#i use some of these songs to write too

[nottheweirdest]

Spotify Sonadow playlist anyone? 💙🖤

[sysig]

You're still standing off to the side. Somehow, center stage has shifted from under your feet without you realizing, and you're standing in the wings, performing to no one.

Starring Role (Patreon)

[uhohmichio]

𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐧 —𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑃𝑖𝑝𝑒 [amv idea inspried by @flybykime]

[bunnakit]

◄ 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐄 ►

starting soon

ot8 polycule

from the moment the metal spheres entered the sky mankind began to lose its luster; ambitions halted, emotions became a distant memory, and survival was the only thing left on anyone's mind. little fires of rebellion rose here and there only to be snuffed out as quickly as they had come. resistance became compliance and the human race drifted through the years without any further inklings of freedom.

{continued beneath read more, with character teasers}

change was never instant, instead it seeped slowly like a leaky tap. with each drop a new one appeared - a person with hopes, dreams, passion, desire. you could always find them by the sparkle in their eyes where their soul reflected outward. a leak became a trickle and those with the spark for life flocked together to stoke the embers again.

eight particular men found themselves drawn to the flames almost by an invisible tether (or a noose.) they were special for more than just their lust for freedom, each of them touched with abilities almost beyond belief if each of them hadn't witnessed it themselves. hope brought them together, ambition drove them forward, and care kept them close. they were a unit, eight broken pieces coming together to form a mosaic of love, devotion, and a promise of a better future.

this is how eight men promised to reclaim humanity and learned the truth of love and mankind along the way.

◄ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 ►

hongjoong could barely remember a time before the other seven were part of his life and frankly, he didn't want to. he remembers shying away at every touch, closing his eyes tight against an onslaught of thoughts that weren't his own, and pulling in ragged breaths until the buzzing pain stopped and the nausea settled. there was always a mark left behind, mottled red and blue against the canvas of his skin.

he'd nearly lashed out the first time one of them touched him, hwa reaching out a gentle hand to check a wound. he had meant to growl but instead he had whimpered like an injured dog, unable to lash out at one of the few people he truly cared for. to his surprise the touch was gentle and the thoughts that flowed alongside his own were quiet, soothing, and welcome.

with time, he came in contact with the others and experienced the same; no painful touch, no mark left behind, and no deafening thoughts that threatened to bring him to his knees. to call it fate felt far too convenient but any answers were not forthcoming.

◄ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫 ►

he knew he was known as something of figurehead among the rebellion and seonghwa did not care to stop the rumors. if he was the face the people needed to follow he was happy to fill that role for them, happy to tend to the flock of free thinkers overwhelmed by the 'new' world around them now that their eyes were open. as much as he wished to take away their confusion and pain there were some ailments even he could not heal

it was something he'd had to come to terms with quickly after meeting the other seven. as badly as he had wanted, he could not mend all of their hurt and one haunted him day in and day out. his eyes followed broad shoulders, traced over a dimpled smile, soaked in the sight of his most formidable and yet most delicate lover

he only wished someone could heal away his own worry.

◄ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐜 ►

the amount of comfort yunho found around the other seven was almost unfathomable. he had always felt othered for his abilities, strange in a way no one understood, and then one day he met seven other men that could see him in a way he'd never expected. they didn't mock his fear of heights, the way he woke up with a jolt almost every night, nor did they ask him for an explanation. they simply held him close, knowing smiles on their faces as they sheltered both him and themselves from their inner demons.

he loved them, deeply and intensely, and for once he was all too happy to utilize his ability to keep them safe. he wasn't strong like san, couldn't read minds like hongjoong, and he wasn't a healer like hwa. what he could do, however, was move the world around him.

pebbles became bullets, metal sheets became shields, glass shards became lethal arrows. the violence would have bothered him once but he found he no longer cared when it came to protecting his sanctuary, for each of them was a brick that formed his home.

