#also the fact that the english translation of the title is ”dance of you” instead of ”dance of the gods” because elma saw amy as a god

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

once again listening to kamisama no dance and thinking of suguru geto 😔😔😔

isn’t forgetting such a terrible thing? // it couldn't possibly make anyone happy // something devoid of color bloomed // it bloomed in the summer where you were gone

isn’t forgetting such a terrible thing? // could it possibly make anyone happy? // you were the one who distorted me, weren't you?

[fitzrove]

I noticed your tags on the "bad localisation"-post and now I must know the lore... the Finnish translator of Elisabeth didn't speak German???

Hehe, I'm glad you asked!!

Mind you, this production happened when I was a small child, so all I have is second-hand knowledge from the internet (and an audio recording). Also, I may have exaggerated for comedic effect in my original tags lol, I don't know if he genuinely didn't speak it. However...

The guy who translated the Finnish Elisabeth was a very famous (prolific, if nothing else) theatre director and musical translator, starting his career in the late 60s already with a wildly popular production of Hair. Elisabeth seems to be among the only German-language shows he ever worked on - most of it was translations from English and French. ngl I also sort of hate his musical translations from English LMAO - because of how prolific he was, they still haunt the Finnish musical scene today... One big one he did is Cabaret back in the 90s, and a theatre that put a big fancy production on in 2020 actually redid all of the songs and only kept his dialogue because the translation was so clunky lmao. But I once went to the library to dig up his original lyrics to the title song and omg they suck, I wrote better ones in two minutes because I needed a Finnish version quickly ahshshsh. So already, it's a bit of a bad sign - this man is not a translator by profession or training, he's a director who started out doing it for practical purposes, and has a pretty broad set of languages he works in.

But then again - maybe it wouldn't have been a problem, especially since he had such extensive experience. In fact, Elisabeth was the last translation he ever did before passing away rather shortly after (of old age), so maybe I shouldn't be too harsh on him... However, the fact remains that the translation, just as lyrics, is pretty terrible and nonsensical sjjsjsjd.

My initial comment was actually largely inspired by this blog post by someone who actually saw the prod live (from onenightintheatre on blogspot), quote:

It sounded like the translator hadn't really understood German, because many lines sounded like someone had taken a dictionary, looked up the most important words of the sentence and then written a whole new sentence(-ish) based on those words. An example that remained etched in my mind: ("Eine Kaiserin muss glänzen"; Finnish, the Finnish translation in English, and the original German text) Countess Esterházy: Suunne aukaiskaa! ("Open your mouth!") (Öffnen Sie den Mund!) Sophie: Keltaiset ei olla saa! ("[Teeth] may not be yellow!") (Die sind zu gelb, das darf nicht sein!) Elisabeth: Tammalla saa! ("Mare's [teeth] may!") (Bin ich ein Pferd?) So... Instead of asking why they're treating her like a horse, Elisabeth thinks she is a horse and can therefore have yellow teeth? Oddly, "Bellaria" was significantly better translated than rest of the musical and actually sounded beautiful and made sense. There were also factual errors, like Rudolf complaining to Elisabeth that he must get married, when at that point of the story he had, in fact, been married for several years. The translator passed away half a year after the derniere, though, so maybe he wasn't at his best anymore when he did the translation.

As for me, I don't know the Finnish translation by heart, but some of my favourite songs (well, mostly Schatten 2) which I do know by heart also had the ball dropped on them... in that song, Rudolf complains that the court is wasting money on parties (woah good job working in the "dancing around the golden calf" metaphor, I'm sure the original author didn't mean it metaphorically to go with the pied piper thing, he meant literal dancing - though I guess this is accidentally accurate to irl rudolf and his ranty pamphlet on the idle nobility xD) and it's just quite clunky and repetitive overall without getting the main point across too well. Which is such a pity! I mean, translations are hard, but Kunze's work has since been translated into Finnish well, with the references and thematic messages intact, it's not impossible. So in a way, I think this one is a case of someone well-established in the industry getting the job because he happened to be there and have an extensive track record, not because he actually had the skills to make the best possible translation...

Ahsdhsfhfs so yeah. There's no proof that he didn't speak German, but it's my personal theory. Also, according to a few sources, Kunze himself hated this translation......

[yuuana]

For official translation, set CC to English

Music Monday #215: Xiumin - Brand New release: September 2022 genre: Kpop

Now that I'm back to doing these, got so much catching up to do it's hard to know where to start. But whatever else I may or may not be, I can't entirely escape being an EXO-L and really, who can resist mochi cheeks? ;)

Over the years, Xiumin has made a handful of appearances as a soloist in connection with various K-drama OSTs, perhaps most notably Moonlovers - Scarlet Heart Ryeo, plus a Station collaboration with Mark of NCT. As a part of EXO, he's both a skilled vocalist and dancer, but not necessarily a stand out in either - which, when your teammates include Baekhyun, D.O, and Chen and your comfort zone is also ballads, then what are you going to do? Keep going steadily forward ... and take a two year break to do your military service. ;)

When we got Kai's solo debut at the end of 2020 and the ending scene was basically an announcement that D.O and Xiumin would be back soon (which was true, since they were ending their military service periods within a couple months of "KAI"'s release), the speculation started almost immediately. Was it going to be solo projects to continue the trend? Another full(ish) EXO comeback, like Obsession? Another special subunit like EXO-CBX and EXO-SC? What we eventually got - a special anniversary comeback and promises for solo activities from both, led to a lot of (im)patient waiting for another Xiumin solo single, somewhat tempered by knowing he was finding personal and professional fulfilment as a cast member of a Korean production of Hadestown. If you had asked me before Brand New's release what I was expecting from Xiumin's solo "debut," I'm not sure what I would have said ... but title track "Brand New" wasn't it and I mean that in the best way possible. Given his previous singles were largely OST tracks, I suppose I was expecting a ballad, so to instead have a happy, pop-y EDM song as the lead track was a bold choice. "Brand New" is a statement track, all about making a new start and showing a new side of one's self, and Xiumin gives great energy throughout. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given who we're talking about here, the video is packed full of lore references that I'm still unpacking myself. We've been so starved for EXOplanet content in this post-Obsession world, so like always it's nice to see those callbacks, from the use of Xiumin's power (ice) to the EXO hand sign in the dance routine at the end of the choruses. That said, the story of the Legends remains rather stuck and theories are all over the place while we continue to wait for someone, somewhere in SM to officially un-fuck the 12 Legends storyline. This doesn't put a single toe towards doing that and in fact if I were pressed to give an answer, I would probably file this under "Ice Legend in The Dream" as far as how it connects, but even that is entirely based on my trying to work out some answers for why we have some limited confirmation that X-EXO has/had a clone of Xiumin but no canonical explanation for why the clash between EXO and X-EXO has so far only been demonstrated via "Obsession," so only 6 forces - Fire (Chanyeol/Chanyeøl), Light (Baekhyun/Baëkhyun), Teleportation (Kai/Kāi), Water (Suho/Suhø), Storm (Chen/Chën), and Wind (Sehun/Sehůn). For story purposes, having Xiumin injured and dreaming is a reasonable cover for his absence and could help explain the implication at the end of Obsession that our heroes have lost. Brand New has been out for awhile now and it's the shorted eighteen minutes of the late summer, but what can you do? Well, play it twice, I suppose. ;) A quick YouTube search yields about two weeks of music show stages and every one of them is adorable because what do you mean that's the face of a 32 year old and not that of a 20-something kid?? Want to see Music Monday deep dives more often? Sponsor a song selection! For the low, low price of one (1) KoFi, I'll write up the song of your choice. ANY song of your choice. Yes, even that one that's been played to death. Yes, your obscure faves too. With sponsors, I can stop skipping weeks and falling further and further behind in the releases! Sponsor a current CB for the next open Music Monday slot or sponsor a throwback for a Thursday feature! But seriously, if you've been enjoying my selections and analyses, we (me and the foster kittens) would love a KoFi in thanks. DW | Twitter | Ko-fi | Patreon | Discord | Twitch

[sprinklesandshatters]

A Review on NCT 127′s 3rd Album <Sticker>

So NCT 127 just came back with their 3rd Full Album <Sticker> and this is my first 127 comeback since I became a fan last year! Neozone is such a special album for me as it was their first album that I explored entirely. I've known NCT as the group who never fails any expectations so I've kept mine up although I know they'll exceed it anyway. And guess what, they did! I absolutely love their new album hence this review~

This isn't a technical music review—as I am not a musician myself—but rather a listener's honest takes, goofy notes, and interpretation on each of the tracks in the album. I admit I've also struggled to build my own opinions on some of the tracks until I listened to them over and over again.

I have also heard there are mixed opinions on the title track <Sticker> and a lot says it's another acquired taste. But I think it's not just that, as it can be a grower, just like how most of NCT's songs were for me. Maybe after a few listens and a right passage of time, it will grow on those people. The bottom line here is, I like it a lot! 😛

So I listed down the songs according to their respective track numbers and followed each with a bulleted list of my opinions and interpretations.

(Viewer/reader discretion: before you continue, minors, do not interact as there are few 18+ contents under the cut. Thank you.)

1. Sticker

THEY DIDN'T JUST PUNCH A NEW NOTCH ON THE BELT LIKE THAT

THIS SONG SLAPS, LITERALLY SLAPS… AND WHIPS 

The recorder at the intro boyyyy I thought something was wrong but then I remember it’s NCT lmao

It already stuck in my head from my first listen from the Instagram audio.

With Taeyong opening the verse with his divine rapping, I knew I'm in for a new ride.

STICK-UH STICK-UGH STICK-UGHGHGH

To those complaining it sounding like noise music, imagine it sounding generic. I don't think it would fit as the title track. Not a b-track or in their repertoire, even. They are called NCT because they define the NEO in the music culture and music technology!

It honestly was an unorthodox, just like all of their title tracks, which I’m inherently here for.

Literally, no one does it like them!

The growls and the vocal flexes and adlibs! (You can tell it has Yoo Youngjin's brand.)

The crisp metronome sound that’s consistently ticking except for the pre-chorus and the dance break adds depth to the soundscape. I love how it’s used instead of the usual snaps.

The production quality blew my mind. Like how can someone think those melodies would sound so exquisite? CAN I CALL THEM GENIUS?

The piano at the back, oh my God—Yes! It adds this mystifying element to the song.

I'm not sure if it's a midi violin at the pre-chorus, but it added thrill to the song. It was a great transition from the bass line in the verses to the combination of the flawless harmony with the same instrumental.

"You treat me like a boy, like a grown-up child chasing a dream" JUNGWOO BABY NO MORE HUH

Taeil, Doyoung, and Haechan—the bridge vocal trinity!

But why the heck are they cowboys? I dig the concept, but why? LMAO

BTW GUNSLINGER MARK I’M ON MY KNEES YEEHAW

This is easily one of my favorite tracks from NCT 127's entire discography 💚

2. Lemonade

(⌐■_■)

Jaehyun starting off this song with his deep voice eee

The song opens to a verse oozing with chill confidence. They're like, yeah you're lurking because we’re cool.

This is such a huge slap to their haters. NCT's not chillin' like a villain, nah they're the main characters!

Well maybe they’re villains, but still ya not cooler than them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Funny enough how they could have just referred haters as simply lemons whose sour/bitter to the taste, but 127 squad's success is sweeter than all the haters' spiteful remarks so yeah, SIPPY SIPPY LEMONADE 🧃

"WOOF"

I might have just barked too wOW

Yuta’s vocals hooooO his voice just sounds so glamorous mhmm

Also Mark referencing their previous title tracks such as: Firetruck, Cherry Bomb, and Regular (it's Irregular in the lyrics) in his rap part 👌💅

I just love Mark's energy when he raps. HE RESOLUTELY BITES AND STRAIGHT UP EATS EVERY TIME HE DOES.

3. Breakfast

Now breakfast time, oh jeez!

AAAHAHFU—

Summer 127's bestie!

If Summer 127 talks about dancing all night long, Breakfast is the morning after.

You know what it is.

"Even if I gulp and drink you, it's not enough for me." oho Taeyong no you ha—STOP

Sexual innuendos aside, isn't it just sweet if someone tells you they'd want to have breakfast with you every day?  Okay maybe I'm melting at the thought 😩🙈💞

And I can see myself dancing to this song as I make breakfast (in the afternoon or at midnight bc I’m crazy)

This was an okay b-track for me at the first skim on the album, but boy it grew on me wildly.

Honestly one of my favorite tracks in this album.

4. Focus

Did I just invade a private call? LMAO

The analog voice filters make it like so.

Dude, this feels intimate in the level of eavesdropping a phone call between seasoned lovers. Then you realize you hear them whispering their kinks over the line and you're ooh, that's sexy! hfgklhfhf

My first listen to this, I almost went feral because,

"I can't wait to eat you…" when it's actually "I can't wait 'til we chill…" aahaha

"Baby call me when you want me." OKAY!

This sounds relaxing and chill. I'd love to play this on a late night drive or just before bed time along with Fly Away With Me, Sun & Moon, My Youth, and Long Flight.

Belongs to ‘make out session’ playlist  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

That was lowkey a playlist recommendation, huh?

I'd be kidding if I don't say I could touch myself while listening to this song AHAHAFGHFJFJ

I didn't know this would grow on me this much lol I love love LOVE THIS!

5. The Rainy Night

Ooh, the holy melancholy!

Piano at the intro—I knew I'd cry to this.

This song isn't just about break-up, but the heartbreak after one.

The yearning; the remnant pieces from the shattering of what was once there.

I think I crumbled from this one.

This hit so hard I felt like I fit in the shoes with the lyrics throughout the entire song.

What’s fascinating is I clearly forgot the title when I mentally said this sounds like a sad rainy day song from the first listen.

Something I’d turn up when it suddenly rains, just because I want to feel the blues.

Taeil and Haechan singing in lower register? I wanna cry :( they’re just one of the best vocalists in K-music industry right now.

Could have been also nice if they added Yuta to the vocals.

"My selfish heart who waits for you to come back," OKAY WHO HURT THEM?

And the fact that they sang it so good that it translated every ounce of the emotions well even before I looked up for English translations is the reason why I love this song too.

6. Far

Hmm… What the hell?! Do I like this? Wait...

Alright!

The jumpy vibe from the first verse to the pre-chorus set the mood for this song. It sounds merry and heavy. It was honestly too much to take until I’ve reached the chorus part.

Honestly, I think this song could fit NCT Dream better, as it gives off a vibe similar to Hello Future's b-tracks. If some credible source say this could have made HF’s track list, I might believe you too fast.

Also Dream’s Deja Vu where they go na nananananana na na na~

Playful yet confident! That’s what I mean!

As usual, the vocals are insane! Vocal flex from left to right!

