#and the fact that anyone could like these songs including people who do not listen to metal at all IS GOOD ACTUALLY

[thisvisionofmyspirit]

Load and ReLoad fuck hard. of all the hills i've been standing on my whole life i really don't mind dying on that one

[bones4thecats]

Hi! I was wondering if you can do Poseidon X Goddess of music!Reader and the reader rarely come out of her house and if she does for example: when she goes to any meeting she always has this mask on:

and she always sits next to Poseidon for some reason she feels safe with him...?

Thanks if you do this request!

<3

God of Music! S/O Feeling Protected

Type of Writing: Request Character: Poseidon Name: God of Music! S/O Feeling Protected Requester: @imperfectbloodmoon

A/N: These may not be the best thing I've ever written, but I'm trying my best to keep up with stuff from my classes and with these requests. But, I do hope you guys enjoy this!

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🔱 Alright, let's get one thing clear; Poseidon is a fairly oblivious man when it comes to emotions, which should be obvious

🔱 Poseidon was fairly wary when you first started to get close to him. He just isn't used to anyone trying to bond with him in any way, because many see him as a dangerous being

🔱 Which he technically is

🔱 Now, if you were a mortal or nymph, this guy would just push you aside and claim you to be a worthless being, not worthy of his time and patience

🔱 But, once he asked you who you were and you introduced yourself as the Deity of Music within the Greek Pantheon, working alongside that of Hermes and Apollo, he began to see you with more worth

🔱 Poseidon enjoys listening to your songs that you either sing or play on an instrument. He personally enjoys more slow and calming songs while he looks over his underwater kingdom

🔱 And he does enjoy your more reclusive nature, since he's not a very large people-person himself

🔱 He understands a lot more about you than anyone could realize, even yourself for that matter

🔱 But one thing he never fully understood was your need to wear that beautifully decorated mask that covered your entire face whenever you were to leave your shared home

🔱 Poseidon has claimed his love for both your personality and your looks often, though he's fairly monotone sounding, you can hear the amount of pulsing emotion underneath

🔱 Whenever he gets notice that one of his brothers is coming over, he tries to get you to keep the mask off; these are your family members, after all. They know how you look because they attended your wedding all those centuries ago

🔱 If you were to give him a good reason (such as; you didn't want Zeus to try protruding into your backside) then he would understand a bit better. But if you claimed you believed you didn't look good enough, he'd be beyond shocked

🔱 Like I mentioned earlier, Poseidon has claimed his love for both your personality and physical appearance. So the fact that you would still be insecure would make him feel the need to prove you were beyond good enough for a God like him

🔱 Okay, beyond the topic of the role and mask. He, like I also mentioned, doesn't understand emotions fully

🔱 Because of this, Poseidon is quite confused whenever you wanted to sit by him (before your relationship) at meetings, since normally everyone, deities included, were scared of him

🔱 Yet, every time you sat beside him, he never tried pushing you away, much to both of yours and everyone else's surprise

🔱 Despite his inability to understand why you personally wanted to be beside him, he does have quite a few hunches that many believe is true

🔱 One is that you wanted to be by someone who you knew wouldn't be to loud, the second is that you wanted to be closer to him, as he is in your pantheon, and his third one is that you wanted to be with somebody because you wanted to feel safer and protected from other Gods who may have bad intentions

🔱 Poseidon always mainly leans to the third one

🔱 After you guys started your relationship and got married, he started to have you sit right next to him. And by that, I mean by he'd have you sit either on his lap or right beside him

🔱 If I haven't mentioned it, he's possessive of what he deems to be his. Yes, he does allow you to be your own person, but he doesn't want anyone to get any ideas; specifically Zeus

🔱 He cannot keep his hands to himself, and that is coming from his own older brother!

[atiny-for-life]

Ateez and KQ Entertainment - A Summary

When it comes to K-Pop companies, anyone who's been a fan of any group for a while will know the majority of them are awful, greedy, and will sacrifice the health and safety of their artists for profit in a heartbeat. It's an awful industry built on the backs of underpaid, overworked young people who've been shamed and exploited since they were trainees and oftentimes bullied into plastic surgery, eating disorders, and mentally damaging competition with their peers. Many idols end up with chronic health issues, especially heart problems, long before they'll ever reach the average retirement age.

So what about KQ? Are they any different? Should we view them as one of them? Or are they an outlier like KOZ Entertainment which was founded by Zico, an active idol and former Block B member who has since signed his own group, BoyNextDoor?

Side note, and for the sake of completeness: After Block B, which means all members including their parents, were exploited by their former agency Stardom Entertainment, it was KQ who created an agency (Seven Seasons) solely for Block B so they could continue activities - a job they were definitely not prepared for so there was mismanaging going on and Block B fans don't look upon that time fondly. Since then most, if not all, members eventually stopped renewing their contracts.

However, these days, we've got Ateez, Xikers, Maddox, Eden and everyone else under the company refer to KQ as a family. Why is that? Let's gather what we know.

The Beginning: Accepting Hongjoong as a trainee

Most Atinys will already know the story of how Hongjoong joined KQ as their first ever trainee back in 2015. He's shared this story many times over the years (recent examples: Zach Sang Show interview, K-Star Next Door, I.M on the Beat interview, T-TIME : Grrrgak!) but for those who've never heard it, here's a summary of how it went down:

Hongjoong wanted to make music so he put a bunch of self-composed songs on a mixtape and sent it to several companies, including the big three. His reason for targeting KQ specifically was his love of Block B's music, which made him disregard the fact that KQ wasn't looking to sign anyone else. In fact, they were only a management agency at the time so they weren't even in a position to accept trainees.

Regardless, he sent the tape together with a letter, telling them they should reach out and contact him if they'd like to work with him. Whoever received that letter at KQ tossed it aside, unopened, and a year went by. The company then moved buildings and, while packing up, someone came across the tape and letter.

Intrigued, they listened to it (untrained rap and all) and heard the potential, which led the CEO to make a judgment call and give Hongjoong a chance. KQ called him to ask if he still wanted to do music. Of course, Hongjoong said yes and took the risk of signing with them.

Ateez's lives as trainees under KQ

While it was Hongjoong's music school principal who initially gave him the idea of not just being a songwriter but also an idol, it was KQ who further encouraged him.

However, as their first ever trainee, Hongjoong had a difficult time. First, with Eden initially trying to push him to quit music because KQ had put him in charge of training Hongjoong as a producer and Eden had zero interest and training to be a teacher. (Of course, those feelings didn't last too long and Hongjoong wormed his way into Eden's heart fairly quickly.)

But even without that, he struggled with being lonely because most other trainees who walked into the practice room, never stayed. Additionally, KQ was quite poor at the time, so Hongjoong only ate fried rice most of the time which he quickly grew tired of. Many of you may remember this story from Hongjoong's mother's letter shared in this video last year:

In late June 2024, during a live, Hongjoong also shared he was diagnosed with two separate conditions during his trainee days, orthostatic hypotension (drop in blood pressure when standing up or sitting down which leads to fainting) and vasovagal syncope (fainting caused by triggers such as emotional distress, the sight of blood, etc.) which he's learned to manage since. However, this was something he forced himself to learn to deal alone since he didn't want to worry the company or others.

During these early days, KQ was broke and Ateez had a food budget (which they sometimes maxed out, leading Hongjoong to pretend he was dieting and push the others to use his budget for themselves) and weren't allowed to use their phones in the dorms, likely to discourage them from getting distracted and sleeping too little but, aside from Hongjoong, no one seems to have followed that rule. See, the famous clip of Hongjoong talking about being salty when he discovered Seonghwa's two hidden phones:

However, KQ famously never enforced any sort of dating ban unlike most other companies which later gave us one of the funniest headlines of all time:

And they were also some of the first idols who proudly showed off their tattoos while many others were still banned from even getting them.

Ultimately, they already went viral predebut thanks to their outstanding dancing and Jongho's ability to split apples with his bare hands while singing.

Something I can't source but remember: Yunho, I believe, once shared the practice room used to be tiny and in terrible condition before they moved to a bigger building right before San joined the company.

Investing in and defending Ateez

During their trainee days, KQ flew Ateez (plus their then maknae, who wasn't ready to debut in 2018 and presumably moved on to another company) out to LA where they received rigorous dance training so they could become the performance group we all know and love today. They documented the whole thing here:

Something worth noting about this time is: they've been consistently providing English subtitles for all their content which was definitely a huge contributor in how much more popular they've always been overseas compared to domestically.

In an attempt to get Ateez more exposure, KQ took the financial risk of paying for Ateez's participation in Kingdom: Legendary War all the way back in 2021 which was, honestly, a hellish time for the fandom - even KQ acknowledged that in a lawsuit they filed against some false rumors being spread about Ateez around the time, stating:

However, we have decided that the current situation, in which false information is misunderstood as true, can damage not only our artists’ reputation which has been achieved through hard work but also our fans' mental health, who are our artists' biggest supporters.

Participation in the program was deeply exhausting for Ateez (who were without Mingi at the time - more on that in a bit), but did prove worthwhile when it garnered them a significant amount of new fans thanks to their positive attitude regarding the competition which had the vibe of "We're just here to make friends and put on a great show."

Regarding this part of their history, it should be noted that, in the wake of Kingdom: Legendary War, additionally information came out, exposing severe mistreatment of Ateez at the hands of Mnet:

After constant disrespect, a Korean Atiny [...] made a lengthy post of all the times Mnet had treated the K-pop group poorly. The final straw might have been Ateez not getting a single nomination for any award on Mnet's award show, MAMA 2021, despite the channel calling them ‘performance kings’. On top of it, fans found it humiliating that Ateez, the only group that was not nominated, performed at the award show too. [...] Korean Atinys claimed that Mnet’s staff would scream at Ateez while filming their reality shows. They were not told about the venues where they would be performing like the outdoor festival event and their makeup room was the smallest during the ‘Kingdom’ shoot. While other participating groups were given sofas, Ateez members were given stiff office chairs.

However, this is not something to blame KQ for - Mnet is famously hated by all idols and is even known to mistreat Hype artists, who are far more influential. They abuse the power they hold over all artists since everyone depends on them for promotions. One company alone, especially one on the small side, doesn't have the power to take them on. It'd take collective action on all companies' parts.

In the year that followed, 2022, KQ sued an infamous gossip YouTuber, who'd been spreading lies and rumors about idols for years, reaching all the way back to first gen idols. Even other fandoms cheered on KQ at the time for finally doing something against her.

Excerpt from the article:

The YouTuber has been criticized in the past for starting false rumors about idols. NMIXX‘s Sullyoon, BTS‘s Jungkook and RM, actress Han So Hee, And NCT‘s Jisung are just a few of the celebrities the YouTuber has targeted. According to reports, the person behind the Sojang YouTube account has been actively writing about rumors since K-Pop’s first generation. Before YouTube, the netizen had been active on online communities, Facebook, and Twitter. According to reports, it is believed that Sojang is a woman in her mid-to-late forties. This isn’t the first time the YouTuber has been sued. EXO member Xiumin has previously sued her, and BTS’s V had threatened to sue the YouTuber last December.

Again in 2022, they also took strong legal action when a tracking device was placed on one of Ateez's cars, stating "The defendant asked for leniency, but the company has not agreed to any leniency or settlement to prevent further damage and set a precedent for those who think of downplaying privacy violation offenses."

