#and you can't tell me they actually care about lyricism when they listen to artists with far simpler writing

[thetiniestdeath]

Beyond tired of hearing people's opinions on Taylor's writing when they a) are clearly not understanding the lyrics and b) don't actually care about bad or cringy writing, they just (for some reason) love tearing Taylor apart

[nartml]

"You just don't get her deep lyricism and her poetic plays on words—"

Yup. You're right. I don't get it.

Because how am I supposed to get it, when the beat puts me to sleep? How am I supposed to get it when all 31 songs somehow manage to blend into one?

You want me to listen to the lyrics, but I'm too busy nodding off.

I don't give a rat's ass if Taylor Swift is some sort of lyrical genius (which I know she isn't), because if I wanted only good writing I'd pull out a fucking poetry book.

Taylor Swift is a singer. You know, a song artist.

Who makes music. Who is regarded by Swifties as this amazing, misunderstood genius. She's 'objectively good'.

But I say that to be objectively good at music, you're supposed to be able to take care of the lyrics and the rhythm.

You're supposed to be able to both write well and have a good beat in the background. Preferably, one that doesn't sound the exact same as the previous five.

I'm not under any circumstances saying that every song has to have both. Not at all.

But if an album of 31 songs is to be considered actually good, then it better have both to an extensive degree.

There should be variation. There should be something to make it interesting, to pick up the pace.

Now before the whataboutisms kick in, I'm not saying that you can't enjoy it. I'm not saying that it can't be your favourite.

I'm fucking saying that you have no right to act as if we're the crazy ones because we don't "get it".

Or, or, or maybe, have you considered that for some of us, there's nothing to get.

We're not stupid, nor slow. We know what a damn metaphor is. We get what she's trying to say.

But just because there's meaning in something doesn't mean it's good, or smart, or interesting.

'You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum that they raised me.'

Mhm. Yes, Taylor, tell me more about how your parents brought you to Nashville to get famous because you wanted to. About a deliberate choice that you made and keep making, even though that line implies that you had no say in the matter.

Fascinating. How difficult it must be to have a billion dollars lying around in your bank accounts.

That's just cringe worthy.

[not-goldy]

God I can't really stand JK anymore.

Everything regarding him went a downhill since 2023. The way he behaved changed a lot.. LIKE A LOT now he's way cockier as if no one in the whole world can top him and he doesn't need to listen to anyone giving even good advises, how he used to present himself and looked changed drastically now he looks like a junkie, how he used to perform changed so much now he doesn't half half the energy or stage presence and doesn't give af about making mistake a ton times while before he used to perform with extreme perfection. He's listening to their PR teams too much like where did I go live when I miss fans went ? Now he's listening to their cheap promo tricks. His work ethics is completely opposite from what BTS was.. he's working with payola king of the whole industry and buying success. Releasing a 100 version and a western collab with some B grade pop artist. The songs he releasing are basically shit now when he used to release magic shop, film out, your eyes tell and still with you kind of gems.

The ONLY thing connecting me to him now is Jimin. There's no way to avoid JK when you are a Jimin stan. But i'm WAITING for the day Jimin finally open his eyes and get out of this toxic relationship so I don't want to put up with him anymore.

You see, your problem is that Jungkook is not Jimin. That's your problem. Half way through your comment, I smiled to myself and I thought well this Anon would certainly love Jimin then if these are the qualities they looking for in an idol. only to get to the end of the Ask to find out you actually do like Jimin💀

That complicates things for me.

Where should I even begin

There's nothing wrong with having a preference. There's nothing wrong with having a bias.

I'm not gonna come for your throat on this.

You prefer Jimin's work ethics and prefer how seriously he takes his public relations, how he puts on effort and that's alright.

BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO HATE JUNGKOOK just because he's not YOUR PREFERENCE.

If you keep that up you and I gon have a problem.

Do I think Jungkook can take a page or two out of the Jimin idol manual? Sure.

As much as I looove seeing Jungkook live his life on his own terms not giving a fuck what anyone cares- some times, in certain areas I do think he could use that self regulation.

Yet on the other hand, I don't find Jimin's over regulation appealing either. I've ever said his kumbaya persona, caring too much what others think, trying to be perfect, self regulated, evolved, controlling his words, his attention, being overly polite, smiling when he should be cussing people out all in the name of his consciousness of the fact he is an idol really REALLY FRUSTRATES ME.

Jimin struggles with this. The never mind tattoos, the song lyrics yearning for freedom, set me free- where do you think that comes from?

I don't know how we can call ourselves stans and not sense some of these things: the members constantly telling him not to care what people would think, to do whatever he wants,- even Jungkook openly reminding him HE IS AN ADULT and shouldn't care about certain things.

Jungkook is good for Jimin and Jimin is good for Jungkook.

Jimin is the leash and restrain Jungkook needs and Jungkook is the freedom Jimin craves.

Please don't come for jikook I'll paint you and it ain't going to be pretty.

Also remember, this is a human being you are talking about. He is not an alien. He is human just like you. That vitriol and animosity towards him is so not necessary.

I can't help you unhate him.

But please, be a good human.

He is a relatively young man navigating overwhelming situations. I personally think going solo has taught him so much and there is much more he'd learn along the way.

And please, it's slander to say he half ass his performance- have you seen his tiktok? THE THIBGS HE CAN DO WITH HIS WAIST- MY GOD!

Oh and did you see Tae's smoke challenge? I may or may not be addicted to the part he wines his waist- lolay lolay lolay

Sorry I had to go and watch that clip again.

Liste, the point I'm making here is, It's his journey and his choice to decide the type of idol he wants to be. You may like it or you may not. That's a you problem. However he's responsible for his own reputation and his own success in the industry and I think he is still learning to hone his values and filter his choices through those values.

Give that man a break .

AND FREE JUNGKOOK.

Peace out

[i-will-sing-no-requiem]

*note: I'm actually very bad at judging whether something is popular or not so some of these might be more popular but these are songs from artists I don't see talked about a lot on the parts of the internet that I'm on and a decent amount are ones I know because they are based out of closeish to where I live

(the lyric from each song that I think most fits them under the cut)

I Am The Night by Amelia Curran And I'm the one whose gonna fall apart When everyone else breaks your heart I am the song I am the hymn of sin I'm the addiction and I'm giving in

Where The Nightingales Sing by Alan Doyle Meet me at midnight Same old sweet song Tonight and tomorrow And on and on Stay with me sway with me Love's serenade As long as we stand And the band wants to play When the last waltz is over And the next one begins Lay me down, lay me down Where the nightingales sing Lay me down, lay me down Where the nightingales sing

Hey Now by Hillsburn Hey now, hey where'd you go? Paint me up and play me, honey, I'll pretend that I don't know That life's a struggle, a bright illusion, a hustle. Tell me through these harder seasons I'm the best part of this puzzle.

Hey now, hey wherever you been, Throw your older arms around me, Maybe we'll be young again. So I say hey now, hey wherever you go, Come on back home to me, honey, We'll pretend you missed me so.

Redacted by Leanna Firestone I'm not leaving because I don't care I have to go because the idea of being in love with you Makes me so scared and I don't know who I am anymore But I know that I never even question it before I met you, so

I'm so sorry that I have to go You'd be a casualty of my curiosity, so I think it's best if we never know If I like you or if I just hate being alone

Here For You To Love by Madison Violet But time and time again Yeah we're just friends No beginning and no end I keep waiting for the shoe to drop When you look at me and i'm enough Oh darlin' i'll be here for you to love

Not Allowed To Love You by Madison Violet When I look behind I guess I could have noticed And that's half the crime I was innocently hopeful Could have listened to your breathing It was heavy on my shoulder There were things I could have told you It was easier to hold you

Now how can I Be not allowed to love you anymore Can i be not allowed to love you Was the thing that I was best at That I didn't have to guess at It was all that I could say I knew for sure I can't say it anymore

Favourite by Ruth B. Rough around the edges, hates when people see him weak But I don't think he's thinking when he's all alone with me Blues turn to an auburn red I'll make my mark in his head (mm)

I see his walls come down One by one One by one

He writes poetry but no one knows I think I love him 'cause no one knows He don't have a favourite colour He says, "It's too hard to choose" But I'm his favourite girl (ooh-ooh) I'm his favourite

Safe Haven by Ruth B. When the world is caving, baby, you're my safe haven And when it all comes crashing I remember you saying If you show me, then I'll show you All the things that make me wanna know you And when the world is caving Baby, you're my safe haven, you're my safe haven

And when I leave you I stop looking for heaven 'Cause I found a piece of it wrapped up in your presence Oh with you and I there's love so divine On my darkest day, I know you'll be my shine

Ava by Hillsburn I'm not a pretty boy But I'm loyal and life's long You need folks to depend on Maybe I'm built all wrong But my love is true

Wash Me Down by Jim Cuddy I swear I’ve seen your face before Somewhere when I was young You make me feel the miles I’ve walked The things I’ve left undone Come here and lay beside me One more hour, that’s all When you leave I’ll close the door Maybe then I’ll fall

[carsonian]

i saw you reblogged the ask game and i got very curious and excited. limiting myself to two questions bc honestly i would be interested to hear you answer every single one but i choose ❤️ and 👻 x

Ho ho ho...waheyyyy, heyyyyaaa whiny! K! Let's get into this.

