#apparently I'm making a new playlist with these 2 songs so far. I KNOW there are more but can't think of any others right now.

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

I just discovered that "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes sounds really good right after "In a Big Country" by Big Country. They work very well together theme-wise, too - songs of existential hope.

[shawnsturns]

Might not update this often as I do not have a title or anything for it and nobody probably will read it so I don't know if I'm talking to anybody but if I am thankyou! :)

Summary:

It's about a person whose parents get divorce and because their mum has financial issues they live with her mum's best friend for a while. The mum's best friend is the mother to Shawn Mendes and Aaliyah Mendes. Y/N hits it off really well with Shawn and that's all I have so far but I know it will remain pretty light-hearted and non-sexual either way.

This is my first time ever writing a fanfiction so I tried to make it pretty easy for a light read when you're bored and want something not too hard on the brain. loosely based on a dream I had, the person in my dream was a completely made up person, I just thought that I might as well make a fanfiction about it because I haven't had a dream in a while and it was kind of cute so I don't want to forget it.

It had finally been summer break, all those miserable memories of school were starting to vanish from your recollection, you were excited and surprisingly motivated to socialise with your friends and make those crucial coming of age movie moments. But of course none of that was upon your horizon, this was because nothing worth living through ever happened in your life, for instance the last eventful thing that occurred in your life was when your parents' marriage fell apart and you then had to start living with your mum who then began struggling with finding a permanent house. Regardless of that you were still disappointed when you were told that your next three weeks will be spent in some weird town purely because your mum's bestie (Shawn's mum) lives there.

The whole way to this town you let your mind wonder; what will it be like there, is it hot or cold? Will any of your friends miss you? How long is this drive? Will it be annoying to change the radio channel? Is your mum really ok? Did you forget any belongings at your dad’s? Will you ever be proud of how you live life? Are there gonna be any cool people there? Apparently your mum's friend has 2 kids, Shawn Mendes and Aaliyah Mendes. For your sake you've hoped that the one your age at least will be approachable, especially because your therapist had recently told you to meet new people and put yourself out there, your real self.

This drive was truly revealing of you and your mum's relationship, you had always had a certain awkwardness about you and now that was clashing with your mum's personality, she was and always had been the hardest person to read. You figured you would switch between listening to music and watching a show but the tension was just too much so you just began to ask those questions you thought of earlier, none of the deep ones though mainly just like what your mum remembered about Shawn's mum and what to expect.

Whilst bored in the car you came up with the best plan. Well… now that you know the first AND last names of who you're visiting (your mum told you) you impulsively decided to stalk their Instagram's and Spotify. Was this the most moral thing you’ve done? Not at all, did it give you fuel to make a judgment about them and prepare yourself? Yes. Luckily nothing was really too alarming with either of their Instagram's, they were all pretty casual and had photos of when they’d travel or do fun stuff at home with an occasional photo of just themselves in a fit check or like a selfie, you were way too scared to look at their stories though. You found you have similar taste in music with all of them to some degree, and none of them had Spotify followers which was honestly a huge green flag.

You gave special attention to Shawn's Spotify as you gathered you two would bond the most as the 19 year olds, his carefully crafted almost endearing playlist had phenomenal music and perfect covers. Your favourite was the one titled “I miss quality time”, it consisted of songs so good they felt nostalgic but you’ve never heard before, songs that can capture moments for eternity and give them gracious hugs. With one hour left of the drive you plugged in your earphones and began listening to it unshuffled, certain lyrics would catch your ear and result in you pondering whether it also caught the attention of Shawn's ear or moreover his heart.

i'm sorry this is awful :(

[fromtenthousandfeet]

i can get behind your backing of new jeans, but the way you defend min hee jin is funny because that woman is crazy. you hate hybe so much that you think she's absolved of any guilt.

Hi Anon. Thanks for your message. I usually delete these asks, but I decided to answer yours.

I have a few questions for you before I share my own opinions.

Why is she crazy? Can you be more specific? Please don't answer with "she's a pedo, witch, groomer." Do you have clear examples of her craziness? What is she guilty of?

Have you ever worked under or lived with a narcissist? Have you experienced narcissistic abuse? What do you know about the effects of narcissistic abuse?

Why is it important for me to view her as crazy?

Do my opinions about her, BSH, NewJeans, or any of the members of BTS matter? Why is it important for me to agree with ARMYs about her?

You think your assessment of MHJ is correct and I think my view of her is correct. Which one of us is right? What if we're both wrong?

Now for my response. I follow a bunch of blogger on this site who don't like MHJ and criticize her. When I read their comments, I make a choice to either shrug it off and accept that we don't all have to see eye to eye, or in some cases, I just stop following them. I have never sent an anonymous ask questioning their views of her. Like seriously, who cares? We are all entitled to our own opinions. Nothing I say on this platform has any importance or impact whatsoever.

Contrary to popular belief (apparently), I am not some MHJ super fan. I don't have an altar of her set up in my home. There are things I like about her, though.

I enjoy her taste in music. You can see her playlists on her IG account. I like that she sources songs from up and coming indie women songwriters like Erika de Casier and Benee. I like that her creative directors are a woman and an openly out gay man. That's basically unheard of in highly misogynistic and homophobic SK. I like that the members of NJ aren't emaciated. I like that they're dressed like teenagers/young adults instead of Lolitas meant to appeal to middle-aged men. I like that she wants to change the K-pop industry, because it desperately needs an overhaul.

As for Bang Si Hyuk. I don't hate him as much as he saddens me. It's hard to watch him piss away all the money BTS made over the years. And now he's pissing away their creative legacy with his weird obsession with Western validation. To be honest, watching BSH move is like watching a Greek tragedy. Maybe he started out as a hero (yeah, no), but along the way he became blinded by hubris, ego, and greed. Sadly, he has the potential to bring down many other with him if he falls and fails.

