#it's been my most played spotify wrapped song for going on 5 years

[residentrookie]

roslyn by bon iver is my favorite song of all time there i said it

[trentcrimminallybeautiful]

2024 wrapped ! fic writing year in review ! whatever you want to call it ! even though it's the beginning of december !

i was tagged by: No one! I am doing it: Anyway !

note for my post specifically: some stats have been manually adjusted to account for "collection" fics (which i've largely stopped doing, but are still part of the stats in 2024) that have different oneshots in each chapter but count as one "work" on ao3. i'm also going to focus on my trentcrimminallybeautiful pseud and ted lasso related works for 99 percent of the post.

i spent so much time on this. and why? why. i have no idea. i don't know why i did this. i don't even have spotify.

special thanks to @fade-in-the-dark, for our long, riveting conversations, and @medecineformelancholy, whose clever thoughts and kind words have fueled many a fic-writing session <3

tags/rules & links to all fics mentioned under the cut.

rules: fuck da rules. post whatever stats you want. ao3 stats recommended for ease, but anything from quantitative (top 5 most bookmarked fic, most commented fic, most kudos'd fic, etc.; how many kudos/comments/bookmarks you got this year, longest/shortest, number of user subscriptions, top fandom written for, , word count, whatever you like) to qualitative (favorite fic written, favorite comment received, best smut/angst/fluff fic written, fic that was hardest to write, etc, get creative) to a secret third thing. it doesn't even have to be fanfiction you can talk about original fiction if you want. just have fun with it man. you can do plain text or fun little graphics. then tag some people. yay

tagging: no pressure, and you absolutely do not have to do the same level as what i've done, because i don't know why i did it at all. i mean you're welcome to, but please don't feel like you have to. you don't even have to do it at all, man. just have fun if you want to. hell, if you see this and i've not tagged you but you wanna do it, this is me tagging you. tag me as if i tagged you normally by name. it's fine. do it. and if you're tagged here and you don't wanna or whatever don't worry about it. it's cool. no problem

anyway, tagging: @mvshortcut get over here you rascal. @oflightningandstars @writer-and-thrasher @plentyghosts @fade-in-the-dark @thehouseofgrey @vamplanaut

all fics mentioned:

countdown, baby!

delayed reaction

fall into you, sweet thing

hold me down

lend you my lips

lightning and roses

mea culpa

melt like this

moonlight madness

{ pair / pretty / play }

rainy days

reflections

secure

stress relief

suffer the feathers for the song

vita nova

snippets, which were largely excluded from stats because it'd be a lot of work untangling them from one work tbh:

ted lasso tumblr snippets 3 - 8 through 12 done in 2024.

ted lasso snippets 4 - all done in 2024.

e-rated ted lasso snippets - just the fourth one done in 2024.

non ted lasso fics:

Bill Cipher Calls a Temporary Truce for Girl's Night????????? and other notes that Ford will HATE to read in the Journal later - Gravity Falls

dreams of falling - House MD

key without a lock - The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Did Nate Just Kill A Guy?!?! Job - Leverage

[mosviqu]

before the new year begins

happy new year everyone! 🫶🏻✨️ toffee @neo-shitty tagged me in this and since i absolutely love talking about myself and reflecting, i am taking the opportunity to look back on 2024 with this, so thank u for the tag hihi. 🩷

my no-pressure tags go to @sungbeam @from-izzy @gluion @jaehunnyy @sanaxo-o @injangism and @freakywonbin !!

1. share your favorite memory of this year.

as much as i shit on 2024, it surely was one of the best years of my life. I can't really think of one memory that would be my most favorite, but i really enjoyed my trip to budapest in june and also august, my internet best friend sleeping over, karaoke nights in november and december, getting drunk with my situationship, 11/11 manifestation with my friend and over-all many moments spent with friends during this semester :,)

2. what was the highlight of your year?

I think that an over-all highlight might have been me spending more time with my friends and building deeper bonds with the people around me, but once again, i dont think i can pick just one.

3. list the top five books you read this year.

AAAA i love book questions. okay so! first place definitely takes happy all the time by laurie colwin, which i didnt expect to like as much as i did, but its a solid 5* book that i think about often. second place is definitely tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow by gabrielle zevin that i read this time last year, it was such an enchanting and amazing read with an unique plot line and great world building. third place takes flowers for algernon by daniel keyes, my psych major heart enjoyed this one deeply. makes you think and reflect and i would recommend this book to anyone. I also very much enjoyed kitchen by banana yoshimoto, which was written in a very simple, yet beautiful way, and the last one im going to mention is never let me go by kazuo ishiguro, which i also didnt expect to like half as much as i did.

4. list the top five movies you watched this year.

I am not much of a movie watcher, if im being honest, i am convinced i literally watched 5 movies in total last year 💀💀 but i did really love fight club! I also finally watched the amazing spiderman movies which i loved, and beautiful boy which wasn't exactly what i expected, but i enjoyed it nonetheless and think about it often. as the fifth one im gonna mention john mulaney: baby j if that counts..? 😭

5. list the top five tv series you binged this year.

I havent watched much tv series either,, but twinkling watermelon was definitely my favorite!! I also enjoyed the eighth sense and the eight show, and i also channeled my inner uk culture lover and watched the inbetweeners finally LMAOO

6. what is the one new thing you discovered this year (could be a place/hobby/song etc)?

does a karaoke bar at uni count? 💀💀 i dont think i really discovered many new things last year, or i cant really recall anything..? but i definitely discovered more of my uni town and maybe more of my sexuality..? 😭 as for artists i discovered the kid laroi, role model and gracie abrams :p

7. top three albums that you played this year?

the secret of us by gracie abrams, eternal sunshine by ariana grande and kansas anymore by role model were definitely my most played this year 🙂‍↕️

8. your spotify wrapped #1 song

I feel like i am the only one whose spotify wrapped was accurate this year HAHA. anyways mine was sadly she moves in her own way by the kooks. 🧍‍♀️

9. your spotify wrapped top artist.

the 1975! matty healy they could never make me hate you.

10. your personal song of the year.

oof.. n e m u s i m e s a b a t by porsche boy and mess. this song was there for me when no one else was HAHA.

11. what is an achievement that you are proud of this year?

started putting myself first and taking more opportunities to go out/hang out with people. this used to be a big problem of mine especially when i was handling anxiety, but i found that getting out of the house helps managing it :))

12. what are your goals for the next year?

biggest goal is definitely graduating and getting into masters! then id love to travel to london with my friend in the summer and finally get that tattoo i've been wanting since 17 hihi. finding love would also be great but i dont think thats something i can impact haha

13. any three book releases you are excited for next year

I dont really follow any anticipated releases, to be honest! I just read what i find already released 😭

14. any three upcoming movies/tv series that you are excited for next year.

WEAK HERO CLASS 2 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

15. if you could change one thing about the past year what would it be?

the holiday season 💀💀 it was quite possibly the darkest part of my year/life and i did not enjoy it at all.

16. did you manage to stick to your new year's resolutions this year?

I just found a few that i had written down in my journal last year. I definitely stuck to taking care of myself more, put myself first more, hanging out more with my friends and continuing to write. I didnt however watch more movies, do more art and read 24 books last year 💔

17. do you have any new year's resolutions for the next year?

I do! as i already mentioned, graduating and getting into masters is a big one. then going to london, get a tattoo, write more, continue to socialize even more, be more careless and have more of a yolo lifestyle, find a more positive relationship with myself and build my confidence in a way that doesnt depend on external validation. :))

18. favorite meme of the year?

mama a girl behind you was a big one in my brain to be quite honest. 😭😭 also 9/10 perfect score! OH and the sabrina "have you ever tried this one?"

19. which month was the most fun this year?

june, august, october and november were big ❤️‍🔥

20. what color do you associate the previous year with?

hmmm not gonna lie its very close to brat green in my eyes

21. if you could tell yourself something at the beginning of this year based on what you know right now, what would it be?

do things scared !!! don't worry so much about everything, because things will turn out just fine. also dont talk to the erasmus people in the club it's a trap! (/j. I've enjoyed this little fun romance side quest of mine so far.)

22. favorite viral trend of the year?

I think i kinda fell for the very cutesy very demure trend for a bit?? Also the viral dance to disco by surf curse was the highlight of my days i watched every single one on my fyp haha

23. list any three new things you learned this year (could be recipes, a new skill, etc.)

my signature pasta recipe i cook for me and my roommate every other week. I also feel like i finally learned how to park..? and uhhh the last skill may be how to give a bj idk sjsksdksksk

24. how would you describe your year in a word?

fun!

