#so i did change a line with the song lyrics; but that song??? 11/10 for this daydream >:3

[devotioncrater]

"no hints were dropped" ok not to be that person but here are the hints that were dropped regarding Colin and Trent being gay:

1. Colin mentioning Grindr in a joke

2. Trent touching the arm of a man in the background

Here is one of the hints that Keeley was bi (even though I do believe she's been canonically bi since season 1, but not everyone sees it this way)

1. Her desktop background was in the colors of the bisexual flag

Here were some of the hints that Ted was bi:

1. Bisexual flag colored triangles above his head in the hallucination sequence

2. Inverted pink triangle next to him in that same sequence (and you can't tell me the creators didn't know, when the Homomonument is based on that symbol)

3. Countless (countless!!!) comments about men's physiques ("huge muscular thighs all caked in mud", whistling at a picture of Pep, "look at that head of hair", "he's strong", "he looks like a Rodin sculpture in cleats", etc.)

4. About a man (Higgins) and a woman (Rebecca), he had to say: "that's a crowd I don't mind being smack-dab in the middle of"

5. Him checking Trent out in the pub in 2x07 (his eyes are up there, Ted!)

6. "It could go either way", "I contain multitudes" and other comments in this vein

7. Bi lighting as he entered the Yankee Doodle Burger Barn

8. Giving similar looks to the female waitress and the male waiters in that restaurant (including a waiter in a cowboy costume that looked like he belonged in a gay club, who tipped his hat at Ted when greeting him)

9. "That's cause you were put into a box", "That box ceases to exist today", the box in the hallucination sequence breaking into triangles (as in the bi triangles and the inverted pink triangke), "we've been playing too rigid", "our guys need freedom", "fast, fluid, free, with full support", the "box that one needs to break out of" being a prominent motif in season 3

10. Wishing Beard called him pet names ("Honey, is that an ingredient or something you just called me?")

11. His crush on Pep

12. The connection between Ted and Colin: "my whole life is two lives, really", both wearing orange in Sunflowers, "I just want to kiss my fella" (Colin doesn't say "fella" , but Ted says it all the time), Ted just needs to get inspired and Colin's play is "inspirational" after he comes out, as per the commentators

And so much other stuff that, had Ted not self-identified as straight (*cough* put himself into a box *cough cough*) , you could make the case that he was canonically bi.

Here are some of hints that there was a romantic connection between Ted and Trent:

1. They hit a lot of romantic beats, and not in the jokey self-aware way in which Roy and Ted hit them in "Rainbow", but in an organic and sincere way

2. They both checked each other out: Trent checked Ted out when Ted was changing in front of him, Ted checked Trent out when Trent came up to him in a pub and hit him with a pick-up line while his date that looked a lot like Ted waited for him outside

3. Did I mention that Trent was on a date with a moustachioed man who dressed in a similar style to Ted? Let's mention it again

4. In that very bar, during a 50 second long conversation, Trent managed to say the word "love" three times. I searched the word "love" in the transcripts of the episodes. There's no other instance in which its frequency is this high

5. "Love our chats" incomplete rule of threes

6. "Sport, it's quite the metaphor" (implied: a metaphor for love; see also "love's a beautiful game" from the song Ed Sheeran wrote for Ted Lasso), "Also makes for a heck of a nickname", "Good night, Ted", "Good night, sport"

7. The soft, romantic, melancholic song playing in the background of this scene, while Ted and Trent are the last ones left in the office, with lyrics such as "When your words begin to crumble like the sidewalks all around this crummy neighborhood / From the chalky cliffs of Dover / I'd come over, I'd start over if I could"

8. Trent wearing sunflower colors in the episode "Sunflowers" and in the finale; sunflowers symbolize Ted's home (it's not subtle). He's the only character dressed like that. I'm still looking for any other explanation other than "Trent is Ted's home"

9. Their constant flirting and the way they look at each other with incredible fondness

10. The entire episode "The Strings That Bind Us". It's structured around Ted and Trent's relationship, and the way Trent changed because of Ted (in season 2, Ted defined a soulmate as someone who changes your life forever). The red string metaphor. Ted points out that soulmates are connected by a string tied to their little fingers. Ted and Trent both extend their little fingers out in similar shots. They are connected by a huge block of red in their last scene of the episode. Ted makes several comments about other men that apply to Trent ("Look at that head of hair", "Frames his face nicely", "My favorite one, he was clean shaven"). Many more details that lead back to Ted and Trent: Nate tells the restaurant owner to tell Jade he said "Hello". Immediately after, Ted and Trent say "Hello" to each other. The map that Nate's father used to ask out his mom has the number 1.3 written on it and an illustration of two people at a table in a restaurant. Ted and Trent went to a restaurant together in season 1, episode 3. The last scene of the episode mimics a "Race for Love" scene from a romcom, with Trent chasing after Ted. Trent also does not say a word to anyone other than Ted in the entire episode. He is completely focused on Ted

11. "Trent, what do you love? Is it writing?" and Trent ends up writing a book about Ted and naming the manuscript after Ted and he only cares about Ted's opinion on it (he leaves the room when Beard starts reading, but stays in the office after hours just to watch Ted read. "I just wanted you to like it.")

11. Trent's crush on Ted, confirmed by Jimmy Lance (and also obvious in the show, if you ask me)

Now, why would I believe that none of these hints were intentional? Maybe some could be explained away, but all of them? The hints we got for Colin, Trent and Keeley were so much smaller than this, and those turned out to be intentional.

anon i wish i could offer you the response you deserve, but i cannot stop rereading this masterpiece & focusing on the portions of evidence you provided that i didn't even pick up on until you laid them out. holy shit

[captn-trex]

200 follower celebration event !

thank you so much for 200 followers!! very super cool of you guys for following me and interacting with the work I put out, it seriously means the world to me :)

to make it a little fun, I'm going to be writing song inspired fics, because music is definitely something that inspires me and my writing a lot! and also I like to know what other people are listening to because I'm nosey hehe. please make sure to read the rules !!!

this event will be running from today (jan 2nd) to jan 31st, ending 11:59pm GMT (may be subject to change)

how it works

please add all this information to your request :)

step 1: pick a clone, any clone

step 2: choose a dialogue prompt from the list below (or two, you can just give the prompt number)

step 3: give me a song to inspire the vibe/story of the fic

step 4: note any extra information you feel is important (such as any specific lyrics you love, tropes, story ideas, sfw/nsfw etc. etc.)

dialogue prompts

fluffy prompts

1. "I can't remember the last time I did this with someone"

2. "here, why don't we share?"

3. "I've missed this"

4. "you could stop staring now." / "oh no, absolutely not."

5. "read to me"

6. "come here sweetheart"

7. "you're just the cutest" / "you're the only one who is allowed to say that."

