#lyrics are from once more to see you by mitski <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[brotherconstant]

Yeah, because even if Karolina and Gerri are close friends, they’re going to be reserved there. They’ll go meet up for a drink somewhere and they’ll talk about the day, but they’re not going to do it in that environment. You’re constantly aware of who’s looking at you.

[blond3ang3l]

You know who you’d meet at a mitski concert? Fucking rich boy! Armin. You’d be listening to once more to see you when someone had pushed armin into you (did all see the video of those girls fucking yelling at a mitski concert? No etiquette fr). He felt so bad cause the white flared pants you wore got all messed up. He could see the disappointment in your face cause the girl also spilled her drink on you. All without even a damn apology. He helped you up and you both ended up chatting about how much a bitch the girl was. He gave you his sweater since he has a shirt under and the two of you stuck together for the rest of the concert. He brought you up to the front row where he was and you two ended up bonding over loving the song abbey and real men.

At the end of the concert he gave you a ride home. As wary as you should have been you two just clocked, that and your friends had your location so you weren’t as worried. You two talked your heads off until he got to your house. Even when you got the two of you stayed in front of your house, he even showed you some of the lyrics from Francis forvever tattooed on his ribs. You two were just vibin until around 3 in the morning. He left giving you his number and making plans which you happily obliged to. As soon as you got in the house you happily told you friends all about it, sending the pictures that you two took together. Imagine your surprise when they send you his insta. Armin Arlert, the fucking model. You didn’t even know he was famous, it was just your luck. While on the phone your phone went off with a ding.

Minny: “So when are you free again?”

[gentaro-kinniecom]

˚✧₊⁎ Songs that I think fit the l&ds men⁎⁺˳✧༚

Characters: Rafayel, Sylus, Xavier and Zayne

C/w: none! (maybe explicit language in some songs?)

A/n: This is my opinion when it comes to what kind of songs they remind me off and their lyrics :] All links are directed to Spotify ! Then again thank you all so much for all the support regarding my works🥹🙂‍↕️✨

Rafayel ⁎⁺˳✧༚

1. Behind the Moon Shadow by Lamp

2. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy by Queen

3. The less I know the better by Tame Impala

4. Candy by Baekhyun

5. Telepatia by Kali Uchis

6. Something about you by Eyedress & Dent May

7. Date by Soma Saito

8. Soledad y el Mar by Natalia Lafourcade & Los Marcorinos

9. Good looking by Suki Waterhouse

10. Round & Round by Nct U

Sylus ⁎⁺˳✧༚

1. Ride or Die, pt 2 by Sevdaliza, Villano Antillano & Tokischa

2. Fiancé by Mino

3. Criminal by Taemin

4. Always Forever by Cults

5. 505 by Arctic Monkeys

6. Romantic Lover by Eyedress

7. Dark Red by Steve Lacy

8. Luxurious by Gwen Stefani

9. Hotel California by Eagles

10. She keeps me up by Nickelback

Xavier ⁎⁺˳✧༚

1. Right side of my neck by Faye B Webster

2. Messages from the Stars by The Rah Band

3. Tempo by Exo

4. Sugar Sugar by Mamoru Miyano

5. Goddess by Beach Weather

6. Dream Girl by Crisaunt

7. Reflections by The Neighborhood

8. Dream by Baekhyun & Suzy

9. Like or Like Like by Miniature Tigers

10. Something Stupid by Frank Sinatra & Nancy Sinatra

Zayne ⁎⁺˳✧༚

1. Once more to see you by Mitski

2. Trauma by ms. isohp romatem

3. Show me how by Men I Trust

4. Oblivion by Grimes

5. Corduroy Dreams by Rex Orange Country

6. Where’d all the time go? by Dr. Dog

7. Me and my husband by Mitski

8. Seppun -Kiss- by Original Love

9. Numb by Men I Trust

10. Italo Disco by Last Dinosaurs

[bratz-kitten]

🪴 the signs as mitski lyrics 🍃🌱

aries: ‘i am a forest fire, and i am the fire and i am the forest and i am a witness watching it’ / ‘and i’ll go to work and i’ll go to sleep, and i’ll love the littler things’ – a burning hill

taurus: ‘at night on the rooftop i untie my hair, and watch from my plastic chair as my dark hair unleashes the night / the scent of flowers still in bloom from morning shower, and i say your name in hopes you’ll hear it in the stars’ – carry me out

gemini: ‘i will go jogging routinely, calmly and rhythmically run, and when i find that a knife’s sticking out of my side, i’ll pull it out without questioning why’ – fireworks

cancer: ‘i don’t know what to do without you, i don’t know where to put my hands / i’ve been trying to lay my head down, but i’m writing this at 3 a.m. / ‘i look up at the gaps of sunlight, i miss you more than anything’ – francis forever

leo: ‘i will wash your hair at night, and dry it off with care, i will see your body bare, and still i will live here’ / and while you sleep, i’ll be scared, so by the time you awake, i’ll be brave’ – i will

virgo: ‘your room was square, i once noticed from there, in your bed, as you slept, and i held my breath / everything had it’s own place, and i wondered what space would i take in the order you kept’ – square

libra: ‘if you need to be mean, be mean to me, i can take it and put it inside of me / if your hands need to break more than trinkets in your room, you can lean on my arm as you break my heart’ – i don’t smoke

scorpio: ‘i broke our belongings, they’re all on the floor, the room is now empty, nothing left to throw’ / ‘i broke what you gave me, but you kept giving more, and i’m sorry for taking, but i keep wanting more, more, more’ – humpty

sagittarius: ‘and i was so young when i behaved 25, yet now, i find i’ve grown into a tall child’ / ‘and i don’t wanna go home, let me walk to the top of the big night sky / please hurry, leave me, i can’t breathe, please don’t say you love me’ – first love/late spring

capricorn: ‘i’m all used up, pretty boy, over and over again, my nail colors are wearing off / see my hands, pretty boy, what do they tell you? ‘cause i’ve looked down on them not knowing why’ / ‘i can take a little bit more, let’s shake this poet out of the beast’ – bag of bones

aquarius: ‘oh hunter, if you didn’t want the beautiful so badly, perhaps you would have found it in your spirit singing softly / but hunter you were human, don’t forget it’ – pearl diver

pisces: ‘i cry at the start of every movie, i guess ‘cause i wish i was making things too’ / ‘i always knew the world moved on, i just didn’t know it would go without me’ – working for the knife

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

HI HELLO I LOVE YOUR STUFF

i was wondering, for a person who has obviously thought abt them extremely in depth and drawn wonderful conclusions, how would you describe haikaveh in 3 songs?

Hiya!!!! AHHH thank you so much!! :''') I'm glad you enjoy my brainrot omg <3 ohhhh that's such an interesting question?? i've been thinking about this ask for the past few days so i'm sorry this has taken some time to get to! 3 songs is EVIL!!! i feel every song i listen to i try to relate it to Them, but i can give you my most listened to! plus an extra one (IM CHEATING!!!!)

mitski - the star (the idea of love changing with time, them acting like 'fools' when they first met because of this nonreplicable connection, them falling apart but that light still burning? them travelling very far, further apart, and then back together, always connected by what they share?? and IM CHEATING IDC!! the frost by mitski is also incredibly relevant here??? there's an incredible art of it that makes me lose my mind. mitski is haikaveh coded fr)

2. bad omens - just pretend (very evidently alhaitham's pov, the miscommunication and the misunderstandings between them wearing away at him on the inside, the idea of not being ready at first, being too different, but having the knowledge that they'll come together once more when these differences are accepted, the willingness to wait (for YEARS!!), and the slight insecurity that comes from this, it's just such a lovely song, an experience to listen to, and it really makes me think about the emotional aspect of alhaitham when he and and kaveh were apart)

3. the stiff dylans - ultraviolet (i didn't just want to offer angst, and since this is meant to describe haikaveh i wanted to at least give one upbeat option! this song is so v fun, i see this from both perspectives, just them being perpetually intrigued by the other, constantly drawn into each other's orbit, being a necessary light to each other, just yeah <3)

+1 the devil wears prada - the thread (this is my personal ult haikaveh song <333 when i first got into haikaveh, this song was on repeat, for those who like heavier music i really recommend it! i was so invested that i broke the lyrics down to relate it to haikaveh (which i did here), this song really has a chokehold on me so it's the song i'm cheating with hehe)

[grimmsbride]

❛ 'Cause you're really my dearest friend.❜ ⸺ YUKI TSUKUMO.

【⠀♱⠀】 SYNOPSIS. yuki is conflicted. you’re her best friend, nothing more. and yet, all she can think about is ruining such a connection for something more.

【⠀♱⠀】 WARNINGS. angst if you squint | fast pace & kind of sloppy | fluff | ooc yuki | bisexual! yuki | reader is written with a fluid sexuality | gojo & geto mention | self indulgent asf | yuki questioning everything, | mitski mention | etc.

【⠀♱⠀】 AUTHOR’S NOTE. originally i was gonna add smut into this. mostly because i know fluff isn’t given as much attention & because i’ve been wanting to write smut for yuki. however, while writing, i noticed it would have not fit here. like at all. of course i still could have tried but it would have felt forced. anywho! this is a fic for the girls that fall for their best friends, hope you recover cause i sure haven’t <\3! as always please excuse grammatical mistakes & errors.

Intimacy was funny when it came to women. A girl could kiss her friend on the cheek, cuddle with her, and maybe even see her naked; but never feel a thing. Some women, were able to hold such a connection without lust or romantic love tainting it.

But, this wasn’t always the case. Some had the misfortune of allowing that model connection to falter. The touches didn’t always seem as innocent, the comfortable atmosphere left whenever one withdrew their clothes, and the gazes no longer held that friendly warmth, but instead.. longing.

Yuki Tsukumo had believed she was immune to it all. That she, would never, fall for her best friend. That her love would never reach a romantic level.

She thought she was immune. Really, she did.

