#i don't know i prefer chorus because he sings in it

[harrysfolklore]

Can you write an imagine of Harry inspired by that clip of Taylor playing call it what you want on the guitar in miss americana where he’s recording you as you play him the song you wrote for him plsss 🙏🏼

golden hour - hs

A HARRY FIC OMG??? this is really short but i needed to write a harry fic to get the creative juices flowing so thank youuuu for this request, i hope you like this!

MASTERLIST | MY PATREON

You sat cross-legged on the plush rug of your living room, your acoustic guitar resting comfortably on your lap. The late afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm, golden glow over the room. Harry was sprawled on the couch opposite you, looking cozy as ever in a green jumper and joggers.

"Are you ready?" you asked, glancing up at him with a mix of excitement and nerves.

"Absolutely, love," Harry smiled at you, "Why do you always get nervous when you're about to play a song for me. It's just me, love"

"Because," you began, running your fingers through the strings of your guitar, "It's a song I wrote about you, and It's really sappy."

"I love sappy," Harry's smile widened, a soft chuckle leaving his lips, "Especially when it's about us, or just you being a simp over me."

You rolled your eyes with affection, "I'm going to start singing before I completely regret it."

"Wait," Harry said before you could start, "Can I record you? It would be a cute memory."

"Of course you can, but don't leak it to TMZ," you joked and he grabbed his phone from the coffee table in front of him, opening his camera.

"I'll keep it just for us, promise." He adjusted himself on the couch, holding his phone up to get a clear view of you. "Alright, ready when you are, my love."

"Okay this is Golden Hour, take one from our living room," you said looking at the camera, "Let's go."

You took a deep breath and began strumming the opening chords of the song you had written your fingers danced across the strings with ease.

All that I know Is you caught me at the right time Keep me in your glow 'Cause I'm havin' such a good time with you

Baby, don't you know That you're my golden hour The color of my sky You set my world on fire And I know, I know everything's gonna be alright

You sang softly, watching as Harry's eyes beamed with happiness and amusement as he listened to the words pouring from your heart.

You kept on singing and playing your guitar, mouthing an "I love you" to Harry before reaching the final chorus, your smile as wide as his.

And when the song came to an end, you let the final chord hang in the air for a moment, and you looked up to see Harry, his expression one of pure adoration.

"That was... beautiful, love," Harry said and he stopped the recording and sat his phone down "You never cease to amaze me. I don't think I've ever felt this loved."

"Harry, stop," you set the guitar gently on the floor and covered your face, "You're going to make me cry."

Harry chuckled, moving from the couch to sit beside you on the rug.

"No need to hide, love. It's just me, remember?" he gently pulled your hands away from your face, holding them in his.

"I know, but still," you murmured, a small smile playing on your lips.

"Well, you should know that your song made me the happiest man alive," he said, leaning in to kiss your forehead. "You have no idea how much I love you."

"I might have an idea," you teased, pecking his lips quickly.

"Now, how about we make this a tradition? You play me a song every week. Deal?"

"Only if you promise to write a song for me too. It's only fair," you raised an eyebrow playfully.

"Oh, it's a deal, love. Just you wait. I'll write the sappiest song you've ever heard," he pecked your lips again, "Or what about the horniest song you've ever heard, huh? What do you prefer, sappy or horny?"

"Your horny songs are all about fruit anyway," you teased again, making him laugh, "I'm happy you liked the song, baby."

"I loved it," he said softly, pulling you into a warm embrace. "And I love you."

[starzwithapen]

⭑˚��‧° ♢ 𓆩♡𓆪 ♢ °‧₊˚⭑

JOHN DORY / READER ☆ DUET?

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

☆summary: Brozone happens to play on the radio, and JD's appalled to find out you're not a fan

☆content: reader is not a pop-troll, reader is gender neutral, lowkey crackfic lmao, established relationship

☆a/n: Silver wrote this one!! And okay we KNOW realistically JD would tell his partner about being in brozone but for the sake of the comedic factor in the fic he's hiding it shshsshshhsbshshsh

⭑˚₊‧° ♢ 𓆩♡𓆪 ♢ °‧₊˚⭑

You'd been sitting in the driver's seat, driving Rhonda around [a rare occurrence, but JD indulged you just this once] while John Dory stirred his sugar into his mug, handing you yours with a kiss to your cheek. You nod at him gratefully, looking down at the buttons spread across in front of you, one of them particularly sticking out to you.

“Woah, wait, I didn't know Rhonda had a radio.”

John Dory leans against the back of your seat, arms wrapped around you from behind, “ehh, I don't use it often in case it scares off all the animals.”

He pokes your arm playfully, eyes glancing out the window, “we're pretty far out, though, should be fine to listen to some tunes.”

You insert a random channel number, turning the volume upwards. This one seems to be a host speaking about the weather, so you switch to the next- sounds like a cheesy pop song of some kind, probably a boy band. You snort at the lyrics- you didn't know anyone could fit that many synonyms of “girl” into one song.

You switch onto the next channel without catching John Dory's wide, shit-eating grin, and the immediate way his face practically crumples apart, “wuh- hey, what's wrong with that last song? It was really good.”

“Okay, I know you're a pop-troll,” you start, trying to find a channel with your preferred music, “but you have to remember I'm not. That stuff hurts my ears.”

John Dory leans backwards, arms crossing around his chest, “Okay, yeah, you don't like pop music, but why that song specifically? I was really jamming out to it, y'know.” He makes that smug smile of his that normally has your cheeks heating, “guy's a lyrical genius if you ask me.”

You stare at him, unimpressed, because he's got to be joking if he thinks that song has deep lyrics.

“JD, he just rhymed baby with baby. Three times in a row. Within the same chorus.”

“Hey, it's hard to think of rhymes that don't throw off the choreo, okay?” He points an accusing finger in your direction before pausing, forcing a nonchalant pose and pursing his lips, “Or- uh, or so I've heard.”

“Yeah, yeah, that's what you pop-trolls always say. I think that guy just needs to pick up a dictionary every once in a while.”

You don't actually care about the song that much, but seeing John Dory get this riled up over it is funny enough for you to go further,

“I bet you I could write a better song by the end of the week than that guy has his whole career.”

John Dory's grin turns wolfish, and oh boy, you should've known better than to try and challenge him, even jokingly,

“Oh you bet, do you? We'll see about that.”

—-------------------

This whole thing was going. Uh. Badly.

Your conversation had escalated into another one of your bets, which you surprisingly lose more often than not, most likely because you bite off more than you can chew. John Dory's unfortunately very aware of this, and throws you bait whenever he can. This time was no different. Winner gets one request for the loser.

You are not a song-writer by any means. You're a troll, yes, trolls sing and dance! But you don't write songs! The most experience you have with rhyming is a shitty poem you made as a teenager that never saw the light of day.

You'd started with listening to more of Brozone's music, and okay, you have to admit, some of their songs were actually really good okay. You'd caught yourself humming them more than once throughout the day, and John Dory always gives you that smug look from your peripherals before leaning in to kiss you senseless. He knew you were coming around to them and it was humiliating, and he was also concerningly elated by it.

While listening you've come to realise the lead singer sounds oddly similar to John Dory, just with a higher pitch and none of that raspiness. Like, freakishly similar. It's had you thinking John Dory's calling for you when he's just sound asleep, and the fact you misheard Brozone's “baby” or “honey” as JD is frankly embarrassing.

You groan and slump against the couch, the pen tumbling out your hand and clattering onto the ground below. Okay, you had to admit, this was really difficult. You were suddenly gaining so much more respect for boy bands.

You'd wanted to use this ridiculous bet as an opportunity to show off, or…even bring you and JD closer together- you know how important music is to him, so getting to write him a love song under the guise of a bet? It's a perfect chance handed to you on a silver platter!

But you just can't seem to think of the words- it's already been a week and so far you've written, what? 4 verses? And they all sucked. You wanted it to mean something- you wanted it to sound poetic and elegant and meaningful all at once, unlike those silly songs on the radio, but it just wouldn't work out!

You muffle a frustrated shout into your hands, pulling them away from your face when you hear footsteps, looking up to see John Dory towering over you.

“You give up yet?” His smile is adorable infuriating to look at, so you cast your gaze aside, huffing and grabbing your pen off the floor.

“No, ‘course not.”

He hums, patient for you to admit defeat, trying to take a peek at your notebook from up above, though you're not too worried since he can't read upside down [or at all, you've come to suspect].

“Okay, fine, I give up. You win.”

John Dory lets out a ‘whoop!’ and throws a fist upwards in celebration, smile so wide you're afraid he'll split his face apart.

You sigh, “Okay, hit me with it, I'm doing the dishes for a full week? Scrubbing Rhonda's windows?”

“Sing a duet with me.”

“This is so unfair, you know I hate doing the dishes- wait- huh?”

John Dory looks at you with a hopeful gleam in his eyes, holding his palm out for you to take, “Sing a duet with me. C'mon, don't think I haven't seen you swaying to my- uh, ahem, Brozone's music the past few days.”

He recovers quickly from his slip-up, tugging you upwards once you take his hand. He carefully starts up his record player, and you're surprised to find you recognise the song immediately, since it'd become a favourite of yours this past week.

“You know this one?” JD grins in your direction, one hand on your waist and the other on your shoulder, his touch gentle yet firm, “think I've heard you hum it a few too many times during breakfast.”

The song starts off slow, as does your dancing, the both of you simply swaying together- you don't exactly…dance often, so your movements are clumsy while his are self-assured.

The lyrics are cheesy, all about young teenage love, but…they make you feel giddy, your steps becoming lighter, your heart fluttering about. And, well, the song may not have deep mind-blowing lyrics, but you think that's the point of it. It's just meant to be fun, have your blood pumping and your heart soaring.

“We're grown adults, this song is for highschoolers.” You say, though your smile is fonder this time. John Dory chuckles and spins you around in his arms, making your head spin in more ways than one, your feet tripping up over his, “C’mon, live a little! Who says we can't be young and free in our mid-thirties?”

You stumble in place, trying to blink the dizziness out your eyes.

“JD, I'm gonna knock you out.” You try your best to grumble, but it only comes out flustered with how hot your cheeks are.

He smirks, twirling you around, “You've already knocked me-” his foot slides under yours, and you fall down into his arms with a yelp as he catches you in a perfect dip- “off my feet.”

Just before you can spew another insult at him for catching you off-gaurd like this, he leans in to kiss you, lips melding against yours sweetly. You melt into it, his arms secured around you so you don't fall, the music fading into background noise in your mind. You know your voice will be hoarse from singing and your muscles sore from dancing by the end of the night, and you wouldn't have it any other way.

⭑˚₊‧° ♢ 𓆩♡𓆪 ♢ °‧₊˚⭑

Would be superr cool if you left feedback if you enjoyed it's super helpful and much appreciated ! this guy is so cringefail I NEED HIM. -silver

[yridenergyridenergy]

Dir en grey interview translation notes around The Devil In Me

Just some of the more interesting bits from the single's booklet and from PHY vol. 25.

Kyo

He was the one who came up with the title, and the title was determined before they even attached a song to it. The band basically decided to set a date for a new single ahead of time, not too long after 19990120's release, then they had just one song selection meeting (usually, they have three) to pick a song to work with toward becoming "The Devil In Me". After scheduling a release date, they had to pick a title before even knowing what song would be part of that release for production/logistical reasons.

Kyo wrote the lyrics of The Devil In Me based on his sense of dissociation from world events, how his own issues are not aligned with what the world cares about. He finds that people's lives are sometimes pre-determined the moment they are born. It's really a reflection on: "Why am I the way I am?"

The chorus has so many layers because Kyo wanted to illustrate that inner evil, or wickedness.

While re-recording Yokan, Kyo realized that he used to sing in short bouts, taking a breath more regularly, whereas he's evolved to sing as much as he can in a single, long breath now.

The small changes made to the lyrics of Cage just serve to help Kyo feel more immersed in that old poem, but if he'd wanted to change the lyrics to represent his current mindset, clearly he would have composed a completely new, different song.

Kyo commented in PHY vol. 25 that if the producers wanted a band that sells a lot, they would have had to replace him with someone who is taller, has a nice face and that composes songs that appeal to a wider audience. But around their debut, Kyo had to bend to some of the producers' demands because he had to rely on their knowledge of what would make the band successful. He wanted to make a very dark band, but he had to accept to make songs like Yokan.

