#i don't know any modern k-pop

[six-eyed-samurai]

"talk dirty to me"-

no. no, i want you to hypothesize with me when do you think g-dragon will finally release his new album because i really need it

[aureliaeiter]

We have pop pagan music

So last week I made a post about how we as pagans don't really have pop music to listen to that relates to our beliefs and myths. All pagan music is pretty much folk, metal or reenactments of ancient and medival music. Nothing wrong with it, but some of us like to be basic from time to time.

Then I realised... That's not true. There's plenty of pop songs that reference the gods and the myths even though the singers themselves may not be polytheists and that's why I created this playlist. Here you can listen to mostly upbeat but also some pop ballads that you could relate to as a polytheists.

Of course I'm accepting recommendations but please only recommend songs of genres that are pop-adjacent (pop, pop-rock, K-pop, J-pop, dance pop...) or mainstream (r&b, rap, trap, hip hop). It'd be especially thankful in recommendations from other faiths like Kemetism, Norse, Celtic, etc. since I don't know much about those. Any language is good.

[transmutationisms]

thots on astrology? related, thoughts on mbti?

k i like that you guys just pop in my inbox from time to time and invite me to run my mouth about topics and concepts. like truly what else is this website for.

anyway astrology (& sorry, most of what i know here pertains specifically to europe in the middle ages onward) is genuinely such a bizarro historical case of a science whose core epistemological presupposition (a geocentrist and specifically anthropocentrist cosmology) has completely fallen out of favour in both popular and professional discourse, and i don't think most people appreciate how weird it is for astrology to continue existing with this degree of popular and mainstream participation lol. like most fringe science actually bothers to have some semblence of its own reactionary epistemology to fall back on; astrology just doesn't seem to care. it would be like if the medical guilds fully endorsed the position that blood is circulated in the human body by the heart, but then also recommended as treatments for clotting disorders medical practices that only make sense on the supposition that the liver is the origin of all blood and is continuously creating more of it. like no other science that i can think of tries to have it both ways to the extent astrology does. like, one reason phrenology and eugenics are bad comparison points here is because they're very much copacetic with post-enlightenment naturalism and evolutionary transpositions in the social sciences. astrology, like, intellectually is not and yet here it is anyway. ideology innit.

anyhow i assume the reason you asked about this in conjunction with mbti is because today's astrology is largely purporting to provide psychological analysis and is therefore more similar to a system like mbti than to the historical use of star-reading as a predictive science. obviously both astrology and mbti are deeply reactionary in this respect and belong to a larger trend toward attempting to categorise, measure, and taxonomise the psyche, tho an important difference here is that mbti has hereditarian elements, which no form of astrology that i know of does. i think astrology's shift in the personal-psychological direction has to do with a few different factors, including medical astrological practice (orthodox in the european middle ages, then varying degrees of heterodox from the early modern period onward) and self-help movements in the 20th century.

but in any case it, mbti, and similar attempts at psychometry are, like, staggeringly essentialist in conception and practice, and i do think their current popularity reflects some deeply reactionary tendencies amongst people who often (not always) consider themselves otherwise progressive or leftist. it's honestly kind of worrisome how many people will jump on a project that explicitly aims to define static and immutable human 'types' as long as it's dressed in quasi-spiritual or psy-scientific terminology. like i do think we all need to pause and think about the ideological ends and consequences of how we talk about each other and our bodies, minds, and birth circumstances 😵‍💫

[aangelinakii]

WHAT MUSIC THEY WOULD LISTEN TO.

characters written about in this piece : bruce wayne, dick grayson, jason todd, tim drake, damian wayne, barbara gordon, duke thomas, stephanie brown, cassandra cain

not proofread !

note : if you actually went and read through all of this i will actually smooch you

BRUCE WAYNE

bruce isn't an average music enjoyer, so he doesn't really have many preferences to what he listens to. all i know is that he doesn't like music that is too upbeat, like many pop songs.

perhaps in his angsty emo the batman 2022 phase, he would listen to metal, heavy guitars and drums, similar to jason. but as he develops as a philanthropist and vigilante, he would sway towards classical music without words. it helps him concentrate in many situations, and different artists or albums can convey so many different emotions in their music.

this music often plays within his office at wayne enterprises, the batcave whilst he's researching on the computer, or even just throughout the manor whilst he's doing bruce wayne shit.

songs i think he would like :

jazz suite no. 2: vi. waltz 2, dmitri shostakovich

12 études op.25: no. 11 in a minor "winter wind", frédéric chopin

vi. lacrimosa dies illa, slovak philharmonic

tango - bof "kuduz", goran bregović

le cygne (arr. for harp and cello), camille saint-saëns

le nozze di figaro k.492: overture, wolfgang amadeus mozart

DICK GRAYSON

i can see dick as someone who incorporates music a lot into his every day life; playing something on his alexa as he cooks dinner, listening to something in airpods as he walks around gotham during the day, hums or whistles a tune as he surveys the streets of blüdhaven at night. i don't think he would have taken up learning any instruments, but he's a very musical person, knows how to hold a rhythm as well.

he's into more modern music, very much frank ocean. he likes chill music with a good beat and maybe some good vocals. as long as the song overall sounds good, he doesn't really pay attention to lyrics. if a song he likes has weird lyrics, he'll only notice it one random day as he's singing along, and begin to overthink them in the shower and wonder why they were written in the first place.

songs i think he would like :

swim good, frank ocean

she, tyler the creator & frank ocean

novacane, frank ocean

dance now, joey valence & brae

wet dreamz, j cole

mysëlf, yeat

JASON TODD

i actually have a jason playlist here !

i think jason enjoys darker sounding music, but it can go one of two ways; either loud guitar, or absolutely gut wrenching vocals. i'm talking lyrics mixed with the perfect pleading voice to make you feel just numb inside.

jason has experienced a lot of loss and trauma in his life, so sometimes he may feel numb and just need to amp it up with a loud deftones song, or he is feeling too much, and needs a mellow, yet depressing mitski song to bring him back down. granted, neither are the happiest options, but it's what works for him.

songs i think he would like :

xerces, deftones

danger, south arcade

i don't smoke, mitski

come home to god, amaarae

smoke sprite, so!yoon!

dagger, slowdive

TIM DRAKE

LMAO i think this guy would be such a closeted theatre kid. he's watched all the heathers slime videos and watched hamilton and newsies on disney plus. he loves it, it just evokes an entirely different feeling. he would never tell anybody about this side though, which is why these playlists are kept privateee on his spotify.

so when he's with other people he shows that he listens to more mainstream artists, but likes an experimental sound, so maybe some tyler here and some carti there, but they aren't his go-to artists.

songs i think he would like :

boyfriend, tyler the creator

flex, playboi carti

non-stop, broadway cast of hamilton

once upon a december, broadway cast of anastasia

meet the plastics, broadway cast of mean girls

miso, edv & bigbabygucci

DAMIAN WAYNE

this little shit only exclusively listens to either classical music (aww look at him taking after his own papa) or the heaviest, scariest rock metal you've ever heard. bonus points if it's metal with classical undertones !!! he loves that shit, not that he would show it.

when he does his homework or falls asleep, he listens to heavyyy heavy metal. when he's eating a sandwich in the kitchen, or training in the batcave he'll be listening to classical music. see? it's not exactly linear.

songs i think he would like :

carnival of the animals: aquarium, camille saint-saëns

romeo and juliet op.64 - act 1: balcony scene - romeo's variation - love dance, sergei prokofiev

the isle of the dead op.29, sergei rachmaninoff

immortal rites, morbid angel

them bones, alice in chains

BARBARA GORDON

barbara is a woman on the quieter side, despite herself. i feel towards others she is more outgoing and reliable, but when she's with herself, she likes to wind down and just sit with her thoughts. she likes jazz, slow and soft, and the type of music you would find in music from the 50s and 60s. there's something wistful about it that she just loves.

this type of music can help her concentrate. she listens to music whilst reading, or whilst sitting behind the computer as oracle during less high-tension moments.