I swear Jungwoo sounded a bit like Taemin at the second verse that I had to replay it hahaha

I love hearing Johnny as a vocalist! SM, how many signs do you need until you utilize his vocal talent???

Taeil's part where he sings, "go nuts, go nuts, 'til we go bust, go bust" IDEK BUT I SNORTED A LAUGH AT FIRST LISTEN HFCAHKFHK

Not my favorite, but still great though!

But wait it’s actually stuck in my head???

7. Bring The Noize

Yes, they never beat those noise music allegations

HERE'S SOME NOIZE, BITCHES

I love me some noisy percussions. AND THE BASS YO

This screams so much confidence!

The build up from the pre-chorus to the chorus—FIRE!

This song reminds me a lot of SuperM's Super Car, especially with the engine roar samples and the battle cry-like singing at the chorus.

JAEHYUN RAPPING? You mean Jaehyun the visual, the vocalist, the actor, the model, the funny dude, aka my everything?! (markie bb look pls look away for a moment)

THEY DELIVERED IT STRAIGHT FROM NEOCITY THAT'S SOME NCT MUSIC RIGHT THERE NO ONE DOES IT LIKE THEM

When I said I'd play Focus on a late night drive, and if I add this in the playlist, VROOM VROOM SPEED LIMIT WHAT

OUTTA MY WAY

“We got no shame” ouh TAEYONG’S FLOW IS JUST VERY HIM AND HE’S IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN

You know what's so clever about this song? It's how it ended with Mark's final rap without any instrumental, leaving you  standing there with a doppler effect-like post experience.

A super car on a super speed just whooshed past you and you look its way as it zips through the road. It's gone in an instant but you're floored dumbfounded at a sidewalk. That's how I describe this song.

8. Magic Carpet Ride

This song… Wow. Oh gosh it's so beautiful.

Their harmony in the chorus—it makes me want to kiss someone so passionately that I'd cry.

This makes me want to feel love that transcends the universe. Literally, just please take me on a magic carpet ride :(

The background harmonies too oh my goodness—HEAVENLY.

Jaehyun's voice is so warm and soulful it fits perfectly with songs of this genre.

Okay alright Doyoung Grande!

And Taeil makes me feel like I'm listening to old school R&B.

The first time I heard this from the track video, I can't stop replaying because it's just that great.

This makes me want to love. I think that sums it up.

9. Road Trip

This is such a soothing song for me, especially how I easily become nostalgic thinking about the road trips I've had.

Whenever I listen to this, my brain immediately conjures up thoughts of my ideal getaways. Gazing at the sky through the car window, stirring up from a nap in the middle of the ride, and   eventually reaching your destination.

Oh, to travel around anywhere... (curse you covid-19)

Okay that's it. I'M PACKING UP.

But where do I go—

I could also imagine Mark playing this on the guitar and the other members sing along together, something like that.

Just Wholesome™ vibes.

I love how it evokes such a nice emotion within me effortlessly.

This isn't my favorite, but I still love this.

10. Dreamer

Eyyyy such a refreshing song!

This song is so bright it makes me want to dance. I play this first in the shower!

It reminds me so much of Elevator (from Neozone)

The horns make it more lively I think!

Yuta and Jungwoo's voice suits lively songs like this.

The background vocal in low register in Taeyong's part in the first verse is so good ahhfhf

Taeil, the R&B vocal king you are...

There's this part where Doyoung and Johnny harmonized, that at first listen they seemed to clash, but it sounded actually fine after a few listens. Maybe it's just that I've never heard them do it before.

And I think it's Doyoung's laugh at the end of the bridge? Oh my goodness I really love this too!

11. Promise You

MY FIRST LOVE AND MOST FAVORITE SONG IN THE ALBUM!!!

The first time I heard this from their NCIT Sharehouse Sitcom, I fell in love with the song already.

It sounds like something you'd feel from a warm, welcoming hug.

The lyrics are so beautiful and endearing. It's definitely a be-there-for-you type of song that will touch your heart.

It definitely sounds like a promise.

A song about platonic intimacy.

This really fits to be the closing song of the album. It's like the end of it but holds a promise that says “see you soon.”

Because they cherish their fans like that.

It's also like I've watched a movie with a happy ending, where the camera pans up to the clear sky and this song starts playing.

Speaking of ending, I would love to hear them sing this as an encore stage in their concert. You know, that moment just before the stage lights die down at the end of the concert where they send final blows of flying kisses to NCTzens. Then you come home smiling and crying.

This wasn't supposed to be this long since I originally planned to write this with just simple phrases and emojis but I got too engrossed lol. I also meant to include my own ratings but I figured it’s pointless since I can’t really decide about them hahaha

I really enjoyed the whole album and I love how they're progressively defining what NEO means by breaking through standards. It's not NCT music if it doesn't make you say "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?" But then you realize it’s stuck in your head and you’re enjoying it already.

✨ OVERALL RATING: 127/10 💚

if you’ve reached until here, thank you for letting me share you a braincell or two 💞

[beccalendsahand]

Nice Work If You Can Get It! - Mini Interview with Yuzuka Rei

My translation of Yuzuka Rei’s interview on the success of Nice Work If You Can Get It, in the April issue of Takarazuka Graph!

Enjoy! 

The Broadway Musical “Nice Work If You Can Get It” is a Romantic Comedy. What was it like to perform?

Ahh, it’s a really fun show isn’t it! Although we are still dealing with such troubled times (corona virus) I’m so thankful for being part of this production because I really feel that seeing people smile and hearing people laugh has the power to heal.

It’s the kind of play where every single line needs to be gone over repeatedly, paying attention to every detail. But, despite those difficulties, we all really enjoyed ourselves, and it really helped to strengthen us as a team.

There are so many unique characters aren’t there?

Personally, Eileen (Towaki Sea) was my favourite because she was just so cute! (laughs) After all, isn’t the fact she uses her whole body to express her happiness at being taken on her honeymoon just the cutest thing? You’d want to do anything to please her after that! Eileen makes some very funny gestures as the “Master of Modern Dance”, and in rehearsals her repertoire of dance moves kept increasing. Whenever I noticed her unconsciously behaving in a funny way, I would request she do it on stage too (laughs).

Billie (Hana Yuuki) is independent, smart, feminine and broad minded, whilst also being super cool! I’d love to have the opportunity to play her some day. I think Billie’s feelings will touch the audience’s hearts when they watch the show, because every time we were on stage I was so inspired by Hana-chan’s heartfelt performance.

What was the role of Jimmy like to play?

Jimmy is an awful man! (laughs)

On his honeymoon night he’s alone hugging his teddy, then at his wedding to Eileen, he’s all dressed up in a tux whilst still having thoughts of Billie...

So that he didn’t become unpleasant I made sure to add a sort of charm that would make him come across as endearing and loveable instead.

Any Memorable scenes?

There are too many scenes to choose from!

I loved the back and forth I had in the bedroom scene with Yuu-chan (Natori Rei) as Officer Berry and Billie. And I also loved the song I had with all the girls whilst Eileen was having her super long bath called “It’s All Okay!” (Original English title “I’ve got to be there”). When you take a step back and think about it, it’s definitely not an “OK” situation at all! (laughs) But it was refreshing to be able to go that far and shake free from conventions and be so careless.

Also the tap dancing was really fun! Whilst I was rushing about on stage for almost the entirety of act one, I had to also quickly change into tap shoes for the dance numbers! I got a lot of exercise! 

The final number of act one is another highlight!

So that no one discovers the illegal alcohol hidden in the basement, we all use the power of song and dance to distract everyone and make sure they don’t get anywhere near it.  It very much feels like something that could only happen in a musical! (laughs)

But I didn’t want to rely on the fact that “It’s a musical, so anything can happen” and so whilst performing I was always making sure to connect to the hearts of the audience so they wouldn’t leave thinking “Well that was sudden, I don’t understand why they did that”.

Another one, is the song “Dododo” from the scene I have with Billie before the wedding lunch. Whilst I sing the happy number I play the ukulele, it’s a scene full of warmth. I love it.

The Gershwin's had many famous songs

The music is so good isn’t it? I was so happy to be surrounded by their songs every day. At a time where many of us felt cooped up and isolated, I think being in the rich and drunkenly joyful world of the Gershwin’s music empowered us all.

Were there any differences between the Tokyo and Osaka shows?

As the performances went on, everyone got more and more into their roles. And as such, any unnecessary things were refined and our interpretations of lines and how we played the roles became more convincing. Rather than thinking about how best to present ourselves, we focused on how to make the audience feel the genius of the play as a whole. We found that there were some moments we would continue to change based on what we noticed made the audience laugh. We also had to consider how to keep the show enjoyable for those who kept coming back to see us, as well as those who were seeing the show for the first time. We did our best in every performance to show the emotions between the lines, valuing each word whilst not being taken over by the audience’s laughter.

Now rehearsals for the Grand Theatre production “Augustus - the illustrious one - /Cool Beast!!” have begun, how do you feel?

It’s my first time taking centre stage in a new and original “drama/revue” show, so I’m very excited for how it turns out!

Augustus, who I play, is said to have been the one to the lay the foundation for the government system we now have today, he was a man with great intelligence and an incredible vision. It’s been so valuable for me to be able to study up on this man who created a new era in history, and I’m really looking forward to the challenge of bringing his story to life on the Takarazuka stage.

Daisuke Sensei, who is directing the revue part of the show, has been looking after me ever since my first production in the Flower Troupe, “Exciter!!”, so I’m overjoyed to be performing a new revue written by him. It will be Kazuya-san and Hana-chan’s final show so it’s bitter sweet, but I hope that on the last day, we can end our time together, shoulder to shoulder, saying “We had a blast!”.

[thoughts-on-bangtan]

What do you think of JM’s updated Spotify? I don’t normally read into things, but his song choices makes me sad. “At my worst” “I can’t be myself (excuse me while I cry) & “When was it over?” With the lyrics “was it that fight we didn’t have when I came in? Was it the first time you saw me drunk? Second time I said I’m sorry?” It sounds like a replay of Vmins dumpling incident and it worries me. JM looked off in the recent live, almost sad and pouty lately. Do you think I’m over analyzing it?

Admin 1: The short answer to this would be: yes, you are over analyzing things.

The longer one would be that, for example, Pink Sweat$'s At My Worst isn't a sad song, it's actually the exact opposite. It's a very cute and romantic song. Just look at the first verse:

Can I call you baby? Can you be my friend? Can you be my lover up until the very end? Let me show you love, oh, no pretend Stick by my side even when the world is caving in, yeah

I'd actually argue this kinda sounds like a mixture between Sweet Night and Friends when it comes to the sentiment of those words. I’ve seen some people even claim that this will replace Ed Sheeran’s romantic songs that have so far been used at every wedding ever because of how sweet it is.

Then we have Justin Bieber’s I can’t be myself which I believe you probably only looked at the title and jumped to conclusions because, again, this isn’t a sad song either. The lyrics are more about how Justin (or whoever) cannot be himself when you (I’d guess he likely means his wife) isn’t by his side, thus wanting to say that he is happiest and most himself when they are together. It’s sweet and lovely, not sad.

I could travel any place But without you, it's just runnin' around (Girl, I'm just runnin' around) They could open Heaven's gates But without you, I'm just stuck in the clouds (Yeah, yeah)

Lastly, from the songs you specifically highlighted, is Sasha Sloan’s when was it over? which yes, I’ll admit this one is a sad song about not being able to let go even though you know there is nothing left. The song though has a very calm sound, something you’d listen to in the evening, and something I could see both him and Tae like listening to, not because Jimin relates to the lyrics but because it’s simply a pretty song.

On my current playlist I have Stromae’s Formidable, a song about a heartbroken man getting wasted after a breakup. I’ve neither gotten my heart broken nor am I sad and yet I still love this song because it’s just a really good song. Sometimes that’s the only reason we need to listen to a song. Nothing more to it.

All that to say that I don’t believe there is any correlation whatsoever to be made here, especially since Tae and Jimin look more than happy in recent months (did you notice Jimin happily smiling at Tae during their most recent performance of Butter for Colbert at the beginning of their subunit dance?) and there is nothing that could indicate to us that something went wrong between them, or that Jimin could be sad or something bad going on with him. I mean, look at JKs playlist and the fact that he has Billie Eilish’s Your Power on it, applying your thought process, does that mean that JK is trying to tell us he went through something similar to Billie? That he is sad? Or do you think he simply recommended that song because he likes Billie’s music? The last one seems the most likely, doesn’t it?

So, to sum it all up, there is absolutely no need to worry, seriously.

Admin 2: In the evenings, when it's very quiet and my big city has fallen asleep, I really enjoy listening to Sweet Night. I also like to go back to 4 O'Clock from time to time (although I know I will cry). Does that mean I missed my chance in life to be with my beloved? No and no again! I've never been in a situation like this, I wasn't unhappy or "fragily" in love, no one abandoned me or cheated on me. I listen to these songs because I love them. They match the mood of the evening and calm me down despite the sad lyrics and let me fall asleep peacefully.

I am a person who listens to a lot of songs from the past; Songs that remind me of situations, remind me of years of studying, enable me to relive certain situations.

Dear Anon, thank you very much for your question (confession), but I admit that I see it as "looking for some kind of backdoor" so to speak, a way to create a loophole and deny everything after all.

I don't know who you are, I don't know if you really are a Vminnie, but I think you are clinging to any possibility of a situation to undermine the reality or existence of Vmin. That's how I see it, if I offend you, I apologize. The more we get new materials about Tae and Jimin every day, like them being cute in the McDonald's behind the scenes, the more such "sad thoughts" we get sent to us through asks every day.

Firstly, I'm not sure if Jimin (and Taehyung) is fluent enough in English to capture the accuracy of the lyrics and understand its message. Of course, you can translate it, but for that to happen first the song has to catch your attention, and usually it's the melody and the overall feeling of a song that does it, and not the lyrics. And that is the point!

I think Jimin picked these tracks because he simply likes them. Perhaps he first paid attention to the melodies and the mood and only then understood the lyrics sometime later.

A lot of people (including me) hear some kind of song instead of another because they are intrigued by the melody or the association with a particular situation. The mood that fits the moment, the weather, the time of day or many other things which lead us to choose this song and not another.

Maybe Jimin and Taehyung were driving at night and listening to the song on the radio, maybe they were in a romantic mood back then, just having dinner together or taking a half bath together. Ha ha, I know I am deceiving and romanticizing what I am saying to reflect the vast possibilities and reasons why you listen to music like this and no other. Jimin putting together this list of songs for his spotify playlist doesn't mean he listens to it all the time, every day, but that he has the songs he likes on his list and chose the ones he wants to hear right now, or that he thought ARMY could like.

