#if it's instrumental i can let it go to background but if it's got real clear lyrics? makes it hard to focus on anything else

[roisnoir]

My wall-neighbor is going through something. I don't know what, but it's been three repeats of All of Me and two of Stay with me.

I feel bad for whatever she's going through, but i wish she'd go through it with headphones.

[lieslab]

Idle town

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

Pairing: og8 X gn reader

Summary: Being quiet and a little ditsy is all fun and games until your boyfriend either accepts you or has something to say about it.

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 3.8K

A/N: This is something I've never done before. I've taken two different requests and combined them. If you'd like to know why, I've got to be real, the wheels weren't spinning in my head. I couldn't come up with sixteen different drabbles in total without them being repetitive and I don't like doing that. I don't think anyone wants to read repetitive stuff.

So in saying that, some of these are geared towards the reader being more quiet. Others are more where the reader is kinda out of it and not paying much attention. So to the two of you that requested these, I hope this works <3

_ _ _

Chan: 

So many thoughts were running through your head. A cognitive wheel of clusterfuck that never seemed to stop turning. Over and over again, the hum of your brain churned out thoughts like a never ending robotic machine. 

“Are you listening to me?” 

“Hmm?” You blinked, suddenly snapped out of your thoughts. 

“I’ve been talking for the past five minutes. Did you hear what I just said?” His eyebrows furrowed and his head tipped to the side. “Are you okay?” 

You nodded. “Sorry, I’ve just been stuck in my thoughts lately. So what were you saying again?” 

“I was talking about the new song that I was working on.” 

“What about it?” 

“I’m stuck on a certain part.” 

“Can I listen to it? Maybe a fresh set of eyes and ears will help you. Have you had the guys listen to it yet?” 

“Not yet, but yeah. Maybe you can help me figure it out. There’s a specific part that I feel like I’m missing, but I don’t know what it is.” 

You watched as he pulled out his laptop and opened the file. A melodic beat floated from the laptop speakers and drifted into your ears. You had to fight to stay concentrated on the song and not drift back into your thoughts. 

When it stopped where Chan had stopped producing it, it turned off. He glanced over at you, almost sheepishly. “So what do you think?” 

“I think it would do really well with some added drums in the background. Drums are the baseline of a lot of songs. The steady beat helps keep pace for other instruments. Sometimes, it’s almost like the foundation. What do you think?”  

“I think,” he smiled, “I’m dating a genius.” 

“You could say that again.” 

“I’m glad you’re listening this time and you haven’t floated away in the clouds.” 

All you could do was send him your own sheepish smile. 

_ _ _ 

Minho:

Crash! 

You jerked your head up with wide eyes. Around you, shards of glass glistened along the ceramic floor. You shut your eyes and forced yourself to remain calm. This was the third time this week that this had happened. 

Heavy thuds slapped the floor as Minho burst from his room and came rushing. He was breathless as he reached the edge of the sunlit kitchen. “Are you okay, I heard-” He paused when he saw the glass around your feet. “Are you injured?” 

“No, I’m just annoyed, I guess. I’ll clean it up, just let m-” 

“No!” His hands went up with a face full of worry. “Just stay there and don’t move. You don’t have socks or shoes on. You don’t need to get glass in your feet. Don’t move, I’ve got it.” 

Too many times you had found yourself feeling absent-minded. It started with a quietness that enveloped you and then it slipped into a full daydream. Usually, you’d catch yourself and stop it, but sometimes you forgot about your surroundings. 

You mumbled apology after apology as Minho swept up the shards. Humiliation filtered straight into your core. “I really didn’t mean to,” you continued. 

“I know you didn’t mean to. However, I think we should ban you from glass cups. No more glass cups, plates, or bowls. I’m going to get you an entire plastic set, so you don’t hurt yourself.” 

“I’m really sorry.” 

“The next time you apologize, I’m throwing a glass at your head.” 

You blinked in shock, caught off guard by the sudden threat. Minho grinned and kissed your forehead. “I’m just kidding, I love you. Do you love me? Of course, you do.” 

Before you could respond, he disappeared to the other side of the room to dispose of the glass, so nobody else got hurt. 

_ _ _ 

Changbin: 

The groan from Changbin caused you to glance over at him. The familiar hum of the car’s engine beneath you cut off. His lips stuck out in a pout and he side-eyed you. With a loud hmph, he spun away from you and glanced out the window. 

“What’s wrong?” You asked. 

“You’re not paying attention to me. I tried to ask if you wanted to go have dinner somewhere, but you’re not listening to me. You don’t love me anymore.” 

“That’s not true, I just-” 

“How much aegyo do I have to do to get your attention?” 

“Now, hold on, don’t you da-” 

His body flopped back, laying along the center console, the back of his head greeted your thigh. You glanced down at him with wide eyes as he called your name in a baby voice. 

The familiar feeling of disgust crept up in your stomach. Your face scrunched up in disapproval. “Why do you have t-” 

“Why don’t you love me? Hmm?” His lips stuck out in a dramatic pout and he poked his cheek. “How about now? Binnie is just the cutest.” 

“Are you done now?” 

He was not done, unfortunately. On and on he went with his complaints. When he didn’t get the reaction he wanted, he reached up while cooing and tugged at your cheeks. 

You smacked his hand away and leaned back. “Get your dirty paws off of me!” 

“I don’t have paws!” 

He shoved his fingers into your face and wiggled them. “Can you count? There’s ten! Should we count together?” 

“Should we stop hanging out with Hyunjin so much, so you don’t pick up on his theatrics?” 

“Meanie! Meanie!” He cried louder with a finger pointed at your face. “You don’t really love me!” 

“You have three seconds to start running, before I start t-” 

With a loud yowl, he scrambled off your lap, jerked the car door open, and took off. You didn’t waste time getting out of the passenger’s seat and chasing him around your yard. No matter how much you seemed annoyed, you loved him with your entire heart.

_ _ _ 

Hyunjin: 

“Hmmh.” Hyunjin hummed softly as he took in your appearance. 

You were sitting criss-cross applesauce on the couch. Your hands were folded in your lap. For quite a while now, you have been zoned out. 

“Can you hear me?” He asked, but received no response. “What if I raise my voice?” His tone grew louder by a few octaves. When you didn’t respond, he frowned. “How peculiar.” 

He stepped closer, but you were still in your own world. Wrapped around in your own pleasant daydream, you had no idea what was coming. Hyunjin’s hand outstretched and he gently waved it in front of your face, but no response. 

He stepped closer and bent down towards you. With narrowed eyes, he pushed his head towards yours. “If I told you I knew all your secrets, would that snap you out of this?” He whispered. 

When you didn’t respond, he stuck his tongue out with a scowl. With no response, he sat back on his legs with a sigh. His eyes narrowed while he tried to figure out how to snap you out of your daze. It wasn’t new for you, it was something you did a lot. He usually didn’t mind it, but he wanted to talk to you. 

His face lit up once he realized what he could do. With a small giggle, he pushed himself up and took off to the bedroom. When he came back, he stepped halfway into the living room and stared down at you. 

“I’m giving you one more chance to snap out of it.” 

With no response, he shrugged. “I suppose I’ll have to resort to more drastic measures.” He raised the nerf gun and then he- 

Ping!

A cry escaped your lips as the styrofoam bullet slammed directly into your eye socket. The stinging pain caused your eye to water. He gasped and came rushing towards you, the plastic gun hit the floor in the process. 

“Oh my god, are you okay? I’m so sorry! I was aiming for your forehead!” 

As you rubbed your eye, he dropped to his knees and cupped your face. You blinked rapidly, trying to get over the faint current of pain. His hand cupped your cheek as he gently pulled your hands away. “Here, let me see it.” 

Your eye was bright red from irritation and watery. Other than that, it seemed to be fine. “Can you see?” He gently turned your head from side to side. His hand reached into the air. “How many fingers am I holding up?” 

“A few,” you mumbled as you rubbed your eyes again. “What was that for?” 

“You zoned out and I wanted your attention.”  

“You could have just shaken me.” 

“Well, yeah, but…” He trailed off with a frown. “I’ll remember that for next time. Are you alright? Do you need me to take you to the hospital? I can call an ambulance if we need to.” 

“I’ll be fine, I just think I need to flush it with cold water. I think dirt got into it or maybe it’s just my eyelashes.” 

“Do you want me t-” 

“Not really, I’ve got it.” 

He felt awful as he leaned back. You got up and started to walk back to the hallway. He frowned and turned back to go after you, but to his surprise, you were holding the nerf gun at his head. 

“Baby?” His eyes went wide. “What are you doing?” 

“Payback.” 

“Wait!” He cried as he curled into himself. “It was an accident! I didn’t mean to nearly take out your eye! Don’t do this to me, you’re better than this! This isn’t you!” 

“You did this to me!” 

“Nuh-uh! I-” 

Ping! 

Hyunjin shrieked as you pulled the trigger. The neon green bullet flashed through the air and before you knew it, there was a soft pop. The rubber section on the end had attached itself to the center of his forehead. 

He groaned and placed a hand to his heart. Without another word, he slumped back against the couch with wide open eyes. His tongue fell out of the corner of his mouth and you snorted. 

His own snort fell out before he clamped a hand over his mouth. “Baby, don’t make me laugh. Corpses aren’t supposed to giggle. I’m trying to commit to the bit!” 

“You’ve already failed.” 

“I was doing so good until you made me laugh.” He reached up, pulled the bullet off, and dropped it to the ground. “Really though, let me help you.” 

“I’m banning nerf guns.” 

“You know what? I’m not mad about it. You should because next time, I might accidentally kill you somehow.” 

_ _ _ 

Han: 

“Honey?” Han’s voice came from behind you. The two of you were curled up on the couch together.

“Hmm?” 

“Do you feel like talking today?” 

“Not really. What about you? Do you feel like talking today?” 

“Meh, not much. It’s just one of those days, you know?” 

“Oh, believe me, I know.” 

A soft sigh came from Han. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you tighter to his chest. You didn’t fight it as your legs tangled together. 

He shifted and gently placed his face in the crook of your neck. With a deep inhale, he got a whiff of your scent. The sweetened smell of your shampoo and conditioner sent soothing waves of bliss through his body. 

Your hands reached up and gently laid on his own hands. A faint blush came across your cheeks as he gently pressed a soft kiss to your neck. The simple gesture sent electric shocks along your spine. 

Both of you had days where you weren’t up for much talking. Talking required energy and sometimes, you just didn’t feel like it. Sometimes, you had days where you wanted to live in your head. 

It was nice to be in a relationship with someone who understood it. The two of you didn’t have to do anything because you understood one another. Sometimes, you both just wanted to relax without the desire to talk. 

It was so nice to have a connection with someone where the two of you just got it. It wasn’t often that people like this existed, but the ones that were out there, they were special. The comfortable silence where actions spoke louder than words, you wouldn’t change it for anything. 

For the rest of your life, you’d cherish it. 

_ _ _ 

Felix: 

“So lately, I have been thinking about what you told me the other day and your quietness. I used to think that maybe I was doing something wrong, so I did some research on it. I learned that sometimes people that are quiet tend to be more introverted and self-sufficient.” 

You hummed softly in agreement with his words. The two of you were sprawled out on a blanket in a park. With the bright yellow sun radiating warmth from above, you soaked up the bliss of the day. 

The warmth of the sun, the chirping birds, the feeling of Felix playing with your hair, and the scent of wildflowers. For the past twenty minutes, your head had been laying on his lap. 

Intrigued by the small patch of flowers nearby, he asked if he could put them in your hair. You didn’t fight it and that’s when his fingers started to weave the stems in. 

The eye-catching yellow of buttercups, the pollinated dandelions that stained the tips of his fingers a matching brilliant color. The milky white yarrow that he weaved between the two shades of yellow. You didn’t mind any of it. 

“I think that can be such a beautiful thing, you know? How cool is it to function inside your own head? Some people think that’s a weakness, but I don’t think that it is.” 

