#should I do a live album version of this??? they have so many live albums I’m realizing

[shaniacsboogara]

jojo siwa claiming she's revitalizing gay pop and releasing 'karma' on the same night as conan gray's 'found heaven' and chappell roan's 'good luck babe' is so poetically ironic. it's like the universe WANTS to draw a comparison between jojo and queer pop artists.

the thing that makes queer pop compelling as a genre is the unique storytelling and experiences of queer artists told through their music. that doesn't necessarily mean every song by a queer artist has to be about their queerness. they don't have to scream "hey i'm gay!" in every single song they write. but claiming to be "reinventing gay pop" should mean you're telling interesting stories about your queer experience, right???

'found heaven' by conan gray is about growing up as a queer kid with religious guilt and disapproving parents. he equates being in love in an authentic way to "finding heaven", and the piece as a whole resonates with a TON of queer people in different stages of their lives. some people can look back at their childhoods and how much they've grown since then, some can relate because they're currently going through what conan's written about, and some people can sympathize with the way some queer people are treated, even if they aren't necessarily queer themselves.

'good luck babe' is a song about queerness and compulsory heterosexuality. chappell sings about a woman she was in a relationship with who decided to settle down in a conventional marriage despite being queer. the song reflects the denial a lot of queer people go through (specifically regarding the lesbian experience) and the unfortunate way a lot of them end up repressing who they are to conform to societal standards. it's fun, it's campy, but its message is still poignant.

as for karma… there's nothing inherently queer about that song. the music video for the original version, ‘karma’s a bitch’ by brit smith, featured a heterosexual storyline. jojo buying the rights to a song she didn't write isn't inherently a bad thing, a lot of mainstream artists do that all the time. however, if you're claiming to be a pioneer of the “gay pop” genre and your music doesn't reflect any queer themes or experiences, is it really “gay pop”? again, queer artists don't have to write exclusively about their queerness, but if you try to present yourself as a voice for the queer community without telling any of their stories, you're not going to be lauded as some revolutionary figure. if any of the songs on jojo’s album are actually about her experience as a lesbian or contain any queer themes, then i think she'd qualify as a “gay pop” artist. but so far, she's given us a faux edgy, generic pop song and tried to market it as some insane never-been-done-before feat. and honestly, if her entire album is like this and she continues to market herself this way, it's a slap in the face to all the genuine artists and storytellers in the queer community.

but let's stop talking about jojo siwa and start talking about the incredible queer artists who are truly breathing life into the "gay pop" genre: chappell roan, renee rapp, ben platt, conan gray, girl in red, kevin atwater, baby queen, mitski, clairo, dodie, and SO MANY MORE (feel free to add on some of your favourites because there are so many wonderful artists out there <3)

also: if you have a different perspective on this situation i would absolutely love to hear what you think and if you agree / disagree with this! i love discussing topics like this so feel free to reblog with your own take

[nex-ture]

5 star Hsr characters' reactions to you getting them a gift for Christmas!

I have 30+ reqs I should be doing instead of this, but I really love hsr and hi3 right now, so we have to cope.

Do yall want a 4 star version?

Fugue is still learning to live her life as a "new person," so when you hand her a box, she is taken aback. She wasn't able to get you anything. Are you sure it's okay if she has this? As she opens it, you can see a small light spark, taking the new and beautiful clothing out slowly and holding them to her body, as a small smile sneaks across her face.

"Thank you Y/N, I'm sure you thought about this greatly."

Christmas is not new to Sunday. It felt more like a penacony tradition than a holiday to him. So when you returned his present with one of your own, he seemed surprised but beyond happy. Opening the gift to see a Robin album that was compatible with the music player of the express, he swears he almost cried.

"I can use this in the train car, right? I'm delighted."

On Acherons home planet, Christmas was not a very popular holiday, but that doesn't mean they didn't gift each other still. Acherons hands slowly open the box you've handed her. A new sword cover for her blade, it's decked in red and white, standing out from her purple and black outfits.

"You put a lot of effort into this, I appreciate that, Y/N."

Argenti has always valued beauty above all else, beauty in looks and personality combined. His gift was nothing less than beautiful, but yours was nothing less of gorgeous. Hair clips, earings, and new sets of jewels, he could've sworn your reflection, made them even more beautiful, however. You must be a dependent of idrila herself.

"These radiate a dazzling glow of beauty, though they could not compare to you or idrila."

Living in his own version of Hell, Aventurine was not used to many christmas customs. Sure, he and his sister celebrated together, but presents were never involved. So he showed genuine shock when you handed him a gift, he had the money now, he could simply get it himself. Yet he was surprised to see the gift was a small drawing of his sister in it.

"Is this...hah, of course, thank you, Y/N."

As the new higher elder among the Vidyadhara, Bailu was jam-packed busy. But she always had time to talk to her favorite sibling! She considered all her friends and family as siblings, and you were no different. She enjoyed every present she was allowed to open on Christmas, but yours was her favorite. Ripping open the paper to see jewelry for her horns and tail. She just might be the prettiest high elder to date.

"WAOHH, NO WAY, Y/N HELP ME PUT IT ON, AND WE CAN SHOW EX HIGH ELDER DAN HENG!"

Black Swan was accustomed to all holidays and walks of life, Christmas happened to be one of her favorites, cause you always went out of your way to get her something sweet. Her hands gratefully took the gift you've given her, a new set of tarot cards? You shouldn't have. She'll have to add them to her collection.

"You must be the sweetest thing to grace me with such a gift, I'll be sure to use them on you later."

Blade is not one for celebration, but if it interests the rest of Stellaron Hunters, he can play along. Opening the last gift to himself as everyone watches. It was a small trinket from the Luofu, a place he is banned from stepping foot on again. Though it may bring back agonizing feelings, it gives him hope that one day, all sins will be purged, and those who deserve it will understand freedom.

"I don't understand your thoughts process, but your gifts are appreciated."

A refugee on the run, like Boothill, spending Christmas with someone else? Likely story. But still, he's glad he gets to spend this day with what little family he has left. Opening the gift to see a new, classic revolver. He's over the moon excited and already showing it off in battle.

"FUDGE YEAH, WE GOTTA GO FOR TEST DRIVE NOW, GORGEOUS."

The new Supreme Guardian, Bronya, seems to be holding a big celebration for the Christmas season, and you're right by her side. Opening her gift to see a collection of items left behind my her deceased mother, Cocolia. Tears fall from her eyes as she thanks you profusely.

"I wish she was still here, even after everything. Thank you for your thought."

Svarog and Clara awaited your appearance for Christmas time. When you come with multiple gifts in your hand, Clara is beyond excited. Opening up her new toys and clothes as she shows each off to Svarog. Thanking you and Santa Claus for such thoughtful gifts.

"Mr Svarog, Santa got me light up shoes! I've seen kids in the overworld wearing things like this!"

"Yes, Saint Nick must have marked you as nice this year."

Dan Heng has always been very to himself for the most part. He isn't one to openly talk about his feelings or the things he likes, but when you gave him a portable data bank, he might just have seen stars. He loved being able to learn more about the world and the things around him, and now he doesn't have to go back to the express just to study the things he likes? Maybe this'll give him a reason to sleep in his actual room for once!

"Thank you, Y/N, I'll be sure to put this to very good use."

With most days spent traveling and figuring out new things in the world, Dr. Ratio is not one for celebration, but he won't reject your wantings to celebrate. When you handed him new electric stationary, he was satisfied. It was something he'd felt the need to replace for a while but never got around to it. It turns out you listen well.

"My sincere appreciation, you'll have to help me later."

Rushing out of her house to meet up with you before a big celebration held on the LuoFu ship. Seeing you as her fave lights up, but what's this in your hand? Alcohol!? You know her so well! You'll definitely be drinking with her tonight. Feixiao cannot wait a second more.

"Is this for me!? Let's invite the other generals over and party!"

Another Stellaron Hunter down for a celebration. Firefly is beyond excited to celebrate the holiday with you. And in the corner of your eye you can see her giggling as Kafka puts the new hair bow you bought her, in her hair. Just cause she's a fighter doesn't mean she can't also look pretty doing it.

"AHH, does it look good? I have to wear it on our next mission"

Fu Xuans' work was busy, but she always foresaw time with you, but she didn't see this gift coming. As she opened it, she saw nothing but letters singing her praises. She giggled and smiled as she read all the sweet words you wrote, saying nothing but kind things about her.

"Do you really mean this? Thank you Y/N, I'll have to step up next year."

Hard working was one word anyone would use to describe Gepard. But that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a break sometimes. Waiting for him at his family house to celebrate with his sisters seems to be the best gift he got this year, but you gifting him his very own helmet, one that stood out from the rest of the guards? He was over the moon excited.

"For me? Are you serious? This is incredible!"

Himeko, navigator of the express, she was stoked to celebrate christmas with the express, her family. So when her gift to you was nothing less of an engagement ring. Tears fell from her eyes. Her biggest dream was to get married, and she was now going to be living out that dream with the only person she wanted to love? This might be the best day of her life.

"What...yes, I will marry you 100 times over and in every universe.."

HuoHuo was used to spending Halloween with tail and the other judges, but when you offered to join, she was over the moon! She opened her gift to see treats for Tail and a sweet treat for her. She felt so bad that you went out of your way to get her something she liked so much, and even something for tail! If you ask Tail, she definitely cried.

"WAHH, THANK YOU SO MUCH Y/N, ME AND TAIL ARE SO GREATFUL."

Christmas was Jades favorite holiday. It was a day of money maming to her and giving gifts to people she needed to show care for. Your gift to her came to a surprise. You went out of your way to buy her something? How cute. It was a new pen collection, but it was still adorable to her, even if it did seem small.

"Thank you, sweetheart, but I'm sure you'll like my gift much more."

A top chef/medic like Jiaoqiu? He might just be the easiest to shop for. All he's wanted were new kitchen gadgets, and that's what you have provided. Even though this is what he asked for, for Christmas, he's still happy that you went out of your way to listen and buy these things. Jiaoqiu might be the luckiest Foxian on any Xianzhou ship.

"New pots and pans? It appears someone had their listening ears on."

General of the LouFu, Jing Yuan, is very excited about the Christmas festival. The ship is hosting, but he is much more excited to celebrate with you. So when you gift him a painting of his long lost and nearly forgotten friends, he knows tears will fall soon. The image of Dan Feng, Yingxing, Baiheng, Jingliu, and Jing Yuan standing tall in their youth brings him sadness and bliss.

"You must tell me where you got this done and how. This is wonderful."

Jingliu, currently banned for the LuoFu for past crimes, she does not have many people to celebrate this day with, but you're more than enough. When you gift her your time and you grace, that seems like more than enough for her. A day to stop moving around the cosmos on the hunt for the Aeon of abundance. Give her the time she needs, for this is one of her only days off in the year.

"I find gifts utterly pointless when I'd much rather spend the day with you."

The Stellaron Hunters celebration continues as Kafka opens up her gift. She's delighted to see new clothes and accessories you and the other hunters chipped in to buy for her. It feels as if she's throwing a whole fashion show the minute she gets her hands on them. She swears Christmas is her favorite holiday because she gets to spend it with you, but you swear it's cause she knows she'll get new clothes.

"This dress is gorgeous, I'm sure you all want to see me in it now, right?"

The cauldron master makes her appearance for this Xianzhou celebration. Hand in hand with you, as you hand Lingsha a gift during the festivities, she's delighted to see a plush bunny keychain. You must be paying close attention to her whenever she works her abundance magic.

"Is this what you got me? You're such a sweetheart."

Luocha, a traveling merchant from worlds far out, traveling around the world makes it very difficult to buy gifts, no? But for him, it must be worth it. As you gifts...pieces of Tayzzyronths, the Aeon of propogations body. He is ecstatic to see he has new parts to add to his collection within the coffin. Jingliu might be over the moon to hear about this, too. This will ensure their victory against the Aeon of Abundance.

"Is this what I think it is? How long have you been hiding such a vital piece from me? Never mind that, this must call for celebrating. Be a dear and call Jingliu for me. We have much to discuss."

Rappa views Christmas as a battle. A battle to who can gift the best gift. Her idea of a gift was to write you a song, and yours? Gifting her new DJ gear. This works out perfectly, maybe now she can play your special song on an even better set up! Wait...don't tell me that means you've won!?

"Hell yeah, Dazzling Ninja, aka Rappa, thanks you for your gift. But know this is not the end!"

Robin always seems to be busy, but she's never too busy for you on Christmas! This is one of her only days off. Please say you'll join her in the dream to celebrate! She ecstatic when she see's your gift to her is a song you wrote yourself. She thinks music is one of the most beautiful things, and the peep hole into a persons heart. You must love her more than she knows.

"You wrote this for me!? Y/N I might cry, this is wonderful!"

Ruan Mei is usually stuck in her lab working on the revival of Aeons, maybe even making herself on Aeon. Though it's always a delight when you visit her, dropping off food and goodies this holiday season. Her smile grows as you stay behind to talk to her and watch her work her Ruan Mei magic. She was never one for big celebrations, but she always loves hanging out with you.

"Thank you for your time this evening. You're always free to come back."

Taking care of the undercity is not an easy job, but Seele manages to get it done with the help of you and Bronya. Hopefully, one day, all their hard work will finally mean something. Until then, a festival held in both the under and over city is so surprise. Seeles praying you'll ask her to go, and when you do, gifting her gold, she thinks she might cry. One day, all this work will amount to everything.

"For me? No, you should keep it for yourself, time's are tough....Thank you, Y/N"

The final Stellaron Hunter on this list and the biggest party thrower, Silver Wolf! It's no surprise her gift is game related, but she still can't help but be excited about all the new things she'd going to play. Bragging to Blade and showing off her toys, even if he doesn't seem to care all that much. She knows his nods and your smile are enough validation.

"NO WAY, I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS, JUST HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO GET YOUR HANDS ON IT."

The masked fool Sparkle is not the easiest to shop for...let that be known. It's hard to figure her out, but the one thing you do know is that she loves dolls, bombs, and mischief. Your gift ended up being a plush goldfish that was yellow and red, matching her in a way. She was ecstatic, it reminded her of Vita and her other masked fool accomplices.

"Is this for me? You shouldn't have, Vita and Sampo will be so jealous, heheh."

Topaz and Numby were just as hard to shop for. The only difference seemed to be that Topaz would be grateful for anything you got her. So, getting her a giant plush that looks just like Numby? She was beyond excited. She immediately had to show Numby and send pictures to her work collèges Aventurine and Jade. This day made her feel like she was on cloud 9.

"You got me this!? Is that Numby! Oh my Aeons. THIS IS AMAZING."

Welt is no stranger to the holidays, he used to celebrate every year with his son. Yet he must move on and celebrate with his nee family. You included. He enjoyed all his gifts, but yours was his favorite. Looking around in excitement as he opened the box to see illustrations of his "TV shows". Drawings of how you and the other nameless viewed his own history. It almost brought him to tears.

"This is lovely, can you help me figure out who is who, I'm a little lost on a few."

As a Cloud knight, Yanqing felt a sense of responsibility with this up coming Christmas festival. But that didn't make him want to soend it with you any less. So when he sees that you got him brang knew throwing swords, he cried. Tears streaming down as he hugged you, singing your praises for such a thoughtful gift.

"T-THANK YOU SO MUCH Y/NNNN, YOU'RE SO AMAZING."

Yunli was used to receiving gifts of all kinds, yet she always had to buy herself her favorite thing. Giant swords. So when she saw you carry in a box, almost as tall as you, her face lit up. When you gave her to ok to open it, she almost fell to her knees. It was the most beautiful and biggest sword she'd ever laid her eyes on. And it was all hers! There's no way she could find enough words to thank you for this one.

"THIS IS MINE? I'M GONNA TRAIN TEN TIMES HARDER WITH THIS."

[ssivinee]

✧Original Visual✧

Irene x Aespa! 96’ liner! F reader:  In the industry, beautiful idols aren’t uncommon. Your beauty was on the next level, all the 4th gen knew. But what if a certain 3rd-generation original visual begins to notice you due to a V-live you did?

Word Count: 1.4k

Note: Simple fic since I may not be able to write much today🥲

Character Vision Board

Choi Y/n, the oldest member of Aespa, was known for many things. Her dance skills, rap skills, composing, and even music production. She’s even the older sister of TXT member Choi Yeonjun.

But if you were to ask the K-pop community and idol industry what she was known for, it was her visuals. Y/n had a powerful gaze, sharp jawline, plump lips, and currently, oxford blue hair that cascaded down her back, ending right above her hips.

One dull day, Karina and Y/n were in SM’s dance studio. It was their day off, and despite being happy about that, the two members didn’t know what to do with their day, so they just decided to go to the company building and chill there.

The two girls wore similar outfits: grey sweats, a basic cropped hoodie, and sneakers. They lay on the black couch, just staring at the ceiling.

"Unnie~, I’m bored~"

"Jimin-ah... so am I."

The two looked at each other as Karina laid her head on Y/n’s lap, trying to figure out how to make time go by faster.

“Wait, what if we do a live?” Karina jumps into action, going to get the company phone, “you finally came up with an idea after so long.”

“You could’ve thought of it yourself!” Y/n chuckles as the girl sticks her tongue out, returning with another phone.

They take a tripod phone stand, attach it, and begin the V-live. After waiting a few minutes for MY to join, they finally had about 5k viewers, so they decided to start.

“Hello, guys,” Y/n stares at the chat while her and Karina wave.

“AESPA’S VISUAL LINE?”

“What did we do to deserve your guy’s grace today?”

“Y/n and Karina’s duo is something I didn’t know I needed.”

“Clap twice if you wanna leave SM.”

Y/n laughed at the several comments she saw, especially the English ones. “You guys know how to make me laugh.”

“We were bored, so we just decided to go on V-live to talk to you guys,” the younger stated, and spam of hearts came from the chat. The two keep reading and begin to read some questions.

“What song are you guys obsessed with at the moment?”

“Spicy by Aespa,” Karina said, making Y/n look at her like she was crazy, “Okay, self-promo.”

“Unnie, that’s how it should be. We’re idols, man,” Y/n laughs at Karina’s statement, hitting her lightly as it was a habit when she found things funny. “Anyways, for me, it would probably have to be Unforgiven & Fire in the Belly by Le Sserafim. They killed it on their album.” Karina nods in agreement.

“Dance Unforgiven? Guys, I haven’t learned the choreography.”

“She’s lying~ She knows it from TikTok,” Karina exposes her in a tattle-tale tone. “Wha~, no way you outed me like that,” the younger shrugs, followed by a giggle. “Do it, unnie.”

“Fine,” Y/n gets up to go to the computer. She ensured everything was connected before playing a few seconds before the chorus. “You guys ready for unnie to slay?” Karina says, and Y/n begins to dance the chorus. Effortlessly, she jumps with a bunny-like hand, then turns her fingers into horns and repeats, doing the same steps.

