really take u for a ride the first time u hear it and u dont know what to expect;; and then we get out of the chorus with ‘because im weak and not cool’ as a deviance from the earlier lyrics of ‘my weak and not cool side’ then DRUMTRIPLET!!!!! LAST CHORUS!! MORE DRUM TRIPLETS!! so wonderful the pOWER really the whole song is a huge crescendo ?? kind of influenced by the fact that they keep layering instruments which i absolutely LOVE like its beautiful haha but then the last chorus is just the quickest decrescendo ever as a way to fade out from the song but now with all the instruments (love how the last line really like enforces its importance and lyrical difference from the earlier ‘in the end i was seen’ by having that drum just punch it into u with every hit of the bass drum haha) also like how its not a true circular ending (but it kinda is) like there are instrumental and lyrical differences from the start and the end one thing i kind of wished they experimented with was like maybe mixing up some members voices in the chorus? like i tried a youngpil one myself haha where wonpil sings this part, then youngk, wonpil, youngk (again i hve a video for this but idunno how to upload to this ask) but its not like the song to me suffered from having singular member choruses i just thought it might be kinda cool haha anywhos im biased i love this song and laksj didnt even go into the lyrics rip anyways moving onbest part: i think its really cute that they composed this to be specifically be enjoyed in concert! i really like the best paaaaaaaaa aaaart like that swoop they do and the layering of the vocals i also think its super cool how some of the instrumental drop out towards the end of the chorus but alskj another ‘wanna go back’ transition into the second verse are they experimenting with this transition or smth?? but it just feels like inserted bc they couldnt think of a better way to transition into second verse which?? just kind of awkward akjl idk but maybe they have a reason for it i dont know! but yeah haha again musically im not really sure what to say kinda like for me it just feels like standard pop rock which isnt a bad thing just a /thing/ ahaha

#anon #replies #long post #like very very veryyy long post #im so sorry its so long ahh #and again super sorry that im very late! i know u asked a while ago;;

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coalessscence · 6 years ago

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The Big Mun Questionnaire Thingamajig— answer these questions then tag 20 blogs you’d like to know better!

tagged by: @patiencetaught !! thank u sm my babe! tagging: UHHH ok imma try my best here, @zerotoherc, @gentlegently, @dvstv, @infcrtunii, @gvtshct, @skepticspooked, @skepticreal, @kradljivac, @bruadcr, @prctextlve, @amourfugitif, @keepgcing, @17escapes, @scaredvicious, @surrepo-iuvenisdomina, @withhclding, @femmeveined, @dyingthing, @thriceflamed, @axisii I THINK THATS 2O OF U and uhhhh whoever else wants to ???

nicknames: none that i know of?

zodiac: libra

height: 5′ 2

time: 9:24 a.m.

favourite band / artist: it’s hard for me to have just One (1) fave but if forced to arbitrarily make a choice i will say currently working fave is a toss up between panic! at the disco and marina & the diamonds, all time fave regardless of the fact that they are not together anymore is triumph, and/or rik emmet as a solo artist after triumph broke up, even though he’s now getting ready to retire

song stuck in my head: literally was humming “fuck up” by shane dawson all last night and this morning. i am currently listening to twtltrtd (its a panic album that has a long ass name dw abt it lol) so technically its not in my head rn but im sure it will be later.

last movie i saw: in my psych class we had to watch that movie with all the emotions in the girl’s head that the “do you ever wonder what is going on inside someone’s head” meme is from what is it called akdhffhg UPDATE: after much meme googling the last movie i saw is called inside out

last thing i googled: literally the entire text of the what is going on inside their head meme to find the name of that movie lol but before that, it was ‘sniper elite 3 siwa oasis’ bc i was looking smth up for my dad who was stuck on a level in a video game lol

other blogs: i no longer have any other rp blogs, just this one!

do i get asks: sometimes i do get memes and sometimes i even get those kindness campaign or similar messages which is hella rad and y’all are a buncha babes ok ily

why did i choose this username: uuuuh so basically i had like, a LOT of single muse blogs and brought them all together to this multi. so the word coalesce was relevant bc to coalesce means “to come together, to form one mass or a whole”. coalescence is like, the verb?? version of that word ??? idk how grammar works but basically thats the other tense of coalesce and it looked pretty so i chose it. then i just added S’s until the url wasn’t taken and here we are lol

following: 709 i need 2 stop

average amount of sleep: like, 5-6????

what i’m wearing: normally i make an effort to display Style and Fashion (tm) but atm i’m in pajamas lol rip i guess

dream job: i rly want to be an entertainer ???? like idk. i wanna have a youtube channel. i wanna get to work on tv somehow, i wanna be on a radio show or podcast, i wanna write a book, i wanna put out an album and tour on it, i wanna be a model. i wanna build my own career based on doing a lot of different kinds of things that are fun for me to do and even more fun for other people to consume as content/media, but find the common thread in all of those things being my brand??? which sounds literally crazy i know but idk. with the internet doing what the internet has done for everyone i think its more possible now than ever so who knows. but i’m going to school for computer science so idk if that will EVER happen lol

dream trip: i honestly don’t know.... there are places i wanna go, like japan, but idk. i RLY wanna do that thing where you go from one end of the US to the other on the amtrak train with a good friend ??? and just see my own country and stop off in stations in little towns and see what people’s lives there are like ??? i just think that would be really neat. i’d make a video series about it.

favourite food: nearest food. nearest food is favorite food.

play any instruments: kind of sort of guitar/ukulele/piano also does singing count as an instrument? but at the same time god help me i probably sound terrible at all of them in reality so dont bet on it

eye colour: brown

hair colour: just as brown

languages you speak: english, know some very basic basic spanish and i barely know like five words and 2 of the 3 alphabets in japanese (one day when i have time to do things and can spend less time being Stressed & Depressed (tm) i would like to be halfway fluent in spanish, japanese, korean, and hawaiian. if the resources become available to do so i would love to learn pottawatomie as well, which is the native language of the tribes where i am from, which is a big part of the culture there still (tho there are dwindling native speakers of the language itself and not a lot of resources atm, altho conservation efforts are being made).

most iconic song: im gonna be honest with you, the first thought i had upon reading this was all star, and i cant say im fully committed but im not gonna sit here for twenty minutes analyzing this answer so ????? its all star fight me

random fact: i need to wash my heckin makeup brushes more often bc damn im a Mess

describe yourself as aesthetic things: a pastel pink shirt that reads ‘empty inside’ in fanciful cursive. bright 80s colorblocking covering the void in your soul. white and gold christmas decor that’s still up mid january. a bed that used to be made but was rumpled by sitting on it. getting a hand cramp from taking notes with a glitter gel pen. a collection of handcreams in various airy scents. a heaviness in your bones that you can’t escape from. the fallout from rainbows of makeup smeared onto a desk. paint chipping off where your wrists touch a laptop from overuse. an adorable hair ribbon paired with a leather jacket. the tragedy of emotion. self deprecation that edges into mirth. being self aware of an unhealthy nature. kawaii smeared by the remains of an emo phase that never happened and invaded by the jewel toned velours of modern day culture.

#that aesthetic tag section is way too dramatic lol but listen...... i Tried Hard #and i think its accurate #ANYWAYS #THANK U FOR TAGGING ME MY BABE SORRY IT TOOK ME 10 YEARS TO DO IT #⌲ t a g s #⌲ m u n t h i n g s #⌲ m u n s p e a k #⌲ o o c #⌲ i don't wanna feel Q U E U E anymore

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wewalkadifferentpath · 7 years ago

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Ace-friendly SH Fics: Masterlist

Alrighty folks so strap in, here is the first round of my ace-friendly Shadowhunters fic rec list! It’s so hard to have to navigate fics that should have a canon asexual character, always just vaguely expecting disappointment (cough Raphael). So. All of the fics on this list are ace-friendly in some way or another, whether it’s tagged/talked about or even intended by the author or not- they do NOT invalidate Raphael’s asexuality (using the definition of asexuality as not experiencing sexual attraction, irrespective of feelings toward sex. And while this list does have some aroace!Raphael, it is specifically for ace!Raphael) This’ll cover everything from ace-friendly smut for my smut-inclined friends (meaning Raphael is not sex-repulsed in those, but still ace) to platonic/solo stuff for those of my friends who are less romance-inclined. I also threw in some headcannons of other SH characters. Let me know what you all think! (Things not under the “smut” category do not have any written descriptions of sex to the best of my memory and brief scan-throughs, but please let me know if there’s something in the general list that should be under smut). If you’re strongly sex-repulsed please use your usual discretion. (And everyone just please read the tags in general). One final note: keep in mind that this is just a collection of fics that are supportive of asexuality. While these are fics I personally enjoyed/read often, this list is not an endorsement of all aspects of the content (ie. the way other identities are handled, etc.) This list is meant to account for different tastes, just with the bonus relief of knowing asexuality is there. So, here we go!

(I’m ridiculous and can’t do regular summaries; my comments on each rec- if any- are in the brackets):

Saphael (without direct mention of asexuality but still unequivocally respecting it):

The Heart of An Adventurer by DustinMcDreamy

Skyrim/Dark Ages AU: Simon is a simple tavern worker, but he wants more than his boring life. An adventurer stays the night at their Inn and Simon is enamored with both the adventurer and his wonderful life.

(so this is a lovely person who I’ve been collaborating with and they are honestly such an ally and their stories are wonderful, this one is probably my favourite but you can check out their page for other stuff)

put the boom boom into my heart by idontshaveforsher_yesyoudo

"Or maybe something like soulmates always sneeze at the same time and I cant be sure but me and this kid in my French class just sneezed at the same time are we soulmates or was it a coincidence (proceed w character trying to make themselves sneeze around said person to see what’s what)"

or, the one where simon hates his life and Mr. Immaculate Hair doesn't make it better, until he does

Forgotten at Dusk by halfmast Simon finds Raphael wandering around Manhattan barefoot - things go downhill (uphill?) from there.

(So I think this is the only one I’ve included that’s an unfinished WIP and is also NOT explicitly laid out as asexual- because I can’t guarantee it won’t change in later chapters. It also has one chapter left and hasn’t updated in a while so if that rattles you, don’t touch. But it’s beautifully written and sweet and a neat concept, and so far doesn’t contradict asexuality!)

before I ever met you by izzyasavestheday (stilessexual) “I’m missing something,” Simon went on, voice cracking. “I’m missing someone but no matter how hard I try I just can’t fucking remember.”

Can you find me someone to love? by domoiswatchingyou

They all have one thing in common: they are all bad at love, even when some of them love to deny it. (Saphael and Malec AU WIP) (And I gotta say guys, I beta for this lovely person- and thus actually have a hand in writing the ace parts- and they are a wonderful individual. Asexuality not mentioned as of yet but will be upcoming).

baby, I’m not made of stone by izzyasavestheday (stilessexual)

“Did I ever tell you that we feel everything? The clan, I mean. If I focus enough, I can tell you who’s sad and who’s angry and who hasn’t been sleeping properly. I can tell you who’s been having nightmares. There are no secrets here.”

i'd spend all nine lives with you by alaricrodriguez

simon gets himself turned into a kitten and raphael can't find his fledgling

(this is just little and cute and there’s no explicit effort made to make Raph ace but I guess I’m kind of cheating since it’s from Simon’s POV and doesn’t come up at all but it’s not contradicted and I love this fic so)

echo series by izzyasavestheday (stilessexual) “Right,” Raphael brought himself to his feet, smooth as anything. “Let’s go.” Simon gapped up at him, “Go where?” Raphael rolled his eyes, impressively, (like he didn’t care, like he didn’t care about Simon, but he was here and they both knew neither of them could ever stop caring no matter how much they continued to hurt one another) and heaved a spectacular sigh. “Home.” -

Saphael (ft. actual conversations about asexuality/the word is spoken):

Somebody out there by mckvch (RaiseYourVoice)

(Road trip fic, which is classic of course. PLEASE read the tags. Could be interpreted as demi/gray ace but I identify as just ace and it fits me just fine. This is one of the first fics I read coming into this fandom, and the first one that made me fall in love with Saphael, and it’s got an insanely special warm fuzzy place in my heart) (Also 27 chapters, so how can you complain about that???) The acing on the cake by mckvch (RaiseYourVoice)

““Oh, come on, puns are amazing! Tell me your sexuality and I’m sure we will have at least one shirt that’ll appeal to you.” Simon patted the pile of shirts in front of him and smiled hopefully at Raphael who really wanted to disagree and tell the boy he was wasting his time here but he couldn’t bring himself to.” (pride!fic) (this author has some of my favourite ace!Saphael fics ever, and like an endless supply of them with everything under the ace/aro umbrella) A Lesson in Love series by Malteser24 ”Simon thinks it will be difficult to adapt to their new situation - in which they don't actually hate each other - and Raphael can't imagine their date as being anything but awkward, considering how out of his depth he is when it comes to dating.Instead, they actually have a fairly good time.” like a love song on the radio by eversall

Simon's a bartender, Raphael plays the piano, and somehow they manage to communicate to each other that yeah, they both want this.

Rock Solid Panda by OhHolyHell

(Made for pan pride day, “Raphael is actually a thoughtful softie” (and so is Simon!) (ft. ace puns)) Disasters that lead to pretty boys (are worth it) by gayinsight "My friend is out of town and I’m supposed to be taking care of her pet fish but it died and you work at the pet store help me find one that looks the same so she won’t notice!" (this one has a hella flirtatious Raphael making some jokes that imply sexual attraction but it doesn’t actually HAVE him experience it and it’s honestly one of the cutest, funniest little Saphael fics ever so)

if i ever had your number, i think i would use it by eversall

“You – why is your number in the Pandemonium bathroom?”

