#people are allowed to have opinions and the albums being popular doesn’t change that

[nexischillin]

"Oh, if you joined when chromakopia came out, you're a fake fan." No, they're new fans. Don't get me wrong, fake fans exist, but not everyone who hasn't been there since the beginning is fake. They're people finding Tyler, the creator for the first time and arguably at the peak of his career. Chromakopia is a good album, so let people enjoy it.

-Someone who's been here since 2017's flower boy

[starjxsung]

this might be...super controversial...but i truly truly hope this isn't skz trying to enter the western music industry if that makes sense. like how bts at one point just completely abandoned kpop and went full western shitty generic pop music. it's what drove me away from them and i would hate to see it happen to another group i love so much...if i wanted generic music, i would listen to american pop music. i like kpop bc it's so varied w the genres and the lyrics are always meaningful in some way. not to mention variety shows and just silly kpop content yknow that's more than half the fun of liking kpop!! you take that out and there's nothing there anymore especially when the music becomes bad. american tv shows are bland, most of the music is devoid of life. as much as i loved bts as people, it truly feels like they lost a bit of themselves AS BTS with songs like butter and ptd...idk. really hope this doesn't happen to skz.

WHEEWWWWWW opinions under the cut bc this is so long ✂️

I was just talking about this w my sister I literally would never say this on main™️ because people hate me on there as it is but I fully agree 🥲 I love bts but it’s so hard for me to get with their newer western stuff and it just feels like it has no emotion, no real substance to it. As an army I see people have this debate all the time and it’s such an issue that within the fandom, no one feels like they can have these conversations without getting attacked for it. But like it’s such a valid thing to acknowledge that hyyh era is vastly different from ptd? That is such a fair thing to point out and people who fell in love with bst, idol, dna, spring day, black swan, etc are allowed to not vibe either something that’s an entirely new sound. Especially one that emulates the generic pop music we already have in the west

There’s so much I could say about the tactics Hybe has to try and appeal to the west now and how it’s completely ruining classic kpop we all know and love, but I completely agree with you in fearing that they’ll want to push skz down the same road. And what’s unfortunate is that skz are at their peak right now in popularity, so I hope jype doesn’t see that as some weird opportunity to just change their sound or concept

I was also talking with my sister about how I think this is very much why Ateez seem to be quickly gaining traction, they’re very true to the original sound that they debuted with and their discography is so consistent and every album/single keeps being bigger than the last. Very traditional Korean sound and tying culture into performances and it’s all very well received in an atmosphere where we keep getting force fed all these western collabs. I know bang pd’s famous article about “removing the k in kpop” was a huge hit among stakeholders but I think for a lot of us, the “k” is what makes it unique. I like music in a different language, learning about culture, understanding how variety shows and award shows work. It’s a different subculture than we have in the west, and making them the same thing just negates the purpose of kpop in the first place. Like we don’t need “the next Justin Bieber” or “the next one direction”, those acts already existed. We have Jungkook and we have bts and skz and they didn’t get big for emulating western sound or culture, they got big for being a part of kpop !

Like could you imagine if we all collectively started saying “we need to make Bollywood more western! We need to make it appeal to western audiences!” How fucking disrespectful that would sound to the years of culture and uniqueness behind what it already is? Why are we doing that in Korean spaces now? Why can’t we just acknowledge when it’s a different culture and allow ourselves to immerse ourselves in it, learn about it, respect it and gain a newfound appreciation for something outside of western music? Why does everything have to appeal to the west??? 😭

I could go on about this for soooo long but I 100% agree with you and this was such a breath of fresh air to type out LMFAOOO

[akindleofleverets]

This is such peak tumblr bullshit I cannot be fucked with it. All of you fucking children sitting on your social media accounts think virtually dog piling and jumping on a hate train for some celebrity that you dislike is a major social justice achievement that you should feel so good and proud and self-righteous about. That is infinitely more tone deaf and unselfaware than Harry saying whatever he did in his speech. 

I’m not a Harry Styles fan, I barely listened to his album and couldn’t care less either way, but you fuckers thinking that you’re fighting for something good by shitting on celebrities online for minor transgressions gets on my fucking nerves.

There genuinely are so many bigger issues that need this energy. Hiding your need to bully someone under the guise of social justice is fucking disgusting and you all need to grow the fuck up. You’re allowed to have you opinions about his choice of words and you’re allowed to express them online, but this behaviour is nothing but you dehumanising celebrities to the extent that you think them committing the slightest mistake allows you to violently verbally shun them. You do nothing but create a ridiculous two dimensional perception of them in the public eye. The same tumblr that loved Harry two years ago for breaking gender norms and supporting queer people now hates his guts for daring to even suggest that there are things about his background that he didn’t perceive as privileged. It’s so fucking childish.

The popular perception of privilege is skewed enough as it is, but it’s even more fucked in spaces like tumblr and twitter. As important as race and gender are in talks of social justice, the fact that all of you are completely willing to ignore class just shows how superficial your intersectionality is and how you don’t really have any idea of how power structures operate in the real world. Harry is and always will be allowed to talk about his background in any manner he wishes, because yes, he does not come from the same privilege a lot of people in the industry come from. The fact that you’re targetting someone who has acknowledged his privilege as a white man at multiple points and has done things to support people who don’t have that privilege, for something so minor is nothing but a bad faith argument. You do not see him as a person anymore, you want him to behave like an empty vessel spouting politically and popularly correct beliefs at all points.

The Beyonce you love fighting for so much is technically a billionaire between her and her husband. Where does the tumblr rage of “there is no ethical way to accumulate a billion dollars” go then? And she hasn’t just made all this wealth from performances and album sales, she’s made financial decisions and business investments that most of left wing would consider unethical and exploitative. Furthermore, Beyonce’s is a very powerful figure in the industry and has far more connections and sway than Harry does despite being a former band member. He was not in control of his career for any of that time and is still going at it with much less support than Beyonce currently possesses.

None of this is to say that Beyonce is a bad person who doesn’t deserve her wealth and should be clubbed in with the rich people that deserve the guillotine. She too is self-made and comes from working class parents. She is an incredible artist and one who has changed the music industry, the kind you encounter once in a generation. She is a powerful woman, worthy of appreciation, and she definitely deserves to win many AOTYs. The point I’m trying to make is that there is no morally perfect celebrity or person and there is so much nuance to every situation, something that online spaces do not understand. There is no one perfect political stance that anyone who even errs 1 millimeter left of should be stoned to death for.

Also the fact that you are willing to direct all this rage towards a person whose speech mostly revolved around how other artists in the category are just as, if not more deserving than him, and how he really didn’t expect to win, instead of the institution that made this decision, just because Harry is an easier target shows that your aim isn’t to really affect any change or hold the people responsible for problems accountable, it is just to find a “moral” front to unleash you mindless and petty hatred for one person.

Imagine being a white man who makes safe pop music and saying “this usually doesn’t go to people like me” about an award that usually goes to white men who make safe pop music 💀

[ageofnations]

Chamomile // drw // Pt. VII

Summary: Danny often feels overshadowed by his best friends and bandmates. You, however, can't seem to get your mind off of him.

Paring: Danny × fem!reader

Word Count: ~3.8k

Warnings: a lil cursing but i think that’s all

A/N: important announcement!! SURPRISE! this portion of Chamomile is divided into two parts. one is complete fluff, the other is…*drumroll*…smut! i’ve divided it so you don’t have to read the smut if you wouldn’t like to, and i’m also only tagging the individuals who wanted to be tagged in NSFW content in that section. the smut doesn’t add anything to the plot, so you won’t be missing out too much if you choose not to read it. wanted to put that out there before you continue. i’ll have the smutty part posted and linked within the hour, but for now, here’s the SFW portion. thanks you guys <3

Series Masterpost

Part VII

After completing their new songs within another week or so, the band’s next goal was to get back to touring. They wanted to start small to ease their ways back into it before announcing a worldwide tour. They had booked a gig at a popular local bar, referring to it as a “One Night Only” event. The tickets were sold out within minutes of it being posted.

The boys were ecstatic. They had spent a lot of their time throughout the weeks leading to the performance with arranging and scrapping set list ideas, trying to find the perfect outfits to wear, and practicing exactly what they planned to do and say for the crowd. They also made sure to tease some of their new songs to their fans.

Danny was especially excited. He was feeling incredibly optimistic with the dynamics of the band shifting into a more comfortable and inviting space for him, on top of the progress with the newest album.

Almost every other sentence he said was about the upcoming plans for the band, and you loved listening to every bit of it. He had made sure to ask for your opinion on as many aspects of the performance as possible. You weren’t sure if he was doing this to genuinely receive your opinion, or if he just needed reassurance.

“Which drum head looks the best?”

“Which drumsticks should I use?”

“Are you sure that will go together?”

You gave your honest answers each time, trying to stay patient with him as he questioned every bit of the advice you gave. Under his excitement, you could always hear tones of apprehension and nervousness. As the date for the gig approached, those tones only grew louder and louder.

The night before the big performance, you sat at a table in the balcony of the bar. The owners had closed early to allow for some last-minute rehearsing, and you had come along with the boys. You wanted to be sure you were out of the way of all the employees and technicians, while also maintaining an area to watch the group. The change in elevation gave you a clear shot to watch Danny without Josh getting in the way.

It felt different, watching them on a stage like this. You had seen them warm up and soundcheck before, and it always felt otherworldly. Being one of the only people in the venue to watch and listen was much different than being in a crowd of thousands of screaming fans. It was more intimate. But especially now that you were here in a different sense, almost like a VIP. Danny sneaking glances up at you further reminded you of the status difference.

You tried to find a spot to sit that wouldn’t distract him, but you obviously failed at that. In between run-throughs of songs or while the others were tuning instruments and testing volumes, Danny would always have his eyes on you. He always snapped right back into action when he was playing, but he’d make a show out of nodding his head to the music and making the faces that he knew you adored. He had just finished Highway Tune, one of your favorites to watch him play, and he was smirking as you looked down at him. While the others discussed some logistics of the song, Danny took the time to stretch out his arms and back. The muscles flexing practically made you drool, and he could see the effect he was having on you.

Your phone vibrating broke your attention from the beautiful man staring up at you. A text from one of your close friends lit up the screen, and before you even read it, you knew it was important. In all caps, it read

“DANNY WAGNER??? AS IN YOUR DANNY???”

An article was linked to the text, which made your stomach flutter with nerves. The press was brutal, and you were afraid this would ruin the good streak the band had going so far. It made you sit up in the uncomfortable pleather chair that you sat in. But once the article loaded, although it seemed to take forever, you realized your nerves were completely unnecessary.

“Nominees for Best Rock Drummer”

The title of the article made your eyes swell with prideful tears. You didn't even have to see the list of this year’s nominees, knowing that he was already on there, but you scrolled anyway. You eagerly read the paragraphs among paragraphs describing and analyzing each of the drummers and you glanced at various pictures and videos of them in action. Danny was the very last individual listed, but of the other four nominees, he had the longest write-up. They had chosen the best pieces of media to include. In each, it was obvious he was truly in his element, and you admired his beauty and talent exuding from the screen.

After reading that voting would close in 24 hours, you glanced back up from your phone. The beautiful man from those pictures was still looking at you while the others talked, and he had an expression of worry and concern on his face.

“What is it?” he mouthed.

You gave him a reassuring smile and quickly texted him the link to the article. Once you saw the word “delivered,” you motioned to your phone, indicating what you wanted him to do. He started to dig in his pockets to find his phone, and you carefully watched his expression.

His brows relaxed from concern to shock. His mouth dropped open just slightly. His thumbs moved swiftly to skim through the article.

“No way…,” you saw him say. His words were barely audible from the distance that separated you, but especially with the discussion the Kiszkas were having. The others didn’t seem to hear him, instead talking about a new transition they could try.

“Yeah, I think we could do that. Let’s run it,” Jake said.

They prepared in their spots to play the song, but Danny was still staring at his phone. They patiently waited for him to count them off, but when they realized he wasn’t paying much attention, they all turned to him.

“Um, Danny?” Josh said. “That’s your cue, brother.”

Sam was the first to actually notice the awe-filled expression on his face. “What is it?”

You giggled as the dumbfounded look didn’t leave your lover’s face. He was still very much transfixed on the article, and his genuine reaction made you fall even harder for him. Your laughter is what seemed to pull him back to reality. He looked up at you with the biggest smile before turning his phone to the others.

Josh turned his face away from him in a teasing manner. “If Y/N sent you something dirty, we do not-“

“Oh my god, that’s amazing!“ Jake interrupted his twin’s comment once he read the headline. His exclamation made Josh snap to attention. The group erupted into praise and congratulated Danny, whose cheeks were pink and his smile wide.

He didn’t say much, but he accepted every pat on the back and every kind word. He briefly looked around to the others as they talked to him, but his eyes landed right back on you in the balcony.

“I’m so proud of you,” you mouthed.

He clutched his chest right above his heart and mouthed back, “I love you.”

—

Their performance came quickly after that. They hadn’t had much downtime, running errands and taking pics for PR almost as soon as they woke up and looked presentable. Especially Danny. With news of his nomination, he had a plethora of journalists and hosts emailing and calling him in an attempt to book interviews with him. The PR team made sure to do as much as they could to intercept, but they knew this would look great for the band's overall reputation, so they allowed some of it to bypass their jurisdiction.

While he loved the encouragement he was getting, all of the attention started to make Danny nervous, and you quickly noticed. You spent the entirety of the day with him, essentially attached at the hip. His change in demeanor couldn’t have been ignored.

He was fairly quiet all morning. He had stayed in bed longer than normal, and he even declined the outings that the others went on. You hadn’t pushed him to talk about what was going on, but you made sure to be around him as much as possible just in case he did want to vent.

When he hadn’t mentioned it by the time the soundcheck started, you assumed he just didn’t feel like talking. Especially after seeing him work his magic behind the drum set. It didn’t appear as if anything was bothering him once he got his sticks in his hands. You tried to push your concerns aside.

