#lil scared to share my opinion on the internet

[witchinatree]

unpopular opinion maybe but sam has been pissing me off lately

i think it started with him laughing in gwen's face about the bonzo thing and (as far as we know) not apologizing???

it's like he only thinks supernatural things can happen to HIM. sam wtf why are you gatekeeping the horrors??

he also only ever listens to celia, alice indulged his magnus thing as long as she could but realized shit was getting dangerous and wanted to protect him

alice is also flawed (jealousy is a bad color on you babe but i forgive you) but like everyone is?? and sam is just dismissing her every word because of it??

he doesn't have to follow her advice but could he at least let her speak??? i hate how dismissive he is, even celia listens to alice more than him

and in episode 24, his "well what can i do about that" mentality was sooooo irritating

he said it twice, when alice said gwen wasn't okay, and when alice said the tape recorder thing was hunting them

1. gwen not being okay could be something you at least pretend to give a shit about, like seriously. everyone tolerates your childhood rejection trauma and you don't bother batting an eye as gwen crumbles? jesus man

and 2. why is it only something 'crazy' when it's not you saying it sam? he expects everyone to believe the evil about the magnus institute (with honestly no evidence? i think we gloss over how little ties the institute actually has rn because we listened to tma) and dismisses alice's concerns that they're all going to die

i don't hate sam by any means (disregard previous discord statements ❤️ i was a lil upset) but he has been seriously upsetting me

also if there's anything i forgot um my bad i'm just oh so sleepy

[tigerdrop]

Cringe is dead, talk to me about the funny half-life men and their relationship

okay here is my essay. it is titled These Guys Actually Like Each Other, and Gordon Freeman Is Just Kind Of A Dick*

(disclaimer: these are just my 2 cents. dont take me too seriously! im just some guy online who has watched this shit too many times.)

first things first. these guys actually like each other. this is a key aspect of their relationship. benrey, obviously and textually, digs gordon freeman - you dont flirt that heavily with guys you arent into, and so much of what he says and does is geared around making gordon crack up. thats pretty gay.

but the counterpart to this is that gordon freemans pretty fucking gay for benrey, too. you may say, “oh, but word of god says its not requited!” and to you i will say: bull shit. gordon is uniquely obsessed with benrey compared to all the other characters. if gordon didnt like the fucking guy, he wouldnt giggle with him and share in-jokes with him and bring him up every 5 seconds when benreys not around. thats concern, bro. thats worry. thats real shit

but i cant blame people for thinking that gordon freeman genuinely doesnt like benrey. benreys partially responsible for some of the worst things that have happened to him, the Arm Thing among them. and gordons very insistent afterward that he doesnt like benrey. he even goes so far as to try to kill benrey a couple times. to this, i must argue that gordon freeman is just kind of a dick.

lets talk facts here. canon. Lore. from the moment we hop into gordons shoes, we can see that he is a jerk to every npc on his way into black mesa. this is his default: a dude who just runs his mouth and says rude shit. he calls tommy a freak within 5 minutes of meeting him. he infantilizes the guy and barely considers him a real scientist. he doubts that bubby is a real name for like no fuckin reason. in “real life”, this is because its funny, and wayne is trying to make a funny half-life stream. in a textual sense, this is because gordon “hlvrai” freeman is a dick. this is the way he acts, consistently, throughout the series.

(brief aside: this is why the whole “gordon is a nice guy and a great dad” characterization baffles me. the way he actually acts in canon is, in short, bitchy and lacking in self-awareness. and i love that for him, i really do. it makes the moments where he just tries to be a nice guy stand out. but thats the thing: his intermittent moments of decency and kindness are not the whole of his personality! this dude kind of sucks most of the time!)

the way that gordons general asshole attitude extends to benrey is complicated. in fairness, benrey makes it his job to annoy the shit out of gordon as much as possible, and that warrants a negative attitude, but gordons pretty paranoid and ends up blaming benrey for nearly everything that happens to him, regardless of if its warranted. this is a pattern he exhibits both before and after the Arm Thing. its a little bit of a dick move! especially considering that, prior to the whole “betrayal” subplot (which was not exactly planned very far in advance), benrey is no more malicious or annoying than anybody else gordons having to travel with.

(okay, this is kind of a subjective evaluation, but still. my point stands that benrey is not any more of a hindrance to his progress than anybody else in the science crew, and neither is he particularly more violent or murderous. hell, gordon freeman has probably killed more guys than benrey. benrey just tends to get.......special treatment.)

all that said, i am still convinced that gordon really fucking likes benrey. please consider with me the following: it would be remarkably easy for gordon to just ignore him and do what he has to do, but he doesnt. he could stop engaging. he could stop thinking about benrey. he could stop bringing benrey up to the rest of the crew every time benrey leaves to do his own thing for awhile. but he doesnt. and, again, yeah, the extra-textual reason for this is “two guys are doing an improv comedy thing and bouncing off of scorpy is kind of the point”, but within the text it reads to me as gordon not being about to get the dude off his mind.

and this is in addition to all the times we see gordon being genuinely nice and receptive toward benrey! its in the little things: laughing the hardest and longest at benreys jokes. only ever reciprocating that stupid underwater “BBBBB” thing with benrey. trying to catch benrey when he falls, despite his insistence moments earlier that benrey should hop in the wack ass crystal generator and get hypermurdered. fondly remarking that benreys sweet voice sounds beautiful. his sort of flustered responses to most of benreys overt flirting. none of this is the way normal people react to a guy they hate. this is all fuckin gay to me, man.

its this combination of the outward insistence that gordon hates benrey with his inner eagerness to be around him and think about him and engage with him that gives off strong “repression” vibes, to me. for whatever reason - pride, embarrassment, resentment - gordon maintains a front of hating the guy and wanting to kill him for a lot of the series, but it doesnt gel with the way he fucking giggles and plays along half the time that benrey starts fucking with him. its a game, and that game is one of the only ways gordon knows to manifest affection for him.

(remember “oh my god, hes got a knife!”? that was the gayest shit i ever seen in my life. tittering like a schoolgirl while benrey chases him around like “im gonna get you haha”. insanity.)

the cool thing about repression is that you can have it manifest in a lot of ways! and this is where things like “headcanons” and “my own personal affection for repressed bisexual men” come in. a lot of how i characterize their relationship is an extrapolation of a lot of things like gordons canonical insecurity issues/anxiety, gordons whole anti-bootboy thing screaming “internet wokeboy who means well but probably has a lot of repressed baggage” to me, etc.

how do you get massive amounts of sexual repression out of what you see in canon, you might ask? well. if wayne would stop having gordon talking about being jerked off by the suit, or talking about chugging a 40-gal drum of potion and having to hold his piss, or worrying about being eaten by benrey the moment he sees benrey at setscale 10, maybe i would have a higher opinion of gordon “hlvrai” freeman and whatever latent psychosexual issues hes got going on. but here we are

i havent even touched yet upon how benrey feels about gordon. this one is helpfully made a little more plain by the fact that benrey very much wants to suck his dick in canon. (i dont even have to go into details. we all know.) but IMO the best part about this ship isnt just that they dig each other, but how. benrey gets overtly flirtatious in the second half of the series, but IMO his preferred method of flirting is just fucking with gordon: chasing him with knives, shoving him around in a bathroom, trying to get scans of his feet. but all in like a slapstick, giggly, fun-and-games sense, you know? at least when it works.

