#funny thing is that i'm an 2nd gen fan

[hanarmani-lmao]

[chromotps]

Hello! Been in the OP fandom for more than a decade (i miss the days where ace/luffy were a normal ship) and finding fics have been difficult.

Do you have any luffy/ace fic recommendations? Wishing you a good night!

hello! I wish I had been around for early acelu days... I was reading OP fic back then, but it was mostly zo/san 😅. I get what you mean, it's tough to find stuff for them these days that's not just luffy-harem stuff (which is fine! just not what I'm looking for) or ooc

I prefer fics that are mostly sweet and not too angsty, so my list won't include some of the ones that are really bittersweet/dark/endgame-tragic, even though they're beautifully written. I'm sure if you ask another acelu fan, you'd get a completely different list... I'm just a big weenie! 😭😂

I'm also really disorganized, so I'm probably forgetting a bunch!!! I need to keep better bookmarks omg

SFW Fics:

spinning on that dizzy edge by to-a-merrier-world (wayward_wolves) fav fav fav (helps that this was sort of a gift? based on some art I drew;;? hhh i love it so much) A sweet!!! and playful, relaxed scene between Luffy and Ace—who's joined the Stawhats!

this short fic by 002yb a really lovely, atmospheric piece of writing about the boys just being cute and speaking through touch

forget me not by 002yb a touch more bittersweet, but I loved how insightful this little look at Ace's last night with Luffy in Goa was

to be deserving by 002yb (after acelu week I need to have a separate section for 002yb!! tbh consider this a blanket rec for all their fics) adorable!! very nuanced, quick look at some courtship (or lack thereof) (but hope for some in the future?) between ace and luffy in an omegaverse AU

Bridesmaid Blues by Anonymous so much fun!! a rom-com style take on Luffy and Ace eloping in canon. Hilarious, and just makes me adore all the characters even more

In Your Heart Shall Burn by kayura_sanada oh my god. so it's a fix-it fic that involves a mysterious mirror and wishes. the tone feels just like canon with maybe a hint more bittersweet hopefulness, and the heartfelt moments between ace and luffy in this MELTED ME INTO PIECES. this will be one of my forever favorites.

oxytocin by ruche Gen fic but the author has other great shippy acelu work; this one is, post-marineford-ace-lives scene with Ace being worried and grateful for Luffy... the characterization is amazing

Near Death Experiences by monch_monch (WIP) This is a reincarnation AU, and it's got one of my absolute favorite acelu scenes in one of its flashbacks... I love everything about this fic—the way the other characters are brought in, and how cute and heartfelt Ace and Luffy are... I can't compliment it enough

The Same As You by PeachyStud (WIP) (jksgfhd oops i put this is sfw when the latest chapters have some messing around in it, but... i'll just leave it here) This one's a very sweet and fun modern AU—I reread it when I just need some feel good acelu fluff.

Next Stop, Everywhere by NewWonder This fic is the 2nd part of an "Ace lives and sails with Luffy" series, but it's my favorite of the 3 parts because it focuses a lot on Ace getting to work through his heartache 😭

Together Again by Swinky Swanks (SpobSpucci) A sweet, short piece about when Ace visits Luffy in canon

I'll Always Want You by PeachyStud This is part 1 of another "Ace lives in canon" series—this fic focuses on Luffy asking Ace to join his crew during their 2 years training and is SO cute and lovely. Part 2 is also a treat (and rated M 👀)

Arrangements by Sully-van I feel a little crazy for including an FF.net story on here, but this little royalty/arranged marriage AU just made me smile.

Find the Hat by authenticaussie  funny, slightly bittersweet AU where luffy's a ghost in ace's university library. i know, unusual concept, but a quick, fun read

(Ir)Responsible by oumriel (WIP!!!!! probably permanently from the looks of things) okay I have to recommend this one—it's a modern AU with drama/slow burn, and some incredibly heart-warming moments and really interesting characterizations. it does end on a heart-breaking cliffhanger, but... acelu seems to be a little bit cursed with WIPs, in the end, haha

Sleeping Habits by RainyCatharsis surprisingly fluffy soulmate AU where a soulmate who's died stays in their partner's dreams until they're both ready to move on. short and sweet!

on brotherhood by LadyCrimsonAndBlack another gen fic; age-swap! older Luffy runs into Whitebeard and makes sure Ace is happy on his crew

Lock; Key by Anonymous (SFW.... for now. since there's only 1 chapter up) very interesting modern, omegaverse AU with cool worldbuilding

NSFW Fics:

Hatchling by Anonymous good old-fashioned "not too loud or dad will hear us" modern AU incest. haha. really, this one is a nice mix of cute and dirtyhot, with a looooot of teasing smug ace

and what do they say about dreams by ruche uhh. a smut fic that... focuses on Ace's narcolepsy? it's surprisingly cute and funny—mind the tags, but I really enjoyed it!

Tearjerker by necroesthe OKAY so I love a lot of Necro's acelu fics... They do tend to skew darker, so that's a good thing to remember if you go browsing. This fic, though, is an adorable and fun and hot modern AU, with Ace thinking Luffy looks cute when he cries.

for the asking by irrelevant  another modern AU, I love the relaxed dialogue and vibe of this one. There's something about Ace and Luffy acting like dumb brothers while also being devoted to each other that gets me every time.

You're Built from Motorcycle Exhaust, Cigarette Smoke, and Starlight by Novicecomics Modern AU, really atmospheric story about biker!Ace and Luffy going on a little adventure and being in love

born hungry by ruche hard to summarize... i guess, modern AU, drunk/troubled ace has surprisingly sweet sex with luffy. this author always captures such a like, darkly funny, wry attitude with ace, and their luffy is a treat. still good to check the tags!

the blood of my brother by fizzyren another maybe odd one. uh. short summary is, acelu period sex with trans luffy. i'm not usually into those kinds of fics but this one got me down, what can i say

Lake Pontchartrain by necroesthe definitely read the tags for some of these dead dove recs i'm sneaking in here. anyway uh. the first chapter in this is, modern au, preteen luffy catches ace watching porn aaaaand then there's fallout

Virtue by necroesthe ditto above w the tags. um. 15yo luffy wants to ride ace. i'll add, necro's darker fics are more psychological-hot to me than like, silly-yummy-smut hot? if that makes any sense haha

I'd also like to recommend my own Once Piece fics... I think they're all pretty sweet, and not too bad if I do say so myself. :3c

Anyway!! Hope this helps! And pls feel free to tell me your thoughts on any of em............. 👀

[joesalw]

Olivia Rodrigo's shortlisted for an Oscar for Best Original Song. LFG!!! TS is gagging for that thing, imagine if she gets nominated and wins lol. The meltdown incoming. That girl could easily down the line go for an EGOT. She can make a documentary, host SNL or write a song for a TV series to win an Emmy and girlie pops has enough vocal and acting chops to star in a musical and go for a Tony. She's only gonna get better with time. I think Billie's gonna take it though. It would be the 2nd one for her. And Taylor's probably gonna go ahead and try to campaign her tour DVD for the Best Documentary next year (the eligibility period for this year ended on Oct. 2 and it also doesn't fall into eligibility rules).