8. "give me your hand"

9. "come lie with me. let me hold you"

10. "look at that, your hand fits perfectly in mine"

angsty prompts

11. "did you really have to be that honest?"

12. "can we start over?"

13. "of course it meant something!"

14. "that isn't what I meant and you know it"

15. "everyone else might be buying it, but I'm not"

16. "I can't keep acting like I don't see something is wrong with you"

17. "we need to talk about that little stunt you pulled earlier"

18. "don't you ever wonder why I get like this?"

19. "what is your problem?"

20. "do you want my help or not?"

hurt/comfort prompts

21. "when's the last time you actually slept?"

22. "you're safe now"

23. "stop pretending that you're fine! you need a medic"

24. "I'm not leaving, okay?"

25. "how are you feeling?" / "will you stop asking me that"

26. "take these meds, they'll help"

27. "let me help you this time"

28. "I'm sorry" / "don't be sorry, it's not your fault"

29. "take your time, I'll be here when you're ready to talk"

30. "promise?" / "of course, I promise"

flirty prompts

31. "don't try to charm your way out of this" / "you think I'm charming?"

32. "bite me" / "I thought you'd never ask"

33. "why didn't we do this sooner?" / "you were too busy pretending you hated me"

34. "this isn't over" / "oh, I'll make sure of it"

35. "I can't help it, you're fun to mess with"

36. "why not tonight? I'm even wearing something pretty"

37. "you know... you're kinda cute when you're mad"

38. "were you always this pretty?"

39. "do you have a name or can I just call you mine?" / "does that line usually work for you?"

40. "hello beautiful, you alone here?" / "...we came here together"

smutty prompts

41. "hmm, you're not very patient are you?"

42. "can you kiss it better?"

43. "that's my good girl"

44. "you can do better than that sweetheart"

45. "I could make you feel better"

46. "is that a threat or a promise?"

47. "can you feel how much I want you?"

48. "staying quiet was never your strong suit, was it?" / "make me shut up then"

49. "louder. let me hear you pretty girl"

50. "can you be good for me?"

misc/extra prompts

51. "it's the middle of the night, what are you doing here?"

52. "I told you to knock first!"

53. "don't look at me like that" / "like what?"

54. "is that the best you can do?"

55. "I've been wanting to kick your ass all week"

56. "is that really necessary?"

57. "what are we?" / "you're asking me?"

58. "I can feel you staring at me. You aren't being very subtle, you know"

59. "do you have a crush on me or something?"

60. "you're so jealous it makes you look stupid"

request rules/guidelines

if your request goes against these, I will not complete it, so please read this carefully before requesting!

this event is exclusively for clone x fem/gn reader pairings, just because that's what I write for, but you're welcome to give suggestions like jedi!reader, medic!reader etc. but no clone x reader x clone

make sure to mention whether you want it to be sfw or nsfw !!!

I have the right to refuse any request if I'm just not vibing with it for whatever reason, or particularly if it's something I'm not comfortable with (non-exhaustive list incl: noncon & dubcon, aforementioned clonecest, AU stuff outside of the context of the star wars galaxy — like modern AU type stuff, motherhood/pregnancy/kids etc.)

abide by the request template; I want to keep all fics in this event within the same parameters

I will only be accepting requests between the given dates, any received afterwards will not be counted

if you don't plan on reblogging, don't request from me :)

extra info

I'll have anon requests on, but this is a follower event after all, so I'd prefer if you didn't use the anon function — the basic requirement is that you follow me and have interacted with my blog

feel free to message me if you have a more elaborate idea/want to discuss/clarify/bounce ideas off each other!! I'm always down for that anyway, so don't be shy :)

clones I'd like to write for if you want to take that into consideration: fives, wolffe, tech, echo (tbb), kix

alrighty! that's everything :)

as a reminder: this event is running until jan 31st so make sure to send in your request before then!

all works in this event will be tagged under #trex's 200 follower celebration, and will most likely be added to a masterlist at some point

I can't wait to see what you guys send in ! thank you again and happy requesting :)

— lia <3

[karasukarei]

Miscellaneous WinBre-adjacent Experiences

I did lots of random stuff during my recent trip and I thought some of them would be of some interest to the WinBre circle 👀

Edit: Omg I forgot to put everything under a cut I'M SO SORRY FOR MAKING EVERYONE SCROLL

Stuff under the cut:

WinBre x Sanrio

Natori's concert

Shizuoka's tea fields

Other random things of some note

WinBre x Sanrio collab

Yeah the title says it all. If I were to be brutally honest I didn’t really like many of the collab designs… The only one I found that was pretty nice was Suou x Kuromi.

The chibis really weren’t that cute imo ;-; 

Also the collab was held at the TV station, so they had the original promo standees on display too!

Yeah this is me simping.

Ok but this was both unhinged and genius. Whoever decided to put the standee in the aquarium. You are my new hero.

Natori’s concert - 劇場〜再演〜

I managed to score tickets to Natori’s concert in Osaka! This is gonna be a mini concert review (and some mild simping, cos I followed Natori even before Wind Breaker). (Just in case you’re not aware, Natori was the artiste for Wind Breaker’s opening Zettai Reido)

Overall, it was REALLY GOOD. He’s one of the rare singer/songwriters who isn’t just a musician, but is an actual performer. I’m not even kidding when I say that he sounds way better live than in any of his recordings, and the way he changes the notes between cadences on the fly really makes each live performance unique. He’s also really big on dancing and enjoying the music, multiple times he’d tell everyone “踊ろうぜ” (let’s dance!) and he’d just start dancing as he sings, it’s just so chill and enjoyable. They also had a brass triplet on stage, they were SO GOOD, the sax player even switched to flute for some songs!

The stage decor was pretty cool as well, you can essentially split the performance into two halves. For the first half, it was a sort of halloweenish sort of situation, where there was like grey cloth (I think to mimic grey stone or thick cobwebs) draped over the stage pieces and overhanging the projector. Once he starts Gekijou (song 11), all of that falls off and you can see all the intricate wooden detail on the stage sets!!! It was SO COOL, and the different decor really complemented the two halves of the setlist.

Setlist

(source)

Commenting on just the memorable parts or areas that I found of note:

Song 2 Sleepwalk was where all the dancing started! It’s so groovy and the easy swing is SO CATCHY, I really admire how he just sings all these long run-on lyrics effortlessly! (I must admit that the way he sings the endings of a few lines, even in other songs, quite erotic cos of how he growls a bit and alters the notes x_x)

Song 6 EAT was SO GOOD live. I heard the demo before and the quality wasn’t great so I couldn’t really appreciate it, but this version was GOOD. It was so much more polished and had better mixing, and you can feel the high and low tension points in the song now, instead of it sounding a bit flat in the demo.

