#but also a good representation of my music taste I guess?

[lookingatmyself]

[kevinsdsy]

Omg i want to say that I AM CRAZY about your socmed au! Shawn is so funny 🥹 (also a huge thanks for muslims representation) I want to know if you would like to make a Shawn playlist? Your music taste is sooooo good

complimenting not only the socmed au but also my music taste!? are we about to kiss right now?/j

BUT OMGGG THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! ILY 🩷🩷🩷🩷 IM SO GLAD U LIKE THE AU AND APPRECIATE THE MUSLIM REP ((whenever someone points out the muslim rep i genuinely feel over the moon about it so thank you <333)

AND YESS OF COURSE!!! i’ve been meaning to make a playlist for shawn and this motivated me to finish it up so thank you <333 here it is!!!

(this playlist is a bit different to my other character playlists— more upbeat and silly; less virgin music shdjdhd but i’m not me if i dont asd some blur songs i guess hehehehe)

[semisecretmission]

I think I'm rambling a bit and I hope this is coherent cause it's coming out as it crosses my brain.

I think 'internet activism' or 'couch activism' has been mostly detrimental to society. And I don't mean actual activists using the internet to organize themselves to meet and protest and campaign for actual change. Those people are real activists and they deserve respect, support and donations.

But now we have a lot of people who believe they're doing good in the world just by posting stuff online and policing everybody else. And I wholeheartedly believe that it's not entirely performative, a lot of these people do believe they are doing good and feel bad when they're not perfect online. And they feel like they need to attack anyone for the slightest offence. Yeah I sometimes like movies that are clearly sexist but also a ton of fun, and so do millions of feminists, it's not a crime. For most of cinema history female characters were not treated like people, what are we going to do, not watch movies?

I think this is not positive for anyone. You have a ton of people online who feel like they need to be perfect and also attack others for perceived transgressions that aren't all that important. Sure, media is important, representation is important, all those things we all know to be true. But we keep getting policed on our tastes, as if that was the end-all-be-all and maybe someone who enjoys a piece of media Tumblr has decided is toxic then goes out and participates in making their local community better. Internet activism has equated those two things and they're really not the same.

I also feel like some people will attack others for these unimportant reasons and then think that's it, activism done for the day, and will do absolutely nothing else for anybody. And this is sometimes just bullying disguised as activism.

And like others have said before me, people need to stop asking celebrities for their takes on every single issue. I don't care what my favorite writer or singer or actor thinks about current events, that's not what I follow them for. And I think this is all related. People will both harrass celebrities for not having the correct opinion (and thus they get to bully someone guilt-free) or they will hail their fave as this pure amazing person so they can feel good about their taste in music/writing/movies.

I honestly think it's silly to expect activism of any kind from celebrities. Some of them do good deeds, but they're still millionaires who hoard wealth that could really help people in need. Stan culture needs to grapple with that. And I think a lot of people need to learn to be uncomfortable with the media they consume and the people they support. Most of your faves are ecoterrorists, but you're not going to achieve anything by a) yelling at them on social media, b) trying to embarrass their fans or c) ignoring it and defending them because you like what they do.

So I guess my two points would be:

People need to stop bullying others online for stupid reasons, that's not activism.

Fans need to learn that you're not a bad person for liking a problematic piece of media, but also that no piece of media / famous person is beyond criticism and that's not an attack on you personally.

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

So Sweden has a winner!

It was the most predictable winner. And it makes me a bit bummed.

I do like Loreen a lot! In fact, I am very happy we for the second year in a row send a girl to esc instead of a generic boy that we sent for like 7 years in a row. Also, she has a bit of a ”weird girl” vibe, which I appreciate. Though, Cornelia last year was more in my taste. Also Loreen’s song, I am sorry, was not as good as Euphoria.

But what makes me bummed is that she’s already won before. She has already gotten her glory. So for her to win again now is like. Hm, I want the others to have a chance.

But you know, this is not the first or last person who has won mello more than once. I mean, Carola won the whole esc in 1991 and then won mello again 2006. Not to mention a lot of other countries also have done ”previous representants returning”. It’s nothing new in esc and tbh it happens with one country or another every year.

I just wish that we dared to send a little more funky, corny, not so serious song. I thought last year we started to break out of our shells with Cornelia. But we always seem to go with the ”safe choice”. We haven’t always done that though, it really started like… after 2015 really, I think. In 2007, we had this, which was like. Mm ❤️ Why are we so boring now? Not to mention in the 80s, when we had a song that had a bald man without a shirt doing an electric guitar solo, and also won the entire esc with a song about GOLDEN SHOES

And in Mello, we HAVE some corny, funny, ”just here to have fun” songs. But they get no points?? Neither from us Swedes ourselves, and if they do, then the international jury in the finale (aka our mortal enemy) will NOT give them points.

I gotta say, Sverige, du gamla du fria du smällfeta ko, VARFÖR HAR NI SÅ DÅLIG MUSIKSMAK??!! I’m not talking about Loreen, but like, the other good songs in the finale? WHY DID NORDMAN GET SUCH FEW VOTES? I understand the jury didn’t give them much because the jury has the most basic of music taste, but swedes?? THAT SONG IS THE ONE I HAVE BEEN BLASTING THE MOST?? And John Henrik Fjällgren?? ESC WOULD HAVE LOVED JOIK. THEY WOULD HAVE LOVED BALD MEN PLAYING A KEYHARP WITH 3D CROWS. THEY WOULD HAVE LOVED THE HARD ROCK BAND SMASH INTO PIECES.

AND ALL THE SONGS THAT DIDN’T GET TO THE FINALE. EDELWEISS?? SOBER?? HECK I KNOW UJE HAD A SOAR THROAT BUT HAVING GRYTAN IN THE FINALE WOULD HAVE SPICED IT UP SO MUCH - HONESTLY THESE THREE SONGS SPECIFICALLY, IF THEY WERE IN THE FINALE THERE WOULD BE SUCH A CONTRAST. SURE MAYBE THEY WOULDN’T WIN BUT THERE WOULD BE SUCH A VARIETY.

How tf did Marcus and Martinus place so high? Imagine if they would have won. Imagine. The norwegians would be so pissed. The irony.

Also how did Tone get 5 points? What is going on?

But there were highlights of this night

I really loved the hosts this year. Their dynamic ❤️

The fact that Paul Rey got loved by the jury and then got ONE point from the swedish people. I don’t understand how he even got to the finale. Did he rig the show??

The way Farah is ready to kiss any woman she speaks to in green room like fr 🫶 #giveFarahamellogf2023 /j

When Jesper interviewed random people on the street and one person walked away and said ”kiss in the butt” and I LOST IT. WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN-

Friends (the group) performing in Friends Arena

DANNY SAUCEDO (in the most ???? outfit like sweetie didn’t you do a whole middle act about your clothing style in 2013)

Either way. Wish we could have gotten some less predictable winner, cause it wasn’t much excitement I felt. I don’t hate the song tho and Loreen is a very good performer.

It was very fun to liveblog with my fellow swedes tho. I guess mello isn’t about the winner, it’s about the fun we had on the way.

See y’all in May.

[transmissionsfromthebattlefield]

Saw Le Tigre last week and have been procrastinating on posting about it. T’was fun, though I was at my peak of liking their music and Kathleen Hanna in general in high school, so I guess I was going in with more jaded eyes. Case in point: in between songs at one point she was talking about making “spaces” “safer” for non-”straight, white, cis” people. Which...kind of bummed me out for a few songs. Just a few weeks prior I’d been to a show in my town where one of the openers was a bunch of local kids, the oldest of which had just graduated high school. 3/5 of the members were girls, one of them sporting a super sick afro. The pit was all female at one point (and much more existent than crowd action at the Le Tigre show, where everyone danced tamely in place until they ended the night with “Deceptacon” and spontaneously everyone started mauling each other). But the main takeaway that I got from those kids’ show wasn’t some message of “inclusion”. My takeaway was that they kicked ass. Their music wasn’t sanitized; in fact, it was actually pretty vicious. And they didn’t ask permission from anyone to do what they did. They didn’t read some book that told them how to do it, either. They were playing because it was something they loved to do, and it was their passion towards kicking ass that defined them. It would be a disgrace to that passion to try and apply tokenism to them or that night. I thought it was cool seeing a lot of fellow young women in the crowd, but I also thought it was cool that, finally, my little town has a cool little ~space~ where all kinds of people can indulge in some Maximum Volume Kick Ass Rock-N-Roll. I wasn’t consciously scanning the crowd to see how many people looked like me or didn’t. I didn’t give a shit, because I was living in the moment. Concerts are events where all different kinds of people can become one with great music. And in that moment, when you’re losing yourself in guitar feedback and physical interaction, ���female representation” and “visible queerness” don’t really matter. What the hell constitutes being “visibly queer”, anyways? Certain patches or pins? Certain styles of hair? Certain facial structures? Why can’t people just be people?

