#idk for some reason I’m just really vibing with the composition of this one

[age-of-moonknight]

Variant cover for Strange Academy: Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2023), #1 by Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado.

[marianas-trench-is-not-that-deep]

My (Pretty Quick) Review on Haven - Marianas Trench (2024)

PSA: So my plan is to write a total of probably 3 reviews of Haven. this one being the short one with just rating each song from 1-10 with small commentary. the second being an extension of this one with better commentary for each song, and the third being a review as an album in general instead of focusing on each song. I just have way too many thoughts and I don't want to overwhelm anyone with everything in one post. It also helps me keep my thoughts organized. I just want to join in the fun (despite me being a few weeks late to the party)

okie thanks! :D

Normal Life: ngl it took me a few listens to really like it. But when it hit, it HIT. Not the best opener in their discography tho. 8/10

Lightning and Thunder: i like it as a single, but kind of flops compared to the other songs in the album. Still a bop tho 6/10

I’m Not Getting Better: it took me a two relistens to like it. Again, good as a single but something about it just gives “FOR RADIO”. Can tell they drew some inspo from the 80s and seems a little Astoria-esque (still don’t know if I like it tho). 5/10

Down to You: first single that I automatically fell in love with. However, it sounds way too similar to Kid Laroi’s Stay in some parts and I don’t like that 💀 7/10

Now or Never: 😬 guys, I’ve seen your reviews and I was surprised to see this was a fan favorite. It was not mine (pls don’t kill me 💀). Lyrics,, a little cheesy. Production,, a little boring to me tbh. However not a bad song. Vocals are killer - as always - 4/10

Into the Storm: lyrics are nice (still a little cheesy tho). Production and composition, awesome ! Josh really worked his ass fr. Love the crescendos here. Sounds like it will be killer live. 7/10

Ancient History: another fan favorite for some reason that I was surprised with. Melodically: fan of the verses, not a fan of the chorus (more on that later). Saxophone goes HARD tho 🎷🎷 serviceable bop 5/10

Stand and Fight: pretty good song in the context of the album. Not so good standalone (a little debatable). Josh’s vocals made me tear up hear tho. Gets pretty inspiring 🥹 7/10

Turn and Run: same review as stand and fight except it’s inspiring in a different way. To me: (masterpiece theater II —> Masterpiece Theater 2009) = (turn and run —> Haven 2024) idk if that makes sense but it’s an analogy. Sounds like it’ll be killer in live 6/10

Worlds Collide: BANGER BANGER BANGER. I liked it when I first heard it but it took me til the third to be like “ 🥹I get it.” This song was made for ME. The masterpiece theater references made me tear up. The drama, the composition. Spectacular. However, in the context of the album, it gets held back. More on this song later. 9.75/10

Nights Like These: giving “story of tonight”. Sweet message. Sweet song. (Congrats to josh btw!)6/10

Remember Me By: SLAPS!! Straight up. Loved it as soon as I heard it. Catchy and love the 80s vibe here a lot more. Also reminds me of Try Me from his solo project. Certified BOP 9/10

Haven: KILLER OUTRO! Once more, marianas Trench knocks it out of the park with their outros. I think this is their most ambitious and musically complex song yet and it tears me up how far they’ve come 🥲🥲. 10/10⭐️

Final Notes: Solid album, not my favorite album. I have a bajillion more thoughts on this album because I’m batshit crazy about Marianas Trench. I’m so HAPPY we got new music and hopefully I get to see them soon!!! (my date got postponed 🥲)

Overall Rating: 8/10 💕

Stay tuned for my in depth analysis 👍

[nellynee]

Trollstopia Blindblogging: episode 6b - Cloud Control

EW. Ok so I am so wishy washy about this one. On the one hand it had a few really good moments, like 2. Like holy shit Lownote Jones got legit mad the VA really let loose there. And the actual composition of the song is pretty good

But it’s a Cloud Guy episode. through and through. watch at your own risk depending on your tolerance. Though we finally have a whole group of Trolls around Branch who can relate to him on this. 1/5 for the terribly incompetent message. I knew the status quo couldn’t be upset but holy shit. 

Inhale. Exhale. Ok, so. I’ve never been Cloud Guy’s biggest fan. In theory he could be very funny. A foil to Branch who’s style of harassment is affectionate and forces people outside their comfort zones in a slightly negative but beneficial way? I could really dig it. I’m kind of a Troll myself. I love picking on people. Within Reason. But everyone should be enjoying themselves, and you should know when to stop. And even then you don’t have to have him as a positive character. But the cartoons treat Branch so poorly, that plots that should look like good natured ribbing to the local grump (like idk, teasing him into chasing you only to lead him where he and his friend wanted to go all along, ala the first movie, where he was funny) it looks a lot like straight up harassment. Like bullying. Cloud Guy walks a very fine line with me from funny to absolutely uncomfortably intolerable so..... not thrilled with the implications of a Cloud episode.

 Aaaaaaaaand we open on Branch oh no. Like I legit am dreading this. 10 Minutes straight of Branch having a bad time yaaaaaaaaay 

Annoy-iversary... He straight up called it Harrasment. jesus christ

suddenly vibrating ok but real talk about that Disco Ball real quick I have so much theory about the old Disco Tribe ask me about it some time cause it’s a lot to blather on about but like between the Disco theme of the Bergens, the old Pop map having Disco on it and Branch commenting that Disco is gone when Prince D calls out their old map... I’ve been wondering if Pop wasn’t the first tribe the Bergens focused on, and if it took them wiping out the Disco Trolls to second guess and start keeping the Trolls they got ahold of to preserve them?

But also like... Pop Village is a new settlement. It was established after Poppy’s birth. Why would there be archeological remnant near there? Lagoona should be looking around the Troll Tree....

Bitch you leave Lagoona alone!

Ok, ok. Some of these I get. Cloud guy’s MO is forcing Trolls that don’t vibe with him to engage emotionally. Lagoona makes sense. We haven’t seen much of her but we saw them interact. Even if she was willing to play along at some point once he pulled on prank and she stopped engaging she became a permanent target. Dante too. Haven’t seen a lot of him but I would expect more than a few of the prim and proper Classical are on Cloud Guy’s radar. But Cloud guy does get along with people who roll with it. It’s really apparent with Poppy, who just takes it all as one big joke. And you are telling me he managed to get on Holly Darlin’s, aka Poppy on coke’s, nerves enough to get her to break from hospitality and engage? And Lownote? What the fuck did he do to Lownote Jones to mess with his steeze so bad as to make him a regular victim? Nothing phases Lownote... you know I bet one or both of those poor Trolls called him out for harassing someone else and he shifted focus in retaliation.

OMG Holly Darlin you cute AF! that’s a win well deserved. 

But yeah no that checks out for Cloud Guy

Holy shit Lownote

That’s like... some legit anger there

(Branch called Lownote the coolest Troll alive and Lownote called him Baby.... no comment just leaving that there)

But like.... holy shit Lownote

I feel like this is one of those cases where the explanation would always disappoint but what the hell did he do to Lownote?

That’s a really smart observation though. That CG has picked a favorite from every tribe and Hard Rock is notably absent

Also notice that besides Lagoona, all the Trolls in question are authority figures. Knowing Synth for the Big Dumb go with the Flow himbo he is, I doubt Cloud Guy could get his claws in and he went down the list. I’m not sure what it means but I’m sure it means something. Good observation from Branch regardless.

Val’s eyes turned blue with the “icy glare” that’s a great touch

GOD VAL I love you so much. jesus that was satisfying in ways I could never explain

No. No absolutly not. Cloud guy is a Bully who does not respect boundaries, who’s actions forced his victims to take extreme measures to find peace from him. This result is purely the outcome of his own actions. Poppy if you make them apologize I will never forgive you.

Yes Cloud Guy, you do waste everyone’s time with annoying pranks, and maybe you should spend some time, in the wilderness, alone, until you’ve assessed your behavior and committed yourself to change in ways that make you not an active and purposeful blight on those you afflict yourself on

Which is what I would say if I thought he was genuine. Which I know he isn’t. This is straight up guilt tripping. Like 100%. 

NO. NO NO DONT FALL FOR IT. LISTEN TO BRANCH 

HOLLY DONT JUSTIFY THIS

POPPY SHUT YOUR ENTIRE ASSHOLE

NO BRANCH. 

We literally just had an episode about respecting boundaries, and how it’s the person’s decision when and where to leave their comfort zones. Poppy is already toeing a hard line with most trolls, and her version of persistence to break people out of their shells is about as close as you can get to this point being made. Like at least her intention is to get people to try new things and enjoy themselves and to become more independent, happier versions of themselves. Cloud Guy’s intentions are to make people upset about things that are important to them. He doesn’t want you to take things less seriously. He wants to find people who take things seriously, and make them feel bad for doing so. If he has ever had a positive influence on one of his Victims lives, it was a purely coincidental byproduct. NO

(I want to note that we do see some of this behavior in Cloud Guy, pushing Branch to try and force him to do things that would be beneficial for him, but very very rarely, and only early in TBGO. It is the outlier in his behaviors. Cloud Guy is an agent of Chaos and will not apologize for it. and not in a good way.)

This is like Branch deciding to forgive Creek because his betrayal caused Branch to find his happiness again do you see how ridiculous this is?

Legit anger here

Branch no don’t sing to him. Branch SHUT YOUR ENITRE ASSHOLE

I hate that Branch is singing this and the VA sounds good. I hate that this kinda good. Cause the Lyrics piss me off

it doesn’t “turn out great” most of the time. and the idea that he’s “showing love his own way” and thus it’s ok is really, really terrible thing to teach. 

Best case scenario, cloud guy is pulling pigtails to get attention. Which is still totally unacceptable behavior. Cloud guy is one of the few non trolls and thus gets to be an asshole. And could be used to show that people who treat you badly need to be called out and you do not have to engage with them... I keep having to pause the song this is so icky

I KNEW IT

But also what a freaking twist Val I am so disappointed in you!

Edit: ok no I have to come back on mobil and mess up the formatting just to yell some more cause like what the actual fuck Val? Two of these trolls you bonded with over avoiding too much mushy stuff and a faintly traumatizing hug based monster movie experience, as a favor for a third troll of this group. We literally just had an episode about you setting boundaries and not wanting to show emotion. And you team up with Cloud Guy against them? To play a prank that's basically forcing them to show heartfelt emotion towards a bully? Shame Val. For shame. I really hope he takes a step to far and she has a hard reevaluation about this dude she thought was just a prank fan. I hope she has to take a step back at some point and say hes to much. I could see him being a draw to her, but not once she sees him fully in action. Still disappointed Val at least a third of these trolls are your friends

[bubmyg]

there was no particular reason i wrote all this down other than reading the translations to my universe made me cry last week because i’m just Like this. this is a mini compilation of yoongi lyrics that i hold gently in my palm and close to my heart in a he’s my artist for life kind of way. these aren’t all my favorite yoongi lyrics, i certainly have more but not ones that fit this general vibe. 

this is like extremely disorganized, i kind of just wrote it like a journal (and i’ll probably copy it to my bullet journal at some point actually). interpretations are my own, music is cool in that we can all read and hear the same thing and get different things out of it (which is why yoongi has often said he doesn’t attach specific meaning to things, giving it up to the listener instead)

so yeah. here’s me being fond of yoongi in 4k for no reason other than. idk. i wanted to. all translations are from doyoubangtan and doolsetbangtan. 

song request - lee sora ft suga

“I’ll be with you, for your birth and your end; That you’d remember that I’m with you, wherever you are; I’ll be a comfort for your life at any time, and so; please, that you’d lean on me and take a rest, every once in awhile.”

to me, this perfectly encapsulates what creating music is for yoongi in a two-fold kind of way. not only does he want his music to be a source of comfort for those who listen to it (just as the art of music is for himself), he’s also consistent in his assurance that taking a rest is okay. not being okay is okay. simply existing for the time being is okay. it’s a gentle empathy that comes from the experienced heart of someone who’s not going to tell you that it is okay, but will tell you that it won’t always be like this. friendly little moon trying to get you to smile with him on sleepless nights.

so far away - agust d ft suran

dream, will eventually be in full bloom at the end of hardships

this was on my undergrad graduation cap. it’s one of my favorite lyrics of all time. if so far away is my heart song, this is my heart lyric. this is a common motif in yoongi’s lyrics; dormancy is only temporary, you will bloom at the end of the cold winter.

dream, hope it to be there with you at your creation and at the end of your life

creation to end is another common motif n his lyrics. in this specific context, i imagine it to most closely be analogous to holding dreams close to you your entire life. dreams are dreams no matter how they manifest, even if they’re simply something you long for until your “end”.

