#i really tried to be diverse with the songs i chose

[extraordinarilyextreme]

URL song tag game

Thank you @rongzhi for tagging me~ I love doing these games (but this one was 太辛苦啦... i may have taken some liberties...)

RULES: Spell your url with song titles and then tag as many people as there are letters in your url you want

tagging: @difeisheng, @asterdust, @for-rial, @elenothar, @naiwong-bao, @starlitwishforu, @psychic-waffles (if you see this post THEN YOU'RE TAGGED)

E: Eutopia - Yooh

X: 小镇里的花 - 华晨宇

T: TOMBOY - (G)I-DLE

R: 若思念便思念 - 周深

A: 爱啊 - 毛不易

O: One - Sleeping at Last

R: 若梦 - 周深

D: 等不到的等到 - 檀健次

I: IMMA GET IT - JC-T 檀健次

N: 那么爱你为什么 - 于文文、檀健次、韦礼安

A: 啊默契 - 摩登兄弟刘宇宁

R: 如故 - 张碧晨

I: I Really Want To Stay At Your House - Rosa Walton & Hallie Coggins

L: 莲 (Lit) - LAY 张艺兴

Y: 遥远的人 - 叶炫清

E: 11 - YoungCaptain 队长

X: 想象 - 摩登兄弟刘宇宁

T: Two - Sleeping at Last

R: 让酒 - 摩登兄弟刘宇宁

E: 恶作剧 - 王蓝茵

M: 美人鱼 - JJ Lin 林俊杰

E: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - Sleeping at Last

[huhmiya]

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST | nick sturniolo

pairing: bsf!nick x f!reader

summary: where you and nick have been spending the whole day together and tried to find a film but at the end, the two of you decided to listen to the playlist that you both created.

warning: fluff (??), use of y/n, swearing.

a/n: not my photos, on pinterest. this is short and simple but I wanted to make a nick one.

WORDS: 0.9k

huhmiya on wattpad

you - pink | nick - purple

-

You and Nick spent the whole day shopping because he needed to find a new shirt after Chris spilled a drink on him since he would find it funny.

Now though you were in Nick's room, he was eating the pizza he picked up on the way home so the two of you could share, while you were going through the items you had purchased.

You didn't buy much because you didn't find many things you liked, which may have been because you had money with you. It always seems that whenever you don't have money, you come across the best shops.

"Do you want another slice?" Nick asked, as he was on his second slice while you had only eaten one. You nodded, folded the clothes you had bought, and put them in the bag.

"Yeah," you smiled before taking a slice. You were pleased with the toppings he chose since you enjoyed them, and so did he.

While eating, Nick scrolled through some movies on his laptop, as neither of you knew where the TV remote was. "These movies are so fucking boring. I swear on my life I've seen them all," he complained.

You chuckled and playfully rolled your eyes slightly before meeting his gaze, then shifting your attention back to the laptop he was using.

"Not all of these are boring, you know?" you remarked upon coming across some films you'd seen before but found amazing. He simply shook his head and glanced at you.

"If you don't find these boring, you're boring," he teased before switching to a different app for movies, yet they seemed to be more of the same, with a few extra films that were rather lackluster.

As rain began to patter against the window, you were so engrossed in the food and his movie choices that you hadn't even noticed.

"You've skipped over some really good films," you noted, to which he chuckled, acknowledging that he had, but expressing a desire to find something new and promising.

"Well, y/n, I'm trying to find a great movie we haven't seen yet," he declared, grabbing another slice of pizza from the box and munching on it while using his free hand to browse through the movie options on his laptop.

You had a feeling you would be staying here for years, so you tried to come up with some ideas before sitting up suddenly, which prompted him to look at you in confusion at your swift movement.

"Why don’t we create a Spotify playlist?" you suggested to your friend. He simply looked at you, then closed his laptop to avoid looking through films.

He smiled and nodded, then sat up from his bed, not as quickly as you did, and opened Spotify.

You both shared some similar music tastes, but also had some differences. There were songs you both enjoyed and others that only one of you liked.

"Okay, but what should we name it and which songs should we include?" he inquired, while you both took a moment to think and decide.

As the minutes passed and turned into hours, the rain continued to fall, steadily increasing in intensity, providing a comforting backdrop for your collaboration.

You added a mix of both your favorite songs, as well some that were more to your liking than his but he did the same, reflecting your diverse music preferences.

The playlist was over three hours long, but neither of you really paid much attention as you both just kept adding more and more songs you both liked.

As you both finished, the sky had turned dark blue, signaling that night was approaching. You leaned back on the pillows and glanced at the empty pizza box, reflecting on how much you had both eaten, until he broke the silence.

“That’s all I can think of, how about you?” he asked. You just looked at the playlist, scrolling through the songs before speaking. “Yeah.. can’t think of anything else”

He seemed pleased too. You used to have a playlist, but it was filled with songs that now seemed cringeworthy or overplayed. Creating a new one, one that he could enjoy listening to now, made him happy, and it did the same for you.

You rested your head on Nick's shoulder once he lay down on his bed and he wrapped his arm around you, then reached into his drawer to grab his AirPods instead of headphones.

“Should we give it a listen?” he asked with a grin, handing you an AirPod. You chuckled and nodded before taking it just in time for him to start playing the playlist you had spent hours creating together.

masterlist! guidelines & information! wattpad! socials!

[garden-ghoul]

Okay here finally is the music meme @blotthis tagged me in. I don't know what Spotify likes are so I tried to approximate them by listening to a bunch of Bandcamp albums someone on cohost recced a while ago. I chose my favorite song from each album, in order I have them bookmarked. It's been a fun exercise in reshaping my mind to a diverse set of aesthetic paradigms so I can try to understand what each musician sees in their own music. That said. Some of these I'd be reccing anyway.

Points At Head from This Year I Lose My Mind by 2 Mello. Music that makes me wish I had more genre vocabulary. Energetic, funky, hiphoppy I guess?? Jazzy. Has kind of a C2C/Destroid vibe. We're grooving. I like this album.

Oh My God from Shabrang by Sevdaliza. Dark, breathy, synthy. Sevdaliza does fun stuff with autotune and other vocal mods as well as having a lot of great beats. Honestly I'd love to hear more of her unmodified voice in this track because she's a great vocalist. This is a good album if you want to get kind of chill and introspective and weird.

Owens from Little Robert Hutton by Curly Castro. One of the slower starts on a very maximalist album. Curly Castro is doing some fantastic collage here; I like how he plays with samples, clearly pulling from classic DJing on vinyl. I don't know enough about modern rap to compare the vocals to anything but Doomtree, RIP.

Withering Fire from Still as the Night, Cold as the Wind by Vital Spirit. Okay, I will confess I'm not enough of a metalhead to be able to distinguish any of these songs from each other. But as far as I can tell it's a good example of the genre, and if you need some big dramatic texturey noises this album is here for you.

Rock from Ez Minzoku by Foodman. I was having a hard time picking a song from this album, because a lot of it kind of sounds like someone mashing a midifighter loaded with the Earthbound soundfont. The album is hit or miss for me but as soon as I heard Rock I had to put it on this list. An exuberant electric guitar chiptune that's just weird enough for me.

The Mystery (Dilla's Still Here) from Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6 by Madlib. This album only has two songs you can listen to without buying it but on hearing this one I immediately started digging for his first album so I could listen to more of his music. More fun with samples; this is what I might call chillhop if I weren't so aware how boring most chillhop is. From Wikipedia's page on him, no-one's really sure how to categorize him because he's fusing so many genres.

The Great Mist Within from The Great Mist Within by Auriferous Flame. See I said I wasn't enough of a metalhead for Vital Spirit but actually I am a metalhead now. I really like Auriferous Flame's chords and I am gaining appreciation for the textural nature of black metal. I didn't make it all the way through any of these songs but I would if I were just leaving the album playing while I draw.

Son of Man from Rice Field Silently Riping in the Night by Reiko Kudo. I feel like this is one of the best tracks to show off how Kudo thinks about sound, with the different instruments kind of detuned from each other. This whole album is sort of like a distorted reflection of "normal music." Despite occasional loud honking noises it's pretty chill. I enjoyed the description of the recording process at the bottom of the page.

Dance Now from The Forever Story by JID. If you listen to one hiphop album this year, it should be this one. Every single track is a flawless gem with no missing pieces and nothing unnecessary, so the specific song I picked is just the first one I really started jamming out to. Very slick but not overproduced, fantastic beats, fantastic rhymes, wonderful vocals, great instrumentation. I can't coherently talk about the vibe of this album, just listen to it.

Cruise Control from 2000 by Joey Badass. As you may have noticed, I tend to be into chill wavey hiphop, which is why I chose this song off 2000. I really like the outro, it has a classic jazz piano thing going on. This is a hard album to review because I think I'd be more into it if I hadn't just listened to THE PERFECT ALBUM. Ah well. It's good.

[gemsofgreece]

Some complain that we should make a Greek song for Eurovision but we already had one in 2018, but we were disqualified even though it was a pretty song. Maybe because it a soft ballad or something but it was something to send a song in our native language.

But i think we should start first...voting for the candidates who will represent us and second mix both traditional and modern rhythms.

Bre make a Pontiac song and see how much on top we would be, would make the whole crowd dance 😉

Oh my God Anon 😂😂😂 You are young, right? Or started watching Eurovision recently? This is not condescending, I just want to cheer you up. I am asking because Greece retains a honorary title of being a Eurovision powerhouse due to its mostly consistent success throughout 2001- 2013. In all those years, almost all the songs that succeeded had either Greek music or both Greek music and lyrics. The 2014-2019 dry spell had mostly entirely English songs except for two, which had very bad performances. The 2021-2022 successes made people hopeful that Greece was coming back but long time fans complained that Greece should also return to its authentic sounds.

When it comes to the 2018 song, have you watched the stage performance???? I think even Victor two days ago was better than Yanna, and that says a lot! It had nothing to do with the song or the language or it being soft. She sang terribly and supposedly her whole freaking equipment for the staging was stuck at the customs and never arrived at Eurovision (that’s what she said)!!!Have you ever heard of such an occurrence before? 😂 One more suspicious person would say there were barely any ideas for the staging at all and she had no better way of excusing it.

