#i am so curious about what the rest of the album will sound like

[spidersunny]

ooooh okay i just got the chance to listen to the new machine girl song and i like it yaaayyy

[imloyaltoscoups]

it's fiction | jeon wonwoo

Wonwoo leans on the door frame, his arms crossed, looking at you focused on your laptop. Your fingers keep typing nonstop, the clatter of keys the only sound in the room.

"You've been engrossed with your laptop for days," he says, breaking the silence.

You stop typing and close your laptop immediately, turning your head to look at him. "It's just some research stuff," you reply, trying to sound casual. But the truth is, he has no idea you're writing a fanfic about him—not just any fic, but a R18+ one.

You stand up and walk over to him, wrapping your arms around his waist in a hug. "Soo how's the progress on the album with Hans?" you ask, hoping to divert his attention.

He rests his chin on top of your head, his arms encircling you in return. "It's going well," he says softly. "Just preparing for the MV maybe this coming week or so... But I'm more curious about what you've been working on."

You feel your cheeks heat up, your heart racing as you hold him tighter, "I'm just searching for a new game that's all," you reply, trying to sound convincing.

Wonwoo raises an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. "Your chrome isn't even open."

You look up at him, caught off guard. He points to his glasses. "My vision is clear," he says, smiling.

You let out a nervous laugh, your mind racing to come up with another excuse. But the way he’s looking at you, with that teasing glint in his eyes, makes it hard to think straight. So instead, you tighten your grip around his waist, hiding your face in his chest.

"Okay four eyes, you caught me," you mumble into his shirt. "But it's really nothing."

He chuckles, his hand coming up to gently stroke your hair. "Alright, I'll let it slide for now. But next time, maybe you can show me what you've been working on?"

Your heart skips a beat, and you can only hope he never finds out the real reason behind your late-night typing sessions.

He then gently removes your arms from around his waist and he directly head straight to your workstation. Panic sets in as you rush to stop him, wrapping your arms around his torso from behind.

"Yaaaa, wait!" you plead, trying to hold him back. "You said you will let it slideee."

He laughs, a deep, genuine sound, and continues to move forward, dragging you along with him. "What are you hiding, hmm?" he teases, enjoying your struggle.

"Seriously, it's nothing!" you insist, your grip tightens.

He pauses, turning his head slightly to look at you over his shoulder, still smiling. "You know, you're making me even more curious."

You groan, knowing he won’t give up easily. "It's just… embarrassing, okay?"

He turns around fully, facing you, his expression softening a bit. "I won't judge, you know that," he says gently.

You hesitate, then sigh, loosening your hold on him. "Fine. Again don't judge me and don't even laugh." as you point your finger on him.

He grins, reaching out to lift your chin. "I promise."

With a reluctant nod, you step aside, watching nervously as he approaches the table.

Wonwoo sits on your chair and opens the laptop, starting to read. You panic and cover his eyes as he begins to speak, "Really, babe?"

"Stop, stop," you nervously plead.

He removes your hands from his glasses and looks up at you. "I thought you didn't like being rough, but here? You even describe my dick well, props to that," he says, a teasing glint in his eyes.

You cover your face with your hands, feeling the heat of embarrassment spreading across your cheeks. He grabs your waist and settles you on his lap, and you nudge your face into his neck, mumbling, "It's just fiction."

He chuckles, "But the details… wait, am I a mafia boss here?"

You blush even more deeply. "And how do you know this kind of position? We haven't even tried this one yet," he continues.

"Stop reading." You plead, but he ignores you and keeps reading.

"Have you been watching porn while I'm away?" he asks.

"It's just for reference, Won," you reply weakly. "You know I have more experience than you, right?" he counters.

"Well, then it wouldn't be fiction, it would be like your diary or something," you retort, looking at him. "And my readers like this kind of stuff."

He laughs and scrolls down, continuing to read. "And you even make me a cold, possessive jerk? Really, babe?"

You bury your face in his shoulder, mortified yet unable to suppress a giggle at his reaction.

"Well, this is already a fanfic since you made me a mafia boss," Wonwoo remarks, pausing in his reading. "You make Mingyu my rival... wait, will he... uh, fuck around with the female lead too?"

He's now fully invested, and you try to cover the screen, but he removes your hand, his expression turning serious. "Behave," he instructs firmly.

"Why is the female named as Y/N?" he asks, his tone softer now as he realizes you're writing a reader-insert fanfic.

You hesitate to answer, but he catches on, teasing you, "So you're imagining yourself being fucked by a mafia boss, huh?"

"It's not like that," you deny it quickly,

He chuckles, shaking his head. "You know, you're missing some details in this sex part," he points out, gesturing to the screen.

"What's wrong with that?" you ask, feeling defensive.

"Since you haven't tried this position, you need to experience it firsthand to be able to describe it accurately," he explains matter-of-factly.

He then stops reading, setting your laptop aside. You think it's over, so you stand up. He does too, but to your surprise, he grabs your hand and drags you to a nearby couch in the room.

As Wonwoo positions you on the couch, he bends you at the waist, your upper body resting on the cushions while the arm of the couch supports your hips. Before you can fully comprehend what's happening, he swiftly removes your shorts along with your underwear, making you gasp in surprise and arousal.

He leans in close, his breath warm against your ear. "You know, I read something in your story about fingering and sucking first," he murmurs, his voice low and husky. "Before... before fucking her hard."

You shiver at his words, feeling a rush of heat pooling between your legs. "Y-yes," you manage to reply, your voice barely above a whisper.

Without further preamble, he descends upon you, his lips trailing hot kisses along the curve of your neck. But his touch is not gentle; it's rough, demanding, leaving marks of his passion in its wake. He bites down on your skin, his teeth grazing against your flesh, leaving you gasping for more.

As his lips find their way to your shoulder, With a wicked grin, he murmurs against your skin, "Let's see if I got your story right." he grips your thighs tightly, parting them with a force that sends a jolt of pleasure through you. His touch is possessive, his fingers digging into your skin as he explores every inch of your body with a hunger that leaves you trembling.

Your breath catches in your throat as his words send a shiver of anticipation down your spine. You nod, unable to form coherent words, your heart pounding in your chest.

And then, without warning, he lowers his head between your thighs, his mouth claiming you with a primal urgency. He doesn't hold back: his tongue is rough and insistent, lapping at your core with a fierce intensity that threatens to drive you over the edge.

But it's not just his tongue that drives you wild; it's his teeth, sinking into your flesh with a delicious sting that sends waves of pleasure coursing through you. He bites and sucks with abandon, his mouth a whirlwind of sensation that leaves you teetering on the brink of ecstasy.

You then gasp as Wonwoo inserts his fingers roughly, the sensation sending shockwaves of pleasure through your body. His roughness only intensifies as he continues to suck and lick you, driving you to the edge with each relentless stroke.

When you finally reach your climax, the pleasure is so intense that you can't help but squirt, your juices spilling over his face in a hot, sticky mess. He doesn't flinch; instead, he stands up, slapping your ass roughly as you continue to leak your essence, the sensation sending shivers of pleasure coursing through you.

With a primal growl, he positions himself between your legs, straddling you as he forcefully slaps his cock into you like an animal. In this position, there's no room for romance—no eye contact, no kissing, no caressing. It's pure, raw, animalistic fucking, and you revel in it.

As he takes you from behind, you can feel his gaze burning into you, consuming you with lust as he uses you for his pleasure. You lowkey love it—the feeling of being dominated, of being nothing more than an object for his satisfaction. It awakens something primal within you, igniting your submissive side like never before.

As Wonwoo continues to pound into you with primal intensity, his breath ragged and his movements rough, he begins to utter possessive lines, echoing the ones you wrote in your fanfic.

"You like it when I degrade you, don't you?" he growls, his voice thick with lust. "You love being used like this, don't you, you filthy little slut?"

His words send a shiver of excitement down your spine. You find yourself nodding eagerly, unable to form coherent words as pleasure clouds your mind.

He continues, his voice dripping with possessiveness. "You're mine, Y/N," he declares, his grip tightening on your hips as he drives himself deeper into you. "No one else can have you like this. You belong to me, body and soul. Say it."

You moan in response, unable to resist his command. "I'm yours," you gasp, the words coming out in a breathless whisper.

"That's right," he murmurs, he then delivers a sharp slap to your ass. "And don't you forget it. You're mine to use, to pleasure, to fuck however I want."

Wonwoo's thrusts grow deeper and rougher, each movement driving you closer to the edge of ecstasy. Your bodies collide with a primal rhythm, the sound of skin against skin echoing through the room.

He hisses in pleasure, his voice strained with the effort of holding back. "You're so tight," he gasps, the words slipping out between clenched teeth. "Even after all this time, you still feel so fucking good."

With a final, powerful thrust, he releases his hot, sticky essence deep inside you, filling you completely with his fluid. The sensation sends you over the edge, your climax crashing over you like a tidal wave.

Wonwoo pulls his cock out, releasing the last of his cum onto your back. You breathe heavily, reveling in the fact that this is the first time he's been so rough with you during sex. He then gently picks you up and settles you both onto the couch.

As he plays with your hair, he smirks and asks, "So, who’s the better fuck—the mafia version of me or the real thing?"