Song 9 Terminal wasn’t a really big favourite of mine when I first heard it, but it’s SO GOOD live OMG. The tension points were a lot clearer, and singing along with the repeating "da da da la da da da" makes it so much more immersive. This completely changed my perspective on the song, I really like it so much more now!!!

Song 10 Seishatachi I REALLY like this song (it’s the B-side to Zettai Reido), from the live you can tell it’s a pretty technically difficult song cos of the all the off-beats x_x I also realised that the very last syllable in the song is a very very long “da-“ that you can’t hear in the recording cos of all the mixing ^^; he just screams “DA——“ into the mic and holds it for a few seconds, it was SO COOL.

Song 11 Gekijou’s true stars were the brass triplet in my opinion, hearing them live was really what turned the performance into a theatre!!! Natori also welcomes you by saying “劇場へようこそ！” (Welcome to the theatre) while striking the same pose as the key visual, it’s just so cohesive and well thought-out and I was SO IMPRESSED by all the planning that went into this one song.

Song 13 Overdose had an extended mix with the chorus repeating at least 2-3 times at the end (I didn’t count cos I was having SO MUCH FUN). I must admit I wasn’t that big a fan of Overdose (yes I’m a weirdo, my favourite songs are Eureka and Cult), but DAMN the party atmosphere in this mix was amazing.

Song 15 Melodrama is his new collab song with Imase, the only note I have is that you get to hear Natori sing both parts instead of splitting with Imase hahaha (I do actually prefer Natori’s voice over Imase for this song).

Song 16 IN_MY_HEAD is an unreleased song and it is SO WILD, the video they showed with the song felt like something out of a Kyary Kyary Pamyu MV with brains spinning around on neon coloued backgrounds x_x But it’s pretty different from his previous songs, it’s far more rock-influenced with more repetitive choruses and head-banging. Part of me likes to think that Kitani Tatsuya might have had some influence on this www.

Song 17 Zettai Reido was one of the only songs he played guitar for (I can’t remember the other one but I do remember it was an acoustic guitar for that), and damn this is a REALLY hard song. I do think this is one of the few songs where his recordings were slightly better, but tbh I do very much prefer the live version because his voice wavers a bit and gives the song so much more flavour.

Songs 18 and 19 Eureka and Cult - DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HAPPY I WAS TO HEAR MY TWO FAVES IN A ROW. THE JOY AND EXCITEMENT. THE ACCOMPANYING VIDEOS WERE SO NICE TOOOO. I especially loved the one for Cult, it was an animated view of a town from up on a hill, and you can see the seasons and day/night cycles throughout the year, and was just so chill and poignant ;-;

Song 20 Itoudenwa sounds SO GOOD live, I already liked the original version but I LOVE the live version, he really sounds like he’s serenading and crooning you ;-; This was also the song where they popped streamers!!! I was surprised at how well they timed the pop, it blended seamlessly into the music and was just such a pleasant surprise.

Merch and goodies haul

GINTAPE (i.e. streamers) - THEY ARE SO PRETTY. This one is pretty beaten up after I tried to get into the case (oops) but I do have spares (might consider a giveaway in future… let’s see how things go.)

Chiitara snack collab - it’s a cheese snack (that I don’t really like…) but they gave out one to each person at the end of the concert! The packaging is limited edition, and the Osaka and Tokyo performances have different designs! The Osaka design I have reflects the food in Dotonbori, while the Tokyo one includes landmarks such as Tokyo tower. Imma be honest the collab is super funny, cos the company that sponsored the snack is a completely unrelated food company called Natori (HELP). 

Gacha album cover art pins - kinda sad I didn’t get Zettai Reido or Eureka, but at least I have Cult and Overdose!! Overdose appears to be especially in demand lmao (for obvious reasons), but I must admit it had the nicest design too.

Zepp tour early bird code - the little card you see includes a code to get access to the earliest round of balloting for next year’s Zepp tour!!! Still wondering if I should just try… Idek if I can take leave ;-;

Shizuoka’s tea fields

In one of Suou’s daily character question, he mentions that a place he’d like to visit is the tea fields of Shizuoka. For personal reasons, I really did make a trip down to the tea fields ^_^

I went tea picking here!!! It is very back breaking work and I have ever greater appreciation for the farmers who grow and process tea now (they are my true heroes; I don’t drink coffee www)

Also here’s the mountain with the word “tea” (茶) on it! It used to be planted with pine, but then weevils destroyed it so they switched to cypress ^^;

Super random but we got lost while looking for this, we ended up too close to the mountain so we couldn’t get good photos ^^; there was a tea shop there with a really kind owner that served us different types of tea and showed us the way to the best photo spots! 

^ this was the original spot we ended up in but you can't see the word really well ^^;

Random merch and other stuff I guess

Yeah I found the vegetable curry, it was the LAST ONE in store. Maybe this will make me start eating vegetables.

I also had a chance to try Wasanbon in some tea snack I bought from Ise Shrine:

It certainly tastes expensive 😳

Thanks for listening to my simping. Please have a nice day ^_^

[leilaofpaper]

Cinderella’s Castle Song Rankings

Rankings might change with the proshot - and I’m aware some people might have just had off days vocal wise! Generally I loved the songs in CC, just some more than others!

1. Ash to Ash

Honestly 1 and 2 are interchangeable, but the ethereal quality and the combination of Bryce and Kim’s voices just tipped this one to first.

2. Step on Your Grave

A couple of interesting lyric quirks made this one slightly below Ash to Ash (namely the whole lawyer line), but Bryce kills this song and it’s such a great character song for Ella. Let black women be rightfully angry!

3. Cursed Crazy

I love this song lyrically, for story progression, and also just the music is great. Jeff’s vocals weren’t the best (I assume he was having a bad day), but he’s not as big of a part in this as he was in Castle On A Hill. I don’t actually think the narrator was that necessary in this song to be honest.

4. Ever After

Bryce Charles solo, with great ensemble backing. This song honestly sounds like an end of Act I song and so the placement makes you wonder what on earth is gonna happen next.

5. Neon

James kills this song. It’s a moment of “maybe this prince could be charming?” before he ruins it immediately after lol.

6. Ash to Ash reprise

Again, Bryce Charles. What else is there to say. This is mostly this low since it’s so short.

7. Last Forever

Bryce, Mariah, and Lauren have great harmonies in this. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was not so certain of what would happen right after this scene.

8. Trappings of Starlight

I like this song, but it hasn’t stuck with me as much as the others. Bonus points for Tadius dad-dancing, and for Ella getting a moment to mourn her friends.

9. Facade

I did not enjoy Facade as much as I thought I would - something about the audio was off. Not sure if it was intentional dissonance or what. I also felt all three were deep into character voices so not as vocally impressive as they normally are, specifically noticed this with Mariah. Hoping I’ll like it better in the pro shot.