But as time passed, the woman began to see the signs she’s displayed to lovers in the past. The way you would breach her thoughts every single day, how your smiles would melt any sadness out of her body, or even how she would grow hot from even the most lightest touch on her skin.

Yuki Tsukumo had fallen for her best friend, you— and she didn’t have a clue on what to do about it.

Days were blurring together, passing far too quickly without an answer entering her mind. She was going mad, stressed that you would somehow find out about her sin. What would you do then? Would you hate her? Would the friendship the two of you formed go down the drain in an instant?

“I say, ruin it.” Gojo Satoru’s words were blunt, overshadowing the reasonable advice Geto was previously spewing. His dimples were deep, blue eyes gleaming with mischief as he stared at the blonde-haired woman who could only stare back. “You only have one shot Yuki and it’s gonna blow up either way,” He hummed, shrugging as if the answer that she had been searching for was obvious.

“So I say, screw it. Ruin your friendship.”

Those words stuck with her since that day. Was Yuki fully prepared to do such a thing? Once she did, there was no going back. Nothing could change the fact you would know the love she held for you was not like the one she held for Gojo and the others.

That the love she held for you, was far from innocent.

“Okay, you have to really listen to these lyrics for the next one,” Your words cut through her current train of thought, her chocolate gaze flowing from the ceiling and over to you. Air was fleeting each time Yuki looked at you, it was embarrassing really. You didn’t have to do a thing and she was starstruck, unable to think or breath. So while your lips moved, she didn’t hear a thing you were saying.

You blinked slowly, noticing the spaced out look in her eyes. “Yuki? Are you listening?” The smile you held was gentle, placing the device in your hand on the pillow beside you. You then reached over, hand finding her shoulder to gently shake.

That was enough to steal her away from her thoughts again, eyes focusing onto yours fully. Her hand rose, tapping against your wrist. “You uh.. said something about me paying attention to the lyrics?” Yuki forced a smile, cheeks tinted a soft pink as she watched your lips screw in playful annoyance. Oh, how she loved when you did that. All that movement caused her eyes to focus right on your mouth— the softness, how a hint of gloss was almost always staining them.

Yuki couldn’t help wondering how they would feel on her own. Would the gloss melt between the friction of the kiss? Would stickiness taint her chin? A soft breath escaped her, forcing her mind to shut off such thoughts.

And yet you were oblivious as always; hand lifting away from her and back to your phone. “Yes! You have to focus when it comes to Mitski songs. She’s, a lyrical genius.” You smiled, babbling about an artist you’ve loved for quite some time. It was entertaining watching you in such a state, and even more so when you would force Yuki to listen to songs or albums— only to talk about the meanings behind them afterwards.

Yuki chuckled softly, turning to lay on her side upon your bed. “I’ll pay attention.” She soothed, watching you come to lay down— facing her. The promise she had made just a second ago seemed to leave the moment her eyes rested upon your face, however.

You were completely relaxed; eyes closed and softly humming to the music that escaped your speaker just a feet away. What was the song’s name again? Yuki couldn’t remember, not with the dilemma running through her head.

In times like this, Yuki felt it all began to bubble; her feelings, her thoughts about you, and much more— all ready to overfill and spill right before you. Restraint was withering with each pass of her eyes over your form, and oh— a tight breath escaped the moment she heard you softly sing along to the song.

Maybe Gojo was right, maybe she should ruin it all.

“[Name]..” The words were sudden, a soft tone hugging them; a contrast to how the woman usually spoke. Your eyes fluttered open the moment your name was spoken into the peaceful atmosphere. They widened, however, as you recognized a serious glint in her gaze.

You slowly sat up, hand pressing against the bed to steady yourself. “Is something wrong?” You asked sweetly, watching as she rose from her previous position as well. “Do you not like the song?” You urged again, fearful you had upset your best friend in some way or another.

Despite your inquiries, Yuki was silent. Completely. Another trait that you believed she wasn’t capable of. Instead she moved suddenly; hand rising and ghosting over your form before finally settling onto your cheek. You weren’t given a moment to breathe, to react, before she moved again— eliminating the distance between you in a single moment.

Your eyes widened, body stilling as the unfamiliar feeling of her lips covering your own warped your being. They were soft, yet unsteady; fear clearly treading within the blonde-haired woman before you. Her hand was clammy too, yet firm against your chubby sun-kissed cheek.

Silence passed through the room for what seemed like forever before Yuki moved away, feeling her heart fall to the pit of her stomach. She’s ruined it, finally— she has. But the rush of fear wasn’t faltering anytime soon. On the contrary it increased the moment Yuki looked at you.

Your expression was unreadable, lips agape and gaze lost completely. You continued to sit as still as a statue, clearly still surprised.

The false sense of courage was escaping her body slowly now, hand rising from your cheek carefully. But to her own surprise and happiness; you quickly took her wrist to halt her movements. Once you achieved that, your hand rose to cup the back of her own, putting it right back on its previous spot.

You moved closer, light finally shining back into your eyes as you stared at her. “Kiss me again.” You spoke on hushed breath, eyelids already lowering before she could move.

Fortunately, Yuki didn’t need to be told twice; closing the distance with more enthusiasm then before. Her lips no longer moved against yours in hesitation or uncertainty— because the answer was clear now.

You loved her, just as much as she did you. And ruining the friendship, was definitely the right thing to do.

Yuki would have to thank Gojo later.

COMMENTS & REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED <3

[stsg420]

SATOSUGU MITSKI ANALYSIS BY ME😈

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this took me so long because if I think too much about mitski in general I can’t breathe😜

I highly suggest listening to the song on repeat while reading this, it enhances the comprehension and suffering <3

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A Burning Hill - Lyrics:

"Today I will wear my white button down

I'm tired of wanting more, I think I'm finally worn.

For you have a way of promising things

And I've been a forest fire; I am a forest fire,

And I am the fire and I am the forest and I am the witness watching it,

I stand in a valley watching it, and you are not there at all.

So, today I will wear my white button down.

I can at least be neat, walk out and be seen as clean.

And I'll go to work and I'll go to sleep and I'll love the littler things.

I'll love some littler things."

——————————

ANALYSIS

"Today I will wear my white button down"

This is the KFC breakup. Today, Suguru is healing. He is giving up everything he's ever had and defecting from Jujutsu Tech. It's his turning point. He's letting go of his old life, closing all the doors to open new ones. His white button down is this new, free version of himself that isn't controlled by the system & forced to watch his friends die anymore. The tone and mood of the song is melancholic and bittersweet; Suguru has been/is grieving over this loss that he is about to experience by leaving, but the point is not to be happy, but to be free. Of his own inhibitions as well as the higher ups. This violent change, this new path he is forging for himself is the opposite of linear, and in leaving, he is letting go of his soul mate. It's hard. But necessary.

"I'm tired of wanting more, I think I'm finally worn."

Suguru is so emotionally and physically drained. Shifting the timeline to before his defection, Suguru was having a horrible time. This life he led at the school, it was slowly enabling his death. He was rotting from the inside out. All there was to life as a sorcerer was cruelty, death, and the inevitability that tomorrow would be no different than yesterday. Exorcize, Absorb, Repeat. Suguru was bone tired. Tired of seeing his friends die. Tired of not being able to do anything about it, even as a special grade. Tired of being told that it was all in the name of saving the helpless. This sickness, this rotting within him had finally crossed a threshold after Riko (rip).

"For you have a way of promising things"

Satoru was the last thread holding Suguru to Jujutsu Tech. Satoru was Suguru's person. His one and only. How nice life would've been with Satoru at his side. The yin to his yang. The two strongest sorcerers. This dream of a future with his other half was beautiful and so, so tempting. But the reality was that this future was never possible. Not as sorcerers in their timeline. Not when they were being used and thrown around by the system. If there was any one person who could've stopped him from defecting, though, it would've been Satoru. In the end, Suguru's love for him took precedence over his need to be together. Suguru chose love. Love over the promise of a future with his soul mate.

"And I've been a forest fire; I am a forest fire,

And I am the fire and I am the forest and I am the witness watching it,"

Flashback again. Suguru was rotting from the inside out. He was losing control. He was depressed and descending into madness. Riko’s death, combined with Gojo’s death & resurrection, had completely flipped his life over. His mind capsized and he lost faith in his once strong ideals. The anger and confusion and negativity were pouring out of his body and suffocating him everywhere he went. He had no control over his life, his friends' lives, and even some of the non-sorcerer's lives (Riko). He was becoming every cursed spirit he absorbed. He was inhaling the negative energy. He became the negative energy. He was surrounded by the negative energy. He was watching the negative energy eat at others, too. Everything was out of his control and he couldn't take it anymore.

"I stand in a valley watching it, and you are not there at all."

While Suguru descends further into madness after Riko's death, he compares his grieving to Satoru, who used his trauma to get stronger and develop new techniques. Suguru knows that Satoru compartmentalizes by hiding his feelings behind playful smiles and silly remarks, but it doesn't make it any easier to watch. Satoru can get through this, but Suguru feels as though he cannot. He cannot put himself through another friend's death on account of "justice" or finishing jobs the "right way". This is where he realizes that their paths must diverge. The end of their time together as the top sorcerers is in sight. Suguru knows he must leave Satoru behind. Satoru is strong enough the push past this and make a difference as a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Suguru being there would only be a hindrance, a complication that would hold Satoru back. Satoru is no longer a part of his future in the way he wants to be. Satoru might hate him, but it's for the best.

"So, today I will wear my white button down.

I can at least be neat, walk out and be seen as clean.

So, flashing forward to KFC again, their paths separate. Suguru has salvaged and remade some small part of himself. He is no longer Satoru's moral compass, he can't be. In doing so, he has let go of expectation and started listening to his heart instead. Suguru's being seen as clean is him finally standing up for his true self. He knows that this road he's heading down will lead to his death, but at least he is fighting for himself and those he truly cares for. For Satoru. This truth is all he needs to accept his inevitable death.

"And I'll go to work and I'll go to sleep and I'll love the littler things.

I'll love some littler things."