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

TOUGH question mostly because I can't fucking remember anything.

I have lines that still make me laugh:

And two fics that I think hold up pretty well prose-wise: "As They Are" and "Must Admit I'm Out of Bright" but I'd be hard-pressed to find a good serious line.

Oh, wait!! I really like the poem young-pining-Steve wrote young-Tony in "The Remarkable People Initiative & The Zugzwang Dilemma", also a riff off of the poem Ben wrote Beverly in IT. That fic is chock full of references to other children-encountering-huge-scary-things novels.

There we go, that's the answer.

👻 What is your wildest headcanon?

My wildest headcanons aren't that wild. Mostly stuff about the Avengers as people. Like.

Clint's got the best music taste in the OG Avengers (Sam wins overall). It's not that he's particularly musically inclined; it's just that he's listened to a lot more music, he keeps up with new artists, goes for variety, and is able to curate his listening experience better. He makes an active effort so by default he gets the aux.

Natasha likes hard 90s (only 90s!) dubstep and has Opinions about classical music but mostly just listens to whatever Clint's put on during a stakeout. It's not that she doesn't care; she's just not very picky.

Bruce has got very carefully curated playlists that are all some variation of "CALM DOWN INSTANTLY", "SENSORY IS FUCKED. LISTEN AND CALM DOWN", "STAY CALM AND LISTEN TO THIS"; mood stabilisers, you know? And then one playlist that's just "AGHGHHGHGHGHHGHGHGHGHGHGHHHHHSHHSHSHSHS". It's a playlist curated by the Hulk and it's mostly Britney Spears, Linkin Park and Cocomelon.

Thor likes orchestras and raves. Acapella fascinates him. He's weirdly ambivalent about pop music but thinks that Earth's nursery rhymes are pure shite.

Steve doesn't really listen to music much. If people tell him he has to check something out, he'll do it, but he doesn't really keep playlists or anything on record. He's not the type to crank out a tune just for the heck of it. If he has to listen to something, he tends to go for "actual singers." Okay, he likes Whitney Houston. + he will listen to Thor's acapella picks because he thinks the genre's real impressive. He enjoys swing and jazz but only when live, and slow jazz he keeps for romancin. . . and speaking of people he's romancing->

Tony thinks he's got good music taste--he's an 80s baby! But he doesn't really. He's been listening to the same shit for thirty years and he's yet to get bored of it. He does have a party trick though where he can offhandedly recite the lyrics off songs from decades back if you ask him casually enough. But! If he's actively trying to recall it (aka karaoke), he fucks up.

[allamericansbitch]

just my food for thought: taylor's approach to promoting ttpd feels very much like big kpop releases (with the street pop-up, doing very limited promotions beforehand but dropping album versions with different names and even having photocards in her album and the album and lead single mv to drop on the same day ) and i understand that it also harks back on the generally short attention span people have with music these days, and saying that i miss her old rollouts doesn't mean she just has to bring them back because i want that, but i also would have loved a bit of a gradual build-up.

i honestly don't mind that the majority of people know who and what that album revolves around, since that is another thing i as one person can't change and i know that doesn't matter to me when i listen to the songs, but i honestly don't look forward to the fact that people will dig through the album for the most scathing lyrics, post them for viral moments, and then move on in a week or two bc then their attention will go to something else. this doesn't even feel like a real 'era' because the era is basically non-existent, which says something when taylor has marketed herself as the queen of album eras. i just wish she'd build on the theme of the album more, make it more of an era and work to make the songs just breathe for a while, you know?

while midnights wasn't my favourite album she ever did i genuinely really liked it (and same on the love for glitch!) for the way she wrote the album and the central theme of it being her contemplating her life, her actions, and her relationships - but all of that got lost in the wash like three months later and we never returned to looking at the album that way. you and the other anon were so spot on in saying that once it got the "heartbreak album" stamp (which ,,, it legit doesn't feel like a heartbreak album to me and still doesn't?), people never really came back to it or to listen to the songs and see anything else in them. i enjoy taylor's music and i like coming back to songs weeks, months, and even years later, as with any artist i listen to, and to see how i feel about them now. but it feels like that is never happening again bc the promo tells the majority of people one thing, they will listen to the album for two weeks except for two stand-out songs that become general faves, and then it's back to engaging with the commodity of the brand taylor swift, which to me feels like defeating the purpose of releasing an album aka a big body of work to stand on its own through time!

i don't know if that makes sense. in any case i love the discussions on your blog. feels like there is an entire different discussion about artists not being perfect humans, not even being likeable sometimes, and these people still releasing art that you as a listener (or watcher etc) will relate to and/or enjoy. i don't have a clear answer how to engage with that or how to look at that but the space and conversations on your blog have definitely made me keep thinking about it though it's something i have been pondering on for most of my adult life.

ah, sorry for this wall of text! i just really, really enjoy the open conversations on your blog and your general view on things. i don't know i feel on friday, but if you just want to discuss songs (if you listened, of course, if not that's also fine, i just enjoy seeing you post) i definitely love doing that even as just one of the anons on here. thank you for always putting your honesty and your love for music forward, sarah, it's why you're one of my favourite people to follow on here. 💜

i just wish the promo for this album made it feel like she was actually excited and proud of the album because right now it doesn’t. she’s not doing anything for it, and if she is, it’s being outsourced to other companies who are the actual ones doing the work (spotify with the library or the lyric messages, or instagram doing the countdown) so it really comes off as like she doesn’t care to put the effort in herself leading up to it.

And the thing about everyone moving on like a week after, you’re so right. it’s obvious a universal issue, everyone’s attention span is getting shorter everyday, but with taylor and swifties… it’s so bad. every release is forgot even days afterwards and the fans ask for another one. fans are speculating that she’s gonna drop rep tv the same day ttpd comes out… like they’ve already anticipated that they’ll move on the same day after getting it so they want more. and i feel like, while it’s impossible for taylor to fix the global attention span issue, i feel like proper promotion would help combat it within the fandom. like her releasing a first single a month or two before the album comes out would build anticipation, but also force people to slow down. here’s a teaser but now you have to wait, teach the fans patience kind of thing.

and that last part made me tear up that’s so sweet to appreciate what i have to say. i’m so happy you enjoy following me. messages like this are the exact reason why i love to have my inbox open and have these amazing, mature, open minded conversations and it sucks im gonna have to close my inbox for a short while when the album comes out but i will definitely post my opinions once i spend some time with it! ily anon thank you 💗✨

[colorisbyshe]

"#concert behaviour has gotten so bad since venues opened up after lockdown" slightly related, but the one rule now that pisses me off beyond anything is when people tell others not to sing loudly at concerts because 'you're there to listen to the artist sing' and 'you're ruining other peoples' experiences' it's so fucking snobby. like um. sorry, but no? i'm going to sing the songs i came here to see performed because i love them? the thing concerts were pretty much made for??

if these kids (and yeah, I'm calling them kids, because it's mostly FROM kids) knew what concerts were like when I was the same age as them they would explode on the spot and get kicked out of the venue for being stupid. they don't want anyone to do ANYTHING "disruptive" (see: singing, dancing, moshing if it's a hardcore show, etc) at these shows so they can get instagram and tiktok clips for clout.

and i KNOW i sound like a massive boomer because of it but i really don't care. if you can't handle other people singing in your videos because they're 'too loud' and take away from the aesthetic of a live concert video that's a you problem. maybe don't go to concerts, then <3

(not you, obviously, but it made me think of the things i've seen on TT from teens/early 20's people and I apologize for the rant)

See... you're not gonna get the most sympathetic ear from me on this one because the singing thing is REEEEAAALLY context specific.

I don't think you should be sing-screaming the entire concert--typically, there are moments where it's expected and moments where it's really, really not and you do need ot just chill and listen. And the big issue about "singers' during concert is people doing their own vocal runs and operatic shenanigans OVER the actual singer. Like... I LOVE singing along (though I mostly lip-sing at concerts because I uh...... struggle to retain lyrics) but I've been thoroughly pissed off by people singing like they just left the high school theater club while at a fucking rock show. Like... you are not Rachel Berry auditioning for NYADA... chill the fuck out.

Like... it's very much "Yeah, match the vibe of the audience" thing. Your singing along should NOT stand out. It shouldn't.

If you become the Main Character of a concert for the audience, the people around you, the actual performers, you have committed a party foul. Go the fuck home.

There needs to be a balance between just standing there with your phone, not showing any enthusiasm at all (ALSO an issue I've had with recent concerts) and like... making the entire concert about YOU at the expense of the peopel around you.