Finally, all I want is for the members of BTS to be free. I want them to make the music they want to make, together and/or solo. I want them to have the freedom to live normal lives, speak their minds, have relationships, and so on and so on. I REALLY want Jimin out of the company, because they have never treated him fairly or equally, and they never will as long as BSH is at the helm.

Keeping tabs on HYBE is a diversion for me and blogging about what's going on is a hobby. That's as far as I take it. For entertainment purposes, I'm really looking forward to season 2 of BSH vs. MHJ! Let the battle continue! The NJ girls are likely days away from terminating their contracts with HYBE. Now everyone - Tokkis and ARMYs alike - should be happy.

I shared this article about MHJ a few months ago. I'm not sure if anyone read it or not, but it's really good. The interview with her took place before all the drama began and it's so interesting to read her thoughts on the industry. For those of you who don't want to read it, here's what she said about BTS:

Some BTS fans want to compare how well one member’s album does over another member’s. BTS is a group that’s been around for 10 years now. They did their duty, basically. So I think it’s time to focus less on the stats and just enjoy their music—[let them] do what they want to do. 

What she said about working with Taehyung was really nice, too. Anyway, here's the article again. Basically, she and BSH are polar opposites when it comes to their approach to music and the industry. For the life of me, I can't get this article to embed. Sorry.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91113146/k-pops-leading-company-has-declared-war-on-itself-this-never-seen-interview-profiles-the-creative-legend-at-the-center-of-it

P.S. One last thing on this already too-long post. I believe the parallels between MHJ and Jimin are strong. They're both super creative and have high standards. They're also both at the center of BSH's ire for being successful without him. MHJ's so-called crazy outbursts and press conferences are in line with someone who is new to gaslighting and narcissistic abuse. She was also a full grown adult when it started. BTW, gaslighting DOES make you crazy. I know first hand. Jimin's response to the years of mistreatment - pulling away, keeping a low profile, operating in self-preservation mode - is also indicative of someone who has been on the receiving end for a long time and from an early age. That's my armchair psychiatrist's take on things.

[born-to-lose]

Sorry I’m so late to send!

Some of my “life shaping” songs are the ones by my favorite artists where they made me realize I wanted to jump into their discography. It may not the first song I heard by them, just the song that made me go “oh 😳 there’s a connection here!”

- Love Me Do by the Beatles

- Yer So Bad by Tom Petty

- Question by the Moody Blues. Many other songs by them as well.

- Hush by Deep Purple

- Left to my Own Devices by the Pet Shop Boys

- Bonus: Rockstar by Nickelback, not because I really like Nickelback but because I genuinely believe it’s the first song I can remember hearing in my life (well, obviously I heard other songs before that, but this is the first song that I associate with a vivid memory).

Here’s my question for you: do you have any other favorite media related to the Who? Movies, books, etc? I just recently saw the stage version of Tommy on Broadway and I LOVED it in terms of sound. It was all just so loud and thrashy (is that a word?) and I may have liked it better than the album. I guess I can kind of feel assured in saying that because if I recall correctly the Who often aimed to make their live performances sound better than the album versions.

-🎁🎄

No worries at all!

Love Me Do is great, I should have gotten that red heart shaped single a couple of years ago but it was too expensive at the time (I say as if I'm not probably going to buy an allegedly signed Live at Leeds copy for God knows how much 💀)

Tom Petty my beloved! I forgot Free Fallin' on my list, this song has been around for me since forever and reminds me of beach holidays

I've been meaning to get into the Moody Blues and Deep Purple, I only know like two songs by each (that I know of, I often hear songs and realize I did know them), so feel free to give me some recs!

I listened to so much of the Pet Shop Boys when I was like 13 for no reason lol they're still on some playlists

I don't get the hate for Nickelback tbh Rockstar is a good song and was also formative to me in a way I can't explain, but it was one of the first songs of which I really vibed with the lyrics on a more personal level. I have no idea what the first song I remember hearing was actually, my bet is on I'd Do Anything for Love by Meat Loaf because I remember my mom's single CD lying next to the radio and being blown away by the epic sound

I've only seen The Kids Are Alright and Tommy so far, but I must have seen clips of the stage version ages ago in my theater kid days but forgot about it until I bought the album in 2019 and thought wait I know this but different. Then I forgot about it again until last month I asked a friend to get me into the Who for real and he made me watch the movie which I loved and it's my new favorite weird movie

I also started reading Thanks a Lot Mr Kibblewhite recently and it's so interesting! Working my way through the books one by one (next up Who I Am), but for movies, Quadrophenia and Amazing Journey are definitely on my list. Now that I bought the Lisztomania soundtrack for €2 I'm also planning to watch that alone for Roger Daltrey. Apparently he was also the guy who killed I Want It All at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, which I watched a lot when I was 15, so it gets an honorable mention because while I was too much into Queen then to look him up, the mic cable swinging and the in my opinion best rendition of the show have been living in my head since

And definitely, when I watch live footage of the Who, it's better than the studio versions and I start loving songs I didn't pay much attention to on the albums! I love when bands do that because some bands are somewhat disappointing in concert, but they and Cheap Trick come to mind first when I think of great live bands

[chandelier-still-flickering-here]

Fun Fact about me I was broken up with on Taylor Swift's birthday and that break up was the reason I even started listening to Taylor Swift. It almost feels like divine intervention; She wanted this bitch to listen to her music so on her birthday she had my heartbroken.

I'll put the whole story under the cut

So he was my first love. We were only together for 3 months but I was absolutely devastated by the break up for much longer (and I'm arguably still not completely over him 2 years later). I was his first boyfriend (he literally came out by taking me to the homecoming dance) so I was very much a stepping stone to the gay world for him.