songs i think she would like :

the shadows of paris, elsie bianchi trio

piano and strings, henry mancini

a night to remember, beabadoobee & laufey

la javanaise, serge gainsbourg

jane b, jane birkin

my favourite game, the cardigans

DUKE THOMAS

we can all agree that duke is one of the more positive members in the family, trying his best to keep his optimistic outlook despite the rest of the world, and the rest of gotham especially. he likes songs with meaning, although hidden behind a happy instrumental and youthful vocals, but he also enjoys just plain old happy-go-lucky sounding songs.

i also think he's a very musical person, always got headphones on. he probably gets that one notification at least once a week telling him his volume is too high in his ears.

he loves to dance, so songs that he can get lost in and have a little jam sesh in his bedroom are a must!!!

songs i think he would like :

useless, omar apollo

the magic number, de la soul

batshit, dominic fike

breadwinner, floyd fuji & topaz jones

the violence, childish gambino

smokin out the window, silk sonic

STEPHANIE BROWN

as for stephanie, this girl listens to EVERYTHING. she listens to kpop, shoegaze, indie, rnb, 2010s pop, jazz likeeeee she will literally listen to anything. she doesn't have playlists she just fr adds every song she likes to "liked songs" and listens to it on shuffle, and whatever comes up she listens to without an issue. almost never skips songs because she's so open to anything and everything.

like one minute she could be listening to her fav red velvet album, and then the next min she's on the verge of tears listening to phillipa soo sing burn on the hamilton soundtrack.

songs i think she would like :

so good, red velvet

cola head, willow kayne

if you want to, beabadoobee

call me maybe, carly rae jepsen

xxl, young posse

unchained memory, cafuné

CASSANDRA CAIN

following her quieter nature, i can't see cass listening to anything too upbeat or loud. she'll like a softer instrumental but with an emotional vocal line, almost as if getting to express the things she may not be fully able to towards her family and friends.

may enjoy a good old shoegaze or indie song here and there, especially if she's feeling more emotional, as she feels the sound of the song encapsulates her emotions.

songs i think she would like :

only, lee hi

chocolate and mint, duster

slow burn, infinity song

gaia, lexie liu

emo song, beabadoobee

chaos angel, maya hawke

[scp230kinnie]

pls do music tastes for stardew valley bachelors🙏🙏

- someone you definitely don't know

Before we begin I want everyone to know I did see the requests for other fics/hcs and I’m working on them but it has been a little hard cuz of exams 😭 will have them finished as soon is I can

I love shartstew valley omg 😻😻

I definitely don’t know you or anything 😻💪

May I introduce to you all

STARDEW VALLEY BACHELORS MUSIC TASTE HEADCANONS

Characters: Alex, Elliott, Harvey, Sam, Sebastian, Shane

Warnings: cringe

Alex

Modern music

Not Harry styles or anything I think he would hate him

He probably listens to imagine dragons and rap music

He secretly listens to country music

His favorite songs are believer by imagine dragons and high hopes by panic! At the disco

He probably listens to pierce the veil secretly tbh

Emo music is his guilty pleasure

He listens to Eminem while he works out

He also probably doesn’t listen to music very often

Elliott

So obvious but classical music

Like if it has piano or violin he loves it

He also listens to opera

Like he won’t watch it but he likes hearing the voices

He has his music going when he’s writing or he’ll have it playing quietly while he does stuff in his shack

His guilty pleasure is EDM music

He swears he hates it and insists he’s a man of culture

But he does listen to EDM

Not very often tho

Harvey

I like to think he doesn’t really listen to music that often

But if he were to I think he would like smooth jazz

He has it playing quietly in his little hospital sometimes along with the elevator music that’s probably playing

He also listens to 80s rock music

Not very often tho

Usually just when combing his moustache or reading

Not really music but he also likes to listen to ocean noises

Usually only when he REALLY can’t sleep

Which isn’t very often

Sam

Rock music

Of course

He also probably listens to whatever music his own band makes

His favorite artists/bands are måneskin, Paramore, Ozzy Osbourne, and Metallica

He also listens to ABBA

His all time favorite song is dancing queen

He secretly listens to KPOP

Specifically the girl groups

But he totally fanboys over Felix from SKZ

Same

It’s not really a secret because I can guarantee Sebastian knows

He also tries singing along but he doesn’t know Korean so he just says gibberish and hopes it’s close

He also likes listening to whatever openings are from his favorite shows lol

Sebastian

My one true love

Listens to emo music duh

Jk he likes metal, rock, and nu metal

His favorite bands are being me the horizon, Pierce the veil, motionless in white, evanescence, and asking Alexandria

His favorite Song is dark passenger by motionless in white

He is not open to new music

He’s the typa guy to go “come on turn on something good instead of this trash” when you’re listening to anything that’s not within his music taste

He insists his music taste is better than everyone else’s

He doesn’t say it out loud, but when he sees someone in public wearing merch from one of the bands he likes, he really wants to ask them to name 3 songs

I still love him tbh

Late night K-POP karaoke with Sam

Shane

He listens to SoundCloud rappers

He doesn’t make any but he kinda wants to

His favorite band is Green day

His favorite song is Superman by Eminem

I feel like he would put in headphones on the way to work every morning and listen to music

Aside from that I don’t really feel like he listens to music that often

His guilty pleasure is country music

Claims it’s the worst thing he ever heard but secretly shazams any songs

Probably sits in silence with his own thoughts most of the time

Okay that’s it lmk if y’all want the bachelorettes lololol

I hope you enjoy person i definitely don’t know

[firefullofblood]

Soooo... Welcome to my blog, this is my officially main blog about anything I wanna post about.

Names I use: Benjamin, Sheldon, Jeff, Tate

I'm using he/him pronouns

Arospec(Myrromantic) & bisexual ftm

+ uniromantic

I'm polytherian and otherkin or whatever...

I am a part of a lot of fandoms... Blah blah blah

POSTING

I'm gonna definitely post about some interests of mine like animals, nature, books, planes, music, guns, painting and drawing, vintage and more.

I also have an interest in taxidermy, anatomy, true crime and collecting stuff ( especially bones and feathers), also love vinyl records and 1920/30's, might post about it too.

This blog is mainly for my otherkin and therian stuff, but also my personal life and interest, art etc etc.

I'm not NSFW but I might post some more mature stuff

Imma post looooot of music related stuff

My theriotypes

Grey ( timber brownish ) wolf

Fallow deer

Ichthyosaur

elk

+ spitirual connection to fox and domestic dog (possibly theriotype)

MY MAINLY ANIMAL THERIAN BLOG : @waterfullofbubless

I have a NSFW blog, but I won't put it here

My kins

Tate Langdon

BEN Drowned

John Watson (not close kin to me)

Millard Nullings

Tom Riddle (before full Voldemort era)

...

Also past life: Jack McGurn

Just wanna say BC of this... I'm not a violent person towards others and I don't commit hateful crimes, thx.

If you wanna talk to me I'm always down for it ( might sound a bit cold from start, but I don't mean it bad)

I'm a satanist who's into witchcraft a bit sooo...be respectful ( I respect every religion)

What I personally don't support:

Transphobia

Homophobia

Practicing harmful paraphilias

Racism

Hate towards furries or therians etc

Hate towards people for something that can't change when they don't do anything bad

What I don't vibe with but I RESPECT ( don't be mean and just respect me back). It's just stuff I might not talk best about, BUT I respect y'all if you show me respect back:

BTS "army" & Swifties ( idm fans in general but... If you know you know)

SHARK or SNAKE HATERS ( just don't be rude lol)

Haters of non violent satanism ( just don't be mean ig)

People who think liking taxidermy is weird

People who are huge K-pop fans ( respect just... I'm not a fan so don't be rude about it)

People who are like: "name three songs and band members" ( I'll respect y'all...but honestly tf)

DNI:

people who are toxic BTS and Taylor Swift fans

Toxic Christians ( you know which I'm talking about)

Homophobes

Transphobes

Anti furries and therians

People who are under 13 years old or over 40 years old

People who have harmful paraphilias who are practicing

People who wanna s*x text me

People who think therianthropy is cringe ( duh)

People who are anti any alt style

....