10. Watch/Watch reprise

This is mostly so low since I struggle to watch this scene with Ella crying out in pain the whole time. Looping in the reprise as it happens so soon after and isn’t much different.

11. Castle On A Hill/Castle On A Hill Reprise

Linking these two together also since they’re essentially the same song. I really want Jeff to stop writing himself so much falsetto. This song could have been amazing if it was fully ensemble or if Jeff was singing in his low tone. I also got the impression he had strained his voice and I’m well aware he sounded better on the demo. I was just really disappointed as I was so looking forward to this song and it was hard to sit through. It also feels disjointed from the rest of the show as it has no plot relevance.

[exploding-boxes]

I fucking love Muse.

And as you may know, when I love something, I don’t shut up about it (Alice I know you know)

So here is my list of favourite songs by Muse, from all the albums, my rankings of them and how they weakened my mental health even more (btw I love Muse so much I almost have all their albums on CD because I’m a whore for cd and many other things)

Showbiz (1999) - Muscle Museum. I bought this album for 3€ at a random shop that did sales on CD by just telling myself “It’s a Muse album, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed.” then went back home, put it in the CD player, laid on my floor and cried. That album is so fucking good especially for a debut album. I think it shows how good Muse is because I never hate a song. There are some I dislike but not in this album. Muscle Museum is called like that because in the English dictionary, the words before & after Muse are Muscle and Museum. That’s the smartest yet dumbest way to title your song. The bass gives me a hard on, the lyrics are nice, the “and I don’t want you to adore me, don’t want you to ignore me when it pleases you” is so fucking good and tho it’s a song about love and I can’t relate I love it. At the end, when Matthew’s voice becomes a fucking guitar, that’s so cool and HOLY SHIT THAT MAN CAN SING HIGHER NOTES THAN ALL OF US

10/10 album, no skips

Origin Of Symmetry (2001) - New Born, again, I buy this CD thinking I won’t be disappointed and end up thinking about the meaning of life. I love everything and as always, the notes he hits are just yummy. The bass, the guitar, everything is amazing, like in this whole album, except Darkshines, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE all the songs.

9/10 album, only a few skips

Absolution (2003) - Butterflies & Hurricanes. All the gifted kids burn out will relate heavily to this song. At least I do. The piano and violin is amazing, it shows how good of a classical pianist Matt is. The part where he says “Change everything you are and everything you were” and “Best, you’ve got to be the best, you’ve got to change the world” is too relatable and I know that technically it isn’t about gifted kids burning out but a whole album about the world ending but sorry if this fits. This is also my childhood album since my parents had it and always played it in the car

11/10, no skip, tells a story about the end of the world, every song is beautiful and brings back childhood

Black Holes And Revelations (2006) - Starlight, I’m sorry, maybe I don’t get like any of the hidden messages but that song definitely at least talks a bit about suicide. The line “Let’s conspire to ignite all the souls that would die just to feel alive” is so fucking good. It’s not the most popular of the album (the most popular is Supermassive Black Holes and that song is fucking freaky) but definitely has a special place in my heart.

9/10, the most popular one for a reason, no skip but just a tiny bit less memorable for me though it’s an amazing album

The Resistance (2009) - Resistance. Do I need to say more ? That song is SO. FUCKING. GOOD. It’s like forbidden love, there’s a reference to 1984 (“Will they find out hiding place ?”) and just love being interpreted as resistance can be interpreted in so many homosexual ways. It’s genuinely a really emotional and fucking amazing song. The “It could be wrong but it could’ve been right” just resumes a lot of things in life and I genuinely think this is how you can make shut up all those guys that kissed their homies to see if they were gay and when they didn’t like it they became homophobic (if you get the vision you’ll understand). This is once again a childhood album.

9/10, really really good, just too short for me tho I love the 1984 reference. Why the fuck is there 3 classic songs and one where Matt sings in French, it’s another question.

The 2nd Law (2012) - Animals. That song single-handedly restarted my Muse addiction. This band literally left my brain and came back in 2022 when I heard that song in a TikTok. The voice was familiar from my childhood, I understood it was Muse and desperately looked for that song. The lyrics are nice and reminds me of “Je suis un Homme” by Zazie (my frenchies will get it). Basically just mankind being an asshole and trying to overtake the nature. The line “Kill yourself and do us all a favour” is so relatable (that’s a joke) it’s the one I heard on the TikTok and made me look for Muse again. That song is so chaotic, especially at the end but it’s so fucking cool

8/10, I need to re-listen to it because I was tired the first time. Really cool tho

Drones (2015) - Psycho. I need to listen to that album again. I didn’t like it that much but it’s still really good. The intro is so good and the lyrics “Love, it will get you nowhere, you’re on your own” is nice because I’m tired of love songs. It’s like a genuinely slightly depressing song if you look at the lyrics to but yeah it’s nice

7/10. Didn’t particularly liked that one

Will Of The People (2022) - Kill Or Be Killed. That song is REALLY FUCKING COOL. When looking for Animals, I did have the name and accidentally found this song, realised they made a new album and listen to it. Though the lyrics might be a bit stereotypical, they’re still nice, the “Fate has brought us here to face our hopes and dreams erased” are nice, the whole thing with fate is cool. I like it, it’s a change of direction since the first album but it’s not unwelcome for me. The guitar solo is really nice too

8/10. nice.

[clawbehavior]

ao3 wrapped [writers edition]

from this game and with thanks to this sweetie @killerandhealerqueen ♥️♥️

1.  Favorite work you wrote this year?

'even gods can't change the past'. i liked writing about gahan doing something immoral for understandable reasons.

2. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

i've improved at writing settings and complex characters!

3. How many works did you publish this year?

12, with numerous plot bunnies tagged as #myficlets on here 

4. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

'everything everywhere all at once', hands down. i started it Mar of 2023, nearly abandoned it Sept of 2023, and completed it Aug of 2024. it's my only chronological chaptered story and was challenging bc i had to follow a linear plot rather than jumping back and forth like i do for my other stories. this took A LOT of grit and determination. i am so proud of myself for completing it. 

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

'even gods can't change the past'. it's about gaon and yohan falling in love while gaon is married and caring for his terminally ill child. it's a niche idea but the people who read it were moved by it and reached out to tell me so.

6. Favorite title you used.

'my heart is going back to you, i just don't know'. it's a line from the TDJ song 'The Nights' and so hauntingly beautiful that i'm thrilled to pay homage to it in one of my more complex stories. 

7. If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most?

i used 'The Nights' in three different stories: my heart goes back to you, eeaao, and eating alone eating together 

8. What work was the quickest to write?

'dreams shall come true', where yohan and gaon practice sparring and it turns heated. i wrote it in a day. 