You squint your eyes at his absurd question, trying to suppress a laugh. "It's just fiction, Babe, Mere fiction," you reply, shaking your head.

He chuckles, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your lips. "I know, I know," he says, his voice gentle. "I was just curious... At least you got to experience the sex position you wrote about," he added as he resumes on toying with your hair. "And if you need to try more for the sake of realism in your stories, I'd be open to it. No need for extra research when you have me."

You roll your eyes playfully, leaning against him. "Whatever." But he's not done yet, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Are there other stories you've written that I haven't read? Are they rated 18? And do you write about other members too?" he fires off questions.

Before he can ask more, you hush his mouth with a kiss, which he eagerly reciprocates, pulling you closer. You sense there might be another round, but this time, he'll be gentle like he used to be.

....... ≿━━━༺WONWOO༻━━━≾ .......

[flamingpudding]

I'm back with a part 4 if you want to do it it's kind of more of a crack write I just need Klarion trying to explain the family tree

But not explaining how he was made at all So Young Justice and the Justice League are now convinced that a the Ghost King was a teenage parent who is now 27 years old and just passed college with a degree in astronomy and machinery

Klarion's other parent is a a crazy fruit loop 64 year old millionaire who went to college with Klarion's Mom parents who had an emotionally unhealthy obsession with his mom's mother and then it passed on to his mom.

And he has an older sister who is technicality a clone of his mom but also has the bastards DNA so fundamentally making Ellie Vlad Master and Mom's first born kid but there's six other siblings that Klarion had that died back a while back but Mom got granddad who's apparently the time lord AKA Cronos which is a whole another long story to go back in time and save those kids get them fixed up and now Klarion technicality has seven older siblings which all do their own things

And then he starts mentioning his uncle who is a 9 ft yeti his technicality auntie who is a medieval ghost princess who can turn into a dragon his auntie Pandora and his his grandfather cronos

My names for the six other clone children are Donald (he/him), Cecelia (they/she), Bartholomew(Them/They), Kyle AKA Bite(He/It), Brutus(He/They), and then there's Danna (She/Her) who actually really like the name Dan and asked Klarion if could have it when Klarion changed his name

Sorry if this is a little bit too much I've just really been thinking about au for this after the last part you made I hope this helps you with your writing or at least makes you laugh but I really love the idea of Danny's AKA somewhat clone children and finding their own personalities and and fighting themselves out of just being failed clone of their mom also I love the idea of Danny going back in time to save the rest of the clone kids cuz now he's a mature adult who wants to save their lives and wants them to grow into their own people.

(⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

I probably did way to much research into all the fandoms I am in to see what I could tie into this... And yet this feels shorter than it should but I also currently lack the time to add more. But for now I hope this will be satisfactorily.

Also this family tree idea especially the part of saving the melted clones. LOVE IT!

So even though it took me a while! here is Part 4 you inspired! Thanks so much for the ask!

------------------

"Dude, you are making us only curious!" Impulse spoke up as he sat down next to Klarion who had his head in his hands. "Like you and your mom can't just drop your family lore like that!"

The witch boy on the other hand looked up with narrowed eyes at the speedster. "What lore?"

"Let's see, the part that apparently a Vlad tried to kill your Grandpa to make friends several time. That your mom is 'ghost' adopted by the lord of time Cronos and Pandora, which makes us family too by the way, and that you have a sister that apparently is even crazier than what we got to know of your family so far." Wonder Girl counted off her fingers next to him grinning as she mentioned the part of probably being a part of his 'crazy' family too. Which hell yea, that sounded like a lot of fun to be explored she would have to talk with Wonder Woman about that as soon as possible.

"Also..." Red Robin added as he flipped through the photo album that apparently no one remembered he had. He was turning it around and pointed at a particular photo with a wild bunch of people in it that varied between more human and well... less humanoid people. One of them definitely was a Yeti and there was also what looked like living armor as well as Teekly (they knew that demon cat at least), a giant green dog and for some reasons there was a green aggressive looking Octopus in the background too. "...how are you related to a Yeti?"

"Hey that man there and those other teens in the picture actually have some resembles with you! Do you have older brothers too?" Superboy additionally asked as he moved around Red Robin to see the photo better pointing at a man that appeared to be in this late twenties, blue eyed, black haired and a little on the buffer side. If he didn't know any better and the fact that he should keep his mouth shut about their actual identities he would have jokingly asked Red Robin if his family would like to add more kids considering Klarions family apparently had a bunch of black haired blue eyed members too, judging by the photo at least.

"What are you talking about. That man is my mom and yes the others are actually my older brothers and that Yeti is uncle Frostbite who also happens to be the best medic in the Infinite Realms" The four teen heroes looked stunned at the picture and then back at the Ghost King that was smiling at them, still seated by the dinner table with their mentors. Who by the way were now perking up at the change of topic and the information they could gain with it, well Wonder Woman was more interested in the apparently extended family she had.

"Oh I remember we took this photo last year, it was such a hassle to get everyone into one place with them all being busy doing their own things." Danny mused for a moment, remembering fondly how he had to literally drag some of the kids home through a portal.

"It was more annoying than anything too since I was declared to be the youngest...." Klarion muttered also remembering that day not as fondly as his mother.

"Wait, wait, wait! That is a picture of your family? I need an explanation buddy!" Impulse cut in without shame, quickly removing the picture from the photo album to get a better look at it before holding it out to Klarion so he could explain all the individuals. "Plus why does your mom look soooo.... human?"

The witch boy on the other hand stared at him for a couple of seconds before looking over towards his mother as if waiting for something. After a moment the teen heroes as well as their mentors saw Danny nod with a little smile. "This dimension doesn't have the GIW so its fine, the Justice League Dark won't be a problem either, right?." Constantine flinched at the smile the Ghost King was giving him, muttering something under his breath as he had hoped his presence had been forgotten.

"Since mom is giving his okay...." Klarion mutter sitting crosslegged on the ground as he snatched the photo album from Red Robin and flipped through it. "Lets start with the easiest stuff to explain."

Danny chuckled noticing that not only the teen heroes but their mentors as well showed an interest. He choose to stay quiet letting the adults listen in on the kids, and if things went bad he would just ask Clockwork if they could revert time back to this moment and he would change his nod of permission to a shake of denial.

"Okay first of, this is my mom and his sister Jasmine, this is Danielle my older sister and that hulk with flaming white hair and blueish skin is me. That was before I got deaged because of destabilising." Klarion explained flipping to a photo of him, Danny, Jazz and Danielle. "Mom was around fifteen, Aunt Jazz about seventeen and Ellie should have been about a year old but she was aged up to twelve. They look human in this one because well they are. Mom was originally human and became what you call in this dimension a Meta through an accident."

"Wait... that would mean your mom... How could he have two kids at that age of fourteen? You look like an adult and your sister was aged up?" Wonder Girl couldn't help but ask as she looked from the photo and back to Danny at the dinner table again.

"That's cause Vlad was a fu-"

"Language Klarion!"

"Vlad was a fruitloop. That photo was taken shortly after Vlad and I sort of redeemed our selfs. Plus, mom didn't really have my sister and me willingly.... we were kind of forced upon him in a way." Klarion explained shrugging. "Old Man Vlad had an obsession with his mom that then turned on mom, which resulted in my oldest sister Danielle first. Actually, a lot of my elder siblings resulted from that, but they didn't survive it the first time, Mom got Old Man Clocks help to save them once he got used to being the Ghost King. I got added to the mix shortly after my sister, but... i wasn't in the best state of mind at first, kind of went through a redemption phase in which mom had to fix the timeline of our original home dimension, too."

Danny chuckled again at the disturbed looks the teens were giving his son as well as the looks their mentors sent him. He probably should correct Klarion's wording... but being one of the gremlins of his family he just smiled on, not commenting. He really understands now why Pops Clockwork liked watching the chaos he used to cause as teen, and still sometimes causes as adult.

"Klarion... how old is this Old Man Vlad?" Red Robin asked grimacing as his eyes under the mask flicked up to the Ghost King and then back to the witch boy both seemingly unbothered by the disturbing information they were sharing.

"In human years... probably around 67? You stop counting age at some point if your a halfa." Klarion shrugged, not noticing the grimaces of the teens around him. "Anyway, Ellie is sort of the first born. I came in after that, with my core being a mix of Mom and Vlad. Not DNA wise though since I came to be because of their ghost cores. That's why I look like that in this photo. Though human DNA wise I am probably now mostly Moms, we never bothered to ask the old man."

Danny muffled another chuckle, coughing as Superman sent him an incredulous look of shook while he felt Batmans burning gaze on him.

"You... mentioned more siblings?" Red Robin asked carefully sharing a look with his team, feeling like there was a whole lot of trauma in Klarions family he wasn't sure they should address or not. So asking after his siblings was probably, hopefully the safest option. They didn't know that while there was trauma in the witch boy's family it was not the kind they were imagining.

"Yea I got a bunch more brothers, Vlad was a evil crazy fuitloop, before he redeemed himself. They all kind of melted in one timeline but mom and Grandpa Clock found a way to save them." Klarion nodded flipping to another photo containing him, as he looked now, and all his siblings.