"It wouldn't be appropriate to sing about corpses and internal organs to a melodious song such as Yokan (lol)."

Kyo feels like Dir en grey is the toughest band for him to be a part of, because the band's shows are especially mentally difficult.

Kaoru

The music of The Devil In Me was Kaoru's idea.

Kaoru agrees that the song kind of ends in a way that the band could have, in the past, followed up on with a second section of the song, but they felt like ending it in a more simple way now, which still represents the band's current state.

Die

The band had a discussion in a dressing room during Tour23 Phalaris Final –The scent of a peaceful death- and that's where they came to an understanding of where they wanted to take the band next. Kyo brought them ideas on what he felt that the next single song should sound like, but in the end, at the selection meeting, the majority of the band chose a completely different song than the other of the 5 that Kyo preferred. He's fine with letting the majority win.

Die started working out in 2018 to make sure to stay in shape for stage performances, and I think that he mentioned that it's important for him to appear young and healthy so that the fans who follow the band also don't feel old.

For Die, he was in part less active on stage during the Dum Spiro Spero era because the songs were dark and complex, so he had to focus more. Because of that, he couldn't enjoy the actual shows as much.

Toshiya

Toshiya mentioned that doing commemorative tours and shows is really just fan service.

Toshiya described Dir en grey as a group of five dictators. Their enemies and friends/allies are all inside that group, and the past 25(+) years have been a continuation of challenges to bring the band forward despite this type of chemical reaction between five egos.

Apparently the band never has casual "weird" conversations where they chat about their interests of the moment, but they quietly observe the others without interacting, like by observing what kind of clothes they wear or are into.

Shinya

Contrary to the band's habit, the vocals did not even exist yet when Shinya had to compose and record his drumming for The Devil In Me. When the vocals were eventually recorded, they kind of matched what Shinya had expected.

However, overall, a couple of members of the band feel like The Devil In Me might be a song that people react to with: "I don't get it", rather that just liking or disliking it.

Shinya dissing The Marrow of a Bone again hahah.

Shinya described The Devil In Me as mysterious, inexplicable.

He started taking some lessons from Buck-Tick's "Anii" (Toll Yagami) to learn a new drumming method. In the past, at the very beginning of his career, Shinya used to wear lead weights at his ankles to hit the pedal heavier and develop muscles, but Yoshiki and other seniors told him how to actually play and he quickly got rid of the weight belts.

[journey-to-the-attic]

rating all of the om songs (so far) to pass time on the train LET'S GO

i was going to split these into separate posts but Ah who CARES they're all here now. for the intents and purposes of this post i am leaning more positive to the romance aspects (usually i'm more ambivalent). looong post ahead!

(i'm considering the lyrics based on the direct unofficial translations credited to Maon_ObeyMe on twitter, rather than the official english versions)

CHARACTER SONGS

Arcadia (Lucifer) -> Sonically: 7/10 I'm oddly into that one synth that comes in after the chorus. The violin stings are cool. Fun to vibe to! Points knocked off because he kind of doesn't sound like Lucifer, though. -> Lyrically: 5/10 Points removed (derogatory) for "lady", other points removed (affectionate) for the hilarity of "I'm fall in love u baby". You can tell it was written when they were still clinging somewhat to the dominant diet Christian Grey thing, but a lot of the lines are still genuinely romantic (while also being very Lucifer.) -> Overall: 7/10 I scrunch my face when I get to That One Line but otherwise I do pick this to listen to semi-regularly.

Are You Ready? (Mammon) -> Sonically: 6/10 Banger, but repetitive. Good rhythm to walk to. Hirotaka Kobayashi's delivery makes it. -> Lyrically: 6/10 Points docked for repetitiveness, but it's cute to see this side of him verbalised. Gender neutral high heels are a serve. -> Overall: 6/10 I don't relisten to this one quite as much as Arcadia, but I think that's just a genre preference.

My Chance! (Levi) -> Sonically: 8/10 The mixing on his voice is a bit weird, but it fits in with the chiptune sound, which I adore. Really catchy chorus. I also really like that soft bell insturment that's playing along with the main melody. -> Lyrically: 8/10 Really cute! Levi's characterised really well here. I love his little spoken interjections - Satoshi Kada is one of my favourite VAs in terms of delivery. (Levi's lines are some of the best in either of the voiced pop quizzes.) -> Overall: 8/10 Cute and fun to listen to. It's really easy to imagine a music video for this one.

Read My Heart (Satan) -> Sonically: 8/10 Really pretty piano instrumental, but I feel like there could've been a bit of variation. On the one hand, layering in some strings could've sounded really nice, but on the other, it does feel more personal as a solo piano ballad. Shinya Sumi has a really nice voice. -> Lyrically: 9/10 Very sweet, almost poetic, very Satan. The reference to cats doesn't feel heavy-handed. It feels like he wrote it. -> Overall: 9/10 I really like the bridge. It has a sort of lullaby quality as well, so it's nice to fall asleep to, or listen to when you need to calm down.

Pomade (Asmo) -> Sonically: 7/10 It's better-produced than some of the songs I've given a higher sonic rating, but this is more a matter of preference - this song isn't super my style. -> Lyrically: 10/10 EXCELLENT. The journey Asmo goes on? Starting out singing about himself and tempting you, then shifting to singing about you (You are my captive -> I am your captive) - the way it basically reflects his arc in OM S1? Chef's kiss. Beautiful. -> Overall: 7/10 I don't listen to it that often but I do think about those lyrics. They're so good. This is how you write a character song.

Hungry Six-Pack (Beel) Sonically: 8/10 I'm a sucker for that 'wah' effect on the guitar. I really like the rock sound, but I think it was done better in Barbatos's song. (Sorry, Beel.) Kyohei Yaguchi also does a really good job on the performance - you really get the feeling that this is how Beel himself would perform in a band. The interval in "darou" in the chorus is to die for, as is the "forever, forever-ah-ah-ah" in the last chorus. Lyrically: 6/10 Even in songs Beel cannot escape the "they only know how to write him with one character trait" allegations (/hj). To be fair, it'd be hard to get into his deeper character without dipping into lyrics about survivor's guilt, which I feel wasn't what they were going for. Overall: 7/10 I like to imagine him performing this at a bar. Also, total aside, but I really don't like that title.

Dreamscape (Belphie) -> Sonically: 9/10 I'm not usually a lo-fi person, but the vibes are perfect for Belphie and I really like this composition. -> Lyrically: 7/10 Really cute, but pretty basic - then again any of the songs' lyrics seem so when you compare them to the Queen Pomade. I do like how much Belphie's needy little-brother nature comes through here. "Hey, come see me, please?" Makes me want to pinch his cheek. -> Overall: 9/10 The sound alone carries it. I listen to it pretty regularly.

No.1 (Diavolo) -> Sonically: 9/10 Takuhei Yamamoto is giving it so much oomph and it's fantastic and also very in-character for Diavolo himself. He would be that enthusiastic. He would throw his head back and belt like that mic was made for him. (I find the "Sā, hora!" before the chorus really cute.) -> Lyrically: 6/10 It feels a little weird that he's doing the dominant thing in the lyrics here, but his sin attribute is apparently pride, and it's interesting that they chose this characterisation for him given he's usually so affable. (It's not like it came out of nowhere, to be fair - Diavolo basically admits to it on occasion, he seems to just hold it back, usually.) -> Overall: 7/10 Solid song that I don't listen to all that often for some reason.

Crazy About You (Barbatos) -> Sonically: 10/10 Absolute banger. The guitar solo makes me want to run through walls. Masayuki Harada's performance as Barbatos is also both spot-on and pitch perfect. That "Ahh-" leading into the chorus is gorgeous. I'm not the biggest fan of the spoken lines, but I appreciate that they're there for those truly starved stans who don't get nearly enough of him in the main story. -> Lyrically: 8/10 Perhaps oddly I really like his mix of servitude and sternness here. Feels playful in a way that I think really works for his dynamic with MC. (If only they'd utilise it in the game.) -> Overall: 10/10 It's just that much of a banger. Barbatos I'm so sorry for what the NB remix did to you. You were too powerful.

My Wish (Luke) -> Sonically: 6/10 Gonna be honest I completely forgot how this song sounded after I finished listening to it for the first time. I'm not the biggest fan of Luke's voice direction and there are parts in this where I just fully see a full grown man doing the voice. I do really like the chorus (the part that mentions sweets and cream) though. -> Lyrically: 8/10 Just very cute. Pretty much exactly what you'd expect from Luke - another one of those where you can easily imagine that the character wrote it themselves. -> Overall: 6/10 I don't think I've listened to it more than five times, to be honest. I actually quite like the NB remix for this one.

Question Love (Simeon) -> Sonically: 4/10 Simeon what the hell did they do to you. The production is fine, it's just... the autotune? It isn't like Yu Hirata can't sing. Why did they do that? Presumably it's a stylistic thing, which I'm not against, it's just not executed well. (Though it's cute to imagine Simeon himself being responsible, as tech-illiterate as he is.) It's a weird genre for a character like him, too. I was expecting another ballad, maybe with a harp... -> Lyrically: 6/10 Feels quite generic - I feel like Simeon of all characters would have had a more poetically written song, and his relationship with MC could have been particularly interesting to write about. (Though I'm not sure how long ago this was released.) -> Overall: 5/10 He deserved better. I do like the instrumental on his NB remix, though. That deep bass synth in the back is great

Our Destiny (Solomon) -> Sonically: 7/10 Really like those violins on the chorus. The blend of the strings with the more lo-fi adjacent sound is actually really fitting for a character like Solomon. Kazuki Kawata has this really nice smooth voice, and his ad-libbing at the end is pretty charming. The "hey!" on the chorus sometimes veers into youtube_kids_going_yay.mp3 territory for me, though. -> Lyrically: 7/10 I really like that he calls back to one of his in-game phone calls. It's kind of funny that he sounds so sure of himself when there's an almost insecure nature to his affections in NB especially. -> Overall: 7/10 All around good song. Another one who got done dirty by his remix.

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UNIT SONGS

Choose Me (Mammon, Levi, Asmo) -> Sonically: 6/10 I like the big brass sound, but... eh. Feels like something's missing. I like Hirotaka Kobayashi's delivery on Mammon's rap lines, but the chorus in particular feels kind of lacking. -> Lyrically: 7/10 I don't know what this 'love game' is but I don't think I want to participate. I also fully hear "gay" every single time. That aside, the verses are pretty good. -> Overall: 5/10 Not really for me, but I'll listen to it on shuffle sometimes. This one's remix was criminally bad.

Telepathy (Beel, Belphie) -> Sonically: 10/10 Such a pretty instrumental. Is that "ooooooo" in the background Belphie? It does sound like Satoshi Onishi's voice. The twins both sound perfectly in character and in sync with each other (though I would've liked for them to have a verse together.) Their spoken bridge is adorable. -> Lyrically: 7/10 It's hard to gauge the vibes from the lyrics. They're definitely singing to/about each other (they say so in the bridge), and that's clear in the chorus, but there are a few parts where it's like. Is that something you say to a brother?? Did a songwriter miss a memo? Also what does "your muscles are mood" mean. -> Overall: 9/10 It's such a comforting song to listen to. I just get a bit distracted by "your muscles are mood" every time. Belphie. What does that mean. Please

Passion (Lucifer, Satan) -> Sonically: 8/10 Really big fan of the piano. The breathing sounds caught me off-guard at first, but I know to expect them now. I really like both VA's performances. Lucifer sounds like Lucifer again! -> Lyrically: 7/10 I find Lucifer's line "I said that I’d listen with patience and silence, but you've got some nerve to actually continue" kind of out-of-place - it's more consistent with his characterisation in early NB than anywhere in OM when this was released, which is interesting - but the rest is pretty good. I really couldn't imagine singing this alongside your own sibling though. -> Overall: 8/10 I don't tend to choose this one a lot, but I don't skip it if it comes on in shuffle.

Take It Easy (Satan, Belphie) -> Sonically: 8/10 Really fun bouncy instrumental. I really like the rapport between these two here. (Would you say Belphie's in falsetto? Either way, I love how he and Satan take the higher and lower registers respectively.) -> Lyrically: 10/10 God I love these lyrics. They're so funny. The brief moment of sincerity before they go right back to singing about how much they love pranking Lucifer. "Makes me happy" makes me so happy. It's so sweet. These little rascals. These absolute rapscallions. -> Overall: 9/10 I like the sound of Rock On better, but the LYRICS. They're so great.

