#it’s different and mellow like onew

[smtown-tourist]

Ever since Taemin came out with his own lightstick, I’ve been fantasizing about what the other SHINee members’ lightsticks would look like 🤔💎

[deukaeloveclub]

2019 in Review

I’m gonna do a bunch of different categories. Also the first half or two-thirds of the year might be more heavily represented because I’ve had more time to sit with them plus I was gone and only semi-keeping up since September. Anyways overall takeaway from this year, the boys impressed me.

Favorite Summer Songs (not many groups released summer songs)

For The Summer (special album) - WJSN 

Feedback - Boa

Questions - Zelo

Wave - ATEEZ

Illusion - ATEEZ

I'm mad Seventeen didn’t release Network Love in summer

Rookie of the Year

Female: GWSN 

I had to give it to them once I found out that they were my #5 Spotify artist! I didn’t even realize I listened to them that much but I really do like they’re music. I just don’t know anything about them.

Male : TXT / VERIVERY

Honorable Mention: CIX, AB6IX

This was so hard because the newer boy groups have really been impressing me this year. I don’t think I mention TXT or VERIVERY on my blog at all but both have started their careers with a solid discography and verivery already has a signature sound. CIX and AB6IX get honorable mention for their amazing debuts but I think both of their comeback projects are weaker than the debuts.

Not Song of the Year But You Should Definitely Check It Out

1m1s - W Project 4 

An emotional dance bop! Watch the choreography video. I wouldn’t even be mad if they put this on their debut album.

Face - Woosung

You’ve probably already heard this but if you haven’t go listen. Woosung carries this song with his voice

Still Loving You - 100%

Let’s Get Loud - We In The Zone (WITZ)

Time of our Life - Day6 

I feel like this didn’t get as much hype as their other titles. Please enjoy happy Day6!!

Reminsce All - ONEWE

As I’ve already said this song epitomizes slow burn.

All night - ASTRO

You probably know this one too but you should stream it again anyways

Focus - Kim Dong Han 

I feel like people really overlooked this one. If he had released it like a month and a half later I feel like it could have done well as a song for the summer that doesn’t sound like a summer song

Leave it - N.FLYING 

Feel Good - Jang Dae Hyeon

The song makes you feel good as the title says

Binu - Bibi

I.M. - Horizon

Sometimes solo endeavors can slip under the radar so make sure you check this out.

I Like That - Lee Jinhyuk 

Loca Mini Album - Favorite

Remember Me - Boys De Capo (BDC)

Summer! - Pentagon

You may be wondering why this was not in my summer list. Well I didn’t like Humph so I didn’t actually listen to this for awhile.

Round 2 - Pentagon

The Only - Raiden

Thank you Raiden for doing what SM won’t. Blessed Irene solo.

Forever Young - Giant Pink

Love U - Monsta X

I love this song cuz it’s light and catchy but most of all the lyrics. 

Tonight, - June

Happiness - Pentagon

Forever Love - Youngjae

good party/dance song

ILLUSION - B.I.G 

Fever - DONGKIZ

Super fun and retro

Beautiful Girl - WooSung

TOUCHIN' - Kang Daniel

Really good song I considered putting it in my top song list but there were too many

COME - Newkidd 

I pay attention to them mostly bc Hansol but this is their most interesting output so far

The Time I Need - Kim Jaehwan

Take a Hike - Jiyeon

Stray Kids Mixtape : Gone Days

This is my favorite thing I’ve heard from them cuz I don’t like their title track sound

Tie - Oh Saebom

I hate drops so much but this has one of the best instrumental breaks

Maybe I - CIX

Although I was not in love with their comeback, this mellow song stands out

Top Albums

I gave these an order but it’s more you could split the list into thirds of top tier, 2nd tier, 3rd tier (i.e. Feel Special is definitely better than XX but Superhuman is practically on the same level as Feel Special)

Fancy You - TWICE

Feel Special - TWICE

End of Nightmare - Dreamcatcher

Raid of Dream - Dreamcatcher

Superhuman - NCT 127 

Famous - Taemin 

Moonwalk - WayV

Jumping Suran

HELLO Chapter 1: Hello, Stranger - CIX

The Park In The Night Part Two - GWSN

The Park In The Night Part Three - GWSN

We Boom - NCT DREAM

The Dream Chapter: Magic - TXT

Go Live - ONF

B:COMPLETE - AB6IX

An Ode - Seventeen

As You Wish - WJSN

The Reve Festival Finale - Red Velvet

No - CLC

For the Summer - WJSN

Under Cover - A.C.E.