DO NOT INTERACT WITH COMMENTS OR DON'T REBLOG IF YOU'RE EXPLICIT NFSW ACCOUNT ( pictures with sexual nature)

Oh btw, please DO NOT flirt with me, I have a boyfriend and I love him with every single drop of blood in my body.

♪MUSIC BONUS♪:

Some of my favourite genres:

Rock

POV: indie

Pop

Alternative metal

Modern rock

Pop punk

Punk

Post-Grunge

Nu metal

Permanent wave

Scenecore

Jazz

Electro swing

Classic rock

Rap

Pixie

Otacore

Show tunes

Etc.

SOME of my favourite bands/ artists etc:

My chemical romance

Joost

Queen

Nirvana

Mindless self indulgence

The cure

Cavetown

Set it off

Jack Stauber's micropop

Tally hall

Dean Martin

Lady gaga ofc

Voodoo church

Breaking Benjamin

Get scared

....

I guess that's all for a "music window"

thanks for reading this lol

[underwater0firework]

I think one of the main problems with MHA is that it's not anti-establishment enough. Like, in this era of media and pop culture, we (as viewers) are used to seeing stories of underdogs, of resistance groups fighting against authority. The most famous example of this would be Star Wars, which was commentary on the Vietnam War/Cold War. And then you have examples like the Hunger Games and the YA dystopia boom of the 2010s - all focused on resistance against government systems. (This of course, speaks towards the current sentiments on modern-day governments) I mean, hey, you've probably seen those cringy posts about "how does the government expect us to be complacent when we were raised by characters who resisted fascism." You know the ones.

While this genre of YA media is most prominent in western culture, MHA *has* become a part of mainstream western culture, due to its success. So many of the ppl active in the fandom, making fanworks, etc, are exposed to this trope as (mostly) the norm. And, in comparison to this trope, MHA just doesn't...sit right.

From the start, the world of MHA is flawed. I think everyone can agree with this. Quirkiness kids are bullied, one of the top heroes beats his children, there's an organization creating child soldiers, etc, etc. Hell, in the first episode, there's even a mention that literally every single kid wants to be a hero when they grow up! That can't be good for the economy, can it?

But instead of working to fix this, hori just gives us a worse evil to brand as the enemy. Asking the viewer to choose the best of two evils, hoping we will ignore problems like discrimination to overthrow the people who are literally making human puppets. Hori wants the world of MHA to appear "black and white" but really, it kinda just appears..."black and ehhhh...grey." Which, I mean, is quite realistic given our *current* world but...I guess it doesn't fit the genre? It's not satisfying, really. Or particularly well executed.

On top of this, the problems present in the hero world are ones that Hori's viewers might very easily relate to. Bullying, domestic violence, discrimination, even sexism (though that one is one that is VERY MUCH not deliberate on hori's part...ugh). Which is why, even though, realistically, Bakugou telling Izuku to k*** himself isn't worse than AFO making LITERAL MONSTERS OUT OF CORPSES, it feels that way. Because, y'know, I don't think any of the MHA viewers out there are at risk of being nomu-ified.

So, what happens? No matter how evil Hori tries to make Shiggy, people will still like him. Because he's not violent in a way that is relatable, he's just...edgy. And also hot as hell.

tl;dr? Hori created a morally grey world and refused to fix any of its problems, so we all simp for the murderous hand-man.

[latenightcinephile]

Film #914: 'La La Land', dir. Damien Chazelle, 2016.

I really like old-school Hollywood musicals, and I've always been sad that it's a genre that has gotten harder and harder to find in modern Hollywood. Most of the genre has since been supplanted by Disney films and either low-budget works or jukebox musicals, produced because there is a ready audience for the songs. While there has been a shift towards film adaptations of Broadway hits in the last decade or so (Les Miserables (Tom Hooper, 2012), Into the Woods (Rob Marshall, 2014), Cats (Tom Hooper, 2019)), it's a poor sign of the genre's health that there are no longer any major actors renowned for their consistent career in musicals - no Astaires or Crosbys or Garlands. So imagine my glee on hearing that a new, original musical was being made! One that hearkened back to the Hollywood spectaculars of the 1940s and 1950s! La La Land! The promotional photos looked reminiscent of the soundstage musicals that I had fallen in love with! At long last, it was time!

So, I didn't watch it for seven years. I don't know exactly why I didn't - a combination of having a lot going on in my life that stopped me getting to theatres, and then an internal rebellion against the amount of praise the film was receiving. It certainly wasn't helped by the Oscars debacle - there's nothing that diminishes a film's prestige quite like conspicuously not winning the Best Picture award. Finally, this year, I sat down to watch it, hoping I would be wrong, and that the shine would still be there - that I would be transported.

La La Land is not bad. It's also not transcendental.

Mia Dolan (Emma Stone) and Seb Wilder (Ryan Gosling) have both moved to Los Angeles to pursue their dreams. Mia wants to be an actress, but has found work in a coffee shop on the Warner Brothers studio lot. Seb hopes to revitalise jazz music in Los Angeles by refurbishing a famed jazz club. Mia encounters Seb by chance, and loves his music, but their first few interactions are filled with hostility - road rage, a thwarted introduction at the moment Seb is fired (in a cameo by J. K. Simmons, who also starred in Chazelle's Whiplash in 2014), and a terrible Hollywood pool party. Finally warming to each other, the two begin dating and encouraging each other to pursue their dreams in whatever way possible - Mia by performing a one-woman show, and Seb joining a jazz-pop band fronted by Keith (John Legend). Just before Mia's show opens, Seb returns from touring, and the two argue bitterly over their future and how to reconcile their two careers, ending with Seb spitting vitriol about how Mia cannot stand his success. The two break up, and Mia returns to her childhood home.

Shortly after this, Seb receives a message for Mia, inviting her to a casting call. He goes to retrieve her, and her audition is a success. The two talk about how, while their lives are not compatible, they'll always love each other. Five years later, Mia is a successful actress and Seb has opened his club. They once again meet by chance and, after considering what their life together could have been, they each go their separate ways once more.

You might notice that, in this description, I haven't paid much attention to the songs or music in this musical. That's because, in all honesty, not very much of it was memorable to me. The opening number 'Another Day of Sun', and 'City of Stars', the song that gets used as a motif throughout, remain catchy, but they're the only tracks that left a mark. That's a real shame, because they're not really the turning points of the film. And while Gosling and Stone show that they're relatively accomplished as singers and dancers in this film, it's also clear that they're not accustomed to doing this kind of work regularly. 'A Lovely Night' is a prime example of this - it's a couple's dance number, and the choreography is not exactly simple, but Stone and Gosling look like they've learned the dance in isolation from each other. This is a number where the easy chemistry that the two of them have temporarily gets put on hold so that they can focus on the steps.

And I'm aware that this is an incredibly pedantic thing to gripe about. I don't mean to damn with faint praise - these actors are doing something difficult, and doing it well. What really gets me is that, when you're making a musical, you have all sorts of tricks to cover over these brief weaknesses, and La La Land often doesn't use them. The score feels oddly quiet, even in its more bombastic numbers. 'Another Day of Sun' starts things off, but the opening vocalist sings, rather than belting, and by making the score supposedly diegetic to start, there's not enough there to support her. I know I ended my last write-up by expressing gratitude that films were now available to watch outside the cinema, but this is an instance where I wish that I'd seen this years ago. I just couldn't turn my speakers up far enough to get lost in the spectacle.

Talking to people about this film, there seems to be an even split on this matter: either you can lose yourself in what's going on, or you can't, and if you're in the latter camp, the musical side of La La Land is too banal. It's colourful and pretty - filmed gorgeously by Linus Sandgren - but I'm reminded of the maxim of musicals, attributed to Rob Marshall: "When movement isn't enough, you dance, or when speaking isn't enough, you sing." A few people I've asked about the film raised similar ideas - that it feels like Chazelle is trying to force an exuberance from his audience when there's not enough genuine emotion to support it.