After KFC. Suguru starts his cult and gets the cogs moving for his plans. He pushes himself like he always has, but instead of saving those helpless against curses, he's against them. In this, he believes he is saving Satoru. Suguru's new life will go on until it doesn't anymore and he has come to terms with it. His life is his now, he can make his own decisions, and that is what matters to him. In the end, he had to let go of the biggest part of his life. The biggest love of his life. It was not easy to leave, and there is a gaping hole in Suguru's heart where Satoru belongs, but Suguru can deal. It's worth it if he can try to save Satoru instead, even if he despises him. He also started to love some littler things (mimiko and nanako) before he passed. In the end, he was driven by anger and hate, but amongst it all was the creation of those feelings: love.

———————

Wow okay everyone please go drink some water, head outside & reconnect with nature after this (I need to)

Please comment your thoughts down below, I would love to hear all the different interpretations y’all have!!!

[cubeshapedlemon]

hii !!!! I think this is where we request! so I have some ideas for norm (ofc)

first!

yk when vault 32 got attacked ?

what if YOU survived,and hid,trying to defend yourself and surviving by stealing in vault 33 (stole a pip boy to access it) food and other stuff,because u think that every vault got attacked (no communications) so u are always undercover for bad guys,

and even if sometimes rations were low nobody ever suspected a thing or saw you,until norm got charged with giving the prisoners food,and one day in the kitchen he caught u stealin,and he was like « i’ve never seen you around » so you’re scared obv but you open up when u realise he wouldn’t hurt a fly,and because lucy and his dad’s gone,he keeps u in his appartement in secret,stealing supplies for you,letting you use the shower,till you’re ready enough to wander in the vault because it’s safeee! (hes def in love with u)

that’s it bye :3

i finally finished this apologies for the wait🫶 i tweaked the plot a bit and this might be more angsty and smutty than originally expected but in my opinion its pretty good so enjoy and ty again for the request<3

☆ ☆ ☆

Two Slow Dancers

When the raiders first attacked 32, your life was forever changed. Going to 33 gave some insight, thanks to one sad-eyed Maclean

☆ ☆ ☆

Norm Maclean x f!reader

5.1k words

cw and tags: fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, smut, piv, oral sex (f receiving), light biting, hair pulling, hickeys, love confessions, non-sexual intimacy, blink an you'll miss it lewd sexual harassment-esque comments (not by norm), brief description of panic attack, brief hospitalization from said panic attack, cannon typical descriptions of violence, parental death, the quickest slow burn you will ever read, gratuitous use of song lyrics in a narratively appropriate way ( i snuck a lyric in from two slow dancers by mitski in there so brownie points to you if you find it)

☆ ☆ ☆

authors note: hey! sorry this took so fucking long! so much stuff was happening plus laziness plus forgetfulness plus life in general so please forgive me! i really enjoyed writing this request and even though i tweaked your original request a bit i hope you still enjoy it! if i missed any misspellings or i missed something in the tags please lmk! anywho if you enjoy this please send me more requests! (info in pinned post) reblogs are greatly appreciated but please don't translate or repost this anywhere without my permission!

I will never forget that day. The sounds of shots ring out, followed by the useless fizz of tranq guns, skulls shattering against the walls with a now all too familiar crack. I lead my life holding onto aspirations and hope, the thought of a husband, children, of reclamation day. How stupid was I truly, to hold out hope for something like that. Gods, I never thought I would have to worry about anything else.

Until that day dawned, I could have fought and died honorably, my mother did, my father did. I never thought I would ever see my father cry. Nothing could have prepared me for the rageful sob that he let out once they got to my mother–the grief that beat through him with gnashing teeth and blood red rage. I could do nothing but follow my father's orders, dragging my mother and hoping somehow, somewhere, we could be safe.

The boiling hot tears in my eyes made it nearly impossible to see. My hands were occupied, trying to stop the bleeding. Nothing was working, every movement and bit of pressure lathering my hands in crimson. I never thought I would know what death looks like; that day I learned several versions of his ugly face. The endless, malice filled stare of my father, the desperate simpering expression of the children. The most memorable of them being the one that covered my mother.

Pity. A pitiful expression, a soft, challenging smile. She wiped my tears, her dying breath a word of comfort to me. “It's ok, you did what you could baby. It's my time, you need to promise me one thing though. Can you do that?” Anything I nod, slipping my fingers between hers. “Save yourself, make me proud.”

So I ran. I hid. I moved quickly when I needed to, stealing whatever I could from them, breaking into whatever room that had what I needed. I started hearing the footsteps less and less. After a day or two they ceased all together. I could wander freely, the click of my boots the only sound.

☆ ☆ ☆

The next few days pass in unimportant washes, each day I discover another body, another busted up apartment, another tragedy. I force myself to move on.

Resources are sparse. The raiders took anything that wasn't directly bolted down it seems. Even that didn't entirely stop them. It quickly became clear that I had no communication with the other vaults, the overseer's computer now a busted hunk of scrap.

Seemingly the only piece of tech they didn't destroy was the control panel to the door connecting us and 33. Oh gods, that means-

They've surely invaded them now too. Against my better judgment, I need to see the proof for myself. With shaking hands I press the button, the door slowly groaning open. A dark hall greets me, the deafening silence of my vault giving the air an eerie tinge that infests every corner of the room. Taking a deep breath, I step inside.

At first, I only hear my own steps. The same sound I have heard for weeks on end. Trudging forward, I start to hear more. Muffled speech, walking, the soundtrack of normalcy. It's not long before I see the creators of this sound. They seem to be true vault dwellers, though I have no evidence that they are. Sure they are wearing the suits of 33, but who knows? Maybe the raiders infiltrated them and decided to take over?

Either way I need to stay vigilant. I'll just do a quick scan for supplies then leave. It'll be ok. I can do this. Following the oddly familiar path I make my way to the pantry. Quickly checking the small glass panel in the door, I see that it's empty. Taking my chance I make my way inside, closing the door behind me silently.

I look at the labels for each of the cabinets. There are plenty of rations, much more than 32 ever had. Certainly more than we have now. Poking around a bit more I decide it's probably a good idea to only grab small amounts. I don't need someone finding me out. Distracted, I don't notice the door click open. That is until I hear the loud rumble of a cart. Drawing my tranq gun, I turn and point it at the unfortunate soul who found me.

Surprise befalls his face, hands going up. The man is rather small. Shorter than me with a slight build. Dark hair plastered into an unnaturally perfect styling. “Who are you?” I demand, my voice deepening as I attempt to intimidate him. He gapes pathetically at me for a few seconds, looking back towards the glass panel in the door, seeing no one in the surrounding halls.

“Norm- Norman Maclean.” he manages to get out, his eyes searching over my expression, looking for something.

“Maclean?” I question, why does that name sound so familiar? “As in overseer Maclean?” That seems to give him some relief, he lets out a held breath, arms sagging slightly.

“Yes! Please don't shoot me,” he says, his voice high pitched, as if he expected me to shoot him then and there.

“Fine,” I say, holstering the gun again. He's probably not dangerous.

Seeing that he lowers his arms, taking a step away from me. His eyes scan me more intensely now, gaze falling on the vault-identifying pin on my collar. Clearly not believing what he was seeing, he backs himself into a wall. “You're- from 32?” he asks, voice quivering slightly, though he was clearly trying to cover it up.

“Shhh,” I chastise, walking towards him, a hand smacking over his mouth in the process. “What's it to you?” He attempts to speak something into my hand, which obviously gets muffled. Moving my hand away he speaks again, in a now quieter tone.

“I thought all of you had died, because of the-” he looks to the side, as if looking at the walls would help sugarcoat his statement. “Raiders,” he completes his statement, crossing his arms defensively.

So he does know about them

“No,” a bitter laugh forces itself out, guarding whatever I had left in me. “I wasn't fortunate enough to.” My face is adorned by a tight-lipped grimace. Looking down I feel tears start to well up again. I force them away.

I look back up. The man's face is no longer defensive, it's almost solemn. His arms now at his side, “I-” he goes to speak, tone sympathetic but whatever pity he had prepared dying on his tongue. “Follow me,” is what he decides on. Wait, follow me? What the hell is he talking about? My internal reaction must have played out on my face, he goes to speak again.

“You need to get some rest, you look like you haven't slept in days.” Wow, rude, although true. “You can stay in my apartment for the time being, I need to tell our council that you're here.” Oh, gods no, what if they kick me out? I broke in! I'm not supposed to be here! My worry kicks up again, the energy filling the room.

“It will be ok, they just need to know, so you don't have to hide.” He places what is probably meant to be a comforting hand on my arm, though he removes it swiftly. Deciding to bite the bullet, I follow him.

☆ ☆ ☆

The door opens with a thunk, a home identical to mine in 32 stands before me, identical to what was in 32. “This is it.” He leads me inside with a hand hovering at the small of my back. Not touching, but just enough of a beckoning presence that I instinctively go. It's so clean. It's practically sterile compared to what 32 has been reduced to at this point.

“Make yourself at home, I'll be back soon.” With his last word, he promptly excuses himself. The home is eerily empty, like something is missing. Typical aspects of a lived-in home are present, dirty dishes, a half finished board game on the living room floor. Something distinct is off about it still.

Though, that is not something that is particularly important right now. Following his instructions, I make myself at home. It's been an unfortunate amount of time that I have been forced to go without the typical luxuries that the vaults provide. The luxuries I will not go without for any longer.

A shower being the first thing on that list. Unfortunately I don't have anything different to change into after, my once perfect blue suit now tinted with memories and rusty red stains. But, it will have to do.

☆ ☆ ☆

About half an hour later, I hear the distinct thunk of the door opening once more. Stepping out of the bathroom I see him waiting for me, what looks to be some folded regulation pj's and a fresh suit in his hands. “They uh, said you could stay with me for now,” he begins, tone nervous, as if I would turn him down in some way. “I grabbed you some clean clothes. I just took a guess for your size.” Letting out a sigh of relief, I walk forward grabbing the carefully stacked clothes from his arms. Our hands brushing briefly as he hands them over.