Rock On!! (Lucifer, Mammon) -> Sonically: 9/10 This one's another banger. The VAs do a great job with the back-and-forth delivery in the spoken bridge (I especially love how Lucifer and Mammon both sound like they're pretending really hard that they don't give a shit on "Yoroshiku douzo negawakuba" together". Lucifer also sounds like he ran out of air on "...omae wa" a little earlier. Lol -> Lyrically: 8/10 It's really funny to listen to them both strut their stuff singing about themselves in the verses and then suddenly get sincere to each other on the bridge. Though I think this song could've really benefited from the "feels like it was written by the characters" approach. -> Overall: 9/10 I just really like it!

Trigger (Levi, Asmo, Beel) -> Sonically: 8/10 This used to be my favourite of these three unit songs sonically, but solely the delivery of "Trigger!" bothers me a little bit. It could use more force, is all. That aside, everyone did a fantastic job and Satoshi Kada in particular served on Levi's verse. -> Lyrically: 7/10 I'm not even entirely sure what's going on in this song, but I like it. I didn't like Asmo addressing you as "kitten", but I did really like Miura Ayme adding a sort of cutesy whining tone to "I'm the cutest demon in the world, right?" - Ayme in general does a great job with Asmo's character in songs. -> Overall: 8/10 Still good! I think my tastes have just shifted since I first listened to it.

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OPENING SONGS

Sinful Indulgence (OM!:SWD) -> Sonically: 9/10 It really is a bop. Miura Ayme's performance is great. -> Lyrically: 8/10 Pretty strong! "Oh baby, obey me!" is clever and very catchy. I only ever use the word sexy as a joke so it catches me off guard when Asmo says it, but that's not really a complaint. The dark-and-sinful nature of the lyrics is really funny when you compare it to the stuff these guys actually get up to in-story. -> Overall: 8/10 It's a good listen and a good opening to the game, even if the lyrics don't really reflect the content all that well.

Devil's Way (OM!:NB) -> Sonically: 9/10 Ohhh whatever that metallic bell sound in the intro+outro instrumental is, it is a tasty sound. Shinya Sumi is performing his heart out and he's doing fantastic. I still can't fully tell if that's Belphie or Levi on the start of the second verse, but whoever it is did a really good job of making it sound subtly unsettling. The bridge starts shifting into edgy territory, but the whole song is teetering, to be honest. Also, I've mentioned this before, but the "sekai de-eeee" just before the bridge is still so good. -> Lyrically: 8/10 I adore the use of "sweetiepie" in the chorus but it does detract a little from the dark vibe they've got going on. Lucifer using 'boku' in this song of all places is bewildering and hilarious. The darker tone definitely fits in with S1 and S2. -> Overall: 8/10 Something about that bridge bothers me. Other than that, banger.

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BROTHER ENSEMBLE SONGS

It's My Party -> Sonically: 9/10 It's a bop. -> Lyrically: 6/10 Relatively basic. From a cynical perspective, the brothers basically each tell you their One Assigned Trait that the writers fall back on when they can't be bothered to do deep characterisation, but that's not the fault of the songwriter. I take psychic damage every time I hear "haters gonna hate." -> Overall: 9/10 I've listened to this quite regularly since I had my friend edit me the version with "haters gonna hate" cut out. (It's a 7/10 with the hater line left in.)

Eternal -> Sonically: 9/10 So nice. I can't unhear the first few notes as See You Again, but the rest of the track is definitely a credit to itself. I feel like there could've been more orchestral build-up, but that might also make it feel too dramatic... as is, it feels more candid and personal. Like you could imagine this being performed to you in a small local theater. -> Lyrically: 10/10 There is definitely bias at play, but hearing this as OM's first sincere ensemble love song made a pretty big impression. The lyrics are so sweet. "My love" is one of those terms of affection that I love so much I don't even mind when it's used on me. -> Overall: 10/10 Again, biased, but this song just has a special place in my heart.

On Your Way -> Sonically: 6/10 It's.... fine? I like the instrumental, but the chorus feels a little empty. Shinya Sumi hitting that high note on "Let's get you on your way" each time is kind of inspiring, though. Belt it, girl! -> Lyrically: 7/10 The "eeny-meeny-miny-mo" is so silly but I love it. -> Overall: 6/10 Pretty standard stuff.

With You -> Sonically: 9/10 Gosh, another really pretty instrumental! I think the seven VAs are definitely more comfortable singing as an ensemble here, though it would've been nice to get some more harmonies... -> Lyrically: 10/10 They're so sappy but that's what makes it work, especially delivered in all sincerity like this. Something about that last line (and its delivery) feels so earnest. -> Overall: 9/10 I'm just a sucker for whatever genre you call this and Eternal. Also, I really like title callback to S2's play (I don't think it was necessarily intentional, but still).

Spooky Night Parade -> Sonically: 7/10 It's a really fun instrumental. I love the little "hehehee....... trick or treat?" in between choruses and verses. They're just little guys. -> Lyrically: 6/10 Just sort of standard Halloween-y lyrics that don't mean too much. -> Overall: 7/10 it feels more like a novelty song than something I'd listen to regularly.

Magic Moment -> Sonically: 9/10 Oooooh that's a nice instrumental. The swelling dynamics are so satisfying, the vocal performances are all lovely. I love that glockenspiel in the back. (At least I think that's what it is.) (I've imagined IK playing it while the brothers perform this before.) -> Lyrically: 9/10 Another "it's so sappy I love it" moment. "I'm so happy I could cry" Like GUYS!! Aw man I love you. They drop three I love yous and they're all great. -> Overall: 10/10 I know the maths doesn't add up but I just really like this song.

Anniversary -> Sonically: 8/10 Strong instrumental, but I feel like the delivery on the raps in the first verse are a little lacking? Asmo and Belphie's verses feel incredibly satisfying for whatever reason. Though Belphie(?)'s little "come on baby" at the end just makes me laugh. I feel like the chorus could've benefited from splitting the brothers up a little (at least for the first two) rather than having them all sing at once. I love hearing them all talk to each other at the beginning, like a behind-the-curtain moment. -> Lyrically: 9/10 "We can't live without you" AWWWWWWWW -> Overall: 9/10 Feels nostalgic even though it came out this year. Another one where the overall rating is based on pure vibes and feeling

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TRIWORLDS

All the Feels -> Sonically: 10/10 Certified banger. Is it something about Barbatos? (His "one more time" in the final chorus is kinda hype.) Feel like there could've been more variety in the instrumental, though. -> Lyrically: 8/10 The verses feel more personal to the characters than in e.g. It's My Party, but the chorus is still pretty basic. It's a little upsetting that one of Barbatos's lines here has more depth to it than most of his characterisation thus far. I find it really funny that they call the listener "buddy." Probably would've been too weird for Luke to say "honey". Also, the "We are dancing, we are dancing (uh, uh)" bridge is so dumb (in a cute and funny way) -> Overall: 10/10 Just a great song to listen to (and imagine choreography to.)

[m0chisenpai]

May I request Miles 42 with a s/o with a great singing voice like Halle Bailey?

Spiderman Across the Spiderverse

42!Miles Morales x black!reader

Not gonna lie this made me reminisce on my old choir days. Thank you so much for sending this request and my apologies on its late arrival!

You were a choir girl and Miles automatically assumed you were like the other snotty nosed girls who chugged hot lemon tea by the gallon, sprayed those weird throat sprays in the halls, and refused any form of dairy because 'it messes with your mucus!'

Truth be told, you were nothing like them. Yes you had dreams of making it on broadway, but you knew a girl with your background had little chances of landing a main lead without facing public backlash. Miles met you through a friend of a friends girl. His homeboys girl was in the same section of you and so whenever his girl was with them you would show up. Miles had suspicions she was trying to hook you up with him.

And it worked.

He came to your concerts, dressed decent, large bouquet sat in his lap waiting for you that had some of your fellow chorus members eyeing you in jealousy as you walked past. He'd pick you up from the academy on the weekends after attending competitions to walk you home, helped you memorize lines for auditions and musicals.

But the irony of it was that Miles never once heard you sing on your own When he requested a solo from you, you would brush him off.

"Solos make me feel all...vulnerable I don't know" you huffed brushing his requests off.

And he knew you could sing. Your choir director knew it, that's why you were in the top row of your section. Your voice washed over the fellow altos of your section blending beautifully. But that's what you preferred to do.

Blend in and not stick out.

The rain came down outside setting the absolute perfect ambiance for this lazy weekend. No rehearsal, no competition, no extra lessons.

Your LED’s set to a soft blue to compliment the Disney movie playing on your cluttered desk. Surrounded by hair gel, black rubber bands, combs and among your other things.

Miles sat in front of your bed with his head resting on your lap, eyes fixed on your set up. Mac on the desk playing whatever Disney princess mermaid you liked. He took you three times to see the movie only loving how your eyes lit up seeing the beautiful black mermaid on the screen.

“It’s just healing my inner child is all” you whispered through glassy eyes as you watched her kiss the prince.

It took a dozen kisses, and a pack of munchies for him to agree to watch the movie again today.

You worked a comb carefully through Miles’ coils, gently detangling the hair and clicking your tongue as you separated to look at his scalp. The gentle scrap against his scalp, your nimble fingers massaging was enough to make his eyes droop.

“Keep doing that and I’m gon fall asleep” Miles mumbles through a handful of chips.

“Awww, poor baby” you coo as you continue to massage his scalp after taking the last braid out. You shook your hands out cracking your knuckles.

“Alright baby, go ahead and use my sink to wash your hair out. And make sure you wash it good. Your scalp is starting to get a little dry.” You gently ran your hands through his combed out hair huffing softly to yourself. The boy had good length.

“Mhm, massage it with that spiky thing right?”

“Yes because it-”

“Stimulates my scalp and helps the blood flow and grow it out I know, I saw them videos you sent me” he drops the chips down next to you and plants a fat, cheesy kiss on your cheek which makes you screech and throw punches at your cackling boyfriend.

“Miles you're CHILDISH” you grumble getting up and grabbing the gel and combs with the rubber ties till gentle music fills the room. And you start feeling the words and joy bubble up as your song's instrumentals flood the room.

Miles focused on scrubbing his scalp with Miguel, Mielle? Whatever the brown and green bottle was next to him that had your and now his hair smelling all earthy and minty.

And as the boy scrubs the shampoo and wrings his dripping curls off into the kitchen sink, he pauses. Because there's singing coming from your room.

He shrugs it off and goes back to getting rid of the stubborn suds and spots of his hair. Then the singings getting louder and sounds more present than just a laptop.

He doesn’t remember the movie having vocals like that. He picks the shirt up from next to him to dry and keep his dripping hair from getting your carpet wet. And he pauses a moment at your door leaning against it.

“....what’s a fire and why does it, what's the word? Burn?” And Mile can’t help but linger watching you stand, eyes fluttered shut as your voice crescendos with the computer.

“When’s it my turn? Wouldn’t love, love to explore that shore up above?” Damn. Miles raises a brow, now he sees why you were in the top seat in choir. Your breath never wavers till you take the breath following that note. Your voice hushed as you finish the song, “out of the sea, wish I could be,”

“Part of that world.” Your smile brightens and warms him up as you finish the song.

Miles almost doesn’t want to break the serene look on your face, maybe even wait out long enough for the next song to play. But the shirt is starting to soak his shoulders and you said something about moisture is important, so he reveals himself coming from around the corner. “How come you don't sing for ME like that?”

The way you yelp and jump is comical and makes Miles huff with laughter as he walks back in.

“MILES you can’t be sneaking up on women like that!” you smack his arm and he falls to the ground letting out a dramatic whine. But you can't fight the giddy feeling in your chest and the smile on your face as you take your seat on the bed and Miles is back with his body in front of you.

"You really think I sounded good?" you mumble as you begin to slowly run conditioner through his hair.

"Yes, mami" he tilts his head back to catch your gaze, and yiu take in how soft his eyes look matching his tone. And now he's paying attention to the movie, because he demands you sing the entire movie to him.

[alicerosejensen]

I already read everything you have published and I love it.

