#first verse and the chorus is so them….what if i cried

[girlygguk]

fame - jjk (two)

pairing ; idol!jk x idol!oc.

synopsis ; aera; the main dancer in one of the biggest k-pop groups in the world, Siren. debuting in 2014, it was nothing but immense hard work and perseverance (and being on the absolute verge of disbandment), but she and the four girls that grew to become her sisters pulled through. they did it. now they're performing at some of the most significant arenas and stadiums worldwide. meeting a cheeky, flirtatious and annoyingly gorgeous fellow idol that threatens to break down every wall of protection she's built around herself was not part of the plan. her career has always come first, having sacrificed and jeopardised many relationships and friendships in her journey to debut. so why does this time feel different?

story warnings ; smut, explicit language, violent & possibly triggering scenes.

chapter warnings ; explicit language

word count ; 2200+

a/n: genuinely can't explain what their as i told you performance did to me. life. changing.

previous parts ; prologue | one | two | drabble1 | three | four | ...

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

♫ siren's performance song♬

☽ aera's stage outfit ☾

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

📅 MARCH 2016

📍MBC Gayo Daejejeon 2016

The members of Siren were huddled backstage, the audience's screams for the current artists performing blared in their eardrums. A bottle of water is being passed around their semi-circle, the girls clambering for a final spout of hydration as the time to infiltrate the stage nears. Aera fixed the microphone taped to her left cheek, a smile gracing her lips as she stared at their maknae that was currently jumping on the spot. "I'm so nervous," Ha-Joon cried out, her jumping in place developing into a stationary jog.

Moving towards the youngest, Aera began to copy her actions and jogged lazily in circles around her. They both couldn't stop giggling, and it wasn't until Nali bumped them softly with her elbow to gain their attention that they pulled to a halt. A stage director hurriedly worked towards them, ushering them with sweeping motions. "Let's go, girls; you're next!" He hollered, and they all but began sprinting in his direction.

The automatic stage door illuminated with their group's signature colour, and Aera's brow raised in surprise as she tried not to be shocked. Their company director barely splurged on stage decoration when they performed, usually apologetic to the girls as they often had to settle with the default decoration given to all groups. She brushed it off, figuring the music festival organisers had taken pity on them and given them some pretty lights or something.

The MC's voice blared over the speaker, announcing their group's name, and smiles covered the girl's faces when they heard sparse cheers in the crowd. Then, finally, the doors opened, and the lights dimmed slightly as they walked onto the stage. The intro to the song played over the speakers, and the adlibs they had recorded in their own voices echoed throughout the atmosphere. The audience clapped while they migrated into position and surrounded Hanna for the opening verse.

"Nunan neomu yeppeoseo. Namjadeuri gaman an dwo." Han-na sang sultrily, the movements of her members enveloping her as they revolved around their leader during her line. The girls floated around the stage as they sang, taking their moment in the limelight as they each stood forward while singing their parts.

Nali belted the last line of the pre-chorus, and Aera moved from the outer edge of their formation to the centre, their footwork aligning. The crowd erupted into high-pitched screams as her hand fell into her pocket according to the choreography, hips swaying with the beat, her other hand moving in figure eights around her waist. "Replay, replay, replay", Aera sang, their adaptation of the choreography not going unnoticed by the audience as they burst into cheers.

Aera's head snapped swiftly towards Grace as they transitioned into the next verse, and they both swapped positions, the rest of Siren dancing in unison as Grace moved to the centre and serenaded the crowd.

Joon had finished her line in the second chorus, and the girls had reached the bridge. The crowd was still going wild, cheering at their performance in glee, and it didn't help Aera's pounding heart as she sang her adlibs over Hanna's line. Her dance break was in the final chorus. Aera prided herself on not getting nervous when performing. She didn't break a sweat during their debut stages. She didn't even bat an eyelid during the final stages of their trainee debut elimination. Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that this stage was different, that this performance of theirs could make or break their career. Siren had acquired a few, very, very few, dedicated fans that they could always count on to support them over the past almost two years since their debut. They just didn't know if they'd get another chance to perform at a place like this again, and she didn't want to be the reason they kissed that chance goodbye.

"—maeumeul badeul su eomneunji",Nali sang the final note of the bridge, and the lights flickered; the other members of Siren maneuvering backwards as Aera sprung to the front. The instrumental remix blared through the speakers surrounding the stage, and the audience erupted into the loudest screams the girls had ever heard. The enhanced instrumental that Han-na had spent an entire day perfecting bounced off the walls as their main dancer fell to her knees in part of the choreography. Gripping her hair, she hit the ground on the beat, and her fellow members fell to their knees in unison. Feeling the vibration of the music through the stage, Aera lifted her upper body and rattled with every beat. The audience chanted on every offbeat, and Aera made sure to jolt her hips in motion with their screams.

Hanna slammed into the chorus at the instrumental break's end, and the supporting girls stood as she sang. Aera leaned back, her thighs flat against her calf, positioning her feet on the ground and lifting upright without using her hands. The crowd was going ballistic, and she almost let her smile peek through but refused as to keep her stage persona active. The five girls twirled into a line, leaning over each other as they harmonised on the last chorus, Ha-Joon leading it vocally.

Moving into a triangular formation, the members of Siren started to shuffle back and forth while they hummed the outro, a tribute to the original Replay choreography, and they relished in the cries of the crowd as they spotted the familiar moves. "Jinsildoen sarangui maeumeul", Aera sang the song's final line as the members fell into their ending pose.

Loud cries flared from the crowd as the last syllable left her lips, submerging the noise of her and her sisters' heavy breathing. Aera's chest heaved as she looked around the audience while they jumped and applauded. A few moments passed, and Hanna was the one to snap the girls out of their daze, standing straight and grasping the hand of Nali, who was on her left. The rest of the members followed suit and conjoined hands, giving the audience a bow and big gummy smiles before yelling back thankyous as they jogged backstage.

Han-na held the curtain once the members had made it down the stairs to exit the stage, and they barrelled through, jumping up and down in exuberance. Aera and Ha-Joon were caught in a playful punch-up, trying to exert some of the exhilaration coursing through their bodies after performing.

Five heads turned to the left, vision fixating on the same stage director from earlier approaching them. He had just finished ushering another act onto the stage that Siren had just dismounted, and it wasn't long before he reached them. "Amazing job, girls, you killed it! This way, we need to get you seated." He praised, clipboard in hand as he used it to wave them toward the stools perched along the edge of the stage. A unanimous cloud of shock blew throughout the members, not realising they were organised to watch the rest of the acts perform tonight.

Han-na recovered first, nodding in gratitude and leading the flock as she followed the man clad in black attire, the rest of her members following hastily behind. They looped through the equipment and workers backstage until they reached a side door leading to an area with seats set up in bunches parallel to the stage. Aera's eyes widened a fraction of an inch as she spotted so many familiar and famous idols already seated, whose gazes were transfixed on the artists' mounting the stage.

The director was in front, leading them past the rest of the groups to get to their assigned seats. The members of Siren were in awe, bowing to every single person as they passed, receiving cheesy smiles and bows in return. "Well done!", "Hwaiting!" and various other soft praises filled their ears as they migrated through the walkway, making Aera suddenly worried about not choosing the water-proof version of her mascara.

They reached the brightly coloured seats and chimed a chorus of "gamsahabnida" to the stage director as they situated themselves. Aera swore she heard a subtle "cute" being muttered to her right, and as she turned, her breath caught in her throat. There, sat confidently on her right, were the five members of Shinee, their godly features causing the saliva in her mouth to dissipate. Losing all her ability and sense of sound, she could only continuously bow in her chair with wide eyes and raised brows. The laugh of Taemin caught the attention of the rest of Siren, and when their focus turned to the right, Nali's loud gasp echoed throughout the tiny shared space. Following their leading dancer, the girls looked like lunatics bowing in unison, elatedly greeting their seonbaenims.

"You guys were awesome. Better than the original." Taemin cheesed, the rest of his group nodding in delight as they watched the gob-smacked women furiously shake their heads.

"Never. Never." Ha-Joon croaked, still taken aback that a group that she and her sisters idolised were even attempting to converse with them, let alone compliment them.

"We're honoured that you chose to cover one of our songs. You girls are so talented, truly. Hwaiting", their leader spoke with sincerity and a breathtaking smile, and that was the knot on the noose for Aera. The spotlights in the stadium started to flicker green, blue and white slides spreading over the stage screens, and it took the ear-piercing screams of the audience to shake Aera out of her daze.

Making a mental note to profusely thank the gorgeous men to her right and maybe wail a long speech about how she idolises them and loves them dearly later; her focus is now on the stage in front of them as the following group piles on. The audience, and even many idols, were going crazy before the act had even sung a word, and it didn't take long for Aera to realise why—watching as the six men instantly took over the entire room. Her eyes scattered around them, confused about who to focus on. She did not have control over her vision when they fell to their knees. She couldn't stop staring at the guy in the middle, the large orange J on his sweatshirt blinking back at her.

She knew of BTS; of course, she did. All her sisters and, without a doubt, everybody in this room knew BTS. Aera was a dancer, and J-Hope and Jimin were some of the greatest dancers in their industry. She fucking knew who they were. She admired their journey, struggle and story, knowing they worked extremely hard to get where they are now and deserve every loud, god-awful screech in this stadium.

Her eyes fixated on J-Hope; watching his seamless and perfected movement on stage satiated her inner-dance self. She tried not to lose focus, but her eyes trailed to the stupid orange J again and again. She watched as the scruffy brunette serenaded the crowd, earning himself cheers and cries that weren't helping her fixation whatsoever. He slid across the stage, executing every line and every move with confidence like he knew he had the gaze of everybody in the room.

Jimin moved to the centre, his blonde hair swaying as he grooved along to the music, the rest of his members following suit after a beat. Aera exhaled as she focused on the blonde in the middle, dancing along to the song in her seat with her sisters. The dance break was sultry and addicting, and the girls clapped along with the crowd chanting 'BTS' wholesomely.

It was when Aera finally settled and could watch the other members for once when orange J looped through to the centre. She cursed as her eyes focused back on him like they had been waiting for it all along. "—nan hangsang jejarie", Jungkook polished their performance with a final note before spinning and dropping to his knees.

The crowd went absolutely insane, Aera almost lifting her hands to her ears before deciding against it and standing with her sisters. They cheered for the six members as they held their pose, claps and whistles floating throughout the stadium. She watched as they thanked the audience with big, humble grins before dismounting the stage. Aera's gaze never left orange J as she saw him glance towards the right, where she and the other idols were situated, but not letting his eyes reach the direction fully. Climbing to his knees, he joined his hyungs as they scattered backstage in glee.

"They just had to fucking go after us?" Asami snivelled, still clapping as she watched them disappear. Her members cackled, Han-na delivering a soft wack to her arm before sighing and nodding in agreement.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[atragicallycrispydude]

I haven't listened to anything but Guilty Gear soundtracks for like a month (since Symphony released) and for a while I didn't really appreciate how fucking good the songs were but they're SO GOOD

A super underrated part of their composition that I don't really see people talk about is the level of complexity that the instrumentals get into without being overwhelmingly loud. It adds such beautiful relistenability, because you can seemingly always hear something new in a lot of the songs. ON TOP OF THAT, they help to capture the vibes of a character supremely well

For example, Sol's Xrd theme, Give Me a Break, starts with a thick, grindy, intense guitar riff. Then slow, crashing drums and cymbals come in, adding to the sense of weight the song already has, along with subtle clacking (i don't know what the instrument is but clacking is the best descriptor, it might be a cowbell?) to help keep the pace and fill out the song. A bass is there too, adding a nice smooth underlying layer of deep notes to the song. Finally, a lead guitar comes in and the grindy rhythm guitar moves to the background of the song, exchanged for a more melodic guitar in a higher pitch, but still with the longer, more intense notes. This is in the first 10 seconds.