Flourishing - Chungha

XX - LOONA

Single Albums 

3 or less songs because they can’t be compared to proper albums or even minis. This list isn’t as complete as the full album list. It’s really just the single albums I wanted to put on the other list.

Rising - TRCNG

Wolf - Woosung

2/4 - ONEWE

HELLO! - 1TEAM

Veri-Chill - VERIVERY

Nappa - Crush

Female Top Title Song

This year I feel like I was really picky. There were so many songs that I were fine or good but I just didn’t particularly like them. Again like the albums there’s an order but it’s not a hard order

Psycho - Red Velvet

Breakthrough - Twice

Gotta Go - Chungha

Zgzg - Saay

Don’t Hang Up - Suran

Noir - Sunmi

Lalalay - Sunmi

Feel Special - Twice

Snapping - Chungha

Fancy - Twice

Deja Vu - Dreamcatcher

Piri - Dreamcatcher

Picky Picky - Weki Meki

Flower Shower - Hyuna

No - CLC

Dumb - BVNDIT

She’s Fine Heize 

IU Bleuming

Butterfly - Loona

Male Top Title Song

On the opposite end I loved A LOT of boy groups songs. I don’t think my blog reflects it at all but buckle up for this long list. Again this list has an order but it’s not a hard order however, number one is definitely my number one. A recurring element of this list is songs with amazing choruses

*Parallel isn’t an official title track but I love VIXX and I don’t care

**Lim Jimin is a late release so I’m tentative about adding his song but I’ve listened to it a few times and I think it has staying power

Missing - TRCNG

Moonwalk - WayV

Superhuman - NCT 127

Famous - Taemin

Alligator - MONSTA X

Why - ONF

Fear - SEVENTEEN

Sunset - KNK

We Must Love - ONF

Tag Tag Tag - VERIVERY

Bullet to the Heart - Jackson Wang

Run Away - TXT

Breathe - AB6IX

Movie Star - CIX 

Romanticism - Leo 

Sweet Choas - Day6

Undercover - A.C.E.

Calling My Name - GOT7

Money - Dawn

I’m Ok - IKON 

*Parallel - VIXX

I’m a Star - Wooseok x Kualin 

I Wanna Be - Key 

Don’t Need Your Love - NCT DREAM x HRVY 

Lonely Night - KNK

ULlala (Poison) - IN2IT 

Focus on Me - Jus2 

Cool Love - Hyungwon x Hongbin 

**Who, You? - Lim Jimin 

Spotlight - 1the9

Miroh - Stray Kids 

[jongyutiful]

Jongyu University AU

small introduction to a bigger au that has been haunting me. I’m new to writing so I’m sorry for any mistakes.

Jonghyun tried to be as silent as possible as he slipped into the meeting for the university’s radio station 15 minutes late. He settled himself into an empty desk in the back row just as the chief of the station, Jinyoung, finished going over the goals of the semester. He smiled at the assistant chief and one of his good friends, Jieun, who had watched him sneak in with a knowing smile on her face.

They talked about a few changes to the rules this semester before getting to the reason everyone was here; the newbies. Each semester the station would hold auditions for new DJs to join. If they made it through the audition, they would then be paired up with a veteran DJ to learn from. Jonghyun loved showing new DJs the ropes but since his show was late at night, it was hard to find someone willing to be paired up with him. 

“We’ve made a packet of all the new DJs’ bios. Take a look through it and pick out three candidates for your shows. We can’t guarantee that you’ll be paired with one of your choices but we’ll do our best to pair up DJs we think would do well together.” Jinyoung and Jieun stood and started passing out the packets. The packet looked thick this semester which meant that the audition process had a good turn out. 

Jonghyun immediately started flipping through the packet. He hadn’t been able to find someone willing to train with him last semester, so he was hoping this time things would be different. His show started at midnight which meant that not only the station but the entire campus was dead. Jonghyun loved his show and wouldn’t change his time slot, but even he had to emit that it got a little lonely being the only one there. 