25. what color do you want to associate the upcoming year with? why?

yellow! it feels like a very positive/celebratory color and i feel like thats what i really need next year <3

[madamescarlette]

A few years ago I did a full-length version of this tag, which I thought would be a fun thing to revisit for this NYE! (You should do this too, if you feel so inclined! count this as me tagging you.)

share your favorite memory of this year.

I can't really tell you anything but multiple flashes that I hold close to my heart-- my mother sitting up in bed laughing over something I said about my brother, my whole family dancing at my brother's wedding hand-in-hand, one of my friends saying wistfully it was so good to hear me & my teammate's voices on the phone, me driving home the first evening it felt like fall and watching the leaves swirl around the street, me seeing a tiger (!!!) in the spring. A beautiful year, if a hard one!

2. what was the highlight of your year?

Most likely my brother's wedding! It tinged the year in such a golden light.

3. list the top five books you read this year.

In no particular order (except for the Q love u Q), The Q, The Carrying, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, and the entire Frieren series tbh.

4. list the top five movies you watched this year.

Past Lives (movie of my HEART), Twisters, Miss Potter (my first rewatch since childhood and 😭😭), The Fall Guy, and tbh Return to Me (I think of it often!)

5. list the top five tv series you binged this year.

Hmmmm....this is always difficult! I would say, Abbott Elementary (my beloved), Psych (extra points for watching with my brother), Summer Strike (peaceful show of my heart), ??????, I rewatched Makanai which I love dearly but I swear I cannot remember off the top of my head anything else I watched, liked, and finished.

6. what is the one new thing you discovered this year (could be a place/hobby/song etc)?

I started learning SQL and that somehow to me was such a joy! And after reading The Hurting Kind book Ada Limón finally got into my heart for realsies this time and I think that's magical.

7. top three albums that you played this year?

I think I'm going to do a ranking on all their own, but peeeeersonally I think the albums that most were There for me were Charm by Clairo, Vertigo by Griff, Positive Spin by Gretta Ray. (Honorable mention to TTPD that has been with me through it all, it just feels too vast for me to really put a pin in it for just this year, you know?)

8. your spotify wrapped #1 song

These Walls – Dua Lipa, which I don't fully know what to say about it except that the shiny sparkly sound somehow makes me feel so bright and emotional at the same time.

9. your spotify wrapped top artist

Taylor forever.

10. your personal song of the year.

It's not even from this year! But You've Already Won by Gretta Ray song of all time to ME. It can simply hold a whole life in its hand and I love that so. Also a little shoutout to Down Bad which can still make me cry 8 months 10,000 listens later.

11. what is an achievement that you are proud of this year?

not necessarily any singular achievements. I'm proud of how much time I've spent with my mom, I think. I'm proud of how much I've grown in regards of my work. It's been a year of quiet (if grueling) growth and I'm proud of that.

12. what are your goals for the next year?

My goals? I think mostly that I'm setting some writing goals (daily journaling, quarterly chapbooks, 20k of a book draft) and I want to pick up boxing again as I've let it lapse this month.

13. any three book releases you are excited for next year.

I'm soooo out of the loop here, alas. There's new Maggie Stiefvater that I will read, there's new Emily Henry I will probably read.

14. any three upcoming movies/tv series that you are excited for next year.

tentatively excited for new Superman, tentatively excited for second half of Wicked, always excited for more Abbott Elementary.

15. if you could change one thing about the past year what would it be?

very little! I had to go through it to come out of the other side of it. (And when it shines out it'll shine all the clearer or something of the sort.)

16. did you manage to stick to your new year’s resolutions this year?

Not even a little! I was going to use this year to try to draw something every day, which I failed horribly at, but I think that's only to be expected. Still, I want to use my resolutions to create more little spaces of FUN in my life again. I've missed them horribly.

17. do you have any new year’s resolutions for the next year?

My only real, true type of resolution is simply to have FUN. While I've still had lots of big, beautiful joys this year, I've not delighted as I ought to, and I want to bring that part of myself back. Learn some new dances, learn to make sourdough, things along that line. Just get back into the motions of living and find myself swept up by the verve of it all. That's my one bit of resolve.

18. favorite meme of the year?

I could not tell you the name of a meme right now if you told me my life depended upon it. I love the bit we have of using substitutes because we don't do suicidal ideation anymore here babes. I love the resurgence of the children's hospital red meme.

19. which month was the most fun this year?

The most fun?! I mean, probably...October? It's hard to tell because there were challenges in so many! But I laughed the most in October so it must be then.

20. if you could tell yourself something at the beginning of this year based on what you know right now, what would it be?

I mean...I think more than anything I'd just want to reassure myself of the past that it's really, really okay, and you have more strength and power within you than you might think. Also, even though it sucks and it's uphill work, if you want this to be a place full of love you have to be the one to put it there, you can't just luck your way into it, you yourself have to put your heart on the line and become love itself to the people you're given to care for. And that's something wonderful to take part in!

21. favorite viral trend of the year?

I looooove the international Mikus with ALL my heart. They're what make life worth living 💛💛

22. list any three new things you learned this year (could be recipes, a new skill, etc.)

This is the hardest thing for me to recall. I learned how to make arrozcaldo at last? And I started learning SQL as I said. I started properly, FINALLY learning the different forms of poetry at the beginning of the year (I know, I know, I'm shamefully self-taught) but a lot of it has fallen out of my brain. I need to set it more in my bones, I think.

23. how would you describe your year in a word?

Enduring, is a good one I think. It's been quite a year for gritting my teeth and bearing it, alas. But it's also been a year of fruitful, beautiful friendship and fellowship, a year of becoming greater company to myself and to others. Luminous would be another fitting word, actually! There's been a lot of beauty and grace granted to me, and I am very, very grateful. There's something bittersweet in leaving behind any year, and this year just as much as any! I'll never live it again. But I can live a new one, and that's just as magical in its own right. I hope I'm brave enough to meet it!

[megamindsecretlair]

1! 5! 9! and 25! *wink wink*

Lmfao, you stay asking multiple ones! Lmfaooo, making me work on my day off, I see you! 😚🥲

1. Song of the year: It's Full of Life by Christine and the Queens. It was my top song for Spotify Wrapped because UGH. That song just GETS meeee 😭🙌🏽 and don't let me be at peak high and that song hits? Ugh, ill be in shambles.

5. Tv show of the year: TOUGH. But I'd have to go with Found on NBC. Idk what I was expecting going into it, I just knew that I love Shanola Hampton from Shameless and the concept was dope.

But??? This show gives just the right amount of dark content that doesn't cross any of my boundaries. I am OBSESSED with the way Shanola plays off of Mark. That show gives me fn lifeeee.

I also love that she's a dark skinned actress lead who's outfit never fails, she's smart, capable, and can still be vulnerable. That's so fn rare. Ugh. Idk if I want Sir to keep playing with her or what, but I be tuned in 🙌🏽

9. Best month for you this year: OOF. Idk. Most of my months are pretty bad, but I'd say October. Which is wild considering I had something to do every weekend this October. I'm a home girlie 👏🏽 but, I did so many things outside my comfort zone.

I wore a dress and actually felt pretty for once. I danced with my bf at a wedding. I went to a comic convention and saw an old friend. And most importantly, I finished a book!

I had written and released a terrible thriller when I was 18 lol. I just knew my writing career would take off then. It took many, many years later to figure out what I want and what kind of stories I wanted to tell. Many years to realize that writing is for MEEE. And now I have a real book to show for it, that I'm proud of, and I'm proud of myself for not giving up like I usually do.

25. Did you create any characters this year? Describe one: I did! Zora Underwood. She's my little bean and I love her.

All of my writing has a piece of me but Zora felt the most like me. The book is part meta, part combo of every Soft Black girl I've talked to, been around, or aspire to be. People may think she's directly me and that's okay. Why shouldn't she be lol.

She's the piece of me I wish I was braver to be like growing up. She's the piece of me I wish more people saw and openly accepted. She's the piece of me that deserves a good life, good friends, and an amazing boyfriend. She's the piece of me I needed to heal before I could grow and accept that I am who I am and I love me. She's the piece of me I needed to write and love on and fill me with confidence to keep going. Keep fighting.

She will.*always* have a special place carved out in my heart. God willing, I'll be 80, still writing, still thinking about Zora.

[lightsoundetc]

new to me 2024 - the highlights, part 1

I listened to 644 songs that I had never heard before in 2024.