He's a confident, charming, asshole and I was so down bad for him. I ignored the obvious signs that he wasn't the guy for me (e.g. he's a republican so, apparently my leftist brain disappears when a guy is hot) He broke up with me because ,even though he still loved me, he was out of the honeymoon phase enough to see that it wasn't going to work. We used to FaceTime every night and he broke up with me the first time on one of those calls. I was depressed the next day and thought to myself "I need good breakup songs? Who makes good breakup songs? Taylor Swift obviously." So I found a playlist of her sad songs and listened to her for the first time. I had known of her just from the cultural zeitgeist but never actually listened to her before that day.

He caller me and we got back together the night after he broke up with me. A few weeks later though, he disappeared for a week and I had no idea what was happening. He didn't respond to my texts and he wasn't at school, so for that week I was ridden with anxiety. Eventually on December 13th, he texted me and said he had been at a psyc ward without excess to his phone. (which I had thought the whole time that was what happened because I new he has struggles with his mental health) Then we were still texting that night as I watched the local grocery store burn down and he broke up with me. I'm assuming he did it over text because he didn't want to have to watch my cry again lol.

I was then just destroyed mentally for far longer than I needed to be lol. He is so fucking charming. He had spoken to me about his plans of becoming a politician, and I know he has the level of selfishness and charm to go far. hate him lol

[euclydya]

i'm doing alright, we just got lost a nail at work and dr. crane is a madman who just wanted us to?? continue work as usual? so i dipped. i do not have his level of pain tolerance. y'all's last song recommendations were really good; i ended up downloading every single one.

today i am recommending a bunch of shauna dean cokeland's music bc she is releasing a new song on spotify at midnight!

my recommendations are: this song saved my life by sdc for billy, moving in place (the song she is releasing this song tonight!) by sdc for eddie, electric blue by sdc for steve, reflections on the screen by superorganism for your jonathan, and "listen to your heart" "no." by cheekface for will. i hope he is doing alright over there.

dr. crane also wants poe to listen to truth is in the dirt by karen elson

Jesus christ that sounds painful what the fuck ausixiaks

We're glad y'all are okay though!! Those are all super great songs too, we don't fuck with TikTok but DAMN are there a lotta good musicians on there apparently omg

Our recs!:

Howard - Cake Bake Betty

Very,,, Haunting, I guess is the right word? We don't listen to her much at all but I Love the sounds and vibes of her music so far!! -Steve

The Mind Electric - Miracle Musical

ok now we're diving into the Important Songs™ JDJDIDKDKF

I suggest listening to this on YouTube cuz the first like 2 minutes is in reverse and it is. Cool but annoying to listen to. But anyways!! This song is. Super important to me! For some fucking reason! Cannot explain How Or Why but I. Love It. Especially this mashup that has like Every existing version of the song in it HFJFKF -Eddie

Tumbleweed - Puscifer

When we need to ground ourselves, this is one of our go-to songs,, It's also one of Those Songs™ in our library that has a lot of meaning/symbolism to a lot of people in our system, but for Billy and I specifically it's just... a good reminder to keep fuckin going tbh. -Groves (Billy's asleep rn lmao. She's fine just tired)

Good Morning, Captain - Slint

I don't,, know how this ended up on my playlist? I don't remember Listening to it before today actually lmao but looking through collective memories I can see Why it's on there, the ending lyrics are a punch to the gut honestly they're just so. Raw And Emotional. As are the rest of the lyrics, but those last few at the end of the song,,,, damn. -Jonathan

Daydreaming - Radiohead

I am doing just good I tthink! I'm getting used to. Being a person again and! talking! and! being! a person! :D /genuine

and ummm our Jonathan isn't letting me suggest the song I had in mind because it's "disturbing sounding" and "fucking unsettling" and he's like "what the fuck?? are you ok????" and i Am I just like songs that sound horrifying apparently! HDHDDHD

This is a good alternative though !! very very soft and quiet and feels like a soft blanket, when I make my playlist I'm putting this one on it ASAP (along with the song you recommended for me too!! I love it thank you!!) -Will

(His original choice was fucking. It's In My Blood by Coil, if you're curious. It's just,, 4 minutes of ambient noise and weird screeching with barely any lyrics it is So Goddamn Unsettling to like Everyone in the system, god fhfjdjd

Poe really likes the song Dr. Crane suggested for her too btw!! Her suggestion is Grace For Sale by Terrance Zdunich! -Jonathan)

[kindahoping4forever]

Hi Crystal!

Just saw the tags on one of your latest posts (about a possible drop of a new single).

You mentioned Bad Omens apparently being in the running for a single release. Why would we assume that? Were there any hints? I'm really not in the loop regarding any speculations so I'm just curious why that song specifically is considered to be the possible next drop.

Then you also mentioned that mm&i didn't take off as expected (I also thought it would create more of a stir, I'm really surprised it didn't). Do you have an opinion on why that is? I feel like you always have very good insights into the music industry and know way more about how things work than I do.

Hope you're having a nice day and thanks for your amazing work for this blog! 🧡

Aww thanks for being interested in my tag ramblings, I'm more than happy to expound on them! 🤗💙

I'd been assuming Bad Omens would be a pre-release drop based on the tracklist order - it's smack in the middle of all the other songs we've already heard and so it'd make sense to frontload the album with those songs so the rest of it would be a fresh experience. (Plus, CALM also had 5 pre-release singles and they were all also grouped together on the album. And if you want to take that logic even further, all the songs they previewed live on the 5SOS3 tour are sequenced together on Youngblood as well.)

As for the success of MM&I, it's definitely an industry issue as far as how Billboard charting currently works and how radio stations program their playlists. The MM&I video quickly accumulated millions of views and was on the YouTube trending page for at least a day after release and yet for many ridiculous reasons, those streams don't hold much weight on the chart (for example, did you know that streaming from the free version of YT or Spotify counts as less of a stream than if you were paying for the service?! 🙄) Radio station formatting is a game of kickbacks, algorithms and ad sales at this point so unless you're a huge artist or there's some sort of viral angle to build off of, it's hard to break thru organically.

