#literally the second half of the chorus just ....yeah what is that?

[cosmicgesture]

okay but the English translation of A World Without Danger bugs me so so so much. It doesn't even have the phrase in the english version while it DOES in the original french!!

[bibewilderedandbuck]

Buck goes out to get food or restock after a particularly rigorous ""work out"" session and it just happens to be at the same time as some idiot decides to rob the place.

Buck is kneeling down because hes looking for Tommy's favorite gatorade flavor. They have all the popular flavors at eye level but if you're looking for dark red, you have to stoop down. Homophobic, and during pride month.

He hears the commotion and of course his hero complex kicks in. But he doesn't wanna spook the guy cause he knows how he looks. Massive and buff and a firefighter and everyone at this place knows him too, he lives right down the road (or maybe the drug store is one the first level of his apartment). He goes to send a quick text to Tommy, when the guy with the gun demands all their phones. Buck gets out "911" and turns on his location. He stays low to the floor but makes himself known. Gets the gun trained on himself instead of anyone else because that's just who buck is.

The robber is getting desperate and every time bucks phone pings he gets more and more jumpy.

“Whose needy ass boyfriend wont stop blowing up their phone?”

Buck raises a shaky hand. He opens his mouth to say something but before he can get it out-

The store clerk high-fives him and tells him he’s proud of him. “It was only a matter of time, man. He went through all the women of LA and he just moved on to the men.”

A chorus of “Oooh come on!” “That’s biphobic” “ew gross” “not cool” ring out among the other hostages. Buck’s cheeks are burning. The mix of positive and negative reinforcement creating chaos in his head.

“You really should consider letting us go.” He says to the man with the gun. Buck takes a risk and stands to his full height and the other man’s eyes widen. “My boyfriend is bigger than I am. He's waiting for me and we weren’t done.” He holds up a box of condoms and the gatorade and someone hoots behind him.

It’s then that the sirens start. Someone shouts instructions through a bullhorn. Buck isn't listening, he's determined to get everyone out before himself. He calmly explains that out there is one of the most fiercely protective police sergeants he's ever met.

"And her first priority is not going to be you." Buck motions his raised hand to the other people in the store and says, "let them go and I can help you."

The voice amplified by the horn sounds more desperate by the second and when did the fucking fire department get here?

The armed man send everyone out, except buck, who he now holds in front of him with the barrel of the gun tucked snugly against his spine. Buck can feel it shiver against his skin.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone."

"I- I know," Buck says. The guy cowers behind him and he curses his height because if anyone was a fantastic human shield its Evan Buckley.

There's a new voice coming through the bullhorn now and Buck groans. Its Tommy and he's telling Buck the whole teams here and he's going to be alright. He sounds desperate and scared and Buck just wants to wrap his arms around the man and tell him its going to be OK.

"The boyfriend?" the guy asks and Buck almost laughs. He lets out a shaky breath.

"Yeah, needy right?"

"Listen man, I made a mistake. I'm in a lot of trouble but I never wanted anything like this." Buck nods. "My baby is sick and I'm broke. I just needed some cash and some formula."

Buck groans. He's too nice for his own good.

"There's an exit in the back."

"What?"

"In the back room I've seen them take in deliveries that way." He can hear the guy shuffle and then stop.

"Should I hit you?"

"What?" Buck peaks over his shoulder, the guy is half way to the door at the back of the store and still he's completely shielded by Buck's body. Seriously he should have been a bodyguard or something.

"I mean...it'll look like you just let me go?"

"This isn't a movie? I- I'm literally being held hostage, dude."

"Right." He turns away from Buck and then stops again. Buck is holding his breath. "Thanks man. I know this is fucked up and you didn't have to help me. You're a good guy."

Then he's gone.

Buck's not sure how to react. He did it, he saved everyone and himself and oddly the whole thing feels like a dream. Unreal. He walks slowly to the door of the shop and exits with his hands still in the air. Eddie is the first to hug him, barreling right into him and smacking his back into the glass of the window. He's checking over Buck for injuries and squinting inside the store and he seems confused.

"Where'd he go?"

Buck shrugs. "Went to the back and never came out."

Athena is next, she too gives him a once over, lets him know she can take his statement tomorrow and motions to the rest of the crew. They give him one resounding bone crushing group hug. Buck's warm and smiley but he still feels not here.

Finally, Tommy ambles out from behind the police car. He's thrown on a hoodie and sweats and he's vibrating on the balls of his feet. Buck see's the same expression on his face that must be reflected on Buck's. He reaches out to Tommy and Tommy clutches at him. The hug starts off timid until Buck hears a few pops in his back and Tommy is taking a deep breath in at his temple.

The world falls back into place like they've hit the bottom of a drop of an amusement park ride. His feet feel solidly on the ground and his stomach finally drops. His knees nearly buckle. At some point Buck had known he wasn't in danger, but it didn't feel that way. It felt like he was never going to talk to his family again, he would never see Hen or Eddie or Bobby...or Tommy. There is so much he wants to say but his breath is shaky and his hands won't release Tommy's shoulders.

"Do you want to be alone?" Tommy asks. Because of course he asks. No Buck has never wanted to be alone less. He feels like if he lets go of the man in his arms he's going to float into the atmosphere and dissipate. Like he's only tethered here by Tommy's hands.

"No," Buck says. He takes a grounding breath in, his chest bumping Tommy's. "I- I want to go home."

[eddieismypimp]

My love, are you okay?

Chapter 1: I haven't seen you around before

Wanings: definite grammar errors, cussing, cringe lowkey, probably major spelling errors. nothing to major or serious. That will be happening in the later chapters.

A/N: This is quite literally terrible but maybe it's because I'm rusty. I haven't wrote in a while. I hope you guys enjoy anyway and I hope it gets better in the future chapters.

My POV:

Five days. It's been five days since I officially moved to the little, weird town of Nockfell. Five days since I started my job at the record store, and five days since I've had any interaction with anyone I actually ENJOYED conversing with. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I made the decision to move out on my own, I love my job, but I didn't realize how lonely I would be with no one here. Today has been especially excruciating considering my manager only had me scheduled today and there's only been two customers. I looked at the clock... I still had an hour and a half until I can clock out and go home to cuddle with my cat Dior. She was a cute, fluffy black cat. She's a cuddle bug too. I slumped over the desk with a groan. I would kill to be at home relaxing with Dior right now.... Just as I was daydreaming about being home in my comfy bed, watching netflix, I heard the chime of the front door. Oh thank god. I thought, standing up straight, looking towards the door. I saw a group of about 5 people walk in. "Hi guys!" I said. Getting a chorus of hey's, and hi's in return. "Welcome in, let me know if there's anything you need help with" I say. "Alright, thank you!" A guy with long brown hair responded barely even acknowledging my existence as they explored the store. "No problem!" I said, walking around the store, putting records away, pretending that I had been working the whole time. I took some time to observe the people who came in. There was a guy with long brown hair, a boy with dark skin with his arm around the shoulders of a boy with bright orange hair, a pale girl with long dark brown hair and a very pale guy with long blue hair and.... a mask? I looked at the person in interest and confusion. Then they spoke to the guy with the brown hair. "Larry look, they have it!" He said holding up a record, I couldn't see the artist though. Damn... he's got a deep voice.... lowkey got some muscle to him too... I don't know if this is my mask kink talking but he's kinda fine..."Hell yeah!" The guy he called Larry shouted, walking over to him. I decided to walk over to the two, maybe I could even make friends with them so I wouldn't be so lonely here. I doubt it though, I'm absolutely terrible at making conversation. "Hey, you guys finding everything okay?" I asked with a smile. You couldn't have thought of anything more basic? I thought, scolding myself internally. They paused for a moment, both giving me a once over. A few seconds go by neither one of them saying anything until the guy with brown hair nudges the guy with blue hair with his elbow. He cleared his throat. "Oh, uh, yeah. We're good." He says. Damn...I thought, Boring ass response. "Okay." I say with a smile and beginning to walk off, accepting the fact that these people probably did not want to be bothered by the worker. "Uh, wait.." I heard one of them say. I turned around. "What's up?" I asked politely.