Once she finishes, the leader goes, “See, I told you she’s a liar. She knew the dance.” Y/n sits back down next to her, slapping Karina’s shoulder, which causes the girl to act like it hurts.

The live went on for 3 hours, and a lot happened. The girls talked, danced, and even sang songs. Now fans had a compilation of them dancing to ‘Kick It’ by NCT 127, ‘Wannabe’ by ITZY, ‘Hype Boy’ by New Jeans, ‘Hey Mama’ by the SWF dance challenge, and more.

Nearing the end, they decided to take one final request, “Psycho by Red Velvet sunbaenim?” When Karina read the comment, Y/n rushed to the computer and played the instrumental version. “Wait, we’re singing to it as well?”

“Yes! I love this song way too much to not sing it.”

The two got in place, and once the song began, Karina focused on dancing while Y/n did the adlibs perfectly. Comments start to go wild over her voice.

“Y/n drank the SM water again.”

“Ain’t no way she hitting Wendy’s notes????”

“Sub-vocal of Aespa, everyone!”

Y/n joins in on the dance now, and the two begin switching lines back and forth, creating a live vocal performance of the song. The second verse begins to hit, Y/n gets hyped and raps, “Hey trouble 경��윈 없이 오는 너, I’m original visual, 우린 원래 이랬어 yeah.” Karina joins her in singing the iconic one-liner. Then the comments go crazy again.

“4TH GEN ORIGINAL VISUALS YUH.”

“Wha~ the rap suits her.”

“I need a collab with Aespa’s visual line and Irene.”

As the song ends, the two are out of breath and fall to the ground. The echoing dance studio now echoed with their heavy breathing, “Sorry guys, we went a bit overboard,” Y/n tells them as the two drink their waters.

“No, you didn’t. It was amazing!”

“I need a live stage version stat.”

“Joohyun-ssi would be proud.”

“I think that’s it for us, you guys. We’ll do a V-live soon with the other members,” Karina tells the chat, and as fans spammed bye, she ended the stream.

“I’m pooped, man.”

“Same.”

The two get up and prepare to head back to their dorms. Once in the van, Y/n stays on her phone while Karina takes a quick nap. She then gets a notification from Instagram, which she questions. That would only mean an idol was texting her, but it would mean they’re an idol she never spoke to before since they didn’t message her regularly.

Looking at her DMs, shocked was an understatement. The Bae Joohyun had texted her, and once she opened the chat, she wanted to throw her phone out of the car.

Irene texted, ‘Wow, Y/n-ssi, you're a beautiful dancer. Thank you for rapping my lines and doing justice to our song.’

...

BEAUTIFUL DANCER?!

Y/n and the Aespa members were reasonably close to certain SM idols, mainly female idols, due to Y/n, Karina, and Winter being in Got The Beat. One specific idol she never got the chance to interact with was the one who was texting her right now.

‘It’s an honor, sunbaenim. I’m glad it got your approval,’ Y/n sends. She was frantic, not knowing what to say, ‘An honor? Your sound so corny, c’mon.’ Before she could even unsend the message, texting bubbles began to pop up.

Oh dear, she saw it. ‘Y/n-ah. No need to be so formal. Just call me Joohyun-unnie.’

If you thought this couldn’t make it any worse for Y/n, it did. She freaks out and has to do breathing exercises to calm herself down.

‘Okay, unnie! May I ask how you knew about the cover?’

‘Ah, the clips circulated very fast, lol.’

Y/n smiled to herself. She was texting someone she thought was untouchable in the industry. The car stops, and she notices they’re in front of their dorm. “Jimin-ah, wake up, we’re here,” she wakes the younger in a delicate tone.

At another dorm, the older woman lay in bed watching the Psycho cover multiple times. “Unnie, do you have my sweater? The red one?” Irene heard Seulgi’s voice.

“Yeah, it’s in here on my chair!” She hears the dancer’s footsteps, and as Seulgi enters the room, she hears the Psycho clip, catching her attention as well.

“What are you watching?” The younger lay on her paid, peaking at her phone to see the familiar girls. “Y/n and Jimin did a cover of Psycho, even singing to it,” Irene shows her the phone, and Seulgi smiles at the two girls.

“I’m not surprised. They’ve always been excellent,” she stands up and takes her sweater. “That reminds me to text them soon.”

Irene says, “You think I can have Y/n’s number?” Seulgi looks at her leader with suspicious eyes.

“Sure,” Seulgi sends your number to Irene, but before she leaves, she asks the latter, “Can I ask why?”

“I just want to get to know her. Is that so bad?” Irene says as she adds your number to her contacts and in a sarcastic tone, “Right, that’s the reason, unnie.”

Irene rolled her eyes as Seulgi left. She wasn’t lying when she said she wanted to get to know you, but Seulgi knew her unnie too well to know that that wasn’t the only reason. Irene thought you were gorgeous, sexy, and very charismatic.

She’d never admit that to her members, though. Maybe she would after she and Y/n establish a bond.

[doyoulikethis-metal-song]

Do you like this metal song?

A gimmick blog inspired by @doyoulikethissong-poll, @doyoulikethis-videogame-song, @doyoulikethis-vocaloid-song and those alike.

Not familiar?

This blog will regularly post snippets of songs without any identifying information. Attached to the song will be a poll on which you can vote whether you like or dislike the song. Once the poll has concluded, the song will be revealed.

Tagging System

#activepolls : polls that are currently running

#closed : polls that have concluded

#results : results and song reveals

#notapoll : anything else

#suggestions : songs posted from suggestions

Genre tags are added to the best of my knowledge. If you know better, feel free to add a reply and I'll adjust accordingly.

Suggestions

You can suggestion any metal song but I'd appreciate if you roughly followed this format:

[artist] - [songname] [version, if applicable], [section, which you find most memorable, should be around 30-40sec]

Multiple songs per ask are allowed. I only know so many songs and to be honest, my taste is kind of limited. So this blog really lives off of suggestions.

Vote options

If you're not sure how to vote, this is a rough rule set you can go by:

Song title/Artist/Album comes to mind -> I have heard it before

Sound familiar, but can't pinpoint it - Never heard it before -> I haven't heard it before

Will go on my playlist once revealed/Already on my playlist-> I like it

Indifferent - Dislike it -> I don't like it

For more reasoning, read this ask.

Playlist of all posted Songs [Youtube | Spotify (coming soon)]

[naneun-no]

From my drafts so it’s late but:

Today’s delulu thought is that Standing Next to You has too many lyrical coincidences to not be about Jimin.

🫣 I SAID IT WAS DELUSIONAL OKAY

You are free to disagree. You probably should 🤣

I mean we know it wasn’t written by Jung Kook but obviously the version he recorded was arranged with and for JK, and “leave your body golden” can’t be a coincidence right? Like it’s the whole ass album name, plus a word that carries connotations of JK himself, which the ppl who worked with him on Seven must have known.

So if that wasn’t a coincidence… then what about:

1. “How we left and right is something we control” — a callback to both Left and Right by CP feat JK, but also a nod to Butter, a massive BTS hit and a song that he performs alongside his boyfie bestie JM.

2. “When it’s deep like DNA, something they can’t take away” — a callback to another massive BTS hit, interesting. And *delulu warning* also reminds me of JM and JK’s extreme similarities that they themselves have referred to before?? They’re wired the same, they have the same sense of humor, they live and breathe for the same shit and even though they have some very key differences, they really do seem like twin flames (even if you just see it as platonic). They are similar in ways that seem braided into the fibers of their being. Like, in their DNA 🧬 some may say. *delulu warning #2* I’m also reminded of Jimin’s Letter lyrics: “After all this time has passed will we still be the same? Just like we were when we first met.”

Also, “something they can’t take away” is an interesting turn of phrase… more on that later.

3. Okay the real meaty part:

Screaming I’ll testify that we'll survive the test of time, they can't deny our love. They can't divide us, we'll survive the test of time I promise I'll be right here

[I seriously can’t believe how closeted-couple-coded this song is]

First off, again with the Letter lyrics mirrored here with the “test of time.” Then it’s got all this drama about being ripped apart and how it won’t happen and how they’ll be next to each other no matter what and that they have “something they can’t take away.”

Not only does all that line up with other Letter lyrics, but it is so goddamn dramatic and for what?

Be for real, what straight couple in this day and age would have this much working against them?? The only possible explanations are: 1) within the fantasy world of a song I suppose this could be some sort of Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story motif, and to be fair the music video did have a kind of rival gang/crime family look to it? Sort of? With the men fighting below the stage? Idk. Or it could be 2) the fact that idols do in fact often have to hide even their straight relationships, which is wild to me. But I know it’s a thing, so. I suppose there’s that. JK doesn’t seem the type though honestly. I think he’d be even more open about it than V.

On the other hand, the lyrics seem SO fit for a couple who are a) queer, b) closeted, c) currently in/about to be in a legislatively homophobic military and country (am I saying that right? Lol) and d) internationally famous pop idols in the SAME BAND who are both widely regarded as heterosexual sex symbols and would be shunned by many people in their homeland AND internationally if their queerness were to be revealed, much less if they were truly an item and THAT news broke.

Whew. That was a lot but like… that would be a real example of a relationship that would be VERY threatened by outside forces plotting against them and trying to separate them. Not JK and a hot blonde model, not him and a Korean actress, not basically any other scenario but a queer relationship.

Idk I know he didn’t write it but like ??? What the hell is that theme? I’m dying to get inside the mind of the people who DID write it, because are they or are they jikookers at this point like?!

4. Just for fun I’ll also point out the “leave your body golden like the sun and moon” 😏 like. Okay. At this point the songwriters are watching Jikook compilations, drooling over @slaaverin edits like convince me they’re not. CONVINCE ME.

5. “Deeper than the rain”?! “The pain”?! Alright I’m not even serious at this point but ??? Rainy day fight 🌧️?!?! 🤣🤣

6. “Standing next to you” oh you mean like… for 18 months? In a companion enlistment program? Like that?

Alright alright I’m done but you get my point. What even is this song if not an anthem of jikookery?! It’s more on-the-nose than Letter, more sneaky than Still With You. It wasn’t written by JK but at this point I’m calling that the songwriters are as delulu as me.

Hope y’all are well. If you made it to the end of this thank you for donning your tinfoil hat with me and I hope you at least got a giggle.

✌️

[mysticfics0]

Emo college  discord mod Nanami!!!

Synopsis: College is stressful and what other way to relax then to go home and call his Kitten? (I know it was supposed to be highschool I just don’t wanna write about minors in that way sry!) Fem reader <3

Warnings: Daddy X kitten relationship, masturbation, breeding kink, cockwarming.

MINORS DNI!!!

Finally…professor Yaga had finished his lecture and even 10 minutes early. Nanami had always been smart, always paying attention and good grades throughout elementary, middle school, high school, and university.

To everyone he just seemed quiet, sure he was kind of known as the emo kid. But no one really found him too odd. Oh only if they knew the true freak he was. 

Each day after his classes he’d head back to his dorm and start up discord. He’d had many kittens over the years a couple in high school even. But none of them were like you. He called you his Angel because to him you might as well have been one. 

You’d do whatever he asked, so quick to obey. He wanted you top less? You’d do it. Lingerie? You’d get one to match his hair colour. Come over? You only lived an hour away and you were over each weekend. Cock warm him while he games? Gladly, maybe next time you should suck him off under the desk! But he can’t blame you if you get sensitive and needy! 

Anyways it was essentially an Alpha X Omega relationship. Though he preferred the term Daddy X Kitten!!! With you listening to his every wish and him demanding he couldn’t be happier!!!

He had a box full of Polaroids of you during sex! He just couldn’t help it! You looked so adorable with his Cum spilling out your cute little cunt! He had them as digital versions too, on his phone in an album and on his computer in a usb stick. 

No matter where you were you could be halfway across the world and he’d still have a piece of you to help him cum!!! (And believe me he’s a whimperer)

And no matter what happened you’d always be his kitten >:3

He’d gotten you into My chemical romance too! He’d never felt so proud then the time you almost didn’t hear him at the door because you were blasting music so loud! (He’d fucked you so good that night after that)

On this day in particular he’d head home and you’d been in his bed! Luckily for him this week you had school off! So he got you all to himself! His balls had never been so empty! Pumping you full to the brim of his cum each night! Good thing you were on birth control though he wouldn’t mind seeing you as a momma…maybe after university…

Inspiration for this fic comes from @mommymilkers676!!!

[stormblessed95]

Hi!

Ok, so I just rewrote everything I wanted to discuss regarding the new video of Jimin working on MUSE, WHO, and SGMB as I felt it’d be easier than sending multiple asks with my questions!

I wanted to know what your thoughts were about the video and album overall, as well as with these parts where Jimin goes into detail a little more about two of the songs’ concepts.

I’m confused if the album as a whole is conceptual, or just the tracks Jimin wrote and WHO is the truth. Is this album about finding love or Jimin’s inspiration and creative process?

And what does that mean in terms for Jimn and Jikook?

I know people (antis) are going on about pronouns, but honestly I already think Jimin is queer or bisexual, so writing a love song about a woman or with female pronouns doesn’t negate that (especially since we’ve seen a version where the lyrics were gender neutral). Until Jimin outright says he has never and will never have romantic feelings towards a man, I’m under the assumption that he may be bisexual (regardless of if he wants a male or female partner).

However Jimin talking about looking for love and not experiencing that, does make me question Jikook if this album is supposed to be speaking from Jimin’s personal experiences and/or thoughts.

I included the parts of dialogue (sorry if I missed something 😅) that lead to these thoughts and/or questions, and it would be wonderful if you could help explain it more, or at least your thoughts on it. I know you’re not Jimin nor did you work with him on MUSE, so obviously you don’t know exactly what it means or conveys.

I’m not taking your word as the truth either, this isn’t the cult lol, just that there’s been many times where your posts help me with the understanding of topics: BTS, Jimin, JK, Jikook, ect!

And of course whatever Jimin says matters more to me!

Thanks Storm! 💜

While working on WHO

JM: This album has a lot of cheerful songs. But I wanted to try a different approach for just the title track. There will be a lot of fun songs.

JM: It was harder to write the lyrics this time. I had to pretend to go through experiences I haven’t had before. I’ll explain it one by one in more detail later.

JB (Jon): *interpreting Jimin’s ideas* I’d like to fall in love. I wanna, I’ll do what it takes to fall in love. I still don’t feel it, so what is my heart waiting for?

JM (Through the Translator): It’s just a bit sentimental, so it doesn’t get too intense like, “Where is she?” It doesn’t get too depressing.

JM: It’s not supposed to be sad or anything.

Translator: He’s not like, not too deep into it. He’s like “this is what I’m feeling right now”.

JM: It’s kind of embarrassing to explain emotions. It feels like someone found my diary.

Translator: Thank you for explaining everything so honestly.

JM: My ears are red. *touches ears*

JM: I’ve poured all my emotions into this, so I was very embarrassed just now. Even though they just wanted to ask about the story I wanted to tell. It’s just, everyone…. *laughs*

JM: Everyone’s just living alone, right? That’s what it is.

Working on SGMB

Producer: If the album is going to be all about expressing the process, we could just go all out conceptual.

Producer: I thought we could do a story with a specific concept, and I thought it’d be great if we chose a name for a band.

Producer: For those who aren’t able to express their love themselves, we’ll express it for them. That’s the kind of band we are. That’s the kind of concept we’ll have.

Loco: I’d never heard of a “smeraldo” before, so I looked it up. It’s a flower, I saw its meaning in the language of flowers. One of the related search terms was BTS. So there was some kind of a connection. So I thought, “Wow, I should come today to hear the explanation”. I found it really interesting, that’s why.

Loco: How do we express the true feelings of someone who couldn’t express it themselves?

Producer: Yeah that’s it.

Loco: This is how we should try to think about it.

JM: I thought of you while making this song….

Loco: It’s so good.

JM: Thank you.

Anon wrote an essay, but I want everyone to know and appreciate how well worded and kind this was. This is a request. An ask. This is a "I have these thoughts, opinions and concerns. I'm really curious about how you also feel about this, could you please let me know. Thanks" and not the rude demands, belligerent asks and the homophobia I got about this same topic from SO MANY OTHERS. So just before anything else, thank you anon, for being a kind human being in interacting with me. I hope you enjoy the random gifs throughout this post 💜

Let's take it bit by bit?

I wanted to know what your thoughts were about the video and album overall, as well as with these parts where Jimin goes into detail a little more about two of the songs’ concepts.

When I made my posts about Muse as an album in its entirety, it was technically before this video, but nothing said in that behinds video changed any of my thoughts. MMM gave us enough of an insight already that nothing else really surprised me from what he said, if that makes sense. Other than seeing the original lyrics were gender neutral. While not a surprise per say, that definitely wasn't indicated anywhere before. Idk if you saw my thoughts, opinions and theories over Muse already, but if not, please read that post here:

My thoughts over Who, which I posted just before answering this:

And then the other main posts I have where I talked about Muse, Rebirth and SMGB can be found in the last 9 posts linked here:

I’m confused if the album as a whole is conceptual, or just the tracks Jimin wrote and WHO is the truth. Is this album about finding love or Jimin’s inspiration and creative process?

Personally I believe that the album as a whole is conceptual. Jimin pretty much stated that it was in MMM. Conceptual doesn't mean falsehoods though either. I mention this in further detail in my muse post above as well. So really, please do go read that. I think that this is more about Jimin's inspiration and creative process. And it's about love. ❤️🥰 These things can coexist!

Pdogg even just recently said: "His previous album was designed to be deeply personal, but the new one is more abstract and isn’t strictly about Jimin alone. The whole thing’s also in line with what Millennials and Gen Z experience when they fall in love."

And what does that mean in terms for Jimn and Jikook?

Short answer: Nothing.

Longer answer: Still nothing. I know it's not really the answer you or probably anyone else or any of the antis who sent me asks about this topic, wanted. But it's the one I've got for you. As much as I thoroughly love and enjoy finding the Jikook coincidences and connections in everything. Istg I promise I do. I can be just as delulu as the rest of them. But it's really important that we ALL remember to see, recognize and enjoy their artistic integrity and messages without thinking it automatically has to do with each other or their relationship (whatever it may be, and yes this is still valid even if they are for sure dating each other romantically too).

Jimin talking about making an album that expresses the desire for love, feelings of crushes, wanting to be with the one, etc... doesn't actually mean that's the state of his current life. It doesn't even technically mean that's what he wants if he is single. I AM NOT SAYING THESE THINGS ARE TRUE OR EVEN WHAT I THINK. Just options, because we don't actually know anything about Jimin's life other than what he chooses to share. Personally, nothing he said in that behinds video, the MMM video or any other behinds content for Muse has made me rethink my Jikook opinions. But thats just me, and I don't blame anyone for ever changing their mind about anything. I just think years upon years of sharing things with us and behavior doesn't change based off him explaining the emotions and concept he is going for while working with other artists on his album.