Afterward, they all returned to their designated dressing room. You were excited to have a couple more moments of alone time with him before the crowd came. However, this time the silence between you seemed incredibly too loud, and you had trouble pushing past the feeling that something was wrong with him.

You had sat on a couch facing away from where he was getting dressed, forcing yourself to not watch him undress and redress, even though it wouldn’t be the first time. It wasn’t until the shuffling of fabric stopped completely and a soft sigh was heard that you turned around to check on him.

He stood in the pants that you had picked out for him, his bare back was to you. You let your eyes wander across the curves and dips of his shoulder blade and spine, imagining what it would feel like to massage your hands across each divot and leave a trail of kisses on every inch of his skin. His slow movements to lift his shirt over his head made you snap back to reality.

“Dan, are you okay?”

He nodded once he pulled his shirt down past his neck. “Just nervous.”

You got up from your spot on the couch and made your way to him. He only tilted his head to your moving form, but he didn’t fully turn to you. You stepped in front of him and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. “You’re gonna do great. You always do.”

“Well…thank you, bip.” He didn’t meet your eyes, but he kissed the palm of your hand before letting it return to his face. “I just don’t know if it’s…the best, I guess.”

You frown. “Is this about the nomination?”

He only nodded.

“You deserve the title. Honestly. You’ve worked so hard to get where you are, and you’re not stopping yet. That’s incredible,” you reassured. “You’re gonna get it.”

“I really appreciate you but…there are a lot of talented musicians on that list, Y/N. I just don’t know if-“

“That is exactly why you should be proud of yourself.” You choose to wrap your arms around his neck. He sighs from the closer contact with you and puts his arms around your waist. “You’re up there with the most talented drummers out there. Even if you don’t win, you’ve made it, rockstar.”

He smiled down at you, his eyes and nose crinkling in the process. It was the first time he had genuinely smiled all day, so you knew he was feeling better.

“I really do love you,” his voice was barely over a whisper. “I know I said it last night, and you don’t have to say it back but-“

“I love you, too.”

“No, you don’t have to say-“

You shake your head at him and place a hand over his mouth. You laugh at the gasp he sucks in.

“I’m saying it because I mean it. I love you, Danny. I always have. Now stop second-guessing yourself. It’s not a good look on you,” you joked with a wink before removing your hand.

He smirks at you and closes the distance between you. It was obviously not the first time you had kissed him, but each time was greater than the last. Each moment leading up to that point would flash through your mind like your own personal slideshow. All of the effort it took to finally make him yours, it proved itself worth it every time you felt his soft lips against yours.

You didn’t allow the kiss to go on for too long, knowing he had to continue getting ready for the night’s performance. You pulled away and smoothed your hands over his clothed chest.

He was wearing a fitted sleeveless top that you also picked out for him. The way the lights reflected against the shimmery silver pattern in the black fabric always made you think of the night sky. You loved the way it hugged his figure and accentuated his bare arms.

“You look amazing by the way. I love this number on you,” you stated as you shamelessly stepped out of his grasp a bit to check him out.

He rolled his eyes at you but gave you a knowing - and slightly suggestive - smirk. “Thanks for being my personal stylist. Do you want to help me do my hair and makeup?”

“You already know the answer to that.”

After he grabbed the supplies you’d need for both tasks, you two shuffled to the area where you had been previously. You sat on the couch, and he sat on the floor in front of you. He let you brush through his hair and pull half of it back so it wouldn’t be completely in his face as he performed. You kissed the top of his head to signal that you had finished before getting up to sit in front of him on the ground. You both were cross-crossed in your spot with your knees touching. He had his hands politely placed in his lap, and he smiled at you before you started.

“Hi,” his gentle tone sang throughout the quiet room.

“Hey, you.” You let the eye contact persist. You seemed to be having a complete conversation without verbally speaking a word. He looked so soft, so loving, in this moment. Again, you had to shake yourself out of the daze his adoration had you in. “Okay, mister. What kind of makeup do you want done?”

He shrugged. “You pick, Bip.”

You rolled your eyes at his indecisiveness, but made quick work with his look. You chose to make it look as natural as possible, with the addition of a stripe of silver eyeliner to bring attention to those beautiful browns that you were blessed to see every day.

You dramatically gave a chef's kiss. “Beautiful! Your look is complete!”

He squeezed your knee before scrambling to get up from his spot in front of you. “I almost forgot my lucky socks!”

You giggled as you watched the lanky man run to the corner where his belongings were stashed. “Lucky socks?”

He was digging through his suitcase as he spoke. “I wear them for every big performance and important event! I wore them for the SNL, I wore them for the first day of the last tour,” he paused once he found the pair and turned back to you. “I wore them on our first date.”

Your heart practically burst from your chest. It was obvious that he noticed the blush spread across your cheeks, and you did very little to hide it from him. “You, Danny Wagner, are going to be the death of me.”

He laughed and bent back down to where you sat on the floor and gave you a quick peck on the cheek. You soon heard a knock at the door, indicating that it was time for him to get ready to take the stage.

—

As always, the boys performed their hearts out, but there was a new zeal to every individual piece of the production. You watched from the side stage, leaving as much room for the fans as possible. You originally wanted to be front and center to get the concert experience that the others were receiving, but you were glad that you chose otherwise. From the wings, you felt as if you were on the stage with them and assisting with every melody and beat. There was just something so magical transpiring within the group every single time you witnessed them.

You also enjoyed being able to see a majority of the fans from where you stood. You admired the beautifully creative outfits that they had put together, some even matching the past outfits of the boys. You read through the countless signs that you could see held up over the heads of others. You watched with awe as the incredibly diverse group of people united together for the love of music. Their music.

While you watched, you couldn’t help yourself from occasionally going back to the announcement article. You hoped there would be an announcement of a winner, or at least an update about votes being tallied, but you got nothing. You knew you’d get countless texts once the results were posted, but you still felt the need to check throughout the performance.

Much too soon, the night was over, and the group was saying goodbye to their fans and making their way back to the dressing rooms. You had met with Danny to walk with him, hand in hand, and mill about how great the performance was.

“Especially for your first performance back since your last tour? You guys amaze me every time,” you gushed and squeezed Danny’s hand.

The boys loved to hear your praise, but you could tell the nerves were back in your lover’s mind. He knew it was any second before he would know if he would be recognized as the year’s best drummer. He tried to focus on your words instead of the heart palpitations he was experiencing.

Once you both returned to his room, he gave you a kiss against your temple. “I’m gonna take a quick shower and get all this funk off, okay? I’ll be right back.” He disappeared into the mini bathroom that the room housed.

You spent the time on the couch scouring the internet for any update you could find. You searched every hashtag you could think of and looked at every search engine possible. Nothing about the official status of the award was posted.

What you did see was the numerous posts from fans persuading others to vote for Danny. They included kind words about his talent, what his music has done for them, and encouraging words for the drummer specifically. There were even clips and pictures of tonight’s performance already posted and trending on social media.

You gave up on trying to find the award results, and although you felt a little discouraged, you mostly felt content and hopeful. The support was unconditional, and you couldn’t wait for Danny to see it all himself. You tossed your phone to the cushion beside you in defeat. You laid your head back and closed your eyes, resting while you still had the alone time.

*ding*

The lone notification made you open one eye and glance at your phone. You closed it right back, choosing to ignore the text.

*ding* *ding* *din-*

The constant noise started to annoy you, right until you realized what it could possibly be about. Your eyes flew open and you hurried to grab the device. As you expected, you had many texts from your friends.

AHHHHHHHH

Y/N THEY POSTED IT.

*link attached*

IM SCARED TO READ IT

You were also scared, but you didn’t hesitate to open that link. The bold words Best Rock Drummer made your breath hitch in your throat. You hoped they would get straight to the point in the article, but instead it was crowded with long-winded congratulations to each of the nominees and thanks to all of the people who voted. You quickly scrolled to the bottom past the unnecessary clutter to find the results in bold.

You stopped breathing and your mouth dropped slightly. You scanned the name over and over in your mind to ensure that they hadn’t made a mistake. That you hadn’t mistakenly read the name on the page. Your notifications kept sounding at the top of your screen, but you couldn’t focus on them long enough to read them. Your wide eyes were blurred with tears and you tried, and failed, to keep them from falling as you stared mindlessly at the screen.

You didn’t realize Danny was standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He had put a pair of joggers on and was in the process of toweling his hair when he noticed your expression. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at you with wide eyes.

“Is it posted?” He rasped.

You nodded and looked up at him with a smile.

“Is that a pity smile? Please just tell me that I didn’t get it.” He sounded tired and discouraged.

“Just look at it yourself, Danny.”

Although he huffed, he started looking for his phone. You watched as he opened the link and read the results.

“I-“ he paused. He met your gaze and took a deep breath. “I got it?”

“You fucking got it,” you said proudly.

He set his phone on the nearest counter and rushed over to you. You quickly stood as he enveloped you into a hug, laughing from excitement and adrenaline.

“I got it!” He exclaimed into the crook of your neck. You made a mental note to nag him about almost bursting your eardrum, but you let it slide for now. You were holding the year’s best drummer, you’d let anything slide right now.

He pulled away from you slightly only to shower your face with kisses, leaving you a giggling mess. He kept muttering “I love you”s and “thank you”s in between kisses. You didn’t know what you were being thanked for, but you soaked up the moment. He stopped and looked you deep in the eyes. His hands were clasping your shoulders and holding you at a length away from him so he could just inspect you.

“Why were you crying? You scared the shit out of me.”

You laughed sheepishly as he frantically wiped at the tears. “I’m so fucking overwhelmed with joy. I’m so…so proud of you.”

You didn’t think the smile on his face could grow bigger or that his cheeks could glow pinker, but you found that you were wrong there too. He placed a more deliberate kiss on your lips, pulling back enough to breathe out “I love hearing you say that.”

“Well, I’ll say it as much as I need to. I am so proud of you. You did it!” You congratulated him again.

A smirk grew on his face and he pulled you close to him again.

“I fucking did it.”

-------

I guess now would be the time to say...there is only one more part after this (other than the NSFW part)...plz don't hate me

>>>Part 7.5 (NSFW) >>> Part 8

taglist (click here to join!): @gretavanflowerpower @joshkiszkas @teenagesublimefan @streamsofstardust @fireandsaltydogs @gretavanflipflop @kdarling1 @greta-van-chaos @stardustingold @the-chaotic-cow @tripthelight-fanfic @gretavancreep @gretavanfleas @weightofdreamz @myownparadise96 @loofypoofy @hippievanfleet @doodle417 @gmolszewski @m1rkw00dpr1ncess @hearts-hunger @s0livagant @stardustdanny

[tigerandbunnyftw]

Hey guys! First of all, thanks for all you've done in keeping this blog active - I would have never even known there'd be a 2nd season with out you guys!

I saw in the wiki the following: "Various members of the Tiger&Bunny crew frequently referred to Kotetsu and Barnaby as romantic partners, but the official statement is that viewers are free to interpret their relationship as either platonic or romantic."

Would you happen to have examples of where staff is referring to them as a romantic couple?

Also, in that case, do you feel the 2nd season might portray this on-screen less ambiguously?

Hi anon,

Thank you for the compliment and glad that the blog has been useful in keeping you updated. That’s what we’re here for!

With regards to your question, I want to address this from a slightly distant prospective (not to come across as biased), in the sense that I’ll provide a couple of quotations which may support the idea of them being portrayed as a romantic couple. But I think it’s important for me to stress that of course everyone has their own varying interpretations on the information provided, so it’s perfectly acceptable to still interpret them as either a platonic or a romantic type of relationship regardless of what’s been said. The staff often use the word “love” to describe them at times, but of course there are many different types of love, that doesn’t always exclusively refer to just romanticism. It could be a combination of different types, like affectionate love, empathetic love etc. so having more than one interpretation when analysing character’s relationships is a perfectly normal thing to have.

Now for actual quotes, so over the years the staff have described the relationship of Kotetsu and Barnaby in various ways, the most popular descriptions likening them to the behaviour of a supposed romantic couple.

This TV tropes page https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/HoYay/TigerAndBunny has lots of quotes that have been said by the staff/discussions between the cast of their own ideas, which could be interpreted as such. It also lists examples of behaviour within the show which may also connote romantic subtext, along analysing the lyrics from the opening and ending theme songs for the series/movies, again which may allude to romance. So I would recommend checking out the page. Here are a couple of notable examples:

> [From Monthly Hero 6): The first princess carry was the start of their love [Note: The exact phrase was 馴れ初め (The first meeting of the people who later end up in a romantic relationship. The occasion of falling in love. Start of a romance. Beginning of love.)]

> (From the Roman Album): (About the first "princess rescue") If they had been a man and a woman, they would have fallen in love right then. But with "Ojisan" and "Handsome"...(laughs)

> [From the Illustration Book): (Regarding Barnaby in the second half) He didn’t go dere or anything, it was love.

Comments from various staff about their relationship:

> Fukuda Nobuaki: "After his parents got killed, Barnaby became twisted and closed his heart—but here comes the amazing Tiger, embracing Barnaby with his great love! When it comes to the human relationships, in the end, it simply really is just “love”, isn’t it?"

> Masafumi Nishida (Writer): "After [Barnaby] opened up to Kotetsu (as we see at the start of the second cour), he was very happy; and being the "love is blind" type, he was prone to overlooking Kotetsu's faults."

Those are just a few, so please do have a look over on the page for more and come to your own conclusion of how you see their relationship.

Regarding your last question, this is more my opinion speaking here, so please take it as you will, but personally I don’t believe that they will change how they will depict their relationship in season 2. The ambiguity of their relationship is what helps to make them popular within the media, because of course, nothing is set in stone. It allows them to connect with various audiences who can interpret them in their own way, so I doubt they would want to change that.

