#more song lines left to reference in the future I guess

[mishalikessoundsandcolours]

Syd Barrett my love, finally got around to draw him💖 I'm not sure I got his face right, but I drew this without a reference so it's good enough, I just gotta draw him more I guess.

[yuseirra]

(Final speculation before 163 comes up) Could the story really wrap up within 4 episodes if Kamiki isn’t a god?

I don’t think so;; There are too many things that can be explained with this way but make no sense if it's not. I'm serious. This must be it. This CAN explain EVERYTHING about that particular character quite smoothly!! To the extent it almost can't be otherwise!

Ahh I jotted this down on the spot (used machine translate.. Sorry if the phrasings are a bit off because if it) please, take this into consideration yeah I can be SO off, already proven off but?? This though just keeps coming to me.

I’ve made a lot of guesses about gods, haven’t I? But no one really seems to take it so seriously.

But didn’t they mention there are “gods” who don’t know they’re gods in the piece itself? Why bring that up? They’re going to use it, right? After hearing the lyrics of *Fatal*, I started to seriously think that Ruby and Kamiki actually have some kind of divine power.

For Kamiki… everything he’s done makes way more sense if we consider him to be the earthly god Sarutahiko Okami. It's just impossible for him to just be a regular person with this little time left in the story but if you take him as a reincarnation of that particular god that's started to reawaken his divinity, everything starts to click!!!

Sarutahiko is considered a "noble" god,

And the way he met Ai is really similar to how he met his wife, Ame-no-Uzume, leading to their marriage (his wife came to his domain as part of a mission, and he led the way, they developed feelings and connected—this parallels how Ai came to meet Kamiki while pursuing acting, with him having guided her. The descendants of the god Sarutahiko bear the name that means "woman who dances well" That's like Ruby). They fell in love immediately, just like Ai seems to have taken a liking to him from the moment she saw him. Ame-no-Uzume approached him first and the relationship blossomed from there.

Sarutahiko is also a god of light (Hikaru has “light” in his name, and “Kamiki” relates to gods).

He governs land (isn’t it strange how people keep dying in the mountains?).

That shrine in Miyazaki where the main cast went to, Aratate Shrine, is dedicated to Sarutahiko and his wife, but they didn’t mention Sarutahiko explicitly. Together, these gods bless the entertainment world and grant people’s wishes. Remember when Ruby and Kamiki met and that whole talk about gods and wishes? He listened to what she really wished for, and Kamiki also congratulated Aqua, saying his wish was fulfilled. All the wishes that were mentioned there, indeed, did come true. In *Mephisto*, the line “I forgot who I lived as” refers to Kamiki, I'm sure of it. He’s a god who didn’t realize it but is now somewhat aware and using his power.

Aqua tried to drown him. Sarutahiko governs the earth, so it makes sense that Aqua, who’s aligned with Susanoo (the sea god), would have an advantage over him in water. That’s why he could kill him that way.

Sarutahiko is also the “guiding god.” He leads people toward good futures, that's what he is supposed to do. So, if Aqua says, “I have to stop you from ruining Ruby’s future,” it makes sense that Kamiki, as Sarutahiko’s reincarnation, might actually have the power to affect her future.

In *Mephisto* and *Fatal*, there’s a narrator desperately longing for a “star,” with Ai being compared to a star and Kamiki to a gem. Gems are from the earth, and Sarutahiko is an earth god (Kunitsukami), while his wife Ame-no-Uzume belongs to the celestial gods (Amatsukami). This all fits perfectly, doesn’t it? Kamiki wanted to reach Ai, and as the songs imply, he tried to gather "light" (the star eyes) as a means to do so. He couldn't get to her by his own powers because he doesn't originate from the skies the way she does, perhaps that could be why he needed the "stars" in order to "fill in what's missing" as mentioned in Fatal! As he originally blessed the entertainment world. Maybe he’s been going around finding people with star eyes to reclaim his blessings.

Actually, if we follow the mythology, Ruby is the one connected to Kamiki out of the twins. Sarutahiko’s essence is solar, and Amaterasu, who corresponds to Ruby, took over his place in the native religion. But even though Sarutahiko gave up his place, (getting married with Ame-no-Uzume in the process.. He did get a beautiful wife out of it all), he’s still honored as a powerful god with the title Okami. His story is more closely tied to Amaterasu and Ame-no-Uzume than to Susanoo. The three of them weren’t on bad terms either. Sarutahiko ended up working with his wife for Amaterasu. So when Kamiki treated Ruby with kindness, maybe it was because they share a deep connection. To add, since they overlap in their domains, so perhaps Kamiki posed a threat to her because of that.

Sarutahiko was said to have a strong, loving relationship with his wife. When they blessed people, they did it together, even offering marriage blessings. The song Mephisto and Fatal just scream that the speaker cannot bear to go on without their loved one and they'd give their life away if only they could be back. I feel that's how Sarutahiko would feel if he lost Ame-no-Uzume, they seemed so loving towards each other to me.

Kamiki’s character really seems to make sense if you consider him a god. There are so many things that would instantly click into place. But if he’s not a god, I honestly have no idea who he is. Everything about him points to that conclusion. Both he and Ai were gods. It makes sense then, that it's Ruby and Kamiki who could say that Ai was just a regular person. Because they think they really are just normal people and wish to be taken that way the way Ai is. They're the ones who can talk from those same shoes.

In reality, they were gods who wanted to live as humans and chose to live as such. Kamiki constantly says that he and Ai were the same, and that they could have overcome anything together. That’s probably because, as gods, they were each other’s counterparts, worshiped together at shrines. That's not just him being clingy, it REALLY was how things were. They were drawn to each other, unconsciously recognizing their similarities, and reunited as humans.

But after Ai’s death, Kamiki was fully corrupted, leading to his downfall.

Honestly, I can’t interpret it any other way anymore. If not this, then I really don’t know who Kamiki is. Too many unnatural things have happened surrounding him, and when you piece together the songs, it becomes clear: he’s a fallen god who lost someone precious and was consumed by darkness. This darkness probably didn’t originate from him; something external caused his fall. Even the scene where his eyes change—like paint dripping from outside—suggests that something seeped in from the outside.

In the anime, Kamiki’s eye color is lighter and more washed-out compared to Ai’s vibrant purple. It really seems like his original eye color was different and was later tainted. He might have been a god of light with orange or yellow eyes. His children’s eye colors might have split because of his original bright color.

Ai, as Ame-no-Uzume, is a goddess of entertainment and the dawn. Her colors align with this. Even if her personality was a façade, she shares a lot of traits with Ame-no-Uzume. If she had grown up without trauma, she might have truly been like her. The “morning/first star(in IDOL's lyric)” refers to the brightest star at dawn. If Ai is Ame-no-Uzume, and Kamiki is her husband, then their relationship with Ruby fits perfectly too. Even in the novel, Ai said she might become a god with her own religion.

I think this should be it. If not, nothing else would make sense. With only 4 episodes left, they’ll likely use this storyline to tie everything up. Otherwise, they’d need a lot more episodes. But since there’s an overarching mythology at play, I think they’ll be able to compress the narrative. No one could deny that these gods loved each other, and because Kamiki is falling into corruption, it'd make sense for there to be divine intervention- the resurrection of the twins. Ai wanted to experience true love, and she did find her match as Kamiki. She wouldn’t have found anyone better because they are meant to be. She wanted to save him from the depravity of the entertainment world.

I wanted to write this down since there won’t be many more chances to talk about these theories.

I’ve been thinking this since *Fatal* came out in July. The more I watch, the more these ideas seem to fit perfectly. The thought only strengthened;; Kamiki and Ai are probably incarnations of gods. The entire Hoshino family is likely divine.

[babyhatesreality]

The Sinner and The Saint Ch 5

Pairings: Slow Burn Mob!Boss Bucky x f!reader

Warnings: NSFW, f!reader, language, fake names (for now), reader is referred to by her stage name, reader still thinks Bucky’s name is Nick, everybody has secrets, reader says unkind things about herself/is insecure, reader is an exotic and extremely flexible dancer, explicit NSFW thoughts/language/conversations, subtle D/S moments, slow burn relationship. There will be many, many more warnings for future chapters including mafia and all the stuff that comes with that, kinks, and smut.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN MEDIA CONSUMPTION. MINORS DNI. THIS IS AN 18+ STORY ONLY AND IS NSFW. I DO NOT CONSENT FOR ANY OF MY WORKS TO BE COPIED, REPRINTED, OR TRANSLATED ONTO ANY PLATFORM EXCEPT MY OWN. Likes, comments and reblogs deeply appreciated. 

Previous- Chapter 4

Chapter 5

The music started. You looked up slowly. Right into those blue eyes. Your lips twisted into a devilish smile. 

Sympathy for the Duke from Moulin Rouge the B’way Musical

The music started with just a simple drum beat. You were pretty sure your heart was beating the same rhythm. 

Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste....

You took slow, calculated steps forward in time. You let your mind flood with images of the man of wealth and taste that you had just been introduced to yesterday. You brought your right hand up towards the black silk top hat you were wearing. You pinched the brim with your thumb and first finger, spreading the others so wide and strong you were pretty sure you made Fosse nod in approval from beyond. You slinkily stepped down the runway, as if you had all the time in the world, making sure to toss your impish smile out at just the right moments. Then you stopped in your tracks and looked right back into those gorgeous blue eyes. 

Pleased to meet you; hope you guess my name...

You extended your left hand in his direction as if you were presenting it for a kiss. On the word ‘name’ though, you flicked the brim of your top hat with a sassy smile. You watched as a grin cracked across his face at the irony of the song lyrics and maybe your sass.

But what’s puzzling you is the nature of my game...

You crossed your right foot over your left, slowly twisting away from the crowd as if you weren’t quite ready to give up the secrets to the game just yet. 

The song continued, morphing into a verse from You Can’t Always Get What You Want. As the orchestra grew underneath the vocals, you began to glide a bit more over the stage, back up the runway and along the mylar curtain line, just really feeling the fun and attitude of the moment. 

You can’t always get what you want; you can’t always get what you want; you can’t always get what you want....

With your back to the audience, you seductively lowered the shoulder of the silky mesh cover you were wearing, raising it back prudishly on the lyrics ‘what you want’. Then you turned to the other side of the audience and repeated the gesture. The crowd started getting more rowdy the more you teased them. 

But if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.

You looked over your shoulder, right at Nick, shot him your sassiest grin, and on the word ‘need’, you pulled the top apart. The hidden break away seams along the back and the front made it look as if the clothes were exploding off of you. The crowd lost their damn minds and were eating out of the palm of your hand. Just the way you liked it. 

And that’s when the beat dropped in the song. And you went for broke. 