I know people (antis) are going on about pronouns, but honestly I already think Jimin is queer or bisexual, so writing a love song about a woman or with female pronouns doesn’t negate that (especially since we’ve seen a version where the lyrics were gender neutral). Until Jimin outright says he has never and will never have romantic feelings towards a man, I’m under the assumption that he may be bisexual (regardless of if he wants a male or female partner).

I too, am under this impression and fully agree with you here. It's always nice when I agree with pieces of anon essays 🥰😄💜

However Jimin talking about looking for love and not experiencing that, does make me question Jikook if this album is supposed to be speaking from Jimin’s personal experiences and/or thoughts.

I included the parts of dialogue (sorry if I missed something 😅) that lead to these thoughts and/or questions, and it would be wonderful if you could help explain it more, or at least your thoughts on it. I know you’re not Jimin nor did you work with him on MUSE, so obviously you don’t know exactly what it means or conveys.

I’m not taking your word as the truth either, this isn’t the cult lol, just that there’s been many times where your posts help me with the understanding of topics: BTS, Jimin, JK, Jikook, ect!

Have you been following me for a while because that used to be something I said a lot on this blog. I appreciate you requesting a secondary opinion from someone whose opinions you generally trust (and I'm honored and touched that I am that person, thank you) while still making sure to form your own thoughts and opinions on things as well. Even if they end up different. That's really so important. 💜💜

Now I see where you (general you for the 80 asks I got about this topic) might be like but storm what about *insert all your above quotes here* I'm getting there! Also sorry, I'm not copy and posting all those quotes, this post is long enough as it is, but I super appreciate you taking the time to type them all out for me. I will preemptively add this one from the most recently weverse article though before someone else sends it to me in an ask lol:

"Then it goes into “Be Mine,” which takes the concept one step further, and is about an imaginary relationship. Our plan was to follow that song with the lead single and write it as a serenade, but Jimin was having trouble relating to it. He asked himself if he can ever really love someone, and that question led to the creation of “Who.” The album is about looking for some imaginary woman, but “Who” is about the reality of feeling lonely and melancholy, and asking yourself where the person for you is, which is why we made it the very last track."

From:

So let's just sort of break this down in general and all the quotes together if you don't mind.

1. Irregardless of a relationship with Jungkook, true or not. Jimin is an idol, he isn't going to be announcing a relationship until he is married. And maybe not even then if he keeps it under wraps until he is retired. And if he ever has to announce a relationship, it's never going to be through a love song and explaining he drew inspiration from a partner. It's always going to be "love, what's that?" "Oh we are all always single for now." "Haha oh armys are my girlfriend." And if he ever gets forced into admitting to and claiming a relationship, its going to come with an apology and an ask for understanding. Which really fucking sucks, but that's a different conversation entirely. And it's the reality that idols live with. Take it up with the industry and the fans.

2. If Jimin is queer, like you and I both suspect that he is, he is closeted. And will remain so probably until he is at least retired and/or maybe after that too. Hinting at, making vague remarks about it, etc, is not and never will be coming out. So all those points from #1 above, double it and count it worse for this one. If he is queer, Jimin will be sticking to that "what is love, I'm perpetually single" line all that much harder as a matter of safety probably. I mean and who knows, I'm not Jimin.

3. Jimin is working off a concept, a storyline and a following a major theme and plot that over arches through all his songs in order. He knows the emotions he wants to convey, he knows the general idea. Talking about that is and can be embarrassing. Like someone reading your diary. Lol

4. Taking it back to point 1 again, if Jimin is in a relationship, with regards to being an idol and am ultra world famous one at that, AND adding in the potential possibility of that being a queer relationship.... In what world do you think that the (hypothetical or otherwise) relationship would be one that went through any kind of normal courtship, confession, romance meet cute story? Lol for all we know, his experience with love and relationships look different than the story he was trying to tell, which was much more storybook idealistic. Or for all we know, he is single and just has hook ups and has never been in love. We don't know for sure, and that's okay. We aren't entitled to Jimin's private life.

5. In specific regards to "we are all living alone right" that one feels like explaining his album concept, not his life. To me at least. As was Loco talking about how to explain the feelings of someone who couldn't express it themselves, that was the literal concept of the song for SMGB.

And to conclude all my points above, in my personal OPINIONS, Jimin isn't going to share his love life in any type of way with his fans. He was preemptively apologizing for touching a female dancer to his fans. He knows his fans won't allow him the luxury of love. He knows he isn't allowed the luxury of queerness either, not from his country nor his fans for the most part either. The homophobia I get in my ask box is proof enough. I personally think everything Jimin and JK have said through the years and their actions throughout the years have shown me that there is probably something more leaning towards romantic attraction there, and I feel like it's very probably that they acted upon that. In a conventional way or not, who knows. Only jikook. But I don't think anything from these conversations has proven anything otherwise. But of course, anyone is free to disagree with that and think differently.

Sorry for the essay in response. Hope this all made sense and was clear. And that you found it helpful in some way anon. Thank you again for how you asked your questions and expressed yourself. It was great.

[badnewswhatsleft]

2023 september - rock sound #300 (fall out boy cover) scans

transcript below cut!

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

With the triumphant ‘So Much (For) Stardust’ capturing a whole new generation of fans, Fall Out Boy are riding high, celebrating their past while looking towards a bright future. Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump reflect on recent successes and the lessons learned from two decades of writing and performing together.

WORDS: James Wilson-Taylor PHOTOS: Elliot Ingham

You have just completed a US summer tour that included stadium shows and some of your most ambitious production to date. What were your aims going into this particular show?

PETE: Playing stadiums is a funny thing. I pushed pretty hard to do a couple this time because I think that the record Patrick came up with musically lends itself to that feeling of being part of something larger than yourself. When we were designing the cover to the album, it was meant to be all tangible, which was a reaction to tokens and skins that you can buy and avatars. The title is made out of clay, and the painting is an actual painting. We wanted to approach the show in that way as well. We’ve been playing in front of a gigantic video wall for the past eight years. Now, we wanted a stage show where you could actually walk inside it.

Did adding the new songs from ‘So Much (For) Stardust’ into the setlist change the way you felt about them?

PATRICK: One of the things that was interesting about the record was that we took a lot of time figuring out what it was going to be, what it was going to sound like. We experimented with so many different things. I was instantly really proud. I felt really good about this record but it wasn’t until we got on stage and you’re playing the songs in between our catalogue that I really felt that. It was really noticeable from the first day on this tour - we felt like a different band. There’s a new energy to it. There was something that I could hear live that I couldn’t hear before.

You also revisited a lot of older tracks and b-sides on this tour, including many from the ‘Folie à Deux’-era. What prompted those choices?

PETE: There were some lean years where there weren’t a lot of rock bands being played on pop radio or playing award shows so we tried to play the biggest songs, the biggest versions of them. We tried to make our thing really airtight, bulletproof so that when we played next to whoever the top artist was, people were like, ‘oh yeah, they should be here.’ The culture shift in the world is so interesting because now, maybe rather than going wider, it makes more sense to go deeper with people. We thought about that in the way that we listen to music and the way we watch films. Playing a song that is a b-side or barely made a record but is someone’s favourite song makes a lot of sense in this era. PATRICK: I think there also was a period there where, to Pete’s point, it was a weird time to be a rock band. We had this very strange thing that happened to us, and not a lot of our friends for some reason, where we had a bunch of hits, right? And it didn’t make any sense to me. It still doesn’t make sense to me. But there was a kind of novelty, where we could play a whole set of songs that a lot of people know. It was fun and rewarding for us to do that. But then you run the risk of playing the same set forever. I want to love the songs that we play. I want to care about it and put passion into what we do. And there’s no sustainable way to just do the same thing every night and not get jaded. We weren’t getting there but I really wanted to make sure that we don’t ever get there. PETE: In the origin of Fall Out Boy, what happened at our concerts was we knew how to play five songs really fast and jumped off walls and the fire marshal would shut it down. It was what made the show memorable, but we wanted to be able to last and so we tried to perfect our show and the songs and the stage show and make it flawless. Then you don’t really know how much spontaneity you want to include, because something could go wrong. When we started this tour, and we did a couple of spontaneous things, it opened us up to more. Because things did go wrong and that’s what made the show special. We’re doing what is the most punk rock version of what we could be doing right now.

You seem generally a lot more comfortable celebrating your past success at this point in your career.

PETE: I think it’s actually not a change from our past. I love those records, but I never want to treat them in a cynical way. I never want there to be a wink and a smile where we’re just doing this because it’s the anniversary. This was us celebrating these random songs and we hope people celebrate them with us. There was a purity to it that felt in line with how we’ve always felt about it. I love ‘Folie à Deux’ - out of any Fall Out Boy record that’s probably the one I would listen to. But I just never want it to be done in a cynical way, where we feel like we have to. But celebrating it in a way where there’s the purity of how we felt when we wrote the song originally, I think that’s fucking awesome. PATRICK: Music is a weird art form. Because when you’re an actor and you play a character, that is a specific thing. James Bond always wears a suit and has a gun and is a secret agent. If you change one thing, that’s fine, but you can’t really change all of it. But bands are just people. You are yourself. People get attached to it like it’s a story but it’s not. That was always something that I found difficult. For the story, it’s always good to say, ‘it’s the 20th anniversary, let’s go do the 20th anniversary tour’, that’s a good story thing. But it’s not always honest. We never stopped playing a lot of the songs from ‘Take This To Your Grave’, right? So why would I need to do a 20-year anniversary and perform all the songs back to back? The only reason would be because it would probably sell a lot of tickets and I don’t really ever want to be motivated by that, frankly. One of the things that’s been amazing is that now as the band has been around for a while, we have different layers of audience. I love ‘Folie à Deux’, I do. I love that record. But I had a really personally negative experience of touring on it. So that’s what I think of when I think of that record initially. It had to be brought back to me for me to appreciate it, for me to go, ‘oh, this record is really great. I should be happy with this. I should want to play this.’ So that’s why we got into a lot of the b-sides because we realised that our perspectives on a lot of these songs were based in our feelings and experiences from when we were making them. But you can find new experiences if you play those songs. You can make new memories with them.

You alluded there to the 20th anniversary of ‘Take This To Your Grave’. Obviously you have changed and developed as a band hugely since then. But is there anything you can point to about making that debut record that has remained a part of your process since then?

PETE: We have a language, the band, and it’s definitely a language of cinema and film. That’s maintained through time. We had very disparate music tastes and influences but I think film was a place we really aligned. You could have a deep discussion because none of us were filmmakers. You could say which part was good and which part sucked and not hurt anybody’s feelings, because you weren’t going out to make a film the next day. Whereas with music, I think if we’d only had that to talk about, we would have turned out a different band. PATRICK: ‘Take This To Your Grave’, even though it’s absolutely our first record, there’s an element of it that’s still a work in progress. It is still a band figuring itself out. Andy wasn’t even officially in the band for half of the recording, right? I wasn’t even officially the guitar player for half of the recording. We were still bumbling through it. There was something that popped up a couple times throughout that record where you got these little inklings of who the band really was. We really explored that on ‘From Under The Cork Tree’. So when we talk about what has remained the same… I didn’t want to be a singer, I didn’t know anything about singing, I wasn’t planning on that. I didn’t even plan to really be in this band for that long because Pete had a real band that really toured so I thought this was gonna be a side project. So there’s always been this element within the band where I don’t put too many expectations on things and then Pete has this really big ambition, creatively. There’s this great interplay between the two of us where I’m kind of oblivious, and I don’t know when I’m putting out a big idea and Pete has this amazing vision to find what goes where. There’s something really magical about that because I never could have done a band like this without it. We needed everybody, we needed all four of us. And I think that’s the thing that hasn’t changed - the four of us just being ourselves and trying to figure things out. Listening back to ‘Folie’ or ‘Infinity On High’ or ‘American Beauty’, I’m always amazed at how much better they are than I remember. I listened to ‘MANIA’ the other day, and I have a lot of misgivings about that record, a lot of things I’m frustrated about. But then I’m listening to it and I’m like ‘this is pretty good.’ There’s a lot of good things in there. I don’t know why, it’s kind of like you can’t see those things. It’s kind of amazing to have Pete be able to see those things. And likewise, sometimes Pete has no idea when he writes something brilliant, as a lyricist, and I have to go, ‘No, I’m gonna keep that one, I’m gonna use that.’

On ‘So Much (For) Stardust’, you teamed up with producer Neal Avron again for the first time since 2008. Given how much time has passed, did it take a minute to reestablish that connection or did you pick up where you left off?

PATRICK: It really didn’t feel like any time had passed between us and Neal. It was pretty seamless in terms of working with him. But then there was also the weird aspect where the last time we worked with him was kind of contentious. Interpersonally, the four of us were kind of fighting with each other… as much as we do anyway. We say that and then that myth gets built bigger than it was. We were always pretty cool with each other. It’s just that the least cool was making ‘Folie’. So then getting into it again for this record, it was like no time has passed as people but the four of us got on better so we had more to bring to Neal. PETE: It’s a little bit like when you return to your parents’ house for a holiday break when you’re in college. It’s the same house but now I can drink with my parents. We’d grown up and the first times we worked with Neal, he had to do so much more boy scout leadership, ‘you guys are all gonna be okay, we’re gonna do this activity to earn this badge so you guys don’t fucking murder each other.’ This time, we probably got a different version of Neal that was even more creative, because he had to do less psychotherapy. He went deep too. Sometimes when you’re in a session with somebody, and they’re like, ‘what are we singing about?’, I’ll just be like, ‘stuff’. He was not cool with ‘stuff’. I would get up and go into the bathroom outside the studio and look in the mirror, and think ‘what is it about? How deep are we gonna go?’ That’s a little but scarier to ask yourself. If last time Neal was like a boy scout leader, this time, it was more like a Sherpa. He was helping us get to the summit.

The title track of the album also finds you in a very reflective mood, even bringing back lyrics from ‘Love From The Other Side’. How would you describe the meaning behind that title and the song itself?

PETE: The record title has a couple of different meanings, I guess. The biggest one to me is that we basically all are former stars. That’s what we’re made of, those pieces of carbon. It still feels like the world’s gonna blow and it’s all moving too fast and the wrong things are moving too slow. That track in particular looks back at where you sometimes wish things had gone differently. But this is more from the perspective of when you’re watching a space movie, and they’re too far away and they can’t quite make it back. It doesn’t matter what they do and at some point, the astronaut accepts that. But they’re close enough that you can see the look on their face. I feel like there’s moments like that in the title track. I wish some things were different. But, as an adult going through this, you are too far away from the tether, and you’re just floating into space. It is sad and lonely but in some ways, it’s kind of freeing, because there’s other aspects of our world and my life that I love and that I want to keep shaping and changing. PATRICK: I’ll open up Pete’s lyrics and I just start hearing things. It almost feels effortless in a lot of ways. I just read his lyrics and something starts happening in my head. The first line, ‘I’m in a winter mood, dreaming of spring now’, instantly the piano started to form to me. That was a song that I came close to not sending to the band. When I make demos, I’ll usually wait until I have five or six to send to everybody. I didn’t know if anyone was gonna like this. It’s too moody or it’s not very us. But it was pretty unanimous. Everyone liked that one. I knew this had to end the record. It took on a different life in the context of the whole album. Then on the bridge section, I knew it was going to be the lyrics from ‘Love From The Other Side’. It’s got to come back here. It’s the bookends, but I also love lyrically what it does, you know, ‘in another life, you were my babe’, going back to that kind of regret, which feels different in ‘Love From The Other Side’ than it does here. When the whole song came together, it was the statement of the record.

Aside from the album, you have released a few more recent tracks that have opened you up to a whole new audience, most notably the collaboration with Taylor Swift on ‘Electric Touch’.

PETE: Taylor is the only artist that I’ve met or interacted with in recent times who creates exactly the art of who she is, but does it on such a mass level. So that’s breathtaking to watch from the sidelines. The way fans traded friendship bracelets, I don’t know what the beginning of it was, but you felt that everywhere. We felt that, I saw that in the crowd on our tour. I don’t know Taylor well, but I think she’s doing exactly what she wants and creating exactly the art that she wants to create. And doing that, on such a level, is really awe-inspiring to watch. It makes you want to make the biggest, weirdest version of our thing and put that out there.

Then there was the cover of Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’, which has had some big chart success for you. That must have taken you slightly by surprise.

PATRICK: It’s pretty unexpected. Pete and I were going back and forth about songs we should cover and that was an idea that I had. This is so silly but there was a song a bunch of years ago I had written called ‘Dark Horse’ and then there was a Katy Perry song called ‘Dark Horse’ and I was like, ‘damn it’, you know, I missed the boat on that one. So I thought if we don’t do this cover, somebody else is gonna do it. Let’s just get in the studio and just do it. We spent way more time on those lyrics than you would think because we really wanted to get a specific feel. It was really fun and kind of loose, we just came together in Neal’s house and recorded it in a day. PETE: There’s irreverence to it. I thought the coolest thing was when Billy Joel got asked about it, and he was like, ‘I’m not updating it, that’s fine, go for it.’ I hope if somebody ever chose to update one of ours, we’d be like that. Let them do their thing, they’ll have that version. I thought that was so fucking cool.

It’s also no secret that the sound you became most known for in the mid-2000s is having something of a commercial revival right now. But what is interesting is seeing how bands are building on that sound and changing it.

PATRICK: I love when anybody does anything that feels honest to them. Touring with Bring Me The Horizon, it was really cool seeing what’s natural to them. It makes sense. We changed our sound over time but we were always going to do that. It wasn’t a premeditated thing but for the four of us, it would have been impossible to maintain making the same kind of music forever. Whereas you’ll play with some other bands and they live that one sound. You meet up with them for dinner or something and they’re wearing the shirt of the band that sounds just like their band. You go to their house and they’re playing other bands that sound like them because they live in that thing. Whereas with the four of us and bands like Bring Me The Horizon, we change our sounds over time. And there’s nothing wrong with either. The only thing that’s wrong is if it’s unnatural to you. If you’re AC/DC and all of a sudden power ballads are in and you’re like, ‘Okay, we’ve got to do a power ballad’, that’s when it sucks. But if you’re a thrash metal guy who likes Celine Dion then yeah, do a power ballad. Emo as a word doesn’t mean anything anymore. But if people want to call it that, if the emo thing is back or having another life again, if that’s what’s natural to an artist, I think the world needs more earnest art. If that’s who you are, then do it. PETE: It would be super egotistical to think that the wave that started with us and My Chemical Romance and Panic! At The Disco has just been circling and cycling back. I  remember seeing Nikki Sixx at the airport and he was like, ‘Oh, you’re doing a flaming bass? Mine came from a backpack.’ It keeps coming back but it looks different. Talking to Lil Uzi Vert and Juice WRLD when he was around, it’s so interesting, because it’s so much bigger than just emo or whatever. It’s this whole big pop music thing that’s spinning and churning, and then it moves on, and then it comes back with different aspects and some of the other stuff combined. When you’re a fan of music and art and film, you take different stuff, you add different ingredients, because that’s your taste. Seeing the bands that are up and coming to me, it’s so exciting, because the rules are just different, right? It’s really cool to see artists that lean into the weirdness and lean into a left turn when everyone’s telling you to make a right. That’s so refreshing. PATRICK: It’s really important as an artist gets older to not put too much stock in your own influence. The moment right now that we’re in is bigger than emo and bigger than whatever was happening in 2005. There’s a great line in ‘Downton Abbey’ where someone was asking the Lord about owning this manor and he’s like, ‘well, you don’t really own it, there have been hundreds of owners and you are the custodian of it for a brief time.’ That’s what pop music is like. You just have the ball for a minute and you’re gonna pass it on to somebody else.

