#i'm throwing so much shade in this ask but i really do love this album believe me 😭

[jobey-wan-kenobi]

Revolver~ 💿

Revolver is a weird one because I can find a flaw with every song, except for...

Favorite song: Tomorrow Never Knows

It's the only one that doesn't have at least one lyric I find annoying so it kinda wins by default. Of course, they did kinda cheat by just making it one long quote from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, but that was a better choice than some of the others made on this album...

Also you can't beat that soundscape. Just fantastic studio work there. A little work of art.

Now, I thought it would be hard at first to find a least favorite on this album, but in the end I found two...

Unfavorite: Taxman or Doctor Robert

Lookit the boys in "Taxman," maxing out their Boomer energy while only averaging twenty-four years between them. Object lesson in how wealth turns your head. Cry me a feckin' river, George.

From my vantage point in the capitalist hellscape of USA 2023, I read about the England the boys grew up in and am sick with envy. Well, not so much the repressive and toxic social attitudes. But the community aspects? The government's doings? It makes this American cry. Robust public transportation. The National Health Service. A functioning social safety net.

And, uh, all this is essential to the Beatles (four nobodies with no real show biz connections)' rise to the top? Yeah, I think you could be a bit more "thankful," Georgie. You'd not have broken out of the world of playing sleazy nightclubs without the leisure and support of the thousands of local fans who began patronizing you at the Cavern and getting your name in Brian Epstein's ear. A full lunch hour, even for the lowliest pink-collar jobs, whereby you can make a daily habit of seeing BABY BEATLES play down the street at noon? John (and other key British '60s musicians) getting to go to 'art college'? George's dad being able to support a stay-at-home spouse and four kids on one bus driver's salary? Paul's dad's employer paying off his gambling debts and trying to keep him on the straight and narrow, instead of sacking him on the spot as would happen in any "at-will" employer? Mona Best having the spare room to turn her basement into a club? George Martin having the tenure and creative control at EMI to take a risk mentoring his rough Liverpudlian studio-virgins? Ringo's extremely poor family not being rendered so broke by his year-long hospital stay that his stepdad couldn't afford to buy him a drum set for Christmas? Oh, and let's not forget the Labour government decriminalising homosexuality. That's civilisation. It's all worth paying for, lad!

Anyway, the government still left you boys enough money to a) buy nice homes and cars and party party party, b) found and then completely mismanage Apple Corps, and c) spend a decade suing each other into oblivion. It's not like the taxman left you bereft. You were, like, fine.

But at least Taxman's lyrics are vaguely clever, and it's fun to listen to. Doctor Robert sounds too samey, but in a less interesting way. A true throwaway. And its lyrics are shit.

I could lop both of them off the album and be OK.

---- ask game ----

[k-nayee]

Cookout Hyung Line + Jimin

wc: 3.4k

Dreamer M.List

ˏ⸉ˋ‿̩͙‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˏ⸉ˋ‿̩͙‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˏ⸉ˋ‿̩͙‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ

NAMJOON

• 𝐍𝐎𝐓 gonna lie, it was a rocky ass start when y'all first arrived

• having the meeting-the-family for the first time jives and all

• boy way shaking and sweating bullets the moment he stepped through the backdoor

• and to add salt on to the wound, almost the entire yard went silent when they spotted him

• with a strained smile and wave, you walk over to your parents

• Namjoon of course stayed close to your ass like white on rice

• the tension slowly went away as you spoke to the older generations of the family

• sweet baby Joon just sitting there quietly, ain't saying nothing in fear of messing up

• even though it wasn't being spoken, everyone was curious of the new face, hence the side glances every now and then

• it wasn't until your LEAST favorite loud mouth no filter having ass boy cousin came over to start some shit up

• "Aye ____, why you bring this anime non-speaking Nigga up in here? Black men ain't too good enough or something?"

• you purse your lips at his words, ultimately done with the bullshit

• it became even more awkward when you heard murmurs of agreement around

• "First off, I very much can speak and understand English. Secondly..." Joon steps closer, towering over the froggy male with a look of contempt, "What does me being Asian have to do with it?"

• "......."

• "........"

• ".........MYYY NIGGA! WASSUP MANE. Aye you know I was just testing you right? Gotta see who right for my cuz and all."

• people let out forced laughs while [Cousin Name]'s dumbass try to cover up his mistake

• surprisingly after that, Namjoon begins to open up and talk more with the family

• more so the younger ones, but at least he trying and that's all that matters

• the little kids think he's some kind of dog whisperer since all the dogs crowd around him for some reason as he tells them stories

• your parents damn near teared up when they found out he was smart

• "Oooh, ____ got a smart one y'all! Not only is my baby in college, but she also dating an Einstein! Oh [Auntie Name], I almost forgot to ask how your daughter doing with that locked dope dealer boyfriend of hers. Chris was it?"

• "Mama, please. Now is not the time to be starting stuff. This ain't a competition between me and [Cousin Name]."

• "Yeah yeah, whatever. Now baby, now that I know ____ got somebody like you around. Please help her raise them grades up, cause whew chile!"

• "Mama!"

• since he's still afraid to go out of his way to socialize unless being approached, Namjoon decides to spend most of his time with your mother

• bastard even got a chance to see the photo album that held ALL of your baby photos

• "Awwww, look at this photo! You were so cute ____!"

• "I swear Joon, Imma beat your ass if you don't get them photos out my damn face."

• "But why? You're adorable in these~"

• "Adorable? Adorable?! Just cuz you fucking me doesn't mean you gotta lie. We both know those some questionable ass baby pictures."