The first page was a sports DJ that Jonghyun quickly flipped past. The second page was a freshman dance major that seemed interesting. His ideal radio show would focus on the tempos of songs, the setlist would slowly pick up in tempo before mellowing out again. He loved the concept and wrote the boy’s name down on his list. 

“You were late again today. Did you sleep past your alarm?” Jieun asked as she pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. 

Jonghyun sighed and looked up from his list. “No, I didn’t plan on falling asleep so I didn’t bother setting an alarm. I was looking through Spotify for some new artist and must have dozed off.” 

“You should really try to get a handle on your sleeping patterns.” Jonghyun tried not to roll his eyes, he knew Jieun meant well but it was something out of his control. He hated talking about his insomnia because he felt like no one really understood how it worked. Jieun could tell that she had touched a topic that he didn’t want to talk about and moved on. “I have someone in mind for you, flip to the fifth page.” 

Jonghyun flipped a few more pages and looked over the DJ’s bio. Jieun tucked her hair behind her ear and moved behind him to read over his shoulder. 

Name: Lee Jinki

Handle: Onew

Grade Level: Senior

On Air Experience: Zero

“Zero experience and a senior is not a combination we see a lot. Why did he audition?” Jonghyun thought aloud as he continued to read through the bio. When asked what his ideal show would be, his answer made Jonghyun giggle. A Mukbang! But that probably won’t happen, can’t be eating messy food around expensive equipment. I’d spill something for sure. 

“So, when do you want to do your first demo together?” 

“Demo? I haven’t even finished going through the packet yet.”

Jieun smiled knowingly. “Trust me Oppa, I knew he was meant for Blue Night as soon as he opened his mouth. His handle fits him very well and his voice was made for late night radio.” Jonghyun opened his mouth to protest but Jieun beat him to it. “Yes, I even double checked and asked how he felt about being on so late at night and he said he was okay with it. In fact, he mentioned being a fan of our late night broadcasting.” 

Jonghyun blushed at that, his show was the station’s only late night broadcasting. “What if our personalities don’t mix?”

“That’s why we do the demos. The two of you will come into the station to record an hour-long show in studio B. It won’t be live but it will give you two an idea of how you would pair during a real show.” Jieun gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Come on, just do a demo with him and if it doesn’t work out we can pair you with someone else.” 

Jonghyun glanced at the DJ’s bio again. “Okay, I’ll do the demo.”

Jieun clapped her hands together. “Great, because we were going to pair the two of you together regardless.”

“Yah!” Jonghyun complained but was waved off. 

“I’ll send you both an email with each other’s contact information. It’s then up to the two of you to set up a time to do a demo. Since you already have a key to the station it shouldn’t be a problem.” Jieun patted Jonghyun on the shoulder,  “I think he’ll be a great addition to Blue Night.”

[anime-or-anigay]

So, I’m not sure whether the kpop au is still a thing, but if so: Do you ever wonder about a fancast on which kpop idols would be which member in HQ20? I’ve seen someone make a fancast of a different anime for kdrama, they chose different idols to play different characters. For your kpop au, which idols do you think could be which members of HQ20?

Ok so here we go, I’m finally going to start bringing the kpop AU back!! Thank you for your patience!! Gosh, I haven’t touched this AU in 64 years….. but in the next few weeks I swear I will get to answering the 6 or 7 kpop AU questions hiding in my inbox drowning amongst dirty anons… 

For those who haven’t seen my kpop au yet see here (for computers) and here (for mobile)

Thank you for your question, anon ^.^ (andsorry for taking so long to reply - I really want to answer all these questions properly!)

Now, to answering….