Like, I love a good mosh pit. If you alone are flailing in the crowd and shoving into people when no one else is responding in kind, you are an asshole.

Match the vibe.

You should not be more memorable than the performer. Period.

I'm not necessarily a concert expert (I've been to about ~50 shows, ranging from being in the pit at bar shows to seeing pop acts at metlife to kpop to indie rock to shows for middle aged people throwing around beach balls) but like... I know that much.

There is no har dand fast rule but... read the fucking room. And sometimes, "the room" can just be the people in your immediate vicinity. Of course, sometimes people ARE too strict and just want the perfect video, so fuck 'em, but sometimes... you aaaare the problem.

I've seen people get kicked out and I've never thought they didn't deserve it. Shout out to the drunk person who was like... trying to head butt people at an Against Me show that was crazy.

[transfennecbuddy]

So, I actually listened to this song a while ago (thanks Youtube algorithm!) and meant to say something about it, but I legitimately forgot. But now I've remembered, mwaha! This song is called Be My Guest, and for the life of me I can't find out who the song artist is! (I think they might just not have a name?) So I'm linking this song at the end so y'all can find it and listen to it.

(EDIT: I think their name is Azari, whoops. I'm still linking the song tho.)

Also, I would like to add a disclaimer before I even start talking about this song, lol. I do not know any actual names to describe any of the instruments, so if it starts sounding like I'm talking about nonsense, that's why.

So. This song is so good but in a sneaky way! It doesn't come out with any loud instrumentals or emotional singing. It's quiet and soft and sneaky and I LOVE it so much! I love this song's vibe and everything! The music is really simple but eases into the background, and the vocals at first just follow the beat, which sets up a really sly, really calm sort of song that still is easy to jam to. Like you could close your eyes and just relax to this song. You'd end up dancing a little, of course, because the beats are just too immaculate and well-placed to avoid not snapping to them, but it fills the silence in a way that's fulfilling but quiet. There's something definitely there, but it doesn’t demand your full attention. You can do something else while letting this play in the background and take up the back of your thoughts. (Which was why I was going to play this while working when I'd remembered I hadn't wrritten about this song yet.)

Then it adds a lil jazziness to it with some more off-beat beats (that sound kinda like a maraca, actually)! And I love these beats! They're so good that I can almost taste them in my mouth and savor how good they are, mm! The jam levels surpass pure vibing and get me to tap my foot, it's so nice! Now the song's taken up a lil more conscious thought, just enough to realize hey, this is frickin good, but you're still just enjoying the musical silence that it has.

But it doesn’t stay that way! This song has the AUDACITY to pause, take away the new syncopated beats, and leave the end up of beat undefined and (lyrically) silent! And I UTTERLY. LOVE IT. When you're not expecting it, it's like you've been vibing ever harder as the song goes on and you expected to vibe more from the build, but then the music drops out from under you and gives a slower, more careful answer. Like someone is sneaking behind you (which fits with the lyrics)! And the suddenness plus how good the slow down is gives me shivers. I love this part! It blends into the background less, but it's so good and satisfying to vibe to! And there are random real-life sounds in there (like a car horn) that don't sound random or jarring at all! Everything sounds so smooth and well-produced and satisfying!

And then after that, the song goes back to vibing with a few more beats added and it's just... When I'm paying attention to the song, the vibing and fulfilling drop and return to vibing makes me want to cry happy tears, and when I'm not paying attention, it makes me want to wave my hands and tap the beat into anything I can find. Like it's so good that I have to let the music out somehow.

And the end! The end of the song is so slow and sly and MM so good! And the art is so beautiful, I had to say something about it! And the way this song blends the roboticness of the vocaloid's lyrics, the music, and the real-life sounds is just wonderful! This whole song just feels well-produced in a way that even someone with no experience producing music can tell! Like the song artist knows just when to push and pull back to make an awesome song!

This song is so good for working because it's so varied and interesting yet quiet and unobtrusive about it! And honestly, I love it so much that it immediately got put onto my Vocaloid playlist! I recommend it to literally anyone!!

Here's the link to the song:

[thesinglesjukebox]

TAYLOR SWIFT - "CRUEL SUMMER"

TSJ Today reports...

[7.29]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: I need to get a couple things out of the way: 1) Why wasn't this released as a single during the actual Lover era four years ago?; 2) My enjoyment for this song, as I suspect it may have for many of you as well, has decreased since it turned from an secretly adored album cut to a Billboard #1 in 2023; 3) Why did a song called "Cruel Summer" go #1 during the second half of October? Who was in charge of this timing?; 4) The gaming of the charts to get this to go #1 is expected for all major artists, but still pretty craven: these remixes and live versions are... not it; 5) Love it or hate it, this is Jack Antonoff at his most Jack Antonoff, vocoders and all; 6) We were deprived of a real music video for this and I'm still annoyed; 7) Taylor's voice sounds shrill, especially when she's reaching the high notes in the chorus; 8) Tickets for the Eras tour were way too expensive and comically absurd to acquire; 9) My extreme audiophile boyfriend continues to tell me that Taylor releasing four different versions of every vinyl record is choking up the global market and causing all records to be more expensive; 10) Everyone is exhausted by the Travis Kelce media cycle already, and I'm salty that this song was written about Joe Alwyn. Now, enjoy. [10]

Alex Clifton: "Cruel Summer" is a shot of dopamine straight to the heart. It turns everything neon and demands to be screamed loudly in a car with the windows down. I want to inject it into my veins. It makes me thrilled to be alive in a way few other songs do these days. [10]

Alfred Soto: Listening to Lover before masks went on all over the world, I noted superficial resemblances to Bowie in his so-called Berlin era. "Cruel Summer" is Swift's "Joe the Lion," Bowie's 1977 desperate, almost frantic account of Berliners crawling home from bars who can't quiet the din in their heads. I liked it in 2019, I love it now. Her most easeful collaboration in years, her best single since "Blank Space," the electronic clippety-clops and vocoderized enthusiasm building to a chorus of sustained euphoria. For all the blather about her songwriting prowess, let's hear it for the instinct that left oooh-ahh-ahh as a placeholder. [10]

Will Rivitz: By far the most vibrant, well-written, and captivating single off Lover. [4]

David Moore: The unfortunate reality of dealing with Taylor Swift in 2023 is that she has dominated the few remaining metrics for gauging commercial pop success for almost the entirety of her career, in a sort of never-ending imperial phase, so it gets harder to enjoy her with each passing year even if you're so inclined. I've been writing about it a lot lately: Taylor Swift's consolidation of dying formats in old-media youth culture, like the Bain Capital of teenpop; Taylor Swift's absurdly stable career trajectory and how the only analogue I can think of with 15 years of unfettered and untroubled dominance within their milieu is "Weird Al" Yankovic; my increasing antipathy toward Taylor Swift's success, stemming from my evergreen bitterness about what happened to Ashlee Simpson; the cosmic weirdness of how Taylor Swift's gambit for world domination depended on the slow-burn success of "Teardrops on My Guitar," a song literally no one on earth has cared about since 2007; Taylor Swift's limited melodic palette and how her emphasis on rhythm and personality are of a piece with rap's melodic turn in the 2010's. And all that is just the stuff no one was already writing about! There's a full-time reporter for Taylor Swift! She broke box office records with a tour movie so dorky that the background dancers aren't allowed to dance, and the costumes look like an intern snagged them from TJ Maxx 15 minutes before the show, and when Taylor Swift doesn't have a guitar or a piano shoved in front of her she mimes every! single! lyric! with her hands (on enough occasions that I lost count, she sings the word "time" and points to her wrist)! So of course an OK summer song she didn't even bother finishing the chorus for got trotted out four years later for "impact" and it actually worked. Everything Taylor Swift does works. Taylor Swift can do whatever the fuck she wants. We can't get rid of her. No one is even trying to. We've been living in Taylor Swift's 2008 for 15 years, and we might have to walk another thousand miles to find one river of peace. [6]

Tara Hillegeist: Relistening to Lover-era Swift is the sort of experience that makes one yearn for the days when the UN actually tried to enforce the Geneva Convention anywhere outside of the Steam storefront. [4]

Katherine St Asaph: The problem with "Cruel Summer" is the problem with all of Taylor's infinite songs about supposedly dangerous lovers: I have never heard anything less dangerous in my life. [5]

Leah Isobel: Look: I am a Taylor Swift hater. It is my divine calling. The way she vocalizes "devils roll the daice" is like a needle digging into my brain. The fact that if you search "Cruel Summer" you get this and not the endlessly superior Bananarama song is a crime against pop music in general and me, specifically. She sounds like fucking Hannah Montana when she yells that last line on the bridge. All of her music comes across to me like a teenager discovering, to her disbelief, that other people exist with their own individual desires -- that being alive in the world means contending with those desires, learning how to coexist -- and throwing a tantrum about it. It's not that I don't relate, but that I listen to her music and I feel forcibly emotionally regressed, like I am eating candy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; like I am driving a Fisher-Price car to work at an Easy-Bake Oven. And yet. Listening to "Cruel Summer," trying to nail down a score, I am forced to admit that this random Pennsylvanian lady knows how to write songs. Kill me now. [6]

