#i do like the chorus line parts to be just a bit bland

[uniquezombiedestiny]

👁_👁 bruh <- imagined too hard and now has a hack writer chart in their head. help

[golbrocklovely]

since i do plan to see mtrench in late september, i think doing a review on their new album is necessary lol

feel free to read if you wanna. i know most of you that follow me aren't doing so bc of this band, but i do love them so much so i figured doing a review would be fun :)

i've been a fan of marianas trench since i was 11ish, circa 2006/7. just in between my fall out boy and jonas brothers phase. i've seen them three times in concert, and this will be my first time seeing them alone, so i'm excited. and i miss seeing them live.

i'm also gonna meet them, but let's not think about that rn.

so for this album, when i heard A Normal Life, i was so immediately into the album. i truly miss their big orchestral pieces and just how good their music can be, so hearing something new was amazing. it's definitely one of my favorites, even now after hearing the whole album.

the other singles… they were a bit of a build up to loving them, minus Down To You. that one i instantly loved as well.

after hearing the entire album, i do want to note one thing.

i love mtrench, have been a fan of them for a majority of my life. however, this album is definitely gonna have to grow on me. the lyrics are very hit or miss. Phantoms (their previous album) also had this problem with me. the music itself is great, the vocals are on point, but the lyrics are so… bland. like, they feel like a first draft. or like when they did pop 101, the whole "higher/desire/fire" lines… yeah, making actual lyrics like that isn't as funny as it was back then when you were mocking pop music.

and the thing is, i don't mind simple lyrics. i truly don't. but josh has talked about going thru some crazy shit over the past couple years. and i thought that maybe that would show up in this music, and it does to some extent. but it just feels like he didn't really tap in enough. i miss the anger and frustration of Fix Me. i will literally give them all my money if it means they come out with a new pop/punk album or SOMETHING like that. the pop music is great, i will never not like the rock opera elements they continue to do. i just wish the lyrics were deeper. they feel surface level at times in the album.

okay, enough of that. let me break down each song and my overall score.

A Normal Life: fucking amazing. again, one of my favorites for sure. a great opener. sets the scene for the rest of the album. i know hearing this live is gonna change my life lmao favorite line: But what about all those voices in the night? / Whispering the things that keep me from a normal life rating: 5/5

Lightning and Thunder: this was a bit of a slow burn for me. originally when i heard it, i thought it was fine, but not my favorite. truly only listened to it maybe twice before the album came out. but now i like it a lot. i think lyrically it could be better but i don't mind it. it kinda reminds me of 'remember this' by the jonas brothers lol vocals are top notch tho ! favorite line: But sometimes I feel my mother and father in the room / It's like their hands are on my shoulders / So I think they feel us too rating: 3.5/5

I'm Not Getting Better: so when i saw this title, i was so excited. i was like 'omg this is gonna be my song' bc i think we can all kinda relate to that feeling. but…. damn does this song disappoint lol first off, it sounds like blank space by taylor swift. so extremely dated, but not in a fun way. the lyrics are like a nothing burger. you could just make "do do do" the lyrics and they would hit about as hard as these do. i like the falsetto. i love the vocals. the chorus is definitely the best part of the song. but i just hate how bland this song is. i expected so much more by the title. at least the song is a bit catchy. favorite line: Oh well / Who said I was getting better? rating: 2/5

Down To You: so this came out like right before the album did, and i was so let down from INGB that i didn't want to listen to this one. but i did, and thank god i did. i fucking love this song. i will say the only thing i don't love is that this song is similar to 'need you to stay' by kid laroi. especially the chorus. but it's not exactly the same, so i don't mind it. this is an example of the lyrics, again, not being deep. but i don't mind it as much bc the song itself is fun and everything hits well together. so idc that the lyrics aren't deep or whatever. can't wait to hear this one live. also something about this reminds me of masterpiece theater (the album) in the best way. favorite line: So here we are / But something's changed / A broken heart / And now I'm drinking in the dark rating: 5/5

Now or Never: this song reminds me of astoria (the album), but i can't place what song, especially towards the end of the song. i quite like the lyrics. the vocals are top fucking notch and i cannot wait to hear this song live. this is honestly such a sweet song. and the first one i heard from the album after the singles so… pretty good starter. i will say this is when i started to realize… where are all the bridges?? i love a good bridge and this song should have had one lol favorite line: It's now or never / I don't believe in crying more / Now I know better rating: soft 4/5

Into the Storm: this is like a hybrid baby of masterpiece theater and phantoms. the baseline reminded me of fix me, tho. again, another song that could have had a bridge. lyrically it's fine. i kinda wanted more, but it's not bad. love how the song starts slow and then builds. the ending was awesome. favorite line: Just repeat this / Long goodbye / A broken record always on the radio of mine rating: 3/5

Ancient History: so when i saw the little description of this song, "allies", idk why but i thought that i was gonna love this song/this was the song i was claiming as mine. and in a way, i kinda agree with my earlier belief. this song is really good. obviously inspired by 'yesterday' on astoria. the saxophone is fucking crazy in the best way lmao this song feels like the 80s (or what i would assume the 80s felt like since i literally wasn't alive lol) favorite line: Who we are now / Whoever we are now / It's never without our history rating: 4/5

Stand and Fight: this song could easily be on astoria. i honestly really like this song. i think this could be one of my favorites later down the line. as of right now i like it but it's not a favorite just yet (at least i don't think so lol). these lyrics are better, still a twinge bland but honestly i don't mind it. vocally amazing. that one "so stand and fight" where his voice breaks a bit… omg kill me that hurt. this is gonna be so awesome to see live. favorite line: To all those years we don't get back / To every hope that we hold tight rating: 3.8/5

Turn and Run: ngl these titles are very boring lol but i do like that they are referenced thru out the album. this song tho… it's like a little bit of every album from them, which is so cool. it first reminded me of astoria, then ever after, then phantoms, and towards the end it sounded like fix me. honestly this was a bit of sleeper hit, bc when i listened to this song first time i was into it but haven't listened to it since, and now?? might be a late fav of mine. favorite line: Tears that we've shed / Are stones we lay on roads that lead us to the end rating: 4.5/5

Worlds Collide: i remember first hearing this song and thinking this should have been the closer, bc that's how epic sounding it was first listen thru. when i heard the "you're beautiful" line, i immediately smiled. i didn't even realize 'cross my heart' was also in there too. this really is a mashup of masterpiece theater and ever after in the best way. like honest one of the best songs from this album for sure. favorite line: The stars should point you home but who knows where you are / You disappeared for years out there rating: 4.5/5

Nights Like These: this song reminds me of a song that gets played a lot at my work (which i looked up and it's 'i got you' by olivia lunny) so immediately… not a favorite of mine. i think the lyrics are really sweet and obviously very personal to josh. i just.. can't vibe with this song. it's very basic and kind of boring. i know that makes me sound like an asshole since it's about his son. but it's just a very meh song to me. if they end up not playing this song live, i won't be upset about it. sorry lol favorite line: We were lit by a candle / Got stuck in the storm / And as the rain fell we stayed / Close to keep warm rating: 2/5

Remember Me By: giving astoria vibes, very much michael jackson/shut up and kiss me. love it so much. such a fun song. and i love the lower vocals (go ian) and it's just a great way to almost close out the album. and the change into the next song??? awesome. very ever after coded. favorite line: I'm desperate / Like a small-town Juliet rating: 4/5

Haven: such a great closer. starts out similar to phantoms but then goes well beyond that. little bits of the other albums are thrown in too. someone pointed out that they should have used the line "And the road home is paved in star fuckers requiem" which would have been INSANE honestly. but regardless, this song is definitely one of my top favorites. expected nothing less from mtrench. favorite line: I don't know why it makes no sense / But my premonitions in past tense / I can't see past today's midnight rating: 5/5

overall i think this album is good. i won't say it's my favorite yet (but that will probably happen by the 20th listen thru or something lol) but i do think it's pretty solid all things considered. i wish the lyrics were a bit deeper or meaningful. also, someone else pointed it out but i have to agree - i miss when they wrote harder, sadder stuff. and i get that josh is in a better place in his life than he was back when he wrote fix me or masterpiece theater, but damn do i miss that sound and those lyrics. if i honestly think about it, i haven't related to a lot of the lyrics in recent years. but i also don't mind that to some extent. i just kinda miss when things were a bit more relatable to me. also i'm hoping that two of the songs from this album don't get played live and something else instead is played, like literally anything from fix me lol

overall ranking of the songs:

Down To You

A Normal Life

Haven

Worlds Collide

Turn and Run

Remember Me By

Now Or Never

Ancient History

Stand and Fight

Lightning And Thunder

Into The Storm

I'm Not Getting Better

Nights Like These

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 21st November

Is 21t November the earliest we've seen Christmas music, so far? I think it might be - and you thought that the ever-earlier Christmas radio creep was a modern phenomenon! I have to say, there's something very odd about listening to Christmas tunes in August. And it doesn't exactly get less odd with our second song.

Mary's Boy Child - Harry Belafonte (peaked at Number 1)

This is a funny one, because this is quite a well-known Christmas song, but listening to it, I've realised that I mostly know the Boney M version. It's not that I didn't know that this was the original, and it's not like I've never heard this version, but I can absolutely see why this version gets less airplay - because it turns out, stripped of the distractions of a driving beat and some disco sensibilities, you're actually left with something that's kind of weird.

I think part of it's the delivery. Because this song is so soft and gentle. Harry's voice is usually quite mellow, but he goes above and beyond here - fittingly, for a song about Jesus, he just sings with a sort of reverent wonder, never going all out or showboating. And the music itself fits with this, with its smooth strings and minimal guitar part that's honestly kind of reminiscent of Silent Night. The whole thing feels a bit Silent Night, actually, and I do wonder if it was a conscious decision.

Even if it wasn't, there's something decidedly carol-like about the song. If it hadn't come out in 1956 by a popular recording artist, I think we would call this a carol. But by dint of being modern, and by dint of there being a disco version, this gets counted in the category of "Christmas song" rather than "Christmas carol". Which is really odd, because at least in my mind, Christmas songs are secular things, all about the traditions and feelings around Christmas. But here comes one that turns up and proclaims that Long time ago in Bethlehem / So the Holy Bible say / Mary's boy child, Jesus Christ / Was born on Christmas day. You don't get much more Biblical than that!

Heck, in the chorus we even get into matters of salvation, and about how man will live forever more / because of Christmas day, which just feels wild to have in a popular Christmas song. Like, that's not even the comfortably familiar school-play territory of the nativity story, that's full-on gospel. Personally, I love that it's there, but it strikes me as decidedly odd that this has been embraced as a standard "Christmas playlist" addition. (Incidentally, the Boney M version, which is even more popular, adds a bridge that goes even further in this direction, so go figure...)

Anyway, all this is odd, and that's before we get to the calypso stylings. It's not odd that calypso carols exist - people are Christian in the Caribbean, it makes sense that they might right Caribbean-sounding carols - but it does feel wild to me that such a carol is making it to number one in the UK charts, particularly given the strong patois elements you get here. Because have maybe been little bits of Jamaican-inflected English in Harry's other hits this year, but this song really goes in on the patois. It's striking even today, so I can only imagine what people thought in 1957, upon hearing lines about how them find no place to borne she child. Clearly it didn't put anybody off buying the song, but I'll bet it turned heads.