Of course, I'm sure he listens to very different songs during exercising than the one lying in bed before falling asleep. Maybe he's listening to this list, just like we hear the songs from BTS? We know individual words after repeating them several times, and we generally know (as we decide to read translations) what is going on in a particular song, but we don't understand all the words accurately. Not all of us are in the same situation as described in a particular song, but still we listen to it because we like it, because BTS sings it, because we are waiting for a solo from Suga etc. etc. etc.

For some time now we have been seeing (I see) Vmin happy, even very happy, as if "after the night the day came and after the storm came peace" (by the way, these are the words of one of my favorite songs), I have the impression that Vmin have finished fighting all their fights and they are just happy now, finally. Taehyung looks like a million dollars, he's literally glowing and far more lively than he was a year ago.

To him, Jimin is like smooch like butter and someone he likes the most. Taehyung is a handsome and hot chingu for Jimin who he also likes him the most as well. Tell me dear Anon, where is there room for fear and doubt in the love they share? Why and on what basis do you suspect that Vmin has broken up, or is having problems, or that either of them is unhappy? Besides, if one of them has an off day or is simply tired after a packet schedule and thus doesn't look as animated, why is that immediately read as "Jimin and Tae aren't together anymore" or "they are drifting apart" when chances are far more likely that it has nothing to do with their bond? Based on the playlist, or based on Vlive, or maybe based on both of these events, what is the correlation?

I've seen the Vlive. To tell the truth, I didn't see a sad and pouty Jimin there. Instead, I saw Taehyung smiling and content, and Jimin smiled and admired Tae's new hairstyle. I watched the latest BTS interviews. Vmin stared at each other, Jimin stared at Tae with a big smile that only grew in size and the two communicated with their eyes.

Jimin caressed Taehyung's back/butt in the Butter MV making Episode and said there’s butter here (though it wasn’t translated in the subs).

In the McD ad they were together and standing next to each other, even with Jimin resting his head on Tae's shoulder and then Jimin eating Tae's chicken nugget from his hand.

Honestly, I don't know what else Vmin would have to do to keep people from doubting their bond and happiness. They have shown us so much, I think they have reached the limit of what can be said without saying it bluntly.

Most importantly, this is a very interesting situation as we have never had as much "dubious news/content" (not meant negatively at all) as we have now after Taehyung's interview with his ‘confession’/clarification about Sweet Night. To me it smells a bit like someone wants to cause fear or plant the seed of doubt, or be like a trojan horse with the underlying idea of course being that "well...we must be wrong" even though there’s no reason for us to believe/think that.

[moo-moo-meadows]

Gimme Gimme your Georgebur brainrot 👀

YES YES oh my gosh i love you MWAH i was literally just writing an entire fucking post about it but now i have VALIDATION okay so you're really gonna have to trust/work with me on this but i promise it's so romantic that i'm going to combust.. my language/culture is so romantic. romanticizing my culture right now,, anyway. under a read more because when i said brainrot i MEAN brainrot

THIS SONG,, Binibini by Zack Tabudlo, IS SO GOOD, and it has so much georgebur vibes from a SINGLE lyric (and all the other ones too i guess) that i can’t even begin to describe it. mostly because the lyric is kinda hard to translate to English properly??? but we’re gonna try our best let’s go besties

The song title itself, binibini, means quite literally “lady” or “miss” but we’re just gonna not talk about that.

Isayaw mo ako (dance me)

Sa gitna ng ulan, mahal ko (in the middle of the rain, my dear)

Kapalit man nito'y buhay ko (to replace this would be my life)

in the english version, this instead goes:

Oh, darling, dance with me now

Under the rain, under the dark gray clouds

If this my last day on Earth, then love me now

THIS VERSE *clenches fist* god I can’t begin to describe. The first and last part are kinda difficult to translate literally (in the parenthesis) and the english version of the song absolutely does NOT do the first lyric justice (they didn’t even try for the third one but i forgive them bc the replacement lyric is so fucking romantic and bc i’m also struggling with how to describe it too)

Isayaw mo ako doesn’t really mean dance with me. the prefix i- means like, do something. you’re doing something specifically to something else to another person, and then the rest of the sentence goes “me” and “you” so you’re dancing me. it gives off the imagery of like, when you’re ballroom dancing with someone and you throw them out by the arm before twirling them back? that’s kind of what you’d think of. pulling someone in and making them dance for you (but with you) while under the rain.

edit: someone on tiktok just said that the first and second lyrics combined could also kind of mean “take me to dance in the middle of the rain” and I JUST-

the third lyric, if i had to say, they’re kind of saying that they wouldn’t give anything else for this time they’re spending with the other person. but that’s connotation wise. kapalit means kind of to replace or change or switch. so switching this with their life would be the only way they’d give it up. or like. even if they switch their life for this moment.

the frequent uses of terms of endearments such as mahal ko (my love) and sinta (dear?) also give off wilbur vibes

and overall the story of the song?? is just about this guy who's in love with this girl but she's feeling hesitant over liking him back even though the guy already knows/has picked up on the fact that the girl does, in fact, have feelings for him as well. so he says dance with me and confesses to her once more how much he loves her, kind of saying "why are you hesitating? what's stopping you? i love you this much, and i know you love me too. dance with me, darling." but instead of dance with me it's like,, asking them to take the initiative?? because they're so hesitant you know?? like, trusting them and hoping for them to take the lead, to dance them. like, GUYS, please.

tell me that's not georgebur vibes, TELL ME THAT'S NOT SO FUCKING ROMANTIC. especially if the singer is talking to a girl,, then usually the guy is the one leading the dance right? but he's saying. you should dance me.

tldr; i’m so fucking single it’s not even funny and i want what georgebur and this song has

[puppypaw-wc]

random rhythm heaven facts i know off the top of my head for some reason

uh i’m bored so. have random rhythm heaven facts that i just. know. for some reason.

despite being the only game in the series to not have any lyrical remixes, ds is tied with fever for the most original lyrical songs, with each having five. ds has thrilling! is this love?, love ooh ooh paradise, young love rock n’ roll, struck by the rain, and that’s paradise; fever has tonight, lonely storm, dreams of our generation, i love you my one and only, and beautiful one day.

i emphasize “original” because without that, megamix beats fever and ds, having around eleven lyrical songs in total; only counting original lyrical songs, megamix has three (tokimeki no story/lush remix’s music, i’m a lady now/honeybee remix’s music, and um. whatever machine remix’s song is. in the english version though it only has one original lyrical song).

tengoku has four lyrical songs: karate man’s song (which like. idk if it even has a name- does it get name privileges-), the bon odori, honey sweet angel of love, and wish - can’t wait for you.

the fastest song is in ds; big rock finish c’s bpm is 290. the second fastest is also a ds game, namely remix 4, with,,, i believe 222 bpm?

the slowest game is built to scale and built to scale 2; at their slowest, their bpm is 60.

while endless games’ bpm is all over the place due to speeding up, clap trap literally has no (or at least no known) bpm. somehow.

no i don’t know anything about music.

i do, though, know remix 10′s bpm off the top of my head. it’s 166 in case you were curious. remix 10 ds’ bpm is 160. remix 6,,, it’s 138.7 or something like that? idk the exact decimal number. left-hand remix’s bpm is 120 i think. i have no idea on right-hand remix’s. and final remix starts at 160 bpm, increases to 170 at the end, and finally, ends at 180 bpm.

i have memorized the controls for literally every game. no i will not list them here because that’d take too long.

lockstep is the only ds keep-the-beat game to not have flick controls.

barelys (early/late inputs that are too early/late to count as hits) usually count as misses, but there’s a few exceptions to this:

some games will have barelys allow you to pass the practice, but then not actually count in the game itself. the main offender of this is flipper-flop. flipper-flop’s barelys make it so hard to perfect dear god-

in ds, three games’ perfect campaigns count barelys as hits, those being shoot-’em-up, frog hop, and lockstep. despite this, they still count as misses when playing normally, meaning you can get a perfect that wouldn’t be a superb. that always happens to me when i play lockstep 2.

most games have clear indicators for when you got a barely, though some are relatively similar to a miss, but some games have literally no indicator of barelys. unsurprisingly, all but one are in ds:

the games in question are glee club (sometimes; i’m guessing it’s when it’s still a barely but it’s right on the line between barely and early/late hit) moai doo-wop, love lizards, space soccer, and, in fever, shrimp shuffle. this means that a perfect campaign can end despite everything seeming completely fine. (sometimes you can tell you got it wrong, but it can be difficult, personally the only one i can tell in is shrimp shuffle and also space soccer sometimes).

barelys always count as misses in megamix. due to this, barelys mess up perfects on shoot-’em-up, frog hop, and lockstep. yet for some reason, barelys still let you pass flipper-flop’s practice. i have no idea why since in literally every other instance they’re a fail, but they do.

there’s like three beats for keep-the-beat games (games where you have to press a/tap/whatever every beat). this is easily seen in megamix’s final remix, where there’s a part where it smoothly transitions between flock step, frog hop, and bunny hop, and then cues you into marching orders (which is likely just due to the bunny hop part ending with a long jump).

the main beat is shared between almost every keep-the-beat game. all the undeniable keep-the-beat games use it.

rhythm rally and air rally,,, i think both have the same beat? i don’t know though. i don’t know if either of them can even count as keep-the-beat games tbh.

donk-donk and shrimp shuffle both have unique beats, which i guess brings it up to four different beats.

yet again, no, i do not know what any of this means.

there’s eight karate man games (both of tengoku’s, both of ds’, both of fever’s, and both of megamix’s original karate man games). a karate man game has appeared in literally every game and i don’t know why.

fan club’s bpm is like 132 or something like that? i mean that’s at least what rhythm heaven remix editor says the “ooh”’s bpm is at i think. it might be 162. i really don’t remember.

i’ve memorized the entirety of remix 10, remix 10 ds, and remix 6. so that’s a thing. though sometimes remix 6 messes me up when i’m just trying to remember it without playing. i can’t memorize megamix’s medley remixes for the life of me.

i’ve also memorized remix 8 because of course i have, who’s surprised at this point?

quiz show is a game that exists. it’s interesting in that you don’t have to follow rhythm at all. it’s a repeat-after-me game, but all that matters is that you press the button(s) the same amount of times.

it also ends if you get a question wrong, and unless it was the last one, that gives you an immediate try again. it’s one of three games to end prematurely, the other two being the night walk games (night walk 2 can also end prematurely).

it only has music playing at the beginning for some reason.

did i mention it got into megamix instead of an actually good game? instead of an actual rhythm game? in rhythm heaven?

megamix’s english dubbing sucks.

they seemingly had a low budget, so i will cut them some slack, but that doesn’t stop the fact that it’s terrible.

the title cards for games use the same few fonts, while in previous games they nearly all had original fonts.

none of the original songs got dubbed. instead they’re just instrumental. and dear god do i hate it. thus, with english audio, the only remix song is i’m a lady now, which is in english in all versions.

space dance and marching orders. just,,, space dance and marching orders. dear god.

luckily, and possibly due to the dubbing, megamix has the option to change between english and japanese audio. i have no idea if that’s only in the english version or if it’s in other languages’ translations, but it’s nice either way.

ds just straight-up lies to you. at the beginning of the game, it says it’s completely controlled with the touch screen, but then in the game right before remix 10, the r-button is used.

due to this rockers 2 sucks on emulator.

ds has too many repeat-after-me games, i can think of five off the top of my head. ds’ repeat-after-me games also aren’t even that good? moai doo-wop sucks, shoot-’em-up and love lab are fine i guess, i like freeze frame, and drummer duel’s pretty fun (though i’m pretty sure it’s just spam? is this spam heaven now? where did the rhythm go?).

this probably doesn’t make sense to like ninety percent of you. 😔

[littleeyesofpallas]

Bleach - Name Games

I don’t know how I didn’t think to do this one sooner.  Outoribashi(鳳橋) ROSE(ローズ) Roujurou(楼十郎) has a curious zanpakutou.  For reference, his own name (which I’ve covered before) references the Ho-ou/Feng/”Chinese-Phoenix” and by association rainbows (yes, just like the pokemon) and considering his very 70s shoujo look --very Moto Hagio and Ryoko Ikeda vibes-- in conjunction with some other themes that I’ll get to later, it definitely feels like he was meant to be gay, although we sadly got basically zero real character development for him over the series to elaborate on that...  But rainbows aside, the Ho-ou is why his hollow mask is a bird mask, and possibly the association with bird song could be where Rose’s music powers came from.

His sword’s name is Kinshara(金沙羅) written as (金):”Gold” and (沙羅):”Shala” which is a tree native to India, Shorea robusta, aka Sal tree.  As a translation Viz’s “Golden Shala” is actually perfectly correct!  It’s totally not any kind of translator error, but there’s really nothing to indicate what’s relevant about the Shala as a choice of name, so I’m going to dig into that instead.  And to be fair, I’m not super sure any of this is exactly “obvious” even in Japanese; I think this one is a lot of Kubo just being a big nerd about stuff, because that’s just how he is...

So, to start, it has numerous connections to images of the Buddha in relation to death, birth, impermanence, and attaining enlightenment, but what I think it’s references is a part of the opening line of the Heike Monogatari(平家物語) which reads...

沙羅雙樹の花の色, 盛者必衰の理を顯す: “The color of the flower of the pair of Shala trees, displays the natural truth that (even) prosperous people inevitably decline.”

It draws on the buddhist themes of life and death to note the inevitable fall of the Taira clan in the Genpei war, even as the story itself begins with the rise of the Taira.

The Heike Monogatari is often considered a Japanese equivalent to classical Western epics like the Illiad; it chronicles the events of the Genpei war, which itself is sometimes compared to the English War of the Roses, due to a similar start in which a reigning sovereign’s lineage comes into dispute between two offshoot families.  Notably the Genpei war ended the Heian period, a long standing era of peace in Japan considered the height of Japan’s courtly culture.  The Taira clan in particular were the ones who established the prominence of samurai in Japanese government, and the end of the Genpei war established the first Shogunate, the effects of which would shape the next ~500 years of Japanese internal conflict.

Anyway...  Point being that (沙羅雙樹の花の色,): “The color of the flower of the pair of Shala trees,” seems to be the reference point for the name Kinshara(金沙羅): “Golden Shala” and the sword itself being a long vine/whip ending in a Shala flower.  The name is effectively synonymous with, “Fleeting prosperity.”

The release calls kanaderu(奏でろ) means either “to play an instrument” or “to dance” both of which are relevant readings given Rose’s music based powers and dancer based bankai.

Although I don’t actually get where he connected the Shala imagery with music in particular...  I guess if you read the metaphor as “fleeting beauty” instead of “prosperity” it does kind of describe music as an explicitly sensorially in-the-moment form of art, but that feels like a bit of a stretch as far as intended reading.