“I wish I could do that sometimes, but I tend to cling onto people. I like to have my voice heard and I want to be praised. I’m sure you want that too, so I’m here to tell you that I think that’s an amazing ability to have.” 

“I know you talk sometimes and every time you do, I feel like it’s such a privilege for me. I don’t get to see everything inside your mind all the time. I know it must be pretty scary to be vulnerable and open up to people. Google says that sometimes people are afraid to be more loud.” 

“I don’t know if that’s true for you and you don’t have to respond to that. You don’t have to respond to any of this, I’m just…” He smiled and continued to braid strands of your hair. “You see? I’m just venting and rambling again.” 

“If you ever need anything, I hope you come to me. If I’m talking too much, just let me know. Google also said that sometimes people prefer listening rather than talking. Despite my constant stream of conversation, I hope that you know you can talk to me too.” 

“Whatever is going on in that brain of yours, it’s fascinating. I love you so much and even if there’s days where you rarely speak, I’ll love you anyway.” 

He bent down over your head and pressed a warm kiss to your head. “So thank you for being you and thank you for being mine.” 

“Thank you for understanding,” you softly got out as your eyes met his. “So many people can be cruel about it. Sometimes I just…I don’t know, I just feel better being quiet.” 

“And there’s nothing wrong with that. If you ever have any issues for anyone, just let me know, sweetheart. I’ll put those taekwondo lessons to good use.” 

_ _ _ 

Seungmin: 

There was a silent tension between the two of you that you didn’t know how to break. In the distance, people quietly talked among themselves. The two of you were dressed up and in some well-known Italian restaurant. 

Seungmin’s fork scraped across his glass plate and you winced at the harsh sound. You twirled your fork around your own pasta. The scent of fresh basil and acidic tomato reached your nostrils. 

“Are you okay?” You finally got out. 

“Am I okay? Yeah, I’m perfectly fine. It’s not like I brought my significant other out to dinner and have been ignored half the night. I’m totally fine, don’t worry.” 

You pressed your lips together in a frown. This wasn’t going how you intended it to go at all. Seungmin had been looking forward to this night for quite a while now and you were destroying it with your hesitation to speak. 

“I’m sorry,” you finally got out. “I haven’t meant to come off that way. I’ve had a long day and sometimes I get overwhelmed and I mentally shut down. I didn’t mean for you to think I was ignoring you.” 

Seungmin’s head perked up at your voice. “Rough day at work?” He threw out the suggestion as a hail mary.

“You have no idea. My boss has been up my ass and down my throat at the same time and-” 

“I hope they haven’t because that’s my job.” 

You blinked, entirely taken back by his words. The confusion laced in your face made him chuckle. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding, so what’s the big issue? Why is your boss being the big bad wolf?” 

“Because he’s a dick,” you grumbled. “He’s constantly telling us to work faster and that our work isn’t good enough. Yet at the exact same time, earlier he told us that we should be proud of ourselves and then offered us an ice cream day.” 

“How can a person be hot and cold at the same time? I don’t understand it and I’ve been silently thinking about it. It’s annoying and I just-” You shut your eyes and sighed. “Sorry for ruining dinner, I’m just trying to process everything.” 

“You didn’t ruin dinner, I’m just annoyed and taking it out on you. I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve done something like this. I just want to enjoy it, you know? Not to be a sap, but I’ve missed you lately.” 

“You see me every day.” 

“I can see you every day and still miss you. You can be sitting at the bar while I make breakfast and I’ll still miss you. I can’t believe I’m admitting it, but I’ve got a soft spot for you.” 

Your face softened at his words and a teasing grin grew across his face. “While I’m at it, I should point out that you got sauce on your face.” 

Your face fell instantly. “What?” Your eyes widened in shock. “Where?” 

He bent down, dipped his finger in his pasta sauce, and smeared it across the tip of your nose. Your face scrunched, you grabbed your napkin, and quickly wiped it away. 

“Seungmin! We’re in a public restaurant!” 

“So? Who cares? They should be thankful for dinner and a show.” 

“You are unbelievable,” you mumbled while still wiping your nose off. The scent of tomato still lingered in your nostrils. 

“I love you too.” 

_ _ _ 

Jeongin: 

“And then I wrecked my car.” 

“Mmhm.” 

“And I flipped it.” 

You hummed again. 

“With me inside it.” 

“And then?” 

“It blew up and I died.” 

“Wow,” your voice came out flat. 

Jeongin knew you weren’t listening and that was proof of it. He leaned back in his chair with a deep-seeded sigh. Usually, you were pretty good at listening, but once your hands were full, you tended to zone out. 

There you were in the kitchen with an apron. Ingredients were scattered throughout. There was a pile of flour here and there. The front of your black apron was smeared in it. 

You dumped a bag of chocolate chips into the messy dough that you created. Struggling to stir the sticky batter, you sighed and wiped your hand along your forehead. In the process, a mixture of butter and vanilla smeared along your skin. When you felt the greasy texture, you groaned. 

Jeongin couldn’t help, but laugh. You shot him a glare, stomped your foot, and huffed. “It’s not funny!” 

“Sometimes, I think it’s ironic that you were born a blonde.” 

“Do you have a death wish?” You flung the wooden spoon up with annoyance. Both of your eyes widened in shock at the soft splat behind you. A hand cupped your mouth as you whipped around. 

Dough stuck to the peach wallpaper. You cursed and rushed over, wetting a rag in the process, to wipe it away before you ruined the wallpaper. Jeongin couldn’t help, but laugh again. 

“You’re such a klutz sometimes.” 

“It’s not my fault I was born blonde! That’s not even a nice assumption! Do you know how many blondes are smart?” 

“What a shame that one of them isn’t you.” 

With a whim of anger, you stuck your hand into the sticky cookie batter and whipped a ball of it at him. He yelped as the heavy batter stuck to his white shirt. “Hey!” He cried out. “What was that for?” 

“Do you want another one?” 

“No!” 

“Take it back!” 

“No!” 

With a fierce determination, you picked up that bowl and began to march towards him. He screeched and got up to run away. The two of you bickered while you ran. 

“Stay away from me, you demon!” 

“Get back here!” 

“Run faster!” 

“I’m trying!” 

Unfortunately, you forgot about the flour that had begun to coat the bottom of your bare feet. White footprints of yours began to circle around the middle of the kitchen island. Jeongin’s socked feet were causing the same issue. 

Before you knew it, you squeaked as your feet slipped in a spot of melted butter. Down you went and Jeongin spun around with wide eyes. The hollow thunk sent both of you into sudden shock. 

The wet and warm texture of the batter coated your scalp. Your teeth bit into your bottom lip. You squeezed your eyes shut and then-

“Hey, babe, I think you’ve got something on your head.” He reached out with a fist and knocked on the metal bowl. “Anyone home in that head of yours?” 

“I’m going to kill you.” 

“I’d like to see you try, helmet head.” 

You opened your mouth, but the feeling of batter sliding down your forehead stopped you. You sucked in a deep breath and let out an annoyed sigh. A glob of greasy batter slipped down the curve of your nose. 

Deep-belly laughter came from Jeongin as he collapsed to his knees in front of you. You pressed your lips together, but soon you found yourself laughing too. You reached up and pulled the bowl off your head. You already knew it was going to take a lot of shampooing and warm water to get everything out. 

“I wish you could see your face right now. You look so silly. Oh god, I love you so much.” 

“It’s not,” you sucked in a breath, “funny.” 

“You’re right.” He whipped around and pulled out his phone. You glared as he pressed a few buttons. “It’s hilarious, so say hi to the guys for me.” 

“Wha-” 

With a loud click of his phone, he snapped a photo. “This will look so good in the group chat. They’ve been asking about you lately, I think this will be sufficient.” 

“Don’t you dare!” 

“What are you going to do? Stop me?” 

“You’re so lucky there’s a ton of batter weighing me down and holding me back.” 

“Sure, blame the batter and not yourself. Not like you want to risk tripping and falling again, hmm?” You stuck your tongue out at him and he mirrored your expression. 

His hand stuck out to help you up. “Come on, butterfingers. Let’s go get you out of this mess. In the meantime, I think I’ll just ask Felix if he can bake us some cookies instead.” 

| ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ | ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ | ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ |

Taglist: @lina-linny @straykidsstanforeverandever @seungnishi

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Taglist and inbox rules

[venusandsaturnsrings]

Thoughts on Wriothesley?

I HAVE A LOT THANK YOU FOR ASKING!! cant wait for his bday so i have better art to use as a header… his bday is 3 days before mine >///< almost bday twins!!

synopsis: just a handful of general headcanons i have for him. some are relationship, some are just him!! ^u^

contains: some spoilers for his background, gn reader, trauma related hcs, substance mention, and kink mentions.

wrio is the kind of guy to dance around subjects he has no interest in sharing. he won’t outright tell you not to ask and instead twist it back to you. a lot of “well, what do you think?” or “hm… have you checked with others?” it’s polite but also frustrating at times.

you may think he’s a dog person but he’s actually a cat kind of guy!! i can see him liking dogs for practical purposes but he enjoys cats more because he bonds better with them. what’s better than a cup of tea and a happy cat purring in your lap?

can shotgun any beverage no problem.

he collects tea obviously but he also collects mugs to go with them!! big cabinet!! if you’re ever stumped on what to get him as a gift, you can’t go wrong with a cute mug and tea.

can’t play any instruments and feels a bit insecure about it?? wrio feels like he should have some extra talents or hobbies such as music but he can’t play anything and doesn’t know where to start!! please teach him!!

his favourite dates are ones spent in secluded areas of the over world. on beaches or in small towns, he just likes being away from work and in privacy with you.

wrio does expect you to understand and accept his job. if you’re not okay with the way he runs things or prioritizes then, even if it hurts him, he’ll let you go the other way.

he’s not opposed to suggestions or changing the way things run but, if you want him to restructure everything or quit, then he’s saying goodbye.

MELTS for massages. between being hunched over a desk and boxing, he’s sore constantly. please massage him!!

his primary love language to give is words of affirmation. if you’re ever feeling insecure or unsure of something, wrio is quick to step in and praise you for the smallest things.

his favourite love language to receive is, somewhat surprisingly, physical touch.

he isn’t big on being touched in general or into the beginning of your relationship (part of the ptsd related to his past) but once he’s comfortable, he’ll perk up at even a graze of your fingertips. very much a deprived victorian maiden.

on the topic of his past i do see him as having ptsd. when he was younger, he had oppositional defiance disorder and struggled a lot with containing those emotions before and after his parents. being in prison i think it’s likely he had some substance problems at one point, alcohol or benzodiazepines maybe, but he’s gotten clean!!

i think he’s a total straight edge now except for smoking cigarettes. doesn’t drink or do any other drugs but just can’t seem to kick his smoking habit. he tries drinking tea instead of reaching for his cigs though!!

getting intimate… was a struggle for him at first.

it’s very vulnerable!! he isn’t a fan of that!! so you’ll have to take it slow with him at first.

once he’s warmed up to it and gotten into a rhythm with you, i see his top kinks being: restraints, receiving head/cock worship, creampies, spitting on you, and mild exhibitionism.

wrio has a solid length but is significantly girthy!! it’s a tough fit at first and your jaw always hurts sucking him off :(( but he gives you a good face fucking!! plus it means he can plug you full of cum real well!!

he’s got a teeny tiny secret idea about sharing you with neuvillette but shhh don’t tell him i told you…

[darcyfangirlsfrequently]

*finally logging onto tumblr FOUR HOURS after the trailer drops*

*cracks knuckles* okay. lets go.

LOVE that we are getting luke content out of the gate. the trailer as a whole seems very luke-heavy and i am HERE FOR IT bc he deserves his moment in the spotlight

Luke slamming Sicarius against the bars of the jail cell???? oh my god????

i think it's just proof for my gold star luke theory. alternate options are sicarius saying smth about Penelope (maybe Alexei Stanovich?) or Luke's family. regardless i am HYPED.