This is actually really hard… I mean I’ve thought about what teamswould be like what kpop groups but I’ve never compared them directly to idolsbefore? Also, I wasn’t sure if you were asking based on what they’d be like asan idol personality or what their singing/rapping style would be like, so I’mgoing to do a double fancast. The first is who I think they are like based onpersonality, and the second is who they would sound most like to get the rightsound of the group…. (although if you’re curious abouthow the VAs actually sound like singing, see this playlist here andprepare yourself to be shook)

This gets pretty long so I’ll put it under a cut, but there is a TL;DR at the bottom for those who are interested but don’t want to filter through all my bullsh*t…

SawamuraDaichi (DJ)

Personality: S.Coups(SVT)- The total Dad™ of the group- Seems really mature and serious- Actually a total dork and a big softie- Gets bullied by his 1000 children

Rap/Vocal Style: Bitto(UP10TION)- Deep and beautiful- asewhrftjtmv fjieaworgns- the voice that haunts my dreams- also really calm but you can feel the emotion??

SugawaraKoushi (Suga)

Personality: Taeyong(NCT) - could also very easily be SVT’s Jeonghan thanks to those mom vibes andhim being an actual angel but I tried to mix it up a bit - actual mom of the group- takes such good care of the other members and is considered their support andpillar - beautiful inside and out - clumsy and will accidentally hurt his children but never means to- also really talented dancer

Vocal Style: Ryeowook(Super Junior)- so so pure- please protect this voice- such a wonderfully calming voice- not to be underestimated because it can also be incredibly strong- everything about him is lovely, including his voice

OikawaTooru (Tune)

Personality: Wooshin(UP10TION)- nearly went for Ken (VIXX) but I triedto not have double Oikawa VIXX even though I love them, as I love Seijoh, so somuch- super charismatic- treats his fans absolutely perfectly - incredibly hard working  - such a beautiful group visual- and gets teased mercilessly for it by the other members 

Vocal Style: Leo(VIXX)- Gorgeous and soft- But also can be powerful af - always finds the perfect emotion through the music- enunciates every word perfectly- Icry 

IwaizumiHajime (Sooti)

Personality: D.O(EXO)- easily voted manliest in the group- likes things clean and organised and also likes cooking (totalhousewife) - has a tendency to death glare and look like he’s done with everyone’sshit (spoiler alert: he is)- but is actually a total sweetheart/kind of a dork- also master of singing/rapping in different languages

Rap/Vocal Style: Ravi(VIXX)- Raps with Power™ - Raps that change speed in the blink of an eye- Boy raps fast, boy raps slow but always p o w e r f u l - Feel this Energy - No relation to the fact that Oikawa isequated to Leo at all…

KurooTetsuro (Kurokat)

Personality: Jin(BTS)- adorable man child- makes terrible dad jokes constantly- massive nerd- still always looking out for the younger members- also need to mention that they bothhave a super dumb laugh

Rap/Vocal Style: Mino(Winner)- ok so, in the kpop au, Kuroois a vocalist who can rap, whereas Minois a rapper who can sing- but my point still stands- beautiful deep voice (both in singing and rap)- super chill and sexy - this voice saved my life

BokutoKoutaro (El-Bo)

Personality: Chen(EXO)- always honest with his emotions- LOUD BOY! (screams a lot)- always treats his fans incredibly sweetly- may come across like he makes a big fuss of nothing but is also known to takereally good care of the other members of the group, especially the maknaes- super sweet boy all round

Rap/Vocal Style: GDragon (BIGBANG)- higher voice than you expect- can sing and rap beautifully - can achieve so many different styles and emotions - 10/10 for talent

AkaashiKeiji (Kashi)

Personality: Suga(BTS)- deadly honesty (read: utterly savage)- 100% done = constant mood- but also really cares for the group and the music - and can be a literal ball of sunshine when he smiles just for the purpose ofcoming in and wrecking your bias - always ends up going along with all the group’s crazy antics in the end 

Vocal Style: Onew (SHINee)- deep and beautiful- incredibly powerful- vocal range for days- always hits theperfect note

HanamakiTakahiro (Makki)

Personality: Jun(SVT)- actually a living breathing meme- please protect this child- also a total troll though - lowkey extra, highkey crazy boy - best troublesome child there is 

Vocal Style: Ken(VIXX)- wtf happened to trying to mix it up abit…- riff king- like seriously - may not always get to sing the main part of the song, but that’s only becausethis boy is too busy majorly riffing behind the main vocals- also gorgeous voice all round. 10/10

MatsukawaIssei (Issei)

Personality: Lay(EXO)- says completely weird things with a deadpan expression- comes across as very innocent (but isn’t always)- adorably weird (don’t tell me you couldn’t see Mattsunwearing a christmas tree onsie and singing jingle bells) - also language issues and childactor thing are just like how I headcanon Mattsunin the kpop au so….

