#it sounds REALLY PRETTY with the piano version though

[zeeph-containment-zone]

I am getting extremely attached to this cover and it's not even finished or remotely polished ;_____;

[kkami-writes]

Black Blood — chapter 11 cw. smut, subish!jisung, handjobs, cum consumption wc. 2.4k reference. han vlog

Most of the members are out this weekend, enjoying their limited free time as much as possible. Yet you can still hear Jisung, the boy is in his room and singing rather loudly. Eventually he quiets down, though honestly you didn’t mind it. The boy had such a beautiful voice that it surprised you that he was actually a rapper and not a vocalist. They could have told you he was apart of vocalracha and you’d believe them.

Moments later you can hear a knock at your door. You close your laptop before moving towards the door, finding Jisung behind it with a smile.

“Hi Ji, what’s up?”

“Well, me and Innie were supposed to go out today but he fell asleep on the couch. I don’t wanna disturb him so I was wondering if you’d like to watch a movie. I was thinking Howl’s moving castle since we talked about it last time,”

“Oh yeah, sure. Sounds fun,” You agree easily, turning off your lights before moving to follow Jisung back to his room. You walk through the living room and you almost coo at seeing the maknae knocked out on the couch. He looks like a sweet angel as he sleeps and you move to place a blanket over the boy.

You realize though that Jisung is not leading you to his room.

“Uh, isn’t this Felix’s room?” You question.

“Yeah but the wifi isn’t working in my room for some reason so Lixie is letting me use his room,”

You shrug, following the boy without another word. Jisung has his laptop under his arm, making his way to the bed, plopping down before patting the space next to him before going to set up the movie. You crawl over to the space, sitting rather close to the other due to the small bed. If Jisung is bothered by this, he doesn’t say anything.

The two of you get comfortable as he begins to let the movie play and you’re both content, sitting in silence to focus on the film. A giggle falls from your lips when Jisung begins to mime the actions of Howl in the movie, proving that he’s watch this about a million times before, having memorized most of it.

‘Merry-go-round of life begins to play and you find yourself swaying to the romantic sound of the piano. The piece is devastatingly beautiful, one of your favorites from the other ghibli films. You remember dreaming about dancing with someone to this song. Someone you loved.

You glance over at the boy next to you who is still very engrossed in the movie. You nibble at your lower lip, contemplating about asking Jisung. The worst he could do is say no, right?

“Hey,” You turn to the boy who also turns his head as you call out to him. “Will you let me indulge in something for a second?” Jisung tilts his head curiously but nods. You move to take the computer from his lap, pausing the movie before opening a new tab on youtube. You find a shorter version of the song and let it play as you place the computer so it’s out of the way. Crawling off the bed, you extend your hand out for the male to take. Jisung slides his palm into yours and you pull him up, moving your other hand to his shoulder.

He takes the hint well, placing his hand upon your waist before moving fluidly to the song. The two of you dance circles around Felix’s room, him twirling you a few times. Giggles fall from your lips as he happily sways you to the soft piano. It’s impossible to not admire the pretty boy in front of you, his heart shaped smile or the cute beauty mark on his full cheeks.

If your heart still beat you’re almost certain it would be throbbing against your ribcage. The feeling confuses you, it’s something you’ve never really felt before, even when you had been alive. Maybe once but it was something you’d rather forget.

You pull yourself closer so you can rest your chin on one of his shoulders and Jisung’s arms move so he can wrap them around your middle. The two of you move slower as the music starts to fade but even as the song ends, you stay in his embrace for a few more seconds. When you finally pull away, he’s looking at you with fondness swimming in those boba eyes. One of his hands move to your cheek, stroking the smooth skin with his thumb.

You’re pretty sure that your heart would be racing right about now with the way Jisung’s looking at you. He leans down just a little, your noses touched and you can feel his breath ghosting against your lips. He pulls your face towards him and presses his lips to yours. Your eyes flutter shut, fingers curling around the fabric of his shirt as you pull him flush against your body, melting against the embrace. Jisung’s lips are soft against yours, head tilting to get a better angle and it has you sighing softly.

But when Jisung’s tongue is swiping across your lower lip, the sensationsnaps you out of your daze, suddenly realizing what was happening. You push him away, a look of panic overtaking your features.

“Shit! Fuck. Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I just - I got caught up in the moment and,” Words continue to spill from your lips, unable to stop rambling. Jisung becomes nervous as he watches you freak out. He has to grab onto your forearms to get you to stop.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay, you’re okay. I’m the one who initiated,” Your mouth closes and opens again like a fish, no longer sure what to say. “Yes?” Jisung can see you want to ask something.

“Why did you kiss me then? What about your boyfriends? I don’t think they’ll be very happy if they find out,” You mumble out, gaze falling to the floor as you try to untangle yourself from his grip. It’s then that Jisung realizes that they haven’t actually told you anything yet, having trying to figure out when the right time would be. Right. He might have forgotten about that.

“Oh um. We might have, uh, already talked about it?” Even though he phrases it like a question, you know it’s not. You blink at him.

“What does that mean?” Jisung has the audacity to blush and look away from you. He begins to fiddle with his hands awkwardly.

“Well we um, just thought that if you had decided you wanted to feed on us, it would be okay? We all discussed that we’d all be interested in that. If it makes things easier we’d be! Happy to let you feed on us…We already feel really comfortable around you and so…yeah,” Now Jisung is the one rambling and you’re having trouble trying to keep up with him.

“Ok wait. Let me see if I have this right. All of you talked about me and agreed that if I wanted to fuck you guys to feed, it would be ok. That all of you have explicit permission to let me be intimate with me,”

“Uh. Yes. That is correct,”

You press your fingers to your temple, still trying to wrap your head around this revelation. These boys were going to be the death of you (ha, get it?)

“You know, usually you let a girl know that their boyfriends have given them permission to do stuff before you kiss her,” Your tone is light, letting him know you’re just teasing him. If you’re honest, of course you had thought about the boys in the way. You were a succubus for satan’s sake, in the presence of some seriously attractive boys but you had always known that they were together so you assumed they would be 100% off limits. So the proposition is interesting to say the least, and if they were willing, what was the harm of saying yes?

“Sorry…I might have forgotten that we hadn’t talked to you about it yet,” Very typical Jisung, he’s lucky he’s so cute.

You let out a soft sigh. “Well, I suppose it’s nice to know now,” The air becomes slightly awkward, neither of you knowing what to say. Jisung is the one who pipes up.

“So…can we continue then?” You look over at him, his round cheeks flushed. Seriously, he was way too adorable for his own good. Still, it gives you a nice little confidence boost you need.

“Yeah? You wanna kiss me that badly?” Your head tilts to the side, tongue running across your teeth and Jisung’s eyes zone in on the movement of your slick muscle.

“Yeah…” Jisung breathes out and you tug him closer to push him back onto the bed. You come to swing your legs over him, straddling the boy and moving your hands to cup his cheeks, tilting it so he’s looking up at you.

“You want a kiss baby boy?” Jisung swallows visibly, eyes never leaving yours.

“Please,” It’s the way he asks so sweetly that you can’t deny him anymore, leaning down to push your lips against his. Unlike the first kiss, this one isn’t sweet, it’s far more needy and intense. A whine falls from Jisung’s throat as your tongue traces along his bottom lip. He eagerly parts his tiers so you can slip the slick muscle into his wanting mouth. You take your sweet time exploring his mouth, his own tongue coming to lick at yours.

When you pull away to breath, Jisung looks absolutely breathtaking, his eyes half-lidded and lips swollen. It makes you grin, seeing your effect on the boy. As you take him in, you notice he has a mole in the juncture of his collarbone, getting the sudden urge to kiss it. So you do, trailing your lips from his jaw to his neck until they reach his collarbone. Jisung’s hands come to rest on your waist, throwing his head back to bare his neck to you.

You attach your lips to his smooth skin, sucking softly, not enough to leave a mark - at least not one that will last. Jisung’s bottom lip is between his teeth as he worries it, trying to not make any embarrassing noises. So you deliberately roll your hips down against his hips and a groan slips from his lips. He’s already hard, straining against his pants as he begins to push you harder down against him.

“So needy huh?” You hum, thoroughly enjoying how desperate he’s getting for you. He looks so gone already, pupils dilated and lips parted.

“Noona…please,” Jisung’s voice breaks, slightly croaky with how dry it feels.

“Please what?”

“Please…it hurts,”

“Aw, do you need some help baby?” He nods his head, continuing to try to move your hips against his aching clothed cock for any semblance of friction. You move to shimmy down just enough so that you’re in between his legs. Fingers move to undo his jeans, pushing them down so his cock flops out. Jisung is painfully hard, the tip flushed red and leaking precum. Saliva pools in your mouth before spitting directly against his cock, an action that has Jisung preening.

You wrap your fingers around his shaft, spreading your spit all along his cock to make the slide easier. Jisung’s head is thrown back, hips bucking up eagerly into your hand desperately. Normally you’d just edge him for that but you can tell how bad he needs it so you let it slide. You twist your hand as you stroke him off, paying attention to the head of his cock. Jisung is actively whining, begging for you to go faster.

So you oblige the poor boy, jerking him off faster and squeezing at his length. The only sounds in the room were Jisung’s moans and the lewd squelch of his slick cock. You lean up so you can press kisses to his neck and Jisung gasps, easily becoming more squirmy under you.

“Noona…Noona! ‘M close,” He mumbles out and you’re not surprised. Jisung had been so needy that it makes you wonder when is that last time he last had sex.

“Go ahead baby, cum whenever you want,” You let out a small hum, hand speeding up and thumb pressing against the tip. The moan Jisung lets out as he comes is borderline pornographic, thick white stripes landing on his stomach and your hand. Slowly you help him ride out his high, stroking him until he has to stop you.

You glance down at your cum stained hand. While you didn’t actually have to ingest semen to feed, it either being inside you or on your skin worked perfectly well. However, you’d be lying if you weren’t curious. So you bring your hand to your lips, licking at your stained fingers, letting out a hum at his surprisingly sweet taste. Jisung’s watching you slack jawed and hazy eyes. He thinks he probably would have gotten hard from watching you do that but he’s so exhausted, eyes threatening to close all the way.

“Fuck - why am I so tired?”

“Ah, that’s probably me. I also feed of the energy you release when you cum, making you much more tired than you probably would be. You’ll get used to it though,” You run your clean hand through his sweaty bangs, pushing them out of his face. You slip off of him, going to the bathroom and return back with a damp washcloth. You help clean the boy up whose about to pass out. Jisung is able to pull his pants back up before he’s all but collapsing against his pillows.

You giggle at the boy, moving to get up to let him get some rest. He grabs onto your wrist though, stopping you in your tracks. You turn around to look back at him, head tilted.

“Mm, will you stay?” He asks, voice heavy as sleep threatens to take over. A smile graces your face and you simply move to crawl back onto the bed, pulling the boy close to you, his head resting upon your chest.

“Um, let’s not tell Lix what we did in his bed ok? Just a secret between you and me?” Jisung mumbles out before dreamland finally takes him.

“Yeah, agreed,”

a/n: ok look, I know what you're thinking. kaia??? howls moving castle again? FIRST OF ALL!!!! Jisung is just so ghibli coded and that's not my fault. SECOND OF ALL!!! that's what he literally did in this vlog so, not my fault again <3 Also finally!! we're here, it's about to get reaaaaaaaally spicy now ^^

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[journey-to-the-attic]

rating all of the om songs (so far) to pass time on the train LET'S GO

i was going to split these into separate posts but Ah who CARES they're all here now. for the intents and purposes of this post i am leaning more positive to the romance aspects (usually i'm more ambivalent). looong post ahead!

(i'm considering the lyrics based on the direct unofficial translations credited to Maon_ObeyMe on twitter, rather than the official english versions)

CHARACTER SONGS

Arcadia (Lucifer) -> Sonically: 7/10 I'm oddly into that one synth that comes in after the chorus. The violin stings are cool. Fun to vibe to! Points knocked off because he kind of doesn't sound like Lucifer, though. -> Lyrically: 5/10 Points removed (derogatory) for "lady", other points removed (affectionate) for the hilarity of "I'm fall in love u baby". You can tell it was written when they were still clinging somewhat to the dominant diet Christian Grey thing, but a lot of the lines are still genuinely romantic (while also being very Lucifer.) -> Overall: 7/10 I scrunch my face when I get to That One Line but otherwise I do pick this to listen to semi-regularly.

Are You Ready? (Mammon) -> Sonically: 6/10 Banger, but repetitive. Good rhythm to walk to. Hirotaka Kobayashi's delivery makes it. -> Lyrically: 6/10 Points docked for repetitiveness, but it's cute to see this side of him verbalised. Gender neutral high heels are a serve. -> Overall: 6/10 I don't relisten to this one quite as much as Arcadia, but I think that's just a genre preference.

My Chance! (Levi) -> Sonically: 8/10 The mixing on his voice is a bit weird, but it fits in with the chiptune sound, which I adore. Really catchy chorus. I also really like that soft bell insturment that's playing along with the main melody. -> Lyrically: 8/10 Really cute! Levi's characterised really well here. I love his little spoken interjections - Satoshi Kada is one of my favourite VAs in terms of delivery. (Levi's lines are some of the best in either of the voiced pop quizzes.) -> Overall: 8/10 Cute and fun to listen to. It's really easy to imagine a music video for this one.

Read My Heart (Satan) -> Sonically: 8/10 Really pretty piano instrumental, but I feel like there could've been a bit of variation. On the one hand, layering in some strings could've sounded really nice, but on the other, it does feel more personal as a solo piano ballad. Shinya Sumi has a really nice voice. -> Lyrically: 9/10 Very sweet, almost poetic, very Satan. The reference to cats doesn't feel heavy-handed. It feels like he wrote it. -> Overall: 9/10 I really like the bridge. It has a sort of lullaby quality as well, so it's nice to fall asleep to, or listen to when you need to calm down.

Pomade (Asmo) -> Sonically: 7/10 It's better-produced than some of the songs I've given a higher sonic rating, but this is more a matter of preference - this song isn't super my style. -> Lyrically: 10/10 EXCELLENT. The journey Asmo goes on? Starting out singing about himself and tempting you, then shifting to singing about you (You are my captive -> I am your captive) - the way it basically reflects his arc in OM S1? Chef's kiss. Beautiful. -> Overall: 7/10 I don't listen to it that often but I do think about those lyrics. They're so good. This is how you write a character song.

Hungry Six-Pack (Beel) Sonically: 8/10 I'm a sucker for that 'wah' effect on the guitar. I really like the rock sound, but I think it was done better in Barbatos's song. (Sorry, Beel.) Kyohei Yaguchi also does a really good job on the performance - you really get the feeling that this is how Beel himself would perform in a band. The interval in "darou" in the chorus is to die for, as is the "forever, forever-ah-ah-ah" in the last chorus. Lyrically: 6/10 Even in songs Beel cannot escape the "they only know how to write him with one character trait" allegations (/hj). To be fair, it'd be hard to get into his deeper character without dipping into lyrics about survivor's guilt, which I feel wasn't what they were going for. Overall: 7/10 I like to imagine him performing this at a bar. Also, total aside, but I really don't like that title.

Dreamscape (Belphie) -> Sonically: 9/10 I'm not usually a lo-fi person, but the vibes are perfect for Belphie and I really like this composition. -> Lyrically: 7/10 Really cute, but pretty basic - then again any of the songs' lyrics seem so when you compare them to the Queen Pomade. I do like how much Belphie's needy little-brother nature comes through here. "Hey, come see me, please?" Makes me want to pinch his cheek. -> Overall: 9/10 The sound alone carries it. I listen to it pretty regularly.

