#also can you tell i hate the cold

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Most-Listened of October 2023

(via stats.fm/spotistats)

[last month]

What a sleepy month... as in, I've been sleepy and haven't had much interest in new releases. (Except IVE. I have been listening to wayyyyyy too much IVE.) Hopefully I'll have some energy back in time for the RV album, and to really enjoy the Weeekly comeback (finally!!!) that just happened!

1. Lux Aurumque -- Eric Whitacre, Eric Whitacre Singers

Eric Whitacre (and a song from the same album as the last one, too??) on the top of the list two months in a row! Deserved. This is basically the same song as "Sleep" for me, but they both have just so much emotional value so I don't really mind!!

2. Invisible String -- Taylor Swift

This ended up being a theme song for my big creative writing project this month--I really don't think I've gone a day without listening to it, and I'm still not tired of that soft guitar. It’s so perfectly cozy :)

3. Either Way -- IVE

Another theme song for the writing project--I love how this song proves that sounding ‘gray’ doesn't have to be unappealing. If you liked this, you’ll probably like Dvwn’s “Yeonnam-dong”!

4. Siren -- Taeyeon

I hate that this song perfectly captured my mood for more than half of October, but thank the gods I had a song that described that mood perfectly!! If I’m stuck feeling stressed and glum (a REALLY weird combo), at least I have Taeyeon to keep me company :)

5. Chili -- Hwasa

This was GREAT. I mean it’s me, so I'll listen to Hwasa sing anything, but this instrumental really hits, especially compared to the abomination of an instrumental that was "I Love My Body". With the killer combination of Hwasa & the beat, “Chili” was an instant 'leave on repeat until I can no longer physically stand it' classic.

6. Here We Go Again -- Jini

I talked about this album, right? It carried my month!! It's not my favorite of the year--there are definitely some really messy parts (that I think will get worked out in Jini’s discography over time)--but the commitment to making catchy, energetic songs that feel mature but still youthful, and to keeping a consistent aesthetic throughout the album, is something I really appreciate. This is my favorite song from it--Jini does a great job with such a fun chorus! Can I call this my favorite NMIXX song?

7. Bad Reputation -- Jini

MORE JINI !!! The way the piano in the instrumental reminds me of Katy Perry's "Roar" is unfortunate, but "Bad Reputation" is too genuinely sweet for me not to enjoy. I LOVE TOO LITTLE JUST A LITTLE TOO MUCH <3

8. Thursday's Child Has Far To Go -- TXT

Sorry, new TXT album. I'm happy with my comfort song!!

9. Psycho -- Smyang Piano

Writing project soundtrack! This has been on one of my favorite lofi mixes for forever, but I never bothered to seek it out on its own until this month--I'm so glad I did!

10. Teenage Dream -- Olivia Rodrigo

Writing project soundtrack! A solid 3/5 for good atmosphere + some standout lyrics!

11. Quimera -- Alba Reche

One of my favorite songs of all time, here to make the cold-season days a little bit softer, as it always does. At this point, "Quimera" is a seasonal tradition for me.

12. Biriken -- Creepy Nuts

Creepy Nuts!!! Okay, so… I don't enjoy this song, like, at all, but I keep finding myself drawn to just how intensely it makes me feel. I find it so viscerally terrifying and unpleasant that it's much more compelling than a lot of other songs this month! And I think that's what really made me a fan of Creepy Nuts in the first place--I find their music so interesting, even when it isn't pleasant. I can’t look away, and that’s what happened with “Biriken” this month.

13. Mr. Blue Sky -- On The Rocks

This a cappella arrangement is so glorious. Like oh my GOD if I still did arranging, I would be taking notes on every second of this. (I'm still probably taking subconscious notes, anyway, considering how many times I've listened to it this month.)

14. Pink Venom -- Blackpink

I really don't remember listening to this one that much? But I do love it--it's my takeout cheeseburger of songs, and it's always a good fast-food meal.

15. Big It Up -- Ailee

This song is fine! I like it a LOT more than the title track, at least.

Five-Star Songs This Month:

Chili -- Hwasa (yep this is back! favorite release of the month, sorry IVE & Sunmi I STILL LOVE Y'ALL I PROMISE)

Holy Moly -- IVE (had me from the moment that low drum kicked in. even the weird glitch sound in the chorus doesn't faze me anymore!!)

Wonderland -- Aimer (okay this is late. i've loved the walpurgis album since it came out, but i didn't appreciate this song specifically until a walk a few weeks ago--and now it feels like a crime not to give it five stars.)