a lot of the time, though, it doesnt work out that way. he clearly just likes doing it whether or not gordon responds positively. which is, you know, Weird. not very nice. but also in line with the way everybody else treats gordon freeman. gordons kind of the universes chew toy in any given universe, and the same holds true here. hes kind of helpless......subjected to 4 demons attempting to make his life as difficult as possible. in a way its cathartic.

sorry. i got sidetracked. anyway, benrey very much likes to mess with him and unnerve him and demean him and i will be perfectly frank with you: that is hot. i have problems and illnesses and one of them is that i am a masochist who goes crazy for that kind of thing. calling gordon a “dirty lil boy” and telling him to “look at the mess [he] made” is some straight up kink scene shit.

i like to imagine that a lot of this behavior isnt caused just by the guy who played him wanting to be funny and antagonistic, but by benrey as a character not really understanding what constitutes “pushing a joke too far”. hes not human, and whatever he is doesnt have a very normative way of understanding the world around him, full of people who actually get hurt for real and die for real. benrey expresses what seems to be genuine surprise and distress after the Arm Thing, as if he didnt know that his actions would have serious consequences. and it doesnt seem to fully sink in afterward, either.

it reads a lot to me like hes used to video game rules and treating people around him like NPCs. if they get hurt, its no big deal, because its not real. he likes jamming random buttons on gordons interface and seeing what comes out. its probably a lot of fun for him, the same way that seeing a streamer or a youtuber suffer for our amusement is fun. its like, you know, in my opinion, gordons very cute when hes frazzled. hes also cute when hes laughing. pushing gordons buttons has a 50/50 chance of either of these things. and this is how he ultimately flirts with gordon: by pulling his pigtails.

but at the same time, benrey does legit care about gordon and knows some boundaries. benreys the one most often shooting at enemies to protect gordon, and he spent most of the last act trying to convince gordon to turn around and not fight him because they were friends (best friends, to be specific). he just lacks a lot of the emotional intelligence it would take to express the feeling of “he digs gordon and likes seeing his face get all red and sweaty regardless of the cause”. and gordon lacks the emotional intelligence it would take to express the fact that he doesnt know if he likes or hates benrey and hes scared as hell that its the former

because, lets be real. unironic benrey-liking is a sign of problems disorder. just look at all these words ive written about it.

can you imagine? this bizarrely powerful, non-human entity that can shrug off gunfire and grow to the size of a building has decided that youre his new plaything. benreys the bored guy booting up skyrim and fucking around in the console, and gordons the hapless favorite follower that hes taken a liking to. its a really fun dynamic IMO

after all this, its safe to say my title is a little misleading. the asterisk stands for * and So Is Benrey, Actually. they are both kind of awful dudes who thrive off of teasing each other and they deserve each other. and i am crazy about it. thank u for coming to my TED talk

[1purpleboi1]

can u match me w a hq boy pls ?? if matchups are still open, ofc. i’m a infp, 5’3, virgo & slytherin. my pronouns are she/her & i’m bi. i love dancing, learning languages, music, memes, alt fashion, making people laugh, piercings, tattoos, making playlists & affection. i’m v insecure & i also have really bad anxiety so i lowkey need someone to take care of me bc i’m a mess and i always put others before me, sometimes i even forget to eat. my body type is curvyish, with chubby cheeks & brown eyes. i often dye my hair crazy colors (it’s currently half black, half pink). i’m usually at home, whenever i go out i always put on my earphones. my music taste is very wide, i pretty much listen to everything. however, the bands/artists that i listen to the most are: lil peep, the neighbourhood, arctic monkeys, mother mother & travis scott. i’m pretty opinionated and sarcastic, even though i’m an introvert i’m not afraid to talk back if i have to. i despise any kind of discrimination, having been bullied myself the first few years of high school. i use lots of “internet slang” on the daily and use emojis ironically. i hate being vulnerable in front of others, that’s why i always put an “idgaf” attitude even though i overthink everything. i kinda have trust issues and i’m very bad at expressing my feelings vocally, so i usually do it with affection. it’s really hard for me to say no to someone so people usually take advantage of me and even if i know it, i can’t stop it bc i just want to make everyone happy ): aaaa this was sooo long but i wanted it to be as specific as possible so it’d be easier for u. thank you so much, i hope you’re taking care of yourself properly. <3

Can I get a drumroll-

I ship you with Iwaizumi!

Iwaizumi is no stranger to the idgaf attitude

He’d be there waiting for you to let down your walls when you felt comfortable

While he’s waiting he would be there reminding you he’s not going anywhere

At first glance you two are a really intimidating couple

There’s iwaizumi who could beat up Godzilla and you who seems like the don’t care

But behind the scenes you’re trying to be more vulnerable

You share your music with him and in return he shares his favorite movies

Though you did get him addicted to mother mother-

He’s very protective of you and with one glare will scare away any one he thinks might hurt you

He knows you can take care of yourself but he wants to get you to rely on him a bit more

He loves you more than anything and will go through hell to prove it to you

[hyeque]

Ah I feel you about the body image issues and stopped even taking pictures for 3 years now and feel miserable

So the thing is can you change it? If no, than I think that's just what you are

This part is part of you and no matter how unlovable you think that might be, it's actually just issues society had leanshed onto the people who don't fit

I saw a tik tok last week ? Maybe a lil longer of a model, she explained how the model industry, the real one, scouts people with 'flaws, imperfections' bc they make them unique

The runway models if you look closely they all have something the body standard is not

Some have bigger ears, other have uneven tooth, some have moles a lot or bigger etc

And they are still all as equally unique and beautiful

It's the magazines, the 'beauty influencers' and generations of people who heard that stiff on a daily basis or saw those dieting pill commercials on tv

We as a society didn't changed, just moved to the Internet

People make money with other people insecurities may it be beauty surgery, diet pills and drink, gym subscription, way too expensive skin care products

I know it's easier to say and state this all, but I think we should just keep that in mind

We hate the body whoch caries us through life, we hate body parts which are part of us and the people who comment on insecurities etc will pass and never appear in our life's again

Like I can't recall one beauty influencer I used to listen to years ago, influencer who told me that I should do my make up this and that way, that I should join gym or do workouts at home

I have no idea what they are doing

And I don't care what kind of opinion they have now

Also I try not to care about friends and family comments about my body, like okay you had the need to say that, but why do you have the same issues? Or why do you say that if you went through the same shit? Or why do you even feel the need to make me feel worse? Do you feel better? Yeah? Because enough are an insecure piece of sh-

If people really make other feel less lovable to male them feel better about themselves, than that says more about them than me

hey anon, im sorry you’re feeling that way and i hope that you’ll take photos of yourself again—not for other ppl or even to share, but to a point to where you can look at yourself and acknowledge that you’re beautiful !

ahh and technically i could change this part of me if i wanted to but it’s 1.) a lot of money and 2.) i would have to under go surgery for it and that scares me a lot ,,, esp with the stuff i’ve read abt happening post surgery. it is also 3.) looked down upon to get surgery for this ,,, which just leaves me stuck as how i am, lol

you present a lot of great points, it does suck that a lot of things make money off of ppls insecurities and unfortunately that won’t ever be a thing that goes away. i try not to worry abt what family says too bc a lot of times it’s just unnecessary comments and i don’t need to hear it. and you’re definitely right about ppl saying stuff about other ppl to make them feel unlovable presents more abt their character than anything else. i would never want to make someone feel that way ever.