Despite all that, the public did keep her in, albeit barely, and gave her the 10th place. She was murdered by the juries who gave her the 16th place and disqualified her. Here’s the thing though: Yanna accused the juries and the production in general of a sabotage. This might sound crazy but something shitty DID happen. There is a point in the song, during the chorus, where fireworks pop. However, inexplicably during the jury show, the technicians chose to randomly shoot the fireworks during the very calm verse. This was so out of place it was visibly wrong, it wasn’t like a detail you won’t even notice. The Greek team requested that the performance should be repeated, since it was the crucial jury show and it was the technicians’ fault, but the production refused and asked the juries to vote based on what they saw, a decision that was criticised by Greeks and other fans of the song alike.

So as you see here not only the singing is atrocious but as if this was not enough, they really just randomly shot the fireworks to her face. I honestly have no idea what happened but this was the unluckiest song we have sent. It was a gorgeous song that did not deserve either Yanna’s live vocals and her lousy team or the problematic production there. And the fact the audience tried to keep it in was solely the song’s and the language’s achievement as there is not any other redeeming quality in this participation unfortunately.

This is a topic I feel strongly about because I loved this song and I had a lot of faith in it and it still hurts. But also - regarding the language thing - it’s a myth, not only for Greek but for all languages I think. It was true in the past, when only English or French songs would win, but ever since 2010s people want diverse songs and more languages. The juries are worse on that but the public does want the ethnic element.

And to prove it, I once made a very passionate analysis on how Greek entries performed and the conclusion was that on average a song that was either fully Greek or at least in a Greek music style performed better than a totally English song. Again, on average. Here’s the link to the analysis:

And then I saved for last a stab to your heart… We have sent a song in Pontic Greek… and it is the third one that flopped 😅😅😅😅😅😅 The notorious Utopian Land by Argo, fam! But it was a bad song, even though I see on You Tube it has developed something like a cult following.

But in stark contrast, Alcohol is Free was a totally Greek song in everything (with freaking rebetiko) and it finished 6th (and 2nd in its semi) . And the reason it didn’t make it to the top 5 was that some hysteric people were clutching their pearls at the title, whining “how they would allow their kids to watch Eurovision now”. I have some very deep into esc stuff friends from Europe and I know for a fact that this was the case with some people. And yet it ended up sixth and some considered it an injustice, which it was, because it should have won, seriously. Oh yeah, I forgot, it would make it in the top 5 in spite of all that, had it not been for the juries. The public voted it 4th and the juries 14th and it ended up 6th. Similarly, Watch My Dance by Loukas Yorkas was half in Greek and it ended 7th (and notoriously 1st in its semifinal, ahead of the Eurovision winner of the year, Azerbaijan, which does raise questions about the final results - see the link above with the analysis). Interestingly, the only criticism I saw the song ever receiving was by people complaining that the whole song should be like the Greek laiko in the chorus and diss the English rap in the verse. Another example, OPA by Yorghos Alkeos, which was also entirely in Greek and finished 8th.

Now an ethnic Greek entry and a cheerful one at that will certainly be butchered by the juries, like they did with the Ukrainian Shum or the Finnish Cha Cha Cha and our own Alcohol is Free. But who cares? Better be butchered by the juries and be loved by the public, than going with bland and bad English ballads that only the juries might like and nobody else. The people have made clear what songs they want from Greece. And in any case, I would rather suck by sending something from my culture that others may simply not get than suck by sending something that doesn’t even represent me in any way.

I know you agree by the way, you just touched a sensitive chord in my heart and I went full rant mode 😇

[qnewsau]

Meet the Brisbane queer band making waves: Worm Girlz

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/meet-the-brisbane-queer-band-making-waves-worm-girlz/

Meet the Brisbane queer band making waves: Worm Girlz

We ask local artists and enteratiners to spillt he tea about themselves, their craft and the local scene. This month it’s Brisbane band Worm Girlz who have been promoted by Rolling Stone Australia and have supported legendary band Spiderbait on their recent tour.

We chose the name Worm Girlz because… in all we do, we boldly attempt to enrich and support the community around us… much like how wormz increase nutrient availability in soil! Individually we’re all just wriggly little guys with a lot to say.

Actually though, it’s hard coming up with a name for your band! Jade and I (Angie) were trying to come up with a name for this new girl band we were putting together, and we could not think of anything good that wasn’t already taken or wouldn’t come up with some random american politician when you put it into google. So we put it to the group chat. Enter Katie; Worm Girl #1, recently the proud mother of many worms in her compost, and my favourite twin of all time. “OMG, you should call yourselves Worm Girlz”; “Not happening, we aren’t calling ourselves Worm Girlz.” (Jade will say she was always behind Worm Girlz, but she’s telling fibs). And then we proceeded to ironically call ourselves Worm Girlz for the next week until it wasn’t ironic anymore, it was just worm.

Worm Girlz is made up of…. five of the best rockin wormz out there. Angie on the bass guitar, Isabella Wood-de-Slayo on the lead guitar, Jade on rhythm guitar and vocals, Lauren on vocals and Niko on drums. 

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Their music

The music we play is… music is unapologetically fierce and liberating, a powerful blend of high energy and raw emotion. Our sound is a sonic declaration of self-declaration that celebrates diversity and inclusion.

You could describe our style as… aesthetically, we’re bisexual pirates, and musically, we’re gay rock and roll cowboys.

The best gig we’ve done is…it’s so hard to choose! We recently played our largest show at the Fortitude Music Hall supporting Spiderbait, which was really fun. But our favourite would have to be playing with some of our favourite local bands, Platonic Sex, Gregory and Fenrir at West End Girls at The Bearded Lady in West End. 

The worst gig we’ve done is… when we played was interstate and the sound engineer was so not worm. We won’t name names but he tried to teach us how to use a microphone, and pushed our set back because the football was on.

The Worm Girlz songs that a newbie should start with is…jump right into our sound with a healthy serving of DIRT… that’s the song title Dirt. Our debut track will have you wriggling and rocking!

Success and challenges

Our fans are….the coolest wormz in the world! There’s been no better feeling than connecting with a community of people who understand our struggles, share our frustration, or celebrate our identities. Our community always shows up for us as loud as they can and we feel so lucky for that, but also we try our best to give back, to do the work to make our music and events as inclusive and accessible as possible.

The biggest challenge we’ve had is… navigating the scepticism from those who don’t resonate with the band name “Worm Girlz” (bank tellers). We recently had a banker tell us to change our name. We’re over it (we’re not). ALSO PEOPLE SPELLING IT WORM GIRLS! ILLEGAL!

The biggest success we’ve had is…connecting with so many people and expanding our worm farm! 

Our musical heroes are…our musical heroes are Paramore, Chappell Roan, No Doubt!

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Representation

The Brisbane queer scene is….thriving! It’s amazing to have such beautiful community radio and events constantly bringing together our local scene. Our favourite programs to tune into are Tranzmisson, Queer Radio, and Dykes On Mykes, all on 4ZZZ!

Other queer music acts that deserve more attention are….PEPTALK, Cry Club, Eaglemont, Oscar The Wild & Suzi.

Queer representation in live music is… essential to keeping it alive. 

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A message we have for the queer community is….don’t be afraid to be a little freak and take up space! Be your own biggest fan and your community will find you.

The best way to support Worm Girlz is…come see us live, buy our merch or just drop us a line, online. Buying our merch through Bandcamp is always a great way to support us but if you’re looking for more wormz, we have a newsletter and a Discord server full of silly business.

You can follow @wormgirlz on Instagram.

More queer music:

Royston Noell shares coming out journey in new song Say it Loud

Pop artist Tom Nethersole shares powerful debut EP Hindsight

Being gay in Australia’s alternative music scene

Queer Aussie musicians releasing out, proud & loud new music

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[sturrpz-hme-weekly]

Week 7 – Finalising songs

This week, I’m putting my focus on testing out my ideas and finalising songs for my final project.

I made 3 projects, however, one of them crashed and I couldn’t remake it in time for this week’s Pharos session.

The two songs I used for my tests were Merry Go Round of Life and Comptine d'un autre été. I learnt a lot from this week’s feedback session. First of all, if there are not too many changes in the music, it is unnecessary to use a diverse colour palette. Instead, utilising asymmetry between the two side walls would be a good idea to maintain the attention of the audience. Also, I should try not to do too much at the beginning of the soundtrack, because I may run out of ideas later, especially parts with more dramatic melodies. The roof lights should be used for dramatic parts because they are really bright and create drastic changes from the walls.

I spent the rest of the week finalising songs I would use in my final project, and I chose my 30-second piece of music, Comptine d'un autre été by Yann Tiersen, Consolation No. 3 by Liszt, and Castor by S. A. Karl. I chose songs that had videos with piano visual cues, so that it is easier for me to count and time the lights in accordance to the notes. I also tried to create a transition between the songs, but only the last two were seamless.

I had to upload my final song on Drive because I downloaded it in .wav and it was too big for Tumblr.

[stan-the-cinnamon-roll-uris]

After thinking about the whole using your favourite song to get free of Vecna concept for a bit I started wondering how the group would react to their favourite songs post-Vecna.

Because even just talking from my own experience, even the best songs can absolutely be ruined by trauma.

So in the end, once Vecna is dead and everything is said and done, I imagine it's gonna go something like this:

Max who survives Vecna in the end. Battered and bruised, almost blind and bound to a wheelchair but she survives. And she still has Lucas. She still has her friends that care for her and look after her, her found family, only that now whenever she hears Kate Bush, she ends up with full blown anxiety attacks, feeling like she's back in that horrible place in the Upside Down. Not just with "Running up that hill" but Kate Bush in general because it's the singer's voice that is branded into her brain now.

Eddie, who gets released from the hospital after the group barely got him out of the Upside Down alive and immediately sets up a date for a Corroded Coffin band rehearsal even though he's supposed to take it slow but this is all he ever wanted to do. His trip to hell and back is all he thinks about in the days leading up to their band meet up and the fact that he helped save the world with a Metallica song and his own electric guitar. But once he sits in front of his waiting band mates his hands freeze. And he tries to play, just like he remembers doing in the Upside Down, he can almost feel it in his fingertips, too, but sitting there in Gareth's garage he can't. It's like his hands are stuck to the strings and his throat closes up and his healing bites start itching again and it's not fair because that's his song now and he was so certain they'd kill it at their next gig but Eddie can't. Not that song. Never again.

Now, Nancy is the one that never really cared much about music but she cares a lot about being prepared, especially after getting dragged into everything with the Upside Down. Nancy, who is the one collecting all of their favourite songs, neatly putting them on a list and fixing up a mixtape for her car. Thankfully she never has to use it but she can never bring herself to throw it out, either, because what if the time comes where they need to be prepared again? So instead it ends up getting banished to her glove department. Never able to throw it away, but unable to look at it without shuddering, either.