Sal's POV:

Larry, Neil, Todd, Ashley and I decided to go to the record store today. Sanity's Fall released a new album a couple days ago and we were hoping the record store would have it. We were greeted as soon as we walked in. We all let out a hey, or a hi. I looked over to see who the voice was connected to and my breathe hitched. Holy shit.....I've never seen her before...she's gorgeous... "Welcome in, let me know if there's anything you need help with" She says. "Alright, thank you!" Larry responded, going to walk in the opposite direction. "Larry," I said walking up to him. "What's up?" He asked looking through records. "Bro, look at the worker, shes so hot." I said pointing to where she was standing putting some records away. She had brown skin, black super curly hair, a lip piercing, both sides of her nose done, her septum done, her eyebrow... multiple tattoos on her arms and legs. She was wearing a maroon corset, black skirt with two chains hanging from it, and black platforms. My god.. Larry chuckled. "She is hot bro, go get her man, go talk to her." Larry said nudging me towards her. "No man... she's way to hot for me." I said pushing him back. "Shut up." He said laughing. Then we split off into our own directions looking for the Sanity's fall record. After barely even a minute of looking I found the Sanity's fall record. "Larry look, they have it!" I said. "Hell yeah!" Larry said walking over to me. "Hey, you guys finding everything okay?" I heard. I turned my head. I knew it was her but I was still taken by surprise to see her standing so close. I took her in, seeing her piercings and tattoos up close. I saw a tattoo of a pumpkin on her wrist and bats going up her arm. There was alot more but those are the main ones that caught my eye. I didn't realize I was just staring until Larry nudged me. I cleared my throat. "Oh, uh, yeah. We're good." I say, internally cursing myself for that boring ass response. "Okay." She said with a smile, turning to walk away. I couldn't let her walk away, I had to say something. . "Uh, wait.." I say nervously. Nice one dumbass.. She turned around! Thank god. "What's up?" She asked politely. Think Sal, come on... "Are you from here? I haven't seen you around before?" I asked. She smiled. "No, I'm not from here," She said, "I actually just moved here like five days ago." "Oh, that's cool!" I said a little to enthusiastically, "Do you have family or friends here?" I hope she doesn't think that was creepy.

My POV:

"Do you have family or friends here?" He asked me. I smiled slighlty, glad he's attempting to continue the conversation but also not knowing if I should answer truthfully or not. Considering I still didn't even know his name. Yes he's hot but he's still a whole ass stranger. Fuck it.."Nope," I decided to answer truthfully, "I decided to move out on my own. I don't know why I chose somewhere with absolutely no one that I know." I say, nervously chuckling. He chuckled a little too. I noticed that the Larry guy had walked away to join his other friends and left the blue haired guy here alone to converse with me. "Doesn't that get lonely though?" He asked sounding genuinely concerned. I sighed. "Yeah, it does get pretty lonely, and boring," I say, "It's just my cat and I." "You have a cat?!" He asked excitedly. "Yes! Her name is dior." I said with a smile. "I have a cat too, his name is Gizmo." He said. "Awww, I love cats." I said in adoration. "I do too," He said, "So, whats your name?" He asked, he semed a little nervous or anxious. Glad I'm not the only one. "My name is y/n," I said, sticking my hand out. This feels way to formal, why the hell did I stick my hand out... "My name is Sal." He said, thankfully taking my hand in his and shaking it, making me feel less awkward. "Hi Sal." I said sweetly. "Hi y/n." He mocked in a playful way making me chuckle a bit. "Well.. if you ever need someone to hang out with or something... my friends and I would be down.." He said, looking down, putting a hand on the back of his neck. I damn near let out a squeal. Fuck yeah.. thank you god. Okay, okay y/n, compose yourself. Keep your cool. "Uh, yeah," I said smiling, "I would love that!" To enthusiastic girl come on now...He chuckled. "Cool.. can I have your number?" He asked, holding out his phone to me. "Sure." I said, taking the phone from him and putting my number in. He took his phone back. "I guess I'll be texting you." He said. "I hope so." I said, looking him up and down, trying to sound flirty. Hopefully that was sexy and not dumb as shit. "Y-yeah," He said, turning to go join his friends again. "I'll see you." "Yeah, I'll see you." I said, walking back to the register.

Sal's POV:

I actually asked for her number, fuck yeah. Go Sal. "I guess I'll be texting you." I said, trying to sound confident. "I hope so." She said looking me up and down. My god that was sexy. "Y-yeah," I said. Goddamn stuttering. "I'll see you." I said, turning around to head back to everyone. "Yeah, I'll see you." She said with that sweet voice of hers. Fuck... my jeans are tight...

[niunaix]

scars by the crane wives perfectly mirrors the albatrio in such specific ways???

like of course the line “maybe born in a storm beneath an angry sky” is perfect to gillion and the prophecy, but also so is everything else in that verse. the first line, “i’m not the person that i thought i was. i couldn’t tell you where the ache came from” describes his journey on the surface. he went from being the clear champion with an exact destiny to his own person and i don’t know if he could pinpoint the moment his destiny became uncertain. was it the moment he emerged? when he spoke to the tree? when he grew to be friends with oversea creatures?

now, i think the second verse is a little less clear on comparisons HOWEVER i think it could be seen as describing jay. the first line, “all the love, all the kindness, all your best laid plans couldn’t stop me from becoming the way i am” could be seen as a reference to jay’s mother. despite how kind her mother is and the rigid upbringing she was given, that clear path to being a navy soldier, she still became a pirate. her family sinks everything they have into making sure all of their children become incredible navy soldiers, but it still didn’t work. the love and kindness line is a little bit of a stretch when referring to jay’s upbringing but like…. her mother was good?? kind of?? i’m struggling on an exact comparison for the second half of the verse so i am going to move on.

i’m gonna tackle the chorus last cause i think those lines are a mix of things, but verse three is, of course, going to be chip. right of the bat the lines, “i’m not the person that i thought i was. i’m trying to come to terms with what you’ve done” feels like chip’s journey into becoming a better person. he always thought he would just be the bastard, pissing off the people around him, lying to get what he wants, but jay and gill have changed him. overtime he’s slowly become a better and more supportive friend to them in ways i don’t think he fully comprehends. he’s always had the hardest time shaking his old habits and getting over that he’s not just some pirate. in the last lines of the verse “i’m still burning like a tire fire deep down inside. oh i’m burning like a tire fire and i don’t know why” it reminds me of his constant need to find arlin. that fire that was lit in him as a child, that fire that led him to becoming a pirate is still burning, but there’s not a real reason to go search for him now. chip has everything he could need with his current crew, but because of that deal he still feels this constant need to find arlin. and also his fire powers yada yada that’s an obvious comparison.

the chorus!! i’m using the last version cause it’s the longest, the rest are just variations of the same thing and this post is long enough as it is. right off the bat “cause i was born with a whole in my heart” island of desire, chip gets his heart ripped out. all very obvious links. it’s literally the name of the song they sing while they’re there so i don’t think it needs a lot more explanation. the rest of the chorus, “yeah we were fucked from the start. tell me it’s inevitable that i’d end up with scars from falling down, down. we were always meant to fall apart.” makes me think of them jumping down into the black whirlpool. kinda of an echo of the black rose pirates. the scars line could also be the marks on drey and finn’s backs.

but it could mean nothing who knows.

[dan-whoell]

what are some phancoded songs?

@fryday has covered this a ton recently, but some I doubt anyone else will say:

How Far This Can Go by Bowling for Soup. The chorus??

Let’s take it fast to slow Hold our breath and jump into whatever this is Grab a coat and let it all rain down If we never stop believing, it’s gonna be alright But if we don’t try, we may never know How far this can go

It's very early days, but also every adventure they've had??? Like even as recent as resurrecting the gaming channel, if they hadn't taken the chance on doing that we might not be in the middle of whatever the phagenda is now. I also think about Dan being 18 and still not having coming to terms with his own sexuality, but still jumping into whatever was going to happen with Phil.

By the time the curtain's falling There'll be standing under and screaming out our names Can’t you hear the future calling Will go all the way and never be the same, yeah

I mean. Self explanatory. Makes me cry to think about everything they've built. And I love the love the audience has for them. I can't think about it too long or I end up a pile of goo.

Come Monday by Jimmy Buffett. I grew up listening to this man, I've done a list of some favorites. But this one specifically gives me dnp vibes.

Come Monday, it'll be all right Come Monday, I'll be holding you tight I spent four lonely days in a brown L.A. haze And I just want you back by my side

Again, I think about them in the early days, hanging on every visit and always trying to get back to their bubble together. But also Dan on tour. I wish I could remember who it was that made a post about why now as far as a potential rebrand/launching so hard into joint content again, and the tldr was after wad, Dan coming back and and being like 'Okay. I've done it solo, and I've realized I don't want to do this without you.' And that's the same vibes I get with this song. Being away from each other sucks, and I just want you back by my side.

I can't help it, honey You're that much a part of me now Remember that night in Montana when We said there'd be no room for doubt?

You know. Their lives are so intertwined. Phil literally said our life. They own a house together. They have their own fucking language. They know each other so well. I've said it before but although I don't believe in soulmates, they are the exception to the rule. As for the second half... I mean. Early days. Jump in. See how far this can go.

I hope you're enjoyin' the scenery I know that it's pretty up there We can go hiking on Tuesday With you I'd walk anywhere

It's the idea that everything they've done for 15 years, and everything they will do, they'll do it together. In the sense of a joint endeavour, or just supporting one another in solo projects. Them doing shit they'd never normally do on their own, but they have their soulmate by their side so how bad could it be?