We will soon see you in the UK for your arena tour. How do you reflect on your relationship with the fans over here?

PETE: I remember the first time we went to the UK, I wasn’t prepared for how culturally different it was. When we played Reading & Leeds and the summer festivals, it was so different, and so much deeper within the culture. It was a little bit of a shock. The first couple of times we played, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, are we gonna die?’ because the crowd was so crazy, and there was bottles. Then when we came back, we thought maybe this is a beast to be tamed. Finally, you realise it’s a trading of energy. That made the last couple of festivals we played so fucking awesome. When you really realise that the fans over there are real fans of music. It’s really awesome and pretty beautiful. PATRICK: We’ve played the UK now more than a lot of regions of the states. Pretty early on, I just clicked with it. There were differences, cultural things and things that you didn’t expect. But it never felt that different or foreign to me, just a different flavour… PETE: This is why me and Patrick work so well together (laughs).  PATRICK: Well, listen; I’m a rainy weather guy. There is just things that I get there. I don’t really drink anymore all that much. But I totally will have a beer in the UK, there’s something different about every aspect of it, about the ordering of it, about the flavour of it, everything, it’s like a different vibe. The UK audience seemed to click with us too. There have been plenty of times where we felt almost more like a UK band than an American one. There have been years where you go there and almost get a more familial reaction than you would at home. Rock Sound has always been a part of that for us. It was one of the first magazines to care about us and the first magazine to do real interviews. That’s the thing, you would do all these interviews and a lot of them would be like ‘so where did the band’s name come from?’ But Rock Sound took us seriously as artists, maybe before some of us did. That actually made us think about who we are and that was a really cool experience. I think in a lot of ways, we wouldn’t be the band we are without the UK, because I think it taught us a lot about what it is to be yourself.

Fall Out Boy’s ‘So Much (For) Stardust’ is out now via Fueled By Ramen.

[saintsenara]

what are ur thoughts on all the young dudes man i gotta know

i've never read it, and i can't really see any situation in which i will. not only am i wolfstar-ambivalent, i'm also wizards-knowing-loads-about-muggle-pop-culture-ambivalent - so i'm very much not the target audience.

[although i'm not "what's going on in the 1970s"-ambivalent by any means, so there's that.]

but i suspect anyone who reads this blog regularly knew that - and so i also suspect [even though i wouldn't dare to assume this of you and your intentions in asking this, anon] that it might be presumed that i'm going to pop off about several of the phenomena all the young dudes has set into motion...

and sure, the contemporary marauders subfandom is not a space i'm interested in spending any time in - which is why i don't - but i think it's nonetheless worth saying something in defence of it.

all the young dudes deserves more credit than i think it gets in the fandom more widely - especially in those bits of the fandom which are more interested in canon compliance and canon coherence - for being a genuine pop-culture phenomenon. all corners of the fandom have benefitted from this - i guarantee that huge numbers of people who have returned to the harry potter fandom since 2020 have done so because they've read it [or, at the very least, heard of it], and i also guarantee that many of those people have gone on to make a home for themselves in spaces which seem to have very little in common with the marauders subfandom [such as canon-compliant jily or pro-snape spaces]. many of the things it does - especially the integration of muggle pop-culture into its worldbuilding - have clearly influenced how plenty of authors approach their own work, even if that work is otherwise removed from it in vibe. and its aesthetic is all over the non-fic aspects of fandom too - every "canon-compliant" moodboard or edit or playlist i've ever seen would fit well into the atyd universe. i think it doesn't hurt to acknowledge its influence - it doesn't mean that an author can't disagree with its approach.

[or: my view on all the young dudes is very similar to my view on taylor swift. i've never listened to a single one of her albums, i'm not sure i could name more than about five of her songs - and i don't think the five i can name are any good, i sometimes see flashes of the inter-swiftie discourse and it's like reading a text in a language i can only half speak - but i would be a fool to dismiss her broader pop-culture influence, including on musicians i do follow more closely, or the fact that the fandom which surrounds her is both sincerely interesting, not least from an anthropological perspective, and something in which people i like and respect participate.]

i also don't think the divisions between the marauders subfandom and other spaces are as clear-cut as is often made out. and i think that all the young dudes often gets used as a stick with which to beat this point - particularly because people in the marauders subfandom are frequently accused of not having read the books, and elevating atyd's interpretation of characters [especially sirius and remus] and events over the seven-book series.

that the subfandom elevates fanon and headcanon over canon is a legitimate point. but i think we should all get a fucking grip and recognise that this can disinterest us - or even annoy us - and still not be something any of us should think is that deep.

after all, like anyone, i've encountered people in fandom who write unrecognisable versions of characters, are completely resistant to the idea that their interpretation isn't correct, and believe that it's evidence of deep-seated prejudice to pair their faves with different people... and every single one is someone who believes that their approach is meticulously canon-compliant.

or - as the old adage goes - "people who live in glass subfandoms shouldn't throw stones at roadman remus".

[slavghoul]

Interview from Rock Hard [FR] Magazine 5/2023

In which Tobias talks about Spillways, Phantomime, how he chooses what songs to cover, the state of the world, why he loves churches, and some touring technicalities.

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Rock Hard: Let's go back to the version of "Spillways" that you recorded with Joe Elliott, the singer of Def Leppard. How did this collaboration come about?

Unfortunately, this story is less sexy than it would have been if I could have done exactly what I wanted. Before Impera was released, I regularly mentioned Def Leppard in interviews because some of the experimentation on that album was inspired by that band, their writing style. […] As I often mentioned Def Leppard, people around me eventually told me that Joe Elliott and Phil Collen regularly spoke highly of Ghost in interviews. Since I obviously thought it was cool, someone suggested a collaboration. A good collaboration shouldn't be forced, it should happen naturally. The best ones are often the ones that weren't supposed to happen. Two drunk musicians somewhere accidentally writing a good song... Crosby, Stills & Nash style. People who, by chance, find themselves together in a different context from the one they are used to and do something together, by accident. Something magical! That's how I would ideally have wanted it to happen. So I said I was ready to call Joe Elliott and see if we had a rapport. We started talking on the phone and texting a lot, me living in Sweden and him in Dublin. As we were both on the move almost all the time, and he was on tour, we couldn't meet. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he tells me that he has recorded some vocals for 'Spillways'! Quite frankly, I was surprised because I wasn't expecting it. I was anticipating a possible collaboration, but in a different way. To be honest, I thought we would create something new later on. But when I heard the result, I thought two things. Firstly, I found it very flattering. Secondly, I thought Joe brought something new and cool to "Spillways".

But you would have preferred to have the opportunity to write a new song with him.

Yes, that's the way I saw it, but I'm happy with the way it turned out. And then I said to Joe, "You know how we post those funny little episodes on our social media?" He replied "Yes, I think I saw that!" and kindly agreed to participate in one of them. Nowadays, many artists are over-solicited to record video clips for anything and everything in order to keep their channels updated: "Come and see us in concert in such and such a city!", etc. etc. The aim is obviously to keep the media space occupied.

By creating "content"!

Exactly! And that's exactly what I don't want to do. That's why, instead of all this crap, we started some time ago to create these little humorous episodes. One day, for example, I came up with the idea of an episode set in 1969 featuring a sort of "pre-Ghost" group. To do this, I obviously had to write a new song, which I did with this psychedelic track, 'Kiss The Go-Goat', which I thought was funny. When we recorded it, 'Mary On A Cross', another song of the same type, came along. So we ended up with two sides of a single that became 'Seven Inches Of Satanic Panic.’ Instead of just announcing the release on our networks, we chose to shoot a new video in which we featured Papa Nihil and explained the origins of this so-called 'pre-Ghost' band. I thought it was a much more clever and fun way of presenting the single. We do the same when it comes to announcing an album release or a future tour. Joe Elliott has a great sense of humour and is capable of self-mockery, so he kindly agreed to play this little game.

Ghost have made a habit of releasing an EP between their albums, mostly, if not entirely, made up of covers: If You Have Ghost (2013), Popestar (2016) and now Phantomime. How is it not just about “creating content”?

For me, it's a kind of exercise. I like analogies. Let's imagine that the place we are in is a theatre, and that this theatre, in order to be viable, has to host performances all year round. At least fifty weeks a year. Daytime rehearsals, evening performances... You are the director of the place and you know that the play that is currently being performed there will end at the end of the month. So you look for something else to program in order to make the most of the place and keep your staff busy. Maybe an old classic like Doctor Glass (Hjalmar Söderberg, 1905), an adaptation of John Steinbeck, or a rereading of Shakespeare's Hamlet that you could revisit by inviting this actor or that director, renting out your theatre for three extra months for the occasion. Working on this old material, even if it means not releasing it if it doesn't work. We do that to keep the team active, enthusiastic, focused. That's my way of working. I worked simultaneously on the Impera album and the demos of the covers that are on Phantomime. One day I could record 'Spillways' and two hours before leaving the studio to go home, I could look at any of the covers and decide which ones to keep. So, as soon as Impera was finished, I was able to concentrate on those covers that the album's producer wasn't interested in putting on the record. Which was fine with me. I spent some time sorting out the covers I had recorded as demos. There were ten in total, but I only kept five. Because with those five tracks I thought I could come up with a really strong rock EP. In my albums, there are highs, lows, really metal tracks, ballads, instrumentals, etc. So I thought it was a good idea to make a really strong rock EP. I felt it would be cool if this new EP was viscerally rock’n’roll. The opening track, "See No Evil" by Television, sounds like the Rolling Stones on methamphetamine! (laughs)

You like the songs you cover, that's a prerequisite. But their lyrics also play a very important role in your choice.

Yes, that's what makes me choose a song or not.

Is that the number one criterion?

Erm... (he thinks for a long time) If I hesitate between two songs, yes, absolutely! Let's go back to Leonard Cohen, for example. For the bonus tracks of Prequelle, I chose "Avalanche" because it seemed to me to have a biblical and existential significance. This was not the case with 'Take This Waltz', another Cohen song that I liked as much, if not more. The latter, with its Viennese waltz feel, would have metaphorically taken us to Austria, which would not have been very coherent, unfortunately.

Should these covers speak about God, the Devil, ask questions about religion?

They must speak about evil, about good. Be existential, biblical, philosophical, but seen from a certain perspective. Or at least tick one of those boxes, like 'Hanging Around' (The Stranglers) which is about Christ. Some of the other covers I've recorded are more specific, such as 'Phantom Of The Opera' (Iron Maiden), which is about horror. I also make my choice according to the humour of the songs I want to cover. It should be close to my own sense of humour.

You mentioned the first Phantomime cover, "See No Evil". It takes on a different resonance today because, on January 28, 2023, we sadly learned of the death of Tom Verlaine, the leader of Television.

When I recorded this cover in 2021, just after completing Impera, it was already a tribute. But obviously, with Tom's death, this song takes on another resonance, that of a final posthumous salute. I've been listening to Television for twenty years, and I love them and have always considered them a great band. In indie clubs they always play the same song, 'Marquee Moon', but Television had many other good songs, especially on their first two albums: Marquee Moon (1977) and Adventure (1978). I like those two best. It's a band that had a huge influence on one of my previous bands, Subvision. So much so that at the time, I thought several times of covering Television songs that I loved: "See No Evil", but also "Elevation" and "Foxhole".

The first single from Phantomime is Genesis' 'Jesus He Knows Me', a scathing critique of televangelist stars like Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker and Robert Tilton. Ugly people who have made their fortune by 'promising salvation’ to naive believers for big bucks. Can we expect to see you wearing a wig in its video, as singer/drummer Phil Collins did in the original video for this song in 1991? 

(Laughs) We've already shot the video for this cover version (editor’s note: the interview was conducted on 11 March 2023) and I'm not in it, but it's a direct nod to the original video. I've always liked this song - except for the reggae part, which I thought was horrible in the Genesis version and which I reworked - and it's funny to see how this 1991 text is still relevant today. Except, of course, for a few "old-time" words, like "phone book". The televangelists are still there on television promising things to people who take their word for it and shower them with money because they are assured of "salvation", they are promised heaven. I also rearranged Iron Maiden's 'Phantom of The Opera' after taking care to contact Steve Harris for his approval.

Indeed, in your retelling of this song, you are the Phantom and not its victim...

Yes, I wanted to be the Phantom. I submitted the idea to Steve, who gave me the green light. I only made some surgical changes. Similarly, I would have liked to have proposed the same thing to Phil Collins so that the text of "Jesus He Knows Me" would have been more in line with the times. Change, for example, "but she don't know about my girlfriend / or the man I met last night" to "or the dude I screwed last night". Alas, lack of time prevented me from doing so. And then, since this was a slippery slope, I thought: - What if Collins refuses? Or what if he gets pissed off? - We could have made these changes without asking anyone's permission - as long as the artists get their royalties, it's not a problem - but there was no way I was going to do it. Neither I nor my label wanted to alienate anyone, obviously.

In 1977, in "Hanging Around" by The Stranglers, which you also cover on Phantomime, the singer Hugh Cornwell sings about several things, but also about Christ "telling his mother not to worry because he's comfortable in the city where he's high above the ground". Is that why you chose it?

Actually, the key thing that made me choose this song from the band over any other is that I grew up listening to the album it's taken from, Rattus Norvegicus (1977), the Stranglers' first release. There are a lot of songs on that album that I would have loved to play because, as a musician, I really like to play those kinds of songs. ‘Hanging Around' was a good fit for us because of the lyrics, but also because it was more in keeping with our style. Ghost are obviously a metal and hard rock band, but also have a strong punk sensibility. Punk, but well played (smiles). For me, The Stranglers have always done "well played punk": this band knows how to play, how to arrange its music, unlike GBH and Discharge, to name but two. Mind you, I also like the latter, but not for the same reasons. A lot of punk bands from the late 70s/early 80s sounded "sloppy". It wasn't for lack of trying to play better. When The Clash and The Jam went into the studio, they tried to do their best and they sounded great! The same goes for The Adverts. Those guys were doing their best. Nowadays, some people think that being a punk is to play badly on purpose, to be messy. No, no, no ! But I digress...

What is the reason for the nod to Metallica's 'Fade To Black' in the solo on 'Hanging Around'?

Just for fun. When I'm working on a guitar solo, I throw things in here and there, like a messy painter. It's like stretching a canvas on a wall and making big brush strokes... But when I start to feel like I've got something cool, I dig in more surgically, a bit like a collage artist would. I interweave little elements, and when it comes time to insert a solo into a piece, I refine things by continuing to add new elements. Generally, a solo gives you a space of freedom in the middle of an otherwise totally structured song. That's when you can come up with different things in terms of melody. So that's the way I do it, even on the demos of the covers. I ask my sound engineer, Martin Eriksson Sandmark, to play me the draft of the solos I've been working on over and over again, and then I try out different things, whatever comes to mind. It's as if I'm drawing a mental map of what the solo will become. Sometimes, if I'm on a part sometimes, if I'm on a bluesy part, I'll let myself play a few notes of Gary Moore’s "Still Got The Blues", or, if I'm tapping, Van Halen's "Eruption". When I was working on the solo for 'Hanging Around', I felt like playing this part of Metallica's 'Fade To Black', just for fun. And it ended up on the demo. I'm a decent guitar player, but I'm not at the level I could have reached if I'd worked harder. I could just record these solos in the studio, where you can always slow things down when you play them and then speed them up and put them on the album, but Fredrik Akesson can play these parts without tricks and with much more finesse than I can. He recorded the solo for "Hanging Around" as I had presented it on the demo, with this nod to Metallica, and we thought it was so cool that we kept it.

Hugh Cornwell, the ex-singer of The Stranglers, said in an interview that, although he was not a believer, he loved visiting churches. Is this also true for you? Are you also attracted to churches?

Yes, passionately! I believe in them like I believe in Star Wars. I've always thought of churches as stage props. Walking into one of them is a bit like walking onto a film set of the original Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom. It's awe-inspiring, even though you know it's just cardboard. Churches have magical powers because they are centuries-old buildings and we know that a lot of things have happened within their walls. Not that I'm trying to throw up on these places of worship, but when I go into a church I don't hear God, but the whispers of time. I am not an atheist, although intellectually I can see that there are many reasons why I should be. I believe in a Force, in an Energy. I also believe that we don't know many things, but that there is a balance between these different energies. The white and the black.

Good and Evil...

Absolutely! Right now the world is in crisis, but we're going to get through it. It's a vicious circle. We do ourselves a disservice if we think that if the world were rid of people like Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Jair Bolsonaro and the ayatollahs of Iran and Iraq, we would be out of the woods. I think all this can happen - and I hope it will, in a way - but Good and Evil will always be there. That balance is necessary. But I am an optimist by nature. I believe that there is a future for Volodymyr Zelensky and the Eastern bloc. That there is perhaps a chance to put into practice what was tried there some thirty years ago. And I believe in a free Iran, in a possible return to what this country was in 1978. What a beautiful day that would be! But that doesn't mean there wouldn't be a new war somewhere else in the world. I'm an eternal optimist, but let's face it: history is always starting over. As I said, it's a question of balance, a permanent coming and going. Because I believe in this Force I was talking about earlier, I truly believe that the West can win, that the way we live and the way we have built our society is a step forward that shows progress and can make a large majority of people happy. Not all, but most. But even if we all lived in love and peace for five years, something else would come along to create chaos! An alien or something! (laughs) That's how it works. Our mistake is to believe in the status quo, in nirvana. It's not going to happen. It's always about balance. The Vatican and organised religion... All that crap is just to pick people's pockets, to control them, to take their energy and scare them into plundering them. The same goes for the GOP (editor’s note: the American "Grand Old Party", suspected of having Christian nationalist leanings), which only deceives people in order to take their money! That's all you need to know. It's simple, so simple to understand. All this does not mean that the energy that emanates from churches is not real. When you walk into one of them, you feel - or so I believe - the energy of all those who have gone before you, for decades, for centuries. Their fears, their hopes, etc. So much so, sometimes, that you can feel oppressed, even upset. So I can walk into a church and feel a sense of awe. I love visiting these places, especially from an aesthetic point of view.

On Phantomime, you also cover "We Don't Need Another Hero" by Tina Turner. Don't you think that, given the state of the world today, we do need "another hero"?