Oliver Maier: The sunset on the horizon beyond Reputation and a late bloomer from the only Taylor Swift record that doesn't totally scan like a coherent chapter in her narrative (though I'm hardly a scholar). One wonders what her career would have looked like had the pandemic, and Folklore, not intervened. More like this would have been nice. [7]

Ian Mathers: I don't think I ever noticed just how gonzo background Taylor sounds going "he looks up grinning like a devil!" at the end of the bridge. I'm not going to wade into trying to figure out whether it's amazing they accidentally left that in (she sounds like a goof) or it's some sort of 3D chess move to make sure yet another market segment finds her endearing or it's a key that when combined with other lore tells you the middle name of her 3rd last boyfriend (or some secret fourth thing). Even if it is calculated, it makes me laugh like a drain. I can't not hear it now. Tik Tok is good for something after all. [6]

Kayla Beardslee: This is obviously a [10]. It's been a [10] since it came out four years ago. Its fate as the hit of Lover was written in stone before the album was even released, thanks to the Secret Session whispers. This is Taylor Swift parting the impossibly wide pastel-colored ocean before her to somehow make room for her presence, dominating thanks to the sense of reckless abandon in her voice that dwarfs even the reverberating Antonoff synths. Her desperation is delivered with a wink, slideshow images heightening the drama for the sake of performance ("cut the headlights, summer's a knife"). Yet this is also Taylor Swift, whose only constant has been always being able to put it into words, collapsing into "ooohs" at the end of the chorus and admitting defeat. Her career is performance: a stab to the heart on stage will still leave a mark in her mind, sincerity betrayed in moments like the loss of composure on "If I bleed, you'll be the last to know" or her scream of "I don't want to keep secrets just to keep you!" The delicious thrill of going too fast is inseparable from her fear of the crash, sure that it'll happen just around the next bend in the road, so hold on tight right now and feel this moment to the utmost before it disappears -- but when the song ends and we're drawn back into the real world, all that's left is a soft, nostalgic smile among the pastel-pink clouds. It's the tale of a summer of girlish hedonism: sure, you got a little too drunk and fell a little too hard, but it was ultimately harmless. They were your own mistakes to make, and you had the freedom to make them. The summer may have been cruel to you, but it was only casually cruel in the name of being honest. "Here's how 'Cruel Summer' can still be a single!", went the gleeful cries of stans in fall 2019 who were still holding out hope. Nothing on earth could come along to diminish the force of this brightest-shining, joyfully hollering star of "I'm drunk in the back of the car," not even -- shit. And now it's 2023, and we're looking back at that summer through rose-colored glasses and trying to bring it back to life. No, it's not the same, but we just want to know that we were holding on for something worth it after all, and that idealism and excitement still have a place in the moments in between. Have you or a loved one lost the summer that you were promised? If so, you may be entitled to compensation. At least that compensation comes in the form of a few perfect bars of pop music that gives you an excuse to scream at the top of your lungs. [10]

Joshua Lu: "Cruel Summer" is probably the most median Taylor Swift™ song in existence, and your enjoyment of this song probably depends on how much Taylor Swift™ you've been able to withstand this year. It's largely made up by lines that sound nice and cohere poorly -- especially that chorus, which features many words that rhyme together and not much else, or the bridge, with familiar images of crying in cars and her scream-singing that's become a literal legal cornerstone of her artistry. The song's catchiness and overall dramatic charm still shine through, like many of her best songs, but in revisiting this Lover highlight, it's evident how much that era lacked a proper point of view. [6]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The fun of "Cruel Summer" has waned with every year since it came out -- even at the time, I liked "The Archer" better in terms of moody synth-pop bangers off of Lover, but every moment here that once felt anthemic has become tedious. It's a song that's become a pop hit because enough fans convinced themselves it's shaped like a pop hit -- of course it's sharp and hooky, shorn of the overly-writerly trappings of her more recent work, but every time someone accuses "Cruel Summer" of pop perfection its flaws become all the more apparent. Those verses are rough -- all that doggerel about bad boys and shiny toys -- but the bridge, and in particular its climax (you know, the big line where he looks so gritty like a devil or whatever) is where my disbelief fails. For all of the skill with which its crafted, I can't tell what sort of feeling "Cruel Summer" wants me to take away from it -- for all of the illicit thrill the lyrics glance at, Jack Antonoff surrounds Taylor with so much high-wattage synth work that none of her lines really land. It's all too much -- a grand spectacle of a pop hit that feels more inert the more closely I look at it. [4]

Thomas Inskeep: I'm by & large not a fan of Swift in pop mode (I miss her as a country artist, and think her best albums are -- cliché alert -- evermore and folklore), and I'm happy to largely blame production choices: Max Martin was a bad pairing for her, period, and Jack Antonoff doesn't generally do it for me behind the boards either. To my ears, maximalism doesn't become her. But this works, and part of it's definitely the production, particularly the Daft Punkish touches Antonoff and Swift provide. St. Vincent's songwriting contributions help too. That second verse opening line -- "Hang your head low in the glow of the vending machine" -- is so dead-on, and a perfect exemplification of Swift's lyrical prowess. Somehow, "Cruel Summer" is nearly magical, the kind of thing that more mainstream pop should sound like. [8]

Brad Shoup: Once again I'm hearing Mutt Lange where it doesn't matter (those robotic yeahs that end the track on a self-deprecating joke) but not where it does; on a chorus that could have dug in harder, and maybe have managed a not-goofy rhyme for the title. Somehow both frantic and grandiose: is there anything she can't do? [6]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Reputation was Taylor Swift's villain era, but only in the sense that any White Girl Whose Cringe Is Swag should be considered illegal. Hearing her coo "You like the bad ones too" before Future barrels through his "End Game" verse? Sublime levels of dorkery. The stilted EDM chorus in "Dancing With Our Hands Tied"? You can practically envision her stiff, awkward swaying. The strained heaving of "Take it off, off, off" on "Dress"? Well, not all of us can sound sexy when horny. She reached unprecedented levels of personable, and with this came new changes in her approach to songwriting. Most obvious was her newfound love for alcohol (She's drinking beer on rooftops! She's spilling wine in bathtubs!) but more subtle, and lost beneath all the "Taylor Swift is rapping!" discussion, was how her toplines became more flexible. Every verse on "Getaway Car" is a chance to put on voices in miniature, to stumble through lines for syllabic emphasis, and to consider rhyme schemes for their texture. That song is the blueprint for Lover's "Cruel Summer." Everything's just a little bit better -- the vocoder is tastefully incorporated, the chorus is more anthemic -- but it's all a bit too cotton candy. She's not drinking old fashioneds, she's just drunk. The shouting is more summer camp than summer romp. The vibe is undeniably "ME!" It was painful in 2019 and it's painful now. She hasn't been this uncool since. [6]

Jonathan Bradley: The lavender synth haze of Taylor Swift's Midnights first found life in the swelling pastels of Lover, so the return of "Cruel Summer" four years on fits her current sound just fine. Swift and Jack Antonoff allow the swollen chords to drift over soft and sleepy textures that envelop like a warm bed or a warm night, punctuating the verse lines with a warped and treated backing vocal murmuring come-ons in dream language. But Swift's own words are glittering sharp, hers is a summer that cuts headlights like a knife, slices to the bone, invites devils to roll dice and kills with desire. Swift sings of a tryst so forbidden that its pleasure can only be expressed in terms of panic and crisis. This is a relationship that needs to remain discrete, and the tension and thrill balanced between her marvelled "the shape of your body is new," and cry of "I don't want to keep secrets just to keep you" shifts this into the queerer end of the her catalogue. Swift's fans have memed her faculty with a bridge into dull received wisdom -- "We have arrived at the very first bridge of the evening," Swift says during her "Cruel Summer" performance in the Eras Tour film, knowing what's expected from her -- but this one spatters synth shards that pull the narrative into a sudden climax. Swift tipsy and sobbing, her careful plans and subterfuge undone, being driven home from the pub, her night miserable and magical all at once. [10]

Aaron Bergstrom: The fact that "Cruel Summer" had to wait its turn behind singles that the Jukebox (charitably) scored at [3.53] and [3.65] is the kind of decision that makes me wish you could send FOIA requests to record labels. (There were meetings! There was market research! This is someone's job!) I know Jack Antonoff's Whole Deal™isn't for everyone, but this is the Swift/Antonoff playbook run to perfection, an update on the best parts of 1989 centered on a bulletproof bridge that lets Swift debut her punk-rock snarl on a line that I mistakenly heard as "he looks so pretty like a devil" for an embarrassingly long time. (She is not at all convincing, but that's what makes it so endearing.) A [10] when it was released, and the summers have only gotten crueler since. [10]