(This one is depressing so apologies in advance)

Haunted by Spanish Love Songs. Sort of a Phil perspective on Dan's struggle with depression.

You're not haunted You just miss everything You're not a cautionary tale So don't you vanish on me

And you're not haunted It's just the devil in your skin It'll be this bleak forever But it is a way to live You're not alone You just miss everything When you're feeling like a ghost Would you come haunt me? Please come haunt me

I'm not gonna say a lot here, but I know what it's like to love someone so fiercely and be heartbroken that they cannot see themselves for who they are. I've also been the person who can't see it. I think a lot about Phil always being there for Dan, and I'd love to hear him talk about the experience of love in those situations. (And if he never does I totally get it, it's private and it's not really our business. Just from a relatability standpoint.)

This is in the same vein but Washington Square Park by The Wonder Years, specifically this:

She said, “I let this slide when we were younger You know you don’t have to write like this The whole world’s full of losers If you get a chance to win, (you should) take it!”

Like. Phil always trying to get Dan in colors. Dan face down on the floor and Phil being there to pick him up and distract him. I love a love song as much as the next guy but this is my bread and butter.

To end on a happier-ish note, Love Will Keep Us Alive by The Eagles.

I was standing, all alone against the world outside You were searching for a place to hide Lost and lonely, now you've given me the will to survive When we're hungry, love will keep us alive

Early days??? Phil being the first person that made Dan feel safe??

Don't you worry Sometimes you've just got to let it ride The world is changing Right before your eyes

Coming out??? Meeting so many queer fans on tour and that being a push to come out themselves?? HELLO??

Now I've found you There's no more emptiness inside When we're hungry, love will keep us alive

I think about the state of things now, how fucking happy they've been since coming back. How different it feels from when they started. There's always been laughs, always been fun, but there is so much joy now. I'm sure I've said it but personally my heart feels so fucking full when I see how far they've come. When I see what they've built for themselves.

Anyway I could go on and on about songs that make me think about dnp, especially stuff that's not top 40's pop or is 30+ years old, but I think I've yapped enough on this particular post.

[babyarmybabbles]

Run ARMY! (1st Game Part) a1 d2

[Caution: These are not full fics, or even full parts of fics for some, these are part of my writing progress archive!]

Concept: Reader won the opportunity to film a spin off of Run BTS! celebrating the boys return from enlistment, called Run ARMY!, over the course of seven days.

Word Count: 954

Notes: This chapter in particular is actually inspired by a SKZ fic on Ao3 but I'm so tired I am not going to go look for it rn. I will probably add it to the inspo list for this chapter when I make an Addition post. Thinking about games and activities for them to do is literally so difficult. Props to the production crew for Run, I could never. Writing large groups is also vv difficult T^T I'm actually pretty content with the writing itself for this chapter. Could use some clarity edits, but everything always can.

Took Inspirations from Run ARMY! series on Tik Tok by _yamanika_ and Guess The Bias! by HelloMyAlien7 on Ao3

Warnings: I don't think there's any?

Masterlist Link <3 | Prev Part Link c: | Next Part Link [Not written D:]

"Before we begin, I would like to apologize to my fellow ARMY" you tell the camera seriously as soon as the PD finishes explaining the rules to you.

You and the boys had been called into the living room of your accommodations after breakfast for the first real game of your trip. It seemed they were mostly theming the games as ones they've done before with the added twist of you. Today’s game? The iconic five sense test.

The group cracks up laughing at your preemptive apology, but you maintain your eye-contact with the camera. "I will be as respectful as physically possible." You promise the dark lens, "Please understand."

You had good reason to preemptively apologize, you thought. ARMY would go feral as soon as this episode aired, you were positive. It wasn't every day one was not only allowed, but encouraged to touch the members of BTS.

That's right, they had rearranged the five sense rest in such a way that it was you against BTS, and the consequence was that you now had to caress each member as little as you could manage and still win the game.

The rules were pretty simple - you'd be blindfolded and the members would take turns approaching you to let you try to identify them by touch. You'd have 50 seconds to guess. If you got a member correct, you'd get a point. If you got it wrong, the boys would get a point.

You think 1 vs 7 is a little unfair, but you suppose that you did represent the millions of ARMYs at home right now. Your team was larger in spirit.

When the members got over their amusement at your impending doom, you took a moment between takes, as the 8 of you settled into position on and around an armchair, to check in that everyone was comfortable. You know you'd filled out an entire questionnaire about what you did and didn't consent to, but that didn't mean you knew that information about the group.

"So, I know I'm OK with this game, but are y'all good?" You question lightly. You're dead serious on the inside, but a little levity went a long way for these sorts of conversations.

It's Jungkook who raises his eyebrow at you. "Yeah, of course." He replies simply, tilting his head at you a bit, as if confused why you'd even ask.

You can't help the half smile that crawls over your face as you explain, "It may be a cultural thing, but I just wanted to make sure you were OK with me touching y'all like that." You pause here, still seeing confusion over most faces, RM and Jin being the only ones to be connecting dots, "Y'know, since we don't really know each other?"

A chorus of enlightenment echoes around the semi-circle of men surrounding you. V in particular seems a bit taken aback, almost like he'd forgotten that you weren't close. Which was silly, because you'd literally met them for the first time yesterday.

j-hope meets your eyes with a kind and encouraging gaze. "We're fine!" He assures you, leveling you with a concerned look of his own, "as long as you are?"

"I assure you, this is a dream come true on my end." You quip, drawing a laugh out of Jimin and a mischievous grin from Jungkook. J-hope just shakes his head at you fondly.

"Seriously though," You continue, "If I'm wandering too far or in directions I shouldn't, just grab my hands to stop me. I'd rather not make anyone uncomfortable." It, in fact, made YOU a lot more comfortable to put the power to stop things in their hands.

You had so much anxiety about respecting their boundaries and it was only day 2. It was tough going from one side of a screen to another.

RM nods agreeably where he's standing and adds, "Sure, and if you get uncomfortable or need a break, just let us know." You sound your agreement to the group's approving nods.

Soon enough Suga was helping you tie a handkerchief over your eyes while you nervously wrung a secondary eye mask between your hands. You'd been handed a cute frog one by a staff member and were quite pleased by its silliness.

You already felt quite vulnerable, blinded as you were. You could feel Suga's fingers deftly tying the handkerchief and resisted a shiver as he gently smooths it and makes you're none of your hair has been caught. You jump a bit when his hand lands on your shoulder.

You feel a split second hesitation before he draws away just to pat you twice in silent signal of the completion of his task and know that he'd noticed. He's kind enough not to mention it, though, and you hope he just puts it down to nerves.

You ARE nervous, of course, of the cameras, and the members, and everything about your situation, basically, but your jumpiness really stems from how unmoored you feel as you slide the face mask on. You're robbed of one of your most relied upon sense and soon to lose a second. You can't help going quiet and still as you listen to the staff and members take their places.

It seems Suga is MCing this episode as he leads the opening and prompts the members to explain what they're up to today. It brings a smile to your face to listen to them banter and you only wish that you could see their accompanying smiles right now.

You assume you've been revealed when Suga calls out to you, so you wave with both hands and try to look more excited than anxious. You're not sure it works.

[lollytea]

LOLLY. I AM SHAKING YOU IN JOY AND PAIN. STRAY ITALIAN GREYHOUND. THIS SONG.

Okay, so I of course stole it off your Hunlow playlist because it's perfect for Hunter and how he sees Willow.

or so I THOUGHT. Until TODAY.

BECAUSWHFHAHHD like,

"I've just settled into the glass half empty made myself at home

And so why now?

Oh, please not now

I just stopped believing in happy endings, harbors of my own"

I know that in FTF Willow only lets herself feel this way for a moment, before Hunter reminds her of who she is BYYY:

"But you had to come along didn't you

Tear down the doors

Throw open windows

Oh, if you knew just what a fool you have made me

So what do I do with this?"

He tore open the doors (vines lol) literally and figuratively! And what is she supposed to do with that?? Fall in love. Obviously. How could you NOT after a cute boy teleports you out of self-loathing and doubt!?

LIKE:

"This sudden burst of sunlight

And me with my umbrella"

I AM NOT OKAY. THIS REVELATION HAS ALTERED MY BRAIN CHEMISTRY.

It still works from Hunter's perspective too, obviously, from like ASIAS onward but after FTF I think it works the other way around too and I just. They're just. PAIN. MY HEART BRO. There are so many other lyrics that fit in the little music video in my head of the two of them but I'm literally on my break at work and need to go LMAO

Sorry for just vomiting in your ask box😂

This is the second time this month I've made somebody go insane over the Stray Italian Greyhound and huntlow combo. Vienna Teng put some fucking CHEMICALS in that song!!! Turns the freakin frogs gay!!!!