It all blends into a rich and dense layered cake of a song, allowing for freedom of expression from the lead guitar, while not relying on it too heavily to carry the song. (It absolutely is the best part of the song, but the background instrumentals are just as important)

Drift (Happy Chaos' theme) does this so fucking well, so fucking fucking beautifully well. When the outro starts, you hear Naoki's vocals, over a piano and some sparse strings, before cymbals crash in with trumpets and a choir and booming drums to accentuate the climax of the song, cutting out as Naoki says "Please don't stop the flow!" It then goes back to the very fast heavy-metal-esque drums and guitar and bass, but WITH the strings and choir backing up Naoki's singing and holy fucking shit it's amazing amazing oh my goooood

Symphony (A.B.A.'s Strive theme) was what really got me hooked onto it, though. The last two minutes of that song are fucking PEAK music. It starts with light drums, an organ, and a bass backing up a piano, cutting the formerly intense tone of the song for a nice break from the intensity. Naoki comes in, shortly followed by that classic grindy Guilty Gear guitar, as the piano and drums speed up to match a slowly rising intensity, before breaking into the final verse and chorus, with Naoki vocalizing over intense drums and guitar (as well as a bass but i do struggle to pick it out,) with the piano providing the main melody. Choral "la la la la" chants accompany the cries of "Break out, break out," filling it out perfectly for the tone of the song

It's honestly extremely difficult to properly articulate how it all comes together in the end for the songs. It ends up being a complex, emotional, BANGER. Go listen to the music from these soundtracks and when you do, pay attention to the main melody, then listen to them again and again and again and again and pick out the little extras in the background to truly understand WHY Guilty Gear music is so good.

[tealrootsgerardwayreal]

MCR yapping session part 2 😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝

Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back is such a good song. Like there are literally no flaws. I cannot fault that song at all. Everything about it is so perfect, the lyrics, the guitars, the vocals, the drums just EVERYTHING AH

it makes me want to go for a joyride with my bsf and never look back

When I say that the lyrics are PERFECT I mean that in every single way- like the song just flows so well.

I want to marry that song. Is that weird?? Idk. I am married to that song. I love it so so so so so much. the solo is so perfect and is probably my favourite along with the one in prison, like literally that song is just so perfect.

“We can leave this world, leave it all behind We can steal this car if your folks don't mind We can live forever if you've got the time”

LIKE THE LYRICS TO THIS CHORUS ESPECIALLY, ON TOP OF THE GUITARS IS JUST SO SO SO MAJESTIC AND PLEASING TO LISTEN TO.

“I'll tell you well how the story ends Where the good guys die and the bad guys win (who cares?) This ain't about all the friends you made But the graffiti they write on your grave“ I CANNOT POSSIBLY EXPRESS TO YOU USING WORDS HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS VERSE AND THIS VERSE IN PARTICULAR. IDEK WHY. the songwriting that went into that song is just holy fuck so so good and the first time I watched them play it live on a video, I kid you not I cried. (I’m being dead ass serious I was at a family gathering screaming and crying)

I think it’s the most fun song off of danger days and I really love it.

idk what the fuck this is, ig it’s an appreciation post but yeah

also I don’t have covid anymore. I think 😘😘

[outro-jo]

i don’t understand but i luv u

pairing: hoshi (soonyoung) x reader

type: imagine

warnings: crying, mentions of food, korean language

song inspo: here

a/n: please read info before requesting!

masterlist | info

some said it was weird, your relationship but it made perfect sense to both of you. from the minute you and soonyoung laid eyes on each other everything just stopped and started anew. colors were suddenly brighter and more vivid—well, at least it felt like it. the language barrier did make things harder but soonyoung assured you that it never mattered. he worked harder to communicate with you the best he could and you learned korean as often as you can. it was the distance that hurt the worst at times but despite the hour or day, you always found time for each other. 

luckily, you were able to work it out to see soonyoung before things got crazy with another album release and preparation for another tour. soonyoung was elated to see you again and hold you in his arms. the first day was filled with all the spots in korea he wanted to take you to. all the shops and restaurants that you just had to visit. the following day, surprisingly, he wanted to take you to his parents house to meet them. thankfully, joshua agreed to go to help smooth the language barrier challenges. his parents were to kind and welcoming to you. his mother prepared all of his favorite dishes and insisted you tried them all. you recognized the same warmth in her that soonyoung inherited. his father was more quiet but a sweet presence, opting to observe more than he spoke but he left you with words of approval.

“he thinks you will make a wonderful addition to their family. he wants to make sure you stay well.” joshua translated.

the two weeks went by far too quickly and sadness started to settle in your heart, but soonyoung had one more thing he needed to do before you returned home. with one more full day in south korea, you awoke that morning to a text: “please meet me in our studio.” with directions to the building. you quickly dressed and rushed down the busy streets. after getting lost a few times, you finally found the purple lights that led you right to woozi’s studio. soonyoung greeted you with a hug and ushered you to sit in the seat woozi gave up for you to sit in. the studio that once held woozi, vernon, minghao, and wonwoo emptied until it was just you and your boyfriend. across from you, soonyoung pulled up another chair, holding a note pad in one of his hands.

“baby, i want to play you this song. you inspired it.” he told you. 

“나는 기다릴 수 없어” (i can’t wait) you said showing him you had been practicing just as much as he was.

soonyoung gave a shy smile and looked down to the floor. he cleared his throat and set the computer screen up to play. the notebook he had was handed to you and you could see all the writing, what you assumed to be lyrics and your boyfriend filled the studio with his song.

a guitar riff slowly faded in followed by a steady beat. five seconds in and you could already tell it was a beautiful song. you recognized your boyfriend’s soft voice leading the first verse and read along with him. 

“When I saw you, on frozen space, heightened senses. When I only see you, my heart gets jealous of, even my eyes…” 

it was perfect. a song that of course was how he was feeling but something that articulated your feelings just as well. soon you noticed tears staining the lyric sheet below you, not even realizing you were crying. your heart swelled along with the music and you found yourself singing along with the catchy chorus. how did you manage to find someone so different from you with hurdles that would divide some couples, but it was the person you knew you were meant for. as the song ended, you noticed you were sobbing and finally looked up to soonyoung who was crying too.

“it’s so good, baby. i love it.” you cried before he pulled you into his arms. 

soonyoung pressed kisses to your temple and held you close to him. “i love you.”

“나도 사랑해요” (i love you too) you echoed his sentiments.

soonyoung did everything in his power to make the rest of the day special for you and the two of you shared a tearful good bye the next day. after you boarded the plane, you noticed there was an email in your inbox. 

“i’m always with you.” 🐯

you put in your earbuds and clicked on the audio file. the song soonyoung had written started playing in your ears. it played on repeat until you saw him again. 

[sophiesonlinediary]

Official TTPD Review

Fortnight - Such a vibe with headphones on, but still far from being my favorite though. I'm quite shocked this is the first single but I do really like it now at the second listen, still sad post malone didn't get his own verse i was excited for that :/

The Tortured Poets Department - The charlie puth mention really ruined verse 2 for me sadly, but the bridge ruined my life "At dinner, you take my ring off my middle finge. And put it on the one people put wedding rings on. And that's the closest I've come to my heart exploding" LIKE WTF HEART = BROKEN the title of the song is really cool but i dont know i wasnt expecting the song to sound like this.

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys - I think this may be my second least favorite from this album i dont understand why i didnt really like this song. Maybe it was the vibe of the song and sound especially the choruses which sadly didnt hit. i love how she wrote about a rocky relationship in this song. I feel like this one will definetly be a grower

Down Bad - literally one of my favorites from the whole album. Maybe it's cause the sound feels familiar to me kind off like midnights vibe. But wow that chorus is amazing truly so catchy and the lyrics like wow. i love this song so muchhhh

So Long, London - Not what I expected but still so heartbreakingly pretty. I love her voice in this song it's so pretty and the lyrics are so good oh my god. I swear the verse 3's in this album are vile. "I died on the altar waitin' for the proof" like god damn this whole song is amazing.

But Daddy I Love Him - I loved this song so fucking much. When she said "I'm having his babies" my face dropped and then she hit me with "no not really but you should see your faces" was really fun i'll probably never forget that. i believe this song is of everyone trying to decide her love life for her. And her being like fuck you guys it's my life and you have to accept it and i love her for that!

Fresh Out The Slammer - Those choruses are so good man especially the second one is so good and so me. On first listen this one isn't very memorable but still really good. Now that i've listened to it more like i love this song so much too and the bride ahhh <333

Florida !!! - Ok so maybe i'm a little biased but man this one is so fucking good. I have loved Florence and Taylor for years so like them collaborating was like everything and more. I have now listened to the song like thrice and wowwwww i love it so muchhhhh. Taylor, Florence, Fl welcomes you with open arms man. And like verse 3 was so good their song writing skills are out of this world.

Guilty As Sin? - What an interesting song, like man, idk how to feel. I love the chorus fs. I've come to interpret this song as her having thoughts of a man who possibly isn't available per say or it's just something that can never happen between the two but the want for eachother is there. "They don't know how you've haunted me so stunningly" I love this lyric btw and the chorus right after like wowwww

Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me - ME IM SCARED WTF. Her screaming that line was everything and like the second half of the song is so incredible like wow. also this line has stuck with me since last night "Then we could all just laugh until I cry" ALSO THE ASYLUM WHERE THEY RAISED ME SDJNVFI. I love how she's kind of portraying herself in this song as like the stereotypical scary neighbor in movies. At least that's how I saw it. The whole bridge is incredible and magnificent I adore this song.

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) - GIRL NO YOU CANT AND IM SO HAPPY YOU ACCEPTED THAT. Once I got past the point that this song is about ratty healy I really liked it. it's vibes are so good and the imagery is amazing.

loml - what if i said this should've been track 5. This was the only song in the album I cried to on first listen. It hit me like a bullet and I will never forgive cat lady swift for not preparing me for this song. Literally so fucking hurtful i'm screaming oh my lord. I- no im never getting over this song, sorry not sorry. And the fact "They almost had it all" but there life was cut short aka the relationship ended oh god kill me.

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart - I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. This song is heartbreaking don't let the production fool you, the lyrics want to make you rip you're hair out. And you know what i'll be dancing to this song with a broken heart. "The lights refract sequin stars off her silhouette every night. I can show you lies" it's giving mirrorball like augh i love this song so much!!! and the chorus is everything "I'm so obsessed with him, but he avoids me like the plague" SO FUCKING REAL.

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived - DRAG HIS ASS TAYLOR YEAHHHH. HELLO WTF THIS SONG IS SO GOOD AND FOR ALL OF U HATING ON IT U JUST DONT GET IT THE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVENESS IS EVERYTHINGGGG. mad woman you'd be proud asf. also my religion mentioned as a tongue in cheek to his anti religion views 👏

The Alchemy - I'm not gonna talk about this song much but like I didn't like it at all, i'm sorry. It sounds like one of those Kelce parody songs 😭

Clara Bow - Not the name-dropping herself, damn. I wanna manifest that second pre-chorus btw 🤞 i need to see the light of manhattan. I truly love this song and I can tell it's very personal to her. she's had such an unbelievable career it's always interesting when she writes about it. loved this as the album closer!

this is my ttpd review. remember im just a girl who's only listened to this album twice so please dont drag me for these opinions. gonna do the anthology later!

[pardonmydelays]

clancy tour (watching a livestream) essay 🙏

anon, this question made me so unbelievably happy omg. i just can't get around to the eras tour essay, however, i do feel the need to write, so we're doing this instead.

for the context: i woke up at 5:30 today to watch the livestream of clancy LA show. no, i wasn't there in person. but mentally i was.

please, listen to this incredible playlist while you read my essay (no one's gonna read, it mark my words):

i have decided we will just go through the entire setlist. i don't want to make this too long but i wanna talk about EVERY. SINGLE. SONG. let's fucking go.

OVERCOMPENSATE

so this is when i started crying. who the fuck cries on overcompensate, you would ask... well, me, apparently. i honestly think this is the best opener for both, an album and a show. this song gives me so much serotonin i can't even explain it. i'm always worried about tyler tho because his entrance looks dangerous (the jump, the jump, I AM TALKING ABOUT THE JUMP!). nothing bad happened tho, thankfully. i also noticed he was wearing the other version of clancy jacket today, the one with the hood. not that it's important, but it kinda is. for me at least.