Hope it to be there with you at your creation and at the end of your life; It will be generous to you wherever you stand; It will eventually be in full bloom at the end of hardships; The beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will the future be

the entirety of this song reads like a story and this last refrain reads like the conclusion (kind of). the slight wording change from the previous choruses means a lot in that regard, more definite and firm. you will be okay. maybe not now, maybe not next week. but you will be.

suga’s interlude - halsey ft suga

Though the dawn before sunrise is darkest; don’t forget the stars you longed for only rise in the darkness

just a really pretty but heart wrenching lyric in the context of the entire song. he’s also used this metaphor several times. i love me a good string of consistency with minor adaptations to fit the vibe. this song also made me cry the first time i read the translations lmao.

my universe - coldplay ft bts

Because the trial we face now is just for a moment anyway; All you have to do is to just keep shining bright like now; And we will follow you, embroidering this long night

this could mean so many things depending on how you wanted to contextualize it. of course the song is about love, so you could view it in that way. we’re in the midst of a global pandemic where we can’t see each other. or maybe it’s simply existence. continue to exist and one day your bright light will be followed even in the darkest of nights.

also the og title of telepathy being 잠시 (for a moment) is so...min yoongi you are so cool

people - agust d

Did someone say humans are the animals of wisdom?; The way I see it, humans are the animals of regret

Your ordinaries are my extraordinaries; Your extraordinaries are my ordinaries; Your ordinaries are my extraordinaries; Your extraordinaries are my ordinaries

super simple to understand which i think makes it more poignant. especially if you contextualize it with everything he’s said or written regarding the plight of fame and how he himself grapples with it as min yoongi.

28 - agust d ft niihwa

just this whole song. if song request encapsulates yoongi’s musical ethos, this captures a lot of his general musings.

paradise - bts

Just living like this, surviving like this, that’s my small dream; Dreaming dreams, grasping dreams, breathing breaths, it’s often too much

a more blunt take on the simply existing is a good enough dream. yoongi’s 2018 new years message was one of the things that made me go “yes. Him™” so paradise is very <3 for me

interlude: shadow - bts

Flying high scares me; I mean, nobody had told me; how lonely it is here –;how my leap could be my fall

another thing he uses frequently, even as recently as an interview regarding permission to dance. the contemplation of how a fall is far scarier than landing because getting back up is uncertain.

Yeah, I’m you and you’re me, do you finally get that now?; Yeah, you’re me and I’m you, do you finally get that now?

the entirety of this song is haunting particularly paired with the sampling and the music video as a visual but this part is just...the whole idea of competing internal voices throughout the narrative of the song or if you’d rather truly treat the lyrics like a piece of literature, you have quite the unreliable narrator, one that’s trying to grapple with his own sense of self.

140503 at dawn - agust d

Pretending that I’m not lonely, pretending that I’m not suffering; needlessly pretending that I’m okay, and pretending hard that I’m strong; I built a wall in front of me, “Don’t come inside”; I’m an island in this wide ocean, “Don’t abandon me”

the entirety of agust d just makes me ache but i mainly pulled this part because he uses the island metaphor consistently. here, it’s used like i said before; achingly.

this song also gets overlooked a lot in the larger context of agust d but anyway

eight - IU ft suga

Island, yeah this is an island; a small island that we made for each other; Yeah, mm, forever young, the word ‘forever’ is a sandcastle; A farewell is just like an emergency text warning of a disaster; A morning met together with yearning; As each of us pass this eternity, we’re sure to meet again on this island

can i be honest and say i forgot this song came out at the beginning of the pandemic. anyway, if you haven’t heard the various times that jieun has spoke about this song and it’s conveyance, i encourage you to. the music video also gives a beautiful visual.

i wrote a small analysis of this when it came out so i’ll just put it here 

burn it - agust d ft max

I hope you don’t forget that giving up decisively also counts as courage

of course this can absolutely be taken at a literal meaning especially considering he said a similar iteration of this to someone on kkul fm BUT i also like looking at it in context of the entire song because maybe this is him trying to convince himself too, especially considering the wording of the last chorus doesn’t change it so it implies in order to get past the fire u need to let it burn first? burn it = giving up on some aspect of pain?

i see why max didn’t shut up for eight months about making this song i wouldn’t either hello

outro: tear - bts

im including this one firstly because i love the song but secondly to say i knew the second u all were surprised by yoongi saying he wrote this as essentially a break up song for bts and they all cried while listening to it that y’all don’t actually read or interact w their lyrics fjdklafjsd

just bc it’s a rap song doesn’t mean it’s a diss or a flex. weirdos.

intro: never mind - bts

I hope you forget about all your mistakes and such; Never mind; It’s not easy, but engrave this in your heart; If you think you’re going to crash, accelerate more, you idiot; Never mind, never mind; Whatever thorny path it may be, go run; Never mind, never mind; There are a lot of things that you can’t control

the entire composition of nevermind is similar to first love and shadow to me where you can just hear the emotion in his voice while performing it

this is also another general idea that he mentions a few different times through different songs which as we’ve seen i am <3 for

intro: the most beautiful moment in life - bts

once again i don’t have a specific lyric to pull i just love this song so much and i feel like it isn’t talked about enough because first of all the use of the basketball throughout the instrumental, the incorporation of the origin of his stage name into an entire song regarding his general existence as a performer and coming into the beginnings of sizeable fame, and just his general way of essentially writing one giant ode to something he loves and analogizing it to something else he loves to talk through internal struggles.

aka im once again saying min yoongi you’re so cool

first love - bts

same line of awe from above this whole song is just a story, a poem, a journal entry, a beautiful confession, i don’t know. this is yoongi’s best bts solo u can argue with a wall about it also if you were able to see this live i hope u have a terrible week (im joking)

every fancam i’ve ever seen of this makes me cry. so. do with that what you will in regards to how i feel about this song.

[guillemelgat]

Hey all! So if you remember last year I made this post, and unfortunately for everyone I’m back to do it again :p

What the idea here is, is that every year for the past two years, I’ve tried to keep a running playlist of songs that I get really into over the course of the year, mostly for posteriority’s sake because otherwise I’ll forget them. But it’s also cool because I can use it to get a handle on the linguistic sonoric landscape of my life for the year, and also to see if my perceptions of my music consumption actually match what I’m listening to. So here are the results:

Catalan (40.3% or 93 songs) - This is much higher than I thought, as happened last year, but it is a fair amount less than last year, when it was more than half of the music I listened to.

English (18.2% or 42 songs) - This number went up a horrifying amount, mostly because I went through Mika, traditional folk, and Eurovision phases though. That being said, I’m still disappointed in myself for buckling to the anglophone domination of the music world 😔

Spanish (11.3% or 26 songs) - This was really low and I’m kind of surprised, I literally have no clue why. I know I always think I listen to more music in Spanish than I think I do but this is an eyebrow-raising drop.

Basque (6.5% or 15 songs) - I’m always surprised by how little Basque music I listen to in practice, all the songs are bops that are pulling above their weight and so while the actual number is small, their place in my heart is much larger <3

Galician (4.3% or 10 songs) - I discovered Ezetaerre this year and instantly became very annoying about it, last November and December all I did was listen to Pólvora e Tormenta over and over. Also I’ve been vibing with Tanxugueiras’ new songs which are all bops.

Italian (3.0% or 7 songs) - I mean, Mahmood is eternal, what else can I say. I also went through a Måneskin phase immediately post-Eurovision, as one does (thank you Italian Eurovision entries for half of my music tbh).

Welsh (2.6% or 6 songs) - This went up a bit from last year, but I was surprised it didn’t go up more. I’ve been listening to so much Welsh music, ever since Sŵnami saved us all by coming back with that EP in February. In fact, about 99% of this is just Sŵnami, ngl.

French (2.2% or 5 songs) - Listen. We all make mistakes.

Arabic, (Scottish) Gaelic, Malayalam, and Ukrainian (1.3% or 3 songs) - “Ha’oud” slapped but besides that I’ve calmed down on the Mashrou’ Leila front. I listened to a lot of Julie Fowlis in the winter for absolutely no reason?? hence the Gaelic. For Malayalam I actually found music I like!! I’m very excited about that development. And Ukrainian was all Go_A, the pretty forest cult lady got hold of me I guess.

Romani, Irish, Georgian, Russian, and Portuguese (0.9% or 2 songs) - Romani should probably have been more, idk why I didn’t add the Šaban Bajramović. Irish was from the recs I got on here for the songs game, Portuguese was also from a recommendation, Georgian was songs from the And Then We Danced soundtrack because I’m gay, and Russian was Zemfira my beloved <3 and “Russian Woman” which is a bop.

Tamasheq, Asturian, Breton, Greenlandic, and Hungarian (1 song) - Asturian was from “Veleno” which I am trying to indoctrinate every uQuiz maker into listening to because I feel like if Tumblr as a whole discovered that song it would go feral for it. Breton and Greenlandic were from the ask games, shout out to the people who recommended those songs <3 Tamasheq and Hungarian were me back on my usual BS.

It also stands to add that I went with the language the majority of the song was in, but there were songs with pretty significant portions in (Northern?) Sámi, Albanian, Zulu that I ultimately decided not to count for those languages and instead counted for English. In addition, several of the songs I counted for one language on here also contain significant portions in others of the languages I put on here, so some of these numbers could be shuffled a bit.

If you’re a music listener and have your music in any sort of library, I’m curious to see what the composition of other people’s listening habits are, so please post and @ me if you do it!

[ticklystuff]

hIIIIiiiiiIi for the new ask meme could you do mona, diluc, zhongli, and sucrose >:D

send me your genshin team!