The Special Rules Section, Part B, states: “Works that are essentially promotional or instructional are not eligible, nor are works that are essentially unfiltered records of performances.” -Variety

Wouldn't be surprised if the Academy caves in and changes current guidelines so the ratings go up. If they do, Beyonce's film also becomes eligible. I'm no Beyonce fan but I've seen both hers and Taylor's films and let me tell you, if there would be only 2 options to pick a winner, I'd blindly go for Beyonce's. The performance level is better, the cinematography and editing were better, sound was better, visual effects and lighting were better, styling was better, there was behind the scenes footage and a new song during the end credits. Taylor's film looked like it was done last minute and edited in a hurry on your mum's old laptop. No offense, babes but it wasn't your best work.

Ugh, the lady is so desperate for an EGOT that it's funny. You're no Viola Davis, JHud, Barbra, Liza Minelli, Rita Moreno, Helen Hayes or Audrey Hepburn. Those women are/were TALENTED. Well, Viola, Audrey and Helen Hayes don't/didn't sing but they won for spoken word aka voice acting. The only way for her to win a Tony would be writing a musical or a play. But to do that you have to have multiple writing tropes for more than 1 perspective. Her short film dialogues were trash, let's be real. I wonder what's gonna happen with her directorial Searchlight project. Sure, it'll make lots of money if we even see the day of its release but I doubt she'll be considered for any awards for that. The only options that'll happen are a. to get the ratings up b. for shits and giggles. The only theatrics she can pull off are her childish tantrums in the media and shocked expressions at award shows/TK's throwball games. And even for that she has to have some liquid courage in her system otherwise she's as bland and pasty as they come. Poor thing, even with all that money and fame she still has no rizz.

Anyway, 2024 is new gen's pop girls' year and you can't convince me otherwise. Dua and Billie have new albums coming, Olivia's going on tour, Tyla's on the rise. Hoping for the OR sweep at the Grammys as well. LFG!

p.s Dr. Bridgit Mendler's the main Disney girl

.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

https://www.reddit.com/r/kpopthoughts/comments/18aiil5/nyts_popcast_about_kpops_concessions_to_the/

Pls tell me you've seen the NYTimes podcast Bpp. I've been laughing nonstop remembering what you said about 'kpop journalists' being (2nd gen and SM) kpop stans who vehemently hate everything connected to BTS.

*

Ask 2:

Bpp I just sent you the reddit link! I forgot to add one thing. Another thing I remembered is how you shut down that anon that was talking about Armys superiority complex and you told them like 'kpop stans compare everything unprovoked and have superiority complexes for **everything**. At least Armys can back up their pride.' It's funny cos I saw an SM blogger compare BTS docus in movie cinemas with SM docus unprovoked. Just out of nowhere! They couldn't talk about their seeing Shinee in movie cinemas without comparing it to BTS to say SM was better at it than HYBE. 🤣🤣🤣 And then I saw this NYTime kpop journalist was an SM stan that compared the ratio of white people to POC people at kpop concerts, used that to say EXO fans were better than Armys cos more white people came to see EXO. Imagine so insane you compare concert crowd to end up sounding like a white supremacist. Only a kpop stan. And that was the same kpop journalist speaking on JK. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

https:// twitter. com/o_biennis/status/1731315242133528916

***

Your 1st link. I post the screenshot from your 2nd link below.

Yeah, I've listened to the podcast. Thanks for the link too, it had been a while since I checked k-pop Reddit so it was interesting reading the comments in the thread. Thankfully, it seems ARMYs on Reddit still have a presence there because several people were pointing out all the things wrong with this situation. When ARMYs talk about BTS still being the underdogs, situations like this is precisely what we mean.

The thing I find so amusing about that podcast is that I could predict Kara's talking point for almost every question Jon asked her. Almost every one. Because it's like rote the way these talking points - about what k-pop is (it's not a genre despite what SM stans will tell you), why Jungkook's Koreaness should have anything to do with him releasing pop music in English, why applying what is really BTS's Japanese approach, to America, is controversial and synonymous with losing their Korean identity - all these talking points are passed down from Big3 k-pop stans to new recruits like rote. And none of these points have changed in the last 5 years.

I’ve talked before about how the people most eager to engage in discourse on a subject in k-pop, especially if it’s about BTS and ARMYs, are people who hate the subject, and this is why critical conversation is sorely lacking in k-pop. And it’s the same people and the same talking points, such is the state of k-pop journalism in 2023 lmao. Kara in particular is known to so many older ARMYs, myself included. I've got to hand it to her though, she really hasn't changed one lick. She's still giving us takes with as much logical heft as 'healthier white to culturally white ratio' at k-pop concerts and co-signing it lol.

*

When I tell y'all that these people have exactly zero idea of what they're talking about, some of you show up in my inbox to tell me I'm being mean. But like, look at that. Four years later and BTS is still having discussions of their career being defined by people like that.

The only option is to laugh y'all.

Anyway.