Maybe I would’ve been a little more impressed if I had less life experience and more of a grudge against the concept of men. And this is coming from a physically small female from the suburbs. If anyone should have a grudge against men, shouldn’t it be me? Too bad I try not to judge people based on features they can’t really change. I just judge them on whether their taste in music is good or not. Because the superficial construct doesn’t matter much. It’s the gray matter that matters.

Kathleen ended her spiel by saying we should consider solution-based approaches to the problems in our world. Which is totally correct. But she seemed unaware that the solution is already unfolding in gritty little scenes across the country. Hence why I was...a little bummed.

[pazodetrasalba]

Candied Crushes

Dear Caroline:

You might be surprised to know how popular the word 'crush' has become among the younger generations here in Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if it was incorporated pretty soon into our dictionaries...

Your choice of Every Flavour Beans was mildly surprising, and I do think it says things in particular about you, which can also be gleaned from other entries in your blog. It seems your preference is usually for the highly intelligent, rational, a bit socially awkward and nerdy type, a bit tempered as you age with an added ingredient of ambition, power and success in politics and economics.

I had to look up Numair Salmalin. As for Spock, he makes perfect sense, as I can imagine your Rationalist community seamlessly merging with a Vulcan away team that has infiltrated Earth, except perhaps for the weird mating and sex ethics (let it remain an open question which ones seem weirder to me, the Vulcan or the rationalist).

Cromwell's leaves me a bit flabbergasted, except for the power-and-intelligence kind of thing. There is probably a very good biography of his that you can recommend and that influenced you on this, but my take on him (very heavily biased towards his representation in A Man for All Seasons) is of a wicked, ruthless, completely amoral stooge for who is probably the most tyrannical king in English history. In the case of Hamilton, I imagine the implicit book recommendation would be Ron Chernow's and the derived musical. I am shamed to say that he is probably the well-known Founding Father I know the least about (US history is not that much of a thing here in Europe) but again, my mental image of him is mostly derived from the 2008 John Adams miniseries which depicts him in a less than favorable light.

My own choices are, I suspect, much less interesting and also very illustrative of my weird mental hardwiring. They include (from when I was really young) Jane Badler / Diana from the eighties' tv series V, Hypatia of Alexandria, Hildegard von Bingen and Sei Shōnagon (already told you about these), Dante's Beatrice, Héloise, Eowyn (real girlboss, and yet really feminine, shy and lovable), Lizzy Bennet (particulary in her Keira Knightley incarnation), Jane Eyre, Queen Esther and Amy Farrah Fowler. As for my current massive crush, it is pretty transparent to guess.

Quote:

But love, first learnèd in a lady's eyes, Lives not alone immurèd in the brain, But, with the motion of all elements, Courses as swift as thought in every power, And gives to every power a double power, Above their functions and their offices. It adds a precious seeing to the eye; A lover's eyes will gaze an eagle blind; A lover's ears will hear the lowest sound, When the suspicious head of theft is stopped: Love's feeling is more soft and sensible Than are the tender horns of cockled snails: Love's tongue proves dainty Baccus gross in taste. For valour, is not love a Hercules, Still climbing trees in the Hesperides? Subtle as Sphinx; as sweet and musical As bright Apollo's lute, strung with his hair; And when Love speaks, the voice of all the gods Makes heaven drowsy with the harmony. Never durst poet touch a pen to write Until his ink were tempered with Love's sighs.

William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost

[hoodiestrings]

oooh fun, thank you for tagging! i think i managed picking a pretty good representation of my music taste overall

h - heat waves - glass animals

o - oh no! - MARINA

o - one of your girls - troye sivan

d - dani california - red hot chili peppers

i - island in the sun - weezer

e - emotions - 5 seconds of summer

s - stockholm syndrome - one direction

t - too sweet - hozier

r - red wine supernova - chappell roan

i - i like the way you kiss me - artemas

n - not today - twenty one pilots

g - guess - charli xcx, billie eilish

s - suzie chapstick - green day

tagging: @chaosphil @fryday @wdapteo @swiftlydnp @lesbianphan @pinofdnp (sorry if i double tagged you and also no pressure!)

tagged by @anchorghost tyyyy <3

pick a song for every letter of your url and then tag that many people

f: from thw gallows - idkhow

r: re:make - one ok rock

u: under a paper moon - all time low

m: mount hekla - raccon tour

d: don't you dare forget the sun - get scared

y: you still linger - vagrants

k: king for a day - pierce the veil

e: endless sunsets over monroeville - my chemical romance

tagging @combeauferre @yaoivsyuri @ingydar-phan @warmspice @dancefevers @sandinmybed @neonvqmpire @torotits

[oceanofaurora]

Song shuffle game

Tagged by @bangchanieeee ♥️ Thanks for tagging me 

Here’s what to do: shuffle your songs and list the first ten that play (I’ll be using my Liked songs list in my Spotify, which is almost 2,000 songs)

Good Night by EXO

Tinnitus by NELL

Potion by Eric Nam (ft. Woodie Gochild)

Serendipity (Full Length Edition) by BTS

Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson

We Never Go Alone by K.Will

Secret by WJSN

What A Heavenly Way To Die by Troye Sivan

Dancing King by Yu Jae Seok & EXO

Emptiness by MADTOWN

Tagging: @holy-yeosang, @abathingatz, @atinyinwonderland, and @staytinyunni (only if y’all want!)

[dailytomlinson]

Jack Saunders, BBC R1

Louis: Hello, hello!

Jack: It's good to have you back, thanks for coming in!

Louis: Thanks for having me back!

Jack: Of course, any time, mate! You're in to get some fun, can't have enough, can you?

Louis: I love it, lad, love it!

Jack: Last time you were here, you were in 2019, [...] and we played this game, called "Keep or delete?". Do you remember what happened during that game?

Louis: Not specifically, I do remember the game.

Jack: Ok. Let's see if this docs your memory.

Jack: [replays the 2019 game which Louis says he would get rid of Arctic Monkeys' I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor]

Louis: I must've turned up drunk that day, I must have, honestly. That's a crime! What was The Strokes song? What was it again? Did you know?

Jack: Yeah, yeah, it was up against The Strokes, good memory, it was Last Nite, by The Strokes.

Louis: It's a though pick, but I don't imagine why I picked that? "I Bet You Look Good On The Dace Floor" is a super nostalgic song for me, to be fair.

Jack: Last time was carnage and we will hopefully get it tonight, especially with the end of your tour. You been super busy, man. Especially with this Indie festival you run as well, at Malaga.

Louis: Yeah, man, I mean, that's been a dream of mine for a long time to put out an event like that, to be fair.

Jack: Do you kinda of feel having a responsibility to, I guess, be a platform for your music fans, something that your fans might not normally experience?

Louis: Yeah, that's why I like doing those things and that's also why I like picking the right supports on my tour. You know, especially with bands like Stone, I don't know if any of my fans would've heard of them specifically if I had not brought them to the festival, for example. So those kinda of things are definitely fulfilling for me.

Jack: I'm glad you brought up Stone.

Louis: Oh, they are amazing lads!

Jack: Who else did you had on your festival?

Louis: So Voodoos opened up, then SunRoom who supported me American-in the US tour, then Hi? and then we had The Vaccines. I'm proper honoured, man, for them to play the festival.

Jack: So you didn't do this thing half, you went in full wag. Did you had a dream with them afterwards, as well? Did you get to hang out with them?

Louis: Yeah I did, to be fair. I think, not me finest hour, I went to club after, think I lasted about an hour before leaving quite drunk.

Jack: So, for your brand new music video releasing as well, and I think this was very evident with Walls, you clearly trying channel kinda your taste within your music [...] with BTM, feels like you've done it again, man. It's clearly something you're actively trying to keep going in the music, right?

Louis: Definitely! I tried to come up with something from the blocks that felt like a statement of intend, felt ambitious, it's got that big chorus and yeah, even the album as a whole, I think it's a much better representation of me, as an artist, and not saying the first one isn't, it's just... On your first album there's so much room for over thinking.

Jack: I mean, it's a different prospect being on your own compared to being in a band.

Louis: Oh, definitely.

Jack: You were finding yourself over there, on your own, so there's gonna be an element of development still going on. I'm glad you brought the chorus up as well, coz that's the first thing that I thought when I listened to the track. I was like 'This chorus feels so BIG'. For you, those kinda of like BIG and kinda of indie choruses that you think about, what comes to mind? The ones that you always hammer or sing along? That kinda of thing...

Louis: You know what, the irony is the first thing that comes to me mind in terms of a chorus that I can remember singing, is ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’, which I cancelled the last time I was here, like an idiot!

Jack: [laughs] I'm not surprised, man, that is essential, a banger, isn't it?

Louis: It is, it is!

Jack: You worked with [producer] Mike Crossey on this one

Louis: [nods] Yeah

Jack: Now, look, I've got a list of the credentials to display. He's worked with Yungblud, [lists other artists], Arctic Monkeys - you can tell Mike you got rid of one of his songs--

Louis: No, no, I didn't it, I didn't it!