His bankai is Kinshara Butodan(金沙羅舞踏団), retaining the same phonetics and kanji for Kinshara, and adding Butou-dan(舞踏団) which Viz translated as “Dance troupe” which is technically the literal reading of 舞踏:”Dance”+団:”Group” but it kind of dodges the fact that  Butou(舞踏) isn’t just a word for dance as a general art form or concept, it specifically refers to the particular family of Japanese, post-war, Western influenced modern dance forms.  It is most recognized, somewhat infamously, for a style using white body paint and extremely slow and hyper expressive controlled movements.  This reframes the release call from its “playing an instrument” reading to “dancing.”

Kinjiki(禁色): “Forbidden Color” was the first ever Butou piece, performed in 1959. (note the homonym in Kin(禁):”Prohibited” and Kin(金):”Golden.”)  It was based on a 1951 Yukio Mishima novel of the same name, and the phrase refers back to a Heian period law that restricted the colors that could be worn in court.  But the book and dance piece used the historical reference to compare the taboo of homosexuality with the arbitration of petty court conduct.

So, “Gold (Colored) Shala” is basically a pun on “Forbidden (Colored) Shala” and “Forbidden Color... Butoh...” immediately ques up the gay associations, which then fall in line with other more readily established themes with Rose’s character, like...

...Rose’s name being Rose (and again his very BL manga aesthetic) is a pretty clear reference to the word/term Bara(薔薇) which is the Japanese for “Rose” but is a slang term for gay men, derived from the 1970s gay culture magazine, Bara-zoku(薔薇族): "Rose-Tribe/Clan.”  (This same magazine ran a column for write-in editorials specifically from its female readers titled Yuri-zoku Heya(百合族部屋): “Lily-Tribe Room” which in turn is why Yuri is the slang for lesbians.)  

The magazine’s popularity (as well as that of others like it) with women was a huge contributing factor to the style and content of 1970s shoujo manga.  Which again is where Rose gets his general look of long wavy blond hair, European features, and frilly shirts from.  In particular I’m reminded of Moto Hagio’s emphasis on European men, Ikeda Ryoko’s world famous historical-fiction Rose of Versailles, and Yasuko Aoike’s From Eroica with Love. (pictured above)

Also a fun tangent, but it’s possible Rose was directly based off Bjorn Andresen, but it’s a little hard to tell...  Andresen was a huge influence on the 1970s shoujo aesthetic, specifically because of his role in the 1971 film, Death in Venice, where he plays an alluring androgynous boy that the movie’s protagonist becomes infatuated with.  His youthful and effeminate looks made him something of a celebrity the world over, but where as many western countries antagonized him over his role’s implicit homosexuality (he isn’t actually gay himself) in direct reaction to his fans’ embrace of it, Japan’s general public didn’t really seem to care, so he only ever got attention from his fans there --he’s actually commented that he’s been very fond of Japan largely because of the way it was the one place he wasn’t harassed over his perceived sexuality during his early career.

Anyway, Rose could just be based off the style that Andresen inspired, but the reason I think he could be a reference to the man himself is that Andresen is also a musician and performed with a dance-band called Sven-Erics as their keyboardist.  (I guess the dance-band thing could superficially tie back into the Butou theme, but honestly as a generic 70s-80s euro pop band the Sven-Erics definitely weren’t anything approaching the style of Butou.)  But the specific linking of the way he looks and the music powers feels more deliberate.

I didn’t even think about the fact that I did Yumichika and Ruri-iro Kujyaku not long ago, and putting the two next to each other, I never realized before now that we had TWO fabulous flower and bird themed men in Bleach that Kubo never even put in the same room together.  We were robbed.

[straykidsupdate]

Stray Kids Members on GO LIVE and Making the Music They Want to Make

There's bedlam in the kitchen, as K-pop disruptors Stray Kids wreak delicious havoc on a sterile commercial space. They dance around wildly, waving stainless steel pots and pans in the air and tossing freshly pressed napkins and imaginary ingredients with relish and abandon. In the forefront, fiery rapper Changbin serves up his own potent sauce with a pummeling verse, while dancer Lee Know attempts to stir fry a handful of what appear to be rose petals behind him. A marching band, their plumes high and faces unbothered, carries on amidst the mess — a visual manifestation of the heavy bass ostinato that immediately invades the senses. It sounds disorienting, maybe even slightly dangerous. It looks like chaos.

Welcome to "God's Menu" ("神메뉴").

The Korean boy group's latest single boasts a big, brassy hook laced with trap beats and an addicting refrain ("this is our tang, tang, tang, tang," they shout), a recipe that has become their signature dish. A sonic successor to last fall's explosive "Double Knot," the track teems with a tireless energy and their hallmark bravado. The video imagines the eight members as chefs who confidently concoct their own art from scratch. "Taste so good, everyone loves it," Han raps, in a mix of Korean and English. "All our dishes taste so strong."

The culinary metaphor is laid on thick, bolstered by a charismatic performance that includes Korean formalities like "네, 손님" (which translates to "yes, sir and ma'am" in English) and TikTok-certified choreography that incorporates mixing, frying, seasoning, and, most notably, chopping. But for a group that's been cooking up homemade beats and flavorful lyrics in their bedrooms long before their 2018 debut, it's a savory declaration that feels more than earned. "We just keep on making new things," leader Bang Chan sings, cleansing the palate with a sweet melody. "Because we're one of a kind."

They bring that same level of confidence and clarity to their first full-length album Go生, a title that combines the English word "go" with the Chinese character for "life" and showcases the group's penchant for clever wordplay. Pronounced go-saeng in Korean, it translates to "hardship." The English title, GO LIVE, reflects their desire to move forward without any lingering inhibition. Consider the 14-track LP a reintroduction to Stray Kids.

"We tried to not think too much," Bang Chan tells Teen Vogue from Seoul, South Korea, where he's currently huddled in a room with members Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. It's late June, and they're in the middle of their first week of promotions for the album, which means early mornings, long nights, and a whirlwind of music show performances, interviews, radio shows, and virtual fan engagements. And yet, even as it nears midnight, the members, ranging in ages from 19 to 22, are still easily excitable. Australia-raised Bang Chan acts as the group's tireless translator, and despite recent concerns, his accent sounds as prominent as ever as he explains how Stray Kids adopted a fresh mindset in preparation for Go生. "Of course, we thought a lot about what to put in the album and how we wanted to make it, but we went with the flow," he says. "We wanted everything to feel a bit more raw."

Stray Kids made their official debut under JYP Entertainment with the riotous and self-produced "District 9," an angsty blend of hip-hop and EDM that would ultimately define the group's characteristic intensity, both musically and lyrically. It laid the foundation for 2018's I Am… trilogy of EPs, which focused heavily on the theme of identity as they charged away from systems that sought to control them. The Clé series followed in 2019, which threw Stray Kids head-first into the thorny, often exhausting labyrinth of adulthood. Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han, who comprise the group's in-house production trio, known as 3RACHA, write about their own experiences, etching their personal dreams and worries into a diverse discography that spans six EPs, multiple mixtape singles, and special releases. But with Go生, they've emerged with newfound perspective.

For years, their music was fixated on the idea of bulldozing through obstacles that stood in their way. They wanted to outrun their problems. Now, it's clear: Growing up isn't about overcoming anxieties and struggles. Instead, it's learning to live in spite of them — to run freely alongside them.

As a result, Go生 is a release bursting with color and vitality, a celebration of life's mercurial nature. There's a song for every craving, and a tracklist that demonstrates the members' prismatic talents as rappers and vocalists. "Easy" delivers boundless swagger over a trap beat (and it's already been immortalized on stan Twitter); "Airplane" is Stray Kids at their most relaxed, a chill summertime vibe that's also a tremendous showcase for singer Seungmin; main rapper and all-rounder Han lets his voice soar on "Phobia," an electronic-synth track that examines the paranoia of losing someone (it was also the final song added to the album); "TA" is all high energy and thunderous chaos, perfect for a future encore set; and "Blueprint" shines with its funky bass line, bright verses, and fierce optimism ("I'll proudly achieve my dream," Felix sings in Korean, as translated to English).

"We wanted to show what Stray Kids is really about," Bang Chan says. And in doing so, Felix adds, they "experimented with a variety of genres." The fellow Aussie, who Bang Chan affectionately calls his little brother and who fans (known as Stay) refer to as their "sunshine," speaks with a warm timbre. His flow is even deeper and more distinct, and it's been a solid entry point for Stay and locals alike. Felix is a commanding presence on "God's Menu," a testament to his growth as a rapper and performer. When asked about his five-star performance, he gets shy. "I think everyone put their all into this song and into the album," he says. "Sit down, be humble," Bang Chan jokingly sings beside him, a reference to Kendrick Lamar's 2017 manifesto "Humble" and a demonstration of the leader's persistent playfulness.

"We've all improved a lot in terms of our performance," dance captain Lee Know says, much to the surprise of his members. It's not that they don't agree, it's just that his eager contribution to the conversation catches them off guard. He's not always so talkative during press interviews. And there's an audible cheer among the group as he continues. "Our dancing has gotten stronger. Our vocals have gotten stronger as well. But we're still honing those skills. And we'll continue to grow."

Hyunjin, whose own development as a rapper, dancer, and vocalist with a mellifluous falsetto is well-documented on the internet, agrees. "As we get older, we want to show Stay more sides to us," he says. The lithe performer's strength is his versatility. He's highly adaptable, so it's not surprising that he's been working on writing and composing his own music under Bang Chan's watchful guidance. "I want to show [Stay] something different," he adds. (And that's a promise he intends to keep.)

Youngest member I.N thinks they're maturing in other ways too. "We've all gotten a lot more good-looking," the lively vocalist says, very matter-of-factly. Laughter erupts in the room, and Changbin's cackle is unmistakable. Undeterred, I.N carries on. "When it comes to performance, I've personally gotten a lot faster at recording and memorizing choreography," he says. Lee Know is quick to jump in. "I.N's performance in 'TOP' really surprised me," the elder says. "He's in the center position for the hook, and watching him I saw just how much he's improved. He's more confident now."

I.N is happy he gave off such an aura. "When we were preparing for this album there were times when I didn't feel so confident," he says. So he turned to his members, who listened to his concerns and offered him feedback. He feels much lighter now. "One thing I realized after watching our 'God's Menu' stages is that we all look like we're enjoying ourselves more. We feel more free on stage. And it just feels easier."

The album's most surprising and reflective moment comes at the halfway point, courtesy of Han. Written by the teen multihyphenate, "Another Day" is soft and simple, but no less introspective than his previous cuts ("19" and "Sunshine"). It depicts a feeling of restlessness caused by burnout and the inability to "rest without worrying."

Han's inspiration for the song was largely himself. "It's been a tough year, and I knew it wasn't just me who felt that way," he says. "So I wanted to put those emotions into the song."

In front of the camera, Han exudes relentless charisma. He's quick-witted and wickedly funny. Off stage, he's one of the group's two MBTI-approved introverts (the other being Hyunjin), and he prefers to relax in a controlled environment: his room. In fact, if he doesn't have a schedule or a song to work on, he'd prefer not to leave his bed at all, choosing instead to watch YouTube and anime on his phone. As someone who's deeply inspired by visual mediums, it's in these calmer moments where creativity often strikes.

"Everyone goes through times where things don't work out the way you want them to," he says. "But I think it's important to remember that while you're going through a difficult time, you need to take a breath. Go do something for yourself … Break out of that negative mindset and open yourself up to new possibilities."

Each of the members has their own way of dealing with feelings of stress and anxiety. Changbin works on music. "It's my healing," he says. And he hopes it can be healing for Stay too; he teaches fans the basics of rap during semi-regular streams on V Live. Lee Know prefers to do nothing at all. This is why the members often say the self-assured performer is like water — whatever is bothering him just washes away by morning. But I.N needs time away from the older members. ("Leave me alone!" oldest member Bang Chan whines, mimicking the moody teen.) Hyunjin finds comfort in sentimental music and Korean dramas, and he's especially adept at communicating with fans on Instagram and V Live, where he addresses their worries and offers support in both Korean and English. "That heals my heart," he adds softly. Felix has taken up cooking and baking, even going so far as to buy an oven for their shared apartment's kitchen. His brownies are already beloved by the members and JYP staff. "Making something for someone and getting to share what I make… even a small compliment will make me feel relaxed and good about myself," he says.

Meanwhile, Bang Chan has a bad habit of "brainwashing myself into thinking that I'm not restless when I actually am." So he relies on the members, or "the kids" as he calls them, to help keep him in check. "Our first week of promotions was really tiring, but when I look on stage and see them — see Hyunjin, Changbin, Lee Know, see them all — it gives me a lot of strength. They make me feel at home." (The kids coo in jest beside him. "That's right!" Han shouts.)

Seungmin doesn't often feel anxious, but when he does there's nothing that a long walk and a good playlist can't fix. Lately, he's been listening to "Another Day." "Han surprised me [with this song]," the dynamic vocalist says. "I listen to it often, and it has inspired me a lot." Han, never one to pass up a compliment, replies, "Thanks, man."

While 3RACHA are largely responsible for crafting Stray Kids' music, the members are all integral to the process. "It's not 3RACHA's music, it's Stray Kids' music," Changbin says in English. "So the members' feedback is very important. I feel the best when they like it."

Case in point: "God's Menu." The group had originally recorded a different lead single, and they were in the throes of comeback preparations when Changbin played a demo of "God's Menu" for some of the members. According to Bang Chan, this happens a lot: "We go home, we play a demo, and we party to it." It's as simple as that. But then something unusual happened: Upon hearing "God's Menu," Hyunjin immediately knew he wanted to perform it. This was Stray Kids. The other members felt it too. "The lyrics expressed our music and confidence best," Changbin says in English, as his members cheer him on. ("Go, Changbin!" Bang Chan encourages.) "It's a song only Stray Kids could perform.”

And it was a theme that personally resonated with Bang Chan. "Back in the day, when we were releasing songs as 3RACHA, I always liked to relate my producing process with cooking and science," he adds. "It's just a really fun concept." (Astute fans might recall the 2017 3RACHA deep cut "Alchemistry," in which the industrious leader declares himself a "mad scientist.")

So 3RACHA went straight to the top — to the company's founder J. Y. Park — and asked if they could change the single to "God's Menu." They didn't expect much; the single had already been locked. To their surprise, however, JYP agreed with their judgement. And so have Stay: "God's Menu" is the group's fastest music video to reach 60 million views, and Go生 broke their previous first-week sales record.

"It's a really funny and very warm feeling knowing that he believes in what we do," Bang Chan says of JYP's support. "And it makes us want to try out even more of our various ideas."