Or Robin who didn't even know what song to chose in case of a Vecna emergency because her favourite song changes daily. Robin's cassette collection at home is diverse and excessive, as her mom loves to remind her, but it's just hard when sometimes she needs to listen to the same 5 songs for a month and other times it feels like she needs to listen to 100 different songs a day. Even when Nancy comes to her about the mixtape she's not sure she even chose the right song so she just ends up doing her own mixtape. She keeps it with her until the day Vecna is defeated before crashing it under one of the Beamer's tires as Steve is finally teaching her how to drive.

And lastly Steve who always listened to Queen, Abba, Madonna and everything pop on the radio but after almost losing several of his friends it's just not the same. Everytime he listens to "I want to break free" now, he remembers Russian spies and finding Eddie half dead in Dustin's arms and watching Max at the hospital getting wheeled into surgery and he gets anxious and there's so much anger now. Robin and Dustin have tried to get him into different styles of music before and now there's Eddie who only ever talks about Metal and that's not quite it but turns out Punk works quite well when you want to scream it out alone in the car.

[nicole-gasbarro]

My All-Time Favorite Love Songs

In light of my last review being a bit negative, today I will be introducing you to nine of my all-time favorite songs about love. Spanning various genres, types of love, and both classic and contemporary artists, I have compiled all the songs under my radar which reflect diverse perspectives on love. All reflect an experience I had in high school when I felt I had my first love. Of course, my ideas of what love were were naive and who could blame me but, at the time, these songs really resonated with what I was feeling and made me feel closer to someone who at the time was hard to reach. After all, one of the most important aspects of music is its ability to translate a feeling and emotion that cannot be communicated through words. That is what this playlist attempts to achieve and for me, transports me back to a time when I believed I could fall in love at first sight. While the outlook I had on love was precarious, it is certainly a fun sentiment to have and to remember.

The first track I have chosen is "Glitter" by Tyler, the Creator. This song is very sentimental and the soulful, the R&B vibes just make this track all the more romantic. Tyler's pitched up vocals reflect a younger me, with similarly youthful views on love and commitment. This song, when you're in love, feels a bit otherworldly. Like you're floating on the clouds with flowers blooming and bees buzzing, exactly how the album cover portrays. This song is dreamlike and reflects a love that makes you feel alive and fulfilled.

The second track I chose is "Love Galore" by SZA and Travis Scott. This song is reflective of a relationship that is tumultuous and involves infidelity. However, the woman (in this case SZA) in the relationship tries to act like she does not care about the man she is involved with but claims she does it all for "love" regardless. The man (Travis Scott) claims he only is in the relationship for purely physical purposes and does not care about the women he is having relations with. The desperation from SZA's character is evident in her longing for "weekends" with this man. She clearly wants more from the relationship but cannot be committed to the guy she is having an affair with because he is already in a relationship. The woman is in love with the man, but he doesn't care about her. This song includes a more imbalanced and toxic example of love. At the time this song really resonated with me, I did not think too deeply into the lyrics. I just loved jamming to this song and singing the lyrics because it was catchy and fueled my fantasies of being in a relationship.

The third track I have chosen to include is "Till There Was You" by The Beatles. This song is about having a love in your life that is blissful and makes your life worth living. I love this song for its classic sound as well as its origins in Broadway. I have always loved the theater and have been involved in many productions throughout my life and high school career, making this song all the more personal and relative to my high school experience.

The fourth track I have chosen for this playlist is "Shut Up Kiss Me" by Angel Olsen. This song tells the story about a love on the rocks; the partners are fighting for unknown and what seems to be irrelevant reasons. The couple just simply needs to communicate better and stop icing each other out. Their tears, fighting, and silence is unnecessary. From now on, all that is necessary for their love to work Is just to love each other and express their appreciation for one another. Angel Olsen is passionate and unapologetic on this track about her intentions. She is willing to fight for this love no matter what and knows her and partner have something worth the trouble. This song translated for me the intense emotions I had during this period of my life. Difficulties in my love life made me feel powerless and Olsen's lyrics made me feel like I had the willpower to overcome the trials and tribulations of young love.

The fifth track from my playlist is "I Got You Babe" by Sonny & Cher. This song is about finding your person, your other half. Fighting any obstacle and defeating the odds through your love for this person. This is maybe the opposite of what I was feeling at the time since I felt more unstable and insecure within my feelings for someone more than anything. This song gave me hope of what our relationship could be. It was an example of something healthy, reliable, and comfortable. Maybe it was not what I had at the time but it helped me to hold onto the hope of someday having the kind of love described in this iconic love song.

The sixth track I have chosen to exemplify this period of my life is "As" by Stevie Wonder. During this time, my parents were introducing me to more and more music from their past that they love. Through the introduction of Stevie Wonder's music into my life, my love of R&B began. This song describes an everlasting love rich with dedication and passion. This song is utterly beautiful and timeless and never fails to put a smile to my face. During my time in high school, this song didn't necessarily have anything to do with my love life since this song reflects a more mature love that I have not yet experienced. However, I felt the song was appropriate for a playlist about love since I believe it to be one of the best love songs ever created. It has deep meaning in terms of its ability to convey romantic love, but for me specifically, it instead represents the familial love of my parents. I am forever grateful for the way they brought music into my life from a young age. I attribute my love of and knowledge about music to them.

The next track I have chosen for this playlist is "Le temps de l'amour" by Francoise Hardy. At the time, I loved the movie "Moonrise Kingdom" directed by Wes Anderson, as it portrayed a similarly young and naive love to the one I had experienced. For a long time, I never knew what the lyrics of this song meant in English, but after seeing a translation, I can't say that are all that interesting or much different from the message of your typical love song. However, I just found this song to be particularly easy to listen to and pretty. I loved the way the French language sounded on this track in particular and how the song reminded me of the movie and the feelings the scene with protagonists Sam and Suzy slow dancing on the beach made me feel.

The next song I have chosen is "Heroes" by David Bowie. This song is incredibly emotional and portrays a love that can never be. Bowie imagines a day in which the couple will fight against all odds and be with each other just once. Thus, making the pair "heroes" temporarily. This song reflects both me and the person I had feelings for's shared love of Bowie but also my unrealistic belief that one day we would meet and be heroes together, even just for one day. Both me and Bowie shared the same longing for something that could have never came to fruition. This song displayed exactly how I was feeling at this time in my life and my wishes for a love that was doomed.

The last track I have chosen is Dionne Warwick's "I Say A Little Prayer", released in 1967. I specifically chose the original after having heard the Aretha Franklin version and asking my dad whether it was an original or not, which led me to this version of the song. I can't say that looking back I prefer this version over Franklin's but at the time it is important for me to stay loyal to the original. This song is about a woman committed to her partner, so much so that she prays for him throughout the day. She cares for him deeply and relies on him for happiness. Although the relationship in this song seems potentially unhealthy, overall I loved the sound of it and the lyrics reflected my devotion to the person I was talking to at the time. Like the woman portrayed in the song, I too had much loyalty for the person I had relations which and devoted my time and energy to them. However, they did not reciprocate the same attention and care which led to an unbalanced relationship. This song had put in the same shoes as the woman, waiting for that someone to answer her prayer, and perhaps not ever receiving one in return.

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

Tag Game

thanks for tagging @harisontour :))

rules: you can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. put your favourite playlist on shuffle and list the first ten songs, then tag ten people! no skipping!

I chose my Get Back vibes playlist cause it's actually really representative of my musoc taste as a whole:

The Only Living Boy in New York — Simon & Garfunkel

Help! — The Beatles

exile — Taylor Swift, Bon Iver

So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright — Simon & Garfunkel

this is me trying — Taylor Swift

When It Rains — Paramore

Hard Times — Paramore

You Won't See Me — The Beatles

Asystole — Hayley Williams

Dead Horse — Hayley Williams

I think spotify sometimes tries too hard to make the songs it plays in a row be similar so this is is less diverse than the actual playlist is lmao.

tagging the Swiftle Squad @a-queen-of-the-clouds, @artofdying1970, and @pennielane :))

[riversofmars]

Just another little chance encounter in this series :)

Big, Vast, Complicated and Ridiculous 

Chapter 8: Space

“So when you say you're both time travellers… you could pretty much see yourself whenever in whichever order right?“ Yaz asked, contemplating what she had learned about her best friend’s marriage.

“Within reason.“ The Doctor nodded. “We have to keep the causality intact. Hence, we really should get going to Stormcage and put things right.“ She mused stepping up to the TARDIS controls.

“Can we do something fun first?“ Yaz asked and the Doctor looked around to her, slightly confused by the request.

“Like what?“

“See your wife at another time.“ Yaz explained, realising the Doctor wasn’t catching on

“Lets go somewhere… unproblematic. The first time I bumped into her was rather something… and just now, all we did was watch from a distance, I want to get a chance to get to know her a bit better if that’s okay. Perhaps we can find a point in your timeline were we won’t cause any problems.“

“Yaz…“ The Doctor sighed. She appreciated her interest and the sentiment but she shook her head.

“No really. You seem so… determined to focus on her death like the one defining aspect of your relationship and I guess, since it was the beginning, yes, it’s a pretty big deal and it’s bound to hang over you… but you have all of space and time to chose from, both of you do, there must be so much time left, popping in and out of each other’s timelines… find me a River Song that is happy and fun and not at all dead.“ Yaz crossed her arms in front of her chest, challenging her.

“Yaz…“ The Doctor shook her head. She wasn’t sure if she was emotionally able to cope with another fleeting encounter that would only drive home how much she missed her.

“Come on, you know you want to!“ Yaz insisted and the TARDIS jumped into action before the Doctor could do anything. So she gave a little defeated sigh. What was one more trip. Yaz was right, she had been focusing too much on what she didn’t have than what she could, if she just chose to. The TARDIS landed and the Doctor made her way to the door.

“Right then, let’s see what fresh hell you have for us this time…“ She pulled the door open and they found themselves stepping into a space ship. Suddenly there was laser fire! They only barely managed to duck.

“Intruders!“ An angry voice called.

“You said unproblematic, didn’t you?“ The Doctor groaned spotting a group of well armoured aliens heading towards them.

“Run?“ Yaz asked, ducking more laser blasts.

“Run!“ The Doctor confirmed and they bolted down the corridor, leaving the TARDIS behind. They dove into an alcove, a good hiding spot and the soldiers sprinted past.