KQ has also proven themselves willing to back their artists' personal dreams financially, like when they paid for Hongjoong's non-profit photo exhibition which gathered money for charity and supported his wish to have a busking event, and got Seonghwa to meet his favorite ASMR YouTuber.

Recently (June 2024), Hongjoong also shared they're now getting paid extra incentives, as of last year (2023), as a thank you for all they've done for the company and the sum doesn't seem to be all that small.

Of course, there are also the most tangible and noticeable investments: creative marketing both locally and overseas, high quality music videos, regular vocal and performance training, booking music show and interview appearances and, notably, appearances on platforms outside the usual K-Pop sphere, i.e. React in 2019.

Ateez and the rest of KQ - family relationships?

We all know that famous clip of DJ Yunho calling KQ the best best company while Wooyoung's trying not to choke on his laughter:

And we also know Ateez and their respective families all get along - all their parents seem to have become friends and adopted the rest of the Ateez members as their own kids. Especially Wooyoung seems to call everyone's parents "mom" and "dad" and San's dad is deeply invested in everyone's health and well being. Hongjoong has even involved his brother before to help him choreograph for his MAMA performance.

Outside their immediate family, they all also have a group chat as Ateez with their CEO where he refers to them as his kids and he also watches their lives sometimes, attends concerts, etc.. Someone made a compilation here back in 2022 but they still imitate and quote him to this day:

And it's not just their CEO, they all seem to really love their managers and vice versa with this guy going viral for his adoration of Yeosang on multiple occasions and this clip between Wooyoung and his manager going viral more than once. You can find many compilations of the dynamics between Ateez and their staff but here's an example.

And here's an example of how Xikers and their staff treat each other (spoiler: it's adorable chaos).

We've also seen the hair and make up staff goof around with them and we also know how close they are with B.B.Trippin, the dance crew who create the majority of their choreos, who've been fostering an unbroken relationship with KQ since the early days due to their ties with Block B.

Today, they continue to tour with Ateez despite how sought after they are by other companies with JM, their leader, even stating in response to the question "What are your favorite groups to choreograph for?":

"Of course it’s ATEEZ! Right now I’m not making the choreography myself, I’m only working as the general director. But I’ve been with ATEEZ since the members were first together and we talk a lot, so we fit well and I like working with them."

And, of course, we know how close they all, but especially Hongjoong, are with Edenary and Maddox from not just Ateez's content, but also Maddox's:

How KQ handles health issues

In the beginning, Ateez were severely discriminated against in the industry, as is true for all groups of small companies. As a result, they pushed themselves extra hard during what limited performance time they had in order to leave an impression and slowly grow their Korean fanbase. To quote Mingi: "When we just debuted, we were known for the madness."

During their first tour in 2019, Yeosang broke his finger during a performance and set it again by himself without ever leaving the stage or even slowing down.

Seonghwa, in an equally bonkers move during the same tour, cracked his ribs while coughing and still chose to perform. At the end of Hala Hala, when they all pretend to snap their necks and collapse, his rib kept him from being able to get back up, leaving Yunho and Yeosang to basically carry him off stage.

After those incidents, KQ became far more vigilant and ensured Ateez watches their health and safety more closely, with Seonghwa sitting out a performance in 2020 due to an injury. Their statement stating:

During a recent modern dance lesson, Seonghwa experienced pain near his hip joint. He went for an examination at a medical clinic specializing in that area, and he has been diagnosed with a mild sprain. While it is a minor injury, he has been advised by the medical team to avoid intense movement for about two weeks, in order to avoid the worsening or relapse of the injury. Therefore, Seonghwa will only be taking part in the Meet & Greet segment of ‘KCON:TACT 2020 Summer’ on June 26, and it would be difficult for him to take part in the performance.

In November of 2020, the same year, roughly two years after debut, Mingi developed some severe anxiety which led to him getting tested and diagnosed before he went on a (back then) indefinite hiatus to get rest and regain stability in his life.

During this time, he didn't participate in any public activities but stayed in close contact with all the members and even San's dad who checked in on him regularly since he's San's dad's favorite.

He returned in mid-2021 after about half a year of intermittent schedules to get back in the swing of things and under the clearance of his therapist. His mind was made up that he wanted to keep on doing this and he seemed happy to be back:

Jongho, too, had a more severe injury in August 2023 and needed to get surgery to fix it. Thankfully he, too, recovered fully after a hiatus that lasted a couple of months which was followed by him sitting on a chair side-stage during performances for quite some time until his knee was fully healed.

More recently, we've also heard Seonghwa share that they used to struggle severely while touring, even requiring oxygen masks backstage to keep themselves going, which led the CEO to put together a team of pro athlete trainers to ensure Ateez can physically meet the demands of the industry without sacrificing their health any further.

Most recently, it was Wooyoung who needed to sit out for a bit when he developed cholinergic uriticaria. Thankfully, he's already back in the swing of things as well, though we may not see him participate in outdoor schedules during the summer or in the south.

Most Common Criticisms of KQ

1 - Ateez are overworked!

This is undeniably true for all successful idols. It's a brutal, brutal industry and unless all companies slow down, there is no way to take time off without being forgotten and losing out on future opportunities because a lot of fans are quick to move on whenever a group disappears for a bit. Many don't even stick around for more than one comeback to begin with.

Especially during the end of the year award period, all idols are deeply overworked which is why we saw Ateez get time off around early April. They also take breaks for holidays and Hongjoong has said before that they're adults and know what they're doing when a fan told him they're being overworked (I wish I could find the clip right now).

I also remember Seonghwa saying during an interview that KQ never makes decisions without talking them through with Ateez so they understand each other's reasoning and no decisions get made over their heads (once again, I wish I could find the damn clip but all I remember is Seonghwa had longer black hair and his outfit and the set were kept in black, white and gray tones).

2 - KQ is controlling!

If you've read the whole post, you'll already know Ateez have a lot of freedom compared to other idols, especially now. They get to do lives without supervision, pursue solo projects (including quality music videos for their covers and original songs), Yeosang was an MC for The Show for a long time where he got to show off solo, while Yunho and Hongjoong got to be Idol Radio DJs for a long time where they got to be mentors, show off as dancers and make new friends. On top of that, Yunho, Jongho, San and Seonghwa all four starred in a drama (with Yunho being a co-lead) criticizing the abuse and mistreatment idols face in the industry which Ateez reference to this day.

Hongjoong also gets to work with Xikers now, giving them guidance Ateez surely wished they'd had in their early days, and he even collaborated with Chungha on her first album in her new agency, while Wooyoung got to work on a dance passion project with Watcha which was close to his heart just last year.

On top of all of that, they get to goof around constantly while a lot of bigger names in the industry have much more scripted content. We've also heard Ateez be extremely honest with fans when it comes to their wellbeing, including when they're tired or struggling. They've even told stalker fans off on live with zero consequences from the company on multiple occassions.

Their freedom goes double when it comes to their music where we know all members get to participate in both the song and choreography from recording all the way to live performance.

3 - Wooyoung and Yeosang don't get enough lines!

From an outsider's perspective, this is true. However, we don't know what's going on behind the scenes outside of what they tell us. For example, Hongjoong shared just recently that all members sing the whole song and then lines get distributed based on who suits which parts best.

It's also worth mentioning that the distribution is balancing out more and more over time. A trend which will surely continue now that both Wooyoung and Yeosang have released more covers to flex their vocals and 'Will - The World' included subunits so they could all show off and try out writing lyrics for themselves.

In Conclusion

I think, when it comes to Ateez, a lot of fans who raise concerns about KQ don't look at the bigger picture or lack some of the information needed to make a fair judgment. Though there is of course also absolutely valid criticism.

Please be aware I'm definitely not saying "Be a company stan, they deserve it!". The primary focus should always be on the artists themselves, not the people managing the funds in the background, but what I am saying is: "Trust Ateez."

There are so many idols out there who hate their companies, who are on the brink of collapse from exhaustion (P1harmony, NCT Dream, Enhypen, to name a few) and it's noticeable. They say it, they want fans to create a ruckus and demand better treatment, but Ateez isn't one of them.

All eight are very outspoken people and, from what we've seen and heard, so are their families. If KQ weren't full of decent people, Ateez wouldn't involve their siblings and parents in projects, they wouldn't spend time together outside of schedules.

There have definitely been instances where trending hashtags were justified, such as when there was lacking airport security because KQ had underestimated how many people would show up to welcome them, but there's a lot of unjustified complaining going on as well which can be easily debunked.

I hope this roundup of base information will help some people get a clearer picture of what the company dynamic is like so everyone can come to their own conclusions.

[deadbydangit]

hi! i would like to request a prompt.

how do you think the killers would react to a survivor!reader who screams extremely loud when injured?

I think I can do that. I'm sorry this one is a little shorter. I had a hard time coming up with ideas. Please enjoy.

With a Reader who is very loud when injured: Ghostface, Trickster, Pinhead

Ghostface

Danny actually enjoys watching people get hurt.

To an almost unhealthy level.

Like, seeing people fall down and get mildly hurt?

To him, that's hilarious.

But he takes it several steps further.

He's the guy laughing at horror movies when people are getting stabbed to death.

"Ha! It's funny cause they were stupid."

He'll say some dumb frat boy shit like that.

He really enjoys the sound of people screaming in pain.

The louder the scream, the funnier it is.

He finds a sick sense of humor in it.

You can ask him why, but he'll give you the same answer every time.

"Uh, because it's funny."

He's kind of an asshole.

But you?

"Okay, babe, I know I said I like the sound of people and pain and screaming at all but, like, chill. Okay?"

"Seriously, there's loud. And then there's you."

"I came out to have fun and kill, and now I can't hear shit."

But, he uses your scream as an excuse.

He won't ever go after you.

And if you ask why?

"Your scream is like, torture. I'll take my chances with the Entity."

Well, he isn't exactly lying. So you can't get mad at him.

He calls that a win-win situation.

Trickster

The sound of screams?

Music to his ears.

If you thought Danny had a sick obsession with screams and people's pain, you haven't seen anything yet.

Ji-Woon lives for the sound of people in pain.

So much so that he uses it to create music.

"The last sound a human ever makes? It's a beautiful sound isn't it?"

He gets way too excited about it.

Your screams?

He'd rather listen to nails on a chalkboard.

You'll always catch him covering his ears when you scream.

Unlike danny, he'll still hunt you in a trial if you're in one together.

But, he won't record your screens for his music.

Don't take offense to it though.

He'll make sure to show you and tell you all the other ways you're special to him.

So what if you don't have pretty sounding screams?

You have so many more great qualities to you.

And, if you ever feel humiliated about not sounding pretty enough for him, he'll list all the other reasons why he loves you.

If you feel left out because you aren't in any of his songs, he'll find a way to include you.

Just, you know, not your atrocious screams.

Pinhead

You know what they say.

Pain is pleasure.

That's kind of his whole thing.

Elliot loves the sound of your screams.

He loves the sound of all screams.

As long as they are screams of pain, he's happy.

In fact, he seems to like yours more since they convey more emotion.

The more agony and suffering in the person, the more he enjoys the sound.

It's only to be expected of Hell's high priest.

Now, just because he likes the sound of your screams, doesn't mean he's going to go out of his way to attack you during a trial.

You'll be given a fair chance just like everyone else.

And, if he happens upon you, then it's up to skill after that.

He finds himself very fascinated by her screaming.

He didn't think a normal human could scream that loud.

Or that intensely.

He would love to experiment on it more.

However, he will refrain from causing you unnecessary pain.