• he's so soft spoken and polite in conversations but wouldn't mind starting some shit up if needed for your sake

• ...words be so sly that it'll take a few minutes before your brain finally process what he said

• "I'm surprised ____ was able to get into [prestigious university], let alone in a whole 'nother country!"

• "It's really hard to get into [prestigious university] of Seoul while even being an international student. Then again, I don't even know why I'm telling you this. Not like you could meet the entry requirements needed to attend."

• not a roaster, but definitely one to throw light jabs and heavy shade

• being your grandma's favorite (even tho she says she loves all her grandkids equally) you knew it was over when finding out that she likes him more than you

• at least you still got your Uncle Pookie. It always take a few years before he warms up to the outsiders of the famil-

• "Oh yeah, did I mention I did a collab with Nicki Minaj and Juice Wrld before?"

• all hell breaks loose

• everybody asking questions left to right

• even Uncle Pookie don left your side to talk to Namjoon about it

• "...did...did he just...?"

• ....yeah, he stole ya family

════════════════*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═════════════════

SEOKJIN

• despite having met your parents before, he was still nervous about meeting the whole family

• that doesn't mean he was gonna show it tho

• with a mask of full confidence on, he walked through the back gates and into the backyard

• even when feeling eyes on him, he kept it up. 'just fake it til you make it'

• eventually, the confidence quickly became real once speaks to your parents

• it wasn't until he saw the amount of food at the table did he fully relax

• your mama saw the dazed look on his face and immediately walked him over

• "Nice to see you again Jin! That food caught your attention huh? Don't worry baby, what you want to eat? Just tell me and mama will fix a plate for you. And don't be shy either, especially when ya looking like ____ ain't feeding you right!"

• "Really mama?!"

• "Hush now! You can't blame me, look at him! Now come on sweetie, let's go get you some food~"

• ate every and anything placed in front of him

• finished damn near five plates before he decided to take a break for desserts

• so many of the serving ladies (who were mostly your aunties and older cousins) dropped their panties when they saw the number of empty plates and tried to feed him more.

• "Here sweetheart, you want some more greens?"

• "Edna don't nobody want them dry ass greens! Here, try some of my chicken. Saved the biggest piece just for you~"

• "Please, we already know you bought that shit from the store so it ain't no use trying to act all brand new Zelma. Know damn well you ain't fooling nobody with ya fake chicken having ass!"

• a war would've broken out had you not stepped in and took Jin away as he continued to watch the fight while stuffing his face with some of the chicken

• even after, he went back to try the spicy foods on the other side of the table

• quickly fell in love and got everything he could put his hands-on

• "What's this?"

• "They're homemade jalapeño poppers."

• "I'll take 50 of them."

• "Jin that's damn near all of them!"

• "Well it's homemade right? So they can just make some more then...problem solved!"

• seeing him gobbling down the food, your grandma comes over and the two end up in an intense conversation

• what's it about?

• you guessed it: food

• Jin became really good at dancing to the Wobble once he studied everyone's movements for a few moments

• but immediately goes in a corner out of embarrassment until your grandma calls him back to talk (about food again lol)

• when he found out she made those jalapeño poppers...extreme fanboy mode on

• your grandma enjoyed his enthusiasm so much she gave him the recipe and a to-go plate before y'all left

• rest assured that he's definitely been invited for the next social event

════════════════*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═════════════════

YOONGI

• it's kinda a good thing that it's a cookout because he refuses to handle a family gathering in one room

• "I don't got time to be breathing in all that shit, what if somebody got the 'Rona over there?"

• "Yoongi...you really ain't shit. You know that?"

• "Didn't hear you deny it tho."

• "...Whatever let's just go."

• "Now don't forget your facema-"

• "Yoongi!"

• "Okay, okay!...I'm still bringing that can of Lysol spray with me."

• even though he's quiet, he doesn't hesitate to talk some shit if needed

• is only nice with the adults, but not the kids caus-

• "Fuck dem damn kids! They ain't mines, and even if they were...fuck my own kids then. I don't talk to people younger than me like that."

• he snaps at your rude ass aunties and shows off some of his unfinished raps and beats

• the kids and your cousins are amazed

• "Woah...that's so dope!"

• "____! Why didn't you tell me how cool your boyfriend was?!"

• they watch him with their mouths dropped open in awe, eagerly hanging on to every word he spits out in a freestyle rap despite it being in a language they didn't know/understand until the food is ready

• your parents (low-key only your dad cause momma still didn't forgive him from that stunt he pulled at church) smile at how soft he is when he looks at you despite having a glare as his resting bitch face

• eats only one plate that was made by you

• the same older cousins and uncles that silently talked shit about him suddenly does an 180 and tries to kiss his ass once they find out he's a producer and rapper of big company

• "Aye mane, you think you could listen to my demo or sum cuz? 'Preciate it."

• reluctantly agrees to listen, but Yoongi -being the way he is- straight up stops the music by middle chorus and gives his honest opinion

• "Um...what the fuck is this?"

• "Whatchu mean mane? It's fye huh? So you can put me on an album or sum?"

• "You do know that the background music is the goddamn theme song from that Sofia The First show right?"

• "...yeah, I wanted to add a 'lil twist to it. Was there a mistake in it?"

• you immediately remember how brutal the idol can be from time to time and step in before he can get an asswhooping from dudes that's three times his size

• "...mistake? My guy, I don't know if you know this, but yo whole so-called song is a mis-"

• "Yoongs..."You give a strained smile, ignoring the wondering gazes at what you're suddenly saying in Korean, "please shut the fuck up."

• "Wha-why the hell do I have to shut up?! If anything, we know who needs to, and not to mention that wonky-ass Disney Cinderella song they call a beat."

• "You do know they just got out right?"