“Thank you, really.” My tone is much lighter than earlier today, though still firm, hoping that he would understand the honesty in my statement through it. If he believes me he doesn't show it, his eye contact breaking as he gives me a cordial nod. I return it, walking back into the bathroom to change. The smooth cotton of the t-shirt and the slightly loose sleep shorts give a simple level of comfort. He seems to have guessed correctly, almost impossibly so, when it comes to sizing. The basic outfit somehow looking vaguely flattering on my figure.

Stepping out of the bathroom once again I see that he has busied himself in the kitchen, something popping and sizzling in the pan in front of him. He acknowledges me with a slight turn of his head before going back to his task. Walking around a bit more, I find a collection of holotapes. Every genre you could think of, labeled and organized alphabetically.

Choosing a random one I click it into place on the player. With a press of the button a familiar tune fills the air.

…Everybody loves somebody sometime…

“So,” he says, voice raising over the soft playing of the music. “They want to meet you, the council,” he informs, tone conversational yet careful.

“Oh?” I question, walking over to him.

“Yeah, they uh- want to help you acclimate to the new environment and all.” The stove clicks off, turning around he brandishes two plates with a simple meal, handing one to me before walking over to the table.

“I-” he pauses, rethinking whatever he was about to say. “I think they might, make you talk to them. See them at least,” he says, tone careful. Pushing the food around his plate a bit, he takes a small bite. Them.

“You captured them? The raiders?” There is a bite to my words, accusatory and harsh. “You kept them alive? After all they have done?”

“Unfortunately.” His tone has a similar bitterness. At least he understands where I'm coming from. Walking to the table, I sit across from him, taking a few bites from my meal. Each of our frustrations and anger sizzling out slowly in favor of a comfortable silence. Every once and a while he would attempt to make polite conversation. I of course return it, continuing the conversation when I can. He really is quite nice, funny too. Really is a shame I had to meet him under such harsh circumstances.

☆ ☆ ☆

After the meal I offer to clean up out of politeness, he gives a grateful smile when he accepts. The picture was almost domestic, the scent of the sweetpea dish soap and the sound of some old Cooper Howard film in the background. This picture soon became part of a routine. Many would probably question how quickly Norm and I got along, though I don't. After what we have both gone through recently, normalcy is what we crave, and this is about as close as we could get to it.

Days pass, weeks along with them. The comfortable relationship we have formed only continues to get better. The council calls me in every once and a while, trying to figure out what to do with me. Placing me in a job for a while, moving me to another. While my number of attempted jobs aren't quite as impressive as Norm's they're still worth noting. He makes sure to mention this when I start a new one, adding a tally to the board he made on a whim one day.

Eventually they do make me see them. They assured me it would be ok, that I was safe, that nothing could hurt me. They know nothing about hurt. About that pain. Norm, of course, insisted on coming with me. Neither of us knew how much I would need that support.

The walk to the cell was silent. A deafening silence. Far away from the comfortable, peaceful, loving silence I had grown accustomed to with Norm. Getting closer the sounds of fists against metal walls and reinforced glass make themselves known. Peering in, I see them. Not many of them recognize me, nor do I recognize them. Except one.

I will never forget the expression on his face. The pure giddy delight at seeing me again, knowing what he had done. The beady eyes staring me down now, the very same ones that rolled back in almost orgasmic pleasure as he slashed down everyone I had ever known. His face still splattered with specks of the now crusted over blood of my mother. A scar on his neck now healing over, gifted to him by my father.

He walks slowly over to the window, holding eye contact with me as a sneer covers his face. Licking his rotted teeth he looks me up and down leisurely. Assessing me like I'm a piece of meat. I feel Norm tense beside me, his jaw clenching in anger. The raider looks to him and laughs, a loud, hacking laugh. “Come to visit me? Well ain't that just sweet. Your little lapdog there looks like he's ‘bout to burst a blood vessel.”

Truly he did, but he continued to hold his tongue. The piece of shit in the cell just turned his attention back to me anyway. “You know you look just like your mama? Pretty thing she was, your daddy didn't let me take a bite outta’ her but he's not here to keep you safe now is he?” That strikes a nerve, as hard as I might try to suppress it, I can't stop it. My eye twitches as I attempt to force back an onslaught of tears.

Noticing this, Norm places a comforting hand on my back, “We're done here.” His tone is firm, about as close to threatening as he can get. With a small push he leads me back down the hall. Though of course that fucker had to have the last word, lewd comments and insinuations of violence following us. As soon as they dissipated everything came crashing down. My legs crumble beneath me, heart thumping in my chest like I had just run a marathon. My diaphragm crushes my chest from the inside, constricting my breathing further. I hear blood rush to my ears, vision spotting. The last thing I see is Norm, his panicked expression as he holds the back of my head. It all goes black.

☆ ☆ ☆

“Please wake up please.” My eyes slowly flutter open, the familiar voice catching my attention. My back is stiff, the bed beneath me having only a thin mat-like excuse for a mattress. Bright fluorescents blind me, forcing me to turn my head to the side. Then I see him, sitting in a regulation chair, half bent over. Perfectly quaffed hair now rumpled, natural waves making their presence known. A few lone tear tracks are left on his face. His eyes are slightly bloodshot, ever-present bags under them deeper than usual.

“You look awful,” I say, voice still laced with a cotton-mouthed raspiness. That catches his attention, Looking up to meet my eyes, he lets out a breathy laugh. Pulling his chair closer to the bed he clasps his hand in mine, using the other to push his mess of hair off of his face.

“I feel it, good to know I'm giving off the right image.” A small smile works its way onto my face. He mirrors it, squeezing my hand. As much as I enjoyed the peaceful joy of the moment, there is a nagging question hanging in the air.

“What happened?” While my question did dampen the mood, he nods, giving me my answer.

“They said you probably had a panic attack, you passed out and I brought you here.” The memories of what transpired flood back, if not for the comforting weight of his hand in mine, I would have been swallowed whole by them. “They cleared you to leave, if you want to go home.”

Home. I want nothing more.

☆ ☆ ☆

The weeks following my hospital stay, Norm became more doteing than ever. I was not allowed to cook a single meal, make a pot of coffee, or clean up around the house. Really anything he could reasonably convince me of. Not that I was complaining. Something about the recent events must have struck him in some way. While he was always open about his past and the unfortunate things that had happened since the raiders, he truly started to bare his heart to me.

It just makes me wish I had known him longer. It would be a hundred times easier if we were young again. Starting fresh. Though, I could not be happier with how we have gotten to grow together. It's funny how long it took for us to realize our affections for each other. To identify the source of the pang in my heart when he smiled, the swell in his when I laughed.

This all culminated one night. Dinner had been cooked, eaten, and cleaned up. The credits of A Man and His Dog scrolling on the Tv. With a small sigh I get off the couch, turning off the Tv, and waltzing over to the holotape player, putting on one of my favorites.

… I don't want to set the world on fire…

Humming along with the music I walk over to Norm, grabbing at his hands and attempting to haul him up from the couch. “Come on dance with me,” I coo, putting on my best guilt-tripping doe eyes. With a huff, and a sarcastic eye roll he gets up, allowing me to drag him to the open space near the player. “You know,” I begin, grabbing his hand, “to dance you actually have to move.”

“Do I really?” he jokes back, his free hand going to the small of my back.

“Mm-hmm,” I hum, my other hand going to the back of his neck, cradling it as we begin to sway to the music.

… In my heart I have but one desire…

Sighing, I lean closer into him. A familiar ache finding itself in my chest. The lyrics of the song spell it out perfectly to an almost cliché level. Mirroring my own actions, he pulls me farther into him, delicately leaning his head across my shoulder. “Thank you,” I say, my tone is soft, almost unsure.

“For what?”

… I just want to be the one you love…

“For everything, for giving me a place that feels like home.” He makes a small sound of acknowledgement, squeezing me just a little tighter. “For being a person that feels like home,” I tack on, leaning my head against his.

“You don't have to thank me,” he says, almost absentmindedly. “I don't know what I would do without you at this point,” he says, a half laugh poorly covering the honesty in his statement.

And with your admission that you feel the same…

Letting out a hum of agreement, I throw caution to the wind. Placing a gentle kiss to his temple, I allow myself more. More of him, more of what I need. Raising his head from my shoulder in surprise he looks up to me, desire swirling in his eyes. “Please,” he whines, with a laugh I bring my lips to his, pausing just before they meet.

“Don't have to ask me twice,” I joke, finally locking our lips together.

… I don't want to set the world on fire, honey. I love you too much…

He returns my kiss straight away, whining something unintelligible into it. The saccharin sweet taste of Nuka Cola invades my senses. Deepening the kiss I run my tongue along the seam of his lips, asking for permission. Allowing me in, the kiss becomes mostly tongue and teeth. Removing my hand from his I place it on his hip, squeezing I begin to lead him back. My subconscious bringing us down the path to his bedroom.

… Darlin’ I have only one desire. And that one desire is you…

As soon as we are over the threshold of the doorway, both of us are in a rush to feel eachother skin to skin. Boots and socks toed off before either of us could get a breath in. He quickly unzips my suit, forcing the material down and off of me. My hands soon do the same. With a lonesome whine he breaks our kiss, running his hand across my waist he looks up at me with an expression of pure need. “Gods, you are gorgeous,” he professed, placing a languid trail of kisses along my neck and collarbone.

Taking hold of me, he turns us, pushing me back onto the bed. After a moment, in which he looks to be mostly admiring, he joins me on the bed. Scooting back, I lay against the pillows positioned at his headboard. Grabbing his wrist, I pull him up to meet me. One of my hands goes to the back of his neck, pulling his lips to mine once again.

The kiss is slow, passion dripping from the soft pillows of his lips. His hands work their way behind my back, undoing the clasps of my bra. Bringing his hands to my front again, he guides the straps off my arms, returning them to their original position after. Tossing the bra away, his hands busy themselves. Palms run across my stomach, moving up my torso to cup my breasts.