Nortey Dowuona: It's only a cruel summer if you watch the world spin on your terms and your whims, when you're the most powerful musician in the world and massive corporations and governments need to attain your approval, when you're criticized for being so much that your most dedicated fans will silence anyone who says so, when you can stop one of the most powerful sports franchises to pay you ever more attention, when you can re-record the entire public legacy of your songs and erase the memories made with the music you made now stolen from your grasp, when anyone will pick up your call and accept your terms. It's a crueler one when you are utterly powerless in the face of all the public scrutiny. [6]

Taylor Alatorre: Is it too much of a stretch to view the belated popularity of "Cruel Summer" as symbolic of the possibilities that were either foreclosed or deferred by a confluence of events in early 2020, including but not limited to the removal of Bernie Sanders as a relevant figure in U.S. politics? Probably, yeah, but this is the kind of song that makes you want to stretch that far. It livens the spirit, it quickens your step, it justifies an album that didn't need to be justified in the first place. "You say that we'll just screw it up in these trying times; we're not trying." How one feels about that slacker-chic line, with its simultaneous wallowing and reveling in youthful apathy, is perhaps as much a barometer of 2024 sentiment as "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" [9]

Lauren Gilbert: This is how Cruel Summer can still be a single. [10]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[woozi]

henlo yza beloved <33

it's been the same for me 😭 how is april even ending like? i am still in my 2023 just started zone, i've been on autopilot mode tbh, also on purpose avoiding the dates lmao because i don't want to perceive the real time (if that makes sense). i'm so glad and proud of you btw <3

" maybe writers didn't think they'd get that far " CRYINGJSJSDJSK 😭😭 they're just like me then <3.

love how we're so alike <3 because i also don't vibe with the revenge type of media too much, nothing is exciting drama wise this year. trying out classics sounds fun, which ones did you watch? i would love to know <3 AND ALSO SAME I'VE BEEN WATCHING MOVIES SM THIS YEAR, it's surprising to me because i used to be like 'i am not a movie person' turns out i just didn't know how to look for what i really vibe with 😭. i've been trying to watch more slice of life-esqe movies these days, i highly recommend canola ( 2016, korean movie) and also a not so slice of life movie, unlocked. i checked it out because of im siwan skjsksks and ended up wishing for him to not come on screen throughout 😭 ( just bit of warning it's creepy and scary </3 ).

i truly get you </3 hope you get will to read soon <333 it's not a solution but i try to read even just 2 pages whenever i feel like my reading block is out. been reading a book like this since feb djsjsksk ( finally at last few chapters lmao ) i just tell myself slow reading is a thing and don't think too much of it.

sorry bss - second wind. i am now friends with seventeen and fml <3 I AM SO HAPPY YZA <3 i didn't know i needed a song based on dragon ball z this bad lmaoo ( i have zero clue about dbz btw, i was a pokemon - digimon kid) but i get woozi, if i was an artist i too would make all songs about my hyperfixations

i love the song, album and them esp woozi 😭. coups wasn't joking around when he said woozi will shine this cb. they all did tbh.

last two days were definitely the second highlight of this year after bss album for me. it's been so long since i got to be in the whole cb fanfare with anticipating teasers till cb day checking out the music. ( i still have to sit down and listen to the album with lyrics. i first listened to album then read all lyrics next day jsdkks haven't gotten time to both together yet ) i really liked everything about this cb and i love that for me. saur excited for the fml mv too. also today is woodz comeback i'm excited about that too it's been long since i heard new music from him

i've been annoying my friend since caratland about woozi (we both watched it together) 😭 now i think this cb cemented woozi as a bias wrecker for me. sorry that got too long i am just rambling same thing atp.

which ones are your top 3? mine atp are fml, super and idubilu ( yesterday third one was dust dhsjjs ) tell me your thoughts about cb hehe very curious about it

i haven't seen the carat day live either, just watched it through twt clips jdjdks ( i can't watch actually because the app hates me 💀 it doesn't load anything on wifi for me since last year )

ikr <333 plato's been my place to cool down fr. rules about ludo +#(#)#)2 the rules about ludo are that there are no rules 😭 they keep changing locally too. differs from person to person i think. i grew up playing with '6 is the only number which will give you chance to come out of the house' rule, nothing else. feel free to text on disc we can arrange time and date to play 🥰🤍

thank you for taking time out of your life to hang out with me it means a lot, i enjoy your company 🥺🤍. i hope you're taking care of yourself mentally and physically despite the busy schedule 🫂 i love you 💌 sending the best and peaceful days your way my yza <3

MA CHERIEEEEEEEE 🌷🌹🌼🌸💐🌺🌻

same </3 and no bc… how are we finishing a quarter of the year already,,, i also feel like we're just beginning 2023 😭 ALSO SO VALID?????????????????? also not to be morbid, but it just feels like we're accelerating to our deaths atp LMFAOOO

it's literally like,, watching sumn to stress on 😭😭 what is the pOINTTTTTT???? maybe other people wanna live vicariously through those characters but i just want a lil silly plot </3 just some people being nice and happy we already have enough bad shit irl!! the most memorable one that i've watched lately was the truman show!! (WHICH IS INSANE TBH BC LITERALLY A FEW DAYS LATER THE SVTEENIES DROPPED THE FML TEASER WHICH HAD SO MANY REFERENCES TO IT JKFJKGJK) AND URE SOOOOOOOO VALID TBH DFHJFDH we really are so much alike 😭 ALSO LOVE THESE RECCS OMGGGGGGGGG thanks for contributing to my list <33

slow progress is much better than no progress <3 love how u intentionally try to get back to hobbies, that is good for the soul 😋

ALSO MADE ME LAUGH FJDHJDFHFJDDF this album really is woozi-coded 😭 from the dbz references, the mv itself… he's SOO,,, and the amt of woozidans now,,, i'm gonna have to fight for my life buying tickets now LMFAOOOO ALSO COOL OMG <#3333333333 my cousin was also a digimon kid, but i wasn't so i don't actually know anything about it 😔

FELT TOO OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG i also have forgotten how busy cbs are (especially svt ones tbh) so it was also such a fun experience for me <3 ALSO LOVE HOW U REALLY TAKE UR TIME TO READ THE LYRICS!! more than the vibe and music itself it really is a crucial factor to consider when looking at the whole package <3 AND AGREED!!! i also really liked everything (sans the office photos jfdjkfdjfdk, BUT I LOVEDD the group teaser one bc of the table lol, just feel like we've seen enough office concepts from them and wished they spiced it up a lil but i get how it fits into the whole fml thing). AND PLEEK OMG I DIDNT KNOW?????????? i should've realized that he also had a cb when i saw the tiktok w vernon 😭 the way u open new paths for me every time is so <33

AND PLEEEEEEEEEEEK i'm glad more people are realizing his actual Power <3 he really was so fluffy during caratland wasn't he? 🥺

mine also changes a lot kjfgkjgjk but ms fire will never be dethroned from the no 1 spot <33 rn my 2 other faves r super and dust <3 i previously word vomited on al about that here if u wanna hear more abt my comeback related bs LMFAOOO

ALSO PLS KJFKJDDJK NOT THE NO RULES 😭 and that's so interesting 👁 AND YOU'RE ALWAYS SO SWEET PLS </333333333333333333333333333333 i will actually cry n throw up thank u for always investing time on me </3

AND OFC </3333 I SHOULD BE THE ONE SAYING THAT!! also tried my best but i've been sick for the past 6 days lmfao 😭😭 hope you're staying well and safe on the other hand <3 ily ma cherie <3333333333

[dylanobrienisbatman]

I love Dylan o Brien but also hate Taylor swift. Can't believe there's someone who gets it. Please tell us more about your reasons

Okay my love for Dylan would take forever to explain and also I’m sure that’s not what you meant but I DO love him. Surprise surprise, I know.

A big part of my… dislike… of Taylor Swift is that she receives what is, in my opinion, totally unnearned praise and accolades for doing the most basic, bare minimum shit. Like all this stuff this last year. Is it awesome that she’s re-recording her work so she owns her own masters again? Yes. Every artist should have the right to own their own work. But she is literally just re-releasing songs that have been out for years. Yeah maybe there’s a new song or new “version” of a song, but the overall situation is a complete rerelease of old music. But somehow the world treats it like it’s some huge moment for music. It isn’t. These songs have been out for a decade. But, as with everything she does, it’s a god damn spectacle.

And tbh, her music is, in my opinion, the most basic, average music out there, and I say that as someone who used to love some of her songs. They can be fun to jam too, I mean I absolutely sang 22 when I turned 22. I am a millennial woman. But that doesn’t mean any of it is actually good. Musically nothing of hers that I’ve heard has been anything beyond a catchy tune. It never grabs me beyond a lyric or two getting stuck in my head after I’ve heard it 300 times. I’ve never heard a song by her and thought that, musically, it was anything special.