Even though he likes the sound of your pain. He knows you don't like it.

And he loves you enough to respect those boundaries.

Even when you're screaming at the top of your lungs and pain, he'll hold his laughter back.

He wouldn't do that for anyone else.

It's a bizarre way of showing affection.

But, hey, it's a start.

[moviestarmartini]

Since you are open to writing about Brahim 🤭imagine Jude being a third wheel and always hanging out with you and Brahim, like the guy is never at his house 😭😭

three, that's the magic number! - brahim diaz x reader x platonic!jude bellingham

warnings: none, pure fluff. headcanon/bulleted format.

OKAY HE WOULD LOWKEY BE LIKE “i want what these bitches have” BUT LET ME NOT GET AHEAD OF MYSELF HERE 

now playing... the magic number by de la soul

you’d heard of Jude but came to meet him in a dinner Brahim had organized with him and Arda. 

you’d noticed the way Jude stared in awe at the two of you whenever you interacted, even if it was just Brahim taking short glances, his face softer than ever. 

it started off with Brahim asking if you could pick up Jude on the way to training, not wanting the younger man to take a taxi there again 

the way the three of you could start a conversation and flow felt nice, singing along to some songs that Brahim had queued.

Jude often asked what the songs said, or what a word either of you said meant. you found endearing how he was really trying with spanish

Jude then started getting dropped off at your shared place to be driven to training by you two— getting all pouty when Brahim was the one driving, not you.  

“Is this what abandonment feels like?” He would joke, but still wished you the best on your way out to work. 

then it was the fact Brahim took it upon himself to teach the englishman the do’s-and-don’ts of Madrid. 

you took Jude everywhere, all your favorite spots, doing your best to avoid large crowds to not draw attention to yourselves. 

“You’re in luck, she’s the best tour guide ever.” Brahim bragged about you to Jude, as he did to anyone who would listen.  

he was just so so proud of every you know and done, he can’t help himself. 

you knew a lot about the historic places you saw even when just passing by car, telling Jude every detail and fun fact you had in store in that brain of yours.

he listened attentively, also noticing the way Brahim would look at you with the tiniest smile behind his lips.  

“See? I’ve got myself the smartest cookie. Eres la más inteligente de todo España, mi habibati.” Brahim would coo after you were done explaining, reaching to cup your face and stroke your cheekbone with his thumb as you nodded slowly, cheeks flushed. 

soon, however, candid pictures of you hanging out were released to the public. 

the reactions varied from people adoring the pair you and Brahim made and how tall Jude was compared to the two of you but always followed behind as if he was your child. 

by that point he’d already taken your flat as his favorite hang out spot, more often than not you found Jude playing FIFA or board games with Brahim after coming home from work.

“Get a room.” Jude would complain at your cuddling and kissing, Brahim brushing the spiky facial hair against the length of your neck only to hear the giggles that made his chest swell 

“Jude, you’re the one who’s in our room.” you deadpanned with a yawn, the two men bursting down in laughter. 

but at the end of the day, he felt like another member of your family— just like abi Arda did, but that’s a story for another day. 

and you were so glad Brahim could reintegrate back into the team flawlessly. 

at one of the games you sat in the VIP balcony at the bernabeú with a good chunk of the players— all out on injuries, including Jude, who went straight to you as he noticed you walk in. 

you two commented on the game as if that was your actual job, feeling every second and emotion. 

you also noticed how Jude looked at you every time you celebrated Brahim doing things right— it could only be described as admiration.

 Jude had to leave when the game was itching its end, having to stand with the other injured players, leaving you with Denise.  

you introduced yourself quickly, and you noticed how she perked up. 

“Lovely to meet you, but can you give me my son back? Or do I need to pull out some adoption papers for you two?” she laughed, soon telling you how much he talked about both you and Brahim, and the relationship you shared. 

you couldn't help but laugh, "Really? I think I have a pen in my purse, hold on–" you joked, but feeling proud... why? because everyone could clearly see how much you loved Brahim.

and they could also see, clear as day, how much he loved you too.

[sageistri]

How do you feel about jimins voice? I’m seeing a ton of discourse around it again and I would be lying if I didn’t think her needs more support

What do you mean "how do I feel about Jimin's voice?"

Why do you think I Stan Jimin? You think I Stan him just because I like his personality or because he's attractive?

If you think he needs "support" that's your opinion but don't go about acting like we should agree with your opinion. You think Jimin is the only Idol who's ever had a voice crack or he's the only Idol who's had a less than stellar vocal performance?

Do y'all even know what an actual live performance sounds like? Real live vocals with choreography would not sound the best 7 times out of 10. Like you have to be a vocal powerhouse with years of extreme vocal training to be able to dance and sing at the same time without sounding off.

Kpop groups do not sing live and the day they do sing live will be the day that they get criticized for their vocals. Y'all only have so much to say about Jimin because he's one of the few vocalists in the k industry who dances and sings live at the same time with his back track not doing all the work for him.

And despite the fact that other idols have had terrible vocal moments, including other members of BTS, Jimin is the only one they think of because he's Jimin.

So get the fuck out of here with that "he needs support" bullshit because if you're going to be saying this then you should be saying the same thing about most idols.

And on the topic of le sserafim, everyone loves to act like these festivals are the standard when it comes to live singing when most of the performers use heavy back track. Le sserafim could have done the same and avoided all this, but they decided to sing live because they also have gotten a lot of shit for using back tracks. And like I said before, I think they should only sing live here on out, not caring what kpop stans have to say. And I'm glad that these girls are not letting y'all tear them down because kpop stans love when idols are visibly affected by the hate.

Not everyone can be Beyonce, some artists are not going to sound the greatest live especially when you take into account the kind of vocals they have. Jimin has spent years singing live, singing the hardest parts of bts' songs when he isn't even the main vocalist (and it goes to show how great of a pull he has and how relevant he is that he's the only member being brought up in these conversations when he isn't even the main vocalist) Jimin isn't a main vocalist, he's a dancer before anything else. But y'all know there's nothing to critique about his dancing which is literally what he's known for and what he is and he's the best at it, so y'all hold on to vocals when he was never marketed as an outstanding vocalist. He doesn't owe anyone anything especially so far in his career.

What makes Jimin's singing or parts popular isn't his vocal prowess, or because we think he's the best live singer ever. We just like how he sounds. People have a lot to say about his vocal tone but still stream his music anyways so who gives a fuck? The critique was never about him sounding bad, they just don't like or understand his vocal tone even if they can't help listening to his music. You like his music for a reason, you bash him online but stream his music for a reason. Jimin always has armys admitting that they prefer his ai covers of other members songs for a reason. I like Jimin's voice and I will enjoy anything simply because he's the one singing it, I just don't understand why y'all can't accept that we do genuinely like his voice. It's ok to not like or understand something but you also need to understand that taste is subjective. It's ok not to like something, but it's weird to act like there's no way others would like that thing, you're not the only person in the world.

Jimin himself have said he takes vocal lessons. I don't think there's anymore support that someone with his tone could get because his voice has changed with time and age and overall he has a very light and airy voice which means he's prone to vocal strain. So if you don't like that then he's not for you. (This whole thing reminds me of Sia and how her voice would break in the official studio version. More singers should do that because I don't think y'all understand that there's all types of vocalists in the world.

Letting kpop stans who have never heard their own faves sing live get into your head is definitely a choice. Because the way y'all discuss his vocals at every turn you would think all his vocal performances were bad, but no Jimin just has a couple bad vocal moments just like every other singer on earth. Let's not even talk about the fact that a lot of singers y'all think sound good live use pitch correction and autotuned mics on stage.

Blinks especially hold on to the encore video or that video from 2018 for a reason. There was never any drag towards his actual performances. No one ever posted a video of Jimin full on performing like crazy or set me free pt2 and said he sounds bads. Jimin has been an idol for years and has done lots of encore performances. Most times idols have bad encore moment because they're not actively performing and because of that they get confused on how to go about it. Encores are supposed to be fun and silly,they are not supposed to sound great but now kpop Stans have ruined these fun moments after a win with their nitpicking. This fixation on encores started in 2022 btw because prior to that no one cared.

Start thinking for yourself instead of letting people whose faves never sing live convince you that someone who does is a bad singer. Y'all let people on social media tell you how to think or influence your own personal opinion and that's the problem.

[akutasoda]

hiii!! Have you heard of the song ‘Dial Drunk’? It’s becoming my comfort song so-

reader who uses alcohol to cope and will just randomly call them crying asking to be taken back? Even if they’re still in a relationship? I’d say it’s because reader might see them as someone from a past relationship cause reader can’t get over them yet?

(with Dazai, chuuya, atsushi, Fyodor, and kunikida? + anyone you want!)

-🌀Anon!

blank memories

synopsis - feelings are strange and often become more prominent in certain circumstances

includes - atsushi, dazai, kunikida, chuuya, fyodor

warnings - gn!reader, angst, slight comfort, quite heavy, alcohol, mention of underage drinking, fyodor being horrible with emotions, wc - 720

atsushi nakajima ★↷

as someone who only wants the best for his partner, would be absolutely so sad to see you in such a state. but seeing the fact that you're with him would probably mean your close to his age - so that would be even worse for him to see.

and getting any kind of phone call from you and seeing you so upset would mean he's dropping everything he was doing and going straight to you to comfort you.

would want nothing more than to help you and maybe get you out of using alcohol to cope, telling you that he would always be there to help and support you in whatever way you wanted

no matter the reason he would try his absolute hardest to help you. afterall he believes you deserve everything and seeing you like that breaks his heart.

osamu dazai ★↷

a man who personally and very id very much ashamed of it, but had turned to the bottle a couple of times when feeling particularly low. but that all changed when he had met you, you finally gave him a reason to attempt to crawl out of his bad habits.

but throughout the relationship he could tell something was slightly off but respected your privacy and wouldn't pry.

but when he found out about your habit it pained him deeply as he knew all to painfully what you were feeling. to receive a phone call from the one of the only people who bring him happiness sounding so distraught made his heart ache.

he would want nothing to comfort you in times of need but unfortunately he was never all too good eith his own feelings, let alone another persons. but he'd be damned if he didn't try and help you in the ways you've helped him. whatever the reason for you to turn to the bottle he would try his best to help you.

doppo kunikida ★↷

would only ever touch a bottle of alcohol in celebration or, very rarely, in times of desperation. although he heavily strays from the second as he knows how bad it is and wants to avoid it at all costs.

receiving that drunken call from you did nothing but break his heart even if you two were still together. would try and comfort you in whatever way possible and whatever the reason that you told him he would still offer nothing but support.

wouldn't openly tell you how much he hated your way of coping but would try and slowly gett you to stop and find another way around, with your consent of course.

chuuya nakahara ★↷

yet another who is no stranger to turning to the bottle in his darkest times. sure he does openly drink but it is never in serious amounts unless its really rough. and he knows, and he's not proud of it.

so receiving that phone call from you in the middle if the night, he couldn't help but feel himself be nearly brought to tears at your drunken, distraught cry to be taken back despite nothing between you two being off. what made it even more painful for him was knowing exactly how you felt.

now he knew he wasn't one to criticise your habits but maybe you two could figure it out, get both if you off the habit and do nothing but be there for each other. whatever the reason for your habit he would listen and offer his most heartfelt advice.

fyodor dostoevsky ★↷

someone who would rarely even think about touching a bottle of alcohol. not only does he just hate the idea but he hasn't really got a healthy body. so alcohol normally is out of the question for him.

but that's mainly because he isn't a fan of it, so seeing you resort to something like that msde him feel something he didn't want to feel. and receiving that phone call definitely didn't help. wouldn't immediately comfort you because he's kind of hopeless in that area.

but would talk about it with you later, once you sobered up and agreed to talk about it. would try to support you, again he's not that good with emotions but tries his hardest for you and hates to see you resort to alcohol and really wants to get you to find a new way if coping. a better one.