This is what makes the second half of the film better for me, and this is where I found myself able to embrace the film more. The latter half of Mia and Seb's relationship, once they've actually fallen in love properly, is powerfully-acted, and the reprise of 'City of Stars' is beautiful. The break-up scene is absolutely stellar, and either Gosling and Stone could justifiably call this one of the best scenes of their career. In a musical, though, this height of emotion would normally call for a song or a dance, and there isn't one here. The emotional height that does get a song is Mia's audition, where she sings 'The Fools Who Dream' in what appears to be a single take. This is an excellent performance, and it alone could have been responsible for Stone winning the Best Actress Oscar that year. Then, of course, once Mia and Seb have briefly reunited, they share a fantasy sequence that is filled with a longing that's deeply affecting.

The thing that upsets me most about the film is that once you've started dissecting it, you see how underwritten parts of it are. The opening leaves its characters adrift, trying to sell you on optimism and exuberance that don't have enough of a foundation - no matter how many BMX stunt riders and parkour experts 'Another Day of Sun' crams in, it feels thin - and even the break-up scene is mostly successful because Stone and Gosling have easy chemistry and the ability to sell you on ideas by injecting them with emotion. That doesn't prevent the central conflict from seeming like a contrivance.

Seb is, admittedly, insufferable at times (I'm not going to get into whether he's a white saviour of jazz, because plenty of people have made arguments on both sides of that topic and I could easily agree with either camp). I think his biggest flaw is that he's unable to articulate his motivations, which makes the conflict a bit of an idiot-ball plot. Faced with having to explain why he's 'sold out' by joining Keith's group rather than following his passion for pure jazz, he can't do it and immediately belittles Mia. It feels like it would be easy to explain that someone could find satisfaction in playing two different subgenres of jazz, and even playing them off each other to push the boundaries of music further. That feels like something Seb would genuinely believe in (and something that Chazelle, being a musician, would also be familiar with). It would also open up opportunities for more complicated conflicts - a jazz battle! A tortured artist number! - without affecting the overall plot. I just don't think the film has the expansiveness to tackle it.

Yeah, this sounds like I'm trying to assassinate the film. I liked it, honestly. I was still humming 'City of Stars' a week later, and it made me like Stone and Gosling more as actors, which I hardly thought possible. All the breathless excitement, though, about the film resurrecting a genre, and changing the course of film history... it was overblown, without a doubt. La La Land proved that these films could still be made, and very successfully. The fact that so many modern musicals are either adaptations of things proven to work, or jukebox musicals where the plot is largely incidental, shows that crafting a fully successful musical is not just about the songs but about the plot that links them. La La Land does it better than most, but it's not what I was craving it to be.

[slexenskee]

Hey :)

I like your playlists and I found lots of new songs that way. Would you mind posting your spotify wrapped? I'm curious 👀

This just... made my year??? Omg thank you???!

Ok plot twist I don't actually use spotify 😅 I must be the only person on planet earth that switched back to an iPhone so I could use my iTunes again... but yeah I don't use a streaming service, but I do have my most played for the year! I uploaded it here - its on my instagram as a highlight reel!

For people who don't / can't access gram:

Most Played Songs by Month:

January: Mob by Eve

Shockingly my only Eve song for the year?? Last year I had like 3. Fight Song by Eve, one the CSM EDs, was my second most played Eve song but wasn't quite in my January Top 10

February: Shiki no Real by Chanceデラソウル

Suuuper groovy future funk remix of Shiki no Uta, the Samurai Champloo ED and one of my all time favorite/most played songs in my life lol

March: You Know How We Do It by Ice Cube

I go through a huge Dr. Dre/Ice Cube/Snoop phase every year and I'm not embarrassed to say it lol (also yes these are color coded by seasons bc my iTunes top playlists are separated by seasons idk why and yes that I am embarrassed about)

April: When Your Ex Says He Wants You Back by LTB Remix

I have no idea what the real name of this remix is?? I know it's a remix of When Your Ex Says He Wants You Back by Surface, but idk which one. On a related note no idea how I managed to get a full version, the only one I've found online is this version at the very beginning of this big mix

May: Deep Down by Neverdull

I will never pass up a song that samples Crystal Water's Gypsy Woman, and I am also a massive fan of everything Neverdull has put out, so it was no surprise this was my most played song when I discovered it and was in the Top 10 for several months after

June: Blame Brett by The Beaches

Omg man did I get obsessed with this band after this song. Also a huge fan of their other single Me & Me.

July: Disco by Surf Curse

I don't dislike Surf Curse but I don't listen to much else from them but this song, that always ends up on my Top 10 lists during summer. idk what it is but it's such a great beachy vibe for me. I genuinely cannot go to the beach without listening to it several times

August: Slingshot by Good Kid

Good Kid is actually my top artist of the year, and I'm thrilled to see it. It's really rare that I like so many songs off of a band's discography, and I think I have every single one of theirs. Also in my Top 10 for August was Alchemist, Osmosis, Tell me You Know, and No Time to Explain from them.

September: Honey by ID Chief

My favorite kind of future funk is when the original song isn't so spliced you can barely hear it, but there's still enough remix involved to really modernize the disco.

October: North Wind by Six Lounge

Shockingly enough I didn't actually listen to Ao no Sumika - arguably 'The' J-rock song of 2023 - very much even though I like that song a lot. I think I just can't handle my own feels, and tbh, as far as J-rock for this year goes I liked this ED from MHA more? I think the hook is just a little smoother and catchier imo.

November: From the Start by Good Kid

While I also love the bossa nova vibes of the original Laufey version, this cover is soooo freaking good. It definitely has summer anime OP vibes and there's actually an AMV using the first JJK S2 opening that gives me so many feels.

December: Standing Next to You by Jungkook

Ooof ok I'll come clean here I used to love k-pop back in 2014 and kind of got sick of the genre after EXO and F(x) broke up and was never into BTS or any of the new K-pop acts. But man this song slaps. I'm obviously a disco fan and there's some major disco grooves in this song

[main-serendipity-sky]

Jimin for Elle Korea Interview

Q: Because you started dancing with modern dance, you had a hard time learning K-pop dance, and after your debut, you felt a lot of responsibility as a vocalist. Nevertheless, you recently announced your determination to practice from scratch through Weverse Live. How can it come to pass that you been running so hard and you still have a lot to do?

Jimin: I'm embarrassed. I'm really embarrassed that it's still like this. But I don't want to run away, and I want to prove that I can do well.

Q: Are you being too strict on yourself? Is it my desire to become more perfect, knowing that I can't be perfect?

Jimin: Nothing else has to be perfect. But on stage it has to be perfect.

Q: I remember that even when I opened up about my personal feelings through my solo song ‘Lie’ many years ago, the process was never easy. Nevertheless, I faced myself again in my personal album FACE last March. Are there aspects that are relieved when you put your emotions out there as a result?

Jimin: I think it definitely exists. In fact, FACE was an album I made when I was personally under a lot of stress, so I was even afraid to release it. I still can't forget the feeling of relief I felt after finishing the song. 

Q: You spoke honestly about the difficulties of producing one album when you appeared on “Getting Drunk with Sugar.” Is there any music you would like to present now?  

Jimin: I am always constantly working on songs. And I really want to try different genres. I would be happiest if you enjoy my music.

Q:For some time now, you have been posting short dance videos on my personal Instagram with the hashtag ‘This is Jimin’. How did you get started?

Jimin: Dancing is one of the things I love the most. So I thought it would be fun to share this time with my fans. Although it is not periodic, we plan to show it consistently.

Q: Like the lyrics of 'Letter', which was a hidden track, what you always want to say is often the most obvious. Is there anything you want to say at this moment?

Jimin: Wait for me. I will become a ‘good’ singer.

Link

[practically-an-x-man]

Through the Haze

gift for @negative-speedforce (Merry Christmas!!) Characters: Moon Hyun-Ki and Jessica Wells (both Revan's OCs) Word Count: 2.4k Content Warnings: heavy hypnotism/mind control themes, mentions of needles ____

"What would you say is the most important thing you've gained from being a part of SoulSong?"

"It's how I met Jessi," Hyun-Ki answered at once, the words tumbling from his mouth almost before the question was finished, "As joyful as it's been to travel the world and sing for millions of people, it's even more joyful to know I have her waiting for me when I come home."