HOLDING ON TO YOU

ok, so if you know me you probably know this is my ultimate favourite twenty one pilots song. and the live performance is even better with the crowd stand at the beginning (i swear to god, it's so incredible to me how much trust tyler has for the clique), clancy mask and lightbulb mic (you can tell tyler has a lot of fun with it), and my favourite part - josh's piano backflip during the bridge of the song. fucking iconic. what's not to love.

VIGNETTE

first thing i want to talk about is the insane transition from holding on to you to vignette. honestly, all transitions are so fucking amazing on clancy tour, it's impressive. now, tyler's little dance during this song is one of the most adorable things i've ever seen (he is such a cat omg) and and and! NEIL BANGING OUT THE TUNES!!! i'll be honest with you, because of this part vignette became one of my favourite songs from clancy and definitely one of my faves from this tour.

CAR RADIO

another one of my favourites. car radio will always hold a very special place in my heart, it's so relatable to me. it makes me so happy that we have a chance to see it being performed in clancy costume (and clancy mask!!!). and when tyler teleports at the end! (also i think he's wearing a totally different jacket in this clip which probably means he has three different clancy jackets, i have no proof tho so i'm just gonna shut up. the video is from LA night one tho. not my show). here's another clip, you can see how he teleported here.

THE JUDGE

ok, so for those who don't know, right before every show the fans in their incredible outfits are being filmed while singing the judge together and every night they show a different video of them singing first verse + chorus and then after that tyler comes out with his ukulele to finish the song. it makes me cry for no reason at all. yes, i cried today too (it just makes me so happy to see all the clikkies singing together and they all look so beautiful always). so what happened today? content warning glitch happened during fan video, you can watch it here, then blurryface tweeted this:

i am losing my goddamn mind over this, people on the livestream were losing their shit when this happened, I STARTED CRYING LIKE A GODDAMN FOOL BECAUSE I'M SO FUCKING EMOTIONAL ABOUT EVERYTHING THIS BAND IS DOING. ugh. i was so right to watch today's livestream. something's gonna happen soon guys. they are warning us.

(i added CUT MY LIP to the playlist but technically it's the judge/cut my lip mashup so there's really not much to say about it)

THE CRAVING + TEAR IN MY HEART

the transition. the goddamn transition!!! it's honestly so fucking cool and probably one of my favourite parts of the tour. i absolutely love all jenna's songs and everyone who says they should not be on the setlist, fuck you forever. in this house we stan all jenna's songs. i usually cry on the craving and tyler is being so silly during tear in my heart - this is my favourite thing in the world. plus, do you really hate the sound of ukulele???

BACKSLIDE

ok, i actually started crying as soon as i realized we're singing backslide now. i love this song so goddamn much, it means the world to me. at one point it was my favourite song from clancy. the chorus breaks my poor little heart every single time and live performance of this song is so emotional... especially at the end when tyler is on his knees (the video is not from tonight's show but it's my favourite one from backslide, please watch it, his vocals here are INSANE). it's like crying for help. i wanna kill myself now. i relate to this song so much. also, backslide is the reason i decided to buy clancy tour tickets, so there's that.

SHY AWAY

oh, thank god this one is on the setlist. you know how much i love scaled and icy and i think out of all the songs from this album shy away is the best one to put on the setlist because the live performance is always so fun!!! don't you shy aWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!! the scream is absolutely fucking everything oh my god. actually, i just love when tyler screams. but don't we all.

HEATHENS + NEXT SEMESTER

ok, now don't hate me, please, but i was never the biggest fan of heathens (i don't hate the song, i like it, just not as much as the others. i probably wouldn't cry if it wasn't on the setlist). however, the transition (again!!!) from heathens to next semester is the best goddamn thing in the entire world and i am losing my mind every single time i come across any clip of this moment. please, watch it, this is everything!!! one question tho: i know tyler was playing bass on the platform for next semester and he didn't do that today, did he just stop doing this recently or is it because of what happened yesterday during the show? (not during this song tho, or at least i know nothing about it, but it seems like LA fans absolutely cannot behave and he was definitely being more careful today, more about it later tho).

ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT

oh boy, this is my vigilante shit for real. remember vigilante shit performance from the eras tour and how everyone was losing their shit when they saw taylor doing the choreography with this motherfucking chair? yes. it's basically that except tyler is fully dressed. which is even worse maybe (y'all know how i feel about his clothes for some reason). one of my favourite songs from the album, but after seeing the live performance for the first time i became absolutely obsessed with the song. i was genuinely scared today because this is basically what happened last night in LA (i swear to god people are acting like fucking animals) and i noticed that tyler was being much more careful this time: he wasn't coming so close to people, and honestly good for him. he didn't even let them touch him during this part. i can't blame him. i feel so bad for what happened. hope he's ok.

ADDICT WITH A PEN + MIGRAINE + FOREST + FALL AWAY

my favourite mashup in the entire fucking world. but before we get into it, please this is so fucking funny and adorable. so basically, before playing the mashup, tyler sat by the piano and he said "currently i'm temperature hot. so i would want to take my jacket off, i promise not to turn on all the dads tonight" and then this happened. poor guy didn't know what to do LMAO. he's such a cutie, please watch the video, he's so adorable i can't. he's also the funniest person on earth. back to the topic, the mashup... i am such a slut for their old songs and this mashup is absolutely fucking insane. the song i love the most out of those is, of course, forest. according to tyler, this song is so old it basically doesn't exist. fuck you, tyler joseph. i can't believe i'm going to hear it live tho, holy shit. i will be fucking SOBBING during this part, i just know that.

MULBERRY STREET

this is such a fun song to play live and one of my favourite moments. you can tell how much fun tyler has each time they play it, also this! this is everything!!! he's always so happy when this happens, he trained us well hahaha. it's so fun omg. can't wait to be a part of it. this has always been one of my favourite songs from scaled and icy so i'm glad they decided to keep it on the setlist.

NAVIGATING

get in, losers. we are entering the lore now. ok, honestly, this part of the tour is absolutely everything to me. torchbearer with his torch? and clancy jacket?? coming to pick him up so they can perform while dema is burning??? AAAAAAAAAAAAAA. oh my GODD. also, navigating is so special to me (i picked this url for a reason) and live performance of this song is fucking fire. watch it. watch the clip. just watch the goddamn clip, will you? we all know this song is on the setlist because of josh, so everybody say thank you josh. also you can tell tyler is very emotional about this song and i just wanna give him a hug. oh my god. i can't wait to hear it live. this will fix me (it will probably make me worse).

NICO AND THE NINERS + HEAVYDIRTYSOUL

the MOTHERFUCKING transition!!! i know i say this a lot but i am such a slut for all the transitions on this tour, oh my god. they are so good. also i absolutely fucking love how we're still in the lore and also, the visuals are absolutely incredible, and also, nico and the niners is one of my favourite songs (the one that got me into their music actually) and also heavydirtysoul live is INSANE and also-

MY BLOOD

ok, i'm sorry, i keep forgetting that this song is on the setlist. it's not one of my favourites (don't fucking hate me, i like it, it's just not my fave). i will be very much singing it at the concert tho cause it's so good live. not much to say about it tho.

OLDIES STATION

boy, here we go. so i started crying at the very beginning of the song and honestly i have no idea how i'm going to handle this live. i am so very normal about this song. it means everything to me. the worst part of it tho was when during the song tyler said "thank you so much for using our music. you've saved us in ways you'll never know". OH MY GOD. i started weeping even more. it's like... their music saved US but we also saved THEM and i need 3-5 business days to recover after that. good lord. listen, i love slowtown and i'm sad that it's not part of the setlist anymore, but i love oldies station a hundred times more and that was a good change me thinks.

FAKE YOU OUT + GUNS FOR HANDS

putting those two together just because i can and i will. vessel is such a great album and it makes me so happy that those two are on the setlist. screaming "our brains are sick but that's okay" with the entire arena is going to fix me, for sure. also, here's the clip of tyler messing up the lyrics (he basically went kjbufbfkkjejkebfkjk after that lmao). can't blame him. the rap part is so fast. i died tho. he's so funny, please.

LAVISH

i can't even begin to explain how happy i am to have this one on the setlist. it's the funniest moment on tour and i love watching them being stupid on stage. also, jOsH iS sHiRtLeSs. the walk, THE WALK LMAO. the best choreography you've ever seen. i just love seeing them so silly and happy and this is everything. i paid a lot of money to see this live. i'm definitely not gonna regret this.

RIDE

so the thing i love about this tour is that every single night while performing this song tyler brings a different kid to sing the chorus with him (it's the equivalent of giving the hat during 22 on the eras tour i would say). tonight we had an adorable girl named callie (if i'm correct). she did so well! also i was giggling so much when tyler said she's cute (he was giggling too hdshfbhekj). i just love watching him with kids, it's so sweet!!! also she had a great beanie with band's logo, i want one too. please watch the clip of them singing together!

PALADIN STRAIT

i was crying. i was crying so much, i love this song and the live performance is so emotional. i put the song bandito on the playlist, because there's this moment in the song where tyler is singing the bridge of paladin strait and josh is singing bandito at the same time and OH MY GOD. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE LORE??? THIS IS SO CLEVER AND I AM LOSING MY GODDAMN MIND EVERY SINGLE TIME I THINK ABOUT IT. please, watch. this is sick as fuck. you don't understand. do you even understand? OR AM I THE ONLY ONE I KNOW???? i'm sorry i just can't i can't i am defeated i am absolutely insane about this part. also, the ending when they are showing the clip of paladin strait music video combined with other clips which looks like a flashback from clancy's life and his never ending battle with nico? the fuck??? and then we go straight to...

JUMPSUIT

the motherfucking coat. not gonna say anything else. just. the coat. oh dear lord. now i am temperature hot.

MIDWEST INDIGO

now my favourite part of midwest indigo is tyler taking off his coat very slowly. because he fucking knows what he's doing. but also, this song is so special to me. i know he wrote it as a love letter to ohio and i'm not even american but somehow this song always makes me think about my hometown. the live performance is so great. the beginning with the bass! he's adorable!

STRESSED OUT

"i don't want stressed out on the setlist it's so overplayed" kill yourself. i love stressed out because i have good taste. it's fun. it's a great song with great lyrics and you fuckers hate it only because it's popular. just shut up. shut the fuck up. in this house we actually enjoy listening to good songs. i personally want it to be on every setlist. if stressed out has no fans it means i killed myself. i'm dead. i'm gone. stressed out defender forever and always. also clancy tour version is incredible. just watch it and shut the fuck up.

TREES

again, i was so scared about my boys because of what happened yesterday in LA. people are fucking animals. i'm so glad, because tyler actually decided to call them out for this and seems like it was much better today. but still. guys please, behave, cause if you're not gonna start acting responsible they are going to stop performing like this. it's still insane compared to the opening night of clancy tour where people didn't even come closer until tyler told them to. i also just noticed now that tyler's t-shirt had black font today (the previous one had red font) for the first time. i think i was just too tired to notice this before. there's not much i can tell you about trees, because you just simply have to be there to understand. it's a perfect song to end the show (for those who don't know: they always close their shows with this one), it's something i experienced live once before and i can't even compare it to anything. i wasn't even crying. my soul literally just left my body. trust me, there's absolutely nothing like trees live. i can show you thousands of clips and it will never be enough. nobody does it like them. seriously. this is the moment. the moment of all moments. i am in fact crying now...

TO SUM IT UP:

great show. 10/10. would recommend. i'm going to see them live in 223 days. this is the thing that makes me want to stay alive. yes. i need to stay alive for this. whoever sent me this ask, thank you. it means the world to me. i need to talk about them because it's the only joy in my life now. they are the reason i want to push on through. also, if you made it this far, thank you. i love you. and i'm sorry.

[crispycreambacon]

Cliché Then and Now

An analysis of the Fraggle Rock episode "Mokey, Then and Now" and how stereotypes permeate our perceptions

Disclaimer: I am not calling for a disavowal of the show, nor am I implying the creators were intentionally racist. I am also not African, so there are likely things I got wrong or missed out on.

Special thanks to @jazzyjuno for contributing to the essay and @madamegemknight for helping me compile screenshots!

— ☆ —

When I first watched the Fraggle Rock episode “Mokey, Then and Now”, I laughed at the usual wackiness and welcomed the surprise of a dynamic between Mokey, Boober and Wembley. However, a strange discomfort lurked at the back of my head once they traveled to the past and met their ancestors. I couldn’t understand why at first when the episode seemed to radiate nothing but the fun I’ve come to expect from this show. Then, the first song came on.

