#low quality gangsta

[thecountesstribe]

🤣😭

[zakuramochi]

I translated this chapter for a few friends on a discord server, but since I don't see a translated version online yet I thought I'd post it here! Please enjoy this new special chapter of Hetalia World Stars, Gangsta! (That's really the title) I'm really sorry if there are typos, the grammar is wrong or if it seems low-quality and unprofessional;; I did my best to get it across!

[rou-luxe]

sometimes I feel like (insert low quality gangsta's paradise blasted on crackling speakers)

[domliddle]

WWF Aggression - Wrestling and Hip-Hop Collide

For those who have little to no interest in wrestling (who are reading a blog post with "wrestling" in the title), WWF's Attitude Era can be summed up broadly as follows: the company tried to appeal to kids and nearly went under, so they tried to appeal to teenagers and reaped the benefits.

Run by a load of middle-aged white men, the company never seemed to 100% know what exactly its new audience was. The demographics in the huge ratings skewed more towards teenagers, so the watchword was "edgy". What that entailed was blurring the lines between heroes and villains, as well as drinking, swearing, and lots of other things that weren't around during the time of Hulk Hogan. Not on camera, anyway.

But the company was not as savvy as today when it came to understanding its audience. Anything beyond the core content was highly revealing of this clumsiness. It ranged from D-Generation X hawking spot pads to the Wrestlemania Rage Party, with the bizarre sight of a drunk Shane McMahon rocking out to legendary rapper Big Pun.

In terms of music, the general trend for that white teenage male demographic was nu metal. This manifested itself in Fred Durst appearing in the video games, and the D-Generation X band's incredible rendition of "America the Beautiful". Needless to say, there was an indelible link between the genre and hip-hop music. There was also an edgy quality to hip-hop after gangsta rap's peak, and an increasing white audience from Eminem's peak run.

Hence, WWF Aggression.

Released at the height of the attitude era, the album is a fascinating blend of rappers seemingly picked at random, with the most tenuous links to the brand possible. It is very much a product of its time; personally, it reminds me a great deal of "Chef Aid", the South Park album from the same time. In both the album was comprised of a mish-mash of artists that would otherwise have never been on the same compilations, with the branding rather than the content being the sole hook for consumers.

Each track was allegedly themed around a particular wrestler or team. There were no name producers, save for one track. The rappers varied greatly, from West, South, East and everywhere else, from those lesser-known to household names. For maximum crossover, some wrestlers used these as theme music once or twice. Was it any good, though?

1: Run-DMC: The Kings (D-Generation X)

"My catalog got a long list of hits in the stores/And for you sample-happy suckers out there breaking the laws/Rather hit you where it gets you, bring you up on a charge/You'd be better just to let a lawyer know from the start"

The start is arguably the centrepiece; the only one that the wrestlers consistently used as theme music, and attached to DX's Mcmahon-Hemsley heel run.

At this point, despite being genuine stars in their prime, Run-DMC were no longer culturally relevant. As the 90s arrived, they were lost in the shuffle, and compared to the more sample-leaning hip-hop that was becoming popular, their stripped down approach with the occasional foray into rap-rock was dated.

Their attempts to integrate with 1993's "Down With The King" rang hollow; the title track was a big hit more for the creative hands of Pete Rock & CL Smooth than anything else. The abundance of guest rappers and producers from the time, coupled with the complete change of look, made it obvious that they were desperately trying to gain a foothold. But, the lows of "Crown Royal" were yet to come, and as the most obvious purveyors of rap-rock from the hip-hop side of things, the union made sense.

It's not a bad song, although it is just the two rapping over a slightly edited version of the DX theme (which will be an, er, theme).

But the bloody hypocrisy of that line, considering their most well known song was them rapping over someone else's song. It also looks bitter considering their own failure to adapt to sample-based hip-hop.

Anyway. A strong start.

2: Kool Keith & Old Dirty Bastard - Wreck (Mankind)

"Nobody seen the girls pee on the mattress/Who was the actress when we had to take a leak?"

A bizarre union of two of the most genuinely unpredictable rappers ever, with ODB ranting in between Kool Keith's mental raps. Absolutely zero to do with wrestling, never mind Mankind, unless you count ODB screaming the word "Fight". But a genuine hip-hop curio and a compelling song in its own way; no song with these two is going to be boring.

3: Method Man - Know Your Role (The Rock)

"So you want a piece of The Rock? Make you crumble/In these Wrestlemanias, kid, we Royal Rumble"

I will stand by this song as brilliant in its own right. Method Man is one of the most underrated rappers ever, and his own wit and lyrical dexterity shines over an incredible track by actual big name producer Rockwilder (he of Christina Aguilera's "Dirty", among many others).

Method Man is also a genuine wrestling fan, and it shows. His own desperate need to crowbar a WWF reference into every bar powers this song, and makes me wish the rest of the album had the same energy. This was also released as a single, with a video of The Rock driving around while some women stand in a run-down apartment block and gyrate.

Unfortunately, The Rock himself was not a fan. He did use it as a theme the once for a throwaway TV match, but it would never usurp his own perfectly-suited theme.

4: Snoop Dogg & WC - Hell Yeah (Steve Austin)

"When I say, "Hell" - you say, "Yeah"(c'mon) Hell - yeah (c'mon) hell - YEAH"

Snoop Dogg is the only actual wrestler on this album, so you know things will be good. It's not, but never mind. The biggest name on the album simply provides a hook (to put it generously) for his cousin to do his typical double-time flow about fighting people. This is basically Austin's own theme with rappers on, but still manages to have nothing to do with wrestling.

5: Redman & Rock - No Chance In Hell (Vince McMahon)

"You don't want what we got in store/Keep your mother-in-law indoor when we walk outdoor"

It stands to reason that Method Man's mate/awful film co-star and big name in his own right, Redman, would turn up. Along with (not The) Rock from the Boot Camp Clik, a weird pairing.

It's a dull song, unfortunately, with a bad track and the rappers going through the motions. They do say "No Chance In Hell" a bit, though, so it counts.

6: C-Murder & Magic - I Won't Stop (Gangrel)

"Call me the reaper, you won't live to tell/Call me Gangrel, I'm straight out of hell/I need blood, I'm lookin for a victim/The Brood, I'm with 'em"

Master P's cousin and his mate rock up, and do a good job considering. They're not the greatest rappers but for their own work it's alright; being used to hear them over tinnier No Limit tracks, it's at least a departure from the norm. Plus, there's at least a couple of tenuous references to the subject.

7: Tha Eastsidaz - Big Red Machine (Kane)

"The way I DDT these fools, I'm bound to catch a case/Seven foot three with a tombstone that sit about ten feet/Undertake'm to another street"

I've never rated Goldie Loc or Tray Dee, who seem to turn up on random songs by other west coast rappers on account of being Snoop Dogg's mates. It's a good effort though, and it's memorable to hear Goldie Loc "Tombstone Pile-Drop" foes over what is essentially Kane's unchanged theme music.

8: R.A. The Rugged Man - Break Down The Walls (Chris Jericho)

"Crazy, crusty, ugly, my mother doesn't trust me"

Just not a good song, unfortunately from another pick for the most underrated rapper ever. The man whose legendary verse on Jedi Mind Tricks's "Uncommon Valor" will legitimately go down in hip-hop history simply rants about being a bit violent, and there's not much to say.

9: Bad Azz & Techniec - You Ain't Hard (New Age Outlaws)

"New Age Outlaw, opposite Southpaw/Big water balloon balls and barroom brawls"

The beat is based on the first riff from the Outlaws' actual theme. Bad Azz & Techniec don't seem to have realised there even is one, rapping off-beat for the whole thing. Not one to live long in the memory.

10: Ice-T - Pimpin' Ain't Easy (Godfather)

"Godfather's in the house..Grab yo' bitches"

Very on-brand. So much so that the Godfather used this as his theme for a bit, with Ice-T turning up to perform in person at Wrestlemania 2000. It's simply Ice-T rapping about pimping over a slightly edited version of Godfather's theme. Unique in that it actually sounds like an updated wrestling theme, rather than somebody rapping about killing people over an edited version of the original song. I am dying to know what the Godfather and Ice-T's mysterious "beef" was, though. Probably that Ice-T had to come and watch Head Cheese.

11: Mystikal & Ras Kass - Game (Triple H)

"I got mo' anger than you got in yo' whole body in one arm/And that's a threat to Triple H, three times the harm"

An absolutely bizarre pairing picked seemingly at random, they go off in their own styles over a hilariously muzak-sounding version of "My Time". Good to hear he of "Shake Yo Ass" fame threaten Triple H on his own theme. Ras Kass is always good, but it is at its core another song where people rap about murder over an edited wrestling theme.