Hewwoooooo your team actually kinda gave me trouble because I don’t have too much experience with most of them even though Mona was the first character I pulled lol but I hope these turned out okay!

who’s the most ticklish character

Hmmm I’m going to say Mona and it’s so embarrassing for her because she’s so full of pride. I imagine her using her astrologist powers to try and determine who’s the most ticklish of the four and she’s always revealed to be the most sensitive alskalsms

who’s the character that most people would assume is ticklish, but actually isn’t

I actually feel like Sucrose isn’t super ticklish and I feel like she kinda gives off the vibe that she would be, but she just isn’t. Not to say she isn’t ticklish because she is sensitive, but just not as much as everyone else.

who’s the character that everyone gangs up on and tickles

This is just a random thought, but if they were to ever gang up on Mona, I feel like she’d just turn into her puddle and then just slither away lol

I’d say Diluc because he is the most standoffish and according to Zhongli, “it’s good team bonding” (diluc disagrees)

who’s the character that somehow knows everyone else’s tickle spots and reveals them to others

Sucrose knows all lol but she doesn’t go around revealing tickle spots unless she’s asked 

Mona has her astrologer powers and can sense where someone’s ticklish

Zhongli is old and has experience with guessing people’s spots right off the bat

Poor diluc stands no chance lol

who’s the character with one specific tickle spot that only one other person knows about

For the reasons mentioned above no one can hide tickle spots from each other LMAO

who’s the most likely to win gang tickle wars

Mona simply because she just turns into her puddle when being tickled and can easily sneak behind people and it’s so hard to run from her too and she just pops up out of nowhere and I feel like she also keeps her nails well-manicured like she’s specifically built for this kinda shit she’s the ultimate ler

Like idk if you’ve ever played as Mona or played with/against a Mona during the hide and seek event but imagine that but it’s a giant tickle fight instead lol

which character didn’t even know they were ticklish until another character tickled them

I’d have to say Sucrose because shes quite reserved and most people don’t want to overstep their boundaries around her but Mona was able to tell her where she was ticklish the moment they met lol

Diluc and Kaeya definitely had tickle fights, Venti probably tickled Zhongli at some point, and Mona used to hang around Albedo a lot so I feel like Klee would have tried to tickle her at some point

which two characters have tickle fights all the time

More of a one-sided thing but I feel like Mona would definitely start shit with Diluc just to annoy him

Also not really a tickle fight, but I feel like Sucrose would be interested in Zhongli as a whole since he’s an archon and she’s never met an archon before so I feel like she’d run experiments with him to study his physical composition, similar to how Albedo was interested in Aether during the Dragonspine event, and she’s definitely “accidentally” given Zhongli some tickles

[sassy-ahsoka-tano]

Hello! May I ask you somewhat of a weird question? Why do you like potc? A friend of mine loves it, and I would like to enjoy it with her, but I don't find the appeal. What do you think makes those films special? Tysm, and I completely understand if you don't want to answer. Great blog btw.

Hi anon! Thank you :)

Not a weird question at all and totally valid! I know some people who can’t get into it either, so firstly know that it’s not just you. Secondly, this is gonna be a long post so buckle up everyone hahaha

Honestly, I think the biggest thing for me is that I grew up with it. My family is a huge Disney family, especially when my brother and I were younger, and the first POTC movie came out in 2003 when I was a toddler. I can remember us watching it, and my parents loved it so we watched it CONSTANTLY at my house (like probably 3 or 4 times over the course of a year). So, for me, a huge reason why I like it so much is because of my childhood.

Kind of along with that, my dad really loves pirates (idk why?), but his passion for that kind of rubbed off on me tbh. I’m really fascinated by pirates and pirate culture (if you also like that I’d recommend Black Sails! if you don’t mind HBO s*x hehe), but that’s another reason I really love POTC.

Another thing that I love is the casting/characters. I just think Jack Sparrow is such a fantastic character - funny, witty, charming - and Will Turner is a little adorable puppy dog, and Elizabeth is super strong and stubborn. Also, everyone is just gorgeous like Orlando Bloom was my childhood crush (thanks to POTC and LOTR for coming out around the same time lmao) and, looking back, Elizabeth is part of the reason I realized I was bisexual haha! But these characters were friends I grew up with. I actually went as Elizabeth for 3 Halloweens in a row lol

I think I can probably wrap my remaining thoughts into one last paragraph. Just the vibes I get from it are the best. The cinematography is beautiful, the actors are fantastic, the stunts and special effects are great, and the story is compelling. I think POTC does an especially good job of capturing the Disney magic in the fact that it can be enjoyed by people from all ages. I enjoy it just as much as I did when I was a kid, maybe even more. It’s got a little bit of everything: action, comedy, romance, history, etc. so I think it appeals to a lot of people’s interests.

I also will NEVER shut up about how incredible the soundtrack is like...it gives me goosebumps every time. I just love it so much. I always tell everyone that idk what it is about the composition of the music, but it just sounds swashbucklery/piratey and that within itself fascinates me.

Anyway, so four hours later these are some of the reasons I really love POTC. Like I mentioned, many people don’t like it (even the actors said they were skeptical of the movie when they were cast in it), but maybe one of these reasons appeals to you? I do think it has a lot to do with my childhood for me and the fact that I grew up with it, but they also are really solid movies.

Hopefully this all makes sense! Thank you so much for your ask - this was a blast omg :))

~ mila

[mxrcayong]

tag game; the interview

Tagged by: @lucas-wongs

Tagging: @pastelsicheng @kopikokun @stayinzencity  @urlocalnctstan @sunflowerhae 

n. 1 | Why did you chose your URL?

I kind of combined all the NCT members who got me really involved with NCT in the first place. So namely, the person who peeked my interest in NCT was Taeyong after my friend showed me his solo stuff and black-on-black but my first ultimate bias was Mark and then my friend’s bias (who showed me Taeyong) was Lucas (and he later became one of my major biases) So it was mxr for Mark, ca for Lucas, and yong for Taeyong (so I pronounce it mark-ah-yong) And then I was debating changing it now that I’m basically biased for all 23 members (some to different extents to others but I’m always tied with like 7 people for ultimates) but then it just felt catchy and I didn’t think I could come up with a better name than that that isn’t taken already.

n. 2 | Any side blogs? If you have them, name them and why you have them?

Initially no. Technically this is my side blog. I had a private personal blog I used to treat as a journal but then after too long with my focus on NCT and way too many “I am following you, just in a personal blog”, I basically wiped it and turned it into a random blog where I repost content that excites me / stories I like to read / whatever I want thats less personal and depressing as it was before haha… It’s @mxrcayong-main. TBH the main reason was to build better relationships with my mutuals - like they never see if I read their posts or like their stuff because my personal blog was just strange and I didnt want people to really see it. 

n. 3 | How long have you been on Tumblr?

Honestly…very long. This blog hasn’t been too long though. This started as an NCT blog March 2020, but my first ever post was about Sehun in February 2020 (which was supposed to be a one off post haha). I once had a 5SOS blog, and then a Tom Holland one, and then now this haha. I have deleted the 5SOS one, unable to delete the Tom Holland one bc I lost access to it, and now I am on this :) I low key wanted to regain access to my Tom Holland one because I’m simping again but I lost details to the email I signed it up to.  

n. 4 | Do you have a queue tag?

I have a queue post? Does this count? 

n. 5 | Why did you start your blog in the first place?

Honestly, it was the first lockdown and I was bored. 

n. 6 | Why did you choose your icon / pfp?

For the Lucas one; I liked the aesthetic. My favorite kind of aesthetic is this vintage, faded, film kind of look. For me, I think one of the most profound and important things we have as humans are these vivid memories so any photo that kind of mimics this feel is super gorgeous to me. Also Lucas is stunning.

I used to have a Haechan matching aesthetic to the Lucas one, but I recently decided to turn it blue. I chose Mark because I’m the biggest simp for him (alongside with Jeno and Haechan mostly). This is purely because blue is one of my favorite colors; it always calms me down, and I just thought the aesthetic and composition of this photo really pleases me. Like, it also fits my vibe a bit more of the ‘softie’ and my friend even says I fit the ‘blue vibe’ more idk haha. I just come onto Tumblr for escapism and write for escapism, and blue helps calm me down so I wanted this escapism to be calming y’know haha 

n. 7 | Why did you chose your header?

I don’t have one!

n. 8 | What’s your post with the most notes?

My post with the most notes….honestly isn’t one im the happiest with but someone requested it so I tried to do it justice but idk I dont like writing fics too far in the future yk?? but the one with the second most notes that I really love is called “Come Home To Me” 

n. 9 | How many mutuals do you have?

I can probably count on one hand haha I want to get to know people, but I’m really scared to. I gotta say tho, I’m so grateful for all the mutuals I have - but especially @pastelsicheng and @kopikokun because they really stuck with me through some bad times I’ve had. also, tons of love for @sunflowersora for being my first supporter on this app and low key motivation to keep staying on the app <3 

n. 10 | How many followers do you have?

Just around 200, so not too much compared to others, but I still can’t believe that there’s 200 people who like my stuff. 

n. 11 | How many people do you follow?

A lot! 

n. 12 | Have you ever made a shit post?

…probably? 

n. 13 | How often do you use tumblr each day?

When I don’t have exams, I use it everyday. Just because I’m in a somewhat bad headspace right now, I check it maybe every second day or just have shorter use sessions. But when I have exams, maybe once a week or two weeks. 

n. 14 | Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? Who won?

Not really? 

n. 15 | How do you feel about “you need to compare this” posts?

I’ve never seen these posts but the title suggests that I’d dislike them. Especially with the words “you need to”. Like, let people live how they want to; don’t compare to others. 

n. 16 | Do you like tag games?

I really do! Honestly, I have to say I still don’t feel like I belong on the Tumblr community? Like I feel like I’m a newbie still finding their place. Theres a lot of times where I question that if I just leave, no one would be excited to see my posts anyway / no one will notice. So having tag games just kind of reminds me of the moots I’ve made who are a big part in making me feel like I have a place here <3 

n. 17 | Do you like ask games?

I haven’t done one yet!! I want to do it but I’m just nervous I won’t get any responses? 

n. 18 | Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

…All of them lol. I think @pastelsicheng is hella known for the murder replay story she did and I was a huge fan of a lot of them before they followed me back

n. 19 | Do you have a crush on a mutual?

Not a crush-crush but a platonic crush? Idk if its a common idea but basically like “holy shit I wanna get to know them” but i have social anxiety lol

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Tel Aviv 2019: Straight outta Slovenia to Eurovision with a dreamy couple

Oh boi, now here comes another NF I wasn’t interested in. I don’t hate EMA as a thing, it’s just that it’s infamous for not listening to what people want most of the time, often axing their faves (BQL, Raiven, Nika Zorjan, even going as far back as Saša Lendero and Nina Pušlar...). This year it seemed like Raiven finally had what it takes with her post-dubstep-era dubstep tune, “Kaos”. BUT did she go? Oh nope

Instead we got possibly the best thing that ever happened to Slovenia. That thing is this one entry sung by a cute crossover of Lorde and that trombone fetus thing from Courage the Cowardly Dog (well, at least she looks better than him, hence why ‘cute’), Zala Kralj, and she has her 2-year-long partner Gašper Šantl by her side too, to make up the musical part for the couple’s Eurovision 2019 entry for Slovenia, “Sebi”.

Let’s start reviewing this by complimenting its atmosphere. It’s cosmic. It’s pure. It’s pleasant. I feel like I’m floating among the stars... in the same way as if someone is projecting a star backdrop on a wall and I’m just against the projection, dancing silly. I feel like I’m covered in stardust. This is achieved by the composition of the song, which is very melodic, although a bit background-music-like. It incorporates a lot of those softened hi-hats, soaring synth waves and harmonious additional backing vocals (I think I heard those? whatever that was that adds more depth and gorgeousness to the song...). The lyrics are also cute, the poetry here is pretty fascinating, and I love the hints of intimacy and nature. The chorus reminds me that you have to stay true to what you are and who you stand for, and you don’t need to apologize for being different. Something along the lines of this. And Zala sounds like a person that could do a vocal ASMR therapy - and I imagine that as something that gives tingles to my neck everytime I hear it. You just need to strip the melody away and let me listen to more of those silent, soft-spoken, eerie whispers, and usually I feel creeped out and want it to stop, but at the same time it’s seducing and oddly enough I want some more.