Jack: Well, you have been on tour for what we've talked about, you been pretty close to fans over the last few months and probably your whole crew, to be honest. Anyway... You should probably know them pretty well, do you agree?

Louis: I'd say so, yeah. I hope so.

Jack: Well for the first ever time on the Radio 1 show, Louis, we're gonna play a game of how well do you know your fans.

Louis: Okay

Jack: Okay. We've got self confessed super fan Ali with us right now, she's gonna post 5 questions about herself and her fandom view and all you gotta do is get the right answers, Louis. Is as simple as that!

Louis: I could be wrong, but I think I know Ali.

Jack: You do?

Louis: I think, I think if it's the same girl I'm thinking of--

Jack: Lets meet Ali.

Fan: [introduces herself] I travelled to see you all over the world, but how many gigs have I travelled to to see you as a solo artist? [lists options]

Louis: If she's asking the question, gotta be a lot, 50 is a lot, so let's go with 33.

Fan: What's the single longest journey I did to a show? [lists options]

Jack: You must heard of some fans travelling crazy distances to come and see you.

Louis: Oh, definitely!

Jack: What's the maddest or maybe longest you heard of?

Louis: I feel like there was a few people at the AFHF2 that came from South America, which is like... Crazy! I mean, shot in the dark, let's go C. I do think it was the girl that I thought it was. I can recognise the voice, I think so.

Fan: I've been holding up a thing at your gigs, what is it that I hold up? [lists options]

Louis: Now this just kinda confused me because this is not the girl I thought it was but there is someone, I should know the lyrics by now but some of the One Direction songs, I didn't sing all parts in it and I covered it and first few shows this girl held up the lyrics so I'm gonna go with lyrics.

Jack: I mean, have you seen many blow out flamingoes?

Louis: I haven't seen one, to be fair. So that's pretty random.

Fan: A fun fact about you is that you can do farts with your arms--

Louis: [laughs]

Fan: Can you guess a fun fact about me? [lists options]

Jack: Do the armpit!

Louis: Nahhh... A bit sweaty under there to be fair.

Jack: Cmon, do it

Louis: Nahhhhhhhhhhhh

Jack: It's too lubricated [both laugh]

Louis: So...

Jack: [Re-lists option A]

Louis: Surely no chance

Jack: [Re-lists option B and C]

Louis: I mean, even for a super fan, that'd be hard. Let's go B. Let's go B.

Jack: You think?

Louis: No sense of smell? I've heard of that about before to be fair. Yeah, so let's go with that.

Fan: Out of all the show's I've seen you, can you guess which one was the favorite? [lists options]

Jack: What was your favorite out of those ones? Well, what was your favorite show on the last tour you've done?

Louis: It's hard, it's kinda cliche but the last gig that I played, which was in Milan, right at the end of the tour, honestly for the first 4/5 songs it just felt like the whole year flashed before my eyes. It was a massive massive gig, that was by far the biggest gig of the tour--

Jack: San Siro? You're a football fan as well, that's gotta be like so!

Louis: Yeah, yeah! Honestly, honestly, really really really special, so that, for me, would be my favorite. Surely, is her favorite as well, I'm gonna go with that.

Louis, getting question #1 answer, wrong: That's crazy, crazy! What a legend! I played maybe 70 shows this year, so she must've come to most! That's madness. [Jack: 3/4 of the show] About right!

Louis, getting question #2 answer, wrong: Incredible, man, incredible. I hope I get one of these rights.

Jack: So do I, is not looking good right now.

Louis: I love my lot, I thought I knew plenty about them! Clearly not!

Louis, getting question #3 answer, right: [laughing] Nice, nice. I know who it is now, I know who it is now.

Jack: So she hold up at every single show?

Louis: Yeah, there's a couple of times where I feel [...] I don't remember and I'm like 'Who's got lyrics?' and I only had to look a couple rows back and she's there, man. What a legend!

Louis, getting question #4 answer, right: [laughing] That's pretty strong, to be fair!

Louis, getting question #5 answer, wrong: I should of [got that right], really. There's a sentimental aspect to that that I missed.

Jack: I was gonna say that, because the way she's describing it, it was a very special one.

Louis: It was, it definitely was! I think Milan just happened a couple of weeks ago and that's why it fogs the memory a little.

Jack: When you did the Wembley one, did you feel sentimental? Did you think about how far you'd come?

Louis: Oh, massively. My relationship with that venue, we were put there together as a band, that's where I did my first solo performance with Steve Aoki, I came back as a judge, we did a lot of the auditions there, so I spent a lot of time there in me career but the only annoying thing is I fractured part of me arm on tour.

Jack: How did you do that?

Louis: Honestly the stupidest thing in the world, man. I decided about 12 months ago, I used to be quick when I was 18, a quick runner, decent sprinter, and I decided that I could still keep up with that pace. But I can’t. Anyway, I challenged someone to a race, and it's jsut... Honestly I ran into a wall. I sound ridiculous but the finish line was just too close to a wall and I’d just gone right into the wall and fractured me arm.

Jack: At the Olympics, they have a cushion in the end so they don't do that.

Louis: Next tour I’ll be investing in one of them, definitely!

Jack: Louis, legend! You know, 2 out 5

Louis, upsetti: Is not great, is it?

Jack: I think you know your fans well, I think you are just from tour

Louis: Yeah, that must be it, good lad!

Jack: Thank you so much for coming in tonight, rockstar, as always! Round of applause!

Louis: Thanks, as always.

Jack: Louis, one more thing before you go

Louis: yeap

Jack: I'm gonna give you a chance of redemption

Louis: I like it

Jack: Would you like to bring it (I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor) back?

Louis: One hundred percent, man!

Jack: YES! YES! It's been a long 3 years without the song, but finally!

Louis: [ha ha ha ha] Thanks again man, cheers!

[cosplayprincess21]

kohaku headcanons? 🥺

Oh another one of my Dr.STONE kins this shall be fun

Amazing with kids and babies. She practically raised Suika so naturally she's amazing with children

Secretly loves anything considered "girly". Its only secretly because well the KOS is full of idiots and the last thing she needs is them becoming bigger idiots

Demiromantic Demisexual. I know i say this for a lot of the characters, but tbh Dr.STONE is pretty good with representation of LGBTQ+ characters and really... We see how she is with Tsukasa and Hyoga and hell even some scenes with Homura.

Mostly pretends to not understand stuff to mess with Senku and the others. Hey entertainment is entertainment

After music was rediscovered with the CD and Lillian's song, it was also discovered that Kohaku is also a pretty amazing singer. Naturally inherited from Lillian of course

When Tsukasa went into the freezer she personally took it upon herself to take care of Mirai, it seemed only right. Tsukasa had done everything he did for her after all, the least she could do is keep his sister safe for when he was healed.

On that note, similar to how she views Suika as a little sister, she also views Mirai as one too

Is secretly insecure about herself. Constantly being called gorilla or tom boy and stuff like that will inevitably lead to insecurities.

Doesnt really like drinking. While the others enjoy it, she doesnt really like the taste of alcohol.

Loves anything and everything that's cute. Give her something cute and you automatically earn hee trust

Her mothers death hit her harder then she lets on. Its hard at any age to lose a parent you love, but add a sick and dying older sister and an over protective father, and well you learn to act strong and like nothing effects you.

Hope you like it. Kohaku is such an amazing character and this wasnt even half my headcanons.

Now onto something fun hehe. So Gen and Kohaku are 2/3 of my kins for this series. Anyone who guesses the 3rd one ill write you something including one of your favorite characters.

[elizabethvaughns]

what are your top ten musicals?