◄ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞 ►

he knew he should listen to hwa's cautionary words but it was nothing he hadn't heard before. it was a dance they performed routinely; he hurt himself, flayed himself open for the greater good, and seonghwa pieced him back together again.

he remembered a late night spent together, freshly bandaged and with hwa holding him close, pressing a kiss to his birthmark before asking, "can you even feel it?"

he hadn't meant to make him cry with his response but he had never been a liar. "the pain? not anymore."

it was hard to feel pain the same way as others when it was so intrinsically part of you. he was built for it after all, born to endure and redirect. he sank a knife into his own gut only to watch a member of the imperial watch sink to his knees across from him, free of any blood or wound and yet still writhing in an agony yeosang only felt somewhere in his periphery.

the others hated it, hated watching the lengths he would go to to secure a victory and often worried that one day he would go too far. he would argue that there was no such thing when it came to his family.

◄ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 ►

the first time his chest felt as if it was collapsing on itself he was alone, muscles straining as he moved a concrete slab aside to crawl through the doorway of what would make the perfect hideout. he'd collapsed just inside the threshold, hand clutching over his heart and eyes shut tight in pain. he still didn't know if the tears that slid down his face had been from pain or sorrow. if he died there he would have died alone; no one to ever remember he had existed. somehow he'd survived to pull in slow, measured breaths, though the fear of another attack lingered.

the second time his chest felt as if it was collapsing on itself was when five gazes turned towards him, cautious but deep. san felt like he was drowning but he found he didn't mind dying here, not with such bright eyes to witness him, to remember he had lived.

he doesn't tell them even after five becomes seven. he doesn't want them to worry. he pretends not to hear seonghwa crying himself to sleep beside him some nights.

◄ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐫 ►

mingi was the eighth, slotting in to complete the puzzle. he'd come to them with relief on his face, head tilted to the sky and eyelids fluttering closed.

"finally, i found you."

he'd seen them for as long as he could remember; seven men with hearts of gold, eyes full of love, and a thirst for life he felt mirrored in his own chest. he'd learned early on not to mention them, only ever met with either firm denials or total dismissal. he tucked them in his heart like a secret, vowing to find them as soon as he built up enough supplies and enough life experience to survive the journey.

he knew they would change his life, had seen it nearly every night when he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep. he couldn't wait to see where they led him.

◄ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨 ►

wooyoung had always been too much; too loud, too excitable, too full of all these emotions he couldn't put words to for the longest time. it only made sense that his power burned as brightly and felt as destructive as he felt sometimes. he felt like he destroyed everything he touched, every connection burned away with apathy or outright scorn. he wished loneliness didn't sit in his chest like a stone, wished he could sit alone with his thoughts instead of run from them.

restlessness drove him to travel, aimless and desperate to find someone, anyone that understood. at least he never spent his nights cold, though the flames were never as comforting as he imagined another person's warmth to be. he never imagined he'd find himself cradled between seven others, warm and safe and loved with an incandescence that rivaled his own fire.

◄ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 ►

paranoia and caution were a slippery slope, jongho knew, but it was a tightrope he couldn't stop walking. the feeling of being watched itched at his skin constantly, prickled the back of his neck and clenched the pit of his gut. he knew he'd wandered into someone's territory, knew they were keeping a close eye on him. he just wanted somewhere to exist, somewhere to hide away alone and secure.

curiosity eventually got the best of him, the sounds of life drawing him in like a siren's song. he knew it was dangerous, knew he was putting himself at risk, and yet he couldn't help but peer beyond the walls that separated him from them. four glowing masses illuminated his vision, seemingly talking amongst themselves before turning in his direction. his breath caught, vision fading to sightless black as he staggered backwards and stumbled against a half-broken wall.

he swallowed the spit gathering in his mouth, certain he would die here for his hubris. he never expected the gentle hands that cradled his elbows and deep, warm voice that instantly relaxed his shoulders.

"it's okay. you're okay." and maybe it wouldn't be so bad to believe those words for once in his life.

🌸 if you've read this far i'm kissing you on the forehead, please feel free to jump in my ask and tell me all your thoughts. i'm SO excited to work on this fic, i'm already so in love with these boys and this world.

[panic-flavored]

Idea: What if, along with the "siren song" merfolk use to put victims into a trance, they also have one other kind of call that they only use as an absolute last resort.

It's basically known by merfolk as the "Death call." It's a very specific frequency and volume of sound that, when used, can burst the eardrums and major arteries of anyone within the area. Even those farther away can experience temporary to permanent deafness, severe headaches, and nose bleeds.