And YEAH!!! I added it to the playlist back when I made it after Labyrinth Runners. Because that's what I associated it with at the time!!! Hunter's lost his home, his family, his religion, his identity, his sense of safety. He's LOST everything!!! And he's struggling to come to terms with that. By the time Gus finds him at Hexside, the shock has subsided and he thinks he can be functional now. But he's not okay. He's still got a lot going on mentally and it's messing him up.

But at the same time....hallway blush scene....he has his little "Oh. It's her." moment. And I know that he was very confused in the aftermath of the Hexside incident. And when he's left alone to reflect on what he's feeling he's just "Now?? Are you fucking serious?? We're really gonna do this now??? I just found out I'm not a real person and everybody's gonna die next week, is now REALLY the fucking time???" He has ENOUGH problems!! He doesn't know how to deal with this!! But also he can't help it because while he's fucked up and traumatized, he's also brimming with confusing fizzling teenage hormones and she's Willow Park and it's very overwhelming and scary and doesn't know which way is up or down and he has no idea what he's gonna do about this. Feelings like these demand so much from him and after everything he's been through he really doesn't know if he can stomach it. But she won't give him a moment to catch his breath and he's locked in now and there's nothing he can do about it.

BUT YEAH!!!! I've had that playlist on quite a lot since FTF leaked because I have been so not normal about them. So I have NOTICED that it now applies to multiple different angles. And thinking about the chorus from Willow's perspective during the whole vine scene makes me ILL. And then in the aftermath of that....the vibes of that song are so....terrified yet giddy and overwhelmed yet euphoric. How fucking soft and blushy Willow was after that scene. "Just what a fool you have made me" YEAH!!!!

He IS a sudden burst of sunlight!!!

She IS with her umbrella!!!!

ALSO ALSO ALSO!!! Being a girl who has such a tight reign over her own emotions completely falling victim to loserish behaviour during this part? Ready to fucking combust cuz she is being held so gently.

"What do I do, do I do with a love that won't sit still?

Won't do what it's told"

HATE this song, HATE them!!!!

[clocks-are-round]

aww, i forgot about this. bruh’s great. definitely would love tumblr. enjoy this chaotic teen sibling of caboose. and the other notes that were on the documents. let me know if you guys want more snippets of caboose’s siblings that never made it into full fics (yet?). the reds and blues used their Thanks For Saving Chorus money which does not last any of them long lol

both written november 2021.

——

“Are you one of Caboose’s sisters?”

“More like ‘sibling’. but yeah. I’m Bruh.”

Tucker remembered Caboose mentioning them now. They were the youngest, with their twin, whatever his name was. He couldn’t keep track of all of Caboose’s siblings he had met, let alone the ones he hadn’t. “Bruh, huh? That’s a pretty different name.”

They nodded. “Yea.”

Tucker waited. “So is there a story behind that, or…?”

Bruh tilted their head. “I don’t owe you anything.”

“…You’re trying to make me more curious.”

“Tell you what. Fork over a thousand and you unlock my origin story.”

“A thousand dollars?” Tucker raised his eyebrows. Bold kid.

They rolled their eyes. “Please. I know you guys are all loaded. You wanna know or not?”

“I’ll just ask Caboose.”

“He doesn’t know.”

Was that a bluff? Either way, he wasn’t transferring a thousand dollars to some teen to learn the meaning behind their name.

——

“You’d blackmail a child?”

“So you’re a child now. Ten minutes ago you were trying to weasel a thousand dollars out of me.”

“It’s just the second half of my spawn name.”

“Your spawn name?”

“Yeah. I didn’t vibe with the pre-generated username, so I customized it.”

“…just say you changed your name.”

“Nah.”

“What was your given name?”

“One, rude. Two— thousand dollars.”

“You’re asking for a thousand dollars? You’re trying that again?”

“To know my dead name? No, I said two thousand dollars.”

“Seriously??”

“Hey, I gave a really big hint. Not my fault you’re stupid.”

——

half of caboose’s trans siblings: i mean i don’t mind telling you my dead name as long as you never call me it.

the other half: i mean, you’re never going to call me it so there’s not much point. if caboose gets confused again?— no, he can give a description. and you can figure out who he’s talking about from that. there is literally no reason for you to know my dead name.

bruh: money. then we’ll talk.

tucker: i can’t believe i spent three grand to learn your old name.

bruh: pretty stupid thing to make a big deal out of, huh. costs nothing to not be nosy.

grif: well that’s underwhelming

bruh: *shrugs* well you paid for it

simmons: goddammit! i should’ve been able to figure it out from that hint!

bruh: sucks to suck

simmons: 4 grand to learn my dead name?

bruh: nah.

simmons: 1 grand?

bruh: hey, you made your choice, man

simmons: 50 bucks?

bruh: i don’t waste my money on useless garbage i don’t want

simmons: *sighs*

donut: ooh sounds like a fashion line. [redacted].

bruh: you’re not supposed to say it. Saying it costs extra.

donut: aw shoot.

bruh: well, i’ll go easy on you since you didn’t realize. $200. not again, got it?

donut: *forks it over* man, i should copyright my name. every time someone in the universe says donut? i could make so much money from that.

bruh: hm… i’m gonna buy a train

donut: wut

sarge: dead name? i thought you said you’d make someone dead if i gave you their name. what would i do with your dead name? i’ve already got one and it doesn’t do diddly squat. just rots away with the carcasses of past family pets.

bruh: uhhhh sorry? i’m not gonna give you a refund though, that was on you.

doc: why did i pay for this

bruh: i dunno, man. guess you’re just stupid. i’ll give you a thousand of it back if you mock the others about it mercilessly for a week.

o’malley: *cackles* done!

bruh: except michael. he’s exempt from this mockery.

caboose: ohh yeah, that makes sense

bruh: michael, i was kidding. you can have your money back. but that’s not my name, okay?

caboose: well, duh! your name is Bruh! Like “brother” except you’re not a brother or a sister because you’re extra cool like that!

bruh: heck yes I am.

carolina and wash: *try very hard not to strangle the others. it was their money. it was their choice to collectively give this child 20 grand*

*bruh buys a bunch of train cars & some land and makes a caboose family vacation home out of them*

when caboose gets confused and calls someone by their dead name the others have stopped referring to them as “dead names” because caboose’s immediate reaction is panic that his sibling is dead.

[redscullyrevival]

Vid Notes: You Stupid B****

When first planning to make this vid I was hesitant to use girl in red's "You Stupid Bitch" but after test running a few other songs I eventually convinced myself it was the best option for what I wanted to focus on.

To me, Our Flag Means Death is a series that uses it's setting along with it's varied LGBTQ+ characters to explore messy queerness without coming off as "poor representation".

Everyone is already complicit in social, sexual, moral, whatever ambiguity - they're friggin' pirates. They are all, quite literally, in the same boat with no one singled out by the production as being worse than or more righteous than any others under their flag, ya feel me? Like… Come on, you get it right? Yeaaaah, you get it. *finger guns*

I edit fan vids because I can use the images and narratives of shared stories to create my own dialogues of interest. I make things with the intent of being seen and understood as a person, not just for the sake of presenting a show and going, "Remember when that happened? Yeah, that was cool…" I use media and music to re-direct focus on to what I want to say; and this video is a discussion on how raising our own standard together is what defines love and community, not a series of boxes we need to make sure we're checking - or avoiding.

As such, I really enjoyed the notion that even though we can all recognize calling someone you claim to be perfect for and love a stupid bitch isn't exactly a nice thing to do it is still immensely relatable. I wanted the raw and slightly mean sting of the chorus to aid me in playing with the show's emotionality and humor.

Since fan vids typically operate the same way normal music videos do it is always easier to edit to a song as though it is representing a particular character; by either being about them or insinuating through the edit they're in 'possession' of the singing voice.

Desperate to avoid accidentally presenting the show's messy queerness as something one sided I have tried my best to edit in a way that express a mutually held voice between the two main characters.

Quickly establishing and then maintain throughout the vid that Blackbeard and Bonnet are both calling the other a stupid bitch (that both are 'singing' the song to each other) required imagery consistency on a level I have rarely aimed for. I couldn't show Blackbeard more or less than I did Bonnet and most importantly I couldn't arrange footage in a way that would emotionally direct one as being more present than the other within the lyrical rhythm.

Our Flag Means Death is an incredibly tight production which is a blessing in that shots are composed with great consistency and the editing holds an even pace across both seasons, making it a series that is easy to pluck clips from. It is not however a series with a lot of fat and with 18 episodes total I found myself running into footage spacing issues by the time I had finished laying down the first minute of the song.

Blah blah no one gives a shit - all I'm sayin' is that this wasn't easy to make, yeah?

This vid required a lot of footage wrangling and trying out 20 something combos of clips for 7 seconds of song over and over and over. Which, ya know, I suppose that's the hobby at the end of the day but this particular project was wrought with microscopic footage management that got me lost in the sauce. I'm happy to have pulled through with the help of my beta viewer Lee who may not have had any choice in the matter but I would still like to thank all the same.