(classic meet-ugly sorta vibe) I am a pile of bricks and you are holding a sledgehammer by LiviKate “So when do I get tucked safely back under Raphael’s wing?” “You won’t,” Lily said, wandering over to the other side of the room to get her own drink. “Raphael has a new fledgling now. You’re stuck with me.” Or, when Simon isn't the newest vamp in the clan, he has a hard time sharing.

Promised It All, But You Lied by sirknightmordred As Raphael lies in a magical coma that can't be cured, Simon thinks back to pivotal moments in their relationship. (There IS a warning for fairly descriptive sexual assault, but it’s actually surrounded by bolded words in the story so easy to skip. And it does not attribute his ace-ness to the assault, but it’s also rep for those of us who are ace AND have negative experiences with sexual violence)

Sing me a Song by Margo_96

the one where Simon teaches Raphael's younger brother how to play the guitar and Raphael is not happy. or maybe he doesn't mind it that much (Okay so this is one that kind of equates asexual to ‘not wanting sex,’ and Raphael does have very strong infatuation so not so much representative of romantically-fuzzy people. Hooweeverr, it’s cute af, and I like Simon’s initial reaction to the coming out, and it’s 8 chapters, so worth a read for sure) until i’m not afraid by angelblooddemondust

(Trans!Simon (which I can’t speak to at all) ft ace!supportiveRaph (which I can)) (read the notes) -

Saphael (ft. smut):

Head is spinning thinking ‘bout by LiviKate

Simon and Raphael enjoy their time together, even if Simon doesn't really know what to call it.

Or, gratuitous vampire sex with some ace-spectrum themes because there's not enough Asexual Raphael.

(This is a lot of blood drinking, which is not my fav, but it’s brilliant in terms of what a sex-positive ace might look like and how they experience sex- it’s from Raph’s POV, and it’s quite good overall imo. Probably my favourite ace!smut)

Just Pull me Closer by SomeWaywardDaughter After spending an irritating patrol with Clary and Jace, Simon just wants to get back to Hotel DuMort and Raphael. (so I’mma be honest I was in a pretty sex-repulsed mood while doing this part so I didn’t fully reread it to be sure it’s safe but it’s literally written by a self-professed ace author and I did see reference to the aceness amidst the smut so I’m pretty sure we’re good)

What is Desired by DustinMcDreamy (I’m not going to include descriptions for smut because many of them are potentially triggering in nature for sex-repulsed friends, but this one is a dom/sub sort of thing, pretty hella kinky so buyers beware. It’s messy on the ace-front (the author started the series before Raphael came out, and had to add it retroactively) but there’s some good lines in there in particular for gray ace or demi folks who are experiencing lust for someone for the first/only time, etc.) chasing starlight by mostlikelydefinentlymad There was no set destination, simply one agreed upon prerogative: drive. (So this isn’t technically smut insofar as there’s no actual explicit description of sex, it’s basically all blood drinking, but it’s a heavily implied metaphor and Raphael’s blood lust for Simon is very reminiscent of sexual attraction, so that part kind of doesn’t reflect how I feel as an ace person. BUT Raphael does not actually experience sexual attraction, the story is quite lovely, and the author is quite lovely as well, so I’d still recommend it)

Caught. by Kalifa (Lol this is short and not super smutty either but it’s like #sexindifferentfeels all the way) -

Raphael and Other Characters ( back to no smut):

love comes in at the eye by prettydizzeed

The first time he asks Raphael out, Raphael scoffs.

(A Raphael/Meliorn fic- and I gotta tell you I didn’t even ship these two but the characterization is beautiful and the handling of the asexuality is a dream)

maybe we're just gonna live forever, maybe heaven's a mistake by prettydizzeed

Raphael presses the pendant into his palm and looks at Magnus. “How did you become okay with it?” Magnus gives a flourish of his hand. “After the whole ‘half demon blood, scorned by the earth as a monster’ thing, liking boys wasn't that big of a deal.” He sees Raphael's expression and adds gently, “But it's different for everyone.” Raphael looks at his hands. Lets go of the cross. “How do I become okay with it?” Incompatible by NotEvenThat

Raphael wants to know why their relationship works for Jace. As with everything, Jace struggles to talk about his feelings and why Raphael Santiago makes him feel so safe. (I can’t even get over how much I love that this fic makes asexuality seem like a bonus rather than a burden in a relationship- which shouldn’t be rare, but alas)

landscapes by brightclam

(Another Raph/Meliorn, those seem to be popular! Ft. gender nonconforming Meliorn and the tags “Asexual Raphael Santiago” “i shouldn't have to tag that but some of y'all demons ignore that” which made me laugh for like 5 minutes)

- Arospec!Raphael/Romance not Mentioned:

Make Yourself at Home by savannahrunes

Two occasions Raphael Santiago shows up at Magnus's door, each time with something quite important to say. (This is my favourite aroace Raphael fic ever and made me cry both times I read it. Also written by an ace author) (do yourself a favour and read this even if you’re not arospec- although that goes for all of them in this category) (he is legitimately 100% aro in this)

Unnamed Soulmate AU by http://parabatri-gonebabygone.tumblr.com

(So I couldn’t trace this back to AO3 or even the author’s most recent tumblr but it’s so beautiful and I love this fic so much and the author (in my limited opinion) did an amazing job of having an aroace soulmate dynamic and gah, yes)

Four Times Raphael Santiago Was Kissed, and the One Time He Kissed First by albabutter

His mother should have had a house full of girls. Instead she ended up with him and his brothers and a rag tag crew of every teenaged hooligan in a five mile radius running through her home. She was quick to grab an ear but quicker to give a hug, and Raphael put up with it as well as could be expected. She gave hugs to the neighborhood boys and kisses to her sons, and the only silver lining was that she didn’t wear lipstick. (honestly this is one of my favourite Raphael fics in general, and I believe the author only intended for him to be ace in this but I definitely interpret it as at least aro-spec as well if not just straight-up aroace) When’s a monster not a monster? by scalira “He had never heard about something like this before. You either liked the opposite sex or you lived in sin as someone who liked the same sex. But he had never heard of people just not liking any sex.He decided to just let it rest for now, pushing the worry aside till he at least graduated highschool. But then there was a friend, and his name was David.” (*** Warning: there is a fairly sudden mention of oral sex near the beginning. And some descriptions of violence. But this is one of my favourite ace-fics in the way that it explains what asexual attraction feels like for me, and Raph is also grey-homoromantic so bonus) (this author has lots of varying ace and demi/grayromantic/etc Raphael fics too to check out) Carpe Noctem by UMsArchive For decades, it seems like unlife couldn't get any better and nothing threatens to take all of that happiness away from Simon. Aside from the passing of time that slowly takes everything away from him. Almost everything. (Listed as demiromantic, but as far as I can remember doesn’t even have kissing by the end so it should be fairly aro-friendly)

Maybe by mckvch(RaiseYourVoice)

“ Yeah, he definitely didn’t want to kiss girls, ever, but boys...not so much, either.” (arospec Raphael with some ambiguousness about his feelings for Simon) It's Not a Date (Unless I Pay for Dinner) by Vitamin_Me Clary cancels their date last minute, but Simon ends up having a good time despite himself. (So I don’t think this author really intended on having Raphael be aro or even ace, but while I’m not aro and can’t be sure, I think this fic should be pretty safe even for people who are mildly romance-repulsed. There’s definitely implications of feelings- especially from Simon- but really I interpret it as being this chill, mostly platonic, nice little fic that makes me feel pretty good when I’m sick of all the heavy romance stuff) 18. Play A Musical Instrument by GideonGraystairs

So this is just a tiny drabble amidst a sea of drabbles but I love it because it’s one of the only fics I’ve seen that’s literally JUST Raphael, reflecting, by himself. It doesn’t say he’s ace/aro anything, it just doesn’t have any romantic arc at all) -

ace!Alec Lightwood:

Accidental Fate by allonsyarielle

There were two things Alec Lightwood knew about himself beyond a shadow of a doubt. The first was that he was gay. The second was that he does not like sex. Through a chance encounter with Magnus Bane, Alec learns about asexuality, and it opens his eyes to a new part of his identity. (okay so this one did sort of equate asexuality with “not wanting sex” but I still included it because I think it’s a frank take on how it can feel to realize you’re asexual, and all of the negative emotions that can come with that) Sleepovers Aren’t Just for Kids by SomeWaywardDaughter Ace!Alec discovery his sexuality (written by an ace author) -

Others SH headcannons:

Send My Love To Your New Lover by HornedQueenOfHell

(This one is about ace!Etta, one of Magnus’s old exes. It also does the ace=not wanting sex thing, but the author is ace-spec so it’s got some perspective for sure. And it’s written so beautifully and such a lovely concept. **Warning for ace-phobia and brief sexual harassment) (I cried the first time I read this) El Hijo De Santa Muerte by Gzmoii “He stepped aside, letting Guadalupe in. She walked in with a careful nod, looking around at Magnus’ loft. Magnus snapped his fingers behind his back, hiding the potions and other magical ingredients around the loft. Given that Guadalupe wasn’t a mundane, she wouldn’t be able to notice the subtle shift as everything around the room moved. Guadalupe’s head snapped toward him, “What was that?” She asked.” (So this actually DOES have ace!Raphael, but I’m putting it here because it also has aro!Guadalupe Santiago, which is hella rad) (22 ch and counting)

You Aren’t Broken by allonsyarielle

(Ace!Alec but also demiromantic!Magnus)

-- -- -- Alright, that’s it for now! Hope you all got something out of this! If you are one of the authors listed here and you want your fic/name OFF the list, please message me. If you have written an ace-friendly fic that you want included, hmu and I’ll check it out. Depending on demand, I’ll hopefully be doing updated lists every so often, as well as spin-offs (for example, I have a small but growing list of Malec fics that just so happen to have really sweet comments about asexuality, or have ace!Raphael as a minor character). If you want to request any specific type of fic, please feel free to ask me, I’ve literally got folders overflowing. Have a lovely, ace-friendly day!

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everybodysaycbx · 4 years ago

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exo love me right repackage album ranking bc why not

love me right- dude,,,,,,this song is SO GOOD I LOVE IT SO MUCH tho i still have no fucking clue whats happening in the music video its fine bc they look great and they look happy and the song is fantastic. however this album is so good that its only mid tier if i were to rank it that way but i cant bc im indecisive lmao 10/10 pls someone tell me why theyre american football players im so confused

tender love- okay exols,,,,,,who here CANT hear baekhyun singing "chicken tender~" when this song comes on????? if you cant that probably means youre a baby-l which means welcome to the fandom!!!!! its from a livestream him chanyeol junmyeon and jongdae did late 2015-early 2016?? (and since youre a baby-l sorry im referring to the members by their real names and not stage names that gets confusing when youre just starting out so uh junmyeon=suho and jongdae=chen okay?? good) where they sing songs from this album and the sing for you album its hilarious bUt aNyWaY this song is so cute and fun and that mini video they did (i think it was a vcr at one point but i cant remember what for) is so adorable i wish exo did more of that stuff 10/10 gimme more cute shit

call me baby- this song always gives me the same feeling as when i heard it the first time. i remember vividly how i felt when i saw the mv for the first time especially since i was more of a casual stan of kpop wayyyy back when and had stopped around the end of 2013 and only got back in the end of 2015 as a die hard exol. i was just in awe of everything and i couldnt stop listening to this song for MONTHS (also couldnt take my eyes off minseok and yixing the whole time lol still an exom stan at heart),,,,,,it made me feel nostalgic and like i was discovering something new at the same time and the swirl of emotion i get when i hear it happens every time and i love it so this has a special place in my heart 12/10 side note uhhh why do we STILL have no answers for the pathcode teasers?????? SM TELL ME

transformer- uhhhh this song took YEARS to grow on me,,,,,like i only started to like it THIS year,,,,,,yeah im a little late lol sorry imo the beginning of the song is something i still dont really like and i think the chorus could be better but its not as bad as i was thinking when i first heard it,,,,,that said i hardly listen to it and its probably near bottom of the list for this one 7/10 the chinese version is a lil better tao really shines and i love that

what if...: mmmm i love this song,,,,a vocal masterpiece,,,,this is a song i like to listen to while on a long drive staring out the window contemplating life,,,,,,its so pleasant to the ears and ksoo really shines in this song id love for him to do solo songs like this 10/10 im lowkey imagining what luhan would sound like singing this song the whole time 😔

my answer: ONE OF THE BEST SONGS ON THE ALBUM ITS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL and i wish they performed it more ;-; this is another song kyungsoo shines in (he sings well in chinese too) but i LOVED junmyeons voice here as well he sings sweet love ballads the best same with yixing!!! 🥰 12/10 give us more songs like this please and thank you (also imagining luhan singing this 🤧 why sm why)

exodus: OKAY THIS SONG IS SO UNDERRATED AND THATS SO UPSETTING THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES ON THE WHOLE ALBUM AND NO ONE EVEN MENTIONS IT WHAT THE FUCK like i cant even explain what i like about it its just so good?????? also when baek (or jongdae if yoy listen to the chinese version theyre both so so so good) goes "shes dangerously HOOOOOOOOOOT" damn, gets me every time also chinese version we get raspy singing tao which is ALWAYS welcome 12/10 appreciate this song god dammit

el dorado: okay i wont lie,,,,,,,,i wasnt sold on this song UNTIL i saw the concert version then my third eye was opened WIDE,,,,,,,this song is so epic and no one talks about the chinese version but its also amazing?????? like everyone talks about baekhyuns high note which is amazing and deserve praise but dae does it too and its just,,,,WOW but i guess people arent as wowed bc he does high notes more often????? idk this song is just amazing in every way 12/10 i wonder what this song and mv would be like if it had been a title track,,,,,that music video would be SICK