The reason that merfolk try never to use this call, even in very deadly situations, is because the frequency and volume are so harsh that it causes harm to themselves. Those who do use it are lucky if they escape with minor effects, such as bleeding of the gills and eyes, temporary loss of proprioception, or permanently altered vocalization. But in extreme cases, the call can lead to collapsed lungs and internal bleeding, causing an agonizingly painful death to the merfolk making the call.

Most merfolk are fortunate enough to never be put in a situation where the death call is nessecary and can go their entire natural life without having to make it. But with modern humans becoming mcu more of a danger to them, that luck is quickly running out.

[reco-obsessed]

why have i not listened to vkei bands earlier this fucks so hard

[genderchrisisspeaks]

I could be writing for my book rn buttt nooooo, someone (ash gordan @polyamquackity ) had to keep talking about the dreamsmp to me, had to fill my head with fucking fantasy and delusion. So now I’m writing my first ever serious dsmp fanfiction that is longer than two paragraphs in the year of our lord 2024 without remembering most of the damn dsmp because I put it behind me, buried it, snapped the shovel, and kicked the god damn cat on the way out but now I’m digging at the dirt with my damn fingernails to try and remember so I don’t get stuff wrong while I’m writing

[spookythesillyfella]

i meow i already mentioned this in a post but i actually kinda wanna go in depth about "Alarm Call" – The Correspondents and how it genuinely fits tony n sketch n chester so much

like .. the first bit feels so tony n sketch to me . specifically about how tony fulfilled the older brother for paper ["Your alarm call's on and I'm coming to your rescue // I know exactly what to do // I make the call and sit by you // Check your heartbeat against mine // And mop your brow from tine to time" and "When I'm the person by your side // Upon me you can rely // When you're high and when you're dry"]

on top of that . the lyrics "The irony is that my recovery is always slower than yours // You're back on your feet in no time while I'm still floored" mirror the fact that sketch has been able to move on from paper's past with tony's help . while tony's been stuck in this desolate . grieving state for hundreds of years

i think the song keeps working for them up until the point of the lyric "Check your heartbeat against mine // But there's no trace of it this time" where it shifts from tony n sketch to tony n chester

i say this because the following verses mirror their history perfectly ["Where have you gone? I am calling on you! // My siren's on and there's so many things that I need you to do // Be my mentor, be my guide // Tell me when to run and when to hide"] – chester taking care of tonie and guiding him throughout his formative years . and the subsequent lyrics ["I know you would've known just what to do // With all the things that life could throw at you"] are also reflective of tony feeling lost and alone without him ; no clue how how to deal with this situation on his own and being certain that "if he was still here" things would be good ...

i also think that the part of "My siren will remain on for a while // Waiting soundproof by a timid little smile // I'm still haunted by your alarm call" also shows that . even though sketchbook is now at his side and willing to be there for him in his times of need . he still can't let go of the grief and . more importantly . the guilt that he holds over it

the whole "if he was still alive everything would be fine" mantra is only accentuated in the last lyrics of the song ["So many moods that you could change // So many thoughts you'd rearrange // So many rules I know you'd bend // So all good things will find their end..."] since tony is certain that chester was the element that kept him sane ; "if he was still alive i would be happy ..." – itz perfect because itz clear that tony is looking at the past with rose tinted glasses . while simultaneously ignoring the fact that sketchbook makes him feel so fulfilled and alive and that so many more joys like these await him in the future ...

all because of an event from the past that couldn't have been prevented . no matter what tonie did ...

"the past is far behind us // the future doesn't exist" after all ...

[itspileofgoodthings]

I love the rhyming on ttpd. can only think of two examples currently but I know there’s more.

[seventh-district]

7am, eating cold leftover teriyaki stir-fry for breakfast and crying over blorbos

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Playlist Title tag!

thank you to @sleepyowlwrites for creating this fun funky game and tagging me in the origin post <3 im about to show my whole unedited ass in these generic titles

rules: make a poll to see which of your playlist titles is the coolest to your followers and tag some friends

ill tag @vacantgodling, @writeblrfantasy, @authoralexharvey, @birlwrites, and @nacricissa <3

as always, absolutely 0 pressure to play, and feel free to treat this as an open tag if you want to join in!