12: Mack 10, K-Mac, Boo Kapone & MC Eiht - Big (Big Show)

"And to the female fanbase that consume/You gotta be, willin to give up the womb to see my room/So if you're bout that and in your mouth I can burst/Then meet me backstage and have some rubbers in your purse"

In an era of hip-hop where misogyny was not only rife but a popular staple, it's not surprising that a lyric as stomach-churning as that would end up on a wrestling album. A slight change from Method Man rapping about the Rock doing a People's Elbow for his adoring fans.

That pretty much sets the tone. If that lyric wasn't "of its time" (always a go-to excuse for rampant misogyny) enough, you can hear Boo Kapone rapping about leaving people Limp like Bizkit, or kids going crazy for him like Pokémon.

The Big Show actually used this theme a couple of times pre-Wrestlemania 2000. It is at least hilarious to picture him walking out stony-faced as Mack 10 raps about bursting in people's mouths.

13: Meeno - Ministry (Undertaker)

"I'm known as the King, dead man walking/Fear no man, and I live in a coffin"

Despite not being sure if he's alive or dead, Meeno, or to use his full name, Dame Grease Presents Meeno, gives this one a good go. It's still a man rapping about killing people over a wrestling theme, so there you go. A fitting end.

_____________

It's a bag of shite that will go in one ear and out the other, but the actual content is appropriately moot. It's a strange crossover that didn't sell as well as planned, arguably because it didn't appeal to its core audience. It's not for hip-hop fans either, as it's essentially an album of bad novelty songs, with some interesting pairings at least.

WWE would go on to do this far better with "Forceable Entry", a mix of Nu Metal and Metal Metal that included some genuine wrestler themes - Steve Austin's "Glass Shatters", for example.

Wrestling fan demographics have changed dramatically in the intervening 25 years, and WWE have gotten much better at catering theme music to current trends. Streaming being standard also means that songs will be generally released as soon as they're used by the wrestler.

Unfortunately, this means no more albums with a couple of wrestlers' themes bundled in with a load of bad hip-hop (to use the term generously) songs. Still, at least the Method Man one's good.

[airadam]

Episode 183 : The Natural

"Posthumous ain't the wave..."

- Mega Ran

For this month's cover art, I couldn't resist calling back to one of the most unexpectedly popular stars of the Olympics I was glued to earlier in the month, and going a little Griselda with it 😁 Music-wise, we're almost entirely Hip-Hop this episode, but visiting a lot of different chambers - got some brand new stuff, some tracks that are older than I realised, and we open up with a gem that never got a commercial release...

Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Warzone : Take It Or Leave It

I left the drop on the front of this track to respect the blog DubCNN, from where I got this track way back - one I've never heard anywhere else! Warzone was a supergroup made up of Kam, Goldie Loc, and MC Eiht of CMW, who drop unapologetically gangsta lyrics through all three verses of this fire tune. Sadly, even though they did record a full album, the world never got to hear it due to them being unable to get a distribution deal - if anyone somehow has a copy, I would love to hear the whole thing! I think Mr. Porter is on production, which makes sense, with the drums having a distinctly Detroit timefeel which really adds to the overall flavour.

Sndtrak : Inhuman

The Detroit stalwart House Shoes was recently playing some beat flips by Oakland producer Sndtrack on a Twitch stream, and before he was done I'd already bought two of his albums, including "FLIPS V2: FLIP​-​TUCK" from which this is drawn. He deconstructs Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" on his Maschine and turns it into a dark, gothic, booming track which lives up to its title! This is an artist well worthy of your support.

Layfullstop : Did I Stutter

Brand new single from a double-threat MC/singer you might know from her work in the Manchester scene over the last few years - she posted a clip on Instagram and I immediately had to buy myself a copy! Layfullstop kills it in less than three minutes with flows and bars galore over a wicked self-produced beat that features smooth keys under an irresistible rhythm track. An artist to always keep an ear out for!

Mega Ran ft. The Outlawz : In The Game

It was great to see Mega Ran return to play in Manchester this month, and while it would have been easy to just reach for his most recent release, we're going back to a personal favourite, the "Live '95" LP. As someone who grew up loving Hip-Hop, hoops - and of course gaming - in the magical time of the 90s, this album explores the intersections of them all. Edi Mean and Young Noble of The Outlawz, best known as 2Pac's crew guest here with a couple of short and positive verses over Yon Li's production, but it's the headliner who really shines here with an excellent first verse. His lines about "anybody I ain’t rock with, don’t put them on my projects" ring truer than ever in a world where some are excusing the use of AI deepfake tech to put words in the mouths of the deceased. We don't support that necromancy over here.

Zion I : We Got It

Accidentally deleted my notes for this - let's try again 😂 This was a nice B-side on the flip of "Here We Come" by Skhool Yard, both taken from the 2001 compilation "The Funky Precedent Vol. 2". The production by 418Hz is sparse enough to allow the straight-ahead dopeness on the mic from the late Zumbi to breathe.

Diamond D ft. Torae and Bishop Lamont : MERK

Jo-Jo on the low pro, the Forest Projects and DITC legend Diamond has returned to bless us with a new release this month, the nine-track "The Diam Piece 3 : Initium", loaded with featured guests all doing their thing over his top-shelf production. The crispy drums and guitar sample with a subtle bass backing create a clean but still grimy backdrop for all the MCs - Bishop Lamont from Cali and Brooklyn's Torae, both true insiders' choices - to bring quality bars. Well under three minutes long, this is concentrated dopeness.

[Jay Dee] Slum Village : Fall In Love (Remix Instrumental)

The original version of "Fall In Love" was at least at some point removed from retail copies of "Fantastic Volume II" due to sample clearance problems, but this remixed version is an underground classic in its own way. I recently picked this up as a 45, though I'd expect that there are some 12"  and digital releases containing this excellent J Dilla beat as well.

DJ Premier & Bumpy Knuckles ft. Flavor Flav : Shake The Room

He may only be on the hook, but I thought we needed the Public Enemy legend, US Women's water polo team sponsor Flav, and general US Olympic hypeman on the episode somewhere this month! As he has done so often for Chuck D, he brings a different tone and change of energy to this track to contrast the gravelly-voiced and aggressive style of Bumpy Knuckles, with DJ Premier switching up the beat in those sections to match. The first single from the "Kolexxxion" LP, this one has a beat that Busta Rhymes apparently rejected, but Bumpy and Flav have made it what it needed to be.

Black Milk ft T3 and Phat Kat : Danger

Into the crates for a Phat Kat feature after getting the chance to play an all-Detroit warmup set before he performed in Manchester earlier this month! This cut from fellow 313 native and beast producer Black Milk's debut LP "Sound Of The City, Volume 1" has him taking the mic for the opening verse, before T3 of Slum Village takes the baton for the second, and finally Phat Kat burns it down on the close with pure aggression. Some of those that Kat said should "stop rapping and drive a cab" might well prefer to look into rideshare options if they were on the receiving end of this torching 🔥

Jel : Delete Sound

Just a short instrumental bridge courtesy of Jel, co-founder of the Anticon label as well as, of course, a producer in his own right. This is a great drum workout entirely done on the legendary SP-1200, from the 2002 "10 Seconds" album, named after the total sampling time the SP has available!

O.C. : The Inventor

I have to credit DJ Rolling Adam for introducing me to this track after playing it on one of his Twitch streams! It's a bit of an O.C. obscurity that had passed me by, with Ogee cleverly using the intro of a much loved jazz track that has been sampled on some classics - none of which made much of this part of the original. On the mic...standard solid performance from O.C., who can always be relied on to hold up his part of proceedings. You can find this on the 2006 "Hidden Gems" collection, or on 12" if you're willing to buy one of the relatively few copies that seem to be available on the used market.

Kev Brown : The Cause (Instrumental)

Absolutely fire beat! Not a crazy number of elements, just the basics done flawlessly, which is a real strength of Landover's Kev Brown, one of the most respected producers of his generation by those in the know. Of all the tracks from his "Selective Hearing" project with LMNO, this was by far my favourite, and the instrumental works well in a standard DJ set, an MC cipher, as a scratch backdrop - it has a quality and restraint that give it ultimate versatility.

Verb T ft. Malek Winter and Da Flyy Hooligan : Mere Mortal

Heavy UK business. The "Restoration" project is a collaboration between the veteran MC Verb T (who may be best known to many as one quarter of The Four Owls) and Malek Winter, who comes through with the 21st century lo-fi boom-bap styles on production. North-West London "gourmet rap" purveyor Da Flyy Hooligan features here, as one of the very few guests on the LP, as the MCs speak on how no matter how bulletproof you may feel, it's never quite so.

Sean Price : Title Track

Ok - in a total inversion of Ronseal naming conventions, this tune is called "Title Track" but the album it comes on is entitled "Mic Tyson", meaning that this is actually not the title track in literal sense! Classic merry rulebreaking from the late great Sean P, whose brutal bars on this 2012 release jockey for position against Eric G's slow, grinding, dramatic beat for sheer aggression. As always, R.I...P!