Following up on your previous post, how long will it be until Leon feels ready to propose to his girlfriend, and if she says yes, would they like a big wedding or something more private? Also, how would things be before the wedding?

One last thing, what is your native language?

We will consider this a continuation of part 3, which I am still translating.

It's all good. I receive all requests and will definitely answer them, but since English is not my native language, I do it quite slowly.

The text mentions a song by Lana Del Rey (sorry, I just love her music).

I take pictures and gifs from Pinterest.

It's been a good three years of relationship. It was funny how an ordinary interest turned into something more serious, which Leon cannot refuse, preferring to keep safe and with him like some kind of diamond.

And that diamond was you. The diamond who was sitting at the same table with him, with both legs thrown on the next vacant chair, while your hands were flipping through a new book about the Incas or the Maya? Leon didn't listen too closely, preferring to just admire you in the morning sun, forgetting about his cold coffee.

It was natural that two people who know each other well enough and have strong feelings for each other decided to legitimize their relationship, but a number of problems arose: 1) His work does not seem to forbid, but also does not understand the presence of a family. There are some D.S.O programs to protect the data of their agents' families, but Leon has never been interested in them. 2) Your age difference. Leon was almost forty and you're still too young. Yes, college will soon be left behind, but you are unlikely to want to start a family so early, despite the fact that it was somewhere in your plans. Just not now. 3) Despite the fact that he deeply loved you and knew that the feeling was mutual, Leon had no idea if you saw him as your husband.

Besides, the last thing he wanted was for you to get hurt. More precisely, he didn't want it at all! But he loved you so much that he partly began to understand Glenn Arias in his madness because of the death of his wife.

It has nothing to do with the case, but Leon really wanted you to put a ring on your ring finger and become Mrs. Kennedy. However, he has not yet fully decided on it himself.

How can he carefully find out from you what you think about this? Leon gave you a worried look, but you didn't even notice it, too absorbed in reading. He had already turned his back to you to pour the coffee into the sink, and immediately froze as soon as he suddenly heard you quietly humming some strange song to yourself. Cacciatore? Some Salvatore? Limousines? Leon didn't comment on it in any way, just made sure that you didn't talk to him. "I just wanted to sing the chorus of my favorite song."

A sudden impulse, but then a message came to your phone and you reached for it to read it, and then showed Leon a couple of photos of your young friends from their honeymoon.

Leon regarded this as a great opportunity to carefully find out your attitude to marriage without giving himself away.

"Don't you think they got married too soon?" - You shrugged indifferently as you typed an answer to your friend.

"It's none of my business."

While you were carefully looking at the photos of friends in love from France, Leon stood still not knowing how to choose the right words. He rinsed the mug in the water, putting it in place and decided to start carefully "attacking" again.

"If you were choosing a place for your honeymoon, where would you go?" - It was risky, although you just looked away somewhere to the side, tilting your head to the side like a child, thinking about the question. - "Paris too?"

You were hiding like you ate something very sour.

"Paris is banal. I would have thought of something more interesting."

"For example?"

"Don't know… maybe Spain?"

Leon coughed. Not the most pleasant memories. For some reason, he imagined you wandering around Salazar's castle in search of various trinkets and trying to ask Ganado about their history, while he drags you everywhere by the hand, trying to shoot infected Las Plagas with a shotgun and pistol.

And then he will find you drinking tea with this same Salazar, talking sweetly about some abstract topic. The pictorial art of the fifteenth century, for example? At least this thought and the image that appeared before his eyes lifted his mood with its absurdity.

He rewarded you with a half-smile and dismissed the idea of marriage indefinitely. Until college graduation.

Until next week, actually.

Leon was just going into the store to restock some groceries when he accidentally bumped into a fellow agent. The conversation would not have gone beyond greeting if a little boy of five or six years old had not hit Leon's legs. He didn't even apologize and just ran on through the store until his father called out to him.

"You should apologize! Go up to Leon and apologize for pushing him!"

The child looked excitedly into his eyes, but still obeyed, slowly approaching an unfamiliar man.

"In fact, it's not necessary…"

"They need to learn to be polite. Do you have any children Leon?"

It was a strange question. Of course, before the outbreak of the G-virus in Raccoon City, Leon had some kind of plan for the rest of his life after graduating from the police academy. And in this plan there were two Kennedy babies, a house with a pool and a golden retriever, and of course a charming wife. Only Leon personally hammered the last nail into the coffin of his dreams.

Leaving your wife alone with a child in this dark world where every day there is a chance that another psycho terrorist may take it into his head to arrange another zombie apocalypse? That's not what he wanted.

But he still annoyed Hannigan with his questions. As if assessing the risk, Leon stared at Ingrid while she wiped her glasses.

"Is there a specific reason why you are interested in this topic?"

"No."

"Then stop wasting my time!"

Fair. Despite the information he obtained, Leon continued to walk like a gloomy ghost around his own house occasionally looking at you strangely. You caught those looks every time you asked him what was the matter, but he waved it off.

And then he asked you about that wedding. Then you had already separated and you were a bridesmaid without a couple. However, you had a good time without it, cherishing the hope that you, too, will someday have a beautiful wedding with a honeymoon.

Leon nodded, taking a sip of Jack Daniels from his glass. A beautiful wedding… with a bouquet of flowers, gifts, guests, a sweet cake and a magnificent white dress. A wedding in the best traditions…

That's what he couldn't give you. An important day in your life (if you agreed to marry him) is likely to become a normal weekday with the receipt of a marriage certificate. You deserve what you dream about, and he probably deprives you of it feeling boundless guilt.

Leon doesn't want to let you go. He hates the idea that you will leave again, leaving him in this empty apartment. however, he does not want you to suffer through his fault. Leon has long admitted to himself that he wants to come home to his family - to you and at least one Kennedy baby. But fuck, he's almost never around because of these missions! And you didn't think about motherhood as such at all. He's almost forty, not you!

But he decided to try again the attempt of careful questioning when you laid him on the bed so that he lay on his stomach to get a light massage before going to bed.

"So Paris is a bad idea?" - Leon thought when you frowned, sitting on his lower back and gently kneading his back. - "What about the Eiffel Tower? The Petit Trianon at Versailles? Those famous French delicatessen cafes? I thought you said you'd like to visit the Moulin Rouge sometime."

"Well, maybe someday. Paris is beautiful just not right for my honeymoon."

You said you wanted something original. So you ended the conversation and continued the massage in silence. And at night felt through a dream how Leon's palm touches your cheek, and then goes down to your neck, collarbones, all the way to your stomach, until he hugs you tightly, pressing you to him. Yes, it woke you up, but maybe he had a nightmare again? Leon wasn't sleeping, and you knew it, so you turned around and put your head on his chest, falling asleep again.

I don't care if you guessed about his thoughts or not, but after much thought, Leon still decided to try his luck.

Life is too short not to try to at least become a little happier.

He bought a cute diamond ring, trying to find something not boring and at the same time not pretentious. However, after tiring the consultant, he finally gave him an entertaining idea: if you don't like what Leon chose, you can come here again and buy any other ring that you like more.

You brought him such relief and comfort after meeting with all these viruses and parasites that Leon saw no problem in buying another ring in case you didn't like it at all. Of course, you can't tell him about it, but he knows his girlfriend's emotions too well.

Leon also ordered dinner at home, considering that due to your workload in college, you didn't sleep much, completely devoting yourself to the last academic year. Besides, he didn't invite you to the restaurant because he still wasn't sure of your answer. Positive or negative? If you do not want this, at least the home environment will not create severe discomfort.

And here you are sitting in your home clothes, calmly eating your favorite food, watching some action movie with your boyfriend, not knowing about the blue velvet box in his jeans pocket.

You can see that Leon is very nervous, scolding himself for the fact that it would be better to rehearse the speech in advance, but you are so absorbed in the film that you do not pay any attention to him at all until exactly the moment when he takes the plate from your hands and puts it on the table.

It took a few seconds for the tired brain to figure out where the dinner had gone.

Your palms immediately find themselves in his warm hands and it looks so cute when women's palms seem so small against his background.

You can admire this endlessly or until the moment when Leon silently, with obvious anxiety in his eyes, in horror, hands you a velvet box, waiting for a reaction.

For God's sake, say something, but don't be silent!

"Is that what I'm thinking or am I wrong?" - You open the lid looking at a charming ring matched to your finger size. And despite the fatigue of the gyrus, they understand that this is an unusual gift.

This is a marriage proposal!

"If you're not ready… fuck… I remember you told me that one day you would want to start a family, and I'm actually the worst option as a husband who is often not at home, although I try, sweetheart…"

"Do you want to start a family with me?" - In his opinion, you looked at him like he was crazy. But in fact, you were trembling slightly and were ready to lose consciousness if he answered in the affirmative now.

"I understand that it's probably too early for you. Understand, I'm not saying that if you agree now, then we will immediately go to the bedroom to make a mini Kennedy. You still have to go to college… damn it, how difficult it is… It's just a suggestion. I want you to be with me as my wife, I want at least one child from you, if you don't mind. You know, Hannigan told me a little bit about these programs to protect the families of agents… they're not bad."

Leon stumbled over every word, sweating profusely, once again afraid to turn to you. Suddenly you are frozen in horror at what is happening, despite the fact that he is actually calmly trying on an engagement ring, carefully examining the carat. You can't say you didn't like it. But because of your admiration for the new decoration, you practically did not listen to what poor Leon was talking about.

"You know, I'll understand if you've never considered me as a husband."

"It just always seemed to me that you needed a mistress and not a wife. You never said you wanted kids. "

You intertwined your fingers with him to calm him down a little. How grateful he was now for the support provided.

"This is problematic. Because of my job. I love you, but I wouldn't force you to do anything. I'm still a little scared of what I'm saying. Some agents have kids, hell, the B.S.A.A guys quietly start families because they get paid well, but when they die… what's the use of a hero father if he's dead? The choice is yours. If you ever carry my child, then I will do everything so that he lives in a safe world, at least on an island of tranquility without bioweapons and other shit. I may often not be around, but I'm willing to try. I no longer want to lose my happy future with the woman I love because of the bastards who think they are the rulers of the world."

Confusing and at the same time understandable. Leon has conveyed to you his thought, his dream, leaving you the right to choose. He was so afraid to look at you that he was surprised when, instead of fright or horror, he saw the serenity of a real angel holding his hand.

"What do you think?" - He asked, and you giggled merrily.

"I think you should wear a bulletproof vest." - Frank laughter rang through the apartment. And you moved to Leon's lap with the grace of a cat, touching the sensitive skin of his neck with your lips while he held you under his hips. - "I don't want to become a widow, but you'll have to run away from my father's bullets when he starts shooting at you with his hunting rifle."

Leon smiled cheerfully, putting his arm around your waist and forcing you to look at him.

There has not been a single boyfriend of yours who has passed a strict paternal check regarding the future spouse for the only daughter. It was a fucking test that no one could pass because you were still considered a little girl.

"We will resolve this issue. Your father is hardly more terrible than a Tyrant." - of course, you had no idea who it was. - "Can I take your answer as an agreement to become Mrs. Kennedy?"

"Perhaps." - You hung on his neck, admiring the two blue pools, and touched his lips with your feather-light kiss. - "But that means we won't have a big wedding, right? Like it's dangerous, I'm a big government agent about whose personal life no one should know, even the president himself. - You merrily parodied the timbre of his voice, realizing how ridiculous it turned out, but you both liked it."

"Yeah"

He was so vulnerable stroking your thighs. The realization that he can't give you what you want…Leon felt a stone of guilt fall on his shoulders, crushing him painfully. All he needs is for you to be happy and then he will be too.

"Well, it's not scary at all!" - You still continued to wrap your arms around his tense body. - "But you didn't just ask me about the honeymoon, did you?"

"This is what I can give you. I am not sure that it will last a whole month, but we will take everything from it."

All the light from the lungs seemed to have disappeared. Your joyful face can bring a dead man back to life! And Leon really came to life feeling like shit a little less.

"However, if you have deprived me of a bachelorette party with sexy strippers and a wedding cake - although no, we will order it anyway - I reserve the right to choose the place of our vacation on my own!"

"Anywhere angel. Even to a remote village in Spain"

Your eyes sparkled cunningly foreshadowing an exciting journey. Leon needs to listen more carefully from now on about your new hobbies.