I looked up the lyrics to confirm what I had heard, and to my disappointment, I didn’t mishear. This is one of many examples of pop culture’s reference to Vodou, a widely misunderstood religion from Haiti that garnered an unfair reputation for being “dangerous” and “demonic”, and like a lot of media back in the day—even still today—Fraggle Rock utilized this to create a mystifying atmosphere with a sinister undercurrent. While the portrayal is not as negative as the caricatures surrounding it, it is still a questionable usage of an already stigmatized religion.

(From the first verse)

Who do you do? We do voodoo

(We do voodoo)

Who do you do? We do voodoo

(Who do you do?)

(From the chorus)

Eye of bat, ear of toad,

Hoppin' down the dusty road,

Lizard, gizzard, beetle stew,

These will bring good luck to you.

It's true... True Voodoo!

Caterpillar, caterwaul,

Crawling up the garden wall,

Song of shadow, air of rain,

These will make you strong again.

It's true... True voodoo!

It wasn’t just the lyrics that caught my eye. Funnily enough, I went to the comments section of the music video, and I saw someone say this.

This person is not the only one who made the connection. So have I, and that is because the instrumentation sounds like an amalgamation of different African music genres. The beginning shots even showed the past Fraggles playing drums which look similar to the djembe, a percussion instrument from West Africa.

I had originally thought the instrumentation derived solely from Afrobeat, but my friend Juno pointed out how the creators had blended music from different cultures together to create what was commonly identified as tribal music, making it difficult to pinpoint a specific genre it was emulating. She even caught similarities to music outside of Africa, namely the Axé genre from Salvador, Brazil.

Once that link had been established, I realized why I felt uncomfortable with the past Fraggles. The creators of this episode likely meant to play on generic caveman stereotypes, but in doing so, they accidentally emulated elements of African culture and their stereotypes.

• African Influences in the Past Fraggles' Culture

Take a look at the clothing that the past Fraggles wore. Their accessories and colorful patterns allude to tribal African clothing, specifically Maasai bead necklaces from Kenya and Tanzania, and other jewelry they wear are made from natural materials such as stones, plants and hay.

Covering hair is a very common practice in many African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana and Zimbabwe to the point the clothing they use to wrap their heads has its own name which is a headwrap. While the hats that the past Fraggles wear aren’t explicitly headwraps, the past Fraggles demonstrate a reverence of covering their heads to the point when Mokey accidently cited a word to force them to take their hats off, they cried out in despair.

Moreover, when people depict Africans in media or simply imagine them, Africans are often imagined as bald which is a consequence of the generalization of an important part of ancient culture and the spread of ideas propped up by eugenicists. Guess what happens when the past Fraggles take their hats off.

The past Fraggles operated under a monarchy under the “Great and Wondrous leader” Fishface Fraggle whose presentation screams of what an average person may think of when visualizing an African king. His sceptre is carved like an Asante linguist staff—which, while not held by the king, is closely related to the king—and his throne has a loose resemblance to a palanquin which, while not exclusive to African culture, is used in Ghana. To add onto the African king imagery, the past Fraggles briefly showed off fans in the first song which are associated with the king’s fan bearers in Egypt.

• The Poor Implications

On its own, the past Fraggles having African influences in their culture isn’t an awful idea. It only becomes a problem when those influences are being used in a context which further perpetuates African stereotypes.

With all of this in mind, Boneface Fraggle suddenly takes on the “savage caricature” image which depicts Africans wearing bones in their nose and speaking in “broken” English.

It wasn’t just Boneface who spoke like this. There were multiple instances where the past Fraggles didn’t follow General American English and chanted caveman speech which has been associated with Africans to imply their lack of articulation and therefore inferiority.

The savage and uncivilized stereotypes are pushed further when the past Fraggles act in an unsavory way. For instance, they have outlawed laughter, even though it is a completely natural act, and imprisoned a Fraggle for breaking this law.

When Mokey is proven to not be Blundig Fraggle as she claimed to be, they immediately called for her, Boober and Wembley to be imprisoned and tied to a rock for what is implied to be eternity.

• Why Should We Care?

After all, the creators likely didn’t consciously draw inspiration from African cultures, nor did they intend to enforce these stereotypes. In fact, I proposed they were likely focusing more on caveman imagery.

That’s the thing though. Stereotypes, especially racial ones, are ingrained in us so deeply that we can subconsciously be influenced by them when we create and enjoy art connected to their subjects. Caveman stereotypes have a lot of overlap with African stereotypes, so in the creators attempting to portray one image, they accidentally invoke another.

In spite of my speculations on them drawing from cavemen, we cannot be completely sure of the intentions of the creators when trying to portray the past Fraggles as from what I can tell, they had not made them public. Regardless of what they intended, that doesn’t erase that the culture of the past Fraggles can be interpreted as a cumulation of African stereotypes.

We may not even remember where stereotypes originate from as they are a gross oversimplification of observations from our ancestors, yet these stereotypes stick with us and our culture even if we aren't actively thinking about them. Believing and passing on generalizations is a lot easier than thinking of all the nuances of a subject and researching where these generalizations came from.

Let me make it clear: you are not a bad person for not noticing before. The creators are not bad people for unintentionally perpetuating these stereotypes. This isn’t an issue with individual morality. Stereotypes are, by their design, meant to go unchallenged for literal centuries, and people aren’t meant to ponder over their validity. They are presented as simple truths so that we won’t have to think about why they factor into how we treat and think about other people, and we won’t have to confront the prejudice that they can cause.

This is why we have to actively call out stereotypes when we do notice them because how else will we ever stop believing them so easily? If we never question why we believe and enforce them, how can we undo their harm? Even something as small as pointing out when stereotypes are used in a TV show or calling out someone who uses them for their tasteless jokes can lead to bigger changes such as dismantling the racism which benefited from stereotypes.

• So What Do We Do About It?

Moving forward, we need to be more mindful about how we portray subjects in our art to ensure we can explore them with the nuance they need and to ensure that marginalized groups aren't harmed by our art. We also need to be aware of when the media utilizes these stereotypes and how they are presented in the media’s context. Recognizing harmful portrayals in others’ work can help us stay vigilant when making our own art, and we can also help each other realize our own shortcomings and minimize the harm done in the future. We live and learn then, we can live and learn now.

[rawrxdinaryheroes]

XDH as 3DG Songs

Gunil: Time of Dying

"I'll wait here for you"

This song is unique in that it switches meter

It goes from 4/4 to 6/4 which I feel like would be fun especially for someone who plays drums!

I also think this song is his style (especially coming from a Muse perspective)

The lyrics are also incredibly introspective and he seems like a very introspective person to me???

Jungsu: Lost In You

"Now everyday, I find myself saying I want to get lost in you"

Jungsu is a professional cutie patootie sweetie pie with frosting on top

This song is INCREDIBLY sweet

I actually cried hearing this song for the first time because of how sweet it is

This has been a comfort song for me which reminds me of Jungsu bc I feel like he has such a warm presence????

Pure fireplace during the wintertime vibe <333

This song played with acoustic guitar and piano, slower tempo, and Jungsu's vocals would be a godsend

Jiseok: Riot

"You're not the only one, so get up. Let's start a riot"

This song is very high energy and encompasses the feeling of starting a riot

Jiseok, our punk president, would ABSOLUTELY SLAY this song

He has a certain chaotic or devious charm to him that I think would totally match the vibe of this song

Especially since this song empowers those who feel weak, angry, or emotionally down

JISEOK WOULD EAT THIS SONG

Seungmin: Painkiller

"'Cause I'm the shoulder you cry on"

Okay so..

This song is preeettttyy heavy lyrics wise (I meann most 3dg songs are but yk my point)

I chose this song because I feel like it would fit Seungmin's musical style

I feel like he would add a few rap verses in the song that would go so hard omg-

This song is also oddly reassuring but in a haunting way and I feel like Seungmin would reallllly portray that super well

Hyeongjun: It's All Over

"When you're on the edge and falling off, it's all over"

THIS SONG has been my latest obsession it's bordering on unhealthy....

This song features a consistent bass and guitar riff that drive the music forward and the tempo isn't quite as fast as the other songs

It also features a very melodic guitar solo that I think Hyeongjun would really pull off super well! (MANS IS SUPER TALENTED)

Overall this song is super subtle and kind of reminds me of a fever dream??

I feel like Hyeongjun would pull off a fever dream type of concept really well????

Jooyeon: I Hate You Everything About You

"I hate everything about you. Why do I love you?"

A Three Days Grace classic~

The verses have very pretty clean vocals and instrumentals only for that to be juxtaposed by a heavier chorus full of gritty vocals and distortion

Jooyeon would actually sing this song so well

I mean we all heard his gritty vocals... Are you seeing ~the vision~

This man puts his whole soul into singing he would actually really eat this up I fear

You guys, this is my first time posting to tumblr... yikes! ANYWHO pls let me know if this was hot garbage, if you agree or disagree with the song choices. What's your favourite Three Days Grace song? How's your day going? I might make more of these little posts bc I have a lot of ideas and nowhere to put them out so pls anticipate more of my antics. Tysm <333

[yjyt85r98r]

Aikatsu song reviews: Summer Tears Diary

The only Aikatsu song that made me cry.

Song

To be honest, this song didn't make a huge impression on me the first time I listened to it. I thought it was pretty, and a bit intangible, but that was all. But then I listened to the full version and started crying a little bit.

When it comes to instrumentals, the stars are definitely the violin, piano and cymbals. The piano really helps set up the elegant, emotional atmosphere. This song makes much more usage of cymbals compared to most Aikatsu songs – I'm pretty sure I even heard a ride cymbal a few seconds before the chorus, which is rare indeed. And I was surprised that the violin is a synth one, because it sounds so expressive. The way it comes in subtly but then gets louder and louder, until it becomes an unignorable whine... it perfectly matches the lyrics, expressing a sadness that builds up until it overflows.

I think there are too many key changes, especially in the short version. It's 4 key changes in under 2 minutes, and it makes the song feel kind of confusing and hard to follow. But I do think they work well with how the lyrics jump through time. The intro/chorus is set in the present, the first verse is in the past, and the second verse is looking to the future. And the key keeps changing to show those transitions through time.

The bell at the end of the full version sounds jarring and sort of takes me out of the song's trance, but maybe that's the point. Maybe it's supposed to be a school bell marking the beginning of the new term and the end of the song. The moment school begins, the spell is broken and that summer is already behind them.

I really don't know what genre of song this is. (It sort of feels like light jazz, but it doesn't have saxophone or blue notes so it can't really be jazz.) But if this song had a smell, it would be one of those scents that disappears just as you think you understand it, so I'd keep sniffing it and never get enough.

Summer Tears Diary is not particularly powerful or catchy, and it didn't make a big impression on me at first. But when you really allow yourself to be swept up in this song, then it becomes one of the series' best.

Vocals

Yozora and Mahiru sing this song so differently that the entire vibe changes depending on which version you're listening to. I think that a big reason the song didn't make an impact on me the first time but did the second time was because I first listened to the Yozora version, and then the duet. There's nothing wrong with Yozora's voice, but her vocals just have this sweet, light quality that doesn't carry the gravity of the lyrics. Whereas the Mahiru version... wow!! That's got to be some of Kana's best work in the whole series. I can't even describe it in words, it's just... so beautiful. So good.

One thing about the duet, though, is that the vocals don't feel quite as synced as usual. Miho and Kana are both known for their excellent harmonies, being able to sing in such perfect sync that it sounds almost like one person instead of two. But not here, not in this song. I wonder if the recording process was different for this one.

Lyrics

Aside from the vocals, I think the other reason I cried the second time I listened to this was because I watched a video that had the lyrics translated onscreen. The short version's lyrics are sad, but the full version's lyrics are heart-rending. They're almost too sad for the song's carefree, swingy vibe.

Last year, someone was talking about how they had a great summer with their best friend, but that friend would be going far away and they were going to miss them so much, and I was like, that's just like a song I know. In my case, I've never really had a wonderful summer (or any season) with someone I knew would be leaving, but some of the lyrics still hit really close, like the lyrics about knowing that their face will one day get blurred in your memories, not being able to tell them the things you wanted to say, and not wanting the pain to go away because you want to keep caring about them.