• "Of what? Kindergarten? 'Cause that's all I can tell from those barely basic ass rhyming words they put up in there. Pssh, you would think they would learn how to actually rap with all that free time they had."

• "Yoongi!"

• he's...an overall good guest...somewhat

• will help clean up because he trying to get back in your mother's good graces (and not because you promised to give him some sloppy toppy if he at least tried)

• dances...very very aggressively

• accidentally don electric slide right into the poker table

• y'all gonna mostly be by yourselves because he doesn't really want to socialize

• keep in mind that he is blunt and aggressive, which is a type of attitude a lot of black family members hate with a passion

• but does Yoongi care about what your family thinks of him?

• "Do I really look like I give a fuck? Well too bad...cause I FUCKING DON-"

• he will snap off if they say something shady, even if there's a little hint of it: hands will be thrown

• "Waste of my goddamn time right here...you made us come all the way to Korea when you could've easily came to the states, and for what?"

• "To watch her become the best fucking [dream profession]. And it's not like yo broke ass paid for the tickets and hotel, probably wouldn't have been able to afford a cardboard box to spend the week in if it was up to you."

• he ain't gonna sugar coat SHIT

• might end up fighting a relative if it comes up to it

• "Now listen here young man-"

• "No you listen here you ungrateful ass excuse of a person, you've been nothing but a pain in my balls since the moment we met. So you better back the fuck up before you get smacked the fuck up. I don't give a rat's ass who or how old you are. Whether you a man, woman, non-binary, or a damn tree, I don't give a FUCK. But I do know one thing: these fists are pansexual and rated E for everyone, so you can catch 'em if you want."

• depending on how prideful they are, they might not like that

• when you guys leave and go back to your apartment you cuddle

• "You didn't have to do all that Yoongi. Some family are just like that, gotta roll with the punches."

• "I don't care who they are to you, you deserve the same respect you give them. Not any of that petty bullshit they love to spew out. And speaking of petty, that's why I took both pans of the peach cobbler and banana pudding too."

════════════════*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═════════════════

HOSEOK

• he's excited

• not a single drop of nerves running through his body at all

• he's super happy that the two of you finally reached the next level of a relationship which meant meeting your family

• greeted the cousins casually but with a mega watt ass smile

• some even came up to you complaining about it

• "Damn ____, tell your man to calm down with all that smiling shit! Almost went blind."

• "...but ain't you already blind Cousin Brian...?"

• "And? It gotta mean something if I was able to see a bright ass light in all this darkness."

• "I-well okay then. Hobi stop smiling too much, you messing up my blind cousin's eyesight."

• "Oh oka-what?"

• everyone adores him, yes even that one messy cousin that's always trying to ruin a family member's day (and relationship) with their new boyfriend/girlfriend

• you tried to keep Hoseok away from her, but he just had to say something when he saw her standing alone in a sheer dress that was clearly once a t-shirt

• "No Hoseok, let's go this wa-Hoseok!"

• "Hello! Very pretty dress you wearing~"

• "...okay and? The fuck you telling me that? You want your lil dick sucked or something Asian boy?"

• he laughs brightly at her words

• "No no thank you. But you should smile more, very pretty face to waste by frowning."

• with that, he takes your hand goes over to the kids which damn neared baffled the whole yard of the two's interaction

• and thanks to him having to be a nice piece of shit, you now gotta fend him off from ya messy ass cousin who now crushing on him

• plays games with the little kids, all the women swooning as he chases them around and picks them up like a father would with their child

• "Awe ____, you got you a cute white boy."

• "Thank you grandma, but he's Korean."

• "Well I like him!"

• when at the table he proudly brags about your achievements at work while also handling the process of obtaining a degree at the same time

• when you bring up his world-known status they are   s h o o k

• goes with you and your cousins to the liquor store when all your low-key alcoholic aunts and uncles drank them all

• "____, I like your family. They're all really fun to hang out with!"

• "Mmmm, you say that now. But give it time, I'm sure you'll change your mind."

• as stated before, he naturally gets along with everyone

• but just because he's safe doesn't mean that the shit relatives you have won't try to come for you

• and after learning some tips from Yoongi, he's ready to defend your honor

• "Want to talk all that smack about ____, just wait. She's gonna be the greatest [dream profession] there is! Bet you won't be able to say shit then."

• this definitely gets him more respect from your parents and older male cousins

• he won't stand for anyone trash-talking you

• not at all

• so yeah, they overall love him because hello? He's Jung Hoseok

• he fixed the younger kids plates, even sneaking in extra desserts which made him a long time favorite amongst them

• complimented every food he tried, even if the macaroni and cheese Cousin Brian made was dry

• "Hey now, it wasn't my fault! I didn't notice that the dial was turned all the way up when I first turned on the oven."

• "Cousin Brian...you blind my guy, how could you have known?! Now, matter fact...who the hell gave this man the responsibility of cooking in the first goddamn place?!"

• ...ANYWAYS

• ate at least 3 plates and quickly danced all that food off when the music started

• cupid shuffled right into ya grandma's heart while grinding into your aunties'

• courtesy of ya [Uncle's Name] giving him a cup of 'juice'

• poor baby had passed out not too long after drinking too much of it and woke up without his watch and shoes

• luckily, you knew that something like this would happen and was easily able to retrieve them all before leaving

════════════════*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═════════════════

JIMIN

• socially awkward, but is still a good person to be around

• and since babes got that shmoney, he made sure to bring expensive presents along even when you said not to

• if any of your family try to mooch off him you shut that shit down real quick

• "Aye now, if you don't keep your crusty ass hands away from my boyfriend them $90 nails gonna be a waste of money when I get through with them."