I think Zelensky has shown how much we like heroes, how important they are to us. I think back, for example, to how the world went wild when Andrés Iniesta scored the decisive goal in the 116th minute to help Spain win the 2010 World Cup against the Netherlands. I believe in human determination and how it can inspire the world to distinguish between what is important... and what is really important. What is important for our daily lives. Yes, it's cool to have a complete collection of Venom's work, but it doesn't matter if I’m missing the most important thing. In the last ten years especially, the western world has been focusing on tons of unimportant things trying to pit people against each other, cancel culture and all that stuff... It proves that we are spoiled children. Our mentality shows it when it comes to security. Seeing Zelensky defend himself as he does appeals to our most primal instincts: it's beautiful and very inspiring. Nothing else is more important than that. It is the only thing that matters... Otherwise we have to be prepared for a lot of people to live in misery.

Next August, you will tour in the USA with Amon Amarth. I noticed that they will not accompany you on the last date, in Los Angeles, on September 11, 2023. There is no opening act, you ask the audience not to use their phones, etc. That sounds like a live DVD!

Yes, we are indeed planning to film this show, but it won't be the end of the Impera era cycle, even if we will not have so many dates left after this concert. There will still be a few shows in South America and Australia.

Nothing in Japan? A country that one might think Ghost was made for.

At the moment, it's not very clear. We had a lot of discussions with the Japanese promoters, as there was talk of us appearing on the bill of a Japanese festival scheduled for this month. Unfortunately, the festival was postponed... and then rescheduled for March! I think they originally had a big headliner, but the headliner didn't show up. So they cancelled, and then considered a smaller edition with Pantera. With all the back and forth, we ended up dropping out because it was too risky for us to play one date there after six months of inactivity. Our team is currently taking a break, but we preferred to use this time to rehearse for our next shows. The first one will be in Rouen on May 21st. We learned a good lesson the last time we played Hellfest. It was so hot that day, the conditions were so extreme, that we almost had a storm. We really had to fight against the elements and it affected me (Editor's note: the last encore of the show was not played, as Tobias was suffering from vocal problems). It was a very tough show. What really pissed me off was not the fact that I lost my voice, but the fact that the festival-goers who were there were not treated to our entire production. It was indeed difficult to foresee these extreme conditions. This summer we have to play festivals again, so we have reworked our production, which will be better adapted to the complicated weather. On this tour we will play in Spain, Finland, Norway, Greece, all within a few days of each other. So we'll be touring with two identical stages, so we can do all these shows without too much downtime. It's not very ecological, I'm sorry to say, because sometimes we'll have to take a plane to get to these cities in time. Not great, but it's the only way...

Will you play any of the Phantomime covers live?

One thing is for sure: we will play 'Jesus He Knows Me' because it's the first single from the new EP. As for the rest, we'll see during the rehearsals how the set evolves - because it's going to evolve a bit from the 2022 set. We're thinking of playing some songs from Impera that we've left out so far.

[thenightling]

Unexpected Goth music

In the 90s you had the curious dilemma of both trying to avoid the title of Goth and also being accepted in the perceived Goth community. And there was an unfortunately high number of gatekeepers. You'd get asked what your favorite Goth artist or song was and for whatever reason "That doesn't count." or "That's actually Punk." or 'That's Death Rock, not Goth." or "That's too mainstream, that's not REAL Goth." And it got very irritating. So I'm going to list some of the things I think fit under the Goth genre that many would either not consider at all or would think "don't count." Disclaimer: This list does not contain obvious bands like The Cure, Siouxsie and the banshees, or Bauhaus. Once you remove those you'd be surprised how limited the selection of "real" Goth starts to feel. ______________________ And now here are the things that have (in my own experience) been classified as not Goth despite really fitting the criteria. Aurelio Voltaire - Sometimes considered Goth folk or "Dark Cabaret" or even "Death Rock" (1988 version of The Night) Aurelio Voltaire pretty much personifies Goth music. From his Gothic Neo Victorian / pirate look to such songs as Raised by Bats, Land of the Dead, Vampire Club, and the Neil Gaiman's The Sandman inspired "Come Sweet Death." Aurelio Voltaire is so Goth that I can't help but think there are other reasons people may not want to count him such as unconscious racism. (He's Cuban and has released Spanish language tracks.) Danny Elfman - Perhaps today most well known for his movie scores, particularly the iconically Gothic Nightmare before Christmas (where he was multiple voices including Jack's singing voice), Danny Elfman used to be the front man for the band Oingo Boingo where he had such songs as Dead Man's Party, Flesh 'n blood, Weird Science, No one lives forever, and No Spill Blood. These are arguably Gothic themed but not Gothic "style." However I do feel there is some Goth leanings in his 2020 album Big Mess which was officially released as the genre Industrial Goth. The Hex Girls - This band was invented for the 1999 Scooby Doo animated movie, Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost. Representing Gothic fashion, Wiccan spiritual beliefs, and environmentalism the band was meant to be a Gothic inversion on The Spice Girls. Defined as "Eco Goth" though arguably pop their songs actually were really good including "Earth, Wind, Fire, and Air" (though admittedy it should be Earth, Water, Fire, and Air), The Witch's Ghost, and Hex Girl. Inkubus Sukkubus - Considered Pagan Rock, they are definitely Goth, including the songs Sweet Morpheus and Vampire Queen (and several other vampire themed songs!) Blackmore's night - Neo Medieval folk rock band. You know... I think once you get called "Neo Medieval" you get a free pass to call yourself Goth. That's just my opinion. Including the songs Locked Within the Crystal Ball, The Darkness, and Shadow of the Moon.

Within Temptation - Symphonic Metal / Gothic Metal. One question... have you listened to them? Just listen to Angel, Stand my Ground, The Fear, or A Demon's Fate. Eden's Bridge - Progressive Celtic Folk Rock. They have two songs dedicated to Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost. I know one song isn't enough but still... Sonata Arctica - Metal but some of their biggest hits are about magic and more commonly werewolves. Cain's offering - Again, Metal, but the subject matter is decidedly Gothic. Kamelot - Power metal but they have two albums that retell Goethe's Faust parts 1 and 2 (Epica and The black Halo). In fact pretty much everything they do is of Gothic inclination. Richard Campbell - Metal but he did an entire metal opera retelling the novel Frankenstein. I think that's pretty Goth if you ask me.

Smashing Pumpkins - Considered Alternative rock. There was time where just about anything vampire related was advertised with Bullet with Butterfly Wings. And the band is named after a popular Halloween prank. The lead singer is also a professional poet.

Alice Cooper - Welcome to my Nightmare, Keepin' Halloween Alive, The Ballad of Dwight Frye (actor from classic universal monster movies), Gimme, Black Widow (With Vincent Price). He also performed in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows.

Marilyn Manson - Once Classified as industrial Goth, he was denounced by many Goths as "too mainstream" or "Not Goth enough." The man did covers of Danny Elfman's This is Halloween, David Bowie's Golden Years, Annie Lennox's Sweet Dreams, and Lost Boys' Cry Little Sister. That's pretty Goth if you ask me. My Chemical Romance (MCR) - Do I really need to elaborate wit this one? David Bowie - Mostly considered Glam Rock, Bowie has dabbled in all genres and Heart's Filthy Lesson was definitely industrial. Aurelio Voltaire did a Goth sequel to the songs Bowie wrote for Labyrinth. And Bowie's Scary Monsters and Super Creeps inspired Danny Elfman. You can't get more Goth than that (In my opinion). Even Bowie's album Hours drifts into Emo territory. Prince - At the very least he had a Goth aesthetic. I think if he wasn't black people would be quicker to realize he could fit as Goth. There's a lot of unconscious racism among some (not all) Goths. Michael Jackson - One word. Thriller. He also had The Boogeyman's Gonna Get ya with The Jackson Five, and later Ghost. But once you get Vincent Price to rap you should automatically count. The Rasmus - Rock but most of their songs are decidedly Goth and probably should count such as In the Shadows, Ghost of love, and Lucifer's Angel. Sarah McLachlan - Though considered pop let's be honest. Every Goth and person in the 90s "vampire Scene" had her Surfacing album or at least heard Building a Mystery. Before her music started playing in ASPCA commercials you heard songs like Adia on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Savage Garden - Though definitely pop they get an honorary mention for having songs inspired by Anne Rice and for naming themselves after a phrase invented by The vampire Lestat to describe the nature of the world in The Vampire Lestat novel by Anne Rice. Sting - Though not always Goth, Sting was in the Gothic horror movie The Bride and wrote a song from the perspective of Louis in Interview with the vampire called Moon over Bourbon Street. Stevie Nicks - She got an American Horror story: Coven tie-in music video and practices witchcraft. That's like hitting a Goth bullseye. Johnny Cash - Wore all black all the time and did a cover of a NIN song that is considered better than the original version, Hurt. Sir Elton John - Glam / Pop rock but he gets an honorary mention for composing the Lestat Broadway musical and having a full demo album that was never officially released and can only be found through dubious / underground sources. (Or Ebay if you were lucky in 2006...) Honorable mention to Bobby "Boris" Pickett for having the first Gothic themed song to get banned in the UK (Monster Mash) for being "Too morbid." You can't get much more Goth than that.

[aois-amaterasu-painting]

GiGS vol. 420 (October 2015)

Chapter 1 - RUKI [Vocal]

“DOGMA”, with its intense focus on low frequencies, eliminates external sounds entirely, utilizing only low-A and low-B tunings. As the band’s frontman and primary songwriter, RUKI has always steered the direction of the GazettE. Why, after 13 years since the band’s formation, did they choose to create an album with this kind of sound?

“When the album was finished, I felt it was almost like an exact reflection of myself.”

Interviewer: At the March performance at Nippon Budokan, it was announced that THE BEGINNING OF OMINOUS YEAR, centered around the album DOGMA, would begin. When did the powerful word "DOGMA" first come to mind?

RUKI: Last year, we had a tour titled Redefinition. Among those shows, we had PULSE WRIGGLING TO DIM SCENE, which focused on STACKED RUBBISH (released in 2007) and DIM (released in 2009), so it was around June. However, the word DOGMA itself, including the album cover design, had already existed as early as the beginning of last year. Back then, I hadn’t decided exactly how to use it yet. But as we continued performing live, I began reflecting on the state of our band, our relationship with our fans and the term DOGMA felt very fitting.

When I saw the artwork used for the album cover, it all came together. By that point, the title DOGMA had already been cemented in my mind. For our first song selection meeting, we hadn’t decided on what kind of album it would be yet; we just brought in songs. At that time, I brought in “OMINOUS.” It was during this process that I shared my idea of “DOGMA” with the other members as a direction to aim for in the next selection meeting. From there, everyone started creating songs with “DOGMA” in mind.

There was an early version of BLEMISH, but it had a strong EDM influence, so we set it aside. However, at the final song selection meeting, when we realized we needed one more track, someone suggested bringing that song back and reworking it into a more DOGMA-esque style. By the second song selection meeting, about half of the album was completed.

Interviewer: It’s surprising that you had the artwork’s image in mind so early on. I assume you also thought deeply about the meaning behind “DOGMA.”

RUKI: Yes. First, from the perspective of our public image during live performances, there’s this religious-like aura. At the same time, we’re aware of our somewhat isolated position within the current visual kei scene—we don’t really mix with others. Though, honestly, we don’t want to mix either. Of course, we respect our predecessors in the genre, but we also have a desire to surpass them.

When we considered what kind of band we should be, we realized that there aren’t many bands like us that have maintained this style for 13 years. It’s something natural for us, but if I take a step back and look at it from a bird's-eye view, it feels like our essence keeps becoming denser. In the album, we described this as "unmixable black." For us, delving deeper into that blackness felt like the right path. Our goal was to hand over something absolute to our audience.

The idea of myself as a symbol of divinity, symbol of blackness, resonated deeply with the androgynous figure on the black album jacket. It evokes the image of a cult—one that society might see as misguided, but which worships its own absolutes. That message, that structure, felt perfectly aligned with who we are. From there, the absolute term ‘dogma’ naturally emerged.

Interviewer: In other words, while the word “DOGMA” became the title, it wasn’t about doing something completely different. Instead, it served as a term that encapsulated your journey so far. With that as the theme, did it make the songwriting process easier, or did it feel restrictive? It seems like this could differ for each of you.

RUKI: The word DOGMA itself is pretty abstract, right? So everyone approached it by interpreting what DOGMA meant to them. Songs were rejected for reasons like, “This doesn’t feel like DOGMA,” which is both understandable and a bit vague (laughs). But when everyone agreed on something, that became the “right” answer.

Interviewer: You mentioned earlier that EDM elements were intentionally removed. Why was that? In other words, was it an effort to focus on a more traditional band sound?

RUKI: Yes. From TOXIC (released in 2011) to BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY (released in 2013), our albums were quite experimental. At the time, there weren’t many bands doing that kind of music. But we questioned whether we wanted to continue pursuing that direction, and the answer was no. While we didn’t have a clear concept for what to do next, through the “Redefinition” tour, we started to see traces of ourselves—what made us who we are.

Then we asked ourselves, “What is the current live experience missing?” And the answer was something much heavier and darker. Whenever we make an album, we usually balance different aspects within ourselves. But this time, we first decided to eliminate the idea of including “at least one clean, melodic song.” We also threw out the approach of trying to balance things like “how many heavy songs, how many medium-paced ones” and so on. Instead of worrying about maintaining a variety, we decided to focus on leaning into extremes.

That’s why the album structure ended up with a sound that felt like a band’s raw essence but also unconventional at the same time. To get into more specifics, we really pushed down-tuning, completely banned major chords (laughs), and insisted on phrases that felt eerie and unsettling. I think these ideas were something that existed within each of the members’ hearts somewhere.

Interviewer: Still, the various experiments you’ve conducted weren’t mistakes. They were ways of shaping darkness and heaviness through different methods of expression at the time, weren’t they?

RUKI: Yeah, there was definitely a calculated aspect to it. But this time, it felt much closer to instinct. That’s what makes the process different from before, and in a way, it also feels like we’ve returned to our original style.

Interviewer: For this album, you’ve used Low A and Low B tunings exclusively. When composing, do those heavy bass tones naturally sound in your head as the foundation?

RUKI: For me, it doesn’t start with a melody but with a riff. So, the tuning of the guitar I use for recording demos often influences the process (laughs). Usually, I’ll begin with the intro, then add the verse, and by that point, I’ve already layered vocals. Then I create the bridge and so on, building one section at a time. That’s why, with a song like DOGMA, the chorus might not even appear until the very end. The tempo keeps changing, and the structure evolves. In that sense, it’s a very spontaneous process.

Interviewer: Despite all these evolving developments, the album is surprisingly cohesive. The flow is seamless. If one considers “darkness” and “heaviness” as themes that suggest evil and chaos, it might have been simpler, in terms of technique, to go for a more convoluted, chaotic arrangement.

RUKI: I wasn’t consciously aware of that, but I think you’re right. There’s not much that feels incomprehensible. Even with bands I admire, I notice that. I’m not a guitarist by trade, but I love riffs that make you want to copy them on a whim, like those from Limp Bizkit or Metallica. I’m from the nu-metal generation, so I also like single-note riffs from bands like YamaArashi. Even with Slayer or Pantera, there’s something great about straightforward classic darkness (laughs).

Interviewer: Speaking of riffs, each track features so many distinct ones that any single riff could serve as the basis for an entirely new song, yet you use them so lavishly.

RUKI: That’s why the dark drawer in my mind keeps getting emptied out bit by bit (laughs). Since I’m not a guitarist, I don’t think in terms of how the riffs fit into chord progressions. Instead, I just play based on how unsettling they sound to me.

Interviewer: The title track, DOGMA, truly captures what the GazettE stands for. However, the lyrics aren’t bound by the term “DOGMA” as a unifying theme. Each song feels distinct, yet they’re all brought together by the world of the GazettE and RUKI.

RUKI: When it comes to this band, there’s no hesitation about the direction we need to take. That resolve is particularly strong in “DOGMA.” But to put it bluntly, it’s not about how things have suddenly come together here. When the album was finished, I felt it was almost like an exact reflection of myself. It’s surprisingly not a fantastical world. Though I use metaphors in my writing, when addressing topics like the struggles of society, I feel that expressing them in clichéd ways would come across as too superficial.

Interviewer: For example, you’ve mentioned that BIZARRE reflects recent social issues.

RUKI: Yeah. While I was writing it, there was a youth crime incident happening. But it’s not so much about the event itself as what comes afterward. I write about it from what feels like an ordinary perspective, but to society, it might be a taboo. It’s like that saying “once it’s out of sight, out of mind”—for about a week after an event, the media covers it, but the important part is what happens afterward, isn’t it? These kinds of things make me think a lot.

Interviewer: On a related note, this time all the track titles are single words. It seems like each word was chosen to be highly symbolic.

RUKI: That’s right. You know the concept of the “seven deadly sins”? They’re just listed as single words, aren’t they? The songs on this album similarly represent just one emotion each, so I felt that single-word titles suited them best.

Interviewer: The influence of the “seven deadly sins” concept is apparent, especially in lyrics like those in “RAGE.” However, while the band delivers its absolute doctrine, it feels like you leave a lot of space for listeners to interpret things in their own way.

RUKI: That’s right. The word “DOGMA” itself is inherently imposing. So it’s about how you interpret things like God, or how you perceive death—those are the themes being explored. Cult religions, for example, often take some form of “DOGMA” and have their followers spread it through their own interpretations, don’t they? Like I mentioned earlier, when I fell in love with certain bands, I absorbed their messages in my own way and took them as absolute (laughs).

But, for example, when songs like LUNA SEA’s “ROSIER” or “TRUE BLUE” were released, for us, they conjured a strong image of the city at night. It’s strange because those words weren’t explicitly referencing that, yet they became a shared language of sorts. I think that’s the essence of the visual kei world—the ability to evoke such collective imagery. Similarly, with DOGMA, listeners might connect it to certain moments in their lives.

Interviewer: It’s fascinating that OMINOUS, the final track on the album, was one of the first songs created.

RUKI: When deciding on the track order, it naturally felt like “this song doesn’t belong in the middle.” The word OMINOUS represents our current state as a band. The song has real, raw lyrics and coincides with our 13th anniversary. It feels like naming it that brought about various events (laughs). Over time, the track has grown stronger. Initially, we didn’t create it with those emotions, but it ended up carrying them.

Interviewer: As you head into the tour, what do you think creating “DOGMA” has revealed about the band?

RUKI: It’s made me think about how music is meant to be used—not as an experiment but as a medium for genuine expression. When it was finished, my feelings weren’t ones of satisfaction or anything like that. Listening to it feels heavy—it’s like a diary zooming in on my thoughts during tough times.

Normally, we’re expected to inspire dreams, but some of what’s conveyed here might not align with that role. But in a way, I feel like the essence of music—how it truly should exist and how it should be conveyed—naturally took form through this process.