You pranced around the stage boldly, owning the moment and absolutely everything about every note. It was like putting on music and just dancing around your place just for the fun of it- you lost yourself in the joy of the rhythm. Your hips rolled deliciously on the trumpet riffs as your hands trailed seductively down your form. You tore off the wrap sequined skirt in time to the music. You felt like a goddamn rockstar; that didn’t always happen so you reveled in the moment right now. You made sure to flick your eyes up to Nick’s every now and then, just to watch his reactions. A couple lines apparently intrigued him...

I’ll lay traps for troubadours who’ll get killed if they come your way....

Use all your well-earned politesse, or I’ll lay your soul to waste....

He seemed to find something to smirk or chuckle about on each of those lines. Hmm. What was intriguing about them? Maybe he was the possessive type? Or he just found them funny? You didn’t really have time to think about that now- you surrendered to the moment, grinding your heart out and just having a fucking blast in a thong, pasties, fuck me heels, and a black silk top hat. 

Love, sister, it’s just a kiss away....

Pleased to meet you....

It’s just a kiss away....

As much as you didn’t want them to, the negative thoughts started flooding your brain. You were crazy. You had no right to think these things about a man you just met, let alone a client....but the lingering feel of his finger brushing your cheek and the nearness of those lips would not leave the forefront of your mind. It was a heady mix of wanting to back down versus willing to fight for what you wanted. Which way were you supposed to go? 

In response, and partially to reclaim your power, you had to throw your infamous leg move in the mix, making the crowd scream. Right before the last lyric, you positioned yourself in the dead center of the runway, flung your hat offstage, and looked boldly and deliberately right into Nick’s eyes, the devilish grin returning. 

Baby, what’s my name?

And you finished with a jump split, throwing your hand up in the air on the button. The crowd went absolutely berserk, but you only had eyes for one. Everyone around him was hooting and hollering, but he took a deep breath, returned the devilish smile, brought his fingers to his lips to give you a chef’s kiss, and tossed the rest of his drink into his mouth. His deep blue eyes never left yours. 

“That was our own darling Angel! And I’ll have Sympathy for any Devil that tries to take her out of Heaven,” Rhodey announced playfully over the PA system, making you giggle as you stood up, flicking your fingers goodbye, and exited. To your surprise, most of the other girls were backstage- apparently they’d come out to watch. They hadn’t done that since you very first started. 

“BABE that was FIRE!!!” Gamora moaned, snatching your robe and holding it out for you as Sprite hustled onstage to gather your things. “Shit, you’re gonna make ‘em run outta money before we even get out there,” she giggled, teasing you, as the other girls cheered and congratulated you in turn. You were even feeling a little proud of yourself- until you saw Nebula’s haughty, unimpressed face. 

“I don’t know,” she said nonchalantly to the crowd around you all. “I think it’s just because she’s new blood.” Nebula turned and smiled nastily at you. “Some people have a tendency to lose interest quickly once that ‘new car smell’ wears off.” You felt the color drain from your face as you suddenly felt like a worthless cast-off. 

Gamora, however, wasn’t having it. She turned and slugged Nebula on the arm as hard as she could. “Jesus Christ, why are you such a bitch?” she snarled as Nebula yelled in pain. “How the hell could I have turned out so fabulous when my own damn sister is such a raging cu-”

“Okay, that’s enough ladies,” Natasha interrupted suddenly, appearing out of nowhere. “Nebula, lose the attitude, watch your mouth, and get on deck. Gamora, quit punching your way into- and out- of arguments,” she commanded both of them. “Angel,” she said, turning to you with a much kinder tone. “Nice job tonight, sweetheart. Go back to the dressing room and get ready. I’ll have Sprite bring your stuff to you in a moment.” You nodded, still a little embarrassed, and turned to obey. You mouthed ‘thank you’ at Gamora, who gave you a saucy grin. You saw her glare at her sister again, but didn’t stick around to see the aftermath. You didn’t have time- you had to get ready. You were going to see him. 

27 deep breaths later, you were outside the Champagne Room, freshened up and in the outfit you’d obsessed over all day. Your insides buzzed with nerves, excitement, and adrenaline. You took your 28th deep breath and opened the door. And there he was, waiting for you. 

Nick was sitting in the same location you had first seen him last night- only this time he was holding a glass of champagne instead of a tumbler of bourbon. His black-on-black ensemble made your mouth water for some reason; he was too handsome for his own good. You watched with secret delight as he desperately tried not to let his eyes rake up and down your body; it was obvious he really wanted to. You tried to keep that compliment close in your mind and not let it twist into another self-insult. He spoke first. 

“Bravo on a fantastic performance, Miss Angel,” Nick said, standing up and waltzing over to the bar, his eyes never leaving yours. He began pouring you a flute as he continued speaking. “Gotta say, I think that’s the first time I’ve seen someone strip to the Rolling Stones.” You giggled at that, blushing and ducking your head at his compliment. He strode back to you, his very steps echoing the power you felt him emitting. He gave you the glass, then clinked his own against yours. “Cheers,” he said. 

“Cheers,” you replied, biting your lip and looking down, trying to contain your stupid wide grin. 

“Uh uh,” he said sternly, shaking his head. He put a finger under your chin and raised your eyes to his. “Look me in the eye when you say ‘cheers’,” he said firmly but not unkindly. 

Something in your very soul instantly responded to him, drawing you like a moth to a flame. You wanted to do whatever he told you to. Almost before you realized it, your eyes had locked back onto his. “That’s better,” he almost purred. He clinked your glasses again. “NOW cheers,” he said, with that mischievous grin. 

“Now cheers,” you agreed, your heart rapidly beating its new rhythm, trying to make up for the beats it had just lost. You hastily took a huge swallow just as he finished his. 

“You have to look people in the eyes when you cheers,” Nick explained, a hint of the devil in his smile. “Otherwise it’s seven years’ bad sex.”

You choked on your champagne. 

Nick carefully patted you on the back as you spluttered, not even trying to hide his puckish grin. Once you could breath again without fear of champagne splurting out of your nose, you glared at him. He just chuckled evilly before returning to the couch and sitting down. 

“I’ve never heard that medley of Stones’ songs before,” he said, back to his charming self. He seemed to hide a bit of a smile as you sat down next to him- no hesitation this time like yesterday. “Where’s it from?”

“It’s from the same musical as the song that I...” you suddenly stuttered a bit. The idea of saying ‘danced to for you’ last night seemed indecently intimate for some reason (which was ridiculous as you WORKED IN A STRIP CLUB, you internally yelled at yourself), and you just couldn’t make those words come out of your mouth. “...performed last night in here,” you cobbled out lamely ugh loser. 

Nick nodded, choosing not to comment on the moment. “You like that musical,” he said as if he were observing something about you. “You a theater fan?”

“Big time. You?”

“I might have to become one, if those are the kind of songs they’re doing nowadays.”

The next two hours flew by as the two of you talked and talked and talked. You were only supposed to spend one hour with him, but when Fury poked his head in to tell you time was up, Nick just waved a hand at him. Normally, that would have made Fury toss any other patron out on his ear, but this time he just nodded back and carefully shut the door. Who was this guy, to hold that kind of power over Fury?

Thinking quickly, you tilted your head to the now-closed door. “You paying for the second hour, then?” you asked boldly, feeling a lot more loose after the fantastic conversation you’d been having. 

“Something like that.”

“You must be running up quite a tab here.”

“Don’t worry. Natasha will track me down when the check comes.”

“Do you...often run up a tab here?” you asked, your steel persona slipping a bit, afraid of the answer. Nick seemed to understand that. He leaned forward, tilting his head at you and letting those blue eyes twinkle. 

“Not like this,” he said softly. “Never like this.”

You were so delighted at that you couldn’t speak for a moment. He seemed to enjoy you getting flustered, but took pity on you and changed the subject. In fact, he seemed to do that a lot. Any time you tried to steer the conversation towards his job or why he was such a high-roller at the club, or even his name, he masterfully swung back around to something that would distract you just enough to get off the subject. You knew better than to push in a direction he didn’t want to go...but you definitely noticed he was doing it. And it made you curious. Very curious. Two could play at that game. 

Despite his best teasing efforts, you refused to give up your real name until he did- which he was not about to do in the slightest. It often resulted in a spirited and creative verbal battle that, more often than not, left you both in tears of laughter. 

Finally, when it was getting clear that the night had to come to an end, he stood up and offered you his hand. You took it, feeling like a rockstar again. This man made you feel like a rockstar. That had never happened...in this way...before....

He escorted you to the door, then kissed your hand reverently. You wished with all your might he’d take off those gloves and touch your skin again, or even more you wished he’d just lean forward and kiss you. It’s just a kiss away...But he straightened up, smiling handsomely at you. 

“Bravo again on your performance tonight. I look forward to tomorrow’s,” he said chivalrously. 

“‘Pleased to meet you’,” you quoted to him sassily, with a grin. He responded with his own. “‘Hope you guess my name’,” you teased with the lyrics that you had known would capture his attention.

His grin morphed in that heady combination of sex appeal and power, making you instantly melt. And he noticed it, closing the already-small gap between the two of you. 

“‘But what’s puzzling YOU is the nature of MY game’,” he whispered wickedly in your ear. “Until tomorrow, Miss Angel.”

Chapter 6

[demigods-posts]

Reasons why The Last Day of Summer from The Lightning Thief musical is an amazing song:

1.) “What do you do when it’s up to you to choose: has something ended or begun?”  It’s the end of the book, the musical, but Percy has to decide if this is the end of his story. This line does an amazing job at explaining Percy’s dilemma.

2.) “Do I stay because it’s safer? Back to the home I left behind. I could stay and train for a peace of the action, but what about peace of mind?” In Good Kid, Percy complains that no has ever asked him if he’d like to come around and stay, but in The Last Day of Summer, the camp directors are asking him exactly that - and he doesn’t have answer. Being a year-round camper allows Percy to strengthen his skillset as a demigod so he can better prepare for a world of monsters, but it requires him to sacrifice the chance to lead a somewhat normal life. I find it admirable that even though he has begun to embrace his godly side, he still has a grasp on his humanity. 

3.) “Perry Johannsson, this means you.” I love this gag that Mr. D deliberately choose to say Percy’s name wrong the entire musical, and also the entire five book series. 

4.) “Sometimes, family is worth the trouble. Believe me.” “I guess we both have a choice to make, Seaweed Brain.” I love the contrast between that moment in Killer Quest when Annabeth calls Percy Seaweed Brain in an attempt to insult him versus in The Last Day of Summer when it becomes almost a mockery of their initial rivalry. Here, Annabeth acknowledges their rocky start, but chooses to not let it define the future of their friendship, and I love that for them. Additionally, Annabeth lets her guard down and briefly confides in Percy, which goes to show that she has begun to trust him and, more so, heed his advice. Their friendship is portrayed so beautifully. 