Complete Mess did as well as it did because it had the angle of it being their first release in 2 years - MM&I is undeniably more classically suited as a 'radio hit' but with no 'story' or trend to accompany the release, there's no incentive for radio to bite. It looks like it's managed to get somewhat of a foothold on the Adult Top 40 chart (unsurprising as CM performed best in the Adult Contemporary formats - MM&I is currently #29) but it never made it near mainstream charts such as the Hot 100 or even Bubbling Under (the chart for slow burners that are about to break thru).

The band and their label are undoubtedly aware of this conundrum and are hopefully adjusting the goalposts/expectations accordingly. It's just frustrating to see something that should be so simple (X amount of people listened to this song = this chart placement) continue to twist into such a weird and unfair metric system.

[topsytervy]

Good Night ~ Rafe Cameron

Ahaha I did a Part 3 to goodbye. It kind of got a little dicey at the end but it’s chill. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Blurb: You and Rafe go out for some drinks and I don’t know what else to say.

Word Count: 3,323

Warnings: swearing, mentions of drinking, grammar/spelling mistakes, I think that’s it

~~~~~~

Rafe smiled as he unlocked the door to his apartment and walked in, closing the door behind him as he placed his keys in the little dish on the counter.

He walked further into his apartment, taking off his coat and placing it on the back of a chair before walking down the hall to his bedroom to change into pajamas. He flopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling as a smile crept onto his face. 

He let out a breathy laugh as he ran his hands over his face as he thought about his day with you in the car. It was a dream come true to have alone time with you after all these years. All he wanted was 5 minutes with you and he got 8 hours instead.

His phone vibrated on his nightstand and he reached over, grabbing it and unlocking it before his grin grew.

My plans for tomorrow fell through and I don't work the day after, so drinks tomorrow night?

Rafe looked up towards his ceiling. "I'm starting to think you exist, big guy." 

Yeah. I'll pick you up at 7?

I'll see you then.

Rafe set his phone back on the nightstand and positioned himself under the covers, closing his eyes as he thought about your conversation when he dropped you off.

Rafe held open the door to your apartment complex for you before walking in behind you.

"Thank you," you smiled as you began your journey up the stairs to your apartment.

Rafe stood at the bottom of the steps and pointed to the elevator. "Why are we not using the elevator?" He asked.

"I got stuck in one a few years back and I decided that I'm staying far away from those things for the rest of my life." You shrugged. Rafe chuckled lightly and took his first step up. You looked back at him with a grin. "Hope you plan on skipping leg day cause I'm up on floor six."

Rafe waved his hand, dismissing your sentence. "Please, this will be a cinch."

Halfway up, Rafe looked over at you as he heard the slight panting coming from you. His lips formed into a smirk as he spoke. "Are you okay over there?"

You nodded. "Peachy."

"Mhm,"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." He shrugged.

You rolled your eyes as you two continued up the stairs, Rafe offering to carry you the rest of the way but you denied his offer. 

Rafe watched as you brought your tired feet up the last step, opening the door that separated the stairwell from the hallway of apartment doors.

You led the way to your apartment door and pulled out your key, shoving it into the lock. "Thanks for letting me ride with you. It was way better than the ride with Kie, JJ, and Pope." You glanced at him as you turned the key.

"It's no problem. I enjoyed the company." Rafe leaned against the wall, praying his voice wouldn't waver at his next sentence. "So, you wanna go out tomorrow night? Hit the town or whatever?"

Even though he knew that you two were on alright terms now, after all the car ride was filled with catching up and bad karaoke, there was still a part of his mind that was nervous. 

Nervous that you would tell him that, as fun as the last two days were, you couldn't see yourselves being more than civil acquaintances. Nervous that you'd say, 'yes, as long as the guy I've been seeing in secret for the past month can join us'. Nervous that you'd say 'let me check my schedule and I'll let you know’, but then ghost him.

Nervous that he would have to watch you walk out of his life again.

"I kind of already have a prior commitment to tomorrow," You told him before reaching into your bag and pulling out your phone, "but I'll let you know when I can squeeze in some time for you when I check my work schedule." You smiled as you extended your unlocked phone to Rafe.

"You promise?" Rafe asked as he hesitantly took your phone. 

This was the beginning of one of his scenarios he created in his mind and not one of the ones that ended with you two saying 'I do'.

You shot Rafe a look. "Rafe, you and I both know that I wouldn't be looking this calm and collected if I was lying to you. I'd be a stuttering, panicking mess."

Rafe chuckled lightly at the truthful statement of your terrible lying as he began putting in his number under his name before texting himself a ‘hi’ so he'd have your number. 

He handed your phone back to you with a grin. "To be fair, you were a stuttering, panicking mess when we first met, Y/N/N, and all you were saying was hello."

You blushed profusely at the memory of you being nervous as hell when you met Rafe for the first time and Rafe wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around you and tease you about the sudden redness on your cheeks like he used to do whenever you blushed.

But instead, he just added, "Don't worry. You were a cute stuttering, panicking mess," before he walked back towards the stairwell.

As Rafe slipped off into dreamland, you stayed awake, waiting for your kettle to go off so you could make your tea.

You grabbed your phone and unlocked it, Rafe’s contact staring back at you. You clicked edit and erased his name before typing out his new name.

Bub