1. if/then

i mean, duh. this is predominantly an if/then blog, after all. one of the main reasons (out of several) i absolutely adore this show is that it puts a woman front and center in its story. as a matter of fact, all of female characters are so wonderfully fleshed out and none of the main female characters are one-dimensional. on the flipside, taking the male characters in consideration, none of them really exhibit the misogyny and the characteristic machismo that men typically exhibit in popular media that i absolutely loathe. i mean, yes, lucas was an asshole to beth after he found out that she aborted the kid. but important thing here, is that (a) lucas was portrayed as the asshole in this scene, and (b) his issue was that "it wasn't fair for [beth] to make that decision without [him]". his main issue wasn't that beth aborted the kid, it's that he saw a chance to start a family with the woman he's been in love with for over twelve years and she took a decision without even involving him. and the argument, while understandable, but still invalid (because it's beth's decision throughout!!!), was just…a product of life. and stephen—while he did kiss beth and push her away (because he was married), he was still overall respectful of her after "what the fuck?". and josh is a himbo and david's also overall pretty respectful in the scenes that he's in.

and i just adore the musical because of the timelines in general. neither liz-verse, more focused on romance, or beth-verse, more focused on career, is treated as more important. liz isn't treated as stupid because she decided to focus on her relationship with josh. the fact that she didn't get the job at the DCP isn't even related to the fact that she decided to pursue a relationship with josh. and beth—beth vaughn, my love, my light. even though she has no time for romance, she does fortify her relationships with her friends—with kate, anne, and elena (and lucas, to a degree. i still feel that liz's and lucas's friendship was stronger, though). and platonic love is often overlooked in media. which if/then doesn't do. (and speaking of friendships, beth and lucas's friendship breakup is treated well too).

and speaking of love, or more specifically the romantic kind. the LGBTQ representation in this show is pretty good as well. ignoring liz's one biphobic comment (i mean, ma'am, your best friend is a whole-ass bisexual right there. you know that. you dated him in college. you just set him up with a guy.), it's pretty damn good! kate and anne? iconic, chef's kiss, you go you funky lesbians. lucas and david? adorable go off. and lucas? absolute (canon, might i say) bicon right there.

and the acting. unparalleled. all of the characters are so well portrayed by their actors it's unreal. and the chemistry that the actors have with each other. it's so fucking incredible i'd imagine it'd have been a pretty great experience to see this live.

in the end, the book is spectacular, the music makes me want to cry, the whole show is incredible, send me an ask if you want me to drop a link to my favorite bootleg(s) and/or the libretto.

2. falsettos/the marvin trilogy

now i'm tired after waxing poetic about if/then for over 500 words. so i'll try and make the rest short.

i guess what i have to say about falsettos is. i have loved this show ever since i watched it over two years ago (fun fact: i forced my friends to watch it with me when they came over for my bday in 2019).

it is an incredible show. full stop. it's funny, it's a tearjerker. all the actors (in the obc, in the revival, etc) are so talented. the staging is so amazing (i mean. the block—or the lack thereof—in the revival. it's genius).

and the character development of marvin (and whizzer, for that matter) is so incredible. and i love all the characters in general. it's just. great.

3. rent

rent was actually the show that really diversified my musical taste.

i love the music. it slaps so fucking hard. i love the characters. they're all assholes, but they're lovable assholes, you know? (except benny he's just an asshole).

there's nothing more i can think of atm but i will wax poetic if i think of anything.

4. the prom

the music's great. (i love "dance with you" and "it's time to dance" so much!!!)

also i love greenelan so so much.

5. she loves me (2016 revival)

it's so funny!!

and the set is really something to behold

and the chemistry between zachary levi and laura benanti as georg and amalia is pretty damn great

and i love ilona in general

love me a good enemies to friends to lovers story

6. hadestown

it's such an incredible musical. and everytime i listen to the soundtrack i get chills. and i've loved it since....since april 2019, actually.

orphydice <3. also eurydice <3.

also persephone <3

also love me some 'fuck capitalism'

7. waitress

love me a funny musical that's centered around women.

i absolutely adore the relationship that jenna, becky, and dawn have. and the soundtrack is so hauntingly beautiful.

8. wicked

love me a musical that's centered around women full stop

i love elphaba, she's so incredible. when i first listened to this musical freshman year, i ended up seeing a lot of myself in her.

and elphaba's relationship with glinda <3 (romantic? platonic? i don't really know. either way, it's pretty great)

good character development?? love me some good character development

anyways i don't really know what's gonna happen with the wicked movie. in the end, hope it doesn't turn out bad and completely detract from the musical's main themes as musicals-to-movies so often do. (and the book. it's so different from the musical it's unreal. i still adore both, though, for differing reasons).

9. legally blonde: the musical

elle woods my love

anyways. incredible funny musical centered around women you get the gist

but it's so good i'm obsessed

elle and vivienne? i'm obsessed. elle and paulette? i'm obsessed. that scene where elle helps paulette get her dog back from her ex? or that scene where paulette and vivienne try to coax elle out of the supply closet before elle reveals that she hasn't actually given up? i'm so fucking obsessed.

it shows that you don't really need to change something about yourself to achieve your goals. and that's such an important message.

and emmett? love that he drinks his respect women juice. and laura bell bundy and christian borle's chemistry is unparalleled

10. something rotten!

if you can't tell, i love funny musicals. it's so self-aware and that's incredible

also, portia brooks.... <3 and bea bottom.... <3

[makeit0utalive]

If I’m posting this it means I’ve watched all the movies for Welcome To Horrorwood so here’s my thots:

American Psycho (Hip To Be Scared): I was expecting this movie to be better. I just didn’t get into it as much as I thought I would. I think both the music video and the song were great representations of the movie, though, however I enjoyed them much more than the movie. It’s not terrible, but I was still kinda disappointed.

My Bloody Valentine (Take Your Pick): Ok this movie was GOOD. Like I was super tired when I started this and yet I couldn’t stop watching. I really wasn’t expecting to like this so much. As for the song, it’s pretty good, I prefer the softer songs over the heavier songs so this isn’t my favorite, but it’s by no means bad. It’s a good representation of the movie.

Pet Sematary (Funeral Derangements): This movie was kinda weird. I just couldn’t get that into it. It wasn’t bad by any means, just not my thing. The song reminds me of Every Trick In The Book, it just has that feel to it, and I think Pet Sematary would fit very well on that album. The song is good, not my favorite, but good.

Resident Evil (Rainy Day): Yeah yeah I know it’s a video game, but I’m not about to buy and play an entire video game just for this song. The movie wasn’t horrible, I was really expecting it to be worse. The song, however, especially the chorus, is so damn catchy and I love it. There’s probably more references to the game that the movie didn’t catch, so it’s hard to judge in that sense. Overall eh movie, wonderful song.

Child’s Play (Assault & Batteries): Was it really that hard to kill a doll? Like really? I mean I get he had a knife and stuff but like…THAT hard? It is nice to understand the references in the song, though. I might enjoy the song more now that I have context behind the weird chanting.

The Evil Dead (Ex-Mørtis): This movie made me a little uncomfortable. The deadites were kinda icky. I feel like there were a few inconsistencies with how people got turned into deadites, but hey, what do I know. This movie wasn’t bad, I don’t think I’m quite interested enough to check out the sequels, but maybe one day. Killer song, decent movie.

Psycho (The Shower Scene): This was a good movie! I hope to watch it again sometime. The ending was super interesting and I never would have saw it coming. I feel like the song could have included more about the whole situation with Norman and his mother, but I guess it still covered the basics, and the song still slaps.

Cabin Fever (A Rash Decision): This movie definitely had some bad scenes in it but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. It was gross, for sure, definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. I wouldn’t really consider this a horror movie to be honest, it’s just has some gore. As for how it relates to the song, I think you would definitely benefit from watching this movie to get a better understanding of the lyrics. It’s a good song regardless, but having context really helps, as I think the song does a good job representing the movie.

Hellrasier (The Box): Man maybe it’s because I didn’t start watching this movie until close to midnight, but what the fuck. Like I understand what was going on and everything but…I feel like we could have used some more backstory, yknow? I also don’t really understand why Pinhead is like the main figure for this movie because he didn’t really play that much of a part in it. Also this movie was gross. Like Uncle Frank you can just stay over in the corner with your gooey self…bleh. Anyway this movie was weird. Dope song and I guess I’m glad I watched it to understand the references but, it was weird.

Candyman (Farewell II Flesh): This movie was good. I’d watch it again. I would definitely recommend watching this sometime if you haven’t already because it really helps to understand and appreciate the song. Like with INK songs you can easily enjoy them without knowing what they’re about, but for some songs it just really helps to be familiar with the source material, and this is one of them.

Hostel (Würst Vacation): So…I hated this movie. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with it, I’m just not a huge fan of gore. I will definitely never watch this again in my life. It will be nice to have context for the song lyrics because it really does have a lot of content related to the movie, like references to movie lines, but I’m questioning whether or not it was really worth putting myself through that. This movie was…not for me.

The Fly (F.L.Y.): #DandeloForever fuck Andre I’ll never forgive him for that. I don’t really know why I put this movie off for so long. It was a lot better than I expected. I honestly wouldn’t think of this as a horror, more sci-fi, but what do I know! I really enjoyed the story here actually. Overall this was just a way better movie than I expected lol (I watched the 1958 version btw). As for the song, I’ve always rather enjoyed it despite how many people seem to not like it or think it’s not as good as the rest of the album. I like how it can be seen as a fairly general song, but still has some good movie references. In conclusion, this was a pretty good movie imo and has a good song to match.

Wow. That took a long time. I started watching the movies for this album in JULY and just now finished. Patting myself on the back rn.

[fandomtrxsh19]

FINAL THOUGHTS ON FATE

I just finished Fate and.......... boy do I have thoughts about it. It wasn’t TERRIBLE, just meh. There were somethings I liked, somethings I didn’t like, and somethings I hated. This will contain SPOILERS.

Things I liked:

The sets. Some of the locations were really pretty such as the Greenhouse and outside of the school.

The performances of some of the cast were passable at best. Precious Mustapha’s Aisha and Danny Griffin’s Sky are among the standouts for me.