“What are they?“ Yaz asked quietly watching the short, ball-headed aliens carry on.

“We ended up on a Sontaran battleship.“ The Doctor explained and stuck her head out to see what was going on. “Not very friendly people at all.“ She spotted two Sontarans that had stayed behind to examine the TARDIS. “We can’t let them have the TARDIS…“ She mumbled turning back to Yaz. “I mean, they’re really not clever enough to work it but…“

“We need to get out of here somewhere.“ Yaz agreed.

“So what’s the plan?“ A voiced sounded behind them in their hide out. Clearly, they weren’t the only ones that had made use of it. Both of them whirled around in shock.

“River?!“ The Doctor exclaimed in disbelief and her wife quickly shushed her by pressing a finger to her lips.

“Shush, you don’t want them to find us, do you?“ She hummed, checking over her shoulder that they hadn’t been spotted.

“What are you doing here?“ Yaz barely knew what to say, her heart still racing from the shock.

“Oh, you know, the usual…“ River gave a shrug and grinned.

“Which means?“ The Doctor asked when she let go of her.

“Well, the Sontarans took possession of a very large crystal that’s said to have the power to topple empires… it doesn’t really, it’s superstition because people have been fighting over it for so long. It is just a very large, very valuable jewel and utterly wasted on Sontarans.“ River answered with a smirk and the Doctor groaned in annoyance:

“River!“

“Don’t give me that look, Sweetie.“ River did her best to look offended when she really wasn’t. They did this dance a lot. “Now, how about a kiss for your old wife instead?“ She smirked and pressed a kiss to her wife’s lips.

“River…“ The Doctor’s protest was very weak and she kissed her back until Yaz cleared her throat quite loudly.

“Ah, yes, sorry.“ River let go of her wife and turned to Yaz with a smile: “Hello again Yaz, how have you been?“

“Yeah, uhh, not too bad…“ Yaz replied slowly, not sure how to respond. Their last meeting had been a lot less civil.

“The last time you saw her, you put a gun to her head.“ The Doctor threw in, feeling the need to explain and River raised her eyebrows.

“Not to my recollection, that was quite a long time ago but if you say so.“ She shrugged. Time travel was funny like that.

“You’re not going to say sorry, are you.“ The Doctor sighed, realising she wouldn’t be able to make good on her promise to Yaz.

“When have I ever apologised for anything.“ River chuckled, finding the whole notion rather ridiculous.

“It’s fine.“ Yaz said, still surprised at how pleasant and mild mannered River was acting towards her. “So, Professor Song…“ She started but River interrupted her sounding affronted.

“My, my. Professor Song? It is early days for you. River. Please.“ The professor insisted.

“River then.“ Yaz nodded, deciding to just go with it. “Can I ask you something?“ She glanced to the Doctor briefly who frowned, wondering what she was playing at.

“Ask away but do it quickly, those soldiers will be back.“ River replied pleasantly while checking that they were still safe enough.

“Are you happy?“ Yaz asked.

“What sort of a question is that?“ River frowned but she wasn’t annoyed or affronted, just surprised.

“Yaz…“ The Doctor tried to interject but Yaz wasn’t letting her.

“No, please, what I mean to say… from what I’ve gathered your life is so complicated. Your relationship I mean.“ She looked in between the two women. “It must be difficult, for both of you. But does that… take away from your happiness, does that… make you love each other any less? Do you wish things were different?“ She looked to River for an answer.

“Yaz…“ The Doctor said again but River was ignoring her as well.

“Oh, Yaz, darling, you are new to this, aren’t you.“ She chuckled. “All of time and space. Out of order, upside down, back to front, it doesn’t matter. We’re not normal people, neither one of us. Only makes sense our story is as vast, complicated and ridiculous as we are, isn’t that right, Sweetie.“ River looked to her wife who didn’t respond, she just listened. “Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy the quiet life as well, for a time maybe, but not forever. Who knows what the future holds, that’s part of the fun.“ She looked to the Doctor who didn’t seem quickly like herself.

Yaz, however, appeared satisfied with the answer so River decided to return to what she thought were more important matters: “Now, as much as I’m enjoying philosophising… Those Sontarans are about to break open your TARDIS and we can’t let that happen. I will create a diversion, you run back and take off.“

“River…“ The Doctor didn’t know what to do or say. Her words were only just sinking it, she didn’t want to say goodbye again so soon.

“I’ll see you soon, Sweetie. Actually, might have you give me a ride.“ She tapped a message into her vortex manipulator. “Till next time, my love. See ya, Yaz.“ She didn’t give either of them a chance to respond, she just jumped out of their hiding place. “Hello boys. Are you on a hen night?“ She called down the corridor, drawing the attention of the Sontarans attempting to get inside the TARDIS.

“She’s mad, utterly mad.“ Yaz shook her head to herself as she watched River sprinting down the corridor, heading away from the TARDIS and the Sontarans chasing after her with gun fire.

“Let’s go.“ The Doctor grabbed Yaz by the arm and they bolted from their hiding place, back towards the TARDIS.

“Will she be okay?“ Yaz asked and the Doctor nodded:

“Yup, I will be picking her up any moment now. Past me, anyway.“ They reached the TARDIS door and pushed it open. “Let’s go.“

[yuminsung]

NCT 2020: SYNERGY (my wishes for an album)

I was positive we were getting an NCT 2020 comeback at the start of the year, however now I have realised I am a clown. So, instead, I have spent longer than I should’ve creating an album filled with stuff that I would like to see.

I want to preface this with the fact that I have no qualifications in anything related to music / album design / production or anything like that, this is just based on my opinions as a fan of music and NCT.

I’m gonna split this into 4 sections to kinda separate my thoughts, and so it’s easier to navigate.

1. TITLE

NCT 2018s album is titled EMPATHY, the definition of this being “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another”. I think SM chose this to reflect how NCT 2018 was an amalgamation of 127, DREAM, and U. I wanted to try and keep this theme for NCT 2020, though expand on it due to the addition of WAYV. 

SYNERGY is defined as “the combined power of a group when they are working together, that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately”. To be honest, I think the word ‘synergy’ perfectly sums up NCT’s concept of sub-units, so it would be a good choice for NCT 2020s album’s title due to its meaning as well as its similarity to ‘empathy’ sound-wise. 

2. ALBUM COVER 

The album cover for EMPATHY was very bright, like all the colours of the rainbow, but still very minimalistic and kinda futuristic? The NCT vibe. I think their second album would suit a slightly more mature design, and as I have no talent in design, I’m going to use existing album covers to give an idea of what i think would work well.

If SM was to go down the route of a similar album cover, I think the best example is the 1975′s newest album:

It still has the text elements that were prominent on EMPATHY’s cover, while being more minimalistic in colour (aside from the yellow side panel which would theoretically be bright neobong green).

If they were to go along a different route to EMPATHY, I think this album cover by Paris Jones could work well for NCT 2020:

If the background surface was black, a polaroid of all 21 members could be a simple but effective album cover. 

In terms of promotional photos, this scene from the WAYV ‘Regular’ MV is my first thought:

Photos taken on a set like this, with all the members dotted about the room and maybe the album title + members’ names repeated across the screens could work well to give off the futuristic NCT vibe. 

3. TITLE TRACK / CONCEPT 

I can’t create a whole album’s worth of songs, so for the next two sections all the songs mentioned are going to be from existing artists. I’m not trying in anyway to suggest that “NCT would do it better” or that NCT should release the exact songs mentioned - I’m just using these songs to represent the styles I would like to see NCT explore. 

Title Track: GETTING CLOSER - SEVENTEEN 

I think SVT are a really good example of having a lot of members that all have the opportunity to shine. Getting Closer is that bitch, like the line distribution is spot-on and the choreography is one of my all-time favourites. 

Black on Black was mainly instrumental to highlight the performance ability of NCT 2018. Getting Closer is reminiscent of BoB in its powerful nature, but would be able to show NCT 2018′s growth into NCT 2020, with further vocal / rap capabilities showcased alongside the previously established performance talent.

The concepts of BoB and Getting Closer are already similar, so this wouldn’t be anything out of NCT’s / SM’s comfort zone, and would also work towards establishing a dark & powerful ‘brand’ for when all sub-units perform together as one. 

Special Stage: UH-OH - (G)-IDLE

I would like to see NCT 2020 do something a little bit different than ‘powerful’ for the special stage. Uh-Oh has a really chilled kinda west-coast vibe that I think NCT are yet to fully explore in any sub-unit but could absolutely pull off. It would be a stage where they could genuinely have fun performing all together. 

I imagine the stage being done in a way similar to Growl by EXO in that certain groups of members come onto the stage for different verses, then all come on together for the final chorus.

The styling for Uh-Oh is kinda summer streetwear. The best equivalent I’ve found for a boy group in this style is ATEEZ Wave era.

This shows kinda how I think the styling for this stage should be, in particular Jongho, Yunho, and Mingi. Just think lots of colour, street brands, and denim. 

Getting Closer and Uh-Oh are the only songs on the album where I’ve put all 21 members on the same track. 

4. TRACKLIST 

I have no talent when it comes to album design / composition or anything like that, but I tried to create a sort of theme / flow between the songs I picked for the album. NCT songs I’d liken the overall theme to are ‘Love Song’ from Neo Zone, ‘Love Again’ from Reload, and ‘YESTODAY’ from Empathy. 

I’ve used an intro, interlude, and outro to show progression of NCT 2020 through the album, with these 3 songs getting more upbeat one by one. Though extremely cringey, I guess I was trying to emulate them growing happier through being together as a group.

Aside from the two tracks mentioned above that feature all members, the rest of the songs are split into sub-units, whether it be pre-existing unofficial units within NCT or a selection of members I think suit the style of a certain song. I have not included any official NCT sub-units on this album, as that was done in EMPATHY. I’d like this to be one big NCT U album, where we get the members in combinations we’d otherwise never get to hear performing together. 

The Tracklist: 

INTRO: The Unknown Guest (DEAN)

Members: Xiaojun

Xiaojun is a beyond amazing singer (he is my joint favourite vocalist in NCT). This song has an old feel, it’s almost haunting, and I really think Xiaojun’s voice would suit such a song perfectly. Xiaojun performing an intro of this style alone would open the album well and give him the time to shine he deserves !