[laugtherhyena]

3:23AM, time to post Hatamori fankid and retreat back into my hiding hole

[fennthetalkingdog]

I'm just figuring out how important music is in my life! This is coming from a long while trying to cut down on my music use, mostly because I was listening to it so much that it felt more like I couldn't do anything without popping in some earbuds, and partially because of other personal reasons. Some of my routines changed, forcing me to not listen to music while doing certain things, and it ended up becoming that besides working on homework or drawing, I didn't listen to music at all. But I've given myself a break today since I have nothing to do and since, for reasons, I'm feeling just a lil crappy today—and boy, I'm starting to realize again just why I love music!!

I love the diverse music taste I've developed over the years! My family is not only big about music but big about listening to it loud, so the majority of my music taste for most of my life has just been Christian hiphop (Lecrae, KB, Andy Mineo, Trip Lee, and ironically Tonex, whose album where he was struggling hard with his gayness has been my favorite concert movie since I was 5) and gospel music (Kirk Franklin, Tye Tribbett, etc.). And music was one of the few connections between me and my race (I grew up feeling pretty estranged from my blackness as a kid, but the popular songs they played at the YMCA in the 2010s were some of the few things I could use to feel more connected) and between me and my classmates/friends at the Y (I still have fond memories of playing FNAF songs in mat forts and reciting lyrics at pool parties). But I got tired of knowing I could never bond with anyone besides family friends music taste-wise when I was in high school, and so I started listening to secular music on my own time. And that's how I first found Ghost and Pals, a vocaloid artist and one of the first secular music folks I listened to as a kid (can you smell the religious trauma yet? Lol), and that's how I bonded with one of my best friends in early college (ironically, also my first time being publically queer). Now I listen to Kpop, anime songs, songs from warriors MAPs, songs from musicals (Hamilton and In the Heights <3), latin songs, metal songs, and even some secular songs young me would've been too scared to listen to.

And music has always been one of my biggest sources of stimming! I can't dance to save my life, but music will sure get me to flick my fingers and hit my fist against my shoulder furiously. Music was one of the first clues that I like stimming with vibration too (since I love laying against the car door and turning up the music loud enough to feel the world shake around me). And music was one of the first things that made me look into ADHD or autism (specifically, listening to Ghost and Pals songs for a month straight and getting my friend at early college [who also has ADHD] to start looking at me funny when I was discovered doing chores and listening to one of three songs for the fifth time). Music is so cool it'll get me to wax poetically. It was one of the things that kept me together during my roughest times and soothed me during my best. I listen to it while I write, while I cry, while I hang out with my friends and family and while I chill by myself. It's how I relax after a long day, and it's how I feel safe. I feel kinda emotional finally having music hit that spot in me without feeling like I need it to do stuff.

[byanyan]

need y'all to know that some time ago xeno brought it to my attention that jesus of suburbia is an incredibly byan-coded song and i haven't stopped thinking about it since

[get-back-homeward]

Now and Then Day

This sideblog began after watching Get Back nagged and nagged at me until finally I started to look closer at context relative to the Beatles discography and suddenly started experiencing these WAIT WHAT moments every day as what I thought I knew got turned inside out. The appeal was in looking at something you knew like the back of your hand from another direction and seeing/hearing something new you hadn’t seen/heard before. But I had no idea we’d get another song to add to the mix in 2023.

I knew Now and Then day would be an experience. I thought I’d have to wait the whole day before listening. But I got lucky and found a few minutes to listen to Now and Then when it was first released this morning. And inexplicably clicked to hear the remastered Love Me Do instead. I cannot explain my brain.

I then tried to start Now and Then and noped out before 15 seconds in. Too overwhelming. Not the right time. I was too rushed and needed more space to mentally prepare for it.

I caught NPR covering the Now and Then release today on my drive home. They had a Lennon biographer (I didn’t catch the name) reviewing the song. He said the song recalls John’s more delicate tunes like Beautiful Boys (sic) and mentioned John started the song in 1970.

Say what?!