Although the staff have the power of hindsight now to see that Tiger & Bunny has become extremely popular with women, as opposed to their original target audience of adult men/ “salarymen” (although there is a very small male fan base out there), I don’t think they will change the writing style or attempt to incorporate more elements that may appeal to women i.e. romance. Although I don’t doubt that there will be scenarios that may have underlying subtext, like many scenes in T&B.

[doomtodivide]

Imagining The Future: Bastille's New Era Analysis

Hello all! The following is taken from the first of my new era update posts on r/Bastillecult. I highly reccomend reading all the posts on there!

Last time I had a few solid guesses with the whole Goosebumps EP transition period, so I figured I would try my luck with this new era. I've broken everything down into a few categories that should hopefully flesh out a sketch of possibilities

Aesthetic: The new logo has a very sleek design. This complete change in aesthetics is very noticable. Bad Blood was filled with literature references, a cozy and nerdy looking dan, and more earthy looking tones. Wild World focused on nihilism, movie references, and an all too realistic dystopian city aesthetic. Doom Days focused on escapism, partying, fucking, and a red and home-y vibes. The lack of color and the clean and sleek look points towards it being a more future oriented era.

Triangle: For a deeper background, I highly recommend reading u/casperwyomingrex 'spost.

The WW era triangle and this new triangle are technically called deltas. While I am by no means a geometry person, I’ve been told by a few math nerds that these triangles are technically not possible in certain plains and spaces, making them impossible. While it is likely that Bastille just needed to explore just slightly outside the normal definition of a triangle to match this aesthetic, the impossible triangle t-shirts hint that there is significance to having “impossible” triangles. This hints that there may be more in common between the WW Era and the Future Era, ie. a dystopian society.

Dystopia: Bastille created an entire dystopian corporation for WW. I remember them saying somewhere they hated the promo and touring process for this album, leading them to switch up the process for DD and the Goosebumps EP. With the record label change and covid shaking up the world, this opens up the opportunity for them to have a redo with this era, especially considering it is a fan favorite era. Many people have pointed out that hint has a vibe similar to black mirror, a sci-fi dystopian show, which would fully support a sci-fi dystopian aesthetic era.

Sound: Though the clip is only 8 seconds long, it gives us some hints about the new era. Bastille once again uses synths for sound, creating a reference to Sci Fi sound effects. The clip mirrors the effect of oscillators to create things like laser sound effects, teleportation, warping, and other “space” noises. I find the juxtaposition of Sci-fi interesting; it was most popular in the early 1900s, meaning Bastille is referencing the past, yet it focuses on the future, which in the lense of Sci-fi, would mean the 2000s and beyond.

In the lens of broadcasting, short interludes are used throughout advertising to the point where many people don’t even think about this. A lot of them are used to hook us in and signify a certain company or thing. In advertisements they are used to signify the company’s presence and to worm the product into our brain. In casinos they are used as a dopamine reward. News stations use them to signify the station. This especially could be relevant in a dystopian society. I’m mentioning this because the clip doesn’t sound full enough to be a song, rather an intro to a news station segment. I find this especially notable considering WW had a news anchor. Looking back, a few videos from wild world could hold significance. This video

has a sci-fi esc clip in the intro.

In Previous Context: In the context of ReOrchestrated, Bastille is no longer letting imposter syndrome or shitty opinions stop them from what they want to do. Meaning they are going full force into the future. There's one specific time during the ReOrch doc where the boys talk about how ReOrch made them realize they could try new shit, even if management thinks it will fail. Dan has spoken in a few interviews now about being excited about collabing (and mentioning relinquishing control to others in the ReOrch doc), a few artists have come forward about working with Dan. While it’s unlikely that every collab we’ve theorized about will go through, Dan Wilson and Ryan Tedder seem to be confirmed in the roster based off of their interviews

When considering the past, a lot of previous songs focus on nostalgia; for example, in Fake it “We can never go back / We can only do our best to recreate.” Post ReOrch and DD, Bastille has worked up enough confidence to push into making their own future, one unlimited by nostalgia and fear.

In the Context of the Goosebumps EP, Inception and Vanilla Sky are both referenced. Both of these movies mark the first time* (to my knowledge

) that futuristic sci-fi has been referenced in Bastille. There is significant overlap with dreaming and time travel, something that could definitely be applied to this era. While it could be coincidental, Bastille has been quite purposeful with using references to add to the era’s aesthetic (see Aesthetic section). Referencing them during a transition period points towards both the literal future (new era) and a new aesthetic.

*Cosmos: War of the Planets and twilight zone have both been referenced but fall into a different category of sci-fi than Vanilla Sky and Inception

In Regards to Distraction Tactics Space Week and WW, alot of it holds very similar aesthetics. This video

from WW also holds a similar aesthetic. Considering DT is linked through space and WW is linked through dystopian this might MIGHT be related.

Hints: It wouldn’t be a new Era without Dan “Soon” Smith teasing us a bit, so here are a few highlights. In this interview

, Dan says “I want to tell you but I can’t! We just want to reflect on the future…” The No Bad Days tweet and the #ToTheSky post likely plays a part in the new era, but the 8 second clip does not have any immediate hints. The art installation in the #ToTheSky post originally caught my interest when it was posted. James Turrel, the artist that created the installation, uses light as a medium to create art. The installation, called the Space That Sees, is described as an “allegory of light that we generate from inside and light that comes from outside: the emergence into space where light comes forth as in a dream." While I have no fucking clue how to interprete this allegory, I imagine space, light, and dreaming will become key players in the new era. A few other notable works of his are the Raethro Pink and Alta Pink, both of which are pinkish purplish white triangles light projections surrounded by inky blackness. The use of Bastille’s triangle logo and a flash of light purple light means there are likely deep ties between the new era and James Turrel’s creations; furthermore, he also acquired a dormant cinder cone volcano to turn into an a museum/observatory using light apertures to observe the solar system, adding further ties to the space and light themes.

Meaning: "You Don't Predict The Future. You Imagine It" I have purposely not used predict in this analysis so I don’t jinx this era. I’ve found a few variations of this saying (You Can’t Predict The Future. But You Can Create It), but all of them seem to point towards creating the future instead of guessing. I imagine not many of my predictions of this era will not be accurate because I am not the one imagining it. I feel like this might also point towards being conscious about what you want out of the future instead of merely guessing where the tides will take you. This could also be like that one story of a kid's drawings turning into real creatures because of the kid imagining it. I feel like “future” and “imagine” point deeply towards sci-fi because of the creative inventions that will take us there. This could also connect to the theory that the survivin’ coin is linked to A.A., and this statement being a motto to help someone escape addiction. Personally, I feel like this clip is the beginning of some sci-fi choose your own adventure video game, but that's my own opinion.

My Personal Crazy Conclusion: It wouldn’t be a post from me without me shooting out some crazy theories. A Light Cult Utopia. That's right. It would be the opposite of WW, meaning it would be new territory for Bastille and it would break a mold (ReOrch doc). It would also give Dan the ability to be more positive then he has been in the past, while also allowing for his normal cynical undertones. Bastille is purposeful with their references, meaning the Jonestown reference in DD might have a bit more purpose behind it. The lighter colors used in the clip would point to happiness. Considering utopias are “imagined” it would fit the phrase in the clip. Sci-fi would also fit into this as being imagined. Considering there are a few space references, I imagine that humans have imagined perfect spacecraft, further fitting sci-fi and a utopian society. Also, Dan collabed with Future Utopia on the track “What’s In A Name?” That's right, what’s in a name? The name being Future Utopia? An entire new era being the name? That right cultists, Dan ”Soon” Smith snuck this under our noses the entire time that bastard.

Summary Statement: This new era will likely bring collabs from an entirely new approach. A Sci-fi dystopian (or utopian) world, one focused on dreaming, light, and space will likely be the aesthetic for this era.

Loose ends: I am only one human, meaning I physically could not rewatch Inception and Vanilla Sky while also researching James Turrel, so there might be a few things I missed in my brief look at them. If anyone would like to read 1984 by George Orwell through the whole dystopian thing, there might be a few connections there.

Based on some things I’ve heard from a little birdy, expect some big non-album projects that tie in with this era and other things….

Special thanks to u/0verjoyed and @ ja9zimm on twitter

[lyculuscaelus]

Absolutely well put. We love constructive opinions, creative ideas, but it’s a big NO when it comes to discrediting the artwork as a whole, disrespecting people especially the artists…

Indeed, the ideas used to conclude this arc might not meet everyone’s expectation, and the resolution in this saga might probably be narratively unsatisfying for some people, but the way some of them comment things…literally, it’s not the end of the world when the “canon” version doesn’t fit your own vision of how things should go like. I just feel like people are being a bit…overreacting in this one.

Yeah, overreacting.

Overreacting when the musical is still just in its concept album stage, when so many changes may still occur if it ever makes it as a stage production… (think abt it: if you hate the jet pack idea, do you actually think it’s gonna make it on stage with the popularity and practicality that it has for the moment?)

Overreacting that the plot of a single song pisses you off, and you’re suddenly disliking the entire saga, and even the musical itself for some people… (I mean, is it not popularly agreed that the songs themselves are all bangers musically, and excluding 600 Strike in your consideration, the other four songs are still well-written, and deserve their own praises?)

Overreacting as if everything suddenly loses its meaning because of this part of the story is not handled the way you want to see it handled, as if the musical couldn’t move on to the next saga anymore… (like, the arc with Poseidon is basically concluded. Whatever come next are the hunting season and the reunions, which do not leave much space for messing up. As for the Vengeance Saga you can still fix it with your headcanons and stuff if you don’t like the ending. If you still considered it flawed—then let it be. Just leave it alone. After all, since when is an artwork not allowed to have flaws? Since when are you required to enjoy the entirety of an artwork, even accepting what you don’t agree with?)

I think at this point, what we all need is to chill down, and like op said, to have fun with the parts we enjoy, to stop wasting time being a hater, to have all the fun you can get—let it be a meme, a reinterpretation, a rewriting…we all can have fun, after all!

Opinions and Interpretation ( Epic Spoilers)

Author's Note (As long as it’s not hurting/attacking anyone mentally, physically, or emotionally, people are entitled to their own opinions, own beliefs, own ideas, and nobody is allowed to make you feel bad for your thoughts/ideas.)

Okkkkkkk, I had a long day, and this was bothering me so I wanted to make a post about this so humor me. I have problems with an issue in and outside the Epic community, so that is something I will speak on. Also an inappropriate situation happened earlier this week that caused someone to become extremely uncomfortable so I am going to discuss that as well. And imma teach this up, so sit down and let’s talk. (This issue is a separate post)

Opinion: a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

As long as an opinion is not hurting anyone emotionally, spiritually, mentally, physically,  you are free to speak your mind in the proper time and place. Your opinions on things, with the things above in mind, should be respected because you are entitled to your opinion. It’s yours and it is precious, cause you are precious. 🥰

Same way switched. You certainly don’t call the opposite party’s opinions “cringe” or  “weird” just because you don’t like them. Are you allowed to discuss why you don’t like it? As long as you are being respectful, go ahead. Do what you do but certainly don’t diminish anyone’s ideas. They are precious. 

Now, the jet pack animation in the Vengeance Saga. Was it unexpected? Hell yeah. Would you like to have seen Jorge choose a different orchestration on how Odysseus got out of water? Maybe. But do we call his idea “cringe?” 

Class: No

Absolutely not! He has stated before how video games have affected the creation of Epic and how he wants to demonstrate it in the animatic. So why are we saying it was “stupid” or ”weird?” Is it inaccurate? Unless Homer has a trashcan of scrapped jetpack scenes we have no idea about, yeah it is. But it is fun. And I think that is what we missed. We are allowed to have fun, as long as we are not posing it as accurate information.

Correct me if I am wrong, but Jorge never said this was a “on the mark” musical of the Odyssey. He is gonna take liberties, and unless a Greek Mythology Association sues him for not following the story to the letter, is it hurting anyone? Do the people who like an accurate retelling of Odyssey have to like Epic? No, absolutely not. Well, I mean unless someone has a gun to your head.

I have mutuals who don’t like Epic, and that is absolutely ok! They aren’t doing anything illegal, and neither are we. UNLESS we are telling and or arguing with Greek Religion Experts, mythographists and the like, that Epic is God's honest truth. In that case, we need to read The Odyssey together and apologize to them.

However, if you are gonna listen to it and just shit talk about it, bullying the creator and the fandom for creating/liking it, scrutinizing the road they chose, and just being a Debbie downer about it, do it by yourself. 

You know what is great too? Sparkle* The Power of Animation *Sparkle. Animators don’t like it, you do it. And that is not an taunting attack like, “oh if you think you can do better, then do it” blah blah nonsense. This is the glory of your talents. You are allowed to let your mind travel in the way that it does, I encourage it.  When I saw the prosthetic Poseidon, I didn’t say in the comments, “actually Poseidon didn’t have a prosthetic, this is cringe and inaccurate.” I didn’t say anything in the comments cus I was screaming and shrieking like a little bitch cus of how much I loved it. I apologize to my neighbors, I was losing my crap, like OMFG, HOW ARE SO TALENTED AND WHAT IS IN YOUR MIND I WANNA SEE IT AND-sorry I’m trying to get to a point.

(Also go check out Neal Illustrators Etsy shop, the pins are up and scrumptious)

All are talented artists/animators. I’m pretty sure when he watches your stuff, he gets so  giddy and excited. No one idea is steady law. We all are allowed to shine and share. I wanna see your talent and ability. 

So please, please.  Epic fans, if you don’t like Jorge’s ideas, look towards the animators. If you don’t like the animator's ideas, do your own. And if you can’t, imagine your own. 

But please, do not send hate or nasty messages toward Jorge and his team or to people in/within the community. Jorge is allowed to have fun, I am allowed to have fun, you are allowed to have fun. We are all allowed to have safe, healthy fun. Don’t spend all your time being a hater. Respect, we all deserve respect. Opinions, we all deserve to have our healthy and good-mannered opinion’s. 