DJ Quik ft. David Blake II : Shine

There are all kinds of things I've seen in Hip-Hop as time has gone on that remind me of my (thankfully) advancing years, but this one is up there - DJ Quik, who I first heard as a nineteen-year-old MC on  the 1990-recorded "Tonite", being in the game long enough that on this track his son is the featured guest! Quik's production is low-tempo with the double-time hi-hats doing work to add a feeling of extra pace as son and then father get on the mic for each of the two verses. This pick from 2014's "The Midnight Life" is certainly not "Just The Two Of Us", but it's an interesting union all the same.

Trae Tha Truth : Trunk Gone Glow

We go deep and dark sonically as we approach the end of the show, taking it down to Houston, Texas, for a track from a true legend of the scene. This comes from the "Another 48 Hours" mixtape, the second of two albums released by Trae that were recorded in a mere two days each! Trademark Houston lyrical content, talking about the famous SLAB cars and the light-up trunk kits that make them extra-personalised. MOXIII and Watson The Great are credited with production over the whole LP, and this track is a spaced-out, screwed-up synthy soundscape with quality drum machine work over the top.

[El-P] Run The Jewels : Job Well Done (Instrumental)

If I see the instrumentals for a good album available for sale, I make a point of picking them up, so this month I was glad to notice that the beats for the first Run The Jewels LP had been released as a standalone collection. If you already know the album, then you know that it was packed with raw beats and this one is no exception - no crossover style, no chill, just banging, menacing production from El-P.

Justice & Thundercat : The End

This played during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics and sent me - and a lot of other people - scrambling to Shazam it before they switched to something else! The combination of the French electronic duo Justice and Los Angeles bass force of nature Thundercat (although he's primarily on vocal duties here) is sonic bliss, and makes this year's "Hyperdrama" album one to seek out if this is anything to go by. If you have a nice, clean, tuned sound system...this is going to sound spectacular.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

[lizzygrantarchives]

The Telegraph, January 24, 2012

As the controversial Lana Del Rey prepares to release a new album of voluptuous and bittersweet pop, she reveals what it’s like to be suddenly both fêted and vilified.

Lana Del Rey is the girl of the moment. On a freezing New York afternoon, wind-chill factor -8C, she breezes into the lobby of an exclusive members’ club with the untouchable aura of someone transported within their own micro-climate. She looks immaculate, as indeed she has always looked since the world first sat up and took notice – perfectly turned out in tight blue slacks, green shirt and a suede jacket, like a beatnik princess. Long auburn hair falls in perfect lines around her face, deep brown eyes casting a frank, steady gaze beneath long, false lashes.

In the flesh she still has a girlish slightness of frame, but in front of cameras she is capable of shifting swiftly from a kind of coltish innocence to vampish knowingness. It’s a quality that is hard to pin down but is present in the videos, songs and photo shoots that have suddenly and dramatically elevated her from the obscure margins of the internet to the centre of the pop zeitgeist, a kind of doubleness, a sense of duality and merging contradictions. She is a person into whom you can read a lot.

Which is what the world has been doing. In May 2010, the unsigned Del Rey posted a home-made video on YouTube of a deceptively simple song called Video Games, in which she sang in a low, sultry voice about a remembered moment of idle and possibly idyllic love to an achingly sad melody, set to found footage of old Hollywood and sun-bleached shots of Del Rey. It’s a clip that has a strange, otherworldly power, emphasised, perhaps, by the absence of beats, the quiet poise of its artful construction, allied to intense yet understated emotion.

By the end of the year, it had been viewed 20 million times, become a top 10 hit single on British indie label, Stranger Music, earned her a big deal with Universal Music, put her on the covers of magazines and at the top of ones to watch polls, and helped make Del Rey the most talked about new star of the year, hailed, in her own pithy phrase, as the “gangsta Nancy Sinatra”. Yet a lot of what was being said wasn’t particularly nice. She was accused online of being a fake, created by backroom Svengalis in some kind of nefarious pop conspiracy, a Botoxed, manufactured, spoiled, super-rich airhead being sold to a gullible world as an indie pin-up. Insults flew fast and furious, as commenters called her authenticity to account. It was as if Del Rey was too good to be true.

“Its funny,” says Del Rey, although she’s not laughing. “I don’t really have any gimmicks. I don’t actually do anything that’s strange. I don’t even wear weird things. I have taken taking my music to labels for years, and everyone just thought it was creepy. They thought the images with the music were weird and verging on psychotic. And then, one day, its like people decided it wasn’t actually too strange, it was actually too perfect. The fact that it could even be considered pop is a revelation to me. You know what changed? It got played on the radio.”

Behind a poised, deadpan expression, Del Rey shifts subtly between bruised defiance and vulnerable anxiety. These are qualities you can hear in her music. But the surprise is that, beneath the artfully composed image she has presented to the world, her sensitivity is so close to the surface. Because it turns out that there is nothing ironic or conceptual about Del Rey. “I’m 100 per cent sincere,” she asserts.

On January 30, Del Rey will release an album, Born To Die, which should establish her as not just a big star, but a real talent. It’s a literate, emotional collection of beautifully crafted, pithily memorable songs about good times and bad love, teenage drinking, existential angst, memory, loss and revenge. It has sinuous, clever lyrics set to dreamy soundscapes, lush melodies and trip hop beats. “I think it’s beautiful. I think it’s gorgeous. This album is my self in song form. So if they sort of sound like everything fits perfectly together, it’s because it does. There is nothing altered, nothing compromised, they are perfectly me. For better or worse, it’s like a person in song and video form.”

At the album's core is a kind of dichotomy - a quality of being sad without being unhappy, that is reflected in the title song. “There is a sense of loss underpinning things. I used to wonder if it was God’s plan that I should be alone for so much of my life. But I found peace. I found happiness within people and the world. So there is a sad tone, but also real joy. It seemed like a mix of two beautiful worlds coming together.”

So does she really think we are born to die?

“No, I think we’re born to live.”

Del Rey’s given name is Elizabeth Grant. She was born 25 years ago, and raised in the small town of Lake Placid in rural New York State. Her father is a real-estate investor, her mother an advertising account executive and, while they were comfortably middle-class, she snorts that, contrary to internet speculation, “they’re not millionaires. There wasn’t any money. It was just a life.” Despite the setting, it would appear that Del Rey’s inner life, at least, was anything but placid. “When I was very young I was sort of floored by the fact that my mother and my father and everyone I knew was going to die one day, and myself too. I had a sort of a philosophical crisis. I couldn’t believe that we were mortal. For some reason that knowledge sort of overshadowed my experience. I was unhappy for some time. I got into a lot of trouble. I used to drink a lot. That was a hard time in my life.”

She often alludes to teenage drinking, and says she hasn’t touched a drop in eight years. Pressed on how bad it got, she replies: “Bad enough that I had to stop.” When she was 15, she was sent to boarding school in Connecticut, an event that she recalls on the closing track of the album, This Is What Makes Us Girls, reminiscing about her schoolgirl gang, “a freshman generation of degenerate beauty queens”, and the moment she found herself on a train platform, waving them goodbye, and “crying ’cos I know I’m never coming back.”

At 18, she moved to New York, studied metaphysics at college, and taught herself guitar. “I’ve always written. It’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at. It’s not difficult, like math. I’m not bad at it, like I am with everything else. But it didn’t have to be music. I like to sing. I also enjoy editing, splicing films together. And so I’ve been doing all those things, but my only ambition was to be a great writer.” Her subject matter has been her life, particularly a relationship that went sour, and that infuses songs like Off To The Races (“I’m your little harlot, starlet, Queen of Coney Island”), Blue Jeans (“You fit me better than my favourite sweater”) and National Anthem (“We’re on a quick, sick rampage / wining and dining, drinking and driving / On our drugs and our love and our dreams and our rage / Blurring the lines between real and the fake”).

“It’s not my fault that love went bad. I met this person I was going to spend the rest of my life with. We were both clean and sober. We lived together and then he started getting into trouble, and he had to leave. There’s a lot of facets to my life, they don’t all seem like they would come together. It’s been a strange ride.”

In her years in New York, working “odd jobs” and “helping out in the community, in alcohol and drug awareness programmes” and playing the singer-songwriter open-mic circuit, Lizzy Grant reinvented herself as Lana Del Rey. But there is a sense in which this was not so much the arch self-marketing, suspected by her internet detractors, as the normal, youthful process of self-discovery. “It’s not like I’m torn between two personalities. There’s no distinction. Not even a little bit. I wanted a name that sounded as beautiful as the music. Just like the only reason I use old footage of Hollywood was because I like the colour and texture, not to give subliminal Americana messages, or hint at the glory of past decades. I don’t feel the need to slip into another world or character, because I’ve inhabited the same world and the same person for a long time. I’m very happy with it. Anyone will tell you that.”