Rap/Vocal Style: Hongbin(VIXX)-could’ve also put Lay for this tbh but I’ve gotta keep this Seijoh/VIXX streakgoing now- both a singer and a rapper- soft rap style- lots of rap-singing - can change his voice to fit tone of song perfectly

AsahiAzumane (Asahi)

Personality: Zuho (SF9)- looks intimidating at first until you realise he’s a giant softy- a total sweetheart- like completely adorable- bless this giant scaredy cat

Vocal Style: D.O(EXO)- transitions from soft into powerful perfectly- can be beautifully quiet until it comes to hit that note™- has pure emotion behind it- pure, sweet and gorgeous just like him

YakuMorisuke (Yakkun)

Personality: Key(SHINee)- master of throwing shade- smile that lights up the room (when you get him to smile)- total sweetheart (and totally embarrassed by it) - but also 100% the nagging mom - and they both dance girl group danceslike an absolute queen 

Vocal Style: Suho(EXO)- such a range on this boy- can sing just about any genre and have it fit- sometimes soft, sometimes intense, but always amazing- perfect lead vocals 

KozumeKenma (Kenma)

Personality: Hongbin(VIXX)- actually allergic to the other group members- cannot handle all the cringy stuff he gets asked to do in the name of kpop- actually adorable without even trying- also lowkey savage when you aren’t expecting it

Rap/Vocal Style: Zico(Block B)- so calm but can actually spitfire- can rap super fast with minimal effort- can come across as calm but each rap has so much emotion- can also secretly sing 

TanakaRyunosuke (Ryu)

Personality: Jackson(GOT7)- acts very extra- so so extra- but is so determined and hard working- looks out for other members of the group- also amazing dancer 

Rap/Vocal Style: Also Jackson(GOT7)- we have consistency!- aggressive rap- but also somehow calming?- a lot of power- also has a really pretty singing voice

NishinoyaYu (Noya)

Personality: JHope (BTS)- actual guardian deity of the group- literal ball of energy- keeps the mood high and the craziness higher- always super supportive- 10/10 will be there when you need him to be 

Rap/Vocal Style: AlsoJ-Hope (BTS)- love the double consistency of thekarasuno bros for life- high energy- rap style range from mellow and serious to crazy energy - so good at building the rap (starting chill and getting more and more energyas the rap goes on)- seriously this boy is so talented 

HinataShoyo (Hina)

Personality: Baekhyun(EXO)- adorable sunshine child- most cheerful member of the group- incredibly social- loved by everyone - honestly just the cutest boy ever 

Vocal Style: Okso Hina is really hard to find vocal comparison because I imagine his voice tobe so unique, but I’m going to put in Chen (EXO) because- he also has a super unique voice- soft voice (almost feminine at times - butI mean that as a good thing)- takes the high notes like a god- all round incredibly talented vocalist- also secretly really good at rapping

KageyamaTobio (Tobiyo)

Personality: Leo(VIXX)- the irony that his personalitycomparison is the same as his beloved senpai, Oikawa-san’s voice comparison isnot lost on me- resting ‘done’ face- cannot smile on cue - only when made to laugh- a lot of people think he is scary/disinterested but actually he’s a sweetcinnamon roll really- just very shy (and will get embarrassed easily if you compliment him)- also hits people a lot 

Vocal Style: Youngjae(GOT7)- incredibly strong voice - absolute power behind those notes- sings from the very core of his being- just an all round amazing sound

TsukishimaKei (K)

Personality: Sehun(EXO)- evil maknae- doesn’t take shit from his senpais/hyungs- resting tsundere face - secretly cares a lot more than he lets on- is also lowkey shy and sweet when he isn’t being savage

Rap/Vocal Style: Taeyong(NCT)- super chill rapper- could pretty much do all his raps with a straight face - raps that give zero fucks- but also feel really powerful without him even trying - can rap all out but if he does you are dead

YamaguchiTadashi (Suta)

Personality: Mark(GOT7)- actual sunshine- doesn’t talk much in the group - lowkey fluent in english- has the most adorable laugh