Speaking of Gold Star Luke. When Tara and Emily are talking about this unsub, Tara mentions they were military/gvmnt trained AND THE FIRST THING SHE MENTIONS IS RANGERS????????? Ex-gold star luke is SO REAL

also luke isn't the guy getting tortured, yay!! could just be a local cop or smth

OKAY SO TARA AND EMILY-----

NEVER DID I THINK A CM TRAILER WOULD GIVE ME MORE TEMILY THAN GARVEZ IN A TRAILER BUT WE GOT 0 GARVEZ BUT FEDDDD FOR TEMILY

EMILY SMOKING(!) ON THE ROOF(?) AND TARA STANDING THERE TALKING TO HER????? CAN YOU SAY BALCONY SCENE 2.0?????????

AND THEM PITCHING THE CASE TO THE TEAM WITH THE DETAILS ABOUT THE KILLERRRRRRRR I LOVE THEMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Also everyone is saying the dirctor (Phil Coulson my love) is the person behind the door but i swear i heard sicarius say "doctor"??? i thought the director was just bringing the other person in. I thought it was Gideon's ex.

poor rossi and his PTSS. someone let that man retire

rebecca on the jet!! with Penelope!! why??

even if i am wrong about Gold Star Luke, he'll still be instrumental bc of his army background, which means our boy finally gets his time to shine!!!!!

this also means that we'll likely see a forced tyler/luke team-up which means love triangleeee (i'm excited about the love triangle if you aren't don't debate it with me, let me enjoy)

I AM EXCITED FOR THIS SEASON IF YOU ARE NOT PLEASE DO NOT RAIN ON MY PARADE IN MY NOTES PLZ AND THANK YOUUUUU

[milgram-tournament]

MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 1, Match 3 THROW DOWN vs. THIS IS HOW TO BE IN LOVE WITH YOU

Propaganda for both options under the cut!

Propaganda for THROW DOWN:

silly point is that throw down was my top song for this past year and i havent even been into milgram that long so. good song. also i sang it on stage once so. anyway

Flower imagery!!!! god i love flower imagery

the vocals are good

it has a banger es cover too

"ethics are a delusion" is singlehandedly the funniest line to come out of the t1 songs

the mv is SO pretty like. holy shit

the first note constantly jumpscares me

also i like the clock sounds in the background of the verses

the instrumental,,,,

throwdown is just a really nice. calmish song that still has the whole desperation thing conveyed through his voice props to va for that cuz its relatively subtle but really adds to it imo

im reiterating that ethics is a delusion is the funniest thing to me

also i really like the bridge (the whisper part)

irrelevant to the song itself but i like his fit in throw down i'd wear that irl

gardening/pruning as imagery is so fun for a surgeon character

also vocally i just really like throw down its calm sounding yet theres a hint of like. desperation? despair? in his voice and thats really cool to me

---

Jackalope's note: Only one propaganda piece... hmmhehe. Well, I'm glad our resident pretty girl got tons of asks! But I feel a little bad about Shidou, so let's let him argue his case at least! Oi! Shidou! Get over here! Oi! Sheesh, it's like he can't even hear me! This is why I need to send the reminders early...

(mod's propaganda: While I love both songs very much, Throw Down has a special place for me in that I can actually sing it. You sing way too fast, Mappi!! I also just think using flower imagery both made the MV one of the prettiest ones we have yet and helped distance both the viewer and shidou himself to the reality of his sin... I also really like the ethics is a delusion bit lol)

Propaganda for TIHTBILWY:

okay so like the thing im most in love with: the VOCALS!!!! this song has an absolutely AMAZING singer and AMAZING vocals!!!! the way the conversational talk-singing lines still feel so musical!!!! the cute cute cuteeeee mahiru voice!!!! it brings you so much energy!!!! its a song sung with so much love!!!! mahirus va brings such an amazing feel to the song with such amazing talk-singing!!!! its very skillfully done and it happens in i love you too!! mahiru songs r the QUEENS of musical talk singing

the silly phone call bit. kurururu~!

the little vocal flourish and the way her voice raises up like an excited exclamation in the final prechorus!! daijoubu nante kirai DA!

its such a fast song but everything flows so well!!!! it makes it feel so bright and cheery and peppy!!

the instrumental is so underrated just LISTEN to that catchy bass line thats so pretty in the verses!!!! no for real even if u dont vote this is how to be in love with you go listen to the bass line in the verses it works to move both the song and the listener forward at mahirus sweeping breakneck pace. and the cute keyboard sounding and synth instruments!!!! its SUCH a danceable song!!!! i cant listen to it without bopping along in my seat

the way the ominous bits are subtly hidden? it all sounds so cute but there are just these Things that she sings that are really kind of concerning and unhealthy when she sings them!! and the veiled desperation to be in her relationship- listening to that and the cheery tone and breakneck, quick song pace, it really does represent mahiru SO well. she throws in all these little bits that just go noooo teehee the relationships just fine!! when it REALLY isnt

i would listen to mahiru talk for hours

the MV!!!!!! HER FASHION SENSE THE MAGAZINE STYLE!!!! the magazine style especially works so well with her character!!!! its so cute and stunning and just looking at it you have a blast. also her birdcage!!!! her birdcage and the bright orange and the pink bars!!!! the way everything desaturates and becomes more sickly looking when she wakes up at the end!!!! its such a happy carefully curated and designed dream and then it drains away!!!! also god all her outfits are stunning. mahiru call me

the way she sings "overheat de~!" cutest thing in the WORLD.

the little faces she makes!!!! godddd shes so expressive

actually the whole songs so expressive!!!! shes putting her all into it!!!! her words have so much expression in them!!!! once more praising mahirus va the way her voice can soften and become bright or subtly desperate so quickly is MASTERFUL control of expression when singing and its so underrated. join me in being insane over miho okasaki delivers her lines. shes such a perfect mahiru.

funniest es cover. hands down. funniest es cover.

this is how to be in love with you is FREE serotonin!!!! free energy right there!!!! this is how to be in love with you sweep!!!!!

---

-The song is so cheerful!! I always feel like dancing and singing when this one comes up in my playlists!! Absolute banger, mood definer, kicking sadness in the shin with those high-heels and then hitting its face with a cute purse -THE HIGH-HEELS STEPPING TO THE BEAT OF THE MUSIC IN THAT ONE SCENE (0:50). SIMPLY ICONIC. NO ONE DID IT LIKE HER. -👠💅👝👗 -She is slaying. Look at her outfits. She put so much effort there. She gave it her all. Absolutely serving. -SUKITTE KIMOCHI WAKATTA TSUMORI? NARA KONO MAMA FUTARI O-VA-HI-TO- DE -The storyline of the mv MAKES SENSE and you can form a COHESIVE TIMELINE OF EVENTS (unlike other unspecified contestants' mvs you know 🙄) -look at herr 🥺 she beby 🥺 all she did was love too much 🥺 we all love mappi don't we 🥺 she deserved more let her win this pleease 🥺 -No medical malpractice happened in the making of this mv 👍

---

I care so much about This is How To Be In Love With You- it's visuals are brilliant in the ways it conveys its themes and narrative. I'm never normal Ever about the "Love as marketing" symbolism that is brought in by the use of magazines. It's a lovely upbeat song but the Horrors are Always Lurking under it, the breakup Ritual line is my Favorite Line cause its so horrifying but its said so casually and its so good oh its so good-

[tavolgisvist]

Here's a case where John discovers from someone else where he probably got a song from. From the Double Fantasy sessions:

ELLIOT MINTZ, series host: Now at the end of this run-through, off in the background, studio engineer Jon Smith sings a phrase from the song Flower Princess reminded him of, You Make Me Feel Brand New, a smash by the Stylistics in 1974. JON SMITH (sings falsetto): "You make me feel brand new." JOHN LENNON: Ah, that's where I got it from, is it? (laughs) That's why I have to rewrite it. I just want the backing. ELLIOT MINTZ: A few minutes later, with producer Jack Douglas ready to roll a tape for real, John sets the vibes for the players. JOHN LENNON: Relax, have fun. We'll take a couple of tracks. I have to rewrite the damn thing anyway 'cause it's like everything we ever heard. I'll go home, listen to the samba and bring it with me in case that's what I really need. But let's just have a nice little bit of fun, lay it down, then we can go. Ok?

A little bit on timeline: 1 The summer of 1973 - early 1975 (18 months): John lives with May Pang ('lost weekend') 2 28 March-02 April: John and Paul have a good time in L.A. 3 May 5, 1974: The Stylistics' You Make Me Feel Brand New was released as a single

My love I'll never find the words, my love To tell you how I feel, my love Mere words could not explain Precious love You held my life within your hands Created everything I am Taught me how to live again

Only you Cared when I needed a friend Believed in me through thick and thin This song is for you, filled with gratitude and love

God bless you You make me feel brand new For God blessed me with you You make me feel brand new I sing this song 'cause you Make me feel brand new

My love Whenever I was insecure You built me up and made me sure You gave my pride back to me Precious friend With you, I'll always have a friend You're someone who I can depend To walk a path that sometimes bends

Without you Life has no meaning or rhyme Like notes to a song out of time How can I repay you for having faith in me?

God bless you You make me feel brand new For God blessed me with you You make me feel brand new I sing this song for you You

4 July-August, 1974: John records Bless You

Bless you, wherever you are Windswept child on a shooting star Restless spirits depart Still we're deep in each other's hearts

Some people say it's over Now that we spread our wings But we know better, darling The hollow ring is only last year's echo

Bless you, whoever you are Holding her now Be warm and kind-hearted And remember though love is strange Now and forever our love will remain

Why Bless You, if Jon Smith and John Lennon talk about (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess? Because not only instrumental entry of The Stylistics' song reminds the line 'forgive me, my little flower princess' but and the line 'you make me feel brand new' reminds the line 'on a shooting star' ('in each other's hearts'/'and kind-hearted'/'our love will remain').

In a way, it [Bless you] is about Yoko and I, and in a way it’s about a lot of couples or all of us who go through that, whatever it’s called, love experience. You know, the way love changes, which is one of the surprises of life that we all find out: that it doesn’t remain exactly the same all the time, although it’s still love. It comes in mysterious forms, its wonders to perform. And ‘Bless You’ expresses one side of it.

(John Lennon)

5 The summer of 1980: John during his holiday in Bermuda writes (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess

Forgive me, my little flower princess For crushing your delicateness Forgive me, if you could forgive me

Forgive me, my little flower princess For my utter selfishness Forgive me, forgive me

Well, I know there is no way to repay you Whatever it takes I will try to The rest of my life I will thank you Thank you, thank you, my little

If you forgive me, my little flower princess Never too late unless you can't

Time is on our side Let's not waste another minute Because I love you, my little friend I really love you

Give me just one more chance And I'll show you Take up the dance where we left off The rest of our life is the, my little

I'm home

And what I want to say? Maybe both of these John's tunes were written in same time and were inspired by The Stylistics' You Make Me Feel Brand New. Maybe they were written in different time. But it seems for me like they link among themselves. And it means (for me) they was written about one and the same persen, 'whoever you are'.

[scythegirl13]

EDWARD TWILIGHT EGOCENTRIC MANIAC!!!! HOW I LOVE IT SO

ok this is going to be analysis again but its going to be comparing it to sparkle and shine. first there are a lot of different instruments, and removal of some. the saxophone isnt that noticeable which is a very nice detail, and there is no piano. so lets get on with the show (oh hey that rhymes!)

alright theres so much going on so im sorry if i cant dissect everything but i believe there is no piano, which represents mary. of course, shes dead and by this part theres no reason for her to be there. thats such a sad thing to think about, there isn't anything about her that remains in edward and she was really just a queen on the chess board, knowing that the king is who she serves. which is just...depressing :(

NO BASS EITHER. i dont think deacon even got a talking line in this whole finale. speaking of bass and piano, this isnt a jazz track no more. if it is i dont know what sub genre. it has no saxophone, piano or bass, which are staple jazz instruments.