"So, Ellie you know about already. The one with the sunglasses and died hair is Bartholomew, second oldest. They made themselves a home in other dimension, barely at home cause he has to much fun messing with something called a 'Starstream' by being a 'Constellation' and throwing gold coins at 'Incarnations'. Don't ask me what that means, I barely pay attention when he gushes about his favorit 'Incarnation'. They spent like all their money and pocket money there. Aunt Jazz thinks he might develop a gambling addiction if we don't stop his spendings." The teen heroes eyed the teen that looked like a young adult grinning in the photo as the witch boy pointed at the one next to them. "The one with the vile is my elder brother Bite, most responsible one of this bunch. Mom even allowed him to take care of a couple of dimensions by taking the role of being their God of Death. I think he messed them up more than helped but he is doing a somewhat good job, even if he is sort of obsessed with making some red head his saint or something..."

"One of your sibs is a God?" Impulse gabbed and Klarion just blinked at him with a shrug. "My Grandfather is the ruler of Time, your point is? Wonder Girl is also related to a God of your dimension."

"Never mind him, moving on." A yelp resounded as Superboy pushed Impulse head down leaning in more to see the photo better. "You got one emo looking brother there!"

"Oh that's Yamikumo, he is like a year or two older than me right now, in human years. He barely got any of mom's powers so he choose to try to life a somewhat normal life but weirdly enough he choose a dimension that is ruled by people who have powers and abilities, you know like the Meta Humans of this dimension. Now that I think about it, he is also the only one who actually is studying on how to be a Hero."

"Do you end up fighting with him if he studies to be a hero?" Wonder Girl whisper asked him with a quick glance towards their mentors, to which Klarion shook his head. "As long as we leave the dimensions one of us choose to live in alone we usually don't fight about stuff like that, aside from the usual sibling fights that is. Then again I do have some siblings that like to make bets like who is better at ruling as demon lord, or who can safe a dying timeline quicker."

Danny chuckled again as he watched the kids, Klarion had definitely caused some misunderstandings with his wording. Then again it wasn't like Klarion said anything that wasn't true, but then again his son loved chaos. So there was a suspicion that Klarion intentionally choose the way he worded the explanation about how he and Ellie came to be as well as the rest of siblings.

"So....." Superman slowly started wondering how he should bring up the topic. "...you became a mom at 14?"

"Say Danny is there a way for me to meet this Vlad? You know since we are family." Wonder Woman also asked smiling in a certain way that reminded Danny of Valerie when she was mad but didn't want to show right away how mad she was, to which the Ghost King on reflex could do nothing but gulp for a moment. Not noticing that a green post it note appeared on the table before him.

[quinnylouhughesx43]

Champion of my Heart

Summary: requested || in which reader is a famous singer and takes a break from tour to go watch luke play in the “Hughes bowl” but gets mobbed by the media.

Warnings: use of y/n, ended up being more about reader than about luke and reader, unedited, grammatical errors, use of song added as readers “song” I do not own this song, I am not claiming to own this song

Word Count: 1.1k

Notes: requested via ask, sorry this turned out more about reader than about the relationship it just came out of me this was at 1:30am when I woke up randomly

As the pop star, y/n, stepped off the private jet that had brought her from her latest tour stop to Newark, New Jersey, she couldn't help but feel a an overwhelming sense of excitement and relief to be back in the same state as her favorite person. Y/n had been on tour for the last two months, performing to sold-out crowds night after night. Living out of a tour bus and sleeping everywhere but the once place that felt like home, and she was exhausted. She was living her dream out and she loves what she does, she’s just being run ragged.

But she had promised herself that she would take a break, even if it was just for one night, to do something she loved - watch her boyfriend, Luke, and his brother who ironically is also his brother, Jack, play hockey for the New Jersey Devils.

Y/n had met Luke one night at small show held at Rutgers University, when he and Jack had come out to see it at the college. The boys getting noticed by quite a few of the girls on campus and a few athletes, security invited them backstage to a different green room, but y/n being curious who else would be swarmed fans went to greet them . Which led to her and Luke hitting it off immediately, bonding over their shared love of music and hockey. And as their relationship blossomed, she became a regular at Devils games, cheering on Luke and Jack from the stands.

But tonight was special. Tonight, the Devils were playing the Vancouver Canucks, and y/n knew that Luke's oldest brother, Quinn, is the captain for the Canucks. Until tonight she hasn’t seen the three brothers play against each other before, and she couldn't wait to see the intensity and the competition that she’s heard all about.

As she made her way to her seat with in Prudential Center, y/n was practically mobbed by a few fans and numerous droves of paparazzi. She smiled and waved, taking selfies and signing autographs, but she was also careful to keep her focus on the game once puck drop happened. She was there to see her man and his brother’s play, and tonight she was just another Devils fan in the stands. She didn't want to distract Luke or Jack, and she desperately wanted to be a normal girlfriend there to give support.

The game was intense, with both teams fighting hard for every chance at the puck. Y/n on the edge of her seat, screaming and cheering along with the rest of the crowd. Often times she found herself clutching to the bottom of her Luke jersey, murmuring please over and over as he loaded up for a shot. Or the hitch in her breathing when he went down because of a hard hit into the boards.

When the final buzzer sounded and the Devils had emerged victorious, and y/n was over the moon. She wasn’t sure if it was because she had never been so anxious over a game, because they won, or because she gets to see Luke now.

As she waited for Luke to come out of the locker room, y/n was surrounded by reporters and camera crews.

If all the media is out here who is interviewing the teams? She asked herself.

They were all clamoring for her attention, asking her questions about her new album and her love life. She tried to brush them off, but they were truly relentless.

"Is your new album about Luke?" one reporter asked, shoving a microphone in her face.

"No comment," Y/n replied, smiling sweetly.

"But what about your ex-boyfriend, Josh?" another reporter chimed in. "Is the album about him then?" shoving a different microphone in her face.

Y/n rolled her eyes. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again - yes my music is about my experiences in life and my emotions that coincide with said experiences. That said it does mean it has to be about any one person."

But the reporters wouldn't let up. They kept asking questions, trying to get a rise out of her. That's when she spotted Luke, emerging from the locker room with a huge grin on his face. Y/n’s heart skipped a beat as she saw him, and she knew exactly what to do to nip this in the butt.

With zero hesitation, y/n pushed through the crowd of reporters and ran directly to Luke. She jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and planted a long, languid, passionate kiss on his lips. Probably the most PDA the two have ever displayed in their lives. The crowd around them erupted in cheers and applause, and the reporters were left stunned and silent.

Luke laughed and hugged her to him tightly, spinning her around in a circle while still having her wrapped around his waist. "I guess that answers all your questions," he said sarcastically, winking at the reporters.

Y/n grinned looking directly at her boyfriend, feeling happy and carefree for the first time in months. She knew that she had made a statement, and that the media would be talking about this kiss for weeks to come. But she didn't care. She was just happy to be with Luke, and to have been able to support him and his team.

As they made their way out of the arena, she leaned her head on Luke's shoulder. "Thanks for getting the win for me tonight," she joked, smiling up at him.

"Anytime baby," Luke replied, squeezing her hand. "And thanks for that kiss, if I had to wait any longer I might have died from lack of attention. Plus I think that shut them up pretty effectively."

Y/n giggled at her dramatic boy. "I'm always happy to help," she said, snuggling into his side. “When we get in the car, I have something to play for you. I think you’re really going to like it.” Luke gave her a questioning look as he opened her door, letting her get in first. She pulled out a demo album, and showed him the cover.

‘Champion of my Heart’

Luke held the demo in his hands and he studied it for a moment. “Is it about..” he paused looking up to meet her eyes. “Is it really about you and I?” Y/n nodded and smiled slightly. Luke moved around the front of the car quickly, anxious to enter the car. “Remember it’s not the final version, but i wanted you hear some of the songs first.” Luke made eye contact with her again. “First, as in first first?” He needed the clarification, like she needed his approval. “Yes, first outside of my recording crew. He leaned over the console and softly cupped her cheek. “I don’t tell you enough. I love you, you’re amazing, you’re beautiful, and I am the luckiest person in the wo— no entire universe to have you.” Luke placed the softest kiss on her lips as the first track begins to play.

‘If I Could Fly’

[curio-queries]

SMERALDO GARDEN MARCHING BAND

My thoughts prior to the release of MUSE. I've avoided pretty much all reactions and analysis posts until I finished this so I have no clue if anyone else has come up with better words to describe some of these concepts but here's my take on it. I wanted to get this out prior to MUSE so that I can see how my view evolves with further context but here's where I am now.

Initial Reaction:

I'd actually had a few issues that night so I wasn't in the best headspace to take in a new song but I did listen to it on Spotify first and then watched the mv twice, once without subs and once with. (And yes, I know it's technically not called an mv...deal with it lol)

Anyways, I definitely wasn't immediately sold on it - which is expected from me, it's EXCEEDINGLY rare that I like any song on first listen but SGMB only took a couple of runthroughs before I was on board. One thing that helped me reframe it in my mind and with my previous expectations is to remember the first part of Jimin's self-proclaimed attributes: Cutie, sexy, lovely. SGMB leans very solidly into the cutie aspect, a little near the lovely side but far deeper into Cutie than anything we've seen in his solo releases. (RememberCute was an answer in the seossword puzzle). That got me thinking about where the rest of his songs would be in comparison and here's the placement I've landed on. Some of these have changed over the past few days but I'm curious where y'all disagree with my placements.