No.1 (Diavolo) -> Sonically: 9/10 Takuhei Yamamoto is giving it so much oomph and it's fantastic and also very in-character for Diavolo himself. He would be that enthusiastic. He would throw his head back and belt like that mic was made for him. (I find the "Sā, hora!" before the chorus really cute.) -> Lyrically: 6/10 It feels a little weird that he's doing the dominant thing in the lyrics here, but his sin attribute is apparently pride, and it's interesting that they chose this characterisation for him given he's usually so affable. (It's not like it came out of nowhere, to be fair - Diavolo basically admits to it on occasion, he seems to just hold it back, usually.) -> Overall: 7/10 Solid song that I don't listen to all that often for some reason.

Crazy About You (Barbatos) -> Sonically: 10/10 Absolute banger. The guitar solo makes me want to run through walls. Masayuki Harada's performance as Barbatos is also both spot-on and pitch perfect. That "Ahh-" leading into the chorus is gorgeous. I'm not the biggest fan of the spoken lines, but I appreciate that they're there for those truly starved stans who don't get nearly enough of him in the main story. -> Lyrically: 8/10 Perhaps oddly I really like his mix of servitude and sternness here. Feels playful in a way that I think really works for his dynamic with MC. (If only they'd utilise it in the game.) -> Overall: 10/10 It's just that much of a banger. Barbatos I'm so sorry for what the NB remix did to you. You were too powerful.

My Wish (Luke) -> Sonically: 6/10 Gonna be honest I completely forgot how this song sounded after I finished listening to it for the first time. I'm not the biggest fan of Luke's voice direction and there are parts in this where I just fully see a full grown man doing the voice. I do really like the chorus (the part that mentions sweets and cream) though. -> Lyrically: 8/10 Just very cute. Pretty much exactly what you'd expect from Luke - another one of those where you can easily imagine that the character wrote it themselves. -> Overall: 6/10 I don't think I've listened to it more than five times, to be honest. I actually quite like the NB remix for this one.

Question Love (Simeon) -> Sonically: 4/10 Simeon what the hell did they do to you. The production is fine, it's just... the autotune? It isn't like Yu Hirata can't sing. Why did they do that? Presumably it's a stylistic thing, which I'm not against, it's just not executed well. (Though it's cute to imagine Simeon himself being responsible, as tech-illiterate as he is.) It's a weird genre for a character like him, too. I was expecting another ballad, maybe with a harp... -> Lyrically: 6/10 Feels quite generic - I feel like Simeon of all characters would have had a more poetically written song, and his relationship with MC could have been particularly interesting to write about. (Though I'm not sure how long ago this was released.) -> Overall: 5/10 He deserved better. I do like the instrumental on his NB remix, though. That deep bass synth in the back is great

Our Destiny (Solomon) -> Sonically: 7/10 Really like those violins on the chorus. The blend of the strings with the more lo-fi adjacent sound is actually really fitting for a character like Solomon. Kazuki Kawata has this really nice smooth voice, and his ad-libbing at the end is pretty charming. The "hey!" on the chorus sometimes veers into youtube_kids_going_yay.mp3 territory for me, though. -> Lyrically: 7/10 I really like that he calls back to one of his in-game phone calls. It's kind of funny that he sounds so sure of himself when there's an almost insecure nature to his affections in NB especially. -> Overall: 7/10 All around good song. Another one who got done dirty by his remix.

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UNIT SONGS

Choose Me (Mammon, Levi, Asmo) -> Sonically: 6/10 I like the big brass sound, but... eh. Feels like something's missing. I like Hirotaka Kobayashi's delivery on Mammon's rap lines, but the chorus in particular feels kind of lacking. -> Lyrically: 7/10 I don't know what this 'love game' is but I don't think I want to participate. I also fully hear "gay" every single time. That aside, the verses are pretty good. -> Overall: 5/10 Not really for me, but I'll listen to it on shuffle sometimes. This one's remix was criminally bad.

Telepathy (Beel, Belphie) -> Sonically: 10/10 Such a pretty instrumental. Is that "ooooooo" in the background Belphie? It does sound like Satoshi Onishi's voice. The twins both sound perfectly in character and in sync with each other (though I would've liked for them to have a verse together.) Their spoken bridge is adorable. -> Lyrically: 7/10 It's hard to gauge the vibes from the lyrics. They're definitely singing to/about each other (they say so in the bridge), and that's clear in the chorus, but there are a few parts where it's like. Is that something you say to a brother?? Did a songwriter miss a memo? Also what does "your muscles are mood" mean. -> Overall: 9/10 It's such a comforting song to listen to. I just get a bit distracted by "your muscles are mood" every time. Belphie. What does that mean. Please

Passion (Lucifer, Satan) -> Sonically: 8/10 Really big fan of the piano. The breathing sounds caught me off-guard at first, but I know to expect them now. I really like both VA's performances. Lucifer sounds like Lucifer again! -> Lyrically: 7/10 I find Lucifer's line "I said that I’d listen with patience and silence, but you've got some nerve to actually continue" kind of out-of-place - it's more consistent with his characterisation in early NB than anywhere in OM when this was released, which is interesting - but the rest is pretty good. I really couldn't imagine singing this alongside your own sibling though. -> Overall: 8/10 I don't tend to choose this one a lot, but I don't skip it if it comes on in shuffle.

Take It Easy (Satan, Belphie) -> Sonically: 8/10 Really fun bouncy instrumental. I really like the rapport between these two here. (Would you say Belphie's in falsetto? Either way, I love how he and Satan take the higher and lower registers respectively.) -> Lyrically: 10/10 God I love these lyrics. They're so funny. The brief moment of sincerity before they go right back to singing about how much they love pranking Lucifer. "Makes me happy" makes me so happy. It's so sweet. These little rascals. These absolute rapscallions. -> Overall: 9/10 I like the sound of Rock On better, but the LYRICS. They're so great.

Rock On!! (Lucifer, Mammon) -> Sonically: 9/10 This one's another banger. The VAs do a great job with the back-and-forth delivery in the spoken bridge (I especially love how Lucifer and Mammon both sound like they're pretending really hard that they don't give a shit on "Yoroshiku douzo negawakuba" together". Lucifer also sounds like he ran out of air on "...omae wa" a little earlier. Lol -> Lyrically: 8/10 It's really funny to listen to them both strut their stuff singing about themselves in the verses and then suddenly get sincere to each other on the bridge. Though I think this song could've really benefited from the "feels like it was written by the characters" approach. -> Overall: 9/10 I just really like it!

Trigger (Levi, Asmo, Beel) -> Sonically: 8/10 This used to be my favourite of these three unit songs sonically, but solely the delivery of "Trigger!" bothers me a little bit. It could use more force, is all. That aside, everyone did a fantastic job and Satoshi Kada in particular served on Levi's verse. -> Lyrically: 7/10 I'm not even entirely sure what's going on in this song, but I like it. I didn't like Asmo addressing you as "kitten", but I did really like Miura Ayme adding a sort of cutesy whining tone to "I'm the cutest demon in the world, right?" - Ayme in general does a great job with Asmo's character in songs. -> Overall: 8/10 Still good! I think my tastes have just shifted since I first listened to it.

------

OPENING SONGS

Sinful Indulgence (OM!:SWD) -> Sonically: 9/10 It really is a bop. Miura Ayme's performance is great. -> Lyrically: 8/10 Pretty strong! "Oh baby, obey me!" is clever and very catchy. I only ever use the word sexy as a joke so it catches me off guard when Asmo says it, but that's not really a complaint. The dark-and-sinful nature of the lyrics is really funny when you compare it to the stuff these guys actually get up to in-story. -> Overall: 8/10 It's a good listen and a good opening to the game, even if the lyrics don't really reflect the content all that well.

Devil's Way (OM!:NB) -> Sonically: 9/10 Ohhh whatever that metallic bell sound in the intro+outro instrumental is, it is a tasty sound. Shinya Sumi is performing his heart out and he's doing fantastic. I still can't fully tell if that's Belphie or Levi on the start of the second verse, but whoever it is did a really good job of making it sound subtly unsettling. The bridge starts shifting into edgy territory, but the whole song is teetering, to be honest. Also, I've mentioned this before, but the "sekai de-eeee" just before the bridge is still so good. -> Lyrically: 8/10 I adore the use of "sweetiepie" in the chorus but it does detract a little from the dark vibe they've got going on. Lucifer using 'boku' in this song of all places is bewildering and hilarious. The darker tone definitely fits in with S1 and S2. -> Overall: 8/10 Something about that bridge bothers me. Other than that, banger.

------

BROTHER ENSEMBLE SONGS

It's My Party -> Sonically: 9/10 It's a bop. -> Lyrically: 6/10 Relatively basic. From a cynical perspective, the brothers basically each tell you their One Assigned Trait that the writers fall back on when they can't be bothered to do deep characterisation, but that's not the fault of the songwriter. I take psychic damage every time I hear "haters gonna hate." -> Overall: 9/10 I've listened to this quite regularly since I had my friend edit me the version with "haters gonna hate" cut out. (It's a 7/10 with the hater line left in.)

Eternal -> Sonically: 9/10 So nice. I can't unhear the first few notes as See You Again, but the rest of the track is definitely a credit to itself. I feel like there could've been more orchestral build-up, but that might also make it feel too dramatic... as is, it feels more candid and personal. Like you could imagine this being performed to you in a small local theater. -> Lyrically: 10/10 There is definitely bias at play, but hearing this as OM's first sincere ensemble love song made a pretty big impression. The lyrics are so sweet. "My love" is one of those terms of affection that I love so much I don't even mind when it's used on me. -> Overall: 10/10 Again, biased, but this song just has a special place in my heart.

On Your Way -> Sonically: 6/10 It's.... fine? I like the instrumental, but the chorus feels a little empty. Shinya Sumi hitting that high note on "Let's get you on your way" each time is kind of inspiring, though. Belt it, girl! -> Lyrically: 7/10 The "eeny-meeny-miny-mo" is so silly but I love it. -> Overall: 6/10 Pretty standard stuff.

With You -> Sonically: 9/10 Gosh, another really pretty instrumental! I think the seven VAs are definitely more comfortable singing as an ensemble here, though it would've been nice to get some more harmonies... -> Lyrically: 10/10 They're so sappy but that's what makes it work, especially delivered in all sincerity like this. Something about that last line (and its delivery) feels so earnest. -> Overall: 9/10 I'm just a sucker for whatever genre you call this and Eternal. Also, I really like title callback to S2's play (I don't think it was necessarily intentional, but still).

Spooky Night Parade -> Sonically: 7/10 It's a really fun instrumental. I love the little "hehehee....... trick or treat?" in between choruses and verses. They're just little guys. -> Lyrically: 6/10 Just sort of standard Halloween-y lyrics that don't mean too much. -> Overall: 7/10 it feels more like a novelty song than something I'd listen to regularly.

Magic Moment -> Sonically: 9/10 Oooooh that's a nice instrumental. The swelling dynamics are so satisfying, the vocal performances are all lovely. I love that glockenspiel in the back. (At least I think that's what it is.) (I've imagined IK playing it while the brothers perform this before.) -> Lyrically: 9/10 Another "it's so sappy I love it" moment. "I'm so happy I could cry" Like GUYS!! Aw man I love you. They drop three I love yous and they're all great. -> Overall: 10/10 I know the maths doesn't add up but I just really like this song.

Anniversary -> Sonically: 8/10 Strong instrumental, but I feel like the delivery on the raps in the first verse are a little lacking? Asmo and Belphie's verses feel incredibly satisfying for whatever reason. Though Belphie(?)'s little "come on baby" at the end just makes me laugh. I feel like the chorus could've benefited from splitting the brothers up a little (at least for the first two) rather than having them all sing at once. I love hearing them all talk to each other at the beginning, like a behind-the-curtain moment. -> Lyrically: 9/10 "We can't live without you" AWWWWWWWW -> Overall: 9/10 Feels nostalgic even though it came out this year. Another one where the overall rating is based on pure vibes and feeling

------

TRIWORLDS

All the Feels -> Sonically: 10/10 Certified banger. Is it something about Barbatos? (His "one more time" in the final chorus is kinda hype.) Feel like there could've been more variety in the instrumental, though. -> Lyrically: 8/10 The verses feel more personal to the characters than in e.g. It's My Party, but the chorus is still pretty basic. It's a little upsetting that one of Barbatos's lines here has more depth to it than most of his characterisation thus far. I find it really funny that they call the listener "buddy." Probably would've been too weird for Luke to say "honey". Also, the "We are dancing, we are dancing (uh, uh)" bridge is so dumb (in a cute and funny way) -> Overall: 10/10 Just a great song to listen to (and imagine choreography to.)

[ginariima]

Chimata is pretty neat :) SO I just want to talk about Chimata for a lil bit because I think she's pretty cool. First off is her design, it's a rainbow design which most of time can look really ugly. Due to a lack of color consistency making it really hard to focus on the character. However, Chimata's design circumvents this by using colors' natural values.

Some colors are just naturally darker (or have lower values) than other colors. Chimata's design uses these natural values. Just in case if you're a bit confused, I have all the colors all the way to the top right, yet, some of them are still darker.

Our eyes naturally tend to look at what is the lightest. In this case, you're going to look at Chimata's center, her face and her white coat. Then they're going to travel downwards to the yellow, portion, then to the blue/green, then to the purple. Then again from chimata's center, your eyes travel to the orange, and then to the red of her arms.

This is such a clever way to do a rainbow design and I love it so much cause of that. It might still look off to some people though because of the really high saturation, which is why some artists desaturate her colors just a teensy bit. Ok now i wanna talk about her theme, "Where is that Bustling Marketplace Now ~ Immemorial Marketeers", specifically the Rainbow-Colored Septentrion version of the theme. Unlike most Touhou final boss themes, these theme feels desperate and powerless. The closest theme that I think gets to the feeling of desperation this theme has is Sukuna's theme with it's final part. Zun described the song as being split into two halfs, a 'wailing' section and a 'upbeat' section. The trumpets that appear 50 seconds into the song which really emphasizes that wailing part, they're slow and completely cut off the climax that the song was building up to at that point. Then once more, it builds tension up and up again, but once more it fails to capitalize on it and goes into THE BELL SECTION (my fav part !) A calm before the storm before the actual climax with a cool fast piano! This part always feels like a last resort, I know to many it sounds upbeat but to me it always sounded desperate. It has barely any long notes, and is a super frantic. The melody also has this funky lil shape I like Picture from chronondecay's transcription of Chimata's theme

The melody is constantly going up and down in fast sucession. The stops within it, especially with the zunpets, feel like gasps of air to just barely continue. Until it falls down again into a repeating zunpet part that sounds like it's trying to recapture the feeling of the previous section, but just can't. That thing this song does, of rising to a climax that just doesn't come is so cool in my opinion. It feels so desperate and confused as to the direction of where it has to go. Showing Chimata's feelings during the incident where she is completely at a disadvantage due to the pandemic of the outside world, and being a newcomer to Gensokyo. She's trying to survive, but doesn't know how to go about it. Well thats my best try at an analysis of a song 😎 since my knowledge of music just comes from looking at midis lol. I'd like to talk about some of her story stuff too, like the incident and her relationship with Megumu that get's explored in Lotus Eaters but I AM TIRED. Instead of doing my homework thats due in 5 hours I did this for like an hour so I'mma stop for now. Hope you all like Chimata a bit more!

[izpira-se-zlato]

JO Utrecht, 20.03.24

i am woefully behind on my dash but I come bearing a gig report?