Track 1: Getting Closer (SVT)

Members: All

(Explained above)

Track 2: CHILLI (SVT)

Members: Rap Line (Taeyong, Johnny*, WinWin*, Lucas, Mark, Hendery, Jaemin, YangYang, Jeno, Jisung*)

I might have completely forgotten some songs but I don’t think NCT have ever released a rap-heavy song of this style. I would love to see them do a rap song with this sort of relaxed vibe - it would show off diversity in their rapping abilities and would be a fun concept to see.

*I know Johnny, WinWin, and Jisung are in both the vocal and rap lines, but I’ve chosen to include them on the rap line track rather than the vocal line track as I think they suit the vibe of this track better than the vocal track. Plus, it would give the three of them more lines (god knows they need them) if they were on this track rather than with the vocal line :)

Track 3: Uh Oh (G-IDLE)

Members: All

(Explained above) 

Track 4: The Truth Untold (BTS)

Members: Vocal Line (Taeil, Yuta, Doyoung, Kun, Ten, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Xiaojun, Renjun, Haechan, Chenle)

Although NCT has released ballads before, I would love to hear members from different subunits singing together. Like, imagine Renjun, Xiaojun, and Jungwoo on the SAME track - the power. Taeil and Chenle harmonising? Iconic.

Track 5: Spotlight (1the9)

Members: Foreign Swaggers / English-Speaking Line (Johnny, Ten, Jaehyun, Hendery, Xiaojun, Mark, YangYang)

I know Xiaojun, Hendery, and YangYang aren’t technically in the Foreign Swaggers, but I feel like spiritually they are. I wanna see 6 of them causing havoc while Jaehyun spectates (https://youtu.be/acsjfk4cz1U). A song with a playful vibe, not necessarily in English, would suit these members well.

INTERLUDE: Dayfly (DEAN)

Members: Taeil, Taeyong, Kun, Doyoung, Jungwoo

I don’t have any reasoning for why I’ve chosen these specific members for this song other than the fact I think the style suits them well. I think the 5 of them together on an interlude with a relaxed feel would just be a really calming break in the album.  

Track 6: Vibe (1Team)

Members: Taeyong, Yuta, Jungwoo, Jeno, Jaemin, Haechan, Jisung

This is quite a broad range of members in terms of age but I don’t think that matters as each of their styles would suit a song like this. A relaxed style and structure similar to the one this song has would allow each of them to shine, as it’s nearly an equal split of rappers to vocalists.

Track 7: Retro Future (Triple H)

Members: Johnny, Ten

Baby Don’t Stop 2.0. I can just imagine these two singing a song like this and having so much fun. A JohnTen duet track is giving the gays (read @incorrectnct​ ) not only what they want, but what they deserve. 

Track 8: Base Line (J-HOPE)

Members: 99 Line (Lucas, Mark, Hendery, Xiaojun)

The 99 line is 3/4 rappers so a song that is rap-heavy in style would best showcase their ability. We’ve heard Mark and Lucas together during EMPATHY era, and Lucas with Hendery and Xiaojun in WAYV, so I have no doubts the 4 would work together. Plus, rapper Xiaojun could be something that we don’t yet have but definitely need. 

Track 9: Focus on Me (JUS2)

Members: 97 Line (Jaehyun, WinWin)

These two are made for a sexy concept like the style of this song, and their voices complement each-others’ so well. I always felt Jaehyun was one of the members of 127 WinWin was most comfortable around, so their existing chemistry would make a track together even better. 

Track 10: Second Life (SVT)

Members: China Line (Kun, WinWin, Lucas, Hendery, Xiaojun, Renjun, YangYang, Chenle)

They have the range.

Track 11: New Rules (TXT)

Members: 00 Line (Haechan, Renjun, YangYang, Jaemin, Jeno)

A song with a fun feel to it like this is the only way to go for the 00 line. They are almost an even split of rappers and vocalists, so a song like this would allow each member to shine. I know any song with these 5 together would make me smile while listening to it. 

OUTRO: Blue Side (J-HOPE)*

Members: Yuta

Imagine if SM gave Yuta his own solo track,, just kidding,,, unless? But for real, Yuta has managed to prove how talented an artist he is despite SM only giving him 2 lines and 8 seconds of screen time each comeback, so imagine how amazing a whole song by him would be.

*Song will be in Japanese.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I tried to split the members evenly between tracks, which I know is unrealistic but is what we want to see (SM please let Mark, Taeyong, and Haechan rest). I’m not sure if we’ll ever get another full group album, I’ve heard some people saying it will be NCT 2021 for 21 members, like the 18 members for NCT 2018. Regardless, making this made me feel happy thinking about the possible interactions and the songs that could come from it. 

If you’ve made it this far thank you for sticking with my jumbled thought process. Please message me if you have any thoughts about anything in this post or just about NCT ot21 in general :) 

[duhragonball]

Hellsing Liveblog Ch. 45-50

This is the “Soldier of Fortune” arc.  I thought there was a song by this title and there is!    Give it a listen.

This opens with a flashback to Pip Bernadotte’s childhood, where he finds out his whole family is a bunch of mercenaries.    His grandfather confirms it, and I should point out that Grandpa Bernadotte is the most mercenary-looking dude I’ve ever seen.   He’s wearing a friggin’ beret while he tells Pip about how his dad died in some war to raise money while Ma Bernadotte was pregnant with Pip.   Was Pip’s mother a merc too? 

I guess my point is that this whole scene feels really stupid to me.   Kid Pip grew up among mercenaries, but he’s literally the last person in town to find out about it.  How do the kids at school know?   Are the Bernadottes that well-known?   I always assumed mercenaries tried to keep a low profile.   Then again, they are entrepreneurs, so maybe the kids in school found ads about the Bernadottes in the phone book.  

Even so, was Pip’s family trying to keep this a secret from him?  Because Grandpa sure wasn’t.   Not with that beret he’s got on.   It’s like he’s been waiting Pip’s whole life to tell him, so why didn’t he mention it before?  You’d think he’d want to raise the boy to follow in his footsteps, the same as Pip’s dad.  Did Pip’s mom not want him to grow up to be a mercenary?  It just seems like she should have known that wouldn’t work out.  

Anyway, Grandpa Bernadotte waxes philosophical about killing people for money, which doesn’t seem like much of a justification.   Pip was very upset about the whole thing, and I don’t think Grandpa said anything to make him less upset, and then we flash forward to the present day, where Pip’s a mercenary.

I mean, what was the point of that flashback?  Pip was horrified to find out his family kills for profit, and then at some point he got over it and joined the family business.   Why didn’t the flashback show us that moment instead?  It seems more relevant.  

At any rate, I feel like the flashback is overlooking the true point of Pip’s character arc.  He starts out a soldier of fortune like his father and grandfather, but by joining up with Hellsing he’s now fighting for a much nobler cause, ridding the world of unspeakably evil monsters.  He still seems to look at it like just another job, but it’s still important.  His defense of the Hellsing mansion is a lot more heroic because he’s fighting against daunting odds with very little hope of surviving to see another sunrise, let alone his next paycheck.  

Back to the main story, when Millennium’s forces invaded London, they sent a company to the Hellsing HQ on the outskirts of the city.   Zorin Blitz was tasked with leading this group, but she was ordered to hold off on attacking until the Major gave the word.   The Major then fired rockets at the mansion, only for Seras Victoria to shoot the rockets down... and Zorin’s zeppelin.   Now, Zorin is trying to lead a ground attack on the mansion, except Pip has turned the entire yard into a minefield.   

Seras disapproves, but Pip doesn’t care.   In this sort of conflict, he and his men, the Wild Geese, are at a complete disadvantage.   Vampires, even the weaker, artificial vampires of Millennium, are faster, stronger, and harder to kill.  He hints at some sort of vampiric ability to read an opponent’s movements, too, which might have something to do with that whole “third eye” trick Seras and Alucard use.   Against all of that, landmines are a sensible precaution, since they’re powerful enough to kill a vampire in one shot and don’t rely on a human operator with killing intent. Seras can gripe, but if Hellsing had used mines back in volume 2, the Valentine Brothers never would have made it inside.  Pip clearly read up on that debacle, since it must have taken weeks for his men to bury all these mines.

The landmines do kill a lot of Zorin’s troops, and the Wild Geese lay down heavy fire from the mansion to keep up the pressure, but Zorin won’t give up so easily.   She uses he powers to create some sort of zany illusion, where everyone sees a giant Zorin Blitz attacking the mansion.

So what the hell is Zorin Blitz, exactly?   I thought she was a vampire, but reading this manga has revealed that Rip Van WInkle is a werewolf, which led me to suspect Zorin is a werewolf too.   But the manga is silent on Zorin being one or the other.  I check the Hellsing Wiki, but it contends that both women are vampires, and the term “Werewolf” just refers to the group of officers in Millennium.   This group includes literal werewolves like the Captain and Schrodinger, but not Blitz and Rip.   

Maybe it doesn’t matter that much, but I find it a little silly to call all four of those characters “Werewolves” and then only two of them are really werewolves.   Clearly, all four of them are a cut above the Major’s other troops, and none of them show any interest in drinking blood, or any other vampire-exclusive traits.   On the other hand, this whole battle takes place under a full moon, and none of them seem to be affected by it.    Unless the Major chose this particular night to launch his offensive because he wanted them all to be at full power.   Maybe Zorin couldn’t do this illusion thing otherwise.

Anyway, the Wild Geese see this giant woman slashing at them with a scythe, and they all panic.   Seras sees it too, but she somehow intuits that it can’t be real.   Then she sees Alucard, who reminds her of her third eye.   I’m not sure if this is a flashback or Alucard is using telepathy to coach her from the deck of the H.M.S. Eagle.  

Either way, Seras uses her third eye and not only sees through the illusion but lines up a shot on the illusion-caster.  But it only grazes Zorin.   It disrupts the illusion, but it doesn’t end the threat.

And even though the illusion is shattered, it still distracted the Wild Geese long enough for Millennium troops to enter the mansion.   Seras manages to shoot them down, but there’s more where that came from.

Because the Nazi bastards figured out a way past the mines.   They just threw a bunch of knives on the ground and played hopscotch to get across.   I guess this means they can only get in one at a time, but it’s still bad news for the good guys.

So Pip adjusts his tactics accordingly.  He and his men will regroup and hold up in a defensible location, while Seras roams the building to take the fight to the enemy.   I guess the idea is to divide Millennium’s focus.   They can attack the Geese or watch out for Seras, but not both.   For some reason, Seras calls Pip “sir”, like he’s in charge, and maybe that is appropriate in this situation, but I thought Seras was in charge of their training.  