5.) “Tough last day?” I’m really enjoy all of these callbacks we are getting in this song. When Luke ask Percy ‘Tough first day?’ in Their Sign, Luke has yet to decide if Percy will be a threat to his plan to overthrow the gods. Here, Luke knows Percy is a threat and intends on eliminating him.

6.) “You’re the lightning thief.” “The oracle warned you. ‘Betrayed by a friend.’” Percy saying the title of the show, and Luke quoting the line referring to his betrayal >>>>

7.) “I’ll do anything. I don’t care if I hurt anyone. It doesn’t pay to be a good kid, a good kid, a good son.” This line right here forces the listener to empathize with Luke. While we may not agree with the decision he makes, we understand why he makes them: because he was once was where Percy is. 

8.) “Soon, you’ll see what I did.” Throughout the PJO series, we see Percy have resentment toward Luke for good reasons, but when Percy denies the gods offer in 'The Last Olympian', he, in a round-about way, defends Luke. Even as Percy grows older, he understands Luke’s stance toward the gods and the shitty system they created of sending their kids off to do their bidding. Luke was right. In time, Percy would soon see what he did and why he did it.

The Last Day of Summer is such a beautiful song. The callback to previous songs in the musical, Annabeth and Percy becoming good friends, Luke’s reprise of Good Kid, the foreshadowing that Percy will grow up to understand why Luke is doing what he’s doing. Just, everything about it is so amazing!

[pillow-anime-talk]

3. “Are we gonna fight? Like fist to fist or rather... lips to lips?”- samatoki🍭

# tags: scenario; enemies/?; light romance; a bit of comedy, i guess; maybe fluff; rapper!reader; rap battle; girls power; i love girls; teasing; gender discrimination, difficult childhood, superiority over others (in the lyrics); sfw

includes: female reader ft. samatoki aohitsugi {hypmic}

3. “Are we gonna fight? Like fist to fist or rather... lips to lips?”

You, Nikki and Yume ran onto the stage with white microphones in your hands. Your serious expressions described your immense confidence and sense of victory. You were ready for anything, but definitely not for failure that evening. Several groups have already performed before you, including i.a. Buster Bros!!! and MAD TRIGGER CREW. Their performances were good, full of emotions and at a high level. Still, it wasn’t what the audience expected. Surely three brothers and three friends raised the level of today’s performances, the fans wanted even more. Everyone needed a fire on stage.

The song was started by the youngest of you – Yume – who immediately started a personal attack towards all the rappers gathered inside the building. She touched on the sexualization of women in rap tracks, as well as injustice in modern times. Her lines have always been the most moving and always loved by female audiences (Yume was generally very popular with girls and women). You moved your head slightly at the sound of her words hitting the beat perfectly; blonde girl almost blew up the stage. Nikki was next.

She was your younger cousin on your father’s side. She was passionate not only in music, but above all in dancing, which is why she rocked slightly during rap, moving her hips and hands. While her body expressed pure playfulness, her voice seemed genuinely sweet. But don’t let that cute tone of voice fool you. Her rap parts were always the most aggressive and full of references to the past, to the injustice of the world, to hatred towards others and the government’s decisions on teenagers’ lives. Everything based on her own experiences surrounded by a sense of fear and uncertainty about the slowly coming future.

And then it’s time for you; leader, composer, the greatest mental support of the trio. Your parts have never been marked by emotions or sad memories. You focused more on yourself and your girls; praise, boasting, showing your dominance on stage was your most important goal and your best weapon. Offending people? Yeah, why not. Talking negatively about everything? Sure, you don’t care about other people’s feelings. Supporting your own group and showing the three of you as the best crew? Of course, that’s what you’re for. It was your role, your way of expressing yourself. People loved your confidence, your determination and superiority over others. No woman ever thought of gossiping about you, and no man has been able to speak negatively or about you and your girls – people respected you and sometimes feared you.

Your performance ended with the loudest applause and cheers. And it couldn’t be otherwise, and everyone knew it… Even if their fists were clenched as tightly as possible.

{ ･ﾟ✧ }

With sunglasses on, you left the dressing room with your friends and rolled your eyes at the sight of one of your opponents.

“... Aohitsugi, long time no see. How do you feel after losing?” You giggled, nodding to Nikki and Yume. Two girls smirked and then left the huge hall. You were planning to go to the grill bar and drink something.

“You were good, but you can do it better next time.” He replied in a low tone, his tiger eyes looking at your figure.

“If I showed more you would get depressed. I prefer to spare your fragile psyche.”

“Shut up, Y/N.”

Your relation was… quite specific. You’ve known each other for years and even grew up in the same neighborhood. You were also in the same class in elementary and high school, but then your paths parted. For several years you have been meeting during street performances or rap battles organized in the city. You liked him, but nothing else. He was, after all, another pawn to knock down.

“Ouu, so scary, Mr. Hardcore.” You bit your lip between your teeth, then rested one hand on your hip. “Are we gonna fight? Like fist to fist or rather… lips to lips?” Samatoki sighed, crossing his arms. “Of course, I mean our microphones.” You liked teasing him and you knew perfectly well that he had a soft spot for you. After all, everyone in this world had a soft spot for your person.

So why not have more fun? Especially if we’re talking about Samatoki?

[yridenergyridenergy]

Phalaris Vol.II - Zepp Nagoya day 2 [2023/05/13] live report

SETLIST

Schadenfreude

13

Uroko

Mouai ni Shosu

Ningen wo Kaburu

Devote My Life

Hibiki

Utsutsu, Bouga o Kurau

Eddie

GRIEF

Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro

Otogi

The Perfume of Sins

ENCORE

Dozing Green (acoustic)

un deux

T.D.F.F.

Sustain the Untruth

Revelation of mankind

Today had a much better mood! Thankfully, I had chosen a regular ticket to experience the show from a bit farther this time, and Zepp Nagoya's barriers efficiently prevent the semi-moshpits that can occur in other venues such as feu-Studio Coast, KBS Hall last weekend, etc. Therefore, we each had plenty of personal space. On top of that, it felt like the floor was dipping toward the stage, so everybody has a fair chance to see the members. I'll try to remember that for future tours.

To be honest, being in shimote around the centre of the venue's length, I thought Kyo would still be disappointed because I could hear /nobody/ around me shouting the lyrics when Kyo asked us to. My voice doesn't carry, and yet it was the only one that could be heard in my whole section. I guess that the crowd at least moved more today though, because despite my witnessing that it wasn't lively, Kyo felt like it was much greater than yesterday - that's all that matters!

(Seriously, you have GOT to read after the break!)

The band members were wearing basically the same clothes as for the a knot 25th anniversary live show last weekend in Kyoto, namely Toshiya's white lace veil and Kaoru's leopard pants, hive-patterned suit jacket. And yeah, his hair is definitely brown, not sure how I hadn't noticed yet. His makeup below his cheekbones seemed heavier today.

Schadenfreude seemed more emotional today. And we knew that more of us had to give it our all today, so we got really into it. Kyo did the first few: "Ikedomo jigoku ka", once clenching his shirt like he meant it more today than ever before, making another reference to yesterday's disappointment. One thing about the images shown in the backdrop that I hadn't noticed is that the rainbow part of the lyrics may correspond more to the aftermath of the huge forest fire, and there is a horned Devil shown at some point. Near the end, we see a skull carved in a gigantic rock in a sort of jungle too.

After that first song, Toshiya unlaced his long white tie and demanded our cheers. 13 started and I got so into that song, but at the same time, I feared a repeat of yesterday. I think it was either then or during the first song that Kyo did turn around briefly, for a few seconds while he was singing, but maybe those occasions really were to show us the kind of anarchist symbol on the back of his shirt, which was apparently from G.I.S.M. again. Anyway, that song rocks so hard, especially the part about: "You change, to whose intention?" Kyo required us to sing the backup vocals that Die is supposed to take care of in response to his own lines: "Never die - in the dark, Never die - in the heart of, Koko ga subete - here is everything, Never die - never die". He didn't do much in reference to being hanged this time, but he did come up on his crate slowly.

I think it was then during Uroko, again my cue being that the lighting was flashing white, that Kyo came left and right on the stage as if to make sure that we were being active. He didn't seem pissed, more encouraging and optimistic. He was determined today to have us sing the: "Anata shidai de", after having asked us if we could become one.

Ningen wo Kaburu followed that energy, as Kyo had us sing a lot of the lines. The band had a strong presence for that song too.

During Mouai ni Shosu, the people near me didn't seem to really know the song. It wasn't too clear, but Kyo wanted us to sing: "The pride and prejudice" but I couldn't hear anybody else but my voice. He pointed from side to side so swiftly whenever singing: "Docchi ga? Docchi ga ii?", as well as in the lyrics about not knowing the name, like it referred directly about us fans. In the background video, there were glasses being filled with wine rotated at three different angles, followed by a flow of rose petals.

Devote My Life may have also been one of the songs during which Kyo did check-ups on each side of the crowd to make sure everyone was alert.

Hibiki was very heartfelt, but there isn't much of a highlight that comes to my memory. People only put their hands up a couple of seconds after they realise that the chorus of the song, the climax, has arrived. Oh, maybe that was the song in which Kyo started by hitting his chest repeatedly with the mic, then again a bit later, kind of off-beat with the drums.

For today's Utsutsu, Bouga o Kurau, Kyo was energetic. Even if he didn't seem awfully pleased witn the intensity of our "Nanananana naze nanda?", he didn't let it upset him.

Same thing with Eddie, people were barely singing the "kusomamire" as prompted, but the band was energetic. I can't remember what song it was, but Kyo did two wide stomp moves with his left leg during today's show. I'm quite sure one was in Eddie, asking us to destroy our necks and all.

GRIEF didn't see Kyo mock our clapping this time, but he did go onto his crate and hyped us up. We moved in a really synchronized mass. Always nice to take a peek at Kyo's mic cord whipping in between some headbanging.

Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro seemed to be a fan favourite. Kyo ended on whistle screams and growls. For this and at the end of several songs, I was the one to initiate cheers with my: "Ouais!!", otherwise there would have at best been a few awkward seconds of silence before somebody else dared to break the mold, or at worst, an entire awkward silence after a lot of the songs until the band moved on to the next song. So keep that in mind: don't be afraid to be the outlier in the crowd. The uniformity in Japan is very strong and nobody wants to stand out. As soon as the song ends and that you're not disturbing the performance, it's free for all - whether cheering or clapping. They'll let a silence go by just because nobody dares to be the one to do the first move.

The atmosphere then changed drastically for Otogi, as it got more serious. I couldn't help myself and swung to that beat. Did I ever mention that Otogi's background video illustrates a lot of sand, desert, the moon, but also a DNA helix that is kind of frozen, and eventually breaks from one end to the other.

For The Perfume of Sins, Kyo did use his mic stand today! God, it's always nice to hear him growl: "Nose, Eyes, Ears". Today, he decided to sing: "The sound of the brain dying" much more high-pitched, kind of in a deranged voice, compared to the usual growling or low singing.