I should be clear that I really do like the song. But yeah, the more I listen to this one, the weirder it feels, occupying a decidedly uneasy place in the Christmas playlist canon. Good, but odd.

I Love You Baby - Paul Anka (3)

And fresh off one oddity, time for another. This one, though, doesn't feel like it ought to be odd. The title, "I Love You Baby", is bland almost to the point of parody, and Paul Anka's one of those early pop artists who does standard-issue pop tracks. He generally does them quite competently - the other songs of his that I've heard, I have quite liked - but I wasn't expecting anything too crazy, here, going in.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I clicked play and got a straight-up traditional jazz track that I feel like could have been a hit back in 1927. I think a lot of this is in the instruments, honestly - from the get go, the track's heavy on the clarinet, alto sax and trombone, and you've got that thing going on periodically where the different instruments go off on little independent side-quests and tangents, completely divorced from whatever Paul's doing. It's a fun, carefree sort of sound, and I like it a lot.

The lyrics, when they come in, are equally carefree and cute, all about being in love. Some lines could easily feel bland - like the one about how I need you honey, I'll never ever let you go - or could just come off as too twee to take seriously - like the line about how I see little bluebirds making love while I pass - except Paul's careful to balance the sappier, lovey-dovey lines with more specific, concrete details that serve to ground the track a bit more. Mostly these are just different things he sees while walking around town, from the sea-shore grass he's walking through at the start of the track, to the tree that him and his love used to carve their names into, to the nostalgic music drifting from the candy store. Everything around Paul reminds him of his love, it's a cute concept.

I think it also helps that Paul sings with a confidence and a gloss that's tangible. He sings like a man in love, full convinced of his own invincibility, and it's really quite charming. He comes off as earnest, but never smarmy, lighthearted, but not silly, secure in his love, but not cocky about it. And then you get a few fun little moments towards the end where he just makes these noises, a little rrrrrrrrah at the start of a line, or a chuckle at the end of one, a little whoah! It's all very charming and cute, and really keeps the energy up. I'm a fan.

I'm also a fan of the bells that periodically turn up. They're not overused, and they're solidly unexpected when they do turn up. They almost but don't quite give the song a Christmassy feel, and at one point they introduce a key change, which, you know, awesome. All key changes should be heralded with bells.

Throughout my first listen-through, I was also struck by the feeling that this song felt familiar, and I've realised since that it's also giving me some major Randy Newman vibes. Like, this is giving Toy Story or Monsters Inc, for sure. I like both of those films, so this is absolutely not a problem for me. Just interesting.

Well, those songs were delightfully weird. Good job, 21st November. Both of them unexpected, both of them songs that I liked more and more, the more I listened to them. The Paul Anka song, in particular, feels worth a listen, just because it's a fun, happy tune with a lot going on, all of it very competently handled. Highly recommended.

Favourite song of the bunch: I Love You, Baby

[besooyoung]

are you ready for it--?

maybe it's a bit of a drunken revelation, or a bit of 'hey, you know what? fuck it.' that fueled sooyoung's initial filling out of the stupid interest form for the next iteration of next generation- nonetheless, she's done it now, and she's too proud to back out. bright and early, she finds herself shuffled and sorted among hundreds of other hopefuls, corralled into a gymnasium and watching a projected image of each company ceo themselves extol the requirements and qualities of their respective companies.

yawn.

while she accompanied jinyoung to every portion of the process that she could, it's a little different being the subject herself, and the method of application. (and honestly, as soon as she hears the requirements for 'phase two', she kind of kicks herself for not joining jinyoung on the show last year- as that at least sounded easier.)

sooyoung regrets the little sleep that she got as she toys with the stickered number that she stuck to a thigh of her pants as the details are shared and it's revealed that not only will there be an interview of sorts, but what sounds like a talent sharing- and she is woefully unprepared.

what kind of talent do i even have that doesn't require tools? she questions as she's ushered along with a group into one of the rooms she assumes is meant to present a company. and for once, sooyoung wonders if drunken ambition really did her in, and she's in over her head. sr media already declined to cast her, delta questioned whether her motives were her own or a mirror of her brother's and that she needed to work on self-expression and individuality, and now, it's like she was just waiting for lime to give her more lemons.

the only part sooyoung has hesitantly prepared for is something about a 60 second piece, which is apparently going to be for the only company she hasn't been handed a rejection from yet. steeling her nerves, sooyoung files into the herd that's organized by numbers now, and waits her turn, watching much younger, much more talented teens and others showcase their 60 seconds, and suddenly her perfect rendition of maniac's [viviz] chorus choreography seems all-too-bland. she blanches as soon as her back is turned away from the judge and cameras and immediately goes to the back of the group, dissatisfied.

fortunately, she at least has a little more time to think about some sort of additional special talent as her group is informed that they're heading to sr media's questions room next. at least talking is something she's good at- usually. she waits as they go down the metaphorical line, trying to guess at what questions she'll be asked, until it is her turn, and a question she hadn't heard yet is fired rapidly at her. 'What is the most interesting place that you have been to wearing the shoes that you’re wearing now?' sooyoung glances down at her shoes, her favorite pair of heels that now seem a horrible choice for today. "flea market," she responds quickly, before realizing only a half-second later that she needs to elaborate on that before she sounds completely boring. "i went to los angeles for a hairstylist's convention and my friend took me to an antique market there," she continues, slowly gaining her courage back. "these are actually almost ten years old," she laughs. sooyoung can't tell if anyone is amused or not, but the questions continue, 'What can you bring to the table that we won’t see in any other contestant?' "honesty," is the quickest knee jerk reply that she can give, and that one seems to land, with a few chuckles in her direction. 'what's your favorite useless fact?' which is one that she's actually ironically prepared for-- the silly anecdotes are often good icebreakers when she has a new client in her chair, and sooyoung knows quite a lot of useless fun facts. "an ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain." she nods with a cheeky smile. and sooner than she can blink, her group is finished and sent to delta's room.

this time, sooyoung thing's she has somewhat of a strategy, having sidled up to a somewhat friendly looking younger girl and asked if she could borrow her- more specifically, her hair, for her turn at a special talent, quickly wrapping the girl's hair in a spare pair of stockings that live in sooyoung's bag. her turn arrives, and she proudly declares that her special talent is style, and pulls her newfound assistant to the front of the room with her. after a quick introduction and polite smile, she confirms, "i work as a stylist and cosmetologist, and my talent i will show today is quick transformation." and with that, she gently unwraps the girl's hair, revealing barely there (though it's proof of concept, really) curls, and, as if she's mentoring someone at the shop, she stands to the side so the judges and camera can see. "if you want to see how bangs look or just wear the style for a special occasion, you can juuuust," she speaks while she works, fingers deftly sizing the lengths of hair to pin back and applying pins in just the right fashion. "aaaaaand, voila," she steps aside with a flourish and gestures presentationally to the girl that kindly volunteered to help her. "a completely different look, with no last implications." sooyoung grins, "great for those of us with commitment issues," she jokes.

[waffluous]

i listened to match up and um...

more: aggressive start. i can't say i'm against rapping now with momentum rather than after the chorus without.... the transition could be better but i like the pre chorus and the instrumental is ramping up but i don't particularly like the yeyeyeyeyeah lead in but whatever. the melody for the chorus isn't super strong and tbh it didn't need the other part "all day jwjskdhsjdjs monday tuesday wandjakjdd" after the whole chorus all the shouting gets old fast but it's ok.... ok it slowed down anyway whatever . whatever this rap is honestly bland but yknow...... pre chorus chorus rinse and repeat. the dance break/bridge (?) is fun - i really like the occasional knock out boxing esque high pitched accent chord that's fun!!!! i like the ending with that crunchy guitar

t-shirt: the first bits are ok . generic but "oh man i really like that tshirt" lmfao what is that.... i don't think i heard it right but it still sucks as a line :rofl: the chorus is reheated waste product and did it just segue into a key change second verse that is (devastatingly) slowed down. whatever .... whatever ........

dirty shoes swag: i like the brass in that background...! it's fun .......! and the pre chorus works well too. but the chorus is strange english.... "i can do this errday [errdaaaaaay]"........ it's better than the other choruses but it still kinda sucks lol ....... the second verse curse is back and now the pre chorus doesn't make sense....... either way it's ok . generic

television: i did NOT expect the chorus what it was this slow swaying song and then it key changes and turns into this upbeat fun chorus????? anyways stuff happens and then some weird rap bit happens which turns out to be some weird bridge. it's whatever

ferris wheel: this song makes the most sense out of the new songs on match up. it's cute and i like the bendy chords that sometimes show up!

[you-turn-it-into-light]

H-el-ical// - Kaihouku (解放区) (2022) Album Review

Sorry I’m a bit late to the party, I was busy and waiting for the physical album to arrive. I’ve given it one listen so my thoughts might not be super coherent but I’ll also give some updated thoughts on the songs that reappear in the track list.

Overall Thoughts:

The promo image made me think that we’d see a larger picture of Hikaru, there’d be more of that paint and we’d see the full outfit, so I’m a little disappointed with the cover art especially the regular edition.

No extra booklet coming with the limited edition is disappointing as well

While I enjoy that Hikaru branched out with composers more, I wish she kept writing more of the lyrics. I like it when artists write their own lyrics because it feels more like their song and Hikaru’s lyrics added a lot of character and a feeling of connection with her through the songs. I hope she doesn’t go down the route of continuing to only let people write lyrics for her songs.

I’m a bit let down by the new songs, I only love one of them lol.

I like the new route she’s taking, most of these songs sound different that stuff she’s done before and it’s a nice break from the samey stuff from her last few mini albums. Even though I’m sad there weren’t more dark or epic songs in this album, it’s really just my personal preference.

Altern-ate- (7/10)

This song is interesting in some ways, I really like the verses and the bridge especially. The arrangement is quite epic and I love the choir in the beginning and the strings section near the end. I like how the lyrics incorporate both lines from within the anime with 「二人で一つ」(the two of us become one) and 「この物語の集約じゃない」(I am not the protagonist of this story) as well as the actual Gleipnir norse mythology. Hikaru really did but a lot of effort into these lyrics and they’re so interesting. The main strings riff however is a little boring and the chorus is also quite bland. There are also a couple of moments in the studio recording that I go ‘okay Hikaru you didn’t want to do a second take?’ like the ‘nazo wa tokenai mama’ and parts where she was obviously straining her voice but at this point I expect this is every Hikaru song.

Rasen no Mayu (螺旋の繭) (6.5/10)

I don’t mind this song, it sends like a very generic pop-rock song. I like Hikaru’s low notes in the verses and the chorus is growing on me with each listen to be honest. The subtle additions of two harmonies is a nice touch but the chorus is honestly my favourite part. The instrumentation and arrangement is honestly kind of generic and forgettable, nothing much to say about it. I like the song fine but it’s probably the most forgettable out of all the new songs.

The Sacred Torch (4/10)

This song is just kind of... okay? I don’t mind the verses and I like the urgency of the the pre-choruses but the chorus is boring and bland. The flavour of this song isn’t really my thing and it’s definitely my least favourite A-Side in all of H-el-ical//’s single’s thus far. The final 「灯かかげ」 sounds cool but Hikaru sounds very strained in that part as well. Also why do the strings sound midi? Can they not afford actual strings?