I also don’t find her to be a particularly good singer. Her recorded music is… fine, vocally, but that’s about it. Every time I’ve seen live performances I am unimpressed at best or at worst actively she sounds terrible. Her stage presence is always lacking, and I have never seen her do anything live and been impressed. Lyrically I’m not one to comment. I have a hard time with lyrics because as a HOH person I can’t always pick them out when I listen to music so it’s not something I pay attention too or care that much about. People say she’s a very talented lyricist, I don’t argue, that seems to be the consensus so I’m sure it’s true. But that’s not something that is important to me with music so it doesn’t really affect my opinion of her one way or another.

And honestly, her as a person rubs be the wrong way. She throws people who don’t deserve it under the bus all the time, and has been a perpetual victim for her entire career. She makes a huge deal out of tiny, insignificant shit, and her rabid fanbase treats anything that isnt outright praise of her like the end of the world. She was also openly viewed as the white woman darling of conservative right wing groups for a while and while i do not believe she aligns herself with those views, she spent way too long not saying anything about it.

And tbh, she has always felt completely disingenuous to me. She shifts her aesthetic and her vibe to fit whatever is popular at the time, and it never feels authentic or honest. Everything she does feels like a cash grab or a PR stunt. I’ve never once seen anything she’s done and felt like I was seeing the real her. The lack of genuine authenticity feels weird and I do not like it.

She is an extremely wealthy cishet white woman of mediocre talent who produces average, mediocre music and does the absolute performative bare minimum to speak on issues even with her enormous platform, and she consistently fuels her rabid fanbase to go after people she has been associated with. she constantly plays the victim and is the picture of white feminism. In all honesty, she is one of the most exhausting, oversaturated figures in pop culture and if I never had to hear about her again I’d be fine with that.

[emisonme]

Hey hope you are well. Have you heard the snippet of Bam Bam? Also the people who are involed in the album. Two are his team and buddies. So we can say this is a full on pr album that will actually benefit him. Because not only are they making her lie in the lyrics but according to some she is being shady. So that will play in his victim heart broken album narrative. What do you think will the album do ok? To me it seems like this a contract based album that she had to do. Sad actuall.

Hey Anon! I'm fine. Hope you're also doing well! I did hear the snippet, and honestly, what I've heard so far, I like the song. It's a catchy little tune, and it's been stuck in my head since I heard it. That's a good thing!

Unlike some, I just like good music. The narrative of the song doesn't really matter. If the song is good, I like it. Analyzing Camila (and Lauren's) lyrics is something I do for FUN. I enjoy trying to find the connection between the two. I'm going to look forward to doing the same thing for this album, because Camila is good at telling us a story within a story.

They have tried to connect songs from "Camila" to him, as well. Do you believe it? I sure don't. They did the same thing with "Romance", yet we were able to connect the songs more to Lauren, than Him, and made it make more sense. So, I don't really care what the official narrative is for "Familia", or the narrative for each song. I'm going to listen to it, and if I like the music, that's what matters. I'll worry about proving their official narrative wrong, after the fact.

As you can tell Anon, I don't really care about official narratives. We all know, Labels use official narratives to sell Artists, and then music. When people can continually prove a narrative wrong, then that should be the end of it.

It's easy to prove a false narrative, as just that, false bullshit. Once it has been proven false, people should no longer pay attention to it. Just ENJOY THE MUSIC. If people aren't able to disconnect the two, then that's on them. Those people will miss out on some wonderful music, because of Industry marketing tactics.

I always listen to the music first. I listen to it, not as a Camren supporter, but as a Camila fan. I did the same with "Prelude". After I've enjoyed the music, then I will pay closer attention to the story, and try and find connections.

If you are a fan of Camila's, then you should ALWAYS put the music first. When you do that, the damn narratives don't matter. Once you are able to do that, then it becomes much easier to laugh off the bullshit... as you are proving the false narrative wrong.

The majors in the Industry are never going to change their marketing tactics, because unfortunately, they work. It's up to the fan to ignore the bullshit, support the Artist, and enjoy the music. Prove the bullshit wrong, if you want to, after the fact. It's pretty damn easy to do. Hell, Camila usually proves the official narrative wrong, herself. She makes it even easier for you to do so.

So Anon, I don't care what their marketing tactics are. I can't change them, so I'm not going to worry about them. I'll just prove them wrong, as I and others have done, over and over again.

I just want a good product. If a song makes me feel something, it's a good song. If it makes me laugh, cry, pops into my head in the middle of an empty field as I walk my dog, or makes me dance around the kitchen as I'm preparing something to eat, then it's a great song. That's what matters to me. ENJOY THE MUSIC!!!!!! !! !!!!

[angellesword]

YOUR EYES TELL | JJK (14)

Summary: You live in a world where people see in black and white. The solution to finally see the colors? It's simple. You need to meet your soulmate and look at him in the eyes, but what if the person bound to you is already contented with the monochromatic world? What if...Jeongguk, your soulmate, is already in love with someone else?

Alternatively:

"A future without you is a world without color."

Genre: soulmate au, e2l, slow burn, angst, fluff, roommate au

Pairing: Artist!Jungkook x Lawyer!Reader

Word Count: 1.7k

Note: The lyrics of the song your eyes tell by BTS used in this chapter is NOT translated by me. It is composed/covered by  genuis english  translation and Jess A. Please consider listening to their music here. They’re a great singer! A line from Agust D’s 140503 at Dawn is also used in this update.

Warnings: blood, physical violence

***This is a super short chapter. JJK is just reflecting hehe

SERIES: CHAPTER 13 | FINAL CHAPTER

The blood in Jeongguk's lower lip was mocking him—telling him that once again, he fucked up.

Or at least this was what Park Jimin thought.

"So that's it, huh?" Your best friend rarely resort to violence—wait. This was wrong. Violence was never an option for Jimin, but he was making an exception tonight.

"You're just going to give up on her?" The older boy grabbed the collar of your soulmate's shirt.

Jimin was so mad he swore he could beat Jeongguk to a pulp.

How could Jeongguk be this dumb?

Jimin heard your conversation with your soulmate just a few breaths ago. He didn't plan to eavesdrop, it just happened.

Yoongi was the first one to know what happened to you. He was adamant to let you leave a while ago. He just had this weird feeling in his stomach that told him to check up on you.

His nightmare became a reality when he saw Jimin and Taehyung making out on the couch. You weren't with them and it only meant one thing: you left alone.

Yoongi was so mad at himself. He should have called you an uber or he should have driven you to wherever the hell you wanted to go.

This was partly his fault that's why he couldn't help but shudder in fear and regret when one of his staffs told him about what happened to you.

Police officers said you were under the influence of alcohol. Yoongi already knew this, but Taehyung and Jimin were still shocked.

They had no idea you left.

It actually took the three of them a long time to know what had happened to you. By the time they reached the hospital, they were already too late.

Jeongguk managed to make you cry over and over again.

What an asshole.

What kind of soulmate was Jeongguk? Were you really meant to be together? These questions were running inside your best friend's head. It had been answered when Jeongguk suddenly pushed Jimin away.

He wiped the blood in his bottom lip, smirking at his hyung.

"Who said I'm giving up on her?"

Jimin's jaw dropped. Jeongguk’s voice is full of confidence and determination.

"Y-You’re not?"

"No." Your soulmate said firmly. He couldn't. He wouldn't. Not when he was sure about what he felt for you, not when you needed him the most, and definitely not when you were giving up on him.

No. He should fight when you couldn't.

"Good," your best friend released a breath. He hated your soulmate for hurting you, but Jimin also knew that you loved Jeongguk—even if you told him otherwise.

This was the sad thing about the existence of soulmate that Jimin despised. The encouraging reminders like 'You should learn to love yourself,' and 'you don't need your soulmate to be happy,' would not apply.

It helped, yes. But your world was different. It would always feel like a part of you was missing when your soulmate didn’t love you back.

Humans were made to love and to feel loved. This reminded Jimin of the neon signage that's plastered on Genius Lab: I'm the island in this vast ocean, don't abandon me. This was Min Yoongi's idea. The bar owner always told him and everyone (really) that people were like island—they were able to provide—to extend their hands in this cold world.

They should never be abandoned because like any other things, they needed to be taken care of too.

"But what are you planning to do?" Jimin creased his forehead.

Jeongguk didn't even bat an eyelash when you told him to let you go. This was what annoyed Jimin. How could your soulmate be so silent about this? Why did he simply leave when you told him to go?

In Jeongguk's defense, he just didn't want to upset you any longer. He was aware that his presence was stressing you out. You should rest, especially because there's possibility that you might need to undergo an eye surgery.

Jeongguk's heart clenched once again. You were blind and you thought it was because he hated you.

It’s not true and he would change your mind.

"Seriously, Guk?" Taehyung shook his head, scowling. "This is your and my fiancé’s idea?"

"Don't get mad at Jimin-hyung. It's my idea." Jeongguk corrected his best friend. "Your soulmate is just helping me."