This song has its faults though - it’s supposedly the song being repetitive (look at that chorus’ lyrics, just repeating 3 lines during it doesn’t really suffice, especially with the song being composed like THAT), Zala’s vocals being so hauntingly chill they even sound too calming or too monotonous, and this song is a simple electronic track with it just flowing all so well? Like, it’s something you’d find more on an unknown project’s Bandcamp page and that project usually has 1500 views or so on their videos. It’s a soothing ocean, it’s a galaxy, but sometimes the silence overwhelms you too much you just want to fucking scream... or fall asleep and miss the beauty of it all.

So as a whole it’s a stellar ride through galaxies and supernovas: the song. Great production, slight lo-fi vibe (idk how to explain it but everything here feels so... hmm... soft tune and quiet vocals make it to be something of the more indie-er side of a lower-cost production I suppose?) and sparks of pure bliss raining down on me whenever I remember or hear it. Truly, truly some indie goodness.

The most interesting part? The guys seem too overwhelmed about their Eurovision experience! Sure, Eurovision doesn’t require a too-laidback approach from the participants, but there always are Eurovision non-enthusiasts (seriously, don’t yell at Eurovision participants on Youtube comments when they fail to recognize a language of a song’s from a previous year! Just because they didn’t hear it and/or forgot the language, doesn’t mean they need to be put at stake), or those who just didn’t expect to win their NFs and then are like “shit um now I need to do something about that Eurovision thing I guess”. Salvador never really watched it before, AWS didn’t really hope to participate in Eurovision at the early stages of their NF, now we don’t really hear much Eurovision news and shit from these two Slovenians... well except of them releasing a shortened version of their song so it could comply to Eurovision’s lenght rules (giving it an apt sub title - “Dare to Dream Version”), declaring that one line of the song’s will be sung in English so that everyone not speaking in Slovenian could understand it better (just like Lea sang the end of “Hvala, ne!” in Portuguese because... well we all understand either of them, do we? lol) and that their staging will be similar to the one they had in EMA, and that their stage clothes won’t be the same but of a similar light color. They do have Eurovision in mind, but not quite as much as some other participants, and that’s perfectly fine. As long as they do their job right, that matters.

Approval factor: I may let you in on a little secret here - this is, in fact, my absolute favourite Slovenian entry this decade, if not overall. I have a hard time approving Slovenian entries because they end up lacking something at the end. This one... kinda fits in well with me, so Zala and Gašper did enough of THAT to warrant a big fat thumbs up for me.

Follow-up factor: Wasn't a big fan of Lea's song, BUT I can confirm that she started something good for Slovenia in Eurovision, especially after qualifying. And the couple certainly continued it, so it moves on well! ^^

Qualification factor: Now that's an interesting question... I might be wrong but a part of me fears for them to become the fan favourite duo/couple with a really pretty song that doesn’t qualify, like it already happened to Norma John and ZiBBZ before. They even have been drawn to semifinal 1, ffs. But maybe there’s still a spark of hope somewhere for the two, and I’d be inclined to believe that there is. I don’t wanna see sLOVEnia flop on the year I like their song, ffs. So I’m seeing a borderline result for thee, you the nation of usually fairly-underrated songs. Maybe this cosmic sea beauty will be in them finals.

NATIONAL FINAL BONUS

So, EMA 2019, eh? I guess that was a thing that happened. I at least admire the fact that they used dancing robots for their “not-so-postcards-but-postcards” that played before each performance (I mean, you’d get camera shots of the stage being set up for the act to perform next with their info graphic in the NF’s LED background and next to it there was a re-creation of The Creation of Adam with the other hand being one of a robot’s <3, then cut to EMA’s visual design of the year and the dancing robot person, another shot to the performing act, and then lights out). They had a good time there. And there was a duet singing Salvador Sobral’s ESC winning song, one of them performed by a person who had to be Salvador for a TV show. Ah, fun. I wasn’t all in up for the she-bang (instead I watched A Dal Semi 2 and Supernoval final on that night), but I got some other goodies that I noticed that people noticed before me, for y’all to reminisce. Here are some moments and some songs that lost to this lovely pair:

• So what’s the deal with Raiven, anyway? She’s on the show for her third time, and has already firmly grasped onto the iconic NF partaker’s status, together with.. well... other NF 3-timers (that are mostly from Sweden). This time she went all her way out to prove y’all that “dubstep’s not dead in 2019!!!1″ with her song, “Cows” “Kaos”, and a rather interesting effect show taking place on her face. I don’t know why but Raiven’s and Aly Ryan’s from Germany stagings remind me of each other, maybe because of them being so interesting? Anyway, like as usually, this multicolored songstress failed to grasp the victory of her country’s national final, and honestly, good for that to happen because in my irrelevant opinion, the dubstep in “Kaos” is ridiculously unnecessary and it doesn’t make the song flow very well. Just rework the chorus to make it more suited to the song and maybe it could have worked, as the last 30 seconds and the verses actually rock! I love me some songs that make me feel like I’m listening to sunset transcribed to actual melodies and sounds.

• The 2015 entrant couple, Raay and Marjetka, are incredibly restless for some reason, and it’s that because they have co-written quite a few songs over the past few years even since their eventual victory as themselves in 2015. Maybe they’re the Slovenian Stig Rästa, probably as in “we loved the Eurovision green room experience so we always want some more!” kind of way. This year they did 2 songs: an electro-swing inspired number about Fridays and “spending some quality time with one’s girls” for the Slovene JESC debutee Ula Ložar and a radio-pop-esque track for a lady named Kim (not Verson). The one that I gravitated towards more will have its video down below and it is probably obvious a bit now. And if it was my will, I’d’ve replaced Raiven with the below lady in the superfinal because... frankly, yet again, I’ll restate that imo it wasn’t Raiven’s year even without the eventual winners having participated...

• For a country of whose NF’s I didn’t seem to care about, they indeed had quite a few nice numbers. I already shed my thoughts on 2 of them, now here’s another one. Somehow, most countries out there shied away from having rock songs (well except Hungary because I don’t really see any other NF with more than 3 of those clearly audible rock/metal tracks, maybe has to do with the fact they already sent one last year), and as a result, none of the actually submitted ones won because things didn’t really go well with even the slightest rock-sounding songs last year (except one of them almost got into top 10). So one of the rock gems we happened to lose came from Slovenia. INMATE brought the 00s American alt-rock sound that was popular with uncomfortable teens that acted outrageous with their song “Atma” (which somehow means “soul”??). And man they were banging.

• There’s not much I want to say about the rest of the NF’s gems that you missed. Well, there was one song about horses that is considerably well-received by the fandom, perhaps because of the slow and relaxing ballad sound that surrounds it (but they don’t know the lyrics enough to start hating it). And a song co-written by last year’s Svenskfloppen winner that, as he was destined to, flopped in Melodifestivalen as well. And a decent club track that was actually one of my other favourites, together with “Atma”. And some 00s teen sitcom theme song performed by a completely-careless-about-their-image-band (they call themselves Lumberjack but they dress nothing like ‘em, I assure you) with chill-surfer-attitude-bearing, long-haired lead singer. They brought in a nice vibe at least with their color-splashing LED images and slightly energetic performance. And like I said about how the lead singer looked... well just look at him and try to not see him as a troublemaker teen archetype from a high school rom com or at least irl that can’t score a date:

Damn, Manel Navarro really let himself go.

• Lea Sirk, besides performing the ESC winning song from two years ago in a duet with someone, and obviously re-appearing to be a honourable guest after having won EMA last year after like 4-5 tries, also served her part as a jury member. Y’know, one of those people that maybe visibly or not visibly tried to push Raiven to her eventual EMA win after her 3 tries so that she wouldn’t become an annoying NF hogger for years on end. Well that didn’t happen because the televoters went for the Zalšper couple! You gotta love it when the teleaudience picks that song for Eurovision that is performed by those that didn’t specifically submit it because they wanted Eurovision, right? Well apparently, Lea took the loss of Raiven as a small stab to her heart and was heard complaining about the unexpected outcome (simply not being able to believe Raiven lost), out loud, to the viewing audiences at home and in front of computer screens. Yep, THAT happened... And I couldn’t be bothered to find a clip of it anymore, so instead I’ll post some pictures of a visibly shook Lea with her new hairdye on fleek (I guess that was to reflect Raiven’s love for hair dye?):

noooo why do I have to give a trophy to those whom I did not support to win... well fine I will

With all that out of the way, I just really hope for this lovey-dovey duo all the best possible with having to carry the responsibility of representing a country in a very big European music competition on their shoulders. They aren’t seemingly stressed out themselves from the looks of it (if they were in a Brantsteele’s Hunger Games simulation, they’d be those people who’d pick flowers all the time), but you know what happens when you’re given such a big honour but you let what the honour stands for down, upsetting the others who look up to the honour somehow. Terrible, terrible things. Hope the haters don’t grind these two down if anything happens. Srečno!

[oreo-line]

Fatal Love | Monsta X

Hi again, here’s no. 2. Again, I’ve modified the review from the initial version for better readability.

Note: those songs with asterisks are among my favourite songs on that album, and a double asterisk means it is my top favourite from the album. Songs are rated out of 10 and are affected by how much I enjoyed each aspect (vocal delivery, rap delivery, composition/instrumentation, concept delivery through music, vibes). For this reason, the ratings are 100% biased and aren’t meant to be an objective reflection of the artistry that goes into a song, simply my thoughts, likes, and dislikes. 

...

The overall album has that groovy chill feel that I love from them, with some beautiful orchestral instrumentation mixed in for effect. Idk why but on first listen, it felt like the soundtrack for a whole ass one night stand lmao.

*Love Killa: While not as hard hitting musically as some of their other title tracks, it definitely has Beautiful and Jealousy vibes (which, Beautiful was one of my fave comebacks from them). What really stood out to me were Changkyun and Jooheon! My god, their voices, their rap parts, the intro and outro holy fuck. Especially “Oh, I’m sorry, did I make you anxious?” and “You look into my eyes. *Straight* into my eyes, and just say” like slfjsldjfksdjfklsjfksjdfjsfjs. They really are just so cool 8.5/10 

*Gasoline: loving the kinda chill vocals in this one. And Changkyun’s vocal-ish part in the bridge !!! oh my gosh his vocal flavour is so fun and unique. Definitely one of the most fun/playful songs on this album with one of the more stripped instrumentations. Wasn’t sure if I liked the marimba kinda feel at first, but it works. (That “endless thirst” sjlfjdskfjskdfjksjf oh my.) 8/10.

Thriller: definitely one of those dangerous sounding songs, kinda makes me think of Follow. I love the violins in the pre-chorus. Don’t like how thumpy the chorus is as much, but it’s not to the point that its unlistenable, and I think it’s fine for the vibe they’re going for. The whole song gives off “dangerous desperate love” vibes (and according to the lyrics, can confirm lmao). So far this song has seemed the most similar to their usual sound. 7.5/10 bc I like the vocals and instrumentation in this one but it’s a little chaotic for my taste, particularly in the chorus.

Guess Who: This is one of those songs that you just *know* would include some sort of sexy grinding in the choreo if it had choreo. Idk why I think so, bc I haven’t read the lyrics to this song, but it’s definitely about sex (edit: so I read the lyrics, and I was RIGHT. VINDICATION). I really like the little teasing sounding musical idea in what kinda sounds like a produced xylophone? It’s fun but not exactly my vibe. 7.5/10.