Good old Serendipity, a perfect balance of the three in my opinion. All of FACE is firmly in the Sexy section with Like Crazy leaning more evenly into Lovely. Lie is also right there with LC but more closely on the border. My beloved Promise and Letter holding down the Lovely section with CTT straying closer to Cutie. If you forgot about the cutie circle though, SGMB would have seems like it was complete out of the expected range. I am curious if we'll ever get something that's a mix of cutie and sexy, I can't comprehend what that would be like but I wouldn't put it past our JM to find a way!

Theories?

So, how do I think I did with all of my theories? Let's go through them one by one:

Open Locker Meaning: nothing to prove/disprove this yet. There were an awful lot of references to Serendipity in the mv though, so maybe that's the tie-in? I don't know, this one was a streeeeeetch in any case.

Sound Effects Interlude: we know we're getting an interlude but we'll have to wait for MUSE and any behind info to learn if it's sound effects that Jimin recorded himself like Dive.

Rooms Going from Dark to Light: Yes! I mean we knew it was going to be a lighter album than FACE but I think the word BRIGHT is all over SGMB. And I think this technique in both of those videos was trying to highlight that for us.

SGMB as an Actual Band: Yes! Definitely right here too! I'm going to talk about this more below because I think this is actually a very important part of this song.

The Emoji Poll from the Insta Chat: Yes! I think some people are still trying to make the argument that each option is supposed to represent different songs on muse. And while the others may lean more into any of these specifically, SGMB definitely has elements of all of them as well

An Actual Band?

So, like I mentioned in the theory above, I had the thought that SGMB could be portrayed as a fictional band itself, very similar to what MCR did with the Black Parade. And since Jimin decided to use this as the song's title; as well as make it the pre-release track, I think this is an important topic to delve into.

First, this allows Jimin a perspective shift to share with us his career outside the lens of BTS. Not because he NEEDS or WANTS to separate himself from them but he has had his own journey as an artist that may differ from his experiences from the perspective of a BTS member. Obviously BTS is completely woven through this journey and he gives us an acknowledgement of that with the line about 12 June and the handsign.

(Sidenote, whenever I see any of them do that now, I instantly think of that moment in Jimin's pixid ep where he said they don't anymore...I think we may have been misled...) 😝

Second, the frame of SGMB from a band's perspective also puts the song firmly in the categorization of 'work' rather than 'personal'. With FACE being such a deeply personal projectregarding his very deep human experiences, i love that he'svery upfront with us about MUSE being a work project. I've said this before, and it's one of my absolute favorite things about Jimin's music: he crafts it so that we can easily adapt it to our own interpretations. There's a lot of loving and beautiful imagery in the lines of this song that can have special meaning in all levels of relationships; platonic or not. But his delivery if this message to us, is professional. This is reinforced by the suits Jimin has worn in all of the material released so far. He's following a work dress code. (If you happen to see this post within a week of release, we have a poll regarding Jimin's suits on @bts-polls )

ME + US = MUSE

I just want to touch on this briefly here as I expect there'll be more once the album releases but there are some hints already. Like I discussed in my FACE post, Jimin has again come up with some key words to weave through the project. In FACE, it was several sentences but MUSE seems to be focusing on the following:

ME: Jimin himself

US: Jimin's view on his audience

MUSE: His awareness of us and how that effects his creations and manner of artistry.

SGMB and CTT are both bursting with these references and viewpoints. But I honestly don't think of SGMB as a traditional 'fan song'. I have another post where I talk about the different kinds of fan songs. Like I said above, SGMB details Jimin's experience as an artist and how his audience plays into that process. Not like CTT that's literally a diary of our journey with him. Maybe an extremely nuanced take but SGMB just doesn't feel like it belongs in the same 'fan song' categorization that CTT does.

The End for Now

Does anyone know anything about that little hand-wave Jimin does during the bow at the end? He repeats it. Is just an additional flourish that he's added in himself? I've never seen anyone do that during bows after a performance so I'm wondering if it's a cultural/industry thing.

What do y'all think? I'd love to hear your thoughts! If any of you have made posts about SGMB, I'll try to read them now but rumblr is not very forgiving if you miss something in the timeline. I'm very happy for you to share links to your posts in the comments!

[yunogf]

lmao i asked bc, as you said in your tags, there was a certain way that it comes across as with how you’re talking about it, so i genuinely wondered bc i was gonna listen to it as well. i’ve been reading plenty of comments about it as well that mostly just lean on “aoty” “soty” “best album ever” and i get that these are (hopefully) exaggerated claims by stans, but i was seriously yet to see a decent comment about its musicality. it’s either about his face in the mv or his voice or the aesthetic of the mv. nothing on the lyricism or the instrumentations or its creativity or depth, so i was hesitant. i get liking it, but i doubt its being “the best”, so when i saw that your comments were the same, i began to wonder if this is another case of exaggerated praises and it’s just... meh at best. nothing new and all that. i am still gonna listen to it on my own ofc but, i guess, since i’m not really his fan, i’m not all excited. amazing debuts usually create tractions of their own, and i don’t hear much for this, but i ain’t judging based on that ofc. anyway, no need to feel attacked. as i said, i was genuinely curious so i asked. i’m well aware that i have ears. i was just genuinely curious about what you actually thought about it, what with your unhinged tags and whatnot. that’s all.

hard to gain traction when ur company announces ur album 2 weeks before it drops!

i was thrown by your wording and i still kind of am but i don't listen to music i don't enjoy and that's across the board for any artist bc....why would i do that lol and maybe ur not in the right circle being a casual fan/non-fan bc I've seen most ppl talk abt the musicality along with everything else 🤔

ik u said u were genuinely asking and i appreciate the explanation but im picking up on an overall unimpressed tone ("hopefully exaggerated" "doubt it being the best" ?) and it feels like u've made up ur mind about jaehyun and his music and ur asking me to give u a reason to change ur mind/care/be impressed but that's not my job ur free to make ur own opinion to me it seems ur going in with a half formed one already but it's music so like it or leave it either way is okay! ur under no obligation!

I'm sorry if being a kpop stan (im assuming...?) has made u feel disillusioned by solo releases tho i understand bc ppl are often overhyped by fans but jaehyun is a music enjoyer who did his homework and worked with artists he himself is a fan of and the payoff is really good music

overall ur ask is very uninformed which if ur not a fan is understandable but as a native english speaker myself listening to an album that is almost entirely in english from a nonnative speaker i have to say the lyrics are very well done they make sense create good metaphor and aren't superficially about balling or making a lot of money (i loathe to hear this often in eng versions of kpop songs lol) and jaehyun is credited as a lyricist on almost every song afaik

the production value is solid "can't get you" has an entire band accompaniment (the trumpet >>>>>) he wrote/worked on "flamin hot lemon" with emotional oranges (one of my fave artists actually <3) so that one is Excellent in every regard esp for a song inspired by cheetos lmao I've said numerous times that none of the songs sound like they were created with the intent of 30 secs going viral on tiktok (a very important differentiation for me) and one of my favorites parts about the title track "smoke" is the outro it's soooo good there's an unexpected bit of piano that he adlibs along with >>>> and the ballad "completely" has a Gorgeous piano backing to it (the lyrics on this one are also so beautiful)

my excitement about the release may have overwhelmed me so i might not have broken down each song beat by beat but rest assured i'm not wasting time on music i don't enjoy

in summation the album is good and on a separate unrelated note he just happens to be really hot ❤️

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP I love Jimin but the autotune is bad. 😔 I don't know how to feel about it. I wish Jimin did a song like Promise or Serendipity it wld be better for more people right? I hate how pdogg ruined Jimin's debut. We should admit it. Nobody is even streaming it on youtube. Armys are pretending it's a good song but kpop fans are right BPP, the song is bad.

*

Ask 2:

Hi BPP,

I hope you are well.

I have read and continue to read your blog. You seem to think so highly of the rap line which is wonderful. My post isn't about them but I do like them more than the vocal line. Please note I am not trying to be negative with my question below. I am more curious because this has been observation lately..

I am not trying to be negative but I was wondering if you could help me understand this. Being in K-pop for a while, I knew I would come across BTS at one stage in my life. I have always known they are popular. I would have to be living under the rock to think otherwise. But one thing I have always heard is a discourse around Jimins popularity. Even before I got into BTS, I would hear Jimins name thrown here and there. I knew BTS had a guy named Jimin but recently I have been thinking that perhaps he isn't as popular as I had assumed. I would have thought his music video would garner million and millions of views easily but it's not even at 15 mil. How could that be? Similarly, people aren't purchasing his songs on iTunes. I see people begging them to buy the songs on twitter. My understanding was that he is the most popular member of BTS but looking at his views compared to the rest of the members, I am thinking he is on the lower side of popularity. I am surprised to be honest. I know popularity doesn't mean everything but wouldn't he need that to be a successful artist outside of BTS?

I am also not sure if the new song is good. The autotune feels too jarring. The video is nice but the song in itself doesn't do it for me. I would have really liked to minimise autotune. It would have also been nicer if his song was more on the lines of lie. I feel there is too much focus on visual representation rather than the quality of the song. People will listen to the song more than watch the video so it's disappointing. It's also not doing that well. I mean Taylor's re-released songs are beating him already. I am worried his album won't be successful. I was hoping they would use this solo era to gather more fans but I don't see how Jimin could possibly garner more fans with a song thats so jarring to listen to.