Here I was late last night trying to nail down a better date for John’s demo than “late 70s”. Meanwhile, biographers are just here on national public radio pushing lies. Did he have ChatGPT write his comments?

Oh yeah, they also said it was created with AI no qualifier.🤦‍♀️

They played a few snippets of the song including one new piece not in the doc but refrained from playing it in full. It was mostly wrong Beatles facts all segment.

Trying the song a second time hours later, I got through it in one piece but was feeling abit 🥴 about it as a song itself. Having just listened to the original demo was probably a mistake, and I could hear all the seams and feeling the Frankenstein song effect.

Third attempt sounded more together, with the seams not quite as noticeable. I was prepared for the changes, the layering bits from other songs, and noted highlights of the instrumentals: the strings, George’s guitar bits, and Ringo’s flourishes. I love Paul coming through on the future tense certainty of “I will love you” (is that I Will?). Ringo’s shimmering effect choice (is it tams?) is such an entrancing closer. Giles’ score and Beatles recycled bits do mend the seams well once I stop thinking about them too much.

On fourth listen, my biggest notes are questioning why Paul’s harmony with John isn’t more distinct. He shows a lot of restraint here but maybe too much? Did Get Back get to him in other ways than the most obvious? Is he just self-conscious about his own voice? Or is it the limitation of the tech when it comes to harmony mixing?

The strings were what I was most worried about, but their entrance at the 1:15 mark really kicks it up a notch to transition into the singalong. Other standouts are 1:40 with George’s flourish and 2:29 peak with the guitar solo.

Lyrically, it’s the conditional and if I make it through it’s all because of you that haunts in layers of meaning both grim and cathartic that reverberate through time and space.

If John makes it through emotionally to 1980 and has a comeback? Congrats, bud you did it. But he’s stopped physically through no fault of his own. There’s the obvious mourning of that lost potential even 40 years later.

If this song this voice this message of John’s makes it through to 2023 and reaches the public? Well, success there, Paul’s tenacity saw it through with help from many friends. John’s voice and song lives on through Paul’s wish to conjure him by his side. On the Day of the Dead no less. I was reminded of the concept of tulpas today and was knocked back on my heels by the thought.

If John as an artist and Beatles as a band make it through so fans are still listening in 2023? This doubles as a bit of a fan love letter, and thank you for 60 years. Released on the day Beatlemania first appeared in black and white.

But then there’s also a reflector on this. Some original Beatles fans have aged with Paul and Ringo and others have not and aren’t here to share this like John and George. There’s grief and mourning from those still here about those lost, and the song acts as a catharsis. A kind of thank you to the band for being there for fans in good times and bad. The symbiosis of fame between a band and its fans across the decades.

It’s a lot.

I spent some time looking at the youtube comments on the song. Some original fans but many second and even third generation fans. And quite a few stories about a loved one who loved the band and recently passed away like this one:

And this:

But also in there are stories of catharsis and healing.

And many memories of the joy that Beatles music has brought to people’s lives. We all have these stories of how their songs weave into our own life. But it’s the joy that I keep coming back to as the secret sauce to the band’s earliest days. I often think of those early songs more in terms of feeling then anything, and it starts with the first single.

I love the Love Me Do remastering. That harmonica sounds so crisp. The bluegrassy harmonies have never sounded better. The ones on ple-ee-ee-ease still give me chills. Ringo’s drums moved forward in the mix to appreciate that driving beat just a bit more. I can hear the bass too. I can’t wait to hear what the other early Red album tracks sound like.

But next to Now and Then, I’m also looking at the lyrics like I never did before. Why give it another glance? Written by a 16 year old kid, it always sounded a bit juvenile and simple. But suddenly next to Now and Then, there’s a weight to it I never heard before.

Love, love me do

You know I love you

I’ll always be true

So please, love me do

It sounds like a promise. Now and Then is fulfillment of that always. It’s no longer just the whim of a kid. But rather the beginning of 7 decade devotional: To John, to the band, to fans, and reflected back again. The love is reciprocal from all sides.

How’s that for a WAIT WHAT moment? Paul turning the least likely song inside out and backwards. And he didn’t even add a lyrical middle eight.

[seaofreverie]

Can't wait to hear what Sparks have to say about the rise of influencers