Something twinged in the back of his mind, even as he spoke the words. They weren't... wrong, exactly: he loved Jessi with everything he had, so much that he felt the the entire world could've been held in her cupped palms, but hadn't there been a time when music was the most important part of his life? He loved his craft. He loved his bandmates. He loved seeing the sights, visiting a hundred cities and watching millions of fans share his love of music.

But he loved Jessi more.

When had he started loving Jessi more?

The reporter scrawled a few notes into his notepad, nodding vigorously. It was hardly a moment before he was back up, once again jabbing a microphone into Hyun-Ki's face. He was... more intense than the others usually seemed to be. There was a strange look on his face, oddly focused. It made Hyun-Ki's head spin. These interviews always did.

Come to think of it, his head always felt a little foggy. Just a little, hardly enough to notice when he was focused on something he knew well - like performing. But these media specials, the flood of questions and flashing lights, just seemed to move too fast for him.

Maybe he was overtired. He'd spent a long time performing. Perhaps he was due for a break.

"You and Jessi... the tabloids are all over it, I must say. They love you. But nobody's quite sure exactly how you two ended up together... so, any details you'd be willing to share?"

"It was all... very sudden. You could say it was an instant attraction," he answered, fighting hard to keep from grimacing. His head hurt. "I'm sorry, that's all I'm willing to share at this time. We'd like to keep our relationship private."

"That's understandable." the journalist agreed, scratching out a few notes as he spoke. Hyun-Ki wondered how he could manage it. His mind could barely navigate one thought at a time, let alone several. "Especially in the modern world, couples are more and more encouraged to bare their relationships to the limelight. I find it almost refreshing to see you and Jessica choosing to maintain your privacy."

"Thank you." he responded, unsure of what else to say.

"But, if you don't mind me asking..." the older man continued, clearing his throat to dispel the faint croak in his voice. Sudden panic danced up Hyun-Ki's spine. What was he about to ask? Something personal? Something he wouldn't- couldn't answer?

"Some of your fans have noticed a bit of a... a shift in your sense of humor recently." the journalist finally continued, and Hyun-Ki fought to shift his mind back into gear.

"My sense of humor?"

"Yes, well, a lot of SoulSong fans were drawn in by your- your wit. The found your sarcasm unique compared to the general climate of the K-Pop scene. And now... well- excuse me, sir, but these same fans are now saying you've softened."

"Softened?" Hyun-Ki repeated, though he mentally kicked himself for parroting exactly what the interviewer had said.

"It's left them wondering if you've lost interest in performing with SoulSong going forward."

"No!" he blurted, too fast, before he could stop himself. SoulSong was his passion, his world. What did he have if he couldn't perform? If he couldn't create?

He had Jessi. She was his world too.

Did he have to choose? He couldn't choose. He'd fallen head-over-heels in love with performing when he was young, when he'd seen his first live concert. And he'd fallen head-over-heels in love with Jessi six months ago. But it felt like years. It felt like he'd been with her his whole life. It felt like she was his whole life.

"I apologize for my outburst," Hyun-Ki muttered, trying to recover, "No, I fully intend to keep performing with SoulSong. Music is my passion, I couldn't walk away from that if I tried."

"I understand. And... other fans have been worried about your mental health? I've seen many concerns related to depression or other mood disorders, especially in the last six months."

He caught a shift of movement out of the corner of his eye, and fought hard not to turn his head. Jessi was lingering in the background, behind the cameras, out of sight. She said she loved to watch him in his element. And how could he refuse her? It wasn't hurting anybody.

"All I'll say is that if there's been any noticeable shift in my behavior, I'm sure it's just related to the stresses of our most recent tour. This is a global tour, as I'm sure you know, and all that travel does become exhausting," he answered, finally managing to string together a response that seemed somewhat coherent, "I apologize for any distress I may have caused my fans."

"They'll be glad to hear that." the reporter agreed, "Now, we're nearly out of time, but I did have one more question for you."

Hyun-Ki was silent, though he gave the journalist a faint nod of encouragement. The older man fumbled for his pockets, tucking the notepad away and instead removing his cell phone. He swiped at the screen for a moment or two, pulling something up.

He'd never seen a reporter reach for their cell phone in the middle of an interview before. Sometimes the lesser-experienced would use their phones to notate, or even to record voice memos for use later, but he'd never seen something like this. It struck him as vaguely unprofessional. No, more than vaguely- it made him wonder, very briefly, if there was something more in play.

Jessi was pacing. She hadn't drawn any nearer, still out-of-sight from the camera's watchful eye, but there was agitation in her movements. She'd noticed the same strangeness he had. Somehow, that both relieved him and doubled his anxiety.

"I'm sorry, I was expecting to have my materials prepared before we began," the reporter muttered, finally finishing with his phone, "There we go. Now, someone's noticed an interesting musical... I suppose you'd call it a riff, in the background of a few of your recent songs. They were wondering if it means, perhaps, bigger things are coming to the future of SoulSong? Perhaps a more thematic album?"

"Thematic meaning...?"

"Well, there's been a fan theory circulating that the next album may revolve around a wider narrative," the journalist continued, "Think Rush's twenty-one twelve album, or Pink Floyd's The Wall. They believe this hidden riff may be foreshadowing what comes next."

"Oh, well- I assure you, any hidden themes are completely unintentional. As far as I'm aware, we haven't hidden anything in our music." Hyun-Ki responded. Jessi was still pacing behind the cameras. It reminded him of a caged lioness, seeing her prey on the other side of the wall, just out of reach.

His head hurt.

"Do you mind if I play you a snippet of the theme? Maybe you could tell us what it is they're hearing. Ease their minds."

"Oh- sure, I suppose. If we have the time for it."

The reporter nodded, then tapped something on his phone. Out floated a stream of grainy, scratchy audio - clearly isolated from the background of a song, marred by static and interference.

It was Jessi's voice- no, darker, dangerous, not hers. But not... not hers. It was her voice, he knew her voice like he knew his own, she was a part of him. But it wasn't. This voice had power. This voice wormed its way into his head, straight into his brain, sound waves drilling like a jackhammer and breaking apart his thoughts.

He knew this song.

He'd never heard this song a day in his life.

Where was he? What was he doing? Bright lights, cameras, this man in front of him... an interview. How had he gotten here?

His heart hurt.

The sound only seemed to grow louder, spilling out of the phone like blood from an open wound. It wouldn't stop. He needed it to stop. He couldn't think.

Jessi. He needed Jessi. He loved her. He loathed her. He'd hardly met her.

Jessi.

Jessi?

The woman he loved. The woman he... the woman he'd recorded a song with. Once. He didn't know her. He'd needed a female voice. People loved the crossover. Not counting lyrics, he'd exchanged hardly a dozen words with her.

But he was here.

This was wrong.

Hyun-Ki was out of his seat before he knew it, so fast the chair tipped backwards and clattered against the linoleum floor. His legs were unsteady - he stuck out a hand and tipped a light stand as he tried to recover his balance. A louder crash. Breaking glass.

"Help me-" he blurted. His thoughts felt sharp, sharper than they'd felt in months. Sharper than they'd felt since... Jessi.

"Help me, please, I don't know what she did but she's got in my head," he stammered, surging up to the reporter and taking him by the shoulders. The man winced, but his eyes were wide with shock and realization. Hyun-Ki noticed but didn't stop. He couldn't stop.

"She's in my head, I'm not- I'm not me, something's wrong and you need to- you need to tell somebody, I never agreed to this, she's-"

"Security!" A woman's voice. Jessi's voice. Panicked. Frightened. It was all an act. He knew it was all an act. He knew she was playing to the cameras.

She said something else. He blocked it from his mind. He had to, or he'd slip back under her spell. He couldn't go back. He'd lost six months... how much more would he lose before she was done with him? How much longer spent in a stupor?

His words tumbled faster, out of control, as if the sound of his own voice could somehow drown out the sound of hers. The reporter now looked panicked, clutching his microphone in both hands like a weapon. He still couldn't stop.

