#i wish this song was on spotify i might download it

[dj-of-the-coven]

How to Burn Your Own CDs - a guide for Windows users

Are you--yes, you!--tired of paying money to stupid shit like spotify for your music? Do you hate the way that the music industry takes almost all the profit that bands make through streaming and leaves them with pennies? Have you ever wanted to fire up that old CD-Radio in the corner of your bedroom, only to be stopped because all you have on CD is Weezer's blue album and a copy of Kidz Bop 16 that you don't remember buying? Well this guide just might be for you!

Materials you'll need:

A computer. Can't do it without this one.

A CD drive. It can be internal or external, but you'll need one either way. You can find them at Office Depot for fairly cheap and I've heard that some Walmarts carry them.

A pack of CD-Rs. CD-Rs, or CD Recordables, come in packs of 20, 50, or 100. A proper 100-pack should cost you no more than $30, so unless there's some special shortage in your area, don't buy from anywhere selling them at a markup. CD blanks are literally 50c a piece.

CD cases. Sold wherever CD-Rs are, but you can also find these at thrift stores pretty easily.

A sharpie or some kind of permanent marker

Software you'll need:

Jdownloader. You can acquire mp3s through Bandcamp if you're dedicated to righteousness, but for everyone else, install jdownloader or some other kind of open-source download program. I will be proceeding as if you have jdownloader available.

Windows media player. This should open automatically when you insert a CD-R into your CD drive.

Fre:ac audio converter. This is only for the occasion that you encounter OPUS or mp4a files that cannot be interpreted by your CD player.

Note: If you're very determined not to download software onto your computer, you can use free youtube downloaders and audio converters, but these are subject to viruses and other issues such as download speed. I will be proceeding as if you have the programs I listed.

The process:

Decide what you want to burn--anything goes, but keep in mind the time limit on your CD-Rs. Most will record 90 minutes or less.

Open jdownloader, switch to the linkgrabber tab, then paste youtube links in any order until you have all the music you want. I'd personally recommend doing it song-by-song instead of a full album stream, because a massive file will require a lot of work to separate back into searchable tracks.

De-select all files except audio on the right-hand side options menu.

Make a folder inside the music folder of your laptop and label it with the name of your mix CD.

In the properties tab of each song on jdownloader, change the destination folder to the folder you've just created.

Hit "start all downloads".

Once finished, open each folder. If everything is an .mp3 or a .wav, skip the next 2 steps.

Open Fre:ac audio converter to convert all audio files that aren't .mp3 or .wav into .mp3 or .wav.

Drop the converted files next to the unconverted files in your folder. If you wish, you can delete the originals to make the folder easier to browse.

Put your blank CD-R into the CD drive. If external, plug in your CD drive first or the tray will refuse to open.

Windows media player will open automatically. On the right-hand side, you will see the tracklist of your CD-R (which should be blank). On the left, you will see the audio that your computer is able to find in the music folder. Put your selected tracks IN ORDER onto the tracklist.

Listen to the beginning and ending of each track to make sure there isn't a significant time gap. This also prevents accidentally burning a youtuber's stupid outro if you missed it before.

When satisfied, hit "start burn".

On an external drive, the CD tray will open upon completion. You can reinsert it to ensure that the burning went smoothly.

Once satisfied, remove the CD from your drive. With your sharpie or permanent marker, write the name of the album on the front, then store safely inside a CD case.

you did it👍

Ask me if you run into any issues.

Legal disclaimer: this guide is purely for educational purposes and I do not admit to or take responsibility for any piracy committed using the instructions given.

Illegal disclaimer: cops suck my dick

[capybara]

[spark-lapis]

YOUTUBE HAS A YEAR IN REVIEW THING TOO????

delighted im delighted. i've always been sad to miss out on spotify's wrapped thing because i don't like spotify very much or use it often. these youtube stats are for an account that i only made at the beginning of april and only really started using in like june, so this is basically just the past five months.

surprised the nitw soundtracks made it onto my top artists before like, shaffer james or the hoosiers. probably because it's background music so it plays for longer passively. wish I could see more than just a top 5 ahhhhhh

anyway yeah. thrilled . i love music

[lingthusiasm]

Lingthusiasm Episode 87: If I were an irrealis episode

Language lets us talk about things that aren't, strictly speaking, entirely real. Sometimes that's an imaginative object (is a toy sword a real sword? how about Excalibur?). Other times, it's a hypothetical situation (such as "if it rains, we'll cancel the picnic" - but neither the picnic nor the rain have happened yet. And they might never happen. But also they might!). Languages have lots of different ways of talking about different kinds of speculative events, and together they're called the irrealis.

In this episode, your hosts Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne get enthusiastic about some of our favourite examples under the irrealis umbrella. We talk about various things that we can mean by "reality", such as how existing fictional concepts, like goblins playing Macbeth, differ from newly-constructed fictions, like our new creature the Frenumblinger. We also talk about hypothetical statements using "if" (including the delightfully-named "biscuit conditionals), and using the "if I were a rich man" (Fiddler on the Roof) to "if I was a rich girl" (Gwen Stefani) continuum to track the evolution of the English subjunctive. Finally, a few of our favourite additional types of irrealis categories: the hortative, used to urge or exhort (let's go!), the optative, to express wishes and hopes (if only...), the dubitative, for when you doubt something, and the desiderative (I wish...).

Click here for a link to this episode in your podcast player of choice or read the transcript here.

Announcements:

Thank you to everyone who shared Lingthusiasm with a friend or on social media for our seventh anniversary! It was great to see what you love about Lingthusiasm and which episodes you chose to share. We hope you enjoyed the warm fuzzies!

In this month’s bonus episode, Gretchen gets enthusiastic about swearing (including rude gestures) in fiction with science fiction and fantasy authors Jo Walton and Ada Palmer, authors of the Thessaly books and Terra Ignota series, both super interesting series we've ling-nerded out about before on the show. We talk about invented swear words like "frak" and "frell", sweary lexical gaps (why don't we swear with "toe jam!"), and interpreting the nuances of regional swear words like "bloody" in fiction.

Join us on Patreon now to get access to this and 80+ other bonus episodes! You’ll also get access to the Lingthusiasm Discord server where you can chat with other language nerds.

Here are the links mentioned in the episode:

'Irrealis' entry on Wikipedia

'How do you get someone to care about Shakespeare? Two words: Goblin Macbeth' on CBC

xkcd comic 'Conditionals'

'Pedantic about biscuit conditionals' post on Language Log

'The pragmatics of biscuit conditionals' by Michael Franke

Lingthusiasm episode 'This time it gets tense - The grammar of time'

'Realis and Irrealis: Forms and concepts of the grammaticalisation of reality' by Jennifer R. Elliott

'If all the raindrops' on YouTube

'If I Were a Rich Man (song)' entry on Wikipedia

'Rich Girl (Gwen Stefani song)' entry on Wikipedia

'Louchie Lou & Michie One' entry on Wikipedia

'Louchie Lou & Michie One - Rich Girl' on YouTube

'Semi-Toned - Rich Girl (acapella)' on YouTube

'Subjunctive mood' entry on Wikipedia

'Céline Dion - Pour que tu m'aimes encore' on YouTube

WALS entry for 'Feature 73A: The Optative'

Lingthusiasm bonus episode 'How we make Lingthusiasm transcripts - Interview with Sarah Dopierala'

Lingthusiasm episode 'Listen to the imperatives episode'

'Dubitative' entry on Wikipedia

'A grammatical overview of Yolmo (Tibeto-Burman)' entry on WikiJournal of Humanities

You can listen to this episode via Lingthusiasm.com, Soundcloud, RSS, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also download an mp3 via the Soundcloud page for offline listening.