The song ended and it was mainly the rest of the band who returned their instrument to their technicians and headed out. Kyo stayed a bit and I think he called out to Nyagoya, mic-less, before leaving for the break.

We called for the encore for what seemed like a long time. Shinya finally came out, as usual wearing tight black jeans and a black tour T-shirt. Die had some black top that I think had some long layers, with short black shorts and the leather interlacing tights that he posted on Instagram at the beginning of the tour. Toshiya kept his dress and shorts as usual and changed for a black sleeveless dress shirt. Kaoru kept his leopard print pants and had a classy black dress shirt. Kyo simply changed his shirt for the tour merch, The Sound of the Brain Dying one, but he still had the spiky choker.

Then, the techs brought out the chairs and we knew we would be getting acoustic Dozing Green. You can feel the drums so heavily especially in that song, it's like a gust of wind and a small earthquake at the same time. Kyo had his eyes mostly shut for the entire song.

Un deux felt like it was half sung by us, half by Kyo hahah. Sometimes in unison.

T.D.F.F. was so fun, with a majority of the fans jumping, shouting "hey" and "fucker" when needed. However, the biggest highlight was Kyo doing the finger guns toward Toshiya as he got on the ledge and played his bass solo in that song. Like: "Wow check this guy out now!"

I can't remember the song, but it was definitely in the encore that I noticed what has been described as Kaoru making love to his guitar. I just turned my head and there he was, holding his guitar diagonally with its head upward, the base held close to his crotch, and he had his head a bit tilted, eyes slightly shut and with his mouth agap, from what I remember. All that in the leopard pants and clean black dress shirt. Gosh, was it T.D.F.F. or Sustain the Untruth?

Sustain the Untruth was way more fun and special today. Kyo almost immediately went right, then left, even basically preventing Toshiya from taking position where he had meant to be, in front of his amassed fans, which briefly seemed to tick Toshiya off but he moved on elsewhere. Kyo was busy asking every portion of the crowd to shout: "the inside mind", which again I could barely hear from others around me, but Kyo did shoot two ripped fox kisses from his mouth steadfastly toward shimote after our performance, barely looking anymore as he turned sideways to head back to the centre, so I guess it was satisfactory. He also got us to sing a lot of the song with him too.

The last song came and we were cheering so much for the whole band, but Kyo the most. He started with: "Nyagoyaa!" and we replied with even higher shouts. Then he went: "Nyagoyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" prolonging that a on and on until he ran out of breath and we tried to keep cheering for as long as he did too. He asked if we could keep going, if we were still alive. We were all jumping with our hands raised but apparently something was up with a group in shimote near the front because Kyo kind of blinked when he peered there and said: "Oops, they're already dead". Apparently he also said something about us going home wet and asking if we understood then, but it seemed to me that I was the only one who was sweating huge drops. In any case, he kept asking if we could go on, called the Last Song with his finger raised as high as possible, then closed with something like: "Now die!" As Revelation of mankind started, he wished our heads goodbye and slashed his throat before a headbanging section during the song too.

As the song ended, Kyo stood on his crate looking at us with satisfaction. I clapped and we all cheered, then he eventually nodded and clapped slowly with us too. Shinya drummed the last epic beats of the night and the band concluded with a bang. Kyo stayed there and began doing finger hooks or just pointing all over the place, starting with the balcony of exclusive ticket holders, poking his chest with his thumb over his heart. He did that left and right, from back to front, until he reached the section right in front of him, which he just emotionlessly stared at for a couple of seconds, causing that part of the crowd to erupt in cheers even more. At that, Kyo eventually erupted wide-eyed and shot them a hooked finger and shouted tauntingly without the mic as if the longer he did it, the more he was outlining the link with that section. With everyone saluted, he clapped his final goodbyes and left the stage.

Shinya came up to throw his drum sticks, sending one quite far but another seemed like it must have hit a couple of fans dead in the face because it was sent rather horizontally.

Toshiya threw picks left and right, all smiles once again. He also threw water, the bottle, and a towel very farm. He seemed really apologetic thar his towel did not reach the designated pointed location in the crowd, which honestly appeared unrealistic, probably the second floor balcony. He left with a bow while Kaoru and Die were still swirling picks into the crowd, alternating at the sides of the stage. Kaoru did his trick again of keeping the last pick in his palm while everybody looked around frantically to see where it went. He came back a second time with a bottle of water to spray as many people with it, as well as a towel. Die stood to his right at some point while he did that, looking at us sideways with a foot on the ledge, staring at us with a smile that was incontestably lusty. Then he returned to the right side, kamite, to continue distributing stuff, like a towel too. We cheered "DieDieDieDieDieDie" again to his modest joy. Kaoru meanwhile kept his cool of course and was waving his last goodbye, taking his time to look at us and bask in the cheers. This made Die come his way at the same time to exit the stage, which is in the opposite order as they usually do, or at least never simultaneous like that. So Kaoru acted surprised, very positively surprised, opening his arms wide to welcome Die and invite him away on the left side of the stage to exit. As Die neared him, he placed his arm on Die's shoulders and they left with bright smiles on both of their faces, to everybody's excitement!!

[pathologicalrunaway]

at first i liked pathological facade just because of the, y'know, ✨vibes✨, but the more i listen to it the more i start to like the lyrics

yeah, i know this song is, quote "just a stream of thoughtless rambling", but i'm starting to actually see the meaning — or rather to build my own interpretation of what it means.

i know i'm a bit late to the party with the song being released over a year ago, but well. it took me a while to get there

so, basically, for me — and i might be projecting, — the song is about a "gifted kid" trying to live up to others' expectations and failing. the title itself suggests that the speaker keeps pretending to be someone else, and that they can't really control it. it happens automatically, like a defense mechanism

"a couple years/a year ago, i was told that i would be a miracle" — a gifted kid with a bright future. as the presense of two options indicates, they're still considered one. so the pressure persists

"something theoretical, i guess" — if you're constantly told you're smart, you start to believe it speaking from experience here. they aren't so sure now though

"it's kinda like a psychedelic lie, yet it tries to be a line between the villains and the rest" — it's strange, all that pressure mixed with unrealistic expectations. strange how it draws a line between them and others

"a cloudy day, run away on latent ariziprazole, missing what i reckon is a soul" — the gifted kids burns out and turns out to be mentally ill/neurodivergent as a bonus. who would've thought. the next two lines about "our family in the mirror world" might refer to dissociation/hallucinations/imaginary friends the speaker uses to escape reality

"nostalgia from a wall of barricaded faded memories, impartial to the carnal scenery" — childhood memories and wishes that they can't go back to, a disconnection between what they have to be and what they long for deep inside

"apparently, guarantees are only found peripherally, drinking to a total mystery" — life is unstable, one can't really be sure about anything. the speaker is confused regarding what is going to happen to them in the future

"well, no matter what i say, it's confusing either way" — whatever they try to say is ignored and, at the end of the day, they're left alone with their problems and insecurities

"stars always watching from afar, turning who you are" — parents/teachers who they look up to and who tell them what to do yet who are distant and unreachable

"in the end, it left me delicately scarred beyond pathological facade" — the pressure and the loneliness didn't leave them unaffected, obviously, but they don't show it. they simply can't

"don't you find it odd? secretarial speaking go on, praise me like a god" — the idea instilled in the speaker that they're gifted and social pressure affect their behaviour and make them seek external validation, yet deep inside they think they're nothing npd vibes here

"a couple unaware, laughter in the air after galling, falling head-first down a flight of stairs" — failure and burnout came unexpected and at the worst moment possible. it feels loke everything is ruined. 'couple' might (?) also be referring to parents/those who placed these expectations on the speaker in the first place and are disappointed in their child's inability to follow them now

"it's kinda like a pre-angelic bygone wannabe who's heading towards god-knows-where" — the speaker is confused and scared of their future, as their past and wishes don't align with what's happening now

"bye-bye-bye goes the time, turning on a dime, gone without a reason or a rhyme" — they'd like to go back to when things were different and they were happy, but it' too late and they regret their life has to be the way it is

"so flip a coin, let's rejoin our family in the mirror world where everybody's crooked by design" — they find refuge in their fantasies where they aren't alone. on a more optimistic note, this might also refer to an actual safe space with people who are 'wrong': failed, queer, disablee, neurodivergent, mentally ill — you name it (though mirrors are usually associated with something that isn't real, so i'm leaning more towards its being their fantasies/hallucinations)

"the tower's gonna fall, and you'll silently rebuild it all" — they failed. and now they have to pick up the pieces and deal with their problems all alone

"knowing someone else would be appalled " — knowing others are deeply disappointed in them

"you're crying as you call out, halt and move on without someone that you think a lot about" — they call for help from those who wanted them to become successful, but eventually realise that no one will help them and the only option is to move on alone, without those whose (absurd) opinions you keep thinking about

"sunday was jarringly redone, a faulty illusion" — failure changed their life drastically, underlining the constrast between reality and expectations

"the ending left misunderstood amnesia for a diorama love" — they didn't manage to break free, instead going back to seeking the 'diorama love': others' approval that might look like love but isn't

"who will i become? it's a bittersweetly never-ending phobia" — they're afraid of what will happen to them in the long run. it's bitter because it makes them anxious, yet it's sweet because it's a familiar feeling, a situation they're used to

"y'know, nostalgia from a dolled-up lucid dream is only clinical" — the speaker denies the way they feel about their past, putting on the mask once again

"it's a bittersweet utopia" — it hurts and they know it isn't true, but it's a familiar dream that gives them a sense of security.

the ending suggests the speaker is stuck in the cycle and goes back to those who hurt them and their messed-up expectations and pressure instead of leaving everything behind and living as their true self

[nokingsonlyfooles]

Ya know, if they ever want to crush me, they will...

This is what allowing a corporation to distribute your shit gets you. Sony crushes a local makeup brand with impunity, and they don't even have to win the case. The legal fees are too expensive. It doesn't matter how you navigate Kafkaesque situations like being asked to prove your makeup does not resemble a cow because the song lyrics in the background mention a cow, and if you're basing your cow makeup off these lyrics that we own, you owe us $18 million. You can't even afford to argue. There goes all your work.

Are the artists who made the music going to get any of that money? No. They got paid when they sold the rights. Maybe a small slice in royalties, but not so much that they don't have to keep cranking out new music and giving it to their contract holders to remain active in creative spaces.

"There are lines" says the legal expert. Yeah. Well. I'm pretty sure the only line you need to cross is: a corporation notices you and decides to incite a hostage situation. If Sony wins this case, it gets even easier for the big guys to take it out of the little guys. And if they don't... It's not like they're going to stop suing people and gatekeeping the use of art.