I met a lot of people I'd last seen in Groningen 💛

we had dutch fries and I got a vegan kroket (it was very tasty)

also met @autoantonyms!! Got beautiful stickers 😊💛

the queue was inside and there were toilets next to it

Our queueing experience was pretty chill since we ( @zadig-fate , @mogoce-nocoj, and @sloveniansexual) wanted balcony so it wasn't quite so bad

we feared we might get kicked out of the balcony spot but didn't (apparently it was the designated disabled spot but not actually marked as such)

really good view of the entire stage, I'll yeet my videos onto YouTube at the end of the month (once I have wifi again)

the ground was sloped, I think, so there were no "bad" spots

Kris in a super neat outfit and with his cowboy boots that give him the cuntiest of walks

Nace felt like the most "underdressed" in his lace-dangle pants, a simple white shirt and a cozy sweater on top, as well as normal sneakers and glasses

he lost the glasses during Tokio (intentionally this time – threw them at Kiki) and the sweater a little later

Bojan with the heart cutout shirt that allegedly had a kiss mark on the center of the cutout? We were too far away to make that out

Jure. Just. Jfc. we had such a good vantage point to see him, and what a sight he was. Eyeliner and chain harness and hnnng. I spent. Most of the gig just looking at him bc jfc he was gorgeous

Jan in the sparklative pants? I think? And the deep cleavage shirt. Also Janbun my beloved

super tame gig all things considered but I barely noticed bc Jure

Bojan sounds so sick. So fucking sick. Full of snot 😅

during Gola, Jan pushed Nace and chased him a bit

they were so very mobile!

Bojan and Kris did not interact at all during the gig until Bojan made Kris speak Dutch to the crowd (and strokes his arm to get his attention. For a moment I was sure Kris would still ignore him)

apparently Kris's mom was in the audience but we didn't see her so this is hearsay

Jan kept skipping around the stage, and so did Bojan. Bojan also did the Käärijä knees-up run

Nace also sprinted across the stage once 😂

aduring Demoni, Jan jumped up on the drums pedestal and played the snare drum (?)

he also played the piano during metulji and Umazane 😂 a true multi-instrumentalist

also during Demoni, Nace almost walked into Jan and Jan "threatened" him with his guitar (they're adorable)

Jan was actually drinking water during the gig

Vita came up to the balcony to shoot from there and was very distracting. Not in a bad way though 😂

another photographer came up to us and was kinda grateful when I made space so he could shoot

Umazane including intro speech was 12:55 long. Jfc Bojan.

Bojan was talking and then the rest just started Umazane. Felt a bit like they were like, it'll be long enough, pls just start

Bojan went into the crowd. Lots of non-slovene versions. Vita followed after him, which made for a funny picture from above bc there was a white spot with safety distance around him, followed by a pink light (from Vita's camera)

Nace joined part of the front row in doing the Macarena dance for a moment

Jan instigated the crab walk across the stage, and when they came back to Primož, Primož grabbed Nace's fretboard (? The thing with the pegs) before Jan came around and got to press a few buttons on the sound mixing desk

Bojan was helped back on stage but they forgot Vita in the crowd. She was still solidly in the crowd when Kiki fucked back off. I think @braveheart1418 yelled for people to make space and so she was able to slip back out, but yeah. Poor Vita

Kris interacted so much with Jan and Nace though it was pretty tame

a very professional gig all things considered

during ne bi smel (?) Jan's guitar cut out at the beginning but it didn't cause major issues, it just made the very beginning sound a little off

Bojan made Kris speak Dutch at the end. No idea what he said

during Novi val, Jure jumped onto Nace and Jan

Bojan gave Nace and Jan tulip bunches and it really felt like they were suddenly acutely aware how "just married" they looked. Queue awkward standing next to each other until Jure jumped into them

while Kris was speaking, Nace had Bojan pulled into his side, so Jan jumped into them and jfc what a picture – Bojan and Nace both dark pants/white shirt, and Jan in all black… Gorgeous

the crowd chanted "oooo" (U, for Utrecht) and Bojan thought they were booing and he was laughing off that fear afterwards, saying it's the worst nightmare for an artist

[basil-does-arttt]

Devil May Cry 2. The pimple-faced teenager of the series, widely regarded as the worst game in the franchise.

While yes i agree with this viewpoint to some degree, and i think all the jokes about it being the worst one are funny... i honestly dont think the game is THAT bad. In fact, i think people give it too much shit.

Ill start out by saying this: no, the game isnt amazing. Its under-developed, rushed, and in no way is it up to the same standard as the other 4 games. Im not saying its this perfect game, but its not as horrible as some make it out to be.

Ive played through the game on the original PS2 version and the remastered version, and although im yet to complete Lucia's campaign, i can confidently say the game is mediocre at worst really.

First the gameplay: Boring? Yes. Definitely. Do you like standing in one place and shooting everything for 15 minutes untill it drops dead? This is the game for you. But you dont have to do that, it just happens to be the easiest option because the controls are so jank. I spent (some) time myself learning the combos, turns out it depends on the way you angle the joystick, and once you get the hang of it, its not that difficult to S rank combat encounters at all. Its annoying, but not impossible, and the combos can honestly look pretty cool imo.

The movement is also another thing, the dodge animation takes way too long to perform but i do like the forward dash. Its a nice alternative to using stinger as a makeshift movement dash, i wish they kept it for furture versions of Dante. (Yes i know theres the trickster dash, but he doesn't do a flip)

I also really love the flying mechanic with aerial heart, and the different kinds of core thingies you could combine as a whole. A unique feature that kinda got combined into other things in Dante's design.

A few of the bosses, if they had been fleshed out and maybe balanced a bit better, could've been just amazing too. Furiataurus for example. One boss i feel was done well though was The Despair Embodied, and although you can just stand around and shoot it to death like everything else, you do actually have to put effort in to not get hit and die. (Trismalga is also kinda in that boat too, a well(ish) done fight you actually have to put effort into, but i personally didn't like it.)

Next, level design: You have to admit they did some cool things with the level design. *some*. The whole "grungy city" vibe is something i found very interesting, and the trippy purple iteration of lower town was, while infuriating to navigate thanks to the camera and graphics (esp on the ps2 version), was actually quite neat. I also really liked the clock tower in Lucia's campaign.

And also, the music. Can i just say, i think dmc 2's soundtrack is my favorite one out of all 5 games. The ambient background tracks are almost dreamy, especially Lucia's ones, the boss themes honestly go hard and the piano track that's repeated throughout the whole soundtrack just sounds good. If you take anything away from this post, its that you should listen to the soundtrack. (I reccomend the tracks "Unholy Relics", "Cry for the Moon", and "Shoot the Works")

The character designs are another thing i think they did well in this game. In my humble opinion, Dante's dmc 2 style is the best looking one in the whole series. Lucia also looks quite cool, her devil trigger form especially.

The characters themselves, Dante especially, need work, but might i remind you the developers were rushed when making this game. They didn't have enough time to do everything they wanted to do, 6 months before the game was supposed to release they didn't even have it in working condition. It was only thanks to Itsuno stepping in as the director that we got this game in the first place, and all he could do was salvage what the team had already created and get it in a releasable state before launch.

If only they had a bit more time (and maybe resources), dmc 2 couldve been quite the cool game. Though, on that note, if it werent for dmc 2's catastrophic faliure and Itsuno's prompt pestering for a sequel so the franchise didn't die outright, we wouldn't have gotten dmc 3. Though i think Capcom would've made a 3rd game regardless of the scenario.

All in all, i dont think dmc 2 is that horrible of a game. If you have the remaster collection, or even the original PS2 version, at least try it. Give it a go, play through the first few missions and kill one or two of the bosses.

Don't take it seriously, just have fun and enjoy the game in all its janky half-finished glory. If you look at dmc 2 that way, i think you'll enjoy it a whole lot more.

Or dont. Yknow, its your choice.

[batmanfruitloops]

It's Hatter time with today's rogue, Jervis Tetch!

Jervis was always interested in Alice in Wonderland from the moment he saw the movie and read it. It was just so fun, and free, and colorful. He would often daydream and loved to craft, especially baking desserts, tailoring, and hat making.

His parent's, however, were not so fond of these frivolous activities. None of this time wasting actions would lead to anything, nor were they befitting of the Tetch name. Anything Jervis expressed an interest in, they almost always shut down, or turned into something that they preferred. Jervis wanted to play the flute? The piano was better suited. Jervis wanted a pet cat? They would make a mess and there's no way he'd be competent enough to take care of them. If Jervis ever wore any of the suits or hats he made, his parents would make him change, and remark on how ridiculous they looked.

Along with all these comments about Jervis as a person, they insulted him physically. Jervis was always a chubby person, and there's nothing wrong with that. He was perfectly healthy, but they made him feel like he wasn't. They cut how much he could eat and made him wear clothes that weren't really big enough. This made Jervis stress about eating at all, and stop eating almost anything at all. Or he'd feel very guilty after eating until his stomach actually felt full.

Not only did Jervis' parents treat him like that when they were present, more often than not, they left Jervis alone to do his homework and practice piano. It's also this behavior that led to Jervis developing his accent, as he got it from watching British programs. But it sounds so convincing that everyone would just assume he traveled to the UK for a while.

School wasn't much better, as Jervis was bullied there for his appearance and lack of mental presence (as in paying attention to what teachers or students were saying - I'm not sure if there's a better term for that). Jervis never ate at school, and was alone when he wasn't being harassed or beat up. Being as he was attending Gotham's school for wealthy families, there was also a sense of elitism and was forced upon him. No matter how talented and intelligent he was, it didn't really matter to him. Jervis also got used to being called "Jarvis" instead. He just stopped correcting them, considering they kept calling him "Jarvis" even when he did.

By the time Jervis is in high school, he'd have pretty much accepted the fate that his parents had assigned to him. Letting his parents showboat him at parties, and tell him what classes and career he should start working towards. If he didn't have to actively participate in a conversation, he'd go back to daydreaming. It was much nicer there. He'd have developed Maladaptive Daydreaming by this point, and he'd only continue to get deeper into his daydreams when he wasn't conversing with other people.

Becoming a neurologist wasn't a job Jervis had dreamt of, but it wasn't the worst, considering the options his parents would approve of. He had the skills to do so, and the brain is quite the fascinating thing, really. Jervis did good work, but it was apparent that his boss, Marcia Cates, did not like him and scrutinized what he got done. This made him anxious, and so he often hid the projects he was truly invested in, his mind control devices being the biggest one.

Jervis's co-workers also had a bad habit of handing off work that they didn't want to do, like papers related to their progress, since they knew he was too nice to refuse. Jervis also had a personal candy dish in his office, which they frequently stole from, often leaving him confused as to how he ate them all so fast.

Of all the people he worked with though, Alice was amazing. She worked the front desk and was very nice. She also enjoyed Alice in Wonderland and so the two were able to bond over that in no time at all.

Another bigger alteration to this version of Alice is that she's autistic, and makes sure that people are aware. Her family loves her very much and accommodate her well, if not a little too overbearing. They meant well, but they ended up sheltering her a lot, so she missed out on learning how to read certain social ques, and they never let her know if anyone even had a passing rude thought about her. To be clear, it's not as if Alice thinks she's untouchable because of this, she just genuinely can't tell when someone is being mean to her, unless it was blatantly stated. Otherwise she'd assume they didn't mean to hurt her feelings. I'm not sure if I'm properly articulating what I mean.

That said, a lot of their co-workers treat Alice and Jervis as strange, although they'd still act nicer to Alice since Jervis is easier to pick on, unfortunately. Because of this though, Alice and Jervis would be good at standing up for one another if someone was rude, and not letting the other talk themselves out of feeling bad about something, just because it seems like it shouldn't bother them. Alice would also have noticed that Jervis rarely ate, whether it was a done of purpose or out of forgetfulness on a given day, and bring him food at lunch.

And in line with BTAS, Jervis starts to develop a crush on Alice. He wouldn't know how else to describe how he felt about her, and based on comments Alice would make about her boyfriend, Billy, he didn't seem like the nicest guy. He wouldn't try and get them to break up, but when Alice comes sobbing to him that they've broken up, Jervis does his best to comfort her.

With Alice no longer in a relationship, Jervis asks her on an outing. Jervis means it as a date, romantically, but Alice assumes it just a regular outing to cheer her up. During their date, it's all going fine until Jervis makes a comment that makes Alice confused, so she asks for clarification.

Oops, they both misunderstood. Jervis would be hurt, but he wouldn't blame Alice for that. The incident still adds to Jervis finally having a breakdown, leading to him deciding to become the Mad Hatter. With his mind control, he can fix things. It doesn't have to stay a mess anymore. Finally, things can be like the Wonderland he's always dreamed of.

-Sarsee

[randomvarious]

1990s Trip Hop Playlist

Been six months since I added anything to this fly-as-fuck playlist, and this week I've got a bunch of heady, spaced-out, and super stoned treats for you all. For this update, I ended up drawing from three separate releases: Ninja Cuts: Flexistentialism, a terrific comp from 1996 that was put out by premier UK trip hop, hip hop, downtempo, and future jazz label Ninja Tune; French native Kid Loco's brilliant DJ-Kicks mix from 1999 that was put out by Germany's !K7 label; and a varied South African comp that was put out by national indie label Fresh Records in 1998 called ReRooted: Beatz From da Ground Up.

So let's highlight some sweet goodies from all of these then. First up, "Junkies Bad Trip" by London Funk Allstars, a quintessential piece of head-nodding mid-90s boom bap dope that sounds like it's waiting for your favorite New York rapper's favorite New York rapper to spit some crazy fire over it. When it comes to instrumental trip hop and hip hop-type shit, there's really nothing in my mind that tops something like this tune right here; a big sonic bluntski with two pretty iconic samples in it: one from Baby Huey's "Hard Times," which gives the song its frenzied, metallic, whistling stabs, and has been used in a whole bunch of other rap tunes too; and a funky guitar riff from James Brown's "Blind Men Can See It," which was also famously used in Das EFX's 1992 classic, "They Want EFX" as well. Currently at around 252K plays on Spotify.

Next, something really cool from that ReRooted comp by a band from Cape Town called Naked, who only ever put out one album, 1998's Bone Needs Flesh. Here they offer up a tune called "Wash Your Hands (Stone Cold remix)," which employs this really unique blend of chopped-up vocals, heavy breathing, and sharp, acidic bass stabs, as a couple different effects are applied to frontwoman Kaolin Thompson's voice. This one seems pretty damn obscure, as it's currently sitting at under 1,000 plays on Spotify. It's terrific, though.

And for some pure fuckin' THC-induced nuttery, there's "Attitude Adjuster" by Essex, England's own Tom Tyler. Appearing on Kid Loco's DJ-Kicks mix, this 1999 leftfield stunner's marked by a very imposing, dissonantly wobbly, and bleating horn sound, with a dubbed-out drumbeat beneath it, and all of it anchored by a super chill and steady synth pad to mellow and balance the whole thing out. A simply bananas piece of music that was made to satiate your crusty-eyed inner insomniac at 3:46 in the morning. Currently at a little over 4,000 Spotify plays.

9 Lazy 9 - "Turn Me Loose" Jazz Con Bazz - "Wayz of Life" Luke Vibert - "Get Your Head Down" Up, Bustle & Out - "Ninja's Principality" London Funk Allstars - "Junkies Bad Trip" DJ Vadim - "Theme From Conquest of the Irrational (Remix by The Prunes)" Pelding - "One" Naked - "Wash Your Hands (Stone Cold remix)" Boards of Canada - "Happy Cycling" Tom Tyler - "Attitude Adjuster" Kid Loco - "Flyin' on 747"

Now, something else I should mention is that the YouTube version of this playlist includes all of these songs too, but a bunch of the versions that are specifically from Kid Loco's DJ-KIcks mix are as they appear on the mix itself, which is a little different from how they sound unmixed on Spotify, except for the set's sweet and serene closer, "Flyin' on 747."