Ambient Border (6/10)

Are those midi strings again? Ugh. I love dramatic songs in musicals and this definitely gives me that vibe. The verses are boring but I like the chorus and especially the bridge (mostly the line ノイズと���響酸性雨の中で錆び付いた) it’s very dramatic and feels like it could be in the climax of a story. Similar to Rasen no Mayu, the instrumentation and arrangement is nothing to write home about and neither is the song really. I feel like I’ll enjoy it more if I hear it in the context of the musical.

YES NO (イエスノウ) (8/10)

This song is so 80′s it’s so great. The combination of electronic sounds and the guitar phrases are very funky and I love the sound. The chorus is great but the bridge is so sexy, definitely my favourite part. Hikaru’s low notes in time with the bass and cowbell in the background and then the guitar comes back in? Sounds great. The piano solo was also great. This is a great song to dance to and it’s one of the sexiest things Hikaru’s ever sung. I have this song’s rating as an 8 because while there are lots of things I like about this song, I don’t think there’s there’s anything I LOVE about it.

Kanashii Kedamono (カナシイケダモノ) (9/10)

My favourite song in the album. The guitar riff and chill vibe caught me immediately then Hikaru’s singing in the pre-chorus successfully got me in. It sounds similar to YES NO but I feel like it’s more dramatic. The bridge though??? The melody is so good, and the arrangement and instrumentation of the lines 「震えるまま　ありのままの」 is so dramatic I love it. The arrangement isn’t anything super interesting, but I like the guitar in the verses and the horns in the chorus, none of it sounds midi so I love it. The last chorus is especially great. Definitely my favourite.

Kawaisou da yo (かわいそうだよ) (7/10)

Hikaru’s singing in this song is mostly great, she conveys a lot of emotion in the lyrics, especially the line 「I hate youでも逢いたくて」sounds very raw. The breathy way she sings in most of the song makes the final chorus with its key change more impactful in my opinion. The arrangement is nothing to write home but I like the sound of the shirt it was very nice. The lyrics are nice as well, they’re more raw than anything else Hikaru’s sung and it’s a nice change. I really wanted to love this song but it just reminds me of too many other generic J-Pop ballads (in my opinion) that I can’t fall in love with it. It’s one of those songs that I only like because Hikaru’s singing it I guess.

disclose (8/10)

I remember I fell in love with this song the first time I heard this song, it was what I always wanted in a Hikaru solo song and it’s still really great. The arrangement is interesting and dramatic, I love how Gushimiyagi contrasts the arrangements between the verses. The instrumentation in this song is heavy and impactful and the addition of sound effects and occasional midi choir in the background really adds to the effect. Hikaru’s singing is very strained in the chorus but I think it adds to the desperate feeling the song is going for. Similar to other songs Gushimiyagi has composed, the chorus is my least favourite part. Repeating the same two notes over and over again isn’t really interesting to me. But overall, love this song.

clea-rly- (7.5/10)

I still love the heavy rock feeling of this song, it suits Hikaru very well. I love the arrangement of this song it’s so cool and the added electronic elements add rather than detract from the arrangement. Again though, the verses and pre-chorus are the best parts (except for the bridge cause the way Hikaru sings 「感覚を味わいたくない？」is soooo sexy) and the chorus is just boring because it’s just the same phrase over and over again like STOP. I like the idea of Altern-ate-’s single songs being from the perspectives of the main protagonist even though I hated the show. Anyway, This song is a lot of fun and I really like it, even if it can sound a bit basic.

JUST DO IT (4/10)

I actually like the chorus the best in this song, it sounds more dramatic and less cheesy than the rest of the song (even if it’s a bit repetitive). I guess I’m against the very premise of this song because I’ve heard what the anime’s about and it’s so stupid lmao. The rest of the song isn’t really my cup of tea, the technological electronic sounds fit the tone of the show but I don’t really like them. The english parts of the intro and outro are so cheesy I can’t handle them. Overall, IMPOSSIBLE LOVE is better go listen to that.

landscape (5.5/10)

I like the verses of the song, the guitar phrases are really calming and give a very atmosphere to the song, the strings in the second verse are also lovely. I don’t mind the electronic elements of the song but the chorus isn’t really my thing. I like how experimental and layered this song is, but it’s interesting but also boring at the same time. If they entire song was like the verses I would probably like the song them a lot more.

pulsation (English ver.) (5/10)

The only real thing to talk about with this version is the lyrics and some of the new arrangement choices I guess. I don’t mind the English lyrics, but the way Hikaru chose to space the syllables in the line of ‘The sky is so blue’ always bothers me, like why did you decide to speed ‘the sky’ together then extend ‘sky’ when you could just sing ‘the sky is’ evenly, like it fits... Also the way ‘anymore now’ is extended is so strange and kind of interrupts the flow of the song in my opinion. The arrangement changes are interesting if a little overwhelming and obnoxious (in the case of the bridge). This version is a nice alternative, but I prefer the original.

Favourite Songs: Kanashii Kedamono, YES NO, disclose

Least Favourite Songs: JUST DO IT, The Sacred Torch, landscape (not including pulsation (English ver.))

[cxptain-carol]

𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 | 𝐡𝐣𝐩

⇰ summary: on the night of the yule ball, y/n finds that the best place to let confusing romantic feelings for your friend culminate is during a slow dance.

⇰ pairing: harry james potter x reader

⇰ word count: 1.3k

⇰ warnings: none

⇰ genre: fluff, romance

⇰ no pronouns used (but reader wears a dress) and no race specified; reader is gryffindor but it doesn’t matter that much

⇰ a/n: i found myself totally obsessed with christmas canon by t.s.o. so feel free to play it while you read - it’s the inspiration for the slow dance :))) i am in such a hp mood these days so send in some ideas, i’d love to write since i’ve got the time

Was there a better place to let loose than the Yule Ball?

You had long since forgotten about the strict instructions to ‘behave yourself’ in the company of the visiting schools and were dancing freely with any fourth-year who looked even half as cheerful as yourself. It felt unbelievable recalling that just days prior, you were swept up in the drama of picking dates.

You knew that Hermione was going with Krum, Neville was taking Ginny, and Lavender ended up with Seamus. Ron, Harry, and you hadn’t found dates by then. You considered asking Harry as a friend but the thought of it made your stomach turn, so you pushed that to the back of your mind. Still confused, you turned down two Ravenclaw boys on Christmas Eve, just as Harry and Ron found Parvati and Padma. Despite it leaving you a little disheartened, you chose to attend the ball on your own.

But what a brilliant choice that was.

Decked out in a shimmering dress of Gryffindor scarlet flecked with gold, you danced to your heart’s content, laughing each time your partner managed to trip over your swishing skirt which dragged along the ground.

You rushed around the crystal floor, making sure to dance with each of your friends before the music slowed and you’d be left dateless. Hoping to find one last partner before the slow dance, your eyes landed on an unsuspecting figure in bottle green dress robes.

Harry was seated at a table with Ron and Hermoine, who were talking angrily in hushed tones. Sensing that he needed to be saved from the rather unpleasant situation, you hurried over.

You stopped abruptly at the table, looking down at Harry and extending your hand to him before even saying a word.

“Wanna do something fun?”

“Like what?” He sat up straighter, eyeing your expression curiously.

“Like this.”

You tugged him from the seat by his arm, dragging him to the dancefloor as he hurriedly tried to keep up. But the moment you found a spot, the lively music died down and was replaced with gentle piano notes and the soft voices of the Hogwarts Frog Choir.

“Oh,” you mumbled, cheeks heating briefly from embarrassment before you grinned, looking up at Harry.

You felt your stomach turn again as your eyes met and the words you meant to say were lost somewhere in your throat. Piercing green stared through your soul and your mind froze in its tracks. You had never seen Harry this up-close before — it was… different.

Remembering what you had dragged him out for, you hastily placed one of his hands in yours and the other on your waist. You began to move with him, step by step along the floor, stifling giggles.

You leaned in towards his ear, whispering through a laugh, “I actually don’t know how to dance.”

He laughed along with you, leaning in to reply “Neither do I.”

Before he could say no, you spun him around and started to dance at a pace far too fast for the song. You grinned as you watched his face change from panicked to joyful and shyly looked away when you met his eyes.

A few couples made noises of disapproval as you two spun by, but you didn’t care — you whispered plenty of stupid jokes and Harry tripped over your dress a few more times before the song ended. You barely noticed until you saw a few pairs halt their movements and wander off the dancefloor. But before you could step back from Harry, the piano started again, this time playing a wonderfully familiar tune.

“Care for another dance, champion?”

“Will it be slower this time?”

You only grinned as the Frog Choir joined the music, filling the Great Hall with the most beautiful sound you had ever heard.

Your hands found their places and eyes locked on the other’s (this time with more confidence) as you two glided along the crystal floor. The soft silver light washed over Harry and his green eyes sparkled as you stared into them, involuntarily breaking out into a smile.

“I love this song.”

“Yeah, me too.”

You didn’t even think it was possible that his adorable awkwardness would make your cheeks heat up.

Your consciousness shifted to his hand at your waist, gently holding him close to you. As the music grew even louder, a chorus of string instruments reverberating in the air, you found yourself drawn to his eyes. He watched you carefully under his boyish smile and you beamed, drowning in the moment as something stirred within you. His hand brought you even closer and your cheeks grew hot. It was so strange to think of Harry Potter like this: he was just a friend.

You refrained from staring to the point of freaking him out, but it was hard; you were seeing him in a whole new light. He had clearly tried to tame his hair for the night, but a few parts still stuck out in odd places. You admired the few freckles that dotted his face and the gentle creases of his smile lines. The scar you took note of on his left cheek (from after his battle with the Horntail) was slowly fading. You took in the way he looked, covered with a light sheen of sweat with his bangs sticking to his forehead and tugging a bit of his bottom lip between his teeth as he looked down at you.

To him, you had never looked more beautiful. His night had been so bland before you arrived, like a shining beacon of light, dragging him out to dance. His stomach gave a weird lurch each time your eyes met and his heart beat faster as he held you so close to him. The past few weeks had been so lonely, with the Triwizard Tournament and all the students’ tormenting, but he grew even closer to you. You were always there; offering a dumb joke or a helping hand. The way you looked at him  — with nothing but warmth in your eyes — was overwhelming. Every late night you spent with him and his friends in the common room, laughing until your faces hurt, every time you ambushed him in the corridors because “you missed him,” every lingering hug that made both of your stomachs turn, and every word you spoke to him alone, soft and gentle as though you only wanted to care for him — they were stars in your beautiful eyes that crinkled by the sides as you smiled.

You felt the air between you two change. It was no longer lighthearted: you two had both clearly discovered something you had hidden in the back of your hearts for months. It made you nervous, but the last thing you wanted to do was let go of him. You tore your gaze from his eyes and looked down, watching your dress shimmer gold as you danced.

But as the song approached its end, fingertips gently guided your face back up and soft lips met yours in a kiss.

Your heart melted contentedly and you threw your arms around Harry’s neck, breaking the kiss to give him the brightest smile of the whole night and watch his pretty green eyes crinkle at the sides. You leaned in and kissed him as sweetly as you possibly could, pouring out every wonderfully heart-fluttering emotion of the past few months.

You barely broke apart as you whispered “Meet me in the common room at four” against his lips.

They ghosted over yours as he replied “Definitely.”

Remembering the probably numerous eyes on you, you two tentatively looked around. Stares from every part of the room were on you and you looked back to Harry, who had turned completely pink. Giggling as you took his hands in yours and stepped off the dancefloor, the song ended in a resounding note. 