***

Sigh, y'all should never say I didn't allow room for other perspectives in this space because I'm humoring this talking point far longer than I honestly care for. Not trying to be rude, just honest.

Hi Anon(s),

So... um, let's see. Please remember y'all are talking to someone who thinks UGH is the best song in BTS's discography. My playlist order for Set Me Free Pt 2 is:

Arson -> SMF Pt 2 -> UGH -> What Do You Think? -> SMF Pt 2

I mix it up with As I Am by JB and Khalid, Indigo, NewJeans, On The Street, and Smoke Sprite. For playlist switches I rotate between rock albums, hiphop, and lofi.

So, that's my taste. Usually.

What do you notice in all the songs in the first sequence? Think about it for a sec. With the exception of What Do You Think? to some degree, they all use autotune. A disgusting amount of it, and I love those songs so hard I would fuck them if I could.

I'm not sure if people understand what I mean when I say I'm a fan of BTS's music, that I'm an ARMY. I mean I actually love their sound and have reached this conclusion recently after following them since 2014. So PDogg's stylistic choices are ones I like most times.

Yoongi and Jimin are very similar. In my opinion. And there is no member who embraces autotune and pitch distortion more than Yoongi. He is also the only member who blatantly and unapologetically displays his alter-ego in his music - in Agust D - and that's not a coincidence. Jimin does the same thing or at least tries to create the same effect in SMF Pt 2 by using autotune. Pitch distortion is the easiest way to other yourself in a song, to create a secondary personality. Tyler Joseph does this a lot with a shadow personality within himself that he calls Blurryface in his music. Jimin in SMF Pt 2 is done playing games. That man has rage buried inside of him and somehow, he has transcended it. Yet he expresses that rage in his first song as a solo artist, through a secondary voice. The one that voices the animal in him. That Jimin is telling y'all to come correct or fuck off. And he calls out his opps. Yeah, his opps. It's Aave and yes it's sometimes unfortunate when k-pop idols use it, but sometimes it's not. Think of 'finna'. And none of the people up in arms about Jimin using that word give a rats ass that XG, a rookie group, have used it more often than Jimin to no issue, but yeah it's impossible for the idol so targeted by death threats the Texas police got involved, to say he's got opps. But I don't really care either way.

I digress. My point is the audacious and offensive use of autotune is the point in the song. It's aggressive. It's supposed to annoy you and if you happen to be a weirdo like me, it's supposed to tickle your brain. Like, this song seriously has me fucked up. I like it a lot and it's just a testament to years of discipline that I'm not looping it on Spotify.

Anon in ask 1, it's possible Jimin would reach a wider audience with a ballad, pop track like Promise/Serendipity, or a more conventional hiphop song. I'm sure he thinks so too, maybe. And yet that's not how he wanted to express himself. He chose the harsh autotune and I happen to think he sounds incredible with it.

Now Anon in ask 2, Jimin is one of the most popular members in BTS, and BTS is of course still popular. We both know that. But it's also true BTS has become less popular within k-pop spaces in general, but that's predictable given how the industry runs, and it's possible that was all you were experiencing Anon - an environment where BTS and by extension Jimin, just isn't that popular.

If that were even possible. Because like, this is Park Jimin we're talking about here.

For the people apparently begging others to buy the album, I guess they are simply people who strongly want Jimin to do well on the charts and are trying everything in their power to make it happen. I'm yet to see any of that personally though on my side of ARMY twt, what I'm seeing is organized and spontaneous purchases done out of love for the artist and his art.

*

You both mention YouTube views/streams so let me just say something on it. Personally, I don't care. I mean I care enough that we at least try to meet the goals and I genuinely love the video so I've watched it multiple times today, but not really beyond that. All this to express the extent of my interest in this matter. But even I know YouTube changed their view-counting algorithm in 2021 to increase a migration of users to their paid platform, YouTube Premium. Views today are harder to count and so one way k-pop agencies have worked around to gaining views, is to buy ads on YouTube. Perhaps it would be great if BigHit was as involved as other agencies in helping that way, but they haven't been so far except for the Pandemic English Trilogy (PET), and ARMY has more reason to stay engaged. All this to say, the views we currently have are one of the best records the fandom has ever achieved for BTS, no matter how it stacks up to the others because there are too many people who love SMF Pt 2, are talking about it, re-watching it, too many of them to not be significant enough. For YouTube we're doing fine and enjoying it at our pace.

Also I don't know what y'all want me to say about how a white American woman performs on US charts, relative to BTS members. I'm curious, did you check for their relative performance on Korean charts? Since you're so interested in the question.

You don't need to be worried about Jimin's album not being successful. It already is.

[maylorscardigan]

Reputation & TS11.

do you think Taylor will announce or drop Reputation in a few days? Do you think we will see TS 11 soon? I’m curious what your thoughts are with these because there’s been a lot of speculation with it lately. I don’t think she would do 1989 TV dirty like that. Please… thoughts.

*mumbles under breath*

NO.

I do not think we are getting Reputation as an announcement or as a drop this weekend. 1989TV is quite literally her most successful album debut of her career. She is NOT going to disrespect that album by doing that. 1989 TV / SV is her baby. It’s the album that changed her entire career.

So no.

Besides - anyone who truly knows anything about Reputation knows that she is not going to make it obvious. That’s the entire point of Reputation. It’s like the Reputation fans who thought she wasn’t actually going to release 1989 TV and just drop Reputation instead. There are so so so many things that would have gone wrong with that.

SNTV got a short period because when you look at it… while it didn’t have a long Era like Red TV or Fearless TV… it got A LOT. It got a night dedicated to it with the guest appearances and the music video etc. Red and Fearless were released outside of the Eras tour so they got a longer stretch. That being said - she is giving 1989 TV longer.

When she announced 1989 TV she performed “New Years Day” from Reputation and that in itself could be an Easter Egg. If she was going to stick to the 112 day thing then she could announce Reputation on New Years Day and release it for February 16th, 2024. This would give it 46 days of promotion before a release.

Is it possible she just drops Reputation on New Years? No. It’s a Monday. Not to mention a holiday. Logistics nightmare if you ask me.

I am to laugh my ass off if the next album announced is Debut, closing with Reputation towards the end of the tour. Why? It’s exactly something that Taylor would do. Reputation Taylor at least. But I won’t get into my theories as to why I think Debut could be coming next.

As for TS 11…. I don’t see it coming before Eras wraps. The entire concert if designed around her first 10 albums. A LOT would need to be cut and redone to fit a new album into the concert. Not to mention all the work that has already gone into it with the movie and all that. She has a year left of touring with 2024. Two re-records to still get released. She is finishing off the Eras tour with those released then anything going forward will be TS11 and beyond. Releasing TS 11 during Eras would be such a bad business decision. New Albums deserve their own time. Just like Midnights had separate from the tour.

I think fans have become extremely greedy. She dropped two albums in a year with folklore and evermore because there was literally a pandemic going on and she had nothing else to do. Fans want all the re-records on top of each other. They want a new album - all while a world tour is going on. Like… come on guys. She is Taylor Swift, yes. She’s a bit of a super hero. I get it. But she’s still human all the same. Stop demanding so much from her all the time.

Since 2020, we have gotten:

• folklore

• evermore

• fearless tv

• red tv

• midnights

• speak now tv

• 1989 tv.

That is SIX albums. And fans just want more and more and more and more. Other artists… they’ve released one… maybe two if you’re really lucky. Some of released none and are working on one now. You also complain that the sound between 1989 tv and Midnights is too similar but you want TS 11 and Reputation like right now yet if it sounds similar you’ll complain about that… give it a rest and be THANKFUL fans for getting 6 albums in under 3.5 years AND a massive world tour with a three and a half hour show.

Disagree? Cool.

But the vultures need to back off.

((Note: when I say you in the post I do not mean the anonymous directly. I’m speaking about fans in general))

[nelegance]

Chapter 6-Meetings

Louis first words to me were “I won’t bite.”

Painfully obvious line for a vampire, no? Just truly awful. Lestat still laughs about it, which should honestly be all the proof you need that it wasn’t funny.

I sat down across from him at the intricately carved dark wooden desk. It was imposing but he wasn’t. He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. But soft too. He had the same intense eyes as Lestat, which I thought was strange but I brushed that off because I was too busy watching him smile. There’s was calm and comfort in that smile. Lestat, sitting in the far corner of the room, cleared his throat. Louis looked at his desk and placed a piece of paper and a pen in front of me. It was a contract.

“I’m sorry to hear that you had such trouble when you arrived. I promise that it won’t happen again. This is just a formality. It’s non-binding on your part. It’s a promise to you that I will keep you safe and employed for as long as you’re willing,” Louis explained, his playful but light Creole accent flooding my ears.

I skimmed the contract and then signed it. Louis took it back and read my name.

“Madeline Ellsworth. Are you from around here. Miss. Ellsworth?”

 I nodded, “Yes, sir. But I guess you’d say I’m from all over here. I go where I can find work, housing, safety. I’m not one for trying to stick out the hard times and make the best of it.”

“Understandable. I do hope you’ll stay with us for awhile though. I’ve only heard good things and I’m guessing you’re the top tip earner?”