You smiled slightly at the familiar nickname from years ago and hit save before opening Spotify. You went to click on your liked songs before remembering something from the car ride with Rafe and went to the search bar, typing in Rafe’s Spotify name that you still had memorized.

"You're music is so fucking basic, Rafe." You laughed as you once again listened to some random pop song that you had already heard way too many times on the radio.

Rafe shook his head. “My music is not basic. I just have different playlists with different genres. It’s called being organized Y/L/N.” He answered with a grin.

“Really?” You raised an eyebrow,

Rafe nodded. “Mhm. If I’m in the mood for rap, I have my rap playlist. If I want alternative, I have my alternative playlist. And so on.”

“Mind if I look through and choose one?” You asked. 

Rafe grabbed his phone from his hoodie pocket and unlocked it with his fingerprint before handing it over to you. You found Spotify and clicked it open, going to his playlists. You were going to click on his alternative playlist but another one caught your eye.

My Girl’s Favorites.

You glanced over at Rafe. 

“My girl’s favorites?” 

“Hmm?” He glanced over at you and you turned the screen to him. “Oh. Guess I never deleted that one.”

“Oh. You want me to delete it for you so you don’t have to remember her?” You clicked on the playlist and went to click on the three dots but Rafe spoke up.

“No!” His hand reached out and he placed a hand on your forearm to stop you. You turned to look at him and moved your finger away from the dots. “That’s… that’s your playlist. It’s probably a little outdated considering it’s been five years but… yeah. That should be all your favorites from when you were 16.” He admitted, glancing out his window before turning his attention back to the road ahead of him.

You bit your lip before clicking play on the playlist, gasping when Mr.Brightside came on first.

Rafe looked over at you and smiled as you immediately went to turn up the volume before beginning to yell the lyrics as you scrolled through all the songs that were apparently your favorites back in high school.

“This is going to be one hell of a trip down memory lane.” You commented as your eyes widened at some of the songs that you had forgotten about.

Rafe nodded. “Oh yeah. You’re in for a treat.” You glanced at him and you saw his cheeks redden slightly. “I have, on occasion, listened to it.”

You smiled and thought about Rafe listening to all of your old favorites while he was alone. If you were being honest, you still had a playlist of Rafe’s favorites that you found yourself putting on from time to time. 

You smiled as you found the playlist of your high school favorites and clicked on it, playing the music that brought back so many memories. The kettle began to whistle and you quickly turned off the heat and removed it from the burner, pouring the water into your mug that already had a teabag in it.

You grabbed your phone and your tea, heading off into your bedroom so you could begin your nightly hour of coloring to help you unwind before bed.

******

When you and Rafe pulled up at the club at 8 the next night, you got out of the car, shivering slightly in the cold breeze s you waited for Rafe. Once out, he held out his fist. 

“Rack, paper, scissors for designated driver?” 

You waved him off. “I’ll be DD.” You told him and Rafe had a look of confusion on his face. 

“Really? That easy?” 

You shrugged. “I’m used to being DD. I almost always am with the pogues.” You went to grab his keys but he pulled them away.

“Y/N, when’s the last time you got shit-faced?” He asked.

When you didn’t answer, Rafe pocketed his keys. "I’ll be DD tonight. You, my dear, are going to drink to your heart’s content.” 

You ignored the slight flutter your heart did at my dear and went for his pocket to grab his keys. “Seriously, Rafe. It’s not that big of a deal. I don’t want to ruin your fun of getting wasted.”

Rafe grabbed your wrists gently and pushed you away from his body with a small laugh. “I find the thought of you getting wasted way more entertaining.” You shot him a look and he turned you around, pushing you to the back of the small line. “Think of this as your opportunity to let loose and have some fun.”

You rolled your eyes before walking to the back of the line with Rafe behind you.

Two hours had passed since you two entered the club, sitting next to Rafe in a booth in the corner after you two had spent the last twenty minutes dancing. Rafe had two beers the whole night and you… well, Rafe would say you were closer to the shit-faced side of the scale from what he could tell. 

Rafe looked over at you and saw you yawn before picking up your drink and placing the straw in your mouth. Well, attempt to. You missed your mouth a couple of times.

"Alright, sweetheart. I think that is our cue to get you home." He told you, finishing off the beer he'd been nursing for the past 45 minutes.

You whined and grabbed his bicep with your hands. "Rafe, I'm not tired." You finally managed to get the straw into your mouth.

"Oh yeah? That yawn says otherwise. Stay here while I close the tab." He slipped out of the booth and walked over to the bar. 

After getting the bartender's attention and letting him know he was closing the tab, he glanced over at you, smiling as he watched you finish off your drink. He narrowed his eyes as he saw a dude slide into the booth next to you, a smile on his face as he reached over and touched your hand, saying something. Rafe watched you take the straw out of your mouth and respond with a shake of your head as you slowly slid out of your seat, placing your glass on the table as you said something back to him.

Rafe looked back at the bartender who tapped his shoulder and took his card back with a thanks before making his way back to you quickly.

"Rafe!" You cheered, throwing your arms around his neck. 

Throughout the night, he noticed how with each drink you got touchier and more affectionate. Not that he minded, of course, but the sudden movement took him off guard for a second before he slid his arms around your waist to keep you from tipping over.

Okay, half to keep you from tipping over, half because he wanted to.

But, you know, tomato, tomato.

"Hey, Ready to go?" He grinned, his eyes shifting from you to the guy who was now standing behind you. 