Bloom vs The Burned Ones: The transformation was a nice callout to the transformations of the original. The fire surrounding her and the fire wings were are really nice and cool touch.

Beatrix was an interesting villain to say the least. I like how she’s a bit of a mystery. I’ve noticed that she’s mostly like Darcy with some powers of Stormy.

The cast interactions: Watching behind the scenes videos and seeing their Instagrams, you can tell that the main girls are really close. You can tell in the Netflix interview that the cast really loved and cares for each other.

The music: I like how they used lesser known songs and others in the scenes, especially in the party scene.

The special effects: How they did the effects for the magic is pretty cool.

Things I didn’t like(strap in):

The Whitewashing: Of course this can’t be ignored or swept under the rug. The is a major issue on the directors and the creative team’s part. One of the things that makes the original so amazingly brilliant is in its diversity, having 3 of the main characters being WOC. This was and still is a bit step in representation on every shows. Winx Club is one of the first shows that I’ve seen where half of the main characters and lots of other characters didn’t look like me, and I LOVED that. The way they casted a white woman in the roles of both Musa and Flora is extremely shocking l and disappointing. Both Elisha and Elliot definitely tried their best with these characters, but this is still a huge issue. Netflix and the creators KNEW about this. The only reason why Flora’s name got changed to Terra is because of the backlash and the fandom calling them out on their bullshit. The way that Aisha’s role has been changed to a stereotype is simply disappointing but not surprising

The Characters: Not going to lie, lots of characters have been messed with and changed in many ways, none are really on a positive way. Bloom is extremely clueless and annoying. She only thinks of herself and whenever she’s on screen, it’s always like she’s internally saying “Everything’s about me. Let’s focus on me.” It just left a bad taste in my mouth. Stella’s just a bitch in this version. She just goes along acting like she’s above it all. This Stella acts like she doesn’t care about the rest of the girls and it’s really infuriating. She just insults these girls that are supposed to be her friends. She just fills the cliche of “ the bitchy blonde” and thanks, I hate it.

The Writing: Where do I start with this? It isn’t later seasons Riverdale bad, but, it’s still terrible. It’s like the writers haven’t even seen or heard of the source material. Just, the lines must’ve felt so awkward for the actors to say. The actors defientley tied their best with what they were given, but that didn’t really make it better in my opinion. They get old fast, especially the way how Bloom kept on saying “mansplaning” whenever she was taking to Sky was just so cringy. They referenced Harry Potter, Earth culture, and movies so many times and I didn’t like it. In the original, the Specilists, Winx, and Trix don’t know a lot about earth culture such as social media, and Harry Potter. I think this helps separate Earth with Magix. The Netflix adaptation decided to yeet that out the window and was like “Lets make this world like our own.” Part of the charm of the original is the even fusion between futuristic and fantasy aesthetics. Guess, they messed up....wow

The fashion: This is obvious. There’s no transformations, no cute and iconic outfits, just clothes that make the cast look bulky. The cast literally look like soccer moms omg. Stella? Wearing black? I don’t know her. Bloom? Wearing red? I don’t know her. Bloom is only shown wearing red ONCE. The whole reason why she mainly wears blue is to contrast her red head, and fire powers. Stella is APPALED, good sir, HOW DARE YOU!!

The character erasures: There’s no Winx Club without Tecna. Our tecnomagic icon is one of the pillars of the group. She makes sure descisons are thought through logically and comes up with amazing plans. Her powers are extremely powerful and useful in lots of situations. Also, the lack of Helia, Brandon, and Timmy disappointed me. Those guys are amazing characters and Brandon has an amazing personality and character growth that he goes through. Smh Netflix

The pace: The way scenes and storylines would progress was just awkward. The show starts off with Bloom at Alfea, then meeting Sky and I was just like......”What?” Scenes that are more “down to earth” and “chill went by kinda quickly to get to the “darker” and “edgier” scenes. It just weird and boring sometimes

Miscellaneous: The biphobia in Riven’s character and the fat phobia in the first 20 minutes. Seeing Elliot’s character constantly being bullied, not only broke my heart, but left a really bad taste in my mouth.

Now, these are just my opinions and scratch the surface of my feelings about this. As an adaptation of a preexisting property, I give it a 4/10 and as an independent show, I give it a 5/10. There were some good points and character growth, like the whole thing with Stella and her mom, but it was mostly disappointing.

According to Ignio, he and Brian Young think that animation is only for kids. He has literally said in an interview that this is “for the older fans who grew up with Winx” and “ They would like the darker and edgier version.” This makes me mad since I prefer animation to live action. These showrunners, creators, etc are in the wrong here. There are still lots of other cartoons that have a bright and colorful aesthetic and tell dark stories(I.e Madoka Magica). We don’t want another Vampire Diaries or Riverdale. We’ve already seen enough teens shows that are dark and edgy. What we need/want is a show that tells a story and honors the source material in an appropriate and special way. What we wanted and needed is a Winx Club adaptation that respects the source material, and keeps its fun, bright, and colorful aesthetic. Not, whatever Netwinx gave us. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go rewatch the Nick/4kids/Cinelume dubs and WoW so I can cleanse my palette from what I just watched.

PSA: PLEASE don’t bully or harass any of the actors. They clearly tried their best with what they were given. It isn’t their fault at all.

[myelocin]

home is along the sky, because you are the sun

synopsis: “if i ask you the question about what you wanna ask from life and how you’ll feel if you let go, how would you answer?”

characters: hirugami sachiro, you, hanamaki takahiro

genre/warnings: fluff, domestic!au, poly(?) relationship [or friendship idk it really depends on how u], baker!makki, aspiringphilosopher!sachiro, just fluff rlly

wc: 2,400+

a/n: wow, how where do i even go from here. this is for you, @strawbericream, the person who created a safe space for me to find home in even before i started this blog (also the inspiration why i started this blog in the first place). all my love and good wishes for you & the path you take. continue to see the beautiful parts in life, teresa :)

-

Hirugami Sachiro asks you to watch the stars with him one day and the story begins like that.

“Do you even know anything about the constellations?” you ask, leaning back and watching the midnight blue unfold. From your peripheral vision, you see him shake his head. He was probably smiling at your question too. You don’t turn your head to confirm; it’s safe to say you know him well enough to be certain of that.

“I don’t,” he replies, traces of mirth swaying in the tone as he cranes his head to face you.  “I just like to watch when the world is still and pretty.”

“Poetic,” you comment, then later chuckle when he knocks his shoulder against yours. Sachiro had a habit to be soft in both his actions and words—something you adored, you decided.

“I try to be,” he admits with a sigh, hands raised in mock surrender. He sounds a little dreamy, you think; fitting for someone like him.

Despite the occasional sound of the cars zooming past your building in the streets below coupled with the constant buzzing of your phone against the plastic Tupperware next to you, the moment you stayed in silence with him felt almost dream like. The good kind, too.

Because at 23:11 in an open rooftop of the apartment complex you’ve been living in, you stare up and render yourself speechless when the milky way above you begins to dance in the sky.

Slow swirls, twinkling stars, and wisps of something you don’t know but think is beautiful anyway. It’s much like life and the world, you suppose. Just filled with moments of things that pass your eye every day, but only truly see its beauty when you clear your mind and just look.

You look at Sachiro beside you, looking like he’s within the clouds and smile.

“What do you think about when you see the world?” you ask him.

“I just try to observe and not really think,” he replies, and you nod because he says it in a tone that makes sense.

There are too many hours within the day where all that consumes your thoughts are questions of whether you’re taking two steps forward or four steps back. In a sense, Sachiro’s words hold a semblance of truth to them because sometimes what you really need to do is just look at the world as you allow it to just be.

Where you don’t question why the sun rises, sets, or moves with a pattern in the sky every day. Why the moon is the reason for the push and pull of the waves that also happened to be the representation of the desire to be “free”.

Of what makes the blood in the veins flow and represent life even if the sight of it could also mean the loss of life.

In the irony of things, your thoughts spiral after Sachiro beside you tells you to do the exact opposite of that.

So you look up.

The stars above look like splattered dots as some merely blink, while others twinkle. You can’t decide which one you prefer; they all connect to you in a way. And as you keep staring, you come to realize that the night isn’t pitch black, but rather a dull gray—because when the clouds of a deeper hue roll in sight, their colors are vibrant.

The wind says hello and you shiver in time with the ruffle of Sachiro’s hair. It looks soft, you muse. You know it’ll feel like it too.

“If I ask you the question about what you wanna ask from life and how you’ll feel if you let go, how would you answer?” he asks, turning to face you.

You look at him, taking note of the expression on his face that sort of borders the edge between teasing and genuine curiosity and sigh—pondering about his question.

Life is well, too unpredictable to ever commit your heart a hundred percent to one stationary thing and expect life to deliver it. Even though there are some things you want, at the same time, asking life to deliver the specifics would be like trying to balance on water.