Squeezing softly, a thumb rubs across one of my nipples, the bud hardening to a peak. Breaking the kiss, he moves down my body, leaving light nips in his path until his face is even with my chest. Looking up to me he gives me a pleading expression, clearly asking for permission. With my nod, he quickly gets to work. His warm mouth envelopes one of my nipples, his tongue flicking at it. The sensation causing pleasure to spark, the feeling traveling downwards.

My hips buck up, independent from my body. Though, he pushes them back down with one of his hands. He releases from my breast with a pop, leaving a soft kiss on the side before swapping to the other. Sucking desperately, his hips begin to grind against mine, his hardness pressing against me with the subtlety of a freight train.

The hand that was currently occupied on my hip leisurely trails itself to my core. Middle and ring fingers pressing into the fabric. Finding the thin cotton to already be soaked through, he lets out a hum of surprise, pulling off my breast. He looks up, eyes filled with excitement, the silent question present as well.

“All for you, pretty boy,” I inform, letting out a giggle at how quickly he moves to remove my underwear, tossing it somewhere in the room. With an air of urgency, his hands venture down my body. Though, they stop every inch or so to give an appreciative squeeze. His lips follow the path, leaving a soft kiss or a teasing bite. Once his face is even with my core, he lets out a sigh of contentment.

Pulling my thighs apart, he settles between them, tossing my legs to rest on his shoulders. “All for me huh?” he asks, a teasing tone interwoven into his speech. Looking up to me, he begins his path down my inner thigh, his eyes stay locked on mine the whole way down. Though, he breaks once he finally gets to where I need him most. Breathing deeply, his eyes roll back. Placing a delicate kiss on my pubic bone, at long last, he indulges.

Two fingers move to separate my folds, the wetness there coating them. A satisfied groan racks itself through his body, fulfilling his ultimate need, he finally places his mouth on me. Flattening his tongue, he releases a whine, arms wrapping around my thighs, pulling me even closer.

“Fuck- just like that.” The firm strokes of his tongue start to push me towards the familiar edge. Waves crashing deep inside of me, another round of wetness releasing. His hips stutter into the mattress, his desperation becoming painfully obvious. With a well-timed grind of my hips, he slips his tongue inside of me. The bridge of his nose presses against my clit, the sensation causing me to clench around him.

The waves begin crashing harder, forcing me closer and closer to the precipice. His pace doesn't falter once, edging me closer and closer by the second. My hands tighten, fisting the sheets below me. It isn't enough, bringing one to his head, my nails scratch his scalp lightly before grasping firmly at the roots of his hair. The moan that he lets out against me is sensual, like nothing pleases him more than the light, stinging pain I'm currently inflicting on him.

With a new found ferocity, he moves to suction his lips around my clit, suckling lightly as his middle finger prods at my entrance. It slides in without a lick of resistance, which he seems quite pleased by. He thrusts the single finger in a few times, his ring finger joining it soon after. Curling his fingers in a ‘come hither’ motion, the gradual crashing of the waves begins to spark into more.

The tips of his fingers press diligently against the spongy spot inside of me, forcing me to the edge. Sooner than I ever imagined, I was forced off of it. My eyes drag themselves closed, stars exploding behind them. My grip on his hair only gets firmer, which he seems all too pleased about. The consistent thrusts of his fingers and flicks of his tongue working me through it, only stopping once I pull his face away.

The entire lower half of his face is covered in my essence, his expression is divine. Lips reddened and plump, eyes dazed and pupils blown out. “Fuck, I love you,” he confesses, voice thick with both lust and honesty. I don't know if it was his confession, or the pure need for him deep within me, but I pull him up to me. Crashing my lips onto his I taste myself, grabbing at him urgently wherever I can reach.

“I love you too,” I breathe out, breaking the kiss briefly. My wandering hand makes its way down his body, finding the heavy tent in his pants. He whines, hips pressing forward into where my hand is cradled. I pull his head back, forcing him to look me in the eye. “Now fuck me like you need to prove it.”

Taking that as an order, he gives me a quick peck before kicking off his boxers. Reaching forward towards my head, he grabs a pillow, lifting my hips to place it under. Using his already slick fingers, he grabs hold of himself, rubbing the tip against me lightly before easing it in. Inch by inch my core swallows him down until he is buried to the hilt.

He pulses inside me, though Norm is clearly holding himself back. He nearly chokes on his own spit as he steadies himself with my hips. With an impatient mewl and circle of my hips, he gets the message to get on with it. His pelvis smacks into mine, the pace he set being slow, but intentionally firm. His fingers curl into the fat of my upper thighs, the pressure enough to leave bruises. Something that neither of us seem to mind.

He makes a small adjustment in his posture, sliding my hips up just slightly. The small change creates an ocean of impact. The slight upward curve of him now hitting perfectly inside of me on every stroke. My moans uptick, getting louder as they mingle with his own. The exquisite sensation reawakens the crashing of waves. Noticing this change in my demeanor, he moves one of his hands to my center, his thumb rubbing short circles on my clit.

His eyes are half lidded now, glazed over with lust, though his gaze could not be more loving. Giving him a lopsided smile I pull him close to me again, his head now cradled to my shoulder. The proximity gives me delicious access to his neck. Placing a few sloppy kisses, I latch on, my teeth sinking carefully into the flesh.

He lets out a guttural moan, a trail of mindless whimpers and mewls following. Breaking away for a moment I softly lick, soothing the now irritated skin. “P-Please, more- please,” he manages to whine out. His hips stutter for a moment before picking up again, his pace faster now. Smiling against him, I fulfill his wish.

Latching on again I suck a deep bruise into his skin. Moving down, I place another on his collar bone. The stimulation motivating him to pick up his pace even more. Reluctantly he leans back, allowing himself to reach deeper. This new deeper angle forces me to recognize the sparks deep in my stomach, the intensity of them catching up quicker than before.

I go to tell him, though he shakes his head, silencing me. “I know, I am too,” he establishes through a groan. The circles on my clit get faster and sloppier, shoving me closer and closer to the edge as every moment passes. I whine out his name, falling off the edge again.

He follows just behind me, thrusts deep and sure as he pulses inside of me, releasing himself, the pleasurable warmth of it consuming my being. He falls forward, catching himself, he falls to my side. An arm wraps around my waist, pulling me against him, he cuddles into the crook of my neck. A sigh of contentment is shared between us.

I can definitely get used to this.

[witch-from-a-block-of-flats]

Rules: make your ships in this adorable picrew, then give me their song. Tag some friends to share too!

Thank you for the tag @cleric4vampire, this picrew is so amazing, I'll be using it in the future. I also decided to share some lyrics (yes, you inspired me) <3

Tagging (no pressure ofc): @chodzacaparodia, @miyamiwu, @boinin, @night-in-a-jar (don't be shy bestie, share your blorbos with the class) and @milkteansugar

1st Astarion and Solveig

My traumatized babies are finally in a happy and healthy relationship. They deserve all the happiness in the world after what they've been through. It took me 15 minutes to decided which horns are the best for Solveig - in game she has small but curved ones and I couldn't find a perfect match but I'm happy with the result. Their hands are my favorite part of the whole pic tbh, it's a small detail but carries so many emotions.

We'll never have sex by Leith Ross Oh, you kissed me just to kiss me / Not to take me home / It was simple, it was sweetness / It was good to know

2nd Gale and Ylva

I made this to look like a moment from their wedding that's why they are wearing tiaras. I feel like Gale would totally shed a tear or two at his own wedding. Looking back at members of my party from my Ylva run, their wedding was probably hilarious - the other two companions were Astarion and Lae'zel. Imagine Lae'zel as a bridesmaid and Astarion giving best man speech.

My heart belongs to only you by Bobby Vinton There were sometimes when I was doubtful / Of this new love affair / But now my mind is no more doubtful / I've found my heaven with the help of a prayer

3rd Snowid and Tomira

You've never heard of these characters? I would be more surprised if you did because they are from the book I'm writing - urban fantasy where Slavic myths meet steampunk. I want to talk about them for a bit so bear with me. Snowid (btw. his name means "the one who sees dreams" and I think it's so cool) is to put it simply a monster hunter and was cursed as a child with having visions of the future. Tomira is a child of a shapeshifting monster (most of the time she/her but can shapeshift and has a fluid relationship with gender). As many Slavic monsters do Tomira's mother had kidnapped a baby girl from a young couple and replaced it with them. Couple years later Tomira became a spy for one of the biggest crime organizations in the city and has been tasked with infiltrating the monster hunter corps. I think you know where this is going. My tragic, doomed by the narrative (aka by me) babies.

First love/late spring by Mitski

And I don't wanna go home yet / Let me walk to the top of the big night sky/ Please hurry leave me / I can't breathe/ Please don't say you love me

And this is th end! Thanks once again <3

[paradox-oflife]

Top 10 albums 2024

Tagged by my mate @lememecollector, last time I did this was.. I was still in high school 💀I had a lot of stuff from the Killers, Mitski, twenty one pilots lmao so let's see how much I've changed

In Rainbows - Radiohead

To me, this is the golden record and the most perfect album. It gets better and better every single time I listen to it. If you want to listen to it on a more normal level, it's so fun to groove and jam to. If you want to dig deep, you'll realize every single track is actually pretty complex from a musical perspective. 15 Steps being in 5/4 signature, Bodysnatchers being in something of a syncopation, Weird Fishes in a very layered polyrhythmic soundscape, Faust Arp changing time signatures every few measures etc. The closing track, Videotape still confuses me with it's rhythmic patterns. The lyrics seem to contrast the vibes of the music, e.g. 15 Step opening up with "How come I end up where I started?" and that feeling of never being able to escape your old faults. Even the track order is so perfect, it's ordered in a way where it never feels like it drags or rushes, and everything just flows so seamlessly into each other. Upbeat, depressing, innovative, experimental all at once.