______________________________________________________________

Claire laughed out loud as she turned over the card, on which Leon's handwriting had written one:

"When I agreed to a honeymoon in Peru, I did not think that I would spend hours looking at the Maya and the Inca skulls! Marital duty is not a soft bed in an expensive hotel, but a trip in the style of Lara Croft and Indiana Jones!

P.S while I'm writing this, I have to keep an eye on my wife so she doesn't break her neck climbing the fucking pyramid."

[kingsandbastardz]

Just got reminded that I never uploaded the performance version of this, which I don't know why. It's literally one of my favorite Chinese songs because it seamlessly smashes traditional with modern - rock + rap rock + chinese opera + ancient poetry + modern poetry.

Xiao Shunyao performing his original work 山 (Mountain) at his 2022 Chongching concert. Lyrics are co-written by Yang Haolong and Xiao Shunyao utilizing these poems:

滿江紅·怒髮衝冠 (A Full River of Red - Wrath Bristles through My Helmet ) often attributed to Song Dynasty general Yu Fei in the ci style that's meant to be sung

七律·長徵 (7 character verse - the Long March) by Mao Zedong

Thoughts:

It starts with A Full River of Red and is already a departure from tradition because he is using lyrical recitation instead of singing. He then moves on to rap rock, followed by a rock chorus. When he starts the next stanza, he is using a style of voice utilized in Peking Opera for warrior characters. Then rap rock + rock again.

The standout portion to me is the opera bit where the traditional style merges perfectly into the rock portions. When it's these sorts of hybrid songs, this is the reason why I prefer the traditional and modern elements to be sung by the same person. Imo it requires a single voice in order to find that bridge between old and new and bring that additional cohesion into a song that would otherwise remain a bunch of separate elements (which isn't a bad thing!)

You can compare 山 to his other original piece 繁華 Fourishing - a modern ballad coupled with a female opera voice -- to me, that is what I mean when a song is a duet with two elements that meet.

山 is a single unit that is reminiscent to what Gui Ban does in this performance version of 羽化成蝶 Emerge into a butterfly (Metamorphosis) in collaboration with Anti-General. (Also a favorite of mine) - Gui Ban often merges modern and literary elements in his music and in this piece, he plays with gender as part of his 'metamorphosis', switching from a metal monster growl into throat singing into a female voice.

The other thing that I like and that stands out to me - XSY gently breaks tradition and plays around with the old elements, but then turns around and adheres to a standard and pretty familiar sound for the modern rap and rock parts to create the framework. It's reversed from what I'd expect from something like this because there's often a pressure to sing traditional stuff with "how it should be" in mind. XSY manages to do both by his choice of elements to work with.

This is the vocal cohesion that makes 山 stand out to me against many other songs of this type. Also the energy is fantastic. Anyway - enjoy~

[sunny-honeytears]

So I wrote this down and forgot to do it as a reblog but I'm too lazy to insert every picture again, so here is my experience with the og vienna cast recording on spotify👍 (only act1 because you'll see how much I wrote just about that)

disclaimer(ish)? I wrote every opinion while, or immediately after listening to a song, so a lot of the times I go back and correct myself, or change my opinion, but hey atleast it's authentic. Also I compare it a lot to the hungarian recording because I heard that dozens of times and that's what I am used to.

Enjoy I guess, this is a long one!

Overture: Great 10/10 i love it in every language, has a bit different vibe than the hungarian version with more bass, I like both👍

He ho he: I actually *really* enjoyed that! Alfred has a nice voice that reminds me of Héger Tibor who is my favourite Alfred so thats great 10/9 only because I prefer the edge the hungarian version has to it its just a teeny tiny bit more sharp imo, and for me nothing tops the mic peaking scream Alfred lets out there. But overall amazing so far!

Knoblauch: Fhuuuu lot to unpack here for me. I'm definitely getting used to the german, which I don't here a lot of in a daily basis becasue hehe Hungary, but I'm trying to not view it as strange therefore bad, it has a lot of great moments but I'm used to the flow of hungarian. Now, I really don't know how to feel about professor right now. If you have seen my page, I *LOVE* hungarian professor, but so far.. I don't love this version. Alfred is still cute tho, but I miss his dumb little laugh when he says the line about Magdas breasts, somehow that made me like him even more. Also, Chagal. I have a mixed but mostly positive relationship with him in the hungarian, he has a very fun way of singing changing his range all the time, but so far he irritates me sorry😅 But yeah 10/7, Knoblauch 👍

Bitte meine Herren: LOVE ALFRED, starting to like professor👍This is a kind of a nothing number because it's mostly dialouge but yeah very solid 10/8

Eine schöne Tochter: Man I really don't like Chagal😭 Just the way he sings triggers something deep ick in me. Funnily enough the hungarian version is one of my favourite songs so just for that 10/5

Ein Mädchen, : ALFRED ❗❗ IN MY BED❗❗NOW❗❗ I love his voice😭😭. Sarah is also really great, professor and chagal are...ehhh..there. Rebecca *chef kiss* And the chorus whaaaaaaa 10/10 👍👍

Gott ist tot: I....i actually prefer Egyházi Géza sorry. I knew going in that I'm going to be very biased for Egyházi Géza because well...yes. But while I didn't dislike the song, I actually liked it, nothing tops his performance for me. The hungarian version is more...what is the right word.. soft? Flowy? Really hard to explain because I'm not an expert but to me german is a harsher sounding language than hungarian and because they are both from different language families, it's hard for me to relate to something so different. This doesnt mean the german version is bad❗❗I love the chorus part it's very eerie, maybe even more than the hungarian but I still prefer that over this. Regardless 10/8👍

Alles ist hell: Love love love the start 😭 Koukol I...don't like so far but for me he really peaks in act2 so all I'll say is please don't wheeze into my ears 10/8 for the wheezing

Warheit: Yeah uh...I don't like professor. It's a very delicate matter because essentially he sings the same way as hungarian professor but **something** is missing that makes him lovable in my eyes. Also just singing "logic" is weird for me, and for that I actually prefer the hungarian lyrics which is "Ténytől tényig, ez visz az igazságig- From fact to fact this leads to the truth" but thats really not something I can complain about. I love when the others starts singing too, it really elavates the whole number to a 10/8 jegercsik csaba hit that high note better imo

Du bist wirklich sehr nett: I prefer Héger Tibor here. Somehow he captured that exact tone of being terrified but also infatuated with Sarah (and my actual flirting skills) for me nothing beats his "goodnight" at the start. Sarah is great and I really enjoy her so far so this is a strong 10/9 for me 💪

Einladung zum Ball:

We both know what im about to say

Guys I actually prefer Egyházi Gé-🔫🔫

Amuuuugy..I like this. German fits here well and you know what this is 10/10❗❗

Draussen ist Freheit: Why is three songs mixed together here?? Okay so I'm just gonna mirror translate the hungarian names here and write my opinion in that order💪

Life awaits us outside: Alfred im still not seeing you in my bed/j 10/10 you know what? I might prefer this to the hungarian version (but just might)

Red boots: the start is way rougher in hungarian, and that i prefer, but the instrumental part is just as mindblowingly beautiful to me in both versions so I already give it 10/10 just for that👍 Also I'm easing up to Krolock, it might have been the Gott ist tot song that I didn't enjoy because this is beautiful! Still prefer hungarian but at this point are you even surprised I just really like the hungarian version

Prayer: Beautiful 10/10 without question. I love Alfred joining in, I heard it louder in the hungarian version, here I don't know if he even joins in but he probably does so I love that here too👍👍 Also in this i really enjoyed Krolock and Sarah

Wuscha Buscha: Once again in hungarian its two different songs so-

The chase of Sarah: Alfred more energy ❗ more passion❗ more energy❗ Rebecca gets it. Rebecca gets it so much. Even Chagal weirdly. 10/8

Wuscha Buscha: professor stop singing WHO SAID THAT??? I love the bit when Alfred and professor geek out together and *that* part, that part was good. But other than that professor-

Rebecca I LOVE YOU and I hope she had a very happy life after her whole family dies <3 overall 10/8

Tot zu sein ist komisch: Now I actually don't really care for this song in hungarian so I was pleseantly surprised here. Now this is a song german suits better imo so just for that it gets a 10/10 because I finally fully enjoy the song. But its also multiple songs soooo

The chase of Chagal: I want to know what professor and Alfred say. Does professor give an F to Alfred for messing up the ribs? Do they joke around? I need to know. Alfred you are doing amazing I love you sweetie <3 10/9

By the way is it ever explained why Alfred never hits on 3? Is he just afraid or is there like another reason? Anyways back to rating

Durch die Wildnis zum Schloss: very solid 10/10 💪💪 I'll never forget when I saw it in live and heard the door open behind us, so I turned around and we stared at eachother with the guy in vampire costume like this 👁👄👁 then he did some slutty dance moves infront of us and exited and for that I respect him

Vor dem Schloss: Krolock loves yapping and is definitely not a vampire guyssss hes just emoo..This Krolock is growing on me slowly but surely but still egyházi géza grrr..

I miss the loud BOO Krolock does but we can't have it all, professors voice still gives me the ick, I like the singing but not the plain dialouge, HOWEVER

Herbert Herbert Herbert Herbert Herbert

At first Herbert was the reason I came to the fandom so just him appearing deserves a 10/10

Koukol's "bleh" deserves a bonus point its to precious

Krolocks flirting with Alfred is very beautiful very powerful so this song is a 10/10 with the added +1 of the bleh. If we dont count Herbert and Koukol, its a 9/10💪

Act 2 review is coming soon guys please don't kill me 👍

[moonchild-in-blue]

Can we talk about Turntail? Like I knew Queen the First (fifth? Miss Birdsong? Do you have a nickname for her that I’ve misremembered…) obviously had the voice of an angel, but these RUNS she is doing on this song?! They are so convoluted but she sings them so TIGHTLY?!?! And PRECISE?!?? How do I get more heart eyes over her, holy hell what a talent

You know what. It's currently past 3am and I'm playing Zelda because I can't sleep (running on sick hours over here), so yeah absolutely we can talk about Turntail 😌 Also, I don't really have a nickname for her, I just call her Miss Ma'am hahaha. Miss Birdsong is great, I'll borrow that.

(okay it is now past 4am i spent WAY too much time gushing over them sorry lol)

HONEY. THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING. If you think she sounds amazing as a BACKVOCALIST, then you're in for a treat to hear her as a main vocal of her OWN BAND HELLOOOOO.

I remember a few months ago in one of their (live? Q&A? one of them) instagram things, someone was commenting on how great she sounded, and one of the guys was like "yeah, and she didn't even get training, isn't that so annoying?", it was hilarious 😂 Miss Ma'am is a natural - no wonder Vessel got her (and the babes) to back him 💅

Turntail is fantastic, I've had it on repeat since Thursday. Their music is so interesting and unique, and a great of it is because of her singing. She does this crazy runs and unexpected intervals like it's nothing, and her tone is so so SO clear and stable. Her lows??? Like, honey can go reeeeal low and smooth and real high and crystalline in seconds just like that??

This song in specific, I super appreciate the eerie, melancholic vibes. It's such a great successor to The Collapse (their previous single), but somehow even better. And can we talk about that sexy bassline??? Johnny boy went HARD on it (like he always does. Same with my drummer boy Matt, he's fantastic. Also he writes a lot of the lyrics alongside Lyns, he's fantastic). I love the breakdown bridge and that last chorus so SO much. And the piano??? They always have the most heart-wrenching, soul-crushing, beautiful piano melodies, and yet I get pikachu faced everytime. What can't the queen do. Also, this is the first time they're using a voice effect-tune-thingy so, interesting choice there. The babes sound beautiful as ever too 💖

While my favourite thing from them is still the 1st ep (The Thing With Feathers - please please PLEASE go listen to it. The Downpour and The River are my favourite songs of them, they're so amazing, please I am begging you, you'll love it), you can absolutely hear how much better they get with each new thing they put out. I'm so so excited for when they finally release a full length album, it's been a long time in the making.

If you listen to their latest ep, Dancing In The Face Of Danger, you'll see that they went for a more upbeat vibe (notable on Pyre and Ever The Optimistic), so it feels great to hear the Sad Vibes™ again. Nothing against upbeat stuff (Pyre is one of their best songs fr), but I am an emo at heart sooo... yeah. Miss Birdsong sounds like an elf or some other woodland creature - idk if its just me but you can hear traces of folk music in it and ugh what a combo.