[do-you-have-a-flag]

my chemical romance a fav band for me ever since their 2nd album/when i was 13

and by a fav i mean listening to entire albums as opposed to the 2-4 songs i usually enjoy per musical artist casually.

that sort of active engagement and seeking out of media/quotes, drawing them, printing out pictures and collecting magazine clippings to put in the back of my school diary, applying their music to other media i like- it's all stuff i did for a handful of artists at the time

and not all of them are musicians i liked every album of, i dropped off with green day and p!atd and fob due to disinterest in their sound after a specific point.

in the 2010s i had a lot of typical early 20s teen nostalgia where mcr's music became a throwback, partially because their last album was danger days/i was not immersed in fandom enough to seek out the eps and b sides, and partially because pop culture had shifted and i had other artists to listen to

so when they announced their return back in 2019 it was in that exact mindset of throwback casual nostalgia enjoyment that i was excited.

and over the years between then and actually seeing them live for the first time in 2023, i slowly shifted from that surface level interest to actively following the fandom and diving back into the details and deep cuts and both refreshing my memory and gaining new experiences and associations with the group

it's such a different vibe now- it feels vindicating to see wider praise for a band that it very much was NOT cool to like when i first listened to them- and the way people engage with their music and entire history is so fascinating as a kind of next gen musicology. it's so funny and kind of good to experience something i grew up with discussed in the same way i saw bands who had their heyday before i was born discussed.

i don't seek out live experiences for every artist i enjoy or have nostalgia for, but it was extremely fun to do the active fan thing and watch the livestreams and get hype over the little details of the tour and line up all day with other fans and see them live with the anticipation only to be had by having expectations from shows i wasn't even at as a reference point!

it was so good and i may not be super active in the fandom circles but i am sooooo glad i decided to get back into being a fan in the here and now rather than a fan who was only nostalgic, either way would have been a blast but it truly feels like i'm unlocking secret bonus emotions this way

[k-tarotz]

Hi! Here's my feedback for the FS game.

First of all, sorry for the late feedback. Hehe. Also, thank you for the free reading <33 You know what's so funny? I didn't expect to get a 2nd generation idol as someone closest to my future spouse in terms of personality but I think a 2nd gen idol is exactly what I needed to see as comparison. Well, not necessarily just a second gen idol, but when I saw Taecyeon and his group, 2pm, I immediately understood why it was him.

So you were right, my spirit guides had a message for me with him. HAHAHAHA. Okay, this has been a constant in FS readings I had that my future spouse is someone who just exudes strong manly energy. I also kept being told they're some kind of leader and usually, people get intimidated by them right away. Just a little information, 2pm among 2nd gen fans is like the men's group. One look at this group and you would know what I'm talking about. They all have that distinguished manly charisma. Taecyeon is one of the most popular members not just for his looks and body, but also his goofy and kind personality. I'm not really a fan of the group, but I hear news about them before and tbh...Taecyeon makes sense.

I've also been told before that my FS might be someone who's not my usual type but I would still be so attracted to them and that as much as possible, they hope I don't judge my FS right away. This reading gave a clearer perception to me of how he's not going to be my usual type and why I shouldn't "judge" him right away. I usually tend to like the snobbish-looking nerds (who I'm physically attracted to of course) and guys that pursued me before tend to have an aggressive behavior towards me. I better understand how he's different from my type, but to some extent with similarities. I also appreciate that you mentioned that them being passionate would make me have more respect for them than find it invasive because more often than not, boys tend to see me as some sort of trophy they have to win.

To some extent, I also come off as intimidating and very protective of my energy and insensitive people see that as a challenge to win rather than respect me as a human being. Also, it was comforting to know him being protective as I feel like in my friendships, I'm always the one protecting people and I feel like I have to protect myself more on my own. Another thing, you got me when you mentioned my FS being both street-smart and book-smart. Girl, thank goodness! I NEED to be with someone who knows what they're doing in life, and can also teach me things I lack knowledge about.

That's all. This was a fun and lovely reading. Thanks once again 😊

Hii! Please don’t apologise, a late feedback is better than no feedback! I appreciate that you took the energy and time to reply!

Right! I didn’t immediately understand why you got Taecyeon, but as the reading went on I realised it! In my eyes he is a very manly guy, but not in an overbearing way. I actually like how well your guides know you, I think it’s endearing.

And of course! I know who 2PM are.. they are all very manly, I do think that’s why they were nicknamed ‘beats idols’ right?

Your future spouse seems really interesting, he is sort of like a paradox then right? The looks don’t match the personality. Although, a lot of people are like that. I am glad I could give you more insight on him, truly! And that sounds so exhausting to deal with.. No one should be treated as a thropy, you must have been so fed up with them.

Personally, I do not think you are intimidating because your energy is very friendly it’s just rather that you don’t put up with people’s bs and it’s obvious. I think people just send to misunderstand you.. Either way, I hope your spouse will match your energy and be the person you wish them to be! In a healthy way of course.

Thank you for leaving the feedback 🫶🏻

- Candy

[khiphop-discussions]

Now i know Jay Park has said some dumb BS in the past, but the way the newer kpop fans hate on him is so fucking corny 😅 they talk about him as if he’s a nugu and that their kpop groups are much more successful without even knowing all of jays history and successes. Sometimes I wish kpop wasn’t as mainstream as it is now, mainly because of the newer fans and their attitude towards the senior artists. Like when they called blackpink as the first Korean act to play at Coachella - even though hyukoh and Epik high performed before them. But anyways, I’m rambling lol..

Yeahm I agree. They say so much stupid, disrespectful shit. Like they were trying to clown BoA of all people when she did that unit with SM girls! BOA!!!!! The same boa who did the US career before ANYBODY!!! The same Boa who was so popular in Japan that some of us knew about her for her songs being anime ending theme songs before we even knew what KPOP WAS!!!!!???? The same BoA who was a legend before she even hit 30?!?!?! Also, she can outsing and outdance most of the current people when dancing wasn't even as important back then. The dances were not even close to being as elaborate as they are now and yet she was still SERVING great choreography throughout ALL of the gens! The "Only One" dance?!?!?!?! I don't know much about dance but I feel like I see some of the same complexity and polishedness in her early dances as I do in current kpop. But anyway, moving on.

And yes, Epik High was the first from what I remember!

Like I don't know much about Gen 1 kpop but I NEVER opened my mouth to say anything bad. A lot of the groups aren't my thing but I know none of the 2nd or 3rd gen would have been possible without them.

As for Jay (funny you bring him up. I just got done editing a video where I say pretty much what I'm about the say next LOL), he has a LOT of things to criticize, but I'm never gonna outright LIE on his name! He has A LOT of accomplishments and he's very well-respected as an artist and CEO. I wish people would just stick to the REAL issues with him instead of giving people ammo to say people are "just hating".