And just as you had done minutes prior, you broke out into a run, tugging a clumsy Harry by your intertwined fingers, through the crowd and out of the Great Hall.

[equestrianwritingsstuff]

OH MY GOD YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE THE DROWNED SERIES, IT'S SO DAMN GOOD

Thank you for the ask, it makes me excited to see that people are still interested.

Drowning Part 10

@shydragonrider @asrasmysoulmate @sunflower1000

This one is kind of short, and probably makes no sense, but it starts to explain the story line a bit more and what my goal is with Supervillain (and perhaps the reason I am not having him rescued... yet 👀). Anyway, not edited.

Ask games for this series are here and here.

Masterlist

Warnings: referring to person as "it", altered state of reality, dehumanization, muzzled, talk of surgery, weaponizing a human, fear

~

"Okay thank you for your cooperation," the director said as he stopped the recording. He looked up, smiled, and began to pack away his things- an array of various instruments to enable both Villain and Hero's voices to be clearly heard all the way at the Hero Facility.

"Yeah well, I expect my pay within the next two days," Villain crossed his arms and swung his leg over top of the other one.

"That may not be-"

"Director. I am doing this for you guys. I have my record cleared, Hero in my custody, and a billionaire. I don't need to this for you guys."

"But you are in love with the cash," Hero chimed in, rolling her forestry green eyes. Not with attitude or snarky annoyance, but out of pure loathing.

Villain shot her a glare the second she closed her mouth and stood up, pacing. "I want my pay, fifty-thousand for a mere conversation isn't something you come by everyday," he said, rubbing his hands through his blonde mane.

"Yes but-"

"The only reason it was fifty-thousand," Hero interrupted the director. "Is because you pushed it that far." She didn't exactly understand her exasperation. After all, she agreed to do this with him- not that she had a choice. She was, in fact, thankful for him for breaking her out of the facility, even to the point of restoring friendship.

"Well they consented..." Villain's voice trailed off as he stopped his aimless walking. He sneered, a mischievous look dawning on his face. "I could, just for the record, break Supervillain out of his cell easily. Actually, I bet a novice could."

The director stiffened, fingers tapping the screen on his phone, prepare to call the authorities. Hero smiled slightly. After her aided escape, the heroes didn't bother to recapture her or Villain. And it was all because her rescuer threatened the Hero Facility if they tried to reclaim her. It was like he controlled the heroes- and maybe in a way, he did.

"Okay you will get the money! Write him a check or cash him over some. I don't care, just give it to him."

Villain snickered at the director's desperation and fear.

Hero watched as a young girl scribbled a check and handed it to Villain. Then, after than transaction, the whole team wrapped up and left without another word.

"Hmm," Villain said, eyeing the check he possessed.

"What do you want for dinner?" Hero asked, repeating the lines her current maid position required of her- not that she had to, Villain was not strict enough to enforce rules, but cleaning and cooking seemed to put his explosiveness at ease.

"Nothing. I have a date."

A date?!

"You have a girlfriend?" Hero chuckled. "Who is the unlucky damsel?"

"That's besides the point, but she is quite pretty."

"How long have you been dating?"

"This is our third date within the course of two months."

Two months... that was duration of time since she and Supervillain were kidnapped.

"Not that consistent then," Hero commented instead of voicing her curiosity.

"She works as a nurse, so she is quite busy," Villain replied, folding the check and placing it in his jean's pockets.

"I see," Hero replied. "Where is your date? Please tell me you are not taking her to McDonald's."

"That coffee date in the park sounded great," Villain replied. "Then I was thinking Taco Bell."

"No, no, no!" Hero scolded, pushing herself to her feet. "You are not taking this poor girl on a date to a fast food restaurant. You are a billionaire, Villain. Take her to one of those places where they serve an ounce of food for thirty dollars and spoil her."

Villain blushed, pulling at his fingers nervously. "You know a couple months ago I thought I would be taking you on a date."

"Me too," Hero sighed, placing her hands on her hips.

"I guess life took a turn, didn't it?"

"Yes," Hero replied, extending her arms and wrapping Villain in an embrace. Before she let go, she whispered:

"Torture was in that turn to, wasn't it?"

Villain's muscles tensed, he coughed and pulled away. "See you tonight," he said and ran up the stairs to go get changed.

《~~》

All at once, a piece of light, a string of consciousness sprouted through the dark unconsciousness of the patient's mind. It swirled, bombarding lidded eyes with intolerable brightness. They strained, trying to shut, but it was as if the motor lost control- or gained control, depending on which side of the metaphor you are one.

Then the light formed into various shapes, some holding objects of humanoid form whereas others were cubical, rectangular and circular- making the world around the patient pixelated and blurry. Colors rounded to the basis of their hue- cyan swirling into blue, pale yellow whisking itself into an off-white- until the world was a pallette of bland coloring.

The noise, lolling in a sense, but also increasingly obnoxious. Beeps and rings, rumbles and grumbles, but all the vowels and consonants equaled a series of off-tune words, some faded, others marked with clarity.

Not safe, were the only cognitive thoughts. Not safe not safe not safe. He tried to thrash, anything to get away from the looming danger, though his protruding limbs were too weak, will devoid of any resolve.

More sounds rumbled and purred around him as equally slow restraints grappled at his arms and legs- or were they fast paced? The man didn't know. The perception between reality and unreality was dim, as was his ability to process sleed and direction. Heck, he didn't even know his own name, just the anticipated danger.

He coughed, or tried to, some form of blockade in his mouth inhibited any sound, cough or otherwise, to escape. Tears pricked at his eyes, later streaming down his cheeks- he wanted to go home. Home to that dank apartment that couldn't seem to leave his very intellect. He wanted home, needed home...

The shapes around him once again began to evaporate, but this time instead of mixing into like shades and tones of color, they all shifted to one mass of brown-colored mud before it all vanished into blackness again.

《~~》

"Vitals?"

The doctor's voice ran throughout the room as nurses scrambled to check Supervillain over. The room soon sung with a chorus of "Good".

"Then everyone is dismissed other than Doctor and Medic," a new voice, equally as authoritive yet significantly much more of a feminine type.

All the nurses practically galloped out of the room as a hoard, not daring to look at the woman who just stepped in.

"Leader," the doctor greeted the woman. "What brings you here?"

"I've come to look at the project. I heard it just underwent surgery?" The lady spoke, walking up to the bed where the unconscious patient rested.

"Yes, knee replacement surgery," the doctor replied, joining Leader by the bed. Medic appeared across from them, tenderly rubbing her fingers over the supervillain's hand.

"Fifteen hours on the table," Leader continued to speak, observing Supervillain with contempt in her gaze. "Why?"

"We had to replace the entire knee cap with a newly engineered material made from cells of donors and a type of substance formed from titanium to enhance strength and durability. Then we had to connect the nerves and ligaments to the knee so he can control it like normal."

"Also known as a high-tech prosthetic? Why, may I ask, did my project have to get one?"

"Broken knee..."

"Shattered, Doctor," gray eyes darted around to meet the doctor's humble brown ones. "Not broken, but completely shattered. It needs to be fully operational by the end of the month."

"Ma'am, the recovery is going to be rough-" the doctor tried to protest.

"We have serums for that," Leader groaned, throwing her head into the air.

"It is not safe to drug him with much. His cells and blood need to adapt."

"I don't care. I put a lot of time and effort and money into this project. The enemy is going to launch an attack soon, our spies have gathered enough data to anticipate it by the end of the month. You have been soft Doctor, in his training."

"It's been working," the doctor reasoned.

"It's submission, not training. Ever hear of conditioning?"

"I have done some research into it and I believe that we need to take a more-"

"Yes you are right," Leader smiled. "I don't want a bodyguard. I want a weapon with one, single purpose. Eliminate Hero."

"I don't get that," Medic spoke up, her voice soft, yet filled with courage. "Why get rid of Hero when she is not the enemy?"

Leader chuckled, eyes thinkling. "What an ignorant little girl, so cute though. Did you do your make-up today? Hmm." The baby talk rapidly switched to a more serious tone, "She is a threat, even bigger than this newfound enemy. The moment she joins sides, which we know she will, the odds will be... let's say any attempt to stop them will be suicide."

"We contained her once before..."

"She will be mad, you'll see," Leader acquired a distant look in her dreary gray eyes. "Start weaponizing it. Immediately."

《~~》

Run.

Duck.

Jump.

"I love you."

"Love you more."

Punch.

Supervillain was panting for breath by the time he collapsed on the ground, exhausted to the highest extent. Sweat beaded around his hairline- recently trimmed in a convenient, yet flashy style, with a lightning bolt shaved into the side.

"I love you."

"Love you more."

Supervillain groaned, rubbing shaking hands over his face. Turn it off turn it off turn if off...

Everyday started with a morning workout in the gym. The gym had a track running around the whole thing with obstacles for him to duck under and jump over. The center only had a punching bag and a benchpress, but equally sweaty and daunting.

Suddenly, the loudspeaker rang, signaling that Supervillain could leave.

Once, of course, training was done.

Workouts weren't training, they were extra credit designed to get him further, to get him a higher GPA.

The doctor entered the room, so Supervillain stood up- respect, expected and therefore delivered.

"How many laps?"

"Twenty-five, sir."

The doctor took note of that on his clipboard, frowning before asking his speed.

"5 miles per hour, sir."

This time, the doctor smiled. "Good," he praised, then looked at the benchpress.

"Three hundred pounds," the doctor tapped the dumbbell with his pen, still grinning widely. "Nice work, but yesterday you did three-fiftey."

Supervillain whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut. He failed he failed he failed he failed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, proceeding to walk towards the nearby intern to receive the needed correction.

The intern raised her hands, holding a contraption of metal and leather, and slipped it into Supervillain's mouth. He whimpered upon feeling the cold metal slid onto his tongue. A leather strap held it in place, tightly buckled in the back of his head. From that extended more leather that went over his nose. A chain was linked through the nasal strap, more cold metal on warm skin.

Abruptly, he was pulled forward. The metal pinched that nerve- the one that always ached from the commonly given treatment.

The intern pulled him into yet another white room.

Yet this one contained the most dreaded torture implement.

[appledotcodotuk]

why the hive fckin suck at its job: a rant

spoilers for tgwdlm ahead!

first of all, it's important to consider what exactly the hive's job is. my answer is... who the fuck knows. literally. what is the hive's aim. what do you want Paul? more like, what do you want hive? let's find out!

it kinda evolves, as the play progresses. the intial aim of the hive, and one that does actually remain consistent is the constant burning need to grow and devour and gain more and more (insert capitalism metaphor here).

however, this is distorted by the people it possess who influence that aim, as we'll see later.

also the fact it crashes into a theatre displaying Mamma Mia gives the hive the motive it need to fit the world around it to the structure of the musical. having no originality of its own, the hive instead just picks up what is given to it. kinda like an evil baby.

it wants uniformity, that is indeed its ultimate goal and desire, no duh. it thinks it can achieve that through musical theatre, shame that the hive is dead wrong. cause the hive fucking sucks at its own job / aim / ultimate purpose / one concrete goal that motivates all its actions.

can't maintain control over its subjects

okay, so, the hive wants uniformity. it wants everyone to be dancing to the beat of its own tune. right? yeah. shame it literally can't keep its own possessed subjects in line at all. at the risk of sounding like the 10th doctor waxing lyrical abt humanity for the 50th time, humans are really difficult to control cause we're not really motivated by an altruistic allegiance to one primary good. we've got icky emotions that often move us to do stupid unpredictable stuff way more. it makes me wonder if the reason the hive wanted to use musical theatre to try and persuade ppl was cause it seems to think that is how theyll get emotive humans; through emotive songs. anyways. let's look at some examples shall weeeee?