What puts this at first place is really the musicality of it. It's very much what I think of as an objective perfection. I think some of the other albums I put on this list isn't as polished, but it's more about the emotional and rawness of the music. Like, I would blast In Rainbows if I'm on aux, but I wouldn't blast like. Shoegaze. I've never been much of a fan of Radiohead for their lyrics bc ngl I don't even know what Thom is singing half the time, but it's always been about the actual musicality for me.

Favorite is Jigsaw Falling into Place! The bass player in me is obsessed.

2. bury me at makeout creek - Mitski

My first love <3 musically speaking. I was in like 7th grade when I heard "Francis Forever" play on Adventure Time then immediately going to search it up. Then I heard First Love/Late Spring, then Townie, and something in me flickered. It was the first time I ever heard an Asian American in the indie rock scene. Back then, Mitski was such a small artist and relatively unknown. I remember journaling about her music in 7th grade lmao. The explosiveness of Texas Reznikoff, the teenage angst in Townie, crushing First Love/Late Spring, the yearning self-affirmation on Francis Forever..etc. It's actually quite musically simplistic but it's so catchy and manages to have some of the most personal and confessional lyrics at the same time. And it's not like Mitski doesn't know how to be "musically complex", she was literally a studio composition major and you can really feel that bleed through in Retired from Sad, New Career in Business.

Bmamc feels like something you would sing to yourself on a guitar in your bedroom, or perform in your garage, or something you would write in your diary. It's meant for yourself, not for a large crowd of a sold out stadium. It's raw, cathartic, intimate, and says everything it needs to say about love, insecurity, anger, grief, youth in a short 30 minutes. It meant everything to me and it still means everything to me. I hold it very close to my heart.

It's so hard to choose favorites for this. I have a special place in my heart for Francis Forever but every track means so much to me. I think Jobless Monday is so underrated though.

Side note: I have a lot to say about Mitski. I hate gatekeeping music but honestly like. I hate how her music has been dumbed down into "sad/yearning" or "for the gays", and that makes it feel sorta bland and discredits a lot of the depth. Like sure, a lot of her songs sound sad on surface level but when you really pay attention to what she's saying.. e.g. First Love/Late Spring is about loving someone so much that the feeling scares you. It's not even negative, by any means. Or Your Best American Girl is about never measuring up to the standard of your non POC partner. And her relatively recent success seems to have had a terrible impact on her, with concert behavior and the whole recording controversy, it's unfortunate to see her grow really uncomfortable with her fame as she's known to be a very private person.

3. Grace - Jeff Buckley

I've always known about Jeff Buckley since I was a small kid because of his cover of Hallelujah, but I never really dug that deep into his discography until later in high school. The first time I heard Grace I was so blown away by how powerful his voice was. I had Grace on repeat for a month when I first discovered it. The soft rolling guitar in Mojo Pin.. the intensity of the title track Grace, the summer break up vibes in Last Goodbye, the fragility of his voice in Lilac Wine, the odd chord progression in So Real.. "I love you, but I'm afraid to love" being whispered.. His voice is SO profound. Etc, He is probably one of my favorite lyricists ever, every line he writes is straight poetry. Not to mention the Sufi influences from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.. He has such an odd vibrato and singing technique. He was such a sweet and sensitive guy. Also quite an underrated guitarist. He's like the King Midas of covers, every cover he makes turns into gold.

It's funny how a lot of my favorite artists have been influenced by him in some way. From Radiohead to Mitski to Lana Del Rey.. even people like Adele, Brad Pitt?, Jimmy Page, Phoebe Bridgers, literally you name it. The way he died was so tragic. I always wonder what he would have went on to accomplish if he had a little more time. The demo for My Sweetheart the Drunk was such a large departure from Grace, I genuinely wonder what public perception would've been if that ever released properly. Maybe he would have only been remembered for Grace and considered a flop after that, a one-album wonder. Maybe dying young cemented his legacy.

Favorite track is either Mojo Pin or So Real.

4. OK Computer - Radiohead

alright alright yeah I know two albums from the same artist on a top 10 list can be cheap but here me out. OK Computer is typically seen as the white edgy incel doomer album and is "overrated" but. From a musical perspective it's extremely impressive. Its place in alt rock history cannot be understated. At a time where grunge was dying, this album brough rock back in relevancy but in a different approach. This idea of a more artsy, experimental rock was a new and fresh flavor. The layered instrumentation and complexity.. it was very "out there" because the new computerized electronic noises were new for artists, and Radiohead was out there messing around with it. Paranoid Android was the first time I ever heard a guitar solo in 7/8 and it absolutely blew my teenage mind. There's a bit of political commentary though I don't know enough about UK politics to really say anything about that.

The themes in this album have aged beautifully. The paranoia of our world being engulfed by technology, a society where we're so advanced but even more alienated and isolated from each other, the fear of what would happen to humanity once technology became our rulers. The feelings of overstimulation and digital numbness. Fitter happier is often joked upon, but I think the lyrics really do sum up the album so well. The mundanity of life, a painful reflection of reality.

Picking a favorite is hard because I always listen to this album from start to finish. I think Climbing Up the Walls is very underrated. It captures the feeling of paranoia and losing your mind so well. I'm stopping myself from putting the rest of Radiohead's discography on here.

5. Did you know there's a tunnel under ocean blvd - Lana del Rey

Lana is... a messy person to say the least. She's made very questionable and controversial choices but honestly? She's somehow always in every single one of my playlists. But ocean blvd might be my favorite album to come out in the past 5 years, and i rank it above NFR. I love a good orchestral album, and when it lost every single grammy it was nominated for I almost saw red. I think A&W is a masterclass in songwriting and storytelling. The beat switch is so Jack Antonoff core. The themes of loss of innocence, trauma, family, identity... BEAUTIFUL!! Even the title itself is so interesting. The idea of something iconic slowly fading into irrelevancy, the question of will Lana's legacy end up just like that tunnel? I really love how personal the lyrics are compared to her previous works. I started crying at the opening track lmao.

I know she considered Chemtrails Over the Country Club to be the album that represented who she was, but Ocean Blvd nailed who she really is. I'm curious for how her next album is going to sound like. Never been a country fan but I believe Lana can nail a very specific aesthetic in the country genre.

Favorite is A&W and Kintsugi. I thought Kintsugi was a bit too slow paced for me at first but then when I heard "Daddy I miss them" I bawleddd.

6. Either/or - Elliott Smith

I'd always heard his name a lot but I never got around to checking him out until not too long ago. I knew Phoebe Bridgers cited him as a major influence, but then I kept hearing more and more people citing him like Frank Ocean, Alex G, Sufjan Stevens, even like Mac Miller, and I think I got tired of wondering who he was. When a lot of famous artists cite someone as an influence, I gotta check them out. You could immediately tell where Alex G got his low quality production vibes from haha.

I think what really drew me in is this feeling of a just a guy with a guitar singing to himself in his bedroom. I really like how soft and vulnerable his voice is. Could you argue he's not a good singer? Yeah, sure, I guess. But that's not really the point, is it? His chord progressions are very interesting and trying to learn like any of his songs on the guitar is such a nightmare, he's extremely skilled with the guitar. I love a depressing song, what can I say?

Favorite: Between the Bars, No Name no. 5, and Say Yes.

7. Melodrama - Lorde

I'm not an avid pop listener by any means, but Melodrama is the most perfect pop album I've ever heard. There are literally no unskippable tracks on this album and every time I listen to it, I feel like I have to listen to the whole album instead of single by single. Because her first album was slow paced and minimalistic, she received some flack for going more towards the maximalist pop approach, the very thing she was changing in the beginning. Despite all of the early criticism, Melodrama's aged beautifully. The lyricism is just gorgeous. It paints such a distinct picture.

It's interesting to follow Lorde as she grows older, and all of it is reflected in the music. Pure Heroine is the "growing up" album, Melodrama is the "growing pains", and Solar Power is really about settling into herself. Melodrama is her late teens/early twenties sophomore album, where she goes from the early teenage experiences to the more mature experiences. Talks about doing makeup, partying, breakups and heartaches... It's about the growing pains of moving past teenagehood. It's perfect. Listening to it while walking around college campus at night is an out of body experience. I would pay to have the album cover as a painting on my walls.

Favorite track: Hard Feelings/Loveless or Perfect Places. Love that weird experimental noise in Hard Feelings

8. Loveless - my bloody valentine

They were not lying when they said this was one of the best shoegaze albums ever. If you want to start getting into the shoegaze genre, this is the album to go to. The heavy distorted guitar banging in on the first track, the drum patterns and memorable melodies. It's very rhythmic. Shoegaze as a genre has always been so interesting to me - To have the vocals take a backseat and let the soundscape do the work, and you let this wall of sound wrap you up like blanket. It's less about what you're trying to say with the words and more about the sound itself and how it makes you feel. That fuzzy distortion makes me feel unlike anything else. When You Sleep is probably the most stand out track and the most popular, but there are many tracks that don't have any vocals, just repeated guitars. Yet somehow, somehow it's not boring to listen to.

My favorite one is Sometimes, probably the closest thing to a love ballad they'll get to. It makes me feel complete and empty at the same time. Drowsy and intimate, the mumbled lyrics. When that song came on in that one scene in Lost in Translation, it became one of my all time favorite scenes ever. That feeling of derealization and staring at a world that's right at your feet but you can't really enter it. Idk. But I think that's the point.

9. Vessel (And Regional at best) - twenty one pilots

This album has such a special place in my heart. I was going through the early teenage angst and it was the first album where I heard where it was saying "It's okay, we feel this way too." It felt a lot more personal that what I was used to hearing in middle school, like Despacito or whatever was trending that time. Yeah it's a bit reminiscent of the mid 2010s but it was also my gateway to more alternative music. It combined so many genres where it didn't feel like a particular genre. I don't really listen to twenty one pilots as much anymore but Vessel always will take me back.

I'm combining Regional At Best in this because it has a few overlapping songs and it's technically not a real album. But I would kill for a remastered version of RAB, esp songs like Slowtown. The songs meant so much to me and my younger self. However, I think Trench is the objectively best record twenty one pilots has put out.