And as for letting go, well, you turn your face away from him and look up into the sky again. At the clouds looking like heavy cotton on a blank canvas. You can still feel Sachiro’s stare at your profile when you exhale and sigh, “I don’t think there’s answer; just live life and let the current flow I guess.”

He smiles; Sachiro knows you got his message.

“It’s gonna rain,” you comment, breaking the silence again as the wind picks up and the blinking stars hide behind the clouds aching to weep,

Beside you, Sachiro hums.

“We’re not gonna get up are we?” you add with a laugh, realizing his intention.

He laughs, eyes meeting yours in the middle when you crane your neck and do the same. Even under the dim lights, you could still make out the hue of a soft walnut.

The color of warmth—promising. And it was fitting, because you always found that Sachiro’s words were rather nurturing.

“Why don’t we just let the world be,” is what he says as the two of you lack back down and face the sky, basking in the world and letting the current be, as the raindrops begin to fall.

-

You consider Hanamaki Takahiro as the being that’s heaven sent because two days after letting the world “be” and laying in the pavement, drenched in the rain with Sachiro, you’re at home with your head held in between your hands and a sniffle to remind you of the cold you’re braving through.

“On a scale of one to ten how much do you regret laying in the rain and pretending to be in a music video for fun?” Takahiro laughs as he plops down on the seat next to you.

Sniffling, you roll your eyes and grab the mug he held out to you.

The mug in your hands felt warm, and when you inhaled you smiled—Takahiro was quiet in many ways about his affections, always preferring to mix his comments into bouts of humor, but he was always the one to remember the little things.

You recall that you’ve only mentioned your favorite kind of tea once as a passing comment when you were at a grocery store together some years ago, but every time you’re at his apartment, you always smile when you see the familiar packet tucked into the corner of the pantry next to the mug he knows you like the best.

“What were you even talking about?” he asks again, shuffling closer to pull the blanket closer around your frame.

“He said some poetic shit again and I got carried away, so look at what happened,” you pout as Takahiro’s own expression lights up in mirth in front of you.

“Did you learn something, though?”

“I always do,” you answer him with a soft sigh, bringing the mug closer to your lips.

“So am I the dumb friend that only gives you tea while Sachiro’s the one that gives you life changing advice?” Takahiro huffs, expression one of mock offense as he leans against the seat.

Smiling, you close the gap in between the two of you as you sit next to him and drop your head on his shoulder.

“No, you’re the one that always grounds me back to earth and make me feel like the ugly world is okay,” you confess, craning your head up and pressing a kiss on his jaw.

Takahiro hums, stretches one hand over your shoulder as he brings you closer to him while his head drops on top of yours.

“Warm,” you murmur, your mug of tea set on the table but hands still warm against Takahiro’s palm.

“You’re leaving soon, aren’t you? How do you feel?” he whispers, his hand rubbing your shoulders and chest rising and falling in time with his breaths. You can still taste the lingering flavor of the tea on your lips, and the low rumble of Takahiro talking about nothings in the room vibrates your cheek pressed against his chest.

“I feel warm,” you murmur again, then smile when his other arm comes around and secures you in a solid embrace. He smells faintly like pine; and for a second you slip into the thought that it’s winter outside, and you’re under your covers while the world outside swirls with the current.

“Of course you do,” Takahiro laughs, then presses his face against the crown of your hair.

You fall in to slumber with the thought of home the only thing in your mind.

-

When you wake up, you’re in bed facing the window. You’re left feeling a little groggy for a few moments as you sit up and rub your eyes, thoughts a haze as you gradually allow reality to trickle in your senses.

The blinds are shut and the blankets pooling in your lap still feels warm. Warm like sleep.

Like the mug of tea cradled between your hands earlier.

Warm like Takahiro’s chest as the scent of pine and spring lulled you to sleep of what you could guess to be just hours ago.

It’s already 12:03 am, you realize when you open the door and take slow steps into the hallway, your slippers making light noises over the wooden floor. Blinking away the lingering remnants of sleep, you peer into the hallway, faded light trickling from the kitchen into the area where the hallway opened into the living room.

Then, when the haze in your thoughts clear, you blink and scrunch your nose when you realize the room smells faintly like strawberries. Bunching up your blanket and draping it over the back of the couch next to you, you walk towards the kitchen in curiosity.

The room around you feels warm; like the kind of warm that lingers in the room when you’ve been cooking all day.

“There she is,” you hear a voice to call as you round the corner and enter the room.  It’s Sachiro, you notice. He’s leaning against the counter to your far left as Takahiro next to him stands with a bowl of something whipped balanced in his hand. You have half the mind to ask you why they’re at your apartment instead of at home, but you suppose that because their presence is always welcome, at the moment you don’t really seem to mind.

“Morning,” Takahiro greets as he turns his head to look at you.

“It’s midnight,” you comment as you take a seat in the table on the side that faces the two of them.

“It’s also your birthday,” Sachiro laughs as he carries the rack of what you assumed to be cooling layers of cake and takes the seat opposite to yours.

You scrunch up your nose and fold your arms over one another as you lay your head and face him. He smiles, in the way that’s gentle and patient before reaching over and booping the tip of your nose.

“You forgot about it didn’t you?” Takahiro adds with a laugh as walks over and takes a seat in the side between the two of you.

“It’s still night in my book, so I’ll feel like it’s my birthday when we hit tomorrow,” you yawn, feeling your eyelids grow a little heavy. “Why are you two baking a cake?”

“Because we know your schedule’s only gonna pile up from now,” Sachiro says in a matter-of-fact­ tone.

“And because it’s your birthday,” Takahiro points out, scooping a dollop of the cream into the first half of the cake.

At the sight, you perk up and scoop a little of the excess on the side of the bowl, plopping it into your mouth. You brighten up, smiling as you recognize the taste.

“Strawberry cream?” you grin at Takahiro.

“It’s your favorite isn’t it?” he asks, despite already knowing the answer.

“Happy birthday,” Sachiro greets in a sing-songey voice, leaning his body forward and grabbing your hands in his. He stares at you, smiling eyes and all as the warmth in his voice ricochets in the quiet room.

“You excited to start this new arc?” Takahiro asks, taking a break and facing you with his head propped up by the palms of his hand.

“I am,” you reply softly.

“Issei, Tooru, and Hajime texted early saying congratulations,” he adds and you beam at the mental image of them. They always did bring you smiles, you realize.

“We’re proud of you,” Sachiro says, squeezing your hands.

You smile, thinking back to his question that night. Of what you wanted to ask of life, and you realize that instead of asking it for something you want to say thank you instead. For the good parts, good memories—lasting memories and connections you’ve made.

In reality, the current you’re on still flows without assurance towards any direction, but for now, you realize—in this room, in this moment, the waters are nothing but calm.

You hear Takahiro scoop another dollop of the strawberry cream into the second layer of the cake as you listen to Sachiro pose another question where you know would let your thoughts drift into unknown waters again.

But in the moment, because you’re home, you smile and tell life thank you.

Takahiro and Sachiro look at you as you stare at them, a dreamy look in your eye that only tells them you’re drifting somewhere good.

The two share a look and laugh softly.

It’s a little past 12:40 in the morning when the streetlight visible down the street from your apartment window flickers like it’s going to go out anytime soon, and Takahiro’s finished crumb coating the cake, that the three of you finally snap back to the present and share a smile towards each other.

Your schedule with the unmarked checkboxes lay next to your laptop at your desk while the plans for tomorrow piece themselves together at the back of your head. Wherever the current takes me, you think.

“Thank you,” Takahiro says, and beside him Sachiro’s smile mirrors his.

“For?” you laugh.

“Just cause,” Sachiro laughs and intertwines your hands with his once more.

When you smile at them, they catch themselves a little blinded.

They’ve always thought that you’ve belonged with the sun. 

-

Thank you for the stories and smiles, Teresa. Here’s our wishes to your future! May you always always tread in the beautiful parts of life. <3

[voskhozhdeniye]

I’m in a mood.

My taste in music has been shaped by what my family listened to when I was younger. My father is a big fan of country, blues, ‘50 vocal groups and ‘60 R&B. My mother is the soft rock, ‘70s R&B and adult pop fan. My brother is the classic rock fan, and my sister is the ‘80s through early ‘00s R&B and rap fan.

I was big into pop when Britney, S Club 7 and *Nsync came out. I turned 10 in 1999.

Daft Punk’s Discovery and Homework(which goes in the car next month) were the first albums I ever bought, in that order.

I became a big and still recovering U2 fan a few years later, and was like that through high school. (I should’ve put Eno in the car instead of U2 in April. I’m really regretting that now.)

Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and GY!BE completely changed how I thought about music.

I don’t have the time to go in depth, but I will never be Trent Reznor, and that means I will always have inspiration when I use a synth.