The lyrics are about a mundane tragedy, the tragedy of knowing that someone won't be in your life anymore. They won't die, nor will they hate you, but the paths you're taking in life are too different, and by the time you could meet again, it will already be too late.

I feel like the lyrics were being considered with every step of this song's creation, from the instrumentals to the choreography. There are lots of times where you can see or hear the things being described in the lyrics.

Choreography

It does NOT fit the song... and I have no idea what it was going for. Mediocre popping and locking, random shimmying, the stereotypical "hula" move, all being done to a swingy classical/jazz type of song... It's hard to say what kind of dance would fit with the song, but I don't think it's this. I wonder if the vast amount of time the camera spends focusing on the sky is as much to show off the stage as it is to hide the dancing.

I do have to at least give it a bit of credit for matching the lyrics at times. The hand sweeping across the night sky, and the freezing during the lyrics about time stopping.

Visuals

The choice of visuals is slightly odd when contrasted with the music, as the stage and outfits look very traditionally Asian whereas the song sounds more western. The word "anime" is the only thing that lets me mentally merge the two.

I really, really like the stage design. The flat look of the buildings works really well with this particular stage. The fireflies and the sky lanterns really help sell that summer night feeling.

The facial expressions really do not match the lyrics... they should not be smiling like that while singing about how sad they are.

The two auras together look like a mess.

Good points: Mahiru's vocals, sad yet beautiful lyrics Bad points: Too many key changes

Rating: 8.5/10 Personal rating: 8.5/10

(idk whether to give it 8.5 or 9... might change it later)

[aquadestinyswriting]

Writing Exercise 3

Ok, so I was looking through this post again to see if I wanted to do any of the other writing exercises on it and I came across the "Shuffle a playlist on your music player of choice. For whichever song plays, describe what you “see” with your imagination." exercise. Needless to say, since I have at least 4 different playlists just for my many WIP series, I needed to give this one a shot.

I'm just gonna go with shuffling my 'Emotional Songs' playlist since that's the most extensive one I have and I use it to plot with. Placing the song and my thoughts about it under a cut to save everyone's dashes.

Tagging: @davycoquette (as requested), @druidx, @lexiklecksi and @sparrow-orion-writes because you guys might get a kick out of this.

And shuffle chose the following song:

Oh man. Ok, so let's get into this.

I feel like I'm losing hope In my body and my soul And the sky, it looks so ominous And as time comes to a halt Silence starts to overflow My cries are inconspicuous

OK, so for this part of the first verse, I typically see Elowyn staring up at the ceiling of the cavern she, Meredith and Enezeage are shivering in after almost drowning trying to swim through some flooded mineshafts to get to some Bad Guys(tm). I think it's pretty accurate to say that at least the girls are feeling a bit hopeless since the other two members of their party have just drowned and Merri and Elowyn had just about followed suit not that long before.

Tell me, God, are you punishing me? Is this the price I'm paying for my past mistakes? This is my redemption song I need you more than ever right now Can you hear me now?

The scene in my head for this part skips ahead a little bit to when Elowyn dies for the first (or was it second?) time thanks to being ripped to shreds by a Dire Dire weasel (the thing stood about 4 feet at the shoulder, which is a bit taller than Elowyn). Elowyn's sitting in the waiting room when she suddenly gets pulled through a portal by a clawed, reptilian hand and is then told that she's now Kurtulmak's Vassal before she wakes up back in the real world pretty much naked and covered in ick. Bear in mind this takes place waaay before Elowyn finally gets ordained as a paladin, so she's a rogue at this point in the story of the campaign.

'Cause we're gonna shout it loud Even if our words seem meaningless It's like I'm carrying the weight of the world I wish that someway, somehow That I could save every one of us But the truth is that I'm only one girl Maybe if I keep believing, my dreams will come to life Come to life

There are a couple of scenes that flash into my head for this first chorus honestly. All of them involving Elowyn standing up for herself, her beliefs or others that are less fortunate than herself. The first one is when she's standing up to King Storri and Captain Bloodvein about the kobolds that the party ended up taking on as companions after that whole resurrection by Kurtulmak thing. The next one that comes to mind is quite a lot later when she's up on a box trying to calm a riotous mob that's trying to get into the Temple of Moradin in Toreguarde.

After all the laughter fades Signs of life all washed away I can still, still feel a gentle breeze No matter how hard I pray Signs of warning still remain And life has become my enemy

Now, I tend to switch POV over to Meredith for the second verse, only because this song is a definitive fit for both girls, for slightly different reasons. For this first part of the second verse, the scene that comes to mind is always one where Meredith is sitting in her room in Acacia Avenue after the celebrations for Darkhide's defeat are over and the party have been chucked out to go home and sleep. The scene is not a happy one, since she's trying to pray to Moradin and not getting an answer and is slowly realising that her people are still in grave danger, despite the defeat of one of the most powerful necromancers Allansia has seen in about a decade.

Tell me, God, are you punishing me? Is this the price I'm paying for my past mistakes? This is my redemption song I need you more than ever right now Can you hear me now?

For this second half-verse, I tend to visualise Meredith sitting in her cell waiting for her trial and likely execution date after she's discovered and arrested in Fangthane upon her return there. To be fair, she doesn't believe her gods are punishing her so much as kicking herself for getting caught because she has no evidence with which to exonerate herself, so she's spending herself praying for some sort of miracle.

'Cause we're gonna shout it loud Even if our words seem meaningless It's like I'm carrying the weight of the world I wish that someway, somehow That I could save every one of us But the truth is that I'm only one girl Maybe if I keep believing, my dreams will come to life Come to life

Like with Elowyn above, I tend to see various scenes for this chorus. Most of them involve Meredith standing up to the various enemies that her party met during their adventure. I also sometimes visualise a few scenes where Meredith is trying to keep her party or her people safe from some sort of danger, even if it's not immediately visible.

'Cause we're gonna shout it loud Even if our words seem meaningless Like I'm carrying the weight of the world I wish that someway, somehow That I could save every one of us But the truth is that I'm only one girl

For this chorus I visualise short flashes of both Elowyn and Meredith trying to talk some sense into their people as matters in both Toreguarde and Fangthane start to fall apart. Mostly it scenes of Elowyn trying to stem the corruption in the Council and the Brotherhood of Cleaving's reign of terror in Toreguarde and Meredith trying to talk some sense into the leadership of her Church as a full-on Schism starts erupting.

Still, we're gonna shout it loud Even if our words seem meaningless It's like I'm carrying the weight of the world I hope that someway, somehow That I could save every one of us But the truth is that I'm only one girl Maybe if I keep believing, my dreams will come to life Come to life

For this last chorus, I tend to visualise the lead-up to the final battle of the campaign. The first scene I visualise tends to be Elowyn getting ganked on top of a sea stack and Merri having to ress her mid-battle. However, the main scene I tend to see is Elowyn trying to talk Ionah (the Big Bad) down in attempt to, potentially, save what's left of the woman's soul. There was a whole heartfelt speech about understanding why Ionah followed the path she did and the fact that there was second chance still available. The body language I can see for both women in my head at this point is just heart-breaking, because Elowyn tried so hard, only for Ionah to turn around and basically murder her son (and Meredith's husband), who is off-screen and on another plane of existence at this point.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 29/06/2024 (Coldplay, Charli xcx/Lorde, Post Malone/Blake Shelton)

Her second week for her second #1, Sabrina Carpenter stays at the top of the UK Singles Chart on an otherwise… interesting week, reflected in pretty much aspect, so… welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: language, misogyny, alcohol

Rundown

As always, we start with the notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK Top 75, which is what I cover, after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we bid adieu to a surprisingly small selection of “Feather” by Sabrina Carpenter, “Gata Only” by FloyyMenor and Cris Mj, “As it Was” by Harry Styles and of course, since we haven’t fared well at the Euros, “3 Lions”.

As for our notable gains, since we don’t have much in the way of returns outside of Disclosure’s “You & Me” featuring Eliza Doolittle back once again at #65, we see boosts for “Mind Still” by Sonny Fodera and blythe at #68, “NIGHTS LIKE THIS” by The Kid LAROI surprisingly up big to #47, “Kisses” by BL3SS and CamrinWatsin featuring bbyclose at #44, “the boy is mine” by Ariana Grande at #39 off of the remix with Brandy and Monica (cheap idea, bad execution), “KEHLANI” by Jordan Adetunji at #29 which is a decidedly unslizzy occurrence, “DEVIL IS A LIE” by Tommy Richman at #21, “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar riding the high of The Pop Out at #14 and really, the biggest story: Chappell Roan. Not only are “Red Wine Supernova” and “HOT TO GO!” up to #40 and #33 respectively, she gets her first ever top 10 hit with “Good Luck, Babe!” hitting #7.

As for the top five, we see much of the expected. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish is at #5, Eminem’s “Houdini” is at #4, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is at #3 and of course, both Sabrina Carpenter songs in the top 10 stick to the top two: “Espresso” at #2 and the newer “Please Please Please” at the top spot. As for what’s below it… thankfully not a lot in sheer quantity but a lot of interest so let’s try and make sense of it.

New Entries

#69 - “Tears” - Perrie

Produced by Ido Zmishlany

These “extended” versions are a bit ridiculous recently: personally, I’d prefer my songs come complete in the package and I don’t have to find booster packs. With that said, the aforementioned extended version of this newest single from Little Mix’s second-to-most recent solo breakout, Perrie Edwards, is very good. We’ve had a lot of smooth, lounge-esque 80s pastiches on this show, but this delves so fully into glitzy synth-funk that it’s really admirable. The groove, though a bit plastic and muddy in the mix as you kind of expect from cheaper UK pop production, is undeniable and the easy guitar melody has been in my head persistently since I first heard it. Most importantly, Ms. Edwards actually plays with the instrumental and its composition as a vocalist, she doesn’t just sit afloat in the way many other singers would, and that includes, say, a Dua Lipa. The weirdly fast-paced tumble of a chorus displays that messy breakup so well and rings alarm bells in the posturing that she’s really over it, guys, she’s totally not been thinking about him, within the verses, but she’s still rightfully angry and the chorus isn’t that awkward of a tumble that it can’t carry the same swagger the instrumental from Mr. Zmishlany commands. It’s no surprise to me that this guy has worked before with people like Shawn Mendes and Sabrina Carpenter given how breezy of a listen it is, though Perrie doesn’t stumble over her own writing in the way those two do: she shares the command of the song with the funk behind her. It truly is a brilliant pop song, yet it turns out to be the one that’ll probably flop. I understand that the Little Mix girls have had, so far, very ephemeral solo stardom, but the quality is really there for a lot of them, so it’s a damn shame that the girl group fame hasn’t rubbed off more than it probably should have.

#60 - “misses” - Dominic Fike

Produced by Dominic Fike

Ah, Dominic Fike. I remember when I knew that one song which was a pretty good song, and never even needed to think about him for a second song, let alone an acting career that I couldn’t care about but have heard… not so great things regarding, as well as of course pushing out some of the most insufferable indie pop of the last few years, of which some has been covered here. This new track… okay, are you fucking kidding me? This is one minute and 14 seconds. I get Fike has gained virality more for his demos than his completed songs, and that sometimes this is valid, but you can tell how inauthentic and tacky the “distortion” here is, and the fact that it’s all packed into barely more than one minute shows me two things: 1.) the writers and producers are lazy, 2.) they’re chasing some of that success he got from dumping some, at least honest and interesting, demos onto streaming services. Oh, and a third thing: it was written and produced solely by Fike himself. That’s not particularly impressive, of course, when it’s somehow completely forgettable despite being so concise and insistent on drilling that one chorus melody into you, but he also devolves into vocal riffing midway through over an unchanging garage rock plonker that couldn’t pick up any momentum if it tried. And of course, because it’s Fike, I don’t need to tell you that the lyrics are condescending towards women. Calling her his “miss” is already off to a rough start without some needed context, and he doesn’t grant us that, instead going onto consider the relationship dead and reassuring her that she’ll be “grieved” - as if the woman in any given relationship actively wants their ex-boyfriend to grovel about them instead of just going their separate ways - before pinning the blame on her because he’s just a man who loved too much too quickly, right? The verse later basically berates her for being useless, and that when she’s not with him, she’s misguided and invisible, despite the fact that she’s so beautiful, yeah, piss off. This is a barely-constructed song with nasty attitudes on an album seemingly full of these shitty, malformed interludes and I don’t see any value in it sticking around.