But in addition to that, this YouTube update also comes with some songs from that DJ-Kicks mix that aren't on Spotify at all too, like something from a London collective called Common Ground, whose 1998 song, "Dark Soul," has some piano-and-string bits that might remind you a little of something like the theme song from Succession—a show that came 20 years after this very song dropped—but this tune, like so many others in this update, is also very fucking stoned; it has this Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells-like opening, some plonking xylo, and some slow and incremental, scale-climbing vocals to mark its 'chorus' too. An absolute, unheralded banger as far as I'm concerned, and currently only nearing 1,900 plays on YouTube across a couple different uploads.

Emperors New Clothes - "Dark Light (Underdog Mix)" Grantby - "Grimble" Tongue - "Culture Consumers" Common Ground - "Dark Soul" Stereotyp - "Slo Jo"

And this playlist is also on YouTube Music.

So with this update we're now at 46 songs that clock in at 4 hours and 5 minutes on Spotify, but over on YouTube, we've got 76 songs that clock in at 7 hours and 2 minutes! So if you want more dank 90s trip hop than you know what to do with, then do yourself a favor and pick the YouTube one.

And if 7 hours and change or 4 hours and change sounds like way too overwhelming of an amount of trip hop for you to handle, I've got a bunch of this broken down by year too:

1994 Trip Hop: YouTube / YouTube Music 1996 Trip Hop: Spotify / YouTube / YouTube Music 1997 Trip Hop: YouTube / YouTube Music 1998 Trip Hop: YouTube / YouTube Music 1999 Trip Hop: YouTube / YouTube Music

More trip hop next week, but from a certain locality 😎.

Enjoy!

More to come, eventually. Stay tuned!

Like what you hear? Follow me on Spotify and YouTube for more cool playlists and uploads!

[bargainoriley]

Ummagumma (1969)

Here are my thoughts on ummagumma! I also wrote my thoughts on atom heart mother but will be posting it a bit later today (I listened to both albums in the same day while on a flight)

1. Astronomy Domine - Live

The intro is very different but still sounds very awesome! I love the sound of the keyboard and guitar here as well! The wah-wah really adds a lot to this version. I also really like the improvisations here, but I still like the original more honestly.

2. Careful With That Axe Eugene - Live

I’ve never heard this song in full before! The keyboards and spooky groove at the beginning is really cool! Also the background vocals as well. Every instrument in this song is very very great (I especially love the use of cymbals here, and the keyboard, and the guitar, and the bass)! And once the scary/heavy beat drop hits this song becomes even better! I was legitimately head banging! The screams are really scary and make the song all that better (they made a shiver run up my spine)! How is this song spooky and really groovy and cool at the same time??? The improvisations are also really good. This song perfectly encapsulates a horror movie in my opinion.

3. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun - Live

This version is pretty good as well, but the studio version is a little bit better in my opinion since the sound/music effects in the original version are very good and really contribute to the feelings/vibes of this song, and this version is really missing them. I really like the addition of the guitar and the keyboard improvising though.

4. A Saucerful Of Secrets - Live

Oooo I love how the bass plays part of the original synth intro here, it sounds very good and cool! The intro here sounds way cooler than the original. This version overall has a very different vibe from the original; and in this case I like this live version a lot more than the original! The church organ/choir part here is even better than in the original, and the song just sounds better generally on this album. I don’t know why I like this version more, probably maybe because it’s a lot more melodic than the original! I think the original is good, but sometimes the chaotic part in there gets tiring to listen to

5. Sisyphus part 1

Very ominous! I like the drums and cello here!

6. Sisyphus part 2

The piano here is great and beautiful! God Rick can play so well… this is making me realize even more how talented he was!! And then it suddenly gets very chaotic…

7. Sisyphus part 3

The chaos from the last part continues here! This part is honestly kind of really bad, but I think it has major meme potential! I can just imagine this playing in a shitpost, or it just kind of sounds like a shitpost itself.

8. Sisyphus part 4

Pretty ominous, but relaxing! OMG then suddenly the organ comes! So much for relaxing! After that it kind of gets pretty creepy and weird… I do not like it :( honestly sounds worse than the most dissonant/chaotic parts from a saucerful of secrets. The orchestra though at the end is really cool and badass!

9. Grantchester Meadows:

The bird sounds and guitar intro is very lovely. The vocal harmonies are also very lovely and relaxing! This song honestly reminds me a lot of Simon and Garfunkel. This feels like a major breather from the chaos that was Sisyphus… I really like this song! Feels especially relaxing as I’m in an airplane right now listening to this album.. Also what was up with the ending where someone just straight up slaps/kills a fly?? That was so random

10. Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave Grooving with a Pict

Well that was…. a song. Very very bizarre! What were they even on to think of this??? The song kind of makes me laugh and uncomfortable at the same time… the second song that has major meme/shitpost potential/vibes.

11. The Narrow Way part 1

Very folky! I like this composition so far… the guitar here is lovely!

12. The Narrow Way part 2

Oooh, pretty heavy and ominous! I like it I like it, the melody here is especially cool.. so far this song with multiple parts is so much better than Sisyphus. This part honestly feels like you’re in a sci fi haunted house.

13. The Narrow Way part 3

I love the reverb guitar effect here!! This is the best part of them all! The reverb guitar and the entirety of the song honestly reminds me of later albums. The singing here is also very lovely. This part sounds very much like While my Guitar Gently Weeps.. probably because it is in the same key and used a similar melody to George Harrison’s song. The whole narrow way song with all its parts is really good and an underrated gem imo. So far one of my favorite songs on this album along with Careful with that Axe Eugene live and Grantchester Meadows. An absolute banger of a song!

14. The Grand Vizier’s Garden part 1

Feels like lord of the rings, very whimsical!

15. The Grand Vizier’s Garden part 2

Pretty ominous and weird sounding so far. Honestly feels like somebody is performing magic tricks. The melody after that intro is pretty relaxing though. When the windy melody started skipping I thought my phone was glitching. The drums being cut off and skipping feels like a sound collage almost… the drum groove/solo by Nick at the end though goes really hard!

16. The Grand Vizier’s Garden part 3

The beautiful orchestra ending the album is very fitting, but kind of underwhelming.

In general, I think the live sides of the album are very very different from the 2 other experimental sides, and I honestly liked the live sides better… because the experimental sides just weren’t my cup of tea most of the time. Except for Grantchester Meadows and The Narrow Way I didn’t really like the experimental tracks. I am also mixed on this album… I have to say this is my second least favorite album so far. More is only worse in my opinion because it is very forgettable except the underrated gems I like from that album (The Nile Song, Cymbaline, Green is The Colour). At least I’ll forever remember this bizarre album, and the fact that it is so bizarre and memorable makes it much better than More. It is also better than More because of the live sides alone (they are very very good). What I take away from this is that Ummagumma just has major shitpost vibes (including the album name itself) and that it was pretty tedious to listen to at times, but I felt it was definitely worth it for some underrated gems!

[verigayo]

Here’s a small part of the video essay I’m writing on The Quick Brown Fox’s fascinating evolution through their discography. This part is about WANDERLUST and how weird it is. Special interest yapping abound.

WANDERLUST is in a very weird place temporally for The Quick Brown Fox’s discography. It is by all intents and purposes, a cinematic album, an album through which the more ambitious, beautiful, and meaningful music can exist within the confines of tbqf. However, due to the fact that it was released not even a year after the previous album, one where the vast majority of the project is still filled with the absurdity a listener would come to expect from the Fox, the experience is somewhat dampened by its reliance on old reliable methods of song structure.

Upon listening to WANDERLUST, the listener is greeted by an album that seems almost purposefully built to take the listener on a journey, a perhaps wandering expanse (ha ha) of uniquely beautifully arranged songs. I say almost purposeful deliberately though, as cracks in the construction of the album begin to appear near the second half. LINE OUT, while really pretty, lacks the inherent core of any of the other songs on the album, suddenly ending any momentum it creates to lead to a beautiful synth and piano passage that continues a seamless transition into the next track. The song, while not even being the shortest song on the album, leaves little to no impact on the overall experience, merely acting as a staging point, a transition between CRT and 晴天の霹靂. It does however, continue the general atmosphere of the beauty of the album so at least I can appreciate this, even if it’s not necessarily very impressive of a song in its own way.

晴天の霹靂 continues this beautiful piano before making a transition into rising tension of a borderline dubstep beat. While it does sound kind of weird compared to everything else, it feels at least normal for a high energy song like this to exist in the project and the sounds are at least similar in vibe. Then, about 2:00 into the track, it suddenly uses chopped up samples to make a fun beat compliment. This breaks the very strong thematic component of the album as it sounds exactly like any other qbf song for this short period before fading out. Admittedly, the chopped sample returns mixed with the synths from earlier and it does feel like it was building towards something but this definitely damaged the cohesion of the album. And unfortunately, the cracks continues to show through as it goes to the next track.

AUTUMN DAY DISTRACTION starts with a good connecting synth before basically abandoning the entire conceit of this new form of the rest of the album, only keeping some of the similar synths and soft vocal samples. This song could very easily have existed on the previous album without some of the connecting elements and considering an early version of JUST HESITATION was on that project, I would not be surprised if it may have been partially made before the rest of WANDERLUST.

Realistically, these complaints are minor as the song is very good at being a high energy speedcore banger but the damage to an album that seemed from the majority of the songs to be conceived with a certain aesthetic vision is definitely palpable. It feels almost obvious to someone who has been paying close attention to the evolution of this artist that this song exists in such a state because it was second nature at this point for the songs to be made like this, even if it feels somewhat out of place against the rest of the album. Again, I don’t really dislike any of these songs, I still think WANDERLUST is a really really amazing album that has some of tqbf’s best work, I just think because of the fact it was released in such quick succession to the previous project and so close to the rest of the catalogue the alias had produced, it hurts the completeness of the vision the album sets forward by relying on echoes of the past rather than embracing the future.

[roisheep]

Lost Steely Dan Saturday

I've decided that I'm going to start a weekly thing where I post about various cut & obscure Steely Dan songs. My intention is mainly to post about an album's worth of outtakes, demos, and other oddities per installment. This list will be non-exhaustive, as the list of Steely Dan and Steely Dan adjacent outtakes is enormous. I'll be sharing links to what songs I can, and I'll be prioritizing unadulterated demos (though I will be recommending fan remasters when applicable.) Starting chronologically, we'll be looking at their first album, Can't Buy a Thrill, and a little bit of what came before it. Heads up, this will be a long post.

Dallas (Single)

This single is Steely Dan's first release, it and its b-side were only ever released officially on a 1978 japan only compilation

One of the first things you might notice with this one is that Donald Fagen is not singing lead vocals, instead being performed by drummer Jim Hodder. Hodder also performs lead vocals for "Midnite Cruiser" on can't buy a thrill. Personally, I'm pretty keen on this one. Despite Becker & Fagen later describing it as "stinko," I think it holds up pretty well. The use of steel guitar makes it mesh really well into the sound of Can't Buy a Thrill, and I'd definitely recommend giving it a listen. JiveMiguel1980 has an excellent remaster which you can find on YouTube, and the band Poco covered this song in 1975.

Sail the Waterway

I'm not going to have too much to say about a lot of these songs, and this is definitely one of those. It's nice enough. The instrumentation once again feels very in line with the sound of CBAT, and this song features a pretty nice guitar solo, as well as some nice backing vocals. Sail the Waterway also has another great remaster by JiveMiguel1980 on YouTube that is worth checking out if you enjoy the song.

Can't Buy a Thrill Demos and Outtakes

Moving now from songs released before Can't Buy a Thrill and on to the Demos and Outtakes of the albums themselves. Steely Dan fans have been compiling this into their own little bootlegs since before the internet, so I'll be able to share most of them with one link, and we'll briefly run down through the songs in order as they appear:

Gullywater: This one's just plain fun! The lyrics are very of their time but I find the song's heavy reliance on just kind of stating metaphors to be endearing. The guitar on this one is also just killer. Check out the JiveMiguel1980 remaster, and It's at this point that I'd also like to note that yes, I am going to recommend JiveMiguel1980 remasters a lot, they make a lot of them and they're very good

Sakka Joweda: This one is probably my favorite CBAT outtake, it's really catchy and very high energy for Steely Dan. The chorus on this one gets stuck in my head for the rest of the day every time I hear it, and the closing organ bit is very distinct for them. Check out the JiveMiguel1980 remaster if you like this one as always. I'd have to agree with the studio chatter at the end of this one, Sakka Joweda is "real good."

Any World (That I'm Welcome To): You might recognize this one from their 1975 album "Katie Lied," Any World is one of a couple of Steely Dan demos to find new life on subsequent albums. This version of it is very good on its own, having the sparser piano and drum sound of a lot of Steely Dan demos, but it doesn't quite hold up as well when compared to its later officially released iteration (you just can't compete with Michael McDonald.)

Running Child: This one to me is another solid-but-not-exceptional demo, which is probably why infamous perfectionist Donald Fagen prevented it from being included on the album. This one also has a JiveMiguel1980 remaster if it sticks out to you.

Megashine City: This song is alright, like Sakka Joweda I think its strongest part is its chorus. This one has a very 60s country-ish americana sound that I don't personally care for, and I think wouldn't sound out of place with a lot of other bands of the era, but it still has enough of that Dan feel going for it that I'll listen to it on occasion.

Stay There: This is just studio chatter and instrument futzing I think. If you're listening to Can't Buy a Thrill Demos and Outtakes as though it were a real album, it's a fun little transitional piece.

Midnite Cruiser (Alternate Mix): This is an alternate mix of Midnite Cruiser, the track from Can't Buy a Thrill. Not too too much is different, but it is pretty neat.

This was my first Lost Steely Dan Saturday, I've been wanting to blog about this stuff for a little bit, and finally settled on this as the format. Next week I'll most likely be covering Katy Lied & The Royal Scam, as Countdown to Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic outtakes either don't exist or remain lost media at present. Not sure how this style of post is going to perform, but I am mostly just making these for my own enjoyment. However, if anyone has questions or notes they can feel free to reach out to me about them.

[snippychicke]

For the Sake of a Smile (V.2) Chapter Seventeen

Title: For the Sake of a Smile (Revised)

Overall Rating: Mature (18+)

Chapter Rating: M for Mature. We've begun the 18+ content

Trigger warnings: Nothing beyond the child abuse hinted in the series, though we do explore the consequences a bit more.

Main Pairing: Balam Shichiro/Reader

Summary: Hell on earth was your motto for your job. Granted, you were pretty sure earth really was hell, considering the shit you had seen in your life. And the fact your coworker was a child. 

A child named Suzuki Iruma, in fact. A kid who’s life was decidedly worse than yours, but yet he smiled despite everything. It wasn’t long after meeting him that you decided you’d do a lot for his smile. Including summoning a literal demon and signing your soul away.

But as it turns out, hell (The Netherworld, actually) was a lot better than living on earth. Demons were more humane than a lot of humans you knew.

And Iruma’s smile wasn’t the only one that would change your life.

Masterlist | Ao3| Mairimashitai! Simps Discord

Music filled the air; though it was quite obvious it was a novice working slowly through a piece. Usually, you didn't mind Iruma practicing for the upcoming Music Festival. However - today was Saturday; you loved Saturday because it allowed you to sleep in.