To receive an email whenever a new episode drops, sign up for the Lingthusiasm mailing list.

You can help keep Lingthusiasm ad-free, get access to bonus content, and more perks by supporting us on Patreon.

Lingthusiasm is on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Mastodon, and Tumblr. Email us at contact [at] lingthusiasm [dot] com

Gretchen is on Bluesky as @GretchenMcC and blogs at All Things Linguistic.

Lauren is on Bluesky as @superlinguo and blogs at Superlinguo.

Lingthusiasm is created by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. Our senior producer is Claire Gawne, our production editor is Sarah Dopierala, our production assistant is Martha Tsutsui Billins, and our editorial assistant is Jon Kruk. Our music is ‘Ancient City’ by The Triangles.

This episode of Lingthusiasm is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license (CC 4.0 BY-NC-SA).

[pixiestickers]

Tagged by @mydoctor Thanks

Rules: list your ten favorite albums of all time and tag ten people to list theirs!

When it comes to music I would usually see a meme like this and start thinking of all the ways I could wax eloquently abt my favorite albums, but I am currently depleted of my ability to write atm bc i am mentally maxed out due to school, so here have the short version in no particular order.

The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. Fell in love with mcr the first time I saw them singing 'I'm not okay' on mtv2, but it wasn't really until Black Parade that I loved every song on one of their albums. I don't skip a single one when I listen to this.

The Archandroid by Janelle Monae. Love Janelle's older stuff more than her newer music with this album at the top. It's just a mixture of exactly what I like. Weird, quirky, and profound all at the same time.

Figure 8 by Elliott Smith. This album has always been great writing inspiration for me. His music, but this album in particular, appears on many of my mental and also actual playlists for my blorbos.

Little Plastic Castle by Ani DiFranco. When I was 18, I saw this album ranked as one to buy by some music magazine and so when I saw it a few months later at a CD store in the mall (remember those? or maybe you don't, you're all probably younger than me) I bought it on a whim. It was a good buy from my many MANY impulsive music buys over the years, bc it started my love for Ani's music. It was also my first foray into music that was somewhat against my upbringing ie conservative evangelical christian. Since then, I've seen Ani 6 times in concert and it's always been a good show.

Feel Good by The Internet. This is just the type of R&B that I love. Like Janelle Monae, it's a little strange with 8-minute-long songs that take twists and turns until they eventually morph into a completely different song, but it's an album I can play from start to finish.

When the Pawn ... by Fiona Apple. One of the few albums I wish I could get on vinyl but it's just way too expensive to justify spending on something i could easily listen to on the CD I bought ages ago (or more likely listening to on spotify). This album has been there for me at my lowest. Sometimes hearing someone else sing about bad breakups and being angry and sad over someone who hurt you, helps you cope with all the times you've had a fight with your SO or had a friend who ghosted you.

The Suburbs by Arcade Fire. Really sad that Win Butler turned out to be a garbage human bc I love this album, but find it hard to listen to now, knowing the band's lead singer is awful. There were other ppl in the band tho (a lot actually, it's a big band) so I figure I'll still add this album to my list for them and to be honest to myself.

Apollo 18 by They Might Be Giants. Flood was the first album I bought by tmbg, but Apollo 18 is the album I can listen to all the way through with the song Narrow Your Eyes being my fav. Considering how weird their music can get, Narrow Your Eyes is a pretty straightforward break-up song on an album that also contains songs like The Statue Got Me High and Hall of Heads.

The Con by Tegan and Sara. Call It Off is one of my most played songs ever, but this whole album is good and was my introduction to them. This was one of the last CDs I actually bought before I started just downloading everything with iTunes and then eventually moving on over to Spotify and buying vinyl.

Blackout by Britney Spears. Good for working out to when I used to work out and I just really love the song Heaven on Earth.

Honorable Mentions: Exile in Guyville by Liz Phair, Bionic by Christina Aguilera, Absolution by Muse, OK Computer by Radiohead, Same Trailer Different Park by Kacey Musgraves, Hounds of Love by Kate Bush, Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood, and Actor by St. Vincent

I tag: @trashangel-dee @alphamano @bethanyactually @ladybender @selkiestorytelleracademia @theangrypomeranian @vanessarama @leaving-a-comment and @dj-osha

And anyone else who would like to do this. Even if we're not mutuals go ahead and tag me. I'm always interested in seeing others' musical tastes.

[writers-ex]

spider 2shin?!?! why didn't they save y/n that's so mean 😭😭😭😭i thought at least yuna would've hmp also ryujin stealing a kiss 👀🫣🥵 that's hOT THAT's HOT !!! hgnfjfhdjxhdhsndjdjsjjs excited for the next installment!!!

also yoo!!! YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU LIKE PJO!??? i love pjo 😭😭😭😭 i remember waiting for the release of the last book of the series that was a sequel to pjo i read it bc i loved pjo so much skdjdjsjsjdjs

also !!! i like dancing as well we have a lot of stuff in common 💗💗💗 i mean i'm not good at it but i wanna get back to dancing as exercise hnghhh i had itzy's not shy and it'z summer memorized before as well as bp's playing w fire idk if i still do now hnghh hopefully i find the time again but wow i can't imagine dancing and singing in front of an audience i'd be too embarrassed you're so nrave for that😩

ALSO ALSO!! u right frozen 2 slayed!! icb disney deleted the video that they made for THE promotion of disney+ here probably bc the one w inti the unknown got millions of views (3M last i checked if i'm not mistaken??) compared to their other videos to promote their shows hmp!!! there's only one out of three left (https://youtu.be/1tcFWWkjKjc)

thankfully someone recorded the one that got millions of views (a member of my fave grp was there too he sang w one famous actress and another power vocal who won a tv competition) bc i downloaded the hd version of the video but deleted it bc i didn't think disney would delete another video 😭😭😭 (they deleted janella's version of How Far I'll Go that she sang for moana's release years ago bc it got more views than the original/american version so there's only one video left of that performance which is on wish bus😭😭😭)

https://youtu.be/A4ugutCN3bs

https://youtu.be/FbeaY3BHXVA wAIT NO IT's BACK?! IN THE OFFICIAL CHANNEL?! i have hope for the disney+ performance then 🥹 but it might take yrs dafuq

https://youtu.be/RbIy7RVM9OQ this one has the third performance which is so cool bc zack performed in a historical site within the capital city (i live in the greater area of the city lmao)

you won't be able to save these performances in the spotify playlist i'm afraid hngh

also last !!! thank you for the well wishes for ppop 🥹 yea you said it right haha it's just my way of contributing to helping ppop rise hngh no pressure at all but if you or anyone else is interested here's a ten min vid of a fan organized event that i didn't get to attend bc it happened on sunday and sunday is family dayy (we passed by the venue event on the way home but i didn't see anything :(( one of my fave gg made a surprise appearance after having just performed somewhere else they appeared last "KAIA" in the interview and all of this was for free no fee for artists they willingly went to perform for fans 🥹🥹🥹)

https://youtu.be/Eh0-Yb73dpA

ahhh!! thank u for listening i'm gonna give y'alls a break from the links and stuff this is my last for a while hahaha