[what-if-nct]

Hii, I was wondering what your thoughts are on zb1? I’ve watched quite a few survival shows (unit, i-land, &audition, boys planet, fantasy boys) but the only one I watched as it was actually happening was boys planet and I feel like that’s what led me to pay closer attention to zb1. I wasn’t expecting this but they are now one of my favourite groups. I think Taerae is my favourite, he’s like a cute, awkward grandpa and he has a beautiful smile and dimples. His dimples >>. He really caught my eye in a cover of man in love by infinite on bp and he was also on masked singer recently. As someone who is pan, I feel quite comfortable with this group too. Multiple of them seem like they’d be quite supportive and open minded. They are quite 💅Have you seen any of the jokes/iconic moments like Ricky being young and rich or Hanbin mothering? Sometimes Yujin makes me sad tho. One of the mentors on bp kept expressing how much she liked him (in a crush way) and repeatedly asked him to say “I love you, noona”. It was a bit funny at first but it happened so many times that it became creepy. Yk how sometimes an idol says or does something and it keeps getting brought up again and again and it sort of gets integrated into their persona or it becomes their Thing. I don’t want Yujin’s thing to be that. I’m only a few months older than him, we’d be in the same school year, and I think I wouldn’t like to be in that situation. At the moment, it doesn’t seem to be bad though. Aside from that, I’m really excited to see how things work out for them. Also, what groups do you stan(apart from nct and skz) or used to stan?

Oh well I've never seen any of the survival shows, honestly not even stray kids. I actually only really watch like content inside of NCT and Stray Kids YouTube channels even then I'm super behind. I'm sorry I can't provide any insight for you, my taste in media is really weird and a lot of survival shows, dramas, movies even variety shows just don't fall into that. Even then I only really watch personal kpop group vlogs like JCC, and stray kids personal day vlogs and I loved wayv's Disney vlog Winwin was so cute. And their camping vlogs. So like chill non stressful content is my thing. Sorry, but I've seen Ricky from boys planet just around. He seems like a sweet boy.

Other than NCT and skz I Stan Exo, TXT, Blackpink,P1harmony and Ateez.

I used to Stan Teen Top, Ukiss, B1A4, Snsd, 4 minute, 2ne1, Sistar, B.A.P and Secret pretty much all of them have disbanded or are just inactive but Ukiss did an anniversary comeback. Also SHINee is a limbo group where i will always love them but it's just hard to listen to them still. I'm very much a 2nd\3rd gen kpop fan

And I accidentally fell into Twice, I saw a video of Jeongyeon push a member out of the way to wave to the camera a few months ago and fell in love with her and I have just been falling into them more and more slowly but surely.

[bisexualhobi]

people love to be miserable but I think exo will be fine, so many things have happened but they're still one of the top kpop groups I just think people need to have a bit more faith and believe in the members more, like they're all successful in their individual fields and yixing is literally one of the top artists in china and has his own company like not alot of idols are around for ten years so like you said they obviously have atleast some business understanding and are intelligent so we shouldn't underestimate them and believe they'll do whats best for themselves

Also when you were talking about how they're well connected just made me think about how isolated it feels like bts are to the korean entertainment industry in comparison to alot of idols in their gen, I feel like hybe did it on purpose so they wouldn't be able to survive without them same with how they probably won't let any of the members shine properly for a solo

Like this might be a stupid example but even like the comedians and mcs like yu jaesok/lee soogeun and stuff like having connections like that means they'd bring you on their shows and you'd be seen on tv alot which I think is important for the general public to remember you exist and to promote whatever you're doing like alot of 2nd gen idols are apart of the main cast for all these variety shows for a reason but bts rlly feel isolated compared to like so many exo members or someone like seungkwan from svt

This is really messy and might not make sense but what I'm saying is I just feel like they don't have connections like the way it seems alot of other groups their age or 3nd gen groups do which is a shame because it would help them out in the long run(hobi is not included in this beacuse i think hes a bit smarter with the party and whatnot)😭😭😭😭

lmao omg yeah i mean bts have isolated themselves in a creative and commercial silo like no one wants to be near them bc of their deranged fans and the company doesn't want to share them with anyone so the profit stays in the family.... but i think now that they'll start enlisting and each doing their own thing they'll start making their own connections. which they are in dire need of

as for exo they are literally the industry's darlings like everyone wants to work with them and everybody talks about how nice and humble people they are.... they have so many opportunities and collabs offered to them not bc of clout or their company getting them for them. they thrive in spite of sm doing everything in their power to kill them off. it's so funny bts and exo are literally opposite sides of the spectrum

[pupvivi]

favourite things about vivi?

Her personality.

Her selflessness.

The way she interacts with everyone in a nurturing way. The way that when asked questions that would seemingly downplay where Loona shines, she never focuses on the negative, but instead how they can improve collectively.

There's also the way she smiles when listening to her other members. She's so focused on their words, nodding along, and when they get emotional she's so supportive of them. Rubbing their back, or patting their head. Never doing more than she needs to, but also goes above and beyond to be a supportive pillar for Loona.

She's so sweet as well. Like her voice is like honey, her voice? Amazing, I really wish people would stop discrediting her ability to sing. She debuted before members who were trainees longer than her and shorter than her. She likes 2nd Gen groups like 2NE1, and recently fangirled on FAB about it and it was cute to see.

She blushes when asked to do cute stuff, even though it suits her. Her being labeled Matnae is very funny to me, because yeah she's THE UNNIE but she knows how to play up to her cute strengths very well.

She leaned a language and debuted in a country she's only visited what? One or two times before becoming full time to being an idol. She doesn't get to visit home, and has lamented about not being there to see her brothers grow up, but she also gets to see fans from home telling her they're proud of her, and that she's inspires other foreign idols to also debut (See the video for context)

There's honestly so much to love about her, but I don't wanna start crying while typing this so I'll just link some more stuff haha

x

x

x

x

x

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Also I'm so sorry if you were just expecting to say something about her fat ass, like yeah she's my bias first.