If humanity remains a going concern long enough for us to come to our senses, there's just going to be this huge hole in our media right around the 20th century. If Sony or Disney or Warner Brothers or Fox or some other huge corporate conglomerate doesn't make it into the fossil record, or just decides to delete everything it owns for tax purposes, future historians are going to be trying to reconstruct a significant portion of lost culture off whatever's left of Internet Archive and AO3. And that's only if the corporations don't obliterate that stuff too.

I guess there are non-zero folks out there who are just doing commission-style work to get paid so they can eat, maybe they don't care what happens to it. But if your art means something to you, or if someone else's art means something to you, you should be upset about this.

You like Nosferatu? The movie? Well, like it or hate it, we weren't supposed to have it. They filed off the serial numbers but it didn't matter - they stepped on Stoker's copyright, they got sued, they lost, and they were supposed to destroy all the copies of that film. A film that's widely considered one of the best movies ever, codifier of many of the vampire tropes you know and love - which you could also call plagiarism, if you had enough money and were so inclined. Yeah, it's in the Public Domain now, but it doesn't have to stay that way (see: Peter and the Wolf). Copyright law destroys art. Period. Artists need to eat, but this is not the way to make that happen!

The makeup company is already dead. If the court case goes against them, it's precedent to kill so much more, just because someone sang a tune, or said words in a certain order, or played notes in a certain way. And, yeah, my work could evaporate on that basis. I reference real music. I don't have to, but it fits the themes and I do not agree with these laws and how they are applied. I'm contrary. I'm protesting. But if I ever get popular enough to make a difference... I could be toast.

[catastrophicgay]

Dorothea x Augustine Theory!!!

Something has been bugging me about the resolution to the folklore love triangle.

We know that Augustine doesn't end up with James, but that Taylor does think she deserves to find love in the end. What if she does?

We also don't know who Dorothea's narrator/lover is, and it seems strange to me that Taylor would leave this character completely unnamed, a complete mystery.

But who is the only other character implied to have a happy ending but who's future is left mysteriously open-ended? Augustine.

Disclaimer, I'm aware that evermore is a collection of stories independent from folklore. However, since Taylor has confirmed Dorothea and Augustine attend the same school, I'm assuming they must have known each other somehow. I'll also be explaining how Dorothea's songs from evermore and the love triangle songs from folklore are intertwined.

Buckle up because this is a long one. But it is color coded! And gay! So there's that.

Here's the evidence I've compiled for each song:

Dorothea

damn, Dorothea They all wanna be ya But are you still the same soul I met under the bleachers?

We know that this song is about a high school relationship (and likely ongoing after graduation), meaning it's fully possible for it to be from Augustine's perspective, as her fling with James only lasted for one summer.

Skipping the prom Just to piss off your mom And her pageant schemes

This line implies some sort of disapproval from Dorothea's mom of their relationship, as well as the fact that they couldn't or didn't want to go to prom together. These lines along with the meeting "under the bleachers" adds to the forbidden romance themes that definitely have queer undertones to me. This is also one of the only described relationships that walks the line between romance and friendship, adding to the queercoding.

The 1

Roaring 20s, tossing pennies in the pool And if my wishes came true It would've been you

I feel that the general consensus is that this song is about James. However, couldn't be about Betty and James, since Taylor has explained that they do stay together.

What's more, the "roaring 20's" seems incredibly inconsistent with this theory. It could mean time period, but the phrase refers to the 1920s, which doesn't make sense considering lyrics like "meet some woman on the internet." If it refers to age, it has to be about Dorothea and Augustine, since James and Augustine got together and broke up as teenagers.

Since the tone perfectly matches the mournful longing tone of the previously mentioned song, dorothea; the 1 could be a role reversal. A perspective switch of a jaded Dorothea singing about Augustine after having to leave. Here are some lyrical parallels that drive me insane:

The 1: I guess you never know, you never know

Dorothea: Oh, I guess I'll never know

The 1: I have this dream you're doing cool shit Having adventures on your own

Dorothea: You got shiny friends since you left town A tiny screen's the only place I see you now

'Tis the Damn Season

We could call it even You could call me babe for the weekend

There's so much gay in this song I'm not even sure where to start.

First off, he idea of calling their friend "babe" for the weekend has undeniably sapphic undertones to me. I mean, think about it. Straight crushes doing something like that would be seen as undeniably romantic, with none of the ambiguity and tension from the first Dorothea song. Girl friends calling each other by pet names is something that has probably been the bane of every sapphic's existence at some point. Myself included, obviously.

'Tis the damn season Write this down I'm stayin' at my parents' house

Something about taking very traditional values like the holidays, and cursing them, keeps so well with the theme of small town gays.

As for the following two lines, I don't see these being relevant to the song if not as a warning. We've already unpacked how it's very likely Dorothea's parents don't approve of her close relationship with Augustine. Later in the song, these lines add to that theme:

The holidays linger like bad perfume You can run, but only so far I escaped it too, remember how you watched me leave

Back to the chrous, this interpretation is only exacerbated with the next line:

And the road not taken looks real good now

This is line of the biggest clues to me, and for a couple of reasons. I think it's fairly apparent that the road not taken is an analogy used to describe unconventionality, and it is very often used to reference queerness in that sense. This coincides perfectly with Augustine and Dorothea's secret relationship and how others disapprove.

But this line also serves as more evidence that Augustine and Dorotheas songs are intrinsically linked. This song is very clearly sung from Dorothea's perspective. And in a song very clearly sung from Augustine's perspective, this line shows up.

Illicit Affairs: Take the road less traveled by

To me, this shows the contrast between Augustine leaving her relationship with James to entering (and re-entering) her relationship with Dorothea. James casts Augustine off to take the road by herself, to hide from society's disapproving glare. But Dorothea chooses takes that road with Augustine. Their relationship has Augustine hiding her love once again, but this time she's not alone.

There's an ache in you put there by the ache in me

The central theme in their relationship I've just explained is also very present in this line, as it is in the following song.

Exile

You're not my homeland anymore So what am I defending now? You were my town Now I'm in exile, seein' you out

This song is about Dorothea and Augustine's relationship coming to an end when Dorothea has to leave their town to pursue her dreams. While this song is sung from the perspective of two characters, assumedly representing Dorothea and Augustine, I'll focus mainly on one. From Augustine's perspective, we see her suffer through the same heartbreak that she did when her secret relationship with James came to an end, hence the lines:

I think I've seen this film before And I didn't like the ending

This song proves to me that Dorothea and the folklore love triangle must be connected, there's no denying that the lyrical parallels between Dorothea's songs and exile are unmistakable.

Exile: To pack us up and leave me with it

'Tis the Damn Season: To leave the warmest bed I've ever known

Exile: You're not my homeland anymore / You were my town

'Tis the Damn Season: It always leads to you in my hometown

Exile: Like he's just your understudy

Dorothea: And you'll go on with the show

Exile: Second, third, and hundredth chances

Dorothea: It's never too late to come back to my side

Exile: Those eyes add insult to injury

Dorothea: The stars in your eyes shined brighter in Tupelo

Exile: You didn't even hear me out

'Tis the Damn Season: Now I'm missing your smile, hear me out

Since dorothea and 'tis the damn season take place after exile, this song is here to establish the cracks that broke down their relationship in the past and how they are mended in later songs.

Gold Rush

What must it be like to grow up that beautiful? With your hair falling into place like dominoes My mind turns your life into folklore I can't dare to dream about you anymore

I'll say it, this might be the most queercoded song on the album. The theme of envious attraction, being unable to tell if you want someone or want to be them, and having to hide from your feelings all the while because you know you can never truly have a future with them... I cannot be the only one who sees it.

To me, this is about when Augustine first starts developing feelings for Dorothea. I've seen people argue that if this is connected to the folklore love triangle, that it must be Augustine singing about James. However, the only connection the evermore songs have to folklore Taylor has specified is the character of Dorothea, so it doesn't make sense for there to be an evermore track about two characters from folklore.

I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch Everybody wants you Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you

The love interest being this attractive character that everyone is drawn to makes perfect sense for Dorothea, as we know she eventually moves to Los Angeles and becomes a star.

Not only must this song be about Dorothea, but being the only song that directly references folklore heavily implies that is must be connected to one of its characters in some way, namely Augustine.

I see me padding 'cross your wooden floors With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door At dinner parties I call you out on your contrarian shit And the coastal town we wandered 'round had never seen a love as pure as it And then it fades into the gray of my day old tea 'Cause you know it could never be

The most curious part of the song is that when the narrator finally allows herself to imagine a future with the person she loves, she quickly remind herself that "it could never be," and that the object of her affections knows this as well.

All that the narrator, Augustine, wants is to have a comfortable and happy future with Dorothea, but she cannot bring herself to imagine the two of them ever finding this coastal town that sees their love as "pure." This hopeless and resigned tone about her assumedly unrequited love and unattainable dreams is exacerbated in the final chorus when the lyrics change to "the coastal town we never found will never see a love as pure as it."

Also, I feel the need to point out a few lyrical parallels because:

Gold Rush: Walk past, quick brush

'Tis the Damn Season: It's the kind of cold, fogs up windshield glass But I felt it when I passed you

Gold Rush: My mind turns your life into folklore I can't dare to dream about you anymore

Dorothea: I have this dream you're doing cool shit Having adventures on your own

Gold Rush: And the coastal town we wandered 'round 

'Tis the Damn Season: And it always leads to you in my hometown

Invisible String

Green was the color of the grass Where I used to read at Centennial Park I used to think I would meet somebody there

Anddd we're at the final song! Fittingly, I believe this song is from the perspective of Dorothea after she and Augustine reunite, wrapping up their story with a happy ending.

And in true full-circle Taylor Swift fashion, their story ends the same way it starts, with Centennial Park. If you don't recall, dorothea starts with these lines:

Dorothea: Hey Dorothea, do you ever stop and think about me? When we were younger, down in the park

And this isn't the only recall to Dorothea's evermore songs. Almost every line in this song references a line in one of the previous songs that I've analyzed!

Teal was the color of your shirt When you were sixteen at the yogurt shop

Remember the "eagles t-shirt" from gold rush? Taylor confirmed this was a deliberate reference to the Philadelphia eagles, who's team color is teal. Again, this song could only be about dorothea's narrator, Augustine, as gold rush is from evermore while invisible string is from folklore, and Dorothea is the sole connection between the two albums.

Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs Were there clues I didn't see?

This is a direct parallel to exile, where Dorothea laments over how Augustine "never gave a warning sign." But now the tone has shifted, and she readily admits that maybe she had missed the signs all along, and looks back on the nature of their relationship as fateful rather than chaotic.

All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me

Sound familiar? Even though Dorothea has tried to leave in the past, time and time again, it always leads back to Augustine and their hometown.