You groaned, trying to muffle the sound of awkward piano music with your pillow, trying to sink back into the bliss of sleep. After all, your bed was the perfect temp and you had your blankets curled around you in just the way you loved. You were so comfortable, so sure you could just fade back into unconsciousness. Finish your dream....

But no luck. 

The piano tones kept you from falling back asleep, and soon you were too awake. You growled again as you shifted and blindly reached for your phone, pulling it under the pile of blankets you were buried under. You may be awake, but you didn't want to leave your bed quite yet. So instead, you planned on killing time just scrolling through the various Netherworld versions of social media.

However, your plans were sidetracked when you saw Shichiro had texted you. //Good morning! I saw this little salamander and thought you would find him as cute as I did//

Your smile widened at the attached picture of a tiny dark red lizard curled up in the heart of a bright blue flower, taking a nap.

You quickly texted back, //It's adorable!// And didn't expect a reply. After all, the time stamp was over an hour ago (making you wonder if he had woken at the crack of dawn).

Yet as soon as you switched apps, he had sent another text. //Do you have any plans for today?//

Your heart thumped in your chest despite everything, making you feel rather like a teenager. A week - and not even a full one at that - of courting Balam Shichiro, and he was proving to be sweeter than you could have ever imagined. //Well I was going to sleep in, but that has been ruined, so no. What about you?//

There was just the slightest  delay before the little dots of him typing appeared. //The last blooms are finished for the year so I was going to see if I could collect some seeds.//

//So, a stroll in the forest?// You teased with a smile to yourself. Honestly, the idea sounded lovely. Maybe you should practice your defensive runes and take one of the Nightmares out for a ride into the surrounding forest. 

//Essentially// He texted, and after a short pause sent a second one //would you like to join?//

Your heart thumped in your chest, imagination happily taking over; building an image of simply walking through an idyllic garden or forest with Shichiro, the air full of birdsong, wild flowers and other flora and fauna. He would excitedly point out anything he saw scuttling past before telling you everything about it.

//Absolutely!// Even if reality was half as great as your daydream it would be a perfect date. 

A perfect first date. 

The idea had you grinning and kicking your feet slightly beneath the covers like someone much younger. 

//I'll come pick you up?//

//Sure!//

Now that was a reason to get out of bed. You pushed away your nest of blankets and jumped out of bed dashing towards the bathroom for a shower.

A day alone with just Shichiro - was this a dream come true? No more quick lunches or catching each other before and after class. Just you and him, enjoying nature and each other's company.

You froze and stood before the walk-in closet, reality hitting hard. Time with Shichiro. Alone. Unsupervised. No students just outside, or impending classes. Or Kalego's words of being good role models echoing in your mind...

How should you dress; befitting for a long day of walking? Cute? Sexy? 

"My lady, Shichiro is here."

Shit. Shit shit shit. "A-already?! Okay, um, I just, uh, gimme a minute!"

You dove into the closet, feeling even more panicked as you flipped through the hanging outfits and rummaging through drawers. The downfall of having such a large selection meant making a decision was even harder.

--+--

While Kalego was very irritated with Lord Sullivan at times, Balam had nothing but respect for the chair demon. However - this was the first time, in a very long time, he actually felt fear when standing before him.

Lord Sullivan sat in his chair, fingers steepled together and golden eyes carefully studying Balam as if it was the first time they had met.

"I believe it is customary to talk with the head of the clan before asking to court one of their children," Lord Sullivan stated evenly.

"My apologies," Balam offered as he quickly knelt, unfolding his wings to expose them in respect. "I meant no disrespect. While the act was impulsive, my feelings and intentions for your daughter are steadfast and unwavering."

Sullivan's power filled the room, easily dwarfing Balam's own mana. The chasm between rank 8 and rank 9 was large, but Balam swore the rumors of Sullivan deserving the rank of 10 to be true.

"If you were anyone else," Sullivan crooned, "I would make sure you wouldn't do something so reckless ever again. However, as you are not only a teacher of Babyls - but one of its trusted guardians - I will forgive you."

The power eased back - slowly - allowing Balam to breathe. Still, Balam continued to bow before the demon lord. "Thank you, and again my apologies."

"Take good care of my daughter," Sullivan said, his attitude shifting back to his usual demeanor. "You know how precious she is to me!"

Balam straightened up, sitting back on his talons. "I vow that I will do everything in my power to assure she is safe and happy."

Sullivan smiled, with more than a little bit of humor tinging the expression. "Oh, I'm sure of it. And I do expect the same for any little grandchildren of mine that may come from your inevitable union."

Balam's face turned bright red as he nodded silently, words failing him. Sullivan's excited expression grew, though Opera cleared their throat before Sullivan could throw himself at the other demon.

"Our lady is ready for her guest."

--+--

As Balam would discover, you were not quite ready yet - and his Senpai had been pulling a small yet wicked trick.

You had been so preoccupied as you tore through the closet that you didn't hear him call your name as he approached, looking for you in the large room. He froze when he caught sight of your bare back.

There was something about seeing the expense of your back - with no signs of wings or tail - that got to him. He had to fight the urge to run his hands along your back; to study the structures beneath the soft smooth looking skin, to study the differences between your species and his. And then there were the curves of your waist and hips that called to him in a very non-scientific way.

Balam clenched his hands, using every bit of self control to force himself to turn from the enticing sight and walk away from the closet. Instead he tried to force his focus on something more benign --

-- Such as the multitudes of bookcases in your room, making it look like a small library with a bed more than anything. But what caught his eye was the shelf of books that he had created and given to Iruma, all carefully placed together and easily within reach of your personal reading nook.

--+--

When you finally emerged, you learned that Opera apparently allowed Shichiro in your room. You froze as you recognized the giant bird-demon standing before one of your many bookcases, his back to you as he faced your wall of books. 

"Shichiro!" You squeaked, face becoming aflame while also thanking the deities that you had dressed inside your closet. You didn't need that added to the situation.

Even if, to be fair, you had already become somewhat familiar with his own… private areas. 

Shichiro didn't turn around, but flinched as his shoulders hunched almost guiltily. "I didn't see anything, I promise!"

You flushed even more at the implication and the feeling that perhaps he had. And the slight thrill that came with it. Would… would you really have minded if he had caught you in a state of undress? Or took a moment to appreciate whatever he saw? "Good! I-I mean, I trust you anyway and wouldn't really be upset if you did, but, uh, I mean..." You groaned, covering your face in embarrassment at your rambling. "I-I'm okay now. I'm dressed."

Shichiro slowly peeked over his shoulders, his pink face contrasting the silver of his mask. Trying to ease the awkwardness, you offered a shy smile and did a little spin to show off your outfit of choice. "What do you think, Good?"

He nodded silently as he turned around completely, taking his time to study you. You fidgeted a smudge, feeling a bit self conscious before he closed the distance between you. His hand reached for your cheek, and you melted into his touch; his glove cool against your skin.

"You're absolutely beautiful," He murmured, causing you to close your eyes with an embarrassed noise as you tried to hide your face against his palm.

"Shichiro," You whined softly. "You don't need to be such a flirt this early on a Saturday."

He gently tilted you to face him, eyes full of tender warmth. "I'm just stating the truth. You are an absolute vixen."

Okay, now that really made you feel self-conscious. You whined again as you buried your face against his chest, though that only lasted a moment before his arms wrapped around you and picked you up.

"Hi," You greeted meekly as your gaze met his, and saw his cheeks crinkle as he smiled.

"Hi," He returned, his thumb stroking gentle circles on your cheek. Devi - you could just stay like this forever, to be honest. You moved and carefully undid the clasps of his mask, pulling it away so you could enjoy the sight of his smile. You shifted the mask to your other hand that was wrapped around his shoulder so you could caress his face.

That smile, so open and happy.... was for you. Just for you. Just like that soft look in his eyes. How did you manage to get this lucky?

"What are you thinking about?" He asked after a moment.

"How lucky I am to have such a handsome demon as yourself," You answered, grinning as he blushed this time and averted his eyes. "If you get to call me beautiful, then I get to call you handsome, agreed?"

He looked back at you, debating for a moment before brushing his lips against yours in a soft chaste kiss. "Agreed, my little vixen."

You kissed him again, definitely unwilling to turn down an opportunity. Sure - you had caught chaste kisses here and there through the week, both of you agreeing after the incident of him being late to his own class a second time to keep it short and sweet.

But now... You were here, he was here, and there were no real time constraints.

You presumed he had the same train of thought as his tongue carefully brushed against your lips, so soft and gentle like the demon himself. There was no hesitation as you parted your own, eagerly accepting him.

A deep groan reverberated from his chest as his grip tightened fractionally, the soft-sweetness fading into hunger. His control seemed to slip as the kiss turned passionate, his tongue invading your mouth - seemingly intent on familiarizing himself with every curve and nook.

You wanted so badly to melt into him, to forget everything outside of Shichiro; his taste, smell, how tightly he held onto you as if you would somehow disappear.

But a little voice in the back of your head reminded you that Opera, Sullivan - and maybe even Iruma at this point - were trying to snoop just beyond your bedroom door. So as much as you hated it, you broke the kiss; resting your forehead against his.

"Let me fix my hair and we can go," You muttered, still catching your breath.

"May I help?" He asked, surprising you for a moment before you recalled the whole molting thing and how much he enjoyed it when you played with his hair.

"O-okay," You agreed before he set you back down. You led him to the vanity dresser Sullivan had gifted you, settling on the bench. It had been a long time since someone brushed your hair - especially someone other than a hairdresser - so you had to admit, you were a little nervous even though you trusted Shichiro explicitly. 

His gloved fingers threaded through your hair, being so careful as if he would hurt you somehow. You could see how focused he was on being gentle that you had to bite back a smile. "I'm not glass," You reassured, "I won't mind if you pull my hair a bit."

You only realized how that sounded once his face turned red once more. "Sorry," He muttered, though continued to be overly careful as he accepted the brush and started to work at the end. "I'm not sure how sensitive human scalps are, and I don't want to accidentally hurt you."

"I'll let you know if it hurts," You reassured, watching him in the mirror. He had that look of intense concentration; eyebrows furrowed, and the unscarred side of his face pulled into a frown. Honestly, it was rather cute - and you had to admit - it felt nice between the brush and his fingers running through your hair; to the point you eventually closed your eyes and leaned back into him. You were only partially aware when he set the brush down, though still playing with your hair.

"Do you have a hair tie?" He asked after a moment, pulling you from drowsing. You reached into the vanity instinctively and pulled out the small box of hair ties. He took them from your hand the same time you looked in the mirror.

"I didn't know you knew how to braid," You admitted, studying the small braids he used to pull your hair back.

"My mother taught me; our kind typically wears long hair, so...." He shrugged as your attention drifted to his white hair. It was just past his shoulders now, looking rather messy - though nothing like it had been that first day.

"Are you going to start pulling your hair back then," You asked, "Or let it get wild again?"

A blush graced his face once more. "I'm not sure. Before, I didn't pay much attention since I was by myself most of the time doing research."

That... explained so much, actually. That wild look when you first met, his social skills seemingly rusty. Granted - he was still rather shy, but not nearly as awkward as it had been at first.

"I bet you would look even more handsome," You admitted as you tried to picture the long hair he had before, neat and pulled away from his face.

The faint blush darkened significantly as he looked away, rubbing his neck - though he couldn't hide the smile tugging at his lips.

Oh yes, he would be absolutely beautiful with long fluffy white hair no matter how he styled it - and you couldn't deny you really wanted to play with it should he grow it out to the length it was before.

--+--

The meadow that Shichiro wanted to venture into wasn't too far from your home. Granted - before becoming used to walking everywhere in the Netherworld, (if not riding a nightmare) it would have seemed daunting. Now, it hardly bothers you.

Of course, part of that might have been because you were walking hand-in-hand with Shichiro, enjoying the contrast between how warm he was and the cool autumn air. He was walking slow for your sake, but also pointing out anything of interest.

Which - for your biology nerd, was virtually everything. Birds, insects, little lizards, a few larger versions of deer whose name escapes you; even lichen on a rock (which he then carefully scraped some into a small bottle while explaining it was very useful for various potions). You soaked up every little word he said, indulging in the ability to see him talking excitedly without his mask. You really loved seeing his smile, especially when there was no hint of reservation or self-consciousness.

Then you reached a meadow that had likely been once full of flowers, but was now mostly wilted and had gone to seed, with just a few still vibrant.

"I bet this is beautiful in the spring and summer," You muttered, taking in the sight; imagining the grass more vibrant green, bursting with colorful flowers of all kinds.

"I'll be more than happy to show you."

You grinned up at him, squeezing his hand slightly. "I would love that."

--+--

Shichiro supplied you with a small leather pouch to gather seeds and pods from the meadow before you both set to work. At first you both stuck close together; so close that there was the whole cliche of hands occasionally brushing as you reached for the same pod, evoking blushes from both of you.

But the meadow was rather large and the plants spread out. Somehow you had drifted away from Shichiro's side, caught up in plucking the sharp pods he had admitted were rather valuable. When you looked up after who-knew-how-long, you saw the tall demon across the meadow, knelt down and studying something. You took a moment to appreciate the sight, and even snag a picture with your phone. 

You were tempted to see if you could sneak across the field unnoticed and surprise him, but before you could act on the thought you heard something: a desperate little cry. 

You paused, waiting for such a long moment that you started to think that you had been hearing things when you heard it again. So very faint that the wind was just as loud. It was a pitiful, desperate cry of some kind of animal, and it kicked your maternal instincts into overdrive.

You didn't even think as you followed the cries. Everything else like your safety - or even calling out to Shichiro - fled your thoughts as you ran into the forest. You were guided by instinct alone as you followed the cries of some small animal.

Just a few meters in, you found a mass of vines wrapped around several trees, and trapped in them like a fly in a spider's web was a dark fluffy... thing trying to claw its way out. Without hesitating, you clambered over more vines that covered the forest floor to reach the poor creature. You struggled at ripping and pulling apart the tangled mess to reveal a small kitten (or a hell-kitten). Its bright golden eyes looked up at you as it cried, pawing at you as it tried to escape its prison.

The obvious plea for help had you digging internally for more strength as you ripped a few more vines away. As soon as the kitten was free, it lunged for you, landing on your chest with another desperate cry.

"I got you," You reassured the small thing while holding it close to your chest. It was shaking in either fear or stress, so much smaller than any other hell kitten you had seen. You couldn't be completely sure, but something seemed wrong with one wing as it held it at a weird angle. "It's okay, I got you."

You turned to step off the pile of vines, and stumbled to your knees instead. Somehow, the vines had shifted without you noticing and were wrapped around your ankles. A growl escaped your lips as you tried to get loose, going as far as shifting the kitten into one hand so you could pull the vine with your other.

Only for the vine to move, a new tendril reaching from the tangled mess in an attempt to wrap around your wrist. It was only then you remembered that the plants of the Netherworld were nothing like those of Earth.

They could - and would - happily kill and eat you.

In other words, you were in deep trouble.

---

Where were you?

Balam's heart began to race when he looked around the meadow and didn't see you. You knew better than to go into the forest after what happened during the Harvest Festival, so surely you had to be around here somewhere. But while the plants were tall, they weren't that tall. Even if you were sitting, taking a small break, he should have been able to see you amongst the dried stalks.

He reached out with his mana in search of you. Hopefully, he was just being irrational and you were just behind a tree, or somewhere else just out of sight. Maybe laying down and enjoying the warm sunshine…

Except he couldn't feel your strange mana in the meadow, and reached out beyond the trees in a panic.