• he just loves it when you get defensive over him sometimes, a little blush grazes his face

• they ask all sorts of questions about his life back on back without even giving him a chance to answer

• seeing him visibly flustered from the lack of understanding what they're saying, you blurt out the first thing that comes to mind to sidetrack their focus on him

• "His parents are in Empire."

• "Really? Say sike right now."

• "N-no for real! Y'all don't remember the those few episodes...with...those Asian parents?"

• "..."

• "..."

• "...you know, now that you mention it..."

• "Oh shit! ____, you gotta keep him. And if y'all break up, you know where to hit me up."

• They treat him like a long lost son that's been reunited with his family once more

• "Has ____ been good?"

• "Yes ma'am. She's been working so hard lately that she even got promoted!"

• "Oh that's good to hear. But sweetpea you don't need to so polite!"

• "Sweetpea, you want another plate?"

• "I-if you don't mind ma'am."

• "Oh please with all that ma'am nonsense baby! Call me Grandma~"

• he likes the vanilla wafer cookies in the banana pudding the most

• good with baby cousins

• "Can you get the water hose and play with us ____'s boyfriend? My momma said the kids can't do it by themselves."

• low-key got all the single relatives checking him out.

• Especially when his shirt became translucent from the water which shown a slim waist and built abdomen that was hidden while some old shorts he borrowed from you showed off his thicc thighs and ass that's even plumper than yours

• "Ooh, look at ____'s boyfriend! Bet he taste just the way he look: real good huh~"

• "Yup, and he's mine too [Cousin Name]. Better watch yourself before a few tracks go missing boo~"

• "Damn ____! Where you been hiding him? Mmm mm mm. What's good ____'s boyfriend, you looking for some fun later on tonight?"

• "Um...n-no t-thank you. I-i'm fine."

• "Aight no pressure, just let me know when you need me."

• "[Cousin #2 Name], you ain't in no damn prison penitentiary anymore and Jimin ain't one of those 'lil he-bitches you can fuck just because he got ass. So back the fuck off."

• "Aight damn cuz, you ain't gotta get all territorial and shit....so Jimin...do you got a snap or some-"

• "I swear if I see you, [Cousin Name], and any other of y'all thirsty hoes around my boyfriend one more goddamn time! I'm beating some asses."

• ANYWAYS

• everybody adore him

• like there is not one single family member that dislikes him

• even if y'all were the type to be messy and filled with drama, he'll fit right in once they saw that he didn't take shit from nobody

• and when they do try to for either of you, cut off and put in their place immediately

• "I still can't believe it. How did ____ manage to get someone like him?!"

• "Oh? You mean Just like how you managed to get divorced five times?"

• the whole table done exploded with 'oh shit' and 'he got you [Auntie Name]'

• some even had to walk away from that one

• Jimin definitely earned a place in the family

[bellaswan-kinnie]

jack antonoff being messy pt. 3,546

forever icon jack antonoff has given us some earth-shaking information to commemorate the release of you're losing me on streaming and once again my understanding of the midnights album has been upended. she's truly the album that keeps on giving!!

(everything i'm about to say is speculative i realize i don't actually know this woman i just treat her music like a scholarly text)

when midnights first came out i went along with her sneaky deception that the songs were just reflections on sleepless nights from her past for the sake of a cool concept album, not really considering why she'd be fixating on past relationships and events. then when the news broke in april that it was joever, the album made so much more sense to me. i believed that taylor was reminiscing on these nights to understand why her current relationship with joe was unraveling, examining her psyche both independently of and in the context of dating. the album is her asking herself "who am i and how did i get here?"

after the revelation that you're losing me was written and recorded on december 5th, 2021, almost a year before midnights was released and a year and a half before the breakup was reported, i still think my second assessment is likely accurate, but it muddies the waters when it comes to when exactly they broke up.

i kind of always suspected that april was not the real end date of their relationship, since the announcement was largely spurred on by joe's noticeable absence from the vip tent at all of the eras tour shows. originally i assumed they had broken up just before the tour started, but now i think it was mid-late 2022, around the time midnights was finalized and then released.

(remember it took 5 months for the public to find out about their relationship in the first place. my girl can hide things when she wants to!!)

the fact that taylor didn't release you're losing me until after her breakup with joe was public tells me that she wasn't ready to admit that her and joe weren't going to make it at the time of the album's completion. she also probably didn't want to share the details publicly, since the breakup was much fresher in relation to the album's release than it typically has been in the past (also more drawn out and difficult).

labyrinth now sounds to me like it was written during a breather from the turmoil, "i thought the plane was going down, how'd you turn it right around." the lyric "oh no, i'm falling in love again" could imply a rekindling of the honeymoon phase in their relationship, a new "lavender haze" she wanted to cling onto against her better judgement. she knew there were major problems, but she had put so much time and effort into their life together that she kept trying to make it work anyway. "do i throw out everything we built or keep it?" also the consistent use of "you" in the song instead of a "him" vs. "you" situation tells me that it's about one man, not her falling in love with a new guy after a breakup.

i used to think maroon was a reflection on the relationship with jake gyllenhaal since maroon is a darker shade of red, but now i'm fully on board with it being about joe. first of all she calls the man poor again, and i can't imagine jake gyllenhaal having a roommate at that age and point in his career. the lyrics also imply a bit of infidelity on her part, "the mark they saw on my collarbone, the rust that grew between telephones," which i've theorized was a major factor in the beginning of their relationship (hiddleswift u will always be iconic).

anti-hero and dear reader show that (at least at some point) she really blamed herself for the failure of this relationship, both songs being filled with self-loathing and self-doubt. mastermind and you're losing me also reference her tendencies for scheming and people-pleasing.

you're losing me is the most explicit illustration of why they eventually broke up, but it's point of view kind of goes back and forth. she switches between past and present tense, still unsure if it's really over yet. i've seen people talk about how it was written a week after taylor visited joe in panama where he was filming a movie along with a bunch of other songs, so that time of separation must have been very eye-opening to her.

there's a lot more re-re-fathoming i'm gonna have to do but i'm understanding more and more why this album is kinda confusing in its storytelling. that woman was going through it!!!