Then one of the Geese pats her on the butt and Pip steals a kiss.   I’m not sure what the hell this is about.   I guess they were trying to lighten the mood before they go to face certain death, but if my life depended on some vampire girl killing all the bad guys before they can rip me to shreds, I probably wouldn’t sexually harass her, or do anything else to tick her off.   But that’s just me.

Pip seems resigned about their chances.  He’s confident in Seras’ ability, but there’s only one of her and like... 30?  Let’s say 30, thirty Nazi Vampires heading their way.  If even one of them gets past Seras, the Geese will all die horribly.   But they took this job and the risks that come with it, and besides, there’s nowhere for them to run anyway.    He seems to accept the situation with a mercenary sense of honor.   Like, a mercenary should expect to die in some unwinnable battle, and they shouldn’t complain about it, since it’s the nature of the business. 

Anyway, it doesn’t go well.   The nature of the comic doesn’t really make it clear how the Wild Geese are operating, but I get the impression that they’re doing sort of a fighting withdrawal concentrating their forces as they give ground.    But they suffer a lot of casualties in the process.

This leads to the Geese holing up in the big conference room where Integra met with the Royal Order of Protestant Knights before the Valentine Bros. attack.   One guy panics and wants to bug out, but Pip reminds him of what I said a minute ago.   They’ve got nowhere else to go, and they all got into this for the action, so they should stick to their principles, even in the face of death.

There’s this one guy from “B-block”, who I guess was covering a certain hallway, but B-Block got cut off before they could join the others in the Round Table room.    Zorin Blitz decides to have some fun with him, so she uses her weird powers to make him see himself back home, with his dead daughter.  

This seems especially cruel, because it’s not like Zorin needed this diversion to kill one dude.   She’s just really sadistic.

Meanwhile, some other Millennium guys are eating the Wild Geese they already killed, and one of them shows off his ability to tell blood types just by taste.   It’s this really sick moment, but at the same time it humanizes the characters, which is a weird thing to say when discussing Nazi vampires, but you know what I mean.

Then Seras blows the dude’s head off, which is extremely satisfying.

So Seras is holding up her end, and growing more resolute with each kill.   She’s really improved a lot since the last time she was in action.    Yeah, these Millennium vampires probably aren’t that much tougher than the vampires she killed back in the summer, but there are a lot more of them, and they’re trained soldiers on top of that, and she doesn’t have Alucard backing her up like she did before.

By now, all that’s left of the Wild Geese are in this barricaded room, and they’ve run low on silver bullets, which means even the few shots that don’t miss will have almost no effect.   Pip is determined to hold out, confident that Seras will save them, but...

She runs out of bullets before she runs out of enemies to kill.   When she arrives to save the day, she’s still has to go through Zorin Blitz.

But Zorin doesn’t see this as a problem, and she uses her freaky mind powers on Seras, forcing her to relive memories of her days at the orphanage.    Yeah, Seras was an orphan, remember?   Alucard asked Walter about her parents a while back, and Walter said they were both dead.  How did they die?

Well, Zorin Blitz is about to find out...

[emblem-fire]

Black Eagle!Dedue AU

Dedue starts classes in the Blue Lions House, but he isn’t totally loyal to Dimitri like he is in the canon. In this AU, he is bitter about the Murder of Duscur and about Dimitri’s refusal to do anything in terms of reparations.

Dedue spends two moons in the blue lions and in that time, he is consistently belittled and degraded by Felix and Ingrid for his heritage. He doesn’t get this treatment from his other classmates but they seldom defend him. This refusal to take action leads to a rift between the Dedue and the rest of his class. For a while, he feels totally alone.

One day, Ingrid gets exceptionally racist in the mess hall and it draws attention. Again, none in the Blue Lions stand up for Dedue but to Dedue’s surprise, quite a few Black Eagles come to his defense immediately. This leads to a spat between the the black eagles, Petra, Dorothea and Ferdinand in particular, and Ingrid and Felix. Seteth breaks up the argument but before they leave, the Black Eagles invite Dedue to their table. Dedue thinks on it a minute before he stands with his food and he goes to join them. He starts sitting with and just generally hanging out with the Eagles from then on, but it doesn’t push him to switch classes.

From then, Dedue builds relationships with most of the Eagles.

Petra becomes friends with him first, and they bond over their mutual feelings of homesickness. They become good friends doing cool friend shit like hunting and fishing together and kicking the shit out of racist monks and students. Idk I just want them to be bros, dude.

Dorothea becomes friends with him by asking him about the arts of Duscur. He’s wary of her initially, but he eventually warms up to her and he even sings the songs he remembers for her.

Ferdinand tries to be a protector to Dedue at first but that annoyed Dedue more than anything. Dedue tries to explain that he doesn’t need a defender and that while he appreciates the thought, he would rather not have Ferdinand stick his neck out like that. Ferdinand obliges, albeit a bit confused as to why someone would refuse a noble’s protection.

 Caspar becomes friends with Dedue because of how built he is. They train together all the time, and though Caspar is a bit too rambunctious for Dedue’s tastes, he indulges him anyways and he develops a friendship with him.

What pushes Dedue to leave the Blue Lions is his paralouge. Dimitri refuses to defend the Duscur rebels. He says that there are more important matters at hand, so he turns his back on the people who just want their homes back. Desperate and enraged, Dedue turns to the eagles and begs them for their aid. Without question, Byleth and Edelgard agree to help him and together, they help the Duscari rebels fend off the battalion of Faerghus soldiers. Afterwards, Edelgard offers the rebels a haven in Enbarr, so that they may live in peace. The rebels accept her offer and they go to Enbarr as temporary refugees, but with plans to take their lands back in one way or another.

Dedue is thoroughly shocked that Edelgard was so ready to aid his people who have been seen as lessers for so long and he’s even more shocked when she offers the people of Duscur her protection and a temporary home in Enbarr. It is here where Edelgard confides in Dedue that when she is Emperor, she wants to create a world of equals in terms of rights and protections. It’s vague but it’s enough for him to turn his back on Dimitri all together and join the Eagles because in this one act of aid, she has done more for Duscur than Dimitri has in his entire life.

Ingrid is predictably vindictive about his choice to leave, but everyone else is amicable about it, ranging from sad to indifferent.

When the war rolls around, Dedue doesn’t think twice about siding with the empire.

Dialogue vs former classmates

Dimitri

Dimitri: Dedue!

Dedue: Your Highness.

Dimitri: I don’t understand, how could you side with her? Can you not see the destruction that she has wrought?

Dedue: With her help, Duscur can reclaim what it has lost. She offers a future for my people, whereas Faerghus sees us as little more than a remnant of the past.

Dimitri: Faithless turncoat! Very well, then. If you fight for her despotic visions, then you’ll die too!

Ingrid

Ingrid: Duscari scum! I will rid you from the world for your treachery!

Dedue: No, Ingrid. You will only die trying.

Felix

Felix: Even if you’ve left the boar, you’re still nothing more than a dog. The only thing that’s changed is your master.

Dedue: I have no words for you.

Felix: Good. Come fight me and die.

Sylvain

Sylvain: So, this new world Edelgard wants to build is one where crests are insignificant?

Dedue: Yes. If you lay down your arms, I can promise you that you’ll have a place in it too.

Sylvain: Tempting, but I’m afraid I’ve already found a cause worth fighting for.

Dedue: Your sense of duty will get you killed.

Sylvain: I have the Lance of Ruin on my side, Dedue. I’ll take my chances.

Annette

Annette: I know I should hate you for siding with her…

Dedue: …

Annette: But, I don’t. I really do understand why you did.

Dedue: We don’t need to fight, Annette. Surrender, and I will see that you are treated with fairness and dignity.

Annette: I’m sorry, but I can’t. I will not lose my father again. Prepare yourself, I won’t go easy on you.

Ashe

Ashe: I was hoping we wouldn’t have to fight.

Dedue: As was I. I don’t suppose I can convince you to lay down your bow and surrender?

Ashe: I’m sorry, but no. I have a duty to fulfill. Even if it means I’ll die fulfilling it.

Mercedes

Mercedes: Oh! It really is lovely to see you again. It’s a shame that it’s like this, isn’t it?

Dedue: I don’t want to fight you, Mercedes. Please, stand down.

Mercedes: If only it were so simple, Dedue.

Endings in Crimson Flower route

Solo Ending

After the war finally came to a halt, the people of Duscur were able to reclaim what they had lost and then some. Dedue was widely celebrated as a hero to his people and he became the first leader of Duscur. The people wanted him to rule as a king, but he proposed a more democratic rule. Even so, Dedue was never voted out of office and under his selfless leadership, Duscur was able to bloom into a wealthy nation with rich art and world famous cuisine.

Ending with Ferdinand

After the war had finally came to a halt, the people of Duscur were finally able to reclaim what they lost and then some. Dedue became a hero to his people and together with the aid of Ferdinand von Aegir, Duscur healed from the scars of it’s past and it blossomed into a vibrant nation which was rich in trade and art. Later, after both Dedue and Ferdinand had passed, letters between the two were discovered, the contents of which were described by poets and scholars as the most beautiful and intimate expressions of love and gratitude to ever be written.

Ending with Petra

After the war had come to a close, Petra was finally crowned as the Queen of Brigid. From the very start of her reign, Petra worked hard to establish strong diplomatic relations with not just Fódlan, but with Dagda, Almyra, Morfis and the newly rebuilt Duscur. Dedue, as the new leader of Duscur, would meet with Petra regularly to make sure that their two nations grew strong together, though later, these meetings would become more private affairs. Eventually, Dedue announced that he would not be running for another term and he left Duscur to be with Petra, to whom he was wed almost as soon as he arrived in Brigid. The people were initially skeptical of him but Dedue’s tireless devotion to his new subjects earned him their love and admiration. To this day, Dedue and Petra are revered in both Duscur and Brigid and the two nations enjoy a high degree of camaraderie.

Ending with Dorothea

When the war finally came to a close, Dorothea accompanied her husband, Dedue to Duscur. Together, they got to work rebuilding Duscur, though in two very different ways. Dedue became the first elected leader of Duscur and his policies made sure that the country was built strongly in terms of infrastructure and with its economy. Dorothea, on the other hand, became a patron of the arts and she oversaw the creation of a new Opera company in Duscur which took in talent from all over the world. This diversity of artists effectively revolutionized art itself, and before long, Duscur was known far and wide for it’s wide array of arts. For as busy as the couple was, however, they always made time for one another and it is said that no union was ever as happy and serene as theirs was.