And he found it just as he heard your scream cut through the silence.

No. No!

His wings unfurled as he flew in your direction, barely dodging the trees while fear and anger gripped his heart and threatened to trigger an evil cycle.

His intended - his mate - was in trouble. Instincts warred with his logical side as he hunted for you. 

He was going to slaughter whatever made you scream. If there was even a scratch on you, your attacker would pay with their life. 

He had allowed you out of his sight for just a small moment. How could this happen? 

You had to be okay, you just had to be. Shichiro wasn't sure if he could handle anything different. 

It wasn't long before he found you struggling against a drooling vine, its tentacle-like vines wrapped around your legs and body despite you fighting against it while the main part of its body was descending from the trees, its teeth bared and the venomous drool raining down on you. 

Shichiro shifted mid-air and caught the creature's body with the talons of his feet, ripping it from the tree and slamming it into the ground.

Without missing a beat his own vines formed - fed by both mana and rage - quickly ripping through the creature until virtually nothing was left.

Yet destroying it did nothing to ease the maelstrom inside him. Shichiro tried to control his breathing as well as his emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him. 

---

You had felt the first drop of slime fall on your shoulder and had begun to panic even more when you looked up at the gaping maw above. A terrified scream had ripped from your throat as you continued to struggle against the vines that were wrapping higher up your arm and leg. 

Nigyul’s vines wrapped around your wrist had responded to your fear and had sprouted once again, quickly growing and wrapping around the monster’s vines that had been trying to strangle you and was able to at least hold them back, but little else, leaving you in quite the bind. 

In your panic, your mind was filled with a confused mass of thoughts. Would Shichiro even hear you? Or had you wandered too far? 

Why hadn't you worn any of your protective runes? You should have known better! You shouldn't have wandered so far in the first place! Even if the kitten was curled safely against your chest, all you had managed to do was delay the inevitable…

And Devi, poor Iruma. How would he be affected if you met your end like this? Sullivan would take care of him, right? 

But who would comfort Shichiro? Would he blame himself even if it was your fault? 

There was a snarl and a flutter of wings, causing you to look away from the snaring vines, but all you saw was a blur before Shichiro was slamming the vine-creature down next to you. The massive talons on his feet gripped the creature’s body while his own vines brutally ripped it apart.

Instantly, the vines wrapping around you fell away - including the ones from your bracelet. Yet your gaze couldn't leave Shichiro even as you stood on wobbly legs. His back was still turned to you, his deep green wings spread wide, shoulders heaving as he caught his breath.

Some deep, instinctual part of you was furiously waving red flags in your mind, warning you of danger. The same part was screaming for you to turn and run. That you had gone from being in the grip of one predator to becoming prey of an even larger, deadlier one.

But, no. This was Shichiro. He would never harm you.

Yet there was something very different in his expression as he slowly turned towards you, his wings slowly folding and fading into his back. You instincts went from waving red flags to hitting you with them and screaming 'you are so fucking dead if you don't run now!'

Despite the instinct, you stayed still as he stalked towards you, his taloned feet silent against the forest floor despite their size. You couldn't look away from his eyes; usually so full of warmth were now.... 

Predatory. Cold.

He stopped just inches in front of you, his talons brushing against your boots.  His hand slowly reached up to touch your cheek and you barely contained that deep instinct to flinch in fear. 

But his fingers were gentle, his touch light. It reassured you enough that despite the look in his eyes and the intrinsic fear you leaned into his touch. 

"Thank you," You whispered, offering a shaky smile. "I-I didn't think I was going to get out of that alive." 

That seemed to break whatever spell had a hold over him. In a quick movement, he pulled you close, his arms wrapping tight around you as he pressed you against him.

"I thought..." He muttered, voice broken as he buried his face in the crook of your neck, taking a deep breath in, holding it before releasing it slowly, the warm air ghosting over your skin. "Are you okay?" He asked after another moment. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," You said automatically despite everything, and earned a dark look from Shichiro as he pulled back ever so slightly.

Ah. Right. Not only were you nearly shaking in his arms, woozy from the vines' venomous drool, but he also had his bloodline ability no doubt ringing in his ears after that statement. 

"I'm sore and feeling a little shaky, but nothing serious," You reassured and could feel as much as see the tension leave his shoulders. 

Still, he stepped back to give you a once-over, wanting to reassure himself you were actually fine. Only to frown when he saw the ball of fluff still nestled in your arm. "What is that..."

"Oh, uh… the reason I was in this mess?" You answered as he trailed off, looking down at the kitten. The small kitten was curled up in a tight ball against your chest, regarding Shichiro with wary eyes. "I heard him crying for help, and well, I didn't even think."

Shichiro sighed heavily, though it was as exasperated as it was full of fondness. "I swear, between you and Iruma..." He gently scruffed the kitten, his large hands making the creature seem even smaller. It instantly started yowling and trying to claw at Shichiro, the tiny bat-like wings flaring proving one was likely broken. 

But despite the kitten's dramatics, Shichiro seemed unbothered as he carefully examined the kitten. "Are all humans so compassionate?" He asked as he gingerly tried to move the kitten's deformed wing. 

"Not all, but quite a few," You answered distractedly, itching to take the kitten back as it cried. But, Shichiro was the biology teacher, as well as a fan of all things cute and fluffy. So he knew what he was doing....

You just wanted to cuddle the damn thing instead of allowing him to check it over. Those mothering instincts had you gritting your teeth and clenching your fists in self restraint. 

The kitten hissed as Shichiro held him at eye level, baring its tiny sharp needle teeth. To which Shichiro raised a lip in a slight silent snarl, showing off more of his large fangs. The kitten instantly quieted, its tail tucking between its legs as if sufficiently scolded.

"It is rather cute... and fluffy." He admitted before shifting his grip to cradle the kitten instead of just holding him by the scruff. The babe looked even tinier cupped in Shichiro's large hand, one finger carefully smoothing down its dirty matted fur. "It's definitely a runt, and with wings this small it will never be able to fly, though I don't know if this one is broken or merely deformed. I presume its mother abandoned it because of such either way."

"Poor baby!" You coo'd as you crossed the small gap between you and joined in giving the kitten scritches. "Don't worry baby, I promise to take good care of you."

Shichiro paused, giving you a skeptical look. "It's not exactly a domestic hellcat. It's a feral of some kind, not a pet."

You huffed as you pouted before stealing the kitten away on impulse, cuddling it close to your chest once more as you scratched the dark markings between its ears. "Bull, he just needs some TLC."

"T...L..C?" Shichiro repeated, sounding confused. Which made you realize the idea probably wasn't as commonplace in the Netherworld as it was on earth.

"Tender love and care," You explained looking up towards him with a smile. "You would be surprised by the kind of wonders kindness can bring." 

"Even as a runt, it could grow and become dangerous." He tried to argue, though you could see a hint of warm fondness in his dark eyes. "And it wouldn't think twice about trying to hurt you."

"Well, if that day comes and he's more wild than tame and he's able to care for himself, I'll bring him back here to release into the wild. How about that?"

You could see him process your words, weighing the pros and cons before he sighed. "Will humans really try to care for anything?" He asked, both incredulous as well as curious.

"Pretty much, yeah." You explained with a proud smile, causing his expression to soften even more. "Especially cuties like him. And you."

That made him blush, his hand cupping your cheek once more. "Then all I ask is that next time, don't wander off by yourself. Let me protect you."

It was your turn to blush, though this time in embarrassment as you avoided his gaze. "I, uh, suppose that's fair." 

You were surprised by his soft kiss against your lips. "Let's get you home then. Even if it didn't bite you, the drooling vine's venom can affect you. It'd be best for you to wash it off as soon as possible." 

--+--

Iruma absolutely adored the kitten as soon as he saw it, and had fetched a bowl of warm water and washcloths to help clean the dirt and gunk out of its thick fur while you showered. (which had been a torturous ordeal for Shichiro. You hadn't refreshed Sullivan's scent after your shower, and your scent was distracting to say the least.)

It still surprised Shichiro how compassionate humans were. It was far from typical for demons, yet at the same time such an alluring trait that it was no wonder you two had drawn in everyone's loyalty.  

but it was the fact that the compassion was paired with little to no sense of self-preservation that worried Shichiro. Both of you would risk everything - including your lives - to help others. And while Iruma was proving he was able to hold himself against the dangers of the Netherworld as well as any other demon his age, the same could not be said for you.

"Did you two have fun?" Sullivan asked as the older demon suddenly appeared next to Shichiro, making him jump. Especially as the other demon's mana weighed heavily in the air like a threat, feeling like a thick oppressive cloud ready to wring the life out of anything that caused Sullivan any kind of displeasure.

"Er, well, for the most part," Shichiro answered meekly, unsure if he was talking to Lord Sullivan, the most powerful of the Three Greats, or the cheerful Chairdemon he was more used to dealing with.

"Oh good," Sullivan continued with a cryptic smile, further perplexing Shichiro. "Then, perhaps, you can explain to me why my daughter is covered in bruises that look like they're from vines...?"

Shichiro froze before his eyes darted to you. So caught up in ruminating over your nature and how to protect you from your own rashness, he hadn't really looked too closely before, but now… yes. He could see the faint shadowing of long thin bruises beginning to form along your arms and neck. 

He knew the drooling vine had been squeezing you firmly, but he hadn't been aware that it had that tight a grip on you. Were you really that fragile? Why hadn't you said anything? You said you ached, but that was it.

He glanced over to Sullivan, who had an accusatory look in his golden eyes; the shadows of the room darkening and shifting around him.

Balam Shichiro realized two things at that moment; the first being that the Sullivan he was talking to was Papa Sullivan. 

The second fact was that Papa Sullivan thought it was Balam's own vines that had caused the marks.

"She was caught by a drooling vine!" Shichiro quickly explained as soon as he pieced the thoughts together. "I-I would never use my vines on her, I swear!" He couldn't even fathom hurting you, or his vines causing damage. 

"Not even if she asked?" Opera half mused, half teased as they appeared quietly on his other side. It took Shichiro a long moment to realize what they were implying, making his face heat up quickly beneath his mask

"Opera!" Sullivan complained as he caught the innuendo as well, shifting from intimidating to dorkish. "As much as I want more grandchildren, I don't want to think of my sweet princess like that!"

To Shichiro's distant horror, his imagination had taken the innuendo to create a rather explicit image. His vines snaking across your body, carefully wrapped around your limbs. Your skin flushed as they snuck beneath your clothing and pulled the fabric away, revealing that delicate human flesh. 

Would you squirm as he took his time studying and memorizing your body? Or would you instinctively freeze? Would you beg for him to touch you after being teased with the vines, or would you enjoy the sensation and allow him to do whatever he wanted with them? 

A sharp pinch made Shichiro jump, his thoughts slamming back to reality as Opera gave him a meaningful look.

"I, uh, um, what was the question again?" He stammered, acutely aware of his face feeling like Ifrit's own fire was trapped beneath his skin. 

"The bruising on her ladyship?" Opera repeated, raising one brow, though the slightest sign of amusement teased their lips. 

"Right! The drooling vine that had captured the kitten," Shichiro quickly explained. "It caught her as well when she was rescuing the kitten. But otherwise she's unharmed."

"...She faced a monster stronger than her to save that feral kitten?" Opera mused, sounding as mystified as Shichiro had been. "Didn't Master Iruma do the same back at Walter Park?"

"Humans are amazing creatures," Sullivan added, his mana and anger disappearing. "Full of love and compassion for others, and often very selfless. Especially our two, it seems."

That was the truth. He had dreamt all his life what a human would be like, but none of them compared to what you were truly like. And never had he imagined falling so deeply for one, and feeling so protective over you both. 

"Well, before you steal my daughter away permanently, I should go enjoy what innocence she has left," Sullivan teased with a playful wink. 

Shichiro couldn't hold back a groan as he covered his face, wishing he could just disappear. Yet at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder… How were his parents going to react to you? He had admitted to them that he was… interested in someone, but hadn't said anything further since the Harvest Festival. 

They were so happy and excited to hear he was interested in someone. He should call them and let them know he was actually courting.

Devi, they would likely love you as much as he did. 

But the mountains of his childhood home were far more dangerous, and taking you up there to meet his parents filled him with anxiety. 

"Senpai?" Shichiro suddenly said, causing Opera to tilt their head slightly.

"You haven't called me that in a while," Opera stated calmly, turning towards their Kohai. They studied the larger demon and the anxiety virtually rolling from him. It reminded them sharply of when they were younger; while Balam excelled in biology, as well as some of the arts - there were still subjects (both scholastic and not) that Balam would nervously ask for help with. "What's bothering you?"

"I... wanted to ask your thoughts on her learning martial arts," Balam answered, gesturing towards where you, Iruma, and Lord Sullivan were playing with the kitten. "To go along with the rune magic she's learning. For self defense."

"Hmm," Opera tapped a finger to their cheek as they thought. Shichiro did have a point; it was obvious that while runes were helpful for defensive, they weren't the best at offensive. Plus you had to have them ready, since you were unable to manifest the symbols with your mana as a typical demon would.

Your natural strength was lacking, to say the least. But martial arts training would at least help you in some situations - especially if you used it in conjecture with rune magic.

"I mean, she was almost taken out by a drooling vine," Shichiro continued, his panic bubbling to the surface. "Usually anyone above Bet has no issue with them. But she's... unranked. Powerless."

"Being a human in the Netherworld is virtually a death sentence," Opera agreed. Iruma had the ring full of Lord Sullivan's magic (though Opera had suspicions that there was more to the gluttonous ring than that). You, however, had no such thing.

They knew that Lord Sullivan had plans for Iruma, while you had been more or less a fluke. Yet the chair demon quickly grew fond of you as well, forming the familial bond within a month. 

And so many other demons had begun to bond with you, thanks to your mothering instincts.  

If you fell victim to the various dangers of the Netherworld, the consequences could be severe just between the grief of Sullivan and Balam combined, not to mention the rest of the demons who cared for you. 

Opera supposed that it was their duty, as Lord Sullivan's security demon and Balam's Senpai, to do their due diligence in preventing that tragic fate.

"I will discuss it with Lord Sullivan" Opera agreed with a nod. "And then with my lady as well. Granted, she won't be happy about taking the time away from reading..."

--+--

//Are you still awake?//

You glanced at your phone, surprised at first by Shichiro's message, and then the realization that it was already one in the morning. //yes. My lil buddy is being kneady// 

You took a video of the kitten kneading your stomach while buzzing like an engine, his stomach full and round after you fed him a mixture that you would rather not think about. 

Netherworld kittens apparently needed more than just milk. Kind of like the Nightmares. 

//he looks like he's adjusting well.// Shichiro texted back after a moment, reacting to your video with a heart, making you smile. //I know it's late, but I made some salve to help with your bruises.//

The bruises left by the drooling vine around your legs and arms looked harsh, but thankfully they weren't as painful as they looked. Your heart still warmed brightly at his gesture as well as the concern behind it. Never in your previous life could you imagine a demon being so kind and loving. Or anyone, really.  //thank you, but I don't want to wake everybody else up. Maybe tomorrow?//

There was a pause before he responded, and you could almost imagine the soft pleading in his voice. //I could bring it to your window, if you don't mind.//

You looked over at the balcony doors that opened to a modest-sized balcony that overlooked the surrounding forest. You had never given them much thought besides the obvious, but now you realize they would be very convenient for demons since they had wings. 

Which would mean Shichiro could stop by without anyone noticing. 

Probably. 

Part of you wondered if this is how teenagers felt whenever they snuck over a romantic partner, but you chatized yourself quickly afterwards; here Shichiro was just trying to be thoughtful, and your mind was trying to jump in the gutter. 