Chapter 2 - Uruha [Guitar] & Aoi [Guitar]

The raw and unfiltered band sound, crafted by the clash of all five members’ music, forms the foundation of “DOGMA.” To enrich and deepen the essence of this work, Uruha and Aoi wrote four tracks: “DERACINE,” “WASTELAND,” “GRUDGE,” and “PARALYSIS.” As guitarists, how did the two of them approach this album?

Interviewer: What kind of approach did you take toward the sound of DOGMA?

Uruha: We focused on achieving a tight sound where each phrase could be heard clearly, while also exploring how to incorporate a subtle sense of airiness, more so than ever before. That was something the two of us worked on extensively before heading into recording.

Aoi: While discussing things like that, we would be recording the rhythm parts, and at the same time, we’d crank up the amps and pour the sound into the mix, refining it bit by bit.

Uruha: So it wasn’t just a simple meeting. It felt more like we were experimenting by actually playing and layering the sounds of our two guitars, judging whether it worked or not. Aoi even swapped out vacuum tubes… You can’t really understand the impact just by imagining it. So we’d listen to the changes and judge how well it meshed with my sound.

Aoi: That being said, I replaced three tubes, but in the end, we didn’t use a single one (laughs). When I actually heard the sound, it didn’t quite match the image I had in mind for the tonal balance.

Uruha: Everything ended up sounding very clean and organized.

Aoi: Yeah. Since we’re a band with a fairly strong “bite,” I thought having a bit of grit in the sound would be better for expressing our unique color. But I was always thinking about where to find the right balance for the final result.

Interviewer: So, does that mean you first focused on creating the foundation of the two guitars' sounds?

Uruha: That’s right. When working on an album, we usually start with something like the title track—a song that has a relatively well-balanced sound and can adapt to anything. This time, that song was "DOGMA," so we built the foundation around that. Up until now, the pre-production stage mostly involved plugins, but this time, we actually used the recording equipment during pre-production to get the sound. That was a first for us.

Aoi: Previously, we’d only think about what kind of sound we wanted on the spot during the session. But that approach could mean spending an entire day just crafting a single sound.

Interviewer: But, the purpose of this new approach wasn’t simply to save time, right?

Uruha: It’s about the mental side of things. At the beginning, there were some discrepancies in everyone’s opinions. If we had to fix those differences later, it would mean re-recording and putting in an enormous amount of effort. Having the right technical setup from the start was a big factor as well.

Aoi: DEUX might have been part of it too, don’t you think? We had recorded that song earlier and thought it was finished. But I just couldn’t stand the sound of it, so we decided to rethink things. Knowing that we might have to re-record it probably pushed us to prepare even more thoroughly.

Uruha: That’s true. The equipment itself hasn’t changed much since then, but just the way you record something can lead to results you can’t take back.

Interviewer: DEUX was performed as an encore during your Nippon Budokan show in March, right? As you mentioned, the way the two guitars blend on this album is particularly striking.

Uruha: That’s something we discussed in detail (laughs).

Aoi: Ruki also joined in on those discussions.

Uruha: It’s about finding the ideal balance between a player’s desire to add their essence and a creator’s absolute vision. It’s not about compromise.

Aoi: It’s been a long time since I’ve had such passionate discussions about sound. It can be frustrating in the moment (laughs), but even after all these years, being able to have such serious conversations is something I really appreciate.

Uruha: It’s important to respect all perspectives and try things out. There are insights you can only gain after trying things. This recording process really emphasized that.

Interviewer: And despite all this effort, the sound seems unified, as if the equipment remained consistent throughout.

Uruha: That’s right.

Aoi: If we were to change something, it feels like it would fundamentally alter what the GazettE’s "DOGMA" is supposed to represent. Recording with a sound that everyone agreed upon also meant that the tonal consistency across the album wouldn’t fluctuate too much.

Uruha: Since the album had such a strong and clear theme throughout, keeping the sound consistent was the best choice.

Interviewer: Did the use of low A and low B tunings contribute to this evolution?

Uruha: We’ve used low A tuning before, so we were aware of its challenges. But this time, I think we managed to elevate the quality to the point where you can’t distinguish much between low A or low B in terms of tonal quality. It came together in a surprisingly solid way.

Aoi: Our "right" answer tends to be a sound that’s bright and taut, yet gives a subtle impression of being lower in range. The typical characteristics of low A or low B tunings don’t really fit the GazettE’s sound, so we didn’t aim to emphasize them either.

Interviewer: It’s remarkable how the songs employ such heavy downtuning yet still deliver low-end sounds with such a light, effortless quality.

Uruha: Yeah. When artists use low-A tunings, they often go for slower-tempo songs. But in the GazettE’s case, the songs are fast, so we needed a tightness that could keep up with that speed. That was something we set as a theme from the start, and I think it contributes to why the sound feels so light and agile.

Interviewer: Now that it’s finished, how do you see the DOGMA album as a whole?

Aoi: Honestly, my first reaction was, “Ah, I can listen to it.” During the demo phase, I didn’t think I’d be able to listen to it all the way through.

Uruha: It was too intense (laughs).

Aoi: Yeah. In the demo stage, the vocals weren’t fully recorded, and I wondered if we had gone too far.

Uruha: Even when fast-paced tracks follow one after another, there are moments that don’t just feel listenable—they actually feel good. That was an unexpected discovery for me. This album proved that it’s not necessarily essential to switch between heavy tracks and more melodic ones to create variety.

Aoi: In the past, we usually aimed for balance by including a variety of songs.

Interviewer: This album seems to emphasize the band’s sound more than ever. How do you feel about that?

Aoi: We’ve talked about wanting to express a “band feel” on previous albums, but I always felt like our sound hadn’t fully caught up to that idea. With this album, though, I feel like the band has finally caught up to that concept. Instead of focusing on highlighting individual parts, we really clarified what it means to exist as a band and what kind of sound we wanted to create as a whole. It’s still a bit abstract, but if someone asked, “What is the GazettE’s sound?” I think this album represents it in the clearest, most GazettE-like way. I also feel like we’ve established something unique that other bands wouldn’t be able to replicate.

Uruha: That said, this isn’t something that can be easily achieved. It's weird for me to say it, but I think we were only able to do this because we’ve grown so much as a band. Each of us had a period in the past where we were focused on doing what we wanted individually. Without struggling through that phase, we wouldn’t have arrived here. It takes time. In a sense, this album is the result of seeking answers as a band.

Aoi: Bands where the individual members’ preferences dominate can’t really pull something like this off, I think. But I think the five of us really enjoy being in the GazettE together. Even as we grow older and maybe more set in our ways, everyone is surprisingly flexible. That’s something I find really interesting.

Interviewer: Speaking of your playing, mastering such a wide variety of riffs must have required a considerable amount of technical skill, right?

Uruha: I think we naturally reflect what we’ve built up over time, even if we’re not always conscious of it. For tracks like “RAGE,” “DAWN,” and especially “PARALYSIS,” I always had this image of trying to emphasize sharpness and clarity in the faster sections. For example, instead of relying on alternate picking, I’d push to use down-picking where possible. But in any case, the riffs are genuinely fun to play. What I regret, though, is... that it’s not in standard tuning (laughs).

Aoi: Makes it harder for people to copy (laughs).

Uruha: Exactly (laughs). Take the intro of “BLEMISH”, for instance—playing it gets me hyped, like, “This is so cool!” It’s that moment when the sound is crisp and precise, and you can really show off (laughs).

Aoi: My favorite is “DERACINE.” I think it has a little bit of everything. There are moments where we play together, times where we each expand the sound in our own way, and opportunities to use effects. Plus, the vertical alignment of the parts is crucial. If you’re sloppy, you can’t pull it off. It’s a challenge for your ears, too, so I think it’s good practice.

Chapter 3 - REITA [Bass] & Kai [Drums]

The album “DOGMA” features an unprecedented low-end heaviness that spans its entirety. For REITA and Kai, who are responsible for anchoring the band’s sound, this required heightened awareness and innovation in both playing and sound production. In this chapter, we explore what the two of them focused on during the album’s creation.

Interviewer: What kind of thoughts went into the production process for DOGMA?

Kai: Once we had the tracks ready, we talked about how to approach them. One key idea was to bring more focus to the low-end frequencies than usual. To achieve that, the kick drum needed to sit lower in the mix, because otherwise, the bass wouldn’t come through clearly. With that in mind, I started by considering the drum setup. Initially, I aimed for toms that would give a more direct, metallic resonance, like what you often hear in metal. RUKI was quite particular, saying, “Can’t you go lower?” (laughs). So, we began with finding a kit that could deliver a low sound while still allowing the shells to resonate properly.

We ultimately settled on an oak-shell kit. When I hit it for the first time, I thought, “Whoa, what is this incredible rebound!?” That was the starting point. The nature of the tracks this time also called for cymbals with more sustain, so it felt like I couldn’t stick to the same approach as before. The drums had to evolve beyond the familiar.

Interviewer: It seems that by the time you started production, you already had a clear vision for the sound the band wanted to create.

Kai: Yes, I feel like we had a clear direction.

Reita: When the tuning is as low as A or B, I knew my job was to provide a solid foundation for the sound. That became my focus. Whenever we finish recording, I always think, “This sounds great,” but I also notice areas to improve. That’s a good thing, of course, but at the same time, I found myself wondering if we couldn’t record more simply. How do we capture the sound with as little interference and loss as possible? That’s what we really honed in on this time.

Interviewer: How did you feel about the finished tracks?

Reita: I thought, “Wow, there are a lot of intense tracks!” But since the tempos are fast and the tuning is low, I realized midway through the pre-production process that intricate phrases wouldn’t be very effective. So, I shifted my approach to make the playing itself simpler. Stripping things down felt more meaningful. After that, I just focused on details like where I placed my picking hand.

Interviewer: Despite the variety in these songs' structures, they don’t sound overly complex. Instead, they feel like they’ve been tied together with a great sense of cohesion.

Reita: That’s true. During pre-production, when we took the demo data home to work on our parts, we’d say, “The structures are pretty complex,” but once we actually added the parts, it all came together surprisingly smoothly (laughs). It felt natural, which was a bit of a mystery even to us.

Kai: I think it’s because we packed in only the essentials. As a result, some of the arrangements became more elaborate, but it’s not like we jumped randomly from point A to point C. The songs follow a clear progression, which made the structures feel logical.

Interviewer: Did the recording process itself go smoothly? Are there any techniques for basic sound production that our readers might be able to replicate?

Reita: For the bass, the first step is to cut the mid-range completely to create a scooped sound. That can feel a bit lacking, so you boost the drive, and it starts to sound right (laughs).

Kai: Drums are acoustic instruments, so the sound changes depending on who’s playing, which makes it a bit tricky. This time, I used a bell brass snare drum. Normally, I play with all the hits catching on the rim, but this time I worked on creating a tone that sounded like it was caught on the rim even when it wasn’t. Instead, I focused on producing a sound that emphasized the core of the drum hit. Since anyone can try playing without using the rim, I’d recommend experimenting with that kind of sound design.

Interviewer: Are there any practice routines you’d recommend that might help with skill improvement?

Kai: For drums, I’d recommend the ghost notes in "DAWN." The notes played in the background go like "nta nta-t." While they’re ghost notes, if you treat them as true "ghosts," the song won’t work. The key is to make those ghost notes resonate clearly. For most drummers, these notes might not even be audible, but to make them distinct, you need to hit those background beats with more force—almost as if emphasizing the notes that aren’t on the primary 2 & 4 beats. Doing this makes the sound feel steady and even. For the GazettE’s songs, this isn’t anything extraordinary, but it’s perfect for practice.

It comes down to intentional focus. While your usual power goes to the 2 & 4 beats, you should apply around 60-80% strength to the offbeats. This has become my personal style now. Drumming often shines through fills, but as the note groupings get denser, volume inconsistencies start creeping in. So, I save my true 100% effort for fast fills, which, when listened back to, helps everything sound natural and balanced, with all the details standing out clearly. This track, in particular, is packed with opportunities to practice that approach. Initially, try playing it at a slower tempo. Once your body adapts, it will naturally work for faster songs too.

Interviewer: Your tom usage is also fascinating.

Kai: In most of the songs, I don’t even use the 12-inch tom. It’s more like a setup of one tom and two floor toms—14-inch, 16-inch, and 18-inch. If I included the smaller tom, the overall sound would get too light and lose its resonance. To avoid that, I tuned the 14-inch tom as low as it could go while still responding clearly. For the 16-inch, I tuned it so it firmly produced a deep "do" sound. This approach created a really good flow.

Because we started this album with the concept of going lower and lower overall, this setup naturally led to the final sound. Part of this was because Reita kept saying he wanted to go even lower…

Reita: No, I didn’t say that! (laughs) But from the bassist’s perspective, Kai switching to a 22-inch kick drum was a huge change. With the previous 26-inch, there was too much range that needed to be tightened, which made it harder to create a good match with the bass.

For basslines, the only part that really moves around is in the chorus of "DAWN." That section is great for practicing left-hand techniques. You could make it easier by playing it on the first and second strings, but you’d lose the low-end presence, so I play it on the third string in the higher positions. This makes the finger movements insanely busy.

Interviewer: There’s also a satisfying sense of how the bass holds its ground between the guitars and drums.

Reita: Yes, DOGMA exemplifies that. I maxed out both tone and attack, especially in the interlude, where I played everything with downstrokes. It’s harder than it sounds because you can’t afford to let the timing slip even a little. There are a lot of moments on this album where I took on the role of bridging the drums and guitars.

Interviewer: The bass sound doesn’t feel buried at all.

Reita: Usually, I’d run my sound through a cabinet and mic it, but that often feels like the sound is coming from a slight distance. I was also using a woofer, but for this album, the woofer’s responsiveness was causing issues. So, I switched to a speaker simulator. That resulted in a line-out setup, which improved the attack and brought the sound forward more prominently. I think that worked really well to make the bass stand out.

Interviewer: One of the defining features of this album is the absence of decorative synth parts, which were used in some of your recent works. This seems to have pushed your focus on the band sound into even finer detail.

Reita: I think the most satisfying thing is to feel content with the sound the five of us create. It feels like we’ve finally returned to that. The more layers you add, the more the individual sounds clash. It’s impossible to get everything to sit perfectly in the mix. This time, I realized again that if we want a good, clean sound, we have to reduce the number of elements. Going forward, we might strip things back even further. I feel like this album challenges listeners to decide whether they truly like the GazettE or not.

Kai: This album is a true representation of the GazettE’s essence. It ties back to why I started playing in a band in the first place—the joy of creating a real band sound. Looking around, I think there’s a tendency these days to chase the new and experimental. But we really dug deep into “What is the GazettE?” with this work. I think "DOGMA" turned out to be an ideal album in that respect.

Chapter 5 - Inside of The Band Magic

The raw and real sound of DOGMA was created through the clashing and blending of the unique personalities of The GazettE's five members. What kind of relationships made this miraculous ensemble possible? In this chapter, we have each member talk about one of the others while also reflecting on their early days. Through this, we aim to unravel their relationships and their starting points.

RUKI on Uruha

“Our relationship goes back a long way, but if I had to sum him up in one word, he’s stubborn (laughs). When it comes to in-depth discussions about music, Uruha is usually the one I talk to. I think our musical inclinations and goals are similar, but he’s probably the complete opposite of me in many ways.

Especially with his phrasing—Uruha’s ideas are often experimental, while I tend to be more rough and ready. So, from the moment we met, his songs were always very distinctive. A lot of them were also… difficult (laughs). For example, suddenly throwing in a really challenging B melody, or having the guitar surge forward so much that the vocals barely have room to fit in. And then he expects me to make it work somehow (laughs). That’s something that hasn’t changed since back then.

Even when I’m singing in a low register, he’ll have me shift to both lower and higher tones. In moments like that, I really feel, ‘This guy is such a guitarist...’”

To my beginner self (Ruki):

“I used to be pretty laid-back, so I’d tell my younger self, ‘Start taking things seriously sooner’ (laughs). Back then, I was more focused on increasing our audience or boosting sales, so I often made music with that in mind. Now, what matters most is how far we can go with what we want to do.

As a result, I feel like I’m more dedicated to music now than ever before. At the same time, I’m glad I’ve always stayed interested in creating something. I’m the kind of person who likes to get deep into the details of a song. Even though I never formally practiced guitar, I often tried to figure things out by watching others or experimenting on my own. Those experiences taught me a lot, and I’m glad I kept exploring all the different elements of sound.”

Uruha on Aoi

“He’s… very emotional (laughs). I think he’s someone who plays guitar with his feelings. I honestly envy his ability to express so much emotion, especially during live performances. Watching him, I feel he’s better at expressing himself than I am, and that’s something I admire.

But that wasn’t my impression when we first met. Back then, he seemed more like someone who was still figuring out what he wanted to do. Unlike me, who had this strong, ‘This is it!’ moment from my LUNA SEA roots and obsession with Sugizo, Aoi didn’t seem to have one defining influence.

Because of that, he’s not bound by any particular rules or conventions, which might make him more ‘rock’ in a way. Among the band members, he has the strongest rock spirit. Overall, he’s an incredibly emotional and passionate player.”

To my beginner self (Uruha):

“If I could meet my younger self, I’d say, ‘Practice your arpeggios more!’ (laughs). Early on, I loved cutting-style guitar playing and practiced that nonstop. But looking at my parts in The GazettE now, there are so many arpeggios (laughs). That’s always been a challenging area for me, and I wish I’d worked on it more back then.

On the other hand, I’ve always had a strong curiosity about gear, and I’m glad that hasn’t changed. My love and passion for equipment have only grown stronger over time. I’ve also started simplifying things—I’ve even switched to a Mesa Boogie amp (laughs).”

Aoi on Reita

"REITA gives a sense of reassurance; he’s someone you can rely on. In that sense, he’s similar to Kai. As a person and as a player, he gives the impression of someone with a strong core. He’s consistent in what he says, and I always feel secure knowing my performance is supported by him. Of course, I trust all the members, but REITA is the one who gives me the most peace of mind... Well, I haven’t really thought about it much (laughs).

At the same time, while he’s steadfast, he’s also very skilled. If I request a specific phrase, he always brings it to life. Sometimes I just give a vague idea, and he still manages to shape it into something tangible. That skill has been a constant since the early days.”

To my beginner self (Aoi):

“Oh man, I’d definitely tell myself, 'You should take music more seriously’ (laughs). I’ve always felt like I was a step behind the other members. I’d watch them, figure out where I was lacking, and work on improving those areas. If I could meet my younger self, I’d tell him to be more serious from the start.

Looking back, meeting the other members was such a pivotal moment. If it weren’t for them, I don’t think I’d even be doing music. I originally started music as a hobby and thought I might turn it into a career someday, but I didn’t understand it as deeply as I do now. The inspiration and stimulation I’ve gotten from them have shown me the joy of being in a band and the depth of music.”