- 😚

i will write the pt 2 of the spider!itzy y/n revenge plot when i have time and if i dont within a month plz remind me T^T anyone actually- im dead serious plz remind me i will forget

I LOVE PJO!! i read his stuff during the pandemic and it began my comfort series, i'm stoked for his next book and the disney show <333333 i am a camphalf blood camper and felt a connection with jason bc glasses buddies unite :)

and dang i just learned twice TT, bts's bapsae, pentagon shine (THATS MY SONG), and skz miroh but i've been forgotten them :,)

i gotchu here are the links to some amazing performances <3 and darn :,) i'll make a youtube playlist for myself then hehe the moana one isn't working btw T_T

link one

link two

link three

and NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO you're welcome to keep spamming ik life gets busy and rough but the ask box and my dms will always be open if you need a pick me up or smol drabble or just to say hey :3 i gotchu boo

[mackmp3]

ough okay sounds fun :D

jan - tunic (song for karen) by sonic youth. uhh remembrance of someone i look up to who's been lost?

feb - the faster i breathe the further i go. uhm. i think this is about having a breakdown in new york. fun i guess hehe

march - the way it is by the strokes. this ones about a breakup but i'm single lol. general apathy then?

april - bodysnatchers by radiohead 'i have no idea what i am talking about / i'm trapped in this body and can't get out' fun <3

may - bulletproof (...i wish i was) 'you have turned me into this' well that doesn't bode well

june - ed's scary song (demo) radiohead help girl no i don't want to be scared

july - dazed & confused by led zeppelin. uhm i get a girlfriend who's entirely out of my league. seems a bit unlikely

august - in limbo by radiohead (goddamn why do i have so much radiohead) I'M A GHOST YOU'RE ALL GETTING HAUNTED <3

september - naked cousin by pj harvey. despised family members try to talk to me?? idk i don't know any of them

october - hollow hills by bauhaus ABDUCTED BY FAERIES LET'S GOOOOOOOO

november - yuri-g by pj harvey. hopelessly infatuated with something out of reach sounds about right

december - 12305 (te nacht) by einstürzende neubauten. i had to look up a translation of this i think it might be comparing a quest to slay a dragon with going to find love. make what you will of that.

UHM OKAY i guess i just have a lot of uhh not exactly happy music. this wasn't my on repeat i don't listen to spotify, it was just everything i have downloaded sooooo uhmmmm yeah.

@watchingthecredits @cherries-or-peaches @sexuallyvague @meatza-lives and anyone else who wants too!! no pressure of course

i wanna start a tag game so: let your spotify predict your 2024!

shuffle your on repeat playlist, and the first twelve songs represent your 2024

january- guns and ships- hamilton (idek what this could represent but okay)

february- we fell in love in october- girl in red (PLEASE)

march- say no to this- hamilton (…i have nothing to say about this)

april- castles crumbling- taylor swift ft hayley williams (damnit sad month then?)

may- you’re losing me- taylor swift (FUCK TWO SAD MONTHS?? breakup songs are even worse now that im actually in a relationship. please. better not be accurate)

june- astronomy- conan gray (please stop why am i having so many sad songs)

july- stoned- ed sheeran (oh fuck this)

august- new year’s day- taylor swift (hm okay. idk what to say about this)

september- heather- conan gray (i consider heather to be a happy song AND it’s mine and my partners song so i’m taking this as a good one)

october- 18- one direction (yessss we’re going okay now)

november- king of my heart- taylor swift (YESSS)

december- all too well (ten minute version)- taylor swift (i take it back ugh)

no pressure tags!!- @autumnleavesforwinter @weeping-in-the-willows @swiftieannah @felizusnavidad @jittyjames @anixknowsnothin (please help me get this off the ground, but also if this flops you saw nothing)

[wanghedi]

Been listening to 悟空 on repeat since saturday this song fucking slaps!!!! and u KNOW i love that son of a bitch little monkey

[bookwyrminspiration]

HELLO MY FRIEND sorry for sending so many asks I just,,..,,thin k your c o ,ol,.,,,.,,!..,,’

Uh idk what I really have to say

Oh I started making kotlc Spotify playlists because we don’t have enough and the ones we do have arent specific and my neurodivergent brain doesn’t like the vague titles so uh ya I have my Spotify linked in my account but I’ll put the link at the end of this if you want to check it out

Alright let’s do a cursed ship

AJDVEHRJRKJR

Kenric x Bo

I use a random wheel chooser and I hate this sm 💀

https://open.spotify.com/user/yy8ft6tg56v1thny0jn7dxyr4?si=5RLBmdHmQJ29e8-o1tFtFg

There’s my Spotify I only have a couple playlists rn but I’m planning on making playlists for all the characters (or at least the mains)

hello! you don't need to apologize for the amount of asks you send, all I ask if that you be patient with me because as much as I wish I could dedicate entire days to answering asks, I am a full time student and do have to divide my time! And despite it being winter break time, I'm actually taking a class over the break so. I can't go all out over the winter like I might have otherwise.

but thank you!! I don't know what constitutes cool in this context but I appreciate it! Cool can mean a lot of things, but generally it's used positively so I'll go with that for now.

I'm very impressed by your ability to make playlists. I'm so picky with them and the vibes of the songs that it takes me so long to curate them that I usually just...don't. I think the one time I went all out and made a playlist it was a 2 hour long one for my partner because they'd made one for me and I went!! well now I have to do it back!!!

I've looked through some of the playlists (listening to new music very quickly gets overwhelming for me so listening to them will take me a long time) and they look interesting! the titles are very direct as you said. There seem to be a lot of them about Keefe!! I wish you luck on curating all the characters, as that certainly sounds like a lot of work. Like I said, super picky about the vibes of songs and how they fit characters so...

and then a cursed ship on top of it all! what a day!

I think the Kenric and Bo ship reminds me a lot of the Sandor x Kenric one, because I have similar questions.

Though this one would definitely have to be a Bo x Ghost Kenric ship because Bo wasn't even in the lost cities until long after Kenric expired. Do ghosts exist in the kotlc universe? Could Bo fall in love with a ghost or...is he in love with a tree. Maybe he went along with the Ruewens and Sophie when they went to the wanderling woods and he saw Kenric's tree and it was love at first site.

He started visiting the wanderling woods on his own, leaving gifts at kenric's wanderling because it was so beautiful. Now depending on whether or not ghosts are real in this world this is either an incredibly one sided romance of Bo's obsession with a tree, or maybe Kenric's being is tied to this tree and he's anchored to that location so when Bo goes that's when he gets to see Kenric.

What if only Bo could see Kenric's ghost so to everyone else, when they found out, would just think he was loving this really specific tree. In a cemetery. Nothing concerning about that at all!!

Wait. What if Bo took like a flower or leaves from the tree and kept them with him like in a locket in his pocket that way there's a piece of Kenric's anchor with him and Kenric's ghost can travel around with him and tag along--hidden of course. He wouldn't want to distract his lover from doing his job.

There is. wow. I got a little more invested in that than I expected to. certainly wasn't what I was expecting!