Mr Davidson:

so, Mr Davidson. funnily enough, he's the guy whose in part acting as the hive trying to figure out what it wants through his interactions w/ Paul. every person it possess gives it just a bit more humanity and curiosity abt the world it is currently taking over. at least I think so. hence why as the musical develops u get character's like possessed!Alice wondering 'why does it hurt to love?' - the change in music and mood to something much more introspective really suggests to me that the hive is beginning to question the thoughts and emotions of its human hosts.

Mr Davidson is a family man through and through, he loves his wife Carol. she's his muse, his source of light. his feelings for her are not concrete or easy to explain and solve - hence why his sudden ahem demand of her is so hilarious and also jarring. it completely clashes with the 'I want song' which is simple, and often pushes forward a wider cause. not so with Mr Davidson, he just really loves his wife man. enough to break a frickin alien possession.

tbh I think its hilarious that (at least to me) the hive has to force him to forget and continue with the song, like, he straight up is just talking to his wife in that phone call, talking, not singing. so, no possession until he reverts back into song. ergo, the hive cannot maintain the uniformity it wants. even from the get go when theoretically its control should be stronger cause it has less ppl to co-ordinate. bad. at. its. job.

Paul:

this one hurts folks. yes, I know it's generally agreed, though somewhat debated that the state of Paul by the end of the tgwdlm is not purely possessed. I agree. once again, the hive is unable to truly enforce uniformity.

at this point, the motives of Paul and the hive are kinda just mixed, neither fully human nor fully alien. hence the constant shifts between pleeing for her to get away, to hide, to stay safe: 'what if the only choice is you have to sing to survive' and just full on old style hive nastiness 'let me puke in your mouth and just open your food bin girl' (so romantic 🥰 /j).

the hive has gone away from its original aim, and become something... different. no longer stuck to just one type of genre or style of song, it's really clever to show the developing complexity of the hive by showing how it is now juggling lots of different motifs with references to all the old songs from before recontextualised in a new way - its learning. evil baby... no longer uniform.

general miscommunication:

there are several instances of the hive not fully having uniform control over its subjects. for instance, right after not your seed with the three teens having to like... calibrate. they aren't just completely connected then?? also, this is a very small thing, but uhhhh at the end of inevitable when Paul is about to say the apotheosis is upon... the chorus interrupts him with USSSSSSS. interruptions??? not very in sync of u hive.

I think this inability to exert uniformity is also shown in the contrast between genre of musical theatre. my alien abomination cannot decide whether it wants to be the more modern edgy rock musical (join us (and die), not your seed ) or super happy go lucky old style musical theatre (lah dee dah dah day, and inevitable). it tries to do both, even while trying to encourage union, and sticking to one thing. hypocrite!!!!!

2. aims are guided by the people it possess

so, I mentioned this a bit already, but the hive isn't only mutating the humans, the humans are mutating the hive right back. this is more an interesting observation than any actual analysis but let's goooo.

greenpeace girl:

I think it's very likely that greenpeace girl is one of the first to be possessed. This is probably easily debunkable but whatever this analysis is flying by the seat or its pants anywayyyyy. why? cause where else would it pick up that whole 'this planet needs fixing' thing? it's interesting too, cause it morphs from expressing the desire to join hands and sing together, unity and peace with no actual action behind it. this then goes right to the other end, with the hive going 'fine I'll do it myself' and trying to save things by enforcing a dictatorship on the world. it develops and changes, and strays from its original means of accomplishing its aims! speaking oooooof...

3. inconsistent in means of accomplishing aims

okay, ur an evil hive mind. u think musicals are the way to win over these silly humans cause they're all weak and emotive and seem to respond to them. but, wait! schwoopsie! you haven't realised that for emotional depth and growth to mean anything, you need there to be established development and well... growth. otherwise the sentiments are as vague as the ones expressed in What Do You Want, Paul?

this show has genuine emotional moments, just not really during the musical numbers WITH EXCEPTIONS. any strife is smoothed over quickly, and so the development and change that would have to go into such growth is just gone. (see, You Tied Up My Heart) all so it can achieve its own desire to grow and grow and grow, maybe a metaphor for art being killed under late stage capitalism??

what actually matters is the impact the songs have afterwards, in causing a death - because we have a bond and care abt these characters. those short scenes between Paul and Emma are actually way more resonant than any song. except... inevitable, and also not your seed a bit. at this point the hive has learnt a thing or two, and can actually twist human emotion a little. but for it to do that, it has to reject the uniformity it prizes, and be adaptable. point towards being more human than it first thought? methinks so. and yet it's just not enough...

it's also why let it out, to me, feels really ingenuine. Paul has expressed himself in much better ways already. what they're doing is clearly paining him, and hurting the guy. he's terrified bless.

you can't force someone into being emotional vulnerable, man.

it's why all the deaths for the characters who are forced to express themselves are really violent, involving them being ripped open - literally forcing them to expose themselves from the 'inside out' as Alice reflects in Not Your Seed. you can't force genuine emotional connection, it has to be fostered, shown in the much more affecting relationship of Paul and Emma. the only reason the hive actually has power over our characters is because of these genuine emotional connections, which it tries and often fails to take advantage of, resulting in just resorting to brute violence. messy hive, very messy.

at the core, the musical's a kinda attack on that toxic positivity mindst: trying to force people to reach the sort of easy solutions by sharing feelings in a way that feels pretty invasive and deciding you are instantly fixed. the problems these characters face are jarringly not really what you'd expect a character in a musical to face, cheating, a lot of it, mid-life crisis. problems that are bland, or wayyyy too real. this is purposefully done, to reveal just how silly the hive's aim to use musical theatre to solve everyone's problem is. life is more complex than that smh.

4. a human can write a much more expressive, and genuine song than they ever could lol

u know which song I'm talking abt. what more is there to say. so much for making persuasive songs to tempt people over.

5. make me sad cause they took some perfectly nice ppl and funked them up 😭

this was a stupid point lol. basically I'm just bitter that this hive took a bunch of perfectly okay ppl and gave them hive brain. screw u hive. I swear I'm gonna watch Black Friday soon, cause I'm sure it's gonna completely destroy every thought I've had so far, but whateve,,, just take this as a look at tgwdlm like it's a stand-alone piece.

these guys are supposed to all be 'individuals' on one level, but also 'appendages of a much larger organism'. there's a little too much individualism and fracturing to be cohesive enough to do that I feel. the hive to me is not an infallible, unstoppable force, in fact, every human it takes over only brings it closer to understanding us. so that's maybe a slight positive note??? idk ?! I just have lots of thoughts and feelings abt this musical even if this doesn't make sense I'm proud i wrote it down hehe.

[dandaelions]

"bad love" album thoughts! 👾👽💫

I'm sitting in my purple hovercar, not paying attention to eclectic crowd rushing around me. flashing lights from the billboards above cast odd swirling patterns onto my neon-rimmed eyes and I pull my patent leather jacket closer around me, shivering slightly as the cold started to seep into the idling vehicle. they hadn't found me yet, but that didn't mean they weren't looking...no - I couldn't think about that. focus. I took in a deep breath. I needed to keep the intrusive thoughts at bay. "hey, can you play some music?" awakening at the sound of my voice, the console thought for a minute. "no problem. now playing - bad love"

bad love: bwbbwzzzzwbwwzzzbbwwwzz DADADA DADADA DUDUDU DUHDUHDUH!! *INTENSE SYNTH HEADBANGING* oh man that’s an intro! yesss love the driving journey-esque beat! For the first twenty seconds I was super into this song but then the pre-chorus hits :( that beat comes to a screeching halt and it’s such an empty space after those awesome synths. The chorus is also something I’m trying to like…it’s just too much going on bro, there’s one vocal line too many for my taste :( the bridge is ok though. I reeeeally wanted to like this, but unfortunately it’s just middling to me. mv is AMAZING though!!

yellow tape: super intense right from the start, heavy-hitting beats and reverbing synths add a darker tone to this. I like the “breath in, breath out”, it adds a really nice texture! overall, I do like the vibe, it’s just a little…loud? piercing? for my taste…wanna race a car to this song though

hate that – really enjoyed this song when it came out a few weeks ago and here it’s a welcome reprieve from the intensity of the previous songs. taeyeon adds a wonderful flavor this song, which could’ve easily turned bland with less emotive singers. she blends in wonderfully with key, who also brings some nice vocal variety here!

Helium – did I suddenly start playing a tame impala song lol? oh sheet that bass is rather slinky isn’t it…😏 having lyrics I can fully understand is turning this into a new experience. oh hold on…that part that starts at 0:45…uhm…ok sir…also that part after the first chorus…yeahhhhh that’s secsii lol. oh wow I like that harmonizing part in the bridge! ok yeah this is a vibe! I’m feeling it!

saturday night – a little bit more of a modern vibe here…snappy chorus! hmmm something about this sounds very familiar to dua lipa’s “break my heart”…same chord motifs it sounds like? it definitely brings in the disco vibes!

eighteen (end of my world) – mmmm yes like the movement in that intro there…the soft snaps and the deep thrumming bass in the intro add some very nice texture to key’s vocals here, which are very interesting! I like how soaring and huge the chorus sounds…also really love the electronic synth that’s carried through the entire song. this sounds so…wistful? I need to look up some translations! ooh that’s such a pretty ending :’)

overall: I did like most of the songs here, though…there was nothing that “wowed” me, which tbh I’m a teeny bit disappointed about. but it sounds very clean and polished, also very cohesive as a concept (which I am LIVING FOR), and I’m also so happy key was able to put out the product that he wanted! I’ll mull this over a bit as I suspect it will grow on me a lot more :)

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

I’ll preface this by saying I love TXT, but their Dynamite cover(s) was bad. In fact, most kpop covers are bad. I get the point of covering popular artists, but rookies often cover songs which don’t fit them at all and only serve to highlight their shortcomings - ie. lack of stage presence, weak dancing, and weak vocals when compared to experienced, popular groups like BTS, Blackpink, Twice, etc. (who, for example, are usually criticized for being vocally weak, but having distinct, charismatic voices is more important than kpop fans seem to realize). 

Back to TXT, their vocal colors don’t fit Dynamite, and the line distribution was woefully inadequate. Soobin covered both RM and Suga’s parts; the member with the gentlest voice and demeanor, and the least rap-oriented member, covered the most aggressive sounding bits of the song. Whoever thought that was a good idea? Yeonjun should’ve gotten those parts. And Taehyun should’ve covered all of Jungkook’s parts, although it was a good idea to have him always covering the chorus. I mean, I don’t want to pick apart the entire performance, but TXT aren’t as smooth, charismatic or cool as BTS, which was very apparent in their performance. They’re not as powerful and sharp either, and their vocal tone is very bland compared to BTS’s. Anyone who knows the original song (every kpop fan, in short) will most likely find it miles better than this cover. It just makes TXT look bad. Jungkook, the ‘most average main vocalist in kpop’ as some say, has yet to be bested at his own game. I love Jungkook, so allow me to brag about him a bit, but Falling has been covered by dozens of artists and JK’s cover surpasses even the original imo (in my dad’s opinion too btw, and he doesn’t care much about Jungkook).