REITA on Kai

"When I first met Kai, I thought, 'He seems like an interesting guy.’ He was barefoot (laughs) and held his drumsticks the opposite way, saying, 'This feels heavier, so it’s better!’ I’ve always liked quirky people, so I thought we might get along. But as time went by, he became increasingly serious.

Drums are the foundation of everything, aren’t they? Whether you can fully trust someone to handle that responsibility is crucial, and I now place absolute trust in him. Kai’s also the most meticulous and detail-oriented among us. When he decided to take on the role of leader, he really took responsibility and started guiding everyone. Since I’m not the type to lead, I’m super grateful for that."

To my beginner self (REITA):

"I’d tell myself, 'Start with fingerpicking.’ Coming from a pick-playing background, switching to fingerpicking felt like learning a completely different instrument. If I’d been doing both from the start, I think my range as a player would’ve been broader.

That said, at the core, I feel glad I stuck with playing bass. I’ve never been someone who sticks to things for long, and bass is the only thing I’ve kept doing. It feels like picking up the bass shaped my personality and even my identity. It’s more than just an instrument; it’s part of who I am. And honestly, I only want to play bass as part of The GazettE. Outside of that, I don’t feel any desire to play."

Kai on RUKI

"RUKI doesn’t compromise on anything. There’s no ‘This is good enough’ for him; He always has a clear vision of what he wants, and when he records vocals, he knows exactly what he’s aiming for. He keeps challenging himself to reach that level, which is really impressive.

There are times when I think, ‘What was wrong with that take?’ but RUKI always has a reason—he’s striving for something even better. His ability to envision his art is truly remarkable. When we first met, I just thought he had a wide vocal range and a great voice. But as we worked together, I saw him grow rapidly as an artist, constantly raising the bar for himself."

To my beginner self (Kai):

"There’s so much I’d want to tell my younger self (laughs). First and foremost, I’d say, ‘Be more disciplined!’ Honestly, I didn’t think about much back then. I’d tell myself to focus more on what matters and to clarify my goals.

That said, one thing I’ve always enjoyed—then and now—is interacting with people. Meeting others and learning from them has been a constant in my life. That’s how I’ve grown—absorbing what I can from those around me. That hasn’t changed. Even now, on tours, I enjoy chatting with staff and getting to know them. While it’s not directly related to playing an instrument, building relationships and learning from others has been a consistent part of who I am."

Chapter 6 - The Resurgence and Frenzy Beginning Again with DOGMA

So far, we’ve thoroughly analyzed the chemical reactions and sounds condensed into the latest album, “DOGMA,” from various perspectives. But what will the tour accompanying this work look like? In this in-depth feature, we explore their thoughts on live performances in a long interview, aiming to uncover their sentiments toward the upcoming nationwide tour, the full scope of which is still unknown.

"At some point, we started focusing on expressing a cohesive world view." - Ruki

"It’s not so much about whether it’s perfect, but whether it meets the standard." - Uruha

"We’ve been active for a long time, so the amount of things we need to check has grown to an immense level over time. As a result, it’s become more intricate." - Aoi

"The feeling that we had to succeed on our own really hit when we started performing at larger venues." - Reita

"As the essence of what the GazettE is, we aim to present something truly convincing and powerful." - Kai

Interviewer: Everyone’s first time performing in front of an audience was likely during your middle or high school days. What kind of memories do you have of that experience?

RUKI: It was during a graduation camp in my third year of middle school. That was the first time I played drums. Yes, drums! (laughs) Quite a surprise, right? (laughs). I played HURT by LUNA SEA, LOVE LOVE SHOW by THE YELLOW MONKEY, and Bodies by the SEX PISTOLS. It was such a bizarre setlist (laughs).

Aoi: That era had a lot of wild setlists like that (laughs). For me, I was invited by an upperclassman to perform in the school gym. I think I was in my third year of middle school too. We weren’t exactly of the generation, but we played two ZIGGY songs.

Kai: I think my first time was at a piano recital my parents organized every two years. My mother played piano while I accompanied on drums. Normally, my teacher would play the drums, but they suggested, “Why not do it as a parent-child duo?”

RUKI: That’s giving major prodigy vibes (laughs).

Kai: No, no, nothing like that (laughs). It was just a very simple 8-beat pattern, but I was totally stiff from nerves (laughs). I think I was in my second year of middle school.

REITA: My first performance was with a band I was in with Uruha. We rented out a live house and did a two-band show. We played about eight songs, mostly LUNA SEA covers. I thought I was moving my head a lot during the performance, but when I watched the video later, I was barely moving (laughs). Despite that, my neck hurt like crazy the next day, and I came down with a 39°C fever (laughs). It was October 28th of my second year of high school.

Uruha: You remember the exact date? (laughs).

REITA: It’s also the band leader’s birthday (laughs).

Interviewer: It sounds like that day was memorable in many ways (laughs). Was that also Uruha’s first stage?

Uruha: No, my first was during my middle school culture festival. A teacher played the drums, and we performed LUNA SEA’s “ROSIER” and Mr.Children’s “innocent world” in the gym.

REITA: When he was preparing to play guitar for the cultural festival, I lent him my amp. And then he ended up holding onto it for ages… At that time, I had just started playing too, and you know, electric guitar without an amp isn't very fun. So because of him, I quit playing guitar (laughs).

Aoi: But if Uruha hadn’t stolen that amp back then, there would be no GazettE (laughs).

Interviewer: It’s remarkable how all of you came together in the GazettE (laughs). When did you establish your current approach to live performances?

Uruha: I think it was after Kai joined that we solidified what made the GazettE's shows fun.

REITA: Yeah, once we began doing proper tours, we started reflecting on the previous shows and learning from them. Things like, “That setlist didn’t work,” or “This part could’ve been better.”

RUKI: Before that, we wouldn’t even finalize the setlist until the day of the show (laughs). But even from the beginning, I think we always managed to enjoy the performances ourselves.

Uruha: Even though live shows were fun, there were days when we only had six people in the audience.

Aoi: Yeah, but we had dreams. When we went on tours, we’d share hotel rooms, right? We’d lie on our backs staring at the ceiling, talking about what kind of music we wanted to create (laughs).

REITA: Do you want to go back to sharing rooms? (laughs)

Aoi: Nah, I’m good (laughs). Maybe those days were just all part of our youth.

RUKI: But even now, if we all slept in the same room, we’d probably end up talking all night, about the same kind of stuff (laughs).

Interviewer: Reflecting on each show and applying that to the next one is important, but there must have been specific turning points that helped you all improve further along the way.

Aoi: Especially in the beginning, since we didn’t have solo gigs yet, we’d participate in events with this mindset of, “Let’s win over the audience.”

RUKI: There were times when we’d watch the band before us and decide on the spot to make our setlist more intense. I think that happened the first time we played a show with Nightmare. I remember thinking, “Wow, these guys have so much energy.” Did we win over the crowd that time? Maybe not (laughs). But we weren’t about to lose in terms of intensity!

Uruha: Back then, anything went.

REITA: We even had CO2 effects (stage pyrotechnics) because we just wanted to stand out.

RUKI: We’d start diving into the audience during the intro SE (laughs).

REITA: Into a crowd of 30 people (laughs).

Uruha: When it came to rehearsals, I’d often feel disheartened, thinking, “Wow, everyone else plays so well.” So at that point, the only thing we could do was focus on not losing in terms of energy and excitement (laughs). There was no point in competing in areas where we couldn’t win.

Aoi: That just means you’ve got to practice more on a daily basis.

Interviewer: Still, having that mindset of wanting to do something different from everyone else is important, isn’t it?

Aoi: Definitely. That’s something that’s still true for us, and it hasn’t changed since back then.

RUKI: I think our approach to live performances changed once we started doing one-man shows.

Uruha: When we joined our agency, they told us we needed to finalize the setlist in advance.

REITA: Right, there was this one time before a two-band show when the manager emailed us, asking for the setlist. I replied, “Don’t worry, we’ll decide it on the day,” and immediately got a phone call. The manager was like, “What are you even thinking?!” (laughs). When we finally started deciding the setlist ahead of time and then rehearsed it, we were like, “Ohhh, this makes sense” (everyone laughs). It took us about a year to figure that out (laughs).

Interviewer: Deciding on the day isn’t entirely unheard of, but looking back, were there any particularly memorable performances in recent years?

Uruha: I feel like turning points come to us periodically. Recently, it would have to be our show at Budokan.

RUKI: I wonder when we started to feel a sense of responsibility. Maybe after the first Budokan show? Not that we didn’t have any before that (laughs).

REITA: The realization that we had to succeed through our own abilities really came when we started playing in larger venues.

Aoi: Before that, our shows were often at venues where senior bands from our agency had performed, so we had a pretty good idea of how things worked. But when we first played Budokan, a venue that holds around 10,000 people, it was uncharted territory even for our agency. We had to collaborate and think things through carefully. In a way, up until then, we could simply show up to a pre-prepared venue, play our set, and the show would come together. But that dynamic changed. In a way, we’d been able to just show up, play, and the live would work. But that was no longer the case.

Interviewer: In terms of your recent approach to creating live shows, what would you say is unique to the GazettE’s style?

RUKI: At some point, we started focusing on expressing a cohesive world view. Since then, everything has become insanely detailed.

Aoi: Yeah, it’s super detailed. Even on the day of the show, we’ll weigh in on things like lighting adjustments. Of course, we also use simulations on computers beforehand. But now, we think of the entire stage as a unified production. Since we don’t have a director for staging, we have to handle everything ourselves.

RUKI: Even after the tour starts, we watch footage from the previous night, head to the venue early the next morning, and make adjustments to anything that caught our attention before rehearsals begin. We test those changes during rehearsal, tweak them again before the show, and work right up until just before the doors open. It’s a process of constantly refining things—trying them out, then repeating the same process the next day. Little by little, it gets closer to what we want.

Uruha: Even after the tour starts, as long as there’s room for improvement, there’s a massive amount of things to check, which inevitably makes everything more detailed. We keep making changes all the way up to the final show.

RUKI: We’re particular even with individual songs. For example, from the opening SE, the intro, and into the verse, we create a mood, layer by layer. If we had about a month to prepare, I think we could do everything perfectly, but that’s not usually the case. Of course, we delegate where we can, but when it comes to elements critical to the overall atmosphere, there’s no room for compromise. Recently, there’s the matter of those post-show announcement videos, right? We even get involved in things like the timing of the blackout before those play (laughs). It’s all about whether it gives us goosebumps or not—that’s the deciding factor.

Interviewer: You’re also very particular about details like the number of seconds between songs during a performance, right?

RUKI: Right. So for example, there’s a blue blackout where the members can still see their equipment, but even for the moment when it shifts to complete darkness, we’ll have the crew cue it precisely.

Uruha: We’re very particular about the timing of those cues.

Kai: We have so many discussions with both the band members and the staff that when something doesn’t go as planned during a show, everyone notices.

RUKI: Like if the timing for creating a silhouette is off or the shadow doesn’t appear properly (laughs). But we’re lucky to have a staff that keeps up with all this… Whether they enjoy it or not, I can’t say (laughs).

Kai: They’ve said it’s rewarding, even though it’s not easy. We’re really grateful to have such dedicated staff.

Interviewer: That level of detail could be described as perfectionism, wouldn’t you say?

RUKI: It’s less about what the audience thinks and more about whether it feels right to us.

Uruha: It’s less about being perfect and more about meeting our standards.

RUKI: A live show is like a live-action version of what’s on a CD. Everyone has an image of the colors and scenery they imagine when they listen to the music. If it’s supposed to feel like a night sky, but you have red lights, that doesn’t make sense. It’s that kind of abstract balance we’re always working with.

Interviewer: As a vocalist, what’s your approach to these live performances?

RUKI: It’s about whether I can immerse myself in it. Whether the transition from the previous song to the next flows naturally, whether I can switch seamlessly, whether I can fully embody and perform the song, and whether I can sing it completely. That’s all it comes down to for me, whether the live went well or not.

Interviewer: How about the instrumental members?

Aoi: I need to stay calm; otherwise, things get completely chaotic for me. It’s about how much everyone helps me stay focused during the live performance (laughs). It’s not about the members—it’s more about technical issues, like equipment power not being on. Those things really affect me, so I check those details pretty rigorously. The moment I arrive at the venue in the morning, I head straight to my gear to make sure everything’s in order.

Interviewer: So thorough preparation is key.

Aoi: Definitely. But I also want to keep things mentally light, so I try not to change too much from my usual routine.

Uruha: I’m somewhat similar to RUKI in that my focus is whether I can fully immerse myself in the music. When I’m fully in it, it’s not about whether I’m having fun or not—it’s more that my feelings are on a completely different level. My concentration is higher, and I feel like I’m truly experiencing the zone. Those are the moments when I feel a real sense of fulfillment. During a tour, it’s about discovering an environment that allows for that kind of immersion. It’s not something I can always control myself, but right now, that’s what I value most.

REITA: For me, the ultimate goal is to walk away feeling refreshed, but to get there, I want to avoid any stress during the performance. Physical discomfort tends to have the biggest impact—things like not being able to plant my feet properly can throw me off. To address that, I started warming up about 30 minutes before the show—stretching and light muscle training. It’s made a big difference. Once the performance starts, it’s all about how much I can sweat. If I don’t get drenched and completely messy early on, I can’t fully immerse myself. Being in that state keeps me from overexerting myself unnecessarily.

Kai: Like everyone else, I want to fully focus on the performance and channel my emotions into it. But at the same time, I want things to go as planned. For instance, if there’s a venue where certain lighting isn’t available, I need to know that everyone—both the staff and the band members—understands this limitation. If someone doesn’t know or forgets, the moment something unexpected happens, it’s like, “Whoa, what just happened!?” That moment of confusion becomes visible. If everyone’s on the same page, I can focus entirely on the performance.

REITA: You sound like a stage manager (laughs).

Kai: No, no, it’s not like that (laughs). But when the flow of the show is clearly recognized by everyone—staff and band alike—that’s when I can feel the least stressed and the most focused. That’s why I speak up about anything I notice (laughs).

Interviewer: But unexpected things still happen, don’t they?

Kai: Sure, they do. But things like equipment trouble, you can’t really help that. It’s not something to blame anyone for. The important part is how we respond when it happens. We also have to make sure that any accidents are communicated clearly to everyone. Even when something unexpected happens, we want things to proceed as smoothly as planned.

Interviewer: I see... The GazettE’s live shows feel like intricately crafted spectacles. But it sounds like they’re even more detailed than we might imagine.

Kai: To us, this level of detail feels normal, so we don’t really think about it. But maybe it seems that way to others.

Aoi: We’ve been active for a long time, so the amount of things we need to check has grown to an immense level over time. As a result, it’s become more intricate. But every band has its own way of doing things.

Interviewer: This tour sounds like it’s going to be something truly special, even from this perspective.

RUKI: The worldview of DOGMA will only fully come together during the live performances. With us, the fans, and the lighting all coming together, that’s when the true essence of DOGMA emerges. I think we’ll start to feel what DOGMA really is little by little from the first day. I’m excited about it, and we’re very determined to bring this absolute of DOGMA to completion.

Uruha: This time, we had nearly two years of preparation since the last album, the longest planning period in The GazettE’s history. It’s a meticulously constructed work that we’re bringing on tour. The fans who’ve been waiting for us have high expectations, and I’m confident that the tour will be rich and fulfilling enough to meet those expectations. I want them to enjoy it without any worries.

REITA: The album itself is complete, but the entity of DOGMA has just been born. How it grows will depend on the tour. This album was created under intense circumstances, with so many things happening during its production. We don’t know how it will evolve, but we feel a strong obligation to make it a success.

Aoi: It’s such a well-constructed work that I think our abilities as a band will be put to the test in how we translate it into a live performance. We’re determined to present something that everyone will be satisfied with.

Kai: While our approach hasn’t fundamentally changed, I feel that what each of us brings—our ideas, skills, and overall potential—is at its highest level ever. As the essence of what the GazettE is, we aim to present something truly convincing and powerful. I want everyone to look forward to that.

Scans cr: Kyoselflove Translation: ChatGPT

[lily-fics-11]

The Girl Next Door: Chapter 2 (Hazel Callahan, Bottoms)

Fic master post here (feel free to comment to be added to taglist)

The Girl Next Door

You hadn't been close with your neighbor Hazel for years. But you find her beat up in the locker room after fight club and all of that changes.

Chapter 2

Car rides with Hazel have you falling for her harder than ever. 

CW: mentions of blood and injury, mentions of violence, cursing, Taylor Swift references (I know not everyone is a fan so if people don't like it, I won't add anymore) *not beta read

You and Hazel walk to your car in silence. You get in the car and pass her the aux. “You still listen to Taylor Swift?” She asks shyly. 

“Of course I do!” You tell her with the biggest smile. She remembers your favorite singer. Does she remember all the times you would sing those songs together?

“What do you think about the new albums? And the re-recordings?” Hazel sounds excited to talk about Taylor Swift too, she remembers. 

“The 10 Minute Version of All Too Well has literally changed my life.”

“Should I put it on?”

“Absolutely!”

Before you know it you are on your way home, scream singing the 10 Minute Version of All Too Well, with Hazel. Since the song came out you’ve been listening to it over and over and thinking about her. There were so many lyrics that reminded you of your relationship with her. 

Her sweet disposition, and your wide eyed gaze. Being able to picture it after all these days. You might be okay but you’re not fine at all. How you got lost in translation. You had lost the one real thing you had ever known. It was rare, you were there, you remember it all to well.

But singing these lyrics with her, it was healing all those old wounds in a way you didn’t know was possible. You were stealing glances to see the smile on her face. Sometimes she would catch your gaze. As the words “ever lovely jewel” play she’s looking right at you.

Usually you were happy to live so close to the school. It was convenient. But with Hazel beside you it just wasn’t enough time. It’s hard to keep the smile on your face as you pull into your driveway, knowing that your time together is about to end. 

As soon as you are parked Hazel throws open the door, like she’s trying to run away. 

“Wait!” You yell at her, wondering why she’s so anxious the get out of your car. You do have to admit that this was a little overwhelming for you and it probably was for her too. She was the one that left you. She probably never wanted to be in this situation. 

She’s halfway out the door when she acknowledges you. She doesn’t say anything, just stares at you. 

You nervously clear your throat. 

“I just wanted to see if 8:00 was good for tomorrow morning…”

“Yeah. Yes. See you then.” Is all she has to say before she’s out and walking away from your car.

You were hurt for a moment but you started to watch her walk away and you realized that her wearing your sweatshirt meant that she was wearing your last name across her back. You just started giggling and then you punched your fist in the air and said “yes” when you thought about the smell of your perfume being stuck on her, even if it was only for a little while. You were never religious but you point up at the sky and say thank you. 

That night you spent about an hour curating the perfect outfit and set your alarm for an extra hour early so you would have time to perfect your makeup. 

When your alarm goes off the next morning you are immediately up and getting ready for the day, which is as stark contrast to your usual slamming of the snooze button. 