[that-one-enby-ranger]

It's John Richard Deacon's birthday today so that means its time to yap about him so get ready

First of all, I fucking love this man. This man is amazing and has got to be one of the best people I have had the pleasure of knowing about. He is an amazing player, and even though I will admit he is probably not THE best, he is still, in my opinion, one of the best, and will always be my favourite.

This man is such a talented musician and I hate how underrated he is. He is one of the less open members of the band and is not as public, and of course isn't like Freddie, so he is often forgotten about by people who pay more attention to the music instead of the band themselves. He has written great songs for Queen which include Another One Bites The Dust, I Want To Break Free, You're My Best Friend (which he wrote for his wife and I find that so cute), wrote the bass line for Under Pressure (and then forgot it while getting pizza but lets not talk about that), Friends Will be Friends, Spread Your Wings and others

And then he has songs which are extremely underrated in my opinion because they are fucking GREAT. Misfire (great lyrics, truly poetic, can't believe someone could come up with such great words and meanings), In Only Seven Days, You and I, If You Can't Beat Them, One Year of Love, and I don't care what anyone else says I like Back Chat. He wrote other songs as well. Even though he didn't write as many songs as the other members did, he still wrote songs, some of which went on to be massive hits, and he still contributed a lot to the band.

There's a reason why the rest of the band chose him as their bass player. They tried out multiple different bass players and none of them worked out. Then they met John and boom they had the best bass player they could ask for.

John also knew engineering, and he is an electronics engineer by training. He created his own amplifier in 1972 and it is called the Deacy amp. That's fucking cool. I'm not an engineer of any kind, but I would guess that's pretty impressive.

THIS MAN IS A FUCKING FAMILY MAN. He loves his family so much and it is so sweet. His wife's name is Veronica and in an interview (I'm pretty sure it was an interview they did for The Miracle album) he said that one of his favourite songs was a song called Veronica or something like that because it was the name of his wife. He also has six kids which is pretty badass if you ask me. Plus he wrote You're My Best Friend for his wife and that is super fucking sweet especially if you listen to the lyrics and remember that he wrote that for her. "Ooo, you make me live."

We joke about John being the cute baby of the band, and even though he is adorable, he is also a complete badass and I love him for it. According to Brian May, John could make you want to crawl into a ball and die with just a couple sentences. That wasn't a direct quote but it was something similar. There was one time when the band were out recording for an album or something like that, I can't remember the specifics, but John pretty much just fucked off and went to Bali, and left a note on his bass case saying that he went to Bali. He wrote Misfire. He used to throw peanuts into Brian's hair while he was playing his guitar solos at concerts. He learnt to play the double bass in two days because Brian told him as a joke that he would need it to play '39 even though he didn't. He had tons of stitches in his hand from smashing through glass when he was drunk or something and he still played a gig. A photographer couldn't do a photoshoot for Queen so they payed John to do it and he tried to take pictures of Roger's ass. I'm like 80% sure it was Roger I can't really remember. This is just the stuff I can think of at the top of my head by the way, this isn't even all of it. If I could be bothered to get my phone and look through Queen folder to try and find all this shit then I could add more but I'm lazy. By the way, I haven't fact checked any of this shit and I am definetely not going to, this is just shit I've heard, so some of it may not even be true, but I don't care, I like to think it is.

He is the most quite and reserved of the band, especially when it comes to the public and I absolutely repsect that. Just because he's apart of one of the most famous bands in the world does not mean he has to be public outside of that. He didn't have too much attention put on to him during shows, and I can only assume he liked it like that, but he still had his own little prescensse and I love him for it. He had a little cocktail bar behind his amp ad during concerts he would be constantly going back to get drinks, so throughout the show he would be getting more and more drunk and would be getting more hyper most likely. During concerts he did little disco moves and dances and it was the best seeing him hop around in his own little area and do his own little thing.

HIS DECISION TO LEAVE QUEEN AFTER FREDDIE DIED WAS COMPLETELY VALID AND ANYONE WHO DISAGRESS CAN GO TO HELL. I heard somewhere that part of the reason why he didn't want to carry on wasn't just because of Freddie, but was also because when Freddie was with them, he felt that most of the attention would be on Freddie, but after he died, he felt that more attention would be on him and he didn't like that, and honestly that is completely fine and he can decide what he wants to do. He cared so much about Freddie and he apparently cried before going on stage for the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert and he should not have to carry on with something if he doesn't want to do it

John is such a silly cutie. They all are. But today we focusing on John. I'm writing this while watching John clips and he is so cute and such a silly underrated guy.

Also, I noticed the John Deacon tag here only has like 7.something K followers and THAT IS CRIMINAL HE DESERVES SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT

He did the triangle in killer queen and that is the reason he has a microphone and I found that so fucking funny.

There is so much more I could write about him, but Im gonna stop now because I'm only half focusing on my deacy clips and he deserves more attention so I'm gonna watch that

Here have some photos:

Hot

T-pose Deacy

SUCH A CUTIE HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS MAN DESERVES THE WORLD AND ALL THE LOVE AAAAAAAAA ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💝❤️💝💝💝💝💝❤️💝❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🎉🎉🎉❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🎉🎉❤️❤️❤️❤️🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🎉❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🎉❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🎉🎉❤️🎉❤️🎉❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🎉❤️❤️❤️🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[drowninginredink]

Favorite Albums: choose 9 and then tag 9 people!

For my own sanity, I didn't include musicals because I could fill up a whole other 3x3 grid with them, and comparing musicals to non-musical theater albums is weird.

Those last 4 that you definitely don't recognize are by Old Earth who you should definitely listen to if you want artsy ambient indie folk with really intricate guitar. My absolute favorite artist by far, and also the most obscure artist I listen to by far.

Electric by The Pet Shop Boys — I think this is my favorite album period. I am still pissed off that Tom Scott called it "not that great" in the old Technical Difficulties podcast. Maybe I'm biased because it was my favorite album when I was 14 and because it's where I really fell in love with the Pet Shop Boys. God I love them. So much. I'm way too excited for the new album and I worship geowayne's website where he analyzes all their songs. I probably should have put another PSB album on here, but there isn't another where I'm in love with every track. Plus honestly so many of my favorite tracks of theirs are B sides. They still release B sides with their singles, and this album cycle, the B sides are honestly better than the actual singles. Anyway electric is pure synthy electropop and I adore it in that way you can only love something you first heard at 14.

Pure Heroine by Lorde — I read a quote somewhere where Lorde said she tried to really put all of being a teenager into the album, so much so that once she became an adult, she probably wouldn't understand or like it anymore. I can definitely say that I'm not nearly as attached to it anymore now that I'm an adult, but God, it was my life when I was 13. She really did capture the unique ennui of being a teenager. I wrote a novel in eighth grade, and I wrote at least half of it to tracks from this album. Also, hot take: Royals is my least favorite track by a lot. Buzzcut Season is my favorite.

My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men — God, this one was my life when I was like, 12. I fell in love with folk there, and I'm still in love nearly a decade later. Another album where I still love every track.

Strange Trails by Lord Huron — hey look, an album I actually discovered and came to love as an adult! The fact that I love Lord Huron's brand of folky horror/fantasy/western music that tell stories with characters should not surprise anyone. Also, if I had to describe my experience with schizophrenia in one song, I'd choose Meet Me in the Woods.

The Tragic Treasury by The Gothic Archies — Look. Hear me out. Is it a album based purely on A Series of Unfortunate Events? Yes. But. Is it also an album where I genuinely love every track and have genuinely been known to just throw it on shuffle? Yes. I mean I think of one lyric from this album, like, weekly. I swear it's not just ASOUE brainrot that makes me like it so much. If it'd ever gotten a vinyl release, I'd absolutely own it. I wish it had gotten one.

a low place at The Old Place by Old Earth — honestly this is probably only my favorite Old Earth album because it's the one that I was able to actually get on vinyl and being able to play that vinyl is so lovely. I mean, it's good, but so is everything by Old Earth. Then again, Less Words is my favorite single track by them and it is on this album. Look. All the Old Earth albums I've listed here are, at most, 20 minutes long. If you like ambient artsy indie folk with lyrics that are there more for the way they sound than their meaning, try one.

light shaped by Old Earth — god the lyrics to this one. Normally I don't like Old Earth for the lyrics but. "It gets old/then it's done" and "what if it's just some song that gets you home" and especially "I'm holding your arms/and you're holding my eyes/and I lie like the right thing to do" are all just so great. And so is the middle track with no lyrics.

... until they're called by Old Earth — have you ever heard an album so good that you a) just played the whole thing and danced to it in your basement nonstop for the full 12 minutes, and then b) wrote a poem about the experience? People talk about finding God, but dancing to that album was the moment I found athiesm. The beauty of us all being here for no reason, just feeling things and living and doing our best to make something beautiful out of it.

Two Torches, at a Place Where Three Roads Meet by Old Earth — I'll be honest, I don't have much to say about this one. They're just a really solid three tracks.

... Yeah okay I really like Old Earth. Don't judge me.

Thank you @cygninae and @thehistoryone for tagging me! I'll tag @ven10 (I'm surprised neither of the people who tagged me tagged you), @weirdthoughtsandideas (ditto), @70snasagay (hmmmm i wonder what you'll put), @cat-boy-tom, @thetreetzar, @buncoreclown, @notthatalex, @unfortunate-sapphic-disaster, and @roach-in-the-kitchen. No pressure, obviously!

[saintsenara]

what are ur thoughts on all the young dudes man i gotta know

i've never read it, and i can't really see any situation in which i will. not only am i wolfstar-ambivalent, i'm also wizards-knowing-loads-about-muggle-pop-culture-ambivalent - so i'm very much not the target audience.

[although i'm not "what's going on in the 1970s"-ambivalent by any means, so there's that.]

but i suspect anyone who reads this blog regularly knew that - and so i also suspect [even though i wouldn't dare to assume this of you and your intentions in asking this, anon] that it might be presumed that i'm going to pop off about several of the phenomena all the young dudes has set into motion...

and sure, the contemporary marauders subfandom is not a space i'm interested in spending any time in - which is why i don't - but i think it's nonetheless worth saying something in defence of it.

all the young dudes deserves more credit than i think it gets in the fandom more widely - especially in those bits of the fandom which are more interested in canon compliance and canon coherence - for being a genuine pop-culture phenomenon. all corners of the fandom have benefitted from this - i guarantee that huge numbers of people who have returned to the harry potter fandom since 2020 have done so because they've read it [or, at the very least, heard of it], and i also guarantee that many of those people have gone on to make a home for themselves in spaces which seem to have very little in common with the marauders subfandom [such as canon-compliant jily or pro-snape spaces]. many of the things it does - especially the integration of muggle pop-culture into its worldbuilding - have clearly influenced how plenty of authors approach their own work, even if that work is otherwise removed from it in vibe. and its aesthetic is all over the non-fic aspects of fandom too - every "canon-compliant" moodboard or edit or playlist i've ever seen would fit well into the atyd universe. i think it doesn't hurt to acknowledge its influence - it doesn't mean that an author can't disagree with its approach.