Super super reccomend you hear them live. There are a few recordings on YT, and some of them do feature one or both of the Espera babes too.

(not gonna talk about how once again i missed their concert 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂 it was today/yesterday 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂 i'm fine really not salty at all 😃😃😃😃😃😃)

Also - do not sleep on their Diamond Eyes cover. Genuinely does NOT feel like a cover AT ALL. Covering Deftones is so daunting because of how unique a they are, and by god those beautiful bastards did it. I do very much prefer their version to the og, she really shines vocally there.

[couldbebetterforsure]

I said I would redo my thoughts on all of Ryuseitai's songs post one day. Well that day is today!!! My thoughts on the ones I already talked about haven't changed much but I'll still put them down here. And I can finally talk about all the songs from the TRIP album! By the way, I got the limited edition version of that album 😊 It's nice to have a poster of my beloved sentai idols~!!!

Anyways, main takeaway you'll get from my post is RYUSEITAI NEVER MISSES!!!!!

Once again, the only songs I'll list are the ones featuring Ryuseitai as a whole and their solos, I won't discuss the shuffle songs here since those aren't specifically Ryuseitai songs. And there's no real order or ranking to this list, like I have my preferences among them but I sincerely love ALL of Ryuseitai's songs and just wanna lovemail~!!!

Yumenosaki Ryuseitai Uta: Dakara FIGHTING! ✊ (FIGHTING!) FIGHTING! ✊ (FIGHTING!) Still a great song that gives you a good intro of who Ryuseitai is as a group and a general sense of each member's personality. I really enjoyed hearing everyone saying (or making an attempt to say in Midori's case) their catchphrase. Ryuseitai's in universe first and oldest song from the early days of the unit's formation. Now that Yumenosaki's Ryuseitai is closed I would love to see what the updated version of this song will be! My theory is that whenever Meteor Impact receives its anime adaptation that's likely when we'll find out what the new version of the song is.

The Unrivaled Meteor Ranger: Absolutely catchy classic! The way I was ready to end it all with how many times it took me to full combo this song on hard mode in the English version of Music....And then full combo it first try in Japanese Music 😂😂😂 The boys sound absolutely fantastic during the chorus of the song in particular I adore how their voices blend together! It really makes me feel like I'm right there in the crowd watching Ryuseitai put on a fantastic performance. I think this was the second Ryuseitai song I ever heard back in the years before I properly got into Enstars.

Goshiki no Shooting Star: Shooting Star! Shooting Star! Kagayake! Seigi koso...Shinjitsu to! Shinjiteru! Inochigake! Mamorinuke! Doro ni mamire nagara mo!!!

I mentioned this in the original post but yeah, once again, this song does such a good job of showing how much of a kick Chiaki's vocals give to lines. He has the deepest voice among Ryuseitai and you can easily pick him out in a group. And his voice gives lines the extra oomph needed to make them work well!

Super Nova Revolu5tar: The opening build up before the boys start singing is still so damn classic, I never get enough of it! And yeah Ryuseitai's vocals as a whole are really on display in this song. Their voices merge together so gorgeously in the chorus. I love the part that goes from violins to guitar as the boys talk it's beautiful! The whole last minute and a half of the song is gorgeous and I won't budge on that. Just.....MAN those violins and guitars in this song!!!!

Ryuusei Hanabi: This incredible masterpiece of a bop is a fave among fans, even if they aren't RyuseitaiPs. AND IT IS DESERVED! HA HA HA HA HA HA SOIYA! HA HA HA HA HA HA WASSHOI!

The more traditional Japanese instruments, the chants, the beat. I don't know what the music team was on when they created this song but it is absolute perfection from start to finish! By the way I finally managed to full combo this song like a month ago! Success!!!! And yeah this was the very first Ryuseitai song I ever heard years back before I got into Enstars. And what a phenomenal intro to my beloved idol power rangers~!

Growing Starry Days: I always smile when listening to this song because it is truly soft and loving and happy sounding. And I maintain my hot take that Ryuseitai needs more soft sounding songs, they do them so well whenever they get them! This song is the one that does the best job of getting across what I said earlier about Chiaki's voice giving lines an extra kick. He adds a special something to them that really makes them work.

Unlimited Power: Ryusetai throughout this song: Thank you everyone for all your love and support! 😊 Me, sobbing hysterically as my heart is overwhelmed with love: No...Thank YOU....It really is so damn sweet that this song is a thank you to the fans, I really feel the love and gratitude drip from every word they sing. And that part when they do their mini roll call (except for Kanata with his puka puka-ing) is still cute!

Meteor Scramble: Who was the person who said "hey let's work every Ryusetai member's name into the lyrics in a fitting way?" I hope they got paid extra for that, because it was a genius decision! Chiaki (ichi ichi akirametecha), Kanata (negau kanata e ikenai), Tetora (tachimukatte toraburu o), Midori (saa let me dream), Shinobu (manazashi no bun). I enjoy the high pace energy of the song, and I ESPECIALLY love the guitar solo section! And it's adorable watching the boys do air guitar in that part of the MV.

Suisei Halation: I'm just gonna copy everything I said last time about this song, because it's still so true. I fucking love this song, it feels like such a 80s-90s sounding anime opening in all the best ways! The beat once the chorus hits is so high pace, it's so much fun to listen to and just as much to play in the rhythm game. I can picture waking up to watch an anime with this opening on TV whenever I listen to it. My favorite part is when the boys all take one line each from the beginning of the chorus, it has a cool feel to it! And gosh that part in the MV when Chiaki very briefly looks stressed/sad guts me so bad considering what Comet Show was about as a story. Which, by the way, I hear that Comet Show is apparently disliked??? Like, c'mon, it has such good drama and angst and really builds up the conflict of what Ryuseitai goes through in this half of the story! Like I came out of Comet Show eager to read the other stories and see how tings get resolved!

Heart Heat Beat: I still feel like this song is a hidden gem of Ryuseitai's discography, I rarely hear anyone speak of it but it has such a fun and adorable feel to it. I am so happy it was added to the TRIP album, I hope that gave this song more attention and love because it is sooooo deserved! This is another one of Ryuseitai's softer songs, though it has a fair amount of pep to it. Like you wanna bounce along to the song with it's light, airy feel. And yeah, Midori's powerful sounding "ikou yo" is still stuck in my brain, I love when Midori gives more strength to his lines!

Nekketsu Ryusei Ninpouchou: That classic video game sounding opening is still perfect! This song makes me feel like I'm on a roller coaster, and I mean that in the best way. Like the beginning part of the chorus in particular has this wavy feel to it that I enjoy. This song never loses the energy, even when it chooses to slow down for bits. And yeah, I still love how Shinobu sounds here, his voice is great in this song. Still bitter that his card was the only one I couldn't get from this event. Sorry Shinobu, honey, but 3.5 million is just too much......

Colors Arise: Once again just copying everything I said last time about this song. Another song that sounds like an anime opening in all the best ways! The guitar sounds absolutely fantastic in this song and really gets me so pumped up. I think my favorite part is when the song suddenly sounds like a completely different song a little over two minutes in before swinging back to the main chorus. It's such a fun change that manages to not feel awkward. You know the first time I listened to this song and watched the MV I came out thinking "MAN I really wanna watch one of Ryuseitai's shows!" In universe Ryuseitai fans continue to be the luckiest fuckers ever.

Relax Paradise: RELAX~! ☺️ Like I said in the original post, the first time I listened to the MV version of the song I didn't click with it. But I gave it a few minutes and tried again and that's when I really started to embrace it. Yeah, Midori, you're right I DO wanna cast off my stress and worries and relax in a jungle filled with friendly fluffy animals! So happy that Happy Elements finally freed this song from their dungeon with the TRIP album! Hearing the full version helped me to fully embrace the bubbly, relaxing atmosphere. It's nice seeing the boys goof off and have silly fun together instead of being sentai idols again!

Seishun Emergency: Wooo, get a chance! Woooo, make a chance! Don't give up! Don't give up! Be my girl! Yuzurenai battle!!! Ryuseitai and Knights do such a great job of giving this song an energetic and lively feel! I still can't believe this song is unpopular in the fanbase. A wacky romcom-esque song about two rivals who love the same girl but slowly end up thinking of each other as friends as well? Priceless as a concept and fun as a song! Literally the only negative I have about this song is that I can never full combo it because it constantly lags for a second like halfway through, breaking my combo every time....

Hamutaro Tottoko Uta: CRINGE IS DEAD, LET'S GET YOU GUYS SOME WHIMSY AND JOY!!!! How can this song be disliked, it is so cute and fun, and the marching beat makes you wanna clap or tap your feet along with it. I mean, c'mon....It's fucking Hamtaro!!!!! I know Midori lost his fucking mind when he first learned about this. I wanna know who in the team thought of the idea of "Ryuseitai and Ra*bits working together to cover the Hamtaro theme song". Who was the galaxy brained employee who suggested this? I wanna shake their hand! Daiiiisuki na no waaaaaaaa~! Hiiiiimawari no taneeeeeee~!!!!

Always Hero: BURNING HEART!!! JUSTICE BLAZE!!! 🔥🔥🔥 I still maintain that while the song itself isn't cute I came out of it thinking Chiaki is such a cutie pie! The song suits his hero persona perfectly, a very Chiaki-like song!

Marine Blue Rendezvous: Puka puka~ Love the slow feel of this song, I feel like I can sleep to this song. Kanata's gentle singing slowly lulling me into a peaceful relaxing nap~ 😊

Mahiru no Zanzou: Some of Midori's best singing is in this song. It has such a melancholy feel to it and there's so much emotion at its heart. Perfectly fitting Midori, especially his feelings about himself and his place in Ryuseitai in the early half of his time with him. Also, no joke, I actually teared up listening to this song the first time. I mean it, maybe it's just because it was like 2AM but I was actually laying on my bed like

Iron Heart Tiger: This song has such a high pace energy to it that doesn't let you rest and I love that. And yeah, as I said in the original post, Tetora's vocals don't get enough love, he sounds so damn good and has only improved over time!

Shippuu Jinrai Shinobi Michi: This truly is such a Shinobu-esque song, perfecly suiting him for his first solo! I still adore the high pace, bouncy feel it has and how it goes from one end to the other when it comes to general speed. Like I feel as though I am watching a ninja in action while listening to this song.

Bokura no Stella: Stella, Stella~! Stella, Stella~!

Kanata, thank you for coming through and giving Ryuseitai another softer style song. This song has such a gentle, elegant feel to it and was a beauty in every way. The music, the lyrics, the costumes, the MV...all sheer perfection from beginning to end~! I still can't get over that one lyric that's like "it's like we've been connected since before we were born". Like man, what a beautiful way to describe the bond between Ryuseitai. Five people who came together by chance and grew to love each other so much, to grow a bond between them so powerful it feels as though their souls have been entwined since forever, before they even existed. The strings in this song are so gorgeous!

New Daybreak: My actual reaction after I listened to this song in full and watched the MV for the first time

I loved how in the MV at the beginning everyone's movements were in time with the ticking of the clock. This is another song that feels like a classic sentai style anime opening, and I adore the power behind it. Fitting when you know it was worked on by people who ACTUALLY create songs for tokusatsu style shows! I especially loved how the juniors are the ones who take a more lead role in this song. I mean all of Ryuseitai are there and there's a lot of trading going on in terms of focus but it is essentially Tetora, Midori, and Shinobu are taking charge for this song. And I adore how that is in part representative of what the whole "all five members of Ryuseitai are leaders" thing is about. The juniors wanted to be equal to their seniors, especially wanting Chiaki to stop burdening himself, both in terms of work and dealing with drama/pressure/negativity. So this shows how the juniors are capable enough to take charge themselves once in a while!

Unmei Power Energy!: If this song doesn't get more people to respect Tetora's vocals, I don't know what will. This is honestly some of his best singing on display, he sounds absolutely phenomenal in this song! I adore his energy (fitting for the title)!

Green to the Sky: The way Midori sounds so happy and energetic in this sound compared to how soft and sadder he sounded in his first solo....The way this is a perfect way to show off how much he has grown during his time with Ryuseitai, how his love for them and their love for him helped him to grow and change 😭😭😭 I love how this song shows Midori's growth through its upbeat energy and the power and quick pace of Midori's words~!