[grapejuicegay]

Get to know me tag! :)

I was tagged by @telomeke here and @dribs-and-drabbles here.

do you make your bed?

I try to! On days that I'm too busy to make it in the morning I do so about half an hour before I'm getting to bed. I don't like the feeling of getting back into an unmade bed - it feels like a completely unproductive day and that just throws me off

what's your favourite number?

I don't really have a favourite but I love multiples of 7, they make my brain go brrr

what is your job?

Photography! It's something I always wanted to do as a child but gave up on as an unrealistic dream before eventually sort of stumbling into it. Happy accidents and all that.

if you could go back to school, would you?

Hah! No chance. I burnt myself out pretty badly through undergrad by taking on far too much - there were just so many things that I found interesting - and I'd much rather not repeat that experience.

can you parallel park?

I can't drive. I keep meaning to learn but the way people drive freaks me out a little too much. I've also been struggling with a bout of motion sickness recently and that doesn't help my comfort in cars. Someday though! Hopefully!

a job you had that would surprise people?

I worked on editing and post production on a documentary for National Geographic once

do you think aliens are real?

In what form, I'm not sure. But some forms of life that exist outside of our planet? Absolutely. My other answer, channeling the 12 years I've spent on this hellsite: doooweeeewoooooo

can you drive a manual car?

If/when I do finally learn to drive I'm going to make it a point to learn manual too. Idk, feels like an important skill to have

what's your guilty pleasure?

I make it a point not too feel guilty or embarrassed about my interests. If I started doing that far too many things I like would qualify and I just cannot live like that

tattoos?

I wish :( I have a bunch of small tattoos I've always wanted but I have a medical condition because of which I can't get any.

favourite colour?

It changes every so often but I'm particularly biased towards shades of teal right now.

favourite type of music?

I love rock of the general/alt/post/punk variety. Recently I've been listening to a goth-folk band called Charming Disaster and have been a little bit obsessed with their album Our Lady of Radium and especially Radium Girls

do you like puzzles?

Love love love puzzles of any kind. I just like having lil things for my brain to do.

any phobias?

I have a little bit of a phobia of falling off of high places which unfortunately comes from a close call during a hike where I slipped off a steep rock and almost into a sweeping rapids (luckily I ended up slipping sideways into a little pool in a gap between said rock and another big one... took a while to pull my short ass out of there but at least I wasn't being swept away!)

favourite childhood sport?

I was a sporty child, tried my hand at just about most sports. My go to was basketball for a while (though I don't play anymore) but now I'm more inclined to go for a swim or a bout of kickboxing, sometimes badminton. Funny story: over the course of a year I got hit in the nose with 4 different kinds of balls (not that kind!). My nose is fine but I was paranoid around sports grounds for a while after that 😂

do you talk to yourself?

All the time! It honestly helps me keep track of a lot of things, especially when I'm overwhelmed but it's a little funny when my everyday running commentary comes out in front of people. It gets me a lot of strange looks, especially when I ask everyday objects what they think they're doing

what movies do you adore?

Depends on the day you ask. I tried answering this 5 different times but each time I came up with 5 different movies to list out. I really could not pick for this one

coffee or tea?

Coffee! Far, far too much of it!

first thing you wanted to be growing up?

An astronaut. It took me far too long to give up on that pipe dream. But around the time I gave up on that I was getting interested in photography as something to pursue. I was bullied out of it for a few years sadly but hey, I ended up here eventually!

I'm coming to this way too late so I'm not really sure who hasn't done this yet. I'm just going to tag @casualavocados @celestial-sapphicss @jemmo

And like both Tel and Lin mentioned, I've been far too busy to be on tumblr too much recently (most of 2024) and so a lot of stuff I've been tagged in has slipped through the cracks. Most of it is in my drafts somewhere and sometimes it just feels too late to bring it back. I still love all of you though and I'm sorry!

[koiguitars]

What's a song Taylor's done which is similar to TTPD The Song?

so i'm gonna go ahead and answer this based on lyrics and themes rather than production, bc i'm not really well versed in that (though funnily enough, i do think the ttpd verses and the superman chorus sound kinda similar if you think about it sfdsdfds), but oooh man do i have. a Few. 👀

I really love @wavesoutbeingtossed's take on TTPD as a manic version of Mine (on my Speak Now/TTPD narrative comparison playlist, I actually also have these two paired up on the chronology). In terms of narrating the story of a relationship from a broad perspective and choosing to stick things out through the tough times, these two are definitely very similar.

Keeping on the Speak Now train: Innocent. I know this may be an odd take, considering how most people seem to be unable to separate Innocent from its Kanye connotations, but at its core, Innocent is simply a song about seeing the good in someone, keeping faith, and believing in second chances, both for yourself and for the people around you. To me, it represents the last fragment of faith and trust that Taylor's character has in Speak Now, before the ultimate conclusion comes to pass in Haunted and Dear John. This sense of faith and assurance directed towards a second party who is clearly falling apart is paralleled strongly in TTPD. Some of my favorite lyrical connections include: "You awaken with dread, pounding nails in your head" vs "Did some things you can't speak of, but at night you live it all again" / "Your string of lights is still bright to me" vs "Who's gonna hold you like me? Who's gonna know you if not me?" / "You're in self-sabotage mode, throwing spikes down on the road, but I've seen this episode and still loved the show" vs "Lost your balance on a tightrope, it's never too late to get it back." I also think that, when taking Innocent as a parallel to TTPD, you can also connect "32 and still growing up now" to Peter, and Innocent's "who you are is not what you did" to The Smallest Man's eventual "you are what you did." TTPD is the point in time where she still believes he is "innocent," before he crushes her faith in a way not too dissimilar to the muse of Speak Now's narrative.

