#look at the chorus and you'll understand why lol

[shiranuigenma]

bringing it down

TEEN+ // ALSO ON AO3 // HEADCANONS Words: 2,594 Warnings: Canon-typical violence, non-canon behavior, death, Missing-nin Kakashi, Kakashi is off the fucking deep end bro, the shinobi world is a mess of political corruption

I just had a lot of thoughts about a Kakashi who completely lost his faith in the shinobi system. Like he channeled his growing resentment and rage into killing people for Anbu but when the Third Hokage took it away to make him a Genin instructor, he went off the deep end. Sorry not sorry :)

Kakashi’s life exists in fragments.

Scattered memories, a puzzle with missing pieces long lost to time, snippets of emotion linked to things he can't quite picture anymore. People in his periphery, their presence hovering like ghosts that disappear when he gets too close. It’s for the best, maybe, because what little he does cling to is enough to make him believe he doesn't actually want to see the full picture, the full scope of tragedy that's scorched into every atom of his being.

It's a familiar, throbbing ache in his chest, a comforting death knell that echoes across a soul made of smoke and ashes barely held together by pale flesh and brittle bone, bearing the heart of a soldier. A tool, a weapon, a harbinger that hovers in the torn fabric of reality between life and death. A shadow that clings to dark corners with bared teeth and bloody hands that promise destruction, ruin, encapsulated in fingers sparking with electricity.

He bears the marks of that buzzing energy, lightning burned into taut skin. A livewire, always humming, always charged. Electric. Dangerous . The kind of danger that makes people turn their heads and double check the locks on their doors, as if that would stop him if they somehow found their names in his Bingo Book.

Innocents , Kakashi's raging mind tries to soothe him, sharp claws disguised as soft feathers, the whisper of his better angels. Not prey .

Tonight the prey he seeks sleeps soundly in a mansion, surrounded by the softest linens and guards that will never see him coming. The daimyō of the Land of Fire - a pathetic, simpering man from what he remembers of the one time they'd met, quick to bore and full of the pompous, lazy arrogance of someone in his position. Secure in the knowledge that he will not be challenged, that his word is law. 

He's wrong, of course. This world was not made for men like him, men who cower behind others while they kill in his name.

Kakashi creeps through the shadows, a ghost in the night behind white porcelain swirled in crimson, fingers itching to cross off another name.

He will. He does . The screams of the daimyō's wife, an innocent, follow him, but he's long gone, back to a sketchy inn in a neighboring village where no one questions the blood on his hands or the fresh streaks of lightning burned into his flesh.

It's only there that he allows himself to settle, to scrub his hands before gathering a dinner from the kitchens that he eats alone in his room. Mask yanked down around his neck, canines tearing into tough, chewy meat, overcooked and tasteless. Habit, a lonely routine he finds comfort in.

He's always been good at being alone. It's even easier when people can't look at him without shrinking away in fear.

Wiping his fingers absently against the rough material of his dark pants, he gets to his feet and pulls his mask back up over his mouth, covers his unnatural eye with the silvery hair that falls over his forehead. That eye is open more than it's not these days, capturing every detail of the broken, rotted world around him.

In a way, it's a twisted, final fuck you to Obito's relentless optimism, unwavering even in the face of death. A revenge of sorts for this curse the Uchiha had shoved on him- he had died hopeful for a better world, now all his eye would see is the despair that claws at the underbelly, digging deep, bloody furrows into a cracked veneer. 

The same despair that had been clawing at Kakashi himself since that night on a rocky outcropping, surrounded by enemies and singing birds with his hand soaked in blood that will never come off, one of the only memories he holds onto in perfect, agonizing clarity.

Rin's death will always be the memory that haunts his nightmares, wakes him from shallow, restless sleep and makes him scrub his hands until they're raw and red, keeps him up long past sunrise until he hits the road again with heavy, gritty eyes and tired limbs. He's so exhausted he can barely muster a transformation to disguise himself as he leaves, passing an increased patrol of shinobis sent from the Leaf, faces he'd recognize if he cared enough to look closer. He's stopped at the gate, his pack and identification checked, then sent on his way with a warning of caution. 

"There's a killer out there," the guard tells him, unaware of the way Kakashi wants to rip the hitai-ate off of his forehead and gouge through the symbol of the Hidden Leaf until there's nothing left, ignorant of the thunderous rage coiling like a snake in the spaces between his ribs. "Murdered the daimyō last night. Watch yourself."

Kakashi only grunts in response, the sound hoarse and abrasive from disuse. It's been so long since he's spoken that he's not sure he even knows what his own voice sounds like anymore. He quells his rage with a quick huff of air and trudges down the road, away from a sleepy village unaware that the very killer the shinobis were there to find had slipped so easily between their fingers, like smoke disappearing into the wind.

He gathers his weapons from where he'd hidden them in the forest, buried in a small copse of tall, broad trees, pausing just long enough to look at the next name on his list.

Hiruzen Sarutobi . The Third Hokage, who had retired from his seat but was a little too quick, a little too eager, to take it right back before the Fourth Hokage's body was even cold. An overseer in the manufacture of child soldiers, groomed practically from birth to know nothing but blind loyalty to their village and its leader, carving them with brutal precision into weapons before their brains had even fully formed. A man who had once looked at Kakashi, broken and drowning in the depths of loss and despair, a killer soaked head to toe in blood in the name of his village, and told him that he was better suited to aid in their corruption. To strip away their innocence, their illusion of free will, before they were even old enough to realize what was being asked of them.

He had told the Hokage he would think about it. Instead, he had sat in the dark of his father's house and repainted his mask, erasing Hound until something new was born, a creature of bloodshed and righteous fury, a harbinger of death and thunderous ruin. He wore a mask painted in the memory of blood swirling across the floor, the symbol of the Hidden Leaf carved on the inside and scratched through, a permanent reminder. Never forget. Never forgive .