Producer Mike Daley (Baekhyun's "Candy") experienced 3RACHA's creative process and various ideas first-hand in Los Angeles last May when Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han spent a day with him in the studio following the U.S. leg of the group's Unveil tour. They worked on two tracks, one of which would eventually become "Easy." Daley played an unfinished demo for the trio, and the reaction was immediate. "A few of the guys just started rapping," he tells Teen Vogue. Bang Chan workshopped the hook and melodies with a few of Daley's friends and collaborators, while Changbin and Han wrote the verses. "Spear [Changbin] and Han were in their own zone on their phones, writing," he recalls. According to Daley, Spear — a reference to Changbin's 3RACHA moniker SpearB — laid down the first verse, and the atmosphere was electric. "He was going crazy in the booth," he says. "It had a ton of energy. And that got everyone amped up to make the hook have as much energy as the verses were bringing."

Daley, a veteran of K-pop songwriting camps, was surprised by just how involved 3RACHA were in the studio. "They knew how to produce really well, so we were all arranging it together," he says. He also observed their teamwork. "It seemed like they each had their role and worked together well," he adds. "Spear and Han were focused on the verses, but when they heard a melody they liked, they'd look at Chris [Bang Chan]. They knew how to get the song done."

And that sense of creative autonomy isn't just exclusive to 3RACHA. Through self-produced digital projects like "SKZ-PLAYER," all of the members are encouraged to express themselves through their art. "It's a really good platform for us to showcase what we want to show Stay, something that they haven't seen before," Bang Chan says. In May, he surprised fans with "인정하기 싫어," which translates to "Don't Want To Admit," a vulnerable piano ballad that laid bare his heartache. Last year, Lee Know released "Dawn," a slinky dance performance he choreographed himself. Seungmin covered his favorite band, and fellow JYP artists, DAY6. "I am very grateful that we are able to sincerely connect with Stay through music," the floppy-haired vocalist notes. As for Changbin, he recently dropped "Streetlight," a solo track in which he wrestles with feelings of loneliness. And Hyunjin released his own video — a contemporary dance he produced and choreographed to Billie Eilish's "When The Party's Over." He titled it "Empty."

"I wanted to express a different feeling, one that I couldn't show through our own performances," the perceptive dancer says. He choreographed the piece to convey his longing to perform. That loneliness that comes at the end of a party, he says, is the same emptiness he feels when he leaves the stage. "That void I feel sometimes, I wanted to express that through choreography."

Han's "Close" was inspired by the 2004 film Closer, specifically its opening scene, in which a young woman locks eyes with a handsome stranger across the street. The idea of human connection, of seeing someone and wanting to know everything about that person, struck Han, especially at a time when people feel farther apart than ever. But it was too raw to share. "I didn't originally want to release 'Close.' I wanted to keep it to myself," he says. "But after showing it to the members, they encouraged me, and that motivated me to share it."

And they continue to share their artistry with Stay. Fans are getting an intimate look at the members' songwriting and melody-making prowess in "Two Kids Song," a web series that splits them into pairs and challenges each team to write, produce, and record an original song. For Stray Kids, the desire to keep learning and pushing themselves — as songwriters, as performers, and as young adults navigating the world around them — both inside and outside of the practice room, comes naturally. "We're artists," Bang Chan says. "It's right for us to express whatever we want through our creative process."

However, with unfiltered access also comes moments of real humility, a reminder that the relationship between idols and the community they foster isn't defined in scenes of uncritical loyalty and fan service, but rather in instances where they hold one another accountable. In a June livestream, Bang Chan reminded fans, "I don't want you guys to spread negative energy around. Stays, you guys are better than that." That sentiment was recently reciprocated when the group participated in a July variety show segment that many Black fans deemed racially insensitive. Stray Kids apologized in a personal statement posted to the members' shared Instagram account, in which they rejected all types of discrimination with a promise to do better by their fans everywhere around the world. "We are still lacking in many things and we are trying our hardest to become better," they wrote in Korean and English. "We would like to apologize to anyone if we have stepped on a rake. It was never our intention but due to our lack of understanding."

It's this honesty that resonates most with their fans. It's woven into heartfelt lyrics, tearful ending ments, social media posts, virtual hugs, home-cooked meals, and earnest reminders to deal with — not run away from — things that are difficult. It is the lens through which Stray Kids see themselves: never perfect, but always sincere. Mainly, it's how they expel their innermost thoughts and feelings, the joy and the agony of everyday life. Whether that's by working on music, or choreography, or refining a new dish, or bettering themselves, that's ultimately up for them to decide. It always has been. Their appetites are insatiable, after all. "The fact that we have the chance to make the music we want to make and talk about the things we want to talk about is really special," Changbin says. "It makes me more excited for what's next."

A day after talking to Teen Vogue, Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han set the KCON:TACT stage ablaze with an opening performance that showed the world just how hungry they are. “They always say the same excuses, while they’re complaining we’re producing," Bang Chan sings, the Auto-Tune heavy. "The passion I give it, nobody can kill." It's a bold statement for any group to make, especially one as young as Stray Kids. And yet, it's that measure of determination that's defined their careers since they were teens trapped on a hellevator with nowhere to go but up. One day they'll reach the penthouse. For now, they're learning to savor the ride and embrace the mess.

"We're going to enjoy this freedom," Bang Chan says, "and eventually we'll fly high."

[letters-from-r]

I Burn: A Review

I'm not good at reviewing things but I thought I should say some things about (G)I-DLE's 4th mini album 'I Burn' since this is the first comeback I'll be witnessing as a Neverland. I know next to nothing about the technicalities of music, so I'll say what I want to say as easy as I can say it.

If you come across this post, please give the album a listen before reading my review. I recommend listening with headphones/headset! Here’s the link to the album on Spotify.

#1: HANN (Alone in Winter)

The first song on the abum is called HANN, which is a continuation to their previous song also called HANN. HANN 2.0 starts out exactly like it promises: chilling. A few piano beats that goes lower with each beat, a lone high beat followed by a lone low beat, all the while a strong wind blows in the background. It gave me the feeling of being isolated.

The song talks about a neverending winter after a breakup (one that happened preceding the events of HANN 1.0). Based on the lyrics, the main character seem to be in the middle of a very long winter, alone for a very long time. The line ‘Is it my greed to wait for your spring again?’ gives me the impression that the main character has not completely moved on from the ex yet, but there is an obvious negative feeling towards this ex as well.

I can tell that this song is supposed to be from the perspective of someone who is hurting, with Yuqi and Miyeon’s verses followed by a melodious shout (?) that seem to convey hurting. I can’t explain it very well but I can feel the emotions by the way they sing the lyrics.

The song is dominantly accompanied by piano, whose melody goes perfectly with the message the lyrics are communicating. Shuhua’s melodic ‘Lalala lalala’ adds to the overall melancholic feeling of the song.

When I first heard this song it didn’t have as strong of an impact on me as it does now, it’s a song that gets better the more you listen to it. I’ve watched quite a few fan edits of this song as well, and it goes well with period dramas and movies with sad endings. The title came from the Korean word ‘Han’ which is a feeling that cannot be directly translated to English, but from what I gathered it means something along the lines of feeling empty or void, alone, sad, the feeling of having lost someone, etc.

Overall, I give this song a rating of 9.3/10.

#2: HWAA (Fire, Flower) [Title Track]

I think even if Soyeon didn’t say beforehand that HANN (Alone), HANN (Alone in Winter), and HWAA were connected, just by reading the lyrics I would definitely know. HWAA starts out with a Soyeon singing verse, which is one of my favorite things ever (because I know her raps are fire but girl can also sing so well!).

The song starts out cold as well, and it gets warmer as the song goes on. I love how you can especially tell that the song is cold with Minnie’s first verse. She does this thing with her voice that will make you feel chilly. As the song goes on, it will become bass-heavy, which I love.

The message that I got from this song is that the main character is now in their lowest of lows (’The darkness gets deeper’ from Soyeon’s first verse), which means they can only go up from there. The main character has finally cried all their tears (’I can’t live any more tears’ from Soojin’s first verse) and is now ready to bloom again.

Soyeon’s rap verse gives me the idea that the main character is ready to completely erase the memory of their ex (’I won’t leave any traces of you, even the resentment I can’t say is far and wide’), or at least use this to fuel their rebirth (’It will release the cold, enjoy spring again, all memories become fire or fertilizer’). Soyeon’s genius is especially evident in this track, because throughout the whole song she will keep referencing the title (HWAA) with both of its meaning (Fire, Flower) without it feeling disconnected from each other. ‘Fire will release the cold, enjoy spring again (with flowers), all memories become fire (to further fuel fire) or fertilizer (to nourish the flower).’ I think it’s absolutely brilliant!

In HANN (Alone) and HANN (Alone in Winter) it was kind of evident that the main character is resentful of or angry at their ex for what happened, and in HWAA the main character is still angry but for a different reason: they’re angry at losing their ‘spring’ and is now using this anger to fuel their rebirth (’I get mad, get mad even more to regain the lost spring’ from Yuqi’s verse).

The chorus to this song is a harmonic, melodic, singing of ‘HWAA’ from all of the members (but if I’m not mistaken the chorus itself is mostly led by Shuhua). At first it seemed lacking to put such little words in the chorus, but after watching (G)I-DLE’s latest I-Talk episode where Soyeon talks a little about HWAA, it now makes sense. Soyeon said that the way the chorus is sang represents how the fire burns (you’ll get it when you listen to it, at least I did). In fact, Shuhua’s line before the chorus (’Set fire’) kind of says it all.

Honestly, I wish I was born speaking Korean, or at least knew how to speak Korean, because I can only imagine how impactful these lyrics are. Soyeon has said in a behind the scenes video that she used old Korean words for this album to properly convey the message.

Overall, I give this song a 9.2/10.

#3: MOON

This track holds a special place in my heart because it’s one of two tracks composed by Minnie (yes, my bias). Also because the track is called ‘Moon’ which I think is pretty cool. Plus, the lyrics are written by Soyeon, so it’s guaranteed good.

When I hear the word ‘moon’ I automatically associate it with emotions, maybe it’s the hidden astrology bitch inside of me but anything that has to do with the moon I immediately think ‘emotions’. This track is one of those things, and I know I’m right this time.

The song starts with a Minnie verse, and from the start you’d know it’s quite different from the previous two songs. Although personally I think all six songs are similar in such a way that they all seem to ‘take place’ at night, either on a night drive with friends or alone on a roof staring at the moon or alone in your bedroom staring outside the window, they all seem like the type of songs that you’d listen to at night.

Anyway, I kind of digressed there, but the point is this song is quite different from the previous two but also similar. It differs in the genre, since MOON is a pop track (as far as I know) while HWAA is moombahton (house music + reggaeton) and HANN (Alone in Winter) is more of a ballad. But it continues the story line of the previous songs.

The message of the song is basically the main character hiding from something, or the main character wants something to be hidden. ‘Do not shine on me, oh moon’, ‘Do not come near me, oh moon’, ‘Turn off the moon light, please don’t let it shine’, they all tell the same message. I think at this point of the story the main character is trying their best not to open up to emotions, after the very devastating break up they just experienced.

I can’t really explain the music properly, but the way this song was composed is just... so good. I love how it sounds, I love the lyrics, I love the voices the (g)irls put on for this track (I can’t pinpoint it exactly but when you’ve been listening to an artist a lot you’d know how different their voices can sound). Soyeon did not participate much in this track, only at the very last seconds, but I think that further reinforces the message that the main character is hiding something, hiding from something, or wants something to be hidden.

This track is the 10/10 of this album. I would recommend this song to anyone anywhere that’s asking for a song recommendation.

#4: Where is love

I think most people would agree when I say that this fourth track is the dance track of this album. ‘Where is love’ is under the retro funk genre, and although that sounds like it doesn’t fit the story line, trust me it does.

The song starts out with a Soyeon verse. The main character seems to be thinking about the ex in the dark night (see? it all takes place at night), but instead of getting hurt by the memories they laugh it off. ‘The crumbled memories slowly become dull, I let go of you and find myself, the lost smiles are filled back again, I forget you and find myself’. This is definitely a road to self-love song, even though the title seem to be saying otherwise. I think the title talks about how a love so strong was able to just disappear without leaving a trace, thus ‘Where is love?’. At this point of the story line I think the main character has moved on enough to be able to look back and not be hurt by the past.

Soyeon’s rap verse on this track is probably one of my favorite Soyeon raps ever (the next track might be a contender). The music is great, and I think if the girls will perform this song on a live stage this would be a carefree-type of song. It has a ‘come on, let’s vibe!’ type of energy.

Overall, I would give this song a 9.3/10.

#5: LOST

This fifth track is written and composed by Yuqi, our best and most hard-working girl. LOST is under the RnB genre. It starts out with Soojin’s beautiful voice, followed by Yuqi’s captivating one.

This song is also very, very beautiful. It talks about having lost somebody dear to you. The first verse was hard to get at first, but after some thinking I think I know what it means. ‘Dazzling sunlight, will it get dark if I cover it with my hand? Will it be forgotten if I cover you in stained memories?’ I think this mostly means that if you pretend something didn’t happen, did it really not happen?

This is somewhat of a u-turn on the story line, because it seemed like the main character was already moving on in ‘Where is love’ but here it seems like they’re remembering the past again. It might just be a final goodbye to this chapter of their life.

Like I said earlier, Soyeon’s rap verse on this track is a contender for my all-time favorite Soyeon rap. The music here is also great, something you can jam to at any time of the day. Catchy, somewhat upbeat, the voices are beautiful as it always is.

I think my favorite part of this song, aside from Soyeon’s rap verse, is Minnie’s last verse. I just love her voice a lot.

Overall, I would give this song a 9.4/10.

#6: DAHLIA

Ah, DAHLIA, everyone’s baby. DAHLIA is another pop track, written and composed by Minnie (again, yes, my bias). This song is another contender for a 10/10 on this album. Almost everyone on my Twitter timeline was obsessed with this song when the audio snippet came out. Not only does it exude major sapphic vibes, it’s also super catchy and just... beautiful.

The song starts with Minnie’s breathy, angelic voice. From the start, by the lyrics alone you’d know this is a love song. ‘So beautiful, just looking at you with my own eyes makes me fall in love’, ‘I’m drunk on a flower called you, no matter what they say, I’ll choose to love you anyway’  Okay, can we talk about the sapphic undertones? Pink and purple dahlias are said to represent feminine beauty, and flowers in general are mostly associated with women and femininity. Add to that ‘No matter what they say, I’ll choose to love you anyway’? Gay. I know it. Gay.

Also, I don’t know why but to me Soyeon’s rap verse here reminds me of their song last year called ‘Oh my god’ (which is also pretty gay, ‘Oh my god, she took me to the sky, Oh my god, she showed me all the stars’?). Maybe it’s the fact that she says ‘I’m in love again’ and then towards the end she calls out to god again ‘I pray to God, I hope this flower will be beautiful forever’, which are two of the major key points of ‘Oh my god’.