I hope your playlists go well!! I may try and listen to a few later depending on what I have going on (my sister has a band concert tonight!) but I will be driving across the country on wednesday and am not great with podcasts, so maybe I'll download a few to listen to on the road!

[weak-intention]

Kisou, for the album ask

1. The first song from this album I heard: It was actually Pink Killer! I was listening to a jrock podcast that I downloaded to my ipod and that was one of the songs they chose

2. Do I own the album?: I might have bought it in a bulk buy of cds... but to be honest I can't remember lol. If I do I've never opened it.

3. My favorite song: Between 24k cylinders and keloid milk! They're both so fun and smooth and idk the bass and drums in them stand out more in them to me. Also kyo's vocals in both of those songs are so distinct and memorable to me.

4. My least favorite song: Child Prey PLEASE DON'T THROW STONES AT ME AHAHA I think this is the most unpopular DIR opinion I have, since all my friends in the community drag me for not loving this song. Musically it's ...fun. I only enjoy kyo's vocals when he's singing regularly or at the very end, that talk-singing thing he does.

HOLD UP I TOTALLY FORGOT JESSICA WAS ON THIS ALBUM. I DON’T LIKE JESSICA. I SAID WHAT I FUCKING SAID. Every time it comes up on my Spotify shuffle, it feels like a personal attack.

5. A song I didn’t like at first, but now do: The Domestic Fucker Family Sorry Kyo. I think he composed this right? Yeah. I didn't like it until the remake, which I enjoy a lot more than the original. It’s so fucking fun musically. 

6. A song I used to like, but now don’t: Pink Killer I liked how off the wall it seemed when I first heard it. But when I listened to more and more DIR songs and even the rest of Kisou... it just really fell off for me.

7. My favorite lyric: “Change me into a memory and head to the new ocean I wish you happiness from the heart There is happiness behind the tears But behind the tears you are not there" from Undecided (if i get tipsy i will 95% chance start scream singing this while crying)

8. Overall rating out of 10: 8 / 10 Kisou's a solid album. I mean the band brought 5 of the songs as remakes. And the remakes are all bangers as well. I know a general consensus is that Vulgar was the departure and stepping away from their past sound and VK influence. I think this album was the transition album. You can hear how it connects to Macabre in some songs and certain musical choices. There’s also growth in Kyo’s vocal style and in the lyrics. Half the album seems more similar to Macabre’s perspective. Which makes sense since the albums were made so close together. Some songs seem to start to become more about personal topics or feelings rather than the first two albums, which Kyo has since admitted were heavily influenced by other vocalists/lyrics. I think the music isn’t as heavy or muggy of a feeling compared to songs in Macabre, and they portray the sadness or disappointment in the songs in a different way that feels much smoother and fresher.

Kisou is a beloved album by the fandom, and uh well deserved. I mean mushi is unchanged and even now people still talk or think about that song, and what that sadness means to them. If they left off Jessica, it'd be a solid 9. Jk haha. But not really. 

[13thhero]

i was tagged by @risingthrutherainierfog Thank you!

who was your first favourite artist?  Mohamed Mounir (he is one of the most famous and loved Egyptian singers!)

who are your current favourite artists? Picking favorites is something I have been struggling with in most aspects of life. I find myself interested in several things but unable to pick what means the most to me out of them. I currently have my songs divided in 19 music folders, 14 of them are of artists and the remaining contain random stuff of certain kinds (Arabic, English, Japanese, etc) by artists that I don't have enough songs by yet to give them their own folder or just interested in a single/few songs by them rather than the artist themselves. I'm also currently going through a weird phase so I hope it's okay that I did not really answer this question! (Mounir is still my favorite Egyptian singer. That's what I know for sure!)

are you into musicals?  Nope.

are there songs you consider so special you only listen to them very rarely?  No, but I'm dealing with an issue that is kinda similar to this. When I get attached to an artist I avoid listening to him (this only happens with guys) most of the time.

what’s your preferred way of listening to music? (time of day, medium, situation)  When I'm drawing (haven't drawn in months though) or playing on my favorite sites. I like to listen to Arabic songs when I'm saving pictures of the western artists I like as it sort of feels like I'm sharing music I love with them (it makes me feel a little less lonely). I love listening to my music on my phone's music player. I find late night when my family are asleep (past 1 am) the best time to listen especially since I don't sit on my laptop or draw in my room (I mostly only spend time in my room when I'm asleep). Sunrise is even better but I wish I would wake up early rather than go to bed when it's morning!

what would you say is the most niche music you listen to?  I'm not sure what 'niche' means and google did not answer my question. ^^;

what’s your favourite music related movie/tv show that’s not a musical? Don't think I have any. ^^;

albums or playlists? Playlists.

favourite albums? I don't really have favorite albums. I listen to songs from all albums individually (I do have an obsession with having my songs tagged with album name/artist/year/etc and I'm especially obsessed with album covers and the order of songs in albums). For rock/metal artists I always download full albums even if I so far only like/is familiar with one song from the album since I know there's a probability I'll like more in the future. The full albums are on my laptop while my phone has only the songs I like. So far there's still not many albums that I have the entirety of on my phone.

is there an artist you’re trying to get into?  Yeah, a lot actually! There are lots of bands that I'd like to be more familiar with. I use Spotify to find new music or become more familiar with bands I already listen to. I don't do this all the time though because it requires being in a certain mood and sometimes listening to the stuff you already know feels more comfortable.

whose music do you find overhyped? I can't speak about western music, but I almost never find myself into the new Egyptian stuff that people around my age listen to. They sound like songs you'd listen to on repeat for 2 weeks and then completely forget that they ever existed. I bet that's what these people do.

what’s an underrated song? Can't speak about this either. There are songs I like that I never hear people talk about but I might just be isolating myself too much. xD

what’s a thing a bunch of songs do that you love every time? This is about Egyptian songs (that aren't rock). I love when they have an electric guitar or a bass I can hear. I also love when the drums stand out. I love when they have elements that remind me of rock songs. c: I also have a soft spot for having several violins playing the same melody (I'm not very familiar with music and art terms in English).

what song is better acoustic? I think there's one in my head but right now I can't remember what it was... (my memory is weird and it's almost 3 am at the moment...)

what’s the worst song of all time?  'Best' and 'worst' are very big words for me. There are many songs I can't stand but I don't think I will ever consider something as the 'worst' (or the 'best' either).

do you put individual songs on repeat? if so, for how long and how often? I do! Until I tell myself "that's enough!" or think of other songs I'd like to listen to. A lot of times when I start listening to a new one I find myself still unable to stop thinking of the song I had on repeat so I go back to it. I believe I'd listen to songs on repeat in the past way more than I do now.

do you make your own playlists? I'm not sure if this counts, but I have two playlists on my phone's music player. One that has all my western (in English) songs together and one that has all the Arabic songs. I'm very organised and have folders but these playlists help when I want to listen to all western or Arabic artists that I have without having to deal with the long list of all my music and skip through many songs.

headphones or earbuds?  Earbuds. I do love headphones but they feel uncomfortable and make my ears hurt when I listen for longer periods. :c (my ears are very small which might be why)

do you always sing the lead vocal or do you harmonize sometimes?  I never sing along when listening to music and rarely sing at all. I wish that wasn't the case but this is something related to my mental health issues.

a musical confession: Well, this might sound depressing but it's something that has been making me feel down. My ability to enjoy music is not the same as it used to be in the past. I'd say I'm not too far from losing it completely. I don't listen to music that much anymore. When I listen for the first time after several weeks of not listening the experience feels charming. The next day it feels less charming. The third day it's even less charming and I find myself skipping songs more and more. The fourth day I have almost lost my ability to enjoy listening and start getting annoyed with songs. I know this problem is with me and not the songs. I also don't have the ability to relate to songs even though I desperately need something to relate to. I need to have something in this world that feels like it's by my side. This is most likely caused by my deteriorating mental health but I still find it very shameful. I mean, what kind of person is one who dreams of being a musician yet does not have the ability to actually enjoy music anymore??

tagging: I don't really communicate with anyone on here/have many mutuals (wish I would stop isolating myself) so I'm not sure who to tag!