Nobody Else: Getting some real Bonnie and Clyde by Dean vibes here. A bit thumpy for my taste in terms of the beat, but the violin bits are gorgeous, and the bridge!! Almost a pretty sounding song even if the lyrics are more about an obsessive desperate kind of love. Again not really my personal taste. 7.5/10

*Beastmode: I have no idea what I expected this song to sound like from the title, but it is somehow exactly like I thought, and also nothing like I thought. This song has some real Follow and Fantasia vibes. But the bridge and breakdown remind me of Fighter. Like they took Follow and Fantasia and said hm, what is the natural progression from here? marinated it, tossed it in a pan at medium high heat, and then went the next 5 levels up. I honestly don’t know why this isn’t the title track, but it absolutely could be. 8.5/10 for how badass this song feels. This is definitely one for my fight scene writing playlist.

Stand Together: This song makes me think of fetus Monsta X (like Hero or Trespass) aww. And it inserts some really pretty vocal lines that I love into the rap heavy sound. Very on brand for them (and the lyrics? You get em’ guys).  The bridge is an interesting change up. I think this song builds really well, and would probably also fit on my fight scene writing playlist.  7/10.

Night View: Oh my god, Changkyun’s vocals at the beginning, Kihyun’s vocals in the bridge???? they were all clearly trying to create a vibe and totally succeeded. The vocals are great in this song, but the instrumentation in the chorus reminds me of those thumpy songs that play in high end department stores lmao. 5/10 bc it has pretty vocals but also these kinds of songs tend to give me a slight headache, so I wouldn’t add it to my playlist. Cool that Changkyun had a hand in writing this one.

Last Carnival: Ooh this one is chill. Gives me an “early 2000’s RnB artist remaking a classic crooner/20’s kind of song” kinda vibe or like, “lo-fi plus a little something extra”. Again with the pretty orchestral instrumentation at the end yes! The vocals/rap and end violin bit were great, but the lyrics got a little repetitive so it gets knocked a point. 7/10

**Sorry I’m Not Sorry: Yessss the stripped Changkyun vocals at the beginning ahhhh sjdljslfjskdfjsjfl it just really sets the mood. Dear god every time I hear Jooheon’s vocals in this song my heart melts a little ngl. Anyways. Shownu’s voice is very well suited to this song too, that little run at the end? yesss. Loving this chill instrumentation and sad chill vibes. Probably my fave off this album 10/10 the end.

I’m glad I can really hear their specific sound in this one! Their sound is really so versatile and they make a lot of musical genres their own, so it’s nice to see them do so really effectively. And, as always, their vibe conveyance is immaculate. Really a solid album from them.

[xoxoemynn]

can i complain? im gonna complain. my mental health has been horrible lately, and as if i'm not struggling enough, my downstairs neighbor has decided to hate me. literally. she's like 60 years old, and calls in the middle of the night claiming that i'm throwing things into the floor and making noise, even though i'm literally doing nothing, and other neighbors think she's crazy too. also she smokes so that the tobacco scent travels up through my balcony door and when i asked her to stop (cont)

she claims she will continue to bother me with the smoke until "i have learned my lesson" (not making noise? i'm not making noise, she is literally waking me up complaining about how i just made a noise?? i'm asleep??? lol) and she's called authorities bc my dogs apparently never get to go outside?? they are outside four times a day on long walks but ok??? lol. and now she found out i have snakes so ofc she called the authorities bc "they're venomous, they're going to escape and crawl up my toilet!!" lmfao. i'm so tired. my snakes help me with my anxiety and i have locks on their enclosures and i walk my dogs and i am very careful not to make noise i literally want to die i'm dealing with enough shit. sorry i needed to go on an anon rant im sry love u em

omg oh no bb I’m so sorry this sounds awful, your neighbor sounds like a petty, spiteful beast and I know it sucks that there’s just no escape. Shitty neighbors are the worstttttt, and I’m sure hearing from the authorities isn’t helping your anxiety at all. :( Okay so idk if any of this will actually be applicable/helpful but just some things that came to mind when reading your messages:

Okay first just BREATHEEEEE. You did literally nothing wrong, you’re just living your life and being a responsible pet owner and you don’t deserve to be treated this way. I would just try to avoid her as much as possible, since I kind of doubt she’s going to change. But I would also just take some steps to protect yourself so she can’t make things any worse for you.

If you have a landlord who’s remotely useful, reach out to them about this neighbor’s behavior. If she’s violating any parts of her lease, that’s their job to deal with. Plus, it sounds like her behavior may even now be considered harassment at this point? 

Even if the landlord thing is a moot point, I would keep a paper trail and document everythingggggg. This may just be because I’ve been spending a lot of time reading stories at JustNoMIL, but once people reveal themselves to be this horrible, “little” things can escalate quickly...and honestly, if she’s already contact the authorities for completely unsubstantiated reasons, I’d say she’s already pretty far up there. Any time she calls, yells, or snaps at you, does anything to make you feel REMOTELY uncomfortable, write it down. PAPER TRAILS ARE EVERYTHING SERIOUSLY PROTECT YOURSELF. Pro-tip: get one of those black and white marble composition books , because it’s then really obvious if a page just “mysteriously” goes missing for whatever reason. I’m sorry if I sound paranoid and I don’t mean to alarm you, but I’m just a HUGE proponent of always having everything in writing because it protects YOU, so always better to be safe than sorry.

Okay, so it sounds like “the authorities” = animal control or the like, yes? And not the police? Because if it’s the police, I have a feeling they’re going to get fed up REAL fast with some asshole filing false complaints...especially since, ya know, that’s a crime. If it IS the police, and if you feel safe doing so, it may be worth calling their non-emergency line and say you have a neighbor harassing you and filing false complaints, detailing exactly what’s been happening. Honestly it’s doubtful they’ll do anything but it may serve as a pre-emptive action step so if she DOES go to them, they have a record of it. If it’s some sort of animal control, it may be worth doing something similar and perhaps inviting them to your home to do a wellness check? So that way if she calls again they can go “lady please fuck off you are wasting everyone’s time and oxygen.”

Okay but she’s CALLING you in the middle of the night, what the hell??? Two options here: 1) BLOCK HER ASS or 2) Set it up in your phone so calls from her are always set to silent/do not disturb mode -- that way she won’t wake you up but you’ll also have record of all the times she called you for your paper trail.

It’s occurred to me that I sound very Dramatic in all this so I hope nothing I say in here is frightening to you!!!! Chances are she’s just an obnoxious twatbox who’s miserable and bored and trying to make life difficult for everyone around her, but I just want to make sure you are SAFE bc she worries me. :( 

Okay so now that I’ve gotten all the safety precautions out of the way LOL just please take care of yourself!! If your mental health is already struggling, having to deal with this indomitable force of ... idk evil sounds dramatic but I’m gonna run with it anyway, can REALLY fuck you up. (Seriously, I’m shuddering imagining it, all the hugs to you.) So make sure you really prioritize things that do help with your anxiety. If that means more snake time, going on long walks, baking, writing, taking bubble baths, WHATEVER, do that and be entirely unapologetic about it. 

Maybe find some camaraderie with your neighbors? Misery loves company and all that, it may make you feel a little better to just be able to vent to someone who gets it. Plus it’s always good to have some allies on your side. (Also, honestly, I LOVE reading JustNoMIL, even though I don’t have a mother-in-law, lol, but they do give a lot of really good advice and inspiration on how to stand up to these kinds of people who are out on some mean-spirited, vengeful spite fest.)

Seriously go treat yourself to some ice cream or something because you deserve it. 

I’m so sorry, lovely, this sounds really terrible and it sucks that you feel uncomfortable in your own home. :( Please just take care of yourself and stay safe. Hopefully she’ll calm down or move or something and you won’t have to deal with her for much longer. Pop into my inbox anytime you need me. I hope you get a good rest tonight!!!! Sending you all the hugs and good vibes in the universe.

[pappydaddy]

Congratulations on getting 300 followers 💛

🏆Songs of the Folklore album aka my favourite TS album 💛😅

Lord lovelies, what is with all the hard ones? Folklore is defiantly in my top favourite TS albums! But, nonetheless, I thank you for all the support and this submission lovely💛!

Reminder: this is ordered from LEAST favourite to MOST favourite

17. last great american dynasty

Look, I love this song. There isn't a single skip on this album, but something had to be my least favourite. Idk why this is my least favourite, I just don't love it as much as I love the other tracks.

16. seven

This makes me cry, more than the others and for different reasons. The story is just so sad. It shows the innocence of children, but it also shows that they are so perceptive. The fact that this tells the story of a child noticing something is wrong with their friend's family while nobody else does. I just cry and that's why this is placed at 16.

15. the lakes

I just kinda forget about this sometimes. When it comes up or when I remember it, I absolutely love it. It just obviously can't be ranked better than other ones that I actually remember😂

14. mirrorball

Same vibes as last great american dynasty. I have no idea why this isn't as high as some others, but I guess I just like other tracks better? I honestly have no idea what to tell you guys about this one.

13. betty

I think I just played this too much when the album was first released. Also, when I'm relaxing to the album in my hammock or by the open windows imagining myself in a cottage overlooking fields upon fields of wildflowers, the harmonica at the beginning scares me. But still not a skip, I still fucking love this song.

12. epiphany

Another one that I cry about. Idk why, this one just makes me cry. Maybe some deep-rooted trauma, maybe reasons to be revealed in therapy, maybe I'm just emotionally damaged and cry at weird things? I have no idea what it is, but I will still love the song forever.

11. peace

Yep. Still have no sweet clue what to tell you guys.

10. august

I think this one I also overplayed when the album was first released. I had this on repeat for a solid week (at least) at one point.

9. this is me trying

Hits really close to home, which I like, but then it also hits too close to home to be higher on the list.

8. illicit affairs

I love this song. I love the imagery, I love the story composition within the song, it's a masterpiece. I think it's just the idea of being a mistress with a person who treats you and their s.o. horribly. Like, that person doesn't deserve EITHER of you.

7. hoax

This is another one I have no idea what to say about. I don't know why I like it so much yet, nor do I know why it's not higher.

6. mad woman

I fucking love this song. It makes me feel so powerful and it reminds me of how strong and relentless women are. It is a song full of great advice for young girls about how life will be like for them unless we can find a way to change this world. Great message, great delivery of the message, just overall perfection. Still don't know why it's not in the top five tho.

5. invisible string

Everyone who is following my Folklore/Evermore Collection (especially the Harry Potter ones) knows how much I love this song. I mean, I wrote a long-ass George fic based on this song (over 20 pages). Safe to say that this was gonna be in the top five.

4. the 1

Another one I have no idea why it's not higher. I think it's just compared to the other songs left to rank, I lean towards the others more.

3. my tears ricochet

Another one that hits really close to home. But I also like the line "I didn't have it in myself to go with grace/and you're the hero flying around, saving grace". I have multiple other lines from this song that I absolutely love, but I'm not getting into all that on this post - maybe another time.

2. cardigan

Call me basic, but I loved the song when the album was first released and I still fucking love it now.

1. exile (feat. Bon Iver)

Bon Iver and Taylor Swift. That is all that I have to say about this ranking.

This really was a hard one lovely, I thought the farther I got, the easier it would become, but that was definitely not the case. I think it actually got harder.

Feel free to send in more submissions for the EVENT found on my PINNED POST lovelies 💛!

[youtiaoshutiao]

gotd season 2 rambles

I finished GOTD two/three weeks back but then was immediately swamped with real life work after that. Finally had time over the weekend to pen down all the thoughts swirling around my head!! I was thinking about whether to make this post or not but no one I know irl has watched this and I kind of want to remember what I felt about the drama so well. Here goes nothing!!