Ok? Ok. Yay!

[cozy-the-overlord]

Okay, so yesterday when I woke up the first thing I saw was this post from @lokistan, which as you can see from my reblog made me immediately think of “gold rush” by Taylor Swift. It made me realize that out of all the folklore/evermore songs I’ve annotated and analyzed, I had yet to do “gold rush.” So I decided to remedy that immediately (I actually started writing this yesterday, but then my computer glitched and I lost all my work and I was too mad to start over again right away). And yes, I am aware that I just spent the last two hours of my life on something that probably no one will read, but I don’t care-- I love doing stuff like this so much. Here’s my interpretation of “gold rush”!

“gold rush” is the third track off of Taylor Swift’s ninth studio album evermore. It immediately stands out from the rest of the album sonically due to its ethereal production and Taylor’s lilting, dreamlike vocals. This is fitting as Taylor described this song as taking place “inside a single daydream where you get lost in thought for a minute and then snap out of it" (x). The daydream in question revolves around a person the narrator comes across and is so enchanted by that she begins to picture a life with them, while still being very aware that such a life can never really exist.

Gleaming, twinkling

Eyes like sinking

Ships on waters

So inviting, I almost jump in

The opening to the song also serves as the opening to the daydream with an immediate departure from reality—the narrator sees this person as a magical thing, thinking of sparkling, shining imagery in regard to them. The “gleaming, twinkling” serves a double purpose: gleaming inspires thoughts of shining metal such as gold, which makes sense as this is the person around whom a gold rush is about to begin, while twinkling evokes images of stars and stardom (twinkle twinkle little star anyone?), which serves to show that this person is both incredibly popular and totally out of reach.

In the second two lines, Taylor plays with enjambment, a poetic device in which the sentence continues even after the line break, which can be utilized to give the sentence a double meaning. “Eyes like sinking” sounds like a version of the common love song trope of being so fascinated with the beauty of your lover’s eyes that you could drown in them (Taylor herself has used this trope many times before, including in reputation’s “Gorgeous”: “ocean blue eyes, looking in mine, I feel like I might sink and drown and die”). This continues to show that this person is incredibly captivating and that the narrator especially is entranced by them.

However, the song continues so that the full sentence reads “eyes like sinking ships on waters,” which completely changes the image. A sinking ship is something that’s irrevocably doomed, something that you need to escape from in order to save your life. By using enjambment in this way, Taylor gives us an image of this person while simultaneously giving insight into the narrator’s internal struggle: this person is captivating, fascinating, enchanting and the narrator is undeniably drawn to them, but she also realizes that trying be with this person would not only never work, but would probably hurt her more in the long run. In other words, she’d go down with their ship. Even so, she still finds this churning water inviting, so much so that she almost jumps in—almost, because she does know better.

But I don’t like a gold rush, gold rush

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

In the chorus, we have the lilting vocals and ethereal strings of the opening replaced with a conversational tone and a firm backbeat. While the opening was the daydream, the chorus is something closer to reality as the narrator giving her reasons for not wanting to get involved with this person.

The main reason is that she doesn’t like a gold rush, which she repeats several times throughout. A gold rush occurs when gold is discovered somewhere, resulting in a horde of people rushing to the site hoping to stake a claim and get rich. However, there’s never enough gold to go around, and with the perilous journey to the gold mines and the amount that the miners have to give up to get there (in the California Gold Rush of 1849, people on the east coast of the United States were leaving behind their entire lives to either travel across the country by wagon or to sail around the tip of South America in order to get to California for a chance at some gold), people actually tend to end up losing far more than they gain.

To the narrator, this person is the recently discovered gold. They’re gleaming and rare, and now everyone is in a mad scramble to get a piece of them. She realizes that she is not the only one who is desperate to be with this person, and that chances are she’d be one of the miners who loses everything should she try to go after them. She wouldn’t be in control—she’d only be “anticipating my face in a red flush,” anticipating embarrassment, getting flustered over a person she could never have.

Walk past, quick brush

I don’t like slow motion double vision in a rose blush

I don’t like that falling feels like flying ‘til the bone crush

Everybody wants you

But I don’t like a gold rush

The second part of the chorus imagines the overwhelming nature of any relationship she would have with this person. She emphasizes how just a quick brush with this person is enough to mess with her abilities to comprehend reality: being with this person would cause “slow motion double vision” and make her think that “falling feels like flying” until she hits the ground and the bones crush (a visceral image). She ends the chorus with an adamant “I don’t like a gold rush.” However, her daydream is far from over.

What must it be like to grow up that beautiful?

With your hair falling into place like dominoes

I see me padding cross your wooden floors

With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door

The lilting vocals are back as the narrator once again allows herself to ignore the elephant in the room and just focus on how entrancing this individual is. She goes as far to imagine a life with this person, where there’s a sense of intimacy and familiarity (also, apparently there’s some debate about whether the “Eagles t-shirt” references the band The Eagles or the Philadelphia football team? It doesn’t really matter, as the point of the line is to show that she’s imagining a place with this person where she feels at home and safe with them, but for the record I assumed it was the football team because Taylor’s from Pennsylvania).

At dinner parties

I’ll 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 it could never be

She continues to imagine a life with this person, focusing (as Taylor does best) on the simple moments. “Contrarian” describes a person who goes against popular opinion often just for the sake of going against popular opinion, and the narrator imagines a level of closeness with this person where she could call them out on it. She also conjures up grander memories—visiting a coastal town where their love is the purest thing within it. However, she seems to wake up from this daydream before returning to the reality-steeped chorus when she allows it to “fade into the gray of my day-old tea”—a image that certainly contrasts with the gleaming, twinkling gold of the person she’s dreaming about. I especially love that she specifies that the tea is not just gray, but day-old—it shows how her life is mundane and emotionless. The tea’s gone cold and she hasn’t drank it yet, because she’s wistfully dreaming about something else.

Because the chorus is exactly the same as the first, we’re going to skip to the next verse.

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

Again, she’s allowing herself to fall into this daydream, but there’s a heightened sort of awareness this time. Instead of imagining an intimate, peaceful relationship, the narrator admits that it’s all in her head—she’s turning his life into folklore. Folklore, besides being the name of evermore’s sister album, also refers to “the traditional beliefs, legends, and customs, current among the common people” (“folklore, n. 1.” OED online), stories that are often passed down orally through generations and change slightly with each retelling. She’s realizing that her dreams about this person are nothing more than stories that she’s changing in order to live vicariously through them. Here, she admits that it’s useless to continue doing so: “I can’t dare to dream about you anymore.”

At dinner parties

I won’t call you out on your contrarian shit

And the coastal town

We never found, will never see

A love as pure as it

And it fades into the gray of my day-old tea

Cause it will never be

Here we have the same daydream as before, only modified to fit reality. She’s not going to call this person out on anything, because they don’t have that level of familiarity. They’ll never find this magical coastal town, and both they and it will never see this pure love because it doesn’t exist. This time, when the daydream fades into the gray of her day-old tea, it’s not with the wistful “it could never be,” but with a firm “it will never be.”

Gleaming, twinkling

Eyes like sinking

Ships on waters

So inviting, I almost jump in

We end where we begin, with the reminder that she could jump into this beautiful disaster, that she almost does, but she stops herself because she realizes it will never work out the way she wants to—she’ll only end up hurting herself. She spares herself from the gold rush.

[idolish7rabbitchats]

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Wonderful Octave Rabbit Chat Part 2

Tsumugi: Everyone, thank you for gathering! I was thinking that we could collect requests for Tsunashi-san’s “RADIO STATION Twelve Hits!” here.

Tsumugi: Continuing from last time, I’ll manage the chat. Please take care of it!

Ryuunosuke: Please take care of me!

Anesagi: Ryuu is last in TRIGGER too huh! Everyone, please take care of us!

Okazaki: From me too, please take care of me!

Banri: We’ll be attending too.

Tsumugi: The requests gathered from everyone will be, like it has been up to this point, decided by a raffle pull in the show. So then, I’ll ask for the requests from the youngest!

Ryuunosuke: I’m looking forward to everyone’s requests…!

Gaku: Ryuu was a little bit restless before the group chat. (lol)

Tenn: He checked the time countless times and stood up and sat down a lot huh.

Ryuunosuke: Waah! You don’t have to say that here!

Gaku: He’s embarrassed huh (lol).

Tenn: He’s embarrassed.

Momo: Ryuu’s cute! Like a guy who’s waiting before his first date \(*´ω`)人(´ω｀*)ノ

Mitsuki: Going on a date with 16 people is huge lol.

Yamato: The gender ratio is unequal.

Yuki: It has nothing to do with guys and girls. Isn’t it fine if we can make a pair?

Iori: As expected from you, you have a freedom of thought.

Banri: I think he’s just lazy. (Lol)

Tamaki: Yeah! 

Tamaki: I’ll pair with Ryuu-aniki.

Ryuunosuke: Eh, is it fine? I’m happy but, why?

Tamaki: It’s almost your birthday so if we were together, we could eat cake.

Ryuunosuke: I see, you are tempted by food. lol

Sogo: Tamaki-kun, what are you thinking about with your senpai…!

Tamaki: It’s fine with So-chan too. 

Sogo: I’m glad that I won’t be alone but...

Riku: It feels like we are pairing up for P.E. class!

Anesagi: What have you been talking about?! We should move on to collecting requests!

Tsumugi: R-Right! Then, from Tamaki-san please!

Tamaki: Kaay.

Tamaki: Ryuu-aniki, who’s your fave in IDOLiSH7?

Ryuunosuke: Eh! My fave?! I mean, that kind of request is certainly…?

Gaku: That’s what you said during my turn isn’t it?

Tamaki: Because Gakkun said that he likes everyone and didn’t actually answer it!

Tamaki: [Angry Kinako Stamp]

Gaku: You’re still mad? (lol) I said sorry and gave you a pudding afterwards right.

Tamaki: I already ate it so I forgot.

Ryuunosuke: I see, so I’m your revenge huh! lol

Tamaki: Ryuu-aniki, I believe in you.

Tamaki: [Pudding In Jar Stamp]

Tamaki: [Pudding In Jar Stamp]

Tamaki: [Pudding In Jar Stamp]

Ryuunosuke: Since I got it so straight-forwardly, I might just make Tamaki-kun my fave!

Tamaki: Hurray!!!

Tamaki: [Sparkling Kinako Stamp]

Mitsuki: Tamaki, is that fine…?!

Sogo: You have to respect Tsunashi-san’s opinion too.

Nagi: If you asked Yaotome-shi and Tsunashi-shi, you have to ask to Kujo-shi too.

Tenn: Like it sounds like you want to take this opportunity to just complete them all.

Riku: I wanna hear it too! Yes! Yes!

Riku: It’s not only because of the opportunity!

Iori: It seems it would be difficult if he picked anyone other than the center...

Tenn: I would’ve answered it if you requested that during your month ^^

Riku: Eeeeeeeeeeeh!

Tsumugi: I’m also curious about Tsunashi-san’s favorite! 

Tsumugi: To continue, Iori-san please!

Iori: From me it’s a “Yes/No quiz”.

Iori: It’s the game where you should answer yes or no within 3 seconds to the questions that I prepared. If I ask about personal questions, listeners could know many sides of Tsunashi-san and it would be good.

Ryuunosuke: I would answer them by reflex huh? That seems fun!

Ryuunosuke: Would Iori-kun give me the questions?

Iori: That’s right. Of course, they would be checked by Anesagi-san though.

Momo: I also want to think of things to ask Ryuu~ (ノ´Д)ノ

Sogo: Um… If it’s alright, would you allow me to help too?

Mitsuki: Ah! I have something I wanna ask too!

Iori: That helps. Everyone has real questions they want to ask so it seems this quiz will be intense.

Yamato: Oooh. You are popular, Tsunashi-san!

Gaku: You’re popular huh, Ryuu!

Ryuunosuke: Somehow I’m happy…! The request corner is a great thing huh!

Tenn: You are a natural lady-killer. That’s a good thing tho.

Ryuunosuke: Eh! L-Lady-killer?! Are you praising me?!

Tenn: I am. I said that was a good thing right.

Ryuunosuke: Really? I’m happy to be praised by Tenn!

Ryuunosuke: Iori-kun and everyone too, please ask me anything that’s fine!

Tsumugi: I’m also looking forward to everyone’s questions for Tsunashi-san!

Tsumugi: So then, let’s have the request from Riku-san!

Riku: Yes! From me it’s “I want to hear an episode of bravery about bad things”!

Riku: Tsunashi-san is nice, cool, good at cooking, and really cool! But, actually I want to try asking if there was a time you were naughty!

Yuki: You said cool twice.

Gaku:  Just that, our Ryuu is cool huh!

Ryuunosuke: You think of me that way huh! I’m happy to be praised by Riku-kun.

Tenn: I certainly can’t imagine a naughty Ryuu.

Riku: Right! But I just can’t imagine what makes someone naughty at all.

Nagi: Like lining up all night for a big event in summer and winter?

Mitsuki: That’s certainly bad but Tsunashi-san wouldn’t do that right lol.

Ryuunosuke: If you’re participating in an event, it’s important to follow the rules huh!

Okazaki: So anyways, what kind of thing would be naughty?

*Tsumugi: Like running down a hallway…!

Ryuunosuke: That’s dangerous huh! It would be bad if you slipped and fell...!

Ryuunosuke: Unfortunately, I’ve never been naughty in my youth. Lol I was always in the ocean!

Gaku: I knew that Ryuu wasn’t the bad boy!

Tenn: Actually, I’m a little curious about you having that sort of past or not.

Anesagi: No way, that sort of thing! I want him to be both calm and sexy even if he was carrying a backpack!