Still, the knot in your stomach was more than just simple excitement about seeing him as you quickly typed back //yeah, sure!//

You hopped from the bed, the kitten tucked in your arms as you unlocked the doors and opened them. The night air was cool and refreshing against your warm skin. You enjoyed the exotic view of the moons in the dark sky filled with stars before the air proved too chilly and chased you back inside.

Kitten (you really needed to name him) complained as you set him down in the rather decadent pet bed that was far too big for him, but quieted after you set a few stuffed toys around him, making it cozy and warm. He finally seemed happy to fall asleep just as a breeze swept through. 

You startled when you looked back, and Shichiro was suddenly standing there, folding his wings back into non-existence. He looked rather sheepish at startling you and offered a small glass jar filled with some off-white lotion, a simple wooden lid covering it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." 

You quickly crossed the distance before reaching up and wrapping your arms around his shoulders (as best as you could) in a hug. Automatically, one of his arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer as he pressed his face to the crook of your neck. 

"I just can't get over how silent you can be," You muttered into his chest. "Maybe I should put a little bell on you." 

That made him chuckle, the vibrations rumbling from his body to yours. "I'm sure some of the students would be grateful for that. I tend to spook a few of them as well." 

Was it a bad thing that you could easily imagine a small bell wrapped around his wrist or neck with a ribbon far too delicate for someone of his stature, tinkling softly with every step? 

You allowed the small day dream as you sunk against him, feeling the stress ease out of your body. He was always so warm and gentle, making you feel safe and loved. The thoughts that had been partly responsible for keeping you awake quieted now that you felt calmed, allowing exhaustion to finally catch you. 

"Come on, my little vixen," Shichiro murmured, realizing you were on the verge of falling asleep against him. He easily scooped you up, one arm beneath your knees and the other around your back as he cradled you close to his chest. "Let me apply the salve, and then you can get some sleep." 

"Mmnh," You whined, though your protest went ignored. Shichiro carried you to your bed and sat you on the edge, all-but-hovering by your side before he was sure you weren't about to fall off. 

Apparently, you looked more exhausted than you felt. Which, okay, you didn't feel up to trying to insist he didn't have to help as he knelt before you and carefully cradled your foot in his hand. The embarrassment that usually would creep in as he treated you so carefully was oddly diminished, allowing you to indulge in the feeling of being cared for. 

"So, this may be a bit cold," He warned you moments before the salve touched your skin. And it felt like ice against your ankle, making you jump - suddenly wide awake. 

His grip tightened to hold you in place out of reflex. "Sorry," You apologized, face becoming warm as you blushed, trying to beat back the feelings caused by his firm grip on your leg. 

The corner of his eyes crinkled as he smiled, though it was hidden by his mask. Thankfully, he seemed oblivious of your traitorous thoughts as he wordlessly went back to rubbing in the salve, which slowly began to warm beneath his touch. 

Or, maybe that was just you quickly feeling more flushed. His touch was less like merely rubbing in lotion and more of a slow and gentle massage, which honestly felt amazing after the events of the day.  You fell backward into your bed as his fingers rubbed firm, small circles into the muscles of your calf, ankle, and then the arch of your foot. 

 You were more sleepily focused on not letting the groan in your chest escape than to remember there wasn't any bruising on your feet. Not as he worked out the ache that had settled in your bones.  

"They're so small and flat," Shichiro murmured to himself. "But I believe a few demon species have a similar structure..."

You blinked a few times, slowly realizing what he was saying as your mind woke up. "...are you studying my feet?" 

Shichiro froze, a guilty look crossing his face as he met your gaze. "Maybe? To be fair, I've never had the chance to study this aspect of human anatomy before..."

You laughed despite his guilty look. Of course, he would take the opportunity to study something as basic (to you, at least) as your foot. After all, you were more than familiar with Shichiro's fascination in the differences between demons and humans. That is partly how you had grown so close together. And while you felt a bit awkward at times, it was never necessarily in a bad way.

And there was no denying that one very obvious difference between you were your lower legs. 

You wiggled your toes, trying to be playfully inviting. "Have at it, if you really want to." 

His face lit up, and he quickly resumed his work. You couldn't even feel self-conscious this time as he massaged your feet and legs, taking his time to study the bone structure underneath. Your eyes fluttered close as you relaxed into your bed. Between the salve and his gentle ministrations, you were only partially aware of the increasing risk of drifting to sleep. 

--+--

Shichiro was well aware of you relaxing into his touch, and could hear your breaths becoming slow and deep. After the day you had, it was no surprise. Honestly, he was more surprised you were still awake despite the hour, and had expected his text to go unanswered. 

He supposed he could leave. The salve applied and you were obviously no longer in any kind of pain or discomfort. 

And yet, he found it hard to even try and convince himself it would be for the best. Being able to caress and study your legs, bare from any fabric below the knee, was oddly tantalizing and alluring 

Or maybe that was just you. The scent from earlier that had merely distracted him before now had him captivated, to the point he could feel himself near-drooling. It was just… you. Different yet welcoming. Alluring and mysterious despite being bright and sweet. 

Just… just a little taste, he rationalized as he undid the clasp of his mask and set it on the floor beside him. To see if you tasted any different without Sullivan's cologne masking your true nature. After all, smell and taste were closely linked…

"Shichiro!" You gasped as his lips pressed against the tender skin of your inner knee. He groaned against you, able to smell your arousal spicing the air. The one kiss became two, then more as his tongue joined his scarred lips in worshiping your skin. 

Devi, you tasted divine. "You smell, you taste, delicious," He all but growled against your skin. He just wanted to lose himself in you. Your soft noises and the faint aroma of your arousal only encouraged him as he gripped the soft part of your thigh, trailing higher with hot open-mouth kisses. 

"Y-you're not going to eat me or anything, right?" You breathed between heavy breaths, making him finally pause. 

The stories of demons' appetite for human flesh paled in comparison to this. How could he even dream of hurting you?  

"Never," He swore, his gaze meeting and holding yours as his tongue ran along your skin at the edge of your clothes. "As much as I want you... Tell me to stop, and I will."  

He would. He would stop right now despite how bad he wanted more - he'd find the will to leave despite wanting nothing more than to remain in between your legs. 

You hesitated for a moment before glancing away, and for a moment his stomach dropped and he feared that he may have overstepped.

But then you spread your legs for him as a silent invitation. He breathed your name as if you had offered him something priceless and he couldn't believe it. "Are you positive?" He asked, meaning to read your expression to be sure, but he couldn't tear his attention away from the apex of your legs.

To be able to taste you… to be able to have his face buried between your soft thighs, feeling you shake and quiver in ecstasy… he had to be dreaming. 

"Very much so," You answered with barely a quiver.

Despite the near-feral expression on his face, he was gentle as he helped you strip the clothing covering your lower half before his hands ran up your legs slowly towards your hips. So small compared to him, so soft. The thick of your thighs squished beneath his gentle grip. But as enticing as they were - as well as the sounds you made as he kissed and left little love nips to them - they were not his goal. 

He encouraged you to open your legs even wider until you were fully on display for him. He swallowed thickly as he studied the pink folds that were glistening, thankful human anatomy seemed comparable to those of demons in this sense. 

Not that he had ever seen an actual female demon like this before, or had even really wanted to. But his studies had overlaps of basic types of demon bodies. 

"Shichiro," You whispered as you gripped the sheets, looking both aroused and nervous. Even in the haze of lust, he could admit he was probably staring for a little too long. 

His kisses were his way of apologizing as he crept higher up your leg, enjoying the difference in taste as he drew closer to your sex where the proof of your arousal was smeared on your thigh.  He tried to be gentle and careful, though he would occasionally graze his teeth just to hear you whine and gasp.

"Please. Please," You were quietly begging by the time his mouth reached the end of its journey. And oh, hearing you gasp and arch into him was about as delightful as finally tasting your juices. 

His actions were slow and deliberate, studying your reaction to every movement of his tongue, lips, and teeth. He was quick to realize the pleasure your clit brought you and quickly lavished it with attention. Your fingers were soon grasping his hair instead of the bed, legs locked around him as you grinded against him, noises escaping your throat despite your best attempts to stay quiet. 

Devi, you were so fucking perfect. He could feel his cock become even harder, verging on painful, but he didn't dare stop touching you. How could he? He wanted to memorize every part of you. 

Including that sweet hole that was dripping your juices. Running his tongue along your opening assured he could at least slip a finger in you, though it may be tight. 

And hellsfire, you were. "Tight," He breathed, pausing briefly to feel your walls clamp around him. Just one finger and he was stretching you out. "Devi, I never imagined you'd be this tight." 

"Please, Shichiro," You whined after a moment, your thoughts disjointed judging by your words. "More. Please. Move. Something. Just…" 

"Like this?" You didn't even have time to wonder if he was being serious or teasing as he crooked his finger and pulled. Not as he rubbed against that blissful spot as if he knew exactly where it was. 

"Fuck, yes, please!"

Ever eager to please you, Shichiro continued to pump his finger slowly, his mouth returning its attention to your sensitive nub. Your gasps were mixed with pleading whines as you chased that high, too lost in the feeling to notice how Shichiro watched you with rapt attention. 

He had never been so aroused in his life; nothing in the universe could compare to watching you come undone in a mix of pleasure and pain as you cried his name. 

He wanted to watch you break and crumble. He wanted to hear you scream his name in ecstasy. He wanted you in such a primal way it was almost like an evil cycle of its own. 

It wasn't long until his wish came true. A sharp cry cut from your lips as your body tensed; back arching off the bed and your heels digging into his upper back. Your hands dug and pulled his hair as your walls tightened around his finger even more. He drank you in, pulling you through tremor after tremor until you fell boneless against your bed. Your skin glistened with sweat, your hair and clothes in utter disarray and a hazy look in your eyes speaking of pure satisfaction. 

You had never looked so beautiful. 

Shichiro couldn't ignore his own need any longer, slipping his hardened cock from his pants and using your slick on his glove as lube as he took himself in hand. It wasn't you, or your warm, tight walls beckoning him to oblivion, but it was nearly enough. He could still taste you on his lips. Your scent, his scent, melded in the air with that heady smell of sex. 

Your gaze met his, and he could tell you knew what he was doing. And you smiled. Filled with satisfaction, pride, and more than a hint of lust. It was enough for him, gasping out your name as he came into his hand, wishing it was you. In you. On you. In your hand. Or maybe in your sinful sweet mouth.

You licked and then bit your lower lip as if you were wishing the same thing. And Devi, he was never going to get that image out of his mind, nor would he ever want to. 

"Shichiro," You called, beckoning him with a soft gesture. He quickly complied, and soon you were gathered in his arms as he settled into your bed. His body was curled around yours, as if trying to hide you from the world as he buried his face in your hair.

"I... didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked after a long moment of silence, the haze of lust and sex fading from his mind and allowing rational thought to return. 

Devi, that had been such a risk. Yet, he couldn't muster up enough guilt to feel shame or regret. Not when your scent mixed with his, making that instinctual part of him satisfied. 

You were his. 

"Not in the least bit," You reassured as you snuggled ever closer, face nuzzled in his chest. "Besides, even if you did, I'd happily deal with a little pain for that." 

He knew you would, but the dawning realization of what you just did underneath Lord Sullivan's roof, along with his Senpai probably somewhere nearby, was starting to weigh down on his shoulders. 

He would be dead if there was a single scratch to be found. 

You pressed soft kisses to his neck, shifting to trail your way up to his lips. He allowed those fears and anxieties to float away as he captured your lips, threading his fingers through your hair. 

He'd happily face both high-ranking demons for you.  

--+-- Su-Ki-Ma--+--

One minute you were blissfully asleep, the next you were rudely awakened by being pressed firmly between your bed and something else. Something else that was making some type of growling noise that rumbled through their chest and into you. 

"Really, Shichiro?" Opera's voice was tinged with amusement. "And here I thought you were an early bird…" 

Oh. Oh devi. You quickly realized it was Shichiro pressing you into the mattress, arms wrapped around you protectively and his wings spread as if to hide you from view. 

And apparently Opera was witness to the whole thing as well. 

You felt Shichiro pause for a moment before his grip on you lessened, his wings retreating and allowing the light of morning to greet your eyes. 

Along with Opera's amused expression, looking exactly like the cat that caught the canary. 

And in a way… they kind of had. You pulled the sheets covering you even closer to your body as you carefully sat up. "Uh, good morning Opera?" 

"Indeed," They agreed, a smile pulling at their lips which was more than any emotion you had seen them express. "I wasn't aware you were entertaining a guest last night, my lady. Otherwise I would've waited to wake you up." 

Yep. You just wanted to sink into the bed and just disappear, and by Shichiro's expression, he wanted to do the same. Both of you were speechless, though your hand found his amongst your nest of blankets (had you really tossed and turned that much?) and threaded fingers. 

"I will inform Lord Sullivan and Master Iruma that you won't be attending breakfast this morning, and wish to sleep in." Opera spoke after a long pause. "... I do recommend keeping the noise to a minimum, and that you join us for lunch. You know how your father will fuss if he believes you're ill." 

He bowed slightly before heading to the door, only to pause before leaving. "Of course, you're welcome to join us for lunch as well, Shichiro. But perhaps enter through the front door to avoid suspicion. Unless you plan on having another conversation with Lord Sullivan…." 

[oldfritz]

i think everyone is assuming someone else will ask but ill bite the bullet. and make it a double-barrel shot. Roderich and Gilbert in one post. Also on the music sharing front: do you have character playlists .... and if yes is it okay to have a screenshot of some if not links (i know how personaly such playlists can be)

thank you for being the one!! i appreciate everyone else's courtesy and doubly so your courage! dude it's more than okay. i've got character playlists, i've got ship playlists; i got every mode of hyperfixation a man can dream of. but to not look like a total loon here's gil's, erzsi's, roddy's, and lutz's. anyways, It's Blorbin' Time!

gilbert

favorite thing about them: this is impossible. how do i pick one thing? he's undeniable. for better and for far worse. his capacity for great cruelties and great kindness. if he loves you, there's nothing he's above doing. if he loves you, that's a sentence unto itself. he's hopeless, i'm rooting for him; he's damned, but his soul might be saved. i could keep going on, but it would sound too desperate and quasi-romantic for a fictional anime man

least favorite thing about them: treat that boy of yours better!!!

favorite line: "boobies"

brOTP: ruspru up until ~1952 (though really 1989; don't bite the hand) and pruspa forever and ever <3 his buddies

OTP: this is still a pruhun household

nOTP: and i still don't fuck with prupol

random headcanon: he occupies a lot of his time in the modern day by fixing up cars. well, not just making a porsche an even better and cooler porsche. but also making monstrosities, like a trabi with an airboat fan attached to the back (alfred caught wind of this from lutz's bitching and was more than happy to act as supplier/apprentice)

unpopular opinion: sure, he's bisexual. but it takes a pretty special man for him to snap outta all that repression and think 'oh no.' it's easier to not argue when he says he's straight

song i associate with them: he'll get three because he's my favorite :3 my boy builds coffins by florence + the machine (if you want the full 'suzanne oldfritz experience,' imagine erzsi's singing it); first we take manhattan by leonard cohen; u by kendrick lamar

favorite picture of them: this one, obviously <3 <3 <3

roderich

favorite thing about them: he's such a pompous asshole with that smug punchable face. stupid, sexy roderich

least favorite thing about them: "stop lying, stop manipulating, just be nicer!" (to be fair, he makes up for it by being incredibly fun to write)

favorite line: showing up to play classical music (was it chopin? i'm stoned and can't remember) on a deserted island, piano in the ocean. didn't need to say a word and yet he served and left no crumbs

brOTP: i like his bitchy, kinda-frenemies-but-also-not thing he's got going with francis far more than i like gil's version of the same

OTP: this is also a pruaus household......but i don't like too fluffy. i'm a serious historian, you see. very serious. i'm wearing a tweed jacket right now!

nOTP: he's a whore who can fuck anything. but i don't like him with arthur. too similar; we all can agree that each one pairs best with an equal yet opposite force

random headcanon: when he was lonely during the cold war years, he got two cats, which were what we'd call a bonded pair. the girl is 'kurva' and the boy is 'arschloch.' he was happiest when they fought

unpopular opinion: i don't think i have many, honestly. my oldest one was to depict him as a bastard because, let's be real, he is/would be one. but more people have been doing that for a couple years now at least. oh wait!! he tops more often once gil stops being a freak. a dog requires a firm master

song i associate with them: fluorescent adolescent by arctic monkeys and i've loved these days by billy joel (the king of my people)

favorite picture of them: i love when hima sexualizes men

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Comeback Celebration: Current Top Ten Sunmi Songs

I noticed, while I was working on this, that I talk about Sunmi the way orbits talk about Loona--I think you'll see what I mean as we go down the list! I think it's the admiration I have for how creative & well-crafted her releases are. "Heroine" was the song that got me into Sunmi, though her most recent comeback at the time was "Lalalay" (I remember because the ponytail dance was EVERYWHERE). My admiration was secured after her 1/6 album--even though her discography is still small, I think that album really fleshed it out, to the point where I finally felt like I could understand her as an artist. Happy Sunmi comeback to us all!