Not sure what my favorite track would be. RAB has some golden ones. I think I would choose Kitchen Sink, but Anathema also means a lot to me.

10. Continuum - John Mayer

This album was quite influential towards my perception of guitars. I used to be obsessed with the bass guitar and I used to want to play the drums until I really listened to this album. I guess I used to think about guitar solos as flashy - Something you could shred on to show off your talent. I thought people like Van Halen and maybe Slash were talented, but the intensity and difficulty didn't really appeal to me. But I guess because Continuum is more heavily inspired by blues and souls, you don't really feel any of that (except for the Hendrix cover Bold as Love). Each solo is melodic and laidback. Mayer's known for his virtuostic guitar talent but here, he's demonstrating that he knows when to strip back.

Overall, it's just a very clean and solid album. No very skippable tracks, very ummm "friendly" to listen to. Like anyone can enjoy soft rock playing in the car, y'know.

Favorite tracks: Either Belief or I'm Gonna Find Another You

Honorable mentions (some other 10/10s)

Sam's Town - the Killers

My once favorite album.. I still love it a lot. I guess I've discovered a lot more stuff since then it took a backseat in my list of favorite albums. But I'll gladly do a rewrite of why I love it so much

This album makes you feel patriotic but not in a nationalistic, America is the best country on Earth, racist way. It's more of a cowboy, rugged individualism, independence, No Country for Old Men, western saloons and faded glamor type of feeling. Red Dead Redemption 2 type of feeling. It makes sense since they were trying to escape from the Hot Fuss era where everyone thought they were a British band. So they went the opposite direction and made this whole album is this declaration that they were Americans. Sam's Town has such an iconic opening, very "guns blazing", very Bruce Springsteen feeling. Read My Mind changed me as a person and I have no idea why exactly. It must have been my favorite song for 2 years. That final verse after the guitar solo is soul ascending.

Kessoku Band - Kessoku Band

Bocchi the Rock was the first anime I'd watched in a while and really got hooked on. Chainsaw Man was going on at the same time, but I'd already read the manga so many times I guess it wasn't the same. But BtR being a spiritual successor to K-On just really made me fall in love. The rotoscoping, attention to detail, the amount of inside jokes that only musicians can really understand. The humor is unmatched, and imo it's the embodiment of anime at its creative peak. The plot is heartwarming and relatable, the character dynamics are so great. It reminded me of my high school band lol

Overall, extremely well produced album and they got some of the best musicians in the j-rock industry like tricot haha and the peggies. The lead guitars go HAM with every solo and riff, the drum fills and patterns, not to mention how good the basslines are.

Blonde - Frank Ocean

Admittedly I was late to the Frank Ocean train, but this album in unmatched in its circle. It's such a good concept album, I just know Frank Ocean had been cooking this up for a long time. The ideas of duality, masculinity, and femininity and how the album is perfectly split in the middle at Nights during the beat switch, and how the album starts diving into the "masculine" part. Less singing, more rapping. Femininity is expressed through those pitch shifts and the topics of the songs. Blonde was even released as blond in some versions. I think my soul ascended a bit the first I heard Seigfried - Could literally pinpoint where Johnny Greenwood contributed, also the verse about dreaming about a thought. Close To You is such an underrated track. Also one of my favorite album covers.

twenty one pilots - Twenty One Pilots

Their first album and of course, it has a very fundamentally different feeling than the rest of their work. It was made in the basement Tyler Joseph and the original members of the band were staying at, and you can honestly feel it lol. It's overtly a lot more religiously themed (or more so the struggle with faith) and I guess you could say it's a lot more darker in sound, Songs like Addict With a Pen.. whew.. The songwriting is already pretty strong here, and it's a lot more piano heavy. The thing I might not like the most on that album in the way he sings. The midwestern emo accent/enunciation pops out so hard LOL. But I really appreciate this album for what it is. I'm also obsessed with the album cover.

I think my music taste has definitely evolved a bit, but I also lowkey sound like a white male/alt girl on tiktok 💀 I think compared to my last post I ever made, I've definitely improved at expressing a lot of my thoughts on music and why it's so special to me. I also really just enjoy blabbling a lot about music even though no one will probably see this haha. I have a lot more albums that I absolutely love and picking just 10 is impossible. Maybe I'll do this challenge again in another 5 years and see what's different haha

[braimrotting]

My playlist as QSMP

(warning im shit at english lang so my interpretation of songs may be way off... im also ace and often miss romantic implication so.. yeah if a song has lyrics which are like about an s/o and i havent specified i probably dont mean for it to be shipping)

songs included: tongues & teeth (the crane wives), pink in the night (mitski), gb eating gb whilst listening to gb (crywank), going to brighton (fresh)

TONGUES & TEETH - The Crane Wives hideduo fit pov fit as a self serving survivalist from a wasteland experiencing love in this cursed fuckin island • "ive grown a mouth so sharp and cruel its all that i can give to you my dear" habits from 2b2t even little things like his lack of trust, hasnt confided his true intentions to anyone - constant lies by omission - hes flawed and hes recognised it • "if you're fine with that you can be mine like that" theres very much something going on with hideduo but fit is insistent on his baby steps bc he doesnt want to hurt pac. 'are you fine with that?' • "you gotta know that this wont last" this is soooo fit coded bffr. i adored the conversations fit n ramon had but one thing that stuck out to me was that he would always specify that only he and ramon would escape. never mentioned anyone else. selfish in the most understandable way • "i will ruin you, its a habit i cant help it" again 2b2t ingrained habits that never leave. linked w above point, hes selfish and that isnt necessarily a bad thing just not great for a blossoming relationship • "i will love u like the ashes in my cigarette box" hc 2b2t!fit smoked - ramon told him off once but now that the baby's gone hes picked it up again, a headcanon bc i cannot imagine ccfit smoking since hes such a health buff - feels so out of character lmao strong thoughts about qfit no one even try to fight me - his entire character occupies a space in my brain PINK IN THE NIGHT - Mitski phissa missa pov devotion easy • "i love you, i love you, i love you, i love you" • "can i try again and again and again" i dont think i need to say more - tbh this could go for guapoduo too but the "can i try again" made me think of missa + how he wants to live up to phils expectations

GB EATING GB WHILST LISTENING TO GB - Crywank phissa still missa pov

"in a busy room youre all i see" literally THEM sorry during the mexican independence event they were literally all they could see.. them doing the dance together - it may as well have just been the 2 of them + phil jumping in front of missa to take pics of him alone w/o him noticing

"calm down dont let her see how fast your heart is beating" missa saying "im speaking weird so the translator doesnt pick up, i love you" THIS GUYYYYYYYY

"i think about you but i know im not good enough" bffr mr missa "ill come back when im a good enough father" sinfonia

"and I built you up to much, now I can't say what's on my mind in case I go and scare you away" missa doesnt want to burden phil because he feels like hes been such a bad father compared to phils dedication - now that hes back he doesnt want to disappoint him anymore

"and how could i compete with the world at your feet" missa coming back to like 3 men at phils whim LMAO

"i wouldn't want to hurt you by letting you hurt me you don't deserve to feel guilty"

"i just want you in my life"

sorry im so obsessed with their puppy love GOING TO BRIGHTON - Fresh tubbo coded, i mean with the name i had to give it to him in my mind hes talkin to phil • "things i care the most about dont seem to ever get old" his excitement over everything even the simplest things is so refreshing • "i feel the fire inside me trains passing over head" his determination posing a unique threat to the feds and i feel like its such an important part of his character. also he likes trains :) • "there are things i learnt inside my head that they cant ever take away from me" lil bugs and just knowledge of the game make him a great bug tester for the admins lmao. this guy takes any chance to glitch his way through life

"starting over is a sign of strength"

also honorary mention to that one person who said the garden was codebreakerduo coded because you are so right and true and based and i think of that post everytime i listen to that song. being so normal by peach pit was very celltw (is that what pac and cellbit are called?) to me but i didnt really have much reasoning

[yrrtyrrtwhenihrrthrrt]

Songs that I think the Goldenhearts listen to while thinking ab each other + relevant lyrics! (nobody asked for this it is self indulgent ❤️💛🖤)

Ambrosius Goldenloin (Movie): I Listened (Apes of the State)

"I'm trying hard to mention some important things that I feel will really demonstrate just how well that I listened. Like how you said, with tears in your eyes, that you wish that being grateful was enough to keep you from feeling sad all the time and that your favorite flowers are impatiens, and that when you love somebody you wait patiently for them"

"and how you make poor decisions with the people that you choose to date and you'll probably think I'm crazy for this and I'd tell you that I don't give a shit, but that would be a lie because I care what you think about me and I just really, desperately want to be your next poor decision. Your next poor decision."

Ballister Boldheart: Pretty Little Things (The Crane Wives)

"I once loved a man who was all lips and hands, cracked lips and hands, calloused hands, I still feel his touch against my skin, past loves linger like phantom limbs"

Ambrosius Goldenloin (Graphic Novel): Frances Forever (Mitski)

"I don't know what to do without you, I don't know where to put my hands, I've been trying to lay my head down, but I'm writing this at 3 AM. I don't need the world to see that I've been the best I can be, but I don't think I could stand to be where you don't see me.

On sunny days I go out walking. I end up on a tree lined street, I look up at the gaps of sunlight, I miss you more than anything"

Ballister Blackheart: Anything by Olivia Rodrigo, especially Vampire (tell me that bitch wouldn't)

"I used to think I was smart, but you made me look so naive, the way you sold me for parts as you sunk your teeth into me, oh bloodsucker, famefucker, bleeding me dry, like a goddamn vampire"

"You said it was true love, but wouldn't that be hard? You can't love anyone 'cause that would mean you had a heart. I tried to help you out, now I know that I can't, 'cause how you think's the kind of thing I'll never understand"

Anyway please tell me if you have any Goldenheart songs, I love them (and I recommend checking these ones out!!!)

[valstarsandgalaxies]

Title tag game!