[skoesoh]

i read your ask convos w/ another anon and i just wanted to share my opinion. i'm a fan of mamy groups and have experienced being in a lot of fandoms. i'm a fan of bts, and no offense, (most of) the fandom is hella toxic. they bash other groups and mentions bts as being better and yadayada. they would always say "no bts is not like that...", "i will not allow bts to...", "this idol went near my bias she is a..." but this could also be because most of the army are extremely young (1/3)

(10ish and up, yes they have a lot of fans in this age group) and most of them are new to the kpop fandom. it is also their first time liking certain groups so they are TOO proud of the boys' accomplishments and still unfamiliar with older groups, they can't accept that there are other groups who are better or could be better. THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS HAPPENED. this happened to other fandoms as well. it's just that bts has gained more recognition (2/3)and it also put their fans on the spotlight which made others notice this behavior. similarly, when exo was just gaining popularity, exo-l is also a toxic fandom due to the same reason. the toxicness is slowly disappearing due to fans maturing as well. so as time passes by, the childish armys will also mature. (3/3)💐rest in pieces i'm on mobile so idk how to make this a read more but UUUHHH i have things to Say in response to this so guys if u don't feel like reading part 2 of this essay u can scroll djsjfjskdjdntruly ik i'm just gonna come across as being super defensive jdjsdjsj but like literally.. i have never witnessed a fanbase that isn't also full of disgusting lil kids who say ugly stuff to get popular or make people laugh like this is the internet n i've seen people both in and out of this fanbase who are gross... u gotta realise that the bigger a group of people are: the more chance ur gonna see stupid stuff like that's the facts that's statistics i failed my business class but ik this . and yeah ur right a big factor of that is that a lot of new kpop fans stan bts as their kinda introduction to the whole.. kpop thing in general. and idk what u mean by TOO proud like.... all of their accomplishments ARE amazing and some haven't been achieved by any other group so that's bizarre that as a fan(?) u would even say that fans shouldn't be proud of a group that they love sjsksksn??? and people gotta realise if someone stans only bts then obviously they think they are the best like why else would they stan them?? i don't agree w the whole 'older gen paved the way!!!' thing btw n i'm getting that vibe djksdjjdjdn it sounds pretentious when people say stuff like that like calm down greg and hhmmm i honestly just think that bc there's so many army accs the bad behaviour is amplified unlike other groups and yes to play the victim card hehe but bts and their stans are truly alone on this people love to hate popular things and things that let people have fun so honestly i'm proud of their achievements and i'm not gonna NOT hype up the best 7 boys in the world who work so hard for that just bc people who don't even LIKE bts get annoyed by it!! (omg i'm scared to publish this is gna be so long snsjsjsjdn) ik it's not that deep but i sure do love to rant!! but i love having discussions like this so thank u for saying it in a non agressive way i hope i didn't djsksjsnsn but i'm sag sun aries moon i can't help it

[cleftmomph]

Cleftmom confessions: Things ive learned that I wish I knew before. A list from a mom of special kids❤️ I actually dont know how to address this list, I think I've realized these because I have 2 kids with "special" needs. But it may also apply to moms in general, Im sure all of us will have one or two of these thoughts or circumstances in our crazzzy momma life☺️ 📌I am not INVINCIBLE I need God. I am nothing - this is not because Im bring myself down, but because I am humbling myself. Im surrendering. I am nothing in this world compared to His greatness. Given how well nourished, well educated, or how powerful, how big your house is, you are nothing without God. YOU NEED HIM. Crazy as it may sound but with all the fear I felt, the next thing I realized/felt was this. I was HUMBLED. I know He's caliing me. I was reminded of how great he is and who am I in this world. This is why 2 COR 12:9 is one of my fave verses: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me 📌Take one day at a time I know you have so much to give, but I also know theres only so much you can take. We have limits, we are mortals, remember? If you will look past your now, sometimes it gives you serenity. Skipping the harder days, the surgeries etc. The power of hope. But in your darker days, when its just hard to find aomething to make you move forward, remember you have now, and what you do today, now, is what matters. Enjoy it, days goes by faster than you think. With all the hustle and bustle of this generation, sometimes its hard to remember this. But until your child hits another milestone, you wont stop to enjoy life and savor that moment with your kid. You will realize that they're growing too fast and there's that pinch making you ask "why so fast?". And then there's this joy, the assurance that they are doing well coz they're hitting those milestones just in time, sometimes a lil early, sometimes a lil late, but what the heck, they DID and that's what matters. Savor the moment🙂 📌Cliché as it may sounds: things will get better This!!! This cliche was pressed on me numerous times already. This is proven. I want to say by me, but well... i'd be lying, and you know it coz you've been there, done that😂 When reassuring new cleft parents I always say this line, which maybe doesn't help much hehe (but I know they'll realize one day that it's true😎). It's just hard to look beyond the firsts, beyond the uncertainty specially if the mom has not yet delivered. I totally understand that (i've bern there, didn't believed this line as well😂😂😂). But the most recent encounter with this lesson was because of our Jacob. I still get hotheaded while on our review sessions (di po ako ipokrita 😂), but he makes me more proud because of that. Because as I always say, he tries, he tries his best! Before, during his exams week, review sessions would be after school till bedtime and it wasn't even enough parin --- That's with prior review sessions pa. Before he cant even read a story book, it would take us an hour or two to finish those short stories. Before during exams He wont have time to do his kumon booklets anymore. But he did improved. He did better in reading books, he's good in math, he gets perfect scores in exams. Recently was his summative exam, he was able to finish reviewing all his subject before exam week started. so it was just a quick review for him during exam week. I felt how positive he is, how confident he is now specially in math and reading. I felt how happy he was that he could still do other things after reviewing. Things got better for me, but more for Jacob.❤️ 📌Downing moments are vital You wont have glorious days without your gloomy days. They make your success more sweet. If you let them eat you whole, you'll lose. Don't let trials win, empower your will to get back on your feet. Some days are harder, but that's what make you tougher. 📌You have to be worry sometimes ...So you wont put your guard down. 📌You need Two words:CLEFT TEAM If it would be possible go to them. NCF / PBM. Period! Google will help you with what a legit cleft team consists of💪🏼 📌This prayer help me calm myself❤️ I want to share it with you because in times my heart is in trouble, And I would say this prayer I would instantly feel calm. So much betteeeer❤️ The serenity prayer God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world As it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right If I surrender to His Will; So that I may be reasonably happy in this life And supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next. Amen. 📌God's plans for you is bigger Learning about Gabbie's cleft hit me hard. I comfort myself knowing that God has His plans and He definitely know better. It's really hard to know what it is, its hard to foresee but He asked me to have faith, Even as small as the mustard seed. I know my faith is far bigger than a mustard seed, because you know what, never as in NEVER He has forsaken me! JER 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Prov 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 📌Go with your instinct Mother knows best. Also, this means you are the one responsible for your parenting style. Don't let others pressure you into a parenting style that is not YOU. You be the kind of mother YOU want to be, not the society, your doctor, your priests, you family ask you to be. You are the only person who knows what's best for your child😉 listen to their opinion or advice, pick what suits you, junk what's not and move on. Don't let them and their side comments affect you inside. 😉 📌Google will bring you horror, dont let it. Use it to your advantage. I will be honest, researching made me anxious. By the time we discovered Gabbie's a cleftie we only have around 8weeks to prepare for her special needs. I havent joined any support group, i tried searching but didnt found one (till gabbie was 2months old ata) so I have no clue what's the best kind of surgeon to go to, what will she need etc. google would redirect me to cases from across the globe, Mostly US, many patients in the US had over 10 surgeries, so yes, that scared me. Ear tubes, yup they did scare me - alot!!! Repeated palatoplasty? Complications per age, complications during surgery.... hell yes!! Speech problems?! Heart problems and syndromes!????! Like whaaaaatttt!!! I want to give birth already just to find out if she has any of it!!! But the internet provided me a vital information for our cleft journey - name of our surgeon. Dr. Glenda De Villa ❤️ learned what bottles we need, what to look out for, that yessss, I could breastfeed!!!🙂 the internet also provided the criteria of a CLEFT TEAM/CLEFT CENTER, and Dr. De Villa's team is a SURE WIN!💪🏼 📌You have to love your doctor. Trusting your surgeon is vital. After meeting her, my worries just fluffed their way out of my chest. She's an inspiration. She's also the one who told us about NCF. If not for her and our trust to her, our family won't have the privilege of knowing those who are behind NCF and their patients ☺️ 📌You are not alone I repeat. YOU.ARE.NOT.ALONE I treat my co-cleft moms and dads as my family. No one could understand me than someone who's going Through a journey like us. Yes, our families and friends are backing us up, they're always there. Always. But the STRUGGLE IS REAL! Haha there are certain things no one could relate to unless they have a "special" child. Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation patients have a support grp - https://www.facebook.com/groups/IbahagiAngNgiti/ And https://www.facebook.com/groups/CleftSupportGroupPH/ is open to all clefties and their families 🙂 📌Be thankful. You are blessed. I always say God gives the hardest battles to His bravest soldiers. Wonder where our cleftstrong babies got their strength and spirit? Its from US, their parents. I was also in doubt at first😁 God chose us for a purpose. Be proud of the privilege and responsibility that God entrusted us🙂 1 thess 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Stop self blaming. Dont be too hard on yourself. Stop asking yourself if you did something wrong during your pregnancy. Accept that you too have shortcomings, and that's ok. Your kids still love you just the same because you are morethan ENOUGH!❤️ *list to be updated, usually in the wee hours of the morning I cant sleep.😂