From weapon to nightmare in the blink of an eye. A list of names in a book dripping with blood. A ghost that stalks his prey with lethal intent, that shadow in the periphery of their vision that disappears when they look too close. Until they reek of fear - putrid, rotten - and realize that death is knocking on their door. A demon of their own making, trained by their own hands.

It's a heady feeling, knowing that he strikes such fear in their hearts. That they toss and turn after hearing of the death of a high ranking government official, wondering if they're next. It feels like poetic justice.

That feeling sticks with him when he lands on top of the Hokage Rock, crouched down with his elbows on his knees. He surveys the place he'd once called home, shrouded in twilight shadows and bustling with life and joy. Children laugh, too young yet to be forced into the Academy, their parents telling them it's time to go home and blissfully unaware that one day they won't. Were he in his right mind, it would be a comforting familiarity. Instead it sickens him, nausea roiling in his gut.

They don't see the cracks that he does, the facade crumbling as he slowly rips it apart with every life he takes.

They'll know soon enough , he thinks, eyes drawn to the red tower below. He'll drag every ugly secret and dirty truth to the surface, burn this village to the ground if he has to. He'll expose its rotten underbelly, the labyrinth of greed and corruption that the elders would kill children to protect. Power at all costs, right?

Once Kakashi had been proud to be a shinobi of the Leaf. To bear their symbol, to shed his blood to keep it safe. It was his duty, his honor. 

Now, it's his disgrace.

Now, he knows that his sacrifices, the people he lost, were never to protect the village, but to protect power-hungry elders who would stop at nothing to keep their foothold in the world. They were, in ways, worse than the Hidden Mist, because while they didn't force tailed beasts into unwilling children, their machinations were subtle, buried in lies and secrets and backs stabbed clean through in their desperate bid to maintain the status quo. Gaslighting mothers into believing their children had died for a worthy cause. It disgusts him.

Minato-sensei had been the better of them, and sometimes when he hears his mind urging restraint, patience , he hears it in his sensei's voice. Maybe the Fourth Hokage could have changed things, but like Obito, like Rin, he'd been taken too soon. Another pillar of unrelenting hope, ripped from the world. Another unnecessary sacrifice.

Kakashi wonders if Sarutobi feels guilt for what he's done, what he's doing. If he lies awake at night and thinks about Minato like he does, if he asks himself if he did the right thing in taking back - and keeping - the mantle of Hokage.

Morbidly, he wonders if Minato had even stopped breathing before Sarutobi decided he wanted to be Hokage again after all. Maybe he'll ask him before he kills him.

Leaping off of one of the spikes topping Minato's carved head, he lands cat-like on the roof of the Hokage's Tower, dispatching the lone guard before he has a chance to react. His body disappears into the sealing scroll, no trace left of him. The thought of it being someone he knew, someone he'd worked with, twists a little uncomfortably in his gut, but he presses on.

He hopes Tenzou isn't on duty tonight. The kid had always been a little too naive, a little too innocent for this life, with a tentative flicker of hope Kakashi would hate to snuff out. Of course, Tenzou did his duty anyway, had never known anything else, but he didn't do it with the same cold detachment as the others. Like some primal part of his soul still cared. If the broken system Kakashi is razing to the ground deserves to be rebuilt, maybe Tenzou would be one of the pillars. Strong, unwavering, but still gentle. Someone who had seen the depths of the darkness just as Kakashi had, but instead of succumbing to the madness, continued to see the good.

Two Anbu stand outside the Hokage's office, neither with masks he recognizes. They don't see the shadow slinking along the wall until it's too late, their bodies sealed away to be dealt with later, too.

The Hokage sees it though. Hiruzen Sarutobi waits for him behind his desk, relaxed, like an agent of death itself hasn't come to claim his soul.

"It's been a long time, Kakashi."

The past few years haven't changed the Third Hokage much. He looks a little more tired, the circles under his eyes a little darker, the wrinkles on his skin a little more pronounced, but otherwise he was the same man that had stood over him on the rooftop three years ago, ordering him to put down the mask that had kept the fury that boiled in his lightning-charred bones down at a low simmer, the one thing that had allowed him to channel that rage into something a little less destructive to the system he'd lost faith in.

Kakashi takes that mask off now, clearing his throat to test a voice that hasn't been used since that day. It comes out cracked, hoarse, like the creak of a weather-warped wooden door that hasn't been opened in decades. "Not long enough."

Sarutobi hums thoughtfully in response, leaning forward and steepling his fingers. For someone staring his own end in the face, he looks decidedly unbothered. 

Kakashi's rage snaps its jowls like a starved dog fighting for a piece of meat.

"It was me." The words slip out, a rough timbre thick with bitter fury. His wrath is a tempest, a storm battering against his ribs desperate to be let loose, to do what it does best and destroy. "The council, the daimyō. I saved you for last."

"Why is that?" the Hokage asks, low and gravelly, still calm. Still infuriating. Pissing him off without even trying. Kakashi stalks forward, slamming the kunai clutched in his bloody fingers down into the desk, so close it cuts the side of the Hokage's palm. He wonders what he looks like to the old man, leaning over him like this. If he sees the storm Kakashi would have him break beneath.

He leans closer, eyes dark as they stare into the old man's, steel and fire burning into fabricated warmth. He sees beneath, sees the cold, calculating man that leads children like lambs to slaughter. Who tells their mourning families that their death was some honorable thing, a sacrifice for the greater good. He never tells them what that 'greater good' really is.

"So you would know what was coming for you." He rips the blade from the wood, leaving a deep score in the dark spruce. The demon you crafted with your own blood-stained hands, your own weapon turned against you .

Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't need to ask why. Kakashi can see it in his eyes when he registers that Kakashi had wanted him to be afraid, to sate the raging beast with the acrid scent of his fear. The old man chuckles, low and deep in his throat.

"Not what you were hoping for, is it Kakashi?" His steady voice, his unwavering calm, only fuels the fire burning in Kakashi's chest, soot building up along the pleura of his lungs and making it hard to breathe. His vision is shaded in the all consuming color of blood.