This flips the perspective around, but Anti-Hero very much feels like TTPD from the subject's point of view. When they awaken with dread, screaming from dreaming, it's because their depression is working the graveyard shift. "Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism like some kind of congressman?" feels like the exact kind of question that the subject of TTPD would ask that gets her to reply with, "This ain't the Chelsea Hotel, we're modern idiots." "I stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror" is PEAK self-sabotage mode. Anti-Hero and TTPD are just straight up having a conversation to me lmao, they're just so Linked™.

This is based mostly on general vibes rather than any overt thematic link, but: Hoax. Simply for how much weight "don't want no other shade of blue but you, no other sadness in the world will do" carries for the song, and how perfectly that ties to "I chose this cyclone with you." There's also some fascinatingly deeper thematic undertones when tying the "TTPD = Anti-Hero" connection back to "you knew the hero died, so what's the movie for?" and how that could begin to imply the eventual death/absence of the lover in TTPD, which in and of itself also links back to lyrics we go on to see later in the album ("two graves, one gun," "he said he'd love me all his life, but that life was too short," "you said normal girls were boring but you were gone by the morning"). And how, if we return to the thematic connection of TTPD and Innocent, and how Innocent represents the last threads of faith that the narrator had during the Speak Now chapter of her story, then of course, she already knows that the eventual disappearance of this new lover, the "hero," was always meant to be. She's seen the film before. He didn't come back, like he would if this was a movie. It's all just part of the prophecy.

[rowanaelinn]

So this is very random and I apologize if this makes no sense 😂 but I���ve been obsessed with the Lana Del Rey album Ultraviolence, and I can’t help but make comparisons between it and your fic Fire on Fire (which I’m absolutely obsessed with). Most of this is from before the real events of the story, talking about her history and flashbacks with Arobynn.

So starting with the first song, Cruel World, I feel like it encapsulates how Aelin views and interacts with her world around her. She feels young and wild but also like the world is spinning too fast, and it’s going to leave her behind, so she’s racing and acting crazy to catch up, which leads to her partying and her addiction fed by Arobynn. Almost like he is Who she’s trying to keep up with.

The next song, Ultraviolence, gives me very much the vibes of Arobynn and Aelin’s “relationship”. That song hints at an abusive relationship, with lines like “loving you was really hard,” and “he hit me and it felt like a kiss”. The narrator knows this guy is bad for her yet she can’t stop herself from coming back, almost like Aelin and Arobynn. She’s not even necessarily consciously aware at first what’s going on, but she already knows she can’t get away.

Shades of Cool is how I imagine Aelin sort of feels about him before she wises up to everything going on. She isn’t sure she’s interested in him romantically (🤢) but she’s still stuck in that pull that Arobynn has on her. I don’t know if this makes any sense 😂 but I get the vibes with the lines like “But you are unfixable, I can't break through your world” and “And when he calls, he calls for me and not for you”.

Okay, Brooklyn Baby is both more complicated and less complicated at the same time. I think it’s really just how Aelin kinda views herself for a while there while she’s still a teenager. She thinks she’s some mature, confident, self assured grown woman already, who can handle everything in the world, even if she’s really not. Key lines: “Yeah, my boyfriend's pretty cool, But he's not as cool as me” and “They say I'm too young to love you, They say I'm too dumb to see”.

West Coast I guess for me just highlights a lot of the lifestyle that she’s living, that carefree destructive lifestyle. She has Sam and she has her friends, but she also has her neglectful parents, and she’s tossed herself into this spiral, pretending it’s a good way to live. “"If you're not drinkin' then you're not playin'.”

The last one that really makes me think of Fire on Fire is Pretty When You Cry. There’s different angles of this song that I think relate to it. First off, I think part of it hits at how Arobynn was so adept at making Aelin feel special, and kind of isolating her into making her think he was the only one who cared about her. Like in the line “All those little times you said that I'm your girl, You make me feel like your whole world”. But then it also transitions into a different facet of their relationship with the words “They don't mean shit compared to all your drugs”. This is when Aelin turns to him out of desperation, after she gets kicked out and she has to turn to him for drugs and money. And then finally, the line “I'll wait for you, babe, you don't come through, babe, You never do, babe, that's just what you do, Because I'm pretty when I cry”. This really highlights Arobynn’s overall cruelty towards her. He makes her trust him, makes her rely on him, but never treats her well. When she’s vulnerable, he takes advantage of her, and leaves her more destroyed than she was before.

If you can’t tell, I love this fic haha 😂 I’m sorry for throwing my rambling thoughts on you but I just couldn’t help but notice the similarities and I wanted to share 😊

I saw this ask when I woke up this morning and it legit made me cry 😭

I wanted to answer right away but instead it made me re listen to the entire album and I need to say: You’re right on every point

I knew that my Aelin made me think a lot of Lana’s early albums (and if you never listened to Marina’s Electra Heart you should because it’s a lot like Aelin too) but I never made all those connection and now I’ll never be able to listen to the album without thinking of Fire on Fire Aelin😭

I feel like Brooklyn Baby could be so much like the past as you said, but also what I want Aelin to become in the future. She has this thing with Rowan but at the same time she needs to be herself without a man defying her! And for the line: "They say I’m too young to love you, they say I’m too dumb to see" it could be Arobynn telling her she cannot be in love with Rowan etc…

There is also this line, "you say I’m like ice, I freeze" that makes me thing of this little part of story I deleted before posting because it felt weird but I still love it:

in a strange way, it had always been rowan. even before she met him, it had been rowan. she realized that she hated him because he was like her, the same darkness in his eyes.

rowan had been the only person who saw all horrible parts of her her and still stuck around, even if it was as her enemy only.

it felt like she had been made to find rowan and to be with him, so they could burn the world together. because she had mistook him for everything he wasn’t, him the ice and her the fire, she thought it was because they were opposite. but she forgot that ice burned too.