"You were right, the song- it's her, she did something to me... it's not depression and it's not a message it's her it's all her you need to get me out of here I can't-"

Burly arms caught him across the chest, and he was startled enough to gasp. He kicked out on impulse and his feet found metal. The camera listed sideways, bumping a light stand in its path and sending the equipment down like a row of dominoes. All that was left standing was the reporter, still holding his microphone in a white-knuckled grip. He thought he heard Jessi scream, somewhere off in the distance.

Something sharp speared his neck. The word began to blur around him. Lead weights dragged at his limbs, even as he continued to struggle.

"You have to..." Hyun-Ki mumbled, fighting for words as his tongue went slack, "Get me out... away... from her..."

His vision blurred and doubled. He saw a smudge of pink approaching - her, Jessi, her hair - and tried to wriggle away. The arms tightened around him. He couldn't move. His thoughts dispersed into clouds of smoke.

He had to run. He had to leave.

He had to... to...

He had to sleep.

____

He awoke in a bed. His bed. He still felt vaguely blurry. He wished he could sink into the bed and disappear, to find Narnia somewhere between the sheets. The room was too bright around him, and he had to...

Get away he had to get away he had to-

"Hey there," A soft, musical voice greeted him, and calm washed over him like the tide. This was... easier. A gentle hand stroked his hair, eliciting a low, contented sound from him. "Are you feeling any better, sweetheart?"

"Mm." he mumbled, struggling to pull himself up from the fog, "Yeah. Better."

"That's good." Jessi agreed, and he felt the mattress dip as she sat down beside him. She continued to stroke his hair, speaking to him in the same soft voice. It sounded like a lullaby, calming him to sleep as if he were a child. His worries were trickling away, water through a cracked glass. Why had he wanted to get away? He was home. He was with Jessi. He was where he needed to be.

"You had some sort of psychotic break back there," she said, "You scared me. Don't do that again, okay?"

Hyun-Ki could only nod. He barely remembered the event - only that he'd knocked over a light in his panic, and frightened the interviewer. And there was... there was a song...

But with Jessi's voice still floating through the air around him, he couldn't seem to call it to mind.

"I think it's best if you take a break from SoulSong," Jessi was saying. Her voice was cotton, it was candlelight, it was music, and he was so focused on the melody that he almost missed the lyrics.

A break? From SoulSong? His world?

No. Jessi was his world. She was everything.

Why had he been worried?

"Hm. Why?" he managed, daring to open his eyes only to be blinded by sunlight around him. Jessi's fingers trailed down the side of his face, down to his neck, and there she pressed in until it stung. The needle. A sedative. The world blurring around him. He remembered.

"I think this tour's taking a lot out of you. You're exhausted. It's starting to affect your moods. I mean, hell, you went after that reporter like a rabid dog." she said, "So I talked to the other guys, and we all agreed that you need a break for a while."

"Who will...?"

"Sing?" she finished for him, "They'll hire someone to stand in for you. It's only temporary. Everything will be okay."

And he believed her.

He was here with Jessi, and everything would be okay.

[its-tortle]

wrapped game!!!! stucky (obvi) & number 23 my love xx

hi teesha! this one was slightly tough -- to me, this is a song about the religious iconization of technology and capitalism in our modern society -- but i think i made it work? it's a bit weird, but i hope you like it anyway!

You're gonna get yourself killed

Before you can run

Just 'cause you've got your own theme song

(Fastest gun in the solar system)

Don't think you're alone

Don't think you're whole, love

Don't mean that you're holy

Don't mean you're the only one

To save us all

The moments after returning to base camp are chaotic. There are so many soldiers at once, most of the celebratory, many of them exhausted. The troops from the base camp gather and mingle with the rescued soldiers, and for moment Bucky is lost in a sea of back-claps and cheers and a number of relieved and tearful hugs.

The whole thing is overwhelming, honestly, after the dank dark rooms of the Hydra base and the ache he still feels down to his tired bones. He slinks away the first moment he can.

He walks through the camp a little bit aimlessly, thinking he’ll find Steve’s tent or maybe just pass out in the first empty one he finds that isn’t too mothbitten. His eyes scan the sea of tarp and then the long lines of the barracks. There’s what looks to be stage beside it all, and while it has the desolate look about it that everything here does, it’s adorned with bright flags and banners in red, white, and blue. 

Bucky vaguely registers himself walk to it, not sure if it’s the colors that draw him to it -- brighter than he feels he’s seen in years -- or the peculiarity of the show stage amidst the hellscape they’re all living in.

As he steps closer, his eyes hone in on the set of posters stapled to the structure. They’re nearly as garish in color as the banners.

Captain America! they read. The Star-Spangled Man With a Plan.

The subtitles go on about the USO girls and the show to win the war. It all looks like a blur of patriotic bullshit that Bucky doesn't know he ever really believed, but certainly doesn't after what he’s seen here. He almost wants to rip the paper off of the wood.

But then, in the middle of all the pop up writing and star-spangled banners, is Steve’s face. It’s not a perfect likeness -- the nose is too straight and the eyes not green enough, and they didn’t get the freckle on his cheek -- but it’s Steve all the same. It’s his smile and his brow, and that familiar determined set to his jaw that is so familiar to Bucky, even if the jaw is a bit squarer than he’s used to.

Staring at the poster, there’s a twist of something in Bucky’s gut, something indefinable. There’s some pride in it, sure, and whole lot of love, but intwined with it is a sting of resentment and bitterness. Bucky almost hates the man on the poster. He loves Steve.

“There you are.”

Bucky jumps at the sudden voice behind him, immediately calmed by the familiar cadence. He turns to find Steve looking at him, his eyes the right shade of turquoise and his nose crooked from that fight with Tommy K. in fifth grade. The twisted something in Bucky’s chest warms.

“Hey,” he says a little dumbly. “I was- I needed some air.”

Steve just nods. His gaze on Bucky is heavy, and Bucky would be squirming beneath it if he didn’t know he was leveling the same one back at Steve.

After a moment, or maybe four, Steve gestures at the stage behind Bucky. “You missed the show,” he says, and his little self-deprecating smile is so familiar is makes Bucky want to cry.

“Was it any good?” he asks instead.

Steve shakes his head with a little snort. “Absolutely not. They threw stuff at me.”

“Can’t blame them,” Bucky says before he can tell himself not to. “I mighta done the same if it didn’t know it was you.”

Steve swallows, but then just nods again. He looks at Bucky like he knows there’s more coming. He’s always been able to read him like a book.

“I just-” He loosely gestures at the posters behind his shoulder. “What is this? Did you ask for this?”

Steve shakes his head quickly. “No. I didn’t. You know me, Buck.”

“Then why?”

“I wanted to fight,” Steve says, with such quick determination it almost cuts Bucky off. “I wanted to fight, and you were in Europe, and I kept getting kicked out of every enlistment center because I was 5’1’’ and couldn’t breathe right. So, when they gave me a chance, I took it. I didn’t know they were gonna put me in tights.”

Despite himself, Bucky can feel his lips quirk at the corners. “It’s not the tights I have a problem with.”

Steve snorts. Bucky’s lucky he can’t tell what flirting is, really.

“And anyway,” Steve continues, “I can’t be mad about it at the end of the day, cause it got me here. I- I got you back, and now I get to do what I set out to.”

Bucky is almost surprised, then wonders how he ever could have been. “You’re gonna fight.”

“Yeah,” Steve says. And then he must tell that Bucky is getting angry, because he lets out an exasperated huff and gestures to his body, the one that’s still so unfamiliar. “C’mon Buck, that’s what this was made for.”

“This?” Bucky repeats. Steve’s early retort had done nothing to soothe his anger. “What do you mean, this. Steve, it’s you. I don’t care that the serum is a weapon, not when it’s become your body.”

Steve’s shoulders square. “I’m not some fragile little kid anymore, Buck-”

“And yet you still have something to prove!” 

That shuts Steve up. Bucky watches his stony expression and feels his anger give way to desperation.

“I just-” He takes a deep breath. “I know you, and I know you want to- need to fight. And I will have your back, but I don’t want you to mistake your Captian America schtick for invincibility. Just because you’ve got big muscles and your own theme song doesn’t make you the sole holy hero that’s gonna win this war. You’re gonna get yourself killed, going into it alone.”