My writing, in 2007 after reading about Thom using the cut up technique to write lyrics guess what I started doing. I no longer pull lines out of a hat, but that’s how I write them. Everything’s interchangeable, I swap lines around and with other writings until I like what I have. I’ve spent months if not years on some of these by the time you guys see them. I still have unfinished pieces from 2006 sitting around. A few years later I learned about Tom Waits, and had to make another slight adjustment.

F#A# sounds like the music I always wanted to hear as a child. I like guitars and violins together. That album just feels...that’s my best friend.

I made my first Last.Fm account in 2007. That plus recommendations from a NIN forum I haunted really opened up what I listened to.

DJ Shadow, Miles Davis and Swans were the next wave of influences.

And it’s not just the influences, it’s the artists they lead me to.

It’s all connected in someway. A really good synth sequence affects me emotionally the same way a good guitar riff or good verse on a rap track does.

I feel like I’m at the beginning of a new wave. Lots of dream pop, shoegaze, noise, drone, synthpop, ambient, queer folk, emo I keep an eye on rap, but it’s mainly in the background for me, and every now and then a pop song really catches my attention.

Plus @knightofleo @anarchist-caravan and @treethymes are always sending or posting something that leads me down a rabbit-hole.

I devour a lot of shit. I don’t give a fuck about genres.

All of this is to say.

Offline whenever anyone tries to talk to me about music....it’s always rap.

They see a black person and automatically think he only knows rap music.

I’m listening to Aesop Rock as I type this, but they don’t know who the fuck that is.

After 20 plus years of this you think I’d be used to it, but no.

As I said in the other post the emotional spectrum assigned to BIPOC is fucking constrictive.

In what our art can be, how it’s judged, valued, what art is sold to us, the “representation” we get, but also what art they think we’d enjoy.

I fucking make my own music.

The audacity of the assumption.

I do not fuck with Kanye anymore, but I always return to that time I think Jimmy Fallon asked him if inspiration for his fashion line came from a different place than his music. Kanye said it’s all the same. It just comes out in different ways.

I’m always looking for something new. I might be overdoing it this year though.

[amandaklwrites]

TV Series Review: Miss Scarlet and the Duke (2019)

Genre: Historical Fiction/Murder Mystery/British Period Drama

Rating: 10/10

TV Show Review:

I. LOVE. THIS SHOW.

Pretty much this review will be me talking about everything I love this series, just a warning. I hope you love it too, so you can enjoy my blabbering and gushing!

I will do this review a bit differently, since it’s still relatively new, especially here in the US. I’ll talk about my general thoughts, and then I’ll do a “keep reading” when it goes down into spoilers for each episode.

So, here, for the spoiler-free part of my review:

Let me start out by saying that these characters make the whole damn show. Yes, the mysteries are great and all, but it’s the characters in this series, for me, that drives the whole thing. Eliza Scarlet is a masterful main character, and I love everything about her—from her determination, her willingness to fight the crowd to be what she wants, how she’s willing to admit some issues, that she still relies so heavily on her father after he passed away. Her humor is so incredible, and I think she’s just someone I wish I could be. Her feistiness is so wonderful. And then our Inspector Detective William “the Duke” Wellington is… one of my favorite leading men, fictional of course. I like that he’s overprotective of her (sometimes, to funny extents), that he does his job well and follows a lot of the right paths, that he doesn’t seem surprised by much of anything, and that he’s willing to fight even when he’s falling apart at the seams. And their relationship! They are so clearly in love with each other (probably have since that “chaste kiss” when they were teens…), they bicker like a married couple, and though they annoy the living hell out of each other, they would die for one another. I like that their relationship isn’t perfect and they take note of that in the show, but it feels real. It’s one of the most real relationships I have ever seen.

Moses and Rupert are such important characters and I LOVE their relationship with Eliza, their friendships that seem so different, but they just fit. I can’t go much into detail about either of them, or it will spoil entire plotlines of mysteries, but I will say that I love what the story does with their characters, how it gives them breaths of their own, that they become some of the most dynamic characters in the show with so much to them and that take a life of their own. That they feel real and important and interesting, and I love the representation. That’s all I’ll say about them in the spoiler-free review.

Now, the mysteries, were incredible. They kept me guessing through every episode, and I would have some feelings about things/people, but I wasn’t sure how it would get there. At times, I thought of the truth, but figured that they were going to trick me with it (my grandpa always told me that I have a brain for a detective, if I had some training, so that’s fun!). But still, they were so innovative and different from other mysteries that I had experienced. And I liked that each episode felt a bit different—we had a taste of ghost story feeling, even an intense thriller. They were really, really good mysteries, to me at least. And I do love me some mysteries.

Okay, so the costumes, sets and music. MY GOD. It was all SO BEAUTIFUL! Eliza’s clothes were magnificent and they had POCKETS!!! William was way too sexy in those clothes (can we bring those back??? We can leave out the discrimination that came with the time period, but let’s bring back the clothes at least!). Everyone had gorgeous clothes. And the sets were beautiful—those dirty, Victorian, coal covered streets… I loved it! (My mom says she’s not sure why I’m so in love with the dark atmosphere of the Victorian era, but I am!). The MUSIC. Can they just upload a damn soundtrack already? I need to listen to this music all the time! It sounds different and cool and I’m just so in love with it.

THE HUMOR! My god, I had never seen a murder mystery show set in another time that does humor so well. I love how they travel between scenes to make it funnier, the lines they say to one another. It makes me feel like these actors absolutely had a blast filming this show. They were so on point, and some of the funny scenes made me laugh harder than any comedy movie I’ve seen.

As you can see, I’m obsessed with this show altogether. I love it, and I want to watch it over and over. The vibe, the love stories, the characters, every. single. thing. is my jam. I know they’re planning a second season and I cannot wait for it. Ugh. My god. It’s wonderful.

So here ends my spoiler-free review. After this, I’m going to talk spoilers. So if you have seen the show and/or want to read the spoiler-y thoughts, please click on the “keep reading.” If not, see you around after your watch the show! It’s well worth it!

Let me start out by explaining more of my thoughts on the relationship between William and Eliza, because I worried that some of what I had said would give away possibly too much. So here’s that part:

The (hilarious) way that William mutters “oh jesus” whenever he finds Eliza waiting in his office, or the fact that Eliza calls herself his wife (or in one instance, something worse, but to save herself) to get what she wants also feels like a sly to personally agitate him. How that he would toss her into jail/into court when she went against things he said she shouldn’t do (though he released her/got her out at some point) never got old and even funnier to me each time. I told my mom, she was like a toddler—he couldn’t keep her in sight, so he had to lock her out. But I liked that she still argued with him despite it. Their back and forth was perfect.

I will say here, that I have seen people’s comments online how they wish that William was more on board with Eliza’s detective dreams and support her 100% much earlier on. And I get that, that he can seem like an ass at times. But honestly, I think he feels more realistic that he’s a little harder about it in the beginning. Trust me, I love this show and the way they play with characters and storylines, and that they are so forward (I mean, Eliza is so forward-thinking and modern, it’s amazing), but to me, if they made EVERYONE, i.e. William especially, it wouldn’t ground me into the time very well. I like that it was more gradual for him, to fully support her. And actually, I think for a man in the Victorian Era, with his position, he supported her as much as he could. Though he fought her on it at times, he eventually gave up trying to stop her. And I do think, in some respect, he was trying to protect her, because he does care for her. He was a man of his time, in his position, and he is changing. Can we at least give him that? Because, in all throughout history, it took a while for things to change. And it was men like William that started to understand, that started to recognize that, that helped make it happen. Plus, Eliza didn’t let him pull shit all the time, and she did fight him on it.

Now, I’m going to comment on each individual episode with my thoughts. I’ve never done this before so yay! Here it goes!

EPISODE ONE: Inheritance

I knew the weird uncle wasn’t the girl’s uncle. I didn’t expect that it was her husband (I should’ve!! We knew he was a cheat and a conartist!!), but I knew it wasn’t her rich uncle. I knew from the moment he came on screen—I remember thinking, this guy looks too young around his eyes. His beard and mustache look fake. So, I was right to an extent.

I can’t be the only one who was horrified to discover what the police did to women who worked as prostitutes or in dance halls—they could be arrested and searched for venereal disease? Seriously??? For men who were so obsessed with wanting their wives to “stay safe” and “be protected,” they sure were fine with flipping the case when it came to women that they would also gladly pay to sleep with? Why don’t they check the male clients who are PAYING for this industry. It was appalling and horrendous, and it made my skin literally crawl as they tried tying Eliza down to the chair.

On the note of that scene, Eliza calling herself William’s favorite whore to save herself is literally one of the funniest (though, darkly) things—especially in the next scene, when you see the two of them sitting in his office in silence and William is mortified, annoyed, and I think amused at the same time.

I loved how Eliza tricked that bastard husband—she set him up, AND she gave him laudanum to make him pass out? This woman knows what’s up!