Thank you so much for this Morgan, I screenshot ed that ask and will always keep it to reread whenever I need to🥹

Also, you made me wanna go back to this story 😂

[levi-supreme]

REEEI!

For your character Bingo, may I have my husband, his tall sniffy bestie and whacko scientist bestie? (not asking about his grump bestie because you already did that :P)

i.e.: Erwin, Miche and Hange

MRS SMITHHHHHHHHHH ❤️ and with this, we have The Vets hehehe <3 also, my answers are probably going to get really long HAHAHA.

Erwin

I knew you would ask me about your husband HAHA because who else would as me about Mr Smith right???

Okay tbh I wanna talk about the 'wasted potential' here. Yeah a lot of people would definitely wonder how different everything would have been if Erwin was given the titan serum instead of Armin and yada yada yada. Of course I would want Erwin to live and continue leading the Survey Corps. With his brain (and big balls lol), his wit, and the fact that he dares to take risks and gambles, he really is a leader capable of achieving great things.

That being said, and although I am likewise extremely upset over his death, I felt like his death was necessary to somehow show that a leader can't be there forever. Eventually the leader has to step down and someone new would takeover the role, and this is how they learn to become great leaders. Also, if not now, when will Armin (and Hange) step up and achieve greater things? Everyone praises Armin for his analytical ability and all that, but if he isn't given the opportunity to showcase what he is actually capable of, then when will he get the chance to do so?

So yup, when I say 'wasted potential', I don't mean that Erwin's death was wasted. I meant it in a way that it was kinda sad he didn't get to live on to see the results of what everyone had been dedicating their hearts and lives for, but his death was necessary to keep the story going. (side tracking and some kny spoilers) It's kind of like how Kyoujurou's death in mugen train broke my heart and soul and I don't think I'll ever recover from his death, but his plot was necessary for Tanjirou's growth. If Kyoujurou never died, Tanjirou would never have achieved and done everything he did in the later part of the manga.

Also yes tbh I feel like I would be afraid of Erwin irl because he's sooooo intelligent and an extremely good talker, I feel dumb next to him lol and most of the time I think I'll just be listening to what he says without really understanding it HAHA. Also side tracking again... I know different people interpret characters differently and you can write whatever fanfiction you want about the characters. But honestly, I can't see eye to eye with a lot of the kinks and tropes people write Erwin with. Maybe I'm just boring HAHA and I am not throwing shade at anyone!!! It's just a personal preference and tbh I don't read a lot of stuff so yup. Call me close-minded or too picky, but yup I can't see Erwin as a kinky person.

And finally!!! Erwin + Levi + Mike THE BEST TRIO EVER. VETERAN WIVES UNITE. And with Hange, they can now drop their latest dapper top-selling album.

Mike

THIS. THIS AMAZING PERSON IS THE ONE WHO I FEEL IS THE REAL 'WASTED POTENTIAL'.

We hardly knew much about Mike and his life in the Survey Corps, and how Erwin, Nile, and him were all friends. I hated how people somehow only remember him for things like how he always sniffs people, how his olfactory senses are the most sensitive amongst everyone, and how he's the tallest character in the series.

Mike needs more love!!!!! He's more than that. He's the second best after Levi, but how many people actually know and remember this? Levi and Mike complement each other whether they're in combat or not, and I absolutely love them. I absolutely love Erwin and Mike's friendship too. They've been friends and comrades for the longest time, they know each other well.

I feel like Mike is always the middle man between Erwin and Levi whenever things get too heated between them. It's kind of evident with the little amount of Veterans content we have. When Erwin wanted Levi to join the Survey Corps, Mike was the one holding Levi and being in control of him. When Levi went berserk and shouted to Erwin saying that he'll kill him, Mike is the one holding Levi back too.

And somehow!!! I've incorporated their dynamics into my own writing too. In Levi's Valentine, Mike was the one holding Levi back after Levi and Zeke got into a fight.

Man, I just love Mike a lot and I'm so disappointed that people forget about him and only recognise Erwin + Levi + Hange. I wish we saw more about Mike. Honestly speaking, I just wish we learnt more about all the Veterans!!!!

Hange

Omg Hangeeeeeee!!! My irl best friend is a Virgo like Hange, so I can somehow guess and visualise how Hange would be like irl too.

Also!!! (snk manga spoilers!!!) I checked the 'wasted potential' not because I think Hange shouldn't have died. I checked it because given Hange's brain, thirst for knowledge and the curious mind to want to learn more about the world and everything beyond the borders, I feel like Hange would've contributed soooooo much to titan research and everything else after the war. I can totally imagine Hange being excited to empart knowledge down to the next generation and just being so enthusiastic over every small thing, so yup. To me it's wasted because Hange wasn't able to showcase all of their talents and they're just gone like that.

Also Hange is a really relatable and endearing character. I don't think I've come across anyone saying that they hate Hange, because tbh what is there to hate about Hange???? Given the little amount of time they had, I think Hange did a really great job as the Commander of the Survey Corps after Erwin died. And Hange laid a good foundation for Armin to take over too.