[Though… 慎入！！Beware of entering, for I just finished writing this post and I’m boggled at how utterly long + incoherent + messy this post is]

- I was rather worried about how Jingyao would play into the whole picture marrying into 楚王府. But in the end I guess it wasn’t thaaaaat bad (minus uhm, her poisoning Li Chu to force Zhenzhu to leave.) I can deal with drama like external factors forcing my OTP apart but what I can’t deal with is if the OTP itself fractures apart. So (at least in my pov) even though the director did all that annoying slow-mo spinning around in circles thing with Jingyao, my intepretation of Li Chu’s 眼神 wasn’t one of 动心/暧昧 and instead was just concern/maintaining a distance so I guess I wasn’t that mad about it….???

- OTP~~ OTP!! Jing Tian is so beautiful with her hair down :3

- TBH i enjoyed watching Li Chu and Zhenzhu in the battlefield and all that pining and stuff but I found the way they ended up there kind of… contrived. Though what Jingyao says does have its element of truth, but really?!?! Poisoning?!?! Internal drama?! Couldn’t it have been a more… dramatic reason? Like maybe a political maneuvre making Zhenzhu realise that Li Chu will be ‘burdened’ with her around or smth, then maybe Jingyao coming in to stir the pot, then Zhenzhu making the choice to leave. I just felt that the whole poisoning thing was kind of loophole-y. If Moyan Chou can research and link it back to Jingyao, shouldn’t Li Chu be perfectly capable of doing so too? Yet in those two years he never suspected anything. Though maybe it could be explained by him being too blinded with anger and disappointment at Zhenzhu that he just focused on his princely work in those years rather than sparing any thought on his love life. And I’m not sure how this whole matter ended up being resolved? When Li Chu found out and confronted Zhenzhu about it, she was still all ‘I can’t return back to you because you might come to harm if I break the oath I swore’… But in the end they just kind of ignored it? (after confronting Jingyao). Hm or maybe I missed something hahaha.

- still the whole arc with them on the battlefield/her becoming the Empress of Yan was still quite entertaining hehe. Pining! Fraught looks! Tears! Angst! I must say that Mao Zi Jun was much better in S2 than S1. In S1 his acting just seemed to be glaring and sticking out his eyeballs hahaha. I guess his forte is in all the emotionally charged scenes… Though I still don’t really care for An Qingxu. Also Zhenzhu’s outfit in the Yan empire was quite pretty too :3

- On a really random note, lives if you are not a main character in this drama (though actually who am I kidding… you don’t escape from death being a main character here *coughing fit*) are so worthless. I swear there are people dropping dead like flies in every episode… TBH back in the Uyghur ‘you-killed-my-father-prepare-to-die’ arc of the first season, I kind of couldn’t deal with how so many of Li Chu’s men died along the way of Li Chu searching for Zhenzhu because Li Chu refused to rest/take a chill pill when weather conditions sucked.

- It’s really a pity that they had to resort to excessive greenscreen and body doubles in the last Uyghur arc because it was really quite obvious and kind of affected immersion in the story. I’m guessing Jing Tian couldn’t make it for that filming period? Or maybe they were rushing and had to be split up across filming groups. Like… it was quite jarring to have everyone else in the scene then bam! Switch over to Zhenzhu awkwardly greenscreened in. Or some scenes where it was obvious that Allen wasn’t even interacting with Jingtian but rather a body double.

- Moyan Chou x Li Chu. Ouchhhhhh (especially since cracks kind of appeared in their friendship with Li Chu marrying Dugu and Zhenzhu using Moyan Chou to get a divorce from Li Chu). I’m really impressed by Allen’s acting ;_; like of course he’s still kind of raw in places but like wow there’s a 灵气 to his acting and he is exceptional considering how it’s his second time playing male lead. Of a 92 episode drama, no less. In the scene where Moyan Chou and Li Chu drink together for the last time, his tears just kept on flowing non stop! Idk if anyone who reads this has the same experience of using the cliche phrase ‘他的眼泪像断了线的珍珠纷纷落下’ (his tears flowed down like a broken string of pearls) in chinese compositions in primary school but that’s the first thing that popped to my mind when I saw this scene hahaha.

- anyway, compared to this drama’s standard death bgm 荣耀, it was a nice touch to change it up to 为江山 which fit perfectly with the setting and nature of Moyan Chou’s death. It was pretty goosebump inducing when the music crashed over the speakers as he slumped down and the entire congregation of people at that intersection of stones (?!?!) began kneeling and wailing.

- again props to Jing Tian’s and Allen’s acting. Though Jing Tian wasn’t that consistent in all the crying scenes (though she has so many it’s kind of hard to be hahaha) but i really think they handled the growth and development of their characters quite well. The Zhenzhu and Li Chu you see at the end of s2 are tangibly different from them at the start. Even if they banter with each other, it’s very different in vibes from the early days - more measured and serious. And the change happened quite subtly? imo at least :3 

- personally felt the whole way the showdown with Empress Zhang took place was kind of… anticlimatic… but I guess that’s kind of how it went down in history hahaha oh wells.

- hints of how even though Li Chu became emperor, there’s still trouble looming in the distance with Li Fuguo still maintaining power etc. was kind of disturbed reading real history because the image of Daizong having to pander to eunuchs and all that kind of isn’t really aligned with the capable Li Chu we see in the drama (oh the woes of dramatisation of historical characters - i felt the same reading commentary about 14th prince back in the day after watching/reading bbjx) but i was thinking about it and i realised that i can kind of accept that! because there were quite a few scenes throughout the drama where Li Chu was lamenting about how he feels so helpless because he can’t do anything about the political situation/corruption/etc, how even though he has the acumen to perceive and see what all the parties are doing to procure power for themselves he cannot do anything about it. so taking this aspect of Li Chu into context - how he definitely is smart and capable, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t susceptible or is invincible given how the entire tang court is deeply mired in politics and power play, i guess it’s not that far of a stretch to link this Li Chu to the Daizong in history books (who wasn’t a baaad emperor too anyway)

- the whole Zhenzhu being 油尽灯枯 at the end was also kind of… random and a little contrived imho but given her life circumstances i guess it can be justified and is a logical way to end things, since they do ultimately have to adhere to the historical ending of Zhenzhu going missing and Daizong never electing an empress during his rule. (I have to say, my favourite arc in this entire drama was probably the 10+ eps of separation when the Anshi rebellion kicked in, because the conflict felt very real and organic and the stakes felt really high, so the senses of urgency/loss/anxiety/despair were really heightened.)

contrived as it may be to me, that didn’t stop me from feeling deeeeeep despair and sorrow through the last few eps ;_; him making longevity noodles for her; them being in the same space that holds so much meaning to both of them, the little wooden hut where she professed her love for him, yet both of them lost in their own separate thoughts; them weeping their own separate tears; him holding her as she takes an afternoon nap, knowing that this is probably one of the last times he can do so…

and his coronation ceremony/the day she leaves for good from his life. their last hug - he was the very definition of 依依不舍 ): Him walking down the aisle (HAHA is that what it’s called) of the Tang courts, dressed in stately regal emperor garb, the world is his yet he is so utterly alone. 所谓“高处不胜寒”! (haha though this line was not yet in existence during Tang)

and the ending was so poetic in all its tragedy and hit all my buttons hahaha. Him dressing as a cart driver to send her off for the last time → !!!, her stopping at 醉仙楼 and coming out of the carriage to take a look at the place where her and her Donglang first met → !!!!!! (I think this really got to me because I have a huge fondness for their entire first meeting haha. And this + how she hallucinated Dong Lang in that red outfit when she was semi-conscious to me kind of shows how ultimately she loves Dong Lang for who he is as an adult, and not because he is her 太湖公子 from her childhood, which is very important to me?!) And lastly Li Chu riding on his horse, surveying the mountains and landscape that Zhenzhu disappeared into, the 江山 that he owns… aka really ‘一人一马一江湖’, as the drama oh so helpfully foreshadowed for us in the first few episodes.

- Since I’ve mentioned 为江山, as I’ve said before, I really love the OSTs in the drama! But while previously the bigger ‘hits’ (in a sense) like 夙念 and 荣耀 were stuck in my head, these past two weeks, I can’t help but keep on replaying 素颜 and 唐韵 on loop. (though I still enjoy all the songs - except maybe the Jike Junyi one which is still not bad but just doesn’t get to me like all the other songs do… maybe because it was never played in any scene throughout the drama? (except the ending credits of s2. which I skipped everytime.) (speaking of which, s2′s opening theme song became 荣耀 but they didn’t correspondingly change the opening sequence which was so nicely timed to 为江山, which is also more regal and had more oomph more befitting of an opening track!! that was quite sad ):))

And especially for 素颜 (Unadorned Beauty), omgggg the lyrics nearly killed me when I sat down to properly read it at the end of the drama. It’s played twice in the drama - once in the beginning when Zhenzhu and Lin Zhi were sitting for the consort selection tests and once in the end when Zhenzhu leaves the palace (and Donglang) permanently for good. And omg the lyrics really fit perfectly?!?!

→ The verse/first part of the song: “你是春的使节 让残雪融解 / 染成青黛的天 等著细雨停歇 / 你素颜 裹着云烟 诗意了远方 湿润了心  / 闭上眼 姹紫嫣红都不觉甜 只为你的容颜” - basically just really beautiful lyrics about how you are the envoy of spring melting the remnants of snow and how your bare-faced/unadorned beauty bundled in mist lends poetic flavour to the distance and how all the beautiful flowers pale in comparison to your beauty blablabla. The first half of the chorus too: “豁然间 春光如练 / 渲染了 你的出现 / 最留恋 不是云巅 / 是千万里朝颜和暮雪” The whole song just describes Zhenzhu to me, and in these particular lyrics I think about Zhenzhu in the early episodes, fresh and dewy-faced, dressed in pale pinks and whites. I’m just imagining the verse + first chorus being Li Chu’s inner monologue about Zhenzhu and my heart feels all squishy kyaaaaaaaaa

→ The second half of the chorus: “梦回间 春光流泻 /  归去在 落花时节 / 待离别 青空绵绵 / 你会成山水间那一点 如烟” basically talking about how as time passes, she will leave when the flowers fall, and become a dot in the landscape like a wisp of smoke… how apt ;_; and okay here I’m just babbling nonsense but like all the terms like “青空” “山水” “如烟” really fits her costuming in the last few eps which had 水墨/ink wash painting vibes 

(↑ i’m probably overthinking this way too much ahaha)

[on another note, some other particular lines in some of the other songs that I just really liked (i have random feels for sentences that I think are really poetic. though it may only be me who thinks so hahaha)

为江山：“挥手时飞扬飘零的黄沙 蜿蜒于驰骋豪情的天下” and “铿锵的温柔 忠义的绵绸 此情动我幽幽” like all the juxtaposition between toughness and softness… (uhhh it made more sense in my head). this entire song is Li Chu’s life ;_;

唐韵：okay no I went to search up the lyrics again and I want to copy the entire thing over HAHA. I love how the lyrics, true to the setting of the drama and the name of the song (how do you translate 韵 properly? it’s such a nice word haha), incorporate elements of Tang inside it. “釉烧出 多色绚丽的斑斓” or “浸润出 三彩交融的璀璨” - mentions of pottery/sancai glaze that flourished during Early Tang. Or “昔繁华 已苍芜” - befitting the backdrop of the drama - Tang the flourishing golden dynasty at the precipice of its dwindling. And for some reason I just love phrases like “静谧千年的思念” and the whole of the second half of the chorus: “愿你记得 穿梭人浪中一瞥 / 临摹也不能复刻你容颜 / 墨浓映画眉 / 朱红落点唇 / 只盼伴来生共偎”

为你成全：my favourite line is “锦绣长安夜 / 似昙花惊艳”!! 

i think i just really like imagery in lyrics hahaha. i like 荣耀’s lyrics a lot too. in comparison i actually think the lyrics of 夙念 and some parts of 为你成全 are pretty standard drama ost fare… though they still serve their purpose well in inducing appropriate feels in various scenes.