[pucksnsticksnhockeyboys]

let’s fall in love for the night

prompt: Let’s Fall In Love For The Night by FINNEAS

summary: you can't seem to stay away from Joel, no matter how bad you want more than what he’s willing to give you.

warnings: a bit of steaminess, mentions of sex and drinking, swearing

word count: 3.5k

Let's fall in love for the night And forget in the mornin'

You knew it was a dangerous game you were playing, toeing the line between friends with benefits and something more. You thought you weren’t ready for the more after your last relationship, but with Joel, the benefits were just too good to pass up.

So, you found yourself waiting for the standard ‘you up?’ text from Joel, the one that you knew would be coming shortly. Carolina had finished their home game a few hours earlier, and you knew Joel wanted to go out to celebrate with the boys. You weren't surprised when the text came just after midnight, but you did feel like kicking yourself a bit for being so willing to jump at the chance to see him.

He was waiting at the door by the time you arrived at his apartment, and you knew this because your fist barely had time to connect with the wooden door to knock before it swung open and he stood before you.

No matter how many times you saw him, his blinding smile always seemed to make your breath catch in your throat. A lazy smirk found home on his face as he towered over you, one arm wrapping around your waist to tug you close to him and the other shut the door as soon as you were far enough in the apartment. You could smell the alcohol on him, his lips dangerously close to your face. His hands fell heavy on your hips, crowding you close to the door.

“You aren’t even going to say hi?” You said quietly, trying to regain some of your composure, to act like he didn’t have such an effect on you as he did. His smug grin softened a bit, and that somehow made your stomach twist even more.

“Hi.” He cheekily said, as if he didn't have you pinned to his front door, the length of his body pressed against yours. You let out a breathy laugh, locking your hands together on the base of his neck behind his head.

Your simple positional movement seemed to remind him of why you were in his apartment, because he closed the small gap between you and caught your lips in a searing kiss. He wasted no time in deepening it, letting you know just what he wanted from you. And you were more than willing to give to him.

“God, you’re amazing.” Joel muttered against your lips, pulling you up to wrap your legs around his waist so he could carry you to his room.

And with praises like that spilling past his lips, you had a hard time remembering that by morning light you’d go back to being just another one of his friends.

Play me a song that you like You can bet I'll know every line

“You’re such a dork.” You teased, tossing a piece of popcorn from the bowl resting in your lap at the man sitting on the opposite side of the couch. Joel had invited you over for a movie night, and though you expected it to devolve to something along the lines of Netflix and chill than a friendly hang out, you enjoyed the quiet company. You sat with your back against the armrest, legs spread down the couch. Joel had pulled your legs across his lap, large hands resting on your shins.

“You love it.” Joel teased, completely ignoring the movie and instead staring straight at you. Ignoring the way your heart flipped in your chest, you simply shook your head and turned your gaze away from him. It was becoming harder and harder for you to tell yourself that things were just strictly platonic—with the occasional booty call, but still.

“You wish, Edmundson.” You teased, deciding that it was the easy way out. Joel didn’t respond right away, just squeezed your legs where they rested across his lap. You could feel his gaze on your face, but kept looking ahead at the television, even if you weren't actually paying attention to the movie.

“Can we dance? Let’s dance.” Joel stated, gently moving your legs off of his lap so he could stand. You shot him a confused look, but nonetheless took his extended hand and let him pull you to your feet. He used more forced than necessary, sending you flying into his chest so he hold you there. From the self-satisfied grin on his face, you could tell he did it on purpose. “C’mon, you can pick the song.”

And there really was no way you could say no that, especially when he was looking at you like you were the reason the sun rose in the morning. You nodded, and he cheered, moving through his apartment to set up the bluetooth speaker, mutter that if this was happening, ‘it was happening the right way’ and though you weren’t sure what he meant by that, you simply chuckled and paused the movie.

“A promise is a promise.” Joel joked, handing you his phone to pull up a song. You immediately went to Spotify, searching up the song that’s been stuck in your head for the past few days. You were slightly surprised to see that it was already downloaded, meaning that he listened to the song too. It was a fairly unknown song, and it honestly didn't even seem like on Joel would like. “Oh, that’s a good one.”

You grinned at this, pressing play on the upbeat song and immediately it started playing through the speakers in the apartment. Joel slipped his phone from your hands, locking it and tossing it onto the couch without ever taking his eyes off of you. His hands wrapped around yours, using them to spin you around and pull you into his chest, pressing kisses to your lips every once in a while that had your mind going fuzzy.

And as the two of you danced like idiots in love, you had a hard time remembering that by morning light you’d go back to being just another one of his friends.

I'm the boy that your boy hoped that you would avoid Don't waste your eyes on jealous guys, fuck that noise I know better than to call you mine

“Are you fucking kidding me.” The sentence fell past your lips without permission, and it certainly wasn't a question. You just couldn't seem to shake the jerk that walked into the bar, the one you blamed for launching you into the back and forth game you played with Joel.

The tall brunette sitting next you had been in conversation with his teammate Ryan Dzingel, who sat opposite him in the booth at the hole-in-the wall bar a group of you were in, when he heard your exclamation. Both boys stopped talking, following your gaze to the bar counter where your ex stood, a new girl tucked under his arm.

“Is that—” Ryan started, but Joel cut him off before he could finish, the arm he had wrapped around your waist tightening.

“Yeah, it is.” He confirmed, and you couldn't tear your gaze from him. Really, you couldn’t remember what exactly his appeal had been. He controlled what you wore, who you hung out, and was generally a possessive asshole.

When he need things with you, you had sworn off relationships. Joel had been your shoulder to cry on, and one thing led to another and suddenly you’re in a friends with benefits dynamic that was slowly driving you insane.

“What do you think he’s going to do when he sees we’re here together?” There was a hint of smugness in Joel’s voice, one that you couldn't help but roll your eyes at. Throughout the entirety of your relationship with your ex, he had told you he didn't want you hanging out with Joel, because according to him, the hockey player had a thing for you. Nothing had happened between you and Joel, while you were dating, at least.

You knew he would hate it if he found out he actually drove you into Joel’s arms—and bed.

“I really don’t care.” You huffed. You were done letting him dictate your life, and couldn’t care less if his feelings got hurt because you were out with someone he had been jealous.

“That’s right. Fuck him.” Joel tipped the remains of his drink back and downed the rest of it, causing you to shoot Ryan a look. He was just as confused as you were about Joel’s odd behavior. Usually, the tall brunette could keep a cool head, but seemingly the sight of your ex had him on edge. “You’re too good for him, anyways.”