A muscle is Steve’s jaw twitches, and Bucky thinks he’s already learning how to read Steve through the changes in his body. After a moment, the blond nods.

“You’re right,” he says. “And I don’t- I didn’t ask to be the icon, really. I just wanted to keep you safe.”

Bucky laughs a little, despite that ever-twisting something in his gut. “Well, you better believe that goes both ways.”

Steve smiles then, and it’s one of those wide, pretty ones that set Bucky alight. He opens his arms, and Bucky steps in between them like he’s been doing it for years. His cheek fits perfectly in the crook of Steve’s shoulder.

“Thanks for calling me out on my bullshit, Buck,” Steve mumbles into the side of Bucky’s head.

Bucky laughs into Steve’s skin. “That’s what I’m here for, punk.”

send me a number and a ship and i'll write a ficlet to match the song on my wrapped playlist!

[sytokun]

there's so many cool but missed opportunities in rwby for their characters, like sun! yk how he's based of "sun wukong" from journey to the west? IK its FOUR characters to a team but i think it would have really been cool if they took more inspo from journey to the west and made HIS team journey to the west characters

Honestly I think that'd be really cool to base the rest of SSSN on the other Journey to the West characters, especially when the basis for a four-man team is already there. And knowing that SSSN was modeled after K-pop boy band Big Bang, imagining the Journey characters as modern hot boys already sounds like an otome-game level move that would fit RWBY pretty well.

That said, if you're making your own interpretation of SSSN, such as by rewrite or AU, you're free to do so. It depends on whether you put more stock into a more cohesive theme for the team, or their original canon inspirations.

...Which is a good opportunity for me to talk about the sketches I did for Sun's team in RWBY: Remnants some time ago. They won't be appearing for a super long time, but I might as well talk about them now.

Here, I renamed them as Team SNSD (pronounced "Sunset"), with Sun Wukong, Neptune Vasilias, Sage Ayana and Scarlet David. (yes, I am aware there is a K-pop group with the same name, the synchronicity is not lost on me) They're still based on their original allusions as I wanted to work within the constraints of canon here, but the full Journey team may be too good to pass up, so I'll consider coming back in the future to tackle it.

People have always been divided on Team SSSN's name, with many preferring to rename them as SSNS ("Seasons"). I do get it - Team SSSN ("Sun") has that kind of dumb, corny "how do you spell?" vibe that matches a team of himbos. But I think having three S's for one word is just going a step too far into... just plain dumb.

Sun is pretty much the same here, but I decided to dial back towards his Asian features and grey eyes - though they're black here cause I like black eyes too. I also added the Monkey's King's famous golden headband, the jǐn gū zhòu, around his neck.

Neptune is pretty much the same here - honestly I really like his original design and think it's one of those "if it ain't broke don't fix it" situations - but I do want to redesign him more in the future to better reflect his allusion as Poseidon.

For Scarlet, I wanted to lean more into their "pirate king" vibe and androgynous appearance, so of course the coat-cape slung over the shoulders is a must. I also wanted to change their Semblance into something similar to their canon one but... not boring.

Instead of just gliding, Scarlet can either control air currents (and I do mean that in a very loose, fantasy way) or affect the trajectory of any moving object their Aura recently comes into contact with. This Semblance is called Pixie Dust, and instead of a gun and cutlass, Scarlet wields two guns, either named Hook and Darling like in canon... or Faith and Trust (geddit). They can use this Semblance to fly, and infuse their bullets with their Semblance when loading them to cause them to curve in midair when fired. Yes, basically like that one movie, Wanted.

People who don't like physics breaking in live action movies hated the bullet curving mechanic, but I think it'd be a perfect fit in RWBY's universe. It adds a much-needed cool factor, and picturing Scarlet engraving smug comments and poetic farewells onto their bullets like lethal fortune cookies injects an element of charisma and playfulness to what I think is a really underutilised character, and one based on Peter Pan no less.

Now for Sage, he had a very ambiguous allusion. Some say he was based on an Aesop fable, and others on Hindu mythology.

Glad to know Miles Luna doesn't know the allusion to one of his own characters, especially knowing that SSSN is one of the earliest teams designed for RWBY, predating JNPR. But sure, let's give him the benefit of the doubt like we always do for CRWBY. /s

Given that this was so ambiguous and he also had no Semblance, I decided to take some liberties with Sage, and given his surname and appearance, I decided to look to Hindu mythology for Sage's allusion - a really cool but unexplored source of inspiration in RWBY. I was looking at some famous warriors and gods of myth like Arjuna, but I eventually settled on Kartikeya.

Kartikeya is the Hindu god of war. Known for riding a peacock and sometimes depicted having six heads, he also wields a spear with a leaf-shaped blade called a vel. In other countries he is named Murugan, and has a famous statue of him in Malaysia's Batu Caves.

I've redesigned Sage's clothes to more reflect Indian fashion (albeit a fantasy version of such) and with peacock feather motifs on his collar and chest. Sage here also fights with this spear instead of a greatsword, which you can see him holding in the sketch. His Semblance, Sanmukha ("Six-faced"), allows him to see in six different directions at once, having total 360° vision around himself. This vision can also pierce solid objects within a certain range.

While not immensely powerful by itself, Sage uses this to gain an almost unparalleled martial prowess, spatial awareness and foresight in combat, reflecting the god of war's own wisdom and skill. While I do really like the Roman numeral tattoos on his neck, I was also considering using Sanskrit or Tamil script - I should try that next time I go back to his design.

So yeah, that's Team SNSD from me! I'm pretty attached to Indian Sage, but next time I come back to them I want to take a shot at basing them after Tripitaka, Zhu Bajie (Pigsy) and Sha Wujing (Sandy) from Journey. I also need to be sure actual Hindu people are fine with him, since Kartikeya is still a widely-worshipped god in current times unlike Thor or Poseidon, so I hoped this portrayal of Sage as alluding to him is respectful enough.

[writergirl3]

4 Town As Songs I Shamelessly Loop

What it says! I've been feeling way more inspired after my week-long trip away. I dove back into my playlists and came up with this idea. Thanks for anyone who's still stuck around after my sorta hiatus. I'm gonna be updating more often again!

Enjoy my absolutely shambolic music taste and look out for more content soon 🧡

Robaire;

Vision of Love - Mariah Carey

'You treated me kind, sweet destiny! And I'll be eternally grateful, Holding you so close to me.'

Something about this song just screams 'Robaire' to me. The mix of slow jam sensuality and jaw-dropping vocals is so on brand for him.

This song is a classic and I could definitely imagine Robaire singing this either before fame in a talent contest or as a solo artist later down the road. Let's face it, if anyone can rival Mariah's whistle tones, it's Robaire.

Jesse;

Whatsername - Green Day

'I made a point to burn all of the photographs. She went away, and then I took a different path.'

So, I personally hc Jesse as being an ex member of the alternative rock scene. He went through many phases, but his grunge/punk time was one for the books. And like any good punk rocker, he still loves Green Day.

The chilled, mellowness of this song is reminds me of him, too. That and the lyricism, the theme of leaving a romantic interest in the past. I feel like he'd have related to this song with the mom of his kids. He'd definitely have had some long drives blasting this song, screaming out the lyrics as the melody builds.

Aaron T;

Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing - Stevie Wonder

'Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama. 'Cause I'll be standing on the side When you check it out.'

My God, this song is T to a T. The Latin American flavour, the garbled Spanish in the intro, the upbeat playfulness. It's all him.

Plus, we know T is a supportive friend and S/O. He has a positive outlook on life, and he definitely passes that on to his loved ones. Bolstering them up to take on life's challenges while waiting in the wings to support them through it all.

Aaron Z;

Lavender Haze - Taylor Swift

'Staring at the ceiling with you, Oh, you don't ever say too much. And you don't really read into my melancholia.'

I won't lie, this song gave me inspiration to do this post in the first place. Something about it reminds me of Z. Maybe it's the purple aesthetic, the sombre beats, the whole vibe of giving no f*cks. I don't know, it's all just very Z.