–

This series of bloopers/original voice clips released by one of the production companies attached to this show is like a soothing balm to an injured heart after watching the ending. And the last video in this series - aww the entire team really put in so much effort to film this show, and it shows in the acting, the props, the sets, the costuming, the music (excluding awkward greenscreen and s2 editing). ANDDD watch from 13:52 onwards!!! A small Easter egg - Allen’s original soft soft voice going “珍珠，你总算回来了……” welp I’m gone

s2 was ultimately a lot weaker in many aspects than s1, and tbh the entire plot of GOTD is riddled with well trodden tropes. But I still have so much fondness and love and feels for this 92 episode drama I mainlined in three weeks (and then promptly regretted because real life came cascading down on me soon after that) :3 It’s definitely an engaging drama that had quite a lot of effort put into its making, and with it’s length there’s something for everyone - (1) an otp that will make you squee (2) endless angst, tears and misery (3) palace politics that are relatively quite complex for it’s 古言 status (4) some harem-esque drama for 后宫戏 fans (5) battle scenes, war tearing apart otp bringing about more angst… et cetera. Considering how I quit dramas at a drop of a hat, I’m pretty impressed that I managed to complete this haha xD

shall end off with a short 花痴楼！

《帅帅的殿下SHOWTIME!》

虽然在跟别的女人转圈圈但仍非常帅气的殿下！

微醺醺的新郎装殿下！

睹物思人的殿下！

穿上盔甲，眼带杀气的殿下！

闭着眼，姹紫嫣红都不觉甜的殿下！

超级无敌苏的殿下！

化身为大厨的殿下！

I wanted to take more screenshots but I shall just end here, because I scrolled up and got a huge shock seeing exactly just how much babble I spouted. I’m kind of horrified?! Omg anyone who reads this to the end, I’m sorry for all my incoherent rambling :3

[lucozdes-blog]

finally !! here’s the intro guides to my children !! blease....plot with me. 

(lee taeyong, he/him, bisexual)  HEY, ISN'T THAT  [KIM JEONGMIN]? YEAH, THE [TWENTY-THREE] YEAR OLD [CISMALE] FROM [SOUTH KOREA]! YEAH, I HEARD THEY'RE THE [FASHION DESIGN] STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM  NOW! LET'S HOPE THEIR STAY HERE IS AN ADVENTUROUS ONE! (dani, twenty, she/her, pst)

jeongmin is a fashionista, from designing original pieces to styling. 

his current aesthetic: goth street looks. think seoul fashion week. 

he loves nothing more than styling his friends or anyone who asks for help; he works within your budget and closet. he knows how and where to find deals and just overall very resourceful. 

he’s all for the environment too, the studio is filled with a variety of recyclable bin from plastic to old garments. 

he works as a part time visual for a retail store, it’s only a couple hours three mornings a week when he doesn’t have class, it’s good to have some sort of income. plus they pay him well considering his major and eye for new campaigns. 

he’s the guy with a variety of hook up numbers on his phone, never by name but with an emoji and number next to it. he’s a hoe (no jk i love him) and finds validation with the amount of people he sleeps with honestly it’s sad i don’t think he’s ever been in a genuine relationship. it’s just angst n heartbreak so he’d rather just sleep with ppl. 

anyways, his goal? design for the met gala and BE IN the met gala to show all those celebrities how it’s TRULY done. 

hic current look: taeyong in the chain mv. 

(nam joohyuk, he/him, bisexual)  HEY, ISN'T THAT  [MOON HANJAE]? YEAH, THE [TWENTY-FOUR] YEAR OLD [CISMALE] FROM [SOUTH KOREA]! YEAH, I HEARD THEY'RE THE [PERFORMANCE] STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM  NOW! LET'S HOPE THEIR STAY HERE IS AN ADVENTUROUS ONE! (dani, twenty, she/her, pst)

my son whomst i BIRTHED 

part of the fuccboi squad...SHOUT OUT..shout out..aahhhh..was popping ooooo

he’s obnoxious and loud and dramatic and YET people love him thank you very much. doesn’t know when to stop honestly someone kick his ass. 

he’s been to school everywhere, studying abroad for high school, doing a year in england, a year at julliard and finally amsterdam, i’m just going to say he’s been here for 3 years and he’s going to graduate next semester. 

he’s a performance/composition major and the LEAD of the orchestra because he’s just that talented that vivaldi is shaking in his grave. a prodigy if you will because it’s not the only instrument he can play but his favorite. 

he comes from a home of socialites back in busan, his family dabbles in the arts. his family also decided his fate: arranged marriage. it’s a secret though, only haebin and haneul know about it. 

cue why he’s part of the squad, he went through people so fast, indulging himself in variety knowing that after he graduates he’ll be tied down and he hates the very idea of it. which is why he’s an ass and wont accept that he maybe really likes misun more than a hook-up, also the reason why he’s BEEN OUT OF THE GAME that the lads are noticing lmao 

anyways he’s a disaster but he loves his friends so much he just wants to Protecc

(kwon jiyong, he/him, bisexual)  HEY, ISN'T THAT [AHN DAEHYUN], THE [TWENTY-FIVE] YEAR OLD [CISMALE] FROM [SOUTH KOREA]? YEAH, I HEARD THEY'RE THE [ENT. BUSINESS] STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM  NOW! LET'S HOPE THEIR STAY HERE IS AN ADVENTUROUS ONE! (dani, 20, she/her, pst)

he is the mom friend probably idk he’s always dd when the lads go out and does a run down of who’s where and if they’re ok before calling it a night when they go out 

he doesn’t party often, it’s honestly rare for him to go ALL OUT unless he knows he can handle it and he’s with minji who knows about his chronic fatigue syndrome 

it’s back and forth, getting rest doesn’t help him at all and so he’s taken up dancing as a hobby again, just one class where he can a good amount of exercise without stressing himself too much when he has too much on his plate

he’s all good now though, it’s part of him but it wasn’t as bad as when he used to be a trainee; daehyun was gonna become an idol if it weren’t for his health issues.

he moved to cali for a while to go to school there and check out an american industry but decided that entertainment business might be better for him, less stressful and he gets to manage and help people who wish to be part of it. 

anyways he sounds like a monotone dad when he texts but in person he’s more into conversations, a good time, and he really loves the lads. 

he’s also lowkey dating taemin’s sister but no one knows that lol.

(kim minseok, he/him, homosexual)  HEY, ISN'T THAT [CHOI JISOO], THE [TWENTY-THREE] YEAR OLD [CISMALE] FROM [THE US]? YEAH, I HEARD THEY'RE THE [PERFORMANCE] STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM  NOW! LET'S HOPE THEIR STAY HERE IS AN ADVENTUROUS ONE! (dani, 20, she/her, pst)

BOY, JISOO PROBABLY IS MY ONLY CHAR WITH A WILDT BACKGROUND

he’s from san francisco, ca. comes from a wealthy family, his dad was the ceo and founder of a large company ( dont ask me abt what yet tbh i’m thinking about it ); however the company only became big because they launder money. maybe deal with extortion but you know. 

jisoo had it all though, he had the luxuries, he had the city, the parties, everything. only child, he was next in line to take over and actually? he didn’t mind at all if he kept living the way he was, and bonus points? his dad didn’t give a fuck about his sexuality. it was a dream. 

until his crazy ass mom destroyed everything. she killed his dad but was found innocent in court because she bought the judge, and the jury? all hired by her. he was in that very courtroom when she was found innocent and before he knew it, he was being dragged out by his dad’s old lawyer and best friend. he needed to get out of there fast. 

jisoo is the only one who’s allowed to touch his inheritance, his dad made it very clear that everything was to go to him. his mother still had a joint account and she still has enough to live off until she’s dying from old age but her new boy toy, 10 years younger than her kinda wants the company. 

jisoo knows his mom killed his dad, he doesn’t have the evidence but he’s going to bring her down through the law or without the law because she took everything from him and he’s still reeling over it, he still has nightmares of finding his dad’s body. 

and also, choi jisoo is an alias. no one knows his real name. (lol not even me, i’ll get back to you on that). 

he’s in witness protection right now, undercover as a student from florida. he figured he might as well take some fun classes aka acting, dance, and studio arts. he doesn’t care for it knowing his life is set out but might as well. 

(kim namjoon, he/him, bisexual)  HEY, ISN'T THAT  [ZANDER YU]? YEAH, THE [TWENTY-FOUR] YEAR OLD [CISMALE] FROM [THE US]! YEAH, I HEARD THEY'RE THE [PHOTOGRAPHY] STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM  NOW! LET'S HOPE THEIR STAY HERE IS AN ADVENTUROUS ONE! (dani, 20, she/her, pst)

well, well, well if it isn’t the jack kerouac wanna-be. jk. he’s really not a bad person. maybe.

zander is a photographer, never staying in one place too long. he actually just arrived from mexico city and amsterdam is going to be the place he finishes his second degree. 

he’s basically that indie boy from all the coming-of-age films, an enigma if you will. simply because they way he presents himself is charming, fun, friendly. he’s the type of guy you get a crush on just because of how attentive he is, how he makes you feel so interesting, how he looks at you and touches you. and he knows it. 

he can read people’s emotions, he knows exactly how someone will feel before they feel it simply because of logic and tactic. 

he’s incredibly smart, pretentious even but that’s part of the charm. he talks about music, books, movies. his travels. he makes people fall for him because it’s fun, it sends a rush through him knowing someone is willing to do anything for him and then...he’s gone. because he can’t do the same for you, he doesn’t feel anything for anyone. he likes the concept of being with someone, idolizing them and then leaving them and he does it in a way that you can’t really point your finger at him and blame him. 

he’s really good at pretending to be someone he’s not tbh. like i want to emphasize that because i want to play him in a way that you really fall for it you know. anyways YEAH. 

(josefine frida pettersen, she/her, pansexual)  HEY, ISN'T THAT  [LEONIE SCHÄFER]? YEAH, THE [TWENTY-ONE] YEAR OLD [CISFEMALE] FROM [GERMANY]! YEAH, I HEARD THEY'RE THE [SOCIOLOGY] STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM  NOW! LET'S HOPE THEIR STAY HERE IS AN ADVENTUROUS ONE! (dani, twenty, she/her, pst)

remember what i said abt a drunk josefine fc who ends up ranting abt how toxic capitalism is and why communism isn’t the answer like all those tumblr folk like to say? WELL HERE SHE IS 

she’s not a drunk lmao but if she’s at family dinners with the conservative side of her family, she GOES OFF she probably wouldnt go off at parties here unless she bumped into some asshole who wanted to mansplain something to her or whatever 

she’s no poli-sci major, she takes a class but it’s only for her to get educated and accumulate more knowledge to back her up in her actual major and just to be prepared for arguments 

i hate to say this bc wow cliche ! but....definitely noora vibes akhkjh i’m SORRY 

she really enjoys going to the weed cafes though, catch her in there with a book just enjoying her free time 

she has an accent !! considering english is her third language and french is secondl german obviously being the first. it’s cute rlly i was watching accent videos akljdhfj

still shes fluent in all three because it’s leonie why not 

her aesthetic would probably be better described by donna tartt but i’ll give it a go: cigarettes in her own special metallic case, long coats, boots, very formal/casual, billie holiday records, period drama movies as well as empowering movies, beige/dark browns and black, the smell of coffee beans, aesthetic instagram 

anyways uhh idk what else to add tbh if i think of anything i’ll mention it in the hc server on discord aklsjhdk

[samanthaweekes-blog]

Assessment Three-

Experiment One;

Initially, I had the plan of taking photographs using a mirror in different settings to create the illusion of a window looking from one space to the next. I had considered the possibly of doing a time based work, and somehow breaking the mirror as a way to shatter the illusion (perhaps putting in slow motion or something to make it more artsy, idk). The only problem with this is that I’m fairly superstitious, and I wasn’t willing to risk the seven years of bad luck, and none of my friends were replying to my texts regarding me asking for help. Furthermore, I had also considered creating props (window frame, curtains, etc.) in order to make the illusion more convincing, depending on how successful the images were from this first experiment. At the time I was taking these photographs, I was limited with my options for setting, and decided to first explore the possibilities within my own backyard. The untouched results were remarkably boring, and only after editing through cropping and rotating do I think they began to show the ghost of what could maybe be described as an interesting composition that actually demonstrated some semblance of an illusion.