Joel slide out of the booth, tugging you with him and towards the bar to presumably get a refill. 

“Let’s go show him what he’s missing out on.”

And as he kept his hand entwined with yours for the rest of the night, you had a hard time remembering that by morning light you’d go back to being just another one of his friends.

You need a pick-me-up? I'll be there in twenty-five I like to push my luck So take my hand, let's take a drive I've been livin' in the future Hopin' I might see you sooner I want you ridin' shotgun I knew when I got one right

There was no good way to put it other than you day just simply sucked. From the moment you woke up—late, considering your alarm didn’t go off—to messing up some important paperwork at work. 

The cherry on top had been when you burnt the dinner you had been cooking, ending up with you close to tears caused from stress, curled up on the couch. Your thumb hovered over his contact, unsure whether or not to call. Sucking in a breath to steady your nerves, you dialed his number. 

“Hello?” He answered on the second ring, and just hearing his voice calmed you down. When you didn't respond right away, he called you name, and you heard him shifting through the line. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” You hurried to assure him, but he caught on to the tightness of your voice. It was one of the rare times you hated how well he knew you. 

“No, you’re not.” He said with a light chuckle, though there was a hint of worry in his own tone. In the background, you heard what suspiciously sounded like keys jingling. “I’ll be there soon, we can go for a drive.” 

And he didn't sound like he was asking, not that you would have turned him down. He hung up shortly after you agreed, and you were left sitting on your couch wondering just when your hookups turned to comforting each other after hard days. You and Joel had been friends before adding benefits to your relationship, but never had you called him late at night to try and find some calmness in a stressful day.

True to his word, it wasn't long before he texted you saying he was out front, and to meet him. When you exited your apartment building, he was leaning against the side of his car, waiting for you. The moment his gaze settled on you, he opened his arms wide and you wasted no time in pressing into his chest. 

He just smiled softly at you as he opened the passenger door for you after you pulled away. He gave you control of the music, and as he drove through the night a comfortable silence fell over the two of you. 

“Where are we going?” You asked after a moment, keeping your voice quiet as you were afraid to break the bubble that had formed between the two of you in the car. 

“I dunno.” Joel shrugged, stopping at a red light. He turned in his seat to look over at you, and suddenly it felt like you were the only two people in the whole city. He reached across the center console, cupping your jaw softly and tracing the curve of your lip with his thumb. Your breath caught in your throat at the tenderness of the action. Joel had kissed you hundreds of times before, but somehow deep in your gut you knew that if pressed his lips to yours the dynamic of your relationship would change, especially with the way he was looking at you. 

All too soon the light turned green again and he dropped your face. But instead of retuning his hand to the steering wheel where it had been previously placed, he brushed down your arm to thread his fingers with yours. 

“Let’s just get away for a while.”

And really, there was no way you could say to that.

Let's fall in love for the night And forget in the mornin'

Ever since the night where Joel had picked you up and just driven you around for an hour, the two of you had become closer. Now, not every text he sent you was an invitation to come over and hookup. Sometimes he wanted to talk on the phone to unwind from a stressful day or a bad game, and sometimes he wanted you to come over, but only simply because he liked having someone next to him as he fell asleep. 

Tonight was like the latter. He had asked you during your lunch break if you wanted to spend the night, and it didn't take much convincing for you to agree. It scared you, a little bit, just how easy it was for him to make you want a relationship. You had been the one, after all, you decided the whole ‘no labels’ thing when you started hooking up. And now that you were ready for something more, you were scared he’d leave you. He didn't sign up for a relationship, but it felt like you were blurring the lines between friends with benefits and just what you had been trying to avoid in the first place. 

But then he opened the apartment door, looking so comfortable in a pair of grey sweats and your favorite hoodie of his, and all thoughts left your mind. You couldn't focus on anything besides how devastatingly handsome he looked smiling widely at you. 

He was going to be the death of you.

I love it when you talk that nerdy shit We're in our twenties talking thirties shit We're making money but we're saving it 'Cause talking shit is cheap and we talk a lot of it

Sometimes it was really hard to tell yourself that Joel saw you as nothing more than a casual hookup, one that was a built in friend when the morning light peaked through the window. 

Like right now, when you’re curled up against his bare chest, skin on skin and his fingers threaded in your hair, scratching at your scalp absentmindedly. You were so content, and the thought of ever having to get up made you curl into him tighter. 

“Do you ever think about the future?” Joel questioned, breaking the stillness of the room. Your heart momentarily skipped a beat in your chest, wondering just where this line of thinking came from. 

“I mean, yeah? Why?” You were treading lightly, hoping the maybe this was going in the direction you wanted it to. That maybe he would offer taking your relationship to the next level. Instead, you felt him shrug under your touch. 

“Just, my mom said something to me the other day about settling down.” He contemplated, and you worried that maybe he could feel your heart pounding against your chest from where it was pressed against him.

“Yeah?”

“But I don't know if I’m ready to do that yet.” You tried not to get your hopes up, you really did, you would could feel yourself physically deflate as you took in his words. 

“Oh. Yeah, me too.” You found yourself saying. Because really, how were you supposed to tell the guy you’re pretty sure you’re falling for that you saw your future with him? No matter how uncertain your relationship with him seemed to be, ten years down the rode you couldn't imagine spending your days with anyone other than Joel.

So for now, you would settle for nights like this, storing the memory for another day when you needed to smile. 

You won't stay with me, I know But you can have your way with me 'til you go And if all your kisses turn into bruises, I'm a warnin'

You tried to take your mind off of it, really. How in the morning, Joel would slip out of bed before you and head off to his apartment. Sometimes after you and him hooked up, he’d stay, and he’d been staying more and more often in the recent weeks. 

But he had an early flight. A week-long road trip on the west coast, starting with the LA Kings. You were glad he was leaving, hoping that maybe the break from him would give you time to get over Joel. 

But now, you weren’t focused on getting over him. In fact it was quite the opposite, you were straddling his lap, trying to get him as close to you as possible. Your hands were threaded in his hair, desperately trying to get a grip. His large hands were splayed across your back, pulling you impossibly closer as you arched into him. 

It was obscene, how easy it was for him to have you ready to go for him. He had barely touched you, but the idea of stopping was seemingly the worse thought in the world at the moment. 

“Always so good for me, baby.” He breathed in the short time it took for him to move his lips to your neck and it had you tilting your head back to give him more access. 

“How do you want me?” You all but moaned as he sucked marks into the skin of your neck. At your words, he felt you groan against you, the vibrations rattling through your whole body.

“What’d I do to deserve this?” He muttered, his hands securing themselves under your thighs as he stood to carry you back to your bedroom. You simply shrugged, not sure how to explain that this very well may be the last night you spent together. Maybe you were fighting a losing battle by trying to get over him, but you at least had to try. For your own sanity, you had to try to make this the last time you saw him.

“Consider it a going away present.” 

I know better than to ever call you mine

Joel had been gone a few days, and in that short amount of time you had tried to limit contact with him. You didn't really know how big a role he played in your life, until you found yourself closing out of the messages app when you wanted to send him an update about how your day went. 

Of course, you couldn’t shake him that easily. It was late at night, late for you at least. From the time zone he was in, it probably was a reasonable hour when he called you. 