[or: my view on all the young dudes is very similar to my view on taylor swift. i've never listened to a single one of her albums, i'm not sure i could name more than about five of her songs - and i don't think the five i can name are any good, i sometimes see flashes of the inter-swiftie discourse and it's like reading a text in a language i can only half speak - but i would be a fool to dismiss her broader pop-culture influence, including on musicians i do follow more closely, or the fact that the fandom which surrounds her is both sincerely interesting, not least from an anthropological perspective, and something in which people i like and respect participate.]

i also don't think the divisions between the marauders subfandom and other spaces are as clear-cut as is often made out. and i think that all the young dudes often gets used as a stick with which to beat this point - particularly because people in the marauders subfandom are frequently accused of not having read the books, and elevating atyd's interpretation of characters [especially sirius and remus] and events over the seven-book series.

that the subfandom elevates fanon and headcanon over canon is a legitimate point. but i think we should all get a fucking grip and recognise that this can disinterest us - or even annoy us - and still not be something any of us should think is that deep.

after all, like anyone, i've encountered people in fandom who write unrecognisable versions of characters, are completely resistant to the idea that their interpretation isn't correct, and believe that it's evidence of deep-seated prejudice to pair their faves with different people... and every single one is someone who believes that their approach is meticulously canon-compliant.

or - as the old adage goes - "people who live in glass subfandoms shouldn't throw stones at roadman remus".

[kenobers]

What kind of music do you think the other Batboys listen to? (If you're interested in them ofc)

okay, first of all this is my first ask!! hello!! and it's about music, so extra bonus points to you!! 🌟

second of all, of course i'm interested in the other batboys! i'm working on their spotify wrappeds right now. for anyone’s who interested, here is my spotify!!

these are what i personally think each of them lean towards music wise based on canon and my own headcanons, please don’t stomp on me if you disagree :-)

Dick listens to clown music i really only found one panel of Dick listening to music and it was mostly Original Pilipino Music and mostly ballads, which i love. it also lends itself to Dick being a fan of indie and soft rock, as well very much being a child of the 90s. The Cure and Billy Joel are artists i see him enjoying. i know a lot of people envision him as a pop fan and i think he specifically listens to early rock-pop music from the 70s; think ABBA, the Carpenters, Donna Summer, artists who would mix well with his affection for balladeers. My self indulgent headcanon is that he's a huge Fleetwood Mac and Mavis Staples fan. i think it's a legal obligation to have an appreciation for grunge to be part of the batfam, but i think he sticks with the basics.

Jason canonically likes Slipknot, Lacuna Coil and Poison Idea (which i forgot to include on his spotify wrapped, oops). however, given his background, his continued interest in being connected to the streets of a large east coast city and the fact that we know he loves good writing, he's definitely a 90s east coast hip-hop guy. i really envision him being a huge Wu-Tang Clan fan (as we should all be) and DMX wrote his theme song Where The Hood At. both the metal/punk and hip-hop genres have heavily political roots and the flaws of political systems are a common theme, which is something he’d appreciate. however, i think Jason's criteria for adding a song to his spotify is if it's good. he's not a snob, he just likes his music to be loud and have good lyricism. he likes to be able to relate to it, whereas Dick would be more about the vibe. i love the idea that he's into Jack Johnson when he wants a softer sound. he also gives me major Artic Monkeys vibes.

Tim canonically likes The Clash, Green Day (i think this is another one they all have in common) and i believe Oasis. so one could comfortably deduce that he's into punk rock, early alternative and brit pop (which makes sense, these all tend to go hand-in-hand). i think he would be fond of alternative and indie, like i think he would dig Steve Lacy and Frank Ocean (he's also a bisexual man in his late teens/early twenties who's heavily online, so i feel like it's also a fairly safe bet that he listens to Frank and probably Tyler too). i think he goes through strong phases of certain artists/genres. i think, like Jason, he likes to be able to relate to his music, but he’s also a bit of a music snob.

Steph's most streamed artist is Mucous Membrane. i get strong punk rock, punk pop vibes from her. she likes anything she can scream along to. My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Avril Lavigne, Pierce The Veil, Hollywood Undead. she definitely had a very strong Panic! At The Disco era. she's got a soft spot for Megadeath too. but i think she’s also more than capable (and willing) to scream along to some bubbly pop music too.

Duke has been seen singing The Man on The Flying Trapeze by Spike Jones. granted, this is a fairly well known song and it had a specific context, but i also kind of love the idea that Duke listens to jazz, like also has a lot of Chet Baker and Billie Holiday saved. that’s his time-to-lock-in music. then i could also see him digging a genre that samples a lot of these artists, like r&b and hip-hop. i see Kendrick Lamar pop up on a lot of Duke playlists and i’m inclined to agree. i’d also add Jay-Z to the mix. a good chunk of his spotify wrapped is stuff he plays to get hyped up, which can vary quite a bit. there’s some Fall Out Boy, Chase Atlantic, Rihanna and some classic rock. i think he also daydreams to Holding Out for A Hero quite a bit as well.

honestly, i feel like Cass pulls the most from everyone else’s playlists. i would say that she’s family spotify stalker, but frankly i feel like she uses youtube music. anyways, her personal tastes would lean more towards the sad girl side; Halsey, Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers, Mazzy Star. maybe Penelope Scott and Grimes - i could see her vibing with the combination of the sad girl feel and a unique sort of sound. thanks to Jason, she also digs System of A Down. for Cass especially music is an emotional outlet, so i think she’d be drawn to more emotional stuff. that said, she’s definitely an ABBA girl.

i see people try to argue that Jason would listen to musicals, but if anyone is the secret theater kid, it’s for sure Damian. he likes the drama and the flair of a megamusical and as such, a couple of songs from The Phantom of The Opera make their way onto his playlist (he secretly relates to certain aspects of the storyline but he won’t say that part out loud). he’s a musician himself so it’s not hard to imagine him enjoying someone as genius as Sondheim, although i imagine he’s very picky about which cast albums/recordings he spins. he listens to a lot of classic music, with a special appreciation for Bach as he’s more or less the violin king. but Beethoven’s got a little more flair. i think he also has a playlist of songs he picked up from his siblings and Superboy

i think they all share an appreciation for Nirvana, The Pixies, The Spice Girls and A Tribe Called Quest.

and i do think The Spice Girls comes strongly from Dick’s influence.

what do y’all think they listen to?

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 9/17/2024

come take this very very friendly little man out of my bathroom! he is fiv+ and we are in houston tx! i am willing to drive a couple hours for the right home! he is a good boy he's just orange! more details here!

listening

emily jeffri's DENY off my spotify recommended weekly playlist: i can only describe it as "throbbing". immediately attention grabbing lyrics:

What kind of lover does your mother want? I'll do whatever, oh but you could not

very distinctly indie electronica. this would be the song in a cyberpunk/80s hacker movie where the chase takes you through an goth/alt fashion show where the models are actively giving blood as they walk or something.

i love the spotify daily mix for me and my bestie bc there's a guaranteed four bluey songs on it and it's a nice jumpscare. i know my mental health is taking a turn for the worse when a lot of mother mother starts popping up, i know my bestie's is taking a turn for the worse when a lot of girl in red starts popping up. suicide-watch-level sapphic angst singer-songwriter, generally. except for this song! extremely fun! didn't even recognize it as her! DOING IT AGAIN BABY is a more traditional selling-you-a-dodge-charger car commercial song and it's such a startling departure from her usual work that i wonder if it was a commercial commission? hard to immediately find out tho

I'm on a new level Something's got me feelin' like I could be inflammable And I might be I'm gonna light it up Nothing's gonna stop me if I say this is what I want

-

reading

i read twilight (yes that one) at the behest of my bestie and bc my mental health could not have gotten any worse in that moment. it has led to some uncomfortable realizations about my high school experience i will save for a therapist. i am mostly putting it here to remind myself that i read this book this year.

^ this is some silly goofy nonsense. not that i think people shouldn't be recognized at their retirement, but what happened to giving people nice watches instead of a thousand dollars in plaques

Saying that, the records did reveal something actually interesting: although the individual contract I sent a request related to was for a few thousand dollars, an attached blank purchase agreement (BPA) says that “the government estimates, but does not guarantee, that the volume of purchases through this BPA will be $360,000.00 over the term of the BPA.” So, a lot more than a few thousand bucks.

-

watching

Hang 'Em High (1968, dir. Post). certainly not clint's sluttiest role but really up there. i do wish he kept the fucked-out little rasp for the whole movie :(

When an innocent man barely survives a lynching, he returns as a lawman determined to bring the vigilantes to justice.

it has a typical bizarre shoehorned romance that (i think) deeply undercuts the theme it wants to explore, but there is no on-screen rape. the bar is on the FLOOR with westerns and yet i DNF so so so many.

hell of a whump film. literally everything happens to jed cooper. i will trumpet this again from the rooftops: that character needs cbt both ways.

-

playing

HIGHWATER, a 2022 adventure/turn based strategy thing from Rogue Games, courtesy of Netflix Games, whose game library is a fucking nightmare to navigate on mobile.

i loooove a water-based postapoc. the boat does in fact handle very poorly and like a horrible inflatable raft on mobile, which is both charming and frustrating.

i do not love a turn-based combat. despite the vibes off the charts, including a very well integrated "pirate radio" station as the game's soundtrack, i am not patient enough to muddle through complex turn-based combat. i'm sure someone had fun fighting off six guys and two bears (who aggro anyone and can one-hit anyone) and then a further three guys who show up for backup but i gave it the good old college try over two days and wasn't able to swing it. it would be nice to have either a difficulty setting or some way to spectate the ideal fight, but alas. a lot of fun environmental stuff in the fights you can use to your advantage, like the bears and these trees you can flatten your opponents with in a much earlier fight. there's a fun mix of different characters with different abilities and different weapons you pick up and keep during fights. i have no specific beef with this game's choice to make this the way you move through the game, it's just not my preferred genre.

a lot of book and newspaper collectibles in this one that i feel of several minds about. it feels less like environmental storytelling through newspapers and just the devs telling me their opinion when they provide little book summaries like this. also i wish The Industry as a whole was more thoughtful about using the word "insurgent".

not a game for me, i have once again confirmed that i cannot tolerate a turn-based combat no matter how much seafaring postapoc you drench it in :(

-

making

got a Phantom Menace era curtain panel for $4 at the thrift, and i was convinced it was fabric someone had made into a curtain panel until i got home and discovered it was an officially licensed product with bafflingly generous seams.

it's about two-ish yards of a 50/50 cotton/poly blend, which i feel like i haven't seen in a while? i think the current fashion leans more 70/30 or 100 poly for curtains i've purchased. after i finish unpicking the seams and pinking it, i am going to throw it in the wash again with some vinegar and see if that softens it up any, or if it makes the transition between the wear lines on the seams and the body of the fabric any nicer.

thinking about what kind of dress to make that 1) shows off this extremely large scale pattern 2) does not look like i am wearing a paper bag, and 3) does not look like the late aughts craft trend of sewing a twin flat Star Wars sheet to a tube top and calling that a dress, bc that's how hard up we were for feminine merch. much to consider. maybe it Will be a maxi skirt with pockets and i can wear one of my seventy black tees on top?