playboy: CONTROVERSIAL OPINION ALERT!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! so yall know jonghyun from shinee wrote this song and gave it to exo and theres a clip of him at a fansign singing it and to be honest its 10000000000000× better and sexier than exos version. come at me idc i said what i said and i stand by it djhajjhdhs like,,,,,the performance of it is sexy but i think the song by itself doesnt go far enough with the sexiness and for me, if i need to watch a performance of the song to like it and cant enjoy it by itself, then i dont think its a success, at least for me. i mainly listen to songs through headphones while im doing literally anything so id say 90% of the time i only hear the audio and if only the audio doesnt do it for me i skip it 8/10 has potential but jjong shouldve kept it imo sorry

first love: i always forget this song exists,,,,,,and ill probably forget it again lmao its just kinda whatever for me even now its kinda boring imo the only thing notable for me is that the "ow" parts in the background are used in a funny exosexo vine and every time i see it im like "oh whats that song called again i always forget :/" 6.5/10

hurt: THIS is what im talking about,,,,,,this is my favorite song on the album its hauntingly beautiful and brUH THE HARMONIES ARE AMAZING also JONGINS VOCALS SHINING WE LOVE TO HEAR IT!!!!! the "you huuuuuuuurt me" part is so satisfying for some reason?????? goddamn i love this song both versions just kill me 12/10 gimme more

lady luck: this is another song i dont like the beginning but unlike the other song after like 30 seconds it immediately becomes PHENOMENAL tbh if i could just cut out that first part itd probably be my favorite song,,,,,,also for all baby-ls listen to this song live you will be transcended their live vocals are no joke 9.5/10

beautiful: i dont know how to really explain how this song makes me feel,,,,,,like the instrumentals just take me to a fantasy or dream world where everything seems happy and sweet like something id imagine in my childhood,,,,,,i feel like that made no sense and it probably didnt make any sense sorry lmao 11/10 i should listen to this song more (both versions are amazing what the fuck thats not fair why am i so indecisive)

exo 2014 (promise): this song is like a pavlovian response, i hear the first couple piano notes and immediately get emotional jxhsoalsbdhbx they really poured out their hearts and souls for us for this song and it makes me ugly cry every time ESPECIALLY CHANYEOLS RAP HOLY SHIT ITS SO POWERFUL AND SO RAW AND EMOTIONAL,,,that was the moment i saw his growth as a rapper and as a songwriter,,,,,same with jongdae his singing and the lyrics he wrote were beautiful,,,,,and minseoks and junmyeons voices were so soft but so emotional,,,,,and we could NEVER forget yixing and how this song wouldnt exist if he didnt write the chinese version first and the members convinced sm to use it after yixing went to them with the song and sm rejected it,,,,,,i and many other exols feel like the chinese version is written more to the former members and the korean version is written addressed to us exols and theyre both SUPER FUCKING HEARTBREAKING,,,,yixing really bore his soul for us and i cry every time which is exactly what im doing rn lmao 12/10 this song should come with a complementary tissue box

in conclusion el dorado shouldve had an mv and i mourn the missed potential every day, my hate for sm entertainment grows each day im on this mortal coil, and please tell me what the fUCK call me baby and love me right have to do with the lore ITS BEEN FIVE YEARS

#for the most part i didnt talk about the chinese versions bc the main reason i liked them more isnt there anymore so #unless i mention it specifically just assume i mean the korean version lol #this album is still god tier among kpop and i love that about her #exo #exo album ranking #next is sing for you

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logs-blogs-reviews · 4 years ago

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The Black Parade - Short & Very, Very Sweet

Tracklist:

1. The End

2. Dead!

3. This is How I Disappear

4. The Sharpest Lives

5. Welcome to The Black Parade

6. I Don’t Love You

7. House of Wolves

8. Cancer

9. Mama

10. Sleep

12. Disenchanted

13. Famous Last Words

Okay, let’s try this out. Hmm, The End > Dead! is a classic duo, and shapes our narrative. “This is How I Disappear” is where the drums get to begin to boom, the guitars get mean and strict on their counts, and your head is banging like a motherfucker before you know it. I actually would say this song is in the top 4 for me off this album. A true highlight, but we’re still just getting started

“without you is how i disappear and live my life alone, forever.....

/So I can’t hurt you anymore....” The final harmonies from Gerard are just....... <3

The Sharpest Lives one of the most unique songs I’ve ever heard. I heard it at a young age, I think this album came out in 2006, so I was in middle school, only having access to the downloads I could find, and this song was available. So..... no matter WHEN and how often I listen to this album, I’ll be reminded of driving around in the car with my dad. That’s when I listened to it the most. And I like that sediment in which its held.

The poetry in this album is not to go unnoticed. My Chemical Romance has always has a knack for getting the lyrics perfect.

.....And there it is. That FUCKING NOTE. Yes, this is the heart of the album. This is worth the first 30 minutes. You know, while this song plays, I’ll say, I find it hard now days to visit this album in doses as such “single songs”. This is such a short enough album, it’s too hard not to admit you might have ten minutes under the hour to yourself, why not? It’s 50 minutes long (the original release)

I love that it’s short and sweet, and too the point. ......And then we hear, “Sometimes I get the feeling she’s watching over me”

The guitars in welcome to the black parade are BRUTAL. These songs are just so, unlike anything other band.

“I’m not ashamed, I’m going to show my scars”

The guitar in this song is unreal. These guys play very fast and I am inlove with it.

Track #6 is “I don’t Love You” which is a good come down from all of the energy the first act has punched at us. God, Gerard’s voice..... <3

While this song plays, let me just set the mood. I kind of had a shit workday and decided to just put this album on. I plan on listening to tons and tons of more music tonight, and maybe watching some more “VH1′s behind the music” I don’t know if a single person will ever read these posts. but I like this idea, and I like the idea of another fan discussing an album that, just resonates so deeply with them. The band created all of this - I did not, I had nothing to do with any of it. But, God damn, if we can’t relate to feeling scared, feeling hurt, and feeling empty and sad inside.

I Don’t Love you is still playing. and I am getting chills. <3

House of Wolves is a good change of beat. The drums in this one are my favorite treat of the entire song.

“Tell me I’m a bad man, kick me like a stray!!”

Dude, I totally forgot, that SLIDE GUITAR. This song has helped me out a lot in my life. This one has stuck out while in some of my deepest trips.

I am a total bitch for piano. And I have always loved this song because I enjoyed singing a lot when I was getting antiquated with this band back in my earlier years. And, I just made the lyrics in my head a LOT. As I grew older, I stoppepd singing outloud and I let the music play and I HEARD what they wrote down. This song reminds me of my uncle who is currently going to chemo and not feelign too great. I love him a lot. I want him to get better. I know he will.

On a different note, the lyric, “Know that I WILL NEVER MARRY!!” is performed with the most angelic sounding voice, in the world.

“The hardest part of this is leaving you.” Again, the poetry is the real star of this band.

Mama is always stuck in my head. I love this song. It’s simple and it’s a groove. So, I am a total bitch for it. lol :P

“stop asking! Me questions!!! I HATE TO SEE YOU CRY”

“You should have been - I could have been a better son”

Now, I can’t quite conduct a good wrap up for this album. Music is what we get out of it. I love it. It’s a good album after a rotten day of work. It’s a good break up album. I find music like this, it’s almost a little hard to put on when you’re just at home relaxing. When I was a kid, yes, I listened to this all the time without a second thought, but now these lyrics these stories and characters the songs share with us, I have to be in the mood for it. (nowadays at least) That’s not to say, I don’t enjoy it when I’m in a good mood, but it’s just hard to revisit music that has truly helped you shaped out your personality on some of your worst days. These musicians help so many people, I think that is so cool.

Sleep reminds me of a green day song, bang bang and I have no idea why. It’s a chill-ass song. Can’t really come up with much more for this one. Not necessarily one that sticks out for me. But I love the intro. Bang bang is more fast but idk they go together good on a playlist. After all of the hype the first 30 minutes gives you, this song is a necessary cool-down. “Just sleep....”

The guitar into for Disenchanted hasnt started yet but I know its coming <3

TEENAGERS!! What a great surprise!! I forgot this song was on here!!!

“THEY SAY ALL TEENAGERS SCARE!!!! THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF ME”

(blistering guitar solo) FUCK YES god, i never really had a love affair with this song either but idk, its working for me right now. I cant stop thinking of the music video lol will probably watch it later tonight!!

Shit I’m just remembering MCR was suppose to play in MA before C-19 ruined it. </3

Ahh, yes, “Well I was there, on the day.... They sold the cause for the queen””

I always loved this one. Maybe top 3 off the album.

Shit, I have to do my top 5 now.

5. The End

4. This is How I Disappear

3. Disenchanted

2. Mama/Cancer - both a tie for #2

1. Welcome to the Black Parade / Famous Last Words - Yes fuck you, its a TIE

God, I LOVE THIS BAND

Here’s another shot because, I had kind of a CRAP DAY AND I know all the station password ;P lol jk jk BUt I am getting more drunk by the minute, cheers.

Okay, I knew it was coming. I’m just gonna headbang the last 5 minutes, again, cheers.

Enjoy California sweetie.

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flakandforay · 7 years ago

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DNA Analysis

heres the next installment of the Love Yourself 承 Her Album analysis: DNA, the title track of the album.

i would be analysing several parts: music, lyrics, aesthetics and choreography

disclaimer: this is just my opinion, feel free to disagree and speculate. let me know your thoughts in my ask box

warnings: slight mentions of blood

overall: bight actually released two teasers prior to the release of the title song. first being this and the second is this.

the first teaser: it starts off with the whistling of jungkook as he walks and eventually stands in the center of the group. this teaser is only 56 seconds - the intro of bight being 8 seconds, the whistling for another 36 seconds and the beat drops at 0:44 with the first bar of only 4 counts ( i like to think thats its an edm beat ) that leads in to the guitar strumming at 0:46 that is in harmony with the whistling. first, what interested me was the whistling because its not a common intro for a song, usually many artists use either guitar, piano, edm or a strong baseline to start off the song, which is why just like Whistle - Blackpink really intrigued me. not to mention, how consistent the whistling was throughout this teaser, in a way that it still can be heard and it does not disappear completely at all, you could still hear it underlying the guitar strumming, so i thought this song was promising etc even after knowing that its an electro pop synth song ( which is not a genre that i listen to much ) but i was anticipating at how will they incorporate the bass line with the whistling and strumming that until now, still think thats its a strange combination but it works despite hearing less than 45 seconds of it.

the second teaser: i was not really expecting a second teaser since bighit is known to just release one but since they title the first teaser as Teaser 1, i guess it just meant that there would be another. but somehow i was expecting the part to be revealed to be the bridge just like how bight did for the previous comebacks specifically Blood, Sweat and Tears and Spring Day as what they put in the teaser was the bridge or at least after the chorus. but this teaser was even shorter compared to the first with only 29 seconds and the fact that bighit intro is already 8 seconds says something. but ahh, hearing taehyung’s voice to sing the first line was so good, just like the bridge during the Blood, Sweat and Tears, taehyung was singing though with jungkook being the underlying vocal with him till jungkook sang the next line. anyway, this teaser was done well, why? because it is just meant to give a short preview of the song, in this case though, it only revealed one line with next chunk being the electro synths that were used - interestingly it sounds like those digital beeping sounds that you would hear and at 0:17, you could hear the impending electro sound that is in a crescendo interestedly to actually lead to the iconic whistle that was seen in teaser 1 at 0:24 and eventually end it with jungkook singing DNA. though despite this, we would know the beats roughly used primarily yet they still gave some areas to ponder on such as where would the ‘DNA’ part fit into the song? possibly a hook in the song or just mainly sung in the chorus.

song itself: initially, i was not liking the song as much as i wanted to, possibly because this type of song is not my usual cup of tea, considering that its a electro pop synth song. i was fine with everything especially the prechorus but i could not get over the drop in the chorus, in a way it sounded off as it was kinda broken ( but then again it is dubstep ) so that was my only problem but eventually after hearing it on repeat, the song kinda grew on me lmao and guess who's screaming la la la.

music: but anyway hearing it, was surprising with the iconic whistle !!!!! its back and its used in the intro as well and not only some underlying beat !!! but more than that it was surprising to me because taehyung was the one opening the song. this is usually uncommon because it is usually either jimin or jungkook or the rap line opening the songs, as you can hear in Let Me Know, taehyung starts the song beautifully but if you were to compare to others, he does not start the song often and has mentioned before how we wanted to start the song. but anyway, listening to taehyung sing, i was just thinking, okay so this is how it is, but when hoseok came in, it sounded better to me? in a way, it gave more substance to what i was hearing. hose’s first part in DNA reminded me of his part in Wings ( the full song ), that kind of vibe. but anyway namjoon’s part came along, but i was not really hyped for it yet.

but what made me to like it more was the prechorus specifically the maknae line’s part ( both taehyung and jungkook’s solo parts and the transition to jimin’s one ). it sounded really nice to me, the contrast between them was good as the beats kinda emptied out during their solos but came back to jimin’s part yet it was not full-fledged yet so you could still expect a drop in the chorus, in a way you could tell they were building the drop and here comes the chorus. it did get the message across that this song was an electro pop synth with the use of dubstep in their chorus and only there, so it still does not sound too much of an EDM song. they know how to balance the song and i think thats great because many times when people use too much of dubstep or EDM beats, it tends to become more loud and dance music more often. so i thought this song was really well balanced, ill fill in the details later on.