Del Rey could have been invented by the internet, and in a way she was. She is a child of these times and this technology. She took an identity that suited her and discovered a way to present her inner world in music and imagery, compiling clips of old images. She released an independent album in 2008 that sold so badly that the record label withdrew it: “There was no money to support it, so they just thought they’d save it for another time.” She had been telling her own story, in her own unique way, to an audience of herself and her peers. And then the world spotted her, exalted her, and then, in the accelerated mania of new media, a backlash started before she had even begun.

It gets colder in the room as the interview progresses, as the New York chill penetrates. “I know what people think about me,” says Del Rey, pulling her suede jacket around her shoulders. “I don’t understand it, I don’t see why that’s the angle. And I’m a smart person. I mean, like, why that?”

What the gossip-mongers and trolls of the internet haven’t seen is the effect all this cyber bullying is having on the person at its centre. Del Rey has made a record that deserves to be heard, but says she doesn’t want to tour, doesn’t want to leave New York, that she wants “to keep things small. All I wanted to do was make something beautiful, and I think I’ve done that.”

Her nervous appearance on popular US TV show Saturday Night Live last weekend led to more internet abuse. But the thing is, Del Rey is nervous, and with good reason. “I don’t want to talk about how it made me feel because I think it’s disrespectful to God to go to a dark place with this kind of thing. People just want to see me go off the rails. That’s the only reason they’re watching. They just want to see what happens.” Her critics have questioned her authenticity, but Del Rey seems all too human. I ask if she is afraid of what she has unleashed. “Do you think I am?” she ponders, voice trembling, hand dabbing at her eyes. “Well, you might be right. But I wouldn’t tell.”

Originally appeared on telegraph.co.uk with the headline Lana Del Rey interview: new album Born to Die is 'a beautiful thing'.

[litevertigo]

a couple low-quality selfies 💗💗

[nayrring]

"stop editing low quality gangsta pics on pinterest with the tokyo revengers characters it's not funny😒"

Fuck u mean⁉️🤨👇

[nopsdcabello]

like or c) @hqspilots

[makiema]

finally finished writing about how much stormbringer enhances the skk dynamic which was at a nascent stage in Fifteen and anticipates the developments which happen later and culminate in Dead Apple where the faith they have in each other is absolutely remarkable! the fact that i said i’d do this in a few hours yesterday but it took me like 24 hrs to finish i have an attention span of a whole 2 minutes 💀

my favorite thing about stormbringer is that it actually builds up on the concepts/themes introduced in Fifteen so it's a glimpse into what has changed in dazai and dazai & dhuuya after one year of being together. As much as it's about chuuya confronting his past and his identity this is also about dazai’s development from who he was in fifteen. chuuya and rimbaud both left their marks on dazai and in Stormbringer we see him, actually trying to emulate or follow in a sense a way of life, that chuuya and rimbaud represented. Stormbringer is not just about chuuya, abt his test of humanity, or he coming in terms with who or what he is. it's about dazai too. it's about dazai developing or at least attempting to develop what he calls “boyish”/ “ordinary” in Fifteen. its not about chuya having an identity crisis. in fact what we understand from Code 04's last section is that chuuya never considered it as his crisis and neither did dazai. so to dazai “saving chuuya is important, human or not doesn't matter” and when dazai gives chuuya time to think abt what the operation will cost him chuuya doesnt so much as flinch form his purpose. This goes on to show unlike verlaine he doesnt care about memory and certainly doesnt consider it as the only determinant of someone being human. He cares more abt yokohama and his friends and in that, in caring abt his “family”, he is just as human as the next person. whether he’s factually human or not comes secondary to his desire to save people. This is a message that the quality of being human has more to do with embodying human qualities or humanity than having memories and lineage. so yeah stormbringer is essentially about embracing humanity but this happens on 2 levels: both chuuya and dazai embrace humanity. Going back to the boyish or ordinary bit, im talking abt this segment:

here dazai is shocked because he assumed everyone “gangsta” and everyone crazy powerful delighted in homicide, in deliberately indulging in the macabre. but he is proved wrong. He logically concluded that anyone with power more than average and belonging to the underground would kill people and delight in that because it’s a given they lack any kind of moral understanding. To that end, they’d be exalted at the prospect of relentlessly shooting a dead body, mutilating it and dishonoring it. The mafia code (any general mafia code) works in a way where honor and death goes hand in hand. So only the lowest of the low would do that to a dying person, who even when faced with certain death is loyal to his own organisation. This really shows that even within the mafia dazai is the only person whos like the devil incarnate. So yeah dazai at this sate far lower than even a mafia member. But chuuya who actually embodiess the mafia code and is incredibly loyal to his organisation and “family” [ putting family in quotes bc he himself calls his friends family 🥺] ofc kicks the gun away. From dazai’s pov chuuya being as insanely powerful as he is should also do the same. But chuuya comes along and suggests that even enemies should be shown respect where it’s due. And that is what an ordinary person, oblivious to mafia life (mafia life as in waht dazai makes of it) thinks. So in undermining the binary between “ordinary” and “mafia” chuuya proves that being mafia doesnt necessarily mean selling your soul to the devil and giving up the last smidge of humanity. In fact by embodying qualities like compassion and kindness and mutual respect, you can make the mafia a better place for yourself and for the other members. Now in Stormbringer, we see how this affected dazai. here dazai is introduced as someone mercilessly killing to set up the channel. 

Now to expand the channel one would need to keep doing it right? To mercilessly kill ppl and stuff but instead what he does is hand the channel over to chuuya bc he knows chuuya wouldnt handle it like him. im not suggesting that dazai miraculously becomes v good or anything with dazai the key words is “try” or “to some extent” like in Fifteen when Chuuya asks “do u wanna live” he’s like “ not to that extent”. similarly its not to say he doesnt kill people anymore. it is that he tries to lessen the number of casualties by handing over one of the most troublesome channels to chuuya who would manage it in a much more humane way. That dazai draws from his friends/at least tries to is smth we’ll see again later on when he deals with akutagawa. He talks about odasaku and ofc its baffling to him that a mafia member as powerful as him would be taking acre of orphans. and dazai says but he cant afford to be that kind and proceeds to shoot akutagswa but again does so in a calculated way such that he doesnt end up killing him ( im NOT justifying dazai’s abuse not at all im just saying that its hard to believe he coincidentally knew the exact no of bullets that aku could block. and had odasaku’s words and his way of life not been in the back of his mind he could’ve ended up killing aku) coming back to chuuya and dazai we also see him avoiding further conversation on the jewelry channel thing as he says “leave that for now”. He does a similar thing again when mori brings up the concept of double suiciding with chuuya.

 Its a HUGE thing for him to digest that him suiciding would inevitably spell the doom for chuuya. this puts an unimaginable responsibility on him. And he avoids further discussion on this. Now we know dazai is the rambly type. Even in the most dire moments he goe son with his LOONG monologues so really he is the last person who’d avoid a conversation but he deliberately does it in these 2 instances because its hard for him to grasp these things. That he can go against his nature and do a conscientious thing by handing over one of the most grisly channels to chuuya (i dont think dazai’s nature is evil. Or even if it is, its a a social construct keeping in mind the war ravaged times or its mori’s construct because he does exploit dazai to the hilt. but dazai ofc thinks of himself as non-human, devious. perfectly devilish...etc.) And also the fact that someone as suicidal as him is actually responsible for the life of someone else is really too much to take in. a whole 10 seconds pause indicates just how much he was thrown off when mori opened his eyes to the reality of things: if he dies, chuuya inexorably dies as a consequence. also i dont think the “wow” here or the next bit :

is something jokey. if it was like haha double suicide with chuuya is the worst haha wanna do it w pretty lady kind of a deal. that pause would have been unnecessary. dazai’s immediate reaction would’ve been whining and shit. the use of “froze” too implies the gravity of the situation. so ofc what is “wow” is how much meaning his life has for someone else. and for some so much....better than him. and what is unacceptable is this sad, sad truth that his life (to which he ascribes no value) would be so inextricably linked with someone else’s and hold so much meaning to them. it is like when a suicidal person at the brink of suicide understanding his life is not his own. his life and death holds consequences for ppl surrounding him. so both of these are huge things to grasp and at both these times dazai is visibly shaken up so much so that he doesnt want to do his favorite thing- ramble in a condescending tone. smth he does in so many instances. this really is a testimony to the fact that things are changing in him. the redemption process has begun. he’s no longer the kind of maniac he was before he encountered chuuya. when zuko underwent his transition in atla he was so shaken up after one (1) right decision he had a fever. i think this is true for anyone who’s trying to change. change is after all a huge thing for everyone. ofc he’ll be unsettled. so anyways this is proof that he has indeed come a long way from being someone who revelled at the prospect of meaningless bloodshed.