Anyway, I’ve seen many covers of BTS’s songs, and most groups have very, very weak, bland vocals, which fail to convey the emotion, passion, and unique charms present in BTS’s songs; they also don’t have the raw power and charisma BTS have and can’t fill the stage with their presence only. When it comes to dancing, the idols usually look awkward and throw their energy around without focusing it properly on the movements. Honestly, these covers only make BTS look good. Anyone who watches them understands why BTS are so popular and why their skills are not exaggerated in general. 

I really have been seeing a lot of rookie groups recently, and I know they are only rookies, but despite this generation of kpop being more dance focused, the idols are generally weak dancers. The more groups I look into, rookies or no, the more convinced I am that idols are generally weak dancers and vocalists and have underwhelming, if not bad, stage presence. Most idols are not, in fact, super talented. They’re hardworking, and I respect them as people, but the truth is that most of us aren’t outstanding at our jobs (just average or bellow average) and idols are the same way. 

I prefer to focus on music when it comes to kpop, because even with weak vocals you can do a lot in a studio. Music remains, to me, the best part about kpop. Some performances are great, but watching idols pretend to sing (essentially lying to my face) and execute unexciting choreos is not it. I prefer to only listen to the music if it’s from the West too - a lot of artists don’t sound the best when they sing live... 

To end this on a higher note, covers really show how important the work idols do is. They make a song as much as producers and songwriters do. TXT can’t cover Dynamite because it was made for and by BTS, but it’s okay because TXT have plenty of amazing songs which they brought to live in a way that can’t be replicated by another artist. 

[bobbymckenzie]

If you’re doing a slowburn Bobby route, do you think the speech he held for Mc on day 22 would’ve been different? By that I mean would he have mentioned them not getting together until now and him liking for so long, something like that?

oh yeah definitely!!! i think he’d spend more time talking about how lucky he was to catch her eye, and how long he’d been wanting to be with her. i actually got my friends to send me screenshots of the speech at the recoupling so i could try to rewrite it!

[disclaimer, im rewriting the whole thing bc it’s so bland if ur on a slowburn route. bobby should’ve given mc more than that !!! also thank you @nuggobby​ love u queen ur the absolute best!]

[as always, using my mc sabrina] [roughly 1k words]

----

His phone pinged, finally, but it wasn’t like he didn’t know he was up next. He was the last guy to recouple. And he was losing it.

“Looks like I’m going last, guys,” he chuckled nervously, garnering a few scattered laughs, but he could tell no one’s heart was in it.

Everyone, him included, were on the edge of their seats. He took a deep, but shaky breath to steady himself, eyes closed. He exhaled, opening his eyes, a resolve that surprised him burning in his chest, igniting as soon as he locked eyes with Sabrina. 

“This... is honestly one of the easiest decisions I’ve made since I’ve been in the Villa. I think any time I’m with her things get a lot easier for me,” he said, mirroring the soft smile that slowly lit up her face. “I can definitely laugh easier, since she can go toe to toe with my banter, which is hard to do.” A few people laughed, the atmosphere lightening, despite the heavy decision he had to make.

“I...” he trailed off, still staring at her –– only her. Everything he was saying was for her ears only and the rest of the islanders were just lucky spectators. “I’ve got to be honest, it’s hard for me to even tell you how I feel about her, because I’m losing my train of thought just looking at her. I mean, she’s beautiful!”

She pouted and mouthed “awe” at him, making a heart shape with her hands.

“I spent a lot of time wishing I was with her, and that we’d have a chance to try this thing out properly. And now that I’m here, right now, doing it... it doesn’t feel real?” He blew air out of his cheeks, running a hand over his locs.

“I’m kind of bricking it because it’s like my brain is convincing me this is just a dream, and that I’ll wake up any second now. Somebody wanna pinch me?” He joked, before making a spectacle of pinching himself on the ass and making a face.

Sabrina cackled from across the fire pit, clapping with glee at his stupid joke. It gave him the last push he needed to cross the finish line.

“Y’know, I love being her friend but... I think I’ll love being able to kiss her and hold her even more, if she’ll let me,” he watched her expression, searching her face for the consent he desperately wanted.

Despite his chat with her, and the rumors floating around the villa that got back to him about Sabrina wanting to couple up with him, he still couldn’t believe it – not that he didn’t want to, but he couldn’t believe his dream girl reciprocated his affections. He was used to pining and being let down easily, not actually getting the girl.

She rolled her lips, trying to hold back a smile. She gave a soft nod, a moment shared between them that belonged to no one else. Nothing stood in their way – except for Bobby’s ramblings.

Before he realized what he was doing, his legs were moving, and he was jogging across the fire pit to where she stood on the lawn. He held his hand out, a silent plead for her to go along with his bit (she grabbed it eagerly, hand fitting into his like a perfect match), before dropping down to one knee.

The girls gasped, and he could hear Gary teasing him from afar, but he couldn’t focus on anything but the goofy grin on her face.

He knew the camera crew was eating it up, but he didn’t do it for publicity. He wanted to remember that moment forever, and he couldn’t do it from standing across the fire pit. He cursed himself internally for already being clingy, but he couldn’t help it. He was enamored with everything about her. And he’d waited long enough to be hers.

“I heard a guy in Casa Amor did this and it didn’t work, so I’m holding out hope that you’ll let me down easy if it’s too cheesy – ha! that rhymed,” he laughed, squeezing her hand.

She gripped back, and used her free hand to pinch his cheek between her thumb and pointer finger. “You’re so cute,” she mouthed.

“Will you couple up with me, the class clown of the villa? I promise I’ll try my hardest to make you laugh every day, no matter how embarrassing it –”

Wordlessly, she yanked his arm up, forcing him to his feet, and wrapped her other arm around his neck, pulling him into a searing kiss – their first.

She tasted better than he ever could’ve predicted. Her lips were softer than in the kiss he’d daydreamed about. It was like kissing a cloud. A marshmallow. A flaky pastry, even. And she smelled just as good.

Just as he parted his lips, nearly forgetting the world around him, she pulled back, pressing her forehead against his.

“You’re my clown, now,” she giggled, breathless, pecking his lips again before stepping back, hands still intertwined.

It was a cliche moment for cheering, but the Villa had already erupted into a chorus of whoops and claps, their excitement reverberating throughout the night. Everyone in the villa loved Bobby and Sabrina for the same reasons, and had been secretly rooting for them, a fact that they didn’t know til it was nearly too late. A phone pinged, cutting through their excitement.

Gary picked up the phone next to him and read it, his guffaw cutting through the silence. “You know you have to do it the proper way now, mate? We have to reset because you did it wrong,” Gary said, grinning, waving his phone. “You got a warning.”

“Well damn, I guess I messed that up,” he laughed, rubbing his thumb across her hand.

“No, that was perfect,” she leaned in to give him a soft peck. “The kiss, the speech, you... I’m so glad you picked me, Bobby.”

“You gonna pick me again?” She teased, tapping his nose with the pad of her finger.

“If I could choose any day of my life so far for my own Groundhog Day movie, it’d be today, no contest. I’d choose you every time,” he said, lip quirked up at the side, in a shy half smile that made her heart flutter.

And it was even better hearing him say how he much he wanted her the second time around.

----

[felixnation]

THE TOP 10 WORST KPOP SONGS OF 2020

(WARNING: I DON’T LIKE THESE SONGS AND WILL BE MEAN AT THEM. I DO NOT HAVE ANY PERSONAL BEEF WITH ANY OF THESE GROUPS OR ARTISTS SO DON’T COME FOR ME IF YOUR FAVE MADE A STINKER TRACK THIS YEAR.)

Ah, 2020. The year where disco came back, the 80s came back, and everyone was titling their songs after nonsense words. It was a good year for k-pop overall, with a lot of new trends entering the game towards the end of summer. However, there were some real clunkers that refused to get out of my head this quarantine and pissed me off to varying degrees each time I heard them. This list is an attempt to chronicle all of those.

So without further ado, let’s get this shit done.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

NCT 127 - PUNCH This isn't actually a bad song, hence it only making it to the honorable mentions section. In fact, I think this could've easily made the best list had it not been for one thing, and that's the presence of NCT 127, namely their rap line. The instrumental on this thing is absolutely killer and one of the best productions to come out of SM in a long time. The entire thing is bizarrely structured and incredibly gutsy, and therefore I think it's a travesty that an instrumental this incredible was drowned in ASMR-esque whispers and EYYYY WE BALLINs. There are a few salvageable sections, namely the first post-chorus, and we see glimmers of NCT 127's true potential, should they choose to explore this sound further.

CIGNATURE - NUN NU NAN NA Similar to Punch, I admire the production choices here - there are a few sections that blast you with 100gecs-esque womps, and that's always something I enjoy. The vast majority of the song rarely dips below decent territory, but since the entire thing hinges on the titular hook, it ends up falling apart right when it needs to bring the hype the most. I mean, building a hook around those notes was...an interesting choice, I guess. It reminds me a lot of fromis_9's FUN!, which also constructed the entire song around a terrible set of notes. Listen to them yell that hook at you and tell me it doesn't sound off. Most frustrating song of 2020.

ONG SEONG WU - GRAVITY Have you ever heard a drop this weak? I sure haven't. I hate the way he says DIVING INTO YOUR LOVE, the over-enunciation kills me and there's one syllable too many. Also, thanks Ong Seong Wu for giving CRAVITY the promo they deserve.

BTS - FLY TO MY ROOM I can't relax while listening to this, the beat is so sparse and has this nauseous sway to it that really makes me feel like I'm reliving these past 9 months of quarantine all over again. And just like quarantine, it really feels like this goddamn thing never ends. That final set of choruses is really a chore to get through, and I'm not the only one who thinks so - shout out to Taehyung for serving taste and I'm sorry Jimin convinced you to sing out of your natural range yet again.

TREASURE - MMM Ew.

I*ZONE - FIESTA It's a pretty standard girl group song up until that chorus hits and oh my god, who on earth produced this? Are they actively trying to trigger my psychosis? There are so many sounds happening that it feels like three or four demo tracks laid on top of each other, it makes me confused even trying to figure out what's going on here. And that post-chorus drop is horrendous, it's like the instrumental is literally screaming into my ear STREAM BLOOM*IZ!!! STREAM BLOOM*IZ YOU DUMB CUCK!!! YOU LOVE IT!!!

NOW FOR THE REAL LIST.

#10: TAEYEON - HAPPY

I do not like this. Taeyeon has one of the most powerful voices in the industry and instead of putting it to good use, she decided to put out the musical equivalent of eating a stick of butter. Bland, horrible texture, seems to go on forever and ever, you know you shouldn't be consuming it and you don't know why you're doing this to yourself, etc.

The MV contributed to my dislike, with Taeyeon whitewashed all the way into uncanny valley as she lounges around her beautiful apartment. Well of course you'd be happy if you lived in a place like that, I know I would. The sad thing is that there's some really nice vocal work here and there, but for the majority of the song, Taeyeon decides to serenade us in the most nasal tone that she can muster. I know she can sing better than this, and I'm disappointed in her for creating this and unleashing it on the world.