For at least the last 4 or 5 years, I've started getting in the habit of creating a playlist at the beginning of each year where I keep track of songs that are new to me - some of them might be very old, but as long as it's a recording that I'd never heard before, it counts.

Listening to the playlist on shuffle over the last week or so, it was honestly very hard to narrow down which songs stuck with me the most. When it came down to it, I was most interested in what the tracks made me feel - things like joy, melancholy, & heartache.

I did the best I could to choose the 19 most noteworthy tracks that I heard for the first time in 2024. A lot of these were top songs in my Spotify Wrapped. Some of them didn't get much playtime overall, but something about them stuck with me. Tracks are listed like a countdown, but they're more or less just in the order that I first heard them.

check out the whole playlist here! This post is the first of three parts.

#19 - Rainbow Kitten Surprise, "Painkillers"

This first one falls under the "melancholy" & "heartache" categories. I heard this track pretty early into 2024, sometime in January. The way the driving bass & guitar melody break down into the half-time drag about halfway through the track really sells it for me. And the name of the band itself really threw me for a loop. I'd listened to some of their newest album later in the year, and was blown away by their commitment to bending & blending genres. It's like I can feel every single word.

"very lovely morning try not to kill yourself today think of all that you'd be missing; prescription made painkillers"

#18 - Paramore, "Rose-Colored Boy"

This was my #2 most played track of the year on Spotify Wrapped. I went on a MASSIVE Paramore binge early into the year - I listened through their entire catalogue, and even started putting together a (very unfinished) Hayley Williams chronology. Back in the myspace days, Paramore was always one of those bands that I was actually sorta into, but were too scene for my edgy Hot Topic wannabe-mall-goth (yes that's a thing, spotify keeps using it to describe my daylists) sensibilities.

Whelp, this year I just went for it. Nope, I don't regret it in the least. I am a Paramore fan. That's all there is to it.

"Rose-colored boy, I hear you making all that noise about the world you want to see and I'm so annoyed, cuz I just killed off what was left of the optimist in me"

#17 - Meet Me @ The Altar, "Hit Like A Girl"

Speaking of Paramore, here's a band that I almost immediately wrote off as a Paramore knock-off. I think I first heard a track by them on some sort of Spotify current pop punk playlist, though honestly I probably couldn't even pinpoint which song it was. The next time I ran into them was on boygenius' the record Blueprint playlist with the track "Now Or Never". Then I checked out their latest album, and thought it was pretty rad ("Try" and "Kool" were also in my top songs of the year on Wrapped). "Hit Like A Girl" was a single released in 2021, but quickly became my go to Meet Me @ The Altar track. As a dad to two daughters, the message was what stuck to me most.

"I'm tough, I'll save the world and won't even break a sweat; No bluff, I'm witty yeah I know how to use my head. Said I'm too loud, I should sit down; (No) I've got a lot to say. So what? I'm rowdy, yeah I hit like a girl"

#16 - Spiritbox, "Sun Killer"

I went on a trip to Southern California early in the year and got to see some good friends of mine. The husband is a musician, and I hold his opinions about music in pretty high regard. When I told him that I'd been listening through the entire Paramore catalogue, he put his hand on my shoulder, looked me dead in the eye, and said to me without an ounce of hesitation, "No, you should listen to Spiritbox".

So I listened through Eternal Blue and The Fear of Fear on the plane ride home. "Sun Killer" was the first track of theirs that I had ever heard, and I found the band's formation fascinating. Courtney LaPlante replaced the lead vocalist of iwrestledabearonce, married replacement guitarist Mike Stringer, and then both of them left to start their own band. What in the world. The track itself strikes a nice balance between the metal & electronic elements, with soaring vocals that don't end up feeling too theatrical. The breakdown at the end adds some heavy punctuation.

"Tell me the waves won't rise and monsters will fade with time; to temper the blaze, with a twist of a knife; a sun killer lullaby"

#15 - Land of Talk, "It's Okay"

This one hurts. The rawness in Elizabeth Powell's voice, the emotion and heartache, are nearly unbearable at times. Again, like I can feel every. single. word. I'd first heard of Land of Talk sometime in high school or into college, with their track "Some Are Lakes"; I'd gotten pretty deep into the Canadian Indie scene with bands like Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, and Broken Social Scene. It wasn't until this past summer that I finally gave the whole album a listen. "It's Okay" was the real standout for me, and ended up being one of those tracks that I came back to during my recap this week.

"Maybe when I die, I get to be a car; Driving in the night - lighting up the dark Something in your voice - it sparks a little hope; I'll wait up for that noise, Your voice becomes my home."

#14 - The Story So Far, "Clairvoyant"

Another one of those bands that I was too cool to like when they first started getting some attention. This track in particular was off of a split EP with Stick To Your Guns, though for some reason the artists have their own contributions to the EP uploaded separately on Spotify.

I love the guitar work on this track, and the honesty in the lyrics and vocal delivery. The minor drop into the chorus is a nice touch as well.

"I think you'll notice when things become different, the good vibes in our lives won't feel so consistent and less becomes more cuz the weight is too heavy: I swim in the water that's breaking your levee"

#13 - Fall Out Boy, "Thriller" feat. Jay-Z

I wanted to end part 1 on a high note, though honestly, I was a little hesitant to even include this track considering the allegations made against featured artist Jay-Z. I decided instead to simply acknowledge those accusations, and include a performance of the track without Jay-Z.

Much like Paramore and The Story So Far, Fall Out Boy got their start in a scene that I balked at for most of my teenage years and early adulthood. It hasn't been until recently that I've started embracing the genre for what it is, cheese and all. I didn't give From Under The Cork Tree a proper listen until I was well out of high school, and honestly, wanted nothing to do with Infinity On High. That said, this opening track from the aforementioned record absolutely slaps, and I can't wait to give it a playthrough. The wordplay & lyricism are insanely clever, and the heavier breakdowns are what I loved about tracks like "Sugar, We're Goin Down" and "Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued". Maybe Fall Out Boy will be my 2025 scene binge.

"So long live the car crash hearts Cry on the couch, all the poets come to life Fix me in 45"

be on the lookout for parts 2 and 3, coming soon!

[neo-shitty]

before the new year begins — tag game

happy new year, everyone! i've been doing a lot of journaling lately and i came across the written version of this tag from @madamescarlette on the dash and thought i'd give it a try just because i've been practicing more reflection these past few days.

tagging: @petrichor-han, @mosviqu, @straykats, and anyone who'd like to look back on 2024 🤍

share your favorite memory of this year.

off the top of my head, my favorite thing to recall was when i confronted this girl who spearheaded making rumors and talking shit about me and my friend group (mind you, we're college seniors). singlehandedly, one of my most empowering moments. other pleasant memories include campfires and hangouts by the sea across various friend groups, leaping together in joy when we passed our integrated subjects, trying our best not to laugh too loud in the office, and of course, graduating.

2. what was the highlight of your year?

finally getting my degree in accountancy. tough course :') would not recommend :') walked out with two mental illnesses, banger degree ender!

3. list the top five books you read this year.

sit down, this will be a long one. right off the bat, read last january, there is no antimemetics division by sam hughes (qntm), which put me in a crazy mental loop that just made me more immersed into the story than i already was. pet sematary by stephen king, my first step into horror and definitely not my last. there's genuinely nothing i like more than cosmic/domestic horror. this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar and max gladstone, which has everything i truly want in a book—good writing, gays, pining, and time travel. hollow city and library of souls by ransom riggs, which are the 2nd and 3rd books of the miss peregrine's home for peculiar children series. truly, the only books that mattered. the whole thing could've been a banger trilogy bc of them idc idc. i wish i read more than i did this year, but i did my best given how busy i was.

4. list the top five movies you watched this year.

i watched chicago because of the trendy 'we both reached for the gun audio' but i ended up enjoying it far more than i anticipated. a uniquely formatted film musical, banger plot (with social commentary undertones) and banger songs. then i headed into wicked blindly and cried my eyes out with a friend at the cinema. beautiful story between two friends, banger cast and banger songs as well, and just the visuals of the movie were just stunning! all quiet on the western front, a devastating depiction of just how brutal war is. almost a 5/5, if it weren't for the shock factor ending. barbie because it wasn't what i expected a barbie live adaptation to be. it got across what a barbie cartoon movie would normally get across to kids to us adults in the real world. banger monologue, cried my eyes out in my room. cruella, though i watched it too early in the year to recall its impact fully. she was fabulous! i support women's rights and women's wrongs!