Vocal Style: Jimin(BTS)- can hit those high note like damn- such a soothing voice - best voice to sing you to sleep, to be honest- pure and beautiful

HaibaLev (Revo)

Personality: V(BTS)- completely bizarre child- often has no idea what is happening- just a sweet ball of excitable energy- clumsy boy - also beautifully terrible english 

Vocal Style: Haechan(NCT)- very unique voice- high pitch (but not as high as Hinata)- seriously he has no trouble hitting that gorgeous high- he is both gifted and a gift to humanity

So,TL;DR, my final fancasts are as follows: 

*please bear in mind that this is allpersonal opinion and me basically projecting my biases onto my fav haikyuucharacters (although not all of my biases have made this list sadly), so pleasedon’t take offence if you don’t agree with my casting - I’m always open toother suggestions too and would love to hear other people’s fancasts too*

Based on the personality/energy thegroup give off:

S. Coups (SVT) - Daichi

Taeyong (NCT) - Suga

Wooshin (UP10TION) - Oikawa

D.O (EXO) - Iwaizumi

Jin (BTS) - Kuroo 

Chen (EXO) - Bokuto 

Suga (BTS) - Akaashi 

Jun (SVT) - Hanamaki

Lay (EXO) - Matsukawa

Zuho (SF9) - Asahi

Key (SHINee) - Yaku

Hongbin (VIXX) - Kenma

Jackson (GOT7) - Tanaka

J Hope (BTS) - Nishinoya

Baekhyun (EXO) - Hinata

Leo (VIXX) - Kageyama

Sehun (EXO) - Tsukishima

Mark (GOT7) - Yamaguchi

V (BTS) - Lev 

Based on group sound: 

Bitto (UP10TION) - Daichi

Ryeowook (Super Junior) - Suga 

Leo (VIXX) - Oikawa

Ravi (VIXX) - Iwaizumi

Mino (Winner) - Kuroo

G Dragon (BIGBANG) - Bokuto

Onew (SHINee) - Akaashi

Ken (VIXX) - Hanamaki 

Hongbin (VIXX) - Matsukawa

D.O (EXO) - Asahi

Suho (EXO) - Yaku

Zico (Block B) - Kenma

Jackson (GOT7) - Tanaka

J Hope (BTS) - Nishinoya

Chen (EXO) - Hinata

Youngjae (GOT7) - Kageyama

Taeyong (NCT) - Tsukishima 

Jimin (BTS) - Yamaguchi

Haechan (NCT) - Lev

Thnk you again for your question and your patience in waiting for an answer ^.^

Kpop AU

[x-i-l-verify]

I get where you're coming from for sure, but I've made my peace with it lol, as measuring the purely technical side of things. "Emotions, stage presence, entertainment factor, tone will all be ignored as they are purely subjective", hell ya son

Chen may be a more technically proficient singer but I’d rather listen to Onew any day for his mellow tone. Ken may be more stable and consistent, but I prefer Leo in VIXX because when he DOES nail it that shit is like crystal. Personal taste! 8)  

-

Yup! I was able to ask my voice lessons teacher about this yesterday, and she was like “It’s all subjective. All of it.  And pop singers usually ignore classical training technique anyway to achieve a certain sound, so it basically comes down to what you like and your personal tastes.” She did say it was good to have a foundation of classical technique so you don’t hurt your voice, but yeah, whether someone is or is not singing with technique isn’t particularly an indicator of whether they’re a “good” singer or not. And technique is only one small part of a singer’s overall performance, too. Someone can have the most perfect technique in the world, and if they don’t sell the performance emotionally, they’re never going to catch on.

And yeah, I get you. Kpop has kind of a problem with what I would call “same voice syndrome” where a lot of the singers, awesome and amazing though they may be, have an unfortunate tendency to sound very similar to each other. So I tend to prefer voices that stand out to me tone or timbre-wise. VIXX got very lucky in that every single member sounds very distinct from each other and from other singers in the industry, and while I adore all their voices for different reasons, N has my overall favorite voice out of the lot (and I’m not just saying that because he happens to be my bias, either).