(original // edited)

On a completely seperate occasion I managed to take some images that were somewhat more interesting, as what was seen and what was reflected lined up more successfully, as well as providing more geometrical shapes which I consider to just generally more interesting.

Experiment Two;

I was intrigued by a stain on a table that I had photographed, just a simple pattern that I had photographed with the mirror at a 90 angle with the camera directly above, and the way that I had captured it reminded me of the Rorschach test for some reason. 

y’know stuff like this like the Gnarls Barkley Crazy music video, you would’ve seen it. Anyway so I was intrigued by these photos and for a while I thought I might continue down this path and do something along the lines of perception//the mind//psychology//these personality tests//etc. (spoiler, I don’t). And so I continued to take photos in this style, finding as many (interesting???) compositions and trying to replicate the original effect. Take a leisurely browse through some of those I selected down below!!

Experiment Three;

At this point I was still interested in the ink-blot test concept, and so I decided I would try and experiment with some filters and rudimentary editing techniques on the incredibly professional editing software Photos, the default program that comes with Apple computers. 

Some of the results were interesting but being honest I wasn’t really vibing with it. This was when I decided to revisit my original idea, and where the second half of experiment one comes from.

Experiment One - Revisited;

On a completely seperate occasion I managed to take some images that were somewhat more interesting that my first attempt at this concept, as what was seen and what was reflected lined up more successfully, as well as providing more geometrical shapes which I consider to just generally more interesting.

(shoutout to patrick for unwillingly modelling in this super high budget campaign)

Experiment Four?;

Not so much an experiment, more just a collection of other images I took that aren’t really a part of any other experiment, but that I still find interesting.

The composition of the last two photos I find interesting because of the combination of the reflection in the door, and Patrick through the door. I think this is a nice place to segue into an intermission of a candid of Patrick...

Final Work;

I set out with this experiment to create photographs that utilised a mirror in order to subvert the audiences expectations. While I did not follow through with my original concept as far as I had wanted to, and my following experiments have no real relevance in my final work, other than redirecting me towards another concept, I think they were instrumental in forming my ideas towards my eventual direction, even if I can’t explain it.

My final work consists of two photographs which, without much analysis, may be confusing to the viewer as to what is going on. However, after a second of consideration, it becomes obvious that it is a simple composition of a mirror and a carefully angled camera. That split second of confusion is the effect I had intended to achieve, and although it may not be entirely successful, depending on the audience, I think the added component of having rotated the photos from their original orientation adds somewhat to the composition being successful.

My main criticism of this work would be that the images together look somewhat awkward, as their visual composition is too similar in that the mirror is in the upper half, and there is a sharp horizontal line cutting both images in half  — they are too similar in this regard. I definitely see the first image as more successful as the mirror provides a more obvious contrast with the backdrop, and the bars within the frame continue more seamlessly beyond the mirror. I would have much rather produced a video work where I ‘shattered the illusion’, but limitations regarding the spaces I could photograph really caused me to rethink my concept, and I still believe the work I produced makes connections to the concept of perception, regardless of the aesthetic resolution of the photographs presented. 

‘

i’d just like to offer my genuine apologies to anyone who actually read this entire post (@peter) sorry if it sounds like I’m taking the piss

[sugawithtae-blog]

underrated bts tracks

OKAY EVERYBODY STOP BECAUSE I HAVE A very SERIOUS DILEMMA

there seems to be some very evident and obvious under-appreciation for a few bangtan tracks that i MUST HIGHLIGHT (especially to all you newcomers to the fandom). Honestly these songs do not get talked about enough (or enough anymore) and there is a need to bring these songs (back) into the spotlight!! 

so here we go, here is my list of underrated bts tracks that you NEED in your life on repeat over and over:

1. Intro: The Most Beautiful Moment In Life (Pt. 1) - HYYH Pt. 1

okay let’s start with the absolutely insane composition of the song

the BUILD UP OF INTENSITY

and then that GASP OF AIR IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS (suga’s) INTENSE GROWLY RAP 

and can we just talk about the first bit of the song

where suga uses the bounce of a basketball and the squeak of shoes against the court floor to accompany the fucking bass?!!?

so fcking well done holy shit

the way his rap FLOWS is so captivating???

the way he says his own name is just filled with so much swag i cannot

just overall it’s an amazing track

makes you feel all powerful, angry, empowered, and is such a good song when you feel so intense and bottled up with emotions 

you just sit down and listen to this song and you feel like it GETS YOU

the lyrics are so poetic too 

and just so REAL and captivating to read (or listen to if you understand korean)

one of my fav tracks of yoongi’s if i’m being real oh my god GO GIVE IT SOME LOVE

one word to describe it: one-of-a-kind

2. Hip Hop Lover/Phile - Dark&Wild

THIS SONG

one word to describe it: bangtan

its very edgy and very R&B which is refreshing

FIRSTLY, namjoon’s intro rap to the song

it just showcases everything namjoon is

a leader, a rapper, an ARTIST

and then the switch up (that bts is SO GOOD at) from fast/intense rap to smooth vocals that compliment everything SO well

we hear jungkook and taehyung’s vocals accompanied by the rest of them just chanting their LOVE for hip hop

and then JHOPE comes in and FUCK ME

his flow is on a different level

not better but it’s so different and refreshing and adds so much dimension to the song i cant even

and jimin and jin’s vocals (even though i wish we could hear jin more i cri)

AND THEN SUGA HOOOMGGGG

just switches up the flow with the bridge

there’s just SO MUCH to this song

and everything just fits SO well

by far a song that showcases a lot of what bts IS and what they LOVE

and I ADORE EVERY BIT

3. Move - HYYH Pt. 1

AYO SUGAAAA

this one is especially for all the new ARMYs who may not know this song

summarised in one word: masterpiece

it’s a very emotional song

it has that nostalgic vibe to it (which makes sense after you read the lyrics)

one word to describe this song: FEELS

some of my fav lyrics are:

‘we cried a lot and laughed a lot but it was so beautiful’

‘as much as the place was small, we were bound together tighter’

and also namjoon’s last words at the end just warm my heart

just the beat and everything too

again, i just love the way bts bring such LIFE to these songs

the rap doesn’t go hard, but it’s still very edgy and works with the vibe

idk how to explain it??

imo taehyung’s voice especially works so well with this song 

jhope’s rap and voice brings a very chill vibe to the song in contrast to namjoon and yoongi’s

and i’m just talking about the sound (not what the actual lyrics are saying)

and jin’s voice compliments the song really well too

and suga’s rap starts out soft and then he brings it just expressing his feelings and becomes very personal about it too and UGH I LOVE

overall the song is very personal and true to the group as a whole which makes it all very touching

4. Whalien 52 - HYYH Pt. 2

this song got a lot of hype and recognition for it’s background and how it came to be

if you don’t know, it was cos of namjoon and his genius of a brain

basically it’s based on the 52 Hertz Whale (it’s called that cos of the low frequency sound that it makes) and others cannot hear it. so essentially it’s lonely. the title is a mash up of the words ‘alien’ (which is linked to loneliness and being ‘alienated’) and the word ‘whale’ (for obvious reasons)

so i’m BRINGING IT BACK and no one can stop me

one word to describe this song: genius

from the very beginning the vibe of the song is set

if i could take each section of the song and analyse it i would

but i can’t

overall this song is super relaxing to listen to

you can just vibe with it ya feel

it’s not too intense with emotions (and it’s defs not a party anthem)

but it’s one that i personally like to listen to when i’m sitting on my lonesome in the car, going on a roadtrip

or when i’m sitting in my backyard and just sitting around nature

or if i’m lying in bed and just enjoying the music

lyrics-wise, it is quite deep and touching, but when just listening to the vocals and the rap, it can be interpreted to any situation and that’s what i really like about this song

you can listen to it on different days with a different mood and still vibe to it

overall such a good song with bits and pieces that make you love it even more

5. Intro: What Am I To You - Dark&Wild

okay when speaking of the switch ups between rap and vocals

this song is purely rap

but HOLY SHIT

the way this song is composed

namjoon is amazing can i just say before anything else

i can’t stress it enough

this song takes you on a JOURNEY which is the best way i can describe it

in one word: unexpected (-ly amazing)

if you were to listen to the second half and then the first half, you might not be able to tell they were the same song

now okay, the change isn’t DRAMATIC but it IS

starts off with the school bell and being in a classroom

and the tone is all lighthearted and inspiring and happy

and the lyrics are so happy and romantic

and it starts building on its pace

and the vibes are still light and happy

but then there’s this switch from happy to… something else

it starts building again but differently

and the vibe changes

it’s filled with hurt and maybe resentment?? (when talking about the tone and vibe of the song)

it builds to anger and frustration

and then it gets SO intense

and the HURT and EMOTION in his voice

it’s so powerful I CANT DEAAAAL

so yeah

very very very underappreciated JUST LISTEN TO IT

6. Let Me Know - Dark&Wild

one word to describe: VOCALS + emotionally complex

this song doesn’t even need an explanation

JUST LISTEN TO IT IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY IT’S A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE

7. I Need U (Urban Mix) - HYYH Pt. 3

if you love the original song but don’t feel like you’re in that mindset to listen to it (you know what i’m talking about, when you’re not in that mood)

THIS is a pERFECT alternative

it’s a complete shift to the original track

one word to describe it: chill/different

i say ‘different’ because it shows a side to bts that we don’t see very often

a bit jazzy and yeah really urban (obviously)

if you’re looking for a cure after listening to one of their more emotional songs, this could be it!!

8. Rain - Dark&Wild

this sorta reminds me of whalien 52 and i need u

but it’s still very different

it’s very jazzy

it’s also very mature sounding

actually this song is VERY underappreciated

especially since this fandom has grown so big, i feel like this song is sorta just lying on its lonesome in a dusty attic along with other forgotten bts songs

wow that’s depressing

i hope it’s actually not like that, but if it is then i’m bringing it back to life!!

it’s very light if that’s a way to describe it :’)

idk an article describes it as breezy which i think fits more lmao

i suck at describing music i’m sorry

but the vocals and the rap are very relaxing to listen to 

personally, i listen to this both when i’m feeling lonely and when i’m in a good mood

i just feel very content listening to it

one word to describe it: versatile

that’s all for now folks!! feel free to reblog and add your own tracks that you think deserve more love/should be loved once again. i hope all the new/recent ARMYs found this list useful/insightful/interesting and continue to support/learn about and/or respect bangtan’s music from the beginning up to now :) for all the older ARMYs i hope you all agreed with this or enjoyed this list (whether it took you down memory lane or not idk) and to everyone, let’s continue to support bangtan in all of their musical journeys <3