5. list the top five tv series you binged this year.

none. sorry, my attention span was just nowhere this year.

6. what is the one new thing you discovered this year (could be a place/hobby/song etc)?

hmm, i discovered that, though it shouldn't come as a surprise, i actually do like journaling and it really does help me in ways i thought it didn't before. i was always so pressured by the aesthetic standards around journaling that it just deterred me from utilizing it for what it was originally meant to be. now i just throw up words onto paper and pray for relief afterwards (which normally happens now!)

7. top three albums that you played this year?

preacher's daughter by ethel cain, the tortured poets department: anthology by taylor swift, and golden age by ethel cain. ethel taking 2 of the 3 spots in justified. i never did shut up about her and i just put her albums on loop in the background for hours while i was playing.

8. your spotify wrapped #1 song

it says good luck babe by chappell roan but i beg to differ. it doesn't say so on other sites like receiptify/volt.fm nor do i feel like i played it enough for it to land first this year. good song tho!

9. your spotify wrapped top artist

i think it was taylor swift? on another site, i have ethel cain which is honestly more accurate.

10. your personal song of the year.

a house in nebraska by ethel cain *sad pole dancing*

11. what is an achievement that you are proud of this year?

again, graduating. it's such a huge milestone in my life that i just can't undermine it. it means so much to me and reaching it lifted a lot of weight off my chest.

12. what are your goals for the next year?

to focus on the other aspects in my life that i neglected in the past few years such as family relationships, mental and physical health, self-improvement outside of academics, etc.

13. any three book releases you are excited for next year.

i'm not really one to look forward to releases but maybe the new hunger games book if its coming out this year. haymitch's story?

14. any three upcoming movies/tv series that you are excited for next year.

again, not one to look forward to movies. i literally had to look these up just to recall but: wicked 2, of course, and the minecraft movie for the hell of it. that's about it.

15. if you could change one thing about the past year what would it be?

i wish i took on more opportunities instead of letting them pass me by.

16. did you manage to stick to your new year's resolutions this year?

my life was too much of a whirlwind for me to even have a new year's resolution at the time. i was anxious and probably depressed and i just kept telling myself, "just one more year and it'll all be over".

17. do you have any new year's resolutions for the next year?

my new year's resolution is to just practice putting myself first and alleviating the pressure i've been unknowingly putting on myself since day one very many years ago.

18. favorite meme of the year?

i think i was too out of orbit to pick out a favorite one. i still keep on recycling all the ones i had since high school lol

19. which month was the most fun this year?

was there such a thing? my whole year was characterized by breakdowns and picking academics over the fun things in life. might've been december. i've been unwinding the whole month.

20. what color do you associate the previous year with?

maroon and/or blood red because that was a brutal year.

21. if you could tell yourself something at the beginning of this year based on what you know right now, what would it be?

apply for it. she'll understand when the time comes and she wouldn't live with the same regrets that i do.

22. favorite viral trend of the year?

i honestly have no idea. maybe the korean cheerleaders???

23. list any three new things you learned this year (could be recipes, a new skill, etc.)

memory keeping in the form of scrapbooking, relearning how to cook based on the recipes my parents have, a lot of workplace-related skills lmfao.

24. how would you describe your year in a word?

rollercoaster, every up just had to come with a down and sometimes it made me wish it just flung me off the track.

25. what color do you want to associate the upcoming year with? why?

a dull grey because this might be the year i become a corporate slave in a physically lively but emotionally dead city. tragic.

[cal-writes]

2024 in Review Part 1

from @ficwip im late with an iced matcha latte but let me get caught up

How many fics have you worked on since January?

around 18 i'd say probably more, i did a rough count of my wips on docs and ellipsus haha

2. What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year?

ive been leaning more into horror and like experimental styles. or formatting which plays with the narrative and stuff. also ive been writing more smut tho that was unintentional.

3. What piece of media inspired you the most? (This can be the fandom you wrote the most for, the one that spawned the most ideas, the one you thought about the most, etc.)

... i think we all know that one piece has me by the throat

4. How many fandoms did you write for this year?

three fandoms?`i think. maybe four. and some original stuff

5. What ships captured your heart?

zoro/law but since i got caught up on arcane jinx/sevika also really got to me so i might write some stuff for that, we'll see.

6. What characters captured your heart?

zoros still my muse, its a little insane. but ive also really gotten to enjoy usopps pov this year and again jinx and sevika. wonderful. i support womens wrongs

7. Did you write for any new fandoms or ships this year?

i did write a little bit of arcane fanfic! nothing big or really anything with a plot, just had an idea for a scene. i also wrote for the sims 2! i think that was this year? idek anymore lol

8. What fic meant the most to you to write?

Dig Site it was a delight to write in robins head and finally finish that one up. i love the world of laws eleven (oceans verse) and robin is such a different POV from law and zoro. and i love her friendship and dynamic with zoro.

also the thus unpublished haunted home au which deals a lot with grief and coming home after being gone for a long time

9. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

the hatchi/zoro smut story ngl. its a blast ;) hoping to finish that up next year we'll see.

10. What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?

Panic Pixie Dream Boy oh my god how do romance writers do it. me doing a rom com??? bruh it was so long too!!! im really happy with it but i am also so so so happy to have it done.

11. What fic was the most difficult to write?

Salt of Midgar has unfortunately become that simply bc im not that hyperfocused on ff7 at the moment. i am still dedicated to finish it and i did work on the next chapter a little this year so hopefully next year i'll get it done. i had a bunch of sequels for that planned lol. rip.

12. What fic was the easiest to write?

was gonna say Best Laid Plans bc as soon as we got the go ahead to write i hacked that down in like an afternoon but i wrote that in 2023 so i dont think that counts neither does kyoto nights i think?? which was also much earlier written. this year has had a lot of long projects which are never "easy" in their entirety

13. What were your shortest and longest fics posted this year?

shortest is Kyoto Nights if we arent counting like tumblr asks which are generally shorter.

i was gonna say Panic Pixie Dream Boy wasn't posted completely in 2024 but apparently i did??? christ. so yeah that one then

14. What were your go-to writing songs?

basically my spotify wrapped lol i make playlists for just about every fic i work on more seriously but here are the highlights, most of them are from the immorcation au playlist which 👀 might be coming your way soon

[novelmonger]

1-5, 8, 11, 14, 18-20, 22, & 23 for End of Year asks, please?

Song of the year?

This is almost impossible to quantify (and no, I'm not going to go by my Spotify Wrapped, because I listen to music on more programs than just that, and ever since I started paying attention to my Wrapped, the top songs are always literally just my Staron playlist). But like...thematically? I'll go with "Next Stop Anywhere" from Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure.

2. Album of the year?

Probably something by Citizen Soldier. Maybe either Scarecrow or ICU.

2. Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year?

Hmm...maybe Mustafa Avşaroğlu? He does instrumental music, which I listen to a lot while working or doing homework. I've added a few of his more "wintry" songs to my Christmas playlist too. Check him out!

3. Movie of the year?

Oooh...I think I'll have to go with The Wild Robot. Inside Out 2 was also really good, but not quite as good as the first one, while Wild Robot didn't have to compete against anything. What a beautiful movie, in every sense of the word.

(Now, my answer may change after I go see War of the Rohirrim this weekend, but we'll see XD)

4. TV show of the year?

My immediate thought was Arcane, but then I looked it up, and I think I watched Buddy Daddies early this year. And if that's the case...yeah, eat your heart out, Arcane. I don't care if I did ugly-cry during that one episode! Buddy Daddies stole my heart in under five minutes and is practically perfect in every way (except that it's too shoooooort! T^T) Also Buddy Daddies has the advantage of no sex scenes and much less innuendo. And the most adorable little girl you'll ever meet.

8. Game of the year?

Gasp! Spoilers for the Fortnight of Games! XD

I think I'll go with Amnesia: Rebirth. It was far and away the best horror game I played this year, and I just really, really like the way Frictional Games tell stories. There were lots of tense moments where I reacted to things in the game just as I would have in real life, and that's one of the most powerful experiences you can have while playing a game, I think.

11. Something you want to do again next year?

I can't wait for the 4th of July next year! I didn't know this, so wasn't prepared for it, but it turns out the town we moved to this year goes all out when it comes to fireworks. We don't even have to go anywhere to watch the show; we can literally just sit on our balcony for hours and watch them going off in all directions. Maybe next year I'll make snacks or something and have a little party for whoever wants to stay up late.

14. Favorite book you read this year?

Again! Spoilers for the Fortnight of Books!