#41 - “Wave” - Asake and Central Cee

Produced by Magicsticks

Nigerian singer Asake, who I’ve praised before on this show but mostly in the lower rungs of the chart and off of it entirely, is finally getting a real UK push, given the Cench feature, and whilst I liked “Lonely at the Top” largely for lyrical and performance reasons, this if anything is more of an exhibition for his producer, Magicsticks, as this is a genuinely unique instrumental here. It’s got an Afrobeats rhythm for sure, but not only is the drum pattering shakier but it’s accompanied by what I can only describe as a groan stick, which follows as weedy a melody as the later flutes. This is largely a chill song about relaxing and flexing, but the flatter sense of groove that exists here, the way the drums never embrace their full punch into long after Asake had meandered beyond the chorus, and only when Central Cee comes in, and still in a slightly staggered, stuttering way, it’s a really interesting decision that works out very well. It almost reminds me of Brazilian funk sometimes, especially with its cacophonic approach and that later screeching synth. As for content, it doesn’t really matter, but I do wish there was a little more substance or at least a less generic Cench verse, but really, the weird note the very busy and tense instrumental carries when placed against the Afrobeats genre’s use of choir vocals is really fascinating. It doesn’t fully hit, but it’s a risk that is pulled off by ensuring other elements of the mix, like Asake’s drowned out vocals or the general blandness of Cench’s cadences, are kept to the sidelines, which doesn’t lead to a fuller song but still an interesting one that is still developing on itself with extra choir harmonies and even uglier synth fuzz at its last moments. Maybe it’s not one I’ll go back to - it’s not particularly catchy - but it’s an interesting way to grab a different audience’s attention.

#37 - “us.” - Gracie Abrams featuring Taylor Swift

Produced by Aaron Dessner, Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff

So, Gracie Abrams, daughter of J.J. of course, released her let’s-pretend-it’s-adebut record, The Secret of Us, and surprisingly to me, despite pretty much no traction before this, it went to #1 on the albums chart: here is your golden ticket as to why. Not particularly this song, but the idea of Taylor Swift being behind this specific young singer and project, as well as making a direct appearance, absolutely helped. It also makes perfect sense considering that both of Abrams’ prior songs I had heard that charted were basically less self-realised Taylor Swift leftovers. She even got both Dessner and Antonoff on here because of course, and well, firstly, I don’t understand why this is a duet - and barely at that. Abrams derives from both her own older tracks and Taylor’s to create some unsubtle metaphors and oddly fragmented verses about a former relationship, and Taylor is here for decoration as far as thematics are concerned as there isn’t a clear attempt at implementing her vocal presence into the narrative. That’s… fine, if not lazy, but once you get to the lyrics themselves, it’s all kind of a shambles that apes Taylor’s style of writing without actually making all too much sense. I would appreciate the fantastical, forelorn imagery of “Babylon lovers hanging lifetimes on a vine”, if she didn’t ask her ex if they “miss[ed hers]”… what exactly could they miss here? If the point is that the vine represents a “lifetime”, then in what sense does it make for someone to “miss” a “lifetime”? Abrams could say that the relationship felt like a lifetime, or took a lifetime out of her, that would make sense, but it gets confused with the use of the Babylon imagery - also, the hanging gardens of Babylon are disputed to have even existed at all, but not in a concrete way where we know exactly what it’s being confused with or who exactly fabricated it, so “Babylon lovers” and the “vine” conceit feels like a cheap use of imagery without really understanding its origin, especially since Abrams makes “us” - I.e. the relationship - solid and established in that chorus.

The verses may be a bit of basic word salad, but when you try and make connections between certain ideas, they start to break down - what does being 29 years old actually have anything to do with being welcoming or open with your younger partner? If you’re going to include the “so”, there should be a connection but it’s never explained. It gets worse and worse throughout the song also: I know the “prophets”/”profits” homonym was probably just an inescapable cliché for our gang of four - even if it actually muddles the flow of that bridge - but what actually ARE the “false profits they make in the margins of poetry sonnets”? Who’s “they”, book publishers? How are the profits in any way “false”, or the exact “margins” of a sonnet relevant? Oh, and thanks for specifying “poetry sonnets”, not to be confused with the other types of sonnets that aren’t poetic, all zero of them. You could argue that part is purposefully meaningless as it criticises the guy for his misunderstanding of literature, sure, but I think to pull that off, one needs to 1.) show an understanding of the unnamed poetry he supposedly misconstrued and 2.) not, in your own poetry, express yourself in obtuse ways acting as rhythmic filler.

If you’re going to bring up Robert Bly and the irony that this guy gifted you his work without understanding its reference to masculinity and not representing the values in Bly’s work, how is this guy in any way “incomparable”? You just made a comparison! The condescending lyric from Taylor that he never “read up on” any of the literature he cared about and that he “could have learned something”, sounds really hypocritical in this song full of adding complexity and faux-poignant takes or, well, comparisons into a song ultimately lacking any nuance, because what does adding any of this meaninglessness really contribute to the general picture Taylor will paint of any ex-boyfriend in a typical song? I’m a sucker for detail lyrically but detail that actually gratifies the listener for looking carefully, not punishing them once the cracks are realised. This sounds nit-picky but is genuinely incredibly distracting for a song wherein I’m supposed to reeled into the narrative on display… and Hell, I’m always being told that Taylor is one of the greatest songwriters, so I’m not sure why I can’t nit-pick for every detail.

Obviously, this is not my only problem with the song. Dessner’s acoustic guitar is twiddly and oddly tense as well as feeling copy-pasted throughout the song, Abrams sounds like a BTEC Lorde on a chart week where we get the real deal taking genuine artistic risk - more on that later - and the chorus is a sludge of a lead vocal melody covered in feathery vocal layers that really emphasise how little is being said. If I were right-wing, I’d probably take even further offense in the sheer amount of pronouns Abrams is shoving down my ears, and honestly, I still am, because outside of the bridge, what is “us”? Why should he miss that? The bridge has all the plastic cinematic swell of a video game trailer, full with swooshing effects and some of the worst drums I’ve heard in pop this year just because of how staggered and dire they feel, they really contribute to a complete tonal clash with the supposed electricity and pure emotional feelings that the two sing about. I know this review is incredibly wrong for a song I don’t really like, but I did come into this with the idea that it’d probably be a good fit for the two to collaborate given Abrams’ influences and the potential for a really interesting narrative as a result, potentially playing off of that dynamic… yet what I get is a white, null void of platitudes that shatter at any scrutiny. Sorry, Swifties… or Abramites I suppose - this is one of my least favourite songs of the year so far.

#34 - “Pour Me a Drink” - Post Malone featuring Blake Shelton

Produced by Louis Bell and Charlie Handsome

Post Malone has yet to truly convince me on the straight-up country pivot. Sure, elements of folk and country have been vaguely reflected in his music for a while, if much lesser than the pop rock influences that have practically always been there and still largely are, but his producers are still his main guys - which I guess I can respect - and he decided Morgan Wallen wasn’t a seasoned enough veteran of Nashville so he went and bagged Mr. Gwen Stefani for the feature on yet another country drinking song… and I guess it’s fine. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a 2000s country-pop track, particularly one with some more organic fiddle but more canned drums and rock instrumentation, and I realise that I’m just describing a Blake Shelton song. Bizarrely, he fits less here than Post, who is a natural fit in his warble for this kind of casual country radio sing-a-long. Much like “I Had Some Help”, which this very much resembles, there’s a quicker pace to some of the songwriting, especially the chorus, that Shelton finds himself a bit behind sometimes, especially in that rough first verse to chorus transition. The second verse has some cool idea of chemistry between the two but it seems very forced. I can’t imagine a situation where Blake Shelton would be calling Post his “buddy” at an old bar as Post is trying to get with some girl. I think something is missing there, optics-wise… as well as a proper bridge, or any real harmonisation between the two, which also has no reason to be a duet, really. That really shows to me that Post or his label have little confidence in his ability to sell country, by lodging these veterans onto the track without any thematic relevance, and also not realising just how charismatic Post is on his own. I can imagine the dumb grin on his tatted-up face as he records the song, I’m not sure I can really imagine Blake Shelton feeling anything at all. I also don’t really buy either of these guys trying to “keep up with the Joneses” - you ARE the Joneses, fellas - but that’s beside the point of the song. It’ll work in the right context, but it’s not like there’s not plenty of these types of songs and the inclusion of Blake Shelton here detracts from it quite a bit too.

#28 - “Girl, so confusing” - Charli xcx

Produced by A.G. Cook

Yeah, I prefer the solo version. Whilst it’s clear that Charli is talking about someone, probably Lorde, on “Girl, so confusing”, which is now confirmed, the more self-contained story of Charli misunderstanding cues and overthinking certain interactions she has with women in general, as well as the more specific showbiz talk, is much more compelling to me than knowing that it’s just about one woman in particular. That doesn’t mean the Lorde version can’t be that as well, but when I first listened to BRAT, “Girl, so confusing” really resonated with me, in part because of the anthemic nature of the chorus, with the scattered vocal stuttering very much in A.G. Cook’s wheelhouse, but also because, I mean, yeah. It is confusing sometimes to be a girl, and that general thesis, as well as applying the lyrics in the verses to everyday interactions, is something I can get behind and see a lot of value in, especially since it uses such a universally humanising statement to bring the album’s themes back home. Unfortunately, here comes Lorde, coming off the strength of her worst album, and making a song already about her… not very easily about anything else.

I’ve said this before with acts like Doja Cat and Ye, but when it gets too absorbed in gossip, I tend to tune out, and I can’t find many universalities in Lorde’s new contributions, to the point where that main lyric starts to sound closer to “It’s confusing to be Lorde”, which I don’t doubt but I also don’t care about hearing unless I spin a Lorde album, which, well, I do. I love Melodrama. What I don’t love is the awkward implementation of Lorde into the Auto-Tuned club-pop cacophony. She gets to the point - are you sure this is still Lorde? - but it’s through a breathless delivery that name-drops specific elements about Charli that take the song even further away from universality for the sake of the “moment”. I didn’t even realise people cared about a Lorde and Charli feud, one I didn’t know existed until this album dropped, and I honestly doubt this lasts much longer thanks to what is arguably a novelty aspect. I still do like the song, and yes, I will count the original in the conclusion because the Official Charts Company doesn’t credit Lorde, but I wish I could connect to it much more, and the way a lot of people really are gravitating to this viral moment at least gives me some solace in knowing it did do that for other people. The funniest end result for me would be if the song is actually about Marina and the Diamonds and this was all grade-A trolling.