On your first trip to LA You ate at my favorite spot for dinner

In the end, it seems like Dorothea does end up leaving back to LA, like she says at the end of 'tis the damn season. But this line implies that the leaving wasn't necessarily marking a bad ending to their relationship. It implies that Augustine comes with her, and they finally get that coastal town they had always wanted but never thought they could have. Outside of the pressure of their small town, they can finally host their dinner parties and voice their contrarian bullshit.

Bold was the waitress on our three year trip Getting lunch down by the lakes She said I looked like an American singer

To me, this line solidifies the idea that this folklore song is about Dorothea. No other character in either of the albums is implied to be famous and have a performance career, which narrows the possibilities to just about one person. And this "three year trip" makes perfect sense for Dorothea, who Augustine says never liked the stuffiness of their hometown.

Chains around my demons, wool to brave the seasons One single thread of gold tied me to you

"Wool to brave the seasons" seems to me like a reference to not only 'tis the damn season, but the album cover of evermore as well.

The color of the invisible string that ties the two together being gold also seems to be a reference to gold rush. The East Asian folk myth the song is based off of describes a red string, not a gold one. So if the color were to be changed, it would have to have been very deliberate. And this theory is only reinforced with the next line:

Gold was the color of the leaves When I showed you around Centennial Park Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven

Another reference to gold, and another reference to Centennial Park. The description paints a picture of the so called gold rush that Augustine had been trying to avoid, being finally embraced by the two of them.

The song offers one final parallel to close this analysis off:

'Tis the Damn Season: But if it's okay with you, it's okay with me

Invisible String: And it's cool, baby, with me

Thank you so much for sticking with me for this whole analysis! I would love to hear what theories or criticisms you guys have as well.

I did make the songs out of chronological order for a smoother analysis, but if you're confused about the timeline, here's a playlist I made of all the songs I find to be part of their story, including some that I have not analyzed here. It starts with James and Augustine's relationship in mirrorball, and continues from there in chronological order.

[vocaliveparty]

Night Sky Patrol of Tomorrow - Design, Effects, and Extra Notes.

Design

Designed and Modeled by Maydayfireball, with some touch ups from jjinomu ! I distinctly remember sending him to her and going "yeah i dunno what to do for his shoes" and her sending him back with "no shoes." so free feet pics i guess.

ANYWAY.. Some people caught it, but he was loosely inspired by the vocaloids in the "Empty" sekai of project sekai. He's intentionally fairly monochrome, so that the wings towards the end seem even more vivid. He's meant to appear a bit hopeless and messy, like he's really down on his luck. I imagine a Piko like this would be gentle, but a little sad most of the time.

Effects

There's two Big effect points for this one, so I'll go into both.

The first is the night sky. It has an intentionally painted, flat look. It's suppose to feel like the backdrop of a stage, not like a real night sky. Like he's performing, but his heart isn't in it quite yet. I added a light dust particle effect in as well to make a contrast between it and the still background to really hammer in it's falseness.

And then of course, the climax.

Using a flat black plane behind him, i abused mmd's transparency bug to display the artwork behind him through the wings.

The wings are also directly shaped from the wings shown in the MV.

This moment wasn't just a climax for this song, but a climax for the concert as a whole. Like Piko gaining hope and a better outlook for the future thanks to those who reached out to him honestly.

Extra Notes

BOY. I apologize in advance, i have SO MANY THOUGHTS about these lyrics. If you're an english speaker, I highly recommend watching it with the closed captions on. They're a bit on the nose, even without me digging into them.

「I'm a boy who picks his battles depending on whatever suits his mood」 「No hopes for the future, I wanted to be drawn in a dream.」 「and yet I fear the future- hating tomorrow, wishing for the past.」

These are the opening lines for the song. Coming off the back of our angry streaming heart piko who longed for the past, this version of him has given up. Like there is nothing left for him to do.

「Leaving the old me behind,」 「but that night was different from all the others.」 「You took my hand...」

I like to believe, in a way, Piko would be referring to the first Piko Live Party here. Like a moment of light in a dark future, You reached out your hand and supported him.

「If this is to end as a dream, at least allow me to change yesterday...」 「I won't say anything like that, so let me keep smiling together with you, tomorrow as well.」

I've said it before, but we made the first Piko Live Party assuming it wouldn't get attention. We worked hard, but with the expectation that it wouldn't be seen by many. That's why, during this chorus, the backdrop is flat. Like a kid's play. Or, like not-quite-discovered potential.

「Even if I think that the world truly changed,」 「and even if I tried to hope or change, the future was cruel.」

The screen goes darker, and the colors become fully monochrome. It's a bit like a reality check - We're supporting Piko, but aside from us, there's not much he can do to change his fate as a discontinued vocaloid.

「Even so, the world I always watched with you was truly beautiful.」 「I still haven't forgotten that, I've placed it in my heart so I can remember.」

This is a Piko who's speaking to us from the present. I interoperate it as if he's referring to the rush of support he got, and how he'll always cherish it even if his future is bleak.

Of course, this is followed by what feelings and emotions you've given him. The colors burst forward, creating wings like the summer sky. They're a physical representation of your support and the future it's given him.

「I want to be together with you in the future, however short our time may be」 「so I'll shout "Remember this day someday in the future, whoever we are then..."」

Again, I highly recommend watching this song in particular with the closed captions turned on. It really adds to it.

I was extremely happy when Mio picked this song to cover, because I knew immediately what direction I should take this concert in at that point. I knew what I wanted to do with it from the very beginning, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

[ciaossu-imagines]

Yeah. The moment I realised how many voice Japanese actors that I liked were in it, I just had to go for it. I’ve finished the first season now btw and will probably watch the movie later today. I’ll give you my person opinions in the DMs because imo it’s easier like that. Especially since I put some references to certain episodes in there and even use a quote at some point. And I totally understand your feelings towards Mahiru and even though I don’t have those, I do have some protective feelings towards him and some other characters. I like how it was even obvious to you and I’ll tell you that even by the end he’s still one of my faves but in a ‘wants to be there for him’ kind of way. Like I’d want to create a friend for him more above anything else. Yeah. I discovered two in different ways. Mikuni has me intrigued and I want to see more of him and he’s just so fun to watch. Then we have Hyde / Lawless who just… *holds hedgehog gently*. I was looking forward to seeing him because he’s voiced by one of my favourite Japanese voice actors (who is also in Haikyuu!! and makes his first appearance in the second season) and also because of his little dance in the end credits and he gives me so many feelings, none romantic but still all the feelings. I presume the fave that your talking about here is the character you mentioned in our DMs. I like him and understand him and hope that if he appears in the future, under better circumstances. I like how you love both. The opening song is a bit too intense for me so I always skipped it, but I would always listen to the ending song whenever I could.

Also, there’s something I want to ask. I do plan on reading the manga at some point, once I’ve done the first reread of that story I plan on posting later this year, and I was wondering how accurate of an adaptation the anime is. Like can I just start where the anime left off on or should I start earlier somewhere? Also, a few days ago you mentioned in a post that you would like to hear about our favourite friendships and I have to say that Mahiru and Sakuya are now def a favourite of mine. It’s just such a good friendship with interesting layers to it.

That’s all from me for now. Hope you have / had a wonderful day.

C

I'm just so glad you ended up going for it and Jesus, compared to me, you watch so quickly! I'll admit that I didn't watch the movie myself. In an odd turn from how I usually do things, I had watched the first couple episodes of the anime first but knew within the first three episodes that I loved it and really wanted to give the manga a shot too and while I finished the twelve episodes of the anime, I just stayed manga only after that. I might give the movie a shot when I do my reread and catch up of the manga in March and rewatch of the anime. I'll probably talk more about Servamp to you in our dm's, just because, like you said, it's probably easier that way, though as usual, I'm terrible at responding to those quickly and probably will need a couple more days before I respond, especially since (though I adore how much we talk, please don't think I don't) we talk a lot and have so much to say to each other that it normally takes me an hour or three to properly write out my messages to you.

I will say, I was surprised by Lawless so much! I had figured you'd like Mikuni…I love him, I honestly do, he's a fantastic character, especially in the later manga chapters and just I am always so curious about him and every time I think I have him figured out, I second guess myself. But Lawless surprised me. He's truly fantastic too, but I would have guessed you would have loved Licht the more out of the two of them. But that is very cool to learn about Lawless' voice actor! I know how much a good voice actor can mean to you. And see, in a surprising twist here, among my many eclectic music tastes, your girl here absolutely loves metal music or anything along those lines, so the opening really hits me right and it's actually on my hiking playlist because it makes me wanna get up and move and push hard.

As for the adaption of manga to anime, I haven't rewatched the anime fully in a bit, but I think it was a fairly decent adaption, but the ending of the anime was different from manga continuity. I think, but feel free to correct me if it turns out that I am wrong, that it was a case of the anime getting ahead of the manga? I know I personally noticed enough little differences in the manga when I started right from the beginning that I wasn't bored, even covering some of the same territory the anime did, and the art is just a joy in the manga, but I'd love to hear from other Servamp fans. What would you guys say in terms of where to start in the manga??

AND YES TO MAHIRU AND SAKUYA. I love their friendship, I love their bond and connection and how difficult it is for these friends to really have to be on opposite sides of what really is a war. Thank you so much for weighing in and all your wonderful opinions and I hope you're having an amazing day too, my lovely!

[popbloganddropit]

Bleachers - Bleachers

Initial Thoughts: The album feels deeply introspective. I need to sit with lyrics and vibe to fully form an opinion. No immediate standouts.