now coming to the concept of love he assumes he’d get sick of love and die:

and that death is the singular goal worth chasing after because it makes you feel more alive/get a fuller picture of what living entails. but here he is erring by supposing love is something that’ll bore him/have no meaning. and it cant provide him that “something” he’s looking for. at this point he hasn’t loved so he doesnt know whether he’ll be sick of it or if it'll have no impact. And yet he’s morose and regretful. this is a kind of self-imposed constraint hes putting on himself. he cancels out the v idea of love because hes convinced it isnt worth it. he hasnt even been in love okay scratch being in love that sounds romantic and i really dont mean love in a romantic sense here...its just love. in general. any form is cool. anyway so dazai is not familiar with any kind of love. He is entirely alien to the concept. he doesnt even know what a friend/partner is so he doesnt know what love is. this is cleared out here when rimbaud confesses he did everything for paul and dazai is unconvinced:

chuuya ofc admonishes him and shuts him up for good, he says dazai has no right lookind down upon smth he doesnt understand. he doesnt understand friendship, love. or loyalty. or how important those feelings are at this point. now this situation is turned on its head in stormbringer. but before we go into that let’s look at the message rimbaud had for both of them. ik he specifically asks for chuuya to “live” but there’s purpose behind including both of them in the frame. it’s a message they should both take to heart. and at the end of it its implied both are changed after hearing it:

and in this message the first bit is for chuuya. what he says is basically memory doesn’t make u human... ”you are you” just a frame or not doesnt matter. and even if hes just a frame, he is still beautiful. beauty actually is a v important concept in literature starting right from Plato to Shakespeare. i’d not bring this here but because bsd is so deeply rooted in literature i feel like the reference to beauty, and later on to soul and even warmth and also the universal tone of this message carries some meaning. so the thing is  both Plato and Shakespeare were endorsed the idea of love as a force awakened in the world by beauty which then leads the soul to perfection. so humans and by extension, all life are beautiful frames that can inspire love. this concept is also there in Romantic poetry like Keats and Wordsworth all of them talked about loving beauty in nature and how that can elevate the body mind and soul. so essentially in telling this to chuuya what ehe basically means is that chuuya just by being him, by being a beautiful framework can inspire love and warmth in others and thats a great purpose! how much chuuya understands of this purpose with his one (1) braincell and his low self esteem is questionable but he gets some sense of belonging. now this is a two way relationship so ofc dazai has to be factored in. he comes in the next part: 

these are from 2 different translation so the disparity im sorry ;-; but anyway,  this last part abt the world being a cold place. then paul. then “warmth” is a message to dazai who’s been introduced to us as cold-hearted and having like no bearings of a human being. this is the reason why its important for both o f them to be there. now going back to chuuya being a beautiful framework, the framework can be beautiful in so far as its beauty is appreciate by someone and inspires warmth and love in someone. this again is the whole beauty/beholder nature/the romantic concept that is there in shakespeare and in Romantic poetry where both are a part of a codependent relationship. so what rimbaud implies here is that dazai can have that kind of a relationship with another person (chuuya) just like rimbaud had with paul which makes him warm and the world doesnt feel cold anymore. rimbaud has no regrets about what he did because. so the idea is that dazai and chuuya can share the same dynamic. also after this, the narrative says that their hearts are now changed and wont return to what they were before....and even their souls are refined in a way. but in Fifteen we dont have a concrete proof of how this happened bc the novel ends at this point. Instead, Stormbringer shows exactly how deep the impact of those words is: 

this is the third instance of dazai showing hesitation and once again this has to do with chuuya. the seed of the dynamic that rimbaud was talking about  is already germinating in him. his reactions, his fidgeting, his hesitancy, in response to chuuya’s situation is such a big contrast to his cocksure self when he’s conversing with adam and verlaine. after this of course we have: 

not only does he clearly express his concern but he gives chuuya 2 whole mins to make a decision and based on that he’s prepared to overturn the operation. the success rate of an alternative plan will ofc be lesser than the og one but that doesnt faze dazai. he’s ready to turn the tide for chuuya’s sake and if this is not development idk what is. just a year ago, he was someone to whom the concept of rimbaud going thru all that trouble for his friend was a lost concept. ironically enough, now he finds himself doing something that is along the same lines. he puts chuuya above his mission. to him, chuuya is more important than getting a satisfactory result. another bit that i wanna talk abt is that one controversial section where dazai says he’ll save chuuya, human or not, and then the justification is: 

i think a lot of people got mad bc of this and honestly at first glance i was peeved too. as a chuuya stan some of the shit dazai has done so far did rub me the wrong way. i love skk obv but still those were moments that kind of left a bad taste in the mouth. i’ll discuss them later on bc stormbringer helps allay that feeling. coming back to the “i wanna see chuuya suffer” part firstly context is important. ofc someone like dazai cant be expected to be upfront about his feelings with ppl (or AI) he barely knows. so what be relays to adam, is only partly true and its actually a kind of a twist in concept. the things is, and this is  smth dazai knows all too well is that ppl suffer simply on account of being human. human suffering is brought on because humans, by virtue of being humans, feel. so when he says he’s willing to acknowledge chuuya as human despite what N and Verlaine said he’s already admitting that chuuya suffers. so there is really nothing “new” to see for him. he knows chuuya suffers already and he does too because they’re both humans trying to make it thru their messed up lives. also chuuya “ceasing to be human” is a p huge concern for him bc he himself is like that. just like with the suicide thing, it bothers dazai when someone else shares his situation/his fate like as long as his life is his own, he has no problem ending it whenever but the situation is complicated when someone else’s life span is determined by that decision. and similarly, as long as he is “no longer human” its not that much of an issue because he’s like resigned to a doomed fate but someone like chuuya ceasing to be human or worse yet never getting to know if hes human or not are pressing matters. so anyways what he actually means here is that in saving chuuya, he saves someone who suffers just like he does and in their case, even the cause of suffering boils down to a shared psychological conflict: what essentially constitutes being human and if im human or not. now this sharing of pain and suffering is the foundation of forming a connection with someone, which makes life a little better. here again, what rimaud imparted to dazai and chuuya is driven home. also dazai’s key anxiety is not finding meaning/anything. this “anything” can be assumed to be something that justifies life. so all his anxiety and frustration stems from the fact that there really is no discernible meaning to be found in the mechanism of life. so it is an empty pursuit because it is true that nothing can explain why feelings of pain and suffering are exponentially heavier than feelings of happiness or why after getting to experience one (1) free day we’re back to square one where life is grueling. these are questions that really dont have an answer so every time dazai like gazes into the abyss and says he didnt  find anything, he is not so much asking if he’ll ever find anything as swallowing the hard truth that there is nothing to be found, no singular entity exists that can magically justify everything. again drawing upon literature or philosophy more specifically, there’s a concept called Absurdism which says the only philosophical truth so to say is this that life is absurd and looking for meaning is futile. instead what we can do is accept that it is absurd and deal with it in the best way possible, by finding little sources and moments of happiness, and strewing them together so we feel somewhat content. even if it is just for a fleeting second. and this happiness/contentment amidst a wretched life (altho temporal) can be found in friendship, in sharing, and even in having fun with people you’re comfortable with! this is actually why dazai wants to save chuuya and now it may seem like im interpreting his words through the shipping lens but thats not so and it can be corroborated by looking into dazai’s words to odasaku. after chuuya, dazai’s next attempt at friendship was odasaku who he found “interesting”. now when odasaku sort of like threw hands and chose death over having to live a life without the orphans, dazai tried to stop him not by saying stuff like life is good. and things will def change for the better. but instead he admits that living is hard and the sense of void is ubiquitous and yet he doesnt want him to  up and die because then he would be sad. because the little comfort that he got from odasaku and something he probably assumed odasaku also got from him would be gone. [how much odasaku considered dazai a source of comfort remains unclear. in fact the reason odasaku gave up and died was because he did not have this. this feeling of sharing in someone else’s suffering and seeking comfort in friends in the real world. instead he was too vested in his ideal world. his over reliance on an entirely idealistic concept is actually what pushed him over the edge. and this would have been the case for dazai too had he not encountered and sought comfort and companionship in chuuya and eventually in odasaku ] so this again goes on to show how rimbaud’s words changed dazai’s heart. and in a way dazai really has been doing this unconsciously form the v beginning like by teasing chuuya continually in Fifteen. you dont expect someone as cold as him to indulge in friendly bickering and taunting so often but he does. that there is significance and even happiness in that is something he learns over time, after rimbaud’s words to him. although these things seem futile on the surface they give a moment’s respite. so although chuuya spinning dazai on a rope in stormbringer might seem weird to everyone, they still serve a purpose:  

what shirase puts forward is particularly relevant here because neither dazai nor chuuya is fully aware of the extent of their feelings (or even what those feelings are like they dont know what label to put. so typical oblivious lovers) for each other or what they stand to gain just by driving each other nuts but there is something intangible but satisfying to be felt. a kind of contentment that helps him continue. one day at a time. there is no one great “thing” that can make him like wake up one day feeling like he doesnt want to die ever again. but again like i said before, the key word for dazai is “extent” so, these little things to some extent contribute to a sense of fulfilment which helps him keep death at bay. thats why he’s bent on saving chuuya bc he knows they can share in their suffering and make life better for each other. its not like he wants chuuya to suffer. chuuya will suffer nonetheless like every other human. but in suffering together there is something to be found so he doesnt want him to cease being human. 