At first, you had let it go to voicemail. You hadn't been sleeping, but you knew you really wouldn't be able to go to bed if you talked to him. But then he texted you, asking you to call him and that’s when your resolve broke. You knew nothing was probably wrong, and he was probably just bored, but that didn't stop the way your heart raced as you dialed his number. He picked up on the first ring, telling you he had been waiting for you. 

“Hey, what's up?” He spoke into the phone, a lightness to his voice that had you rolling onto your back and smiling like a fool in the dark.

“Joel, you called me.” You reminded him, and there was a breathy chuckle on the other side of the line that you missed hearing. It had only been a few days since you had seen him last and you already missed his laugh. “It’s late, here.”

“Sorry, just wanted to talk to you.”

And there it was. He said things like this and kissed you the way he did, but told you that he didn't want labels. He didn't want the one thing you had been yearning for as of late. But no matter how many times you told yourself that you were done—you knew you’d always come back to him. No amount of distance between you and him could be enough to change how you felt. You just couldn’t give him up.

“I miss you.” Joel sighed, the sound so lonely it made your chest seize. You pulled the comforter up to your chin, snuggling deeper into the bed and pretending that he was with you. That the sound of his even breathing coming through the line was really coming from the pillow next to you. 

You wanted him, selfishly, you wanted all of him. But if you had to, you would take only the parts of him that he was willing to give to you.

“I miss you, too.” 

[jurijurijurious]

💎 fave trope to write?🌍fave type of au to write?🍄how do you get yourself in the mood to write?

Oh yes, some of the best questions! :)

💎 fave trope to write?

Probably the "bad or morally questionable guy falling for a woman he shouldn't" and then the woman ultimately, if not rehabilitates him, then at least changes the course of his life and possibly makes him question his own choices. I'm never original, every story I've ever written since a child has literally ran on these lines, it's embarrassing. Literally thinking about all my past and present fics has me like...

🌍fave type of au to write?

I am shamelessly unoriginal with my AUs too. I practically veer just off canon with a "what if?" scenario (usually the aforementioned trope above!). I tend to have a penchant for writing AUs which could fit smoothly into canon, they just alter a chunk of timeline, but could easily be bookended by canon (like I once wrote the draft for an entire "Attack of the Clones" AU, but it didn't change a thing about "The Phantom Menace" or "Revenge of the Sith". I kinda wish I'd written it, the notes I still have are fun.) "Mea Culpa" which I'm currently trying to write is the same, it is meant to, (though admittedly at a bit of a stretch, if you squint) fit between the two "Elizabeth" films.

Saying that though, since you dropped the coffee shop AU on me, and also since I've done the Unconventional Courtship challenge, writing "modern AU"s is really starting to appeal to me and feel like something I want to play about with more.

And I also shamelessly love crazy crossovers, but they demand a lot of work interweaving canon from two different universes, and since the target audience tends to be just me, as I cross intensely niche universes, it's almost not worth the effort.

🍄how do you get yourself in the mood to write?

Music mainly. I always, always listen to music when writing, even if I'm not paying it much mind. Music is such a massive influence on what I write - nearly every scene I draft in any fic is visualised to music in some way or another. All my fics have very definite unofficial soundtracks. (At least these days I can make Spotify playlists that are four hours long, it used to be 16 track CDs burned at home, or Windows Media player playlists made from whatever CDs you had kicking around... Or sneakily downloaded tracks from Limewire. Who remembers Limewire?? You never knew if you were getting a song or a virus!)

I also find that even if I don't feel like writing, making myself write something can help just get me going - I can force writing better than say drawing, but not always. And if I have intense writer's block, then I find just leaving the fic alone and consuming any other novel media - a new song, a new book, a new movie - can give me a sudden kick. All art is built on inspiration so it's best to give it as many chances to hit as possible. No one knows from whence it might come! :)

Thanks so much for the ask and apologies for ramble-y answers!

[arotechno]

Carnival of Aros, July 2020: Music

Even before I knew I was aro, music has always been a huge part of my life. I’m a musician myself, as are most of my friends, so it’s always been something that has brought me a lot of joy, solace, and connection with people I care about. So I wanted to take this time to talk about a song that means a lot to me, in the hopes that it will resonate with other aros.

With the current state of the world as I write this in the summer of 2020, I’ve had a lot of time to myself and a lot of anxiety and emotions to process. I ended up with a plethora of new playlists as the weeks and months drifted by. (As in, I have a dedicated Spotify folder called “corona playlists”. Some of us make playlists to cope, okay?) I also, for a very brief time, picked up the piano.

My sister plays the piano, and her old electric keyboard is still sitting upstairs at my parents’ house even though we’re both in our 20s and no one touches it anymore. I never learned, but for a few weeks, I got it into my head that I was going to teach myself to play something before I moved out at the end of July. It’s now two days until the move, and I did not succeed in teaching myself the piano; but that isn’t the point. I did learn quite a bit about music and chord structures that I hadn’t known before, and I did revisit a song that’s very dear to me. That would be Keane’s “Hamburg Song”, off of their 2006 album Under The Iron Sea, one of my all-time favorites.

I have always loved “Hamburg Song”, since I discovered it as a middle schooler when I downloaded it onto my iPod Nano off of my friend’s computer. It was one of the first songs I taught myself to play on the ukulele, but it’s really an organ and piano ballad--so I tried to learn it on the piano. I only got as far as the organ intro, but it was a cathartic, full-circle experience. What I didn’t understand for many years was why I related to Keane’s music so much, this song in particular. That was until about a year ago, when I found this quote from Tim Rice-Oxley, the band’s pianist and primary songwriter:

“Hamburg Song is definitely about a particular feeling of… You don’t want someone’s attention all the time, you don’t want to be the star of the show all the time, but you just wanna be the kind of… what they consider to be their home. Even though you might only get a small proportion of their attention and time, they consider that small portion of time to be the most precious and the bit they look forward to the most. I guess it’s about feeling that you’re not really asking very much.”

I realized that this song in particular embodied my own feelings. I don’t want to be anyone’s one-and-only; I just want to be a friend they can call their home, and it at times does feel like I’m giving much more than I’m asking for. “Hamburg Song” resonates with me now more than it ever did, and it remains one of my favorite songs of all time.

A lot of Under The Iron Sea is non-romantic, or at least not explicitly romantic. Much of the album was written about Rice-Oxley’s strained relationships with his bandmates, and not about a romantic partner (“Broken Toy”). But it also dips a toe into the realm of politics (“Is Is Any Wonder?”) and fame (“The Frog Prince”). It’s an album of uncertainty, confusion, loneliness, and a desire to understand and be understood. It goes to different places, both personal and global, but it doesn’t delve deeply into romance. Coming to appreciate one of my all-time favorite albums in a new light was an experience I did not expect, but it has only made me love it more.

In a way, this post is a long-winded defense of Keane as an underrated powerhouse of non-romantic music. Tim is a brilliant lyricist who writes about a lot of things unrelated to romance in a way that I find both validating and compelling, and I think more people should listen to Keane, especially aro folks looking for non-romantic music with a lot of heart. No, this is not sponsored, but boy do I wish it were.

So, if you’re aro, or even if you’re not, here’s “Hamburg Song”. And if you have 50 minutes to spare, I highly recommend giving all of Under The Iron Sea a listen.