I might change my mind once I take more time to think about it, but for now I think I'm going to say One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. It's all about gratitude, and I can confidently say that this book has changed my life for the better. Practicing the discipline of thankfulness in all things really helped renew my perspective and breathe joy back into areas of my life where there was only grumbling before. I mean...not that I'm perfect now or anything like that. I'm still a work in progress ^^'

18. A memorable meal this year?

Ooooh, that'll have to be my church's fall party, where (besides other delectable treats) there was a chili cook-off. One of the ones that didn't win (somehow! I'm flabbergasted!) was called something like "armadillo chili," and it was hands-down the most delicious chili I think I've ever tasted. It had a kick to it, but wasn't super spicy, and it was also creamy. I've been trying to doctor the chili recipe I usually use to achieve something even half as good as that. Haven't managed it yet. (And yes, I've tried looking up recipes for "armadillo chili," but all the ones I can find use actual armadillo meat, which...you can't get here. So I know that's not the secret.)

19. What’re you excited about for next year?

Foremost on my mind is @rainintheevening and @sergeanttomycaptain coming to visit me! ^_^ I don't know what all we'll do, but it's going to be super fun.

20. What’s something you learned this year?

For something serious, might I direct you back up to question 14.

For more random skills, I learned how to wire ethernet plugs! We moved to a new house this year, and while they built it so there's an ethernet outlet in every room, in the basement there was just a bundle of cables hanging from the ceiling, with no way of plugging the other ends into a modem. My dad tried to figure it out, but the task eventually fell to me, since I have younger eyes ^^' It was very fiddly work, we didn't have exactly the right equipment so I ended up having to saw away at copper wires with a box cutter like an idiot, but I got it done eventually!

22. Favorite place you visited this year?

Hmm...I haven't really done any traveling at all this year. But if this counts: Before we bought our current house, there was a time we were considering renting an apartment for a short time. So we looked at a lot of "virtual tours," which were usually a slideshow of the various attractive amenities at the places we were looking at. The best memory from that stressful period was one that happened to show a picture of the pool with the caption "off-street parking." This led to our favorite new inside joke, where every time we see a swimming pool, one of us goes, "Hey, that's some really nice off-street parking!" XD

23. If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?

"Heads up, you're going to have to move much earlier than you thought you would. But guess what? God has a great place already lined up for you. It's being finished as we speak. Don't worry about looking for apartments. It's not going to be perfect, but it will be right. So try not to stress about it too much."

End of the Year Ask Game

[fandomfluffandfuck]

HELLO you promised me Spotify Wrapped answers 1-26.

Break out that Read More let's go let's go let's goooooooo

🎵🥳🤘🤘

related to this

(also, important content to my non-existing sanity)

I did, I did! And this is actually fucking me right about now except even more pleased and really gnawing at the bars of my enclosure

So, let's fucking go:

1. Catchiest song

Okay, categorically, it has to fucking be, "Y'All Want a Single" by Korn because literally the fucking reason that song was written was because the lable wanted a popular/hit song--a single, duh--but it stuck around because when it was released everyone fucking loved it. As they fucking should. So. Catchiest.

Also, try listening to that song without singing along. It's impossible. Even the music video version where its "suck that" instead of "fuck that" lmao. It, just, gets me.

2. A song you didn't expect to see in your top 10

"Kool-Aid" by Bring Me The Horizon I didn't expect to see, nor did I expect Being Me to be one of my top artists this year. I didn't realize I had them on so much! Though, "Post Human: Nex Gen" fucks so... I guess that tracks. Of all the songs off the album, though, "Kool-Aid" I wouldn't even say was my favorite! "Top 10 Statues That Cried Blood" has been stuck in my head forever. I know that it's laughably emo, but the opening, "I guess that some of us / Are just born with tragedy in our blood" opens my fucking chest like my ribs have been cracked. Now, don't even get me started on "sTraNgeRs," I weep.

3. Sexiest song

Jesus Christ. This one is impossibly hard (ha). You don't understand. So fucking many of the songs in my top 100 are songs about sex, or, y'know, songs that aren't really about sex explicitly but are about sex to me--a nasty dirty pervert, lmao.

I mean, "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails was my second most played song this year 💀💀 but... also, all on my list are: "EAT SPIT" by Slush Puppy and Royal & The Serpent, "Church" by Fall Out Boy, "THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND" by Bad Omens, "Bitches Brew" by Crosses, "Strap On" by Mood Killer and Pussy Riot, "Freak On A Leash" by Korn, "Wasp" by Motionless In White, "Seduce & Destroy" by Otep, "e-girl" by WASTEDJU, etc., etc., etc.

Literally, I can not express accurately how many of my top songs are about sex. It's kind of embarrassing (but also, not really, what did we expect from me, a whore?)

4. Artist/band you didn't think would be in your top artists (if any)

I said it earlier, but I didn't expect Bring Me The Horizon to be in my top artists. The rest, fuck yeah, Fall Out Boy is literally ALWAYS my top artist, every single year since I joined the platform, so that was no shocker. Sleep Token, yeah, expected, same with Bad Omens, and even Korn. I wouldn't've picked Korn out in the top 5, but at least the top 10. I would've put Nine Inch Nails above Korn, probably, but I wasn't surprised, overall, to see Korn up there.

5. Oldest song (by release date)

Uhhh... probably "Head Like A Hole" by Nine Inch Nails? It's from 1989, I might be missing depending on a different NIN song, but I'm pretty sure that's it. I would've expected earlier, just thinking to myself, but 🤷🏻‍♂️

6. Newest song (by release date)

"Kool-Aid" by Bring Me The Horizon from May 2024... which is kind of cheating because that's the album release date, but I know the single came out earlier, lol. Also, if that doesn't count, then "Finger" by Scene Queen from March 2024.

7. Most streamed month of your top artist (explain if you think/know why)

Spotify didn't actually tell me what month I streamed Fall Out Boy the most. But! They did fucking call me an overachiever for listening to them for a 14 day streak and 23,161 minutes total, meaning I'm in the 0.005% of top listeners. Lmao. Love that. Every month must've been the most 💀💀

Thanks for the call out, lol. I love it.

(I think this is the main time I talked about my massive, big, embarrassing love for Fall Out Boy, so that's relevant. Also, you'll be happy to know I've now seen them live and it was the most fucking surreal experience and I blew my mind)

8. Longest song

I think it has to be "Staria I: Amadeus Rise!" By Set To Sun which is 8:33. Then, probably, "The Summoning" by Sleep Token, which is 6:36, followed by "(De)scendance" by Bound In Fear ft. Jamie Graham at 5:50.

I think a lot more of my songs are longer songs than shorter songs because, listen, I just like long, drawn out, teasing songs 😏

9. Favourite lyrics of your #1 song

My top streamed song was "Pavlove - Demo" by Fall Out Boy and my favorite part of it has to be, "I'm the invisible man who can't stop staring / At the mirror, at the mirror want to make you as lonely as me, so you can get / Get addicted to this, you can get, get addicted to this, now" hits me right in the gut, that one. When Pavlove was officially released I literally fucking YELLED, "SHE'S BACK!" Lmao

I am normal.

10. A song that was also in last year's wrapped

A lot of them, a shit ton of Fall Out Boy songs were repeats, or, generally, just more Fall Out Boy, my favorites fluctuate year to year. Further, unsurprisingly, a lot of Bad Omens, Sleep Token, Nine Inch Nails, SlipKnot, Korn, etc.

Specific songs, "EAT SPIT" by Slush Puppy and Royal & The Serpent, "EVERGREEN" by Arankai, and "Staria I: Amadeus Rise!" By Set To Sun were repeats, though.

11. Most famous/popular song (in your opinion)

Oh, fuck! I have no fucking clue. I don't pay much attention to charts or anything and a lot of the artists I follow closely are the type with more underground/cult classic vibes so... maybe a Fall Out Boy song for legacy sake? I have "Dance, Dance" up there, so I could see that.

Or, wait, actually, it's gotta be "The Summoning" by Sleep Token or "THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND" by Bad Omens because TikTok metal/baddiecore thirst traps blew 👏🏻 those 👏🏻 fucking 👏🏻 songs 👏🏻 up 👏🏻

12. A song you feel should be higher up

Oof, all of them? All of them.