Actually now that I remember it, Soyeon did an intro rap for their last ‘Oh my god’ performance last year in December, and if I remember correctly that rap included something like ‘I’m about to sin again, fall in love with her’ (yes, with the female pronouns). I think DAHLIA might be the song that that rap was referring to, if my intuition is correct that DAHLIA is about a woman.

Anyway, aside from the lyrics which I am absolutely obsessed about, the music is also really, really good. Very catchy, beautiful vocals, and that beat drop that I like during ‘My love is dahlia’. It has that same build up as ‘Oh my god’, fast approaching the chorus and then a sudden stop just before chorus, and then a beat drop with the chorus. It is easily addictive (honestly, all six songs are easily addictive).

Overall, I give this song a 9.8/10.

---

If you made it this far, thank you for reading my album review that is more like rambling and fangirling than anything. If you still haven’t listened to ‘I Burn’, please give it a listen! It’s beautiful, I swear.

[fatesdeepdive]

Entry 1: Anticipation

Introduction

What is your most anticipated game? Not the upcoming game that you’re excited about, the game that, more than any other, made you count down the days until its release. No game has ever made me as excited for its release like Fire Emblem Fates did.

Fire Emblem Fates was first announced in January 2015. Back when that trailer was first released, I was still obsessively playing through Fire Emblem Awakening, the game Fire Emblem Fates was meant to be a successor for. The trailer hooked me and I eagerly waited for more information on this bold new entry into the Fire Emblem series. The trailer showed a battle between two armies, a monster destroying a castle, a woman dancing, and a duel between two swordsmen. Between these clips, the trailer showed a return of Awakening’s gameplay, the addictive gameplay that’d taken away hundreds of hours of my free time. This trailer told us nothing, leaving me eager to learn more about this new story.

As the months went on, it was announced that Fates would tell the story of two kingdoms at war. More interestingly, the player would be given the opportunity to choose which kingdom to support, adding a layer of moral ambiguity and complexity to the story. I loved this concept and had no doubts it would be executed perfectly. The game released in June 2015 in Japan, but American fans had to wait until January of the next year to play it.

I bought the game as soon as it came out.

And I loved it. I played through all three routes half a dozen times each. For about six months, Fire Emblem Fates was the main game I played.

I haven’t played Fates in four and a half years. I don’t know why I went from spending multiple hours each day playing it to dropping it and never going back. I’ve played Awakening about once a year since then, but I haven’t gone back to Fates for some reason.

Since its release, Fates has gained a certain...reputation among the Fire Emblem fanbase. Put bluntly, it’s widely considered to be the worst Fire Emblem game. And, to be honest...I can kinda see why. Looking back, the game’s writing was filled to the brim with problems. But still, I can’t bring myself to hate the game like other Fire Emblem fans. I still remember asking my mom to preorder it for my Christmas present when I was fifteen. I still remember devoting hours of my life to this game.

So, I’m left with this quandary. Who should I trust? Other fans, or the memories of my youth? Is Fates really as bad as people say? Well, I kinda want to figure that out for myself. And I think the only way to figure this out is to obsessively play the game.

Over the next few months, I’m going to do a deep dive through Fire Emblem Fates and post my thoughts on this blog. I’m going to go through every chapter, every support conversation, every part of this game to answer the question: is Fire Emblem Fates a good game?

Opening Cutscene

Booting up my copy of Birthright for the first time in years, I’m greeted with an opening cutscene containing much of the footage from the trailer. It’s worth noting that the two armies from the trailer have very different aesthetics, one being heavily influenced by feudal Japan and one being heavily influenced by medieval Europe. The transition from the battle to the woman dancing is done by zooming out, revealing that this battle is actually taking place inside a painting. I actually really like this, it shows that the hostilities that this game is centered on have been going on for a long time.

Another thing to note: the song the dancing woman is singing has been translated into English. I’ll be going through the Lost in Thoughts All Alone’s lyrics and analyzing them when they appear in the actual story. The dance scene leads into circling shots of two families; judging from their different styles and fancy clothing, they are presumably related to the two kingdoms at war. The eastern family has a red and white color scheme, while the western one has a black and purple color scheme.

After that, the camera pans into a deep chasm until it arrives in a land of floating castles and islands, which looks interesting. Next, the opening cutscene shows the dancer in a lake, being choked by a large dragon-like creature. As the creature pushes her further underwater, its scales turn into light and fade away, turning into a humanoid form. Finally, the trailer shows the two swordsmen clashing as the dancer freaks out, setting her up as being an in-between that doesn’t want this conflict to grow. Her necklace flies off as she panics and lands in a pool of dark blue water, bringing us to the main menu.

The opening cutscene, like the trailer, hooked me in and made me excited to play this game. Even though I know that the game is going to bungle the story beats it sets up, I’m still excited to dive right it.

While staring at the dark title screen, which features only the quiet sound of waves for background noise, I get a strange hint of nostalgia. It’s a weird type of nostalgia, though. When I replied Awakening last fall, it felt familiar and comforting. Coming back to Fates, it doesn’t feel familiar. I recognize it, and it’s nostalgic, but it isn’t comforting. It’s like nostalgia for something I’ve forgotten, if that makes sense.

Character Creation

Jumping in, I am presented with three settings each for two types of difficulty. Normal/Hard/Lunatic control the strength of enemies, while Phoenix/Casual/Classic determine whether or not units come back to life. I’ll be checking out the other difficulties in a later entry, but for now, I create a Normal/Casual save file. Yes, it’s taking the easy path. But I barely remember this game and am playing it on a deadline, I don’t have the time to restart every level multiple times.

Next comes the character creator. We’re shown the player Avatar standing at the bottom of a lake and given the ability to customize gender, build, hairstyle, hair decoration (if a girl), hair color, face, scars, and voice. None of the options look bad, but the fact that it’s just choosing from a set list of faces is a bit disappointing. Understandable, considering the fact that these assets are drawn in, but that just raises the question of why there needed to be customization in the first place.

A few oddities about the character creator: hairstyles are sorted on two axis chart of Stylish/Simple vs Wild/Slick for boys and Long/Short vs Cute/Wild for girls. I don’t have time to go into each hairstyle, some are better than the canon versions, some are absolutely ridiculous, some are just boring. The short build is the canon design for Male Corrin while the tall build is canon for Female Corrin. This is probably for the best, because Short Girl Corrin looks like she’s eight. Finally, while both choices have three voice choices, two of Male Corrin’s choices are played by Cam Clarke (Corrin’s other male voice is Yuri Lowenthal, while Female Corrin’s voices are performed by Danielle Judovits, Marcella Lentz-Pope, and Stephanie Lemelin). Later games featuring Corrin stick with Clarke and Lentz-Pope.

I flip a coin and end up deciding on Female Corrin. I go with the generic design, because I really don’t care enough to customize her. Speaking of design, Corrin’s design is a mixed bag. Regardless of player choice, Corrin always wears the same outfit: a grey, black, and white suit of armor with a blue cape. Corrin’s generic hair color is also grey, but like a pinkish grey. I do appreciate Corrin being associated with grey, gold, and blue, making them visually appear to be between worlds, but I personally think the armor looks too complicated, looking more like a striped suit than actual armor. I also don’t get why it has a neck cuff.

Also, Corrin is barefoot. Always. This does give Corrin a sort of animalistic appearance, but that design element isn’t present anywhere else in Corrin’s design. Fire Emblem Awakening was kinda infamous for the fact that none of its characters had feet on their models and I get the vague feeling this game is overcompensating.

Next, we get to the details that actually matter. Name (I went with Corrin, because it’s the canon name and I don’t relate to this character at all), Birthday, Boon, Bane, and Talent. Boon and Bane determine stat growths, but they are labeled by personality traits instead of the actual stars, which is both more immersive and slightly annoying. I made Corrin Quick and Unlucky. Talent determines what Classes are available to you. I didn’t care, so I spun it randomly. It landed on Mercenary.

Prologue: The Ties that Bind

Now that we have our character created, let’s start the game. The game starts with the dancer singing Lost in Thoughts All Alone at the shore of a lake before walking into the lake and sinking below the waves. The song continues as she goes underwater, which means she must be amazing at ventriloquism. As she goes deeper underwater, ruins start to appear, floating in the water. The dancer swims into a bright light and disappears.

Smash cut to the Western prince riding on a horse, commanding an army as they charge into battle. The Eastern prince charges through his army, wielding a sword surrounded by lightning. The anime cutscenes in this game are beautifully animated and incredibly cool to watch. The Eastern prince introduces himself as Ryoma of Hoshido and challenges the Western prince, Xander of Nohr, to a duel. Xander accepts and charges into battle, wielding a sword surrounded by shadowy purple fog. The two clash as the cutscene ends.

We then see Corrin and a Hoshidan Pegasus Rider named Hinoka fighting an enemy, This fight is rendered as an actual game cutscene. Side note, the fact that this scripted battle features Hinoka guarding an attack for Corrin is a great way to foreshadow that mechanic. Hinoka mentions that Corrin looks distracted and reassures her, pointing out that all of Corrin’s siblings are here.

The game then moves onto introducing basic mechanics. If you move your cursor away and look at the other units on the battlefield, you’ll notice that all of them have unique names and designs. Fire Emblem Fates shows both armies off to you during the prologue, which is really interesting. Still, it must be noted that the Nohrian Units are marked as enemies and the Hoshidan Units are marked as allies. This isn’t super important now, but keep it in mind.

Between turns, Ryoma asks Xander why he’s invading and mentions a cowardly attack. Xander tells him to surrender and the two fight some more, both doing decent damage. The camera pans over to Xander’s siblings. The youngest of them, Elise, mentions that, due to a bridge collapse, they can’t get over to Corrin. Her older sister, Camilla, tells her not to worry, because their royal blood allows them to manipulate dragon veins. Camilla moves over to the river and a fireball flies out of her, striking the river and evaporating it. The third of Xander’s siblings, Leo, tells Elise to stay back as they attack the Hoshidans. The Hoshidan royals remark that Camilla’s use of a dragon vein means she’s royalty and the Hoshidan prince Tamuki smirks, saying that he’s always wanted to use a Nohrian royal as target practice.

The two armies of named characters start fighting and a Nohrian general named Hans shows up with an army of reinforcements. He then refers to his own army as cannon fodder and says king Garon sent him to kill them all, because he’s very obviously an evil person. A Hoshidan general shows up and we get some more tutorials as Corrin and Takumi beat up a single redshirt. And then the level just ends.

Corrin and the Hoshidan royals run up to the bridge to help out Ryoma. Xander calls out to Corrin, happy to have found her alive and well. He beckons her to come back to her family, which angers Ryoma, who shouts that Corrin is his sister. Xander counters, saying that Corrin is HIS sister. The other royals argue over which family owns Corrin and Hinoka states that the Nohrians kidnapped her. Xander points out that the Nohrians raised Corrin since she was a child and are her real family. As the two families fight over Corrin, the screen fades to white and we hear voices yelling for Corrin to wake up.

The prologue features some good teaching of mechanics, some bad teaching of mechanics, and an introduction to the game’s plot. It introduces two countries at war and Corrin, a bridge between the two that is caught up in this war. I just have one question.

What even is this chapter? It isn’t in media res, the actual point in the game this chapter is playing off of happens differently. The fact that it cuts to Corrin waking up implies that it’s a premonition of the future, but Corrin can’t see the future in other parts of the game. At least, I don’t remember that ever happening. Sure, this chapter introduces the plot, but it does it in such a confusing way.

Awakening did something similar to this, admittedly, but Awakening is a game about time travel. That scene happened, just in a different timeline. Awakening’s use of media res both set up the plot and helped foreshadow the game’s main twist.

Also, the Hoshidans are allies and the Nohrians are enemies. In a game about a morally grey conflict between two sides made up of real, suffering people, it’s not great to start out by calling one of them evil.

These two traits, aping Awakening without knowing why it worked and failing to be a morally grey story, are going to become much more apparent as the game goes on...

[ranma-rewatch]

Episode 1-The Strange Stranger from China/Enter Ranma

Alright, time to really start this thing off with the first episode, “The Strange Stranger from China”. I...don’t remember that being the name of the episode, but it has been about a decade since I last saw the series.

I feel like I remember what happens in this episode pretty well, it should just be an introduction to (some) of the main cast and kick of the dynamic between the two leads, but I could be wrong. Let’s see after the break, once I have rewatched the episode!

Okay first things first, the Opening. Musically, this song has always sat in a weird spot for me. It’s really freaking catchy and memorable, but it’s also kind of annoying? Like, there is a fine line between a great ear worm and a song you actually want out of your head, and “Don’t Make Me Wild Like You” by Etsuki Nishio is like right on that line. There are parts of it I think are adorably entertaining, like the whistle, and other parts where I kind of cringe. It’s not my favorite opening song of the series, but it’s not bad either.

Visually, it is Okay with a capital O. There is a reason Mother’s Basement has never done a feature on it. It is mostly just the cast running in place over pastel backgrounds, and some of them have the coloring that’s very different from what would end up being used later on once they appeared. That said, I have to give infinite props to Akane’s little snapping dance, because it is freaking adorable and I love ever frame of it.

Also, the title. What I said it was earlier, “The Strange Stranger from China”, was what Hulu has it listed as, and from what I can tell that was what it was listed as on DVD. From what I can tell from my expert translator, Mr. Google Translate, it’s kind of similar to the Japanese title, which says it is “He's from China!! A little weird!!”. But in the episode, the dub says the episode is “Here’s Ranma” which is what I remember it being. So...yeah. Apparently at some point they wanted to retcon the english title of the episode, but never changed the dub track to match.

So, what’s the episode about? Hell, what is this show even about? Well, the episode starts with a feminine person with red hair fighting a panda in the street, arguing about being betrothed to someone against their will, while onlookers watch in confusion. Then the panda knocks them out, and carries them away. Cut to the Tendo family estate, where Soun Tendo has received news that Ranma Saotome and his father Genma will soon be coming, and gathers his three daughters to explain the situation.

You see, in addition to being fairly well off in general, Soun is the owner of a dojo for the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, and his best friend and fellow practitioner of the same art, Genma, made an agreement years ago to bind their families in marriage. Thus, Ranma will marry one of Soun’s three daughters. From oldest to youngest, they’re Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane, who is the only one of the three to practice martial arts herself. When Soun reveals he has never met Ranma and has no idea what he’s like, his daughters are kind of pissed that their dad promised one of them would have to marry him, which is pretty fair.

Instead of the middle-aged man and teenage boy they expected, the red-head from before is dragged in by the panda, and they explain they are Ranma Saotome, to everyone’s confusion. Based on their body, everyone assumes Ranma is a girl, and Ranma and Akane actually become fast friends, sparring in the dojo. But after Akane has a surprise bathroom encounter with a very masculine Ranma that involves him seeing her naked, and vice versa, they learn the truth.