THE COOLEST THING IS THE FREAKING BASS SOLO AND VIOLIN SOLO. lets get this clear, violin is emizel in shilos skin, and bass is theo. the violin is clear and distinct and something that you can hear easily. while the bass is barely heard but oh so noticeable. you can barely hear it but you can easily follow its rhythm. i think that represents how theo is following the violin, and how the violin makes a clear path that theo just follows, like a right hand man. emizel is the real star of the show during this section, and it seems like he doesnt want to take it away. especially during the bass solo you can hear a harp and a violin support theos part, which represents shilo and emizel.

the choir is queen coded, but thats not what its representing. its representing which name gets to be royalty. bathroys vs edward basically. he wants royalty and wants to be king, while the bathroys (aka the twins) are trying to stop it. keeping the crown for selfish reasons, or just making sure that he doesnt get it are both possible and i think this what the whole part, hell maybe the whole song is trying to represent. if you were shilo, and had royalty your whole life, your mothers legacy resting on your shoulders, youve had this protection your whole life, and some sparkly bitch wants to take it away. youd fight for that shit too!!!

and despite the name, i could only really point out that the soloists in this song were emizel and theo, there was nothing that screamed edward to me. maybe hes just the whole song, fading into the background because hes too busy fighting, idk.

blegh, theres me yapping, have a great night. this song anyways is actually a really good track for edward and fits the whole prissy, stuck up theme that he has going on. maybe hes conducting the whole track, or its something that hes like "hit it boys!" and they start playing. thats funny. anyways, thanks for coming to my rambles again!

[venus-is-thinking]

Deciphering the DRDT Character Playlist

Hello DRDT community! @accirax and I took a look at the official character song playlist [remade version bc it got deleted or privated] and decided to take our own shot at figuring out whose is whose and what it means. It's pretty late, but we have at least some sort of a guess with reasoning for every song!

We used a combination of Genius lyrics, the vocaloid lyrics wiki, and google translation of Japanese lyrics in the YouTube description to get a decently functional interpretation of every song. Our theory goes through the songs in the order they show up on the playlist (we're pretty positive it isn't kill order), which means our confidence varies heavily from song to song. With that being said, let's go!

Diamond is Unbreakable by Yunno Kago: Ace Markey

This song does not have many lyrics, so a lot of our guess is based on vibes (though it gives much more than some other songs). The rock instrumental with more yell-based vocals feels like it suits Ace though, and I feel safe to say that Ace has had a breakdown (and may have many more in the future).

Sing Along by Sturgill Simpson: Teruko Tawaki

This song fits Teruko quite well. It has an edgier sound to it, but it isn't completely uncaring if you look at the lyrics.

I can't go on living alone now that you're gone You done me wrong, so here's your song

It reminds me of the scene where she plays with the cacti. She clearly misses Xander (and possibly others in her past), but that obviously doesn't stop her from feeling betrayed by them either.

There are a lot of lyrics about bitterness too (ex. "words can stab as deep as night," "bitter air and the winds of spite"), which reflect how Teruko has been treating the rest of the cast in Chapter 2. It's a duality of caring too much and acknowledging the harshness of the world, which encapsulates Teruko's character quite well.

RUNAWAY by half alive: Hu Jing

Not gonna lie, we were struggling on this one. This song is pretty much entirely predictive of a character arc that Hu might have later on. We're predicting this based on Hu's secret quote, which is basically the only reason we gave this song to her: "I want to pay for what I've done. But even then, I still want to live."

This implies that she has not paid for "what [she's] done," which probably relates to her secret. I know a lot of people think she might be the hopeless child, but I'm far more partial to the theory that Hu is the one who poisoned her competition. If she hasn't paid for it, it's possible she feels like she ran away, from the situation which could open the door for her handling those feelings later on.

cartoons by Louie Zong: Rose Lacroix

This entire song is about drawing and thought processes, which both relate to Rose's character pretty strongly. The recurring lyric of "it's all just cartoons in [her] head" makes me think of her photographic memory, which takes real life and permanently stores it in her mind.

There are also lyrics like "feeling every day the same" and "trying to make that old deadline" that strongly relate to her background with the Spurling Foundation. She feels like she's just watching the rest of her life go by as a corporate slave, and those feelings are wrapped up in a light and airy song, matching Rose's demeanor.

asymptotic by Louie Zong: Charles Cuevas

This is a silly little nerd love song. As a CharWhit shipper, I definitely think that there's a strong chance that this relates to Charles' feelings about Whit, calling him a "cutie face in x-y space" and other such things. It's pretty simple, but it's true that, romantic or not, a lot of Charles' character arc thus far has revolved around his relationship with Whit and realizing that he does enjoy spending time with his classmates.

However, notably, there's also the lyric "I'll forget," which made me start thinking about Charles' past he forgot about.

Asymptotic, obliquely Here's the point of this speech As close as we could ever get, you'll be just out of reach

This reads to me as being about Charles' memories or the older brother he doesn't remember losing. As close as he can get to remembering or understanding what happened through things like the secrets motive, it won't be the same as actually returning to that past or remembering it in full. Maybe that's reading into things a little too hard, but I think the interpretation is there to be read.

A Mistaken Belief of Love by Niru Kajitsu: Eden Tobisa

I'll be direct: this relates to our theories about how Eden is the Chapter 2 killer. I'm a particular proponent of the interpretation that Eden didn't believe Arei when she said she wanted to be friends and decided she wanted to escape back to her old life, to the girl she kissed. I'm not going to go into that Eden theory now, but @/1moreff-creator and @/thebadjoe have a great thread going back and forth which goes over a lot of what I personally believe to be true.

If you assume that Eden is the killer and wanted to be Arei's friend but gave up on the possibility when Arei snapped at her, the lyrics start to make sense. "Then I'll kill you at our rendezvous" would clearly relate to Eden summoning Arei to the playground just to kill her. "I just wanted to mistakenly believe that you loved me" relates to Eden's feelings towards Arei and the rest of the class, but that "mistaken belief" was shattered, causing her to kill.

Shunran by John/TOOBOE: Arei Nageishi

This song chronicles Arei's entire character arc, from prologue to death. It starts out much more aggressive and unfriendly, saying things like "I won't pay attention to small fry" and "I become angry easily." However, there's a recurring lyric that shows how she actually feels.

They say that praying to be loved is a sin. It has such a sweet scent.

Arei desperately wants to be loved, for people to be nice to her, but she's learned over the course of her life that she couldn't have that. Still, she can't help but want to be loved, so even when she knows that David is a manipulator, she still listens to his words. Even when she knows she's been awful to Eden, she swears she'll do anything to prove to Eden that she's serious, that she really does want to be her friend.

I pledged a ceasefire. My personality peeled off and fell because I have the courage to accept disappointment

As the song progresses, that desperate desire to be loved creeps its way into the actions the singer takes as well. Arei was willing to put aside her meanness she learned as a defense and try to stop the fighting, try to become friends, because she's strong enough to try even if she might fail. Through it all, all she wants is to be loved.

Yesman by Niru Kajitsu and Hachiya Nanashi: Nico Hakobyan

This song has a lot of lyrics relating to how the singer expresses scorn or insults. We know that this is a focal point of Nico's struggles with communication: they don't know what comes across as hostile or helpful.

However, as the song progresses, it gets more purposefully aggressive. There's a particular set of lines that seem to relate to how Nico interacts with Ace. They can tell Ace that they hate him, directly, and no one even blames them.

You could say that and you're still just a kid. How amazing!

This, in my mind, relates to Nico saying that they'll kill Ace (and clearly meaning it), but Hu still babies them. They can get away with all kinds of things.

There's no reason for me to turn back now, huh? I was caught in my own trap

Nico then, realizing that they can get away with a lot, goes after Ace, trying to literally kill him. They were caught, though, explaining the second lyric here.

The song also has a prominent lyric: "I'm an introvert, just waiting." There are variations on this, but I think it gets across the core idea: Nico is quiet, but they're still a part of the story the whole time, waiting for an opportunity to get their way.

Undead Enemy by Suzumu and Giga P: David Chiem

This song hinges around David's false persona of smiles and motivation and his true self who hates everything and everyone.

For whatever reason, he put on a mask symbolizing The leading role he had yearned for in the past.

Here, David is choosing to put on that motivational speaker persona.

And, from the next day onward, The unhappy boy's smile did not falter, He was even loved by someone

David then keeps up that happy and inspirational self, without fail, so that the world will love and accept him as the Ultimate they expect him to be.

However, the lyrics are filled with more hateful lines that sound more like him in Episode 11.

Slander and criticize, and then, I won't need anyone else. Just leave me alone

I act spitefully in disgust and force a smile

While he pretends to be happy and good, he knows himself to be much worse. This song focuses on those true colors.

Drawing Pins by Nothing but Thieves: Levi Fontana

Levi is a very pensive character. The main line of the song is "tell me what you did it for, 'cause I can't figure it out." That could relate to Levi's apparent struggles to understand others and what the "correct" thing to do in social situations is, like when he asks others how to handle the situation with Ace. I also like the interpretation that he could be talking to himself, wondering why he did what he did in the past. (Whatever mysterious past Levi has, it's clear that he did some things he's not thrilled about, and he seems to have a lot of feelings surrounding it.)

What do I have to do To be loved, loved by you

I'm personally not an AceVi shipper, but this line would definitely relate to Ace. Levi messed up in the first trial, threatening Ace, but in Chapter 2, he's trying to make up for it. Nothing he seems to do works, though, so he's at a loss as to what he could possibly do to make it up to him.

Hi-Fi Evolution Theory by Keu Studio: Veronika Grebenshchikova

Disclaimer, we had to put this song through google translate, so our lyrics might not be entirely correct.

Given that, though, I'm pretty confident this song must be Veronika's. There are a lot of lyrics that indicate her, but the most important ones surround what we've most recently learned about her: she can't stand boredom and will do just about anything for fun.

But is it selfish to have fun?

The one who laughs last is the winner

Even though Veronika knows that enjoying the killing game or possibly even working against the group's best interests in it is stupid at best and evil at worst, she'll still do it as long as it keeps her entertained. If she's selfish, she's selfish; she'll do it either way.

tip toes by half alive: Min Jeung

This song heavily ties into Min's outlook which she explains in her bonus episode. The lyrics mention a "need to be known," or a "pride" that's "screaming." She internalized a core need to become an Ultimate to keep her going forward and to preserve her hope.

She does want to change her behavior, though.

My future will listen to me, Listen to me, listen to me

Min is trying desperately to find a life for herself now that she's become an Ultimate. She wants to learn how to live after she's achieved the goal that her entire life has centered around. This song is her searching for the life that she wants to live in spite of her previous experience.

The song also sounds sort of desperate with its repetition of "listen to me" and the overall vibe of the instrumental. This fits in with Min's increasing desperation as she realizes, at the end of the first trial, that she won't have a future to figure out anymore.

Polygonal by fallstay (ふぁるすてぃ): Xander Matthews

This one was also put through google translate, so apologies for any mistranslations!

This song makes sense for Xander if you consider his clear survivor's guilt, visible through both his bonus episode and his secret quote, which is, in the most literal way possible, the dictionary definition of survivor's guilt. It mentions a "life full of mistakes" and describes other similar thoughts.

I'm dizzy and it hurts so much that I feel like throwing up

The urge to scream and someone's loud sobbing

That's my pain

These all feel like ways Xander interprets his past, which is his pain. We already know that Teruko accidentally running into him and hitting his eye hurt so badly he passed out, which is a step beyond "dizzy." Someone could be sobbing about his past; maybe it's even him. The things in his past that haunt him are what shape who he is and his actions, and that's what this song is about.