[sanstropfremir]

you said before that there is more emphasis for 4th gen to do harder dance routines as their performances whereas for 2nd gen they had to be entertaining. and i know brave girls isnt technically 2nd gen but being one of the older groups at mama, gawd was there such a difference in energy. they were so fun!!! this might just be me being old because there was a recent article that pointed out there were a lot of good dancers from 4th gen but no one with star power (as opposed to the previous gens) and netizens were mad, saying that this is something only 2nd gen listeners will say (lol). like i wanna give these newer groups the benefit of the doubt - they're still relatively new and haven't had much experience performing in front of an audience (esp aespa) but idt they will last long enough that they would be able to develop themselves with great (or interesting enough) stage presence. majority of 3rd gen groups didn't make it even though when they disbanded they were at their peaks.

honestly part of it is me being old too, but also it's not like i haven't spent literal years training in performing arts so i'm allowed to have opinions in this instance.

obviously there is a sort of 'golden oldies' rose coloured glasses that second and third gen fans have, because the groups that have stuck around are the ones that had the staying power, and it hasn't been long enough for the fourth gen groups to get whittled down in the same way. i do agree with you that not all of them are gonna be able to hack it because truly, there isn't as much innovation in presence and power as younger fans think there is. and that article is right, fourth gen is lacking in people with real star power. and i know i've said this a lot before too, but star power absolutely requires training. to be good on variety and good at being an entertainer is a skill, and when these companies are running their idols like overworked racehorses just for dance training, who's got the time to teach them how to be good variety guests? and with the whole 'authentic' content thing, groups can just produce their own shows for youtube or for vlive and never actually have to set foot on a studio set where they actually gotta be funny or they'll get cut out of broadcast. vlives and ig lives and company produced youtube contents are great and really fun, but with the way that kpoppies are built nowadays, there's almost NO stakes with this type of content. idols probably still feel the pressure that they have to be entertaining but there's always gonna be that core base that will gas up anything they do regardless of how actually good it is. it's the whole thing i talked about with skz and kingdom; if you don't let things flop, artists have no way of tangibly improving because they don't know that they're doing anything wrong. and improvment comes from failure.

another take that's probably nuclear grade but i don't care at this point: artist and celebrity are mutually exclusive. if someone is deeply dedicated to being an artist, of any kind, they are not interested in being a celebrity. they may be fine with being a celebrity by proxy, but they are never doing the work in pursuit of the fame, they are doing the work for the sake of the art. take dance, for example. there are very few celebrity or famous dancers that are actually considered top of their fields. or contemporary artists; many of them actively balk social media. most truly good actors are deeply weird people and/or 'ugly' and would never make it into the hollywood sphere. i think people have generally forgotten because of his ubiquity and impact on the industy, but taemin was notorious for being horrible on variety shows. and honestly he still is; he's a weird gremlin who does and says weird shit constantly and has a very clear boundary of what people are allowed to see of his life, which is nothing. there are some idols that are good celebrities and good artists, but it's like one of those triangles where you can only pick two; you have to sacrifice on something. key is an excellent artist and a great variety star; is he as good a dancer as taemin is? no, but that's fine. that's not the type of artist he is, he's not interested in pushing the limits of his dance abilties, he keeps them sharp because they are a tool in which to help him achieve his other goals. but with these fourth gens, fans have inflated ideas of what their idols are capable of, because they're expecting them to be master of all trades, when the actual saying is 'jack of all trades, master of none'.

[rquerdo]

I finished Saints Row (2022) and I have some thoughts...

If you guys know, I'm a fan of the Saints Row series ever since I can remember. I remember watching the a few game plays of Saints Row 2 and immediately was intrigued. So intrigued that I remember getting hyped up for the 3rd game and watched any leaks Volition and Deepsilver threw at us. Well, it's hard to say for the games after the 4th and reboot. I just want to discuss the Saints Row (2022) but if I mention the other games, I'll try my best to make sure it pertains to the reboot.

Keep in mind: These are just my opinions and by no means am I a professional reviewer or critic. Also possible spoilers.

First off, let's talk about the name they gave the game....Saints Row. Not to get mixed up with...Saints Row. But I thought that was such a poor move on branding. Little moments where I would stream Saints Row (2022 not the original), Twitch would mix the two up. Not only that, searching for guides and walk throughs were a bit messy as well. My suggestion: Give it a name that has Saints Row, but change it up. Example: Full House (the OG), Fuller House (the series). Maybe name it "The 3rd Street Saints". Just. Something. Else...

Graphics:

.... Yikes :)

Everyone's skin is so gross and THAT HAIR TEXTURE! You can literally see every pore as if it was marked with a highlighter-it was bad. Their skin looked so bumpy and it made the characters look more alien-like than realistic. I get it, we all don't have clear skin, but that skin's not human. As for the hair, it's stiff as a board and every time you wear an accessory, the hair goes right through it so sorry if you wanted to give your character longer hair.

The Outfits:

So my biggest issue with the outfits is this huge glitch. I'll talk about the glitches in a bit (because trust me, there's a lot) but I just want to talk about the overall, outfits that are available for the characters.

Overall, not the worst selection-but not the best. I was a bit annoyed where there are so many smaller stores with few items to choose from around the city compared to having 3 or 4 big stores with a bigger category to choose (like how they did in all the other games). Personally, I thought this was quite cheap of them to do that. Not sure how much they showed off the stores when doing their sneak peek game plays, but if they bragged about a "wide variety of clothing", then there's nothing to brag about, really-probably about the same as 3 and 4.

Story line:

Remember in Middle/high school where you have that one teacher or faculty member that tries too hard to make you or your peers laugh but instead, makes you cringe? Well, that was this game. To me, it felt as if the writers were trying to hard to appeal to the Gen Z audience.

Hear me out:

In the beginning of the game, you and your friends are struggling to make ends due, so each of you guys join separate gangs (Which if that was realistic, all of them would've been killed since they have some sort of affiliation with their gang's enemies; each other). Until, you and friends decide on creating The Saints (they never said 3rd Street Saints), your character would not shut up about how they can't pay rent or how they don't have medical insurance. Regardless or not if you find that funny, after the 3rd or 4th time hearing them on repeat, it makes them sound whiny and annoying.

The ending was alright. But leading to the ending was baffling. Something that I like about the 2nd and 1st game is how you can progress each story line one gang member at a time and when the gang member's story finishes, you move on to the next until you eventually get the prologue and ending. This game's like: We work for other gangs, we made our gang, party!, end of game.

Side story line/ non-main game play:

I actually enjoyed it. I'm happy with the things to do throughout the city and I often catch myself sidetracked with a few hitman missions or being an evil "yelp" reviewer on stores. I found it a bit annoying with the lack of fast travels, but I think that's a personal preference than anything. Overall, I do see myself going back to finish all the side missions and challenges

I will say, I've been working so hard to get the Let's Pretend store available to use, I was quite underwhelmed with the selections but I've already mentioned that complaint.