Instantly from this first episode, I knew I loved this show and these characters. Eliza shows her charm and wit and humor and smarts. She’s skilled and I love her personality so much. Though I can see how she could be aggravating to others. William absolutely adores her. Rupert annoyed me a bit at the beginning, but by the end—when he asked Eliza to not marry him, I knew I would like him. And Moses! A Jamaican man brings in the race question of this dark, old world, but I love that he likes Eliza and finds her interesting. He’s terrifying, but I think he’s a good, decent man, he’s only trapped in this world because no one will let him be anything else. But he’s such a rich, interesting character.

EPISODE TWO: The Woman in Red

This episode brings in the reality of homosexuality in this world. That it has always been there (damn those bastards who think otherwise), but it has been hidden away. That men and women have to fear for their lives, and also marry people they do not want because they want to not be noticed. I loved finding out Rupert was gay—my mom called that one!—and the friendship he develops with Eliza. That he trusts her to tell a secret that could literally have him killed and ruined. And that Eliza doesn’t even blink, that she’s willing to keep his secret to the grave, and I cried when she basically told him that. It’s quite beautiful that Eliza even seemed to be grateful that he trusted her enough to give her that secret.

Which was used in interesting juxtaposition to the gay man, accused of murdering his lover, and his wife. I understand the woman’s hurt, that she loved this man and it turned out he didn’t love her in the same way. But that didn’t mean her willingness to let him die for a crime he didn’t commit was at all good or called for. With Eliza talking her down, to prove that the woman’s husband was innocent, I think proved that though she was hurt beyond reason, she did love that man who was her husband and didn’t want to see her die. It’s really a hard situation, especially during that time, when people were constantly shoved down their throats that homosexuality was bad. Not that I’m giving her a “it’s okay,” but I can understand the pain and confusion she went through. Especially because she pulled through.

Through this whole episode, we thought it was the wife that had murdered the lover (the other man). I was surprised to find out that he had killed himself, cut his own throat (which I had heard wasn’t possible to do—but my grandpa, who had worked as a detective, told me that is a myth people talk about, that it’s really easy to cut your own throat). That was a shock, and it made me so sad. That he was dying because he was unhappy, because he hated what he was, because of damn society telling him so. I actually started crying, because as someone who is bisexual, I would be condemned in this time during for openly being with men and women, though I couldn’t even compare to people who are gay or lesbian, because the situation is not the same. But I could connect, I could understand. And I hated knowing the pain all those people were in, that a man had killed himself because of what he was, and that another man had to live with that. It truly breaks your heart.

William’s response to finding out the dead man was gay was interesting. I thought his comment “in my line of work, nothing surprises you” funny, but also telling. He didn’t act disgusted, he didn’t mistreat the husband when they questioned him afterward. The show didn’t directly say his thoughts on homosexuality, but I got the vibe that he was “whatever” about it. Like he knew it was there, and he wasn’t condemning it publicly. That gives him credit, in my book.

Another great episode that got deep and beautiful.

EPISODE THREE: Deeds Not Words

Is this show just obsessed with getting right down to modern issues that were also faced in this time, but not as strongly discussed? Because I’m all for it! This episode was all about the suffrage movement. But I liked the take they did on it.

Yes, they spoke out about the treatment of women. That men, white men, controlled this whole world. But I also thought it was interesting that they made this main suffragette not the greatest person. It made everything complicated. Like, everything she said to Eliza made sense, and I found myself cheering with her. But she shot a man in cold blood, she was willing to bomb a whole building of men—even though it seems justified because of what their club represents.

I think this episode was discussing the balance. That there can be change, but when you attack the people who you are trying to change, it may not work in your favor. At least, that was the vibe I got. Not to stoop to their levels, to become just as horrible as them. Her ideas and words were great, but her actions were a bit… skeptical.

Eliza and William’s response were interesting as well. Eliza felt a passion for the cause, William thought it a bit extreme. But, to me, by the end of the episode, they had a common understanding, they had reached a comfortable middle. I think, this show was showing that was how change came. People seeing eye to eye, and then it spreading from there. Of course, William has faults, but I think he’s truly trying. Especially with each episode. And the more Eliza and he grow.

EPISODE FOUR: Memento Mori

We got our ghost episode! I wasn’t even expecting it, it was incredible! A ghostly image of a dead wife that had killed herself reappearing in photos? How wild and cool is that idea!

I didn’t know that the Victorians had a thing where they took photos of their dead loved ones, looking like they were alive (y’all, the Victorians were obsessed with death…), but it’s an interesting concept. Maybe even sweet. I get what they were trying to do, even if it did seem morbid. How I feel about it is, if it brings you peace, then go for it (as long as it’s nothing disturbing or harming anyone).

The twist was one I had a hint of but hadn’t expected the whole thing. I knew the daughter had something to do with it (how disturbed is this poor girl??), but I hadn’t expected that the mother had planned this before she killed herself because she knew the woman and her husband were already having an affair. It was interesting and a creepy twist, but I was all for it.

Still, I loved how we had moments of eeriness and the haunting feeling in the house when Eliza stayed over. I felt scared and freaked, and most people that know me know that I do not like horror. But this was the perfect eeriness, which I do love.

That scene from this episode where William screams at the poor telegram young man to give them the message or he’ll break everyone bone in his body and then being like “are you crying?” was the funniest thing I had ever seen. I laughed so hard that I couldn’t breathe. I mean, it’s terrible, but the way it was done was hilarious and amazing.

EPISODE FIVE: Cell 99

This episode was… dark. I liked that it was set in an abandoned prison, and my god, was it creepy as hell. I loved all the shots of William walking through gave me the chills.

This one felt like a thriller to me. How it was filmed, set up, how everything went down. Except for the hilarious scene when they are both so annoyed with each other (Eliza and William, that is) that they both scream in frustration is brilliant. But otherwise, it took a dark tone that made me feel like something was watching my back. Especially as that big, scary guy came walking down the stairs when William and Eliza were trapped, ready to kill them both. I was nearly screaming at the tv in utter horror.

My mom had called it—and I had a feeling—that Eliza’s father had been murdered, not just drinking himself to death and found in the gutter. And there’s a gang now? How interesting!

The masked man was strange, as well as the forger locked away. But he was shot and killed, and it confused me.

I have a strange confession to make: that whole time with William in his dress shirt (without the coat), with his arm covered in blood, was weirdly…. Hot? Please don’t ask me explain. I have weird things to me. But I think it was also hot that though he was hurt and bleeding, he was gearing up to fight that big, scary man to protect himself and Eliza. I like that kind of shit, so much.

This episode was twisted, and it left me with more questions than anything.

EPISODE SIX: The Case of Henry Scarlet

My mom knew William’s boss was in with the gang! I liked that they actually explored the reality of corruptness in the police force (my grandpa had personal experiences himself, and that was why he left), and they laid it all bare. Despite the things that we are learning in this present day, it’s always been there. Which is horrifying and disturbing. That these police who are supposed to protect us are willing to delve into the corrupt world to bring themselves more power and money. Because that’s what it boils down to, doesn’t it? Powerful men wanting more and more.

I liked that William was okay with the truth unfolding, and not fighting it, trying to prove innocence for his boss. To me, it made me feel like that he knew something was up with that man (just beyond not liking him). For his character, it made me think that he was one of those people that was actually good and good at his job, trying to do the right thing. Even if he got distracted and didn’t give Eliza credit where it was due, and fought some things, he was trying to do what he thought was right. He didn’t kill anyone, he didn’t go after anyone specifically. Though him and Moses had some standoffs because he wasn’t sure about the other man, he gave him some thanks and shook his hand. Which is huge for that time period.

I did suspect William’s buddy. I always felt like something was happening with him, and that he would be the perfect bad guy because he knew what was going on at all times. And it was proven right! Though it wasn’t any less terrible, William having to realize that his close friend at Scotland Yard as the bad, bad guy who killed their boss when things were turning ugly.

But Moses to the rescue! I loved that he swooped in, teaming up with Eliza, and taking the guy out! I love Moses so much, he’s one of my other favorites.

And their ending, with a promise of dinner, of love on the horizon was exactly what I needed.

Lasting thoughts:

Besides all the amazing storylines and characters they brought in, besides Eliza and William’s chemistry and relationship, to me, this felt like a story about a daughter and her father. We see flashbacks of Eliza as a child with her father, how he taught her his detective work, when that wasn’t something men did typically in that time, and how she would still talk to him after he had died. That though she had chosen this profession for herself, it was also some way to connect to her father. Something they had shared when she was motherless and only had him, and he gave her these skills and talents, helped her hone in on them. And once he had passed, she fought like hell to keep it, but make it her own. I liked that their relationship wasn’t perfect, but they loved the hell out of each other. She was a grown woman, who believed in herself, but she still turned to him—a ghost, a memory, or whatnot—when she felt at the bottom.

This series is incredible, perfect and just all around so masterful in so many different ways. I knew from the moment I heard about it that I would love it. And it turns out I was right, but even more than I had expected.

Now, I think it’s time for a rewatch.