“Oh?” I tried to rustle with the coins in my apron pocket. “Am I supposed to give them to you? I still have the rest if I am.”

Louis shook his head quickly, “No, no. Those are yours to keep. I just meant that you’re doing well. You should be proud of yourself.”

I gave a half smile.

While still smiling, Louis seriously said what I had always knew, “Gwendolyn really dislikes you. Like she hates you. She wants me to fire you. I’m curious, what did you do to make her so mad?”

I looked down at my hands, not knowing what to say because I had no answer to his question. I didn’t know what I did. Lestat, lighting a cigarette, laughed. 

Louis’s eyes travelled to his. “What, Lestat?”

“She exists. That’s what Gwen is having issues with. She simply exists. Come on, Louis. We both know you don’t have to do anything to piss off that cunt.”

It was so odd hearing Lestat swear. It still is. In my memory he was always very prim and proper. Even when he killed, he was in a suit and spoke either French or tried his very best with English. But I’m lying to myself. In actuality, he loved lounging in silk pajamas all day and night, was a hoarder of old newspapers, magazines, albums and books and he had a mouth like a sailor. He loved the word “cunt”. It was his favorite cuss word. I blame Louis for teaching it to him. But it did sound amazing when he said it because when he said it, you knew he meant it. And he didn’t just use it against women. 

Louis looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. Lestat folded his arms and leaned back in his chair.

“It really doesn’t matter. I’m not going to fire you, Miss. Ellsworth, because someone else told me to. You report to me or if I’m not here, Lestat. On that note, I do want to apologize for not introducing myself sooner.” Louis said to me. 

“That’s okay, sir,” I responded, still not looking up. I wanted this meeting to be over. Now. The walls were starting to close in and my heart started racing. I was going to have a panic attack in a moment if I didn’t get out of there. 

“Is there anything you need? Have you been eating?”

I smiled up at Louis, “I’m fine, thank you. And thank you for the room.”

“You’re most welcome,” Louis stood up. So did Lestat and I. We were led over to the door. 

“If you need anything, please just knock on my door or find me,” Louis said as he opened the door. I shook his head, said my goodbyes and ran down the hallway to my room.

“So ladylike,” Lestat laughed as he watched me kneel in front of the toilet. I flushed the toilet and stood up. I thought was walking out of the bathroom pretty well on my own but my hip grazed the doorframe and made me stumble back down to the floor. Out of frustration, all I could do was sob. Pitiful really.

“Right. Well that’s not helpful is it?” Lestat lifted me off the carpet like I was a feather and place me on my bed. I watched him in amazement as he tried to teach me how to breathe. I never figured out why but when I had these attacks, he’d always try to teach me breathing techniques to calm myself down. I think it had to do something with his previous lover, Nicki. Maybe it had something to do with him being fascinated by things mortals had to do to survive that he didn’t have to. I never dared asked though just in case I triggered a bad memory for him. 

“Better?”

I blinked a few times and shifted my focus from his mouth to his eyes. He smiled and raised his eyebrows. I had no idea what he just said to me so I just nodded politely.

“Good,” Lestat slapped my knee and stood up from the bed. “Would you care to go for a drink downstairs or shall I leave to cry into your pillow again?”

“I have nothing to wear so crying into my pillow sounds like the plan for the night,” I flopped backwards onto the pillow. “I have this work dress and then the dress I came here wearing and I can’t wear that! It’s all stained! Have you been to the bar downstairs? Everyone is so glamorous! I’d make an absolute fool of myself!”

The door to the room shut abruptly.

By the time I sat back up and rearranged my hair, he was back.

Lestat tossed a red slip dress at me.

“Put that on and meet me downstairs,” he ordered before leaving the room again.

Where did he get the dress? I have no idea. I try not to think about it now.

The dress was too long for my stature and too small in the bust. It hugged every curve in the wrong way. But I wanted to go downstairs. I wanted to know more about Lestat. To me, so far, he was kind of a jerk with a heart and that lured me in. So I put up my hair, put on what little stolen makeup I had and made the long anxious walk to the bar.

Lestat rose from the table he was sitting at and held onto his suit lapels in what looked like nervousness.

I could barely look him in the eyes. I did manage to squeak out a “Hello.”

“You look beautiful,” he smiled and looked around the room quickly. “Everyone is looking at you.”

I quickly sat down and tried to become small. The dress was far too revealing.

“They think you look beautiful as well,” Lestat said as he sat down.

There was a short crystal glass in front of me on the table. It was filled with an amber liquid and orange peels and a bright red cherry floating in the bottom. I picked up the drink and smelled it. It smelled very familiar.

“I thought you’d like it. It’s called an Old Fashioned. Whiskey and sugar.” Lestat explained. I took a sip of the drink and coughed. The whiskey felt like fire in my throat. Lestat laughed at my naïveté.

“You really do look beautiful. I just want to do one change,” Lestat reached for the comb in my hair. When he pulled it out, my locks fell down onto my shoulders.

“There. Now you look your age and that is beautiful.”

My cheeks burned. I knew I must have looked ridiculous. A blushing busty short girl playing dress up in her mother’s clothes. Eyes lined in black, hair teased to the maximum and a red pout. I felt ridiculous but I was happy that I made someone else happy. If that person was lying to make me feel better about myself. I don’t think he was.

“How old do you think I am, sir?” I asked, trying to sip my drink demurely this time.

Lestat cocked his head at me and pondered for a moment. “20?”

I laughed and hit his arm playfully. “I wish.”

“25?”

I started to worry if I was actually older than Lestat. Not that that would have been bad but it would have been awkward. He went on guessing.

“30? 31?”

I put my empty glass down and smiled. I could already feel the tingle of the alcohol rushing through my body.

“30. Terrible age. I don’t recommend it,” I joked.

Lestat snapped his fingers to get a servers attention and ordered another drink for me. I didn’t really want one but when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

“But it’s a wonderful age. It’s when you start realizing nothing in this stupid little world really matters. It’s an age when you get selfish,” it was at this moment that I realized I had been holding his hand this entire time. He gave it a kiss and then kissed my cheek.

“It’s also an age when you discover yourself. Your mind. Your body,” he whispered in my ear before leaning back in his chair.

The server brought my drink but also brought a plate with a rich slice of chocolate gateau.

“Ah! The Sachertorte. An exquisite Austrian delicacy.” Lestat held up a fork. “Please, eat!”

There was no fork for him. He barely had any of his drink, come to think of it.

“Aren’t you going to have some?” I asked, already digging through the layers of the cake.

Lestat shook his head, “No. I get more pleasure out of watching a beautiful woman eat than eating things myself.”

In all honesty, I barely heard this huge red flag. The ganache and apricot filling was far too tempting and delicious. I did feel a hand run up my back though. A very cold hand. I didn’t do what I normally do and pull away though. I felt safe. Like I had known Lestat for ages and knew he wouldn’t hurt me.

Lestat watched with incredible intensity as I ate and drank that night. He laughed at my terrible drunken jokes, tried to keep me upright when I tried to walk to the bathroom to freshen up, and continued to whisper sweet nothings in my ear. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

[musicthatyoucandanceto]

robin's opinions about sparks albums 2013-2023

the final part, where I talk a lot more than the rest of my reviews for some reason (4/4)

Two Hands One Mouth (2013): I've only listened to this once all the way through and I didn't like it very much

Bops: Sparks Overture?? I love an overture, I am what's known as a Musical Theatre Bitch

Flops: ...the rest of it... for now...

FFS self-titled (2015): I have also only listened to this a few times

Bops (aka songs that stood out) : Call Girl <3, Johnny Delusional, Dictator's Son

Flops: I don't remember if any of the others were good!! I have to listen to this album more

Hippopotamus (2017): I didn't think of this before but "Life With The Macbeths" sounds like it could really fit in with the Annette soundtrack!! I think it's a little too basic for Annette but too dramatic for the rest of Hippopotamus. I don't know what to do with this information

Bops: What The Hell Is It This Time (!!), Missionary Position (!!), So Tell Me Mrs. Lincoln.../Bummer (lots of bops on this album)

Flops: I get tired of Giddy Giddy often, and A Little Bit Like Fun is actually not that fun to me. The rest of them are great, which is nice!!

A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip (2020)

Bops: weirdly I LOVE Lawnmower! it's such a charming song and they are truly grandpa-core at heart!! second and third place are Onomato Pia and Left Out in the Cold. surprise fourth place goes to All That because I don't listen to it very much but it makes me emotional when I do :')

Flops: Please Don't Fuck Up My World (immediate skip for me. not sure why) and Nothing Travels Faster Than The Speed of Light, which is just a little boring :/

Annette soundtrack (2021): I don't listen to this regularly but I've seen Annette twice so I'll base my opinions off of that

Bops: I loved anything Marion Cotilliard sang (for example The Woods) and anything to do with the Baby Aria. Also the Lalala song that sampled Thanks but No Thanks was GENIUS (and So May We Start, of course). I'm going through the demos rn and a lot of them are really cool too

Flops: Most of the time Adam Driver was not the moment. I really didn't like the ending songs, like the thing about the abyss, I thought they were equal parts overdramatic and boring. (Somehow.) You Used to Laugh is pretty cool but I could go without a lot of his other songs

and finally... The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte (2023)

Bops: The first half of this album is SO incredible because it feels like they're reinventing synth/electronic pop in a really cool way! The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, Veronica Lake, and Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is are my favorites.