You nodded your head and you took your arms from his neck, heading towards the door as Rafe’s hand found its home on the small of your back. Rafe led you outside and to his car, opening the passenger door for you. The sleepiness seemed to finally be hitting you now that you were away from the crowd and loud music, the quiet night taking over instead as you yawned once more. Rafe opened the door for you and you whispered a quick thanks before climbing in.

“Can you buckle yourself in?” 

You nodded as you reached for the seatbelt. "Tonight was fun Rafe." You told him quietly as he watched you struggle to grab it.

Rafe smiled. "Yeah, it was." He grabbed the seatbelt and handed it to you, causing you to smile back and click it into place as he shut your door.

He walked over to the driver’s side and slid into the seat, shoving the key into the ignition before turning it and starting the car.

The ride was quiet except for the radio and when Rafe glanced over at you about halfway to your place, you were fast asleep, head resting against the window. 

When he pulled up to your apartment building, he decided against waking you up, cause what kind of a gentleman would he be if he woke a princess from her slumber just so she had to walk up six flights of stairs while drunk to her apartment, and got out of the car.

He opened your door just enough to slip his hand inside and place his hand between your head and the window before opening the door all the way. He reached over your body and clicked the button to unlatch the seatbelt. 

You stirred slightly as you groaned and Rafe looked at you the seatbelt retracted.

“It’s just me, Y/N.” He whispered, grabbing your wrists and throwing your arms around his neck.

You tightened your grip around his neck as you wrapped your legs around his waist, his hands going to the bottom of your thighs. 

“Watch your head,” He told you as he pulled you out of the car.

You tucked your face into the crook of his neck as he shut the door, beginning the journey to your apartment.

You sniffed as Rafe started up the first flight of stairs, causing one of Rafe’s hands to go to your back, rubbing your back softly.

“You okay?” 

“No.”

Rafe’s face fell at your answer. “Why?”

“Because I lied to you.” You murmured into his neck.

“Oh?”

“I never got stuck in the elevator. I made that up so I could spend a few more minutes with you.” You murmured into his neck.

Rafe felt a smile creep onto his face. “Yeah?”

He felt you nod and he chuckled. “You could’ve just invited me in for tea or something, you know?”

“My plans didn’t fall through either. I canceled them. It was a tinder date but you’re way more interesting than that guy.”

“Oh really?" He smirked, his ego slightly boosted over the fact that you chose him over some random guy.

"Mhm. I blocked him too."

"That’s nice, Y/N/N." His smirk turning into a grin. "Are you gonna delete the app entirely?"

You shrugged. "Maybe." You sighed, one of your hands beginning to play with his hair. 

The rest of the trip upstairs was quiet, Rafe hoping you didn’t fall back asleep when he came face to face with your door.

"Where are your keys?" He whispered, just in case you had actually fallen asleep.

You dug into your bag and grabbed the keys, handing them to the man without taking your face from his neck.

You kissed his cheek as he unlocked your door and opened it before setting you down.

"Do you wanna stay? It's late and I don't think you should drive anymore." You stared at him.

Rafe shoved his hands into the pockets. "Uh...yeah. Sure. Someone's gotta take care of you, right?"

You smiled as you grabbed his arm and dragged him inside, closing the door behind him. You lead him into your room and handed him a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants you never got around to returning to him before directing him to the bathroom.

You climbed into bed after getting dressed and Rafe came back into your bedroom, placing a bucket on your side of the bed. 

"Just in case you have to throw up during the night." He told you, knowing you rarely ever made it to the bathroom.

You once threw up in an empty cooler once cause you couldn't make it to the trash can that was 5 feet away but that’s a different story.

You smiled and he turned to walk away but you grabbed his wrist. He turned to look at you and you opened your arms. "Come cuddle with me?" 

Rafe smiled. "Are you sure?"

You pouted at him and patted the spot next to you. Rafe climbed into your bed, opening his arms and you rolled into his side, your head resting on his chest.

"I missed this a lot." You sighed, inhaling his scent.

"Me too, Y/N. Me too." Rafe kissed the top of your head.

You looked up at him before placing your lips on his softly. Rafe smiled as he kissed you back before pulling away after a couple of seconds.

"Go to sleep now. We'll talk in the morning." He whispered, his thumb rubbing circles on your side.

"Okay, but Rafe, you should know something else I lied about." Rafe looked down at you, waiting for what you were about to say. "I'm not that drunk." You shrugged, a small smile on your face.

Rafe stared at you.  "I carried you up the stairs for no reason? Six fights of stairs when I could've taken the elevator or you could've walked them yourself?" Rafe shook his head. “Did you use the five years to work on your lying?”

You let out a small laugh at his words. "You should've known I'm not a lightweight. I mean, JJ is one of my best friends. We didn’t even have that many drinks tonight."

Rafe shook his head at you again with a tsk. "I know your mom didn't raise you as a liar. I'm going to have to call her and tell her her daughter has been lying to me."

"But it was to spend more time with you." You grinned as you took your finger and booped his nose.

He took an arm from your waist and grabbed your wrist gently, kissing your hand. "I mean, I guess I can forgive you if that’s your reason." He smiled. 

"That is my reason." You giggled.

Rafe squeezed your side. "Then I guess you're forgiven then, sweetheart."

You threw your leg over his and closed your eyes, your arm resting across his abdomen. "That’s good to know. I can go to sleep now without worrying about you being mad at me." You hummed. "Goodnight, bubs."

Rafe grinned, kissing the top of your head once more before closing his own eyes. "Goodnight, baby."