Momo: That kind of elementary schooler is too distinctive! lol

Ryuunosuke: I don’t think I wasn’t sexy or calm before… I was an energetic elementary schooler who was running around barefoot. Lol

Ryuunosuke: I don’t know if I have something you could call naughty but I’ll tell you after I look back at pictures from my childhood!

Riku: Thank you!

Yamato: That he tried to answer the request by looking back at his album, he’s not naughty at all, certainly he is an honest person.

Sogo: It’s a heartwarming episode where we can feel Tsunashi-san’s honesty!

Tsumugi: I’m also secretly interested in a naughty Tsunashi-san! Lol

Tsumugi: Next, Kujo-san, can I have the request?

Tenn: Yes. From me, “Let us hear if you have anything you want to say to TRIGGER”.

Tenn: More like to me and Gaku than to TRIGGER. Ryuu isn’t the type to strongly argue, so I want him to say anything in this opportunity.

Tenn: I’m fine with something like what you want us to do, what you want us to change, or a request for us.

Gaku: That’s a good request! Ryuu, say anything to us.

Ryuunosuke: Gaku, Tenn, thank you! Honestly, I think TRIGGER’s relationship for now is the best, I don’t have any request.

Tenn: See, that sort of thing. Even though you could say selfish things. 

Ryuunosuke: I want you to say selfish things. Tenn does all the jobs or household things by yourself.

Ryuunosuke: Before this, I thought you never left your room huh, but you’d actually caught a cold hadn’t you.

Gaku: That! We seriously would’ve wanted you to say it at that time.

Riku: Tenn-nii caught a cold?! Is he okay?!

Tenn: I’m okay. I recovered after I slept all night.

Riku: I’m glad…!

Gaku: Even for one night, medicine or food or something, there was something we could’ve done right?

Tenn: Are we still talking about this? We already talked about it enough.

Ryuunosuke: Because Tenn hesitated weirdly.

Tenn: It was just a slight fever, not a serious cold, and I can’t spread it to you guys.

Gaku: You’re still saying that sort of thing?

Ryuunosuke: Honestly, about this, I’m still a little mad now.

Tenn: Since Ryuu doesn’t get mad easily, you are persistent when you do.

Ryuunosuke: I had a reason to get mad so I got mad. 

Nagi: Were you three fighting?

Tamaki: Though you are adults, don’t fight-!

Mitsuki: Aah, not so much a fight… I understand how Yaotome and Tsunashi-san feel here.

Tenn: It’s not a fight. We’re already done talking about it.

Gaku: We’re not!

Ryuunosuke: How about we talk later? This group chat wasn’t to talk about that..!

Tsumugi: Not wanting to make your friends worry, but also wanting someone to rely on you, I understand them both...

Tsumugi: Nagi-san, please give us the request!

Nagi: Leave it to me. I’ll be an air purifier in this group chat!

Momo: Nagi being an air purifier sound strong lololol

Yuki: That’s a good one.

Ryuunosuke: Nagi-kun, sorry. Thank you for easing the tense atmosphere.

Nagi: I don’t mind. You can pay me in the request corner. :-)

Ryuunosuke: Got it! I’ll try my best to pull Nagi-kun’s request..!

Iori: Is he an air purifier or a schemer… He is tricky.

Nagi: You shouldn’t worry about tiny things! My request is “Impromptu☆Tsunashi-shi’s Haiku”!

Ryuunosuke: Haiku meaning that 5,7,5 haiku?

Nagi: Exactly. Along with the theme I prepared, I want Tsunashi-shi to make a haiku at that time.

Nagi: When you read your haiku, you need to use the echo effect.

Sogo: Somehow that’s detailed instructions.

Nagi: If I'm gonna do it, I need to produce everything perfectly.

Ryuunosuke: As expected of Nagi-kun. Thank you for thinking of it with details!

Nagi: Anyways, to prepare for getting any theme from me, please check out Magical★Kokona’s latest episode. 

Nagi: Especially, I’ll recommend that you understand the enemy character in last week’s episode, the Darkness Bear Secretary’s line.

Ryuunosuke: Th-That’s really quite detailed huh?!

Riku: Oh right, earlier while watching Kokona, he was murmuring “He has the same voice as Tsunashi-shi.” I think…?

Mitsuki: Then, you are thinking of making Tsunashi-san to act out that bear’s line isn’t it!

Nagi: (°3°)~♪

Tenn: I’m curious about how he is going to lead to acting as that character with a haiku.

Gaku: I feel his commitment to not just request him to act as the character.

Ryuunosuke: If Nagi-kun is expecting it that much then I’ll really try my best..!

Nagi: I’m looking forward to it. :-)))

Tsumugi: I couldn’t check recently but I’ll catch up to the latest episode too…!

Tsumugi: Next up is Sougo-san please!

Sogo: From me it’s, “Tsunashi-san is kind but I want to hear of a time when you got mad.”

Sogo: But, earlier there was the story of how you wanted Kujou-san to let you worry over him huh...

Sogo: I’m sorry. I said something to bring it up again..!

Ryuunosuke: It’s fine. Because it’s not like we were really fighting.

Gaku: Ryuu is generally a generous person huh. Even if someone says something a little sarcastic, or someone bumps you when you’re walking, you seem fine.

Ryuunosuke: There is no use in getting irritated over that right? 

Ryuunosuke: Maybe that person had a hard time and something bad happened to him.

Yuki: You are like a saint.

Sogo: But, I understand that feeling. Because I also have only a few things that will piss me off. 

Sogo: But I won’t forget the name and face of the person who did it to me.

Yamato: That’s even scarier! (lol)

Iori: I feel like that has a slightly different meaning to Tsunashi-san’s “not getting mad.”...

Sogo: I-Is that so?

Tamaki: I’ll be careful never to do anything terrible to So-chan.

Banri: Because he already remembers your face and name huh (lol).

Tamaki: [Sweating Pudding Stamp]

Sogo: It’s terrible to be this scared of me.

Tamaki: [Shaking Kinako Stamp]

Ryuunosuke: It’s important to understand what kind of person your companions are huh! It's proof that you are thinking about further things.

Ryuunosuke: Sougo-kun’s amazing huh!

Sogo: Thank you…! I’m very grateful for your compliment.

Mitsuki: Excuse me! Can we take a little break?

Tsumugi: Mitsuki-san, did something happen?

Mitsuki: Seems like Nagi wanted to see Kokona’s Darkness Bear’s episode, but he couldn’t find the recorded data.

Mitsuki: He looks so down and I feel sorry for him. Can we search for a hard drive together for a little bit?

Yamato: Seems like there are streams too. But he said it’s different from the recorded video.

Ryuunosuke: I see…! I hope he has the data!

Mitsuki: Sorry, to cut it for a weird reason!

Tsumugi: So then, the group chat has also become long so we’ll take a little break. I’ll contact you at the time we could restart!

V2:

Okazaki: So anyways, what kind of thing would be naughty?

Tsumugi: Like customizing your school uniforms…?

Ryuunosuke: There were people who customized their uniforms secretly huh! I didn’t get it much, so I just wore it normally. Lol

Ryuunosuke: Unfortunately, I’ve never been naughty in my youth. Lol I was always in the ocean!

V3:

Okazaki: So anyways, what kind of thing would be naughty?

Tsumugi: Like lip-syncing the Alma Mater at an assembly…?

Ryuunosuke: I was singing but some people don’t, so some people would feel embarrassed huh.

Ryuunosuke: Unfortunately, I’ve never been naughty in my youth. Lol I was always in the ocean!

[yunseoxfmd]

« RS TASK # 1 ➸ CHANGES »

1. assuming your muse has changed in some way, be it internally or as a result of a change of the external factors around them, how is your muse different? these can be as small as an opinion on a song they hadn’t released previously or as big as a major change in their background. / wc : 321

suwei in essence hasn’t really changed. her biography up until her high school graduation is untouched. she still struggles with asthma and gad and she still trained in china. all her major changes involve her training and career.

instead of debuting after only a couple of months of training in a group with a solidified lineup she now debuted in the original lineup after a year of training. she obviously feels more prepared. she loves being an idol but that doesn’t mean she knows what she’s doing all the time. a year still isn’t ideal but it is better. and this time around she does feel closer to her members and now feels less like an outsider.

along with her training her group’s debut was also pushed back by a year. so instead of being in the industry for three years she’s only been in the industry for two. which means that her solo career is starting relatively early despite the small number of active years.

she is no longer the maknae, which has resulted in her becoming a fake maknae. before being maknae really played into her image. with the title of maknae no longer hers she now has to rely solely on her personality and talent. her personality isn’t a problem. and while yes she’s talented she knows she isn’t the best. she can still be seen as childish. the maknae is in a way expected to be childish and mischievous. she’s childish and naive in a lot of ways and can’t use the excuse of being the youngest.

she is now a main vocalist instead of a vocalist which means that she gets more lines. she isn’t necessarily happy with this fact. in version 2.0 suwei was happy with being just a vocalist and allowing her members to shine. now she has more importance and she can’t help but feel pressured. feelings of doubt are also prevalent.

2. what does your muse think of their company and their group? / wc : 257

suwei thinks highly of her company. really any company that debuted her would have made a good impression. after the failed attempt at her former company she auditioned with low expectations. she didn’t want to get her hopes up. but she was also being hopeful. it was a chance she had to take. and to her surprise she made it in. 

she respects choi yeongjin for who he is. he's her boss and she was raised to treat those in power with respect. she doesn’t really know him so she can’t really tell you how she feels for him in a personal manner. she gets along with staff members. and again she has respect for them. She listens to what they say and follows their directions when she needs to. She is probably closest with the makeup artists.she agrees with most of dimensions actions. 

andromeda made their debut almost a decade after calypso debuted. the only other girl group under dimensions. andromeda isn’t the group that she’d pick for herself. the concept just isn’t something she personally gravitated toward. but so far she’s liked all their title tracks. she’s glad to be given the opportunity. and is happy to have he main vocal position. although she doesn’t feel like she’s the best option. despite not being in love with the concept she actually really enjoys the music they’ve released so far. she doesn’t hate any title tracks, but some b-sides she’s not a huge fan off. but overall she’s okay with the direction andromeda is taking.

3. is your muse on their first contract or their second? if they’ve renewed, what were their feelings around that at the time and what were their hopes for their second contract? if they haven’t renewed, what are their current thoughts on the end of their eventual first contract? / wc : 317

andromeda is currently on their first contract. and it will be up for renewal in 2026. she has five years until she has to resign. and for her things are looking positive.

andromeda debuted a little over two years ago. she feels that isn’t a whole lot of time to base the next five years off of. andromeda since debut has released 8 singles and 7 mini albums.

two mini albums in 2019. thee mini albums and a repackaged album in 2020. and only two mini albums in 2021. each year varies so differently. there’s really no saying what’s to happen over the next five years. and all of its dependent on outside forces.

she’s still very much hopeful for the rest of the first contact. this year has offered the girls a break. and she’s hoping that means dimensions has some plans for next year. but next year may be just as busy as the year after their debut or continue to be slow.

despite how slow 2021 had been for andromeda she’s hopeful for the future. there is still plenty of time to gain the popularity they need to stay afloat. she wants to see the next contract, and will want to re-sign if given the chance. when she debuted with andromeda she made a promise to herself. to see this to the end. she’s been given this second opportunity to debut and she won’t waste it.

since it’s so far away she hasn’t put much thought into the possibility of not renewing the contact or disbanding before then. it’s a possibility she’d rather not think of. nor had she put in any thought into the possibility of her members not resigning.

she believes dimensions will do everything in their power to make that happen. and she hopes that dimensions continues this storytelling something they are known for. it’s unique and different. and that sells.

4. what are your muse’s goals and motivations? / wc : 297

suwei ultimately wants to live life to her standards. to make the most out of her situation. she just wants to be happy no matter what that entails. and she knows that it may change and she wants to be able to change with it.

she also wants to make others people happy. she can’t please everyone but she can try. and she’s learned to accept that’s all she can do. all she can do is try.

suwei in the end is in the business to make music. not necessarily to procure but to record. it’s to ultimately make a connection with fans. she loves putting fans first. she loves interacting with them anyway she can.

she eventually wants to make a solo career. she wants to release a single. maybe a mini album. if she’s lucky a full album. in the end she want to make her fans happy. she wants these to make an impact and spread a little joy. of she can make a difference in one persons life she’ll be happy. she’s hopeful but not set on it.

she wants to eventually write her own songs. she’s willing to progress slowly and learn first. she isn’t afraid to ask for her and she has a mentor that gives her the time and patience. one day she may write a song she gets to perform solo. to get dimensions to use her song as a title track for andromeda or really any group would make her feel proud.

she also wants to do more variety. it’s something she enjoys. she loves interacting and she gets to make other people happy. more guest appearances. to be able to have an extended guest appearance ideal. and again if she’s lucky she’ll get the opportunity to host.

5. what is one conflict, internal or external, that your muse is currently dealing with, has recently dealt with, or will need to deal with in the future? / wc : 340

as of right now suwei is still her in her honeymoon phase with being an idol. she has her rose colored glasses on and she doesn’t plan on taking them off anytime soon. but in the future her thoughts and opinion on being an idol will change. she is still very naive and sees the good in people. this may or may not change. but what will definitely change is her opinions on the company and the harsh realities of being an idol. eventually she will have eternal conflict. but first she must external conflict. conflict with other idols that don’t see eye to eye with her. seniors who simply feel she’s naive, or to innocents to be an idol. whether they mean to protect her or simply want to hurt her. and eventually conflict with the company. she’s going to agree less and less with their decisions. she’s going to question their ideas more. some events will occur that will simply change the way she sees the company and staff.

depending on andromeda’s career this may happen earlier. and eventually she’ll see their true nature. whether that’s through her own experience or the experience of one of her member or label mate. eventually this will lead to her questioning if being an idol if it’s as great as she made it out to be. and if the company deserves the respect she’s given them. currently the company hasn’t given her any reason to distrust them, but that will definitely change. they cosmonauts will given her a reason to distrust them and she’s going to struggle with this. she’s going to question everything she’s known.

and something that she’s currently struggling with is her sexuality. and while no she isn’t ashamed of it, she’s never had to question it before. but she can’t deny her feelings and she knows that she’s attracted to female as much as she is to males. and it’s taking her some time to realize this is okay despite what society has to say about it.