[wizardessshit]

WH boys’ character songs with the music that i have downloaded in my phone pt. 1

bc i’m poor and don’t have spotify

ALERT!: May contain spoilers

Leon - Paris in the Rain (Lauv)

'Cause anywhere with you feels right, anywhere with you feels like Paris in the rain (...) 'Cause anywhere, babe, is like Paris in the rain, when I'm with you

If you know about Leon’s personality, there’s no explanation. He’s blunt and doesn’t hesitate to tell how much loves Liz.

Leslie - Hello (SHINee)

How do did you start love? People who have loved please tell me.

This song is about a kind of awkward love, and that’s Leslie, girl. (Actually I was going to chose this song for Elias, another awkward potato)

Lucious - Dasher (Gerard Way)

When you go, when you go away. When you go, can you come this way? 'Cause I feel safe in your arms, and she's got dashes in her stars. I hope you both, come around this way

I kind of link this part of the lyrics with the fact that Lucious is inmortal, and I kind of imagine him gazing up the stars wishing the best to Claudia’s spirit, or even Claudia’s reincarnation.

Vincent - Butterfly (BTS)

You’re so beautiful, that I’m scared (...)  If I let go of your hand, you’ll fly away and break. I’m scared scared, scared of that.

Spoiler! I relate this part with Vincent, because he mentions in his route, that he would never love anyone because he is afraid that he might will hurt them because of his job.

Sigurd - Cuando me Enamoró (Enrique Iglesias ft. Juan Luis Guerra)

If I could take a star down from the sky, I would do it without thinking twice, because I love you (...) But inside I understand that I can't, and sometimes I get lost. When I fall in love, sometimes I despair when I fall in love. When I least expect it, I fall in love. The time stops, my soul comes to my body, and I smile when I fall in love.

He’s kind, he’s sweet, he’s polite. No more further explanation.

Luca - Bboom Bboom (MOMOLAND)

I’ll give you all my looks. A series of my touch. One and only my love, love, my lover.

Y’know that Luca id the diva queen, and besides that actually he has a hard time trusting people, he would give everything for Liz.

Randy - Need You (Shlovesyou)

When you're about to lose your mind remember that we only get the same way as you did and let me show you how just stay here in my life.

Spoiler! This cotton candy has a lot of trusting issues, and he has been through so much pain, that I relate this song with the moment that he realized that in Liz’s arms, he would be safe.

Guy - All is Well (Kanjani8)

Let's step straight forward, the way our heart is. When we get tired, let's just take a break (...) It has reached, I will treasure your voice, your thoughts. The nonchalant days is taking shape, I’ll carry this small happinesses with both of my hands

I think that Guy’s easy-going, protective, but also carefree personality, fits perfectly with the lyrics of the song.

Elias - Give Love a Try (Jonas Brothers)

I, just trying to be honest with myself, with you, with the world. You might think that I'm a fool for falling over you

Actually this song talks about the singer that wants to convince the listener to accept his feelings and, forgive the redundancy, give love a try. But I kind of hear it like Elias trying to convince himself that loving Liz it’s not a bad thing.

Caesar - Screen (twenty one pilots)

I do not know why I would go in front of you and hide my soul, 'cause you're the only one who knows it, yeah you're the only one who knows it. And I will hide behind my pride, don't know why I think I can lie, 'cause there's a screen on my chest, yeah there's a screen on my chest. I'm standing in front of you, I'm standing in front of you. I'm trying to be so cool, everything together trying to be so cool.

Spoiler! His familiar issues, the abuse he received in circus, his criminal affairs and his true intentions. Of course that all those things that he hided from everyone, made him feeling like a hypocrite, specially in front of the person he loves.

[melioristmint]

For the fruit asks, answer all questions 👀 Have fun! 😂👍

Oh boy. Okay, give me a minute.

Peach: No tatoos/piercings, but I kinda want at least one

Rasperry: Uh, I LOVE Dandelions but I also really like Mimosa Pudica flowers, or Sensitive Plants (idk I read a characterization on a site called 16personalities and they recommended this plant for my personality type (INFP) and it was accurate. I’m bold on the internet, but irl I’m just this shy sensitive nerd) Oh and I love Bleeding Heart flowers

Lemon: I wish I could get a pet cat but I have two goldfish. They don’t have names. (Literally just realized that)

Mango: Trademarks? I use sparkly lipgloss, does that count? I wear glasses all the time tho. 

Passion fruit: My style aesthetically wise is probably soft and slightly cottage core? and I love blue. My style in socializing is simply ridiculous. Ridiculous as in I’m so shy and stammer and just give off that nervous vibe. (I literally wish I could sink into the ground so I don’t have to talk to strangers) When I’m with friends I’m ok, even if I get a little weird

Pineapple: I think I might be a Panromantic Bisexual

Strawberry: I can’t choose one because I simp for desserts but I like macaroons, ice cream, rice cakes of any kind (yes, that includes mochi), cake, pies, pudding, candies, cookies, all that standard stuff. I love most Asian desserts.

Cherry: I started learning drums but quit. (Maybe I should retry) I can sing in the shower, For real, my mom has the vocal talent in the family. She barely sings ‘cause she forgot a bunch of songs

Grape: I’d vacay in Thailand. Although anywhere in Asia sounds good. As long as I want to I’d go to almost anywhere in the world

Banana: I haven’t watched many, but The Shining, The Woman in Black (Original 1980′s version I think), and some Japanese movie with a vengeful spirit who has no face and she crawls through the tv to kill people?

Blackberry: Maybe drama comedy. Idk my life’s not that eventful

Pomegranate: I’m usually the most confident when I’m by myself, but if I have a really good friend I might be comfortable and more out-going (I worry too much about how others see me lol)

Cantaloupe: Can’t tell strangers that, sorry

Guava: I like dark/dramatic makeup but I look better with natural

Tangelo: Ooh, I like ancient mythological creatures, and being a Tengu and the like sounds fun

Plum: Don’t rlly have a favorite clothing brand, does H&M count? I like PacSun and Brandy Melville, but they’re expensive

Coconut: I don’t wear perfume, but I like lavender and fruity scents

Lychee: I like both but I’d wear satin instead of lace

Blueberry: I wanna dress up as a hot girl. 

Apple: Tumblr is used more, definitely

Kiwi: Life. Meanings. Fictional characters.

Watermelon: Not telling, but I’d love to be able to do something with creative self-expression

Papaya: That’s it. I’m downloading spotify. I can’t remember any songs that express my aesthetic and my computer blocks youtube. Ugh.

Cranberry: Dusk. (Dawn if it was a choice tho) Dusk just has those beautiful colors and it’s pretty peaceful.

Nectarine: Oh, I say this with absolute certainty: I’m too damn emotional for my own good.

Orange: My eyelashes are SHORT

Apricot: I usually listen to music (for some reason it’s always happy & sad) and I rant. To myself. Self-projecting onto myself I guess? Lol, anyways I like to look at fictional shows, comics, books etc although if the mood is dark or depressing I get even sadder. And then I have to read some inspirational and happy stories to cheer myself up. It’s usually in that order.

Star fruit: Admittedly I know 0% about sea animals but I’d say anemone fish (you might know them as clownfish, they’re awesome but aggressive little shits)

Dragonfruit: No, I don’t drink

Thanks for asking! 😁