Seisei Doudou Ouenka: A bouncy and fun song for my dearest Shinobu~!!! It has a different type of energy from his first solo but it still has a fun energy that makes you wanna get up and cheer him on the whole time! Like yeah, Shinobu!!!! GANBARRE!!!!! FURE FURE!!!!

Kokoro de Pittari Ai ni Naru: I still love how everyone and their mother was thrown off by this title for Chiaki's solo and to this day no one knows for sure how exactly to discuss what it means. But my gosh this song is soooo fucking cute! Chiaki, baby, why are you the cutest being in the world? How dare you be such a gumdrop?! I kid, I love cute boy Chiaki so much, I hope we get more and more of it! I just love how loving and sweet he sounds, like it has classic Chiaki energy to it but it still feels like he's showing off something different all the same.

Happy Drops: Kanata's song has a bubbly energy to it, and I am happy it matches the energetic feel the rest of Ryuseitai are giving off in their own solos. Like I seriously couldn't stop bouncing around in my chair when I was listening to this song for the first time, I loved hearing how energetic and bouncy Kanata was!

And DONE! That's my thoughts on every single Ryuseitai song released to date! I guess I'll reblog this post to add more thoughts as more songs are released over time. But yeah, Ryuseitai are the kings of releasing bangers after bangers, there's not a single bad song in their discography~!

By the way, I mentioned this before but I wanna say it again. I love how every member's center song (Suisei Halation, Relax Paradise, Colors Arise, Bokura no Stella, and Nekketsu Ryusei Ninpouchou) all give off different feels and energies, basically showcasing how unique and different the member being focused on is. Meanwhile everyone's second solos are very similar in feel in terms of being energetic and happy sounding. It's unique: the center songs AKA the group songs are the ones showing off how unique and different every member of Ryuseitai is while it's the solo songs showing off how at heart they are all the same, all part of the same team.

But anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed my thoughts~!

[matataku-hoshi]

Groundhog Day at the Old Vic, London 2023

*dusts off the old blog* It's certainly been a minute, hasn't it! Still here, still a huge GHD fan. In the intervening years, I got to see productions at San Francisco Playhouse and at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, IL. (I also got married and went through a bunch of other life stuff, but that's neither here nor there). But then it was announced that Groudhog Day would be returning to the Old Vic in 2023 with Andy Karl, and my husband and I used that as an excuse to finally do that UK trip we'd been talking about for years.

Tumblr user colemckenzies did a great post outlining some of the changes between Broadway and 2023 Old Vic. I wanted to further elaborate on some additional changes I noticed. Obviously spoilers to follow:

In “There Will Be Sun”, the first chorus of “Tomorrow spring will come and then there will be blue skies my friend” is cut. It goes straight from “If not tomorrow then tomorrow or tomorrow there will be sun” to “Oh if I could I’d will these clouds away my love”

While obviously the revolves are gone (look at me picking up British-isms 😄), the bedroom set gets wheeled in every loop. They keep the trick from Broadway where this is always done counter-clockwise until the loop finally breaks.

As previously mentioned, there’s a wonderful lyric change in Day One. “Their dumb superstitions and vacuous chat, their total unawareness of the fact their trapped, perhaps you don't miss it if you don't know you lack it, I'm sure there was a pack of xanax in this jacket'

I adore this because of the foreshadowing, and how Phil thinks he’s singing about the townsfolk when he’s really singing about himself.

Dialogue change in 2023 when Phil runs into Jonathan:

Jonathan: “Off to the see the groundhog?”

Phil: “Why, isn’t there a tractor pull or a cow-tipping contest?”

Jonathan, looks confused: “I don’t think that’s today.”

When Rita introduces  to Phil on Day One and reminds him of the flood story, Phil takes a second before recalling, groans, and goes, "Oh, the intern? They didn't even send me a real producer." After which Rita corrects him that she's a real producer now, albeit an associate producer. 

On Day 2 when the sheriff drops his gun, Phil asks "How do you have a permit???"

At the end of Day 2, Rita sings “I mean he acts kind of asshole-ish still. I think he might be mentally ill.” While it’s on the cast recording and the early previews bootleg, I could have sworn it was cut in the final Broadway version. Regardless, it’s restored in the 2023 version.

Phil’s “Help me~~~~” at the end of Day 3 is cut.

In Philandering, they cut the line where Phil "proposes" to Nancy (which I prefer - no one is that stupid, and they make the point later that Nancy is more than a caricature)

Also in Philandering, you can hear the chorus singing, “Gonna party like it’s no tomorrow~~~” in the party scene (formerly the orgy scene). Phil also gets 10 pizzas delivered to his room.

Phil is less aggressive when he confesses his “love” to Rita in One Day. 

On Broadway, they sit down directly on the stage, and Phil leans sideways to Rita to confess. As he gets more desperate, he starts to position himself over her and tries to take her hand, after which she slaps him.

In 2023, they’re sitting on a bench together. Phil tries to take her hand, and she pulls away and slaps him. Still creepy, but much less heading in the direction of sexual assault.

Either way Phil totally deserves to get slapped. I’ve talked to a few people who have said they could never root for Phil because of this scene (which is a fair critique). The 2023 version IMO makes the same point without so much portraying Phil as a potential sexual predator. 

Right before Phil smashes the alarm clock at the end of One Day, he yells “Make it stop!” (“Somebody make it stop”? Memory is a fickle thing)

When Phil kills himself with the gun before Hope, it's more explicit that he stole the gun off of the sheriff with his faulty holster.

I don't remember if this is new, but when Phil wakes up at the beginning of Hope, he touches the side of his head where he shot himself and even though he knows that the day will always reset, he still looks a little surprised and it's heartbreaking. 

For the third death/revival in Hope (where Phil climbs the ladder):

Broadway: Phil reappears in bed

Old Vic 2023: Phil reappears on the scene of the broadcast, fully dressed

As noted, lots of changes to If I Had My Time Again. 

Cast recording: "The thing with these revolving rides / they're only fun because you know they're going to end"

Broadway (as of early in previews): "I was completely dead inside / But today I'm like 85%"

London 2023: We're back to the cast recording lyrics.

IMO the orchestration and lyric changes are for the better. I adored this song on the cast recording, but in the August Wilson theater it frequently felt swallowed up.

With the emphasis on just Phil and Rita, it’s a much more intimate song, which is what the scene needs IMO.

I also love Rita’s new lyric “Go to all the parties that I missed / Kiss all the boys I was too afraid to kiss”, because then it’s Rita fulfilling her “time again” when she kisses Phil during Seeing You.

After "If I Had My Time Again", Phil eats a carton of Ben & Jerry's while discussing the almanac with Rita. I love the implication that he’s eaten all of this junk food before, but he’s trying it again with her.

Dialogue change after "If I Had My Time Again" 

Phil: "You know, Larry, we never really talk."

Broadway Larry: "Sometimes I think you don't notice that I'm there."

London 2023 Larry: "Well you never brought me donuts before."

Not a change, but I was sitting close enough one night to see the stock photos they use for Ned’s wallet pictures of his kids, and I realized that “little Mary” is just a baby. It really hit home that Ned has probably just lost his wife in the last year or two, and he’s trying to raise five very young kids on his own.

In the Broadway/cast recording versions of "Philanthropy", you can hear some melodic callbacks to earlier songs. In the London 2023 version, the chorus actually sings lines like, "I'm not sure what the point is / But this point is it don't matter" and "If I had my time again I would not do it all the same"

There's no pause of silence before "Seeing You" starts

After Phil and Rita run off into the snow at the end of Seeing You, the couples left dancing are Nancy/Larry, Debbie/Fred, and then Mrs. Lancaster dances alone in the snow in joyous wonder. I love this bit, becuase it feels like all the different ways you can find a new meaning of love (Nancy/Larry, the couple just discovering each other, Debbie/Fred, who have moved into a new phase of their relationship, and then Mrs. Lancaster, who even as an old woman can revel in the beauty of the snow)

In 2023 when Phil takes Rita to see the sunrise, he makes her cover her eyes, and then unveil them once the full sunrise is in view. It’s very sweet.

Anyway, I love this show, and I love talking about this show, so please feel free to hit me up! I may post more general thoughts, etc. if anyone is interested.

[not-the-dum-e]

This is just based on the music, once I've read translations of the songs, my opinion might change. Lyrics are very important to me, so I might like some of the songs a lot more because of it.

G.O.A.T.

Not something I would usually listen to, but it definitely hits a certain mood, and after the third listen I think I get it.

10/10 for usage of goat vocals.

Sexy in the Air

The distorted guitar from the get go

He is not singing 'sexy in the air', you can't fool me haha

THE DISTORTED GUITAR

The song is such a journey from beginning to end, and the fact that the latter part is lyricless is a really good choice in my opinion, since it keeps your focus on Taemin's dancing, but it is still musically interesting enough to keep you engaged. A very apt representation of what this album represents in his journey as an artist, I think. A good choice for title track, from an artistic perspective, I don't know about popularity, but who cares about that.

Horizon

It's something I would expect from Key, and I mean that as a compliment because he is my favorite k-soloist.

The choreo will make this song so much better, make it come alive, just like Toungue Tied, it's a song made for dance.

Suffice to say it suits my taste very well, this is my jam. I prefer it out of the two titles, can't wait to see that choreo.

The Unknown Sea

Taemin's balads are usually my favourite in his albums, and this one is one of the best ones so far. It fills up my chest, like taking a deep breath and when that chorus hits, it really feels like floating, and then that guitar brings it back down before the tension comes back up. Nice so nice, will listen to it a lot.

Crush

Now, I would have placed this one directly after Horizon, cause I feel like it would have been a better transition towards The Unknown Sea

Having said that, it is one of my favourites from the album(nevermind more than half the album is), I love the funky bass. It's one of those songs that just makes you want to move.

Deja Vu

Haunting, it reminds me of Clockwork in the best way possible, it's such a Taemin song. Familiar but evolved, it really feels like Deja Vu made song.

Say Less

It's the song that I was anticipating the most, and it does not disappoint.

The soundscape feels so vast, combined with his vocals, it gives off a magical, dreamy kind of feel.

When the synth comes in it just leaves a knot in my throat for some reason.

I expect to like it even more with the lyrics.

I liked every song, listening for the first time was really fun, cause I liked the next song better than the last, and when I got to Say Less, it was like 'aww it is over already?'

All in all a very Taemin album, I love it. His usual quality is there as expected, and you can see that he is taking risks with the sound while still keeping his own distinct colour. I'm so happy for him 💖

[sweaterkittensahoy]

Prompt idea: We all know Crosby can’t sing, but nobody knows that Bubbles can sing quite well

Bubbles has a beautiful singing voice. When he was in Basic, the joke was that Payne not only looked like an angel, but he sang like one. He sang when they ran. He sang when they did push-ups. He sang when they hiked.

But when it came to navigator school, there just aren't places to sing. Bubbles and the other nav trainees prefer silence so they can concentrate. There's some common noises: throat clearings, chairs squeaking, pencils being sharpened, but nothing above a very quiet murmur from any of them in training.

The first time Harry panics and curls into a ball and stares at nothing, Bubbles curls around him without thinking. It's late at night. They're the only two up. Bubbles's had heard a quiet, pained sound and turned in time to see Harry curl like old leather in the sun.

It takes a couple of hours for Harry to uncurl. Bubbles doesn't let him go for another few minutes, not sure Harry even realizes he's uncurled and also not willing to move away before Harry knows it's Bubbles who was holding him and that he doesn't mind.

"Sorry," Harry murmurs.

"Did I help?" Bubbles asks.

"...yes."

"Then I ain't sorry," Bubbles says.

Harry doesn't say anything else, but he lays his hand over Bubbles's on his waist, and they hold onto each other a little longer.

*

"I overthink," Harry says to Bubbles two days later. They're jogging together like they have since they started nav training together. It wasn't a decision, really. Bubbles had gone for a jog and caught up to Harry, and Harry had said hello, and Bubbles had felt like it was right to keep pace. They'd exchanged the usual name-hometown-did-you-try-to-be-a-pilot information, and then it'd gone easily into more details.

"I see it," Bubbles says. "It's odd to me because it never seems to happen in front of me."