On top of all that (lmfao) I also REALLY wanted the majority of this vid to fall in line with how I've had to edit for my non-cannon same sex ships in the past, culminating in a sort of switcharoo gotcha for no real reason other than my own amusement.

Boring bits for posterity:

About five days planning

Week and a half of editing

Probably like half a bottle of Dry Eyes

Only spent two days coming to terms with the indifference for which my work will be met (most of my stuff has not cleared this hurtle in recent years)!

Deepest point is five layers

[fff777]

reaction to nct dream smoothie dance practice behind the scenes

now that i'm actually watching them practise, the second half of the chorus is actually quite busy despite the fact that it looks so simple. the movements are simple but big.

a dream practice is not complete without hugs

renjun was saying how the dance felt rushed and yeah, i feel that now that i'm watching the practice. i think it's possibly because the beat is faster than i realized.

suddenly slickback challenge

practising the dance during jeno's rap in the second verse >3

mark jamming to the vocal part of verse 2

renjun wanting to be horizontal after practising second verse

renjun throwing out ideas for second chorus

so they're actually discussing what formation would be good for second chorus. i wonder if that part was choreographed at all and they want something different, or if it wasn't choreographed yet

jeno bringing up how it would look in video form vs on stage

mark bringing up the question of whether they want the second chorus to look cool, or if they want to keep the smoothie gesture

haechan called jeno cute and mans did not appreciate it ^^;;

also mark's pants look like pajama pants i'm sorry

just can't help but hug puppy <3

mark sneezing at the side in the middle of the dance still going on XD

mark is feeling it

my marksung <3

is mark starting to get the jisung cute aggression? that being said mark is clingy with everyone he finds cute :3

renjun: dancing jeno: uuUUUuuughghghghg jaemin: on his way to slap someone's ass

jisung was feeling this part

chenle: suffering

it's fun that haechan is often the one to shout cues when they're dancing. we saw that in the istj dance practice video but i've seen it a couple of times here now.

chenle is literally the woman squinting meme

i always think about how we are getting only the highlights. this was a tough dance and while they are professionals who are probably more used to learning dances than the average person, i still respect that they definitely put a lot of hours in to getting there performance to where it is as we know it.

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Had a dream about a magic school AU. Like... Literally my school but with magic and with Roxy as a protag because Blorbo. She was the only one in the school without magic so every magic lesson, she'd literally just take a nap on the desk. What else is she gonna do?

But also I dreamed how she was compensating for not having magic. She was mixing chemicals into explosives to win fights and like... Yeah it's kinda hard to argue against the dog with Potion of Kaboom™️

However, because it was a dream, my brain combined the Glams with the cast of Ni No Kuni 2 and got very confused when I woke up because the Kuni 2 cast actually fit a magic environment but FNaF guys do not lmao

There was also a bit where Roxy not having magic means naturally, she doesn't rely on it to solve problems. So while everyone was given the task of making a candle go out without blowing on it, she just. Stared in absolute bafflement as everyone around her immediately dove to figuring out spells that extinguish flames. Instead of just. Water. From the tap. Right next to them.

She decided to freak them out a bit for fun and when the teacher asks for volunteers to come forward to show what they've come up with, she immediately puts her paw up and gets called on. She wets her paw under the tap before anyone has their attention on her, walks up to the candle at the front desk, turns so everyone can see, says all professional "Today, I've learned..." pauses and then... just pinches the flame out. Literally just pinches the wick between the paw pads on her fingers and it goes out immediately. "That you guys are idiots." And walks back to her seat in silence with a smirk.

Naturally, a bunch of kids are yelling that she can't just do that what the fuck?! But she did just do that. It took her half a second to do what's taken all of them a good forty minutes to figure out at least. Teacher asks how she knew that would work and she just "you can't have a flame without oxygen. Obviously." and you get a chorus of "WHAT" and "WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?!" She's so damn smug about it lmao these people make showing off too easy sometimes.

Like sure, she physically can't pass a mandatory magic exam unless she's able to figure out ways around it, but she can at least fuck around in lessons lmao. She tried skipping them but they started getting on her family with all the typical mandatory attendance shit so she has to go now :/ she just sleeps in them or fucks with people for fun since everyone likes to flaunt their magic on her every day anyway. Eat shit assholes she knows how to put fire out with minimal effort!

I think there was also a bit about her trying to convince teachers that a non-magic sports club would be a good idea?? And failing miserably because they just don't see the value in a magic school with non-magic sports. Thinking now, she could probably make her own club after school but probably wouldn't get that much traction with it... Resenting her family and teachers and every power that be forever because she could be a top student and could be doing amazing in school if she was just in a non-magic focused one. But she's stuck here and it sucks.

I don't know where I'd go with the story but eh it's neat I like it! Definitely different to my normal stuff!

[fonkeloog]

Britt's music things (deluxe edition)

Up All Night

○ Artist: One Direction

○ Release date: May 25th, 2012

○ Duration: 1 hour and 3 minutes

○ Overall rating: 6.2/10

○ Bubblegum pop and sad ballads

What Makes You Beautiful: 10/10

Listen. I don’t care what anyone says. This song is a banger and I refuse to hear anything else.

Are the lyrics questionable? Yes.

“You’re insecure” Thanks? Very nice

“Everyone else in the room can see it / Everyone else but you”

 Gotta Be You: 2/10

Oh god these lyrics.

They’re confessing to breaking the girls heart, and then ask for another chance?

Aaaah manipulation. “And if you walk away, I know I’ll fade / Cause there is nobody else.”

“Now, Girl, I hear it in your voice and how it trembles” sir… that- that is not a good thing.

THIS SONG IS WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS HAHAHAHA WHAT IS THIS.

Can’t deny that it’s a banger tho.

 One Thing: 10/10

A bop.

If you don’t dance to this song while drunk, are you really drunk?

I would bet my left knee that 99% of the world population knows at least half of the lyrics to this song.

“I need that one thing, and you’ve got, that one thing.”

The guitars at the start are iconic, and when the drums start you just know what’s about to happen.

 More Than This: 5/10

Aaaand back to the sad songs we go.

None of the songs on this album are written by the boys, but whoever wrote them had just gone through a big heartbreak.

“If I’m louder, would you see me?” this line does hurt a little bit

The chorus is a bop, but the lyrics are too sad

 Up All Night: 9/10

This song makes me want to jump on a table and dance.

Classic party song.

I do like the way this album is ordered: happy, sad, happy, sad, happy

“I wanna stay up all night / And jump around until we see the sun / I wanna stay up all night / And find a girl and tell her she’s the one.”

 I Wish: 7/10

We keep the change in theme going.

Sad lyrics, melody is a bop!

“Oh how I wish that was me” but as they sing this all I want to do is dance around the room?

“Whenever you kiss him / I’m breaking” this line has no right being as big of a bop as it is.

The ending is so sad but the vibes of this song are great.

 Tell Me a Lie: 9/10

“Tell me I’m a screwed up mess / That I never listen, listen. / Tell me you don’t want my kiss / that you need your distance, distance / tell me anything but don’t say he’s what you’re missing, baby / if he’s the reason that you’re leaving me tonight / spare me what you think, and / Tell me a lie”

This chorus is such great one. It is sad, but very upbeat and I love it.

The bridge. Zayn’s voice. That’s it. That’s the review.

 Taken: 2/10

Ugh.

No.

I hate this song so much.

The only reason it gets a 2 is because it’s catchy and I can’t help but sing along.

 I Want: 10/10

Lyrics are, once again, very questionable.

It is a fucking bop tho….

Once again, Zayn and his vocals during the bridge are *chef’s kiss*

Also can we just take a second to appreciate louis basically carrying this song with his backing vocals?

 Everything About You: 5/10

Bubblegum pop to the max

The chorus is catchy and literally the only reason this song gets a 5/10

 Same Mistakes: 3.6/10

Very repetitive.

Putting this song on the album was a mistake.

I’m trying really hard to think of something positive to say but my mind is very empty.

 Save You Tonight: 6/10

This is a bop, but it’s also a skip.

I said what I said.

 Stole My Heart: 6.1/10

Every song in 2012 ever made sounds like this.

The chorus do be catchy.

Yeah no, I get why I liked this album when I was younger, but it’s not doing anything for me now.

 Stand Up: 4/10

The rating is mainly because of the emotional attachment I have regarding this album.

I don’t like this song, but I used to love it.

It would literally break 2012 Britt if I rated this any lower.

 Moments: 9/10

Did I really just rate this 9/10 solely because of the chorus? Yes. Yes, I did.

I couldn’t care less about this song if it wasn’t for the chorus. It is genuinely the saving grace.

Also, Louis sounds so young in this. They all do, but Louis’ voice just…. Gah.

Another World: 1/10

I hate this song.

It’s catchy, but the first verse just annoys me so much.