Spitfire (05 Version) by The Prodigy: J Rosales

This one has like one lyric. The vibes fit J though, and I don't really know who else's it would be or what other song would be hers, so it stays.

desk rotation by RQ laji-2: Arturo Giles

I'm not gonna lie. This is an instrumental. We have no idea what it means. This was process of elimination. I don't know what other song Arturo's would be so he gets this one.

(In all seriousness, you COULD give this one to Hu because it's music and she's a musician, give Arei the more hopeful RUNAWAY and give Arturo Shunran. The beginning of Shunran fits him decently, but I think the interpretation sort of falls apart in the middle of the song, at least given what I know about his character, and I think it fits Arei much better.

After we read some other theories, too, we think there's a viable shuffle that goes like this:

desk rotation: Hu (musical connection) tip toes: Arturo (generally prideful, future emphasis contrasting with his secret forcing him to think about the past) asymptotic: Min (abstracted to apply to the life she wants to seek out, math works as Ultimate Student) RUNAWAY: Charles (relating to him "running" from his past memories, positive growth arc)

While I still like our initial interpretations for Charles asymptotic and Min tip toes, I like the handling of RUNAWAY and desk rotation better with this one.)

For whatever it's worth, I also think there's a slight possibility that desk rotation is a placeholder song. It's a complete instrumental (all other songs have at least SOME lyrics), so it wouldn't be too insane to me if they had a song that they decided was just too spoiler-y to be released to the public. In that case, I think it's possible desk rotation will one day be replaced with a different song. Realistically, though, it's probably just here and we have to figure out what the hell it means.

Good Grief by Bastille: Whit Young

Whit obviously lost his mother at some point, who he clearly idolizes. You can see the glowing way he talks about her in the laundry room with Teruko and Charles, and his secret quote is literally "We tend to idolize the dead." He loves his mother, but given his secret, it's clear that she is dead.

This song is about grief. Whit represses a lot of his emotions, so I expect he hasn't yet felt his grief in full and hasn't processed it. He has, however, made it very clear that he struggles with loneliness, and that has a lot to do with his loss. I think that, over the course of the story, he's going to have to actually process grief and experience sadness. While it's possible that'll just be due to the feelings he has surrounding his mother, given that he's in a killing game, I think that he'll have to confront personal loss again to have this arc.

Regrettably, I think that that'll probably come in the form of Charles dying, likely as a Chapter 3 victim. Others have theorized on that, but suffice it to say that, narratively and based on hints they've dropped, I think it's probably true ( :( ). Whit, as he clearly cares about Charles, would then be confronted with grief again. He'd have to endure it and learn to deal with the loss.

On the plus side, I'd expect he'd be likely to survive afterwards.

[timechange]

MCFLY JULY ‘24 — on the radio.

JULY 15, 1989

Marty sighs, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. He flexes his hands, rolling his shoulders, trying to work the kink out of his back before getting back to work. That’s pretty much the only downside of tinkering around with various unfinished projects of Doc’s; way too many hours spent hunched over. 

“That was Tom Petty with ‘I Won’t Back Down’ here on KWHV 108.3 and I’m your host, Jamie Lee.” The deejay’s voice is sweet and smooth, and he remembers, warmth creeping across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, that Jamie Lee was his first crush. As if it wasn’t enough she was the coolest girl inside the halls of Hill Valley High, outside of school she was the best basketball player and had the best music taste. A triple threat for sure. 

“Next up we’ve got something kinda special: a new group that’s been soaring through the charts and sent the music world spinning with their electrifying debut.” 

Marty feels his heart quicken in his chest and tries to tell himself to calm down, the radio static buzzing in his head. He drops the screwdriver, which clatters to the table clumsily. There’s no way. There’s absolutely no way in hell she could be talking about–

“So, without further ado, with their lead single ‘Strangerland’ off their album 88, give it up for Hill Valley’s very own hometown boys, McFly and the Flyaways!’ 

His stomach drops. He’d recognize that opening riff anywhere.

“Future sight can’t help me tonight, tired of waitin’ for time to restart–”

“Holy shit,” he breathes. “Holy shit!” he exclaims, leaping to his feet and not even caring that he hits his head on the way up. “Doc! DOC!” 

He only feels a little bad when the door gets kicked open and his best friend bursts into the room like he’s goddamn Batman, clad in safety goggles instead of a cape and wielding a fire extinguisher instead of a Batarang. 

“MARTY!” Doc cries, looking around like a man possessed, frantic in his search for some threat. “What is it? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

He runs to the scientist, grasping his upper arms. His face hurts from smiling so much. 

“Doc! Doc, listen!”

“—ghosts in my head, there’s a ghost in the mirror that I see instead—" comes his own voice a moment later. 

Marty bows his head, grip momentarily tightening. There’s a lump in his throat and when he looks up at Doc again, his blue eyes are watery.

“My song, Doc,” he whispers. An awestruck, dumbstruck, disbelieving smile on his face makes him look all of thirteen again and he couldn’t care less. He lets out a laugh that’s a little too close to a sob for comfort. “They’re playing my song.” 

The fire extinguisher falls to the ground with a thud as Doc returns the embrace, holding Marty at arm’s length so tightly he thinks he’ll wake up with bruises in the morning. If Marty thought his own smile was big and stupid, it had nothing on Doc’s. 

“Do you know what this means?” he murmurs. 

“You were right,” Marty replies. “All the stuff you said to me.” 

“If you put your mind to it…” Doc starts, gently.

“…You can accomplish anything,” Marty finishes. 

The chorus starts, crackly over the radio, but it’s the greatest thing he’s ever heard. 

“Oh, I’m lost in my dreams, fallin' apart at the seams, and time is slippin' through my hand

But I got somethin' to prove, so what have I got to lose?

I'm gonna make it outta this

Strangerland!

I gotta make it outta this

Strangerland!” 

“Woah,” Marty laughs, tears sliding down his face. “This is heavy.” 

Doc pulls him into a bone-crushing hug which he eagerly returns, the instrumentation that took them weeks to nail blaring in the background.

“You did it, Marty. You made it.”

“I made it,” Marty repeats, as if it’ll make it feel more real. He feels lighter than air and like he’s buzzing with electricity, like he’s flying over a thundercloud. “Holy shit, I made it.” A sudden realization shocks him and his eyes widen. “I-I gotta tell the guys!”

“Go on, go on!” Doc encourages, letting him go, watching him fondly as he almost trips over his feet and the rug trying to make it to the phone in Doc and Clara’s library and study. 

However, it’s already ringing when he gets there. 

“Yo!” he greets, out of force of habit.

“Marty!” his dad’s warm voice responds. 

“Marty, honey, turn on the radio, quick!” his mom jumps in. “They’re playing it! Your, um, your Stranger in a Strange Land song!” 

“It’s your song, kiddo!” His dad sounds full to bursting with joy. “And boy, does it sound great!” 

He laughs, using his thumb and forefinger in a fruitless attempt to try to stem the flow of tears.

“Thanks, guys.”

“Oh, sweetheart, we’re so happy for you. And so proud of you, too, so proud.” His mom sounds like she’s about to cry, too. “Linda’s taping it and everything and Dave has it playing at the office!”

“We love you, son,” his dad reminds him, “and you’ll be home for dinner, right?”

“Yeah, Dad. I will. Love you too.”

[dekupalace]

AJR'S INERTIA ANIMATIC SCRIPT

this shit is LONG btw I'm so sorry. I am not artistically talented enough to make this a real thing, but I hope the writing is nice enough!

SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE GAME! SERIOUSLY!!! PROCEED WITH CAUTION! cw for implied sui and sh!

[Opening “vocals” and instrumental have a rhythm similar to a ticking clock. Throughout this, a very high number will be rapidly decreasing in the background, with a clock ticking backwards - going back in time, dozens and dozens of loops ago.]

[MAL DU PAYS - just a single entity - stands in the center of the screen at the first vocal phrase, hovering similarly to Siffrin in the game over screen. On each repeated vocal, another MAL DU PAYS appears to the right, then to the left of the center entity, doing the same floating motion. When the vocals stretch and sound reverse, all entities of MAL DU PAYS will be thrown to the side like when Start Again is selected. It will then zoom in to the center entity—]

Inertia.

[—which will open its mouth as the first proper lyric comes in. It will zoom through the entity on the same beat, moving on from the scene.]

I've worn the same skinny jeans —

[Mira and Siffrin are talking as shown in the intro to Act 1, where she asks him if he's okay traveling with the party.]

— since I was fifteen.

[Siffrin smiles at Mira like we see in the same cutscene - he's never been happier!]

It's probably nothing.

[Mira looks at Siffrin with a concerned expression, and the screen fades to black.]

Inertia.

[MAL DU PAYS mouths the word again on the fade-to-black, and it zooms in once more to the next scene.]

[Similar to the cutscene in game, the scene pans down slowly from the top of the Favor Tree, showing Siffrin looking up towards it with his back turned towards the camera.]

My friends say they're quittin’ this week — to chase down their dreams.

[On beat with the song (¾ time signature, so every 3 beats), there will be slightly transparent scenes above Siffrin's head, like flashbacks - his friends are shown in the tree’s leaves, influencing his Wish. First it's Odile, who looks bored in the shop. Then Bonnie, who has their arms crossed over their chest, looking to the side sadly - they're thinking about their sister. Next is Mira, who has stars in her eyes, excited about what's to come next after their victory. And finally, Isa, who has one arm stretched out with the other hand gesturing towards his sleeve - showing off his fashion.]

They're probably bluffin’, but…

[The camera cuts to show a side profile of Siffrin, looking down at the leaf holding his Wish. He then lets go of the leaf and turns at the same time, as if the Wish he made wasn't that big of a deal. The screen once again fades to black.]

Don't you like it bigger, better —

[This sequence will have the scenes pop up, then slowly fade out, with the next scene popping up afterwards.]

[Siffrin and his party are eating happily in the Clocktower.]

— but you do what you can? (do what you can)

[Siffrin and Isa are laying in bed, Isa looking embarrassed with a sheepish smile, while Siffrin simply looks curious.]

Don't you like it a little better —

[The party looks up at the entrance to the House, their backs turned towards the camera, each of them holding their Orbs above their heads.]

— when you don't understand?

[With the camera facing their fronts, the party walks through the entrance of the first main room, everyone looking in different directions curiously.]

(don’t understand)

[Siffrin hovers his hand over the star save point, the rest of his party, evenly divided, looking around his shoulders in confusion.]

I was gonna save the planet —

[The party enters the Death Corridor. Mira is grabbing Siffrin’s cloak with a distressed look on her face, while Siffrin is squinting at her with a cocky smirk. He’s the trap master, he’s got this! There’s nothing to worry about!]

— but today I’ve got plans.

[With the camera at the other end of the room - the exit - Siffrin is shown looking around one of the middle pillars. Mira is seen in the background with her hands together in front of her chest, looking anxious. Isa is watching Siffrin with a little smile, and Odile and Bonnie are in the opposite corner, Bonnie looking at the wall while Odile looks down at Bonnie.]

I guess this is just what I am.

[The camera cuts back to be by the party, only Siffrin being shown in the shot. He stands in the middle of the room with a big smile on his face, showing off a thumbs up. Everything is fine!]

[On the first beat to the three ticks of the instrumental, multiple scenes will pop up on screen similarly in style to the previous ones.]

[A massive rock appears above Siffrin’s head.]

[Siffrin wakes up in the meadow.]

[He sits up quickly, like he was waking up from a nightmare.]

I'm an —

[The lyrics will start during the last fade-out of Siffrin waking up. Once it does, MAL DU PAYS will zip across the screen in the darkness towards the right - coming back to the present time rather than going back. No more backstory. No more prologue. This is where the story starts.]

— object in motion, —

[Throughout this whole section, a counter will be in the corner, counting up with EVERY beat in the song. This is the loop count. The scenes will not change with every beat, signifying that Siffrin has experienced those exact moments in the same exact ways multiple times.]

[Siffrin, with his back turned towards the camera, is seen hitting the switch on the pillar, his allies looking towards the fallen rock behind them in shock.]