Your Character:

I would say from the 2nd game to this game, they all have the same generic personality. Granted, from the original Saints Row to the 4th, it's all the same boss. The reboot has no connection to the previous games which honestly lacks character development (or just a personality at all). The character is that same "I'm a bad ass-ready to kill" vibe where if there's a moment the other characters say something statistical, they get all "I don't care-I'm just gonna threaten them with a gun!" Again, no character development. Where's the weakness? Where's...basically anything else. I know nothing about this character and I played them for 20+ hours.

Glitches:

Another yikes...

Keep in mind that not all glitches are consistent with the player. These are the one's that I've received so keep that in mind...

During the end of my game play, I've been more-and-more nervous on my game crashing or finishing a task but the game doesn't register that you finished the task so you're stuck until you restart from checkpoint. I don't know if this is a PC glitch, but I've been getting that a lot with open world games; another notorious game that's prone to do that is Cyberpunk 2077. Only difference with that game and this one, I can actually restart from checkpoint; Saints Row 2022, I can't- I have to restart the game and start over.

Going back to the Character outfits, there's a huge glitch where you would put your character in an outfit, and it doesn't show. This was more towards the Jackets. When you boot up your game, you may also notice that your character may be missing a few accessories as well. Also, when shopping for pants, some stores never show the pants selection on your character; I find that weird.

Other than that, there were some funny, harmless glitches like an npc stretched out and is flying all over the place or when your character is giving a serious dialogue and their mouths are not moving.

Gameplay and Controls:

I'm very iffy on this one. Usually when I play games on the computer, I like to use my PS4 controller (sue me-I come from a Console only, gaming family). But I've noticed that I was not able to do quite a few functions. Granted, I should've changed the controls in the settings, but I can't remember why I got impatient and decided to go keyboard instead. The keyboard controls weren't too bad. Auto aim helps a lot and it's not too "deadlocked" on one enemy; I picked up real fast.

I will say, I don't know what the point of the emotes are in the game, I don't even know how to toggle them. (no hate for that, just a random thought).

Directions were pretty much to the point but the GPS arrow thing tends to throw me off a lot. I often find myself ignoring it since it's too wishy-washy on directions.