[akokosblog-blog]

We need your views on "A celebrated societal menace - A look at Olamide Baddo" on Akoko's Blog. Pls Comment below, Like and Share.

A celebrated societal menace - A look at Olamide Baddo

Olamide Adedeji, known popularly as Olamide Baddo is the foremost A”local rapper” in Nigeria. He rose to prominence by being one if the pioneers of rapping in the local dialect. Considered by many as the worthy successor to popular Yoruba rapper DaGrin who died at a very young age from a car crash. 

Olamide quickly took advantage of the people’s hunger for an immediate successor to DaGrin and released songs like Durosoke which endeared him to many Nigerians. He was considered to be a “very brilliant chap who would go places”.

Eight years down the line and Olamide baddo is no doubt one of the biggest names in the African rapper scene even though he churns out more pop songs nowadays. He has his own record label which is currently working with Young artistes like Lyta, Limerick, Yomi Blaze and co after producing established artistes like Lil Lesh and Adekunle Gold in the past. He has won several awards and even made an appearance in my secondary school year book where a student named him as his role model, insane!

Olamide has made a habit of dropping albums every year and although he keeps up with this, it’s the quality of these albums that come under scrutiny. Sometimes, the album looks rushed and shabby and therefore there songs aren’t the top quality that the fans expect. A lot of fans complained about his last album titled “Glory” but the rapper seems unperturbed. He recently dropped a “family” album alongside his new signees and proteges. A very good album throughout, much better than his last two.

Away from all the praises, Olamide has built a reputation as an artiste that feasts on the rot in the Nigerian value system. He takes advantage of the fact that many Nigerians have lost their values. 

Olamide _ Melo Melo

When Olamide first released the song “story for the gods” a lot of people, like me,  couldn’t believe their ears. Here’s a scenario whereby a top rapper in the country released a song filled with vulgar and obscene lyrics and a video showing strong sexual scenes and nudity but that was not the worst part of the song. 

Some of the lyrics used by Olamide in the song we’re plainly encouraging sex under the influence, sexual assault and even rape, disgusting! Olamide was “dragged” on social media, but as usual, he termed everyone who dared to have an opinion about his disgusting song “haters”.  No sanctions were given to the song or the artiste except an NBC ban that “only makes songs more popular”. 

If there’s anything Olamide learnt from the previous experience, it was that he should release even more disgusting songs condoning and even encouraging vices like drug abuse, fraud and illicit sexual affairs. That same year, he released a song called “falila ketan”. Another song promoting obscenities, vulgar language and illicit, even illegal sexual activities.

He went ahead to shoot a video that “supported the motion” he laid down in his song. There was backlash as usual, but Olamide couldn’t care less, after all, the same Nigerians who criticised him on the internet were listening to the song on their phones and in their cars, thereby, “giving” more money to Olamide who made it clear that he would go on yo release more of these songs as long as it makes him richer.

Olamide – Konkobility

In 2015, Olamide released yet another “corrupt” song “don’t stop”. Not only did this one get a lot of flak, it got banned by several corporations and agencies who had the best interest of the youth at heart. Olamide’s fans came to his defence every time anyone dared call Olamide what he turned himself into: the corruptor of the youth. 

It’s no surprise at all that social vices have been on the rise and sexual crimes are recorded every other day. While I’m not putting the blame for this on Olamide, I dare to say that whether he realizes it or not, he has a direct influence on these numbers.

Nigeria was rated as the ninth most dangerous countries for a woman to live because she’s constantly susceptible to harrasment and sexual abuse from animalistic men who are no longer scared of the consequences, afterall, Olamide said: ” I want to do shina today, she say she cannot wait o, she say it’s getting late o, she say she wants to faint o ah, story for the gods”.

Read Also: Sweet Boy Association

2015 was a year of obscenities for the YBNL boss as he teamed up with other local rapper Phyno and Lil Kesh to release a song titled “Ladi”. The title of this song says everything one already needs to know about the song. This was around the time that a lot of people started to give up on the rapper.

Olamide – “Wo” tobacco smoking health ministry

On the first day of 2016, Olamide displayed what a lot of people termed as an “embarrassment”. He went on a long alcohol-induced rant on the stage of the headies, Nigeria’s most prestigious music award, because his protege Lil Kesh didn’t win an award in a voting category. Olamide used swear words and disrespected the show organizers and dignitaries in attendance. The year was off to a very dramatic start. 

The next morning, he took to Twitter to threaten top music producer and Maven Records boss Don Jazzy, whose signee had scooped the award that Olamide’s boy lost out on. Olamide even went as far as telling Don Jazzy not to “come to the mainland” as his “boys” would beat him up.  Two new slangs became popular from this rant: “don’t come to main-land”, and “leave trash for lawma”. 

Read Also: How to Succeed in Entertainment anywhere you are

This, along with his acknowledgement of his “boys” indicates that Olamide baddo knows that he wields some sort of influence among the youth.  This totally eliminates the argument that Olamide is subconsciously releasing these songs without having any knowledge of its effects on the youth.