Plus, I feel like he's a night owl. Finding peace in that time of the night when everyone else is asleep and he can let his imagination run wild. Part of him comes alive at that magical midnight hour, and that's what this song is all about to me.

✨Bonus ✨; In the modern AU, I hc Z as having a fat secret crush on Ms Swift. T's definitely planning an embarrassing encounter between them at some point.

Tae Young;

Intro; Persona - BTS

'Persona, who the hell am I? I just wanna go, I just wanna fly. I just wanna give you all the voices till I die. I just wanna give you all the shoulders when you cry.'

I know, I know- picking a K-pop song for Tae-

Buuuuut, I genuinely feel like this song is so Tae. It's all about discovering yourself through supporting those you love most. As I hc Tae as bisexual, and we all know he's the youngest, he's still growing into himself. But he has so much love to give, and the members and 4 Townies see that.

Also, this song is super rogue but honestly such a bop. It's catchy and a lil feisty, and we know that Tae isn't all sunshine and rainbows.

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Musing Meaninglessly Masterlist

[softquietsteadylove]

what do you think which kind of music every eternal is listening to? every eternal but makkari of course

Aww, this is so cute an ask!

Okay, so I guess there are a few layers to this answer.

Ikaris, I don't think he listens to music--I don't think he lets himself have fun like that. Like I know we see him in modern clothes, but I bet he's actually that old man who doesn't have a phone and he pawns ancient artifacts for cash. But if he does indulge in music, then I think he's like a gym bro who unironically listens to that, like, 'it's about drive, it's about power' song.

Sersi actually does listen to music. She loves it! What a beautiful expression of humanity! She likes all types, all styles, all cultures and languages! I think her personal faves are indie vibes, maybe First Aid Kit? She loves the emotional music of Adele and Florence and the Machine, and she definitely listened to the ten minute version of All Too Well on repeat when it came out. Poor girly went through the longest term breakup possible. But I also think she likes, like, Maneskin, maybe some J-pop/K-pop stuff? I think she would like the idea of the large group having a family dynamic (poor thing misses home).

Sprite listens exclusively to, like, emo music, I think. And I know that's a dated term, but seriously, emo punk from the 2000s was their thing. She loves angsty love ballads, but she would never tell anyone that, ever. Because no one understands her--she's not like other immortals.

Phastos liked old music, I think. Soul and blues and jazz and he likes love songs, because he and Ben dance to them at home. He definitely says things like he doesn't 'get' music these days. Ben tries to expose him to more music but Phastos is like I've heard it all before, babe. Jack listens to overstimulating remixes of songs at home and Phastos tries to figure out how to turn off all sound in the world.

Druig is such a hipster and only likes instrumental music. I bet he listens to ancient gregorian chants. Maybe he likes some classic Celtic music, some folk stuff and classical. Maybe when he's out in the modern world he's not opposed to some punk rock. He would love MCR and Fallout Boy with Sprite back in the day, and maybe Bivattchee and Asian Kung Fu Generation.

Makkari would love all kinds of music, I think, but she loves, like, dance and EDM, because she can feel the beat and the rhythm of the remixes so well. She loves jumping and dancing around to them, and she loves watching other people having a great time dancing to them too! Every once in a while, if Druig is listening to something with earbuds or something, she'll lean against him to feel what he's listening to.

Ajak likes mom/grandma music. I don't have any better way to put it. She likes old country songs (not American nationalist propaganda, I mean c o u n t r y music). She loves doo-wop and 60s bops and old songs from the 20s. Can't Help Falling in Love with You is what she sings while doing the dishes.

Gil loves love, because he's soft and sweet. He listens to the lyrics of songs more than genre or melody. He loves ballads and love songs and slow dance numbers. He likes old vinyls and puts them on at home on an old record player and dances with Thena around the kitchen. And I mean if we're talking about different circumstances, then he loves 'girly' music. And he would never be embarrassed about that! He loves love songs, and sappy pop ballads and happy, boppy songs. Look at the man's apron!

Thena likes whatever Gil likes. She's not a lyrics girly, so if it sounds nice, she'll like it, and if Gil likes it, she'll love it. If she's popping in earbuds at the gym or something, maybe she'll listen to wordless workout remixes, but I think her taste might be a little bland otherwise (sorry).

Kingo likes listening to himself. He's that actor who sings songs for his own projects, and he listens to them all the time. But otherwise I think he likes whatever's trendy. Just listens to top trending, has broad and diverse tastes. I do think he likes pop groups because he likes learning the dances. He's a performer, y'know?

[eunique]

new york, london, paris, munich, everybody's talking about how awful modern pop music is.

I used to think that modern pop music is awful. Now, not so much. Awful is a strong word and I'd rather use simpler. That is, in terms of hamorny wise.

However, your claim is incenuating that pop music is objectively bad. That, I wholeheartedly disagree with.

In general, if you wanted to write pop music, you'd really need chords I, IV, V, vi and V7 if you wanted to add a bit of ✨spice✨ to it. Learn those 5 chords and you can basically play almost any pop song or write an easy pop song. That is only harmony wise and we haven't even gotten into the instrumentation, textures and timbre of the music. There are exceptions to this where some pop songs will use chords that us, as listeners, don't typically expect to hear in modern pop songs.

And putting aside the harmony part, you've also got instrumentation. What you're typically thinking of anon (I assume), is stuff that is all made electronically through a DAW. I will admit, some of the stuff does end up sounding similar and that's more in part with the bass or the kick beat of a song and the sample library used that really factors into that.

A major factor into why pop music almost sounds the same is basically the above but also the fact, music has trends. Like everything else, music goes through phases where certain things will be in favour over other things. Go listen to songs from the early 2010s and you'll hear a lot of similarities between each song. You can hear this in different eras of classical music (classical music as in the genre overall, not the era though that also has trends within it's own era).

Another factor, especially with music within the last 2, maybe 3 years, is that pop music nowadays tends to pull influences from many different genres but mainly R & B and Hip-Hop. This means that the lines for what is defined as pop music is blurred as many songs can fall into many different genres. Take Dua Lipa's Dance the Night for example, you can classify it as pop but you can also tell the song has disco influences but could also technically fall under disco and there are so many pop songs that can fall under other genres. There is no clear cut line of what is truly pop music.

And don't get me into the tik-tok-ification of music because that is a whole other discussion in itself. But just so we all know, it has really factored into pop music as of recent years.

However that being said, the above I just said mainly applies to western pop music. What about pop music from outside of the west?

Pop music from other countries such as China, has their own version of pop music (called mando-pop or C-pop). While they do follow western songwriting structures (verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, bridge, recapitulation, end) integrate their own spin on it.

C-pop will integrate traditional Chinese instruments and/or traditional Chinese performance arts such as Peking Opera into their songs. Listen to Jay Chou or even Lay Zhang. Some of their songs integrate Chinese integuments or Chinese opera.

K-pop uses incredibly interesting harmonies in their music and subverts listeners' expectations incredibly well. Go watch react to the K on YouTube. They have a long running series called Classical Musicians React where classical musicians react to K-pop and analyse the music.

J-pop has its own instrumentations and their sample libraries are completely different from what the western pop music sample libraries are. The way J-pop will use those libraries and push it to it's limits is what makes it so interesting. Hell, they even made a synth voicebank (vocaloid) and that in itself is it's subgenre.

All of those I've just mentioned is only 3 of so many other pop music from other nations. So to say all pop music is awful is a very narrow minded view point to be looking at it. Yes, all of those can fall subject to sounding similar but this I'm talking about western pop vs. International pop music.

Of course art is subjective. Music is a form of art so it is subjective from person to person. If pop, isn't for you, that is fine. But pop maybe someone else's favourite genre. If you think all pop is awful then that's your opinion. I personally think pop does have its moments where it does shine. Do I prefer international pop over western pop? Absolutely! But I think pop is still a valuable genre. Can't complain about more music to listen to.

Regardless, I think it's really important to broaden your listening horizons and listen to all kinds of music because it allows you to see what the music scene is like for other places in the world or what music was like maybe during the 60s or even the Baroque Period. That's just my 2 cents on this anon's opinion.