Ending with Caspar

In recognition of his daring deeds during the war, Caspar was offered the position of Minister of Military Affairs, but he declined. Instead, Caspar accompanied Dedue and his people to help rebuild Duscur. Unfortunately, hatred for Duscur persisted in the north of Fódlan. This led to the creation of a military dedicated to the defense of Duscur, helmed jointly by Caspar and Dedue. Thanks to their tireless efforts, Duscur remained safe and in time, the nation was able to heal and bloom into a wondrous country of wealth and formidable military might. To this day, Dedue and Caspar are remembered as the greatest of all of Duscur’s heroes, even being called the sons of the War God by some.

Ending with Bernadetta

After the war had finally come to a close, Bernadetta was granted the Varley territory, but instead of taking over, she chose a more adept successor and relinquished all claims to the territory. From there, she became a traveling artist of great renown. She ventured far and wide, from Brigid to Sreng to Almyra, but eventually, she found herself in Duscur and she fell in love with the culture. Her paintings of Duscur and it’s denizens became beloved by the people to the point were Dedue, the new leader of Duscur, had to beg her to stay. She inevitably stayed and with her help, art museums were established in Duscur. In time, these became among the finest in the world, filled to the brim with the beautiful works of Duscur’s many artists.

This was pretty cool to write haha. If anyone is interested in me writing more endings for this AU or maybe even Dedue’s supports with the Black Eagles and the Golden Deer let me know!

[qnewsau]

Get to know First Nations queen Chocolate Boxx

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/get-to-know-first-nations-queen-chocolate-boxx/

Get to know First Nations queen Chocolate Boxx

First Nations queen Chocolate Boxx answers our questions about themselves, doing drag and the local scene. 

The first time I did drag was...

Back in 2014. I decided to go out on a Monday back when clubs were open on a Monday, I looked like a troll, but you couldn’t tell me I wasn’t the only girl in the world that night. 

I chose my drag name because…

I chose chocolate to keep it close to my First Nations heritage and look, who doesn’t like a bit of chocolate. I chose Boxx because it had two Xs so my tagline could be  “My name is Chocolate Boxx, that’s Boxx with two Xx, it would’ve been three, but I’m not that kind of girl on paper.”

My family’s reaction to me doing drag was…

Mum bought me my first wig so my drag is her fault! No, but honestly I’m so lucky they are all so supportive

First Nations queens are…

Some of the most powerful and empowering performers I have ever seen on any stage and needs to be seen on more stages around this country. 

RuPauls’ Drag Race is…  

In definite need of some more First Nations and Brisbane representation.

The Brisbane drag scene is…

Incredibly diverse, hard-working and loving. 

My best skill in being a drag performer is…

My performance ability and dancing really, although in the nine years I’ve been prancing about I’ve kind of become a jack of all trades. 

My favourite song to perform is…

It changes all the time but at the moment it’s King Of Hearts by Kim Petras.

The best thing a fan has done for me was…

My good friend and regular patron Pistol has painted a few pictures of me which really was incredible. 

The worst thing someone in the audience did was...

Try to get on stage while I was performing and then tried to take my microphone. Two very big No-Nos!

My favourite performance ever was…

My New York/Tiffany Pollard mix from the Finale of Miss First Nations Supreme Queen at World Pride 2023.

The best experience I’ve had in drag is…

Doing the acknowledgment of country at the Sam Smith concert. 

The drag performer who deserves more attention is…

Me! No, I’m kidding ummm, Lola Eclipse and Skinny Napkin, they’re ones to watch. 

The drag performer I’d hate to live with would be…

Myself hahaha!

The most important skill you can have as a drag artist is…

Versatility in your craft and to be personable. 

Something people don’t know about doing drag is…

How expensive it can be once you start doing it and how much perseverance it takes to make a name for yourself.

One message I have for our community is… 

You don’t know how much of an effect you have on someone just by being nice and polite, so always lead with kindness as just a simple conversation can have the biggest effect on someone.

You can follow Chocolate Boxx @chocolate_boxx_ on Instagram. 

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. 

[thesunshinebunny]

Headcanons for If Lilia had a daughter from long before Malleus was born who was sucked into a portal after her mother was killed and ended up in another world like maybe fairy tale or magi (we can brainstorm about that), Lilia and company are sucked into a portal and get sent to the same world lilias daughter is in and lilia gets reunited with her and the boys meet there long unknown sister and they all meet her friends.

Uh ... I never saw Fairy Tale or Magi, so this is going to be an Odyssey for me ... NO WORRIES, I'm going to do my homework before writing this and we see what comes out (I chose the Magi anime because I liked the style much more and the mixture of cultures and classic names of the stories) I hope it meets your expectations and I am sorry for the delay.

Kissesss

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

A gleaming black portal opened in the middle of Diasomnia's living room. Students running to protect themselves. A greater force absorbing everything in its path. An energy in the form of wind attracted the four most important students in the dormitory. Not even the great Malleus could endure long enough. In a matter of milliseconds, the four were absorbed and transported to wherever the portal led.

The light enveloped them, rendering them blind. There was nothing around them ...until suddenly, they felt the rocky ground on their bodies. Little by little their sight returned, letting them observe their new world; their new magical medieval world.

"Where are we supposed to be?" Malleus was the first to fully regain his senses, ready to explore the sights that now surrounded him.

"Malleus-sama, please stay close, this place is unknown to us and can be very dangerous." Sebek, still weak-footed, tried to stand firmly in front of his young master, preventing him from wandering as he normally did in Twisted Wonderland. 

"For the moment let's take a walk around, let's try to collect as much information as possible about this place and maybe find a way to return to our world"

Lilia raised his head seriously, even though within him was the desire to explore and travel the new lands full of charm and wonder. The four of them set off, walking the cobbled streets filled with people of multiple cultures and diverse clothing. Lilia was struck by the small shiny golden objects and spent the entire journey stopping at each stall and each person at the same time to observe such jewelry.

After a couple of hours, our adventurers were tired of going through so many streets without any success. With their feet smashed and their bodies heavy, the boys decided to sit in the middle of a crowded square when suddenly an explosion in the fountain caused them to panic. The water dissipated throughout the square, generating a drizzle around it. Silver dissipated the water that reached the four of them, allowing them to see clearly what was happening.

In the middle of the fountain, two figures seemed to be fighting with armor and swords that our emos boys didn’t know. People scattered to different sides, colliding with Malleus and his companions several times. It seemed that the fight had been long overdue given the bumps and bruises that these two figures had. But, as quickly as the panic raised, the violence ended, leaving the female figure victorious.

Said woman de-transformed, revealing her native clothes, a long hair (H / C) with golden braids and accessories, a body tanned from so much sunlight and a victorious smile that no evil on earth could erase. But it was the girl's eyes that caught Lilia's attention. He knew those eyes, that sparkle that appeared with every smile…ah, that smile. Yes, Lilia knew that smile very well.

"(Y/N)?"

Lilia's voice spread with the wind, like a whisper, reaching your ears. You turned around looking for the origin of that voice. Like a sailor enchanted by the song of a mermaid, you followed his voice, receiving questions from your companions. In the distance you could make out a small figure, standing out among three huge giants, with strange clothes, but the eyes and his tender smile gave away this melancholic figure.

"Papa…"

The world seemed to have stopped, everything was in slow motion. Your eyes filled with tears and your arms unconsciously reached forward, towards the figure of your lost father.

"PAPA!!!"

Your legs moved involuntarily, running towards Lilia. When you two collided, you merged into a loving embrace, years of being apart from each other led you to this meeting. After so much suffering and crying, after so much pain, you had finally met again.

"(Y/N) it's you? Is it really you? " Lilia ran his hands over your face, your hair, your shoulders, looking for any clue that would tell him that you were a hallucination, that you weren't really there standing in front of him.

"Yes, papa, it's me, it's your little dove"

Hearing the nickname he gave you in the first years of life there were no more doubts. You were there, in front of him; his little girl had returned to his arms. Tears spread and an atmosphere of calm and joy could be witnessed between the two of you… and a bit of discomfort from the three remaining emos and your companions.

"Sorry to disturb this beautiful meeting, but we feel quite confused." Malleus was the first to speak, commenting on the ideas everyone around him was having.

"Malleus? Oh my god, Malleus! " Our horned friend looked just as confused as his bodyguards, who didn’t hesitate to come between you and their young master.

“I know you surely don't recognize me, the last time I saw you, you’re still wearing the shell of the egg you were born in on your head. How much have you grown, time does pass "

"Malleus, Silver, Sebek, let me introduce you to (Y/N) ... my precious daughter"

"Alibaba, Aladdin, this fairy of such a small size...is my father"

[tomorrowxtogether]

TOMORROW X TOGETHER TAEHYUN “We sing what our generation feels”

‘minisode1 : Blue Hour’ comeback interview

2020.11.04

TAEHYUN said that if he could have any superpower, he always wanted to travel back in time, so I asked him why. His answer? “Because I want to practice more!” The world changed so much during the pandemic. How did COVID-19 affect your daily life? TAEHYUN: I always liked staying home but nowadays I stay at home way more. I can’t see my friends very often since they’re all in their final year of high school. I just order delivery food and eat with HUENINGKAI or play games. I saw all the food pictures you posted on Weverse lately. (laughing) TAEHYUN: That’s right. I ordered so much delivery food. I think I probably reached the highest ranking on the delivery app now. (laughing) Before your comeback, you uploaded a picture on Weverse showing a bit of your six-pack. You must be working out a lot, considering all the food pictures you’re posting. TAEHYUN: I’m just trying to stay alive. (laughing) It’s really hard to walk and sing, and dancing and singing is even tougher. But this is what I like to do. I started working out more because I wanted to look good when I’m all dressed up. Now I feel kind of nervous when I don’t work out. I think I look better since I have less body fat, even though I don’t have a lot of muscle. It’s hard for me to bulk up because of that. Did all the working out help you perform better? In your Weverse diary, you said you want to have a higher vocal range. TAEHYUN: I think my vocal range went up a lot. When I was singing “Crown,” I think I was lucky to hit three to four notes higher than before. It’s like upgrading your game character’s abilities: you might go up higher, or you might strain your vocal cords. I’m not sure if I can keep chancing it. (laughing) What kind of songs do you use for practice? TAEHYUN: I try songs by male artists that feel a little difficult for me. Sometimes I practice songs by female artists that have a low range, so I get a better sense of where to put some emphasis. I don’t think I’ve figured out how to sing really high notes with an alluring voice yet. You hit some incredibly high notes in the title song “Blue Hour” on the minisode1: Blue Hour album. TAEHYUN: It depends on the genre, but I think rhythm and nuance are key. For disco, I think it’s important to understand the rhythm and get into the groove. “Dynamite” by BTS is a fantastic example. I tried to use a more boyish voice when singing that. Did you study any specific artists to come up with that kind of interpretation? TAEHYUN: It was Jung Kook. I think he has really unique, unbeatable vocals. He has this incredible and diverse spectrum to his voice and I get inspired every time I listen to his songs. When I dance, I put 120% of my energy into it even if it takes 100%. That kind of attitude got me positive feedback when I was a trainee. Nowadays, I realize it’s better to consider the dance as a whole motion rather than emphasizing each movement individually. In hindsight, I think all songs are like that. “Doing well” and “looking awesome” aren’t the same things. I think now I can tell them apart a little better. What do you think your fans will find “awesome”? TAEHYUN: Definitely the dance break. I was inspired by Jimin at BTS’s recent concert. I felt he looked really amazing in “Filter,” so I chose to wear a hat and coat as props. As long as I’m enjoying the moment and don’t try to dance too intensely, I think it looks really cool. How would you define being awesome? TAEHYUN: If you’re an awesome person, your dance moves are automatically awesome as well. Of course, you have to practice a lot, and it takes time. I don’t think I can really be considered “awesome,” but I think the choreography and the song really helped me get closer. 