— I've lost all emotion, —

[Siffrin walks by some Tears with a tired expression, staring blankly forward towards the end of the hallway. His allies behind him look at the Tears curiously, but follow him anyway.]

— my two legs are broken —

[Siffrin is hunched over slightly, facing a locked door with his hand closed into a fist, resting it against the door. Mira behind him is holding a note - the note about the key in the classroom on Floor 2 - looking upset, while Isa and Odile stand at each of her sides, both looking as if they were trying to think of what to do. Only Bonnie is looking at Siffrin, their head tilted slightly at his shaking, angry demeanor.]

— but look at me dance!

[In the same room, the camera cuts to show the front of Siffrin, who turned just a little to face away from the door. With the other adults distracted, he fails to notice Bonnie, who looks at him with wide eyes as Siffrin holds his dagger. It’s pointed at his own stomach, and he has an exhausted smile on his face.]

An object in motion, —

[Siffrin and Mira are talking on the bench. Mira is looking at the bonding papers in her hands with a worried expression, while Siffrin sits with his eye closed, a big smile on his face.]

— don't ask where I'm going —

[Siffrin and Odile are in the woods, the familytale sitting on the ground between them. Odile is looking off to the side, her mouth open and her eyes tired as she talks about her mother, while Siffrin sits with his eye closed, a big smile on his face.]

— 'cause where I am goin' is —

[Siffrin and Bonnie are outside of Dormont, Siffrin standing just behind Bonnie as they look towards the right at a Sadness. Bonnie has their hands raised into shaking fists, while Siffrin stands back with his eye closed, a big smile on his face.]

— right where I am!

[Siffrin and Isa are walking into the field. Isa is pointing up towards the stars, just ahead of them, and Siffrin is following him, their eye closed, a big smile on their face.]

[The short instrumental between the lyrics will show the others joining Siffrin and Isa for a picnic under the stars. They’re all laughing, smiling, eating…having a great time.]

Where I am goin’ is —

[It cuts to zoom in slightly on Siffrin, who is smiling and laughing along with his family members…]

— right where I am!

[...but then the screen will glitch, and while the others will continue their laughter, Siffrin will be looking away from them, appearing exhausted- no, guilty. He’s making them love him.]

[The screen fades to black.]

Inertia.

[MAL DU PLAYS will move to the left of the screen - looping again - and mouth the lyric.]

[The loop counter will stop temporarily. It should be at 72. Throughout this section, the counter will count up every 3 beats instead.]

You said you'd break up with her, —

[Isa and Mira are around a frozen housemaiden, Isa holding their partner’s half of a bonding earring with an excited expression. Mira appears to look the same, both of them fantasizing about the future reunion of the partners. Siffrin is in the background, staring blankly at their backs. His stare is noticeably more focused on Isa.]

— but she met your family, —

[The party is in the secret room where the runaway kid’s book is found. Isa is laughing as Mira looks distressed, Odile rolling her eyes while Bonnie peeks around her to watch Mira. Siffrin, once again to the side, is looking towards the bookshelf of romance novels, which sparked the conversation in the first place.]

— and dating's the worst, yeah.

[Odile opens her mouth as Mira playfully yells in her direction, Mira’s eyes squeezed shut - don’t tease her, madame! - while Bonnie starts laughing. Isa’s head is turned towards Siffrin. Siffrin has turned away from the others all together, his arms wrapped around himself. Isa looks concerned, but can’t say anything over the bickering.]

[The screen fades to black.]

Inertia.

[MAL DU PLAYS will move to the left of the screen - looping again - and mouth the lyric.]

Now you're not in love anymore, —

[Now at the end, Siffrin is looking up towards Isa, waiting for him to confess. Isa looks shy, his hands in fists to his sides as he tries to gain the courage to say it. Just say it. Just say it. They’ve been waiting.]

— but you'll stick it out for like twenty years more, saying…

[On beat with the counter in the corner, Isa will rapidly change positions, all of them looking hesitant and shy, while Siffrin remains completely still. The only thing changing is their smile - it keeps getting bigger, strained, forced. He never says it. He never will. They’ve heard this same thing so many times. Why won’t he just say it.]

Don't you like it bigger, better —

[Like before, this sequence will have the scenes pop up, then slowly fade out, with the next scene popping up afterwards.]

[The party is in the storage room on Floor 1. Siffrin is surrounded by the others, looking excited with a book in his hands. His allies, however, look confused. They can’t read that book.]

— but you do what you can (do what you can)

[Siffrin is holding the page of the article about the King, pointing towards the star on his armor. He looks deep in thought as he explains, the backs of his allies slightly in frame on each side.]

Don't you like it a little better —

[Loop and Siffrin are sitting under the Favor Tree, Loop looking up with their hand pointing towards where their chin would be, appearing to be brainstorming. Siffrin’s back is towards the camera. He’s hunched over slightly, not bothering to look up at Loop.]

— when you don't understand?

[The screen zooms in slightly on Loop, who has their eyes closed with nervous brows. Their hand is up and to the side slightly with relaxed fingers, as if they were asking a question. At this rate, isn’t it better this way, Stardust?]

(don't understand)

[With his allies looking at the orrery in the background, Siffrin is staring down at the journal of someone attempting Wish Craft. His eye is wide, and his mouth is slightly open in awe, like he just discovered something incredible.]

[The following scenes will be in time with the counter.]

I was gonna save the planet, —

[Siffrin looks up enthusiastically at the Head Housemaiden, her back slightly in frame. It cuts to show her face afterwards, and has her hand over her mouth.]

— but today I’ve got plans…

[The Head Housemaiden lowers her hand, looking upset. It cuts to show the sides of both her and Siffrin, with the Head Housemaiden leaning down to bring their foreheads together.]

I guess this is just what I am!

[The counter will stop. It should be at 100.]

[The camera will shift slightly to show just a bit more of Siffrin’s distressed, heartbroken face rather than Euphrasie. She will be holding Siffrin’s face, tears streaming down her face, the pair surrounded by ghostly outlines of other Siffrins. The screen glitches out slightly. After 100 loops, it’s still not enough. He’s going back.]

[Here's a visual of how the counter would work:]

[The counter has to play catch-up at the start of the video, but this was tested multiple times with the same result.]

I'm an —

[The screen glitches harshly, and Siffrin sits up in the meadow again. Encore!]

— object in motion, —

[With a darkened expression, Siffrin greets Mira, who looks concerned and confused. Why does he seem so angry?]

— I've lost all emotion, —

[Odile stares at Siffrin with wide eyes, watching him hand her the familytale while standing in front of the counter by the little girl. He looks annoyed, despite his enormous, painful smile. How did he know she had that?]

— my two legs are broken —

[Back turned towards the camera, Siffrin looks down at Bonnie, who is pointing up towards him and yelling at him with tears streaming down their cheeks. They’re holding their frying pan in their other hand, which is noticeably shaking from their grip. Why is he acting like this?]

— but look at me dance!

[Siffrin and Isa are standing in front of the Favor Tree, with Siffrin looking dismissive as they speak with a big smile, their eye to the side as if they were rolling it. Isa, however, looks very upset, and yet concerned at the same time. Where is all of this coming from so suddenly?]

An object in motion, —

[Back to the camera again, Siffrin points at Loop, seemingly yelling at them. Loop is looking away, their eyes and expression filled with guilt, with their hands up in mock defense. They knew. They knew the whole time and didn’t tell him. The loops are never going to end.]

— don't ask where I'm going —

[Siffrin can be seen barely in frame, hastily walking away from the tree. Loop is in the background peeking around the leaves, reaching for him with a worried expression. It’s too late. He’s off to prove his theory. It has to work. It has to.]

— 'cause where I am goin' is —

[In the hallway of the Clocktower, Siffrin is seen walking down a dark hallway, carrying all of the Orbs in his arms. The party can be seen in the background of another room, all in deep discussion about what to do, completely unaware of Siffrin’s intrusion and theft.]

— right where I am!

[With the same exact spacing as the first shot in front of the House, signifying Siffrin being alone, he holds his arms up in the air. They’re empty, the Orbs floating about halfway up towards their spots in the massive door. He looks so small compared to it. But that doesn’t matter. He’s strong now. He’s so much stronger than he ever was before.]

[The short instrumental will show different scenes in time with the song, popping up and fading out before the next pops up*]

[Siffrin effortlessly slices through the first Sadness with his dagger. They’re nothing to him now.]

[Siffrin performs Rock Craft on a different Sadness.]

[Siffrin performs Paper Craft on a different Sadness.]

[Sadnesses run away from Siffrin as he travels down a hallway, his back to the camera. Wasting time. They’re wasting his time.]

Where I am goin’ is —

[The party stands in front of the mirror, everyone looking surprised while Isa smiles brightly.]

— right where I am!

[Siffrin is standing alone in the mirror. No one is here but him.]

[*]

[Siffrin slices through one of the crest Sadnesses.]

[The Traveler draws a big, bloody star in his arm with the shard of glass.]

[The Wanderer smashes the kitchen counter to pieces.]

[With the camera facing him from further in the room, The Lost One is seen in the doorway to the observatory, the table with the star chart and other objects in the room scattered, glitchy, and not in their proper spots.]

Where I am goin’ is —

[Back turned towards the camera, The Lost One faces the observatory window - the Universe - and raises an arm above his head.]

— right where I am!

[The camera cuts to the front of The Lost One, and he lowers his arm across his body and takes a bow. The Universe is watching, and he knows it.]

Inertia!

[A vague, ghostly figure of The Researcher comes in from stage right, and The Lost One perks up in time to look towards her, still bowing towards the camera. The ghostly Researcher has red strings attached to her like a puppet, and the strings stretch to the top of the screen with no puppeteer in sight.]

I wanna move out of this town —

[The Lost One and The Researcher join hands, and gently spin around like a dance. In the background, there's a sketchy-lined flashback of Siffrin and Odile in the woods, with the familytale sitting between them on the ground, as seen in Acts 2-4.]

[Characters that are in the background/flashback will be italicized from now on to help further differentiate the two different scenes happening at the same time.]

— but everyone knows me —

[The background changes to show Odile grabbing Siffrin’s cloak as described in Act 5 - The Lost One turns his head away from the ghostly Researcher in time, their hands starting to slip out of each other's hold.]

— and packing is tiring.

[The background lines change to a red color before the flashback disappears, and The Lost One lets go of The Researcher’s hands in time, spinning away from her to return to the middle of the stage as she stands to the side, unmoving, facing the camera.]

Inertia!

[Similar in appearance to The Researcher, a ghostly figure of The Fighter comes in from stage left, The Lost One’s head being turned to face him as he enters. Like The Researcher, The Fighter also has red puppet strings.]

I said I would start workin’ out —

[The Lost One and the ghostly Fighter join hands, and The Fighter spins them around under his finger. The background shows a flashback of the pair laying in the grass like in Acts 2-4, but Siffrin is clearly looking at Isa instead of the stars. The flashback then changes to Siffrin and Isa in front of the Favor Tree, Isa’s hand raised forward like he was about to touch their shoulder.]

— but I'm fuckin’ hungry —

[After the spin, The Fighter and The Lost One stand close together like they were about to slow dance, their faces close together. In the flashback, Siffrin kisses Isa as seen in the Bad Touch event, but Isa pushes them away. At the same time, The Lost One looks up at the ghostly form of The Fighter, as if they were about to kiss him, but looks away instead.]

— and screw you, I'm tryin’!

[Once again, the background lines change to a red color before the flashback disappears. The Lost One steps back out of the ghostly Fighter’s hold and returns to center stage, their arms around themself instead as The Fighter moves to stand next to The Researcher, unmoving, looking at the camera.]

Inertia!

[Prepared for what comes next this time, The Lost One holds out his arms to the sides, welcoming a ghostly Housemaiden entering stage right, and a ghostly Kid entering stage left. Like the others, The Housemaiden and The Kid have red strings attached to them like puppets.]