[in-death-we-fall]

Murderdolls: Turning The Corner

By Tom Lindgren Photo: Frank White

Hit Parader 462 — March 2003 (drive link)

They say that lightning rarely strikes twice in the same place. But these days you’d have a hard time convincing Joey Jordison about the validity of such a claim. With the immediate, out-of-the-box success of the Murderdolls, Jordison has now played a vital role in helping two bands reach the apex of New Metal acclaim. And while the ‘Dolls have yet to attain the level of fame and fortune enjoyed by Jordison’s “other” band, Slipknot, this trash-’em, bash-’em glam metal unit seems well on their way to grabbing hold of rock and roll’s proverbial gold ring. On their debut disc, Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls, Jordison and his bandmates— vocalist Wednesday 13, guitarist Acey Slade, bassist Erik Griffin and drummer Ben Graves— have proven that they’ve got what it takes to deliver the kind of high-impact, action-packed sound that a fast-growing legion of today’s fans crave to hear. With all this good stuff goin’ on, we figured what could be better than having a heart-to-heart chat with Jordison and Wednesday about all the positive things happening within their musical lives.

Hit Parader: How satisfied have you been by the kind of reaction that your first album has generated?

Joey Jordison: It’s been great. But one of the first things I learned with Slipknot is that you can’t let any sort of commercial expectations get in the way of what you’re doing. You’ve got to make the music you want to make and then let things just take their course. But since the music of the Murderdolls does have a very broad-based appeal, I would hope that a lot of people would get into it. This isn’t just another one of those records with the kind of depressing lyrics that you hear out there. This music is the polar opposite of that— in fact it’s the polar opposite of just about everything that I’ve heard played in the last decade.

HP: Do you include Slipknot in that assessment?

JJ: Absolutely! I’m not criticizing what we’ve done in that band in any way. But this band was designed to be different, and it is. If I wanted to make the kind of music we make in Slipknot, I just would have waited until we all went back into the studio. But I wanted to do something different. I play guitar here— not drums. There are no masks, and the music is about as fun and exciting as it can be. I’m not saying it’s better… only that it’s different.

HP: The band has received some criticism because of your lyrics. Was that something you anticipated?

JJ: It wasn’t something that surprised me because a lot of people take things on a very superficial basis. They don’t want to delve one inch under the surface because they might end up revealing the truth. Anyone who’s listened to our songs knows that on songs like Graverobbing U.S.A. and Kill Miss America we’re just having fun. That’s the main thing— this is great rock and roll music that is fun to play and fun to listen to. Don’t try to analyze it much more than that.

Wednesday 13: I’m one of those people who is a definite product of his environment. I grew up in North Carolina, which is a conservative place where there really isn’t that much to do. So I was forced to listen to a lot of music and watch a lot of horror movies. That’s the real inspiration for most of my lyrics. I loved movies like Night of the Living Dead and Friday the 13th, and some of the stuff we do plays off of that same kind of mentality. You just can’t take it too seriously.

HP: You’re (sic) sound is an amalgam of old and new. How would you describe the essence of what the Murderdolls are doing?

JJ: It’s rock and roll, that’s the best way that I can describe it. Rock music has lost so much of its edge over the last ten years. What was once this great outlet for rebellion and fun has become this sad-mouthed excuse for bemoaning everything. Our goal was to get rock and roll back on the right path. I like to say that the world needs us right now— that this is the right time for the Murderdolls to make their mark.

13: We’re taking all of our influences, everyone from Motley Crue and Twisted Sister to Alice Cooper and the Sex Pistols and just mixing them all together, shaking them up, and seeing what comes out. It’s just a blast. There’s an edge of craziness and danger to everything that spices it all up and makes it very exciting.

HP: Do you believe that it’s time for so-called “hair metal” to make a comeback?

13: I’ve never trusted any musician that looked too normal. I want my rock and roll heroes to be larger-than-life. Maybe today’s kids don’t know any better because that’s all they’ve been exposed to, but we’re here to show ‘em that you can look cool and sound cool too. It’s really sad that an entire generation of kids have grown up without seeing bands really lay it on the line on stage. I remember seeing the Plasmatics, and watching them destroy everything in their path. That was incredible… that was rock and roll!

JJ: We’re trying to avoid being labeled in any way, but we know that’s asking for the impossible. We’d like everyone to just enjoy what we’re doing, but we know that a lot of people are gonna look at us, listen to the music and call us “glam”, “trash metal”, “hair metal”, whatever. It’s no big deal. We knew from the day we came up with all this, that the Murderdolls were going to shake things up. That’s all that matters. By now, we’ve heard it all, and it’s all okay. We’re presenting something that’s very aggressive, that’s got a definite attitude. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here. We’re just trying to make sure that the wheel runs as fast, as loud and as far as it possibly can. This is the kind of rock that I love— the kind of stuff I grew up listening to. The problem is that nobody is playing that kind of music these days. That’s why I keep saying that the Murderdolls are needed now more than ever before.

[ckret2]

bill doesnt really strike me as the type to be really into listening to music, but if he were, do you think there are any particular genres/artists he would enjoy/hate less?

You're in luck because I've put COPIOUS thought into this.

Here's all the canon and semi-canon info about Bill's musical tastes I can recall off the top of my head:

ONE. From the AMA, his favorite "song" is a rising Shepard tone.

*MY FAVORITE SONG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rzIiF7LpPU

TWO. He is interested in the "good stuff" out of human pop culture, which includes the song "96 Tears" by Question Mark & The Mysterians.

Are you at all interested in human pop culture?

JUST THE GOOD STUFF! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7uC5m-IRns

THREE. He knows the song "Stacy's Mom". This says nothing about whether he likes the song, but he's knowledgeable enough about recent human pop culture that he can casually drop a reference to it in a joke. It's probably safe to assume he's familiar with a broad variety of popular human music.

Hey Bill. What's up with Wendy's mom?

WENDY'S MOM HAS GOT IT GOING ON. SHE'S ALL I WANT AND I'VE WAITED FOR SO LONG.

FOUR. When he gives himself a super cool car its radio is playing a rap song. I wasn't able to find any identification for the song, but it sounds to me like it could potentially be by Lil Bigg Dawggg, the same in-universe artist behind "Straight Blanchin'"—so, extremely popular mainstream rap. (Song heard at 2:50).

FIVE. He's got some kind of generic-sounding electronic dance music playing during his Fearamid party.

SIX. The "We'll Meet Again" scene. He can play the piano. I suppose you could choose to believe that Mr. All-Seeing All-Knowing Eye can play any instrument and he just happens to pick the piano for effect—he might not even actually be playing, since the song keeps playing itself when he turns away—but I choose to believe he's playing it and at some point he actually made the choice to learn piano for fun just because he wanted to. As someone who took piano lessons for over a decade, assuming that is indeed his own playing, I'd rate him as competent and skilled (that's a pretty impressive run at the start), but no virtuoso. He'd be a hit at the family holiday party but not in a concert hall. The choice of "We'll Meet Again" might mean he's got a soft spot for WW2-era popular music but might just be a "he knows human popular music and will freely reference it for a joke" thing.

SEVEN. "No! Synthesized music! It hurts!" Considering the circumstances, this may or may not actually apply to his musical tastes. Maybe only this particular synthesized music hurt him because Mabel had specifically decided that Xyler and Craz's music would injure Bill, maybe only extremely 80s-sounding synthesizers hurt him, etc. Most damning to the theory that he's got some kind of synthesized music allergy is the fact that almost all the music he's shown to voluntarily listen to and presumably enjoy (rising Shepard tones, the rap song, the party music) makes use of synthesized sounds. Still, it's worth mentioning that this is something he said at one point. (At 2:06.)

If anyone else recalls anything I missed about Bill's musical listening habits, toss it at me.

So, that's what we've got canonically. On that basis, here's what I headcanon about his tastes:

ONE: favorite music

His absolute favorite "music" is stuff that doesn't sound like music to humans at all. So sounds that are created to follow certain patterns (not quite as random as, say, pure white noise); and on top of that, sounds that, subjectively, sound extra creepy to humans or make humans anxious (think how folks claim Shepard tones can drive people "insane"). So think nuclear alarm sirens, unnerving tornado sirens, War of the World tripod horns, Saturn, foghorns, The Backwards Music Station. If you want some actual music that sounds as close to these kinds of sounds as possible, thus far I've collected Curious Noises & Distant Voices, 20210310, Happy Happy Happy—and if you want to start drifting into more "musical" sounding genres, Tira Me a Las Aranas or Ledge.

I feel like noise as a genre ought to have a lot of music that fits the sound I'm looking for, but in practice a lot of what I've crossed paths with is really harsh/loud—sounds like breaking machines and blasting microphones—rather than the more swoopy tones I'm looking for. I think of all the noise subgenres I've sampled, death industrial noise is the closest subgenre to what I want, but it's not quite there either. I've had some success looking at hauntology artists, but that's a pretty big umbrella stylistically speaking. Does anybody know a genre that sits somewhere halfway between noise & ambient?

TWO: favorite human music

So that's that for Bill's alien musical tastes. As far as his human musical tastes, he cites Question Mark & The Mysterians specifically as "the good stuff"—so I imagine that's probably his idea of the best kind of music humanity's produced. So: extremely sixties. Hammond organs out the wazoo. Bands with occult-sounding names and lead singers who claim to be Martians that lived with dinosaurs and will be alive in the year 10,000. I tend to tilt him toward bands/songs that fall under the "psychedelic" umbrella, considering that the aesthetic tends to be kinda, well... just go google "psychedelic art."

Tell me this isn't what Earth would look like by Weirdmageddon day 30 when Bill starts to get bored. I mean come on. The only difference is Bill's version would have more fire and blood.

So start with some of your traditional psychedelic songs—Incense and Peppermints, White Rabbit, Breathe (In The Air), Time Of The Season, Purple Haze, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, etc.—and branch out from there. Slap on any decent psychedelic/hippie-themed playlist and you're good: try this hippie playlist, this psychedelic pop/rock playlist, or this dark psychedelic playlist.

Once you get past the more mainstream stuff, I go toward weird things that sound like they ought to be from a lost 1960s art house film that accidentally predicted the rise of UFO cults—things that vibe with Bill's occult + conspiracy theory + faux religious figure vibes. Think Bruce Haack, such as the album Electric Lucifer, particularly Electric to Me Turn, Cherubic Hymn, or War; Joe Meek's album I Hear a New World, particularly the title track or Orbit Around the Moon; or the particularly alien-sounding The Red Weed (Part 1) off Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds.

And after all that, I poke at modern psychedelic rock songs that lean more heavily into witchy & occult imagery—such as Astral Sabbat or Come a Little Closer—but by this point we're really on the fringe of the sound I'm looking for. There isn't nearly enough Hammond organ.

THREE: favorite human party music

Now, compared to the last couple of sections, this section is gonna be something of a cop-out, because I've done less musical digging; but when it comes to what he'll slap on for a party—which I imagine makes up probably a good 75% of his casual music consumption—he's just gonna slap on any popular current music he thinks is good for a party.