This album’s title song is different from previous ones. How did you feel when you listened to it for the first time? TAEHYUN: It felt new. The story behind The Dream Chapter was different from minisode1, so the emotions in our voices also changed. You can feel the difference when we are laughing while recording and when we’re not I think, this time, I laughed a lot while I was singing the title song. The Korean title of the title song is really long again. (laughing) TAEHYUN: The title was originally going to be even longer. (laughing) When I saw the longer one, I thought, “Wow, this is a bit too much.” (laughing) YEONJUN texted me and asked, “Do you want to see the title?” I texted back saying yes and went to the bathroom. When I came back and checked the message the text was so long that it was cut off in the middle of the message preview. I said, “Seriously?” and checked the entire title, and it was so long. At the A&R meeting, they told us that the title was tentative and would be shortened. I like the current shorter version. (laughing) I hear you wrote some of the lyrics for “Ghosting” and “Wishlist.” TAEHYUN: When I write lyrics, I usually write the entire song from the beginning to the end. If there’s some good part in there, it’ll be selected and inserted into the final song. Luckily, the parts I wrote were selected as the choruses for both songs. I think the songs that come out of our company tend to feature unique themes, like in “20cm,” “Poppin’ Star,” “Roller Coaster” … There’s a lot to consider when I write lyrics. The content needs to be good, of course, but it also has to sound good when I sing it. That’s why I pay attention to the rhythm of each syllable and look for chances to rhyme. That reminds me of the “You disappeared, dis-disappeared / Like a faint ghost” lyric in “Ghosting.” TAEHYUN: That was a really difficult part because it was hard to match the syllables. I wanted to express my thoughts in a full sentence, but when the phrase is “you disappeared,” it’s so hard to find a good rhyme for that specific word. The lyrics for “Ghosting” are really impressive, though. The song is about how you were blocked on social media, even though you didn’t do anything. TAEHYUN: I’ve seen lots of friends who got ghosted. I think that’s way more upsetting than just being sad. I wrote the lyrics by thinking about how I would feel if I had to deal with that situation. I think our songs express the feelings people our age often go through. In your songs and music videos, the most important stage is the school. What kind of student were you? TAEHYUN: I can’t really say that I was a normal student. I was kind of eccentric. (laughing) I’m not shy, I smile a lot, and I always try to be cheery with people, regardless of who they are—seniors, juniors, even teachers. I think I was a happy student. I’m still in contact with my middle school teacher, too. He was a math teacher, but I never took his class. One day, I said hello to him and he said, “I’m one of the math teachers. Come talk with me sometime!” Teachers just say that kind of thing, right? But I really went to see him. We became pretty close after. Once I became a trainee I didn’t have as much time to study as I had had in middle school, so sometimes I would just answer multiple choice questions at random. I told that teacher once that I used to be good at math and he didn’t believe me. After that he said he would check my answers on the final exam that he made. What happened? TAEHYUN: I just selected “A” for every multiple choice question, but I wrote a perfect answer for the essay question. I thought that would be a great answer to show him. I almost missed the exam the next day because I woke up so late. Then I got a call from my math teacher; my homeroom teacher couldn’t call me because he was proctoring the exam. My math teacher told me, “I’m calling because I went to your classroom before to compliment you on your written answer, but I couldn’t find you.” Being friends with your teacher and doing that well in math does make it sound like you stood out. (laughing) But I heard your dream in elementary school was to become a wizard, and in middle school it was a magician. TAEHYUN: There were three reasons for that. First, I wanted to get a job that would make people happy. Second, I was blown away when I saw magic tricks. Lastly, I wanted to be good at speaking. I think the last one was the biggest reason. That’s maybe why all of my dream jobs were related to talking, like how I wanted to be a lawyer once. I think you need to have good conversational skills to be an idol, too. And I think practicing magic really helped my current career: as a magician, it’s important to hone your skills and put on a well-structured show that leads to a dazzling finale. I think being an idol is similar in that way. 

How do you feel when you captivate people with your words or songs? TAEHYUN:

It feels fantastic. I think I need to study more, though. I keep feeling like my vocabulary is somewhat limited, so these days I try and make up my own words sometimes. For instance, I’ll try to use a noun as an adjective instead. If some song reminds me of a desk, I’ll say that it feels “desky.” I try not to sound too simple or generic, but at the same time I think it’s important to keep a good balance between what I share with other people and the ideas that are just for me.

Speaking of balance, I heard you boxed until middle school. Are you trying to maintain a balance between being intellectually and physically fit? TAEHYUN:

Not exactly. (laughing) No matter what I’m doing, I always think balance is important. When you’re a singer, you can’t perform well unless both your mental and physical health are good. When I learned boxing, there was a big banner hanging on the gym wall. It said, “Mind, Virtue, Body.” I learned boxing at the same time I developed my ego. I also had a good boxing coach and that helped me a lot with my focus.

Why did you decide to box? TAEHYUN:

All of my family members swim. My sister and I learned swimming as little kids and we were on a baby swim team. Then, I fell off a slide on a playground and injured my jaw. I got a couple of stitches and was advised not to go into water anymore. I didn’t want to stop working out, so I started learning boxing at a gym where my friend went.

How did you start dreaming of becoming a singer? TAEHYUN:

I wanted to be a boxer or a magician, but I also wanted to become a singer. I didn’t want people to start asking me to sing all the time, so I kept my dream a secret. I took a chance trying out in a singing audition because I didn’t want to regret not trying at least once.

When did you notice you had a talent for singing? TAEHYUN:

I wouldn’t say I’m talented—it’s really all about effort. I love that I can’t see any limit to the amount of effort I can give. It’s nice to always come in first place, like, you know, in a math exam. There’s something appealing about working on something that has a concrete answer, but I think art has no end goal or answer. That’s why becoming a vocalist is so attractive. I always thank my vocal teacher and the producer Slow Rabbit. My teacher helped me keep my interest in music and singing, and Slow Rabbit never lost hope on me. That’s why it’s important to me that I always meet his expectations.

Do you remember how the other members reacted when your hard work paid off and you passed the extremely difficult debut evaluation? TAEHYUN:

YEONJUN cried, and I called my sister. My father was a bit against my dream, but my sister stood up for me. She told Dad to let me do it if there was an opportunity. I called my sister because I thought she had really been rooting for me to debut, and now I finally could. Then, I teased YEONJUN, like, “Are you gonna cry?” But he really did. (laughing) All of a sudden, I realized what a hard time he must’ve gone through, too.

How did you feel after your debut was confirmed? Did you get along well with everyone? You made your MBTI result public and said that, as an ESTP, you’re the only “T” in the group. Was it hard to communicate? TAEHYUN: I have both S and T, which could have been troublesome. (laughing) We went through the sort of minor conflicts that any emotional and logical people will normally have with one another. I like being efficient and focus on how to achieve good results, but later on, I realized that a good result isn’t always the point. How did you communicate with HUENINGKAI? I think the way you two would interpret something would be totally different, even while working on the same task. TAEHYUN: I think HUENINGKAI was the toughest to get on the same page with at the beginning, but now I’m incredibly thankful to have him and I have nothing but trust in him. He’s really been supporting me emotionally ever since my debut. Were there moments when you thought, “Yep—this is my team, for sure”? TAEHYUN: In the past, I thought we’d be fine as long as each of us did well as individuals. But that was not true. In reality, we can’t perform at 100% on our own. Someone can be 80 or 60% competent in one area, then the other four members will pick up the slack. If one person is struggling, it’s up to the other four to encourage them. In those moments, I realize, “Ah! This is a real team!” I also think we managed to come this far because our perspectives overlap. For this album, it felt like we all had the same goal in mind. We had a team meeting before the comeback where we were all honest and talked about our concerns and what we needed to focus on from the beginning. Do you feel more confident now that you’ve developed as a team, compared to when you did the debut evaluation test? TAEHYUN: I think we’re about the same. Our group is still new, and now there’s no way to meet our fans. It’s hard to see how we’ve progressed. “We Lost the Summer” takes a serious look at the world after COVID-19. TAEHYUN: That song is like the story of our lives right now. Fan meetings and performances are all on hold. We always say we’re happiest and have the most fun while on stage. But we’re not really on stage unless we’re in front of MOA. When you meet your fans again, what do you want to do for them? TAEHYUN: A concert. I can tell our members are really tired out because of COVID-19. This is what happens when we can’t see our fans for so long. I wish we could put on a concert and make everyone happy again. Do you have any recommendations for songs or movies for all the fans you can’t meet? TAEHYUN: I would recommend Official HIGE DANdism, a Japanese band. Their songs are great and the lyrics are very philosophical. For movies, I would recommend American Sniper. It felt ironic to me that snipers are heroes and close friends to who they’re fighting with but demonized by who they’re fighting against. Here is my last question: You described TOMORROW X TOGETHER with the words “twinkle twinkle” before. What word would you say best describes your group now? TAEHYUN: “Team!”