Dalala -- Yuju (can't believe i missed this when it came out?? this is my "off the record." yuju makes every song feel so high-class, so impeccably put-together, just by being on it.)

[itspileofgoodthings]

my seniors have been so quiet all year and it’s been fine cause we’ve had a lot of writing/research to do but I need them to talk to me now so i was hit by a bolt of inspiration two days ago and I made them all tell me their comfort level with sharing aloud, rating themselves on a scale of 1-10. I then averaged the class score and they’re a 4.5. I then told them yesterday we needed to raise the score the tiniest bit. And the 1’s and 2’s didn’t need to be 10’s just maybe 3’s and 4’s. And they tried! They talked more 😭

[phosphophylight-of-my-life]

oshi no ko aqua is such a fun character bc by most counts he's a more than decent guy.

in his first life he regularly visited hospital inpatients who had no visitors. he was genuinely happy and excited to help Ai deliver her babies, because he wants her to be happy on her own terms. he saves Akane simply because he can, and gets angry at the staff on her behalf. he doesn't stop at saving her life and spends sleepless nights turning around her public image. at that point there was nothing in it for him to keep akane around, she was just a person he was able to help and wanted to help.

by most counts he's a pretty decent guy who steps up when people need him most, except. except he's also a guy who really wants to kill his dad and that makes him manipulate people somewhat often and this is somehow not entirely at odds with his instinct to help others

[themyscirah]

Amanda... I miss her.

But I don't trust a single person to write her other than Ostrander/Yale. Like I don't trust them to do it right. Because like it's easy to write her being shady and manipulative and involved in secret government conspiracies. That's what she does. But it feels so hollow once you've seen her character in the way Ostrander describes it. Like she is a woman who is desperate and trying to do what she thinks is right. She has found a place of power (as a fat Black woman in the 1980s) and is doing anything she can to fight and hold onto it as powerful and ambitious men try and steal it from her. So she doubles down. She doubles down on the shady deals and the broken promises and the violence and she destroys her enemies, and loses a part of her soul in the process. And then some other ambitious politician rises up and the process repeats itself over and over and over again as each time she loses more of her morality and more of her soul and more of the respect her colleagues had for her. In place of that she gains more power, she gains fear, and an even more badass reputation. Until by the end of the book the villains begin to understand/sympathize with her more than the heroes ever will. Like THAT is who Amanda Waller is. It may happen subtly, it may happen over a longer period of time but that descent is a critical part of her character! She is a tragic character! And I feel like every perception of Suicide Squad I've seen outside of the original has her as this static villainous snapshot which is just untrue to her core imo. Like she is not a hero. But she is also not JUST a villain. She is a highly flawed character who is always descending farther and farther into villainy as she is led there by what she believes is right.

[transmechanicus]

Opening google like “Ways to capture the morose vibes of drinking alone to drown emotional difficulties without resorting to alcohol or hard drugs”

[nana2009]

why does Dave drug karkat? Is he like…flighty or something??

buoy is he.

karkat is not the most compliant captive, see.... especially since dave doesn't seem to want to actively harm him and acts so passive most of the time, so even with the possibility of things going sour that does not stop him from trying!! unfortunately, dave knows much too well how to handle these situations :/

but since karkat is so persistent and loud, sometimes a buoy has no options u kno? ;T

[crossbackpoke-check]

yOu'Re gOiNg fOr a LiTeR? | "Habs react to Quebec Maple facts", 10.22.24

[little-whats-her-name]

"I can't hear you over the sound of the eight billion glasses and plates clinking, and the very high possibility that I'm going to lose my job, and the fact that everyone at this charity dinner hates me but we have to act nice to each other, and the weird lighting in this room, and these fucking Spanx!" - Katherine Hastings, probably

[adore-gregor]

Lol I keep on doing this, saying I'd come back to tumblr to only disappear again 😂😭

[thetimelordbatgirl]

Ngl youtube videos suddenly got me slowly turning into a Justin Russo hater.

[yoohyeon]

Me internally while my aunt is annoying the fuck out of me

[beegswaz]

I MISSED BUG. BEING CORRECT ABOUT WHEATLEY..???? WHY IS THE WORLD SO CRUEL.

[nandysparadox]

autumn can you arrive faster. please

[kordbot]

my mechanics labs sucked today to the point where I'm shaking and crying gaah. one like one hug for me one reblog one bullet fired at my lab partner

[merevide]

they should make a carbonated drink that doesn’t taste like straight acid when it’s warm. imo.

[sherlock-is-ace]

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