I am aware this is a controversial opinion, but this album sucks so much

NEXT

 Na Na Na: 10/10

Now this is a great song to end with.

It’s super original in the chorus

“We go na, na, na / Then we’re like yeah, yeah, yeah / Always like na, na, na / Then we’re like yeah, yeah, yeah”

So inspiring, much wow

 I Should Have Kissed You: 3/10

No. no you should not have kissed her.

Let the girl move on

Urgh

-------------------------------------------------------

Summary: bubblegum-pop and teenage heartbreak

God. I used to love this album when I was younger. It has some bops still, but my god. No. This is not an album I'd put on to just listen to because I like it.

[wackus-bonkus-maximus]

I finally finished reading odnlb! It was quite a ride, worth all the spoilers. To celebrate, I'm gonna risk my rep and give you an attempt at a song analysis with "Absolutely Anything" by CG5 (feat. OR3O). Yep, it's another duet. I just think it suits Adrien around Lila. Or to a lesser degree, Gabe around Lila. Both Agreste men are strung along by Lila, but I'm just gonna use Adrien for this one.

The male parts are about a guy trapped in a situation he can't escape. The first two stanzas neatly summarizes Adrien's situation. He's in the depths of dark despair, he can't succeed. He'll never be the same again after everything he's seen.

"She's here and there and everywhere" is an interesting line to me considering Lila, and finally reading chapter 28, well shit. And the part where he sings "I can hear you calling" and begging "won't you set me free?" is practically Adrien anytime Gabe (or rather Lila?) calls on him.

"I'll do anything, anything

Anything that you need me to do

Absolutely anything for you"

The part of the chorus doesn't feel like it's about Lila, rather, Maribug... but Lila sure wants it to be about her instead, as with lyrics sung by the female later on going:

"You'll do anything, anything

Anything I ask you to do

But you don't have a clue"

This part sums up Lila's manipulations around Adrien. Man, did I mention how creepy the female parts are like? The way she seems so blaise about the male's suffering? And seems to be in control of every horrible thing happening to him? Hmm...

"I will be aware of the ink, swim or sink

Watching out for anything out of the blue

But this nightmare's coming true"

This is the second half of the male's chorus. Adrien did everything he could to be careful but there's nothing he could do to stop the worst of it from happening anyway.

The rest of the song feels like a prediction, especially around the female's parts. My interpretation is just my speculation for your fic so it should be taken with a grain of salt.

"I'm falling apart, I'm falling" is a lyric shared by the male and female singers but there're different contexts for each. The male is falling apart as he begs the person calling on him to set him free. The female on the other hand, followed this part with the lyrics, "this body I must renew"... this part of the analysis gets a little more into my speculations.

Just as Adrien is falling apart using Cataclysm on himself to break free, what if Lila is also falling apart as well from overusing her powers? With the fox's illusions, she could cover it up easily (externally, she can glam herself up. Internally if she's in pain, she can give herself the illusion of being in perfect health). With a wish, that's one of the things she could fix while sacrificing say, Maribug.

(The next lyrics may be familiar to those who have a tiktok... so for the cringe this may cause, I am so sorry)

"I used to be so beautiful

Now look at me

My actions are undutiful

It's clear to see"

This is what'll happen to her rep if she gets exposed to the public once she's defeated... but what if this were more literal? Evidence of her abuse of the miraculous' powers leaving a toll on her body her illusions could no longer cover up? She's already hiding her appearance in general, she's probably not as pretty as she presents herself either way.

"Have you ever wondered what heaven is like?"

"I don't think I'll ever get to see it."

(Yeah bitch. You aint welcome there.)

"Are you ready to ascend, my little errand boy?

The heavens are waiting"

Kidding aside, I think heaven here is everything she believes she's entitled to: fame, riches, Adrien... She does not deserve anything, but she wants it all, and she'll use anyone to get them.

And finally the song ends with "this nightmare's coming true, look what you've got yourself into". Even if she's clearly the one pulling the strings, Lila would totally blame the victim for getting strung along by her. Be it Adrien, Gabriel, Felix... it's not her fault she played them like her flute.

oh my goodness, eris! i'm blown away by your insight and observation skills!

this song goes almost as hard as your analysis.

first of all, i'm so glad you enjoyed odnlb so far! it's definitely one of the largest stories i've written, and all the backstory only adds to that. secondly, i'm so struck by how adrien and lila this song is!

i love the contention in this song that incorporates hers and marinette's enmity. they're fighting over adrien, yes, but it's a battle for his life and livelihood. i think the female singer's parts do a great job of conveying lila's creepy possession, and the male's verses are acutally so horrifyingly sad. he's really trapped with this monster of a woman, and one who wants to possess him wholly--adrien's worst fear.

when i read your speculation, i immediately opened my notes app. let's just say, some of the things you said in your prediction were 👍🏼👀✨ it's clear you've been paying very close attention to the story and that made me grin an evil grin like monarque with all the miraculous.

lastly, "I think heaven here is everything she believes she's entitled to: fame, riches, Adrien… She does not deserve anything, but she wants it all, and she'll use anyone to get them" really made my jaw drop. this is so, so good! lila is certainly not a spiritual or religious person, and the heaven she envisions is exactly that perfect life you described. it's why she's doing what she's doing. she thinks she can obtain paradise by having all those things she wants, and that's why she squashes anything or anyone that comes into opposition of that. rip nathalie.

ty for the song rec it's perfect!

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Songs of the Summer, 2023: #12

[intro & rules]

Hard by SHINee (June 26, 2023)

say i can’t have nice things, but i'm laughing  when i do. guess i’m here now, laughing,   guess i’m loud and quiet and forgetful and- oh, there’s everything!  words and words and words  was i ever quiet?  i must have been, once, but remembering  is beyond me today.   maybe one day, when i need an excuse for words, i’ll remember.

--

Since everyone’s been complaining about the NCT-ification of SHINee, can putting this on the list count as me liking an NCT song? I haven’t really liked anything from the main NCT units in a while, so I’ll take what NCT-enjoyer cred I can get! 

I deserve extra points, too—it's the vocal-less chorus, half of which is as big-shouty-boy-group as it gets, that's my favorite part (see? we girl group stans aren't always predictable! yes, twice and red velvet are my first and third most streamed artists in my spotify history, but MY POINT STILL STANDS I PROMISE—). Do I think “hard like a criminal” is an iconically bad line, especially because it’s completely unrelated to the rest of the chorus? Yes. Like why would you put that in the chorus, so we have to hear it multiple times, and then MAKE IT THE LITERAL FIRST LINE IN THE CHORUS, RIGHT AFTER THE TITLE DROP, SO I CAN’T NOT NOTICE IT?? WHY DO YOU HATE ME ??? But SHINee, as usual, can sell just about anything with their vocal & rap performances (everyone say thank you to Taemin for that first chorus!!), and I’m perfectly happy to be whisked away on the super-cool synthy organ thing that comes to our rescue in the second half of each chorus—most of the time, I’m distracted enough to avoid thinking about what kind of criminal, exactly, SHINee think goes hard. (Arsonists? Hell yeah, I’ll buy it. But crypto scammers? Also criminals, but definitely not hard-going.)

It’s hard (haha) not to compare this new title track to “Don’t Call Me”, the previous episode of SHINee goes NCT and the kpop world explodes. I actually feel pretty affectionately towards “Don’t Call Me”—it’s catchy, and that piano at the end is awesome. Unfortunately, the production is (almost impressively) irritating, and even some of the most widely-loved vocalists in kpop can’t cover it up. When I (rarely) listen to “Don’t Call Me”, I can’t help but notice those chair-scooching noises in the background, like I’m in a third grade classroom with a bunch of bored kids; the weird fly-buzzing; and, worst of all, the high percussion that stands out like a sore thumb against the lower tones of the rest of the instrumental (it’s like they go out of their way to make that ugly percussion louder than the vocalists—like, they do realize what people love SHINee for, what’s made them so iconic even to newer kpop fans, right?… right?). 

Especially in comparison, the production in “Hard” is really impressive. For one, they made a great choice bringing a piano in right at the beginning—and while the piano is the main twist in “Don’t Call Me” when it appears during the bridge, “Hard” finds a different way to surprise us in the bridge, and it’s awesome. All “Hard” really needed to do to make my list, though, was just be a regular, not-irritating song so that SHINee can do their being-awesome thing in peace, and it did that just fine. So, I’m sold on this comeback! HARD LIKE A CRIMINAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[voxiiferous]

🌊🌊🌊!!!!

Send me a “🌊” and I’ll put my muses playlist on shuffle and do a deep dive on why I like that song for them. | @heavensxstray

Desire - Meg Myers

...well this might get dark. Consequences of shuffle I suppose. My apologies! And... yeah, I think this whole thing can go under the read more.