~~~~~~~

[heleneplays]

glad you liked the crane wives! <3 here are some songs for the week! a song i've had on repeat: rose festival by rogue valley. a song that sounds like the ocean: tested & tried by all the luck in the world. a song to make you go 🥺: sunflower by the weepies.

SONG ANON MY BELOVED,,, I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE HERE!!!!

ngl they're here & still have them playing in my mind rent free while i'm reading Malice by Heather Walter ♡ (which. i just started but currently @ ch.3! it's so good so far i'm just out here vibing for Alyce ✊🏻😤 lets get u some self love mam and we'll get back @ Rose & Marigold & everyone else in here later!!!)

but uwu once again business as usual lemme just grab my headphones for a better experience 😌💖

BUT APPARENTLY THEY'RE RELATIVELY UNKNOWN THEY DON'T HAVE LYRIC VIDS????? song anon beloved how and where do u find THEM bc holy fuck

---

Song 1: Rose Festival - Rogue Valley

Thoughts: the music reminds me of country style and I think it's an acquired taste but IG I can't speak when the only country music I do listen to is from Trixie Mattel and Dolly Parton-- LFJFKFX anyways! my thoughts on the lyrics get drowned by the music of the instruments itself as of the moment but uGH i can't and won't think. music pretty tho 8/10 <3

---

Song 2: Tested & Tried - All the Luck in the World

My thoughts: MMMMMMMMMMMM it def sounds like a body of water but personally I'm thinking more of a still but deep lake! The vibes of the bkg music transport me to my childhood days of diving right into the middle and spending hours below the water, tbh... But OOF the LYRICS! IT'S-- AMAZING???? UGH HELLO these???

The river spirits masquerade in the cascade // I can't escape // But you're dancing with them // Learning to murmurate // Until you're just another figure // So I surrender to the spate // My faith in you has been tested and tried // One too many times // Darling around you it hurts // But when i'm alone its worse how do I put myself first // How do we put ourselves first

how do u find music that's so good but hurts from the relatableness + idea making vibes!!!!!! im in awe really 👉🏻👈🏻 but OOF my heart goes :(

hurt & comfort my beloved,,,

sidenote: currently listening disrespectfully @ their other songs (Pages + Never + Contrails in particular) and I think they'd be a good addition to a breakup playlist. the vibes..... they're out there somewhat sad mostly? but yeah. themmm 😔💔

---

Song 3: Sunflower by Weepies

My thoughts: My Android 8 Samsung phone can't read the emoji (hiss!!!!) rn so WHAT IS THE MOOD I DON'T KNOW YET BUT I WILL SOON--

oh

OH

OH!!!!! >:000

personally victimized. I cannot believe this. my helene spillane's entire personality & love for maría dragged. my wig is snatched. I cannot believe u found a perfect song to just. UGH. my heart,,,,, i'm crying. omg.

I'M CRYING??? HElLo

A little smile but your mouth is tight // Gentle petals crowd around your eyes // I wanna be the company you keep // I wanna be the one you come to when you fall asleep // If there's a place to grow // In your heart let me know // I'll be your sunflower // I shine for you // You know I'd do // Anything for you

hhhHHHhHHHhHhHh new drawing idea and im not even finished with my heart-attack inducing sin >:0 i cant beliEVE--

anyways UGH this song makes me soft!!! please take a flower, i think u deserve it

---

once again THANK & ilysm for the recs, they're refreshing! esp this week, coz' guess who's taking her midterms with 80% prep, 69% prayers, 41% no fucks and 420% energies? honk honk it me ♡

no the numbers are just random ahaha moving on

anyways oop once again I will be out here. saying ur recs are vibe-able but let me just *bonk* you with a pillow. bc once again i am hit with feels 😔💖💖💖

anyways i hope u have a super good day bc i'm definitely ending mine with a great note!

[icharchivist]

Hey, how do I get into hypmic? Is it an anime? A song based thing? Like I see some music videos but also there's apparently a plot so that can't be it right? It seems interesting but I'm lost

aaHH HEY!! welcome welcome! 

Oh my god i’ll try my best to make it not sound as complicated as it is. 

Hypmic is a mixed media series that is mainly told via songs and drama tracks, so it’s a little tought to get into, but we also get side content with a manga. The only struggle is to find all you need online but i have a drive file with all the songs/elements in chronological order, so i can send that in private if you want to (the fandom tends to try not to share stuff publically because the right holders are very serious over not letting things spill too much)

the plot is a little cheesy and it’s mostly just for characters’s moments and excuse for songs but tbh I have so much joy out of it i don’t even want to belittle it for that, it’s the best kind of cheesy i love it so much.

the place to start is here, this video:

The translation of this song in particular can be found here. As you can see in the video there is also the profile (name/age ect.) of each characters.

You’ll find all the translations available on this website. They only translated the first battle season (the second one just started recently) and so far we only have summaries of the new seasons thanks to this twitter account.

The general structure of the series, as it is narratively intended to be consumed, is that each Album has about 3 songs and 2 drama tracks. So you just need to get into the albums in a chronological order to get about everything. The rest is honestly just bonus, even if we’re starting to get more unique content in the manga adaptation lately. 

(there are previews of each albums on youtube, and the full songs of all the ensemble songs and of the latest album’s songs, you can find them in this playlist to give you an idea at least of if you’re interested in the sound.)

The Project: Was started by Ichiro’s VA specifically to bring spotlight to the Rap scene in Japan. Each songs are made in collaboration of multiple rappers who get promoted with it. Meanwhile it is also a passion project for the 12 main seiyuus involved who all get to develop their characters with it. Each divisions generally works with different styles of music and ambiance. Each Divisions also get different plots and different development through them, evolving with very different themes.

The Story (at least what you need to know before getting into it): 

After World War 3, the new Government in place in Japan banned all weapons, only allowing them to be remplaced by Hypnosis Microphones, Microphones that can cause multiple physical and mental injuries depending on your flow, your way to use words, the truth of your words, ect... Some more extreme uses in skilled hands can do as much as create violent hallucinations or even healing.

Originally the Government barricaded itself in Chuukukou, the center of the city, and left the rest of Tokyo to fend for themselves in territories battles. As time went by and the territories battles were organized in a way for only 4 major divisions to be in the control of the city, Chuukukou however siezed the opportunity to organize Gladiator Battles with said 4 representants and fight for more territories between themselves while entertaining everyone, as the battles are treated also like they were idols. It’s of course more a way for the Government to keep a control over what’s going on outside and keep a close eye on the powers outsides its walls. 