Olamide Red Cup

Olamide never takes a rest from these kinds of things, but he stayed a little under the radar until 2018 when he came with yet another song, this time different from his usual sexually offensive songs, It was titled “science students”. On this song Olamide may have tried to raise awareness of the very incessant cases if drug abuse among the younger population, but ultimately, he failed woefully probably because he’s not very used to being a positive member of society.

He started pretty well by explaining the lengths teenagers now go to get high. Later in the song, he went by his usual route of encouraging people to take certain mixtures. Although, he came out later to shed light on the issue, something he never used to do in the past, not many people were swayed. He then pulled a genius by releasing a video that actually spoke against drug abuse. Nice, I wonder who taught Olamide that?

The society has made corruption and vices the norm: The easiest way to recognize this fact is by listening to a song released by Olamide, along with his protege Like kesh put out just some days to Christmas. The song is titled “logo Benz” and it heavily contains vulgar language, obscene statements and what a lot of people refer to as “encouragement for ritualists and ritual killers”.

Read Also: Will You Marry Me

Olamide and Lil kesh put out that song during the festive period, a time when these kinds of ritual killings are very popular. No agency has taken any step against Lil Kesh, Olamide or even the song as at the time of writing this. All that happened was a little backlash on social media and a sold-out Olamide show just days later. This is the norm I speak of, this norm that makes Olamide think he can wreck the moral train of the Nigerian youth without facing any consequences.

Conclusion

Despite all the things I’ve listed earlier, Olamide continues to be the biggest name in Yoruba rap, winning several awards, and selling out tours and shows both in Nigeria and abroad. Perhaps, the silliness with the music and lyrics would reduce if the people took tougher stances against Baddo?

[fataziraphale]

Okay, but Ryouta and Impostor for the ask meme

YESSSSSSSSSS

(note for a wayward reader: I know I interact with a lot of DR kin communities on here but Im answering these solely as me writing about fictional characters and they way they’re portrayed in canon with some distance between me and them ok)

ryotageneral opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them * | actual love of my life * (maybe somewhere in between this one and the next one? love them.5? what a good character. I am such a fan. a very relatable man)hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang* (def not my type. I’m sure he would objectively look nice though if he wasn’t, you know, literally dying? like he’d be very handsome with such luxury beauty products as Ever Eating Or Sleeping In His Life)hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffhe’s a hard worker and wants to help people, so definitely some hufflepuff tendencies in there, and there’s a LOT of slytherin in him: using the hope video, agreeing to junko’s sketchy ass offer so he can succeed in his ambition. but ultimately, the way he decides to help people is with his brain and his creativity. he doesn’t love people so much as an abstract idea of wanting to help people, and the most important thing to him isn’t them, but his anime. that’s ravenclaw.best quality: from a “I like this character trait when I see it in a character in a show I’m watching” perspective, he has SO MANY of the same mental issues as I do and I find it SO CATHARTIC TO SEE PORTRAYED and useful for coping like. obsession with saving others to the detriment of his own wellbeing, check. doing weird, manipulative things to try to save others even if it’s not really moral, check. intense guilt for something that wasn’t his fault, check. being really fucked up and traumatized after someone told him he should feel guilty for this thing, check. being stressed out and exhausted due to the amount of work he puts on himself, check. we are very similar. I appreciate it a lot. I love characters that are like me, because I’m ultimately obsessed with myself (as is ryota a lil bit). I also love that he’s shy and anxious and awkward but a lil bit of a dick anyway. like you think he doesn’t associate with people because of anxiety, but he honestly just doesn’t like people. it makes me smile. I really love ryota mitarai????worst quality: I have a hard time understanding how he could feel safe with Junko after she destroyed his DVDs. like, I get why he would be like “being sealed away in this sketchy ass place away from all people or sunlight? PERFECT” but… why would he just accept the offer of someone who destroyed his property, things that HE LOVED AND CARED ABOUT, in front of him? he seemed really scared of her, and then just… wasn’t? idk.ship them with: IMPOSTER!!! I also enjoy scenarios where people write imposter/ryota/ibuki stuff. I know some people include mikan in that, but I have a little trouble believing ryota would be totally okay with mikan after what she did to him? like even though she’s not brainwashed anymore, I’d imagine being around her would be kind of triggering for him, like it would take a lot of time for him to feel safe around her again… I also think I saw a fic once that was Ryota/Seiko where they were sharing stories of being emotionally abused and trying to cope together and that was nice.brotp them with: imposter and ibuki in scenarios where it isn’t romantic.needs to stay away from: I’m very uncomfortable when people ship him with Junko. I’ve also seen some Ryota/Naegi, and I don’t think that would be very healthy tbh… Ryota idolizes him so much that I don’t think it could be anything but a really unbalanced relationship, and as kind as he is, I’m not sure Naegi is ready to care for someone with mental issues as intense as Ryota’s.misc. thoughts: im love him? his character arc is definitely my favorite thing about DR3. I just feel like he’s very realistically written and relatable and likable and charming and ,,, I love that Imposter was given a friend I love that his healing is tied up with the idea that “fats and sugars” are good things I love introverted villains I just,,, love

impostergeneral opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life (like yeah hes me but before I had this whole internet mod twogami persona for YEARS I was like…. my ideal boyfriend. perfect. the hottest man I have ever seen. I saw a man so beautiful I started crying)hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang(for reference, im ace and very sex repulsed when it comes to the idea of fucking men. but. yes.)hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffI appreciate when people sort him into Ravenclaw, and I see where they’re coming from – he’s the type of person who thinks before acting and likes things to be methodically planned. He fights bad situations with logic and organization. But when it comes down to it, Imposter is motivated by doing the right thing. He wants to save his classmates from death. He wants to save Ryota. It doesn’t matter that he has no personal ties to these people when he’s doing it; there is no doubt in his mind that saving them is the right thing to do. He has no trouble jumping rashly into a situation if he’s sure it’s the right thing, either; he pushes Nagito out of the way without a second thought. He’s such a heroic person,,,best quality: I know this stupid and shallow but I literally cannot get over the fact that he is canonically a feedee… I will never be over it. The fact that when Akane suggests there might be something wrong with his weight he is HORRIFIED by the prospect of weight loss and announces, “Do you know how much money I spent sculpting my physique?” like he canonically got this fat on purpose, he loves food with all of his soul, he believes “fats and sugars are the only thing you can believe in”… and then he’s still an incredibly interesting, complex character with a storyline that has nothing to do with that??? I can’t believe it???? I’ve never seen such good fat representation in my life, let alone a feedee being represented, I just ?????????????? the best thing ever???????worst quality: honestly I don’t,,, dislike anything about him rip. I do think the writers maybe shouldn’t have showed us his true appearance, at least not in such an anticlimactic moment? especially bc he never used that look again, like… if they were going to do it, I would think he would be himself on the boat, but he was just Togami again? it didn’t serve that much of a purpose in the story imo. if they were gonna do it, it should have been more intimate and emotional.ship them with: ryota and ibuki !!! either poly or seperately, I’m not fussed. imposter/hajime is also adorable, like I used to be really really into that ship even though I’m not so much anymorebrotp them with: same as above hahaneeds to stay away from: idk??? like imposter isn’t a very social person, but I don’t really think his relationship with any character is super unhealthy or anything. I just want him to be around people who give him love and support,,, the only thing I do note is that back in the day there was some discourse about the translation of some line Ibuki has in SDR2, about whether she’s saying he would make a good boyfriend or that he would make a good boyfriend despite his weight? I don’t see Ibuki as the kind of person who would prefer him slim, but he needs to stay away from anyone who thinks that way, period.misc. thoughts: the greatest best most beautiful character in the world,, also, me. but like… I love that he too has this obsession with saving people that manifests really differently, but is ultimately very similar to Ryota’s? I love that they have parallel arcs that intersect? I love that they support each other? I love that ultimately HE’S THE ONE WHO SAVES THE DAY in DR3? I love the twist of him being an imposter? I love the way he acts as Togami? I love the way he acts as himself? I love the way he’s so food positive always, I love the fact that he thinks everyone else is too thin and never struggles with his own weight, I just… wish he’d gotten more screentime in DR2 because the fact that they killed him immediately 1. made very sad 2. is frustrating bc of wasted potential 3. is kind of fatphobic bc they… killed their two fat characters in one fell swoop right away and then went on to write NO fat characters in dr3 or ndrv3 but… what can u do. im still love him

[pointless--nonsense]

Every emoji

Okay everybody this is super long I’m sorry!!