You usually just filled in your eyebrows and put on mascara for school but today you were going to be the first person Hazel saw and you wanted to stay on her mind all day. 

You start with your face. A little bronzer to warm up your face and a little blush to liven you up. Some highlighter on your cheekbones and the tip of your nose to catch light, and Hazel's attention. You also add a bit of highlighter to the inner corner of your eyes to draw her eyes right where you wanted it. You add a subtle wing to further accentuate your eyes and then do your usual mascara and brow routine. You finish off with your lips. You over-line them with a darker brown and fill them in with a nude lipstick to make them look as full as they can. You add a layer of lip gloss on top to make them look as inviting as possible. Not that you expect anything to come of this, but you can dream, right?

Your light wash ripped jeans are high waisted and perfectly hug the shape of your body. Your shirt is the perfect amount of low cut to highlight your assets and short enough to expose a tasteful amount of midriff. You put on your trusty pair of converse for good luck. 

You are in your car a few minutes early feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement. You sip on your coffee as you wait for Hazel. 

The clock hits 8:00, no Hazel. Not a problem though. You told her a few minutes early because you know she has a tendency to run late. That girl is nothing if not easily distracted.  

Hazel emerges from her house at 8:05 looking a little disheveled. She’s got hair sticking up out of place and she’s wearing… holy shit she is wearing your sweatshirt again!

Hazel plops down into your car. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be late. I was just thinking about… things, and lost track of time.”

“Don’t worry about it.” You tell her, and you can’t help yourself from pointing out “I see that you’re still wearing my sweatshirt.”

Her eyes widen, pupils dilating, and a bright red flush appears on her face. 

“I, um, fell asleep in it last night. And I didn’t have time to find another sweatshirt after getting dressed,” she tries excuse but you don’t need any justification. It takes everything in you not to giggle and kick your feet. Your sweatshirt. On Hazel all night. The smell of your perfume on her and now on her pillows and sheets. 

You just nod, “makes sense.”

“I didn’t even have time to make coffee,” she shakes her head in disappointment.

You are not really sure what caffeine would do to someone like Hazel but you still offer “you can have some of mine.” You didn’t think it was possible, but she is blushing even more.

“No, it’s totally fine. It’s my fault I don’t have any coffee. I’m the one that got distracted. You shouldn’t have to give up any of your coffee because I’m a mess.”

“I don’t usually finish it before it gets cold. So feel free to go for it.”

She doesn’t say anything.

“We used to share everything, right?” You remind her.

“We used to share everything.” She echos. 

She mumbles something under her breath that you can’t quite make out. But to your surprise she picks up the coffee and takes a sip. 

You bite down a smile when you see a bit of your lipstick on her mouth, it must have gotten left behind from when you were drinking it. 

“What?” She questions, seeing your failed attempt at holding back a smile.

“You’ve got a little something…” you motion to your mouth. 

She looks confused and opens the visor to look in the mirror. You expect her to be upset that your lipstick got on her but she just giggles. “Believe me, this color looks very good on you, but I think it looks even better on me.”

You can’t help but giggle too.

To your surprise she doesn’t bother to wipe the lipstick off, she just leaves it there. Leaving behind the indirect connection of your lips for anyone to see. Not your ideal way to leave your lipstick on her lips but you can’t complain either. 

Your sweatshirt. Your lipstick. You feel like you are going to pass out. 

You clear your throat, “we should probably get going…” Hazel nods in agreement. 

You turn on the car and put it in reverse. 

“Can I have the aux?” She asks.

“Go for it.” You pull out of the driveway. 

“I made us a playlist.” Your jaw drops and you accidentally slam on the breaks. 

You look at Hazel and Hazel looks at you in a panic. “I’m so sorry!” You tell her.

“It’s ok, it’s fine, it’s all good,” she tries to assure you but she is clearly fearing for her life. How stupid could you be? Hazel will never get in your car again after this!

You just stare at her for a minute trying to gauge where she’s at. She clears her throat. “You should probably drive now…” she suggests.

You just nod and start to drive, focusing on the road, afraid to make eye contact. 

“So, the playlist,” she says very hesitantly, “it’s all the Taylor Swift songs we haven’t gotten to listen to together.”

Your mouth drops open and you are speechless.

Her eyes widen, and she quickly tries remedy the situation “if you don’t want to listen to it we don’t have to!”

“No! That’s not it. I’m just surprised. That’s all.” You mumble, just clear enough for her to understand what you are saying. 

“I always used to make us playlists,” it’s her turn to remind you. The memory is a little bittersweet, tainted by the years of separation.  Music starts playing over the speaker. 

If there is one thing people should know about Hazel it’s that she’s a talker. She can talk about anything and everything for hours on end. But in the best way possible. She always puts a smile on the face of whoever she is talking to. It’s quite endearing. 

Hazel goes off on a tangent about fight club. After telling you the story of how she ended up in the state you found her in yesterday she pauses for a moment. 

“You could always come with me today, to fight club. We meet everyday after school.” She shyly offers.

“Hazel I don’t know if you remember the blood all over you yesterday, but I do. And you have a black eye.” You are thinking it but neglect to mention how the black eye and smear of your lipstick are making you feel a certain type of way. 

“Yes there are, side effects, but it’s worth it to learn how to defend yourself. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you.” That last part comes out as more of a mumble that may not have been intended for you to hear. 

You start to take the offer into consideration. How far are you willing to go to spend more time with Hazel? You don’t want to seem desperate, doing something you clearly don’t want to do just for her. So you ask “Isabel and Brittany are in the club, right?” They are two of your very close friends. 

“Yeah, and a bunch of other girls. I promise that everyone is really nice. Everyone except PJ. No one is trying to hurt you. Everyone except PJ. But if you are worried about who you are going to have to fight, you can just pair up with me until you get comfortable. You know I would never do anything to hurt you.” A lump forms in your throat and you focus on the road, afraid that if you look at her you will burst into tears. If asked at the age of 13 you would have said that Hazel would never in a million years do anything to hurt you. You absolutely believe she would never physically harm you. But she didn’t just break your heart, she ripped it out of your chest and stomped on it. If anything you would have preferred for her to have punched you square in the face. That pain would have only been temporary. A million thoughts are swimming through your mind but you snap back into reality once you realize that you just parked your car. 

You thought the pain of losing Hazel was the worst thing you would ever feel. But now that you are thinking about it, missing out on the opportunity to get Hazel back would be astronomically worse. You remind yourself that you wouldn’t be getting Hazel in the way that you truly want her. But it was better than not having her at all. You turn towards her and she is looking at you expectantly. 

You let out a deep breath you don’t know you were holding in when you tell her: “fuck it, I’m in.” Her face lights up.

“It’s going to be great,” she assures you, “I promise.” She holds out her pinky and you feel butterflies in your stomach. You hook your pinky around hers and you both kiss your thumbs. The way you always used to.

[fuckyeaharthuriana]

mordred through time (movies, tv shows, opera and musicals)

Part 4: From 2014 to 2017

Other Parts: Part 1: From 1949 to 1981 -> here Part 2: From 1982 to 2002 -> here Part 3: From 2002 to 2010 -> here Part 5: From 2018 to 2023

For this part I just wanted to talk a bit about sympathetic Mordred.

Through time we started to see a more sympathetic Mordred. I think the first iteration in audio/movies/tv was the the Blind Guardian's song in 1995. For the first time we have Mordred as a protagonist, mainly lamenting of regret, pain and lonliness. While I do not know why they decided to focus on Mordred, it is also notable that writing a more sympathetic Mordred was already happening in novels, around the same time. I used the arthurian list of novels I made so I might have missed any, but at this time we have 1956 "The Great Captains" by Henry Treece, "Sword at Sunset" by Sutcliff, "The Wicked Day" (the first novel focusing on Mordred as protagonist) by Mary Stewart, 1982 "The Idylls of the Queen" (Phyllis Ann Karr), 1983 "The Mists of Avalon" (Marion Zimmer Bradley), Persia Wolley's 1987 Guinevere trilogy, 1988 "The road to Avalon" by Joan Wolf and 1988 "The Book of Mordred" by Hanratty all depicting Mordred as a more round character, as someone the reader can feel sympathy too or even enjoy or relate to.

A slighty sympathetic but still villanous potrayal can then be found in 2001 ("The Mists of Avalon" miniseries) but we have to wait till 2008 ("Merlin", BBC) to have a tv Mordred who is actually shown trying to do the right thing (at least for a bit), and working with Arthur. I think this is more due to the fact that "Merlin" often tries to depict villains' origins and motivations than a real conscious attempt to redeem Mordred or make him less villanous.

Other following examples are the kid movie 2010 "Merlin and Arthur the Lion King" and the album 2014 "High Noon Over Camelot" that positions Mordred in a co-protagonist role and fully allows the listeners to empathyze with him. The Fate franchise (the introduction of Mordred should be around 2012 in the novels) continues on this trajectory, making Mordred a main sympathetic and beloved protagonist in many of the adaptations.

2014 High Noon Over Camelot album by The Mechanisms: The song I used is "Peacemaker". The album has multiple arthurian characters sung by different artists, and Mordred is interpreted by Ashes O'Reilly. This is also the first time we have an explicitly queer Mordred (outside of novels), as Mordred is a trans man in this retelling. The story is a Western reimagining of arthuriana, and another case of a sympathetic Mordred - this time Mordred is more overtly sympathetic and even reconcile with his father Arthur at the end.

2011 recording of Albeniz's "Merlin": Piotr Prochera plays Mordred. This is another recording (no dvd, this has been shared by Piotr Prochera acor himself on youtube) of the "Merlin" opera.

2015 recording of "Le Roi Arthus": This opera is probably my favorite arthurian opera. It was created by Ernest Chausson between 1886 and 1895 and it is sung in French. Mordred is a bass and a classic villain, here jealous of Lancelot and the attention Guinevere gives Lancelot. This 2015 version was a modernized edition, with the knights depicted as modern soldiers. Mordred here is played by Alexandre Duhamel.

2016 Rex, youtube webseries: This series is on Severe Chill Studios' Youtube channel, with 48 short episodes. The series is a vlog of arthurian characters living in modern times (no reincarnations, just reimaginings). It follows Rex (Arthur) a student who is dealing with his abusive family and the brothers Merlin and Lancelot. Moore (Mordred) is Arthur's spoiled and arrogant friend (played by Daniel O’Sullivan). He lets Rex crash at his place for a bit, and is often depicted insulting his mother and calling her slurs. If you decide to watch this just know the series has some pretty heavy themes (a part from domestic abuse it also touches on terminal illness). Youtube link.

2017 Fate/Apocrypha: This is one of the many anime adaptation of the Fate franchise. Mordred is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro. The Fate franchise is massive and deals with numerous spin-offs or even alternative realities to tell the tales of wars/battles for the Holy Grail mainly fought by Servants who are personification of historical/legendary figures. Fate/Apocrypha is based on a series of novel and is an alternative timeline to the previous Fate/Stay Night anime and also the first time we have Mordred in the anime. Mordred is here a Servant, they are the cloned-son of Saber (Arthur/Arturia, who is a woman) and Morgana. Their story is massive so let me just say I am using they/them for Mordred because the Fate series is very ambigous regarding theri gender. They are born as the close of a woman (Saber) and often referred with female pronouns through the series, they hate being called "a girl", and also hate being called "a boy". While I do not think the series was making an effort to actually depict a non-binary character, I do believe Mordred can easily be read as one.

2017 King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table: 2017 was a wild year for arthuriana but nothing was as wild as this movie. The movie follows the life of some arthurian characters' descendant living in Thailand. Morgana and Mordred (banished in arthurian times) ended up in space, working with aliens, and are now back to destroy the descendants. The movie is full over dramatic close up, Morgana turning into a mecha, fighting scenes and more. Interestingly, given how ridiculous the movie is, Mordred is depicted as a sympathetic (almost) villain. He is played by Russell Geoffrey Banks.

2017 King Arthur: Excalibur Rising: The scene I used in the video is right at the start, as the movie is set after Arthur's death. While Mordred might seem sympathetic there he is actually a pretty violent villain for the rest of the movie. The story is focused on Owain (Arthur's illegitimate son) trying to take back the crown from Mordred and Morgana. Here Mordred (played by Gavin Swift) is Arthur's incestuous son with Morgana.

2017 Legend, youtube webseries: A webseries you can watch on Tufts University Television's channel (link here). The series has 7 episodes and an epilogue and is set in a university. Each student is an arthurian character, with Mordred (Morty) as the overly joking, friendly guy who is hiding some deep hatred and jealousy towards Arthur. Unfortunately I do not remember if Mordred is Arthur's half-brother or just a friend. Mordred is played by Yuval Ben-Hayun. The story and production were pretty good, so I recommend it!

2017 Mordred La Revolte: I cheated a bit as this movie is the end of a long webseries. The series started in 2013 and run till 2018 with two season and can still be found here on youtube. The series was created by Tommy-Lee Baïk (who also played Mordred) and is in French. Unfortunately I cannot really tell how arthurian the series is, but the plot does not mention other arthurian characters. If I am not wrong, la Revolte is simply S2 turned into a movie.

2017 Fate/Grand Order The stage - Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot: Part of the Fate saga but in the Grand Order timeline, this is a stage adaptation of one of the events in the videogame Fate/Grand Order. In particular, it should be the same story shown in the later movie Camelot part 1 as the full title is Fate/Grand Order THE STAGE - Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot Replica; Agateram. I will explain more about it in the next part of this Mordred series. Chihiro Kai plays Mordred.

[greenesmyfavcolor]

I got to see Wicked Part 1 yesterday so here’s a little review of it! Spoilers for the movie and Wicked in general if you have not seen it yet! (which YOU SHOULD)

I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this before on here but I’m actually a super big fan of Wicked (I mean, who isn’t though, right?) I first got into it when I was around 12 and since then, I’ve seen bootlegs of it tens of hundreds of times, collected all sorts of things such as shirts, cds, posters, pins, books (yes I even read that book lol), and I even had the privilege of seeing it on Broadway a couple years back. It also got me into Kristin Chenoweth who I actually got to see in concert too! (No disrespect to the other queen ofc)

So basically, I went into this movie ready to be real critical if need be since Wicked holds a special place in my heart and I didn’t want anything in this to be a downgrade from the stage musical.

That being said, Wicked Part 1 was one of the best movie musicals I’ve ever seen. I loved, loved, LOVED LITERALLY everything about it!!! Everything from the songs, to the acting, choreography, set design, cinematography, you name it, it was PERFECT.

The one thing I was really worried about going into it was the pacing since the movie is two and a half hours long compared to Act 1 of the stage show which is only about an hour. But honestly, nothing felt dragged out and there were no unnecessary scenes added to bloat things. Everything went at a completely natural pace, definitely slower compared to the stage show but it made sense and it’s definitely not the first movie musical adaptation to do this. Because it was at a slower pace, it made the characters and scenes feel more fleshed out compared to the stage musical which was great to see.

The music was also on POINT. I had no doubts that Cynthia and Ariana were going to be anything less than amazing, and of course they didn’t disappoint. But there’s been so many movie musicals lately that just straight up don’t have good music in them? Like, the one thing you’re supposed to get right, they can’t even get that right. It’s definitely gotten better over the past couple years but most of them still aren’t as good as they could be. And as someone who’s lived and breathed the original Broadway cast album for years, I can see myself choosing to listen to the movie’s soundtrack over the Broadway’s any day. Some parts just scratch my brain better so to speak than they do in the original like “dear Galinda you are just too good how do you stand it I don't think I could” in What Is this Feeling? or “who's the mage whose major itinerary is making all Oz merrier” in One Short Day. Now I’m probably still gonna end up listening to the Broadway version the majority of the time, mainly out of nostalgia, but the movie’s is 100% on par with the original’s, no questions asked. The ensemble especially just blew me away with how clear and distinct everyone sounded, particularly during No One Mourns the Wicked and One Short Day. As they should though! We’ve become too sensitized to movie musicals today having muted and flavorless or just straight up bad voices in them that it was so refreshing to hear actual good, strong singing voices in a musical.

One big criticism I’ve heard most people having with the movie though is that the lighting is too bright and that the colors are faded and bland. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve gotten used to just about every live action movie nowadays looking like this but it really didn’t bother me when I watched it. Obviously, I would have preferred for the colors to pop more like they do in the 1939 Wizard of Oz. And the thing is, there is one moment where the colors do pop during the end of Popular and it looks SO good and like the whole movie should have been like that. But personally, it doesn’t hender my experience as much as it does with other people to the point where I can easily just ignore it.

Moving on, let me tell you, I cried so many times throughout the whole thing it’s not even funny. Now, I cry nearly every time I watch Wicked but it’s impressive that it was able to let me capture the EXACT same feelings I have when I watch a slime tutorial of it, or heck, even when I watched it on freaking Broadway itself. One notable scene was during No One Mourns the Wicked where before, I never truly took into account of how hurt Glinda must feel to try and hide all the pain and regret she’s feeling on the inside in front of everyone. But seeing the anguish on her face when she had to light the statue of Elphaba on fire SENT ME. It’s not something you can really pick up on a stage fifty feet away from you so seeing all the emotions on her face up close really choked me up. Another time was when Elphaba and Glinda dance together. Seeing Elphaba cry (which were real tears by Cynthia btw) for being truly accepted for the first time in her life really moved me like no other time I’ve watched that scene as, like I’ve said before, you can’t see the nuance of their faces on a far away stage. And of course, Defying Gravity had me bawling like a baby. It always does, but like I said before, it was able to capture the same feeling I had as when I saw it live on stage, it was incredible.

Also, I was totally NOT expecting Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth to appear the way they did! I knew they were going to make some sort of cameo, it was inevitable, but I thought they were just going to have a couple of lines to say or something. But NOPE! They straight up have their own new part to sing during One Short Day that COMPLETELY caught me off guard. I legit almost screamed in the theater 🤣 But yeah, that moment was really special and made me smile cause I could see just how much not only they enjoyed being there with all the little homages they made, but how much you could tell the other actors just absolutely adored being around them. And even if you went into this not knowing who they were beforehand (which how could you), you could tell that they were supposed to be a big deal based on their presence alone and Cynthia and Ariana’s chemistry with them.

So to conclude this long, drawn out review that I’d be impressed if anyone actually read all the way through, I think it’s of perfect of an adaptation as it could have been and it will definitely go down as being one of the best movie musicals of all time. Obviously if you’ve seen just a glimpse of me, you’d know that I already have an all time favorite, and that’s not changing anytime soon, but I’d be lying if I said Wicked didn’t come scarily close to topping it (not too close tho lol). I’m literally so shocked at how good this adaptation ended up being. I fear this is going to be my new personality for the next few months as it’s definitely reignited my love for Wicked again 😭

I absolutely cannot wait for Part 2 to come out next year so in the meantime, I will happily be rewatching Part 1 over and over again until then as it is THE definitive version of Wicked to watch now 💚🩷