#25 - “feelslikeimfallinginlove” - Coldplay

Produced by Max Martin, Oscar Holter, Bill Rahko, Daniel Green and Michael Ilbert

So, Coldplay are releasing their second weirdly-stylised, Max Martin-penned space album of the 2020s. Sure. These guys can do anything they want at this point and whilst it frustrates me that they don’t take the risks they have with that freedom, or at least in more compelling ways because there definitely are some… choices on the last few albums, some genuinely experimental and out-there, I know I’m not going to find that in a lead single, and hey, the band’s given us some great music in the past, with singles and deep cuts so there’s a level of expected quality and polish to everything they put out. Unexpectedly, however, I love this song. Yeah, I was surprised too, not been a fan of much Coldplay for a while, but this reminds me of the muted Ghost Stories, where its swell came from a genuine push and struggle to express those emotions, rather than the careening easiness of stumbling into orchestras or guitar overdubs like they usually do. If there’s any song in particular I feel that it’s reminiscent of, it’s probably that record’s big single, “Magic”. The difference here is that this is far from a divorce record, it’s a childishly lovestruck anthem, but one that starts with a piercing, glittery distortion that peters away for Damon Albarn-sounding synths and flickering drum sequencing that is as monotone as Chris Martin’s pained attempts at “la-la”s. He’s so tedious in his delivery that he ends up having to harmonise with a pitch-shifted version of his own vocal take, and all of that is a compliment, this is a really interesting song in terms of where it lies emotionally: he’s in love, but seemingly some of that love is coming out of a pity, a hand being lent to a guy who considers himself born to destroy everything good that comes to him. This is his one attempt to pull on those hands in full sincerity, acknowledging that it’s probably a mistake for him to do so but putting his heart and hope where his hands are: in the trust of a new partner who lets the windows open in spite of all that. Fitting for a Glastonbury performance, there are some lush synth and stringwork in the sing-a-long chorus, and it’s definitely a sing-a-long chorus given the simple melody and platitude lyrics that still do reflect some of the song’s conceits - “You’re throwing me a lifeline” is a great lyric to add to ensure that’s still embedded within each crack of the song’s premise, and yes, he rhymes it with “lifetime” and this time, it makes sense. I don’t usually say, “Take notes from Coldplay,” but we might have to start revising their back catalogue. There’s a certain restraint to the song’s true capabilities too - it’s in full slow build-up Coldplay territory of course, but all we have to really reflect on that other than the expected instrumentation is a guitar line so far to the left channel that it’s borderline communist, and a sputtering of lovestruck gibberish from Mr. Martin that’s honestly kind of adorable. It reminds me of when he performed lyrics from the Crazy Frog live on television as part of an instrumental break, it’s a cute and endearing way to end the song. Surprisingly enough, I do thoroughly enjoy this new Coldplay single. Been a while since I’ve said that with as little hesitation.

Conclusion

It’s tough. Who wasted my time the most? But whom did I clearly at least have something there to tussle with and find some value in outside of novelty? As controversial as this probably is, I’m ultimately going to grant Worst of the Week to “us.” by Gracie Abrams featuring Taylor Swift, because at least Dominic Fike’s vapid garbage is as transparent as it is, and yes, “misses” gets a very close Dishonourable Mention. As for the best, it’s also pretty evident here that it’s a toss-up between a few great songs, but ultimately I’ll actually lend it to Coldplay for “feelslikeimfallinginlove” because it sounds great in what might be a more unique emotional balance than the others, though I’m still giving a tied Honourable Mention to the girls, those being Charli xcx for “Girl, so confusing” and Perrie for “Tears”. As for what’s on the horizon, we’ll see whatever tangible impact Glastonbury and Headie One have, as well as that mess of a Camila Cabello album, Jason Derulo’s team-up with two prominent English DJs and maybe more K-pop than you’d think. Time will tell, however, and for now, thank you for reading, rest in peace to Shifty Shellshock - sugar! baby! - and I’ll see you next week.

[scheodingers-muppet]

in honor of speak now tv about to drop, im bringing back my stranger things taylor song casting. i wrote a lot of this on my phone after listening to the album so apologizes for grammar errors or anything

mine: ronance, from Nancy's POV. Careless man's careful daughter. Sitting there by the water mirroring the boat scene. You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded. In the music video, we see the couple fighting when things get tough outside of the relationship, which we've also seen Nancy do, both when she was struggling with Barb and fighting with Jonathan when dealing with sexism from her job.

sparks fly: lumax. Max is the rainstorm, Lucas the house of cards. "I'm on my guard for the rest of the world, but for you, I know it's no good"

back to december: stancy; but just Nancy apologizing for how things ended, not them getting back together. "that night" not just being the Halloween fight but her cheating on him. I think she would feel bad about how things ended and I really want them to talk everything out in season 5. Plz. Also the line, "I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile...how you held me in your arms that September night, the first time you ever saw me cry" Obv with the tan skin and smile, but I hc that after Nancy told Steve what happened to Barb, he held her while she cried

speak now: byler, from Will's pov. Not in a literal wedding sense (though that might make a fun fic...) but more of Mike asking Will for advice about El and Will just finally coming clean. Maybe it doesn't go great and he doubles down with El and it causes some tension or maybe the roles are reversed and Mike comes clean then panics and doubles down and Will is trying to get him back

dear john: Joyce about Lonnie. I hate this man.

mean: El about Angela. Imagine if before the roller skate incident, she confided in Joyce and she told her to just confront her with her words, ya know? Like just call her out for being mean. Then when that doesn't work, she thinks, "well, what would Hopper tell me? Gotta fight back." Makes my heart melt

the story of us: Mike and El, from El’s pov. I just really feel like El would use story tails and romance stories, etc. to compare love to. This song to the letter fight just... ugh.

never grow up: Nancy. First verse to Holly, how she knows what's ahead, both in terms of alternate dimensions and being a teenage girl. She doesn't want her to have to deal with either of the two, just to stay little while she can. Second verse to Mike, seeing him start to become more of an adult and secretly missing her annoying kid brother. (brings more punch to the line “all your little brothers favorite songs”) Third verse takes place after she graduates, moving for school. Her night light mentioned in the verse was her graduation/farewell present from Holly, who says she's a big girl now and doesn't need it.

enchanted: elmax! From Max's POV. Imagine the second verse is them having a sleepover, playing truth or dare. I also love the use of referencing the story tail love metaphor again

better than revenge: stommy; Tommy singing about Nancy. idk it’s the closest I could get.

innocent: Steve and Nancy. First verse is about Nancy (lost your balance on a tight rope, lost your mind trying to get it back. wasn’t it beautiful when you believed in everything and everyone believed in you. , second about Steve. bonus points if you imagine them singing this to each other (not in a romantic way)

haunted: lumax (I’m sorry) Lucas begging for her to come back after her attack. Trying to move on and be happy but he can’t get over her. the chorus too, “somethings gone terribly wrong” “your eye’s gone cold” the bridge too “you’re not gone, you can’t be gone” you can also imagine it as like, she lives but can’t face the party without thinking about what happened too

last kiss: stancy / mike and el (parallel!) I think I’m gonna write up a post about all the parallels I see in the characters and dynamics, but I really love this one. Steve being El and Nancy being Mike. The Wheelers having severe issues with love (specifically saying the word) and hurting those who are head over heel for them. I see this from all of their perspectives, switching based off the lines. first verse is mileven (the plane line, “sit on the floor wearing your clothes” we’ve seen El wear clothes from pretty much everyone in the party) the second verse is stancy from Nancy’s pov (life of the party, “i’m not much for dancing, but for you i did” listing things he did she loved without saying “i love you”) bridge is rapid fire switching. “so I’ll watch your life in pictures like i used to watch you sleep” mike (bylers take a lot of family photos; i can imagine him seeing her in photos will sends) “i feel you forget me like i used to feel you breathe” steve “and i’ll keep up with our old friends just you ask them how you are” el “i hope it’s nice where you are…it’s a beautiful day” nancy (i think she feels bad for how things ended)

long live: the whole party. they deserve to feel like hero’s and royalty after everything they’ve been though. i desperately need to find an edit to this

ours: Steddie. the town hates eddie atm and would probably not take well to king steve dating him. the lines “i love the riddles that you speak” and “any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored” i can also see lumax, but this is just such a light hearted song to me so i didn’t want to compare it to the racism we’ve seen be thrown at lucas and his relationship

superman: jopper. i love the idea of joyce hyping him up as her superman. also based on my parents (my dad was a first responder and this song always made me think of them for the “saving the world” aspect) “he’s not all bad like his reputation” i’m ignoring the sad parts and just focusing on the “go be a superhero, i’ll be here when you get back”

electric touch: steddie. eddie’s taylor, steve is patrick. “this could either break my heart or bring it back to life” “got a history of stories ending sadly” (eddie) “everytime i tried for love, it fell apart” (steve)

when emma falls in love: robin. i have no real proof, it just reminds me of her. i love the image of steve saying all of this about her ❤️❤️ (obvs pronouns change and stuff)

i can see you: steddie (it’s a very steddie coded album, leave me alone) from steve’s pov, talking about how he’s always had a crush on eddie and always noticed him but it breaks eddie’s brain fhat king steve has a crush on him

castles crumbling: steve angst time. talking about his “fall from social grace” and how he lost everything, both in terms of reconciling what he lost from being a jerk as king steve and what he lost when he was dethroned

foolish one; byler. “stop checking your mailbox for confessions of love” “it’s delicate but i’ll try my best to seem bulletproof” “maybe someday when we’re older this is something we’ll laugh about” “you haven’t written me or called” “i’ll get your longing glances but she’ll get your ring”

timeless; jopper. soul mates for real

[balladeez-nuts]

Recently I realized how much the song Pacific by Chase Petra fits Furina and Focalors' stories, so I figured I'd do a little (ha.. after finishing, maybe not little) lyric analysis. I'll go through the first verse and chorus from the eyes of Focalors and then move onto Furina as I think it fits better that way

"I hate gambling but I was handed a full house" This could represent how Focalors wanted nothing more than to be human, yet she was still granted divinity instead, which in most cases would be seen as a blessing, that is of course unless you see being human as far greater than any godly abilities.

"The swords on the cards sliced open my palms and all I could do was bleed on the money I’d won" This of course reiterates just how much her granted divinity was anything but a blessing. Not only did she not want godhood, but the threat of the prophecy coming as a package deal with her new responsibility wouldn't have been the easiest thing to handle. Having it all suddenly thrust upon you when your current beloved leader suddenly perishes.

"And everyone was confused, didn’t know why I was blue, couldn’t show them my wounds" Now obviously this one works more with Furina, but I believe I can make a case for connecting it with Focalors as well. As we're going to get into with the next couple of lyrics, Focalors' plan is to deceive everyone in order to deceive the heavenly principles, and though her mind's fortification may be stronger than that of Furina's because of her divinity, that doesn't mean she didn't have her own feelings about their predicament, especially at the beginning I'd wager. Anyone she had contact with prior to being given the seat of the Hydro archon she would have to leave behind, and as she says herself, she does fear her death, if only a little.

"Had to bluff after the game, knowing it wasn’t the same, I put a smile on my face" I could talk about the ways to interpret this line for paragraphs, but I'll spare you for now. What I've landed on, to keep it as simple as I can, are some pieces that are fairly obvious and some that are a little more between the lines. Obviously, the bluffing here would refer to her plan to feign the prophecy coming to pass. For the next bit, however, she knew Furina wasn't the same as her, but no one else would, and she put a smile on Furina's face, which for all intents and purposes is her face. In other words, she would be the only one aside from Furina herself to know that the prophecy as Celestia sees it happening isn't the same as what will actually happen, and she was directly responsible for Furina having to feign happiness for 500 years.

"Cause I looked like I owned the ocean after twenty years of staring at the sea" These lines are far more interesting from Furina's perspective, but for now, I think this part pertains quite well to Focalors recounting how she sat on the seabed until barnacles grew on her. It may well have been 20 years she spent thinking about how to handle and defy the prophecy.

"And all I could think about was the sand at the bottom and how I wished that it would bury me" Perhaps these are her feelings after she realizes her one chance to save her people is to sacrifice herself, to spend centuries in waiting just to gain enough power to destroy herself and her heavenly throne.

"And how the speed of light is far too fast to barrel into a tidal wave" Instead of focusing on the speed of light, I think this line suits more to highlight that the passage of time must have felt a lot quicker for her as a god than it did for Furina. And considering her, albeit small, fear of death, it must have felt far too fast as time barreled towards her impending sacrifice.

"Last night I cried enough to make the Pacific blush" It's not hard to imagine that before she separated the part of her that became Furina from herself she had more of Furina's sensitivity, and that perhaps with the crushing realization of her situation, she had cried quite a bit. It would be no surprise if the Hydro archon's tears were powerful as well, considering how the Hydro dragon's are.

"Now hear me say" I mark this line as the transition from Focalors to Furina, and it could be used for all sorts of moments with her. Luckily for us this line is used multiple times so I shall be using different moments for each one. This one particularly with its contrast to an upcoming line in its intensity in the singer's voice, I think it works quite well with how Furina first attempted her accession speech, polite and reserved. Asking to be heard, but not demanding it.

"I hate gambling but I was handed a full house" Now continuing from what I said above, obviously the more intensely sung part of this line would be her stepping into the intensity of the presence of a god. Onto the lyrics however, it's clear that this personality, no matter how effortlessly it looks, does not come naturally to her. Nevertheless she was handed this destiny, and like she says, it's hers alone to fulfill.