I think the best place to start with is the sound: there is a sense of forboding to the initial beat. The clapping is a bit of a sharp sound, and even the music itself does not fall into the light, happy, and airy quality of a lot of romance songs. Even before the lyrics begin, the emotional response is aiming for somewhat ominous. This is not a song that gently lowers you into the darker undercurrents, even if those do become more obvious later on.

Most of my Vox playlist does not revolve heavily around his relationship to Valentino, there's a select few songs, some of which are more fun, like 'We Are Never Getting Back Together'. That, while accurate, reflects the more superficial aspects of their relationship, as presented to the city and on social media. What Desire does, is strips the presentable aspects away.

The first line is "Baby, I wanna touch you", not love, but physical, even if it is couched within the term of endearment, with the intent to soften it. The second line raises more questions-- "I wanna breathe into your will". Here, the seeming affection feels secondary to a much more possessive nature, something only reinforced by the following line, "See, I gotta hunt you". Not only is this possessive, but dangerous. No longer is this the casual want, but a mandatory need-- the intensity of desire belies the more pressing desire.

The specific reference of breathe is incredibly evocative for my version of Vox, something that can be visualized in this art. Valentino has quite literally breathed his way into Vox's entire system. His filtration system, while good, can only do so much about the onslaught of smoke.

Something you see with Vox and Valentino is a sort of mutual worsening. Neither party is saying 'I can make him better', but rather, "I gotta bring you to my hell". This line takes on new connotation when the involved parties are, quite literally, in Hell to start. A recurring them in Vox's relationship with Val is this idea that 'yes it may be bad, but I deserve it', or 'yes it may be bad, but this is Hell, expecting happiness is naive'. Even in a Hell that offers them as much freedom as Pentagram City does, this is not a fulfilling, happy relationship.

The next line in the verse, initially feels like the first line repeated, saying "Baby, I wanna fuck you". In much the same way that abusive relationships tend to get worse, here a similar progression can be noted. Touch is replaced with fuck, more crass, less personal, less affectionate. In fact, the whole second half of the verse feels like a mutated reprisal, as it continues on as:

I wanna feel you in my bones Boy, I'm gonna love you I'm gonna tear into your soul

Love is juxtaposed between these two images, unable to stand alone as something that feels genuine, but more as an afterthought. In Vox's relationship, that rings true. Love, at this point, is secondary to sex, and to appearance. Valentino is as much a part of him as his own circuitry, and nearly as removable.

The chorus, which while longer, I'm only going to focus on the first three lines, because the rest of it repeats the last.

Desire, I'm hungry I hope you feed me How do you want me, how do you want me?

They break up, htey make up, and always, Vox finds himself asking Val that question: "how do you want me?" Apologetic? Pretend like nothing has happened? Expensive? Does Val want a boyfriend or just another bed-partner? The directionality of this song, can, at times, be somewhat vague, with two participants, “you” and “I”, though as the song only has one singer, it could be implied that it is unidirectional, even if the repeated question can feel at odds with the more assertive claims.

The use of “hope” is also interesting, in that it appears in the surface, to be an appeal to the concept of desire itself. For Vox, this plea can be seen in a somewhat desperate light. He can’t eat, he cannot found nourishment in any other place, but at the same time, what he hopes for from each encounter seems largely unavailable. He is, in essence, not being fed.

The second verse delves deeper into these darker impulses, starting with what once again, draws upon the format begin in the first verse, saying “Honey, I wanna break you”. The term of endearment has changed to something seemingly sweeter and more romantic, only as a prelude to the promise of violence. Considering Valentino’s proclivity towards quite literally breaking Vox’s face, this is accurate. The violence is not an act of an enemy, but something rolled into what is supposedly love.

Moving on, we get a slightly more metaphorical use of "I wanna throw you to the hounds"-- rather than literal hounds, it is those of media and public opinion. Vox's broken screen ends up on screen: why? They both have different motivation, Vox does it because he wants to get the narrative under his control, he doesn't want to be seen as weak. So you laugh it off, you post it, you pretend to everyone that sees that it doesn't hurt. It had been better, once. Their fights had been private, not public, and everyone had only seen them at their best. That changed.

The next few lines lean further into the possession and the violence than love.

Yeah, I gotta hurt you I gotta hear it from your mouth Boy, I wanna taste you I wanna skin you with my tongue I'm gonna kill you I'm gonna lay you in the ground

For abusive relationships, they escalate, and in this case, what affection may have existed has seemingly vanished. For Valentino and Vox, this is so much where they are right now. Vox knows, every time, that it won't be the last time Val hurts him. He doesn't even count on an apology anymore. Most of the time, he accepts the blame himself. His fault, he knows what sort of person Val is. He knows, and he keeps going back. He makes Val angry, he knows the risks. And sometimes, he plays the role of loving boyfriend well enough that it does't come to that, but even then, eventually it gives again, and he'll be back in his apartment, trading out, and trading up. Broken glass haunts his dreams nowadays. He also isn't certain that he will survive this relationship.

One of Val's employees, years ago, said to him something about that, and while the specifics have faded with willful ignorance, the theme remains.

The bridge line repeats the conceptual line of the chorus, adding to it, saying "I wanna feel you, I want it all", and for Vox, more than the chorus, this is what he says when he wants to make it better. He takes this 50 year long relationship, unable to wash his hands of it permanently, and goes back, apologizes for the fight, and pretends that he doesn't feel empty more days than not. Much of the song feels fractured in comparison to something with a narrative, in much the same way their relationship has. It's rotating, neither moving forward towards a next step, like marriage, or children, or living together, but just wearing a larger rut in the road.

--

DAMN IT! The next song, because I am going to do it, but this whole post has turned into a Val heavy one:

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift

Everyone needs an iconic breakup song, and if Desire is them in the present, then this is them twenty-thirty years ago. Compared to Desire, this song has a much stronger through-line, starting with verse 1.

I remember when we broke up the first time Saying, "This is it, I've had enough," 'cause like We hadn't seen each other in a month When you said you needed space (What?) Then you come around again and say "Baby, I miss you and I swear I'm gonna change, trust me" Remember how that lasted for a day? I say, "I hate you," we break up, you call me, "I love you"

From sound alone, this is bouncier, happier. It might not be true love, but there's affection, there's the repeat, falling into a catchy tune. Broken up, not bitter, angry and empty.

In the early 1990s, was the first time they properly broke up. Before that, they had been good. Fifteen years was better than a lot of relationships! And honestly, Vox had thought that would be the end of it. They would keep some business association, but that would be it. They hadn't met Velvette yet, or if they had, then she was still very much new, they weren't close, they weren't really the Triple V's.

And here's the thing, he was upset. Aside from a... two-day affair with Tom Trench in the 1960s, Valentino was his only partner, and certainly the only one long-term. They were a power couple! The argument had been big, but not the largest one they will ever have. It probably came after some big project, and it took up time. Maybe Vox had to reschedule a date, maybe he'd just been too tired to give Val the attention he wanted.

And then they have a business meeting, and end up back together. A mistake, he'll tell himself. They were hasty calling it quits, they still loved each other, every couple has their rough patches. It only made sense that theirs would be a further down the line, because they had longer. A honeymoon period can be a decade or two when you have forever to be together.

And then it's not just the once. They break up again, and again, and Val's always so apologetic after each one. He'll be more understanding, and Vox will stop judging Val's career, and they'll do better.

Combining the pre-chorus and the chorus, you see where the repetition of the romance comes through.

We called it off again last night, but Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh This time, I'm telling you, I'm telling you [Chorus] We are never, ever, ever getting back together We are never, ever, ever getting back together You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me But we are never, ever, ever, ever getting back together Like, ever

Here is where you begin to see things shift. Voxtagram won't come around for years yet, and to the press, they're as strong as ever. But more people start to see the flaws. Hellaina knows-- Hellaina, who had never liked Valentino, finds him the subject of her acerbic tongue more often. (The other people who would agree with her haven't died yet). On one hand, he has Hellaina saying to leave him, and on the other he has the social expectation of them as a couple on top, and Velvette saying how adorable they are, and how they have to get back together. How, if they stay broken up, that it won't be the same, that the 3V's won't be.

Sometimes they break up, and Vox thinks it was a stupid reason once he as some time to calm down. He'll take val out to dinner, buy him a new gift, some flowers, something, and it'll be right as rain. The public is happy, he's happy.

So what if they break up, and come back together, on repeat? They're two people in high stress positions, sometimes those emotions boil over. It's fine. They're fine. If it were really that bad Val (or him!) would have moved on, found someone else.

Verse two!

I'm really gonna miss you picking fights And me falling for it, screaming that I'm right And you would hide away and find your peace of mind With some indie record that's much cooler than mine

This is how their breakups go in those early days: they break up, Vox goes back to his penthouse, or Val to his. Val releases a new film, Vox throws himself into work. Business comes up, they have a business meeting, and they fuck. Vox says sorry and is genuine, and maybe they don't talk about it as much as they should, or why they were upset, but they get over it.