See, Ranma and his dad were in China training when they visited Jusenkyo, a seeming hot spring tourist trap, only to each fall in a different spring while practicing fighting there. Turns out all the water there is cursed because things kept drowning in the springs a long time ago. Now they’re both cursed. They each transform when cold water is poured on their heads, into a feminine body for Ranma and a panda’s body for Genma, and turned back with hot water.

Once that’s all out in the open, everyone except Ranma and Akane thinks that, since Akane doesn’t like guys, she would be the perfect fiance for Ranma since he is ‘half girl’. Akane is still upset with Ranma, both because she has a lot of issues with men and feels betrayed that Ranma never said he was really a guy, and also because he saw her naked. Ranma claims it isn’t a problem because he can look at himself anytime and he’s more stacked, and the dynamic of Akane hitting Ranma for the asshole-ish things he says is born.

So, lots of stuff to talk about for an analysis. I think I’ll go with a compliment sandwich, bundling up what was rough for me around what I liked or thought was particularly interesting. To start with, aside from a few places where there was clear corner-cutting of reusing animation and kind of needless flashbacks, I liked the animation. The original mangka, Rumiko Takahashi, has really great character designs, and I love seeing her personal art style brought to life by the animation of Studio DEEN, a group I am not super used to complimenting.

In terms of plot, I think it’s a pretty strong opener. It introduces a lot of the main cast, even if some of them are depicted fairly broadly and not shown as the characters they’d one day become. This might sound odd, but I also really appreciate how female nudity is handled. Maybe it’s just because, if anything, the way most anime handle ‘fanservice’ has just gotten more and more over-the-top as the years go by, but the way Ranma 1/2 handled it feels like a breath of breath air.

See, in most modern anime, full blown nudity of either sex is never shown. Instead, feminine characters’ bodies are incredibly sexualized, with lots of emphasis put on the breasts and other body parts, without ever giving the full game away. By contrast, this episode contained several example of the feminine form shown completely nude, but it wasn’t treated like some mind-blowingly sexy thing, it was just kinda shown without much fanfare. I’ve currently watching the original Mobile Suit Gundam, which came out around the same time, and it actually does the same thing a few times. It feels more similar to how nudity is treated in, say, paintings or sculpture, more tasteful, and I just kind of think it’s neat.

What is definitely less neat...is the music. If I had to throw out right away my biggest gripe with the show, it is the OST. Not all of it, there are a few bits near the end of the episode that are actually really good, they’re the kind of music I remember being in the show. But the more silly, goofy tracks more common in the first half of the episode really don’t work for me. They remind me of the generic ‘Silly Person’ theme songs from the Ace Attorney games, and maybe it’s just me, but those kind of background music always take me out of the experience and grate on my nerves. That’s actually my only big issue so far, but it did make both times watching this episode genuinely hard to get through at points, it annoys me that much.

Now, I will say right now that I will be referring to Ranma using male pronouns regardless of whether he’s in his cursed form or not, and I won’t call him a ‘girl’ or a ‘woman’. If you didn’t know, sex and gender are not actually the same thing, so even if his physical sex is changed to fit someone who would be Assigned Female at Birth, his internal gender doesn’t change. No matter how Ranma looks, he thinks of himself as a man.

Corollary to that, it was this time going through this episode that I realized something that I’d never thought of before: Ranma’s experience in this episode, and in some ways throughout the series, is actually a lot like that of a transgender man’s. Ranma shows up at the Tendo’s estate and they all see him as a girl because of how he looks, only for him to reveal his actual gender. When he’s hanging out with Akane, and she thinks he is actually a girl, and they’re getting along, there’s a part where she tells Ranma that she’s so happy he turned out not to be a boy, and you can see Ranma’s facial expression, he doesn’t want to hear that. Clearly, yes, you can read that as Ranma wincing at the fact that she’s in for a rude awakening later on, but it also gives off the same kind of vibes closeted trans people experience when they’re misgendered by people they know.

In fact, when you think about how his curse really affects Ranma, when he’s in his cursed form, he effectively is a trans man. He still identifies as a guy, but his body has been changed so that it no longer represents who he sees himself as inside. It just felt like an interesting real life parallel in this episode, and I’m interested to see if I feel it shows up more later on. But for now, let’s move on to character spotlight.

For the first spotlight, I thought I should center on the titular Ranma Saotome. Obviously this won’t be the only time I focus on him, he’ll get more spotlight pieces as the series develops, so right now I’ll try to focus on the Ranma we see in just this one episode.

To start with, who plays him? Well, that’s a funny story, actually. Not only does Ranma, due to his curse, have different voice actors in each language for his cursed and non-cursed forms, but in the English Dub they recast his masculine body’s voice actor after three seasons. I’ll talk about that voice actor, Richard Ian Cox, once we get to when he actually becomes Ranma’s voice actor, so let’s start with the masculine form’s VA’s.

Now, the Ranma I first met when I was a teenager was Sarah Strange, a Canadian Voice Actress who is not known for much else. Her Ranma has mostly been the one I think of in my head when I think of the character. A little nasaly, her take on the character is very average joe, very ordinary high schooler. There’s some brashness to it, sure, but it’s actually kind of a subdued version of Ranma. Looking at it now, I actually feel like both of Ranma’s masculine form’s voice actors don’t quite fit the character, but for opposite reasons. Sarah Strange’s voice is so normal sounding that it dampens the more extreme parts of his character, Ranma at his most arrogant and egotistical. Like I said, I’ll cover Richard Ian Cox when he takes over the role, but I’ll say in brief here that his version of Ranma is the polar opposite, too over-the-top and aggressive.

In contrast, his original Japanese voice actor, Kappei Yamaguchi, feels a lot better to me, at least so far. Again, this is basically my first time seeing the series subbed, so I’ve only heard him for one episode as opposed to the 3 seasons I had with Sarah Strange. Still, Kappei’s take on Ranma is just as normal sounding as Sarah’s, but I felt like I could already hear a little more of the more emotional side of the character I felt Sarah never quite managed to capture properly.

As for Ranma’s cursed form, I was kind of confused, because the voice I was hearing in the episode wasn’t the one I remembered. For a while, I thought she must have just grown into the role over time, but it turns out that is not the case. For the first six episodes of the show, he was played by Brigitta Dau, who was then replaced with Venus Terzo. Now, I did not know this until literally right now, as I am typing this, so I feel like I don’t actually have much to say about Brigitta. Her performance felt a little off to me, but not bad. Venus, though, really owns the role once she takes over. Her performance as red-headed Ranma has always felt perfect for me, selling the idea that this is a teenage guy in a feminine body, and she’s really good at selling Ranma at his most dickish.

In Japanese, this form of Ranma is played by Megumi Hayashibara. Now, I would never ever say she did a bad job, but from what I saw of her in this episode, I don’t know how much I actually like her as Ranma. Maybe it’s just the pitch of her voice, but she doesn’t sound quite to me like a guy in a feminine body, but just like a very emotional teenage girl. Of course, I do not speak Japanese and it’s a lot harder to really judge acting in a language you don’t understand, so I could be spouting utter nonsense, but that’s my thoughts on her as of this episode.

In terms of Ranma’s character, they don’t really give much away with this first episode. We know he’s a good fighter, has a difficult relationship with his father, doesn’t like his curse and wants to get rid of it, and has enough stubbornness to butt heads with Akane and stand his ground. I also felt like they did a good job telegraphing Ranma’s general fighting style during his sparring match with Akane. He spent the entire time dodging her attacks with incredible ease, which emphasizes his speed. Generally speaking, I’d describe Ranma as a very agile, thinking-on-his feet kind of fighter, but that’s something we’ll see more of in later episodes. I was going to do a big thing about his personality, but I feel like anything more than what I’ve said hasn’t really borne out in what we have, so I’ll wait for another time to do that.

Like I said in my Introduction post, I will be ranking each episode as they appear, and as this is the only one I’ve seen in the rewatch, it is both the best one and the worst one so far. The real question is how it will stand up next time, when I’ll be able to compare it to the second episode, “School is No Place for Horsing Around”. See you then!

[harrietjulia]

Talking Turkeys | First Impressions | Book Cover Design 

Okay, so bear with me a little, it’s been over 10 years since I analysed a piece of literature in High School. But I think to truly get a good gage of what direction to take this cover, I need to firstly understand the message and themes of the book and what Zephaniah wanted to portray to the reader.

First port of call, find out as much as I can about this book and about its author. I was initially drawn to this choice as I had recently listened to the author Benjamin Zephaniah, when he made a guest appearance on Adam Buxton’s podcast, and his history is quite fascinating. Poet, novelist and playwright, Zephaniah looks to engage his audience and let them know that poetry can be fun and playful. I find out this is called, ‘dub poetry’ as they are meant to be performed over reggae music. His playful tone is juxtaposed by his serious subject matters, looking to educate children about the realities of the world, from racism, animal cruelty, consumerism and social issues.

First published in 1995, Talking Turkeys is a poetry book aimed primarily at children of the age 8-12. The name itself suggests personification of animals, as it is physically ‘talking’. It also alludes to ‘talking frankly’ as he opens up about serious matters of importance, but uses funny and comical situations, animals, images and words to juxtapose this. The title also uses alliteration with its two ‘T’s.

The title of the book is the name of one of the poems within, so I guess we start there...on page 90! Language plays a large part in Zephaniah’s poems and particularly within Talking Turkeys. He doesn’t use ‘proper’ english and instead leans heavily on slang. 

“...Be nice to yu turkey dis christmas,  Invite dem indoors fe sum greens,  let dem eat cake an let dem partake In a plate of organic grown beans...”

In this line alone we can see his views on veganism and animal cruelty. He again tries to humanise the animal by asking the reader to invite them to join them at the table as a guest instead of as part of the meal. He also makes a nod to Marie Antoinette’s famous line of “let them eat cake” 

The poem feels like it should be read aloud, it has a beat and rhythm to it. I believe this is his intention and you can watch/listen to him read it/rap to it on stage using this ‘dub poetry’ style. A style he uses to show poetry doesn’t need to boring or follow any particular rules.

In another poem within the book titled, “Royal Tea” Zephaniah pokes fun at the absurdity of a visit to Buckingham Palace to see the Royal family, their traditions and exuberant lifestyle. I think the fact he famously rejected an OBE speaks volumes on his views of being anti-empire.

“...He showed me a picture three hundred years old Kept in a frame of valuable gold I told him I had one just like it indoors And that I may sell it to help a good cause...”

I can only see 2 cover versions for Talking Turkeys. The first on its initial publish date on 1995 which features Zephaniah himself hugging a turkey ‘friend’ and to me, this has a very 90s kids tv show feel...if you know what I mean (I get those Angelina Anaconda vibes with the collage look). I think he is also surrounded by dancing peas? At least some form of a personified vegetable. Overall I find this cover quite mucky looking, its difficult for me to clearly see the image at first glance.

The new Penguin, or rather Puffin release from 2015 which is a more illustrative design featuring a hip, cool turkey dressed in street wear (probably alluding to the street politics that Zephaniah is influenced by and also the audience he wishes to attract as well as the slang language within) and surrounded by wording from the Talking Turkeys poem. The author’s name is much more prominent on the 2015 cover and the font use looks like a free hand lettering. But again, the collage element takes a nod from the original design with the pasted in clothing and accessories on the turkey.

Overall from the book, I can gather some initial ideas about themes for a potential new cover design. I like to think the first thought and most obvious choice is the image of a turkey on the cover. But as our brief denotes a heavy typographical use, I would now like to look at this in a children’s book context, as most children’s books heavily lean towards imagery use. But I feel Zephaniah’s work is really about the messages within, not on the correct use of language or words. That idea of breaking rules, questioning tradition, going against the flow, thinking for yourself and not following the crowd. How can I translate this into a typographical outcome? 

[littlepanduh-writes-365]

Day 48

Title: “Little Things”

Description: I was reading about this tweet about how Yeojin would talk to Vivi even though Vivi didn’t know much Korean, but that exposure helped her. I was kinda in a similar situation when I was learning Chinese so it really hit homes to me. I hope you enjoy it. 

Features: Yeovi (Loona)

Word Count: 1,116

Tags: Fluff

Kaahei stares at her newly bleached hair. She’s experimented with brunette and auburn hues, but nothing as extreme as blonde. To think that she has to go in for another treatment. 

Pink hair? Is this what it takes to be a K-Pop idol?

She examines her hair a little longer. It was something she wasn’t used to, but maybe she’ll like it. 

Kaahei pulls out a softbound notebook. Even though she’s tired from vocal lessons, dance lessons, and going to the salon, she had to study on her Korean. Tonight’s chapter features food and superlative sentences.

The soon to be idol tries her best to focus on the workbook in front of her. She does the practice in her own notebook. 

It’s a little hard to concentrate. She can hear Hyunjin and Heejin fooling around in the connected practice room. Part of her thinks she should listen to some music to cancel the sound, but that might confuse her more. She still needs to focus on grammar and pronunciation. 

Kaahei closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She tries to convince herself that sounds beyond the walls were white noise. As she focuses on her breathing, she naturally starts meditating. It’s probably something she needs after a busy day. 

A knock on the door stops her relaxation. “Kaahei-unnie, is that you?”

Kaahei recognizes the voice. It belongs to the newly introduced member, Yeojin. 

“Come in,” Kaahei weakly says. She tries to organize herself so it doesn’t look like she was dozing off. 

Yeojin apprehensively opens the door. She’s still wearing her school uniform. Maybe she just came back from school and she’s going to practice. 

“Hi, Yeojin,” Kaahei shyly waves at the younger girl. 

“Hello, Kaahei-unnie!” Yeojin waves back at her. “Heejin-unnie told me you were in here so I came to check on you.”

The elder smiles. She leans her arm on the table and rests her chin on her hand. “How are you going today, Yeojin? Did you just come back from school?” To be honest, she doesn’t have the brainpower to carry on a conversation, but considering Yeojin is going to be her future group member and this is small talk, she sees no problem in it.

However, it was Yeojin we were talking about. 

“Oh! School was okay. We got our test results back for a recent math test and I didn’t do too well, but what’s new? I am a little bummed because I studied a lot, but I’m just not good at math. Don’t tell Haseul-unnie or Jinsol-unnie. They’re always telling me to study and I swear I’ve been studying! It’s just that it’s really hard to focus in class so I don’t even know what I am studying!”

Kaahei nods. She can tell Yeojin is using very basic vocabulary, but she’s speaking so fast that it’s a bit hard to follow. All she fully grasps is the fact that Yeojin was studying, considering how many times she used that word. She’s trying to figure out a response. Yeojin was whining so maybe she can offer some consolation. She did mention math and she knows Yeojin was struggling in that subject.