'Cause even with 6 digits of listening time, somehow that's less time than I expect, lmao. Not a song but an artist I'm shocked not to see more of is Scene Queen. She makes the best *chef's kiss* political, feminist, rage music that I love. Also, now that I'm on this train, I'm shocked there isn't any Halsey, too! I was gifted "Badlands" on CD without knowing of her in 2015 and have been following since, especially with "The Great Impersonator" dropping, it's fucking wild they don't have a song on my wrapped!

(Fun side note, I bought myself their new album on vinyl and then I was gifted it on CD so I have both versions and I absolutely listen to both physical versions as well as streaming it, lmao. I keep the CD in my car, the vinyl in my room, and the streaming on my phone or laptop everywhere.)

13. The song with the most peculiar sound (to you)

I am the wrong fucking person to ask about this because, well, I listen to fucking everything. I definitely lean hard to heavier sounds so, my sense of what's a peculiar sound has been shot to shit by that, lmao, because to me there's nothing better than someone screaming, feral, but also, I love pop and I listen to rap and indie and jazz and... yeah.

Having to put my finger on it, maybe, "God Complex" by VIOLENT VIRA? She's got fucking PIPES and by that I mean her screams are like nails on a chalk board in the entire best fucking way possible (similar vibes to the song, "Ptolemaea" by Ethel Cain and "Crash" by DeathbyRomy which aren't on my wrapped but also gives me sudden, guttural scream chills 🥴)

Or, "Strap On" by Mood Killer and Pussy Riot? That's pretty electronic and weird [affectionate]. Oh, "Die Young" by Chappelle Roan, too, lol, when she was in her cursive accent phase that I love. Plus, I can't not mention, "An Act Of The Unspeakable" by Autopsy because it screams "YOU FUCKING WHORE, FUCK YOU" in the middle of the song in a way that comes out of nowhere and makes me laugh every time. It's just unexpected.

14. A song you think is underrated

"an object of desire" by SPIDER, absolutely because I think half the streams on Spotify and views on YouTube are from me and my friends that I've recommended the song to 💀

"It's Not a Side Effect of the Cocaine, I Am Thinking It Must be Love" by Fall Out Boy, too!! Can't forget that beauty (or, not on my wrapped but underated bangers is every track on the PAX AM Days EP)

15. Most danceable track

Probably, "Dear Future Self (Hands Up)" by Fall Out Boy and Wyclef Jean because that's literally the only song I could see being played in a club on my wrapped. I'm not sure I could see any of the others being treated the same way 💀💀

16. A song everyone should know

FUCK, everyone needs "synthesizer" by DE'WAYNE because, a) everyone needs a little gender fuckery, power dynamics in their lives, b) I love his entire discography and I wish more people knew it, and c) just TRY not to feel better than you did five minutes ago with that playing in the background.

(Also, if I may, yet again, add more onto this, "Dethrone" by Bad Omens because sometimes you need the release of screaming until your lungs give out (ha) at god himself, okay? It's important.)

17. Saddest song

"Dammit (After Dark)" by Dead On A Sunday, maybe? The classic, "What A Catch, Donnie," too.

I do have a lot of sad songs but also a lot of, like, sad angry songs? Like that point of depression where you're so numb that you loop back to being filled with rage, so I think for straight up, sad and chill, with nothing to distract you from the demotivated cold, probably those two.

I also have "DYWTYLM" by Sleep Token, which, if interpreted as talking to yourself in a mirror is fucking HEART BREAKING.

Angry sad, though, notably, "HOUSE ON SAND" by NOTHING MORE ft. Eric V, "CODE MISTAKE" by CORPSE and Bring Me The Horizon, "The Worst In Me" by Bad Omens , and "MAKE IT HURT" by Sworn In, that's a transformative song because it can be either terribly depressing or about sex so. Y'know. That's cool. Same micro-genre as "Custer" by Slipknot 😘

18. A song that describes your year so far

Maybe not my entire year, but recently, with how rage-filled I've been from the election and how it's consumed my life and my best queer, kinky, diverse friends? "Dethrone" by Bad Omens. I've been doing a lot of screaming along to that song lately.

19. Is the most streamed song by your favourite artist your favourite of them?

Oh lord, I'm gonna use Fall Out Boy as my favorite artist to make this simple because Jesus Christ, I have too many favorite artists. FOB just means the most to me, mind, body, and soul. They've imprinted on me, having been a pillar of support and celebration and everything else in my life for years and years. But, as far as my favorite song from them? I couldn't even fucking tell you. So. Sure. Pavlove is up there but so is every other song from them, lmao. They just mean too much to me to not love it all.

20. Happiest song

Is this maybe the toughest question yet? Yeah. Now, what does that say about me? I'm not sure I wanna know. 💀

Uhhhhh, I guess, "Blessed Be" by Spirit Box, even though that isn't exactly a happy song? "Alone Together" by Fall Out Boy? Maybe, I don't know, 'cause that's not exactly happy either, shit 🤷🏻‍♂️

21. The song you think will be in next years top songs again

Simple, literally, anything Fall Out Boy 💀💀

23. Shortest song

It's probably "Molly" by Mindless Self Indulgence at 1:45, but because I haven't gotten to mention it yet, and I love the song, also "THERAPY!" by Lauren Sanderson, that's 2:25.

24. A song that could be the soundtrack of a movie

Okay, not a movie, but everyone knows "Kingslayer" by Bring Me The Horizon ft. BABYMETAL is already an anime opening. Like. Fuck yes. It's clear as day.

25. Favourite lyrics of your #100 song

How about the entire fucking song? "Antimatter" by Silent Planet has too good of lyrics to surrender to just PART of it. The whole fucking thing!

26. Favourite bassline

This is so hard, too! Jesus. I'm learning rapidly that I think the most about the vocals and if they're loud and outrageous or not, lmao. Vocals and drums. Also, I think about Pete Wentz immediately, so Fall Out Boy has an unfair advantage here, lol, and I can't actually answer the question fairly. He's just in my head being a dumb little emo with his bass. Specifically, though, the clip of him lifting his bass up in the "America's Suitehearts" music video is in my head, and that song is in my top 100, so that one.

Thank you for this good goddamn excuse 💀

[havocmadden]

"if i'm having fun it's good and if i'm not having fun it's bad" you're so so so real for this!! anyway sorry i disappeared for like a week so i'm going to ask more questions to make up for it: 1) i know i'm late to the spotify wrapped party but who were your favorite artists this year? are there any songs in particular that stood out to you? this can be either for disney artists or not it's up to you 2) how are you feeling about rise of red coming out next year? i know the plot looks too crazy even for descendants standards, and it helps that it's a brand new creative team, but is there anything specific you're hoping to see from the expanded world? 3) i need to hear your thoughts on zombies 4 because i know there's no way addison will have yet another identity crisis - gcwca secret santa

hi !!!! i hope u had a good week when you disappeared and not like, a terrible one!

to answer your questions, my fave artists were mostly non disney channel :( i think the only disney channel who made it into my top 100 was some sabrina songs :( but! my top five were:

noah kahan (so real)

fall out boy (they counted november this year which i know bc they would NOT have been in my top 5 otherwise. they were my nano soundtrack. tho tbh i think this nano project made me an actual for real fall out boy fan)

taylor swift

dessa

xana

if we could add some i feel like chappell roan should've been in my top five but alas :( also i saw two out of my top five in concert this year :) if we count tickets i bought for next year's concerts i am seeing 4/5 of my top five!! (i also saw chappell roan and she was SOOOOOO good in person). this year turned me into a genuine Concert Girlie (gender neutral) so that's been fun. or it would be, if i didn't have to drive 2 1/2 hours at best to get to one bc i live in the middle of fucking nowhere and no one comes here :(

as for the rise of red: honestly, i'm pretty excited! i'm not allowing myself to feel Bad about it until we get more information. plus, it's giving me the thing i always wanted out of the descendants franchise (qoh kid) so honestly this like, really works for me. like maybe when i watch it later it will be bad? and i'll be upset and disappointed? but. in the meantime, i'm having a great time! still living on the qoh kid high! like, the plot seems wild but personally i'm like. "descendants as a franchise never made sense and i'm getting what i personally wanted out of this franchise from it so i'm having a good time until proven otherwise"

i think a lot of people have strong feelings about it bc of cam, which is totally valid and is their right, but my personal feelings are since the core four aren't coming back, i'm okay with it. disney was never going to let their biggest franchise since hsm lie, yknow? i think this is the best it could've been in that sense of it? idk.

as for zombies 4. truly i have NO idea. honestly the most fun i have ever had with the zombies franchise was watching all three of them with two of my friends whilst we were all stoned, and personally i hope rupaul comes back because i thought it was funny. i'm so sorry if you're a zombies stan but they are not high art to me. they are fun little movies to watch while i get high and then i do not think about them until i want to show someone a silly little dcom franchise and jumpscare them with the presence of rupaul. personally i hope zombies 4 introduces addison's cousin from the human side of the family named allison who is now the one who gets to have identity criseses who is also played by meg donnelly. i hope coach has a new job. i hope his legal name is coach. i hope ej caswell finally gets to leave this discord. i hope they make a reference to the winchesters.