6. if your muse has established career claims, what are their thoughts on their career so far? if they do not, how do they feel about not having individual activities yet? what would they like to do in the future, if anything? if they don’t have ambitions for individual activities, explain why. / wc : 287

suwei made her first public appearance in quantum’s eternity music video as the female lead. at the time she was a trainee. and fans knew her face before they knew her name. she was thankful for the opportunity especially considering she’s never considered herself an actress. it was a very minor role and will be her only acting role. she wouldn’t be opposed to starting in another groups music video especially one outside of the company.

she made her first variety show appearance in 2020 on battle trip. it’s solidified a career for her in variety. it was well perceived. fans and non fans alike adored her. her personality shines through. she was simply made for variety.

in 2021 she collaborated with candy’s alice. they release a cover single of mi amor on may 13. it was her first time releasing music without andromeda. and she was glad to have alice with her. and a month later she released a duo cover for ceci korea with alice.

throughout the same few months she was also working on the colla3orate project. in june the single seoul was released.

she is grateful for every solo opportunity she’s had up to this point. she is proud of her accomplishments. a few years ago if you asked her if she’d ever debut she wouldn’t of been able to answer you. she really wasn’t sure with her failed attempt a couple of years ago.

she’d also feel grateful for any future solo activities she’s given. that could be a solo single or an ost. she’d be happy to get any variety show roles. it’s a big dream to host or co-host a show. to mv would also be something she’d like doing.

[path-of-my-childhood]

Taylor Swift : "My Life Had Totally Gone Out Of Control"

By: Benjamin Locoge for Paris Match Date: June 15th 2019

She is the biggest pop star in the United States at the moment. And she is no longer afraid to engage politically.

"I did not forget that you came to see me in Nashville when I was still in country music and when few people were interested in me.” 

Taylor Swift greets us with charm on Saturday, May 25th. For the past three years, the 29-year-old has broken all records in the music industry, from album sales, concert tickets to YouTube views. She's in Paris to talk about her new single, the first one from her upcoming album. But what she is most ready for is to tell her story and return to her exceptional career. With disarming simplicity.

"Me!", your new single, is a departure from the songs of your last album "reputation". Are you coming back to something more pop, more accessible? Absolutely. With this song, I wanted to give a glimpse into my new music. My previous album was a real departure in my career in terms of image and sound. I was in a different mood musically and personally. I am now coming back with something much more accessible so that my audience can understand this new direction.

What has happened in the last three years? "Reputation" was a dark and complicated record because I was going through a dark and complicated time. [She laughs.] I assure you, the next will be much brighter, even though it’s still emotionally complex. But I feel like I've been through a storm. So many inexplicable things happened in my life... I didn’t give interviews for three years just so that I didn’t have to answer questions about intimate things that I discussed in my songs. I was simply not able to do it at the time.

Why do you think that is? I have always written songs to express myself. The thing that has changed though is that there is now this frantic quest for more clicks on the Internet that results in words being taken out of context, misinterpreted and being repeated over and over. My life had totally gone out of control. The only way to regain control and stop it from spiraling out was to no longer appear in the tabloids and to shut up. And the only way to keep expressing myself was to do it only in songs. I was afraid that speaking to the media would end in headlines with three exclamation points... I wanted my life and my career to go in a different direction.

Yet since you started fifteen years ago, you have always had control over your career. For a long time, I did not know how to protect myself from paparazzi. Today, I know exactly how to go unnoticed, I have almost become like a secret agent who knows how to blend in the crowd. [She laughs]. But I never forgot who I am as a musician and a songwriter. If that is the only information the public has about me, that's fine. Whenever I’m photographed in certain clothes, or with my group of friends, or with a guy - I become an object of curiosity in a way that has nothing to do with my craft and profession. We live in a world where the number of clicks that you bring has become a measurement of popularity and fame. So, to draw interest only to my job, I had to only show what I do.

Do you think you are strategic? Absolutely. But even now, people don’t like to see women as business people or as being strategic. However, to build a career, you have to have at least some vision and ability to think long-term about what you are going to offer to the public. Otherwise, you can be swept away after couple of years. From my very first steps in music, I said that I wanted to do this job in fifteen years. I'm always here. I never gave up, even when I was tired, even when I was sick, I never canceled a concert.

Has this been at the expense of your privacy? I do sometimes wonder if I ever really existed outside of music. But when you think about it for a moment, where does the feeling of fulfillment come from? Social networks? I don’t think so. Newspaper headlines? Opinions about the clothes you wear? No. And if you're looking for some form of approval in all of these things, you'll soon be disappointed. I really do think I have managed to reconcile both, career and private life, despite all that we have just mentioned.

So where do you get that feeling of satisfaction? From my friends, people around me and from my family. I'm not an actress, I do not play serious roles that give me depth. I sing about the girl that I am, I express my emotions and tell my stories. I do not really distinguish between who I am in private and who I am as a person known to public. The only way to not go crazy is to not read all the articles about me. Not because I'm afraid of it, but simply to avoid questioning everything. A good article will make me think that my music is very much appreciated. But if a negative article comes out the next day, it will make me tremble. I do not need that anymore. I can instead spend a lot of time with my loved ones, those are the moments that the public doesn’t see. And it's nice to have those moments when no one talks about me. Because my life is the subject of so many comments...

Most of the articles about you usually talk about the records you keep breaking. That is very nice to hear. But I am very aware that what is happening is only a moment in my career. All of this will eventually slow down again. Have I reached my peak yet? I don't know. But that's what makes my job exciting. And if I only made music for the sake of numbers, I would probably be very unhappy.

Last year, you took a stand for the Democratic Party in the mid-term elections. Are you satisfied with the result? I was very happy to see how many of my fans responded. You know, politics is a world that did not interest me. We, the younger generation, need to be trained and educated on things as simple as "how to register to vote". I realized that our political system was very complex and that we needed to know it in order to make our voices heard. So, yes, I am delighted to have been able to get young people to vote for the first time.

You also spoke about some laws... Yes, because it is very important that the Equality Act [that’s currently being debated] is passed by the Congress and then by the Senate. These issues might be new to me, but as a citizen I believe these issues must be part of the public debate and supported by our administration.

Then, you are okay with being a voice of a new generation? Yes, of course. If my popularity allows me to bring attention to certain issues, it is my duty to do so. I did do it. And I am confident that I will continue to it. Because, frankly, the current political situation in the United States really seems to be going in the wrong direction...

After the attacks in Paris, Manchester and Las Vegas, you've talked about your fear of going on tour again. What made you decide to still do it? To give up is like handing a victory to the world of terrorism. And that is exactly what I did not want to do.

[wickymicky]

my top ten favorite kpop singles of 2021 so far: first quarter edition (january-march)

10. Pixy - Wings: I’m not as into this song as other people, but it’s grown on me, and I think they have a lot of potential. I did not expect a group called “Pixy” to have this dark of a concept haha, I like that. I like the choreo and overall performance of it too, I think that’s the highlight for me

9. G Idle - Hwaa: Not my favorite G Idle title track, but I do think it’s in the top half. It’s interesting to me that they did this song, since it is pretty much all in Korean, there’s no English whatsoever (the only English is a “yeah” at the beginning haha), which for a group like G Idle who has used a lot of English in the past and is very popular internationally is kind of a bold choice, and I’m into it

8. Ateez - Fireworks (I’m The One): I’m still not fully sold on Ateez’s direction post-Wonderland/Answer, with the “end” of their pirate concept (possibly, it seems complicated lol, idk, but you know what I mean anyway), but I do kinda like this song! It sounds kinda like... European lmao. Like I keep thinking I hear accordion in the drop, but idk maybe I’m just imagining things. I mean all that in a good way, btw. Like a good kind of European (if you can imagine such a thing)

7. Shinee - Don’t Call Me: As someone who only got into kpop in 2019, and didn’t even get into a single boy group for like 6 or 7 months (and even then, for a while I just had one single token boy group lol), Shinee isn’t a group that I had checked out much from until fairly recently. I’m still new here, I suppose lol. But yeah idk, this song is good! I love the production and their obvious charisma and talent. Like, I can tell even just from this song that their reputation is earned. It’s just a solid release

6. Purple Kiss - Ponzona: I do prefer Skip Skip, but I decided to limit this to singles and title tracks. I also prefer My Heart Skip a Beat (by a lot, actually), but that came out last year lol. This song has really been growing on me a lot though! Like, a lot actually. I like the violin, I think that’s a really interesting touch haha, I feel like that adds so much to the way the song sounds overall. Yuki’s rapping is impressive too, I like her flow in every song I’ve heard her in so far, especially since she writes her raps herself and Korean isn’t her native language. Honestly that’s one of the most impressive things about Purple Kiss... they seem to be involved in writing all of the things they do! That’s SO RARE for a group to do right from debut, especially for a girl group! I think that’s a great sign that things are changing, and girl groups are being taken more seriously and being allowed more creative freedom than ever before. Ponzona was literally a song written for a monthly evaluation when they were trainees. That’s really impressive. Skip Skip was too, but yeah lol. 

5. Pentagon - Do or Not: I mentioned that for a while I just had one token boy group that I liked, and that was Pentagon haha, they were my first. I like that this is a return to their fun sound, but in a different way... like, this song doesn’t sound anything like Shine or Naughty Boy lol. Pentagon are just really good at conveying passion in their songs and I think that shines through here too! I like the way the bass and percussion sound, that’s just quality mixing lol. I also love that even though it’s this kinda pop-punk-ish-doo-wop-ish kpop song, it still has a bit of sadness underneath the fun, which is something I think is a trademark of Pentagon’s style haha. But mostly, it’s fun

4. Tri.Be - Doom Doom Ta: The main reason I checked this out was because it was written and produced by LE from EXID, and you can really tell haha. In fact, her voice is in the song at certain points, and like... she has a really distinctive voice lol. Anyway this song is like a pretty hard commitment to this Latin/moombahton kind of sound, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that trend in kpop, but either way, I do think this song is a bop. I’ve had it on repeat way more than everything below this point, in fact all the songs in this top 4 I’ve had on repeat like an order of magnitude more than the songs from 5-10 lol. it’s been a slow beginning to the year. I don’t have a lot of specifics to mention here about Doom Doom Ta, I just think it’s an earworm 

3. Weeekly - After School: This was really highly anticipated for me, because I love their previous title tracks. Tag Me especially is a song I consider to be almost perfect, which is not something I say about very many songs at all haha. I personally don’t think After School is quite as good as Tag Me or Zig Zag, but I do really like it! It’s always good to get more fun, exciting, unashamedly catchy songs haha, it’s a breath of fresh air. I love this concept for them too, I think it fits them really well! They’re just a lot of fun. This mini-album, We Play, is my favorite of theirs so far too, though that doesn’t necessarily affect my placement of this song in particular

2. Cherry Bullet - Love So Sweet: God damn, this song is really good. It’s really simple, but that works to it’s advantage imo. I love that the background melody of the instrumental during the verse is the same as the vocal melody in the chorus (or at least very close), that’s just super satisfying. Ending the song with an extended “da da dadada da da” segment was a big risk too lol, that could have been annoying, but idk I think that really is one of the highlights of the song. This song feels like the kind of song where the songwriter came up with that melody and went “YES! this is IT! YESSSSS” and they knew they had come up with something really, really catchy, and they built the rest of the song around showcasing it. And it works!

1. Dreamcatcher - Odd Eye: This probably isn’t much of a surprise lol. But similar to After School... This isn’t my favorite Dreamcatcher comeback, and tbh I think it’s my least favorite of the Dystopia trilogy. But like... that’s still enough to make it my favorite song of the first quarter of 2021. It’s great, I love the way they do the cyberpunk concept and sound without going into the synthwave direction like Everglow La Di Da did. I love La Di Da a ridiculous amount, but I just mean that it’s nice to see variety even within a similar overall concept. Also! Handong is back! And she crushed it! In previous title tracks she and Gahyeon often got the least amount of lines by far, and the least amount of screentime and such, and Gahyeon definitely got times to shine during Scream and Boca and made it clear that she’s leveled up a lot, and I was really hoping that Odd Eye would be able to do the same for Handong (without sacrificing Gahyeon’s screentime and lines)... and yeah, it really was, lol. Handong was all over this song, and her voice reaaaaaally complements this sound. This group has no weak links, and obviously all of us already knew that, but now even the people who only casually listen to them know that without a doubt too.

idk... i’m not totally sure about this list but that feels mostly right to me i guess. I feel like Odd Eye is definitely my favorite so far, but to be honest I don’t feel like it’s the Song of the Year. like, if it had been released in 2020, I don’t think it would have made my top 10. If nothing better than Odd Eye comes out for the rest of the year then sure, it will be my SOTY haha, but idk, I just think that there hasn’t been anything *truly* great so far yet. And that’s okay... I’m very picky about this kind of thing. I don’t give high scores to things that don’t deserve it lol... and like in my opinion there were only 4 songs in 2020 that are the kind of near-perfect instant-soty song I’m talking about, and three of those four came out in the second half of the year. So the fact that I don’t think anything so far has been at that top level isn’t a bad thing, and isn’t really something I’m worried about. I think we definitely have not gotten the best songs of the year yet (unless everything else ends up sucking lol, but idk i hope thats not what happens...)

oh also there was an WJSN comeback today, and that would probably have been on this list, but I havent heard it yet because i was waiting until I finished writing this haha. like, since it came out on March 31st, tbh I’m just gonna count it as an April comeback, so i’m sure it’ll be in my list for the second quarter that i’ll post at the end of June lol. i mean, unless i dont like it. but i’ll probably like it haha.