Flops: As soon as we hit Track 7 I feel like I lose interest, with the exception of A Love Story. It's a weird phenomenon and I'm curious to see if anyone else feels this way!

[mika-mania]

My unfiltered first reaction to the album (and reading the lyrics)

Bougez:

Great start

Would normally never listen to sth like this but because it‘s Mika I love it?

I am INTO this, it's so stupid

(The bridge about god telling him to move in heaven lol)

Jane Birkin:

This has grown on me

The chorus is permanently stuck in my head

Sweetie Banana:

I… don't know

But the soft "bye bye"s are killing me

What the hell is this about

The only thing I understand is "I know your address" which is very ominous

("Candy in my bath" I'm sorry WHAT)

("All these words of love remain to be peeled" I am WHEEZING)

Apocalypse Calypso:

I do like this, still don't love it though

30 Secondes:

The sound is a bit too cheesy for me I think

The chorus IS nice ok

This is sth I'd listen to on repeat if I was in the right mood but would never admit

("You're like a bomb" um ok)

(He's talking about heaven and hell again uh-oh)

C'est la Vie:

God I hate this

I'd skip but promised myself I'd listen to the whole thing the way it's intended

Ok I don't HATE it, it just does absolutely nothing for me

Moi, Andy et Paris:

The beginning is so romantic WHAT

Oh this is such a vibe

Absolutely adooore ❤️

Every time he says "Andy" I grow stronger

At the end he sings "I love you but not him" WTF Mika (this was a betrayal by google translate, he is actually saying "I love you but he doesn't" phew)

Je sais que je t'aime:

The whisper part is so cringe I'm sorry

The rest is beautiful

The line "I hope life forgives us even if god has abandoned us" is still the saddest thing on the album for me

Ohhh the strings I loovee

(Every time I think a song is about Andy it turns out to be about his mum. This one is very sad though)

Doucement:

Mhm not sure tbh

I do like the chorus

Not obsessed yet though

(Not sure what or who this is about. Possibly depression and suicide)

Touche Touche:

Finally my fave from the teasers let's go

God this gives me energy, is this gonna replace Touches You as the song I listen to on repeat when I need a mood booster

Omg the sound of loading the gun in the second pre-chorus, this guy is insane

(Pure sensual filth. Like Tomorrow, BBB and Ice Cream combined. I love it)

("Prends ma main pour un slow" a slow what?! :O)

Amour Pirate:

I'm soo curious about these lyrics

Whyy did I learn Italian instead of brushing up on my French

Melody is simple but I'm not hooked (yet)

("Stolen treasure is not catholic" what)

(Aw so sweet, I AM an undiscovered treasure)

(I think he's telling us to take more risks in order to find love and he might not be wrong)

Passager:

Again nice but more about the lyrics I think

I wasn't expecting this many ballads

An unusually soft Mika album (not complaining)

I do wonder how that's gonna translate to a gig though since they are usually so high energy

Did he just say "Je parle francais et anglais"?! I'm dead (I found out later he does not, he says "un anglais")

[sweeneytoddblog]

Some First Preview Thoughts

Fun fact, this is my 300th post. I can’t believe we are finally at the point where I am talking about a Broadway revival on this blog. Truly blessed.

Obviously I won’t be able to comment on a lot of things about the show since I only had audio, but I can tell you what I personally think about the voices so far:

First things first, there are SO MANY ACCENTS GOING ON. Does anyone remember that revival of Annie where everyone had a very distinct New York accent? It’s like that. EVERY character: Johanna, Lucy, and especially Mrs. Lovett and Beadle Bamford, has picked a (different) British dialect and is going for it 100%. Unfortunately Jordan Fisher (Anthony) really struggles in this area; he slips in and out of accents a lot.

And I might as well say this now, Jordan Fisher is not my fav. I mean he’s fine; his tone is nice and he does get some laughs, but he just doesn’t seem to have the power vocally. He kind of sticks out like a sore thumb among the rest of the cast.

Gaten Matarazzo likewise does not have an *amazing* voice imo (although “Not While I’m Around” is very nicely done) but even just listening to him you can tell he brings a lot of energy to the table and that he plays the character very well. Which is all I really require from Toby!

Lucy really plays up the “miserable” and “pitiful” in her performance. There are some productions where Lucy is a little sassier. Her voice came across to me as more fearful and also less “crazy” than Lucy is usually played as well. No Beggar Woman’s Lullaby, but there is a short instrumental break after she enters the barbershop - a hint at her identity without being too overt.

Speaking of cuts, there is also no Mea Culpa. I have always found this to be an awkward and uncomfortable song for all parties involved, but I have to say, I found myself wishing it had been included. This Judge Turpin feels more like a one-dimensional villain without it, and his stage time was cut down as well. Jamie Jackson does a decent job but doesn’t seem to shine in any areas. It makes you wonder what he would have done with the song.

However, John Rapson (Beadle Bamford) is a delight! I was not wrong in that prediction. He plays the Beadle as this very posh, insufferable guy, and his dialect was one that did not bother me. Judging by the laughs he got from the audience it also seems he was very funny. AND I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, FULL VERSION OF PARLOR SONGS IS THERE. That never happens anymore so I was thrilled!

Pirelli is also good but his voice is not as operatic as it usually is. I believe he’s also the Sweeney understudy and I have a hard time imagining him in that role. 

Maria Bilbao (Johanna) is vocally a standout! A lot of productions struggle with finding a Johanna who can both sound youthful and hit the notes properly. She definitely had the range and the power. It sounded to me though that she played the character more as just a sad girl, kind of like how Lucy was. “Kiss Me” did not really get any laughs and I don’t know if it the couple just lacked chemistry or if they didn’t know how to lean into the humor of their roles. 

Ensemble and orchestra were both top notch. I heard a few instrumentals during transitions that sounded brand new to me, which was highly enjoyable. Can’t wait for that aspect of the cast album in particular!

Annaleigh Ashford has a GORGEOUS voice but often masks the “prettiness” of it with her British accent (I was expecting this as I remember her talking about it in interviews.) Which is good! You really only hear the prettiness in slower songs like “My Friends” or “Not While I’m Around.” I am no expert on British accents though so I am curious what the English will have to say about it (I don’t believe anyone in the cast is English?) She also got a lot of laughs from the audience. I feel like there’s not much I can say about her because I didn’t actually see her, but she definitely delivers as Mrs. Lovett from what I heard.

Josh Groban...what a guy. When I first heard him sing I didn’t realize at first it was him; his voice takes on a much darker tone than he normally does. I did kind of wonder about him and those low notes, but I didn’t notice any problems with reaching them. His speaking voice too is just very low compared to his normal voice? Again, I feel like I can’t comment too much because I couldn’t see his acting interpretation, but vocally, he’s my favorite voice in the cast. Maybe he’ll be a different Sweeney than is typical, but that’s okay too. I’m so excited to actually see him once those bootlegs hit. 

DISCLAIMER FOR EVERYTHING:

I know I only heard the first PREVIEW and a lot could change, so take any of my criticisms in stride. There are many detailed reviews out there now from people who have actually seen the show, so I recommend checking those out! But I am so incredibly grateful to have heard the audio. I promised I wouldn’t share it, but if you message me I can direct you to the right person and then it’s up to them. :) And jsyk there are some audio clips floating around tumblr already!

[mobiused]

some excitement and enjoyment!!! I am sooooooo excited for the Loossemble comeback because for me that was my favorite of the loona releases last year. I really liked everything, especially Plastic Candy but the Loossemble album felt like it was tailored perfectly for me. I saw Hyeju, I think saying this album is a very different sound from their first one and it honestly makes me even more excited! I love when artists change it up

also waaahh the teasers aw so pretty (＞∀＜) I can't wait to see the rest

also I can't stop thinking about the Yves company announcement...I mean we knew about it unofficially for a while but now since its official I am shaking with excitement over the music that will eventually be shared with us. I am so curious about the music she will make

hoping she gets to work on more songs for the loona members too :3

OMG I was just passing plastic candy on repeat this morning that song is so underrated everyone go listen!!! I'm really curious about this loossemble album cuz the teasersc are so mysterious and waifish but Hyeju is like (paraphrasing) there's going to be like explosions and car alarms so look forward to it... like what's gonna happen... ok well actually she said it suited a 6-7pm sunset drive so do with that what you will!