#9: WEKI MEKI - OOPSY

Whereas Picky Picky was annoying in the best way possible, Oopsy is annoying in the worst way possible. The instrumental legitimately sounds cheap, the drums sound so tinny and artificial that it's hard on the ears. Not to mention the hook, wherein the girls force their voices as high as they can go as they proclaim OOPSY! 

I'm a huge fan of cute concepts, but when it comes to putting out a high-energy sugary track like this, you're walking a fine line between adorable and irritating. Weki Meki didn't even try to walk the line, they just dove headfirst into irritating territory without a care in the world. It literally feels like the audio equivalent of having to hold a whiny toddler and then it pisses itself and the mom is just cooing about how her little darling made an oopsy.

#8: VICTON - MAYDAY

It feels like for most of the year, the vast majority of boy groups were stuck in a rut, knee-deep in sludgy EDM and leather harnesses. You know the songs I'm talking about, and I could've put any one of them here, but I chose this one purely because that chorus makes me feel like I have a concussion. I don't like this song nor the trend it's representative of - I spent most of quarantine having the same dark BG concepts thrown at me over and over and I'm glad things are starting to take a bit of a turn.

The bridge on this is actually pretty great, and the guys in VICTON do know how to sing, as can be seen in the final post-chorus. But man, there's just nothing fresh being brought to the table here, just the same stale trends in their worst form yet. The hook is so slow and drowsy, the same few notes just repeated over and over. I have not seen the MV because I feel like I can picture it well enough in my head just by listening. Are there harnesses? Don't forget those, boys.

#7: MCND - SPRING

Only Pentagon are allowed to do these concepts.

#6: HYO, LOOPY, SOYEON - DESSERT

This is genuinely unlistenable as soon as the drop hits, with a vocal stitching job that might be a horn synth, I'm not sure. That's how annoying it is. The producer is clearly incompetent and the performers are oozing with personality, though not the pleasant sort. The hook is  bratty and the raps here are beyond generic. After the halfway point, there are a couple interesting sounds thrown into the mix, but it's not enough to save things.   

Soyeon in particular sounds awful here, with her iconic nasally tone morphing into something genuinely irritating and borderline spiteful. Age up the toddler from the Oopsy comparison to around 7 or 8 and that's basically what you've got here. All I can hope is that this song is not influential in any way, shape or form, because I just had a vision of Blackpink imitating this production style and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

#5: SECRET NUMBER - WHO DIS?

I'm not sure how many Secret Number fans are out there, but I'm about to make all of em real mad at me right about now. However, it must be said.

This is basically Your Turn by Kaachi again.

I don't think I need to explain that hot take, just listen to the song. It's surprisingly amateurish, to the point where I feel like the vocals aren't in sync and they just used the first take they got from each girl. The raps in particular are awful, and I swear they even sound like they go off-key a couple of times. How this blew up in any aspect is bizarre to me. Anyways, stream Photo Magic and stan Kaachi.

#4: BAEKHYUN - CANDY

Did you want a k-pop version of Yummy by Justin Bieber? No? Well, Baekhyun decided to make it anyways! At least Yummy was sort of funny in how bad it is, this is just...a somber affair. Inexplicably, he manages to oversing the final third of the song, which I don't get the point of, but okay. Lazy, underproduced and overproduced at the same time, bland, boring, annoying...

Wait, did he just say...

Okay, I changed my mind, this is hysterical. Like Pop rocks, strawberry, bubble gum...

#3: (G)-IDLE - DUMDI DUMDI

I'm so sick of this group's 'ethnic' schtick, it's like they never learn. They just don't give a fuck - after a string of genuinely great tracks like Hann, Lion, and Oh My God, they just decide to put out this shit and expect me to listen to it? They're a group with a lot of potential, with some brilliant vocalists and the talent that is Soyeon (who really loves being on this list, apparently) but if they continue down the path of using different cultures as concepts I can't support them any further.

The song itself has salvageable parts, a recurring theme on this list, but the over-the-top tribal influences are so obvious and tropey that even listening to it feels gross. (G)-Idle have more creative control than most groups, and the fact that they're capable of creating works of art like Lion is what makes me harsh on them. Instead of moving forward, they continue to regress into their comfort zone of cultural appropriation.

#2 YOOA - BON VOYAGE

Speaking of cultural appropriation...are we gonna address this? Nah? Okay.

Oh My Girl, YooA's parent group, has a history of blatant cultural appropriation (and arguably some legit racist moments depending on how you look at it) and they seem like they're not changing anytime soon. That's why this particular song stings even more than it probably should. If you thought Dumdi Dumdi's tribal influences were a little too on the nose, take a listen to this chorus.

YooA has a bad voice, is wearing tribal face paint, and is running around the wilderness whitewashed into oblivion while a choir of nameless voices chant vaguely tribal things behind her. Even in an industry like k-pop, this sticks out as something in bafflingly poor taste, and I can't see how she got away with this in 2020.

#1 BLACKPINK & SELENA GOMEZ - ICE CREAM

Well, this is a predictable pick. 

I don't know why or how Blackpink thought they could get away with drip-feeding blinks content for 4 goddamn years in the lead-up to their first album, only to drop this big fat clunker on them. I honestly felt insulted by the song, from its cheap, tinny production to the god-awful lyrics. I don't know how anyone could find any value in a piece of music this soulless and hollow.

Lisa's raps are by far the worst part of it, with FIRE BARS such as "you're the one been chosen, play the part like moses" and "mona lisa kinda lisa". Unfortunately, these raps take up a good portion of the song, and there's nothing going on in the instrumental to distract you from them, save for that little ice cream truck jingle. (or at least I think that's what the producer was going for)

Selena is a non-presence and essentially blends in with the girls, who WAIL that awful hook like their lives depend on it. Also, there's some really cheesy innuendos here that're sung with all the sex appeal of the actual ice cream truck driver from literally your neighborhood. 

I loathe what this song represents - the only good thing about it is that the girls look stunning in the MV. And that's exactly the thing - this song represents the exact moment in time wherein Blackpink admitted to their audience that music is no longer their main focus. This is the peak of their influencer-ization, and only time will tell if they'll redeem themselves. (Spoiler: They sort of did, goddammit.)

[triptychexe]

TRIVIUM - PART 3 - DEBUT MINI ALBUM [2016]

TRIVIUM is the third and final unit to debut from Triptych’s first generation with their debut mini album PART 3. With a significantly more hip-hop and rap-focused sound in comparison to the two previous Triptych units, TRIVIUM brings a new layer of talent and meaning to the super group. Covering hard-to-swallow topics like gender roles and societal double standards, TRIVIUM hits hard and makes waves.

△ TRACK BY TRACK. 

1] BERLIN 

The decision to make BERLIN their debut song was a power move. Not only does the song have a very distinct and recognizable sound that drags listeners in, but it sets the vibe for TRIVIUM’s energy.

All three members had a hand in writing this song.

The line distribution can be found here

2] SAVAGES

In this hiphop-influenced track, TRIVIUM has a back and forth debate between rappers Van and Cal over if human nature is inherently good or evil, giving examples of highs and lows in society.

Doubled with a strong chorus, thought-provoking versus, and irony twisted into more than a half the lines, this song can be seen as an ironic commentary on what people see as ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.

Written by all three members.

3] WHO I AM

Trivium talks about their past and how it had shaped them into who they are today. This song is like the last goodbye to their old selves, ready to let go of the past and move on.

This track also acknowledges that admitting ignorance isn’t something that you should be ashamed of, as you can only change as long as you’re willing. 

Written by all three members

 4] BACK OFF

 Ura, the only woman in this subunit, took it upon herself to write a feminist anthem for their album. It’s basically a response to all the times Ura has had a man be patronizing towards her. Van and Cal act on the track as supporters, but the song is mostly Ura focused. 

The first song on the album where you actually hear Ura rap and get to see her lyricism play out. One of Ura’s lines mentioned snapping kneecaps. Everyone’s afraid of her now. 

Written by Ura

5] BITE

This song is all about wanting someone that’s not good for you, but you keep coming back. 

The non-gender specific pronouns in the song show that this song can be about any type of relationship, regardless of gender or if it is a romantic or platonic relationship. 

Written by Van and Cal

6] MEN/WOMEN

All about gender roles and how they’ve hurt them as they’ve grown up. Since they are the first co-ed unit from Triptych, they took it upon themselves to address double standards/gender roles.

This one caused a bit of a discussion, especially since it directly calls out the double standards in the kpop industry.

Written by all members. 

△ THIS ERA.

So... Trivium easily got the most attention out of Gen 1.

Mostly because they’re a co-ed duo that covers topics that aren’t discussed super openly.

But also because they’re really good rappers. Like, all of them. And their stage presence is really intense. 

Ura doesn’t rap as much as she would have liked to this era, as they needed her on vocals to break up the tracks a little since neither Van or Cal can sing very well.

Trivium were given the title ‘un-idols’ - which is both a term of endearment as well as a critique, depending on who uses it - because of their unwillingness to play up the role of a significant other at fan signs as well as their general aura.

Idols are supposed to be like... ‘perfect’ at all times, and Trivium just doesn’t do that? Like they wear the worst outfits to the airport, fansites have pictures of them waiting in line for street food (and then chowing down on said street food), and the way they talk to fans is so casual? 

This attitude turned off some fans, but it brought in a whole new wave of support, especially from international fans who felt like Trivium were relatable. 

The most popular member this comeback was easily Ura. Not only was she the only girl, so she visually stood out, but she was the one that often went viral for fan-zoning fans who asked her to be romantic with them.

She also received the most criticisms, but she really didn’t care. She wasn’t going to make herself uncomfortable for the sake of others. 

Cal got a good amount of attention too because of his accent and his looks. Cal has a very slight British accent when he says certain Korean words and people just... lost it over that.

Van kinda sunk to the background this era, but he doesn’t really mind. He just wanted the kids to have fun and have their time to shine. :) 

As far as numbers go, Trivium breaks records for Triptych by gaining 10 million music video views in the first 24 hours as well as having BERLIN chart on Melon upon release. 

△ ERA FASHION. 

I promise this is the last era that Triptych wears color-coded outfits. I promise. The company was trying to see how the color-coded concept would work and gen 1 was the guinea pigs. 

When Artychs saw how lacking Trivium’s debut outfits were.... they almost rioted at HBH. They already were accusing HBH of picking favorites and not giving Trivium equal treatment. 

But the truth is... Trivium picked their debut stage outfits. Yes, they’re bland, but Trivium wanted their debut to feel like friends were finally meeting up for the first time, hence the casual clothes.

The button up shirt fits tho.... that made a few bitches go feral. That was an exquisite serve. 

The award show fits were nice too! Ura stunned bitches pulling up with her short blazer dress and fishnets. Van had really cool dress pants with designs on them and Cal wore a color that wasn’t black! It was monumental!

As far as hair goes, Ura had short black hair with wispy bangs. 

Van had black hair and almost always wore a wide headband on his hairline.

Cal’s hair was usually just styled into tousled brown curls and called a day. 

△ FANDOM BEHAVIORS.

I’ve explained triptych stan culture before (basically the fandom is kinda divided? like some fans only support certain subunits, others support all of them, etc.) but I think Trivium was what really made that divide clear. 

Trivum just sounds different than S.O.T and Tromme, there was gonna be people who didn’t vibe with their style. But that’s kinda the point of Triptych, to like.. get different sounds involved in their discography.