[egle0702]

[TRANS] GQ June ‘20 - Wooyoung Interview

2PM Jang Wooyoung: “I lived hard like crazy”

2020.05.21 INTERVIEW

Wooyoung has blazed through life, but he also knows how to be quiet. That’s why he’s smart and strong. Like steel that has been repeatedly heated and cooled down.

You’re attentively monitoring during the shooting, has anything changed since you’ve been discharged from the military? My face hasn’t changed or anything like that. Rather than that, I’m just amazed. I had no idea I would be shooting a pictorial so soon after the discharge.

I suppose there must’ve been so many things you wanted to do. Every time I had some time off in the army, my head felt overwhelming. What should I do next? How should I live? All sorts of thoughts flooded in. In order to not have that time wasted, I transferred those thoughts and worries into written words. At first, there was a lot of embarrassing content, even for me. But it got better after a while. Aside from my future plans, I also looked back on my interpersonal relationships and my way of life. I thought whether I have lived well, whether I haven’t made mistakes when dealing with others.

I can feel your determination. In the army, there are a lot of kids who are younger than me. If I ask them about their worries, they would usually say: “You’ve already achieved everything, you don’t know how we feel.” We might come from a different starting point, but the fear of a beginning is the same. I’m more afraid compared to when I was 17 or 20 and just honestly ran towards my dreams.

You’re 32 now. In your opinion, what privilege does this age give you? Disregarding how you’ve spent your 10s and 20s, I think it gives you the chance to be kinder. You could say that you become mature. You become a better and stronger person when you look back at your past mistakes and experiences. If you add a drop of that 20s spirit into the mix, it’d be even better.

What was Jang Wooyoung like in his 20s? I was busy filling myself up, and then pouring everything out the moment I was full.

You’ve lived hard; after all, your work requires you to keep on showing something to the public. Generally speaking, I could divide my 20s into “before” and “after” by placing the mark on when I was 25. Right after the debut, I really lived and worked hard. Back then, there was a saying “killer schedule,” and the saying wasn’t a lie. I worked hard and was extremely busy, but I’m thankful for it. When else you’d be able to live like that. Compared to my efforts, the popularity achieved was great, I also made money. But once I turned 25; shall I call it adolescence? It was a mess. I wasn’t present in my life. I considered dropping everything and going back to my hometown in Busan.

But that didn’t happen. There’s only one thing that proves my existence; and that was the reason I pulled myself together. “I’m a member of 2PM, I cannot betray 2PM.” From that moment on, the meaning of “let’s live hard” changed. Making sure that I wouldn’t cause harm to others, I had fun, met a lot of people, and decided to learn a lot of things including drawing. Through feeling and experiencing as much as possible, I wanted to awaken the senses within me. I lived hard like crazy.

You expressed those feelings in the song “I like” that’s included in your 2nd solo album, right? 2PM, drawing, piano; you talk about the things you like, and then you say “I’m curious about everything in this world, I want to know, I scoot off.” True. I feel strongly about that song, but every time I listen to it, I can’t help but snort. I wonder whether I really should’ve been that honest with my lyrics. On the other hand, I wonder how hard it must’ve been. I feel sorry for Jang Wooyoung from that time.

What are you curious about these days? Laundry know-how. Haha.

I heard you say you’re into laundry in the video interview just now, too. I’m nurturing my daily life skills. I want to try and deal with things like laundry and cooking on my own, without any help.

Aren’t you curious why 2PM’s “My House” that was released 5 years ago is suddenly riding a new wave of popularity? It’s definitely something we’re thankful for. I think about it this way. 2PM as group never did anything by force. At first, we showed high level performances that could be practically carried out by young men in their early 20s. We danced, sang, and did acrobatic performances. Brimming with energy, we sang straightforward love songs. After that, we toned down on that power a bit. We began telling sad love stories with our eyes in love, and then we arrived at “My House.” Like a natural process of a brat growing into a mature and charismatic lover. I saw a comment that said “I’m sorry, I’ve become your fan just now,” but I’m actually thankful because it feels like these people have recognized the things 2PM have done in our natural flow.

It’s your 13th year since your debut. How does it feel when you hear that someone has just found out about 2PM? It’s only natural that someone doesn’t know us. The general flow of the trend changes really fast. The competition is also fierce, so you need put a lot of effort if you want to appeal to the masses. But then suddenly, we’re back into the spotlight through “My House.” In the middle of a hiatus no less. I think it’s a miracle.

Aside from “My House,” what other song comes to mind if you had to perform it again? I want to try and pour my entire soul into performing “Without U” that was released 10 years ago. I was responsible for the part where I had to make my singing feel like crying out loud, but back in the days I was the only one to lip sync because the situation with my voice go so bad, I even had vocal cord nodules. I’m still very disappointed I couldn’t perform it live.

2PM has reached the top, your skills were also acknowledged. How do you see yourself in the context of Korean music scene? Hmm, I can’t think of anything else than “Korean idols.” Our activities haven’t always been smooth, but I’m proud of it.

I heard that the meaning of your group’s name is the “hottest time of the day.” When was Jang Wooyoung the hottest? There was a concert in Germany in 2013, commemorating the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Germany. We performed together with senior Lee Mija. I was shocked when I saw her rehearsal. It’s already amazing that she’s still actively performing, but I could feel that she’s constantly striving to sing well. At that, I couldn’t help but freeze and promise myself “Jang Wooyoung, pull yourself together, and work hard.”

You’re the type who learns everything first-hand by experiencing it, right? I heard that you sought out senior Choi Baekho after watching his documentary to share your worries about music, even though you’ve never met him before. That was when I was going through that “adolescence” in my 20s. I felt consoled after watching senior Choi Baeho’s documentary, but there were still things I was frustrated about. So, I contacted him because I wanted to know how he managed to endure everything through his long years in the music scene. Here’s what he said during our first meeting: “My songs will keep on getting better with age. Just like the songs I sang in my 40s were more beautiful than the ones I did in my 30s, I’m heading towards being complete.” When I heard that, I felt like someone slapped me.

I think you can already give advice to someone who’s having similar worries. Have you ever experienced that? I have younger friends in Busan. We danced and dreamed of debuting together. It might sound selfish, but ever since my debut, I’ve never told them anything positive or hopeful about this line of work. When I passed the JYP audition, there was one young friend who cried together with me. Even to that friend, I said: “Can’t you please give up? I wish you didn’t suffer as much as me.” Back then it was really hard mentally and physically. Now my thoughts have changed. If you’re desperate and you’re confident that you will enjoy this constant fight with yourself, I would tell them to go for it. But I would like to tell them to come up with a wise approach to this because it’s easy to get tired and give up along the way.

You’re famous for having focused only JYP auditions. Do you still remember when you placed 1st at the 1st open audition? That must’ve been my 6th attempt to audition. Had I failed back then, I would’ve tried again. I sometimes watch the videos from that time, and I both like it and feel regret. Because the me on the screen looks somewhat tired. If I had allowed myself a little bit more freedom, stepped back and looked at the reality, I would’ve been a lot stronger kid.

What do you think you’ve done really well in life? That I’ve never calculated or analysed anything rationally in my relationships. I liked the other person without knowing anything about the world, and I suffered a lot when the relationship ended. I have my regrets, and I’ve also heard that it’s not a good way to approach a relationship, but someone like me just couldn’t help it. That experience made me into what I am today. I don’t regret it.

How important is love in life? If a person is of no. 1 importance, then love is no. 0. It’s a vague concept, I don’t even know if I can express love properly, but I can feel love through people.

It’s your birthday in 3 days, what would you imagine as a perfect gift? When I was serving, our company moved to a new building. The building is big, and the facilities got better. The practice rooms are also great. I wish I had my own personal space there, could be small too, where I could practice dancing all day long without bothering about others. For real.

So, shall we make an appeal? In your opinion, how much did 2PM contribute to JYP’s new company building? A lot, I think. It’s a 9-storey building, so I’d say around 4.5 floors?

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

CREDITS

·   Feature editor: Kim Youngjae

·   Photographer: Go Wontae

·   Hair: Yang Hyungshim at Yangyangsalon

·   Makeup: Kim Doyeon at Yangyangsalon

·   Editor: Heoram

 Source: GQ WEBSITE

Kor-Eng: Egle0702

[thehypotensivegrad]

A Story of Us (13/27)

Rise and Fall

The one thing that took most of her cranial space, however, were thoughts revolving one Chloe Beale, the way she made Beca feel, and what to do next.

She's had many discussions with Rhian the past few months after their Atlanta trip. There were so many things she had, admittedly, failed to consider or even think about it. Beca threw herself at work to quiet down some of the thoughts that troubled her the most, but she had to admit that Rhian had a point.

"I really hope you'd end up being the exception, Beca. Your talent deserves that," she remembered Rhian saying, followed by all the other things that told Beca what it was that Rhian was indirectly asking her.

A simple question, one that, in the end, might force her to choose between two options.

To the realization of her dreams, the one she's chased her whole life, or the love of her life.

It was a stupid question that, if Beca lived in a perfect world, she wouldn't have to answer. To be honest, Beca didn't really care much about the fame. She just wanted to make music, do the thing she loves the most, and make a big enough name for herself to secure herself financially so she can keep doing said thing she loves.

After the USO tour, Beca had to make a few adjustments. Her previous job had allowed for her to know a bit of the game behind the industry a little better than if she would have made an abrupt change to her life, but working as an artist along with being a music producer opened her eyes to the insane intricacies of the industry. All the controlled details, manipulated scenes and stories that affected the lives of artists. Stuff she absolutely hated, and thankfully managed to avoid for the most part thanks to having a good team of people who respected her talents. Theo would also remind her to thank her talent from time to time, whenever she would reflect on it.

She could handle it. Beca knew she could. Whatever fallout happens, she could take it. The real question was, if for some reason she does get her wish to be with her, would Chloe?

The paparazzi were handled for the most part. Times have changed a bit, and artists were chased after less than before. For the most part, they're the ones calling the paparazzi - staging pap walks when needed for publicity's sake - creating a more symbiotic relationship with the usually pesky photographers. Sure, there were still some who would hide and chase a celebrity down, try and sell their photos to the celebs before the magazines first, but thankfully Beca has never had to deal with one of those types in the last five years.

The fans? That would be tricky. It wasn't impossible to keep private life, well, private. Beca's done well with that so far. But that's mostly because her love life was mystery to most. She doesn't want to come to a point though were she can't hold Chloe's hands while walking down the streets should people spot them. Social media was battlefield – comments, hot takes, opinions, forums, and all. There's the good and the bad, with people not really realizing how much their words could be used as weapons. There was a reason why Beca had let Rhian take charge. Beca had to adapt quickly, grow a thick skin, and thankfully she found good people by her side to help her. But could Chloe truly handle it? The endless intrusion, the trolls, and the highly opinionated hypocrites?

The execs in the industry? A number of them truly belonged to the dark side of this world. Beca already knew what Rhian said was true; a good chunk of them were controlling conservative jackasses who only cared about profits and had really good publicists. She's been able to handle herself well, but her label right now might drop her, or let her rot on a shelf of unreleased albums and singles if they start worrying about her "image." They might even refuse to work with her, blacklist her from others until she fades into obscurity, not wanting to lose out on potential profits they could make if they weren't too concerned about the trivial matters of her private life and how it could affect their business. They were her main concern. She still had one album in contract with them that she's been finalizing, and talks of signing a new contract have been opened, but Beca's been delaying the decision, wanting to explore her options. She loved her job, that she got to make music the way she always dreamed of, but she hated the rules and stipulations behind them all. She wanted a bit more freedom. Then of course there was the politics behind it all, something Beca absolutely detested but learned to handle.

Rhian had a point. There was a reason why some of the really popular, award-winning artists had long lists of ex-lovers and rumors about their relationship status. Most of which were untrue. Scripted. Pre-planned beards and covers for the truth they lived behind closed doors.

Beca doesn't want that. Chloe doesn't deserve that.

But she was getting ahead of herself.

Beca's been keeping a checklist in her head for now, working twice as hard to lay the ground work for her plans and find the balance in her life that she craves. She had to be prepared. She knew what it was she wanted the most.

Hopefully her anxiety from the uncertainty of all that she's scheming about doesn't get her before she pulls it off.

Continue the chapter at https://archiveofourown.org/works/29141841/chapters/72335352

or https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13808923/13/A-Story-of-Us

[modestmuses-a]

the positive & negative :    mun & muse  /  fill out & repost .

EKKO

MY MUSE IS :    canon  /  oc  /  au  /  slightly canon - divergent / fandomless / complicated 

i try to stay mostly close to ekko’s canon but i also have a fuckton of aus for him including some real self-indulgent bullshit that isn’t even on his verses page. if you want me to make a new au for ekko to fit him into a different skin line or something, i’ll probably do it tbh.

IS YOUR CHARACTER POPULAR IN THE FANDOM ?    YES  /  NO / I DON’T KNOW 

IS YOUR CHARACTER CONSIDERED HOT™ IN THE FANDOM ?  YES /  NO  /  IDK

for better or worse. when “giants” first came out, i had more ekko smut on my dash than i ever cared to see.

IS YOUR CHARACTER CONSIDERED STRONG IN THE FANDOM ? YES  /  NO  /  IDK

i can tell you what i think of ekko’s strength, and i can tell you that... it isn’t much. he’s not the most adept fighter in the series, and most of the time, he wins fights by cheesing them with time travel. in my thread with @uncaged-bloodhunter​ ekko would be DEAD four times over by now if not for the zero drive.

however, i haven’t seen much fandom opinion about his strength? i’m going to go out on a limb and say most people probably don’t find him very strong bc? i don’t see a lot of people saying that but. who knows.