The words couldn’t come out of her mouth. Instead, Yeojin keeps talking. 

“You know Hyunjin-unnie packed me some lunch today? Don’t tell the other members, but her cooking is the best. She packed me some gimbap and kimchi fried rice. I don’t remember there being kimchi in the dorm, so maybe she made some from home?” She makes herself comfortable and sits at a nearby chair. “I don’t know. It was really good though. She also packed me some pumpkin soup, which was kinda random, but it tasted good. Ah~ Matjeom!”

Kaahei scrunches her face. She knew Yeojin was talking about food, recognizing things like gimbap and kimchi friend rice. Thank goodness the recent chapter was about food. What kind of porridge did she have? Ugly porridge? Night porridge? She couldn’t really quite catch on since Yeojin was speaking at 100 syllables a minute. 

“Ha-bakjuk?” Kaahei tries to repeat the word. 

Yeojin shakes her head. “Ho-bakjuk,” she says slowly this time. 

“Hobak?” Kaahei is a little flustered. “Isn’t that bad?”

“Uhh,” Yeojin pulls out her phone and searches up a pumpkin. When she finds one, she shows it to her older member. “Like they have it in Halloween. It’s an orange squash.” 

“Oh.” Kaahei nods her head. “Pumpkin,” she says in English.

“Yeah! Pumpkihhh!”

Kaahei chuckles at the attempt. She writes down the word in the corner of her notebook. She then shows it to Yeojin. “Hobakjuk.” She then shows the word to Yeojin, who nods in approval after checking on it. 

“And what’s matjeom?”

“Oh! It’s just short for masinneun jeomsim! (Delicious lunch!) Remember when we had BBQ with Heejin-unnie and Haseul-unnie and Heejin-unnie said that! Matjeom is just a shortened version of that!”

Kaahei instantly recognized that phrase and nods vigorously. She just learned it in her textbook. “Matjeom.” She repeats again.

“Yeah. Sorry, unnie. I sometimes forget that I use slang.”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry I ask a lot of questions.” She smiles apologetically.

Yeojin shyly smiles. She looks at the group and swings her feet. “To be honest, you’re the only one that listens to me, so I like talking to you.” She then looks back up at Kaahei. “I know you ask Haseul-unnie a lot of questions, but you can ask me, too! I don’t have the best grades, but I can speak Korean! I’ve been speaking it for the past 14 years!” 

Kaahei softens up at Yeojin’s words. She wishes she could give more input to their conversations, but she knows she has her limits. Hopefully in the future, they can talk more. 

“Thank you, Yeojinnie.”

The younger girl lights up at the affection. Kaahei wishes she could suck up the youthfulness in that smile. 

“Hey, unnie. I’m going to practice after those two knuckleheads leave. Do you want to join me?”

“Knuckleheads?” Kaahei has an idea what that means, but she’s never heard anyone really use it. 

“Yeah! Heejin-unnie and Hyunjin-unnie! They’re knuckleheads!” She they chuckles mischeviously. “Red Velvet-sunbaenim came out with a new song and I want to learn it!” 

Kaahei is a little tired, especially since she already had dance practice today to prepare for their unit debut. Somehow, she thinks this is some sort of payment for always talking to her in Korean. A little extra training couldn’t hurt. 

“I’d like that.” Kaahei smiles sweetly at Yeojin. 

The younger girl stands up. “Well, I’m going to let you be. I’ll knock on your door when the knuckleheads leave. Good luck with your studying!” She then bids Kaahei goodbye.

-

*A/N: Hobakjuk is pumpkin porridge. Bak can translate to “bad”. Hobak can translate to “ugly”.

[vavarekings]

2020 Beginner’s Guide to VAV:

Hyung Line: St. Van, Baron, Ace (top picture, left to right) Maknae Line: Ayno, Jacob, Lou, Ziu (bottom picture, left to right)

VAV

VAV stands for Very Awesome V-Rangers because they are Very Awesome Voices, Very Awesome Visuals, Very Awesome Vegetables

fun fact: Jacob came up with the VAV hand gesture because he’s a Very Awesome Virgo

shows: VCAM (vlogs of their daily lives, updated weekly) | VAV’s Apartment (1) (2) (3) | PromiSINGER (1) (2) 

SNS: FanCafe | YouTube | Instagram | Twitter (staff) Twitter (members) | Facebook | Tumblr | V Live

fan chants: Venus | ABC | She’s Mine | Spotlight | Señorita | Thrilla Killa | Give Me More | Poison

VAV also have their own free app for android and ios where they do weekly live chats with live eng subs! you can also buy merch there

all of VAV are Big Boys, most members are over 6ft. Lou is the tallest at approximately 6′3″ and Ace is the shortest at approximately 5′10″

Title Tracks

2015: Under the Moonlight

2016: Brotherhood | No Doubt | Here I Am

2017: Venus | Flower | ABC | She’s Mine

2018: Spotlight | Gorgeous | Señorita | So In Love

2019: Thrilla Killa | I’m Sorry | Give Me More | Poison

Members

(Everything mentioned is 100% true but I didn’t link my sources because most aren’t in English.)

St. Van: leader, vocal

real name: 이금혁, 金赫, Lee Geumhyuk. “Geumhyuk” was given by his father and it means “shines like gold”

born December 22, 1991. currently 28 years old (international age)

originally from Daegu, South Korea but spent about half of his life in China

immediate family: father, mother, younger brother

fluent in Korean & Mandarin

predebut life: he originally planned on being a chef and studied culinary for a year. his parents influenced him to pursue music as a career. he trained for 4-5 years and debuted with VAV in 2015

future dreams/goals: first win on a music program. wants people to feel happy and refreshed when they think of VAV’s music

composed and wrote almost all of the Korean lyrics in VAV’s I’m Sorry

ideal type: someone small who can fit in his arms. someone he can comfortably talk with. prefers long hair instead of short hair. prefers someone sweet instead of someone charismatic. prefers skirts instead of dresses

Baron: dancer, vocal, visual

real name: 최충협, Choi Chunghyeop

born April 19, 1992. currently 27 years old (international age).

originally from Osan, South Korea

immediate family: father, late mother, older sister

family life: he was very close with his mother, her nickname for him was “Little Prince.” as a child, his mother often had to buy him new pants because he would rip the knee areas from playing so much [lol little Roni was so cute]. his father’s birthday is on Christmas and his family used to celebrate both occasions by going to church on Christmas day and giving him a cake. as a child, he used to wish for large packs of colored pencils for Christmas

fluent in Korean. likes learning languages and speaks beginner-intermediate level English & Japanese, he’s self-taught

predebut life: he chose to become an idol because his mother inspired him by always playing music for him as a child. Yoo Seungjun was one of his biggest inspirations. he studied singing and dancing for two years then in January of 2012, Baron was a barista who wanted to become a trainee so he submitted an online application then went on an audition program in May of 2012, he passed because of his dancing skills. he later joined One Million Dance Studio and originally trained to be a choreographer. in 2014, he became a temporary backup dancer for girl group Minx. he debuted with VAV in 2015

future dreams/goals: domestic success by getting a first win on a music program in South Korea. international success by ranking on the Billboard music chart

Baron’s audition tape, solo projects, and favorite music are listed here

in December of 2018 he revealed his entire skincare routine, it’s listed here

he’s a really sweet, generous person. a small compilation of some of his best moments can be found here

he’s also very playful and likes to push people’s buttons. a few examples of his sense of humor can be found here

some basic facts about him can be found here

a profile card he filled out can be found here

baron is ambidextrous, he favors his left hand for cooking/chopping/cleaning/writing but can use his right hand for everything as well. he plays right-handed guitar

ideal type: someone with big, pretty eyes. “because I am human too, I will also look at their body” [asldkfjslkjf bARON OMG] someone honest. someone punctual with strong self-discipline. prefers dresses instead of skirts. he once picked Selena Gomez as his ideal type amongst celebrities

Ace: prince, vocal

real name: 장우영, Jang Wooyoung. it means “give and help. live a prosperous life”

born August 28, 1992. currently 27 years old (international age)

originally from Anyang, South Korea. went to high school in Seoul

immediate family: father, mother, older sister

family life: it was once revealed that Ace talks to his parents everyday

fluent in Korean. beginner-level English

predebut life: as a student, his hobby was dancing so he decided to become an idol. he trained for 5-6 years and debuted with VAV in 2015

future dreams/goals: first win on a music program. in 2018, he said he’d like to be married within 10 years time

he started learning to play guitar for Señorita and has kept going with it ever since

he gave himself the nickname “Prince” and said the national flower of Prince Ace-land is a red rose

he wrote/composed VAV’s Sweet Heart by himself and published it after working on it for over 8 months. he made it to express how he feels about vampz. baron said he paid close attention to ace as he worked on this song and was very impressed with Ace’s hard work, he’s proud to be a member in the same group as Ace.

ideal type: someone cute with a bright personality, likes tall girls. someone he can exercise with. prefers someone younger instead of someone older. pays more attention to someone’s body instead of their face. prefers dresses over skirts. he once picked love over friendship. he once joked that, because he often goes to the hospital, it’d be good to marry a doctor so he saves on medical expenses [lol what a virgo].

Ayno: rapper, vocal, dancer, visual

real name: 노윤호, Noh Yoonho

born May 1, 1996. currently 23 years old (international age)

originally from Ansan, South Korea

immediate family: father, mother, older brother, younger sister

family life: when he was a child, his future goal was to be a good husband because he viewed his father as a good role model. as a child, he used to wish for a dog for Christmas

fluent in Korean

predebut life: Ayno was a child actor (he’s been in multiple commercials and had a minor role in Boys Over Flowers) who decided to pursue music. was a trainee for about a decade. participated in No.Mercy but was eliminated in the 9th episode. he debuted with VAV in 2017

future dreams/goals: first win on a music program. in 2018, he said that he would like to be a father with a family of his own in 10 years time

apart from his instagram, he also has his own SoundCloud

his solo projects and favorite music are listed here

Ayno composed/wrote most of the lyrics in Touch You, here’s a full English translation of the lyrics

Ayno partially composed Runway and wrote the lyrics for it. he wrote some of the lyrics in VAV’s ABC, Flower, Give It To Me, Señorita, I’m Sorry, Touch You, Give Me More, Un Poco Más (Remix), 119

Ayno’s very witty and playful. VAV once said that Ayno’s pranks are 19+. a small compilation of his sense of humor can be found here

ideal type: someone hard to get. prefers skirts over dresses. prefers someone older instead of someone younger. once picked work over love

Jacob: vocal, rapper

real name: 张朋, Zhang Peng. he favors this spelling of his name, he even has a bracelet with “Zhang Peng” engraved on it!

born September 7, 1996. currently 23 years old (international age)

originally from Hubei, China

immediate family: father, mother

family life: when asked what he would like to pass onto his children he said “my love. so much love. I will love you most.” [he’s so sweet >.<]

fluent in Mandarin. advanced-level Korean. basic English

predebut life: his trainee period lasted about a year, he said it went smoothly and encountered no major problems. he debuted with VAV in 2015

future dreams/goals: wants to meet more fans and wishes for VAV to last a long time and do well on music charts

apart from his instagram, he has his own tiktok and weibo

solo projects: Jacob debuted as a solo artist with his song Love Night and was featured in Xiao’s Trouble. in 2017 he starred in the movie “The Dreamer on the Catwalk”

Jacob has a cold, stoic appearance at first glance but once he starts talking he’s very cute and is often seen giggling and clapping for his members. He also has a very blunt and witty sense of humor, shown here

Jacob has said that, because he’s a Virgo, he’s very detail-oriented and helps the other members during their practices. Ziu said that whenever they do something wrong Jacob corrects them by speaking perfect, fluent Korean yet when they correct Jacob he suddenly doesn’t understand Korean. [i love him hahahah]

ideal type: someone cute with a pretty heart. prefers skirts over dresses

Lou: rapper, vocal

real name: 김호성, Kim Hosung. it means “shining star”

born December 21, 1996. currently 23 years old (international age)

originally from Seoul, South Korea. spent some time in Atlanta, Georgia, USA as a child and four years in the Philippines as a teenager.

immediate family: father, mother

family life: he’s very close with his mother and often goes out to eat with her

fluent in Korean. advanced-level English

predebut life: he originally planned to go to university but was scouted by an entertainment company and trained for 3-4 years. he debuted with VAV in 2017

future dreams/goals: first win on a music program. he’s interested in acting and has already been in a web-drama. wants VAV to be remembered as a group that always puts out good music

solo projects: was in the web-drama Lemon Car Video and released the single Good Night

he wrote a few of the lyrics in ABC, Gorgeous, Give It To Me, Señorita, Thrilla Killa, I’m Sorry, Touch You, Give Me More, Un Poco Más (Remix)

ideal type: someone with a caring, mother-like personality. someone who can cook well. someone pretty. prefers skirts instead of dresses

Ziu: vocal, human maknae

real name: 박희준, Park Heejun. it means “happy and shining”

born June 16, 1997. currently 22 years old (international age)

originally from Seoul, South Korea.

immediate family: father, mother, older twin sisters

family life: he’s close with his mother. once when he was asked to pick someone as the most handsome member of the group he picked himself because “my mom says I’m the most handsome” [lol what a cutie]. has said his father works with the USA army [I’m assuming he means that his father works with an American military base in Korea] and that’s why he understands some English.

fluent in Korean, beginner-level English

predebut life: he was inspired to become a singer when he was in middle school and watched a performance by Rain with his mother. he trained for 5 years and debuted with VAV in 2017

future dreams/goals: first win on a music program. visit Area 51. try out other music genres such as ballad pop

solo projects: was featured in Ayno’s Don’t Sleep

ideal type: someone with prominent facial features (eyes, nose, jaw) like him. prefers skirts instead of dresses. prefers sexiness instead of innocence [...ziu O.O ]

*bonus profile under the cut

Cash: puppy maknae, beloved little sister

real name: 캐시, Cash

born December 22, 2018. currently 9 years old (dog years)

originally from China

breed: Shar Pei

immediate family: 7 older brothers (St. Van, Baron, Ace, Ayno, Jacob, Lou, Ziu)

family life: Cash is very loved amongst VAV, she has been spotted watching their music show performances and observing them practice. St. Van likes to gently pet Cash to help her sleep well

fluent in Korean, Mandarin, & English (Cash runs a Twitter and Instagram where she interacts with vampz in multiple languages [uwu she’s the world’s cutest and sweetest puppy uwu])

life before VAV: cute puppy living in China

future dreams/goals: live happily with VAV, see VAV’s first win

Cash doesn’t like broccoli

Cash is sometimes bullied by Spirit but Cash is kindhearted and still loves Spirit