It had been days since the accident and you were aware that Jeongguk had been by your side all this time, not really by your side, per se, but he was around. He was patiently waiting outside of your room in this hospital, begging Jimin and your other loved ones to tell him what he could to help.

Today was the only time he left the hospital, as in the same day of your eye surgery.

Jeongguk swore he's not running away this time though. He was actually going to let you know that he would be staying with you. Forever.

"I can't let you do this, Jeon. I'm gonna lose my job if you fuck this one up!" Taehyung groaned.

"Hyung, please. This is really important!" Jeongguk was nervous. He was running out of time. Your surgery was in a few minutes and here he was, invading the studio where Taehyung worked as a DJ.

"This is going to be aired on national radio, Guk. As in the whole South Korea!"

"I know!" Jeongguk's eyes were blown wide. "This is exactly why I want to do this, hyung. I want everyone to know how I feel!"

If you couldn’t see, then maybe you could understand Jeongguk’s feelings by listening. He was willing to explore other senses just to make you believe.

"Fucking sappy!" In the end, Taehyung had no choice but to let his best friend proclaim his love for you.

Jeongguk smiled as he tapped the microphone, softly calling your name.

"It's Jeongguk. I know you don't want to hear from me, but I have something to say." Jeongguk grimaced. He seriously sucked when it came to expressing his emotions through words. "This will be quick, I promise. I just hope Jiminie-hyung is actually helping me out."

"Of course he is!" Taehyung shouted somewhere. Jimin wouldn't dare to ruin this for you. His task was simple anyway. He only needed to make sure that you were listening to the radio a few moments before your eye surgery.

You were nervous. Jimin wanted to help you calm down by making sure that you knew Jeongguk was not going to leave you alone in the cold.

"Anyway I know that I...well...I," your soulmate blushed. How should he describe himself? Was there a word that could emphasize his stupidity?

"I am an idiot." Jeongguk bit the inside of his cheek. This was the only adjective he could think of. "I am the idiot who hurt you and I know, I know...I don’t deserve your forgiveness because of how selfish I was—I mean, am. I still am."

He chuckled nervously. His heart was hammering.

"Call me selfish or whatever you want. I'm sure I deserve it anyway, but yeah...I'll be selfish again if this is the only way to let you know what I really feel about you."

Jeongguk cleared his throat as the beat of the music started to play.

"Why are my eyes filled with tears?” He sang.

This was a song composed by him. Of course he couldn't do this alone. Namjoon was the one who produced the beat of this song. He also helped his brother-in-law to write the lines. Ji-eun's father was a lyrical genius.

"Hey, stay by my side and laugh.” Jeongguk knew he was asking for too much. It was impossible to simply smile and stay with him—not after the hell he had put you through.

"A future without you is a world without color, filled with monochrome coldness." But this was the exact representation of what would happen if you weren't in his life.

Life would literally be black and white. Dull. Jeongguk knew how essential colors were in his life, yet if he was forced to choose between the hues and you, he would choose you in a heartbeat.

"Even the darkness we see is so beautiful. Please believe me."

Darkness was the absence of light. You were Jeongguk’s light. His life would be dark if you were not around.

He also knew you were going through the darkest time of your life, so he wanted this moment to still be beautiful.

He wanted you to believe that every hardship would pay off. You just had to believe.

"Looking only directly at you, so you don't go away"

Jeongguk wrote this line many months ago. It wasn't even meant to be lyrics to a song. These were simply the words he incorporated in his art.

Jeongguk was a soft person. He usually put cheesy captions in his paintings and drawings—the things he usually couldn’t verbalize.

"Whatever lies in the way of you and me. I'll just keep looking at the future of you and I."

It didn't matter that you lost hope. Jeongguk was sure he would make you believe in love again.

"Shadows of the past keep chasing me everywhere I go, and they try to keep ahold of me and till this day they follow me."

He would try to let go of his hurtful past. Those things didn't matter because he could always make good memories with you.

"Even though it seems to be the start of the end I'll call you and shout out your name."

He would be the hope in your relationship. This might be the end for you; however, Jeongguk was just starting.

Starting to accept the soulmate bond.

"I'll become your eyes to the world and for whatever we may face."

Starting to show you how much you meant to him.

He was willing to become your eyes if you didn't recover from this instantly. He would guide you until you could see again.

"One day all of this, this sadness that we share will bring us together."

The sadness would be over soon. You would see again;

Because Jeon Jeongguk was sure. He loved you and...

"Your eyes will tell."

[lifesupreme-if]

could you answer: 2 & 6 from the ask game? (hard mode: can't choose metric for 2, haha. OR, if you do choose metric, what do you like about their music and how it suits your story?)

hello arlo thank u!!!!! >:3 u stumped me!!!!!!!!

from this ask meme

2. Is there a specific genre of music/music artist that reminds you of an OC? Why?

oh you got me

dylan: artist - carolesdaughter, edgy, messy

stéphanie: genre - synthwave, lounge music, because it's what i envision her listening to (but none of it is actually on her playlist)

dorothea: artist - samia, homey, cozy

[locked]: genre - pop punk, it's dancy and it's grody and i think it fits her very well!

bonus: (for context, most of the a life supreme playlist is comprised of metric, and 3/4 ROs have metric on their playlists)

this might sound pretentious but i like metric for their lyricism and the high-stakes feel of their music!!!!!!!! i like the actual instrumentals too of course but it'll always be lyrics that get me, 1000 times, and i feel like they have a quality you don't find in a lot of music coming out recently (like you can tell they are a band that spawned in the 90s)

it's nitty and gritty, and i feel like that relates it back into a life supreme pretty well :)

6. On the same vein, do you have a favourite type of relationship to write, whether it's sibling relationships/romantic relationships/close friendships/enemies, or some kind of trope, like popular kid/nerd?

i am a big fan of writing romantic relationships, but ones where they're best friends, they care about each other so much! another one of those i like to write is where one of them is generally unpleasant AND/OR a big scary dog type and the other is kind (outgoing or introverted is fine) but the unpleasant/scary one will break into a million pieces if something ever happens to the other one.

i also love writing friendships where one character ends up being the impromptu stand-in parental figure (when they're not built for it, i.e. another teenager or some strange shopkeep friend) and has to bear the whole of the younger character's teenage angst and still loves them like a parent would and they feel loved for the first time :)❤️

[martyrgargoyle]

MASTERPOST TO THE TYLER JOSEPH SITUATION FOR ANYONE CONFUSED!

On September 2nd, 2020, Tyler Joseph tweeted this:

Before this post Tyler has never spoken up about BLM. Many of his fans, especially POC have been asking him to please voice and show support since he has a large influence. Instead, he chose to downplay a movement based on the minority having the courage to face their oppressors that have brutalized and discriminated against them and demand change. Instead of holding this movement as serious and important as it is, he chose to make it a punchline to his insensitive and self centered joke and mocking the people that are risking their lives fighting for a difference.

Tyler Joseph has an estimated net worth of 20 million. That's 20,000,000. He also benefits from being white, cis (and het passing/straight), male, and physically abled. He won't risk being homeless due to being fired (other people signed to the same label has spoken out) or kicked out/evacuated if he spoke out. He won't risk brutalization by the police for speaking out. He would not risk being shot point blank for speaking out. All of these, and more, have happened to people that's fought for BLM. Protesters have been tracked down and arrested and killed. Yet a man with as much privilege as him refused to say anything this entire time.

He is in the position and has power to speak out and influence thousands with his platform and being an idol to a lot of younger teens that take his word as fact and will defend him. This is incredibly dangerous because it starts and gives a pass for racist mindset to younger people, meaning they could think BLM is a joke or not serious or lead to even worse racist thoughts due to them wanting to be like their idol.

Then Tyler proceeded to post this rant on mental health about 40 minutes after being criticized by many fans:

Okay so I have a lot of thoughts on this and dissecting his s*icide baity and victimizing rant.

1. While using humor can be a valid coping mechanism, it has a time and place as well as a subject matter. For me I can say a dark joke on my past abuse. But for someone else, it is not their right to make my trauma their entertainment. Especially if that person is someone that didn't/doesn't face the same trauma and is in a position to benefit from it.

2. Why is supporting BLM such a burden on him? He doesn't face the discriminated they do yet act as if they're a burden if he cannot make their suffering an entertainment. He acts as if saying Black people shouldn't be killed due to their race harms him and he's suffering due to it. Instead of even remaining silent (which is violent and dangerous as well), he went out of his way specifically to mock the movement.

3. He's weaponizing mental health as an excuse for his tone death joke. He's trying to make himself seem the victim for facing backlash and when he first posted these, it was spaced out and had a s*icide baity feel. He shouldn't put POC down to uplift mental health, both are such important issues but instead....