ARE THEY UNDERRATED ?   YES  /  NO  /  IDK

canon-wise, fandom-wise, and on this blog, ekko gets a lot of attention, which i’m not complaining about. he’s a fav.

WERE THEY RELEVANT FOR THE MAIN STORY ? YES  /  NO  /  IDK

he is important around zaun, but considering he won’t LEAVE that place, i doubt we’ll see him achieve much relevance in the bigger overarching conflicts in the league universe anytime soon.

WERE THEY RELEVANT FOR THE MAIN CHARACTER ? YES /  NO  /  IDK

if league did have a main character, i’m sure he would never meet them unless they were from piltover or zaun lol

ARE THEY WIDELY KNOWN IN THEIR WORLD ?   YES  /  NO  /  IDK

around piltover/zaun, all the academics are trying to get him to sit down with them, but overall? nah. if he went anywhere other than piltover or zaun, they would have no fucking idea who he was.

HOW’S THEIR REPUTATION ?    GOOD  /  BAD  /  NEUTRAL

pilties HATE him! click to find out why!

no, but in seriousness, around zaun, his reputation is quite good as one of the few decent souls in the city. but in piltover, he’s just another thuggish troublemaker on a spree of petty crimes, as if zaun doesn’t already have enough of those...

HOW STRICTLY DO YOU FOLLOW CANON ?

shrugs. i don’t actively think about adhering to canon with every thread i write, of course, but i do think i have a pretty good handle on his character so.

SELL YOUR MUSE !( try to list everything that makes your muse interesting to make them spicy for your mutuals ) 

he is a nice sweet boy who WILL adopt every single child and will go out of his way to help those in need. he also has plenty of spunk and a real get-up-and-go kind of personality, he’s not the kind of person who likes just “hanging around” so he’s a perfect companion for someone who likes to get out and adventure as long as you don’t go outside of piltover/zaun. he’s very loyal and will stick up for his friends, even when it would be more convenient to sell them out. and of course, he’s willing to call authority figures out on their bullshit and doesn’t sit back and passively watch injustices happen.

NOW THE OPPOSITE !(  list everything why your muse could not be so interesting . even if you may not agree. what does the fandom perhaps think ?  )

he’s got abandonment issues up to HERE, and because of that, he is c l i n g y. if he gets attached to you in any way, he will NOT let you go. he will NOT get over you. he will probably keep trying to worm his way back into your life for months or YEARS because he just doesn’t know how to deal with being left.

furthermore, he represses every negative emotion he has ever felt because he feels like his problems are trivial compared to other people’s so he bottles that shit right on up like cheap cough-syrup-tastin’ whiskey. he holds onto a LOT of resentment - at piltover, at the chembarons, at himself, at the world - and because he doesn’t allow himself to DO anything with said resentment, he’s a ticking time bomb (pun fully intended). i do have... timelines... where all that internalized hostility blows up in a really messy way. and by messy, i mean bloody.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO RP YOUR MUSE ? 

around the time i first started getting into league, a bitch was going through it. we were pretty destitute and received an eviction notice, and i had to work my ass off to keep us from losing our apartment. it was a very depressing time for everyone involved. but then i found ekko, this boy who had even less than i did but made the most of it, who always found some way to make the day better. writing him became very cathartic for me because it allowed me to take something positive away from what was one of the worst years of my life.

WHAT KEEPS YOUR INSPIRATION GOING ? 

punk rock music, haha! especially that of billy talent. their whole dead silence album is pretty ekko, but they have a lot of bangers that remind me of him scattered across all their albums. we deserved punk rock ekko and instead we got fucking true damage because riot didn’t wanna get political, i guess. smh.

some more personal questions for the mun . give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters , which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not .

DO YOU THINK YOU GIVE YOUR CHARACTER JUSTICE ?   YES  /  NO  /  IDK                      

DO YOU FREQUENTLY WRITE HEADCANONS ? YES /  NO  /  IDK

i kind of only address headcanons as they come up. very occasionally i will drop a few for a new muse just so that people get a better feel for who they are before writing them but... yeah written headcanons are pretty few and far between here. it’s really not even worth me having a headcanon banner lmao

DO YOU SOMETIMES WRITE DRABBLES ?    YES  /  NO  /  IDK

i would like to, but writing my replies here kind of sucks up most of my time!

DO YOU THINK A LOT ABOUT YOUR MUSE DURING THE DAY ? YES /  NO  /  IDK

ARE YOU CONFIDENT IN YOUR PORTRAYAL ? YES  /  NO  /  IDK

too confident some might say, but those people would be silly fools

ARE YOU CONFIDENT IN YOUR WRITING ?   YES  /  NO  /  IDK  

ARE YOU A SENSITIVE PERSON ?   YES /  NO  /  IDK

sometimes i get anxiety about stupid shit but i try and often fail to be secure

DO YOU ACCEPT CRITICISM WELL ABOUT YOUR PORTRAYAL ?

nope, i ain’t changing a thing. i’m the best ekko on this site, and you are free to disagree with that because everyone is entitled to their wrong opinion, but my askbox is closed to those kinds of complaints. :)

DO YOU LIKE QUESTIONS , WHICH HELP YOU TO EXPLORE YOUR CHARACTER ?

yeah, sure, although i understand why people don’t send them because i often draw blanks on what to send without somebody reblogging a headcanon meme or something. if you just reblog “send my character questions on anon!” i’m probably not gonna do it bc i have no idea what kinds of questions would even be relevant or helpful for you.

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES TO A HEADCANON OF YOURS , DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY

nah, everyone can do what they want. i usually won’t follow people if i don’t agree with their headcanons, but i’m not about to get all up in somebody’s business about it.

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES WITH YOUR PORTRAYAL , HOW WOULD YOU TAKE IT ?

again, wrong opinion, but you’re allowed to have it and you’re also allowed to SMASH that unfollow button.

IF SOMEONE REALLY HATES YOUR CHARACTER , HOW DO YOU TAKE IT ?

who hates ekko of all people, first of all? but second of all, i don’t care. just don’t get in my dms about it ‘cause i’ll block you. i’m not really interested in somebody bashing one of my muses to my face.

ARE YOU OKAY WITH PEOPLE POINTING OUT YOUR GRAMMATICAL ERRORS ?

shrugs. yeah, i guess. i usually leave other people’s grammatical errors alone as long as i can read their stuff.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE EASY GOING AS A MUN ?

yeah i think so. i try to be, anyway. i like to make ooc friendships bc i find it way more satisfying and easy to write with friends. although i sound a little bitchy in parts of this, it’s mostly jokes for exaggeration effects.

tagged by: @bikmui

tagging: @storiestotell (akutagawa), @bystcrdust, @dimensionaljumper (for eliza ‘cause i always send stuff for scribe lol)

[a-silent-symphony]

Metal behemoths Nightwish: “David Attenborough wrote to personally decline appearing on our album”

The arena-filling group's golden-lunged singer Floor Jansen talks album nine, Swedish lockdown and why the world's greatest conservationist turned them down

With the exception of maybe Rammstein – and we’re only quantifying this statement because they own flamethrowers and we do not – no band in European metal can rival Nightwish for their popularity in mainland Europe.

Formed in Kitee, Finland in 1996 by top hat-wearing keyboard player Tuomas Holopainen, the band welcomed Dutch-born singer Floor Jansen in 2012, by which point they were seven records into their career. The addition has seen the symphonic metal band become bigger, grander, more expressive and increasingly ambitious. She’s such a force that she’s become a Dutch TV personality, appearing on the musical talent showcase Best Zangers.

Their recent ninth record, the infuriatingly stylised ‘Human. :II: Nature.’, is their first double-release, the second half featuring lush orchestral music over the band’s core metal. Listen to album highlights ‘Harvest’, ‘How’s The Heart?’ and ‘Noises’ – rarely has a modern metal band’s music been infused with such power and glory. Tellingly, despite being released within the very centre of storm COVID-19, the record entered the charts of Finland, Spain, Switzerland and Germany at Number One.

With that in mind, we decided to check in with one of Europe’s favourite heavy metal bands. Your guide for the duration will be Floor Jansen and her massive lungs. She will roar and you will quiver…

Hello Floor. Can I tell you what I really like about the new Nightwish album? There’s so much misery and ugliness everywhere right now, and yet your record is so ornate, grandiose and – dare I say it – hopeful…

“We were definitely going for that. There are so many different instruments on the record and so many different parts. Nightwish is quite complex music, really, and so it was important for us to have real emotion in the songs; something that cut through everything. The dynamics were really important to us. The songs needed space. Sometimes what you don’t put into a song is as important as what you do. There are nine songs on this record and eight orchestral suites. Without dynamics it would have been a very relentless listen.”

Can we go way back? I don’t think it’s any exaggeration to say that your voice is properly, brilliantly amazing. When did you realise you could sing like that?

“I guess when I was a teenager. There was a school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and I auditioned. I didn’t get a very important part in it. You know how it is – the popular kids get all the best parts and that wasn’t me. But even just being stuck in the background, I absolutely loved it. I didn’t know I was any good, though. I was pretty badly teased at school, so my confidence was quite low.”

Do you want us to fuck someone up? Why were you teased?

“I was taller than everyone else and my dialect was different. I was just… different.”

Do you think that experience has had any lasting impact on you?

“I do… but, to be honest, only really positively. I can’t say I look back fondly at those years and certainly not at the people who were doing that, but I do think I stand on more stable legs in adulthood because of it. I don’t want my daughter [three-year-old Freja] to have to go through that, though.”

Do you ever have the classic revenge scenario where you’re standing onstage in front of thousands and thousands of people screaming your name and think, ‘Well, I won, didn’t I?’

“All the time. Especially now I’m on this Dutch TV show that has really increased my popularity in the Netherlands. I sometimes wonder if those people would even remember me and I don’t spend that much time thinking about them. You have to live for yourself – I’m almost 40, y’know!”

Tell me more about the TV show. I love the name! Beste Zangers!

“It translates as Best Singers! It’s not a contest or anything like that. It’s a collection of singers of different styles and backgrounds who sing each other’s music to one another, or collaborate on cover versions of songs that have inspired us. It’s a really nice show, and all about a love of music. It’s prime-time Saturday night television and it’s completely changed my life! It’s really benefited Nightwish too. We were already doing well in Holland and playing arenas, butt it’s definitely increased our profile, which is brilliant for me after 24 of nobody in my home country paying me any attention!”

The new Nightwish record was released on April 10, making you one of a tiny number of bands who can attest to the realities of releasing an album at the epicentre of a global pandemic. How has that been?

“We were one of the very first bands who had to cancel a tour. We were actually supposed to start in China. I should be there right now. Very early on we realised that the tour wasn’t going to happen, even though the illness was at that point contained in one continent. Then the global fuck-up that resulted in an illness becoming a pandemic happened. I still can’t believe that it has happened, really. It feels so incredibly unnecessary…”

I’m detecting you have an opinion about how this has all played out? You live in Sweden, right?

“I do. I emigrated five years ago, from Holland.”

Sweden’s approach to handling the virus has been very liberal – there’s been no mass lockdown, as there has been in elsewhere in the world. Do you think they took the right approach?”

“Partly. At the same time, I’m not a scientist, so what do I know? It’s all about following the science.”

I’d like to remind you that there’s a species of beetle named after you. Last year scientist Andreas Weigel named the newly discovered insect Tmesisternus floorjansenae. It’s fair to say you have more scientific credibility than almost any other heavy metal singer…

“Okay – well, in lots of ways the Swedish approach makes sense to me. Sweden is a big country with not that many people. It makes sense to me that the approach would be different to in the UK or back in Holland. Then again, a big city is a big city, whether it’s in Sweden or anywhere, and if people from the cities start moving away then I think we have to be careful. During Easter there were people everywhere near where I live, on the Gothenburg side of the country, next to the sea. Sweden is a big enough country that there’s enough space for people not to be locked down – but you head to a touristy place anyway? That I don’t get. It’s stupid.”

Speaking of space – you’re married to Hannes Van Dahl, the drummer in military history obsessed, Swedish metal titans Sabaton. Onstage he plays his drums sat inside the cockpit of a tank. I presume you have badass military stuff lying all around your house?

“Oh, everywhere. All over the house.”

Really?

“No!”

I heard that you have horses, though. It doesn’t seem fair to me that you’re allowed to have horses, but your husband can’t have a battleship in the garden…

“Oh, he doesn’t mind. Horses are nicer than war. I have two – Lily, named so after my mum, and Auri, named after my bandmates’ Tuomas [Holopainen] and Troy [Donockley]’s side project – and also a character from The Kingkiller Chronicle series of fantasy novels by Patrick Rothfuss.”

I think it’s fair to say that you’re not the only member of Nightwish that bloody loves nature. The band just teamed up with the conservation charity the World Land Trust. Tell me about that…

“They’re a great organisation. The video for the last song on the album, ‘Ad Astra’, was filmed in conjunction with them. They work to preserve our planet by buying up areas of land and preserving them. I think it’s hypocritical that we’re telling Brazil that they need to save their rainforest when European’s have absolutely decimated their own. But at the same time, we really do need to save the rainforest or we’re facing a climate crisis. The World Land Trust works with governments to find alternative financial outlets for local people to stop logging and deforestation. You can’t just say to people, ‘Stop doing this’. You need to consider the human impact, then the environmental one. We found out about them via David Attenborough being a patron…”

Please tell me he’s a fan…

“We tried to get him to speak on the album. We wrote him a letter and he wrote one back, declining, but it was very impressive that a man of his stature would write personally to us and explain that he just didn’t have the time right now.”

You can’t like all animals, Floor. There must be one you’d like to see eradicated from the face of the earth…

“No! I love all of them. I love cats. I love dogs. I love birds in all their splendour!”

C’mon…

“Okay, okay… I don’t really like snails. We grow vegetables and they eat my crops. They’re disgusting. I don’t wish them death, though! I just wish they’d go somewhere else!”