I played this game on the Hard Difficulty. I found Normal too easy but to be fair, I have a tendency to jump straight to Hard mode on any game (unless if I know it's a strategic game)

~~~Overall Thoughts~~~

I mean, I think you can tell what I think of this game; I'm disappointed in it. Gameplay wasn't the worst, but graphics, glitches, and the story line killed it for me. If I had to give an overall grade, it would receive a "D" or a 4/10. If you're debating on if you should get it or not, best recommendation is to wait for it to go on sale-this is definitely not worth $60, heck even $40. I'd pay maybe $15 for this game and that's not on sale. Hopefully the game ends up with some cool DLC's and patches (which I would not be surprised if they discontinued Saints Row 2022 because of the bad reviews).

It was a shame too because I was really rooting for this game. I let my love for the other games allow me to have a positive mindset when playing, but the more I played, the more I end up disappointed. I see The Saints Row series one roller coaster. 1st was the rising game, 2nd was the peak, 3rd was a slight fall 4th and Saints Row 2022 was the falling.

Thanks for reading and let me know if you'd be interested in more reviews!

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[youranemicvampire]

My favorite shows and movies I’ve watched in 2020

Not a professional critic or film girl, jus wanna recommend some good stuff. Random order. 

Russian doll (2019-)

Natasha Lyonne is a genius. A death loop that gets deeper and more creative every episode and it has only 8 so you can binge it and be satisfied. 

The good place (2016-2020)

Comedy and Philosophy? This is the one. It’s one of the shows that i would recommend to every person on the planet so we can all be better people without reading those incomprehensible and inaccessible philosophy books. 

The disastrous life of Saiki K. / “” Reawakened (2012-)

The most hilarious anime i’ve seen! And i can’t even explain why. It’s just about a psychic and idk how they made it that funny every single episode. Effortless and Random. 

Sex Education (2019-)

America should take notes. Still about s*x, but it’s closer to reality than most American teen shows + It breaks stereotypes. idk how to describe it., this show is cliche, but in a refreshing way?? Weird. It’s good. 

Pose (2018-)

Now, This is how you do it. I’ve seen a lot of music/dance-themed shows and movies and most of them are mediocre and inauthentic. Pose has a heart, passion and it stayed true to their culture while casting real gay men and transwomen. Overall, It’s realistic and hopeful at the same time. 

Diary of a prosecutor (2020)

A comedy depicting the daily lives of prosecutors. Freaking hilarious. The situations they’ve been, everyone’s comedic timing and reality of being a prosecutor are on point. 

Swing kids (2018)

About Korean kids with dreams and passion for tap dancing in a middle of senseless war and divide. A dance movie with an actual good story.

SKY castle (2019)

If you watched Parasite and hyped the f out it, you should do the same with SKY castle. It highlighted greed, Korea’s educational system and mental health by using satire, drama and suspense. A masterpiece. Literally the best Kdrama i’ve watched. I know it’s the 2nd highly-rated show in Korea, but Internationally, very underrated. So watch it! NOW! It’s on Netflix!

Nobody Knows (2020)

Bias included, I watched it for Kim Seo Hyung (The same actress from SKY castle who just won top excellence award for this so you better give her flowers) and stayed for the story. It’s a mystery drama about a cult, importance of good adults in life and empathy. Slow-paced, but never had a dull moment. Full thoughts without spoilers here.  

Disclosure (2020)

Watch this so you’ll know representation is not just a “woke” shit. It’s fucking important! It shapes how you perceive reality. 

But i'm a cheerleader (1999)

A QUEER FILM CLASSIC. Seriously. It’s on the top of the list of films new queers should first watch. It’s a satire about a lesbian cheerleader in a conversion camp. Funny, cute, entertaining, relatable and happy. Yes, HAPPY! Done with tragic ones.

Black lightning (2018-2021)

Not even a superhero fan, but it gave me adrenaline rush, and made me think. What i also love about this is the parallels with reality. I get it that it’s sci-fi, but isn’t it more engaging if you can imagine it possibly happening in real life. +They treated the wlw storyline as a normal thing as it is. 

The L word (2004-2009) / The L word: Generation Q (2019-)

Ok this is not the best show in the world. It’s too white and got A LOT of issues, BUT i’m still gonna recommend it to “new” lesbians like me (R18+) especially when you experience this isolation stage. It’ll make you feel normal. If you don’t wanna watch the original one, i think you can skip to Gen Q because it’s more diverse, has a better treatment of transmen and transwomen and got a lighter tone so far, just watch a summary/recap of the OG.

More recommendations:

2019

2018

2017

[randomnameless]

People wanting canon Gen 1 ships gotta be some of the most annoying bastards negl. "Well you can give the kids more concrete stories then!" because a Judgral remake would still totally have the limitations of the SNES (they, of course, always want *their* pairings to be canon, and you can usually tell which ships they're adamant about before you even read their post!).

Well, I'm more of a FE5 fan myself but -

FE4's funny things comes from the whacky gen 1 pairings! No matter what you come up with, Jugdral's still going to suck after the war, and no "tru piss" can be brought by Emperor Seliph ruling over the world.

What I love the most about those discussions about Gen 1 pairings is how it comes to be, if you try to be serious about it - Lex shagging Aidean comes from some weird Cyrano de Bergerac AU where he stands in for Azelle? Or he and Brigid just had some fun and bam Faval appears? Midayle and Erin just... befriended each other because their loved ones prefered to end up with someone else?

You can basically go everywhere, and since those characters have some meat that isn't erased because "walk with u professor" you can imagine a ton of situations - basically, a huge fanfic material without needing to paint Raquesis as an evil baby eating lady.

And you bet an Erin/Arden Ced is going to have the most awesome story in the entire 2nd gen, forget how he is named after a Crusader, or is expected to use Forseti - Arden!Ced can be the first non-crusader King of Silesse!

[x-exo]

*slides into your asks with a rose in my mouth* why hello, tis me!

Apologies for the long wait but your favorite long asks anon is here and OOF so much has happened. Let us break it down one by one lol

Monsta x our beans, welp we can officially say we are army wives for them because shownu is now at the military and just welp this feels weird lol. I lowkey forgot he was meant to enlist so when the news came out I went through so many emotions. Its why the latest comeback feels a bit bittersweet to me. It is their BEST for sure and for this year, I agree so to not see him perform right before he left is a bit sad. I don't blame him of course (if anyone does i am fish slapping you) but just a shame. I'm happy we do get content with him still? Seems pre-planned so that is nice!

Onto legends exo, fantastic comeback. I cannot stop listening to the album, its just bops full of bops to me. They broke so many records and I'm over here sipping my tea because fudge yes. It isn't a full member comeback, 2 of the members featured in the comeback are off playing call of duty and they still did THAT. While having lay properly in the comeback!? (Or at least some form, better than tempo era!) Kyungsoo my beloved, the man that can swoon you off your feet, his proper solo album. Omg I am just in love? The album feels like a Playlist that you hear while taking a walk or on a raodtrip? I love it, I just love everything about this with how much thought was given. It makes me feel warm and I'm so proud of him (I think he even got a first win) but sadly xiumin got the it shall not be named virus D: I feel so bad and I can only hope he gets better! It makes me worried because I keep seeing more and more idols getting sick and I can't help but wonder why don't the kpop entertainment just put a pause with stuff? Of course that is VERY unrealistic, I am aware that is naive for me to think but its just so idk how to word it properly (my English brain is not working I am sorry) I cannot help the feeling of while I get people are being safe and yes we need to still live like normal beings, is it worth risking idols health just for some entertainment? Idk how to explain my thoughts properly but maybe I hope I made sense!!