this covers more or less the intertextuality between Stormbringer and Fifteen. i just wanna talk a bit more about a couple other moments in Stormbringer that i feel are p important because they put some things in the series in perspective and also made the dead apple moment 10x more emotional 🥺 one thing that really strikes me is the absolute fanon level of comfort that dazai and chuuya share in Strombringer. its like scenes form k-drama lol. 

so yeah this stuff. compare this with dazai’s reaction @atsushi when he drops im not saying that its not just a joke and that what im saying should be the right way to look at this contrast. its not like that at all. but what this does is give an estimate to the readers just how close and comfortable dazai feels when its chuuya. and this plus everything i rambling on abt for so long also gives us an estimate about the sincerity of dazais feelings. now 2 things always bothered me : the fact that dazai actually left chuuya and the fact that after the fight against lovecraft he actualy deserted him (this again can ofc be construed as just a humorous bit but still it did leave a bad taste in my mouth) dazai leaving the mafia is ofc something he had to do to fulfil oda’s dying wish but it still dint sit right with me that he would abandon chuuya. just like oda levaing is harder on dazai, dazai leaving is harder on chuuya. its always harder on the one left behind. so anyway, these sorts of things sometimes made me doubt dazai’s feelings but now that stormbringer clears it all up i do think there is a larger motif at work here. when mori offers dazai to come back to the mafia in s2 we see him saying that it was mori who kicked him out and that he did so because he was afraid dazai would usurp his position. so he set it up in a way that dazai would be forced to leave but on his own accord. now more than usurpation i believe what mori really did fear is that dazai had no allegiance to the mafia (which is actually true) bc he doesnt have that sense of loyalty and that to him his friends were more important than swearing allegiance to mori. (which again is true). so by getting oda killed, the message that mori seemed to be giving out was if dazai didnt leave he would do it again. and if we consider ango’s betrayal which had already transpired at that point, the one mori would next target to sort of get at dazai would inevitably be chuuya. this is only conjecture but still, i do believe this might as well be true because then it would explain why dazai didnt carry chuuya back to the base after their fight [something he was v comfortable doing in Stormbringer. in fact in the first case he carries chuuya back to the billiards bar and not to the mafia’s base so he could hear albatross’ last words 🥺] its because mori needs to know unlike dazai, chuuya is absolutely loyal to him which regrettably he is. it kinda becomes imperative therefore on part of dazai to make it seem that way to mori. that they really are at each others throats and that dazai is insignificant to chuuya. and that the mafia comes before dazai. (which is not true bc we see chuuya protecting his friend [shirase] while also staying loyal to the mafia in Stormbringer) 

mori also in his own way tries to provoke hostility b/w them like in Dead Dpple when he was all like yeah so dazai is the star and chuuya is merely bait. so it kinda makes sense if dazai left the mafia not only to like do good work but also to protect chuuya from mori. also the fact that chuuya did the same thing— left the Sheep and joined PM to protect Shirase from the mafia makes be believe that my speculation is plausible given all the parallels we find between dazai and chuuya. 

and the last bit is about the brilliant Dead Apple scene and how much added context it gets in light of Stormbringer. 

in this scene dazai first says: “you used Corruption believing in me?” and then the translation is “how beautiful” which is an okay translation but the exact thing dazai said was “nakasetekurerune” which literally is : youre gonna make me cry you know? now my knowledge of japanese is like duolingo level but i do know “nakasete” has to do with crying and “kureru” is used by the receiver to indicate he’s receiving a feeling/object from someone close. so basically chuuya trusting him is something so beautiful that it could almost move him to tears. now lets look at dazai’s intro in Stormbringer:

dazai, being dazai, ofc would be able to tell genuine trust from fealty out of fear so ofc the fact that chuuya has this kind of blind faith in him is overwhelming for him. also stormbringer really expands on the sight effects of Corruption in full detail. its so PAINFUL and to think that chuuya would jump into it right away for dazai’s sake.....no wonder he is so soft when deactivating him. and then he proceeds to flirt for a little bit with the Snow White and the kiss of life reference. but this flirting doesnt seem even a little out of place now. it doesn't feel like smth meaningless or smth that dazai is just saying as a joke. that there is absoluetly no subtext to making a statement like that. instead that kind of flirting feels like smth inspired from a deep, deep familiarity with someone who really shares his heart and soul. when he talks to chuuya abt the problem of not knowing whether he is human or not, it is a problem that is as central to him as it’s to chuuya. not feeling fully reconciled to a human identity is a problem thats fundamental to both of them. I don’t think familiarity gets any deeper than this where you share the exact same psychological problem. so its really wonderful how we can trace the skk development now: what starts out as a crush on part of dazai or not a crush exactly rather, a feeling of perplexed admiration because chuuya is breathtakingly beautiful inside out, eventually gain all these layers and develops into something meaningful where they have so much faith in each other and where they literally help each other live. knowing someone out there shares your exact issue so you’re really not alone in this is perhaps the greatest comfort in the world. also now its clear how both of them would have turned out had they not met each other and had they not taken in rimbaud’s advice. chuuya in his desire to learn about himself and frustration at not being able to do the same would have perhaps spiralled downward and ended up becoming like verlaine. he is his double here after all. and had dazai not seen chuuya up close being the wonderful person he is, he too would have probably ended up developing a god complex and becoming like fyodor. dazai is there to save chuuya literally from dying a monster and chuuya is there to remind him he too can try and mend his ways and embrace his human side. after all chuuya has so much trust him in! (despite him having questionable methods) for both of them, it starts out as an attempt to be more human, then establishing a fruitful partnership, and finally coming in terms with their feelings to some extent. for dazai, he’s comfortable enough to engage in occasional flirting at this point and for chuuya it’s playing along with dazai’s antics (well with the ones he get 💀 pretty boy has half a functional braincell) and openly showing his concern for him. so really by confirming their feelings what strombringer does is enhance the skk development in a way that Dead Apple doesnt seem like fan service anymore. the fact that dazai would casually flirt or be comfortable with chuuya landing on his crotch 💀 all that isnt as ridiculous as it first seemed because stormbringer lays the groundwork and anticipates all the intimate/flirty skk moments that have happened till now and ig will happen again soon. 

[kleptosuperstar]

hiii so uhh i really don't think anyone will see this because...i literally have one follower but im kinda making this for myself because me and my cousin are going to the mall and a few stores around the city in a few days SPECIFICALLY to lift and I made a list of things that we both want PLUS some tips for these stores seeing as I DO lift from most of them a lot sooo..yeah

SPENCERS: a moderately easy store seeing as there are TONS of blind spots and LP isn't employed. To top it off, cameras are never monitored, however they are low-hanging and somewhat high quality. Usually only 2-5 employees but the store is almost always crowded so if you find a blind spot it's a free for all. They wont chase but might call mall security.

What we want:

h20 piercing cleaner x2

toy cleaner

jojoba oil

hemp oil

septum and nose jewelery (we will actually have to purchase this, seeing as if you steal the jewelery they hand to you they WILL know you stole no matter what. Plus the packaging is riddled with RFID tags)

HOT TOPIC: Not that many blind spots, but employees usually don't care and rarely count clothing articles, which may have a tag or two, so check for those. Cameras are never monitored and the stores usually have a large layout so just watch out for customers and employees, find a blind spot and throw a bunch of shit into your bag They don't chase! :D.

What we want:

distressed thigh highs

over the knee thigh highs with bow

black fishnet lace thigh highs

black and white stripe arm warmers

black fishnet fingerless gloves

black floral tights

CLAIRE'S: whew lawd. I really really want to be helpful on this one but Claire's is a laughably easy place to lift from. No cameras, usually only 1 or 2 employees and if one is giving a piercing it's a free-for-all. THEY HAVE MIRRORS SO AVOID THOSE. My favorite blind spot there is behind the register if there is no one there, and that's all I have to say there.

What I want: (she doesn't want anything from Claire's apparently🙄)

Headphones

A tiara

Nail polish

VICTORIA'S SECRET: first of all lol, i feel ZERO shame in lifting from them. Please note that they do have cameras, and their SAs are trained to look out for shoplifters, however most of them are just confused college girls lol. Panties are NOT tagged. What I like to do is take a medium sized empty makeup bag and put it in my purse, and once I arrive to VS i put the makeup bag in the tote, I also drop my phone into the tote. I go around the store, picking out panties that are my size and i drop them so they can fall directly into the makeup bag. I do this with as many as I can fit into the bag and I do this with small makeup items as well. Once I'm done, I reach into the bag as if I'm looking for my phone (which i dropped in earlier) and that's the moment when i zip up the zipper of the makeup bag and pull out my phone immediately after and pretend to check the time and say something like "Damn, I gotta go. I'm late." Or something like that. Put the makeup bag in your purse and play around on your phone as you exit the store. And that's really it :) I rarely lift bras from there anymore so I can't REALLY help you there.