[mermaidinstereo]

LIST: 10 of My Favorite Dark Music Videos

What you probably couldn't tell from my ongoing Christina Aguilera project is that I love dark shit. No, you probably won't find me at the local goth club nights (in suburban Florida, we don't have those), or crying to Sisters of Mercy, or blowing an entire week's paycheck at M.A.C. just for eyeliner (because ya girl is broke). Still, I enjoy a good vampire flick (and a lot of bad ones), prefer to rock a good dark lip, and one time blew $50 at Hot Topic on a coat that makes me feel like a tragic Edgar Allan Poe heroine. I guess you could say I'm barely a low-budget goth, but that's okay. That's just my vibe, I guess.

So today, I thought I'd count down 10 of my favorite music videos, that are all at once super totally goth and not at all. In no particular order, of course. (Because of Tumblr’s rules, I can’t embed more than five videos at once. So I’ll link to the bottom five, and embed the top five.)

10. "Mine" - Kim Jae Joong If the former TVXQ member was looking to make a name for himself, other than being just a K-pop prettyboy, well, he did it right. He was already a bankable actor, racking up views on both the big and small screens. And even after departing from TVXQ, with fellow ex-members Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu, formed the group JYJ, also successful in their own right. However, Jaejoong was not content with staying the course of K-pop typicality. In response, Jaejoong tapped into his inner rocker, unleashing "Mine," off his first solo mini album I. In this video, he runs through dark forests, plays with snakes, and struggles to break free from a wall, before appearing at the end of the video as a vampire that looks straight out of a J-rock band. One can only argue that this is Jaejoong's final form. Or is it?

9. "Hyde" - VIXX While VIXX started playing with darkness in "On and On," it was "Hyde" where they really hit their stride. Telling the story of a man struggling with a Jekyll-and-Hyde-esque duality in a relationship, images of the band's six members are juxtaposed--wearing white as cute, loving, boyfriend material, and black as horrifying, nightmarish, even abusive monsters. I gotta give an award to Leo for looking a little too into it when he strangles his lovely lady, shortly before black angel wings burst from his back. Dude is scary. And so is the setting of this video! It appears to be a vaguely decrepit mansion crawling with macabre decor...and some classic creepy crawlies. It's no wonder VIXX are pegged for K-pop's go-to goths. (For more creepy craziness from VIXX, there are a lot of videos to choose from, but perhaps nothing is more terrifying than “Voodoo Doll,” a video so gory it was banned from TV! Don’t worry, though--there is a clean version.)

8. "Election Day" - Arcadia When Duran Duran temporarily split in 1985, they birthed two side projects. On one side, the pop-friendly Power Station, led by powerhouse vocalist Robert Palmer, along with drummer Tony Thompson of Chic, and Duran's own John and Andy Taylor. Then there was Arcadia, the artsier goth-influenced group, comprised of Nick Rhodes, Simon Le Bon, and for a short period, Roger Taylor. In this video, Le Bon just looks like he got a nice dark dye job, but it's Nick Rhodes who got the full goth makeover, because of course Nick Rhodes did. I'm not exactly sure what's even happening in this video--leave that to anything Simon Le Bon did in the 80s--but the image of Nick Rhodes dancing around with a candelabra is pretty goth, if I do say so myself. Also, it's just a damn good song. And album.

7. "Married to the Music" - SHINee As K-pop acts go, SHINee have not always been the group that goes with the flow. Instead of ripping off T-shirts in music videos, they play with unusual concepts, sometimes freaky ones. Among those was 2015's "Married to the Music." While not exactly elegant, "Married" boasted a quirky, camp-horror concept, inspired equally by Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Michael Jackson's "Thriller." In the video, the five members visit a wacky house party in which, throughout the night, they find themselves having various body parts removed in bizarre methods. Key gets his head hacked off while spinning on a giant roulette wheel. Taemin's eyes pop out when he gets smacked in the back of the head by a baseball bat. A phantom hand in the sink rips off Onew's nose. Jonghyun's mouth comes off after some kind of kiss of death. Then, Minho's entire body is sacrificed in a birthday cake incident gone wrong. All this culminates at the end, where our mystery woman uses the discarded parts to build the perfect FrankenSHINee. Like Mary Shelley, but with more BB cream and an Off the Wall beat.