"Lost an ace in the deck don’t know how I’ll get around this" This line and how it focuses more on cards makes me think of Lyney, and the word "lost" fits well within this context as well. The first trial Furina takes up against the traveler she loses, which not only serves as wonderful foreshadowing for her final trial, but also begs the question, did she see it coming? It's quite possible she knew the traveler leaves change in their wake, she likely could see them being a cause of her act being threatened in the future, thus she would likely be questioning how she could possibly avoid that coming to pass.

"And everyone was confused, didn’t know why I was blue, couldn’t show them my wounds" This one doesn't need any stretches to be clear as day. Everyone was confused, most notably Neuvillette and Arlecchino as they had multiple meetings with Furina in an attempt to get any answers from her, yet still she let nothing slip. For her being blue, though it is contradictory to how she consistently presents herself as cheerful or at the very least confident, when Arlecchino threatens her life, she is able to see behind her mask for a moment. And this only serves to further confuse Arlecchino, why would a god be so meek, why would she be crying? As for being unable to show wounds, that is exactly the situation Furina is in. However, what really pulls me to this line is the almost regret in the singer's voice on the last word, this serves very well to highlight Furina's feelings after she, even if only in her inner world, denies confiding in the traveler. It's not exactly regret, but I think the mix of emotion in the singer's tone fits perfectly with where Furina's head was at.

"Had to bluff after the game, knowing it wasn’t the same, I put a smile on my face" I imagine this is when she takes over the trial, rallying the crowd in her favor despite knowing this isn't the same as the trials she is usually a spectator of. It is a trial against her, the "Hydro archon" after all, but despite this she still puts on a smile and stands her ground, confidently.

"Cause I looked like I owned the ocean, after twenty years of staring at the sea" She indeed looks like she owns the ocean, the seas, all of water itself, and she has spent the last 500 years maintaining this image.

"And all I could think about was the sand at the bottom, and how I wished that it would bury me" Through the entirety of her excruciatingly long life, she has been waiting for the end of it, the "magnificent and dramatic" trial that will save everyone. Though she doesn't know yet that this trial she is on is the trial she has been waiting for, I think it's safe to say that this line can represent her feelings about it. All she could think about was the end, and how she wants so desperately for it to come.

"And how the speed of light is far too fast to barrel into a tidal wave" Now this line could either be used in contrast to Focalors' version to show how agonizingly slow it has been for Furina to wait this long, or it could be used to represent how quickly her trial turns against her favor. Her weight with her people now meaning nearly nothing, even the Oratrice is not tilted towards her.

"Last night I cried enough to make the Pacific blush" This one speaks for itself, the countless nights she spent crying, so much so that she starts to not even realize when it slips through during the day, and the Fountain of Lucine carrying so much of her sadness that you can hear her sobbing in its flow if you listen close enough.

"Now hear me say" I think this line, though not holding as much desperation as she did, can fit the mark for her begging for her people to believe her. Even through her own tears, she needs them to believe her, they have to hear her. Anyone needs to hear her, and yet as the trial comes to an end not one person is even looking at her.

"I’m sorry" x8 Her apologies for the people who died due to her inability to take action as a true god would. When she goes to Poisson she is hit with a great amount of guilt, seeing the buildings greatly damaged and the place nearly completely evacuated, the emotion slowly building as each apology is said fits very well with how her emotions boil over, guilt, anger, helplessness, like she says "But what can I even do, other than to repeat meaningless apologies over and over?"

The repeated chorus after this serves well as a reiteration of the previous thoughts, but through an even more emotion heavy lens. The singing ramps up in emotional intensity, and specifically on the line "And how I wish that it would bury me", it sounds very raw. This jumps out to me as Furina telling herself to give up, that there's no point in holding out anymore. Despite how she holds strong, the desire to give up is still there, and this line represents it well.

"I’m sorry" x4 The resignation and sadness in these final apologies fits perfectly with Furina succumbing to the death sentence she thinks she has been given and the crushing realization that she has failed her people and that because of this everyone will die. She does not know this is part of Focalors' plan, she can't know in order for the plan to work, so she's playing her role, now without even knowing it, as the Hydro archon, weeping on her throne.

[cosmic-d1ce]

please do a song analysis for fml please im so interested 🙏🙏🙏

Okay Christmas Kids FML we go this is long

So first, actual song is about a real couple. It's about a man that kept his own wife hostage, I believe he went so far as to have barbed wire around their home to keep her from leaving. It's very interesting

Right, so, we start with the first few lines, "Ronnette, my dear, don't ever disappear. Do what you want as long as you stay here" and it's pretty obvious what it's saying. As long as you stay, I'm happy. And that's a big part of how fml!Forever manipulates Phil, he relies on him for happiness and stability and maybe if Phil just listens, Forever won't be so unstable and erratic and self-destructive.

"I need you now, I love you so much, more than you could know" More of the manipulation, guilting Phil into staying by convincing him that he's needed and loved, because this is how Forever shows love. It's fucked up and weird and Phil hates it but Forever needs it, he needs him. It works so well because Phil always just wants to be needed and wanted.

Then, possibly my favourite line in the song, "The Christmas kids were nothing but a gift" and this is referring to the eggs. Richas specifically. How Forever uses Richas to make Phil want to stay. He takes advantage of his parental instincts and how much he misses Chayanne to keep Phil here. He wouldn't leave Richas, would he? Just like he left Chayanne? He can't. He wouldn't.

Second favourite line, two best lines back to back, "And love is a tower where all of us can live" The prison is a place they can be together and be happy. Fml!Forever genuinely believes this is good. He believes this is love, Phil just doesn't understand it yet and all he's trying to do is make him understand. Understand how much he has to be loved for someone to do all this just for him.

And then the chorus,

"You'll change your name, or change your mind, And leave this fucked up place behind. But I'll know, I'll know" talking about Phil leaving, taunting him because no matter what he does, he will find him. He will get him back. There is no where he can go, nothing he can do that will make Forever stop. And Quesadilla Island is only so big. And they can't leave. Forever knows where he'll go, what he'll do, because he's been watching Phil for so long. He can predict pretty much every move Phil makes.

"I'll know" repeats a lot.

"Appearing unsightly, with devils inside me" When Forever, for a moment, sees what he's doing for what it is. This moment of clarity doesn't last long, and the song continues quickly.

"If you ever try to leave me, I'll find you, Ronnie" repeats 4 times. Forever threatening Phil, letting him know that he really can't leave. Even if he somehow finds his way out of the cell, Forever will find him and bring him back. Always. Not only that, but the threat of what Forever would do in response to this. He'll find him... and then what? Take him back and make sure he won't do it again.

The second verse comes from Phil's perspective but the first line is a bit confusing,

"I'm leaving, Phil, I'm leaving now. I'm going to escape and you won't know how, Or where to find me when I'm gone" Phil, in the start of his imprisonment, tried to find any opportunity to escape. He tried everything. Killing Forever, killing himself, running for the door when Forever wasn't looking, running the moment they were outside. He did everything and he tried so hard and the whole time he promised himself he would get out. He'd find a way and Forever wouldn't know about it. Fatal flaw: Forever had every possible escape route noted and mapped already.

The next line, "I'll drink myself to death inside this prison cell, this prison cell" can refer to two things. The general need and want to die so he can leave, or, the time Charlie, Mariana and Roier got him drunk. They thought he'd tell them something, but he didn't. He just panicked and cried and the whole time he felt like he was dying.

"So, get me out of here" repeats a few times, this doesn't need explaination I think.

Then, the chorus repeats.

The chorus now, though, can be taken differently.

"You'll change your name, or change your mind. And leave this fucked up place behind" Forever can do whatever he wants, change everything about himself, run away, find a way off the island but,

"But I'll know, I'll know" Phil knows what he's done. And everyone else does now too. Forever can try to absolve himself of any guilt he's capable of feeling, but Phil will never forget. As long as Phil exists, the guilt will linger. If he feels guilty. He doubts it.

And it repeats and song over :3

[found-wings]

WELL WHY DIDNT YA SAY SOOOOOOOOOOO

More q!phil WOOOOOO TRUAMA ANYWAY CASSANDRA BY FLORENCE + THE (MOTHERFUCKINGGGGG) MACHINEEEEEEEEEEEEE IS SO HIM RN

quick history- song is utilizing the myth of cassandra, who had been given the gift of prophecy, yet refused it and was cursed to never have her predictions be believed

I'm not in as much of a mood for lyric dissection for this specific song as really its the entirety of it that encompasses the point I wanna make of it fitting to phils character :O other songs have different sections that fit different arcs but this song ? the literal embodiment of his birdhouse arc, more specifically, the clear gaslighting from the federations end and having someone such as phil who is so known for being logical and level headed, be pushed into a path full of questioning his reality and what is and isn't real to him and to others.

the beginning of the song really hammers the point in, the line "I used to see the future and now I see nothing, they cut out my eyes and sent me home packing" is SO SO SO HIM RN. getting the man who has always seen right through every facade displayed in the island. from the federations lies to having ever harmed his kids when the cracks first appeared, to the codes impersonations at the dinner party which he pierced through within seconds of speaking to one. to take that surefire attitude and self awareness he owns and destroy it to its very core with the weeks time he's spent in that damn birdhouse is something so painful and this song reflects that.

the second verse remind me much more of his isolationist ideology being further enhanced with the disappearance of his kids. to him having the world in his bunker with chayanne and tallulah asleep, to the next week having them be gone without a trace, and leaving him lost, needing to create a new purpose and routine to continue on the island just hurts so verymuch haha.

the chorus is the hammer to the nail when relating it to the birdhouse arc as of right now. it almost feels as if he's calling out to the federation for an answer to everything he's been experiencing due to their intervention in his mind, leaving it shattered and in fragments and full of doubt towards his own memories. "every song I thought I knew, I've been deafened to, and there's no one left to sing to" is the real star here when it comes to them taking away his children and leaving him with nothing left to turn to in order to ground himself. anytime he went through something harsh, his children were right there to help- but now he has nothing. isolating himself from the rest of the island has come back to bite in the ass when it leaves him with little heart to heart connections he can turn to for emotional support ;-;

the next verse is a bit less connected, but the part about complaints being taken to the lord while trying to look with a wonder to the world with roses in bloom and riot vans in view? very much attaching this to people within the island (ofc mainly phil) taking their complaints to the 'lord' with the lord here being cucurucho. knowing that any cries they have will be left not only unheard, but ignored as the feds are the one causing all this pain to happen. can't connect it as well now but the other lyrics r so him and tallulah trust trust I'm running out of time to write LMFAOOOOOO

ANYWAY AAAAAAAA JUST GONNA SHOVE THE SONG OUTRO HERE BUT

Take me back

Oh, drunken gods of slaughter

You know I've always been your

Favorite daughter

Well, can you see me? I cannot see you

Everything I thought I knew is falling out of view

And if I run fast enough, could I break apart

As empires crumble and cathedrals flatten in my heart?

not even gonna lie, it's clear to me how this fits his arc rn, but I wanna go a step further and say how while listening to the song, I realized that this part fits all the avians of the island. quackity, baghera, jaiden, and phil all being targets of the federation and being fucked with to another degree is so perfectly encapsulated in this outro to a way in which I cannot describe and that's not just bc I'm busy 💀💀💀💀💀💀 whatever u get the point anyway WOOOOOO BRAINROT I LOVE THIS FUCKING BIRD - 💿

I am finally listening to this and HELLO??? ANON??????

THIS MAN!! THIS FUCKING BIRD MAN AND HIS LORE RAAAAH

You are so right in how well this song fits Phil especially in the Birdhouse arc and I‘m so RAAAH RATTLING YOU AND THE SONG

There‘s so many parts where I‘m just, so normal about hearing and my favorite part of this is definitely the

"In this blindness I‘m condemned to

Well, can you hear me? I cannot hear you

Every song I thought I knew, I‘ve been deafened to

And there‘s no one left to sing to"

THAT PART IS SO GOOD RAAAH

ALSO ANON YOUR TASTE IN MUSIC IS >>>>>

This song is so good and so so painful when connecting it to qPhilza AJAJAJ