Kakashi's hand is quick to force the Hokage's yell of pain back into his mouth when two kunai drive through his hands into the desk, keeping him from forming hand signs. Keeping him from escape. 

The Hokage, once a renowned shinobi who put his own kind of fear into the hearts of his enemies, has gotten slow in his old age, complacent. He's underestimated the lightning storm that lives in Kakashi's skin, the song of birds that is his thunderclap.

He moves quicker than a blink, speed trained into him just as sharply as force and precision, and strikes.

And like all the others, arrogant enough to believe they're invulnerable, Hiruzen Sarutobi too collapses forward, a hole plunged through his chest just like Rin's.

Kakashi has lost count of how many people's chest cavities he's known so intimately under the Hokage's orders, but this one is certainly one of the most significant.

With the Hokage Tower burning behind him, he finally puts a finger on what makes this one different.

It doesn't feel like tragedy or duty.

It feels like victory.

[dehydrated-turtle]

alright this is me over analyzing my tears ricochet and jason todd & bruce wayne :D (every single one of the lyrics included bc im insane) i got some of this stuff from genius so it may not be the exact meaning of the lyrics but art is subjective and meant to be interpreted differently so suck it

"we gather here we line up weeping in a sunlit room / and if i'm on fire you'll be made of ashes too"

ok so we are obviously setting the scene for a funeral, pretty self explanatory while talking about jason, he's dead. now the second part of this line means that like 'if i go down youre coming too', in relation to jason i think this would mean how bruce like spiraled so far when he died OR this could be the kind of ultimatum he gave bruce in UTRH saying 'you either kill him or kill me before i kill him' like im going down youre coming with me yk?

"even on my worst day did i deserve babe all the hell you gave me? / 'cause i loved you i swear i loved you, till my dying day"

jason's worst days could be like coming back and being a crime lord and bruce giving him shit for it but it could also be just him making a mistake as robin when he was younger and bruce going apeshit. and yes he loved him, but only until his dying day? WOAHHHHH i hope he still loves him though but i can see that line being a kind of outburst of emotions like "i dont love you anymore!!" but only because he's angry and doesnt actually mean it

"I didn't have it in myself to go with grace" (im only gonna do the chorus lines once lol)

well i feel like this is self explanitory, he didn't have it in him to go with grace, dying of like 3 things and so brutally, or he fought until the end and even tried to save his mother who betrayed him, OR he didnt even have it in him to stay dead lol

"and you're the hero flying around saving face"

I LOVE THIS LINE I LOVE IT I LOVE IT UGH anyway you can see this as bruce being a hero, because he is batman after all, but he's only saving face, keeping up appearances, not caring about what jason feels and has to keep up his "morals". it also could just be a stab at bruce being "narcissistic"

"and if i'm dead to you why are you at the wake"

I've struggled to understand this line sometimes but i've come to the conclusion it means like if im dead to you why are you still around like why do you keep bothering me if im dead to you. applying this to jason, he's asking bruce "if i'm dead to you, if you disown me because i killed people, why do you keep bothering me, leave me be old man." also the double meaning because he did actually die.

"cursing my name, wishing i stayed"

this would mean like bruce "cursing his name" and wishing he stayed or at least stayed the same, saying he was better before he came back and what happened to that little boy and things like that.

"look at how my tears ricochet"

on genius it says that ricochet means to like bounce off of something but its usually used with things like bullets or other projectile weapons and such. i think this is so FITTING UGH. some people have also said that they ricochet off of the intended target, this being bruce, because they are unaffected by the emotional distress. some others had said that it could mean that sometimes when a bullet ricochets it causes more damage and not to the intended target. this could be just the rest of the batfamily like dick because he was affected too or just going back on himself

"we gather stones, never knowing what they'll mean / some to throw some to make a diamond ring"

I SAW SOMETHING SO INTERESTING ON THIS LINE ON GENIUS someone said that the stones could be in reference to secrets or little things about a person, some to throw or like use as blackmail, some to make a diamond ring like some to cherish and just have little things about someone you love and make the relationship stronger. I LOVE THE DUALITY BECAUSE ITS SO JASON AND BRUCE they love each other and have their own little things about each other but either would use them against the other

"you know i didn't want to haunt you / but what a ghostly scene"

yeah this is self explanatory ALSO JASON HAUNTING DICK AHHHH anyway

"You wear the same jewels that i gave you / as you bury me"

I've seen some people say that this means like i can see you trying to look like you cared, wearing something i gave you while you put me in this coffin but i dont really see a connection to jason and bruce in this. you could take it however as like keeping his suit on display or something, this is definitely one of the weaker links

"'cause when i'd fight you used to tell me i was brave" (see above for the rest of the chorus)

I LOVE THIS LINE TOO so many bangers anyway, i feel like this one is self explanatory as well, bruce used to tell jason when he was robin that he was brave when he faught but not so much anymore. he's not proud of him anymore

"and i can go anywhere i want / anywhere i want, just not home"

now he's free from bruce and being in the confines of his rules and someone else's name, he can go anywhere he wants and do anything he wants but he can never go home because of it, im gonna go cry for a sec hold on

"and you can aim for my heart go for blood / but you would still miss me in your bones"

I LOVE LYRICS LIKE THIS, lemme just take a sec to appreciate the fact that theres a double meaning in there, going for blood but missing and missing someone so much, i love it. anyway, i would connect this to the end of UTRH when bruce accidentally kills jason, oops spoilers, but he comes back agian with the same purple shit that brought him back in the first place (superboy prime puching reality making it so jason cant die??) but he MISSED HAHA LOSER bc obviously jason is still alive. and bruce would still miss jay no matter what he does because thats his son and jason knows it.