🐰 what is one secret that you’ve never told anyone? ~ if I said then it would no longer be a secret hahaha

💗 if you could hug anyone, who would it be? ~ all of my friends (internet and irl) because I just love them so much

🐹 what are some of your favourite Pokémon and why? ~ Eevee because I love that name and I love the eeveelutions

🌠 if you were in charge of the world, what would the world look like? ~ oh boy um first of all Tr*mp would be in jail and Bernie would be president, gender neutral bathrooms would be everywhere, and college/university would be way less expensive and adorable for all

👀 what was the most recent vivid dream that you had? ~ all I can remember is that someone tricked me into going on a roadtrip to the beach and when we got there I realized I had nothing besides my phone with me 😂 plus Lilly Singh was there and she convinced me to stay lol

☀️ what do you like the most about your best friend? ~ I love everything about her she is amazing and wonderful and I miss her so much!!

😘 talk about your crush or partner. ~ I have so many crushes at the moment 😂 lol let’s just say they are all cute and way out of my league lol

💁 if someone was rude to you, would you be rude back? ~ Depending on the situation tbh. Like I’ll only bring out the attitude if they deserve it, but if it is not worth my time I would just walk away

🌟 what do you like about yourself? (must choose at least 3 things!) ~ My ability to be smart yet soooooo dumb all the time, I guess I can keep a conversation going but I’m so boring, and how I have no money yet I still online shop like I am rich 😂

🐾 what are you scared of most? how will you overcome it? ~ I am scared of so many things so it is hard to choose just one. But I try to overcome my fears by being forced into situations and if I don’t completely shut down it was a success lol

🎁 what never fails to make you happy? ~ Watching my favorite Disney movies, and baking treats for my friends

💙 what annoys you about some people? ~ When people are ignorant. And when they think their opinion is right and they won’t listen to anybody else with a different opinion because they are too scared to hear what anybody else has to say because maybe they are wrong

😤 do you get angry easily? ~ No not really, I’m a pretty chill person for the most part I guess

🐇 what do you always daydream about? ~ This will sound cheesy but usually just going on cute dates with people because I’ve never been on a date and I want to experience that one day lol

🌻 if you could change 3 things about the world what would you change? ~ How food is made and produced (animal rights), I would impeach the president and elect Bernie Sanders, and I would repeal any and all laws against transgender people using whatever bathrooms they want (and I would make everywhere change to gender neutral bathrooms)

✈️ what is your dream city and why? ~ Oh boy that’s hard… umm I used to say Seattle but lately it is Toronto because Canada seems pretty cool, but I also really want to travel back to Alaska because that was super fun (I know that’s not a city lol)

☕️ talk about your ideal day. ~ Hmm it would be at Disneyland with Tricia because those are always so much fun

🌸 are you an introvert, ambivert or extrovert? ~ Totally introvert 100%

💧 when was the last time you cried? ~ I bottle up my emotions so I don’t cry until I explode which hasn’t been for a while (I know that’s bad and I’m working on it kind of haha)

🎵 name 5 songs you love at the moment. ~ Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s, Sippy Cup by Melanie Martinez, Lullaby by Front Porch Step, All Time Low by Jon Bellion, and How Far I’ll Go from Moana

⚡️ if you had any superpower, what would it be and why? ~ probably flight so that I wouldn’t have to pay for gas or expensive plane flights anymore haha

💛 if you could talk to your younger self, what would you say? ~ You will learn how true friends act, and these people are not your real friends. And keep in touch with your middle school friends because those are real people who actually like you. And don’t go to college where it snows because you will hate it 😂

💚 who are you jealous of and why? ~ Skinny people because they can actually find clothes that fit and aren’t embarrassed when they shop with friends (I’m not really jealous just petty haha)

💎 which one would you rather have more of: intelligence, beauty, kindness, wealth or bravery? why? ~ Intelligence so that the schools would pay for my education

🙊 what are you ashamed of? ~ That the ignorant people surrounding me run their mouths without knowing any real facts or information and talk based solely on judgement and opinions

🌺 which languages do you know? which do you want to learn? ~ I know English and a tiny tiny bit of Spanish. I am learning ASL and I want to become better with my Spanish. I also want to learn Mandarin

🍀 if you could be any fictional character’s best friend/lover, which fictional character would you be? ~ I want to be Katara’s best friend

☁️ talk about your dream universe. ~ Refer to 🌻 and 🌠 plus all animals in shelters and pounds would have owners and global warming goes down and better education systems are in place

💜 which acts of kindness are you going to do today? ~ I’m going to tell my friends I love them and I will clean up the house for my mom so she doesn’t have to stress about it

🐬 if you could transform into any animal/magical creature, what would you be and why? ~ Either a dolphin or a hawk so I can explore the sea or fly and see the world from the air

🍄 talk about someone/something you really dislike. ~ I hate racism, homophobia, misogynists, feminists who aren’t intersectional, islamophobia, transphobia, TERFs, and other people/things of these natures

😣 talk about some things that have been making you depressed/angry/anxious lately. ~ Hahahahaha everything

🍪 what did you want to be as a kid, and what do you want to be now? ~ I wanted to be a chef and now I want to be a nurse

🍰 what are some of your favourite sugary foods? ~ Icecream and Starbucks fraps get me every time 😂😂

🍑 what are you obsessed with? ~ Hmm right now it is politics and online shopping but it changes all the time haha

💘 what happens to you when you’re stressed? ~ On the outside I am pretty good at hiding the stress but on the inside I am screaming. I can handle stress well in my opinion and usually I try to find out what is stressing me and either fix it or end it all together

😪 what are you sick of? ~ Cis white men

🙀 are you an adrenaline seeker? ~ No not at all

💥 what are some unpopular opinions that you have? ~ I hate any and all fast food (including in n out 😂), I also hate pasta and rice (I love bread though lol)

☔️ would you consider yourself a good person? ~ It depends on the day. Some days I think I’m good, but most days I feel like I’m a terrible person haha

😊 what do you like to do as hobbies? ~ I used to play softball and golf, but now my hobbies mostly include baking, watching Netflix and YouTube, and online shopping

🎤 what’s the last song you hummed or sang by yourself? ~ Does it count if I was singing Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride in the shower?