and moving on from that hyped chorus, this short pause before they move on to yoongi’s rap. i love the transition between yoongi and namjoon’s rap part because though its different, its so distinct. and with yoongi and jungkook kinda of exchanging a conversation between their parts, what a nice touch right there. not to mention filing the short pause between their ‘conversation’ with an ‘oh yeah’ which makes you pay attention to the next line from yoongi before it heads to seokjin’s part. now seokjin’s part is just a repetition of jungkook’s part earlier on, but this time round, to me, theres more emphasis on the softer guitar chords with synth as compared to jungkook’s part, probably due to the stark contrast of the ‘heated’ rap between yoongi and jungkook and having seokjin’s part adds this nice contrast without making the song sound too heavy right before the pre chorus occurs. here comes the rise of that thumping bass line again before it drops to dub step !!! then again this is a common structure for songs, having 2 verses, 2 choruses and a bridge and a coda of probably the chorus again. then now it moves to the bridge.

to me, the bridge is the most ear-catching one to me. why? the whole beat kinda dissolved into this constant digital beeping sound ( nice use of the synth to make it dissolved ) so it totally cuts away that strong sound to emphasise more on the vocals rather than the synths. the beat comes in again after 1-2 seconds, and theres this input of a bass line but its not hard so the vocals are still emphasised but when it goes to soekjin’s part, you could hear the thumping bass line in a crescendo that is in sync with the lyrics ( like a canon ) so you could kind of expect another drop again. but notice how after they build up, before they had a drop, they had a pause again to focus on jimin’s line which is effective in this case as it puts even greater emphasis on his phrase, ‘together’ before the drop occurs again though the synth used this time round is different as it sounds like a blasting synth, which would probably explain why jimin is doing that iron man pose. but i dont know if its just me, but the chorus sounds even more louder than the previous ones, perhaps to emphasise more on the fact that this is the last chorus.

oh and the last part, hoseok’s iconic ‘la la la’. to be honest, the beat didnt change at all, only the lyrics did. to be honest, i was counting how many bts songs were there with ‘la la la’ and there were quite a few, not to see they were meaningless but they are really addicting to sing though however, it does not sound too plain even though all he is singing is ‘la la la’ probably because he is singing in ‘la la la la’ per bar interchanging with jungkook’s lines from the previous chorus. all those traps when you hear the dubstep in the chorus when jungkook is not singing, hoseok fills in those gaps with his ‘la la la la’ so it sounds still complete, even more so when hoseok drags his last la by 1 sec or 2 so it connects with jungkook’s lines. and jungkook’s last line before he sung dna to mark the end, that slight pause again !!! not to mention how the beat just kinda resounded for a few seconds before it’s gone completely and all you hear is silence. its an abrupt way to end but it doesn't really sound too abrupt to me, maybe because hearing a lot of the synth in the song, hearing the silence marks a stark contrast.

btw, apparently theres some hidden vocals underneath specifically hoseok covering the pre chorus that someone found. not to mention how this time they had those extra vocals to say 계속 in the pre chorus, like this chorus of energetic voices to add some more depth to the song as well. but because the beat is quite strong so to speak, its hard to identify all the hidden vocals unless it was purposefully raised such as those in the prehcorus but otherwise you really cant unless you direct it whole, but i do appreciate some nice underlying vocals, it makes the song sound more fuller to me.

lyrics: i think the lyrics have very dissect messages that they want to bring across mainly how they are already fated by destiny that they are lovers - a nice link to serendipity if you recall, ‘이 모든 건 우연이 아냐’ = ‘None of this is a coincidence’ , ‘우주가 우릴 위해 움직였어, 조금의 어긋남조차 없었어, 너와 내 행복은 예정됐던 걸’ = ‘The universe has moved for us, Without missing a single thing, Because our happiness has been planned’ such as the lyrics in dna right from the beginning, ‘첫눈에 널 알아보게 됐어,서롤 불러왔던 것처럼, 내 혈관 속 DNA가 말해줘 , 내가 찾아 헤매던 너라는 걸’ = ‘I recognized you as soon as I saw you, As if we’ve called each other, The DNA in my blood is telling me, That it’s you who I’ve been looking for’.

and again the idea of destiny in dna lyrics,’우주가 생긴 그 날부터 계속, 무한의 세기를 넘어서 계속, 우린 전생에도 아마 다음 생에도, 영원히 함께니까 DNA’ = ‘From the day the universe was formed, Past infinite worlds, Probably in our past life and in our next lives, We’ll be together forever, DNA’.

honestly, i think that they make great references back to serendipity with the same ideas of destiny as mentioned above and also back to the universe, and how everything is planned. in serendipity,’우주가 우릴 위해 움직였어’ = ‘The universe has moved for us’ and in dna,‘우주가 생긴 그 날부터 계속’ = ‘From the day the universe was formed’. also the recurring idea of difference, in serendipity,’온 세상이 어제완 달라’ = ‘The world is different from yesterday’ and in dna,’우린 완전 달라 Baby’ = ‘We’re completely different baby’.

but mainly on the song, you could see the change in the mood of it, from being really adamant in how they were fated from taehyung’s initial part all the way to the chorus and reinforced in yoongi’s and namjoon’s part. but there’s a slight switch in the mood when it goes to jungkook’s part showing the reality of getting nervous around a girl that he likes that he thinks is fated to him - ‘그녀를 볼 때마다 소스라치게 놀라, 신기하게 자꾸만 숨이 멎는 게, 참 이상해 설마’ = ‘Every time I see her, I am amazed, It’s so strange, my breath keeps stopping’ but then it reverts back to the idea of fated lovers in the rest of the song, hence bringing back the original message that they want across.

i like how they brought in some ideas of school subjects in hoseok’s line, ‘우리 만남은 수학의 공식’ = ‘Our encounter is a mathematical formula’. its a real subtle line that many would simply ignore but i like how it is inside orally because dna is in biology etc lmao

what i found interesting was this line specifically, ‘걱정하지 마 Love’ = ‘Don’t worry love’. why? because when jungkook and seokjin sings this part ( they switch ) the 마 can be heard as my so in a way it could be heard as ‘my love’ and i think thats a really nice touch there honestly.

and moreover what made the song more interesting was the use of canon in the bridge when the vocal line repeats the words, ‘영원히’ = ‘Forever’ in which you could hear the various timbres of their voices and more appreciative of it, the slight differences in their voices ahhhhh.

but what sealed the deal was the end of hoseok’s part = ‘la la la’ in the end. honestly i was so sure that they used ‘la la la’ in many of their songs, No More Dream, Attack on Bangtan, War of Hormone, Ma City, Fire and now DNA - in a way almost all their eras except for Skool Luv Affair, HYYH pt. 1 and Wings had songs with lines with ‘la la la’ but surprisingly they all sound slightly different.

so i think in general, the lyrics are great, especially with how they made several links from the intro and having that distinct message across that in the dna, we are fated such that the whole world and universe agrees to it, forever it is how it is.

aesthetics: okay, honestly i love the aesthetics here????? i mean i love that shot of colours inside. the set itself is amazing, especially if you watch the mv shooting from the vapp, those brief 8 minutes or so, when they show the mv shooting, you could see how much effort is put into the sets and it’s not cheap at all.

several sets seen here

this time round, i like how lumpens is focusing on a wider range of colours really. not to mention the increased use of computer graphics ( CG ) this time round, but he did it so well that the whole video is transitioned well from each frame to the next.

look at these close up shots

again, some concepts are brought again !! specific colour palettes and the concept of minimalism but not as much as serendipity. i must say lumpens did plan this out well, considering he linked the videos again from the teasers with serendipity and also the highlight reel videos.

the idea of the universe

notice how lumpens did the same tactic as what he did for serendipity for jimin’s eyes to jungkook’s eyes here

and now he's doing the same thing to jimin’s part here to move to the chorus

look at how embedded the universe is in almost every frame

i must really say the CGs this time are well done such that it flows to each frame really well, back from those without CGs to those with

i like how they literally kinda uploaded taehyung to be in the center, because if you were to look closely from the frame before this, taehyung wasnt the center but jungkook was.

and look how nicely edited that double helix structure of the dna molecule is at the background ( and i really love the shade of yellow here lmao )

look at the links to serendipity again - specifically the universe that i mentioned above ( how he reused the frames ) but also the idea of the sun

also, need i not mention how there are specific colour combinations that are actually repeated throughout the video

also, i love how lumpens is connecting the members in a way, like specific units ( taehyung x jungkook , jimin x taehyung , yoongi x jungkook ) they did so with those specific 2 shots

actually if you would notice, the colours yellow, pink, blue are often used inside the video with the usual monotone colours ( black, white, grey ) but they rarely use green but towards the end, you could see that blast of green and sudden magenta during their last chorus

i like also how lumpens uses minimalism as well but he does it towards the end of the video during the last chorus

yet he still balances this minimalism with close up shots particularly during their transition

surprisingly, the sets that they used in the teaser videos werent used as much here, in a way that some of their frames in this music video were from the sets in the teasers, specifically the chorus where they did the dna flow in the 2nd chorus from the 1st teaser set and the 2nd teaser scenes come up by the 2nd chorus towards the bridge and end.

i like how lumpens literally placed those chemical formulas in his frames

i say lumpens has a way with camera angles really, from the beginning with those several angles of jungkook’s face thats in sync with the whistling and that moving sound, with the camera focusing on that little wave between jimin and yoongi’s arms and also during their dna flow, the camera work is superb

also not to mention these frames that i love, where the frame increase and are of different colour

lumpens did a great job at focusing on the ‘dna’ lyrics by adding that little spark every time it hits the chorus

one of my favourite frames is the hand being placed into a sleeve of a shirt/jacket, when it connects from the wave of jimin and yoongi to go to yoongi’s part.

i found that frame aesthetically pleasing because it looks like a blood vessel given its colour and mostly because television series likes to show how the blood flows through the vessels similar to this. at first, i was put off by this because it looked weird but until rewatching it, did i understand lmao. its a great transition frame.

honestly, i think lumpens did a great job at bringing across the idea of dna throughout this whole video that is aesthetically pleasing, balancing between those close up shots to those that are zoomed out and ensuring a wide range of colours in between, more often using those fixed pastel ones, while at the same time making several links across videos ( serendipity, highlight reel, the teasers ) to get a story as well. something that we all know that lumpens is capable off and is great at ( coughs HYYH series ). his clear transition to the other member’s are down well and also showing the pairings distinctly while not using too much of CGs. its a greatly produced video in my opinion. ( im a sucker for aesthetics and so far lumpens doesn’t fail to impress me )

choreography: when you watch bts perform their songs, especially title songs, you would expect a really great, difficult choreography. why? bts is known for their synchronised moves despite the hard choreo. in a way, i was expecting a bit from this, considering their popular choreographies such as Dope, Fire, Blood, Sweat and Tears and not to mention, how hype this song actually is. it’s easy to put in moves inside especially those that are in sync with the beat, i must say they paid quite a bit of attention to the pauses in the chorus.

the start of the choreo is jungkook starting out then all of them together with a pretty smug look with their hands in the pockets and doing all those leg movements. the point of it is their feet movements. damn, they are really nailing that frat boy look ( i dont know why, but they do look one ) hoseok did mention before that jungkook is the center of this song so its not a surprise to see him in the center. and when the rest of them slide to emphasise jungkook in the center, like damn.

in the meantime, their next few dance moves remind me of danger ( the one before the chorus where jimin says ‘dont confuse me’, or am i the only one feeling it )

here comes taehyung’s solo !! he does not really do much solo dances for their group songs, rarely does bts have a solo dance in which it is only them dancing, as usually they do it in groups of 2,3,4 or 5, if not all of them at once. taehyung’s dance has this really flow to it, aside from his fluid body waves but when he does that move to graze his throat so slowly in sync with his singing when he drags the note is inventive.

not to mention how creative it is, because he is singing ‘the DNA in my blood vessel tells me’ while he grazes his throat and actually, every human has that one important vein around their throat which is why murderers slit the throat because thats one of the areas where most of the blood circulates in asides from the wrists so relatively speaking, taehyung’s dance move to me is innovative, aside from it looking really fluid but that sort of underlying message that yes my dna in my blood vessel ( one of the more important ones around in my throat ) tells me that its you that i've been looking for’. though a tiny part of me feels that this could be an adlib on taehyung’s part idk

and now it pans out to hoseok and taehyung’s part. notice how they greet each other by pulling each other back and mimic each other’s moves just like a mirror, like the way they did so in the music video. i think that’s pleasing to the eye for me personally, it focuses on them both being in sync. afterwards, hoseok continues to dance freestyle just to make the place a little bit more lively as compared to him just rapping on a hype song before he high fives namjoon and its his turn. you see here, this choreo has a lot of transition points and its obvious as the members make contact with each other before the other one sings. ( from taehyung to hoseok to namjoon ) namjoon comes in this time but with 4 other members except for taehyung and jungkook who are going to prepare the next part. this is a strategic thing for them so that they dont have to dance all the time etc. but the dance between the 5 members though, damn those 3 little jumps in about 1-2 bars, its a subtle jump but you know they did it and it is in sync with ‘take it, take it’, with them jumping, the pauses in between is focused on more before they all dissipate and jungkook and taehyung run in the middle to do their duet dance.

again with the mirror dance image, taehyung and jungkook copying each others actions during jungkook’s part.

but the mirror image stops when it hits taehyung’s part. instead of mirroring, they are actually performing as a duo and it ends of with them having a high five again before jimin runs in the middle

and the rest joining the sides - the space in between jungkook and taehyung, a great way to change positions.