"and i still talk to you (when I'm screaming at the sky) / and when you can't sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies) "

he only ever really talks to bruce when he's screaming in anguish or cursing his name for just being generally mad at him or when he misses him perchance. and when bruce can't sleep at night he knows its because of him, bit of a dry line in terms of jason and bruce but i love it nonetheless

"and so the battle ships will sink beneath the waves / you had to kill me but it killed you just the same"

these lines are another weak link because there really isnt any way i can think of to connect them to jason other than the last line saying but it killed you just the same, being like bruce almost killed himself every night going out full of rage when jason died but thats all i can think of rn

"you turned into your worst fears"

I LOVE THIS WHEN TALKING ABOUT BRUCE BC HE LITERALLY DID he turned into a bat, his biggest fear but from jason's perspective it would be more something along the lines of what he's doing isnt justice anymore and letting joker run free is an act of injustice because he knows hed cause less death and destruction if he were dead instead of locked up AGIAN for like 3 seconds

"and you're tossing out blame, drunk on this pain / crossing out the good years"

tossing out blame like bruce telling himself that he's responsible for jasons death or just generally tossing around blame for things to others because he doenst want to deal with the consequences, i feel like jason would think he does that yk? and obviously hes drunk on the pain of losing his son like damn but he's crossing out the good years still when he sees jason now, not acknowledging the fact that they really did have good times and that jason isn't just a criminal, he is his one and hes the same person as when he died he just grew up

ok thats all of the lyrics, this song is so them its actually insane i think taylor just wrote it about them atp

[pleuvoire]

Rosemary, since youre the one who got me to listen to more PinocchioP recently, I'd love to know what your favorites of his are if you'd like to share :3

HEHE….. strap in this might get a little long. i like his music a lot. gonna start with my top favorites and then just throw other ones onto the pile from there

nobody makes sense - probably my top favorite. LOVE a good "life has no meaning so we have to create meaning" theme, and the visuals are beautiful. i'm buried in a garbage heap, looking up at the stars...

nice to meet you, people of earth (my own translation of the title lol) - ALWAYS MAKES ME EMOTIONAL. the strengths and faults of humanity viewed through the eyes of a hopeful outsider...

loveit - a quiet melancholy one about easily getting sucked into self-destructive relationships... and the mv is beautiful

anonymous m - best of his recent work imo. LOVE a good meta exploration of hatsune miku as a character or not-character

lonely ufo - one of the first songs of his i ever heard. makes me emotional...

ghosts play to the audience - really interesting song about creative integrity vs crowd-pleasing as an artist and the unclear boundary between the two. also about ghosts! and it bangs!

yozurina - a song about the uncertainty and attachment of long-distance love. dawn comes again...

vocaloid is lame - a melancholy song about dealing with haters of one's work that sort of turns into a classic pino-p "finding optimism in the midst of your sadness" thing. the high note on the astronaut line always makes me tear up a bit

everything about animals - duet between miku and pino-p himself! "there's tigers, horses, deer, working adults, livestock, monkeys, you who once raised your first cry..."

it's a festival, hey come on! - i only checked this one out recently because of the creative mixed-media mv and it took a while to grow on me but now i think the chorus is so catchy. flashing lights cw

tonchinkan feast - possibly the first of his songs i ever heard. kind of an oddball but i love the creative mv. my party trick is i can sing this from memory. if you listen to it you'll understand why it's a party trick

motivation is dead - THEE depression song

god-ish - i'm sorry vocaloid community for putting this one so far down the list i just thought of a bunch of other ones first. this one got so crazy popular it shows up in "all time miku songs" tribute art. kind of wild. i was there when it dropped, who'da known...

magical girl and chocolate - another recent one that got popular although not to the insane degree of god-ish. when i find a toku character to apply this to it's over for you guys

non-breath oblige - forgot about this one for a bit but it's so good it makes me emotional. wish it was humanly possible to sing

and i'm just gonna throw ultimate senpai, what's inside, kick ass literally, nee nee nee, and mushroom mother onto the pile real quick before this gets too long. you've already seen 404, apple dot com, what yama says goes, last continue, reincarnation apple and common world domination from my other post so i didn't write up a blurb for any of those but those are some classic favorites of mine too, especially the first three. NOW as if this post wasn't long enough here are some collabs and stuff of his i like:

i'm a controversy by ado - vocals by ado, written and produced by pino-p. aka THE FUCKING DREAM TEAM EVER. this song expresses ado's conflicted reaction to the controversy she's generated with the social criticism in her music. imo THEE best song to come out of the voca-p adjacent circle this year. mv goes hard too

(not) a devil - collab with deco*27, another insanely popular voca-p, possibly the most insanely popular one currently active. as you can imagine this one made quite a splash. i like duet collabs like this because you can hear the difference in how each artist tunes their miku. pino-p's muted soft-spoken miku ftw

gorgeous big conversation - collab with utsu-p, a less popular but still fairly big voca-p known for his signature heavy metal sound which you can hear in this song. i love the lyrics of this one they are silly and surreal, i wish this video was subbed. shoutout to internet comedian arufa who is the guy in the video, he also provided the human voice in anonymous m. you may know him from this video which got popular on tumblr

ok hope this wasn't too long :) enjoy!!! also, i put these in no particular order, but if you pay attention to the upload dates think it's interesting to see how the style evolves over time. also did you know the art is done by pino-p himself :) with some exceptions obviously but that distinctive style you see always popping up is done by him

[citnamora]

A New Kind of Love by Frou Frou is SO loveless aro(spec) and here is why:

A new kind of love / Genetically altered

Enough of "Love Lite" / And "I Can't Believe It's Not Love!"

This verse could easily be interpreted as mocking the commercialization of love. The second line alludes to common household items such as butter and coke. Frou Frou is pointing out love is something marketable with the air of someone on the outside looking in.

I can't help myself / And you don't have to say that

"It sparks across flesh / You'll feel it kicking in soon"

This verse reminds me of the folks who tell aros that they're going to know what love is when they find it in the future. You can't tell me this isn't a direct reference to the "late bloomer" bullshit we hear all the time.

Are you falling in love? / I've a feeling you are

Are you falling in love / With a feeling?

This chorus is sung somewhat wistfully. It's as if this person is trying to understand, on some level, the intensity of a foreign emotion. Very loveless aro if you ask me!