9. What work took you the longest to write?

after eeaao, probably 'my heart goes back to you'. it's more layered than my other stories, so i need to be well rested and energized to write, which is a tougher state of mind to achieve. but my anon likes it and i enjoy writing for them ♥️♥️

10. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

12! you can read about most of them here. there's a hades and persephone one too

11. What’s your longest work of the year?

eeaao at 63,393. interestingly, 'even gods can't change the past' is my second at 20,405, which is surprising because i wrote that in a few weeks whereas eeaao took 1.5 yrs

12. What’s your shortest work of the year?

'the second coming' which is 642 words. it's incomplete tho.

13. What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?

post-canon! love making my boys happy

14. Your favorite character to write this year?

(happily) morally gray yohan

15. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

gaon in the 'second coming'. he's like sunah in this au, so writing him to be familiar but also new has been challenging 

16. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

elijah and yohan. i'm trying to get better at writing young adults/youth/kids where they have full personalities but are still impressionable

17. Which work of yours have you reread the most?

'even gods can't change the past' because i like how it flows. but i generally reread my works extensively in the week after they're published to revel in the final thing 

18. Did you write any gifts this year?

4! eeao for Tamiwitch, 'my heart goes back to you' for anon, and 'dreams shall come true' for briwates, plus a fourth surprise coming soon! 

19. Did you receive any gifts this year?

no :') i love receiving them tho

20. Did you do any collaborative works this year?

ya, with this cutie @fr-wiwiw with whom i share a braincell. stay tuned for our collab fic coming soon called 'i'm lost around you under a spell, when i found you i lost myself'

21. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

it's a passage from ch 8 of eeaao from gaon's pov:

he suddenly remembers the night he got into that accident. how he flew off his bike and skidded the length of the tarmac until he came to rolling stop in the dirt lining the freeway, flat on his back. he’d staggered to his feet and pulled his hopelessly scratched helmet off, pushing the sweat-soaked hair out of his face to look up --

-- only to pause, stunned. it was nighttime outside Seoul. he could see all the stars that light pollution shrouded in the inner city. an entire sea of them, twinkling. it was magical. it was sublime. had gaon come twelve hours prior, he would've seen this landscape under sunlight. the lake would've been iridescent blue; the trees rich with autumnal oranges, yellows and reds, colors so vivid he would be able taste them. things which had made his heart beat fast and his tongue feel thick, all his smallness before the beauty of the world.

he hadn't come during the day because he'd spent the previous however many days agonizing over yohan. gaon, who loved plants partly through nurture and definitely by nature, had completely missed the leaves changing color when it was something he looked forward to every year.

staring up at the sky, breath misting in the frigid air and gradually becoming aware of the throbbing pain in his wrist and along his side, face wet and hot with tears leaking into his mouth, gaon had realized something big: he would be okay living with grief that ebbed and flowed, under a debt that grew in size rather than diminished, absent his parents and absent his lover, if it meant he got to see the sky like this. if gaon could just see the seasons change from crisp autumn to mild winter followed by new spring.

--

this was hella fun to do and i def encourage writers to have fun with it. tagging with no pressure to play and much interest in your responses: @fr-wiwiw @mid-n0vember @gayautisticraccoon @uhhhhmanda @godotismissingx @thedeviljudges @jehan-d-art @technitango @tenderlywicked @a-small-batch-of-dragons

[aaronstveit]

On the subject of song lyrics, there is a question I have been wanting to ask about your playlist: Every single song goes perfectly with deep end (and honestly holds me over until the next chapter lol). I’m curious about what comes first - did the lyrics inspire some of the scenes, or did you write the scene and then dip into this vast well of musical knowledge that I am so jealous you have? (I will never listen to Little Lion Man again without thinking about your Enjolras).

oooh such a fun question <333 i love the deep end playlist dearly and could talk about it forever and ever

the short answer is that some songs inspired feelings or concepts i wanted to include in deep end, but actual scenes themselves were not (consciously) inspired by songs!

the long answer is that a lot of the songs on the deep end playlist and/or that i use for chapter titles are songs i already associated with exr or at least the individual characters. little lion man, for instance, has been on my enjolras playlist forever! (fun fact: weep, little lion man was one of the titles i considered for deep end before settling on throw me in the deep end, i'm ready now to swim.)

most of the chapter titles are associated with a specific event in the chapters themselves. a lot of the chapter titles came before i wrote the chapters, but i knew generally what i wanted to happen when i named them. and a lot of the chapter titles have also changed from draft to draft! for example:

chapter 6 final name: not a flower on the wall (emotion by carly rae jepsen)

chapter 6 original name: take this pink ribbon off my eyes (just a girl by no doubt)

chapter 10 final name: pressure points, they pressure you right back (hate that you know me by bleachers)

chapter 10 original name: tracing an old pattern (drawing the lines from where i am and where i want to be) (i can change by lake street dive)

chapter 11 final name: some things i never expect (halloween by phoebe bridgers)

chapter 11 original name: i didn't know i was lonely till i saw your face (i wanna get better by bleachers)

chapter 17 final name: and whatever we had locked up now is free (lipstick covered magnet by the front bottoms)

chapter 17 original name: all the hope i had when i was young, i hope i wasn't wrong (dream of mickey mantle by bleachers)

i've also just very recently changed the name of chapter 24, which i'm pretty excited about! i won't tell you the new name, but the old name for chapter 24 was "my moodboard is just pictures of you (but i'm not sad anymore)" from the song fake out by fall out boy <3

there are a lot of songs i listened to on repeat while writing that probably subconsciously inspired parts of deep end. some of the big ones that are definitely going to end up on my spotify wrapped because of this fic are:

lucid dreaming by alice kristiansen

spit of you by sam fender

into your room by holly humberstone

surrender by walk the moon

close to you by gracie abrams

like a river runs by bleachers

an ego thing by lizzy mcalpine

admit defeat by bastille

thumbs by lucy dacus

anywhere with you by maggie rogers

there are a lot of specific lyrics that really spoke to me while writing that i'm gonna talk about in another post but i hope you enjoyed this answer <333 as always, thank you for asking!!

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2024: #18

18. SAN MARINO Megara - "11:11" 33rd place

Decade Ranking: 66/153 [Above Aiko, below Hooverphonic]

Soy "Otra Gente".

Yes, ~Megara & Aiko~ back-to-back as a tribute to the blossoming new relationship. (how cute that these are the two LAST EVER entrants for both of those countries ♥). Star-crossed pansexuals forever tethered side-by-side in this ranked afterlife. THIS is how you do serendipitous running orders, Christer, fucking take notes. (Another fragment of my neurodivergent soul destoyed when he decided to put Megara 10th in the r/o and make 11:11 the 12th overall song to be performed that night).