again with the jump to show that they are entering the pre chorus when it builds up and look at those footwork again !!!!!! did i not mention their crazy footwork??? ( coughs dope, fire, blood, sweat and tears )

and then moving into the formation when they do the move to raise their hands up in sync like a canon. and afterwards, notice that some of them though they already raised their hands, they still keep the energy level but bouncing to the beat. and afterwards, they make way for jungkook in the center. in between, they have a really brief break of not dancing for a while ( perhaps 2 seconds for them to regain their breaths which is important really ) but notice how they used the same moves as what i said earlier, the one similar to the danger, before it hits the pre chorus around 1:15

then it hits the chorus. that move that they used is effective because they are pushing themselves to be aligned with jung kook in the middle before they spread out again.

next when the drop occurs, ah yes the dance moves but not its focused more on how they run their fingers through their hair and then what i call the crotch move, but they emphasised it more by turning their left leg with more force so its more impactful to the eyes.

afterwards, they used the same move, but in different formations ( particularly altering between jimin and jungkook in the center ) before they are on the floor in sync with the drop in the beat ( especially jungkook and hoseok but you'll see at the last chorus, this formation changes )

but i like how it pans out to focus on jimin and yoongi doing that brief dna move, that half of a double helix structure of a dna molecule.

okay so afterwards, it moves on to yoongi’s part and honestly i think his part is the cutest, like not just from his moves, but his gestures and lyrics too ?? notice how everyone is squatting in a circle around him ( god so cute ) then by his second line, they all stand up but they all have this cute vibe to stand in a line

when yoongi ends his part he looks towards the end, and the rest follow, a nice transition to namjoon’s part who is now standing in the middle. and now look how they are split into 3s to cover both the back and front while namjoon finishes his part. but as he does, they all stand in 2 columns to have jungkook to be ready for his part.

notice how jung kook walks in between those columns but specifically stretching his hands out when he reaches the 94 line for them to spread out and dance together with jungkook while the rest stay put. and we are back from the cocky and flaunting attitude of the boys that they want to bring out, especially with jungkook and that jacket

and after jungkook’s part, its a conversation between yoongi and jungkook, switching after a line each. see how the rest that gathers in a formation with jungkook and yoongi at the back, doing moves that are easier moves to be in sync with their lyrics.

then they both jump to be at the front and again with the high living of hands again !!! before they all look at jimin who is in the center, again a short break of 2 seconds for them to regain their breaths. then it moves to seokjin’s part who jogs to the end and while he sings his lines, the rest of them change their formation to prepare for the pre chorus.

after this move, they all turn to seokjin to place more emphasis on him being the center and then transition to the prechorus by doing this move, notice how they point at several directions so as to place more emphasis.

then again moving to the pre chorus with jungkook being in the center, a switch from jimin to jungkook but to do the exact same moves.

but once the drop happens, the dance changes slightly to do the actual main point of the dance.

this is where hoseok takes the center stage before it focuses on jungkook again being the center of the double helix structure of a dna molecule again. their emphasis and interlinks with their arms are really good honestly, it shows the flow between the whole structure and i am really amazed at it because its pleasing to the eye. however notice as the flow occurs, they emphasise it more to show where the flow is. they do it by purposely extending their arms or using their bodies to jerk forward to emphasise that its flowing through them, shows how much more fluid they are than before. i like how they placed it before the bridge so it gives a contrast really.

and then they do the signature move of the dna before moving on to the bridge with taehyung being the center but look at how namjoon and seokjin are at the back now. and then how taehyung goes down to let seokjin take the center with yoongi sliding in at the back and hoseok at the front, yet with jungkook and jimin at the side for their parts to come soon.

afterwards, the canon of ‘forever’ occurs from seokjin to taehyung to jungkook to jimin, while as jimin sings, hoseok stands up also so that again theyre in a line. then jimin does that hand move thats in sync with the beat of the song by popping it more to signal the last chorus now.

again, look at how the center changes again now to mimic the first chorus.

and now when they finally reach the end with hoseok taking the center stage and doing these dance moves. they mentioned before on their comeback show how it was hard to learn this. they learned it in 4 hours with taehyung making mistakes ( but im not sure which part of the dance he was making mistakes in ) but as hoseok wasn't present, he asked jimin to teach him which he only learned in 10mins ( and taehyung mentioned how people with talent are different lmao ) ( of course, our dance team leader, the main dancer ). i must say seokjin and namjoon improved a lot really, especially their movements this time round.

i really like this part because as they tilt their head and making it more obvious by using their arms to make it seem as if they are holding their hands and forcefully tilting it.

then it moves on to them doing this 3-step push, pushing their heads, then arms and then legs, while ensuring that their feet movements are not hindered by it. honestly, the coordination here is unreal and to make it in sync, truly, they are great dancers.

then afterwards, they do a mini jump before moving on to the last part in the end with hoseok strutting to the front and the rest forming a little triangle and hoseok still doing that dna move.

till we reach the end, with some dance moves that are less vigorous but similar to 뱁새 by emphasising on raising their legs in sync with the beat, while changing their and movements.

and then hoseok starting the canon again with the rest of them doing different moves but those who are in the same row are doing moves that are opposite each other ( jimin and jungkook, namjoon and yoongi and taehyung and seokjin ) for hoseok to kinda ‘collectively’ move so that they all align again in a line and hoseok finishing with that dna move and to eventually end it with his back facing the audience.

i like how they let hoseok the main dancer to take charge of this, just like how he does for blood, sweat and tears as well. its a great chance for him to shine i feel and to prove his position as the main dancer because honestly his moves are the best out of all of them. he knows when to go hard and when to go soft, controlling how fluid he should dance is what makes him stand out more and i think he stood out the most here.

last thoughts: overall i thought this was great though it took me a while to actually like it specfically the dubstep part in the chorus lmao but i really love the aesthetics inside and the choreography. i hope they get more wins with this

[Photo Source] Bighit Entertainment Credits: maxine ☕️ DO NOT REPOST ©

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roommateofmyimagination-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Chapter 11: If i fits, i sits and it isnt where i want it to be.

✗ Adrian ✗

“Tell me about you. What else are you into besides photography?” Val spoke eruptly like i spooked him out of a thought.

Eyeing him quickly, I leaned back and crossed my ankles together under the table. “Music and drugs.” I said while crossing my arms over my chest.

“That it?” Val raised his eyebrows at me.

“Honestly thats about it.” I rolled my head to the side, cracking my neck a bit. “Music is something I was shown when i was young. I can play the guitar and piano. My mom wanted me and my siblings to be talented in different things but never pushed us to much except music. Sis can play the violin and harp, bro can do flute and violin as well.”

“Why both violin?” val asked, leaning on the table.

Shrugging a bit, “Dunno, they both just really like it. I never liked those things, guitar was the only string i could do, Piano was something i tried really hard to learn because mom really likes it and knows a bit. I wanted to share something with her.” I felt my lips twitch into a smile because of talking about my mom.

“You close to your mother?” He asked with a small smile on his lips.

“Yeaaaaaaah.” I scratched the back of my head. “Im my mom’s kid. My siblings are just like my dad, look just like him, act like him a bit, talk like he does. Mostly my bro, hes a literal clone of my dad. Sis is a mix of dad with a feminine touch. Me, im a male version of my mom. Look just like her with my hair and eyes.” Val continued to just sit and stare at me with a stupid smile. “I pursued music as a major minor kinda deal cuz i wanna perform for her, and show the world i can sing and play instruments because she taught me, pushed me to it and is my biggest fan. Ill sing for her all time and what not.”

“Thats really sweet of you.” Val had a big smile on his face.

“Yeah.” I chuckled a bit. “The drugs were cuz…..” i slumped my shoulders down and stared at the table. “I did em just cuz i could.” I looked back up at val, “didnt wanna be that perfect kid like my siblings. Pissed me off that my father wanted to mold me to a perfect child.” I twirled my hair on my finger, “Soooo i did drugs, got in trouble a lot,....had dad save me from going to jail.” I started mumbling.

Marcus came back with our drinks with a smile and set them down on the table. “Are you both ready to order?” he looked between us, Val looked at me with a raised brow.

“Yes, please.” I answered and waited for him to pull out his notepad. “Can i get the Royal red robin. No tomato, egg hardset, and medium well please.”

“Can do sir!” Marcus wrote and turned to val with a smile.

“Can i please have the Whiskey river Burger with fries.” Val said with a smile and very sweetly.

“Alright! I’ll get that out as soon as i can.” Marcus smiled and left to place the order.

I stared at val with a confused smile. “You can eat all of that?”

“Of course!” He smiled happily.

“Damn i wonder what else you can fit in that mouth.’ I mumbled into my glass before i took a drink from it.

“Excuse me?” Val leaned in, “i didnt hear that.”

“Tell me what you seemed upset about earlier.” I set the glass back down on the table and stared at Val who then just put his mouth around his straw and stared at his glass. “Cmon, we’re roommates….and friends, you can tell me things and i wont judge.”

Val sat silently for a while longer after he let go of his straw. He leaned back and looked up at me. “So, um...who was the guy you were with earlier?”

“Who...guy i was…..” I stared at him confused for a second then it clicked. Demyan. He means demyan. Did he go out with Karim earlier today? I Looked down at the table for a second then back to him. “That was a friend of mine, i dont get to see him often, so when i ran into him today we just had lunch together and talked.”

“Friend from high school?” He asked, little upset in his voice.

“Yeah, he goes to a different school and busy with work and school.” I started twirling my hair a bit. Val looked a bit upset by it. “Yo.” I extended my hand to poke at his arm, “whats wrong, you seem upset.”

“It just….” he sighed heavily, not looking at me or even my hand.

“I know, i come off as an asshole kinda.” I poked his arm again to make him look at me, and he did. “I dont hang out often, i dont hang out with my band members much either. Kinda a loner guy. The dude you saw me with was just a random meet up and hanging with him was something i dont do a lot.” I paused to see he was a bit hurt still, “and i know i dont hang out with you much and i come home late...a lot.” I put my hand on his wrist gently, “But i do like hangin’ with you, and i’m gonna try and not be a shitty roommate anymore.”

“You mean that?” Val asked quietly.

“Yeah man, i try not to break promises.” I smiled at him. Val finally smiled back at me and nodded. Slapping my hand on his neck lightly and pushing on his cheek a bit, “thats the cupcake i know.” I chuckled and took my hand off his face, “it does hurt to see you sad, you’re like a sad puppy and it breaks my heart.”

“Im not a sad puppy, im a fierce kitten!” Val sat up straight and looked very proud of himself.

Staring at him for just a moment, i started laughing and put my forehead on my forearms which were on the table. “The fact that you said kitten makes it better. Doesnt matter what you are, you’re the cute baby version of said animal.” I spoke through giggles then started laughing even more that I covered my head with my arms.

I looked back up to see him have a very displeased look on his face. His brows were together and his cheeks were puffed as he stared at me with displeasure. I started laughing again and this time accidentally snorting, which made me start laughing even harder and Val started laughing too at the fact that i snorted. I sat back up and put my elbow on the table and put my forehead in my hand, “Shut up you didnt hear that.”

Val made a long squeal like giggle and put his head on the table, “but it was funny! You snorted!” I sat back up and leaned back into his seat. “I didnt think a snort would come out of you when laughing.” he ran his hand under his eyes as he finished up laughing.

“Im only human after all, I can snort and make weird noises if i wanna.” I flipped my hair back over my shoulder. “So, tell me about yourself. Its only fair.”

“Okay, well…” He paused and straightened himself out, “you know I’m going for fashion and that I do yoga. I mean, clearly I’m not straight with how I dress. But, i’m not really very interesting, sorry.”

“Hm i just kinda thought you didnt care about gendered clothing.” I twirled my straw around in the glass.

“If it’s going to be hard being in the same room as me I can move into the spare room. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” Val spoke softly, I looked up to see him fidgeting with something in his lap and a blush on his cheeks.

“Dude.” I said low, Val looking up at me with wide eyes. “I dont care what your sexuality is, I support all of it. You dont make me uncomfortable. One of my band members, she’s a lesbian. Joce as you can see is straight, my drummer is straight and my bass guitar is pansexual.” I smiled at him, “I dont hate on people for gender and sexuality. I only hate if i meet a person and they are a douchpickle or are acting like a fucking buttplug. Then imma kick their ass cuz i can.”

Val started giggling because of the insults i just used. He smiled happily at me, “thanks,Adri.”

“No problem cupcake.” I smiled back at him.

Marcus came back with two plates in his hand. “Whiskey river burger.” and set the plate down in front of Val, “aaand the Royal red robin for you.” he set my plate down in front of me. “Everything look good? Can i get you anything?” he asked with a smile.

“Im good, thanks.” I looked up at him.

“No, im good too,Thank you!” Val asid with a smile.

“Awesome! I’ll check back in a bit!” he smiled and walked off to check on other people.

“He seems like a nice guy.” I turned to see Val with his burger shoved in his mouth. He still had his mouth around the burger in his hands. Staring at me like a curious cat and his cheeks puffed out a bit, blinking slowly at me. Turning my head away, closing my eyes and covering my mouth and nose i started laughing again, my free hand pounded the table as i laughed. “Cupcake, hermegawd, you’re a chipmunk!”

Val took his bite and held his hand up to me so he could chew and not talk with his mouth full of food. “I was hungry, and didnt expect you to talk!” He blushed red and looked at me with a serious look. “And yes he seems like a nice guy and is good as a waiter.”

“I feel like ive seen him before.” I tossed a fry into my mouth, “Like he was at one of my concerts.”