[thats-the-teen-spirit]

Top 10 songs of 2023, reviewed by yours truly

As per tradition when Spotify Wrapped comes out I write short reviews of the best songs of the year so here we go:

10. One More Time by blink-182

The biggest reveal from the world of pop punk last year was that blink-182 is back... again. First I was a little sceptical especially after hearing Edging but this song, and its video made me listen. The lyrics are about the long lost friendship between Travis, Mark and Tom, and to be completely honest I shed a couple teardrops the first few times I gave it a listen. Amazing song from an amazing record.

9. Homicide by Magnolia Park

I'm completely new to this band, I found this song randomly in an Instagram reel that caught my attention. It's super catchy, almost Linkin Park-ish vibes that is a little "Octanecore" little pop punk, but nevertheless an absolute banger.

8. Jaded by Spiritbox

Spiritbox is the new shit in the scene, everyone and their mom knows about it. But just a little less than a month ago they put out an EP consisting of 6 melodic and heavy bangers called The Fear of Fear. This song stands out from the EP because of the insanely catchy chorus, the breakdown with the clean guitar melody and just the overall feeling of the song. Courtney has always been open about her influences (even and especially the pop ones) and this song is a great example to it.

7. Lost by Linkin Park

On the 20th anniversary of Meteora, Linkin Park released a bunch of unreleased material from the recording session of the legendary album and this was the first single off of it. What more can I say about it? If you haven't heard it despite liking Linkin Park then shame of you.

6. Without A Whisper by Invent, Animate

Another surprise as I've never been a big fan of the band. Not being so into the Deftones-y spacey vibes before, this band always has been a hit or miss. Until Heavener. It's blended so seemlessly that first I didn't even notice that there's now screaming instead of singing with a bunch of reverb. I still almost never skip this song despite Heavener being released earlier this year.

5. Fake Out by Fall Out Boy

This one is probably the only song on the list that is not a single, not even the top 3 from their album So Much (for) Stardust. The boys are officially back and this song proves it, The falsetto hook in the chorus got stuck in my head after the first few listens. I'm really really glad they are back to playing instrumental music because that's what they do best.

4. Might Love Myself by Beartooth

For me this year was about healing. Healing from a past breakup, losing my previous job, and just in general the depressing reality of adulthood. After hearing the first singles from the latest Beartooth album it was obvious that Caleb, the singer for the band had been through a similar journey prior to writing this record. This song stands out for me because of the overwhelmingly positive self-loving lyrics that are a must-listen when you have been through a lot of shit. I also like the little "whoo" before the second chorus, it really makes it sound like Caleb had a lot of fun recording it.

3. Haunted by Spanish Love Songs

The most underrated band on the list by a landmile. Also probably the most depressing band I've ever listened to, which says something. The whole new record No Joy has some really interesting musical changes from the previous ones, there's less screaming, less distorted guitars, it has more of a The Killers vibe than something off tumblr's 2015 pop punk hardcore best of (looking at you The Story So Far). Haunted is a bittersweet tune about being nostalgically sad about the old days, and for an old fart that is closer to 30 than to 20 it's a comforting thing that I'm not alone with this feeling.

2. LosT by Bring Me The Horizon

What do you get when you mix 'I'm not Okay' and current era Bring Me The Horizon? That's right, this fucking banger. I think throughout the year this song was the only one that I've never skipped. The pop punk-emo feeling is in every note, the breakdown is easily my most favorite of the year, the callout for it is even. "I think i'm gonna break down". Fucking genius by the most dynamic songwriting duo of the music scene, Oli and Jordan. The powerpop elements are also fun to listen to, it just blends really well. 10/10 banger, looking forward to the EP.

Ascensionism/Take Me Back To Eden by Sleep Token

The biggest band of the year was 100% Sleep Token. My Spotify was POSSESSED by their music this year, so obviously it was a tough choice to pick a song from their latest album so I cheated a little with the longest, most progressive songs of the record. Their music feels like a religious experience for me and the best example to this is Ascensionism, the "YOU MAKE ME WISH I COULD DISAPPEAR" line hits, the rap part fits perfectly, the guitars are heavy as balls, the piano intro is the perfect introduction, it's a 12/10 song, it's that good

And honestly I have the same feelings about Take Me Back to Eden. The titular song and its callbacks to Chokehold made me feel like I'm in a chokehold myself. The epitome of great songwriting was when from the nature sounds through rapping we got to the heaviest, low tuned breakdown of the last couple years

So there you have it, my personal top 10+1 list. If you read my review this far, thank you.

[nickmpreg]

ok about your concert post: go to concerts where you know maybe 4 songs by that artist. genuinely. in the past two years ive been to 7 concerts where i recognized less than 5 songs and knew the lyrics to less than 2. and it was still so magical. at the arctic monkeys concert i saw over the summer, there was a person next to me who saw me biting my hands when alex turner walked out (general excitement stim) and smiled so so wide and told me "i cant believe it either!" and they cried through most of the concert and hugged me when i was crying too because even though i had never heard Body Paint before it was the best song ive ever seen live to this day.

plus, every artist ive seen where i knew nothing going in ended up in my top 50 artists on my spotify wrapped by the end of the year so.

(cheap tickets for a band youve never heard of > you know every song and it is $300)

(also go see arctic monkeys live they are FANTASTIC in concert.)

FURIOUSLY SCRIBBLES NOTES … yeah my friend went to see artic monkeys last year and he still has his merch that he wears everyday . alas my post was about i don’t know how but they found me playing in a small place in philly and i only know one of their songs :pensive: . i also don’t know any of my friends who listen to them

[antelopunny]

no one tagged me i simply enjoy talking about myself in the absence of actually writing

5 Songs

(opens spotify wrapped)

Slow Bloom - The Home Team

Dancing Demons - Space Weather

Gunners in the Rain - Mili

萬千花蕊慈母悲哀 - 珂拉琪

The Mad Stone - Everything Everything

Questions

1. Three ships you like:

about to self-report on my taste so hard rn

Idira Tlass / Jae Heydari (Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader) - OKAY LOOK. I know people are here because I write that Yrliet fic but listen up. At first I thought of them as perfect besties, which is ALSO a great flavour, but then I began rotating Idira in my mind on full blast like a 900W microwave and I went CRAZY. Like, just, okay, let me try to summarize my thoughts... so Idira, she's brash, she's loud-mouthed, she's talented as FUCK and despite being an unsanctioned psyker has beaten all the millions of odds stacked against her, but pretty soon after meeting her, you can brush past her tough facade and realise she's just aching for someone she can Be Real with. You go deeper and you realise she was raised to be a weapon for warlords to use but then one day a knight in shining armour named Theodora von Valancius busted her out, swept her off her feet and spirited her away into the stars. She wants that back, in the end: someone she can lean on, hug her when shit is rough, stay with her until the inevitability of her gruelling end at the hands of the warp. AND THEN ENTER JAE HEYDARI, a supposed 'princess' of a faraway kingdom who seemingly wants a handsome (and very rich) prince to save her, but pretty quickly you can see past the act and know that Jae is a total freebird who knows that the only person she can count on is herself. But even so, she's fiercely loyal and would happily march into a cold death if that meant saving those she cared for (as many unfortunately found out because of Jae's Act 4 quest bugging). So it's Idira, the 'witch-diviner of fates' with seemingly unbreakable will, a valiant 'dark knight'-type figure holding back horrors unseen all while quietly yearning to be saved, + Jae, the 'runaway princess of Efreet' with unyielding charm and luxurious airs, a beautiful 'blooming rose waiting to be plucked'-type of girl that under the surface is chasing after her destiny all on her own two feet, because who the hell needs a Prince Charming when your name is Jae fucking Heydari? LISTEN. LISTEN OKAY THE ROLE REVERSAL. THE UNEXPECTED INTERTWINING OF THEIR FATES IN OPPOSITE SIDES OF A DANCE. GUYS DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYI

Trahearne / Pact Commander (Guild Wars 2) - Most people haven't played GW2 at all. But a lot of people have played FFXIV. So imagine a Haurchefant-type figure that, if you choose to start as a Sylvari, has been with you having your back the whole tile, sets up the whole We Gonna Save The World organization and trusts in you to be one of his top commanders, takes the lead but in truth is always looking upon you to be his sunlight and shining spear, you are the only one that sees through the brave face he has put up this whole time for the sake of fighting the good fight, you are the one he trusts with who he is, and then the first expansion of the game comes out and he FUCKIGNGEWOI HOGESWHIIO EGIJJiaewhioewh JHAHAhsahifEGHIWHW EIEWGi NOOoOoOO anyway you should play critically acclaimed MMO Guild Wars 2 it's got a free trial all the way up to the first expansion Heart of Thorns, is a 'buy once play forever' type of MMO so you don't have to pay a sub, and is constantly updating with new story PLEASE PLAY IT WITH ME PLEASE

Zheng Chenggong / Zhou Yu (Fate/Samurai Remnant) - Yes, that Ming loyalist guy who exorcised the Dutch from Taiwan + that Romance of the Three Kingdoms twink who dabbed on Cao Cao. I have no excuse for this one. They got that twin souls separated over 1300 years shit with a heavy heaping of 'time is a flat circle and nothing we ever do will matter in the end' on top of it. Zheng Chenggong is also, uh... it gets worse the more I talk about it so I'll just stop here. If you know you know.

2. First ship ever: ...probably N Harmonia / the Pokemon B/W player character. What was it? FerrisWheelShipping??????? I was like 12 years old okay you gotta leave me alone

3. Last song you heard: Persephone in the Garden - Aidoneus. I've had it on loop while writing. It, uh... it's a mood.

4. Favorite Childhood Book: My dad made me read The Little Prince when I was a kid and I regarded it with the blind childlike wonder an idiot 7 year old would, without understanding all the underlying whispers of tragedy. I reread it along with footnotes detailing the author's shit life and the backdrop of the Vichy Regime and I was like. What the fuck father why did you give this to me

5. Currently Reading: The Sea of Fertility tetralogy. Again. Yukio Mishima's ghost constantly possesses me and forces me to reread his 800 page long suicide note

6. Currently Watching: DUNGEON MESHI! OooOooH DUNGEON MESHI (narrator voice)

7. Currently Craving: Sleep. Good fucking night

simply do this if you wish, tag games are simply a tumblr dot com psy-op to make you anxious about bothering people

[caluski]

Few days ago @ikonofilizm tagged me to do the "put music player on shuffle and list 10 first songs" thing Thank You my dear I loooooove doing this shit 😁😁😁 let's get to it

1. Lucky to get him by Aly and AJ - revisited this album recently, it's really nice and chill, I like the direction they're going in now as adults. I was never really into Americana, but maybe theyve kinda changed that with this release.

2. Another life by Jadu Heart - god, this was the first song I've ever heard of them, such a throwback!!! I remember walking thru the city at night time, walking back from a party I think? Alcohol leaving my body and I just stared at the starry sky. An unbelievably beautiful track. Since then the duo became one of my favorite bands atm.... Please give them a chance, especially their last EP.

3. Liquid air by Temples - one of my favorite tracks from their new album. Talked about them more than a healthy amount of times recently; really good neopsychedelia if you're into that stuff, a 10/10 album for hot summer days.

4. DYNA by PEEL - some more neopsychedelia! It's been a while since I listened to it, but I used to have it on repeat so much.

5. HAUNTED by Isabel LaRosa - ugh, i remember when it came out and I discovered it in like one of those spotify playlists. It had like a thousand plays maybe!!! And I loved it so much, I added it to my midground playlist and had it really high up on my wrapped for that year, and then I checked back a few months ago and it became like a tiktok sound or something with like a billion plays :((((( I guess good for her but mannn my pretentious soul was hurting LOL

6. Assumptions by Sam Gellaitry - some house...ish dance track, i guess. It's fun and I like that vibe of sort of city pop it has going on, but the fucking high pitched sound at the start is the WORST. So fucking annoying. Every time it comes on, even though I actually like the song, the noise just pisses me off and I cant help but skip it!!!! Who thought it was a good idea to START with what sounds like fucking tinnitus.

7. Upside down by Sacha Rudy - ohhhh throwback... I used to love every single track this guy would put out since like 2019. And then he released that EP last year and other than "upside down" I really just couldn't get into it. Felt like a mess. And now he's disappeared since! Can't help but hope he'll come back with something as good as "be a man", because that was my most listened to track that year. So good.

8. Lamb's wool by Foster the People - HEY that's my song!!!!! Oh no wonder it's coming up on shuffle when I've listened to it so much again this past few weeks. This time it's the original and not the Poolside version. One of my all time favorites, like, ever, and if you can only listen to one of the songs I've listed, please make it this one. Who DOESN'T love tracks about how terrifying death is??? I'll hold you so you're not alone 🤓

9. Blessed by August Charles - people who listened to my dinner party/cafe playlist probably heard this one. Ugh it makes me so melancholic. Really good tho. No wonder it's his most listened to track.... I should probably check out his other works bc I really like his voice.

10. Theme of Re:Served by Re:Served - instrumental track with So Few listens that it doesn't even have the count visible on spotify! I remember being obsessed with them back in 2016, when the way I would discover new music was by downloading random japanese experimental albums from my favorite site. This is honestly just like runway music. I love runway music with good bpm. This one is good. You should listen to it and become their third monthly listener with me.

Thank youuuuuuuuu for tagging me!!!!!! Sorry its so long tho!!!! I love talking about songs I love!!!!! Tagging back: @moldavite , @slavicafire (i know u never do these but hope dies last!), @ferdydurke , @jurajurica , @kotikonnut , @skrzynka , @nocylipcowa , and everyone else who listened to at least one of the songs 😁😁😁 let's have a lovely Sunday afternoon everyone mwah

[yell0wsalt]

YEAR END ASKS

🎉3,5,8

🍾1,2

🎆6,7

🎉 Best of Year In...

3. One movie

Little Mermaid Live Action. I go into it in a later question, but my goodness, what a movie.

5. One TV show.

I don’t think I’ve watched many TV shows this year. Probably Fall of the House of Usher. The psychological horror shook me to my core. 

8. One song.

Oh man there were so many that were absolute brain rot. I’m going to have to go with "Jericho" by Iniko.

Their lyrics and breath control treating their voice as an instrument and staying true to themselves is powerful.

Plus lyrics like these:

I don't swim or sink, I just float I don't need gravity, I just need growth When I move, it's an earthquake rumble I will never, ever fall, never stumble And I don't need to be humble Break down walls like Jericho, crumble

Talent.

🍾 1. What's something you just watched/read/played/listened to for the first time this year that you loved?

The Little Mermaid live action. My gosh, the music, visuals, acting, 12/10 no notes. I recall watching the ending and coming out of the theater with tears in my eyes.

Halle owned that role and the rest of the cast and chemistry was top notch.

Chills. Big fan of the movie. I want to watch it again now.

🍾 2. What's something you RE-watched/read/played/listened to this year that you loved?

Someone might come for me for being so late on this, but Beyonce's Renaissance album.

I know, I know, the album came out in July 2022. I’m late to just about everything. Story of my life. It’s fine, we’re fine.

With this album I got into learning more about the music being more than: Oh, this sounds nice! 

There are deeper meanings behind the lyrics than what one would initially think. Cultural and personal references that are integrated beautifully.

It reawakened my love for her music and appreciate her ever evolving sound and work ethic to still be the icon she is for all these years in the industry.

Re-listened to the album so much, 4 of her songs were in my Top 5 Spotify Wrapped. 

🎆 6. What project most surprised you this year?

Can we call fandom things a project? Yes, I think we can! 

Specifically that I even moved from just reading to attempting to write, too. In general, this has surprised me with how supportive the environment can be, provided you find the kind people in the fandom space and have your own little bubble with them.

It’s so inspiring seeing how creative, weird and (affectionately) stupid silly people can let themselves be. 

When you allow yourself to break from the day to day normalcy and push your own boundaries of weird, it makes the experience that much more fun.

🎆 7. What project did you work the hardest on this year?

Hmmm I’m going to pick a fic and say this one. Mainly because it’s taken me the longest time of 3 months for a fic that’s turning out to be less than 10k words. Absurd.

To be fair, the latter half of the year has been a hell of a time, busy with life and *checks notes* 10 (?!) other fics along the while, but still!

Thanks for all the rad questions!

YEAR END asks