So you're running late / And it's not even like you

You were doing so well / Did the dog eat your homework again?

Whoever is being addressed by our protagonist is falling behind a noticeable amount. Perhaps because of their new relationship taking priority over all else? The usage of "the dog ate my homework" could imply the relationship potentially eating up what time they have. Or it could just be pointing to the fact our singer was given a garbage excuse.

I can't help myself (oh uh oh) / 'Cause my friend says, "in real life

It's only the police (oh uh oh) / That ever come looking for you"

This one is a bit difficult. I don't think it's meant to be taken literally. "It's only the people who want to control you who show interest in you," maybe? The song itself is very cynical for the first half so it could be read as someone trying to warn the other of a toxic relationship. Possible power imbalance. Someone controlling. Aros tend to be skilled in picking up on red flags for their peers' relationships!

Are you falling in love? / I've a feeling you are

Are you falling in love / With a feeling?

Are you falling in love / Or only feeling you are?

'Cause if you're falling in love / Let me feel it

They want to know what it's like to fall in love! They want to experience the highs that come with it! This is so aro coded you might as well slap an aro flag on it LOL.

I've been busy / You know that

You know you're just saying that / Are you going to get that?

What's that supposed to mean?

This bridge reminds me of people telling arospecs that they're making excuses on not finding romance. "You're just saying you're busy. When are you going to get a boyfriend/girlfriend?" It's the pressure some of us experience from our peers to find love like they did.

Let me feel it

This line is repeated until the end of the song. It's the desperation to get in on something other people understand. It's the frustration of being unable to know what it's like. It's wanting to know, no matter the heartache, what it feels like to love and to be loved. And that, folks, is what solidifies this as loveless arospec!

In conclusion: A New Kind of Love is sung from the perspective of someone who feels disconnected from love, remaining cynical of it but wanting to experience the rush of it themselves despite this. It's the Aro Experience(™). Case closed.

[hemingway-papers]

We don't talk enough about how Yuji Ohno clearly loved contemporary black american & caribbean culture and music and tried very hard to capture it when he composed for lupin iii. which played a big role in bringing black music and culture to japan, as did many of his peers in the burgeoning Citypop genre.

You can hear it in The Wiz (1978) clear as day this IS the lupin soundtrack this was exactly what Yuji Ohno intro and OST track is trying to envoke. and became legendary in its own right. it sounds almost interchangeable i love that. that's just one example off the top of my head because i was taking about living The Wiz but this style of music was already a decade old by 78.

You can hear it in Issac Hayes Shaft theme lol from 1971. this is part of the blaxploitation era which was a new type of very popular detective crime & action shows in the early 70s that starred black actors and artists for the first time (but also fell into exploitative and racially insensitive themes at times hence the name. this genre VERY clearly played a huge part of the look sound and theme later used in Part 2.

as much as you had James Bond and Noir oldies and Columbo all mixed in it, you can't forget this element of early 70s blaxploitation action detective movies & tv . tho we rarely mention it and many might not realize how many lupin tropes and motifs come from black art. the Motown chorus of ladies singing lupins name. the random man just smoothly exposition dumping about how cool and sexy shaft is in the middle of the song lol. it's all there.

the adult swim bumper / promo is well aware of this and doing a parody of that old school fuckalicious blaxploitation action schlock lol. they understood the assignment it seems:

stuff like this is THE nexus origin point from which you get the iconic Lupin III funk/disco/smooth jazz sound. which blended well with the older jazzier themes from noir and bond. a music style which has carried over into the Persona series, Cowboy Bebop, sonic games and more. that's why japanese games and series with a crime and mystery theme always sound like this.

THAT is why it is called AFRO LUPIN '68. IM NOT KIDDING .

everyone say thank you Mr. Hayes lol

although speaking of. the part 1 soundtrack has a lot of a late 60s british psychedelic rock mixed in which is also so awesome. the ending song always reminds me of like Procol Harum Whiter Shade of Pale or something. the Bee Gees had a very similar shift from british psychedelic folk rock to disco cause that was just what was big and happening

We didn't circle back to black caribbean music much but this is a great example of a blend of calypso and funk getting big on the japanese music scene and the reason a lot of citypop has steal drums and latin american instruments and such. one of my all time favorite albums All of Me (1979) features mostly afrolatino caribbean music mixed with funk and motown inspired vocals and instrumentation and it's an incredibly joyous experience of music tbh. the Samba tracks on the 78 lupin ost also reflect the importance of latino and afrolatino music in all this. most "nostalgic" video games from the 80s and 90s feature music that can be considered citypop because that was the fashion and pop of the time, so you'll have Chao Garden sounding like a track straight off of any calypso mix on youtube. an example if you don't know what it sounds like off the top of your head

it is extremely joyful and exciting to understand more about where our favorite stuff comes from . because of antiblackness in america and japan (in otaku and other reactionaries who dominate anime and video game scenes tbh), the importance and iconography of black culture on japanese pop culture is often erased. a lot of this stuff is just OLD as well and not something young fans would have or would be expected to have heard of with the best of intentions. you can have the most pro-black politics and appreciation and easily just never have encountered or watched an obscure and very dated tv show from 1971 to make that connection without being directed there. so it's a fun deep dive. know your lupistory lmafo. the impact people in the world have on each other is really beautiful 🏝🎆❤️

the wizard of oz (1939) is a lot like the castle of cagliostro where the movie is full of a certain sincere lightness and hope that is cherished deeply for a reason a very good reason. but the source material and other adaptations of the wizard of oz and lupin iii are all markedly different and at times the tone will venture into dark cynical experimental and surreal. which can REALLY put people off to it when they go in expecting more of the other thing. but if you go into it expected entirely anything possible it can be REALLY cool and interesting and weird, iconic and great stuff. i love you mystery of mamo i love you The Wiz i like how you are kind of scary and would have made me cry as a child now i think you're actually like genius. and i still love you cagliostro and judy garlands oz you are literally nestled deep where my tender heart and soul are ❤️

[astra-nomy]

FOCUS ON THE END: focus on the desire, not the process.