Currently? That probably means a lot of hip hop and EDM. Okay. In the 80s he probably woulda put on disco. In the 21st century he'd put on Get Low, First of the Year, Shots, DotA, Intergalactic, and Dragostea Din Tei (hardstyle remix), in a row, without a second thought, and with no heed to the humans going "what the FUCK is this party mix." These are not the best examples of what he'd play; just the first, most cringe, and most discordant examples I could think of. The more easily a potential party song can be described as stylistically or lyrically "obnoxious," the more likely it is to make his playlist. Does it sound like it should be played extremely loud? Would it offend the neighbors? Does it have a bass line that sounds like it could crack concrete and break ribs? Would humans recognize it as part of a widely-known meme, but not know whether Bill (an alien) is oblivious or if Bill (a troll) added it for that reason? It's going on, he's hitting shuffle, and it's not coming off the party playlist until he gets bored of it and finds something newer and even more obnoxious to replace it with.

If anyone has any good recommendations for specific genres that would yield a reasonable pool of Party Songs That Would Get Noise Complaints Filed (And Also Don't Go Together At All), I'm willing to take them. My gut says crunk and dubstep, but my hip hop knowledge is lacking and my EDM knowledge is extremely eclectic.

(Anyway if you made it this far I'm rewarding you with a link to my Bill Cipher spotify playlist I listen to when writing fic. It's 50% songs that I think actually match the "music he'd like" categories, 50% songs that are about him but that he wouldn't necessarily like, 50% songs about his relationship issues, 10% songs that are NONE OF THE ABOVE but that need to be in there because I need them for fic-writing vibes, and one single solitary song that is not actually about Bill at all, but rather about Pacifica, but that i put on the playlist anyway because it's a REALLY GOOD Pacifica song and I don't have any other Gravity Falls themed playlists so here it is. "That adds up to 160%—" and what of it. The percentages aren't even accurate.)

[hyuckmov]

haechan — be my birthday

ex!haechan x reader, (feat. best friend jaehyun, mark and renjun being besties) 4k, angst for the most part, but then fluff, ends happy. a/n: when i said i was thinking of writing something else it was not this... but i just suddenly had the idea for it because i was thinking of birthdays i guess. oh and because i am unoriginal and running out of ideas this is inspired by a few songs too. the title is a song featured in the drama my liberation notes which i absolutely love! anyway i'm sorry if the ending is kind of bad, i wanted to flesh it out but also i wanted to leave it at that. additionally the flashbacks were HELL for my tenses so i apologise for any inconsistencies in grammar. thank you for reading my past two works, and do send me an ask if you enjoyed any of them, or this, or if you would just like to say hi! loosely includes sequences based on 21 by gracie abrams, and me and you together song by the 1975 so i recommend listening to those!

“we forgot the candles.” 

“who’s we. you’re in charge of the cake for the night!” 

“yeah but that doesn’t include candles.” 

“mark!” 

mark looked sheepishly up at renjun, who glared at him fiercely, a look that mark could see even in the dim light of the pantry. outside, the party raged on, and if mark and renjun had to hazard a guess, haechan should probably still be on the pool table, doing a dance as the crowd cheered him on. it was his birthday, so everyone gave him a free pass that meant he could do whatever he wanted. to be precise, it was his birthday week – a week which gave him a free pass to prank, to bicker, and to take the last piece of whatever food was in the fridge. 

but really, it was a lot more than a birthday week. birthdays always reminded haechan of you, and this was his first birthday without you by his side. that was enough for his friends to be gracious, to let him be as obnoxious as he wanted, if only to distract himself from the fact that he wasn’t bothering you about his gift, and you wouldn’t be there to smear cream on his cheeks. 

“renjun, what if we asked y/n to bring some candles over. i know she always keeps some birthday candles in her kitchen drawer.” 

“are you insane?” renjun hissed, and even though they were the only ones in the pantry, he looked around to make sure haechan hadn’t materialized at the sound of your name. “no way. she wouldn’t show up, and i doubt seeing her here, not as his girlfriend, would do haechan any good.” 

mark mumbles to himself about how it was just an idea. “who else do you think has candles at this hour?” 

“i could run back and check. but you’ll have to tell everyone to wait-” 

“what are you guys doing in my pantry?” 

mark and renjun both jumped at that. haechan was standing at the entrance, his brows furrowed in suspicion. slowly, he frowned and asked:

“are you two fucking?” 

“what? no! haechan what the fuck!” flustered, mark ran his hands through his hair and renjun made a gagging noise, distracted from their relief that he hadn’t noticed the party hadn’t brought out a cake yet. 

“it’s just a little suspicious, but okay i believe you.” haechan leaned against the entrance. “i was just coming to tell you guys that i’m a little tired. could you guys keep the party going? i just wanna take a break.” he smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

renjun looked at his friend in concern. most people believed haechan loved being at the center of attention all the time — loved being the loudest and brightest presence in the room. and he was good at that: was good at making everyone feel comfortable in the room, somehow magically easing any awkward tensions or filling the silence easily and casually. but it would be too much for anyone to take on that role at all times. you had always been there to sit with him when he wanted to be quiet, pulling him away from the party when you noticed his smiles faltering and his eyes glazing over. and now, without you by his side……

“of course.” he settles. “do you want one of us to keep you company?” 

“nah.” giving his head a shake, he bounced on his toes, ready to go. “thanks guys. you two keep making out.” 

and with that, he disappeared up to his room.  

x

leaning against his bedroom door, haechan closed his eyes and let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. the party should have been fun: they played his favorite songs, all his favorite games, mark was pushed into a pool…and yet it really didn’t feel the same. he hated himself a little in that moment, for letting you become such an irreplaceable part of his birthday, something he couldn’t avoid or escape from. he wondered how many birthdays he would have to go without you to finally be able to forget. 

and although he had been trying to avoid it the entire night, he thought about his 18th birthday, the day he confessed to you. 

it was a party not unlike this one. he remembered sitting next to you for most of the night, your cheeks flushed as you leaned in close to him to ask “are you having fun?” for his birthday wish, the one you insisted he couldn’t say out loud because it wouldn’t come true, he had wished that you would like him back. 

after the cake-cutting, mark had spilled punch all over your shirt, and that was everyone’s cue to go home after the party. he remembered sitting in the bath-tub, you in your camisole washing your shirt in the sink, complaining about mark and whoever had let him anywhere near the punch bowl. and he just couldn’t help himself: the warm bathroom lights framing your face, something so domestic about the way things were. this is how i want it to be for the rest of my life, he thought to himself, giddily.

“-next time we have to mark-proof our things so mark can’t get his hands on them, -” 

“y/n?” 

“-one more time i swear, haechan-?” you had turned to look at him, his serious tone taking you by surprise. 

“will you go out with me?” 

“oh.” you swallowed.  

haechan grimaced, because this was as good as a rejection, wasn’t it? stupid birthday wishes he thought. it’s all the same, whether i say it out loud or not. never wishing for anything ever again. you’re looking at him, really looking at him, as if you’ve never seen him before in your life. you hasten to say, “not in a bad way! it’s just…” 

we’re best friends. it doesn’t feel right. i don’t like you like that. 

“it’s fine.” haechan pushed himself out of the bathtub, everything felt too cramped, the bathroom suddenly too small for the both of you. you were looking at him with confusion and conflict written all over your face, so he put on his easy smile. “i was just messing.” he forced out a laugh, the hollow sound bouncing off the tiles. “it’s fine, i swear. i didn’t mean it.” 

he had no idea why, but he seemed to have made it worse. your face flared red, and you turned back to the sink, scrubbing at your shirt even though it was practically clean already. “that’s okay.” 

worst birthday ever. that’s the last thing he thought before dozing off on his bed, you having rushed home immediately. but suddenly, not even 10 minutes later, he was being woken up, the doorbell ringing frantic and loud. realizing you had forgotten your shirt in the bathroom, which he was having trouble looking at, he wrung it dry and ambled over to the door, hoping you would just take it and go. 

but the moment he opened the door, he immediately had his arms full of you. you had jumped into his arms, legs wrapping around his waist, his hands supporting you reflexively. you had pressed your forehead to his, and you were so warm. i’ve liked you for years, you idiot. he couldn’t believe his ears. it’s you, it’s always been you.

in present day, haechan shook his head to rid himself of the memory. he could still remember every moment of that night clearly: the look on your face. how it felt to hold you for the first time, in a different way than he had ever hugged you before. waking up next to you, in his shirt. it was all too much. he wished you were right there, with him, that very moment. he wished he said something when you were walking out of his life. he wished he had held on to you when you came back. 

x

“are you sure you don’t want to go over? we can still make it. they’re probably stalling because they forgot the candles or something.” 

“it’s okay.” you say, in a small voice. you’re staring up at the ceiling, your mind wandering to the gifts in the back of your closet that you had bought for haechan in the months leading up to his birthday. before you broke up with him. and before he wouldn’t take you back. 

jaehyun sighs and comes over to you, sitting down at the edge of your bed. “y/n, today means something to the both of you. are you sure you don’t want to go?” 

“he doesn’t want to see me anymore,” you insist. “i don’t want to ruin his birthday.”

because those were the exact words he had said to you when you showed up for jeno’s birthday dinner, sitting diagonally across the table from him. your heart was beating out of your chest the entire time, especially when he joined you as you leaned against the wall, asking you how have you been. 

“i’ve been…” you trailed off. admittedly, not very well without him. unsure if he wanted to talk  about the breakup, you went with “i got a promotion at work.” 

“that’s great.” he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. as if he wasn’t there with you as you were finishing up presentations to get this promotion. as if he hadn’t made you coffee in the dead of night when you had to take a call from an overseas client. 

“how about you?” 

“i can’t do this y/n.” haechan exhaled, and you felt like a child who had been caught red-handed: in that moment you knew he saw right through you. 

“can’t do what?” 

“the small talk. the pretending we don’t know each other, the pretending that i haven’t been falling asleep next to you and waking up next to you every day for the past few years.” 

you felt a pull at your heart. surely, he was willing to forgive you if this was how he felt? surely he still wanted to hold on to you? the words came out in a rush. “haechan, i’m here to say i’m sorry. i am really, really sorry. i was scared we were moving too fast, you’re the first person i’ve ever loved and put so much of myself into.” haechan closed his eyes, and you hated that. you hated that you couldn’t tell what he was thinking anymore. talking faster, you tried to get through to him. “i got scared. but these past few weeks have shown me that no matter how scared i am it is 10 times better, no, a 100 times better if i’m spending it with you. i love you haechan, -” he winced at that, and you wanted to disappear. “i love you. please say you’ll be with me again.” 

haechan took his time, and you hoped he was listening. you hoped he understood exactly how you were feeling. but a part of you saw it coming when he said no. 

“you don’t get to do that, y/n.” he opened his eyes, and you immediately wished he hadn’t because there was so much hurt inside them. “you don’t get to end things when you’re scared, and come back when you realise you need me.” 

“i know that.” you plead with him, the guilt stabbing at your chest. “i’ll never do it again, haechan. please believe me. ” 

“that’s just not good enough y/n.” he lowered his head. he was sorry too. “i just…don’t want to see you anymore.” 

you felt like you had been struck. but you knew somewhere, that you deserved some part of this. and so you gave jeno your present, hugged him goodbye, and left. and you hadn’t seen haechan since. 

today, you been unable to take your mind off him. you wish you could fall asleep, but something about it being haechan’s birthday kept you awake. after hours and hours of spiralling, you called jaehyun hoping he would help you go through things so at least you could stop feeling so helpless. 

in the first hour, jaehyun scoured his social media for you, finding photos of haechan at the party and zooming in on them as the two of you debated whether he was happy or still upset about the breakup. 

photo of him sitting poolside with another girl? “she’s dating jaemin”, jaehyun clarified quickly, before the hurt could sink in.

photo of him bent over his mug? “he looks so sad.” jaehyun insisted. “he definitely misses you.” 