“Where do you usually perform at anyways?” Val took a sip of his drink.

“Anything we can get really.” I tossed another fry in my mouth before speaking again. “We perform at bars, clubs, music fests sometimes if we can. We all do a bit of solo stuff sometimes. Well Harvey not so much, he sings yeah but hes our drummer so he doesnt solo drum places. Joce will dance or sing on her own sometimes, Desi will play guitar and sing as well. Asher i dunno if he does solo things. And i naturally perform alone sometimes because ill either just sing for who hires me, play guitar and sing, Play piano only or sing sometimes.”

“So you all arent an official band?” Val raised a brow at me as he munches on a fry.

“We are, and arent….” I stared at him with a questioning look. “We all love to perform together as a group, but sometimes we cant always meet up and do it cuz someone will have something going on. So we just do our own solo stuff sometimes.” I finally picked up my burger and took a huge ass bite out of it, kinda realizing too late that I took too much to chew.

“What all can you sing?” Val took another bite and swallowed after he chewed, “Like genre what can you sing.”

Holding up a fingering and swallowing hard,then taking a quick drink. “Lemme tell you what I cant do, cuz thats easier.” holding up one finger, “I cant do a song in a foreign language, so ill do it in english if i can.” Holding up two finger, “I dont do opera.” I continued to hold up a finger for what i listed, “Dont do metal or screamo.” I paused to think, “I dont do gospel type music. Aaaaaaaaaaaand i cant Rap...well enough to say i can do it.” I looked at my hand “So thats the five things i cant do.”

“You can do country?” Val asked with a raised brow.

“Aaaaaaaah, does it count if i can perform the song in a country style but not singing it in country format?” I asked holding my straw in my mouth.

Val giggled a bit, “no, it doesnt count.” before taking a bite of his burger.

“Damn, then six things…..No. Five point five, i think half kinda doing country counts.” I smirked at him and got a ‘really, seriously?’ look from Val. “yes im serious, i can sing a country song just not country-ish like….Dont judge me.” I pointed a finger at him before taking a bite of my burger.

Our dinner went really well and we had a lot of fun, or at least i had fun. Im guessing that all the giggles Val made means he had fun too. When Marcus came back with boxes, he asked if we wanted something for deserte. Both of us said yes. I got the Nana-nana moo-moo classic, and god i hate saying that name but its worth it, to go. Val ordered a classic chocolate to go as well. Marcus took the order and then went to go get those.

“We doing back to the dorm for the night after?” Val asked raising a brow at me.

“No, imma take you somewhere.” I smirked at him. Val looked at me with wide eyes and a slightly blush on his face,

We got our milkshakes a few minutes after. We paid, fighting back and forth who was gonna pay and ended up splitting it and both paying. When we got up, we passed by Joce and Gabe. I leaned down to give Joce a small pat on the back and waved her off with a peace sign. We saw Kane and his buddy Yori standing outside as well.

“You can get in the truck if you want, ill just take a quick smoke.” Kane had his hands up by his mouth.

“Its alright, I’ll wait.” Yori smiled at him, then turned to see us. “Oh hi again.” he still had a smile on his face.

“Wahzzup.” Kane said with his cigarette in his mouth then took an Inhale and looked away from all of us to blow it out. “Fun date?” He asked with a smile, keeping the smoke away from the three of us.

“Wasn’t a date.” I said.

“It was fun.” Val said just right after me with a smile. “You’re polite about your smoking habit.”

“Thanks buttercup! I try to be courteous to people who dont like my nasty habit. Yori here doesnt like it, and imma assume you dont like it either. Half shave here i know smokes so he doesnt mind.”

I saw Yori lean towards Val and mumble, “I don’t like it because i get asthma attacks from too heavy of a smoke cloud.”

Val smiled softly at him before patting his back, “i’m sorry.”

“Half shave?” I looked at Kane with an offended look, “the fuck you wanna fight ya blondie?” I shoved him a bit with my hand.

“Naaah, its all good.” He laughed lightly. Kane took another quick swig off his and offered me his hand before blowing it out away from us.

“Nah im good thanks, i dunno whats been in your mouth.” I held up my hand and leaned away a bit. “Not a germ freak, but i really dont know whats been in yuor mouth dude.” I chuckled lightly.

“Thankfully today, nothing that comes out of a vehicle!” he laughed proudly. “But we should let you two have fun on your Not-a-date date.” He smiled before putting his smoke in the asht ray outside, hooking his arm around Yori. “lets go finish our date too!”

“Its not a date!” Yori complained and looked back at us, “it was nice meeting you!”

“You too!” Val waved back at them.

“Hey! Come to one of my shows coming up!” I yelled back at Kane.

“Text me when and where the fuck it is, ill try to come and ill bring Yori!” He held up a peace sign and went to the other side of the parking lot.

“You come with me.” I grabbed Val by the arm and walked to my truck.

Val hopped in and got his seatbelt on, “where are we going?” he asked turning to look at me.

“You’ll see.” I smirked at him and turned the truck on, backing out of the spot and going to turn out of the lot. “Its my favorite place to be.”

“I thought that was your bed?” He snickered to himself.

“Thats my Second favorite place!” I held up my finger.

Our trip was all but quiet. Val and i, mostly me, would sing along to whatever played on the radio. Val would occasionally randomly change the station to see if i could sing the song which I fucking good. He even found the fucking country station and i sang along to that. Getting so into the song, i made us swerv on accident. Val looked like a scared cat as he held onto the Oh-shit-handle. I laughed at his reactions, and tried to stay perfectly calm when driving. We got on a backroad and Val was looking out the windows at the open fields and the trees.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“Almost there!” I smiled at him and patted his thigh. Turning onto a graveled path literally in the middle of know where. “Get out and follow me.” I patted his thigh again and got out. I waited of him on his side, holding my hand to him, “its dark and i dont want you to leave me. Gimme your hand.” Val looked at my hand and hesitantly took my hand in his. Holding his hand and dragging him behind me we walked through the dark woods. We didn’t talk at, the only noise around us was crunching leaves and the sounds of active night animals.I walked us out to a clearing when we got out of the trees and shrubbery, I looked back at him and Val was staring up at the clear sky filled with stars.

“Oh my god.” he said softly, “its beautiful here.”

“Yeah. Its also kinda in the mountains too.” I let go of his hand and walked further out. “This is a place i like to go to clear my head, singing and no one hear me, or break down if i need to.”

“Is that why its your favorite place?” Val asked, standing beside me.

“Yeah.” I leaned down and sat on the grass, pulling Val down with me. “I came here for the first time when i ran from my home. Dad was pissed at me, mom was crying, and i wanted out. Found here, and ive been coming here ever since.”

“What did you do?” He turned to face me.

“First time i was ever stoned out of my fucking mind.” I leaned forward, pressing my elbows to my knees. “Didnt wanna see my mom crying, didnt wanna know what dad would do, so ever since then, its just a place i find comfort in.”

“So why did you bring me?” Val asked, holding his feet in butterfly position.

“Thought it would be a good bonding moment.” I sighed, “thought you’d wanna see it, and it makes me feel calm for what im about to tell you.”

“Huh?” Val raised a brow and touched my arm, “something wrong?”

“No no, its just.” I sighed and laughed a bit. “I just think its kinda mean of me to keep something from you, when you’ve been so open with me.” I turned to look at Val, and he had the most confused worry look on his face. “Back at the restaurant, you came out to me.”

“Yeah.” he said low.

“Well, i tiptoed around it like an ass and didnt tell you, but Im gay too.” I smiled softly at him, “and it was eating at me that i didnt tell you when you told me, but i was scared to for some reason, like you’d think i was lying.”

Val was just staring at me like a cat. Fucking hate when he does that cuz i feel like he’s thinking im crazy or lying and it freaks me out with that stare. Val shifted onto his knees and leaned into me, wrapping his arms around my neck and pressing his chest to mine. “Thank you for telling me, it means a lot.” he said softly and sweetly. I felt my hands twitch lightly, do i hug him back? I dont know, how to hug him without it seeming weird, hes on his knees hugging me and his back is arched and i can see his ass. Val pulled away from me slightly and i think caught onto that i was a little nervous about this situation, “You’ve been touching my thighs one way or another, would it make you feel better if we sat here and you had a hand on my thigh?"

“Aaaah...uuuuh.” I started mumbling and blushing a bit. “i-i-i…..Yeah.” I mumbled lowl. GOD im a fucking weirdo! Why the fuck do i have this weird need to touch his damn thighs? This kid probably thinks im a freak. Val shifted back onto his butt and sat beside me, letting me place my hand on his thigh. I put my face into the palm of my hand and squeezed his thigh a bit, “Im really fucking sorry.”

“For?” He asked and i could feel him shift to lean forward and stare at me.

“This!” I squeezed his thigh and shook my hand a bit. “Ive never done this to anyone else, anditsmakingmefeellikeacreep but idonthateit.” I started to mumble and feel my face heat up more, so i tried to cover my face more with my hand.

Val’s whole body started shaking with erupted laughter. He leaned back to lay in the grass and covered his face with his laughing. I shifted to sit on my hip closest to him, shiting my hand further up his thigh a bit too high up actually and he started laughing even more, putting his hands up on my chest. “The fuck is so funny?” I asked leaning in closer to him and prop myself on my elbow.

“You’re tickling me!” he giggled, fidgeting beside me.

“How?!” I asked, “where am i tickling you?!”

“My thighs are ticklish!” He giggled louder. I looked down at my hand and slid my hand back down to where it was, sliding back up his thigh slowly and letting my nails drag across his skin, getting to close to his nether region yet again. “StaaaAAAAAHHHHP” he started laughing harder now, trying to roll away from me.

“How do you have ticklish thighs?! In one fucking spot cupcake?!” I asked, doing it yet again cuz it was kinda funny to see him squirm.

“I dont know!” He laughed and tears started to roll down his cheeks as he laughed.

I put my hands under his arms and started wiggling my fingers on his sides and up to under his arms. He erupted with more crazy laughter and started to roll around more. “You’re going to roll down a hill, cupcake!”

“Then stop tickling me!” He yelled at me through laughs.

“Naaaaah.” I swung my leg over his body and turned around to barely sit on his stomach and tickle his other thigh now. He started kicking at the air in front of me, yelling behind me and grabbing the back of my shirt. I wrapped my hands around to tickle the back of his knee and the back of his thigh. He sounded like he was crying and laughing at the same time now. Switching to his other leg i did the same thing.

“Adrian, ADRI STOOOOOAAAAAAHP PLEASE!” He cried as he laughed and was wiggling underneath me pulling at my shirt.

I looked back at him and dropped his thigh onto the grass. “Ill stop, kinda dont wanna be accused of murder.” I sat up a bit for Val to pull his legs out from under me and sit behind me.

He had his legs touching his chest and had his hands wrapped around his knees. “I feel violated and my stomach hurts now.” he puffed his cheeks at me.

“Thats what you get for being ticklish.” I smirked at him and he stuck his tongue out at me.

“Keep that tongue in your mouth, boy.” i reached to grab at his tongue but Val leaned back and avoided my hand.

He launched himself forward at me, knocking my onto my back and sitting on top of my stomach. “Im going to return what you did to me!”

“Go for it, im not ticklish.” I chuckled with a cocky smirk on my face.

“Pssh, we’ll see if thats true!” He ran his hands along my sides and under my arms and pouted when i didnt even giggle. He tried to tickle my stomach and more so was embarrassed that he touched my abs then trying to tickle me.He spun around to have his back to me and tried to get a response out of me that way. He grumbled very angerly and placed his hands on my thighs. “You aren't tickle-ish.”

“Dunno you didnt try my feet.” I chuckled from behind him.

“Im not touching your feet!” He looked back at me with puffed out cheeks.

Shifting under him and pulling my thighs out from under him enough, i sat up and partially had val sitting in my lap. Leaning into his back, i put my cheek on the back of his head. I could feel Val was kinda tense under me. Keeping my hands behind him, I leaned forward, pushing him forward a bit as well. “Thanks.”

“For?” he asked, and lightened up his body a bit.

“For hearing me out.” I played with the rim of his shirt. “Means a lot.”

“Of course.” he looked back at me and smiled.

“Now, care to get off me?” I leaned off of him.

“Nope, if i fits i sits.” He chuckled wickedly to himself and made himself comfortable.

“Oh my god, you fucking cat.” I sighed and threw my head back.

“Meow hehehehehe” He continued his evil chuckles.

“I will kick your ass down this hill and to the car.” I groaned, leaning back onto my hands.

“No you wont.” He looked back at me with a cocky smile.

“Off my lap, or you’re rolling down this hill.” I said flatly.

“Nope, or im taking you with me!” I felt Val grab onto my jeans with a tight grip.

Grumbling, i took the clip out of his hair, watching his shiny red hair fall down and lay flat on his back. He looked so nice with his hair down and it looked so soft and silky too. “Off the lap or this clip gets thrown!”

“No!” He whined, “give it back!” he turned to look back at me, whipping his hair around over his shoulder at the process. When he saw i was holding the clip behind my back, he spun around and scooted up my lap and leaned into my chest trying to reach for it behind me.

Tensing up a bit and a small twitch of a smile on my lips, “Off my lap and i give it back, or if you stay on my lap start grinding and we’ll call it even.” I looked at Val who was practically laying on me tense up and watch his face go from white to bright red.

“You’re a wicked man….” he mumbled and stared at me with a slightly pissed look but mostly embarrassed.