But Aiko and Megara also represent the duality of modern day NQs. While Aiko delivered a good vocal, glammed-up to a 7.5/10 and still died (lol though luck fighting those bookmakers, girl), Kenzie delivered an ABSOLUTELY ROTTEN VOCAL, downgraded to a 7.5/10 and logically died because it's San Fucking Marino. 😍

Like, idk how to break it to you, but for once, San Marino actually earned the Ironic Standom label. Let's start with the fact that they're repped by my fave act from last year's Benifest with a song about how unfairly robbed "Arcadia" was. ♥

M E

P E L A

M E P E L A

Y si tú no me quieres otra gente me quierian

This year's line-up was so up my alley even the fanfiction was fucking me-coded.

And a fanfic it fucking was because in order to rep Scam Marino, Megara had to beat the following at Una Voce:

Jalisse, Italy's 97's reps (and erstwhile BubbleFaves) who TVSM found in a dusty retirement home somewhere in Italy, recruited as a Big Name, and who reportedly stormed out of the venue as soon as they were eliminated by the jury. (😍)

David Bowie's former flame Dana Gillespie, who sang an AI-written composition about climate change called "The last polar bear" (sample lyrics:" I'm just a polar bear trying to survive :old:" // "Is there someone out there who has mercy on a polar bear?" :old:) (and they HAD to admit this in the final because Una Voce's main sponsor was the company that wrote the AI script which composed the song lmfaooo ♥)

Nusa Derenda's son, who was part of a three-himbot boyband and was absolutely HORRIBLE (the other two did ALL of the lifting ♥), only for them to be completely omited from the first recap of the night (WILL THE BULLYING OF SLOVENIA EVER END?!)

Loredana Bertè, Mia Martini's estranged blue-haired sister who crossed over from San Remo for the sole purpose of terrorizing her ex-husband Björn Borg, and performed in her usual style: dressed as a schoolgirl (she's over 70 btw), hands in her pockets, fully disassociated, sounding like she was halfway through her fourth bottle of Disaronno.

How is ANY of this a waking reality?! Megara beating Loredana last-minute was the icing on the cake because while the notion of Pazza is funny enough (it rhymes "artifice" with "toothpaste" <3), Megara at least had... a concept? an Idea? A song?

And then we got to the contest itself. The preview comes in and has THE EXACT SAME IMPACT ON ME as Bambie's did in the first semi - STOP ALL THE PRESSES, I WANT TO SEE THIS IN FULL IDGAF ABOUT ANY OF THE OTHERS OR MY PERSONAL HEALTH AND RESPONSIBLIITIES!!!! you know, the usual hinged eurofan stuff.

When we finally got to the full live omg ♥ A fantastic act completely PULVERIZED into death by Kenzie's inability to perform ♥ From actually WALKING OFF THE SCREEN

to having her own small Emily Roberts moment in the second chorus

Shittastic. it worked because, thankfully, the song WAS fodder to begin with (no losses there) and the staging -conceptually at least- was visionary. This is probably the best San Marino have ever staged.

The delectable Dias De Muertos flamengo break ♥

the haphazard trigger happy hazbin hotel fuschia fiesta freakshow aesthetics ♥

the silly overlays that actually WORKED BETTER THAN LUX'S ♥

THE DEMON RABBIT INTO DEMON CORPSES DANCERS ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

This (metaphorical) shit was masterfully staged and Kenzy still served LOOKS AND ENERGY despite failing at everything else.

If you're going to be hopeless, then be hilariously bad at giving hope, is what I say.

11:11 was pure chaos on a black-and-pink demon barber pole, which for experimental art rock serving as a middle finger to Spain's lack of taste, is a pretty good medium of expression. The way Megara were guaranteed double digit points because the Mericones (this year's honorary name for Cigarillos/Spanish Fags btw..x) were casting votes in this semi (♥) allowed them to give zero fucks. ♥

Of course, if Megara (and specifically Kenzie) had been in any way competent, then 11:11 could have qualified with that act, and that would have been ICONIC. But they weren't and we missed out on another SF2 epic turnaround, which is probably why I'm not ranking them amongst the very good entries this year. (also, if I did I'd be compelled to rank 'em 11th and LOL @ bumping Aiko up to 12th place). I'm accepting of 11:11's shortcomings, but also acknowledge that it has them. The quality standards were surprisingly high this year, and I enjoy the remaining entries sufficiently that I don't need to cling to Megara as hard as I normally would. Fun filler it is, and that's the perfect endpoint for San Marino's journey.

THE RANKING

[honeygrahambitch]

WHATS A HANNIGRAM CODED TAYLOR SWIFT SONG

The perfect ask doesn't exi-

I have prepared for this my whole life. Here is a list of hannigram coded taylor swift songs.

Look what you made me do

it's sexy and petty and it's the perfect Will Graham in salmon shirt revenge song but it's also very Hannibal in Mizumono coded.

2. I did something bad

perfect for both of them and especially for Will discovering that killing people makes him feel stuff that he shouldn't

3. Back to december (I am feral about this one)

perfect for them. chef's kiss. You can listen to it and think about Mizumono or about Digestivo, depends what kind of pain you want.

It turns out freedom ain't nothin' but missin' you

Wishin' I'd realized what I had when you were mine

I'd go back to December, turn around and make it alright

this is so Will Graham thinking about Mizumono and also Hannibal surrendering to the FBI cause he doesn't need freedom if he cannot have Will.

But if we loved again, I swear I'd love you right

I'd go back in time and change it, but I can't So if the chain is on your door, I understand

This lyrics too because it's the tea cup motif, turning back the time, which is exactly what Hannibal wanted to do in digestivo. And also related to Will's regrets about Mizumono.

4. Mastermind

Perfect for them both, from beginning to end. Nothing to add than some very fitting lyrics.

I knew I wanted your body I laid the groundwork, and then Just like clockwork The dominoes cascaded in a line What if I told you I'm a mastermind? And now you're mine It was all my design

5. Better than revenge (more as crack if you want to think of it from Hannibal's pov towards Molly lol)

6. Right where you left me

season 3b coded, breaks you to pieces if you imagine them and the glass wall in between.

7. Wonderland

I reached for you, but you were gone I knew I had to go back home You searched the world for somethin' else To make you feel like what we had And in the end, in Wonderland, we both went mad

them in season 3a, Hannibal trying to replace Will with Anthony but it was in vain.

8. Come back, be here

Will grieving after Hannibal left

9. Hoax

there is so much to say about this one, I find it very fitting

My only one My smoking gun My eclipsed sun This has broken me down My twisted knife My sleepless night My win-less fight This has frozen my ground

(...)

My best laid plan Your sleight of hand My barren land I am ash from your fire

(...)