Hello my little stars! So recently I've gotten a lot of asks about dealing with fears of not getting your desires - which is, by the way, totally not possible, as your desires are yours the minute you decide you have them, but I understand that it can be daunting to know this and tempting to wonder "What if...?" so let me tell you what it's all about.

First, these feelings are normal. Please, please, please do not beat yourself up for feeling them. We are humans, we experience emotions, and yeah! Sometimes that includes fear. But the only power the emotions have are the power we allot them. Do not shame yourself for feeling disappointment or fear. Instead, know that these emotions cannot interfere with any of your manifestations. Rest easy in knowing that.

Next, I said this recently when I reblogged a post by @lavender--fairy, but I'll show you word for word what was said:

"You don't get what you want, you get what you focus on." (@lavender--fairy)

AHH I LOVE!! I once saw a video (I don't exactly remember who, it was on tik tok lol) about how when you ski through densely wooded places, if you continuously think, "Don't hit the trees, don't hit the trees," you will only see trees and you would be bound to hit them. If you simply flip "Don't hit the trees" to "Follow the path," you'll be able to continue on just fine :)

So basically, if you take something from that, let it be that you should focus more on your desires themselves than what it takes to have them. You already have them, so don't agonize over how or when or why. Choose to give attention to what it feels like to have these desires rather than your fears of not having them. As, @lavender--fairy said, you get what you focus on.

So what does this look like? If you get a fleeting thought along the lines of "What if I don't get my desires?" stop for a moment. Either flip the phrase to "Why would I wonder that? I already have my desires!" and go about your business or immediately turn your attention to something about having your desires that makes you happy. For me, I would have a "fallback scenario" so that, whenever doubts crept in, I would have the same visualization to run through set and locked so that I wouldn't find myself scrambling for something to lift my spirits. For me, it was driving in my SP's car with the song Ava by Famy blasting. I'd imagine the temperature of the air and the way I felt and the way he looked. It doesn't have to be that detailed, I just liked immersing myself in that scenario. And guys - it came true. I got to live that scenario. I didn't realize it for a few minutes, but as the first chorus of the song came on, I was like, "This is my fallback scenario. It's my reality now." and when I tell you I was SO OVERJOYED.

To summarize: focus on what you want, not what you don't want. You have to understand that your fears are well meaning, but they don't serve, and if they don't serve you, there is nothing wrong with putting them aside. I guess this can be called living in the end, but it's more about what you pay attention to. Whenever doubts creep in, don't pay any mind to them. Pay attention to the happy memories you have involving your desire. Know that they are yours. Give that happiness all the power, and you'll have your desires in the blink of an eye.

Alright, that's it! Thanks for reading my stars, and have a lovely day living the life of your dreams <3

- Astra

[thoodleoo]

hello sarah! sorry if youve talked about this before but i was wondering how important you thought pronunciation is when learning or teaching latin? ive taken a year of latin in uni so far and my profs have always been like pronunciation doesnt rlly matter bc we aren't sure and you'll be reading stuff anyways. when you teach latin do you teach students general pronunciation rules, eg those lightly rolled rs, or not so much? thank u!

ngl i misread this as asking me about punctuation and i straight up thought your professors were making you read latin like a fuckin. ancient roman looking at an inscription

ANYWAY. i actually do touch on pronunciation quite a bit! there’s a couple of reasons why i do this. the first is that i think it’s important that students experience language in as many ways as possible. there’s a great value in having students not just translate, but also read and speak in a target language even if language production isn’t the main goal. this helps engage students who don’t learn as well just by reading, and having a bit of spoken gives me an opportunity to teach vocabulary that i might not otherwise get to teach, such as weather and emotions. it’s a great cross-curricular conversation starter, too, since it allows me to touch on things like why some of the songs students learn in their chorus class have different latin pronunciation than i teach.

it’s also just more practical to go ahead and teach pronunciation from the start. that way, when i’m talking about things like word endings, we already have a standard for how things sound when i say them aloud. this helps prevent confusion and gives students a basis to work from when we do things like chanting our charts. further down the line, having a good understanding of pronunciation is helpful when students get into poetry and need to learn scansion rules

plus it’s just more fun to be able to say words out loud and to talk about pronunciation! i teach middle school so like, i’m gonna use every excuse i can to say the word diphthong lol

[bxoken-heartss]

@tu-sonrisaaa-te-amooo asked: Could you do the 8 and 17 fluff with Joel? tht would be cute (ik u hate him lol u could do zabdi if u want)

Lmao I don't hate him Bby..he can just be a bit dramatic sometimes...that's all 🙆‍♀️

Prompts: (I did a bit of alterations in it so excuse me)

“I want to dance through an army of fireflies with you.” (Prompt 8)

“My hand was made to fit into yours. That’s all there is to it.” (Prompt 17)

So Y/N is your name

~ ~ ~ means change of scenario.

✓ ✓ ✓ means the end.

So...ahem...this went a bit more than I intended it to go...I swore I would just write drabbles but I guess old habits die hard? So this is it? I hope you like it Dia! 💕😅 (oh new nickname alert)

This song is beautiful and sorta inspired me! 💕

- - -

Y/N and Joel were friends ever since they were little kids...They had met when Joel had gotten lost wandering around in a series of pet shops staring at pets (especially various dog breeds and puppies). When his senses had hit him..he understood he had gotten lost..he began to feel nervous and uneasy and let out childish sobs as he began to run around looking for his mother.

He barely paid attention to anything around him as he only focused in searching for his mother that which eventually ends up with him bumping onto someone.

"Ouch! Why can't you watch where the hell they are going?!" A voice speaks

Joel falls down as he looks at the person speaking...a little girl who held a husky in her arms on the floor angrily glaring at him

"I'm so sorry...I didn't..." He begins as he stares at the husky...