Rules: write out any fic titles you have that are based off of lyrics, list what songs they're from, and tag some writers! :-) (if you don't have a lot of finished fics, you can include your wips, or if you have way too many to list out, pick your faves!)

Thank you so much to @counting0nit for the tag! This was a fun thing to do since I haven't even realised how many of my fic titles are actually based on lyrics/songs. But music is so important to me while writing, so I'm not really surprised.

1. When you, know you know- Margaret by Lana Del Rey (One piece/Zolu fic)

2. Destroy myself just for you- Destroy myself just for you by Montell Fish (One Piece/Zolu fic)

3. Stay with me (in every lifetime)- K. by Cigarettes after sex (One Piece/Zolu fic)

4. Once more to see you- Once more to see you by Mitski (Buck x Bucky fic)

5. I know it's over and it never really began- I know it's over by The Smiths (Buck x Bucky fic)

6. Constellations- Constellations by Duster (Buck x Bucky fic)

Tags: @triggerlil (and anyone who wants to participate!!)

[star-1111]

HII HRU :33 I saw your little Quackity oneshot and LOVED how you narrated it, I wanted to ask if you could write one about a male!s/o (or fem, if you want) x Quackity, male!s/o es singer and sings "Once more to see you - Mitski", indirectly dedicating it to Quackity who is watching him among the people with VIP tickets and his fans notice :'3,

— thx very much and take your time!!!

AHHHH OH MY GOD YES AND TYSM!!! I LOVE MITSKI!!!! <3

~

Quackity x male! singer reader!!

~

Alex stood in the crowd as he looked up at you. You looked so gorgeous in the lighting. The way you stood with your instrument in your hands. They way your hair swayed with every movement. The way your eyes glimmered with nervous excitement. The way your nose crinkled when you smiled or laughed.

He had to admit.

He was absolutely smitten for you.

He used to think his feelings for you were just 'bro and bro' feelings, or some silly roommate shit. But the moment he finally realized how gorgeous you were, he let himself understand that he was crushing on you.

hard.

Alex wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. Why was he nervous? The answer was right in front of him: you.

He watched as you began to play, the crowd applauding. He didn't care how much his ears rang from the volume of the excited crowd.

All he cared about was you.

"In the rearview mirror, I saw the setting sun on your neck.."

Your voice was so majestic, he swore he fell in love with you all over again. He listened to each lyric, head tilted.

He couldn't help but feel.. strange.

The way you glanced at him. The way your cheeks turned an obvious shade darker when you two made eye contact. The way his heart leaped to his throat and silenced his thoughts.

Oh.

Oh.

It all clicked.

That song was for him.

Alex's palms grew sweaty. His heart raced in his chest. His eyes nervously darted away. His cheeks grew red. A little voice in the back of his mind screamed at him to just say or do something. But, boy.. he took note of how many people there were. He needed to wait until the two of you were alone.

Eventually, the song came to an end and the crowd roared in absolute amazement. Alex pushed his way through the crowd until he reached the backstage area. He saw you, and his mind went blank.

It was now or never.

He approached you, anxiously fidgeting with his fingers. "Hey." He spoke up, catching your attention.

"Hi."

One simple word and gosh he wanted to just sweep you off your feet and hold you and kiss you.

"You were really good." Was all he could manage. You looked away bashfully, smiling. "Thank you. It took some practice, but I'm glad I actually got it. Was it obvious I was nervous?"

Alex chuckled. "No. You.. you looked really good. I-I mean, you-- you sounded really good."

You chuckled, running a hand through your hair. "..Nice save. And.. thank you. I.. uh.. actually sang that for you."

Alex could've sworn his heart melted right there and then and his mind went blank again. His suspicions were right.

"..really?"

You nod. Alex grew quiet, rubbing the back of his neck. "..Mitski, huh?" You chuckled, fidgeting with your fingers. Alex took a deep breath.

"I like you. A lot, actually."

You looked up at him. You thought, if you died right there and then you'd die elated.

"I like you too. Hence the song."

Alex chuckled. He rubbed his arm, then offered you his hand, which you gladly took.

"..I always liked Mitski."

"..I know. Thats why I sang it for you."

"...God, I like you so much."

~

AHHH I HOPE YOU LIKED IT! <3

[bubblesteasblog]

Lyrics from songs in my skwistok playlist and their relevance to the ship/characters:

WARNING: HELLAAAA LONG POSTTT (if you don’t wanna read it you don’t have to)

1.) I Know You- Faye Webster

“I’m here regardless of the pain/ Don’t ever tell me to go away/ From you”

Refers to their incessant arguing and how Toki never leaves and still stays around him.

“When we’re old and have to leave the Earth/ I’ll still remember all I’ve learned/ From you”

Referring to Toki and how Skwisgaar is his role model and let him into the band, teaching him things along the way.

2.) Vampire Empire- Big Thief

This is a bit more angsty but this once again refers to the more toxic aspects of Skwisgaar and Toki and how they are constantly at each other’s throats. Skwisgaar criticizing Toki etc. etc.

3.) Pretty Boy- TV Girl

Just refers to Skwisgaar’s character, especially the lyrics:

“But how about his loneliness? He gets it from his mom”

Referring to the similarity in lack of commitment in relationships the two share.

4.) Gnaw- Alex G

This is mostly Toki-centered:

“I won’t tell your mother/ She won’t ever discover/ The things you kept under the covers”

This is referring to two things (up to interpretation): the doll Toki hid in the pit he was put in when punished and the way he would make a happy world for himself, or the idea that Toki could be homosexual and would hide it from his parents.

“I am not your brother/ I am not your lover”

Throughout the show the band is referred to as “brothers,” this is in reference to that and a more angsty twinge of how the two are so repressed that they would probably not be lovers.

5.) First Love/Late Spring- Mitski

“But I find that/ Lately, I’ve been crying like a tall child”

This lyric refers especially to Toki and how he never got to truly be a child and acts in a childish way in his adulthood to compensate for it, essentially feeling like a tall child.

“So please, hurry, leave me, I can’t breathe/ Please don’t say you love me”

Can be a reference to how both sides of the party would be scared of commitment or their relationship, or the fear Toki would have of Skwisgaar loving him because of his “curse.”

6.) I Want You- Mitski

Referring to repressed and hidden emotions that could possibly be felt. Honestly the whole song can apply to these two.

7.) Once More to See You- Mitski

Basically the same reasons as number 6

7.2) Once More to See You- Mitski

Referencing how they are both famous and a relationship could ruin their reputations and would be out in the public eye for everyone to see and talk about.

8.) Things to Do- Alex G

Toki. Just Toki.

9.) Crack Baby- Mitski

Something about these lyrics reminds me of Skwisgaar and how he’s always reaching for that sense of love but never truly experiencing it and craving it but not knowing what it truly is he wants.

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

songs for the cycle-breaker

i also think i've taken a different approach to this playlist in that i've focused on just late s3 zuko breaking free from his family. this playlist has much less of an arc than he does.

the thing about putting together a zuko playlist for me is that i am not emo and i don't believe in putting showtunes on character playlists bc they are already About characters. so this playlist is not super reflective of what i think zuko would listen to and is also pretty different from most of the zuko playlists out there which ARE full of emo bands/popular tiktok music. nothing wrong with that but it's not me.

1. dynasty - rina sawayama

i'm a dynasty / the pain in my veins is hereditary / and if that's all i'm gonna be /would you break the chain with me?

perfect song for the cycle-breaker of a royal family. i've seen this song on azula playlists and like. what chain do you think she's breaking exactly. the whole tragedy of her character is that she doesn't get free.

2. walk this way - mø

there is a light for you, burning for you / oh my mama said "it is burning for you"

zuko is, of course, a mama's boy.

3. take the journey - molly tuttle

take the journey / someday you'll make it back home again

pretty straightforward tbh. i like to imagine the lines "take the hand of the one beside you / let the fire guide you" as being about him & aang meeting the dragons.

4. relay - fiona apple

evil is a relay sport when the one who's burned turns to pass the torch

if this lyric were shorter i'd have made it the title. if this song had a more conventional song structure i'd have made a full fanvid instead just a little snippet. there is no better summary of zuko than this line.

5. altar wine - david keenan

there was once a man who loved me / he was older, he left this scar / and a book about an angel / that made her way back home to god / i still think about him sometimes / running my finger up its spine / may he fall into a well / he left me old before my time

yeah this song is heavily christian, but the characters in this song - the sighing mother the narrator identifies with, the older man who left a scar, the girl who sets fire to the curtains - feel very fire nation royal family. the fact that the older man gives him a book about an angel who made her way back home to god also feels similar to how zuko was expected to redeem himself and find his way home.

also, the singer just sounds fucking anguished, and literally screams near the end, which is pretty zuko imo.

6. black sun - irma

hold back, hold back, can't you see / how harmful all this can be / this ain't no place to call a home

amazingly, a perfect song for zuko's speech to ozai on the day of black sun.

7. shivers - JOSEPH

i strike my own light / even if it's not quite as bright

zuko decides to leave and strike out on his own.

8. grave digger - matt maeson

goddammit, i cannot bend / i'm all shriveled inside

a recommendation from the write-in question on this uquiz i made, one that i got a LOT, and okay yeah sometimes the majority opinion is correct. it's about deciding to leave behind your toxic family, and it's also easy to read "bend" in this line to refer to firebending. you win this one, zuko fans.

9. fear and loathing - marina

don't wanna live in fear and loathing / i want to feel like i'm floating / instead of constantly exploding

about how he had to find a new drive for his bending after he left, find something besides anger and fear to fuel him.

10. white teeth teens - lorde

and everything works out so good / i wear the robe like no one could

zuko being crowned fire lord at the end despite never thinking he was one of the cool kids worthy of status and power.

12. heirloom - sleeping at last

you are so much more than your father's son / you are so much more than what i've become

iroh to zuko <3

13. a burning hill - mitski

the title track. like all our angsty firebenders, he's been a perpetrator of the fire nation's brutality, its victim, and a witness to it. zuko 🤝 azula 🤝 jeong jeong - this song.