You knew it still hurts underneath my scars From when they pulled me apart You knew the password, so I let you in the door You knew you won, so what's the point of keeping score? You knew it still hurts underneath my scars From when they pulled me apart But what you did was just as dark

you can think about all the pain they have inflicted into each other and each time they have betrayed each other

10. I almost do

11. Sad Beautiful Tragic

so so so hannigram coded

We both wake In lonely beds In different cities And time Is taking its sweet time erasing you And you've got your demons And darlin' they all look like me

12. Ivy (which is considered to be a very queer song)

I wish to know The fatal flaw that makes you long to be Magnificently cursed

13. Willow (a lil more cheesy)

14. The lakes

hannigram coded because they don't fit in the normal world. And the lyrics sound like something Hannibal would say

15. Vigilante shit

as petty and sexy as Look what you made me do

16. Bad blood

doesn't need any explanation

17. No body, no crime

for the whole arc of Will trying to convince everyone Hannibal framed him

18. Getaway Car

Mizumono coded

19. The Great War

twotl coded

All that bloodshed, crimson clover Uh-huh, sweet dream was over My hand was the one you reached for All throughout the Great War

(...)

It turned into something bigger Somewhere in the haze, got a sense I'd been betrayed Your finger on my hair pin triggers Soldier down on that icy ground Looked up at me with honor and truth Broken and blue, so I called off the troops That was the night I nearly lost you I really thought I lost you

and this part very Mizumono coded

20. Peace

they are both problematic for each other

21. The Alcott

describes the Uffizi Gallery scene. Like, in perfect detail.

22. My tears ricochet

23. Illicit Affairs

Look at this idiotic fool that you made me You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else

24. Last kiss

for when Hannibal is locked up

25. Haunted

26. Cowboy like me

especially because Will is from the south lol

I've got some tricks up my sleeve Takes one to know one

Hope this helps!

[youreputtingrootsinmydreamland]

fave 13 lyrics of 2024?

I love this question so much!!!!!!!!! 1.) a greater woman has faith / but even statues crumble if they're made to wait (taylor swift; the prophecy)

2.) no, I know, I know, fuck off / but I think I like her, she's so fun / wait, I think I hate her, I'm not that evolved (that’s so true; gracie abrams)

3.) I always knew I was a martyr and that Jesus was one too / but I was built from special pieces that I learned how to unscrew (lonely is the muse; halsey)

4.) I am built like a mother and a total machine / I feel for your every little issue / I know just what you mean (all-american bitch; olivia rodrigo)

5.) women, they will come and they will go / when the rain washes you clean, you’ll know (dreams; fleetwood mac)

6.) truth is, I love you more than I wanted to / there’s no point in trying to pretend (that’s all; genesis)

7.) did we unravel a long time ago? / is there too much we don't want to know? / I wish it was easy, but it isn't so (look at us now; daisy jones & the six)

8.) fuck that, sir, just let me call / I'll give you my blood alcohol / I'll rot with all the burnouts in the cell / I'll change my faith, I'll kiss the badge / let’s wait, I swear she'll call me back / "son, why do you do this to yourself?" (dial drunk; noah kahan)

9.) and if history's clear, the flames always end up in ashes / and what seemed like fate, give it ten months and you'll be past it / babylon lovers hangin' missed calls on the line / I gave you mine (us.; gracie abrams ft. taylor swift)

10.) does it feel alright to not know me? / I'm addicted to the 'if only' (I look in people’s windows; taylor swift)

11.) if we had a daughter, I'd watch and could not save her / the emotional torture, from the head of your high table / she’d do what you taught her, she'd meet the same cruel fate / so now I've gotta run, so I can undo this mistake (labour; paris paloma)

12.) you can’t, you can't catch me now / I'm comin' like a storm into your town / you can't, you can't catch me now / I'm higher than the hopes that you brought down (can’t catch me now; olivia rodrigo)

13.) so I did my best to lay to rest / all of the bodies that have ever been on my body / and in my mind, they sink into the swamp / is that a bad thing to say in a song? (florida!!!; taylor swift ft. florence and the machine)

honorable mention:

14.) I can't relate to desperation / my give-a-fucks are on vacation (espresso; sabrina carpenter)

there you are! ☺️ there’s probably (definitely) many more, but these were the ones that came to mind first & stood out the most!

I’m now nominating @miranova23 and @kelseyfitzherbert for this one because it was so fun.

[all-de-fandoms]

MEAN GIRLS MUSICAL MOVIE LESGOOO

I literally just found out about this today and- yeah yeah yeah I know the musical got a lot of hate but genuinely I adored it (and it was one of my go-tos whenever I got dragged to a scary horror movie!). So to find out that they're making a movie out of it..... I mean yes, I've got some mixed feelings, but mostly I'm excited!

I've listened to the movie album on Spotify already, and held it up against the original. I have lots of opinions.

Cast Performance

Erika Henningsen vs Angourie Rice as Cady Heron: I’m sorry Angourie I’m sure you’re great but Erika really put her soul into her Broadway performance. So much emotion, so much energy and personality in her voice. By comparison, Angourie mostly seems to be singing to sound good rather than to communicate parts of the story in the musical. (I will say however that she did do pretty good in her last song, “I See Stars”.)

Taylor Louderman vs Renee Rap as Regina George: Renee! She did actually play Regina on Broadway after Taylor Louderman. Truth be told, I love Taylor’s version (lol) the best but Renee’s is nothing to sneeze at either. 10/10, no notes.

Ashley Park vs Bebe Wood as Gretchen: Ashley Park did it better. Bebe’s songs are.. okay. But they did cut a lot of Gretchen’s lines in the MG 2024 Spotify album, so that does affect her rating.

Kate Rockwell vs Avantika as Karen: I can’t choose, they both did a good job with their roles. I feel like Kate’s Karen really echoed Amanda Seyfried’s Karen in the original movie, but from what I could tell in the Spotify album, Avantika’s spin on Karen sounds equally good. I do wish they’d given her more songs/lines!

Barrett Wilbert Weed vs Auliʻi Cravalho as Janis!! OH MY FUCKING GOD you guys. If Renee gets a 10/10 Auli gets an 11/10 from me. Auli'i definitely did her homework. Amazing, amazing, amazing.

Grey Henson vs Jaquel Spivey as Damien: There's absolutely nothing wrong with Grey's version of Damien, it's a very good match for the movie one. But Jaquel’s Damien? He had such a beautiful voice, he really went above and beyond for Damien. My vote’s for Jaquel all the way.

The Songs

I won’t be listing them all because that would make this post much too long but here are my highlights:

They cut “It Roars” for “What Ifs” in the movie. Booo. “It Roars” told a good story, “What Ifs” is forgettable, in my opinion.