I wanna be big like my plans —

[The Kid watches as The Housemaiden and The Lost One join hands, spinning around in a big circle with their arms extended as far as possible. In the background, a flashback plays of Mira and Siffrin talking on the bench seen in Acts 2-4, with Mira looking a little distressed. After a big spin, The Housemaiden lets go of The Lost One, and sends him stumbling back into The Kid, who clings to him in a side hug as the ghostly Housemaiden seems to giggle. The flashback plays Bonnie and Siffrin hugging seen in Acts 2-4.]

— so why’m I so tiny —

[As The Lost One reaches around to return the hug, he flinches, and the flashback cuts from the hug to Bonnie reaching for Siffrin while being crushed in the King's hand.]

— and why’m I so mad?

[The flashback shows Mira yelling at Siffrin who's sitting alone on the bench as seen in Act 5. The Kid steps back - The Lost One doesn’t like to be touched, after all - and The Housemaiden takes their hand, letting go of The Lost One’s and stepping to the opposite side of The Researcher and The Fighter. One final time, the background lines change to a red color before the flashback disappears.]

It's inertia!

[With the party members on each side of The Lost One, he faces the camera again, his hands gripping his hair with his mouth open, eye squeezed shut, like he just yelled something. A red-colored ripple effect will wave through the lineart at the shouted ‘inertia,’ starting at The Lost One and extending out at all angles to the screen edges.]

Guess this is just what I am!

[He looks towards The Researcher and The Fighter, who fade out and appear as MAL DU PAYS instead, then turns towards The Housemaiden and The Kid on the other beat, and they fade out into MAL DU PAYS as well.]

I'm stuck in this life —

[The camera spins around The Lost One to his side, and he looks up angrily at the window - the Universe - with a flash of red in his remaining eye, tears streaming down his cheek.]

— and I'm stuck in these pants!

[The camera makes a full turn around to show his opposite side, still facing the window, and he reels back his fist.]

[On beat to the cymbal crash of the instrumental, Siffrin punches and shatters the window, and it transitions similarly to if the player were entering a fight, revealing Siffrin towering over his friends like at the end of Act 5. It pans up slowly from the party’s backs, similarly to how the cutscene plays in game.]

[Several cuts can be seen of the party looking distressed at different angles, while Siffrin only continues to tower over them, noticeably shaking.]

[Eventually, it pans back up to Siffrin, who looks panicked, but then…]

I'm an —

[Siffrin will visibly take a big breath in, then flinch, a clock appearing in his eye - he feels a tug on his stomach.]

— object in motion, —

[On beat to the cymbal crash, Odile will stop Siffrin with her Paper move, the screen shaking slightly to emphasize the power of the Craft.]

— I've lost all emotion, —

[Siffrin will stare down at her with a wide eye, the clock in it now gone, looking surprised that she managed to stop him.]

— my two legs are broken, —

[Everyone will look up towards Siffrin, crying out to him, asking what he Wished for.]

— but look at me dance!

[Their hands reach out towards him, only their arms and hands on screen.]

An object in motion, —

[Their backs to the camera, the party reaches up for Siffrin–]

— don't ask where I'm going —

[--in which the camera will pan up from the same shot, showing Siffrin looking down at them in shock with tears in his eye.]

— 'cause where I am goin' is —

[Zooming in on Siffrin’s face, he looks distressed, braces himself–]

— right where I am!

[--and then cries out, his eye shut as his head tilts up towards the sky. The screen fades to…white.]

Don't you like it bigger, better, but you do what you can…

[On beat to the song, so every three beats, Siffrin’s hat can be seen slowly falling from the top to the bottom of the screen.]

Where I am going is right where I am! (right where I am)

[On beat, all five can be seen holding hands in a circle, slowly falling and spinning towards the center of the screen before it starts to zoom in on them.]

Don't you like it bigger, better —

[On beat to the song, Mira is shown, then Isa–]

— but you do what you can…

[--then Odile, then Bonnie, all of them falling with their arms stretched to the sides like it’s seen in game.]

Where I am going is —

[Siffrin is shown, falling, crying, looking at the screen.]

— right where I am, oh-

[Still falling, he smiles. He’s overwhelmed with emotion, relief, knowing that it’s over.]

Inertia!

[The song ends with a full drawing of Siffrin being hugged by his allies- no, his friends, his family, all while he cries out towards the sky. He’s safe. He’s okay. They’re not going anywhere. They’re not leaving him. They’re here.]

[He’s loved.]

[firestorm09890]

I wanted to draw all of this but then I promptly dropped all my art motivation down the garbage disposal so here's more rambling about organization xiii orchestra, but this time all stupid shit based on my own experiences from high school (which are quite tame, I've heard, compared to what high school band got up to) because let's be real these people get along about as well as a pack of high schoolers

while Xemnas is talking for ages during rehearsal, Demyx would totally be fucking around with his bass's bow and like, reaching across the strings section (if you can call it that) with it to Zexion and giving him puppy dog eyes. please pleaseee reach back with your bow so we can connect in the middle. Zexion likes to pretend Demyx doesn't exist

you know how big instrument lockers are? SOMEONE is getting dared to try to fit in one and then being locked in there. probably Demyx again

its common courtesy to not touch other people’s instruments but these chucklefucks are probably hitting all the percussion instruments at every chance they get, and knowing them, something is going to break

meme music, naturally. the chances of Xigbar not playing Careless Whisper on his sax are practically nil

okay this one really would’ve worked better as a drawn image but I have this video on my phone of one of the cello players from high school strings, wearing a rainbow wig, staring into the middle distance, rhythmically hitting one of those flat practice drums they use for school, while an absolute screeching cacophony of violins fuck around in the background. take this mental image and now make it Axel

[release-the-sheep]

hello folks.

I have skills, you may have requests, bada bing bada boom let's do a capitalism. if you wanna.

Music

you got an idea for a little song? I can write you a little song. send me a prompt and I will write, perform, and record for you with my guitar, a song of either:

under 2 minutes - $20

or

2-5 minutes - $30

it can be about whatever you like unless it is hateful or dangerous or otherwise bad. you can even throw in some minor musical direction if you like, like a feel or vibe you'd like it to have, or some vague thoughts about genre, keeping in mind that it will be me and a guitar no matter what. reach out in DM's and we'll talk about it (I reserve the right to refuse work but I mean how many of you are going to abuse this, really)

you can also get an instrumental piece that you can use for ambiance in your d&d game or something but you commissioned an actual real life bard (me) to make it for you how cool is that. or use it for whatever else you like

just guitar, 0-5 minutes - $10

here's a little demo:

Drawings

I do some visual art, too. tell me about your OCs and I will draw them. or imagine up a scenario with a favourite character of yours or an outfit you'd like to see them wear and I'll do a drawing of that. I'm also pretty good at drawing animals. Not much practice at anthro yet but if you wanted to trust me with that I'd see what I could do. If you've got a lot of detail going on, like super intricate armour or machine parts or that kind of thing, I might have to tweak price a bit. But I can do it. Probably. Again, we'll talk.

ballpoint or inkjet - $10

add colour - add $15

add ink - add $10

add another character/animal, or a relatively basic background, or make it a "reference sheet" type of thingy - add $5

ballpoint

inkjet with background

coloured

coloured, "reference sheet"-style

coloured and inked

hit me up! I wanna make things for you!

[erenmusic]

The Best Album you have never heard, Bluffers Guide to the Flight Deck by Flotation Toy Warning.

This album was introduced to me by my brother around 2017 and I still listen to it every now and then. I still haven't met someone else that listened to this in real life, however now that I checked online there are a small number of opinions and reviews out about it. but not enough methinks.

The Pitchfork Article on the album gives it an okay score and I like the way they describe most the songs and where the band gets their influence from, but I feel like they don't really dive into it and appreciate the sound of it as much as I would like them to. so lets talk about it! The album starts off with the song Happy 13 which shows us the dreamy sound of this album right from the start. I really enjoy the vocals and the violins at the start which set the tone and then around 30 seconds in this synth mixed with another 10 instruments and samples just comes in blasting,

the sound and voices take you on a journey and it honestly feels like you are flying right into this album. Its a great 4 minute song that really sets the tone, if you don't like this song, I don't think you will like the rest of the album.

The album goes on to the next song which is Popstar Researching Oblivion. This song has a very nice background beat going, it sounds fun and energetic but the lyrics are so concerningly depressing it makes me think how good it was for me to listen to this when I was in middle school lol. Here is my favorite part of the song, you can just hear the creativity its amazing, the horns and the blinking sounds work so well and man, the vocals are they great.

The next song which is Losing California for Drusky, really keeps the feeling of the album going, it starts off with the classic weird lyrics and amazing instrumentals and just these different noises that you just don't hear in other music. I don't even know how to explain it. This part below might help with what I mean.

also the song switches the riff and beat around 5 minutes in and it turns into a much calmer song with almost Opera like vocals and a very light guitar riff with just these long humming synths, Please if you check this song out listen to the last half as well.

After that adventure we get to the very short and fun song Made from Tiny Boxes, which has some of my favorite bits from the whole album in it, the Lyrics are fun and the instrumental in the back is very nice and mellow and it just leads perfectly into the next song which in my opinion is a highlight of the album.

When I was looking up reviews for this album I noticed one that doesn't have the same take as I do for this next song, Donald Pleasence. The complaint the review I found said that It got old quickly and that it was too long of a song which I can understand but still I think this song even with its length does more than enough to deliver.

The song starts slowly but really heats up eventually ending with Horns and then the ending Lyrics which really give the album its kick I think. This song I would say is depressing and is very obviously about Heartache. Very well done and emotional song that in my opinion doesn't get stale.

This song then ties into the 2 parter of Fire engine on Fire. The First part starts out with some interesting vocals that echo the lyrics to come, (Big Piig, Baad Dog)

it goes for a bit with a low guitar riff and vocals but eventually the song switches up and becomes a completely different tune. a very light synth starts in the background and all the instruments slowly build on it and the whole thing turns into this perfect slow build of strings violins, keyboards and all the other noises they come up with working together. The clip I put up there and the couple minutes after it are some of my favorite parts of the whole album. The next part has a lot less lyrics but the instrumental makes up for it because the experimentation and just overall creative sound on this song really proves where this album can go.

The second half of the song slows down considerably and even has points where it goes completely silent, until right at the last minute another riff starts and a light whistle is sung over the light guitar and drums its very calming and melancholic, the whole album is.

The next song Even Fantastica is a long track that a repetitive slow guitar riff, I could see why people don't really love this one but I like it a lot. I usually hate repetitive songs but this one really calms me down and the lyrics do hit hard for me. Also the riff is just very well made and the background sounds still make the song interesting to me.

I like the distorted vocals in this bit and the dreamy background layering of 3-4 different riffs along with how the guitar eventually leads into a faux-solo that gets cut off with another round of lyrics. It just works and I really enjoy this song, I can understand why people would call it boring though.

The next song is almost like an intermission before the ending, it sounds like someone calling out of a void trying to get someone to hear him, but its just not working. Saying hello over and over and not getting an answer. It is a great lead in to the Final Song.

The Final song How the Plains Left me Flat starts out with a layered with some very weird keyboard sounds right before distorted vocals come in and jumpstart the song.

The Lyrics are followed by a guitar that really complements the flow of the vocals. I really enjoy the way he says Sunday Paper his tone of voice is perfect. after about 4 minutes of bliss in your ears you are met with a blank slate, for almost 10 minutes there is not a chirp except a small piece of noise around 9 minutes in. Whenever I relisten to this album I usually skip the ambient part honestly and I don't get why they did it in the first place BUT, just because they made a weird creative decision on the last song I wont fault them, the rest of the album is amazing.

So to wrap it up. I think its a great album from start to finish, I know a lot of people will call it boring and pretentious(Which I can see honestly) and I know it has a nostalgia factor for me, But I still think its one of my favorite things to listen to when I am in need of something familiar. I hope this will get others to at least give a chance to this album especially if you are into experimental indie stuff.