3. He says reminding us what he's 'fighting' for, which apparently is just mental health. But what about POC's mental health, in this case? What about a Black person being depressed and drained and scared because they see their family and friends being killed only due to their race? And on top of that, having to worry if it happens to them as well while constantly grieving? Is that not important or 'worthy' of his support? Or is he admitting he only 'fights' for something that'll cater to and provide for him as well? And that if he can't benefit, he won't care or deem it something worthy to fight for and that he doesn't care? He can't use his mental illness/your shtick as a reason why you will excuse and ignore (and cater to) racism.

But most controversial and insensitive of all he tweeted this with it:

Here he is upfront and clearly defending his joke, despite being told and aware of how insensitive it was. He is admitting he doesn't care about POC feelings or how it impacts them and the way his original tweet has hurt his fanbase. He is defending his mocking of the BLM movement and the people actually fighting while being less privileged than him. He is saying his feelings and his joke means more than POC dying for no reason other than their skin color. He is defending his insensitive tweet knowing it has hurt POC.

He is bluntly being racist and aware of it.

And finally, he tweeted the damage control:

And this is just as repulsive and wrong as his mental health excuse.

1. It was about human rights. There's no way to excuse or lie or downplay it. He literally made a joke about his POC fans begging him to show support and use him platform given his privilege and influence. He can't lie his way through this to excuse himself or try to make people that were understandably upset look like over reacting fools.

2. No room for that? People never said he has to only talk on BLM. If he's waiting for it to stop mattering or trending, it's disgusting. Black lives will ALWAYS matter, it doesn't change based on the hashtag trending or it gaining more attention. He acts as he can't care about two different things or that Black lives doesn't matter as much as a subject that affects you. No one said he can't talk and continue to bring awareness to mental health and for many POC it's more important than ever to have resources and support since they live in a world with a society literally designed to kill and target them. Instead of tweeting one thread or link to donations or awareness to the discrimination Black people face daily; Tyler made a joke, defended it despite it hurting POC, then threw a tantrum for an excuse on why he could never be assed to even pretend to care that much.

3. If it hurted someone? POC were literally telling him from the start it was harmful and damaging. He DID hurt POC but he didn't listen or care until he realized how damaging it is for his career? He isn't sorry he hurt POC, he's sorry he has hurt his career and reputation in exposing his immaturity regarding serious issues. He's ignoring and shifting blame and finally doing even below bare minimum. From the very first tweet to him defending it, he has alerted and told on himself for placing his feelings above Black lives. He deemed a joke on the expense of BLM meaning more than actual Black people's feelings.

Debby Ryan and Josh Dun has both liked his original tweet:

---

As well as these tweets he has had a questionable history. Involving:

Racist tweets from 2015 he never apologized for.

Anti-black lyrics such as in Lane Boy:

'I wasn't raised in the hood

But I know a thing or two about pain and darkness'

And while that can be and is a reference to how mental illness impacts even privileged, it just doesn't sit right with me personally.

He also uses hip hop and rap (a genre specifically tied in and dominated by Black artists and labeled as not real music/easy musix), per example of Heavydirtysoul (just entire second half is continuously putting rap artists down) and Holding Onto You, quoting the song 'Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It' by Dem Franchize Boyz to be below him. (Bridge 2, line one)

Tyler has also refused to publicly disagree with his brother's racist, transphobic, homophobic, right-winged views.

Has not spoken about police brutality before, such as ignoring it until a police officer got killed back in 2016.

---

Please feel free to reblog and add on/talk about your thoughts! :)

[babylonfelldown]

Writer in the dark - geraskier analysis

I was listening to Writer in the Dark by lorde, when i noticed that this fucking song represents geralt's and jaskier's relatioship perfectly, so here it is: geraskier analysis

This is gonna be in Jaskier perspective, like he's the one saying all this stuff yk

(also this is gonna be kinda sad, so beaware ig)

"Break the news, you're walking out To be a good man for someone else"

Well, thre's not much to say, the lyric speaks for itself. Here I imagine Jaskier is talking to himself after their first encounter with the "crazy, sexy, witch", he can feel Geralt slipping through his fingers, when they're alone it's not like it used to be and deep down he knows that even tho Geralt's still with him, his mind and spirit are now with Yennefer.

He also feels that whatever he has with Geralt is not gonna be comparable with what Geralt wants to have with Yenna. Bc Geralt wants more with Yennefer, he wants something that he didn't want with Jaskier. Jaskier knows Geralt is good and that at some level he cares about him, but he also knows that with Yennefer things are gonna be way more profound than that. Geralt won't just be a good person in general, he'll be a good man for Yenna.

"Sorry, I was never good like you Stood on my chest and kept me down"

Here we can talk about how Geralt always made Jaskier feel like he wasn't enough, like he wasn't wanted. Jaskier took care of him, brought coin and a bit of respect on his name, he spent ten years travelling with Geralt and he still didn't call him a friend. And sure, you could say that Jask didn't mind, but it's obvious he did

Geralt: we are not friens.

Jaskier: Sure, lets give it another decade.

Then in the mountains, when Geralt felt like he had screwed up, Jaskier was there to comfort him. Saying that geralt did his best and that was all he could do, that they could fucking live together at the coast, even tho he knew that Geralt could never settle down and stop killing monsters, he wanted that for him, he wanted that for them.

Jaskier feels like his work isn't as important as Geralt's, he's just a bard and Geralt's a hero in his eyes. What Geralt does actually matters.

"Hated hearing my name on the lips of a crowd Did my best to exist just for you"

The first part of this verse is a bit hard to associete with Jaskier, since he obviously loves hearing his name on the lips of the crowd, but we could say this applies to Geralt maybe, like Jaskier is moking him for being so against his ballads. And since Geralt hates them so much, Jaskier tries his best to make them less obviouslly about Geralt.

"Her Sweet Kiss" could pass really well as a sad breaku up song about one of his many hook ups for the people of the continent who don't have all the context we do, they don't know this song is about Jaskier jalousy towards Yenna's and Geralt's relationship, they could think it's about a girl who broke Jaskier's heart and now he's warning other people about her, they don't know jack shit about them and their situation.

All of Jaskier work resolves aroud Geralt, he's not just his friends, Geralt's his muse! Yes, Jaskier has some flings here and there, (he's a funking bard, like), but he always comes back to Geralt, one way or another

Bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark Bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark Now she's gonna play and sing and lock you in her heart Bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark I am my mother's child, I'll love you 'til my breathing stops I'll love you 'til you call the cops on me

THIS PART MAKES ME GO FERAL!!!!"

Okay, so, this is after the mountain break up, it's about burn butcher burn, it's about how even tho Jaskier wants to forget everything and "burn his memories" of Geralt, he can't! Because he is a bard, an artist!

As a writer I can tell you, every piece of art ever made has a piece of the autor within it. When you sing, paint, write, etc. you're putting your feelings out in a less obvious way than just outright saying it, and some artists can only process their emotions when they put them in their art, I'm an exemple of this, sometimes I only understand what I'm feeling when I write a character feeling the same thing.

And Jaskier does this in burn butcher burn, he's telling everyone about this guy that destroyed him, that tore up his heart in a million pieces and didn't even seem to care about it.

But the saddesd part about it, is that he can't just let it go, because he is an artist, because Geralt's not just a guy that broke his heart, he's his muse, the core of his inspiration. And now he wants to make Geralt regret ever being involved with him in the first place, because he won't ever shut up about how hurt he is, whille still locking him in his heart because doesn't matter how much he hurted him, Jaskier still loves him, because he still wants Geralt to be in love with him.

"But in our darkest hours, I stumbled on a secret power I'll find a way to be without you, babe"

Jaskier sings "I've also survived, no thanks to you", because as much as he's still in love with Geralt, he's also he's own person. He's not just "a witcher's bard" like people love to say he is, before he met Geralt he alredy lived a life, and now that he doesn't have Geralt by his side anymore, he's still him.

That's the thing, Jaskier is not a teen. He is a grown man, his love for Geralt is not his only character trait. He lives with or without Geralt.

When Yen finds Jaskier, he's still hurt (rightfully so), but he's also doing good on his own. He's a famous bard with a hit break-up song, he's helping the elfs, he's scared but he's not static.

I still feel you, now and then Slow like pseudo-ephedrine When you see me, will you say I've changed? I ride the subway, read the signs I let the seasons change my mind I love it here since I've stopped needing you

Yeah, he's still in love with Geralt, this type of love doesn't die easy. He can still feel the effects that Geralt has on him, but it's not as strong as it used to be and that is what show's that he's healing.

But then Geralt finds him, he wants to yell, to show how hurt he is, he wants to show to Geralt that he changed. And he did.

You can say that when Jaskier hugged Geralt he was tossing out of the window all of their problems and forgiven Geralt, but he wasn't. Even when Geralt says sorry, Jaskier doens't forgive him. His face says it all, he does not believe that Geralt is actually sorry, he agrees to help yes, but he does not trust Geralt like he used to, he doesn't forgive Geralt completely.

He changed, he doesn't need Geralt like he used to need.

also, heres my geraskier playlis if you wanna suffer with me :)