In conclusion, I love The Veterans. I love them more than anything else. And when I say The Veterans, I don't only mean Erwin Levi Mike and Hange. I'm also referring to Moblit, Nanaba, Rico, Ian, The OG Levi Squad and sooooo many others who have given their lives and hearts for humanity.

And if you've read till the end.... I love you haha.

Character opinion bingo!

[themonsterunderthebed]

19, 20, 38 :)

19. what is your favorite album art from one of your favorite artists?

oooh i LIKE this one. shit okay this is not my real answer this is an honorable mention because i used transcendental youth by the mountain goats in my answer to an anon already but that album art is SOLID. tmg honestly often has good fuckin album art (see: dark in here)

okay here's the first thing that popped to mind after transcendental youth

from the album voyage by hms revenge. band has not existed for a Long Time and it turns out one of the guys from it is a shitty shitty dude but i remember being given that CD and being IN LOVE with the album art. honestly blown up on my screen here it looks less impressive than it is in my memory but i was SO into it. the color, the shading, the melancholy whimsy i somehow get from it. i could just stare at the cd case for like five minutes. also i gotta say even a decade later despite everything i still listen to this ep sometimes, it is good music

20. SHOW ME A PICTURE OF ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS. RIGHT NOW. I NEED TO SEE THEM.

OKAY i am SO torn on this question bc i wanna keep it Fresh and Exciting but i also am a simple girl who just really loves hozier and the mountain goats. u know i used my Fresh and Exciting credit in the last answer of this question so here's john darnielle for you i'm going to a tmg concert soon and i am beyond excited

why can this middle-aged nerd look directly into my soul

38. did one of your favorite bands/artists do a cover???? tell me about it!!!

YES okay we're veering into musicals territory bc musicals were my first love and i love them still. i listened to hadestown on a loop for like three weeks recently and eva noblezada is. my queen. my love. i am in love with this woman and she will never know i exist and i swear to god it is a terrible tragedy. anyway she sang "huddled masses" by shaina taub and i swear to god my heart broke and was healed simultaneously. i just put it on right now and had to stop because i couldn't type and listen to it at the same time because it demands full attention. god i'm obsessed. sidenote she also did a cover of take me to church that MURDERS me

okay i know the question is just for one cover but just REAL quick i gotta throw aaron tveit's cover of creep in here too because even in the shitty quality recording i am so obsessed with everything about it. his voice control. his acting the song (the eyes! he makes his eyes dead and resigned and tragic and then brings them to life? i can't deal). the way he DEVASTATES half a verse with his full vocal capacity and then brings it RIGHT back down to dead without any warning. it's just too goddamn good okay

thank you so much for the opportunity to ramble at length about random albums and artists, i honestly had SO much fun doing this!!!

the ask game, for the curious: https://themonsterunderthebed.tumblr.com/post/696915985297457152

[darcymariaphoster]

hey! happy (early) birthday! i love getting to know the little things about people. so...

what’s your favorite color? favorite food? favorite band/artist/music genre? do you collect anything? what’s your favorite fanfic you’ve written and/or read? (hetalia or anything else) how long have you been writing?

no pressure to answer all or any😊 just throwing some stuff out there

Thanks! 😊 And thanks for taking the time to ask! I love the enthusiasm here. Lol. (I'm very sorry that this answer is so long. You hit a couple of good questions that I went off on. 🤪🤣)

My fave color is blue -- like, pretty much every shade except navy and that area. I don't really have a fave food? I can't cook worth shit so I kinda just have go-to things that I like. Lmao. I'm worthless there.

Ok ok. Imma go off on my music. I have no specific fave genre because I'm generally hella picky and eclectic so attempting to narrow it down is a waste of time. If I were to play everything I have on my mp3 (yes, I am old school) without putting it into playlists... it's kind of a mess. My mom always laughs because she never knows what's coming when we're on car rides (which is the only time she tolerates my music). I have country, pop, crap pop, 80s, 50s, punk, rock, techno, and stuff I can only describe based off vibe. 😅 I love music so much. I think I'd die if I lost my hearing. So my standards to be my fave artist is that I have to like one full album from start to finish and only 3 artists have ever managed to do that: Linkin Park (A Thousand Suns was the album), Of Monsters and Men, and Dermot Kennedy. ❤

I could probably keep going off on music, but I did wanna answer the writing question, because I'm also passionate about that.

I've been writing fanfiction since I was 13/14 so around 16 years now. I always loved writing before that, and my aunt got me a "make your own book" kit when I was, like, 8 that I loved. I loved writing assignments in school where I could just let my imagination go. (Although, I distinctly remember an assignment in elementary school where we wrote our own books and my teacher criticized the length of the title and I think that's where my fear of creating titles comes from tbh. 🤣) I think finding fanfiction was a plus/minus for me. On the one hand, it really helped me grow and evolve. On the other, I haven't managed to write anything else, really. And nothing with the same passion or enjoyment. As for my favorite personal work? I think I really love "A New Record" from the Sherlock fandom. Idk why exactly. I don't know if I did the topics that I covered in it justice, really. But I think it's just kind of peak emotion and maybe relatability that I'm not sure I've managed to reach in my Hetalia fanfics yet. (My second fave is probably "I asked for Coffee and Got You", from the Hetalia fandom. It's relatable in a different way and it was so much fun to write.)

Anyone else's? It's hard to name a fave because I think my standards are as high as my music, and I'd consider a fave fanfiction one that I'd go back to regardless of what fandom I'm currently in. And nothing comes to mind, unfortunately. (I'm so picky about my tastes. Lmao.)