#i had some stuff come up and didn't feel like watching the new ep till now

[chaotic-tinkaton]

I'll miss Hatenna sitting in Liko's hood dearly but...

HATTREM IS JUST SO DANG CUTE!!!

[thirddoctor]

I always love seeing your Doctor Who thoughts so I would love to know what your overall thoughts on the most recent season are please! And where do you think it'll go next?

I think I'd have to rewatch it (now knowing where it's going and what it's trying to do) to assess it fairly.

But my individual ep thoughts are basically:

The Church on Ruby Road - decent opener but never tries too hard

Space Babies - cute but also nothing remarkable

The Devil's Chord - one standout scene, the rest is an incoherent mess that hinges on you enjoying a villain performance I unfortunately didn't enjoy

Boom - Moffat being very Moffat, which will either be a pro or a con depending on your point of view, but I loved it

73 Yards - most atmospheric episode we've had in a long time, felt genuinely fresh, but just didn't work for me the way it seems to have for other people

Dot and Bubble - the other standout episode of the season, interesting concept presented in an interesting way with a great performance at the end

Rogue - fun ideas, more great acting from Ncuti, but I thought the romance was a little rushed (and Doctor romance is generally not my thing anyway)

The Legend of Ruby Sunday - a couple of great scenes, the rest is a whole lot of nothing stretched out way too long while the audience is teased by more interesting bait (Susan, Ruby's mother) and instead presented with... Sutekh

Empire of Death - while there's nothing unusual about an RTD finale being messy, at least the others offered a strong emotional core to make you feel like you got your money's worth, whereas in this one the stuff with Ruby's mother is too little too late and made me feel cheated, even as someone who's perfectly happy for her to be an ordinary human

I think the season tries a lot of new and interesting things, and I love that, but it also amplifies all the flaws in RTD's previous seasons, sometimes without carrying over the corresponding strengths, and it's a reminder of how much I would love to see the show run by someone fresh. However, it's certainly an improvement on the previous era, and I genuinely had a good time watching each week.

I'm looking forward to the next season (and particularly the upcoming special), but I hope we get a bit more depth to the new companion and her dynamic with the Doctor. Not sure where things are likely to go--presumably we'll learn more about Mrs. Flood, though at this stage I'm not committed to any particularly theory about her (but I do think the idea that she's dressing up like previous companions is nonsense, much like TV Show Theory was). I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Rogue again, or if the real Susan showed up (unless all of that really was just bait).

I think it's important to remember that these two seasons were planned as one whole, so I will still reserve some judgment even on things I didn't like till we see how it all comes together. It's also possible there was a lot more development for Ruby that was planned for her second season, now that her mystery's resolved, which may no longer happen due to Millie having to step back. If that's the case, hopefully they make the most of the screentime she does get.

Anyway, thanks for the ask! :)

[musicarenagh]

Unveiling 'She's in Parties': Destar Conteh's Story of Escape Alrighty, so, there's this new artist, Destar Conteh, who's just dropped a track called "She's in Parties." It's pretty heavy stuff, talking about people using parties and drugs to escape their problems. The song's got two different viewpoints - someone who cares and someone who's just there for the fun. Destar's got an interesting backstory. He didn't have much guidance growing up, so music became his thing. Started with heavy metal, then got into hip hop and R&B. You can hear a bit of The Weeknd's influence in his style. His music's got this sinking feeling to it - kinda dark, you know? He's juggling music with other stuff in his life, but he's really into telling stories through his songs. Sounds like he's got more singles coming and he's working on an EP too. Definitely one to watch. Listen to She's in Parties https://open.spotify.com/track/45Yg44K83HT4xOfFTYwGDc Follow Destar Conteh on Spotify Soundcloud Youtube Instagram What is your stage name? I go by the name Destar Conteh. Is there a story behind your stage name? I never really liked my full birth name so when I first started making music, me and my best friend came up with the name. Where do you find inspiration? I find inspiration in the experiences from my past and people I know. I tend to blend the stories together to create the narrative I want to portray. What was the role of music in the early years of your life? Growing up, I didn't have much guidance. I had to learn and experience a lot on my own and it made me feel alone. After a while I started to listening to music, mainly heavy metal since that's what I grew up round because my mom. Then I found hip hop and R&B and I started to kinda put myself into the lives of these artists I was listening to so that I didn't have to deal with my own life. Music was one of the main things that gave me an escape. Are you from a musical or artistic family? I'm not Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry? My friend. He had been making beats for a few years, releasing music and one day we just started talking about making music together since we both wanted to but didn't have the support on it. https://on.soundcloud.com/NZAqrxnN1DgTY7H7A How did you learn to sing/write/to play? I learned to sing in high school I was in choir for half a year and just ran with that. I didn't learn how to produce my own songs till a few months after I graduated school and that took me about 7 or 8 months to teach myself. What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform? First concert I ever went to was a Korn concert it was cool. How could you describe your music? I'd want to describe my music as sinking. I want the beat in combination with my vocals to give this feeling of dread in a way that reflects the lyrics and tone I want to set Describe your creative process. I don't really think I have one. I can go weeks without having any ideas or creativity till it randomly hits me usually late at night. What is your main inspiration? My main inspiration would be that darkness of some peoples life. The pain and struggles and the vices that help with those pain and struggles What musician do you admire most and why? A artist I find myself admiring the most would be The Weeknd. unlike other artists where I would put myself into their life, I felt like I was more so sharing experiences with him in a way as if we were noth talking about our pain and what helps. Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? I would say my style did evolve and will continue to evolve for as long as I'm making music. I started out on typical hip hop beats not knowing exactly where I was going until I was able to find myself and my style. Who do you see as your main competitor? I don't really think about what can be competition at the moment. What are your interests outside of music? I really like movies. I love watching old horror movies on youtube and like new horror movies on netflix or something.