And yes let's not forget YVES the company photos 🥰🥰 so excited to see the fruits of her labor... also CHUU who is working on her next album too

[averseunhinged]

because i am deeply tired of arguing with the music bros, i'm doing my year ends here. these are my favorite albums of 2023. favorite. my personal favorites. not the best albums of the year. the albums i, as an individual human person with free will and my own taste, which i am allowed to have, enjoyed the most.

i also didn't listen to as much new music as i usually do and did a shit job tracking it, because this has been a particularly headachey year. pls feel free to tell me if there's something you think i'm missing out on. in a friendly way!! doesn't have to be polite, but i am pre-empting any even remotely music bro-ey arguments. i don't know if they exist here on the tumblrs and i don't particularly want to find out.

country/alt-country/americana/folk/whatever

jason isbell and the 400 unit - weathervanes

i'm not a huge jason isbell/truckers/whatever fan, but this album is a+++ sad old man alt-country.

zach bryan - zach bryan + all my homies hate ticketmaster

i'm just lumping these two together. i thought they were going to be generic bro country, but learned a valuable lesson about stereotyping people with generic bro country names. the self-titled is genuine, smart, well-written country music, but the real star is the live album, and not just for the shitpost title.

ruston kelly - the weakness

this is not my favorite ruston kelly era, but it's still a pretty good album. leans more on the emo side of dirt emo.

reverend kristin michael hayter - SAVED!

after ending her lingua ignota era, i was curious what hayter would do next and was not disappointed with hymns and glossolalia that sound like they were recorded in silent hill and are being piped into the rapture.

rock. i guess. guitary stuff, anyway.

yves tumor - praise a lord who chews but which does not consume; (or simply, hot between worlds)

i think i ended up liking this album more than the music bros did, but it's full of glammy goth rock bangers in the year of our lord 2023. very dance-able, if your style of dance is paroxysms and flailing.

skating polly - chaos county line

i was happy to see skating polly back this year after kellie mayo's throat surgery. it's a tighter, more evolved version of their particular brand of wild pop rock that never quite admits they're now adults.

midwife and vyva melinkolya – orbweaving

a mix of indie, doom folk, and ambient. it’s excellent mood music, if the mood is maximum bummer.

feeble little horse - girl with fish

so fuzzy and garagey and fun. i've listened to steamroller approx 74376386 times this year.

palehound - eye on the bat

possibly my favorite album this year. just rad queer indie rock with zero skips. on point lyrics and tightly crafted songs that still sound loose and garagey.

the veils - …and out of the void came love

i was thrilled to have a new veils album after almost a decade since their last. not only that, it's probably my favorite of their work. does it have a highlight track like total depravity did with house of spirits? no, but that's in, like, top 20 favorite songs ever for me. it does have a full listing of really solid, creative brit rock.

indigo de souza - all of this will end

it's unreal how good a songwriter de souza is. my favorite track is always, which sounds like glassjaw, if glassjaw made indie rock.

pop/r&b/lecktricky

chappell roan - the rise and fall of a midwest princess

this is more of a past singles compilation with some new tracks mixed in, so i feel a little weird including it, but overall, it's probably my favorite pop album this year. roan makes well-written and mostly well-produced, extremely dance-able, queer, feminist pop.

sza – sos

it's sza.

caroline polachek - desire, i want to turn into you

polachek continues to be the best vocalist in pop music with some of the most interesting, engaging, beautiful songwriting.

susanne sundfor – blomi

i could do without the spoken word tracks, but the rest of this is more of sundfor's warm, lovely blend of pop, folk, and electronic.

guldimund - jeg venter i lyset

sort of lumping this in with the previous album. both guldimund and sundfor take experimental folk music to a more poppy place than joshua burnside does, but the songwriting is just as good and the production as interesting.

100 gecs - 10,000 gecs

i'm not sure anyone invites as much dissention in the music bro ranks as the gecs do, but i was a big fan of happy hardcore and rave back in the day, so they're a fun throwback for me. learn to embrace obnoxious ebullience, music bros.

nia archives - sunrise bang ur head against tha wall

again, a throwback to the electronica of my youth, this time house and drum and bass. it's really nice to hear it done so well in combination with nia's pretty, jazzy vocals.

olivia rodrigo - guts

i am way, way too old to really relate to this album on a soul-deep level, but if this had come out when i was 14? life changing obsession, let me tell you.

hip hop

slowthai - ugly

every year there's at least one album that is outstanding, but too emotionally raw for casual listening. ugly is, imo, slowthai's most honest and brutal album. whenever never again comes up in a shuffle, i think, this is it! the time i won't start crying halfway thru. but no. every time is the time it makes me cry.

grouptherapy. - i was mature for my age, but i was still a child

i've been following this collective's single releases for a while, and it's been a genuine pleasure hearing them evolve and fold in their various influences, creating a sound that's theirs. this album is thematically interesting, as well as a lot of fun and very well done, touching on topics like being young and queer in a very public forum and their pasts as child actors.

aesop rock - integrated tech solutions

no-one does a hip hop concept album with as much aplomb as aesop rock. do i love it as much as i love spirit world field guide? no, but only because the unhinged meandering topics work a little better with the lengthy ayahuasca trip that is swfg.

also i'm giving extra points because he releases instrumental versions of his albums. i frequently listen to them when i need getting shit done music that won’t distract me with words.

killer mike – michael

rtj is great. i love rtj. but it's also nice to hear killer mike working with producers other than el-p. this album's full of bangers that feel very personal and run an emotional gamut from love and gratitude to anger and resentment without being so raw that it's hard to listen to regularly.

[redhydrogen]

Album Review:

All My Heroes Are Cornballs (JPEGMAFIA, 2019)

(First Listen)

JPEGMAFIA is an artist who has been on my radar for a very long time. I asked some friends of him who know more about him than I do what I should check out, and this album narrowly won out. I've heard a little bit from Peggy; Scaring The Hoes, Hazard Duty Pay, Bald, Baby I'm Bleeding, among others, so I went into this album expecting something high energy. This album was decisively not high energy, but I absolutely loved every second of it.

I was absolutely blown away by the production on this album. Someone I know once said that the music sounds like it's falling apart, and that is a sentiment I agree with. The production is the musical equivalent of walking on crutches. On songs like Kenan Vs. Kel or Lifes Hard, Here's A Song About Sorrel, the samples sound like they are dying before your ears, and while these things may seem like complaints on the surface, they are anything BUT complaints. It sounds fucking incredible, on every song; the production is nothing like I've ever heard before in my life.

Peggy's lyricism on this album is about what I would expect from him, at least with what I've heard from him before this, though I enjoyed the moments on songs like Thot Tactics where he rapped from the perspective of a woman; I found that unique. What impressed me, however, was his vocal range. Peggy does a lot of singing on this album, with him even having an entire song dedicated to covering an old TLC track. I was very surprised by the range on display here, and I think it lends itself to the soundscape of this album very well. The mixing is jarring and inconsistent, with vocals often being overpowered by the instrumentals, but I feel this was done by design, and it was done very well.

If I could find one complaint with this album worthy of being brought up here, it is that a lot of the songs seemingly end just as I'm getting into the groove of them. I feel this issue is most prominent on Lifes Hard; just as I feel myself really getting into the way that song sounds and feels, it ends with little fanfare. It doesn't take away from my enjoyment to a significant degree, but it is something I take issue with on some of these tracks.

I went into All My Heroes Are Cornballs expecting an album completely different from what I got, but it was pulled off so masterfully well that I honestly can't bring myself to complain about that. I am curious to see how the rest of JPEGMAFIA's discography stacks up to this album.

Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot - 8/10

Kenan Vs. Kel - 8/10

Beta Male Strategies - 10/10

JPEGMAFIA TYPE BEAT - 8/10

Grimy Waifu - 8/10

PTSD - 7/10

Rap Grow Old And Die x No Child Left Behind - 7/10

All My Heroes Are Cornballs - 8/10

BBW - 8/10

PRONE! - 9/10

Lifes Hard, Here's A Song About Sorrel - 7/10

Thot Tactics - 9/10

Free The Frail - 7/10

Post Verified Lifestyle - 8/10

BasicBitchTearGas - 8/10

DOTS FREESTYLE REMIX - 9/10

BUTTERMILK JESUS TYPE BEAT - 7/10

Papi I Missed U - 8/10

Favorite Song: Beta Male Strategies

Album Score: 8/10

[mrschwartz]

hey! happy saturday and alex birthday day 🎉

5, 9 & 15 for the am ask game 🫶🏽

(side note: I love reading your posts about alex and his lyrics, especially the one about synesthesia. super interesting and made me appreciate him even more which i didnt think was possible!)

hello!! happy alex bday 💖

5. which album means the most to you?

you know what? it's am. it's the album i discovered them from, and i love every single track so so much, i'm almost always in the mood to listen to it. the instrumentals make me feel so cool and horny lmao and alex's voice is in a very sweet spot throughout the album. at this very moment i'm sooo obsessed with one for the road and knee socks it's not even funny. they unlock secret emotions

but! objectively speaking my favorite album by them is the car. but that's not the question so i won't elaborate any further lol

9. what’s the first song you heard that made you fall in love with the band? where were you when you heard it?

yeah it was do i wanna know. i remember exactly the story of how i came across it! although i had heard of them over the years i never really looked into them further. and then, on a beautiful day around march of 2014, i was on my computer browsing tumblr when i came across this post. that stupid joke made me soooo curious as to what they sound and look like lol so i searched them on youtube and, of course, this being 2014 the first song suggestion that popped up was do i wanna know. so i listened to it and i instantly loved it! and then i immediately unplugged my headphones to play it to my brother who, as soon as the song was over, asked me to play it again lol. and the rest is history

15. favourite arctic monkeys b-side?

i think it's too much to ask. it's one of my most listened to songs by them, i love the lyrics and the fingerpicking and the vulnerability

also thank you, you've very sweet!! 🥰 every time i share my thoughts about the guy i think i'm not making any sense at all, so it's really reassuring to know it resonates ❤️