What I want:

a bunch of panties and some lip gloss!

BARNE'S AND NOBLES: I've never lifted from this place but I know friends who have. I'll give you the tips they gave me. There are cameras, and they are being monitored, but there are PLENTY of blind spots seeing as it is a very large store. The kid's section has no cameras tho, so if you're like me and look younger than you are, this could be for your advantage. No one expects you to steal when you're vibing in the kid's section. Most books have RFID tags, and hardcover books sometime have books engraved in the cover, so watch out for those. Most manga, some magazines, and just overall 99% of the books are tagged. Get what you want, flip through them and look for RFID tags while pretending to "read". If an employee sees you sitting down "reading" they won't suspect you unless they actually see you ripping out the tags. The worst that could happen is that they could ask you to move out of the book aisle so other customers can come through, if that happens, simply find another blind spot. Slip them into your bags like they're yours as SOON as you know they're rid of RFID tags. They won't chase, but probably will try to get you back into the store and if that doesn't work they'll try to get a license plate number or give your description to the police, neither usually goes anywhere tbh.

What we want:

fire force volume 1

fire force volume 2

fire force volume 3

fire force volume 4

Akame Ga Kill

Soul eater

Black lagoon

Kakegurui vol. 1

The seven deadly sins volume 1

Spy x family 1

Spy x family 2

Spy x family 3

Black butler vol. 1

Black butler vol. 2

Black butler vol. 3

Black butler vol. 4

Wotakoi vol. 1

Wotakoi vol. 2

Gangsta

Dictionary of witchcraft

The anatomy of the occult

Charms, spells, and formula

Moon spells

Gothic beauty magazine number 19

Nocturnal witchcraft

Necronomicon

The good witch's daily spellbook

A big book of practical spells

Any book on astrology

Gothic grimoire

Shingeki no Kyonin

Ulta: The second store I've ever lifted from. This store is easy, but not laughably. I feel like this would be a starter for babylifters. This store has mild LP, so watch out for those and NEVER EVER EVER conceal in front of customers, you should never do this in general but especially NOT in an Ulta. Get to your blindspot and make sure to detag depending on what you plan on lifting. Those mfs at Ulta tag like crazy. Put everything in your bag and remember to NEVER get too greedy at this store. They have a STRICT, VERY VERY STRICT no chase policy.

What we want:

better than sex mascara

lipstick

eyeshadow

makeup brushes

black liquid and stick liner

pink liquid liner (if they have it)

bronzer

brown eyeliner

eyeliner pencil

maracuja oil

any colorful eyeshadow pallate lol

WALMART: My walmart is so easy it hurts. Maybe about 5 cameras throughout the whole store to my knowledge, so the whole thing is basically a blind spot. The makeup aisle is heavily monitored tho so whenever I'm over there I make an effort to never look up to those cameras. Grab whatever you want/need and AVOID EMPLOYEES!!! they're everywhere. As well as customers. They are the two most annoying problems I've ever had lifting from a Walmart. I've noticed that aisles where you get things such as building materials are the most empty with no cameras. People usually only go to walmart because the food is cheap, so there are a lot of families who are usually only at one side of the store. Its rare that people ever need materials like those so seek out aisles like that to use as a blind spot. Wal-Mart doesn't seem to tag that many things, but ALWAYS check no matter what store you're at. If you're lifting something on the expensive side, just check for that.

What I want:

kinder buenos x2

sugar free monster energy

paint

paintbrushes

black lace

blue eyeliner

blush

nail polish

socks

THE DOLLAR TREE:

Pretty easy store tbh. The cameras are fake, and if they aren't they're never being monitored. I don't know about ALL layouts but mine has SO many blindspots it's crazy. If you're just looking for a snack, some makeup, or maybe a meal ? (Yes, you can get a whole meal if you lift enough stuff) then the dollar tree would be your place of interest. There are almost no employees walking around the store. There are usually only 2, and they switch between working at the registers and cleaning out the front of the store or whatever. Honestly this store is so easy just stuff shit in your bag lol. Even if you get caught they won't chase or call the police. Their stock is WAYY too cheap for that. I go there to steal candy or makeup brushes which is usually not worth paying for anyways so this is a beginner store. Knock yourself out ;)

What I want:

literally anything i see there that i want😭

welllll if you actually made it this far, thank you so much! I hope this helped someone and I hope one day I can make a master list of stores myself instead of just picking selective ones but this was all i was able to do :( i really REALLY hope this helped someone lmao just remember

✨ if its chain, its free reign✨

[btsshenanigans]

Why have I just now found this

A MAN🔫

[its-nebula]

Let’s Groove!

Fuyuhiko x Reader because there is a lack of it on this site-

Warning: Cursing from our favorite Baby Gangsta

Under the cut due to length whoops

“Tch.” Fuyuhiko shoved his hands in his pockets, not even attempting to make eye contact with anybody else that surrounded him. The preppy, happy go lucky pop music booming through the speakers? The cheap, dollar-store quality balloons and streamers that they actually had the nerve to call decoration? The punch that the students held in their hands, which, let’s face it, was probably spiked? To the young Yakuza, everything that he was witnessing was...

“Bullshit.” He muttered under his breath. “This is all just bullshit.” He laughed bitterly to himself, looking down at his feet and leaning against the wall behind him. Oh, how could he let himself stoop this low? He cleared his forever busy schedule to go to some lame party that he didn’t want to be at? How could he be so easily coerced?

“Fuyuhiko! You made it!” 

Oh. That’s how. S/O, of course.

They made their way over to him, giving him a tight hug. He could feel himself tensing up at their touch, and his face getting hot to the touch, but no, he couldn’t let his feelings for them show. Not yet. He did, however, give them a small smile when the pulled apart.

“Well, I said I’d be here, and here I am, I guess. I brought Peko along, too.”

S/O’s face lit up. clasping their hands together tightly. As the Ultimate Party Animal, they always said that the more, the merrier. “That’s great! Are you enjoying yourself, yet? I did notice you were kinda here in the corner...all alone...”

“Parties aren’t really my thing.” Fuyuhiko shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. “Peko seems to be enjoying herself, though.” He pointed over at his friend, who was chatting rather happily with Akane and Hajime, no doubt slightly buzzed from the spiked fruit punch. Both he and S/O laughed after seeing her wave frantically at them.

“You should go over there and join them!” S/O encouraged him, grabbing his arm and starting to lead him over to his friends. But Fuyuhiko stayed put, instead scoffing and taking his arm back.

“Yeah, right. I’m not in the mood.” He said in his usual harsh tone, causing S/O’s expression to falter for a quick second.

“Aw, but I want you to have a good time, and it seems like-”

“I’m. Fine.” He practically hissed at them, but immediately sighed when he saw their face. “Don’t you have guests to entertain, or whatever the hell it is that you do?”

S/O’s expression turned into one of determination, and again they grabbed his hand, causing him to instantly heat up once again. “My job is to make sure each of my guests has the time of their life!” They ranted, dragging the poor Yakuza into the middle of the party. When they were in the midst of everything, they stopped and smirked at him. “And that includes stubborn Baby Gangstas.”

As flustered as he was, and as loud as the party was, he still caught wind of what they said, and he let out a small grunt. “Don’t fuckin’ call me Baby Gangsta.” His eyebrow raised when he saw S/O starting to dance to the music, and suddenly he was aware of his surroundings. All around him, people were dancing, people were drinking, people were shouting and hollering. He felt so out of place, that he felt his worries and stresses start to bubble up to the surface. His hands started shaking, and his eyebrows started to furrow. “Uh, S/O, I don’t-”

“There’s no need to be so nervous, you know.” S/O smiled at him, taking his hands in theirs. “All that stuff from your outside life, it doesn’t even exist right now.”

“But-”

“Let all your worries just...melt away, through your dancing.” Their arms started to move with his, and they resumed their dancing. Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes, but figured that just standing there was going to look even more ridiculous than if he had actually tried, even just a tiny bit. So, reluctantly, he let his body start moving in sync with his crush’s, trying to get into a rhythm. The more he danced, the better he felt, and by the time he got the hang of it, he could actually feel himself smiling like an idiot. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was actually having a pretty good time, and damn, did S/O look hot when they were having fun and smiling.

 As the pair began to tire out, they decided to take a break, and S/O took note of the goofy grin plastered upon his face.