"It's fine...Just watch where you're going at least the- -" She begins

"Is that the Siberian Husky?" Joel asks interrupting her as he stands up

"I'm kind of offended that you interrupted me...But yes...yes it is.." She replies as she possessively holds her husky

"Can...Can I pet it?" He asks as he looks at the husky eagerly

"Well sure I guess..." She says as Joel begins petting the husky.

A few minutes later, the duo had already begun talking about...dogs things in general..

"Y/N! There you are!!" I was looking all over for you!" A voice speaks, tone concerned

"Oh..Mumma..I was just on my way back but then this boy bumped into me and apparently loves Zachary a bit too much.." She says as she points at Joel

And that's when our oblivious little Joel realizes that he was lost and was supposedly supposed to find his mother..not stand here fanboying over a husky.

His eyes widen as he looks around, searching for his mother a.k.a his official/ main intention...Panic strikes his system as he realizes he was obviously potentially lost..

"Are you okay Joel?" Y/N asks

"I'm LOST!" Joel replies as he looks at her letting out childish sobs

"Oh god...Mumma...Help him!" Y/N says

"Listen lil boy...we'll find your mother...do you like know her number or anything.." Y/N mother asks

"Yes..." He replies as he tells her the number letting out soft sobs

The husky jumps onto Joel's arms as it began licking his face. Joel stopped crying slowly as he began smiling a bit.

"Oh my god...He is just so adorable..." Joel says as he pets the husky

"Yeah...he seemingly likes you..strange..he's not pretty comfortable with strangers.." Y/N comments

Soon Joel's mother comes in, her eyes scanning around, her eyes instantly gleaming with happiness as she finds Joel.

"Joel!!!" She says as she runs over and hugs him, Zachary jumping out of Joel's arms onto the ground.

"Mumma!!" Joel yells as he hugs her, sobbing quietly

Y/N stepped away a bit letting them have their moment.

"Thank you for finding him! He's always roaming around..pet stores...or just everywhere in general...I'm so sorry for his careless actions...and all the inconveniences he has caused you..." Joel's mother apologizes

"Oh not at all...He wasn't a bother at all.." Y/N's mother reassures

"Joel...at least next time don't go around without telling your mum! If you want a pet come over to my place...We can play with Zachary together..." Y/N says as she smiles at him, holding her mother's hand

"Okay..I will." Joel says smiling at her as he pets Zachary one last time...

"Bye Joel! See you...well...soon?" She says as she walks off..

That was how it all began...After that, one day he had turned up at her place surprisingly...They were next door neighbours...And eventually they spent a lot of time together..which lead to their everlasting friendship which began at the age of 6..

~ ~ ~

"Joel...when am I going to see you again?" Y/N asks as she lazily sat on his bed whilst she helped him with her luggage.

"Around 9 months...I'll be back soon.." Joel says as he puts in another shirt

"Oh come on...that's technically the entire year!" Y/N comments as she rolls her eyes

"I swear I would have taken you if it wasn't for your Fashion Designing Course..If that had been completed..then you could have joined.." Joel says as he stuffs in something else

"Yeah yeah..it's important right...I'm going to miss you Jo..." She says as she looks at him

"Me too..I wish there was something I could do.." Joel says as he walks over towards her.

"Just promise that you'll facetime me before all your performances..and just text me once at least every day...send me those lame audios of yours...I don't care.." Y/N says as she holds his hand...

He was still here...not gone..why did he have to leave?

"Hey...I'll text you and call you everyday.. You're my best friend...If I wouldn't call you.. who else would I?" He asks as he holds her hand and hugs her

~ ~ ~

"Wow! That was a spectacular show right boys?" Joel asks obviously excited as he walked behind the stage...

"Yes..exhausted but overwhelming..." Richard replies as they walk into the room backstage

Zabdiel immediately falls onto the couch, Erick cools off, Chris begins to fix his hair

"God..Why hasn't Y/N even seen my message! She didn't even facetime me today or even call me! Isn't that just mean?!?" Joel comments as he slumps onto the couch

"Yes...call her mean and every other negative word you could think of Ho-eL! She brought her arse from miles away, sat on a 13 hour flight just so she could surprise her best friend and yet you call her that?" A voice speaks from behind him

"Wait...a minute..." Joel trails as he instantly turns behind and sees Y/N

"Y/N- - !!!!" His tone surprised and shocked as he leaps off the couch and hugs her, a few years falling through his cheeks in the rush of excitement.

"Curls!!" She yells as she hugs him.

They hug on forever none of them every wanting to let go...Until an intentional cough from the guys pulls them away

"Ah...err...Guys! Meet my bestie Y/N!" Joel says as he grabs her hand heading towards the boys

"We talked Curls...I talked to everyone and they all helped me hide...You guys were amazing...The performance was just fantastic!" She comments as the boys yell out a chorus of thanks

"Okay so everyone except me knew that you were here?" Joel asks

"Duh curls...I couldn't sneak into backstage without their help..." Y/N says referring to the boys.

Joel grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty room and pulls her into a hug again

"I'm so glad to have you here...Thank you for the support.." Joel says

"Wow wow...I never knew I'd see a sweet side of you Joel..." Y/N remarks

"Shut up and just hug me..." Joel says rolling his eyes

She returns the gesture as they kept hugging, an odd source of comfort filling both their veins.

~ ~ ~

"Joel...this is beautiful..." Y/N comments as she looks around the woods.

It was a small forest sort of place filled with thick green trees and a small river which gleamed with reflections of the littered stars that laid scattered in the skies.

"I know right..." Joel says as he looks at the river and at her..

They spent a lot of time making jokes and just talking about life...he had just returned from tour a few days before and thought he ought to spend some quality time with his best....friend...

He almost sighed at his own thoughts..he had begun to have feelings for her...but he didn't want to let them interplay..he didn't want to lose her...he needed her as a friend at least in his life..his feelings didn't have any part in this...but he couldn't help but wonder everytime she smiled..was she thinking about him? Did she think of him..as something more than a friend?

"Joel..Joel...HOEL!" Y/N yells.

Joel's eyes widen in shock as he falls off the log he sat on because of how loud she yelled and how distracted he was..