1. I Am Right On Time- a solid opening thesis statement. This a Bleachers album, there will be nostalgic references and it will be vaguely (or as of late, more and more overtly) New Jersian. “My mind is mirrors, don’t know what is and what’s reflection. The future’s past and I am right on time,” left an imprint on me. I like the evolution of the band becoming more and more involved in the records. This is a standard Bleachers track, not lacking, but nothing exceptional. 3.5/5

2. Modern Girl- I’m a such a sucker for a saxophone, and it’s responsible for the energy in this song along with the We Didn’t Start the Fire-esque shouty list verses. Would shake my ass to it a bit, guess I’m a Modem Girl. 4/5

3. Jesus Is Dead- The cadence this song is chanted in is not pleasing to my ears. This and the lyrics give off the air of a bad Weezer impression (a poor impression of Weezer or an impression of Weezer when they make bad music? You decide). There’s tiny glimmers of good (“Jesus is dead and so’s New York, I built a place right down the shore. It’s nice”.) and I would bet this song is fun live, but it’s a skip for me. 1.5/5

4. Me Before You- the songwriting reminds me of a classic Bleachers hit even though it’s slower and quieter. Antonoff sings in a breathless manner that fits the yearning lyrics. And I enjoyed the jaunty little outro to take us out. 4.5/5

5. Alma Mater- This was my favorite of the songs released before the album. Love the surprise Lana vocals and there are points that flirt with being Bon Iver falsetto-esque. I don’t really get why we’re screaming “fuck Balenciaga”. It takes me out of the mood of the rest of the song and doesn’t fit. 4/5

6. Tiny Moves - Jack enters his“I Love My Wife” era with this cute little number. It’s not generic, but is missing a really hard hitting lyric or something else to really take it over the top for me. 4/5

7. Isimo - I’m also a sucker for a good “shalala,” which is tastefully tucked in to the sentimental (boulder) lyrics that sound like Jack is rooting just for you. 4.5/5

8. Woke Up Today- A simple love song with some real humdinger lyrics. “Woke up today and I was right, my winning ticket in her eyes”. “But if faith is a chance, then I can believe I would deserve every breath I see you breathe”. Oof, the man is in love. Missing something to really take it over the top for me, but a beautiful little romance. 4/5

9. Self Respect- a sad boy anthem for the ages, with an assist from the always welcome Florence Welch. A boy boygenius-esque depressed wallower. And sometimes I am tired of having self respect. I don’t know if I love the Kobe/Kendall lines but I’ve certainly heard worse things. The random modern references just really snap me out of the mostly nostalgic vibes Jack likes to invoke. 4/5

10. Hey Joe- An Aaron Dessner collab, with Claud vocal! I like this upbeat, but contemplative song. 4/5

11. Call Me After Midnight- I don’t get anything out of this song. It sounds a bit like a The 1975 reject that didn’t need to be on their record or this one. It’s fine enough, it just doesn’t have a moment that hits hard enough to justify its existence. 2.5/5

12. We’re Gonna Know Each Other Forever- this track has a beautiful, captivating instrumental and pleading, pensive words. The narrator feels frozen and helpless and the screams at the end really punctuate the conversation. 4/5

13. Ordinary Heaven- This sounds like a closing track to me, but there’s still one more song left. The vocal layering is well done, but the song is a bit repetitive and long for me and the spoken sample doesn’t add what it needs to add. 2.5/5

14. The Waiter- I find the autotune effect too grating to enjoy anything else about this track. Going to be a skip for me every time, and an unfortunate way to end an album I would overall say I enjoyed. 1/5

Final Thoughts:

I think one of the album’s biggest flaws is that it lacks energy, an abnormal complaint for a Bleachers record. Some artists kill a slow, sentimental ballad (and there are several Antonoff-produced simple piano ballads I’d list as favorites of all time), but Bleachers’ strength for me has always been scream in your car with the windows down anthems (“Don’t Take the Money” isn’t even particularly fast, but I feel it in my soul more than this collection of songs). Releasing both“Tiny Moves” and “Modern Girl” before album release was a misstep when those are the highest the energy reaches on the album and neither of those. There was such a nice run of songs I enjoyed in the last half of the record that was really brought back down by the ending few. There are some songs I will return to, but probably not this record as a whole. The average score was 3.32 and I will keep it there rather than round up or down because I think rounding down is too harsh, but there’s not enough for me to round up. 3.3/5

Top 3:

Me Before You, Isimo, Woke Up Today

What’s Next?

I’m definitely interested in the bonus tracks from this album once they are released on streaming. Hoping to get Deeper Well out quickly so we can fully enter our Cowboy Carter era 🤠. There are a couple deluxe/EP’s that got released last week (Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier, possibly Tyla’s album?👀) that I’d like to get to as well. Next Friday, Orville Peck will be releasing an album as well, so please keep your cowboy hats and fringe securely fastened.

Let me know your thoughts about Bleachers and what upcoming releases you’re excited for!

[fangsup-cobrastyle]

Songs on my burnout playlist and why I added them

for reference I've struggled for like a year with knowing I have to leave this place cause I love my coworkers and the animals I work with and care about them probably too much

Pierce the Veil - "Emergency Contact" "There's no greater vengeance than learning to enjoy again / Hope you get the message, nobody's shatter-resistant" "Leave me something / Or let me out, I'm starving" "Waiting for the start of / Things that I want, this happily-ever-after / You choke on your words, but you swallow them faster"

My Chemical Romance - "This Is the Best Day Ever" Literally every line of the entire song but especially... "They stared us down when we met in the emergency room" "Every hour / On the hour / They drew blood" "Well, I felt I couldn't take / Another day inside this place / From silent dreams we never wake" "Well, I thought I heard you say 'I like you / We can get out / We don't have to stay / Stay inside this place'" "You left my heart an open wound / And I love you for..."

Fall Out Boy - "Heartbreak Feels So Good" "Is there a word for bad miracle?" "Nobody said the road was endless / Nobody said the climb was friendless / But could we please pretend this won't end?" "We could cry a little, cry a lot... We'll cry later or cry now, but baby / Heartbreak feels so good"

Fall Out Boy - "Fake Out" "Remember us just like this forever / But this can't last, won't last / So make no plans, and none can be broken" "Do you laugh about me whenever I leave? / Or do I just need more therapy?" "Love is in the air / I just gotta figure out a window to break out / Buried alive inside my dreams / But it was all a fake out" "My mood board is just pictures of you / But I'm not sad anymore" "We all started off as shiny dimes / But we all got flipped too many times / We did it for futures that never came / And for pasts that we're never gonna change"

Fall Out Boy - "So Much (For) Stardust" "I feel like something that's been stretched out over and over again / Until I'm creased, and I'm about to break down the middle" "The stars are the same as ever / But I don't have the guts to keep it together / Stuck in the permafrost" "Ache it till you make it" "I think I've been going through it / I've been putting your name to it" "In another life / You were the sunshine of my lifetime / What would you trade the pain for? / I'm not sure" "I used to be a real go-getter / I used to think it'd all get better"

Cavetown - "This Is Home" "Are you tired of me yet? / I'm a little sick right now, but I swear / When I'm ready, I will fly us out of here" "I'll figure out a way to get us out of here" "Turn off your porcelain face / I can't really think right now in this place" "Are you dead? / Sometimes I think I'm dead" "Time is / Slowly / Tracing his face / But strangely, he feels at home in this place"

ILLENIUM & Jon Bellion - "Good Things Fall Apart" "Is it you? Is it me? / Did you find somebody better / Someone who isn't me / 'Cause I know that I was never your type" "Tell me what you hate about me / Whatever it is, I'm sorry / I know I can be dramatic / But everybody said we had it" "Coming to terms with a broken heart / I guess that sometimes, good things fall apart"

My Chemical Romance - "Fake Your Death" "But even lights can fade away" "'Cause even heroes get the blues / Or any misery you choose / You like to watch, we like to use / And we were born to lose" "I choose defeat, I walk away / And leave this place the same today" "Just look at all that pain" "You want the heart or to be saved / But even good guys still get paid" "So fake your death, erase your blame / And leave the lights on when you stay" "Come on and feel that shame"

[mekatrio]

too sick to draw or do anything else which means its the perfect time to watch mca and be a little autistic nitpicky bitch about it. planning to do a post like this per episode, this one's for episode One. well episode one part one bc nothing in my life is easy and i keep forgetting theres a fucking image limit for posts 🙄

- I HATE THIS FUCKING ANIME ok i needed to get that off my chest...... groaned so loudly at the first four seconds fucking... Church Bells and POLES?!?!? POLES?!?!!! i hate shaft's enviromental choices ok moving on

- how the fuck did i not realize that ayano's VA is rena ryuugu lmfao its all i can hear nowadays

- right theyre on a fucking clock... for some reason.... also honestly i dont like ayano's voice that much. like the voice is fine but i dont think it fits ayano's character

- also this clock sucks i wish it was like more More you know more gears more machinery like ep12 insanity ok wait. are shinaya 3d models here lmfao.. maybe?

- i like this line. saur mysterious

- hahaha.... the Kaien Panzermast

now that i think abt it i have no idea why its called kaien panzermast. like i what its referring to (the song siren thing thats telling kids to go tf home) but what the hell is a Kaien Panzermast?

- this scenery is near meaningless to kagepro literally just a whole bunch of nothing when i say i hate shaft's choices for this anime..... like what is any of this shit. also orange??!? orange of all colors..... god damn man

like yes ok its the evening BUT THIS IS KAGEROU PROJECT. GIVE ME MY RED AND BLUE!

-- this part is cool tho. a bit too heavy handed in the symbolism but i appreciate the gesture

- lol at this:

BECAUSE SHE DIDNT! not until 2017 lmfao. this makes me suspect that the revelations from mr2 were initially supposed to be in the anime. but in the end for whatever reason it couldnt fit itself there, so the only revelation we got was The First Tragedy Exists. and no elaboration.... now that i think of it, iirc me and many fans were pretty thrown off from this opening back when it first aired cuz this was like, the first time we've seen ayano act like this. wait. let me check my timeline

ok nvm lol. second time. first time shes ever like this is in the manga:

but anyways back in 2013/2014 before the LTM episode, there was like no context whatsoever for Why Is Ayano Like That. so that was a doozy

- damn can u imagine working on some songs writing a novel and getting these amazing voice actors to voice ur characters... ohhh i wouldnt know how to act

-HJEKHJSKDFHASJKDFH THIS LOOKS CHEAP AS HELL HELP ME

i mean thats um. one way to show a timeline getting thrown away... I Guess. ignoring the fact that Mary Has Long Hair (which she shouldnt), its a cool visual idea but the execution is um... hfjkssjk

- hehe

headphone actor mv on the left and mca countdown thingy on the right. holy shit they are near identical damn, i just thought they were similar but no, its practically identical. thats so cool T_T if only the rest of this anime was this cool.... whatever onwards i go

- shintaro's stupid futuristic high-rise apartment... i loathe thee

- the fuck is this

- first instance of shaft's trademark of putting random shit on the screen and im already annoyed its gonna be bad for me for the rest of this rewatch if i can even last that long. i know i will at least til ep 10 (11???) cuz i need to see baby mekatrio

- no aku benci lmfao shaft hates to animate so much they threw this story into the future so they could just conveniently project things onto shintaro's cyberwall hahaha..... i fucking hate this anime

- looks like shintaro was drawn by 4 different artists in these various shots that only span like 5 seconds

- damn in the anime its not even ene's fault that shintaro spilled the soda lmfao. thats all on him this time

- also shinene's voices are srsly perfect

- XX you say...... 🤨

- storyboarding sucks shit they went from flashback to not a flashback to flashback again my fucking god dude. the only reason i can make sense of any of it is cuz im rewinding every little thing

- literally no reason to add 'roomie' to this translation but it made me laugh so I GUESS

maybe i should hunt for the official crunchyroll subs. but im too lazy

- lmfao

text from Mekakucity Talkers 24, translated by x0401x. only difference from tht and the screenshot is that shintaro still has hair lol

- hm. i wish it made a bigger deal of shintaro leaving the house. yeah he threw a fit but i wish the actual stepping outside aspect was more dramatic yknow. like how Children Record emphasized it

- WHY IS THIS CITY SO EMPTY

- also curiously this episode is missing this sentence from shintaro abt someone rebuilding the city bit by bit which is in the novels and the manga, which is meant to foreshadow saeru's influence. but then again the first 17 manga chapters are taken nearly word-by-word from the novels so maybe thats all it is 🤷

- also it took like 6 minutes for shintaro to leave the house... theres other things being done ofc, establishing shinene's dynamics, quick exposition of how ene ended up with shintaro to begin with, and spilling soda onto the computer and leaving the house. but i feel like it wouldve been better if the anime stuck to what the novels + mr1 does, where ene blares a loud fucking alarm. that quickly establishes shinene's dynamic and easily leads to a So You Must Be Wondering How I Got Here type of thing, and then knock over the soda leave the house bam easy. instead the anime really took its time with like..... idk making shinaro look ikemen. yeahhh not the best choice, especially considered how rushed the last few episodes are gonna be. ok back to watching the anime

- also aku benci x2 like its only futuristic when its convenient which is soo fucking Lazy. theres literally no reason for this story to be set in the future. like all this city scenery is based off actual modern day Kashiwa its just... ugh. barely any care put into this anime at all

- this anime is cool sometimes

- reused this pencil texture from the start of the episode... wonder how many times ill be seeing that

- the fucking comedic timing of these terrorists lmfao. and right theyre clowns... for some reason....