“You’re having fun! I did it!” They cheered, and Fuyuhiko laughed. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, you got me to enjoy myself. You win.” He looked away. “Well, I suppose you’re going to go have fun with the others now, right? I’m sure everyone’s just dying for your damn attention now.” It’s not like he wasn’t used to it. At Hope’s Peak, you were quite the popular one. Almost always, someone was at your side talking to you, laughing with you, and all he could do was watch as other people stole all of your attention. It was a miracle when he even got to talk to you at all, but that’s what he liked about you! No matter what, you made time for him, and he admired that about you.

“Not if you want my attention.”

Fuyuhiko’s eyes widened as he turned to look at you, not believing what he just heard. “But the others-”

“-Will be fine. Right now, it’s just about you and me.” You smiled brightly at him, once again taking your hand in his. “What, you don’t want to spend time with your crush? Is that it?”

Fuyuhiko’s mouth hung open, and his face blushed a deep crimson as he tried to process what just happened.

“Wh-WHAT? But how how the fuck did y-you...?!”

“I have my ways, Baby Gangsta. Hey, I love this song!” You giggled, dragging him back to your spot on your dance floor. On your way to the dance floor, you caught a glimpse of Peko, and you winked at her. She smiled at you, and winked back. 

Luckily, the tiny Yakuza didn’t take notice, still too flustered at your words.

“Wait! S/O, how the hell did you-”

“Come on, Fuyuhiko! Let’s groove!”

[aion-rsa]

The Many Saints of Newark Is a Trashy Gangster B-Movie, There’s Nothing Wrong with That

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When I first walked out of The Many Saints of Newark, my initial reaction was to call it a B-movie. What I didn’t say at the time, however, was how much I love B-movies. While I saw the flaws in the film and couldn’t wholly endorse it to cinemagoers spoiled by the perfection of The Godfather, Goodfellas, and New Jack City, I can wholeheartedly recommend it to people like me. Those who appreciate the low-budget gangster movies sometimes because of their warts. A majority of fans of The Sopranos will have the same reaction: Meh, The Many Saints of Newark could have been better. So when’s it playing next? I plan to see it again, more than once, on the big screen.

In one of the film’s quieter moments, the Soprano family is gathered around a TV set, watching the classic Key Largo (1948). The specific scene on the screen begins when Humphrey Bogart’s cynical combat veteran Frank McCloud defuses a tense situation with the gangster Johnny Rocco. Played by Edward G. Robinson, Rocco is very loosely based on Charles “Lucky” Luciano, the godfather of organized crime, who had been deported and barred from American soil. He is suffering the same doubts Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) worries about in the pilot episode of The Sopranos: Are the best days of this “thing” over?

All gangsters want, as the black and white film explains, is more. Will they ever get enough? They never have. I don’t suppose they will. It is the same for gangster genre fans. We want more. And it doesn’t have to be great. “I don’t want it good. I want it Tuesday,” Jack Warner famously said about the gangster films his studio excelled in. Warner Bros. invented the gangster genre, and I felt a thrill when their name came first on the screen during The Many Saints of Newark. WB’s Key Largo is a prestige film. It’s got John Huston directing, he’d go on to make amazing mob movies, culminating with his magnificent Prizzi’s Honor. Key Largo boasts an A-list offering with top stars like Lauren Bacall, Claire Trevor, and Lionel Barrymore. And it’s a pairing of two legends who take their performances seriously, and believe in the art of acting: Bogart and Robinson.

But Bogart and Robinson made four B-movie gangster classics before they made the prestigious Key Largo: Bullets or Ballots, Kid Galahad, Brother Orchid, and The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, which was so badly scripted that the two leads took to calling it “The Amazing Dr. Clitoris.” I’ve seen it eight times. Are there holes in the story? Of course. And they don’t get any better after the third viewing. What does get better is watching the performances of two professional actors in films they are on record as saying they did not like. Twice, as it turns out, because it was revived as a radio play a few years later, according to the book Bogart, by A.M. Sperber and Eric Lax.

Robinson played a psychiatrist, studying Bogart’s gangster, and the two characters bond while keeping a wary distance. This is very similar to the dynamic between Tony Soprano and Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) on The Sopranos. She even worried the mob boss was using their therapeutic sessions in the furtherance of crime, something Bogart’s character did in the B-movie gangster film, King of the Underworld, which is awful and I never miss. I love that movie, not in spite of Bogie’s misunderstanding of the meaning of “the moronic type,” but because of it. He doesn’t do that in other movies, even in the masterful B-movie gangster comedies, It All Came True and All Through the Night.

But Bogart also made Dead End (1937), a quality piece, which happens to be my favorite film, ever. Based on the play by Sidney Kingsley, it spends a lot of its time in the same way The Many Saints of Newark does: teaching the young generation how to be gangsters. This is seen even more blatantly in the film Angels With Dirty Faces (1938), which paired James Cagney with the Dead End Kids. But threads of this even reach the juvenile delinquent movie Blackboard Jungle, also not a big-budget film, but realistic enough to show the teenagers were actually moving swag for bigger names.

It happens in real life, the mob looks to street gangs for promising young movers. Future dons make their bones wearing colors. Gangster films capture this. From Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) in Mario Van Peebles’ New Jack City to Spike Lee’s Clockers, original gangstas groom carbon copies. Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola) sees potential in young Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini) during The Many Saints of Newark. Great potential.

When Tony and his young gang hijack the Mr. Softee truck and give out ice cream to kids for free, it feels like The Sopranos creator and The Many Saints of Newark co-screenwriter,  David Chase, was chasing the feel of the East Side Kids. Old Bowery Boys movies were aired weekly in the New York/New Jersey area when Tony was growing up, and all those movies were made by the icon of B-Movie studios, Monogram Pictures.

Monogram Pictures sat on Hollywood’s “poverty row,” and churned out pictures as fast as Detroit made cars. The Bowery Boys comedy troupe made almost a picture a month alone. But just like the Warner Brothers assembly line occasionally manufactured transcendent art, some of the cheapies are magnificently crafted. Sopranos fans should watch Angels in Disguise, one of the lesser-known gangster comedies, directed by Jean Yarbrough in 1949. It is, if not the first, one of the first mock-documentaries, and it is a good bet David Chase saw it, more than once. Leo Gorcey is even more of a master of the malaprop than Carmine Lupertazzi Jr. (Ray Abruzzo) on The Sopranos.

Monogram Pictures also caught the attention of French directors François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, who structured films based on their model, according to the book The Films of Jean-Luc Godard by Wheeler W. Dixon. It is no wonder, the studio’s almost-no-budget 1947 quickie Dillinger turned RKO contract player Lawrence Tierney into an icon of film noir. The Fall Guy, from the same year, dared to coke up the star Leonard Penn, and we’re not talking soda pop.

Also in 1947, 20th Century Fox’s low budget Kiss of Death introduced the screen audiences to the sadistic Tommy Udo. The role earned Richard Widmark an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and the admiration of “Crazy” Joe Gallo, whose insurrection against the Five Families of New York crime was the basis for Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather.

Low budget studio production paved the way for the independent film movement in America, which The Many Saints of Newark proudly emulates. Director Alan Taylor recently admitted to Den of Geek that he’s “drunk deep at the well of Scorsese,” and we can see Mean Streets all over the Sopranos prequel. Also in evidence is Barry Shear’s Across 110th Street (1972), which pitted the Italian mob against Black gangsters; John Cassavetes’s 1976 indie classic, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie; The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), directed by Stuart Rosenberg; and Abel Ferraro’s King of New York (1990).

The Many Saints of Newark is also too closely related to Wim Wenders’ 1977 gangster film, The American Friend, which cut corners on plot points as much as it did on budget. Logic is replaced by street smarts, and continuity is a game of three card monte in B-movie gangster films. The Many Saints of Newark is not exempt. There is a scene where one mobster’s mistress is sleeping with the rival for his turf. Except for one rude stare, the audience doesn’t see it coming. But how it turns out, with the convenient surf and turf to cover the evidence, is telegraphed from a mile away.

Read more

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Once Upon a Time in America Is Every Bit as Great a Gangster Movie as The Godfather

By Tony Sokol

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The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Real-Life and Pop Culture

By Tony Sokol

Arthur Penn’s genre-redefining Bonnie and Clyde came out in 1967, the same year as The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Roger Corman spared every expense for his B-movie mobsterpiece. There are scenes where it is visibly apparent that a fleet of vintage background cars are just the same few automobiles driven in circles around the set. I’ve seen both movies multiple times, and enjoy them equally each time.

Just because The Many Saints of Newark isn’t a perfect film does not make it less of a classic. It certainly doesn’t make it less appealing for repeated viewings. The film follows a grand tradition of gangster filmmaking: street legal over mainstream currency, it could have fallen off the back of a truck. I would love to see whatever scenes were cut to make it fit into a two-hour viewing, because the film felt rushed. But I will watch it again.

The Many Saints of Newark premieres in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday, Oct. 1.

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[ryd-re]

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