"Oh god...you are so clumsy sometimes Curls! Wait..actually all the damn time!" She says as she holds out her hand, Joel gratefully accepting her extended hand as she pulls him up.

"Look at that Y/N..My hand was made to fit into yours..” Joel comments as he sits up

Y/N face floods with a tint of pink as she nervously laughs it off..but never lets go off his hand..

"Of course you dummy...We are besties so god made sure it would work that way.." She replies uneasily

"Y/N I want to tell you something.." He says interrupting her from speaking further

An awkward moment of painful silence fills the air...

"What is it Joel?" She asks nervously

"It's.. it's..." Joel begins but his anxiety kicks in.

"If you don't tell her now...you'll never tell her or know if she felt the same.. you'll probably live in regret but you have to! " His inner voice encourages as he takes a deep breath

"I...I like you..." He breathes out

"I like you too Joel! You are my best fr- -" Y/N begins

"No Y/N...I like you more than a best friend.. you make me feel warm and mushy on the inside..I don't feel anything else around anyone else...You make me feel safe, happy. You understand me...We fight..but that's only because you care..but I like you in a different manner...You make me want to the cringy -est stuffs like taking couple pictures, share smoothies together, go on dates...and make me wanna dance with you in between an army of fireflies under the moonlight and what nots.. and to think that you make these cliché activities look normal...that's weird and definitely not something I feel one fine day.. I knew I always had these feelings..But I realized them...only recently...I understand if you don't feel the same..but just so you know I'll keep loving you..on and on..." He finishes off

"Who said I never had feelings for you Joel?" She asks "Every night... I'm just waiting and wondering if you have found someone that'll make you feel like that..Because why not? There are millions out there..prettier, hotter and just beautiful girls out there waiting for you so why would you choose me over them? Yeah... nothing.."

"Y/N I don't care...for you were..are the only girl I've had my eyes on...from the start.. today and forever..." Joel says as he holds both her palms. (I'm low-key swooning 🤧)

Before she could answer, Joel extends his free hand and pulls her up.

They walk over towards a place where the moonlight reflected brightly and the clear water flowing gently, causing small ripples as if it was singing a song.

"Well...can I have a dance with you?" Joel asks as he extends his hand out in a sorta gentleman style

Y/N nods softly as she takes his hand, his hand instantly softly interlocking with hers as she rests her free hand on his shoulder, his free hand holding a space above her waist securely..

As they began to softly dance in sync, an army of fireflies had encapsulated around them causing her to smile wide.

"Look Joel...True to your 'cliché' wishes..the fireflies are here..." Y/N jokes about it as Joel's face floods with a bright pink colour.

They enjoyed the overall aura, the silence suddenly turning comfortable...as they merely enjoyed each others' presence without any words being exchanged.

"So..Y/N..." Joel begins

"Hmm?" She asks as they continue dancing

"Will..will you be my girlfriend?" He asks nervously

Y/N stops dancing as she tries to catch Joel's gaze..but the boy would look at anyone or anything but her..

Y/N stood on her toes as she holds his face with both hands as she stares at his beautiful dark brown orbs, her eyes filled with nothing but love..that too only for him.

Joel looks at her nervously and before he could speak anything, she softly presses her lips against his. He instinctively bends down a bit to reach upto her height as his hands wrap around an area a bit above her waist.

She pulls away, Joel's arms still firmly fixated above her waist as he looks at her

"Did that answer your question Pimentel?" She asks, her tone filled with sassiness

"For real Y/N?" He asks in disbelief

"Yes Joel..For real...I promise you...I'll be there for you..." Y/N says as Joel smiles

"I love you Y/N.." He says

"I love you only..Joel Pimentel.." Y/N says as Joel pulls her in for another kiss.

✓ ✓ ✓

The Ending kinda sucked tbh...but anyways hehehe... I'll try to improve! 😅🙃

[chocosvt]

This new song honestly sounds like a mashup of all the popular EDM songs. "Stay" by Alessia Cara (the chorus especially), basically all of The Chainsmoker's new album, etc.. Honestly just look up either Pixl Network or Taz Network and you'll see what I mean. Not saying that it's bad--I think it's quite cool actually.

hi anon! yes, i was shifting through the comments as per usual lol n noticed a few remarks regarding the similarities of edm beats between svt and the chainsmokers. now, i don’t listen to many edm based songs nor know many artists within the genre, the sole exception being the chainsmokers ever since “closer” blew the fuck up, so obviously i didn’t recognize any similarities when listening. from my limited ass knowledge i know the beats of edm tracks can be repetitive, and yes the beat throughout svt’s song was repetitive, which also makes it catchy as hell. i also believe that edm tracks can only expand to a certain extent with their variety?

i think that’s why people are making those connections between svt and these edm artists. bc i don’t frequently listen to edm tracks i was just a wee bit (a lot fukin bit) rattled when listening for the first time bc i kept having this “adore u” image in my head. also i think ppl are forgetting they went to mf’ LA where they were probably exposed to a wide array of music producing a similar sound, and since that’s what’s boppin atm they may have wanted to take a leap and put their own take on it. BUT THAT LEADS ME TO UNDERSTAND WHY THEY SAID “it feels as though we’re debuting again” BC THEY’RE DEBUTING WITH A STYLE THAT’S NEW TO THEM, so they’re probably getting those pre-adore u feels i suppose. like when i first listened, i enjoyed it while at the same time  experiencing slight apprehension bc the music was unfamiliar to me.

after a few listens, i’m hooked as fuck, and now i’m cartwheeling on to celebrate the rest of the songs!! as always svt have tried something new, added a good ole dose of freshness to their image while still incorporating some of their original flavour, hence those bomb ass dance moves and aesthetic. it seems as though every member got their chance to shine, so i agree with u my pal, i think it’s quite cool too. ALSO SORRY FOR OVERSHARING BUT AT THE SAME TIME I’M NOT BC EVERYONE KNOWS I NEVER SHUT THE FUCJ UP SO.