If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing? I'd want a job in education but specifically somewhere in my community. Maybe even start a program for some of the's kids who's parents can't always be around to teach them what they need. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? My biggest problem I want to say is the balancing of life and music. At this time I still have to focus on jobs and life stuff but that moment when I finally get a leveled head and inspiration is what reminds me that I can't give up. If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be? Probably the appreciation. A lot of artists I think don't get enough appreciation when it comes to their accomplishments. https://open.spotify.com/artist/24UOlbEa48t7ZOJbiaIYEb Why did you choose this as the title of this project? I chose the title "She's in Parties" because I was telling the story of a girl who can't live without partying. What are your plans for the coming months? My plans coming up are to release about four more singles and then start working on my concept EP Do you have any artistic collaboration plans Right now, my artistic vision for my music is pretty solo right now but plans can change. What message would you like to give to your fans? I know everyone says this but I appreciate all my fans. Everyone who interacts with me on my social or in general, listens to my music, or even just acknowledges me, nothings too small.

[sarangi-geureochi]

NCT 127 - REGULATE, revised tracklist

I really loved every song on Regular-Irregular/Regulate but when Regulate was released, a bunch of songs got moved around and new songs were placed in sequences that didn't make a lot of sense. Regular-Irregular was amazing and a testament to how important and powerful the album format is. It's meant to be listened to in sequence, uninterrupted. Just like Taeyong said, like watching a blockbuster movie. I wanted to maintain that while embracing the new songs introduced on Regulate (and some extra!). So here's my revised track list/playlist of Regular-Irregular/Regulate era NCT 127, with notes. Spotify playlist here and YouTube playlist here!

--

1. 지금 우리 (City 127)

2. Regular - Korean Ver.

3. Replay (PM 01:27)

4. Knock On

5. 나의 모든 순간 (No Longer)

6. Interlude: Regular to Irregular

The Regulate repackage moved the interlude to after My Van instead of No Longer. The piano in the instrumental of No Longer makes it that most natural lead into the solemn piano opening of the interlude. I didn't quite understand why they moved it. The end of the interlude does go nicely into Simon Says but I don't understand why My Van has to get moved up, into the Regular side of the album.

7. Simon Says

8. Chain - Korean Ver.

The song was originally track 12 of the repackage, tacked at the end right before Regular Eng Ver. I can see why it was left till then because it was kind of a "bonus track" that had been previously released even if in Japanese. But the instrumental and all the instresting stuff and chaos that happens on the track make it perfect to follow Simon Says.

9. 내 Van (My Van)

Originally track 7, I pushed this track pretty far back. It definitely needed to be kept in line with Simon Says and Chain because of its overall sound. This is also a slower track which makes it feel like the chaos of Irregular is starting to calm down.’

10. 악몽 (Come Back)

I'd call this track and onwards a third part of the album. Something like "Reality". The lyrics ask the listener to come back because the narrator's life is like a nightmare (악몽처럼) otherwise. It's like reaching, climbing out of Irregular, back to reality. The following songs are more on the romantic side, making for an enjoyable ending to the album.

11. Welcome to My Playground

On Regulate, this song is track 4 between Replay and Knock On. It felt like a hiccup in the flow of the album. The instrumental lines up with the Irregular side of the album so I moved it down here, toward the end of the Irregular section.

12. What We Talkin' Bout (feat. Marteen)

This song is kind of a bonus. It wasn't on Regular-Irregular or Regulate but it was released during Regular era. It was released by Apple Music on Up Next Session: NCT 127. I really love this song (I really hope they perform it on their NA tour) and thought it came nicely after Welcome to My Playground, having a similar vibe and instrumentation.

*This track isn't on Spotify so you'll have to either download the song file to your Spotify or make the playlist on Apple Music. Or just forgo the song altogether. Download here! They’ve been really thorough about taking down fan uploads to YouTube too so it won’t be on that playlist either.

13. 신기루 (Fly Away With Me)

This song is basically where it was before. It sits nicely at the end of the album as an anthem-like song that's hopeful and easy to sing along to.

14. 梦想发射计划 Dream Launch

This track isn't NCT 127! It's WayV, NCT's "unofficial(?)" Chinese unit. Winwin is their overlapping member. Anyway, WayV's debut song was a Mandarin version of Regular with a Mandarin version of Come Back as a B-side. The NCT 127 Korean versions of those songs are on Regular-Irregular, which puts this EP in the same kinda space. Dream Launch is the second B-side and is an original release. It has resembles Fly Away With Me in atmosphere but isn't the same. It's also a song about hope but it focuses more on the singer and his personal hopes and dreams for the future as opposed to a future together with the listener in Fly Away With Me. And the thematic similarity of the songs made them great companions. First the listener is asked to fly away with the singer then this song is the actual launch toward your dreams together.

15. Regular - English Ver.

16. 理所当然 Regular - Chinese Ver.

Just figured as long as the English Ver is here, it wouldn't hurt to tack on WayV's version. If you're a WayV fan, you can also pop their version of Come Back right after the Korean Ver.

17. Running Back 2 U - Bonus Track