“he has bad posture, we all knew that.” you scowled. 

jaehyun glared back. “do you need a photo of him bawling his eyes out?” 

“if only he didn’t look so undeniably like he was having the time of his life!” 

“that is so untrue.” jaehyun swiped to refresh his stories, and hurriedly clicked on one uploaded by jeno. haechan, doing the liam payne dance on a table, throwing a wink at the camera. the screen went dark as jaehyun threw his phone against the wall. “oh no, my phone is dead. let’s do something else.” 

“jaehyun…” you whined. “i just want to know how he’s doing.” 

“we need to disconnect from social media, y/n.” he insisted. “it’s ruining our brains.” 

eventually the verdict, made with the web version of instagram on your laptop, was that haechan was perfectly fine — and although jaehyun pulled up a blurry photo where haechan was making his way to his room as counter-evidence, you dismissed it because he might have just been on his way to the bathroom. 

“if you just go see for yourself-”

“no!” you sit up. “if you go about this logically, i broke up with him. that was my move. and despite that, i went back to him, then he rejected me. i can’t go back again. i can’t take another turn.” jaehyun looks at you sympathetically, because if you put it like that, you’re truly not allowed to go back. 

“so that’s what we’re going to do? we’re going to wait for him to come to you?” 

“but he’s not going to, that’s the thing.” jaehyun bit his lip. he didn’t want to give you false hope, because the way you put it: when you told him the whole story, it was highly possible that you and haechan had just been right for each other at the wrong time. 

you were distracted with the ceiling again. as casually as he could, he retrieved his phone, and decided to text mark. 

jaehyun: mark? u there?  mark: yea mark: bruh this party is not going well jaehyun: REALLY mark: we forgot the candles

jaehyun: oh  jaehyun: how's haechan doing mark: ngl he’s not doing too well i think mark: he misses y/n  jaehyun: what???? i thought he rejected her mark: yeah but he lowkey wishes he didn’t. actually idk or something along those lines

jaehyun: should she go to the party  mark: i have no idea. does she want to? jaehyun: she’s scared he doesn’t want her anymore mark: :(  mark: i genuinely don’t think that’s true

“who are you texting?” you look up at jaehyun, and he flushes with guilt. 

“no one. look, y/n,” he turns around to face you completely. “what if haechan regrets rejecting you, and he really misses you. would you go to the party?” 

you screwed up your face in thought. “no.” at jaehyun’s sound of protest, you repeated yourself, “no i wouldn’t. if he regrets something he has to come over and tell me. like how i went over and took back my breakup.” 

jaehyun groaned. you had a point and you were being stubborn about it. 

jaehyun: well she won’t go over. he has to come over and apologise if he wants her back

mark: really? 

several minutes pass. you’re drawing random shapes on your duvet, and jaehyun stares at his phone. and then- 

mark: asked haechan what he would do if hypothetically she was willing to make up  jaehyun: what’d he say  mark: does she really?  jaehyun: what’d you say 

mark: jaehyun this is haechan 

mark: does she really? 

x

“we need more snacks if we’re going to start a movie marathon now.” jaehyun put on his sweater, and grabbed your keys. “i’ll run to the store and get some. don’t fall asleep okay?” 

you nodded. you had finally come up with a viable solution, which was to distract yourself with as many movies it would take until you fell asleep, enough soju to knock yourself out, and a lavender scented candle. jaehyun had been surprisingly supportive, but you knew you had been difficult to comfort today and he was just glad to agree on something that wasn’t mindless guessing and guilty rants. walking to the kitchen to get out a bottle of soju, the sound of your doorbell suddenly pierced the quiet. was jaehyun back already? padding over to the door, you called out “already? also, didn’t you bring the keys-” 

the door opens, and you think you’re hallucinating, because haechan is standing there. no, he’s not just standing there, he’s moving towards you, and suddenly his arms are wrapped around your waist, and he’s buried his face in your neck. 

“haechan.” what are you supposed to do if you’re not sure if this is reality or not? you dig your fingernails into your palms and it hurts. you bite your cheek, and it stings. 

“i’m sorry.” he mumbles into your skin, and you’ve missed this: his lips moving against your neck, the low rasp of his voice when the hours drag past midnight. he pushes himself away from you, and through his bangs you can see his eyes. you haven’t seen them up close in a while. “i thought, if the feelings went away, if i could just stop thinking about you…” incoherent, stammering, and absolutely the picture of the boy you were sure you were going to love your whole life, he pressed on. “but i couldn’t. i can’t. i miss you all the time. you’re sorry for walking out on me, and i’m sorry for acting like i never knew you. i mean, it’s you-” he puts his hands on your cheeks, and his eyes shine like he has his whole world in his palms. “leave all you like. get scared, and run away. i’ll be waiting. i know you’ll come back to me. i love you.” 

you can feel yourself start to cry. “i was so sure you weren’t going to come over today.” 

“i was so sure too.” he lets out a breath. “so, so sure. i didn’t think you’d want me after what i said.” 

“oh haechan.” you hold him against you. “who wouldn’t want you?” 

x

instead of the movie marathon, the soju, and the lavender, you and haechan opened the presents you were going to give him. jaehyun had disappeared for the night: you would thank him some other day, but not now — today was for haechan and haechan alone. 

“you left your own birthday party?” 

“it’s okay, they don’t miss me.” haechan yawned a little, as he followed you in, his hand firmly in yours. neither of you wanted to let go: and so he clung to you as you went to get a glass of water, stumbling back to your bedroom, giddy at the feeling of having the other by your side again. 

crossing over to your closet, your hand still in his, you rooted around in it. “i have so many presents for you, you should open them right now.” you begin tossing them out onto the bed as haechan sat on the edge, playing with your fingers. 

“it’s not even my birthday anymore.” haechan’s head was reeling, as he realised he was sitting on your bed, in your room. he missed it too much. he hadn’t been here in months. but still, he pointed at the clock, which read 1:11 am. 

“i don’t care.” dragging out the last of the parcels, you looked at him tenderly, the both of you basking in the light of the relationship just healed. you felt like you were falling in love for the first time again, feeling inexplicably shy when he took your hand, as if he had never done so before. had he always looked at you so fondly? was his hair always this mussed up and lovely in the dim light of your room? was it too soon to kiss him? “i’ve really, really missed you haechan.”

your eyes flickering all over him were driving him insane. groaning, he swept the gifts to the side of the bed and clambered over to you in one swift motion, and before you knew it, his lips were slotted against yours. eagerly, you pushed your body against his, and once again felt his arms come up to hold you against him. the feeling of everything being new and exciting buzzed through your veins, as he ran his hands up and down your sides, your eyes closed and savoring every touch. 

coming up for air, you leaned back to look at him. his lips were swollen and his hair a mess, but the look in his eyes, his pupils dilated and his gaze unwavering, stirred something inside you. “someone’s hungry today.” 

he let out a laugh, and you felt like you wanted to press your ear against his chest to hear it vibrate against you. “i didn’t even get to have cake. stupid mark and his candles.” 

suddenly, you gasped. “haechan!” 

pulling away from you reluctantly, he blinked. “baby? what’s wrong?” 

“i haven’t said happy birthday to you.” sadly, you press your face against his, just like you had all those years ago when you told him you liked him. “happy belated birthday haechan,” you said, softly. 

he smiled, and the look lit up his whole face. it was that look that told you things were going to be okay. 

x

'you are cordially invited to haechan’s second 22nd birthday party. '

mark read out-loud off his phone to renjun the next day. renjun was nursing a terrible hangover, and moping around the kitchen trying to find the coffee machine (which mark could’ve sworn he saw chenle steal last night). mark and renjun were the only two who stayed over last night to watch haechan’s house while he left to do god-knows-what. 

“again? another birthday party? but his birthday’s over!” 

“that wasn’t a real party. i’m having a do-over.” haechan sauntered into the kitchen, hopping up onto the counter. he was really only here to pick up the toast you liked to eat for breakfast, and he wanted to get back to you immediately. 

“why?” renjun complained, giving up on the coffee and peering in the fridge. “it certainly felt like one.” 

“y/n wasn’t there.” haechan says confidently, and way too brightly for mark and renjun’s taste. “and plus, you guys forgot the candles to my birthday cake and just didn't bring it out. what’s a birthday without a cake?” 

“you were the one who left. also, ignoring that. ” renjun straightened, looking at haechan. “did you get back together with y/n?” 

haechan smiles, and it’s a dead giveaway. “yeah.”

mark let out a sigh of relief. “thank god. someone will bring the candles this time.”

[sageistri]

I'm glad that jm is doing what he wants to do and not following trends. He's not letting people, including pjms, put him in a box of what yall think he should be doing. MUSE is not going to be FACE 2.0 bc jm has moved past that, and it would be boring if he kept releasing the same thing over and over. FACE is about jm's depression during covid, and MUSE is about love post covid. The media has already reported that are connected with the theme of love so if you hate love than this album is for you apparently. Just bc they are love songs it doesn't mean that they are fan songs bc they very well could be or are for someone jm maybe in love with.

Y'all talk to people like Jimin or BTS are the only artists they listen to.

"if you don't like x song you hate happiness" like these songs are the first time anyone's listened to "happy songs".

Jimin being experimental and unpredictable is the best thing about him, and yes he can never be placed in a box which is another reason why anyone of you shouldn't be trying to explain or justify his music to anyone. If you do something unexpected as a musician it is expected that some people won't like it so it's not your place to try and tell anyone that they're this or that because they don't like a song. Its not only insulting to us but also to him because it sounds like you're making excuses for him and his artistry.

And I refuse to accept that we've gotten to a point where we would use "if you don't like x you hate fun" unironically to"defend" his music.

It's really not a good look and I hate that this is the narrative y'all are going with. And I'm not even seeing hate tweets like he got during set me free pt2's release so it's baffling that this is the one release y'all are doing this over.

Although I think the lack of discourse from kpop stans has to do with the fact that most of them don't even see this like an actual comeback song, from the promo, to the announcement, to everything else.

Some people don't like the song and it isn't even in the "ok I don't know how I feel about this but I'm hyped up anyways" way. One of the major problem as someone who's a Stan is how unmemorable everything about this whole pre-release has been. I also had my opinion on smf pt2 but with sgmb it feels different, I feel dismissive of it. Right now I'm doing as much as I can to support but I've not felt any need to constantly check how well it's doing and unsurprisingly, so far I also haven't gotten a single ask worrying about how it's charting.

To some of us this song is basically another CTT in every sense. It was received the way it was presented.

I don't like the song but I'm actually relaxed waiting for the album, because I know I will love it. And I'm not feeling too bad because i got the feeling right from when the schedule dropped and the lack of teasers that it's going to be something like this. It was a thought that was stuck at the back of my mind, now I realized it was for a reason.

The only people who care this much about this whole thing are the pjms who act like the world is ending whenever they don't vibe with something he does and have no problem disrespecting him in frustration and people like you who think we all have to like everything he puts out or we're bad stans. Smpt2 was not my favorite Jimin song and I didn't like some things about it even if I did like it overall, but the album dropped and I loved it.

I could name 10 albums from my fave artists right now where I hated or didn't love the first single or singles but I loved the album. Or even albums that I ended up hating but was initially Looking forward to because I loved the single so I've come to understand that my feelings about singles do not determine how I end up feeling about the overall album.

You either like something or you don't, all of y'all are doing too much.