They make less media engagements, but they still have enough intertwined business. Something else is that Val tends to go outwards: he sleeps with his employees, he shows up at his clubs. He shows that it doesn't matter. Vox goes inwards: he takes more of his control back from Hellaina who gets more freedom when things are going really well. He throws himself into work: movies, tv show, contracts, time to meet and talk to more of his employees-- that one's got this brand new idea that's oh so good. If you want a promotion, now is sort of your best chance at getting it because he's so involved with everything. Micromanagement, thy name is Vox.

By the end of the 1990s, things are starting to fall more towards what they are later on. Vox is less quick to apologize, things are good for slightly less time. Sometimes, when they break up his screen gets broken. Hellaina repairs it, or he does, or the people at the store, bound to secrecy. It starts to spill more two. Arguments in private turn to ones on their dates. It's still not online, because that isn't an option yet, but it will be soon enough. While all this is happening, the boredom is also setting in. There's been nothing new in the same way in years. There's improvement, but nothing major, no fun new innovations.

Flash forward to the bridge:

I used to think that we were forever, ever And I used to say, "Never say never" Ugh, so he calls me up and he's like, "I still love you" And I'm like, "I just, I mean, this is exhausting, you know? Like, we are never getting back together, like, ever"

He reaches this point, when he sort of realizes, without admitting it to himself, or changing anything, that something has gone wrong. He's tired-- he's going to say yes, they're going to break up. Hellaina is still going to hate Val, so he's going to keep going to their meetings. There is never enough space between them for it to last, never enough motivation to cut the ties. By the time that Voxtagram hits, and it all gets worse, he's adjusted. He's learned to ignore what Hellaina says because he doesn't want to hear it, he doesn't want to admit that this relationship is sort of in pieces. And the longer he ignores it, the harder it is to let go, because it stops being fifteen years, and becomes twenty, thirty, forty.

--

And because why not! One more Val song for the road. Same shuffle parameters, in 68 songs and SOMEHOW it gets all the ones related to this ship. What are you trying to tell me universe?

Listen to Your Heart - DHT (Nostalgia gets this video instead of the prettier one from a few years ago, because there is also half a dozen remixes that change up the musical vibe).

Because I chose this particular version of, not out of any overwhelming preference for it, I'm ignoring the sound of it this time around... except no. No it does sort of matter. If We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together is them in the 1990s, when things start going downhill, and Desire is them now, then this is somewhere between, the 2000s, the 2010s.

Let's start, sensibly enough, at the beginning-- "I know there's something in the wake of your smile / I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yeah". There's a familiarity in these lines, a sense that the person singing knows who they're singing too, and for these two, that's true! They've been together now for several decades, whatever flaws, and whatever problems lay between them, that much is fact. There are good times, when they are a united front, and it truly feels like it did when everything was new.

The next two lines, "You've built a love, but that love falls apart / Your little piece of heaven turns too dark" is where they are in this period. It's happy, it's... not. Vox still wants to salvage things, because he honestly thinks that there is something worth saving. Their relationship means he isn't lonely, means he is part of a triumvirate, and in Hell, it's hard to look at that and want to give it up. This period is sort of an unravelling. Vox is more depressed than he was, and it's more solidified too, their relationship is starting to have serious cracks, and those cracks are more public. Not quite online yet, but not hidden either.

The chorus reinforces this theme.

Listen to your heart When he's calling for you Listen to your heart There's nothing else you can do I don't know where you're going And I don't know why But listen to your heart Before you tell him goodbye

What you see here is this shifting in who weighs in on their relationship. It's more public, which means more people care. Hellaina has more support saying to leave him. Everyone has a penny for their thoughts: leave him, stay with him, they'll never last, they'll last through this like everything else. And in some ways, that's nice to have a thousand people rooting for you... and at their best it is! It helps to push the fact that they feel like they're on top of the world. The problems come, more, when they break up, and suddenly everyone is saying things that contradict.

it's more than just the world online though-- it's Val too. When it's not Vox coming back, with an apology poised and flowers, it's Val with an apology and saying 'I'll never do it again'.

Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yeah They're swept away and nothing is what it seems The feeling of belonging to your dreams

He doesn't really believe it anymore, but fifteen years ago, while the doubt was heavyset, he still wanted more to keep it good. Their fights tended to have less of a hair trigger, and the alternative was being alone, in Hell, as an Overlord. He'd done that before, and it's lonely.

In some ways, Vox gets exactly what he always wanted in death. Ge gets success, respect, love, he's on screens and everyone knows his name. But the problem there is that it's a show. Vox's face is a tv screen, and he might as well be living on it. Voxtagram is carefully curated, his smile on the billboards calculated, tone of voice, how much vulnerability to get people to like him. Voxtagram also, when he breaks and scrolls through, is the record of the good moments, the premiers, the dates, the smiles, the moments that Vox wants to hold onto, because on screen, in those perfect filtered memories, it isn't what comes next.

And there are voices that want to be heard So much to mention, but you can't find the words The scent of magic, the beauty that's been When love was wilder than the wind I don't know where you're going And I don't know why But listen to your heart Before You tell him goodbye

To finish off the song, you get that repeated line again! And it really is so so much of Vox and Val's relationship at this point. The best years are gone, but he's not working on autopilot yet either. He's still got enough emotional investment to want to see it through... through to what? He's not sure but he's certain there has to be something at the end of the tunnel. Like a gambler, convinced that he'll win big the next round.

[dancing-to-architecture]

17 of 1001

Today's album: Super Furry Animals - Rings Around the World (2001)

Initial thoughts: I have never heard of this band. I know this because i would certainly have remembered the worst band name since hoobastank. Cool looking album cover, though.

Alternate Route to Vulcan Street-

Prettier than i was expecting, tbh. Kinda dig the spacy vibe. Singer is mumbly, but there's a lot of processing on the vocals and that's not helping matters.

Sidewalk Serfer Girl-

Oh yeah, a meaningless misspelling. Woo.

Guitar's nice and heavy but the lyrics are a jumbled and overdubbed word salad.

Chorus is catchy, but kinda stupid.

(Drawing) Rings Around the World-

Okay, the end of this song is fucking obnoxious.

Now, I honestly and without irony enjoy music that some other people have described as "truly heinous shit", but this is a very specific kind of obnoxious. Beeping and ringing noises are just irritating as hell.

Also, do *any* of their songs' lyrics mean anything?

It's Not the End of the World?-

Okay, I'm immediately made an asshole by this album, because this one is kinda sweet.

Kinda feels a bit like a slower early OK GO song, tbh.

Receptacle for the Respectable-

Credit where credit is due: that's the nicest way to call somebody a "posh cum dumpster" that I've ever seen.

[A] Touch Sensitive-

A nice spacy vibey instrumental. I kinda dig this one.

Shoot Doris Day-

Ah, fuck, he's singing some nonsensical bullshit again. It's like the kinda shit that sounds somewhat deep but then you actually read it and it's just "yeah, these words rhyme and follow the metric foot".

Miniature-

Ooh, another instrumental!

Oh, it's 40 seconds long.

And kinda just some warbles.

No Sympathy-

Sounds like it's half a country song, half an early led zeppelin song.

Reads like it was written by a pissed off 14 year old. Like, real nu-metal lyric hours over here.

The lyrics continue to be the worst part of this band.

Long outro, but it gets kinda rad at the end, not gonna lie. Almost a bit like Aphex Twin just dropping out of nowhere.

...Someone somewhere is having the absolute inverse experience as i am, just vibing for a few minutes on the meanest song I've heard in years, and then just fuckin HATING this weird IDM/psytrance outro.

Juxtapozed with U-

Japanese City Pop vibes right off the bat.

2001 autotune sounded like dogshit. Lyrics are stupid as hell, as per usual.

I will *never* not be mad at landlords, weird British guy.

Wait, *THIS* is their most-played song!? This has been played over 9 *million* times?

Who the fuck is this band for?

Are y'all okay, England?

Presidential Suite-

Oh Jesus, some goddamn Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky shit? Oh heh heh, all those drunken Russians? Yeah, fuck all the way off, ya smug shit.

I have to wonder how this guy feels about the last 8 years of UK politics. Clown shoe fits a bit different now, don't it?

Run! Christian, Run!-

What? No, this song is 8 minutes long!? Yeah, no. Fuck this.

This band sucks absolute shit and I'm bailing on this album.

Fragile Happiness-

Don't care. I read the stupid lyrics and i don't care.

How was this band popular 20 years ago? How are they popular now? Over 140,000 monthly listeners in the year of our lard Two Thousand and Twenty Three? What is wrong with you people? Who hurt you? And why are you trying to fix it with... *THIS*?

My wife's perspective: "supremely unremarkable"

Favorite Track: [A] Touch Sensitive, as it's the only one the singer didn't fuck up with his mouth.

Least Favorite Track: literally everything else.