6. "Beast and the Harlot" - Avenged Sevenfold Unlike SHINee, A7X have always toyed with the darkness, but in a similar manner, do it their own way. This cut from 2005's City of Evil is actually a track describing the fall of Babylon, in incredible detail. The video, however, tells of a Faustian tale, through a lens of rock 'n roll excess. A visually striking video, and I'm not just talking about Zacky Vengeance's eyeshadow. Careful what y'all are getting into when signing contracts, guys.

5. "Call Me When You're Sober" - Evanescence I could list nearly any Evanescence video, really. In fact, I kind of owe a lot to Evanescence, since they kind of helped me discover my artistic identity a bit. That said, I picked this cut from 2006's The Open Door. In it, Amy plays Red Riding Hood, on a pretty bad date with the Big Bad Wolf, played by dashing British actor Oliver Goodwill. He cuddles up to the plaid-clad Amy, who is clearly uncomfortable with his advances. Somewhere there is an awesome scene with Amy surrounded by black-clad dancers as they float above the ground, and this is honestly the coolest thing I've seen in an Evanescence video (though, truthfully, "Good Enough" was pretty cool, too). But nothing tops Amy walking toward her douchey wolf--across the table, as dining utensils go flying off the table. Very Once Upon a Time. Regina would be proud.

4. "Out of My Mind" - Duran Duran

This is an obscure cut from their 1997 album Medazzaland, a period in which the beloved New Romantics got suuuuuper experimental. It's hard to find this video in HD on YouTube, so you kinda take what you get. The then-trio of Rhodes/Le Bon/Warren Cuccurullo traipse around a creepy house, are sometimes ghosts haunting a library, or sometimes--in the case of Rhodes--are Rococo gothic drag queens. Also, Simon rocks a choker at some point. Totes 90s. Also, the setting and cinematography recall Marilyn Manson's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." Hey, wasn't that by an 80s band, too?

3. "Frozen" - Madonna

I was maybe around seven or eight when Ray of Light was released. Maybe. But I vividly remember seeing this video on VH1 when my mom left it on. I was freaked out by it at the time, but of course, I was a child, of course I would be. A solitary, black-clad Madge dances around a barren wasteland, cuddling nothing but her flowing gown as ravens surround her. I think she was playing with Indian motifs at the time, considering her hand gestures and tattoos (also, Ray of Light boasted "Shanti/Ashtangi," never forget). This was probably the beginning of the Kabbalah thing, too, but it wasn't quite as big a story as it would become years later.

2. "Within Me" - Lacuna Coil

I'd be betraying myself if I didn't include a Lacuna Coil video in all this, another group that, with Evanescence, led me down an aesthetically dark path. A mellower cut from 2006's Karmacode has vocalists Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia at odds, with Andrea sitting lonely in some kind of elaborate chair or throne, as Cristina crawls the desert, producing these creepy black tendrils for some reason. It's just a pretty video and song.

1. "Sayonara Hitori" - Taemin

For his first Japanese solo single, SHINee's Taemin pulled out all the stops. None of the cutesy image that was cultivated during SHINee's early period, instead, Taemin fully embraced his darkness, portraying several different characters. The first looks like he walked out of Inuyasha, dancing around a piano (no, I don't know why either) as blue flowers grow around him. The next scene finds him clad in the edgiest black garb possible as samurai spar behind him. Perhaps the most goth thing, however, is Taemin laying in a black coffin as very fabulous mourners lay blue flowers down. Not bad for a kid who somehow loses nearly everything he touches. Gotta keep it relatable. Of course, I subscribe to the belief that Taemin couldn’t have gothed it up without Jaejoong paving the way. 

Now, a few honorable mentions. Okay, a lot of honorable mentions:

Stone Temple Pilots, "Sour Girl"

Sunmi, "Full Moon"

4Minute, "Volume Up"

XIA, "Tarantallegra"

Rihanna, "Disturbia"

Taeyang, "I'll Be There"

Depeche Mode, "Walk in My Shoes"

30 Seconds to Mars, "The Kill"

Christina Aguilera, "Fighter" (I wanted to save this for the Xtina project, whenever I manage to get to this video)

Keane, "Disconnected"

FT Island, “Pray”

INFINITE, “Bad”

2NE1, “It Hurts (Slow)”