And some gross fans didn’t like that Trivium made it clear that they don’t want to be sexualized by fans, so they just decided to ignore them and focus on S.O.T and Tromme, who hasn’t spoken out about being sexualized by strangers online. 

People also started calling Van a ‘smol bean uwu’ (hello 2016) and started like... infantalizing him?? even though he’s a grown ass man??? does he LOOK like dan OR phil to any of you???????? 

Fans also started calling Cal a fuckboy and played him up as this big meme just because he’s goofy. I will never forgive y’all for that.

Pick Mes hated Ura because if anyone’s ‘one of the boys’, it’s Ura and they were jealous. But she literally has to be one of the boys. It’s apart of her job. 

But the artychs that do stan Trivium are probably some of the chillest people ever. They are literally just vibing. Trivium stans are dubbed as the ‘stoners’ of the fandom as a joke.

And OT9 stans overpower solo stans by a LONG SHOT, so don’t worry! Trivium received more love than hate from artychs. There were just a few bad eggs that ruined shit. 

[tearosesarts]

Hello there, I hope you have a great day! Also what are you thoughts about Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd’s movie adaptation? (Sorry thats pretty nowhere I just really appreciate u & Sweeney Todd very much 🥺💖)

Aww, thanks! Now, as for the 2007 Sweeney Todd... I hope I don’t get a lot of hate over this, but I had a lot of problems with this movie. I’ll try to go through this in organized chunks. I’ll put it under the cut, this is going to get long.

First off: the casting. We have to address the fact that, besides the actress playing Lucy, none of the cast really had any musical theatre experience, and it showed. This wouldn’t be as much of a problem if it weren’t for the fact that this was Sondheim music, which is insanely difficult, even for well-experienced musical theatre actors. Thus, we ended up with Sweeney awkwardly singing from his throat (sounding more like a pirate than Jack Sparrow) and frail, shrill vocals from Mrs. Lovett, Johanna, and Anthony. One justification that I’ve seen people use is “Well, Tim Burton was making a film, not a musical,” but in that case, why even include the music? Why not simply make a non-musical movie adaptation using those characters? Sweeney Todd has existed for far longer than the musical; the musical itself is based off of a play adaptation by Christopher Bond. It could have very easily been a movie adaptation of that play, instead. Moving past the singing, while this film did have a lot of really good actors, it wasn’t really any of their best works. I don’t know if it’s because of Tim Burton’s “style” or what, but a lot of the actors’ performances felt nearly lifeless compared to when they were in other movies (although Timothy Spall’s facial expressions as the Beadle were great!). Particularly, Helena Bonham Carter’s Lovett felt very flat and static. I feel bad for saying so, since this was apparently a dreamrole of hers (plus it was just her birthday yesterday!), but something about it just didn’t work. It seemed like she was torn between playing a doe-eyed damsel in distress, a jaded, sarcastic woman, and a suave, devious temptress (and being motherly for one scene, and the combination made for a bland and inconsistent performance. The inconsistency especially stands out during and after Epiphany, where she goes from looking quite terrified of Sweeney at the beginning to nonchalantly delivering the “That’s all very well...” line, even though the song got more scary towards the end, not less.

Now for what probably bugged me even more: some of the things that were cut. The film seems like it’s trying to be more edgy and gritty than the stage musical by cutting out some of the humor, but it also cuts out some of the darkest parts of the show. I can understand getting rid of the Greek chorus for the different Ballads of Sweeney Todd, but they really could have and should have included the ensemble bits for God, That’s Good. We can see the townspeople enjoying the pies, but it isn’t enough to see them simply enjoying the pies, we need them to be obsessed, screaming for “more hot pies.” Then there’s Toby, who doesn’t get his crazy part at the end. I understand cutting that bit short since we don’t have the final Ballad to end it (and therefore ending with the shot of Sweeney bleeding over his dead wife), but he could still do the creepy “pat-a-cake” stuff before slitting Sweeney’s throat and scuttling away. Besides creeping out the audience, this bit shows how everything has affected Toby and taken a toll on him.

And then there’s Johanna. Johanna, what did they do to you? Sometimes movie adaptations of musicals add some depth to some of the less-developed characters. Here, they seemed to do the opposite. She sings Green Finch and Linnet Bird, looks at Anthony, and after that only exists because the plot calls for her. Kiss Me is cut, which also cuts an entire plot point. She doesn’t even sing in the Johanna Reprise. It’s called the Johanna Quartet on the OBC album for a reason, guys! They not only reduced her to a prop who sings about her emotions once and no more, but her relationship with Anthony was also less developed. The two of them never really meet, they just look at each other once. That’s barely an interaction. It’s a wonder that she even recognizes him when he rescues her from the asylum. Speaking of, next came the thing that bothered me the most: she isn’t even the one to shoot Fogg (or whatever they named the asylum warden in this). In the musical, this was her moment of finally holding her own against one of the older male oppressors in her life. This was her breaking point, her loss of innocence she may not have even had in the first place. Changing this just felt wrong.

Alright, I’ve done enough ranting. There were a few things that I thought the film did pretty well, actually. Firstly, the cinematography. Tim Burton has a very specific aesthetic to his films, and this was no different. Some people like, it, others don’t, but the dark, muted aesthetic did work, in a way that may not have worked if another director did it. The opening sequence with an instrumental of the Ballad of Sweeney Todd playing looked really cool. I also especially liked the visuals during Epiphany, when Sweeney is outside having a mental breakdown as the crowds of townsfolk are completely unaware of his presence. While I didn’t care for his singing, Johnny Depp’s acting was pretty solid here. Sacha Baron Cohen as Pirelli was fun. The kid playing Toby had a good performance. I’m not usually a huge fan of children singing, but he handled the score well. Another thing I liked was the addition of the scene between Anthony and Turpin. It added an extra layer of vicious cruelty to the Judge that was more than just “creepy old guy preying after a teenage girl” (and the “You gandered at her” line was great, especially with Alan Rickman’s delivery).

All in all, I wasn’t really a fan of this adaptation, but there were some parts I did enjoy, and I appreciate that it did expose more people to Sondheim’s music and musicals in general.

[404fmdminjung]

our songs interview — 1&2

summary: the question & answers — mentions of the cast members. (i’m sorry minjung is just minjung with her answers, but what do you expect when she doesn’t get along with 2/4 remaining cast members). warnings: none wc: 1k +

part 1

Do you know any of the competitors personally? If so, how do you feel they’ve done as a contestant on the show?

“of course i know the competitors, my own group member is the star of the cast.” it begins, false smiles and all as the cant in her chin and a quirk of a smile eludes to the beginning of false disguises on display. “suji unnie’s done amazing, don’t you think? coming top four all while balancing a solo comeback, so many promotions all while doing this song. it’s amazing how one body is able to handle that. not to mention fuse also has our schedules — she’s super human to me.” her eyes widen, she continues on. “i know taeyong sunbaenim too from working with him — and seeing how he’s managed to get better from health issues to work with me on the last episode, continue on with his great comeback and produce some of the greatest tracks on this show — i think that’s just something worth respecting as well.” it feels a bit like rambling, but it’s common knowledge that drawls of words become cut out, spliced together and whether she’ll be pinned as the villain or a hero becomes at the hands of producers. “i also know joohwan sunbaenim, and seeing as how he’s in origin, one of the biggest groups that’s paving the way for all of us here, all while managing the show? he’s a superstar. i think the full cast is just filled with superstars that shine so bright that it’s starting to hurt my eyes from squinting at the blinding nature of their radiance.”

From the songs uploaded onto streaming sites (both duets and solos), which one fits your personal taste the best? Why?

“easy — i like unity’s jaewon’s song, jasmine.” the question asks, and it takes a split second. a complete instantaneous response that slips her lips as the smile becomes unwavering, nearly eerie. “the song makes you feel something jittery inside the pit of your stomach like an ominous feeling of something? it’s rare a song can pull that out, set you still. give you the moodiness while serving something alluring — he’s talented, and he’s the superstar of this round. “as for the duet — i’d like to handpick the goldstar superstars. our company does a good job picking out idols, right?” there’s a half-hearted laugh, but she knows it’s one glazed for the audience to pick up as undying loyalty to the company she’s bound to. “the song is trendy, artistic vision — out of this world amazing. but what do you expect when it’s joohwan sunbaenim of origin and our supergirl unnie suji? it just made my heart stop.”

From the music videos for the solo songs, which one did you like the best? Why?

“i really like joohwan sunbaenim’s song — it reminds me of the jonas brothers. the old school car and leather jackets, and city lines. it’s 정신없어, but in a very composed juxtaposition that highlights the chorus and falls of the song. i think it works best with the song written, and the production value of the song seems well directed leaving for an overall cohesiveness of the music video. artistic direction and joohwan sunbaenim takes the cake. it’s no wonder he seems to always be busy working and releasing newer and more challenging concepts each time.”

What do you think is important to show in a final performance, whether it be in a concert, at a festival, or on a competition show?

“i think artistry is important — something that sets you apart from one-dimensionality. it’s easy to flow freely, slide into the confines of something just because it’s all you’ve known, or all you’ve practiced.” she pauses, eyes flitted up towards the lens. there’s a sheen in her eyes that gives leeway to mischief and a smirk that screams you don’t know what i’m thinking. “i think showing you’re not a robot or someone that finds thrill in stagnant brightness is important — showing facets of something different and not being another mary sue in a sea of blandness.”

Do you have any words of advice for performing a stage with high stakes?

“don’t think, relax. have fun — you already shine so bright you blind everyone, so what’s the point of worrying about other stars at that point?”

— 

part 2

After seeing the live performances, if you could vote, which duet would you vote for and which solo song would you vote for? Why?

“the duet i’d vote for is joohwan sunbaenim’s and suji unnie’s. is it bad to say that i love my gold star family?” pure lies, sheer lies. and she’s brazen when her lips don’t falter from a smile, but merely widen at the statement. “i think the song is trendy, and catchy. two faces of gold star put together in a song, a rarity that anyone would ever get to see especially with how respected each one is in their own genres — this clash. isn’t this what all the fans in the world are waiting to see? and that’s why i would vote for that duo.” it’s easy. always has been since 2014 to pretend like there’s an emphasis on feeling in anything she speaks. but she plagues the public as a fool that sees her in a lack of transparency. “as for solos? i’d pick unity’s jaewon. jasmine is a niche rare sound people rarely explore, and it feels like a breath of fresh air to see someone explore something unexplored. like he’s climbing mount everest before everyone knew it was the biggest mountain climb — do you understand what i’m saying?” minjung laughs, takes a deep breath. a palm to mask her mouth. “it’s new, and i like the song the best. is there a reason more than that one?”

If any of the competitors were to write a song for you or your group, who would you choose? Why?

“taeyong sunbaenim. we’ve worked together on the last song, and he’s proven time and time again how much he’s crafted his work into an art instead of being one that follows the obstructions of what sells. a real creative genius as everyone knows. whatever he produces or decides to create comes with a full vision of creativity as he has so many years under his belt and a list of successful songs under his name. i’m sure even despite pressure he’s able to create something of quality.”

Would you ever want to compete in a competition show? If so, what kind?

″for now, i just want to think about today. i don’t think i could compete with the superstars for i’m a dull star in the sky. i haven’t found my sheen or my mark, and i can only hope to one day buff myself to blind. for now, i’m happy sitting still dulled and muted — the stars are out to shine for a reason, you know.”