🐝 what’s your worst trait? how are you planning to improve it? ~ Oh boy it’s hard to pick just one.. but I think the worst has to be that I can be selfish at times. Especially when protecting myself from getting hurt by other people, I tend to be selfish and just push people away before they hurt me so that I can protect myself, but that in turn hurts the other person

🎨 what do you always doodle when you’re bored? ~ I cannot doodle at all I have no artistic talent in any sort! I color when I’m bored though haha

🐻 what’s stopping you from chasing your dreams? ~ The economy. If I could open my bakery/café without the hugeeee chance it will fail I wouldn’t be going to school to become a nurse

🌷 what’s your mbti personality and why do you think it suits you? ~ INTJ and I think it suits me because I am introverted, intuitive in situations, I think more than I feel, and I judge rather than perceive

👑 who are your favourite celebrities and why? ~ Selena Gomez, Zendaya, Lilly Singh, and Dwayne Johnson are my top 4 because I feel like they use their platforms to stand up for what is right and they also empower people to do the right thing and be better people

🍋 do you consider yourself an emotional person? ~ On the outside people would say no because I act like a stone cold bitch, but when you get to know me you realize that yes I am emotional and I feel things very deeply lol

📚 share 3 books that you love and your favourite quote from them. ~ I don’t know quotes off the top of my head but my favorite books are Looking for Alaska, The Fault in our Stars, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

😔 what do you always do when you feel sad? does it help? ~ I sit in my room and try to distract myself and usually that doesn’t work

😌 what thoughts keep you going when you’re sad? ~ Knowing that I won’t feel like this all the time and maybe tomorrow I won’t feel as bad

🌍 which country do you live in? ~ USA

🐧 describe yourself in 3 words. ~ Lazy, boring, and a hopeless romantic

🐵 which quotes changed you? ~ Nothing stands out to me

💭 do you keep a diary? ~ I keep a journal

💫 who inspires you? ~ Refer to 👑

👻 do you believe in ghosts and why? ~ Yes yes yes because I just believe lol

🎀 what’s your fashion sense like? ~ Lazy, could be considered “athleisure”, comfortable

🎬 what are some of your favourite films? ~ Lilo and Stitch, Moana, Up, Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Grease, Hairspray, Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

🍦 what is one treasured childhood memory? ~ Going to Lake Casitas and/or Pismo Beach every year

🐱 what’s your dream pet like? ~ I want a couple Pit Bull Terriers

🐼 if you could meet anyone, who would it be? ~ That’s so hard!!! Maybe Lilly Singh, Remi Cruz, Zendaya, or the Rock

Thanks for the super long ask lil bee 💗🐝

[katie-june]

I am gay and answered Qs w/o being asked :^)

1. Are looks important in a relationship? Yes and no /^: idk 2. Are relationships ever worth it? always 3. Are you a virgin? Depends on ur definition, ive never done the Real Deal 4. Are you in a relationship? Yea :^) 5. Are you in love? Yea :^) 6. Are you single this year? Na and i hope i will nevr b 7. Can you commit to one person? Ya p much, like i dont Have 2 b with any1 else 8. Describe your crush neat-o! 9. Describe your perfect mate i am v confused on what i like atm 10. Do you believe in love at first sight? Na i believe thats called lust 11. Do you ever want to get married? I hope so!! 12. Do you forgive betrayal? Easily 13. Do you get jealous easily? In a reltionship-y way Never 14. Do you have a crush on anyone? Ya :^) 15. Do you have any piercings? I got big ol holes in my ears )^: 16. Do you have any tattoos? Lil gay ones on my hand ( an A for Amber and a peace sign) 17. Do you like kissing in public? Like na but if u rlly want 2 then sure! 20. Do you shower every day? I try /-: 21. Do you think someone has feelings for you? I hope so 22. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now? Prolly not 23. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat? yea 24. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years? Prolly not but it’d b fun 25. Do you want to be in a relationship this year? Yee!! 26. Has anyone told you they don’t want to ever lose you? yea 27. Has someone ever written a song or poem for you? Me n lea used to write poems 28. Have you ever been cheated on? Not rlly 29. Have you ever cheated on someone? no 30. Have you ever considered plastic surgery? If so, what would you change about your body? Like ya ,, but prolly would never ( my nose) 31. Have you ever cried over a guy/girl? yee 32. Have you ever experienced unrequited love? Yea i think so 33. Have you ever had sex with a man? :^/ i dont love this question 34. Have you ever had sex with a woman? Ya i guess 35. Have you ever kissed someone older than you? yea 36. Have you ever liked one of your best friends? I like like my bff Leanna 37. Have you ever liked someone who your friends hated? I dont think so? 38. Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to? Yeea lmao 39. Have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have? Ive been in love w/ 2 many teachers )^: ………. I was v dumb 40. Have you ever written a song or poem for someone? yee 41. Have you had sex so far this year? Like ya if u define it that way 42. How long can you just kiss until your hands start to wander? 2 sec prolly if im not scared 43. How long was your longest relationship? 3+ yrs !! 44. How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had? 1, little leann 45. How many people did you kiss in 2012/2013? 0-1 ? 46. How many times did you have sex last year? Who knows lol idk how 2 count 47. How old are you? 18!! 48. If the person you like says they like someone else, what would you say? “I know” 49. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, what is your favorite thing about him/her? Evrything ,, but also how sweet n pure she is, plus she is thicc 50. If your first true love knocked on your door with apology and presents, would you accept? My 1st true love was prolly lea so idk why she’d apologize 51. Is there a boy/girl who you would do absolutely everything for? yea 52. Is there anyone you’ve given up on? Why? I never give up on any1 tbh 53. Is there someone mad because you’re dating/talking to the person you are? Prolly,, im gay 54. Is there someone you will never forget? Idk this is a wonky question 55. Share a relationship story. na 56. State 8 facts about your body im only doin 4 ..im 5’1,i have small hands,i am v flat, and i have the Worst nose 57. Things you want to say to an ex i dont have 1 58. What are five ways to win your heart? Be sweet to me,, hold me,, let me hold u,, tell me im small,, sing 2 me 59. What do you look like? (Post a picture!) n o 60. What is the biggest age difference between you and any of your partners? Idk the definition Of partner?? 1 year i guess if its lea 61. What is the first thing you notice in someone? Who nose? Charm maybe? 62. What is the sexiest thing someone could ever do for/to you? Be nice 2 me,, sing to me?? Idk 63. What is your definition of “having sex”? Prolly doing the Real Deal but since im with a lady i guess doin sum else 64. What is your definition of cheating? U can do stuff with other ppl as long as i kno ,, if its a secret then thts cheating 65. What is your favourite foreplay routine? Who nose im vanilla and gay 66. What is your favourite roleplay? N o n e… reminds me of furries 67. What is your idea of the perfect date? Anythin 68. What is your sexual orientation? Bi i guess but ill b with any1 // I don't love labels 69. What turns you off? Idk tbh ?? depends 70. What turns you on? Neck kisses n stuff, singin,, gentle affection (im lonely) 71. What was your kinkiest wet dream? I dont remember tbh 72. What words do you like to hear during sex? Prolly anything if its said the right way 73. What’s something sweet you’d like someone to do for you? Give me attention 74. What’s the most superficial characteristic you look for? A nice voice or smthn 75. What’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for you? Lea gave me meaning in life and someone 2 wake up next 2 76. What’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for someone? Who nose 77. What’s your opinion on age differences in relationships? Above 18 who cares 78. What’s your dirtiest secret? Cant remember 79. When was the last time you felt jealous? Why? Like never tbh idk 80. When was the last time you told someone you loved them? Prolly a few minutes/ an hour ago 81. Who are five people you find attractive? I dont like this 1 82. Who is the last person you hugged? leann! 83. Who was your first kiss with? Leann!! 84. Why did your last relationship fail? It didnt )^: ?? 85. Would you ever date someone off of the Internet? Hell yea

[sneek-m]

Listening 2017: January 8th–19th

Ah, so the new releases have started to roll out. And so have the opinions on them I cover two of them here, though I’ve yet to see reactions on both of them. You can see some others I checked out at the bottom per usual. Writing for a few weeks has hit that wave for me where every word I write doesn’t seem that good. But for some reason, once I listened to the Belinda Carlisle album (which you’ll see in a minute) I got back into writing smoothly.