“Hey, if you fit you sits.” I smirked and chuckled, “said it yourself. So either fits on the grass or fits on my dick and we have a outside quickie.” I growled playfully at him, watching his face get as bright red as his hair. Val pouted and swung his leg off my body and plopped down on the grass, looking away from me. Chuckling lightly, I took his hair and tried my best to have it the way he does his hair and clip it back up for him. “Sorry that was kinda mean.”

“No this is kinda mean.” Val leaned into me again, his face close to mine like he was going to kiss me. My body tensed up but started to lean back when Val shoved his hands into my chest, Yelling loudly I grabbed onto his leg and pulled him down with me. We tumbled down the hill together, me yelling the whole way down and Val was laughing.

I hit the bottom of the hill first and Val landed ontop of my chest. His thigh hit my crotch with some force that i grunted loudly, and in minor pain but mostly a little turned on from how close he was and his thigh touching my fucking dick.

“told ya I fits I sits, or in this case I lay on top of” He chuckled and sat up, his hair falling slightly out of his clip, and his hands on each side of my face.

“And i told ya. Ass on the grass, or ass grinding my my dick that your so kindly shoving your knee into.” I looked up at him with a slightly displeased face and i could feel my face heat up.

“Oh god i am so sorry!” he looked down between us and moved his thigh.

“No you arent.” I groaned, fuck i just wanna a quickie, i need sex now.

“You’re right, Im not.” He laughed and got up standing on his feet and fixing his hair. “We should head back” he started dusting off the grass and dirt on his body.

Groaning loudly, i got up and cleaned off my ass. “We good?” I turned around to show him my back.

“Mmmmmm?” Val purred a bit.

“Ass, check? Dirt gone?” I looked back at him.

“Yeah, oh yeah we’re good.” He smirked at me.

“Your ass in the car noooow.” I snapped and pointed, pulling out my keys from my pocket.

Val giggled and jogged to the direction we came from towards the car. He stood patiently at the door for me and waiting until i unlocked it for him to hop in. I hopped into the truck soon after and clicked my seatbelt.

“You do know showing me this place means you cant run from me now.” He smiled softly.

“Maybe i want you to find me.” I said softly and put the car in reverse. Val never said anything again the whole drive until we got back to the dorm.

“Wanna watch something before bed?” Val asked as he took his shoes off and set his things down.

“Sure.” I closed the door behind me, kicking my own shoes off. “I could do something else before bed too.” I mumbled low.

“Huh?” he looked back at me.

“Nothin!” I smiled.

“Well, you set something up, im changing my clothes, these have grass stains now.” he pulled at his shirt and walked to the bedroom.

“Aight, porno it is.” I cackled and sat on the sofa.

“NO SIR IT IS NOT!” He yelled back.

Laughing lightly to myself i plopped down on the sofa and flipped through on netflix for something good to watch. “Lilo and stitch good?!” I shouted back at him as he was changing.

“Yes!” He yelled back.

Selecting that and hitting Pause i waited for Val to emerge from the bedroom. His hair was now neatly clipped up in his usual style as he wore a loose crop top and the famous shorty shorts he usually paraded around in. “how about you go get changed.”

“Aight.” I walked around him and went to the bedroom to get a change of clothes. I grabbed a pair of worn out soft sweatpants to put on after i took my jeans off and a loose tshirt that hung low on my body. Changing quickly i walked out of the bedroom to see Val coming back with two drinks in his hands. “Whats in the cups?”

“Vodka.” He said flatly. I looked down at the cups and picked one up to sniff it. Val instantly started laughing and plopped his ass on the sofa. “Im not going to get us in trouble by having vodka on campus, and being underage. I didn’t think you’d believe me.” he giggled.

“Shut up before i pour this fake vodka down your short shorts.” I groaned and sat back down on the sofa.

Val took the remote and hit play. Curling up into himself, his feet tucked up under him as he leaned on the arm of the sofa he was on. I leaned back and put my hand behind my head and my other hand made lines up and down Val’s thighs.We didnt talk at all during the movie until i looked over and saw Val sleeping. He had slumped down in his spot and had his head resting on the arm as his knees were up at his chest. Sighing softly to myself, i turned the netflix off and got up. Picking Val up and taking him to the bedroom. I brought my foot up and pushed his covers back so i could put them over him as he slept. Setting him down on the mattress, i reached around and took his hair clip out of his hair and set it down on the nightstand by his bed. I grabbed the covers to pull them over him and let him sleep. But i looked at his very exposed thighs and had a wicked thought. Leaning down over the leg closest to me, i put my mouth on his inner thigh. Kissing softly to see if he would wake up, kid is a deep sleeper, so i dont think he’d wake up to this. Opening my mouth more, i bit some of the flesh on his thigh, sucking on it to leave a nice hickey for him to wake up to. Letting go with a slightly pop,i looked back up to see if val had woken up. Nope, kid was still sleeping soundly. Chuckling softly, i brought the covers over him to his shoulders and got off of his bed and walked out to turn all the lights off.

When i got to the living space, i turned off the lights and turned to see Aero sitting in the bedroom doorway staring at me. She just sat there with her tail swishing slowly and her head tilted. Walking up to her, i squatted down and held my hand out for her to sniff. She instantly put her face in my hand and leaned heavily into the palm of my hand. “You’re an odd kitty.” I whispered softly, and she instantly stopped rubbing her head in my hand and turned around and got onto Val’s bed with him like i just offended her. Getting off the floor i took my shirt off and tossed it on the floor beside my bed and flopped down onto my mattress.

My body still ached from my fight with Aj, and knowing tomorrow Demyan is going to make me practice with Pendragon or Takeshi. Groaning, i rolled onto my side facing away from Val. It also didnt help that i really wanted to masturbate, but being in a room with someone else kinda put me off from the idea of it, but god that Cupcake really made me wanna have sex. It’s been awhile since i had a FwB or a relationship after my last ex. Sighing heavily, i grabbed my pillow and brought it up over my head, pressing the pillow onto the side of my head. Should maybe go and try to find a fuck buddy...or ask the cupcake.

#Adrian Howell #OcStory #Magical boys #Valentine Hicks

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yoongillinme · 8 years ago

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bts appreciation rant

so like.

i spend a lot of time reading through bts lyrics, analyzing songs, and reading song analysis articles.

i just wanted to rant about how it’s amazing that legit all their songs have a deep meaning behind it?

ok i want to focus on the WINGS album.

i read through all the solo lyrics and i’ll quickly go over the meaning of each of the solos in like one or two sentences.

[Reflection] Rapmon: well a self reflection of his identity. who he is and how he’s felt like he lost it. (i feel like this is a recurring theme for him? makes sense. it’s not a short term topic.) [First Love] Yoongi: his first love for a piano. his bud- the gateway of music that was there for him even when abandoned, even thru his struggles, etc. [Awake] Jin: about being not as good as the other members in bangtan? [MAMA] Hobi: a message to his mom- #1 hobi supporter- (it’s so beautiful omg. the line where he’s just like ‘you can smile now’ had me bawling) [Lie] Chimchim: his past insecurities and low self esteem (same tho ;;) putting him thru living with this image he thought of himself that was a lie. [Stigma] V: uhh i’ve read 2 ways this cud go like a duality? 1- I Need U continuum 2- a message to his family. his apologies for not being there for his sibliings as they grow up and how they’ll grow up looking up to a brother they don’t really even know? he feels bad he cant protect them. (tae’s all about family so much that it hurts my heart) [Begin] Jungkook: for his bangtan hyungs about how they’ve always looked after him n he wants to give back? basically something like that.

well ok just from that alone we all know that ALL of the songs hit the members on a personal level.

so what im thinking rn that’s got me writing this appreciation rant is that

they are on the wings tour rn. they’re performing this on stage in front of millions of people.

these songs that are so personal to them. songs that expose a personal part of themselves to so many people. it’s so personal that it makes their stage mean so much more.

these stages should be valued more. it’s like them giving us a piece of how they feel, things on their mind, things they’re ready to share a personal story of their past with the world. the struggles, the relatable circumstances. it’s so human and realistic.

and like. ‘connected’ (lmao rapmon says that a lot) but legit you get to know the artists better this way. it’s sort of like a bonding experience.

it’s not just simple love stories. not just a direct meaning. this is why i’d be so happy and even proud to talk about the meaning of these songs if someone were to ask me what the song is about.

my mother asks me often if i know the meaning of the song that’s playing. i usually say no- that it’s probably just about love. some love song. i cud have read the lyrics before but the meaning never stuck to me or i never really understood it (lol)

but.. like with bts lmao i know the reason for so many of their songs and so far for the WINGS album like none of them are about just love.

Lost is about the path to your future/dreams 2!3! is the bridge from BTS to ARMYs Am I Wrong is about worldly issues 21st century girl is about the empowerment of women LIKE YOO. who does that? bts does. like shit. its amazing. and like MOST BTS title songs, BST is not just a sexual song lmao it’s about how hard they work. again. like dope. bts sells themselves so much to music. their sleep their health their time and their freedom i just cant rn LOL (ok but im not too well versed on bst meaning tbh. that’s what i got from it tho the last time i looked at it intently.)

ok that’s it for the wings album rant.

extra appreciation!

YO WHY ARE CYPHERS SO GOOD.

bts gets so much hate and i just love it when the rapper line just throws them down like savages even classier when it’s to a mannerful degree! (suga in cypher pt 4 omg) also realize suga’s like usually.. typically last in cyphers where he just burns them to a crisp and earns himself worthy enough to do a mic drop and maniac laugh.

i also love that they cuss a lot and all that other shit but they’re not like super stepped on for it. yknow? they’ve been blurring the line between hiphop and kpop since debut and they’re doing it in the best way possible. i remember telling friends i listened to hiphop and rap too years years back but only be saddened when i got judged when they found out it was kpop hiphop or kpop rap. but bts sort of just gives no two shits to ppl who make fun of them for being underground rappers and kpop idols. it’s amazing. i have no reason to feel ashamed anymore. the fact that they don’t care gives me all reason to not care either. also how cool is it that suga produces a lot of their songs? i wonder how he feels when they actually perform it on stage. it must be like the best feeling in the world- to perform a song from scratch.

ok i’m getting tired i’ll stop here. im probably biased like 90% of this post.

[MORE RANDOM]: btw. im under the transformation of exol to army. you can tell bc if u look at my shit, slowly all my wallpapers are switching from exo to bts... lmao first my phone home screen then lockscreen, then computer homescreen, and im p sure within the next week my comp lockscreen n profile pic.

#bts #btspls #bangtan #bangtansonyeondan #wings #wingsalbum #analysis #appreciation #appreciationpost #bts appreciation #rant #pt1 #btsappreciationrantpt1

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deadcactuswalking · 6 years ago

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS - CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: 9th December 2018

Geez, today was a busy week. Before we talk about the top 10, however, let’s just get the massive elephants out of the way.

CHRISTMAS NONSENSE

It’s the festive season and one way people celebrate the holidays is by listening to its music – usually, Christmas music, of course, and since I review all returning entries that I haven’t talked about yet, sigh... There are seven of these so I’m going to go as quick as possible, but just bear with me throughout this section because I really don’t like Christmas music all that much. Let’s just get it over with.

#39 – “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” – Brenda Lee

This is “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, a song written by Johnny Marks and released in 1958 in the US, being left on the shelf for four years until its release in the UK in 1962. In 1963, it peaked at number-six and has since re-entered due to digital downloads, with one of its highest recent peaks being number-seven last year. It’s pretty inoffensive rockabilly, with some nice very-50s guitar licks coming in throughout, and some decently-sounding production, but really it’s not anything of internet until that sax solo. That solo is freaking gorgeous, and I’m glad it’s there, because otherwise this would just kind of fall to the wayside. Not sure I like Lee’s voice on here, it comes off as a bit nasal, but it’s not a big deal. It’s alright, I guess. I expected to say RIP here since she was popular such a long time ago, but no, she’s still alive and kicking. Good for her.

#36 – “Merry Christmas Everyone” – Shakin’ Stevens

Now this is where it all breaks down into dread. This song by Shakin’ Stevens is Godawful, mostly because of how painfully manufactured the whole thing is. It’s overproduced Christmas music that is just jolly feelings and nothing else. Those horns that kick in after the first verse are pretty cool, but Stevens doesn’t sound great here – or at least I can’t tell because he’s drowned in reverb – and the choir might as well be a computer for all I care. Also, the sax solo was cool the first time in Brenda Lee’s track, but here it’s just trite, especially when you add those shooby-doo-wops over it. This track was initially the Christmas number-one for 1985, and I understand why, but does it really have to come back every year since 2007 – for over 60 weeks in total? Oh, it peaked last year at #10 too. Let’s hope this upwards trend doesn’t continue.

#35 – “Santa Tell Me” – Ariana Grande

Now for a more recent one from arguably the biggest popstar in the world right now, with her 2014 song that actually failed to chart in the Top 40 initially until last year at #29, and that’s its peak so far... whilst I’ve never been a fan of the cleaner, refined Ariana Grande records, I do have a soft spot for this one. That melody is infectious and the sleigh bells complement the synth bass in a way I didn’t think they would, and it’s not like the drums are all that overpowering here, although a trap skitter would have worked better here (yeah, I know, not something I say often). It’s surprisingly romantic and sensual for a song with Santa in the title, actually, although it’s about men who have wronged her. Anyway, Ariana kills it but what else do you expect from a song from her at this point? It’s a good track, although the final chorus with the choir is really cluttered, just saying, it’s messy.