Onto svt! That is perfectly fine to not vibe with a comeback! I will admit, I didn't fully vibe with this comeback and it shocked me because every comeback was a hit to me. Even fear, left and right or homerun where I know many fans were split on, I liked but RTL was a grower. For me, listening to it without watching the mv, helped it alot and it is a song I like. Is it their best? No I don't think so but it is alright to say "hey I didn't bop to this, not my cup of tea" (imo I blame the mv? The mv REALLY didn't do the song justice at all, I am sorry if I sound like a fake fan but this mv Just is bad in all aspects. Sure we have some pretty shots but like it just doesn't fit at all?) So if anything listening to the song or wishing the live performances does it better. Seeing the choreography amps the song up more, cannot go wrong with their dancing. As for the rest of the songs, I admit game boy is my top favorite? Idk if it is because I am a gaming nerd and found all the production of the song so creative but yeah. We can wait for the next comeback! Svt always have something up their sleeves, plus we do have their music projects to look forward too (I wonder when we will get one? Seeing as RTL promotions stopped) some positive news with the boys is they resigned like a year before their contract ends and I'm a bit emotional :') I'm excited to see the boys future projects. We did have caratland recently! Did you watch it if I may ask? We did get in the soop confirmation so I'm excited to watch that, the boys deserve that nice break (even if it was filmed for a show fjsbsns)

Ok I think that is it for kpop updates? XD I do hope life has been treating you kindly! Life has been a bit all over the place sadly so I hope it wasn't like that for you as well! Until next time my bean!

hii!!!! omg sorry for the late reply i've been pretty busy these days 🙈

indeed so much has happened! and much more since you sent this ask omg!!

our shownu is at war *looks into the distance* *wipes away tear* *sighs* by now I got used to enlistment news (see what happens when you stan 2nd and 3rd gen groups) but STILL [[IT HURT]] when they uploaded the monchannel videos of his goodbye day like ????? what kind of twisted mind diuhdfuihdifuhs but the boys were all so cute and soft but they seemed so sad they didn't want to let go of their super leader :(( I hope he's learning lots and making new friends (and also we've got our international super spy yoo kihyun giving us small updates on him every now and then so everything's fine!). Yeah I totally get you it felt empty without him this comeback and at first it didn't really clicked with me but when the enlistment news came out i understood he had to take care of his health and thoroughly check on his eye sight in order to be 100% ready for the military so it made sense he had to be absent :( everything was so close (the comeback and enlistment) that I'm sure there was no other way for doing it I'm pretty sure he couldn't maybe postpone the enlistment day any further

onto exo! my ksoo my soft boi my romantic boi 🥺 his album is so him SO HIM i can't explain it bur it's just HIM you know it's the type of album you'd play on loop on a summer afternoon when you've taken your papers and paints outside in the garden to paint a bit with the warm soft breeze moving the trees lightly 🤧 and he signs in English and SPANISH (he did it for me) my multilingual king he's a native. Also I've been watching Honeymoon Tavern with Jongin these days and OMG i could d word for him really (if you haven's watched it go do it when you have time) he's SO SOFT and SO CUTE and he works as a waiter and a wedding planner and helps with the room preparations and is also a tour guide and he's just so cute so happy al the time the way he interacts with everyone is so 🥺🤧😭 onto more serious stuff now: yeah i was so worried about minseok catching covid omg but i'm glad he went through it with our any major complication and the rest of the boys are safe too! I guess the industry doesn't stop bc that would mean a huge loss of thousands and thousands of dollars/won/etc so as long as the gov doesn't prohibit going out or gathering like at the beginning of the pandemic, they'll keep on going with the idols' schedules otherwise the industry would just shut down having no way of earning money to sustain all the companies and idols.

as for seventeen! yeah i like the songs too! the mv sure ruined rtl and listening to it without watching it has really helped it grow on me more but still it feels kind of meh to me idk i really like anyone i think it's my favourite from the album. AND NOW WE'VE GOT A COMEBACK IN OCTOBER!!!! yayyyyy i can't wait they seem to be preparing very diligently (i hope they release a sexy bop) it's a shame junhao aren't gonna be present for this comeback but i'm soooooo happy they have the opportunity to visit their families again omg they have spent 2 whole years without seeing them in the flesh they must be so happy to get back to them again!!! it's so funny seeing them be bored at the quarantine hotel and doing lives every day duhdfiudhfiuh i hope it passes quickly and they can see their loved ones finally! and I did watch Caratland!! omg the unit switch song was the best thing ever hhu doing lilili yabbay and not being able to stop laughing idfuhdifuhs perf team doing chocolate and owning it????? hello??? performance team more like main vocal team wow! and the vocal team being a complete mess during check in lmaooo i loved it! In The Soop has finally started!!! I love these kind of "normal life" concepts I love seeing the boys being themselves cooking and relaxing I've watched the first and second eps as of today and also few clips from the third and omg mingyu and jeonghan drowning in the pond dfuhidfhidfs lmao they're so dumb i love them 🤣 i'm glad they could go away for a few days and spend time together away from their hectic schedules!

I hope you're well now and if not hang in there it'll all pass soon enough! 🥰💕 bye bye!!

p.s.: I got your request for the svt this or that gifset and i promise i’ll do it one day i just don’t feel like giffing these days dhbduusi i’m out of energy 

[mylittleponyvevo]

An iPod Named Ricky pt. 1 - A is for Artists

Back on March 31st (or so), I received a black 5th gen iPod Classic 30gb model (shown here with a 2nd gen iPod Shuffle 1gb i bought as well). I thought the thing would have had no songs on it as the eBay page mentioned that it was formatted with a Mac, and yet, the iPod has 5525 songs on it. This clocks in at about 12 and a third days of tunes. This is my thoughts on the music on this iPod named Ricky.

I decided that I would listen to the music in Alphabetical order of Artist names, then by album release date for each artist. The previous owner seems to be a big fan of Hardcore Punk and too a lesser extent, Hip-Hop. Naturally, we begin the journey through this iPod at the A's below the page break.

Here is a YouTube playlist with a sampling of the music discussed.

There are 8 Artists that begin with A on Ricky: AFI, AC/DC, Action Action, Anti-Flag, Arrested Development, At the Drive-In, The Ataris, and Atmosphere. The previous owner included a few albums from the band AFI under both "AFI" and "A.F.I.", woops.

AFI (1995 - 2006)

AFI was a band I had already heard of from their songs "Prelude 12/21", "Miss Murder" and their 2009 album Crash Love. I was unaware of the band's origins as a Hardcore Punk band. Their early work is actually rather good, often being kinda funny. It's really cool to hear their gradual change from the punk vibe to a more dark "emo"-esque vibe. Highlights: "I Wanna Get A Mohawk (But Mom Won't Let Me Get One)" and "Death Of Seasons"

AC/DC (Back in Black, 1980)

Never hearing this album before (beyond passive radio listening or it being inserted into media), but seeing folks with the t-shirt kind of hyped it up for me. Yet the album is pretty boring for me. It's honestly wild how sexist and/or chauvinistic some of the lyrics are, but as a relic of it's era, it does "Rock". Highlight: "What Do You Do for Money Honey".

Action Action (Don't Cut Your Fabric to This Year's Fashion, 2004)

This album feels like something someone would find on 2004's MySpace front page. Kinda punk, kind goth it just screams scene, especially with the cover art. Electronica elements twinge the albums rather punk sound and its fantastic. Highlight: "Instructions on Building a Model Airplane".

Anti-Flag (1996-2006)

I've seen this band's logo on punk patches for awhile now, but finally listened to them through this iPod. I'm sure that I will say this over and over for the punk music on this, but it's sad that this music is still 100% relevant 20 years after it's release. Thrashy, Angry, and highly political, fantastic stuff. Highlights: "F**K Police Brutality" and "Anatomy of Your Enemy".

Arrested Development (3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of..., 1992)

This is the first Hip-Hop album on the iPod and honestly I was happy for a change in genre after all that Anti-Flag. The funky sound of the hip-hop beats by Speech on this album are fantastic. I liked the themes of love in the album. Highlights: "Fishin' 4 Religion", "U", and "Tennessee".

At the Drive-In (El Gran Orgo, 1997; Relationship of Command, 2000)

This band seems to have had a pretty on and off time, according to their Wikipedia page. The EP included El Gran Orgo isn't that great honestly, very some dudes in a garage making music sound that doesn't feel that inspired. On the other hand, Relationship of Command is immense. Multiple vocalists barrage the listener with competing lyrics and gang vocals. Really great post-hardcore. Highlights: "Invalid Litter Dept.", "Rolodex Propaganda", and "Quarantined".

The Ataris (...Anywhere But Here, 1997; So Long, Astoria, 2003)

Really didn't care for this band's albums. Both albums felt very generic, textbook pop-punk. They really lack any defining flavor to make it feel unique. Highlight: "Radio #2"

Atmosphere (God Loves Ugly, 2002)

I really like this album. Very personal lyricism atop sampledelic beats. Need to listen to this one more to appreciate the lyrics deeper. For sure, my favorite album overall so far. Highlight: "Vampires"

And that's the A's from an iPod named Ricky. The B's look promising as I've always wanted to give Blink-182's music a more serious listen.