[dasenergi-diary]

Good morning, friends.

So what I wanted to talk about the other night—

I suffer from a problem I call “magical thinking.”

Here’s what happened:

[Sex talk below the cut.]

After dinner we went back to his apartment and I was giving him birthday sex.

We broke-up last March (after 3 years together) and in the 8 months since, neither of us have been with anyone else.

I felt out of practice. Once upon a time I was one of those who would have competitive sex, not casual sex. I would have marathon sex. Olympic sex. But those days are gone. I am retired from sex life.

But once I got out of my head and let my intuition take over, my body remembered how to work him like an instrument and make him sing. It was very hot. Both of us were very aroused. And we were both ready to take it to the next level.

But just as I was starting to top him, an idea popped into my head...

Background information - I exist in the spirit world. Everything to me is energy. I have a very tenuous grasp on "agreed upon" reality. Constantly half of me exists in the "real" world and the other half is in the "spirit" world.

This is exactly why I do NOT use plant medicines (marijuana & mushrooms) - when I do, I am 100% in the spirit world. And I lose ALL grasp on reality. And that is not a fun or safe space for me.

...when I started to top him, I slipped into the spirit world. (Without any plant medicines.)

What I saw was, if I top him I will die.

If you all remember my mushroom incident from July 26 (the day Sinead O'Connor died), this is a running theme of mine -- thinking I'm dying. And although I am not afraid to die, it is NOT my time, my kids still need me. And when I think that I am dying (or that I am already dead) I begin to have a panic attack.

And that's what happened when we were having sex, I started to have a panic attack. My pulse was racing. I began hyper-ventilating.

To this date he still doesn't know that I started to have a panic attack while making love to him. I am proud of how well I covered for it. Luckily hyper-ventilating sounds a lot like sex. I was still 100% invested in giving him great birthday sex. And if he knew what I was going through internally, that would kill the mood. I was not going to ruin his birthday. I drove all the way out to Palm Springs to do this to him. (Otherwise he would have been all alone on his birthday.)

I simply stopped topping him and began doing other things to him that he enjoys and I ultimately gave him an earth shattering birthday sex biting a pillow orgasm.

Dave - why did you think you were going to die?

An invisible small thin silver thread connects people together. It is the flow of energy between two people.

A fire hydrant flowing full-blast connects Michael and I. It is big and loud and multi-colored like a rainbow. I have physically seen it a few times. But I can feel the connection, always. Distance does not matter.

Sex is about returning to source. Two souls become one. And in that moment I felt that all my life, everything has been leading up to this moment—if I enter him, if our two souls become one, if our souls are reunited, I will die. This was my destiny. Reunification. A return to source. My life’s journey complete. I will cease to exist in the "real" world. The "real" world is only an illusion. The REAL real world is Spirit World. That is where we are immortal. That is where we are all One. That is where a part of me always exists, conscious in the spirit world.

And now I don't think I can ever have intercourse with him again. This idea will always be in my head. Sure, I can do other things to sexually pleasure him. But not that.

Anyhow... the 24 hours after that incident I was in my head a lot about this. But now with time and distance I am understanding it more. And I really don't see him very often anymore, just every couple of months. We are broken up, only friends. I don't see myself in a committed relationship with him again in this lifetime. But it is nice to play with him every now and then. No one else feels as good as he does when we become one. We are both into the same thing. Our parts fit.

[narcissusbrokenmirror]

i need to talk about Alex, Luke and Reggie and their families' dynamics.

We don't get a lot from the show apart from Luke and it's not that much either, when we think about it. But from Reggie and Alex? Crumbs of backstory. the references we got to their past from the show is that Reggie's parent were in a bad relationship and Alex's parent were homophobic. god bless the guy who decided to write books abt it bc i can't stress enough over not knowing abt their past.

So starting with Reggie, my favorite backstory, is that he had parents who were always fighting amd he also had a little brother, age not specified but i guess between 8-11, Steve admired Reggie and his band and Reggie kinda regretted not spending enough time w him bc of the band. idk thinking of Reggie as an older brother opens lot of possibilities for what his character would've become. also brings more of a reason why he's so goofy and lightheaded, it can be either a way to separate from, maybe, a figure of power for his brother, being held to a responsibility or something alike, i mean, none really knows how stuff were inside Reggie's house so there's no way to tell if they had been heavily neglected at some point. or maybe being optimistic and joyful was just the way he tried to find to make things lighter for his brother when he was around, maybe to his whole family when trying to keep them from starting a fight (we also dont know for how long reggie's parents have been fighting). either way, fascinates me.

Alex also intrigued me a little bit, but i liked to figure him out. I personally enjoy when fanfic writers make his parents religious or give him fear of coming out to his friends, but, just ain't real. From what I've read on the book, Alex's parents used to be supportive of the band and welcoming to his friends, they'd have sleepovers w the whole band, and be warm and welcoming. When Alex mentions being gay, he says he wouldn't sneak a guy he actually liked out of his window and wanted to bring this hypothetical guy through the front door like his older sister did w her boyfriends, this being the 90's its a pretty prideful statement for a gay teenager. But Kenny mentioned Alex is pride of himself and wouldn't hide it. So i don't think Alex got christian fever over his sexuality, neither did his parents. What i guess, is that Alex was the kid with "Cool Parents" that would let him be and do what he wanted, be supportive of him, Alex pretty much mentioned on the show he was always trustworthy (in rhetoric to Reggie never being believed as a kid). What also would explain how Alex can grow so confident of himself and expect to receive the same treatment his sister does. So the moment Alex came out, something he never took back, even when his parents didn't approved, it shifted the whole "modern cool parents" thing bc yeah, Alex can have a band, be a drummer (which is not everyone's favorite instrument to have at home), let his sister bring multiple boyfriends to their house, but if Alex wants to bring guys, he better do it far from their eyes. "do what you want, but not under my roof". Clearly, it affected him to have a family who was loving and supportive, just to find out that being gay was going to twist the way his parents saw and treated him like, and ofc that's not what Alex wanted, he wanted the warmth and the love he'd always received before. also, Alex being a young brother makes sense to why he's a little shit on the show.

Luke also has interesting background. Different from Alex, who had a family who supported his band (til they didn't anymore) and Reggie, who had a family who probably didn't cared, Luke had a family very much disapproving of his life dream, so much that i doubt they've met the boys personally, aside from Bobby bc he was Luke's oldest friend, since there's a moment on the book Alex asks where they are and its Luke's house, and they have been friends for years so its interesting Alex not knowing where Luke lives. i think Sunset Curve was just a part of his life that Luke didn't shared with his parents bc he knew it wouldn't be worth it. What doesn't mean Luke didn't wanted to share, he was trying to make it without his parents' support, getting a job to buy instruments and other stuff for example. And if Alex is not the religious link of the group, Luke definitely is, not only he makes mentions of Hell and Heaven, but his house has a huge cross on it, visible on the clip of Unsaid Emily, and i think that's why Luke, at the same time he doesn't want to talk of the past, is the one who feels more guilty about the way he left things with his mom. Boy got hard catholic guilt on his head even if Luke himself isn't really into religion.

I'm not gonna make myself long with Bobby, bc if Alex and Reggie left crumbs of backstory, Bobby left drops in the sun. but the book had some pretty cool details, he got three older brothers who are sport trifecta, and Bobby is the kid who only got to play in a band, he doesn't get a lot of attention from his parents and even Luke is his friend since they were kids and they started playing together, he also feels apart from the band, he also seems to care a lot about Luke since he wanted Luke to make up with his mom on the day of their show at the orpheum. So it does adds dimension to the character we see on the show.

[notafraidofredyellowandblue]

Flake interview 2022 - Ave Corner Printing

in Japanese

Interview/Text | Yoshiyuki Suzuki | December 2022, photos by Matthias Matthies and Jens Koch

Some bits googly translated... but please read the entire interview, it's nice and long

🎹

――How are you doing now? Until RAMMSTEIN's tour resumes, can we take it easy for a while?

　“Right now, I am preparing various things for Christmas for my family. In January 2023, a reading tour of this book (“Today is the World’s Birthday”) is scheduled in Germany. Because this plan had been postponed for about two years due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, so now it's time to do a reading tour as if the book had just been published. It's supposed to happen."

――"Today is the world's birthday" has a very unique composition, and it's a real-time depiction that starts from the waiting time for the live, and various recollections are inserted one after another. What was your intention in writing it this way?

　“At first, I had some ideas and interesting things that I wanted to write down. There were only loosely connected parts and it still didn't quite come together, so I had the idea to write about myself spending time in the backstage area before a concert. I got the idea to write what happened, and I was able to finish it in no time.I wanted to explain even a little to people (laughs), the band. What it's really like to work in. It's usually very different from what people imagine.When I was a kid, I listened to Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson. To me, musicians like them are like gods, and those gods just walk up on stage, sing, and the whole world bows down at their feet... I don't even think that they are also living human beings. But even they have to go to the bathroom, they have to sleep at night, they have marital troubles, they're sick and in a bad mood... I only know shining songs. So I never imagined that a star like that [laughs] has to make music, how much work there is behind that short amount of time in a concert. "

--

――Well, you wrote in the book that you were a punk. Could you be a little more specific about this?

　“In the old days, of course, punk meant being able to make music without being able to play an instrument well. It gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted, even if I didn't have the background to play the piano or the guitar, and even if I didn't have a musical education, I had the courage to say, ``SEX PISTOLS is cool, and I want to try that kind of music.'' That's how I was lucky to be in a band with someone who didn't have a musical education, because it opened up the possibility of making a good band. Punk has changed now, and when I say 'I'm punk' now, I mean my inner attitude... I don't care about the details... that kind of thing. It's about attitude, like what kind of impression do you make on strangers? You can't do that, it's forbidden, it's not right, you can't do it... but I laugh and say it doesn't matter. When I say, 'I'm still punk at heart,' that's probably what I mean."

――Does that mean that it has a lot to do with inner freedom?

　"Yes. Freedom and not letting other people's opinions sway you. Go your own way, whether other people like it or not."

――It takes courage to stick to such an attitude.

　“It also means that you can’t meet people’s expectations, so there are times when you can’t meet the expectations of your fans. "

--

――Regarding “Dalai Lama”, although it is a relatively old song, the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek recently wrote an article that highly praises it. Did you?

　"No, I do not know"

――Zizek is a big fan of yours, and you often refer to them in your critics.

　“It has been 30 years since RAMMSTEIN was formed, and we are part of the cultural history, and we are sometimes quoted. But we rarely read articles about bands because we want to make music free from other people's opinions. I don't even search the internet about it.

--

--When you read this book, you will understand that you are an "observer". In my opinion, the keyboard part tends to have an "objective stance" even among rock bands. What do you think?

　“Standing at the back [of the stage] and not being in the center definitely makes me feel at ease. It doesn't have to be.There are times when I can calmly stand behind and watch.And I like the time to move around with the band.That's the best part of touring life, more than concerts, being able to go to different countries. I like that there is so much to see and observe.”

--

――(about coming to Japan for a book tour) It is possible to solve the problem of interpreting. Please come!

　"Well, after the next RAMMSTEIN tour is over. After that, I'll have time to do that."

--thank you. Next year, except for the reading tour in January, are you planning to focus on your activities as a band for the rest of the year?

　“Next year, we will start the tour from May. We will perform on the same stage as this year, but we will add some new songs. We plan to play songs or want to play them.As for next year's tour, it's only in Europe so far."

――How long do you plan to continue working as RAMMSTEIN?

　"As long as it looks cool, we'll keep going. We're always checking the footage, watching it, and deciding if it's still going."

――All the Japanese fans are working hard to go to America and Europe to see RAMMSTEIN live, but I also want to experience your live a few more times.

　“The tour schedule is open to the public on the Internet, so please check there.