#30 – “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” – Michael Bublé

This here is Michael Bublé’s cover of traditional Christmas classic written in 1951 by Meredith Wilson, and it’s not great. Obviously, I mean, it’s Michael Bublé, ever since “Haven’t Met You Yet” he’s been utterly useless seasonal radio fodder. Bublé never really sounds bad but he never sounds interesting, and this production isn’t doing him any favours. It’s sickly sweet strings and brass for the most part, with some piano added in there for good measure, after what seems to be way too long of just airy synth, string and guitar noise – that’s really out of place, guys, why is this on the single edit? Ah, what else to say? Oh, right, nothing.

#26 – “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” – Band Aid

Oh, I know it’s Christmas time, alright, this song won’t let me forget it. I could ramble on about how preachy and awful this charity single is but other people have done it better. I just have four short things to say – 1.) this was the most popular song in the UK of the entire 80s. Yikes. 2.) This is the worst thing the Boomtown Rats have had any involvement in. They’re such a great band, hell so are Culture Club. How do Boy George, the Boomtown Rats, Ultravox, Phil Collins, U2, Kool & the Gang, Sting and Duran Duran make something this awful? They’re all absolutely fantastic musicians in their own right. 3.) That synth that kicks in after a while is pretty ugly, not gonna lie, and is unfitting for the condescending Christmas charity single angle they’re going for here – mostly because that’s what it really is. 4.) We’ve remade and reissued and re-entered this song too many times. Let it go, Britain. Please. We’re begging you. It’s for a good cause, and I appreciate how much money it’s raised, but it’s also garbage.

#18 – “Fairytale of New York” – The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl

They use the word because it was the 80s, it’s not meant to mean homosexual and it’s not used in that context – albeit still a negative one – and the climate of Ireland, especially the Celtic punk scene, wasn’t exactly going to care about dropping that slur in their Christmas single. It should still be censored, though, I mean, black rappers saying the N-word is morally okay, but we still mute those, right? Anyway, this is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. It starts with a beautifully elegant piano melody, with the lead singer of the Pogues, Shane MacGowan, mumbling his way through his verse, but instead of people like Future or Lil Baby, there’s still a lot of sincerity there, I feel, and a lot of soul is put into expressing the lyrics here in the raspy tone that I absolutely love. I’m not going to talk much about the story here mostly because I’m not going to go in-depth, but it’s about a typical love story going awry at some point due to a betrayal. Oh, and the moment the Celtic traditional instruments come in is one of the best moments in music – ever. Kirsty MacColl sounds so lovely here, and the harmonisations in the chorus are fantastic. That flute solo is gorgeous, and the juxtaposition between “you’re a bum, you’re a punk, you’re an old s--- on junk, lying there almost dead as a drip on that bed” and the cheerful instrumental is just hilarious to me, especially since right after “Happy Christmas your a---, I thank God it’s our last” is immediately followed by the bombastic drunk sing-a-long chorus. The third verse is also such a great back-and-forth, man, I can’t even bring to words how much I admire and adore this piece of music. This is the best song I think I’ve ever talked about on this show, by far, but it could have easily not been close if “2000 Miles” by the Pretenders returned this week. We’ll just hope for next week, I guess. Rest in peace to Kirsty MacColl, gone much too young.

#14 – “Last Christmas” – WHAM!

Finally, we have our last Christmas song for this week’s holiday REVIEWING THE CHARTS special. It’s an anti-climactic end, to be honest, because I’m pretty indifferent to this song. It’s pretty 80s, to be fair, so I’ve got to like some of the cheesy falsetto vocalisations from the late George Michael at the start, as well as those repetitive synths that keep themselves from sounding awful by having those sleigh bells and pretty damn nice keys covering them. That chorus is iconic, but the rest of the lyrics are just forgettable. Honestly, it’s a good background song and it’s a well-written, catchy pop track with Michael putting in some good vocals throughout, but, it’s nothing special. Nothing but respect to George Michael, though, rest in peace, he’s a pop legend over here.

Christmas Conclusion

The best Christmas song on the charts right now is easily “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, but an Honourable Mention goes to Mariah Carey for “All I Want for Christmas is You”. Yup, that’s still here, we’ll get to that in a second. Worst of the Week goes to Band Aid for “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” You should be ashamed, Bob. Dishonourable Mention is going to Shakin’ Stevens for “Merry Christmas Everyone”. Other Christmas songs you should check out are “Christmas in Harlem” by Kanye West, Teyana Taylor and CyHi tha Prynce featuring Musiq Soulchild (heck, check out the longer version if you wish), “2000 Miles” by the Pretenders, “Stop the Cavalry” by Jona Lewie, “Christmas Lights” by Coldplay, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Tyler, the Creator and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by DMX. Yes, those last two actually exist. Now, this Christmas section has taken longer and is longer to read than about half of my normal episodes, so I think we should get straight into...

Top 10

Well, this all feels a bit more familiar. “thank u, next” by Ariana Grande is still at the top of the charts five weeks in, and it doesn’t really seem to have much competition.

Ava Max, however, is making a surprise run for the top, up four spots to number-two, with “Sweet but Psycho”. I wouldn’t exactly be complaining if this hit the top either.

“Without Me” by Halsey is up a spot to number-three.

We have a new entry from the most recent X Factor winner, Dalton Harris, with a cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Christmas classic “The Power of Love”, featuring James Arthur. I guess awful Christmas songs aren’t going away for that long, huh? Obviously this is Dalton’s first top 10, and Arthur’s fifth.

“Thursday” by Jess Glynne is down two spaces to number-three.

Up a whopping 28 spaces this week to number-six is, you guessed it, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”. This isn’t its first top 10 turn, and it’s not its peak, but still impressive to reach here nonetheless.

This means “Woman Like Me” by Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj is down five spaces to number-seven.

“Rewrite the Stars” by James Arthur and Anne-Marie has actually gained nine spaces, surprisingly, and to my dismay, to number-eight, becoming Arthur’s sixth and Anne-Marie’s fifth.

Oh, and if you wanted even worse news, up an even larger 29 spaces is “KIKA” by 6ix9ine featuring Tory Lanez, becoming both their first (and hopefully for 6ix9ine, only) top 10 hit at number-nine. I like the song, but I don’t like Tekashi, to say the least.

We have another new entry at #10 this week with “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus. This is Ronson’s sixth top 10 hit and Cyrus’ fourth (yeah, I thought she had more too).

Now, instead of separating what happened on the charts into Dropouts, Climbers, Returning Entries, Fallers and such, let’s separate into two sections: “What Survived” and “What Suffered”.

What Survived

What survived means essentially everything that still managed to chart this week, and I’m actually surprised by how much power some of these songs have. Going in reverse order, I have no idea how “Arms Around You” by XXXTENTACION, Lil Pump, Swae Lee and Maluma managed to cling on despite a 17-space fall to #40. “Promises” by Calvin Harris and Sam Smith is down 16 to #38, “Baby Shark” by Pinkfong is down four to #37, “Empty Space” by James Arthur is down 10 to #34 (why did James Arthur of all people have the strength to stay during the avalanche?), “Hold My Girl” by George Ezra is down eight to #33, “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is down 27 to #32 (considering both streaming cuts and Christmas bloodbath), “Leave a Light On” by Tom Walker has returned to #31 for some reason, “when the party’s over” by Billie Eilish is down seven to #28 (again, surprised this one’s still here), “Taki Taki” by DJ Snake, Ozuna, Cardi B and Selena Gomez is down eight to #27, “1999” by Charli XCX and Troye Sivan is down 11 to #24, “Polaroid” by James Blue, Liam Payne and Lennon Stella is down 11 to #23, “Let You Love Me” by Rita Ora is down eight to #22, “Better” by Khalid is down five to #20, “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee is down seven to #16, as is “ZEZE” by Kodak Black featuring Travis Scott and Offset right next to it at #15, “Funky Friday” by Dave and Fredo is down five to #12, and everything else that’s currently charting is either simply not notable (a drop or climb less than four spaces), in the top 10, a new arrival, a Christmas re-entry or in the top 10. Jesus. Now, what’s gone?

What Suffered

This is a little nicer name for what’s dropped out in the absolute onslaught of Christmas music and new arrivals (all returning and new entries this week total to 12 songs that weren’t on the chart before). This week was an absolute bloodbath, and these are the murder victims. Former #1 “Shotgun” by George Ezra is out from #30, “Advice” by Cadet and Deno Driz is out from #28, “AirForce” by Digdat is out from the #20 debut, “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes is out prematurely from #27, “This is Me” by Keala Settle and the Greatest Showman Ensemble is out again from #36, another former #1 “Eastside” by benny blanco, Halsey and Khalid is out from #31, “Happier” by Marshmello and Bastille is out from #32, “I Found You” by benny blanco and Calvin Harris is out from #29, “MIA” by Bad Bunny featuring Drake is out from #35, “Always Remember Us this Way” by Lady Gaga is out from #39, “Goodbye” by Jason Derulo and David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William is out from #40 and finally, “Back and Forth” by MK, Jonas Blue and Becky Hill is out from #37. I’d say it’s time to move onto the New Arrivals – but before, I’d like to say that the BBC redesigned their UK Top 40 page, and it looks pretty cool. Anyways:

NEW ARRIVALS

#29 – “MAMA” – 6ix9ine featuring Kanye West and Nicki Minaj

Of course, DUMMY BOY only had a stunted tracking week last week, so we have the effects of the album this week. This is 6ix9ine’s third top 40 hit in the UK, Nicki Minaj’s thirty-seventh (yeah, I know, it’s insane), and Ye’s even crazier forty-third, and to be honest, it’s inoffensive, which is something I’d never thought I’d say about a 6ix9ine song, but, hey, it is what it is. Murda Beatz’s production is pretty cool for what it is, and I do like the eerie synth loop. 6ix9ine’s delivery is lazy and boring – and I still think we shouldn’t let rappers say they kick women out of doors – but he doesn’t last long so when Kanye comes in with that “man, oh my God” refrain it gets so much better. I’m so used to Kanye West’s pop-culture rambling, social media criticism/obsession, somehow relating to women nonsense he brings to nearly every single verse he does recently that I’m used to it, it’s just something I’ve heard before delivered relatively comedically. Nicki’s refrain and verse actually has some work put into it, unlike the dudes’ bars, so yeah, I appreciate that, although her delivery and cadence is exhaustingly blunt and straightforward, to the point where it’s just kind of tiring. There’s some decent wordplay there, I guess. This is okay enough, and pretty much top-tier Tekashi to be honest. “KANGA” also featuring Ye is even better, though.

#17 – “Going Bad” – Meek Mill featuring Drake

Meek Mill and Drake working together is something I expected to happen anyway. Meek and Drake have seemingly squashed their beef and have relaxed after the “Back to Back” situation and their popular 2015/2016 beef that revealed a lot about Drake, specifically his ghostwriting from Quentin Miller, and eventually stressed Meek’s relationship with Nicki enough for them to break up as a result. Oh, and you better believe they mention “back to back” because of course they do, it’s the only funny wordplay they can conjure up, apparently. This is Meek Mill’s first ever top 40 hit in the UK (congratulations) and in stark contrast, Drake’s forty-fifth (yes, even more than Kanye), and his thirteenth just this year (probably and hopefully his last), and it’s mediocre. I didn’t know what to expect because I’ve never really cared enough about Meek to listen to him, but an out-of-tune piano absolutely demolished by some bass while Drake spouts off with stuff like “I got more slaps than the Beatles” isn’t exactly the best first impression. Is there a chorus here, or not? I can’t tell, everything’s just kind of the same until the ad-lib break that’s long enough for Genius to count it as an entirely different section of the song than in Meek’s verse. It was “Interlude” when I looked but it might be “Post-Chorus” now. Yeah, it should be clear I don’t care enough about this song. I do like Drake’s delivery in the hook, though, it’s pretty energetic, but not enough to save it.

#10 – “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” – Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus

So, yeah, I like this. It starts with some beautiful strings right before Miley Cyrus fades in with her country twang that I’m starting to really appreciate, and those guitars come in to complement her and the deeper bass that I like the addition of, it really contrasts the otherwise pretty light production, that seems to be dramatic but kind of unfitting for the lyrical content about how the world can hurt you but heartbreak is the worst possible thing, because despite the beat’s melodrama it’s too upbeat to really work here, I feel. Ah, well, the hook is pretty memorable, and the orchestral stings is just one little barely-noticeable production quirk that I can talk about, seriously, Mark Ronson puts so much effort into crafting these songs over the years, it’s pretty great. It may be a bit too repetitive and slow for my taste, but, yeah, I can dig this. Good song, just not much to say about it.

#4 – “The Power of Love” – Dalton Harris featuring James Arthur

The girl gets Leona Lewis, the Scouse dude gets Kaiser Chiefs, yet the WINNER gets James Arthur?! Really, James Arthur? Poor dude. You must know you’re an amazingly talented singer when you get James Arthur put on your song and you still make a surprisingly decent winner’s single, hell, even win in the first place. Arthur is such an awful vacuum of talent, I was scared Harris would be affected by this but no, even with my half-bothering with the show this year I can tell he’s been consistently great, and he’s definitely not bad on here either, although the production has no unique charm to it and is just plastic Syco production as you expect, with James Arthur bringing an above-average performance (this means still pretty bad) with his moaning and straining that just pains me to listen to. Seriously, James, let’s have a cactus-to-man talk and let me teach you how to not sound like my dead cat who just popped some Xanax.

Conclusion

Worst of the Week goes to Dalton Harris and James Arthur for “The Power of Love” – at least “Going Bad” has some energy and legitimate soul to it, although Meek Mill and Drake still get Dishonourable Mention. Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus take Best of the Week home for “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart”, and hell Kanye and Nicki made “MAMA” bearable enough for them and 6ix9ine to get Honourable Mentions. See ya next week, where we’ll probably see a few more Christmas songs. Delightful.

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