- also dude ill still never understand why only their thumbs are the only parts ziplocked like what. also isnt that harder to animate... THIS STUPID ANIME

- this is a completely fair reaction to having kano shuuya speak to you for the first time

- no the fuck he isnt he hasnt thought of shit my god.

that comic person on here was not lying shaft really fucked up the order of events here bigtime. kano only speaks to shintaro after shintaro's done brooding.... also seto doing fuckall lol. ik he'll say smth in like 2 seconds but i do find it funny that we've seen him for like the past minute and he hasnt said shit

- ok but its cool that kano's hand just doesnt obey the ziplock.... very clever of the artists to just make him put his hands behind his head and other gestures to indicate that theres something up with him

- why are his eyes red.

[amethystina]

First Lines Meme

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!

@miss-ingno did this (a VERY long time ago) and tagged anyone who wanted to do it, so here I am! It sounded like a fun way to look at how I start my fanfics. I will be skipping over ficlet collections and sequels in a series, since I want the FIRST first line of the fanfic. A different POV for the same story will be seen as its own fic. I won't limit it to any specific fandom, though (honestly, there's only one I've even written more than 20 fics for x'D ) and they will be listed newest to oldest.

It’s long, though, so I’ll put the actual results under the cut! :D

1. Until Death Do Us Unite, Strangers From Hell The day after Jong Woo was released from the hospital, the dead rose from their graves.

2. Who Holds the Devil, The Devil Judge Ga On was tired.

3. Gravitational Pull, The Devil Judge Ga On's heart wouldn't stop racing.

4. Talk to Me, The Losers Jensen had always known that he was, on average, more talkative than most people.

5. Twice Is Enough, The Avengers The first time Bucky saw Anthony Stark, the man's brilliance left him breathless.

6. Say You Love Me, Teen Wolf The thing Stiles probably hated the most about Derek was his ability to leave him speechless.

7. Siren Song, The Losers Carlos stepped inside the dimly lit pub and tried not to wrinkle his nose in distaste.

8. And Time Again, The Avengers On average, Tony would consider himself a pretty observant person.

9. Jigsaw, The Losers It might sound like a terrible cliché, but Jess knew long before Jake, himself, figured it out.

10. Trust Is Earned (And Sometimes Given), The Losers Cougar knew he only had himself to blame.

11. Plus One, The Avengers Bucky took a deep breath and pushed open the door to his favorite bar, instinctively relaxing when the familiar smells and sounds washed over him.

12. Nethermost, The Avengers "If you're going to be blowing bubbles for the rest of the night, can I at least get a gum too?"

13. Five Times Cougar Thought Jensen Was Bad at Flirting and One Time He Didn't, The Losers "Oh no, here we go again." Pooch shook his head and, with a grimace, looked away in secondhand embarrassment.

14. Let's Build a Happy Ending (For You and Me), The Avengers Bucky would be lying if he said that he wasn't worried when Steve brought him to the Tower to meet the rest of the Avengers.

15. Let It Grow, The Avengers Tony stepped inside the flower shop on pure impulse.

16. Where You Belong, The Losers Jensen knew from experience that being transferred to a new team could be jarring at best and traumatic at worst.

17. A Future With You (Is My Happy Ending), The Losers "You look really tired."

18. Tech Support, The Avengers "Sir, another call on line eight," JARVIS announced.

19. There Be Dragons, The Losers Cougar, like every other living human being, was aware of the existence of dragons.

20. Losing You (Is My Supervillain Origin Story), The Avengers Of all the terrible things Bucky had done, this might actually be the worst. _____

As for my reflections, I'd say that I usually try to keep my first lines relatively short and to the point. Often a statement or action of some kind that can usually be followed up with a question of "why?" or at least spark a desire for some further explaining. I try my best to hook a reader from the first line, I guess? And give them a reason to keep reading because they want to find out what that first line was referring to.

Since these fics span five years (the newest a WIP I started in 2022, the last written back in 2017) you can also see that I don't use dialogue as the first line all that much anymore. To be honest, I think that's mainly because of the length of the fics, though. It's an easy way to start the shorter ones and I was a lot more prolific back in the day, though most fics were also a bit shorter.

I also have a tendency (with some exceptions) to mention the POV character in the first line, since it's a good way to establish who we're following.

My favourite first line out of these is probably:

Cougar, like every other living human being, was aware of the existence of dragons.

Because it establishes:

A) The POV character

B) Dragons exist in this world

C) Humanity is aware of them existing

D) And Cougar appears to be rather blasé about the whole thing

This one is a very close second, though:

The day after Jong Woo was released from the hospital, the dead rose from their graves.

Because it establishes:

A) The POV character

B) The specific time it's set in relation to the canon timeline (if you know, you know)

C) Oh fuck, there are zombies

D) Yoon Jong Woo just cannot catch a fucking break

I very much enjoy the challenge of forming a first line that conveys as much as possible, though it obviously depends on the story if that's possible or not. Still, it's very fun to try and come up with one :D

And, finally: if you want to do this, consider yourself tagged!

[cherriebbyyyy]

What if I can't have us.

Fine I guess I'll do it James Vowels x Carlos Sainz fic

God forgive me , Tags: Light abo references, and mostly James thoughts on his court ship w/ Carlos Ao3 for those who prefer that

What if I can't have us. I might just not get up I might stay down bad

There was something cosmic about February because that is when most things changed for James. First was when he presented as an alpha a few months shy of his 16th birthday, to later in college when he got his first part time job, and more recently last year he left Mercedes and became the team principal at Williams.The news broke on the 1st Hamilton to Ferrari, he got a call from Dorian Capital almost immediately, he hadn’t even finished reading the article.

Incoming Call Matthew Savage “Have you seen the news?”

“Hamilton to Ferrari?”

“You know what that means right?”

“Yes we have to be more aggressive with the Sainz ”

”James you need to get Sainz, we’ve approved a hire salary”

“Is that even in the budget?”

”Yes and if it’s not enough give him whatever he wants”

The line goes dead, the thing is James had begun to talk with Team Carlos (Jr, Cenamor, and Oñoro) since Abu Dhabi, even before anyone knew Carlos was not getting renewed and while getting to know the family he started to fall for the sweet omega. All the dinners to wine and dine, the effect happened in reverse, he was the one who was besotted. James wanted to court Carlos and in a sense he had been for a couple of months as he had spent many hours talking to him, buying him gifts and promises of their future all that was left to do was to make both of his intentions clear.

After all the talks he knew he had to talk to the omega’s father first as they shared the same family values , which added to the allure but he had to do it with tact and make it clear whether not Carlos accepted courtship or contract that neither was contingent on the other. He also had to make a call to legal about what exactly they could add in the contract and the broad scope of demands they were going to give into. It was game time because everyone now knew Carlos was shopping and the other teams would be dying to get their hands on him just like James.

In James’ eyes Carlos was the perfect omega for him , he seemed very self sufficient, confident, and most importantly understood racing. Often in his past relationships with all the traveling and extra work he brought home made it hard for him to prioritize his partners and he knows it is the same for Carlos and James understands he will always be second to racing. He wouldn’t mind because as team principal he also needs to be focused. It also didn’t hurt that Carlos was beautiful and in his prime. James could wax poetic about his scent which was a soft chamomile mixed with toasted almonds, it wasn’t strong but it was calming reminding him of night in with tea. He remembers the first time he got a whiff of it, it was in January this year he had visited the family while Carlos was doing winter training in the Dolomites. He was talking to Carlos Sr. at the time when Carlos had passed by after a gym session and the air was filled like if he had left a cuppa brewing, the almond smelling more on the burnt side but James hadn’t mind it still made his mouth water, it was hard to keep composure as he was sat with Carlos Sr., it would not be a good look if he couldn’t control his own scent. He thanked God that he wore his neutralizers that day to not alert anyone there of his attraction to racer.

His scent was a siren song to James’ nose calling to the water, and Carlos’ big brown doe eye are what would have made him jump to his death and drown himself. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for this omega and now he had all clearance to give Carlos and his family whatever they wanted, they had his heart and if they wanted his soul he’d happily hand it over. All that stood in his way was the more lucrative seats, there would be no way to combat this he just had to pray that they did not see what a gem Carlos is.

He doesn’t call the Sainz immediately, he didn’t want to come off desprate. So he waited a week assuming that they would be talking to every team on the grid. All he could think about in that time was his future with Carlos if he accepted a few more years in F1 and then he'd be all James'. James has a big property in England Carlos could bring that dog he loves so much and they could get started with their family James would have him barefoot and pregnant making pancakes every morning before James had to go to the factory. It's going to be heaven. He pulled himself out of those thoughts and called the the omegas father.

Dialing Carlos Sainz Sr.

“I could never, just didn’t want to get lost in shuffle I assumed you’d have many offers”

“How kind” Carlos Sr. Laughed

“So I was thinking we should set up a meeting”

“I don’t know James last we spoke we had your final offer, and well things have changed and continue to do so”

“I understand but things have changed here as well, we can get Carlos the pay and I promise he will have the preference over Albon”

“That is nice of you to say but we have been led on by promises of preference and no preference, these are things that change often and we’d rather not do that is there any thing else or are we done? I have been busy these last few days”

“I understand that but I can promise you that Carlos will have the preference and we now have more to offer, let’s set the date”

“What more could you offer”

This was his chance either James was about to be sacked along with Sargent for fucking this up or he was about to win life’s biggest lottery.

“Marriage.”