"Something about you bypasses the overthinking," Harry says. "I don't know what it is. I don't even overthink it when I'm alone, which is usually when it hits."

"Well, I'm glad of that," Bubbles says because he is. "I like you lots, Harry, and I'm glad your brain likes me."

Harry ducks his head and is quiet for a few seconds. "Not just my brain," he says.

Bubbles shifts so he can bump Harry with his whole left side. "Good," he says.

Harry laughs and bumps him back.

*

The next time Harry goes curled up and worried in bed, Bubbles curls up behind him again and thinks about what Harry told him. That something in Harry's brain goes quiet when Bubbles is near.

But Harry's body clearly isn't fully touching his brain because he's still tightly curled ten minutes later.

Bubbles, going on instinct, tucks his nose behind Harry's ear and starts singing quietly, starting at the chorus:

How long would it take me To be near if you beckon? Off hand I would figure Less than a second

Do you think I'll remember How you looked when you smile? Only forever That's puttin' it mild

Harry uncurls like the sun's rising high in the sky and he's a pretty flower. He turns to face Bubbles as he sings the chorus a second time:

How long would it take me To be near if you beckon? Off hand I would figure Less than a second

He snickers and touches their foreheads together. "Bing? Really? With a name like mine?"

Bubbles grins and presses his thumb to the corner of Harry's smile, testing the waters. Harry looks him in the eyes as he presses a kiss to Bubbles's thumb. Bubbles feels warm and proud and right at seeing the confidence Harry carries hand-in-hand with his overthinking coming to the forefront because Bubbles's message is unmistakably sharp.

Their first kiss is sweetened by Harry humming the next verse completely off-tune and terrible. They're a perfect fit, Bubbles thinks, A Crosby who can't sing a note, and a Payne who can take it away with a pretty voice.

"Sing me another," Harry says, tucking a hand around the back of Bubbles's neck. And it's nothing to meet that sweet request.

[skinzchoerim]

I keep wanting to rant about give me the lOve bitxx, because I can't be the only one who finds this song inherently contradictory, right? Everything is at odds with itself, including the actions and thoughts of the narrator. I can't put my finger on his motivations, on which lines are sincere and insincere, and it's giving me a headache.

I'm always conflicted whether I should approach their songs about women with a queer lense or not. It makes sense to dig deeper into angel and the instinct part 1 songs where religious guilt ties in nicely with the queer themes, but obviously they have plenty of songs about women that don't require a look into the subtext and can be taken as what they are on the surface, aka bi anthems. In the case of this song, I think it makes the most sense to approach it through the lense of what they can't say, and the amount of internal conflict here feels very queercoded to me. On the one hand, it seems like it's from the perspective of someone who cares about the person he's singing about and is aware he wouldn't be a good partner because of his emotional issues, so he warns her not to get too close. On the other hand, it feels like the narrator isn't sure he's attracted to women and he feels annoyed with this woman who keeps clinging to him, but he admits he doesn't actually want her to leave, likely because he wants to maintain a veneer of "normalcy".

The sound of the song itself is sweet and innocent, but the title is passive aggressive. He demands to be given love even though the majority of the song focuses on pushing her away, and calling her a bitch comes across as resentment. The lyric beginning the song and every chorus is "don't make me pull the trigger", which is a very manipulative threat - he puts the blame for wanting to hurt her on her. As @atozmoongazer kindly pointed out to me, the imagery in the chorus is that of a holdup - freeze, give me your treasure, don't make me pull the trigger. The treasure in this case would likely be the titular love, and taking into account the rest of the song, he's not very keen on reciprocating it or treating it gently.

Her covering his mouth when he's talking could be read in two ways (once again thank you @atozmoongazer for pointing out to me what I missed - it's a reference to Yoojung's mouth being covered in the teaser, therefore a pretty important line). One interpretation is more literal, that she interrupts him, makes him feel like his words don't matter, maybe she prefers to kiss him instead of having a conversation, and all of that on top of the fact that he doesn't like how clingy she is results in him feeling bad and resentful in this relationship. The other interpretation is that he feels silenced whenever he's around her, and he blames her for his own inability to express what's on his mind. She could just be the scapegoat for everything and everyone else that's making him feel this way, all the heteronormativity and homophobia that surrounds him.

Even the lyrics that mention constantly thinking about her face and feeling strange could be read in two ways. The obvious one is that you normally think a lot about the person you like, but I know from experience how confusing it can be when you constantly think about a person you know you're supposed to like, but aren't sure you do. I spent a lot of time in the past going back and forth between "If I actually liked this person, I would know it and be certain of it, and since I'm constantly questioning whether my feelings are real or not, that means I clearly don't like them" and "I'm constantly thinking about them and wondering whether I like them or not, therefore I must like them since I've got this weird obsession with them". When he talks about hiding his feelings, playing dumb and feeling numb because of it, on the surface it might refer to making sure his romantic feelings don't show, but to me it feels much more like a continuation of the lines about feeling broken when they're near each other and continuing to put up with it.

Basically, I think this internal conflict and confusion are an intentional feature of the song, similarly to skinz. The narrator wants to hide behind a veneer of a sweet-sounding boy group love song and make sure you don't understand him just as much as he doesn't understand himself, but lying to the listener about everything makes him feel too silenced. Since he can't hold back all the negative feelings he's bottling up, it's easy to look through the cracks and catch a glimpse of everything waiting to pour out of him, and end up feeling just as conflicted and confused as he does.

[tayter-tot-64]

lets talk about die young by chappell roan!! (im about to yap so be prepared)

i love this song oh so very much you should go listen to it (i prefer the acoustic version better but the not acoustic version is still acceptable)

First off, how i see it, this is a song where chappell is singing to an earlier version of herself, a version who was not okay. This can be seen in the lines "and you've got everything more than enough/if you could have anything what would you want" because it's almost like shes saying "you've got so much why aren't you okay?" which. is not the kind of thing you say to someone who clearly isn't okay. However, it is the kind of thing you might say to yourself when you're trying to get out of a bad place that you don't know why you're in. i know that i do that on a regular basis.

and then some lines i like/have things to say about (buckle up)

-"look at your mama now shes crying/cause she thinks her baby's dying/don't put up a fight she just wants to hold you tight" which i see as her mom wanting to say goodbye because she doesn't know whether or not this will be the last time that she's going to see her child. I can also see it as her final attempt to beg her to not go, as an "i love you so much please, please stay."

-"and look at your daddy he hates lying" this is about what it's like as someone having to watch a person they love go through the worst part of their life. its about going through each day and having to constantly tell yourself everything is fine, telling the person in pain that it's fine/will be okay, and telling other people that everything is fine and dandy. iv'e been in all three of those places with at least four different people and let me tell you it sucks. it is so hard to have to watch and not be able to do anything other than desperately hope that it'll be okay.

-"tried to help you but he's sick of trying" like i said, it's so hard to have nothing to do other than watch as someone takes steps backwards rather than forwards.

-"don't you know you could have the truth/you say im boring so you ignore me/you hear the phone ring so you ignore me" i think that this line is about finally seeing the sparkle of what the future could maybe look like. except in this she's burying those thoughts and feelings down.

-"you hear the phone ring so you ignore me" (yes i know i technically have this one twice shush) this one's more important because it's as though her future self/possibilities are calling but she didn't pick up the phone which could be due to it simply being too hard to entertain the thought of a tomorrow.

-"you say "i don't know how i lost myself"/with a bottle and the bottom of an ashtray/smoking my regrets and realizing what i need to do is pray" the first half of this chunk is her waking up and finally seeing just how bad a place she was really in and how what she was doing to compensate for those feelings/lack thereof was not good for her.

-"and i think i want love wanna find love/and i wanna be loved wanna find love/and i sure as hell don't wanna die young" this shift in the main chorus from "i wanna die young" to "i wanna find love" is her finding something worth living for. its about hope. about how her thought of tomorrow has become bearable because she now has something to look forward to, something she can grasp onto when those hard times come back to take another shot.

this song resonates with so many different parts of me for so many different reasons. it speaks to the me of last year who wanted to die young, it speaks to the part of me now that still wants to die young, and it speaks to the tiny little piece of me now who is finally daring to try and hold on to hope.

so thank you, chappell, for not dying young and for wanting to find love.

[its-to-the-death]

Bracket F thoughts:

Jesus flipping crisis, those fucking elephant calls in "Prowler's theme" are so terrifying. Also I really like how it's basically Miles' theme in reverse, both because of how it emphasizes the relationship between Miles and Aaron and because of...certain events in Across the Spiderverse.

"Candy Store" has that bitchy confidence, but "Mother Knows Best" is the emotional abuser's anthem par excellence. Like I could do a whole ask dissecting all the shit Gothel pulls in that one song to undermine and manipulate Rapunzel.

(She'd be one of my favorite Disney villains if she wasn't also a heaping pile of antisemitic stereotypes...)

I was liking "The Music of the Night," but then it tried to murder my ears with that organ(?) at the end, so I'll give this one to "What's Up Duloc?", which is also admittedly quite good.

One of these won the 1994 Razzie for Worst Original Song. The other is Rachel L Hughes playing a megalomaniacal dictator crooning about her space train (which she fucks) that definitely is not going to unleash Yog Sogoth ;). Vote for "Odin" right now.

"Dressed to Oppress" is delightful, but oh my god that reprise of "Good Kid" in "The Last Day of Summer" hits like a truck.

As people have discussed in the notes, "The Convoluted Reasons We Pretend to Be Divorced" is not that villainous--and frankly I didn't find it as much of a bop as some other PnF songs I've listened to. "We Both Reached For the Gun" is a masterclass is manipulation as Billy plays the press for suckers so completely he doesn't even need Roxy to speak for him by the end. Also the fucking puppet acting, wow.

...Ok it might not be the best villain song, but "Penny battle theme" goes so hard I had to support it. Sue me.

I voted "Someone Gets Hurt," but they're both great. That one was close.

"One-Winged Angel" is iconic and intimidating, but I personally prefer the energy of "Cell-Block Tango." The dancing is amazing, the lyrics are witty, and the chorus is an earworm and a half. I also like the use of visual symbolism with the red handkerchiefs to symbolize how each murderess killed her victim(s)--except the innocent Hungarian woman, who dances angelic ballet to their aggressive tango and is the only one with a white handkerchief.

Who doesn't love an unabashed villainess who destroys worlds in battle armor and sneakers? "I'm the Bad Guy" is a bop.

"Pieces of You" is a goofy and terrifying fever dream of a song, holy fuck. The visuals give this one the edge for me. Also, don't you want to support The Substitute? He's just a little guy :)

"A Freak Like Me Needs Company" ultimately just got kind of lost for me--it focused too much on villains in general and not on Norman himself, while "The Only Thing I Know For Real" is both a kickass rock song and a great piece of characterization for Jetstream Sam.

...I don't know, I like Zelena's actress' singing and I think it's funny that she's not cursed to sing in this episode and she's just doing this for shits and giggles. I voted "Wicked Always Wins."

To quote someone in the comments of the "Bloody Party/Welcome to Cake Island" video, "This is the most Disney-like bulshit [sic] I have ever seen in an anime, and I fucking love it." What the fuck is happening. Why are these people committing casual mass murder for cake ingredients. Why are inanimate objects singing along with this pirate lady. I don't know but it scares me.

"The Smell of Rebellion" really picks up in the end, and "Love For Peasants" felt a little too unfocused musically. Also, @thatsluttytiefling mentioned that the song gave them "war flashbacks to the choreo," so it is villainous IRL as well.

Oh my god how the fuck did "This is the Thanks I Get" get released in this state. The lyrics don't rhyme properly and are exceedingly awkward to boot. The chorus is bland as shit. The visuals are boring. There's no buildup from "I'm an underappreciated hero doing my best for the kingdom and nobody respects me enough :(" to "I want ULTIMATE POWAH through DAAAAAARK MAGIC" and then it suddenly just switches back to how it was before??? It's not intimidating and scary, it's silly for all the wrong reasons, it's not even particularly sympathetic, and it is reeking of trying to be hip and cool and/or being written by people with too little time and too few fucks to give. "Heaven on Their Minds" is very good in its own right, but I kind of already knew which one was better before I even heard it, because this song just...doesn't do its job.

I agree that the villain Phineas and Ferb songs aren't among the best the show has to offer.