Here are some albums that got me writing down words, successfully.

Cut of Cloth

Alexandria Awful, 2017

I’m a sucker for “boy, bye” flexing from women in R&B, and Alexandria’s brand of good riddance in her new one generally satisfied. Some meandered with her letting a half-there hook spin ad nauseum in Ethereal’s anti-gravity beat like a placeholder in hopes for a more solid song to materialize. (Not to knock Ethereal here; the synthesizer sounds the producer chooses for this project are overall delightfully twisted.)

But when she’s on, she’s on: the title alludes to the dismissal of a collage of trendy materials who calls himself a deep human being. And like the title track, my favorites on Cut of Cloth similarly snap ex-lovers into their place, reminding though it was a good time together, they were never her everything. With her previous from last year, the Promise EP, Cut of Cloth shares the fate of being the early-bird January release. Here’s to hoping it gets picked up more.

[7]

Heaven on Earth

Belinda Carlisle MCA/Virgin, 1987

Remove “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” from Belinda Carlisle’s second album, and you might get a slightly different record. The single certainly works as its driver. Every love song after it echoes more like words of religious worship, and its break-up-like songs a divorce from its holy idol: “in a world without you, where would I be?” hits upon a bit of both. She matches the size of her preaching heart by expanding generalities like the one in “World Without You” infinitely vast in the chorus, and the shining organs further bring it to church.

Heaven on Earth is a shallow pop album, admittedly, upon a cynic’s ear. Carlisle’s lyric sheet is only deep as you allow yourself to sink into its lines. Her combination of words not going above the most cliche arrangement: “where would I be without you?/ I could barely breathe without you” is a piece of the profundity found here. And her worldview, hit upon in “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” with “they say in heaven, love comes first/ we’ll make heaven a place on earth,” sounds so happy-go-lucky, it’s slightly out of touch. It’s powerful or trivial as you let yourself believe: it’s only apt that faith is the main key to an album titled as such.

[6]

Player

Capsule Contemode, 2010

For all the time I spent with Yasutaka Nakata’s big pop projects, his main work with Capsule has yet to grab much interest. My decision for which Capsule album to check out has so far depended on its release year and what other records he worked on. His eleventh, Player, sits in a rather intermittent period after his first wave of big success producing albums for other pop acts: one for Ami Suzuki, two for Perfume, and three for MEG.

That said, Nakata still contributed outside work during this period, handing in the theme to Liar Game: The Final Stage, “Stay with You,” which makes its way to this album. What would’ve been more of the same from his previous, More! More! More!, a full album similar to the single would’ve been fun. But that’s not how the producer operates when it comes to Capsule. He instead likes to take the project apart once he stumbles upon something, exploring avenues paved by his other interests. That explains the decision to follow the single with the title track, a more club-minded number with a UK rapper (whose uncredited). Good for him, though it’s still more interesting — Player and otherwise — when he writes well-shaped pop songs than club beats for his own DJ set.

[7]

NOTU_URONLINEU

DVA [Hi: Emotions] Hyperdub, 2016

*Stream/Purchase the album via Bandcamp

Sourcing sounds indigenous to the terrain — one nice touch is a sputter of the iMac’s volume change on “Ad1_V1” — Scratcha DVA makes home to his new world as much as it remains skeptical with it in his new album under a new alias, DVA [Hi: Emotions]. Which is to say, the textures here don’t fully feel like a warm welcome: as much as it moves with its own intuition, the beats here can be cold on the surface and foreign in shape. They resemble more explorations than complete beats, though witnessing the process within the songs feel more appropriate for an album like this.

Black Mirror, this isn’t, but neither does DVA offer a more utopian rebuttal against the series’ dystopian tech scares in his album. Cheeky humor poking fun at digital producers comes up, though it feels less as critique than a pure crack at a laugh. This record, then, simply exists as a product of the very thing it ponders about: life on the internet as a musician in a more tech-central time. And it’s refreshing for a piece of media to simply exist in a conversation about tech where it seems like any stance has to fold within itself to makes its point.

[6]

E.G. Crazy

E-girls Rhythm Zone, 2017

The supergroup split their latest in two discs: E.G. POP and COOL. What defines one separate from the other seems to be the presence of ballads. Ballads aren’t cool, I guess! COOL definitely has more rewards than POP, though I dock down the first disc less from the sentimentality in, say, “Love, Dream and Happiness” than the fact it’s January so I don’t want to hear Christmas songs anymore.

That said, one out of the three holiday-themed tracks, “Boom Boom Christmas” from COOL, makes an impression. Christmas just so happens to be the date within the song; remove it and it’s another glamorous pop number about going out. E-girls do those well in E.G. Crazy, even at their most shallow indulgence on the fun of dancing — or dance records, with them borrowing yet another hit for insurance with “Saturday Night,” just like “Rydeen” or “Odoru Pompokorin.” Between “E.G. summer RIDER” and “Pink Champagne,” summer actually might be their season of rule.

E-girls can’t hit home on themes other than dancing in E.G. Crazy. That’s no problem for COOL where it’s strictly centered around dancing the night away. Meanwhile, POP flops past “Fascination.” The chorus, where they try to bank all their charm, sounds haphazardly put together in “Kikaijikake no Bye! Bye!” and “Strawberry Sadistic.” Smacked in the middle of such a misshapen disc, it’s a wonder why “Fascination” couldn’t make the COOL side.

But it’s not like E-girls were ever too precious with format. Just last year, they released E.G. Smile, a best-of collection which already included five of the songs from Crazy. “Pink Champagne” and “E.G. summer RIDER” — two of my favorite from this album — were standalone singles. Other than “Fascination,” there’s really none here to keep that weren’t already available.

[5]

Other records I checked out in the mean time…

April — Prelude

Chief Keef — Two Zero One Seven

Code Orange — Forever

Deradoorian — The Expanding Flower Planet

Dillinger Escape Plan — Disassociation

Every Little Thing — Everlasting; Eternity; Every Little Singles+3

Fleetwood Mac — Mirage

Jefe — The World Is Yours EP

Lil Boosie & Webbie — Ghetto Stories

Linda Ronstadt — Heart Like a Wheel

Luniz — Operation Stackola

M.O.P. — Firing Squad

Macra Izumi — Identity

PASSPO — Beef or Chicken?

Quruli — Sayonara Stranger

RADWIMPS — Kimi no Na Wa soundtrack

Ringo Shiina & Neko Saito — Heisei Fuuzoku

Teklife — VIP Trax

UGK — Super Tight

The xx — I See You

Yumi Arai — MISSLIM