1. pporappippam

This is my "Butterfly". I remember when this song came out, I remember when it changed the world, it's all things divine, it's my conduit to a romanticized version of my teenage years, it's a supercut of all the most wonderful colors you've ever seen in the sky at sunset. In all seriousness, though--I really don't get how people find this song boring. It manages to be a soft, ethereal track and an addictive pop hit, a perfect balance of peaceful atmospherics and unrelenting pace. This one is really special to me!

2. 1/6

This is my "Loonatic". I got dream pop with this song--okay, "1/6" might not exactly be dream pop, but it's soft and dreamy in a way that made me finally see the appeal of that type of song, like why someone would want to get lost in that hazy sonic world.

3. Siren

"Siren" is a piano crashing into you from a third-story window. Like, I don't know how it's ever possible to be emotionally ready for this song. Its brute-force approach is just so goddamn memorable, especially because Sunmi doesn't overuse it in the rest of her discography--she usually goes for subtlety, but her vocals carry a powerful chorus like this one just so well.

4. Narcissism

This one's also in the brute-force category, especially because the production takes this really messy, maximalist approach--and fuck it, it works. I love this song a whole lot: the soft intro; the weird schoolbell-through-intercom-static sounds; the way the chorus hits; the way Sunmi navigates the song's rapid rises and falls. If you miss old-school EDM (read: if you obsess over Dreamcatcher's "Can't get you out of my mind" like I do), I think you'll really enjoy this one.

5. Call

Yeah, no surprise here, I always love club music. But this club classic is particularly intricate, built on a really interesting contrast: Sunmi's gritty vocals over an exceptionally pristine house beat.

6. Black Pearl

This song is just cool. Like, that saxophone solo is just really, really cool. Like, I want to be a guy who has this song at the top of his most-listened list. Maybe one day!

7. Heroine

Yeah, the beat drop is kind of wimpy, so that part didn't age all that great. But Sunmi's PERFORMANCE here?? That prechorus is one for the ages. Five years ago, the emotion of this song absolutely captivated me, and it still resonates with me today.

8. Lalalay

In contrast, this one aged wonderfully! Now that I'm not being constantly overloaded with beat drops in every other song (thank you, 2019 Twice & 2021 Olivia Rodrigo!), I can really appreciate how interesting "Lalalay" is! I used to think this one was boring and lacking inspiration, but now that I'm revisiting it, I think the dynamics of the chorus are pretty compelling (yes, I think the beat drop is compelling, sue me)--like, do you hear how the weird note thingie is fading in and out? how the volume shifts? I love it so much!! My favorite part is the bridge, though--the flight attendant bit remains iconic, and the segue into the final chorus is breathtaking.

9. Heart Burn

This will forever remind me of a song from my childhood--the melody of the chorus is vaguely reminiscent of Taylor Dayne's "Tell It to My Heart", which my mom used to play in the car--so this song hits unfairly hard for me. Like, it's already a reserved, mysterious summer hit, but to me it sounds like a half-formed image of your old living room, or the voice of an elementary-school friend whose name you can't quite recall speaking from the void. Cloudy, surreal, a bit unsettling, but altogether sweet. Also, the color scheme of this music video is super striking, so "Heart Burn", despite its simplicity, gets a LOT of bias points from me.

10. What the Flower

This is like the evil twin of Red Velvet's "Good, Bad, Ugly". They both go for the lounge-singer vibe, but Red Velvet have really pure, sweet-sounding vocals, while Sunmi's voice, and her work as a whole, have always been very savory (like, anti-saccharine?). Both songs are great, and I especially love how both allow for some wonderful piano appreciation (shoutout to the guitar in "What the Flower", too!). The singalong bit at the end of "What the Flower" is really striking, so this one has stuck around in my head over the years, even before I could really appreciate its quieter sections.

Honorable Mentions: 24 Hours (obligatory), Who am I, Curve (also obligatory), Tail (Sunmi's charisma wins this one), Call my name

[kendrixtermina]

Reaction to The Devil’s Chord

Ok, seems like this will be a silly episode, which has rarely been my favorite, but at least they’re clearly having fun with it & commited to the bit, which must be respected. And they’re doing something based on a little legend.

Speaking of respect, my respect for Ruby just went up a notch, cause, if the Doctor asked me for where to go for my first TARDIS trip, my answer would have been to go see a Nirvana concert.

Plus I think we’re still in the ‚getting to know Ruby‘ arc so maybe we’re exploring her as a musician today.

...and oh, for a moment you thought the Doctor was gonna raise an eyebrow but he loves it! I feel loved.

Aww he’s such a nerd, and they’re so excited to be doing fun stuff together.

And oooh they’re having so much fun with the outfits!

They’re having so much fun with the clothes & the infiltration! They’re such besties already

(And here’s another way that you organically show that two people are friends without just having them say they like each other while acting like distant coworkers at best, Chibnall.)

That bit with the Doctor getting all nostalgic for when he was hiding out in the 60s… :(

Ruby’s song is pretty good actually, kudos to the composers.

Interesting that what she choses for this is something she made to cheer up a friend. It speaks about what she values. & it’s paired with a different friend of hers looking melancholy.

In ‚An Unearthly Child‘, we see that Susan being into the music from the 60s, so, maybe Ruby isn’t the only one who has some treasured memories involving the beatles.

I love the whiplash from the Doctor finding it odd that he would be scared of a beast in the last episode to panicking when one of the toymaker’s goons appears, just underlining how they’re a totally different, out-of-this-world threat level. That’s the exact expression that 14 had in the toymaker’s endless labyrinth.

They are putting a lot of effort into the little aesthetic touches.

Just a few seconds earlier Ruby was talking about how music can’t be stolen. Hahaha. So much for „there is no such thing as the bogeyman“.

For once the Doctor uses the sonic screwriver to actually do something sound-related (probably emiting soundwaves to cancel out the existing noises)

It’s kinda weird how time has passed. Like, in 2004 Rose is, just a short time before we met her, Clara is 14 with her mom still alive, and Ruby is a baby.

Notice how, at this point we know that the destroyed version of 2024 isn’t going to stick, but the ruined landscape lands, because the characters are reacting & emoting.

Like that was so fucking missing from Chibnall’s dry exposition.

Child of the toymaker? Of course. They wouldn’t be a pantheon if they didn’t have a fucked up family tree that is also a metaphor. Music being a result of play makes sense cause creativity is chaotic.

They’re really hamming it up & it makes all the sense for a metaphorical ‚god‘. I think if you’re doing gods right they must be metaphor, like, that take gets it. Aaand of course, everything is vibrations, friggin quantum & stuff.

I like the idea that just like the Doctor (in a way the ultimate trickster) set free the toymaker, that music genius guy set free the music devil.

So instead of alons-y, 15 says it in turkish? Why not xD

Of course they short out the sonic the second time… by singing.

And of course the one they want is Ruby, because she’s the one who played the piano.

Oh. OH. So here’s some mystery. Poor Ruby. Is she a demigoddess of some kind? A changeling? We’ll see I gues.

Also this is reminding me of the song battle of Sauron vs Finrod in the silmarillion. I love that they did a duett.

And oooh, Ncuti getting his first epic speech~

Even if it comes to nothing, it’s a nice touch that the Doctor told Ruby to get try getting to the piano, like having the faith that she might fix it.

Though it’s fitting to have a little eucatastrophe & have John & Paul be the ones who finish saving the day.

The dance number was kina over the top for my taste, but I guess it fits the nature of the beast.

And maybe, like with the toymaker, the ‚magic‘ always lingers a little bit after its deity was banished.

Still, it’s a fun idea to have the Doctor having to save the day with his musical skills rather than his scientific ones for once, since he’s spent a long time playing the recorder, spoons, e-guitar and whatnot.

Similar to how he’s adapted his knowledge of linguistics to the magic.

Like I wasn't wowed by this ep but in this age of irony poisoning you gotta appreciate when something commits to the bit.

[mikunology]

Mikunology Reviews #1: Boku wa Hatsune Miku to Kiss wo Shita (2013) (Pt.1)

Here it is, my very first album review! I figured I would do something I'm pretty familiar with first, so I decided to go with this one: a review of one of my favorite Vocaloid albums of all time, created by my favorite producer! Boku wa Hatsune Miku to Kiss wo Shita (or I Shared a Kiss With Hatsune Miku) by Mikito-P (2013)! This album also happens to be Mikito's first full studio release.

By the way, let me go ahead and state that I am not a musician, so I'm not as good at really phrasing my thoughts on things in a technical manner. But I still hope you enjoy my opinion :> I'm also a big fan, as stated, so I will probably get rambly > <" But let's get started!

Part 2 here

Hatsune Miku to Kiss wo Shita (I Shared a Kiss With Hatsune Miku): The eponymous title track: a soft rock ballad using Miku Dark (pretty sure at least) about a frustrated artist getting through life alongside Hatsune Miku. I won't lie that I'm a bit biased towards this song given its one of my favorites ever, but I like to think there's a reason for why I like it as much as I do. The strong-yet-not-overwhelming rock melody is very nice (especially paired with the piano), but most of all, I love Miku's gentle vocals: Miku Dark naturally sounds sad and tired, but the way she sings here seems almost warm given the subject matter. The lyrics are also very beautiful and relatable if you're a fan of Miku's; the struggle of feeling low confidence and finding comfort in a concept such as Hatsune Miku is written really wonderfully. A really good start to the whole album.

Shinzo Democracy (Heart Democracy): A really good second track, and a pretty popular one from this album? It has a more present melody going through it than in track one, but still with that signature atmosphere from Mikito. Miku sounds like Miku Dark here, too, but with a more airy, echo-y quality that reflects off the guitars  - I think it works well for the song. If you want something with a bit higher tempo than track one, this is where it is. I remember people talking about the PV in relation to the lyrics as well, since it can be interpreted as the narrator talking about himself in a sort of disconnected POV or talking about a gay love interest. Whatever floats your boat, I think!

Yuugure Twitter (Evening Twitter): This actually appears to be a slight remaster of the original song posted on NND - it's a bit cleaner, with better and clearer vocals and mixing and a longer guitar outro. I think I like this version of it best, to be honest, it really helps the song sell the sort of forlorn, dusky atmosphere it's setting. I also really like the way Mikito uses Miki - I really feel like his songs with her show his liking for the character. The guitar outro is also just…really good.

Kunoichi Demo Koi ga Shitai! (Even Though I'm a Ninja Girl, I Want to Love!): A MikuRin duet! This song is really goofy: just a fast-paced, lighthearted pop rock track following a kunoichi (a female ninja) and her efforts to be together with a noble's son despite the difficulties her job brings her. It's a really fun track, with a catchy melody and some fun, colorful visuals in the PV (plus Miku and Rin's tanuki/kitsune hoodies are super cute!). I also really like how Miku and Rin are framed like "narrators" instead of being characters in the story itself or being completely removed from it. Lastly, I really like the sort of "vrooooooom" noises Miku and Rin make at certain points, it gets you hyped up XD

Setagaya Night Safari: This one took me a bit to get into, but I can comfortably say I like it a lot nowadays. This one is a bit like track one in that the melody is a bit more…abstract? Than in like, Kunoichi. It also has these strange old-timey jazz segments at the beginning and end. But still! Miku Dark returns here again, and her vocals add a sort of melancholic wonder to the song, especially the chorus ("doko e iku no?"). A pretty good one, but I do think it might take a few listens to really sink in on whether you like it or not.

Tokyo Eki (Tokyo Station): A Rin solo track! I feel like this one isn't talked about very much, despite it getting a PV and everything. This is another atmospheric rock track about taking the train to see someone you love in the winter months. This track uses Rin Append (I'm assuming Sweet specifically) and I think she works really well! Like Miku Dark's vocals in Kiss wo Shita, there's a pleasant feeling of softness from how Rin sounds here, which fits the wintry vibe of the song. However, I still think that the premiere version of the song is the one using Len from ALL VOCALOID ATTACK 1…but whether you agree with me might be up to whether you enjoy Rin or Len's voices more. By the way, I really like the lead guitar and drums on this one.

Yuudachi no Ribbon (Ribbon of Evening Showers): This song comes from MAYU's demo CD! This one is more high-energy than usual, but still with a melancholic air about it. This song is about a pair of girls trying to hide their relationship, while a third girl (heavily implied to have feelings for one of them) threatens to expose them, all under a rainy sky. I really love the melody in this one; it's very catchy but also full of the emotion and drama you'd expect from a song with this sort of premise (helped by MAYU's voice), plus I like the vocal bits interspersed in the instrumental parts. My favorite part is the "issho ni kaero" part in the middle, where the melody changes up a bit before the bridge. Definitely one of my favorites from this album, and a great introduction to MAYU!

Bansoukou (Bandage): This is another one that took me quite a few listens before I liked it; this is one of the slowest tracks in the album, with another more understated melody. This is a ballad song, no real description on the lyrics/theme since it remains untranslated. I like this track way more now because of the slow gentleness of Miku's voice, the piano, and the great guitar melody during the outro, but I also feel it's a bit on the dull side in comparison to the rest of the album. You might like it much more if you enjoy slower rock ballads or shoegaze, though, it has a bit of a keeno-like feel to it. (Funny, since keeno is actually in this album.)

Hikoukai Nisshi (Private Log): Another more fun one! This song uses GUMI Power, and what a great use of GUMI Power it is (plus some giggling sounds courtesy of Yukari's EX Voice). This is a refreshing love song, with the PV setting against a very cute pirate Gumi. I really love the vibe of this track, it's very pleasant and perfectly captures the sunny seafaring adventure Gumi is on - the melody, as usual, is really great as well. My favorite part has to be the final chorus when Gumi's voice hits its apex, her final "susume" is so great and full of emotion! I love this one a lot, it remains one of my favorite Gumi songs.

Alright, Tumblr is telling me there's a character limit for articles on this site, so I guess I'm going to have to break this into two posts. Join me in part two, then, for the second half of the CD!