Those Four Divisons are divided as presented in the above video: 

Ikebukuro Division is taken care of by the Buster Bros!!, Ichiro Yamada, Jiro Yamada and Saburo Yamada - three brothers working odd jobs together. Yokohama Division is taken care of by Mad Trigger Crew, Samatoki Aohitsugi, Juuto Iruma, and Riou Busujima Mason - a Yakuza, a Corrupted Cop, and an Ancient Marine  Shibuya Division is taken care of by Fling Posse, Ramuda Amemura, Gentaro Yumeno, and Dice Arisugawa - A Fashion Designer, A Writter, and A Gambler.  Shinjuku Division is taken care of by Matenrou, Jakurai Jinguji, Hifumi Izanami, and Doppo Kannonzaka - A Doctor, An Host, and a White Collar Worker. 

I am keeping it as vague as possible so if you get into it you get to discover why those bands even formed and what sort of dynamic they ended up creating with each others. If the fact those combinaisons of characters intruigue you then i’m encouraging you to get into it even more because it is fantastic ahah.

And to make their battles worse: the Four Leaders, Ichiro, Samatoki, Ramuda and Jakurai actually used to be part of a band together, The Dirty Dawg and were very close. Until something happened leading to their breakup and some level of resentment- different for everyone of course. And obviously this gets addressed as the battles go on. 

I’ve personally got into the saga by just knowing vaguely about the characters and listening to the music available on youtube and ended up... well. Loving the songs so much I needed to know the story behind them. So i personally i do recommand listening to the songs on youtube, and if you like the vibe, just dive into it ;O

Before moving on, reminder, all of the translations available for all i’m talking about are on that website. 

The Structure of the Main Series, is therefore by Albums: 

The four first albums (Buster Bros!! Generation / Mad Trigger Crew Bay-Side / Matenrou  Clinical Sound / Fling Posse - F.P.S.M) are the Introductions albums: Each about one of the division, has one song by character to present them, and 2 drama tracks setting up their dynamics (the first drama tracks of each album is available on youtube if it serves as a starting point - the second drama tracks explore the relationships more in depth and are not available online.)

Then you need to listen to the Battle Anthem / translation

Then comes the Battle Season: 

-War War War, BB VS MTC. It has one group song per band, and a rap battle song where they face off, alongside with two drama tracks that basically moves the main story up while establishing the dynamics between the divisions. (as a word of advice storywise, listen to the group songs before the drama tracks and to the battle song after the drama tracks) -Battle Battle Battle, FP V M. Same formula as Warx3. -Death Respect, The finale of the winners (that I won’t reveal yet). The album itself only has the battle songs and remix of the groups songs. -The Champion, with a song announciating the Champion, AND a Song about the Past of the Four Leaders when they used to be together. Along with two drama tracks, one basically concluding the Battle Seasons and the characters’s arcs, and a Prequel Drama Track about the leaders’s past.

There are yet no translations for the Prequel Drama Track. 

Then we have the preparation for the second Season as it starts with Hoodstar.

The last released Album’s name is Enter the Hypnosis Microphone.   The album countains:  -All the 3 ensemble songs -All the 4 group songs  -4 New Group Songs that are all available fully on Youtube. 3 out of the 4 had been translated. (Ohayo Ikebukuro, Stella, Papillion. Dead Pools wasn’t translated yet) -5 Drama Tracks: One per division and one finale one that conclude this arc in particular. Only summaries are available. 

That’s the core of the story, that’s where you should focus on. Like I said I can share the full discogaphy in private. We’re being secretive but we just keep it private, so if you are interested my file should be clear about the Order and all.(I also have the translations saved in those files for better accessibilities - if i share this file you will just need to follow the numbers and you should be fine, just ask me about it and i’ll send it gladly, i just don’t post it in public)

ON A SIDENOTE: we get mostly Official art releases via magazines and such so it can be hard to find again. as much as i hate zerochan in term of how it deals with fanarts, its official art sections is pretty solid so you can find a few of the official arts HERE if curious.

Another note: the winners during Battle Seasons are determined by the audience, the fans, us. As a result the plot is always everchanging by our own involvement with it. We get to decide the winners just like Chuukukou is supposed to do and that’s a fun gimmick. for now we’re not in a battle season but soon :3c

If THEN you decide to go into deep, There a few manga, and you can find the translated versions of it there. (only three of them had been translated). 

the manga are hard to find and incomplete so i wouldn’t encourage you to seek them yet unless you get into deep. The two first manga that were translated are adaptations of the first drama tracks. it seems the volume version that recently came out also adapted the second drama tracks but we hadn’t got to see them yet.  The Third manga (ongoing) is set before the Prequel about the Leaders, before the met each other and it sets up more the politics of the world (warning the politic worldbuilding is slightly cringeworthy). I wouldn’t recommand it before you’ve reached the Champion album. It is also not over yet.  Now two new manga are ongoing and i only have chapter 2 of each in Japanese so @.@ but they seem to cover unique new side stories for the characters with some lore dump. We get translation threads over the twitter i linked once in a while.

Other bonus: They started releasing Duets for some characters, which are super hard to find (i have them though so it’s fine, we just have no translation of them except the translation threads). The Duets so far are mostly joke songs + a drama track to give it context. We got a Samatoki&Ichiro, Jiro&Saburo and Hifumi&Doppo duets so far. More seem planned. They came out with the volume versions of the manga. 

Others bonus: They have made 2 full lives yet where the Seiyuu came out as In Character as possible to play and sing their songs. It’s mostly bonus content to see how they set up some of the songs ahah. (I have them but it would take me time to share them)

Upcoming: there will be a ryhtmic/visual novel mobile game, but we have no idea how much it will be involving plot or just gaming device ahah. But it’s coming. 

I think this is as much as a vague taste i can give about the series. If you’re really curious i can send the file right away, and you can take it at your own rythm.

and since i’m publishing it that’s an invitation for anyone who would want it. 

I hope it makes it clearer and i sure hope you are still curious about it :3c 

Take care! :3