Auliʻi Cravalho’s version of “Revenge Party” is awesome. She absolutely killed it (/positive) and although I’m not one to usually approve lyric changes, I love the enhancement to Janis’ character by making the song more bloodthirsty.

Renee Rap nailed “Someone Gets Hurt” but I expected no less of course.

They changed some of the lyrics in some of the songs. Some of the lyric changes were just one line, or shifting around of roles ("Apex Predator").

“Meet the Plastics” got pared down in the movie album. Actually, a lot of songs got pared down for the movie album, or just moved altogether. I guess it was to adjust for time, and also to accommodate Angourie Rice’s vocal range. Aaron apparently has no singing roles at all.

"What's Wrong With Me" is another one that got pared down. The original song from the Broadway version tops this one, hands down. Had more plot and characterisation to it, this one was. Not it.

They cut Karen's funny lines in the beginning of the song "Sexy" which. Again, is such a shame. Avantika did amazing though.

They changed parts of "I See Stars", but I'm not mad at it tbh

Final Thoughts

I think my main gripe with the movie (from what I can tell based on the Spotify album) is that Angourie Rice is just not built for the powerful belting songs that Cady sings in the musical. That’s not bad, but I just. Surely they could have found another actress to play Cady? One who could actually perform in a musical? I’m a little tired of people being cast in a movie musical and still singing as if they’re trying to record an album. They’re two different things, people.

I guess they were trying to communicate Cady’s innocent and naïve personality in the original movie? but they cut out the rest of her personality in the new songs, making her just. So flat. This is particularly noticeable in the Broadway version of “Stupid With Love” vs the movie one. We were also robbed of Cady's growl in the line "watch me shake my mane" from "Apex Predator" (which is one of my favourite parts of the musical!) It’s tragic, is what it is. I don’t think this is necessarily all Angourie’s fault- mostly, this is poor writing and/or directing.

Similar gripe with Christopher Briney, Aaron’s actor in the movie. Apparently, he didn’t even want the role when he found out it would be a musical, so they cut out Aaron’s singing parts for him. Like?? Just? Hire someone else? It’s a musical, they ought to be committing to it.

Auliʻi has such a freakin beautiful voice, and as far as her singing performance goes she is the perfect casting for Broadway-Janis. Her performance is on parr with Barett’s in my opinion. She is the perfect example of someone who almost certainly did her homework: she understands the role, she puts in the attitude, the grunge, the “fuck you” attitude that made Barett’s version so damn good. I freakin love her.

Honestly from what I can tell I do love most of the people in this album (Jaquel Spivey!!) except for Cady and Aaron. Which is kind of a shame.

[snoopysfriendwoodstock]

what's ur full ttpd song ranking and why?

omg… this will be long lol

1. who’s afraid of little old me? - taylor has tried “female rage” a couple times now and it always falls flat bc she has to be the victor/mastermind of all of it. mad woman & vigilante shit just kinda suck! FINALLY in this song she sort of admits defeat? i find it really interesting to hear her reflecting on her career & her own view of herself and the public perception of her without her feeling the need to throw a “but i’m okay! and actually i’m winning!” in at the end. also the vocals and theatrics are soooo good i just love it <3

2. the smallest man who ever lived - that ENDING. this takes me back to some very classic taylor songs, especially the dear john bridge or last kiss bridge and as a speak now girl i can’t get enough.

3. the prophecy - both people who love this song and people who hate it reduce it down to “she’s sad she doesn’t have a boyfriend” but imo this song perfectly captures the ACHE of being someone who just always has a little ribbon of loneliness running through them. it’s that dark middle of the night place you can’t let yourself go to. and it’s PERFECT.

4. so high school - i don’t have a lot to say here but this is the song she’s talking abt when she says she’s putting narcotics in them. i love it so much. do that impression you did of your dad again ❤️

5. but daddy i love him - i love her delusional ass! also the “i’m having his baby” line is soooo funny sorry!

6. guilty as sin? - there’s a reason this one’s a fan favorite! it’s just soooo good. there’s nothing wrong with a sexy song.

7. so long, london - “i’m just mad as hell cause i loved this place” is such a taylor line. so simply devastating. i think she got away from just very simply stating her emotions/feelings in her newer albums but this song has soooo many lines that go back to that form of writing that she’s so good at. “stopped trying to make him laugh” is another one that really hits.

8. loml - this hits my favorite genre of taylor swift song that is just so sad it’s almost like oh my god you have to stop… what a valiant roar! what a bland goodbye!

9. the black dog - ik i’m kind of a broken record at this point but “i just don’t understand how you don’t miss me” is SOOOO taylor. very early taylor! and i love the idea of taylor swift having someone’s location on her phone. she is sooo pathetic she’s just like me!

10. the bolter - songs used to be STORIES!

11. the alchemy - i can’t explain it. it just scratches my brain really well. i love how it soundssss

12. fresh out the slammer - i LOVE the chorus on this one. and i love when it slows down at the end and gets kinda weird.

13. clara bow - i LOVE this song. i love how haunting it is i love “you look like taylor swift” i love how pessimistic it is as an album closer. it feels like folklore again w/ hoax as the last song. she said we are NOT in change/long live/begin again/clean/new years day/daylight hours anymore we have LOST hope. in fact it’s super interesting compared to change/long live that are all optimistic about the industry/making a name for herself bc now she’s realized there were other taylor swifts before and there will be other taylor swifts later.

14. how did it end? - another just absolute fucking banger of a sad song. the commentary on fame/the public/her fanbase hits.

15. i hate it here - unfortunately this song is sooooo me it’s not even funny.

16. i can do it with a broken heart - who is this “nobody” that doesn’t know she’s miserable? i love this song it’s so funny. “i cry a lot but i am so productive” is a lyric that was necessary for society

17. my boy only breaks his favorite toys - this song grew on me SO much. it’s so pathetic i love it.

18. florida!!! - this song rocks so hard. i think taylor & florence’s voices compliment each other so much

19. the albatross - i love her voice on this one. she’s here to destroy you!!!

20. the tortured poets department - i love this one i’m sorry. i love the sound i love that it feels like she’s trying something new i love how cringe and desperate it is. also lucy dacus mention!

21. peter - i wish i understood this song the way a lot of people do but it’s simply not my favorite! i do love the way she keeps repeating “you said you were gonna grow up then you were gonna come find me” in the chorus. don’t listen to this & never grow up back to back. it’s not funny.

22. down bad - hated this one at first but it has REALLY grown on me. i love the alien abduction metaphor! “i might just die it would make no difference” is like come on girl get up

23. i look in people’s windows - love this one, don’t listen to it much. but never skip when it’s on. her voice is gorgeous and i loveee the writing on it

24. the manuscript - again, i don’t choose to put this one on much but holy shiiiitttt… now she eats kids cereal? and can only sleep if it’s in her mother’s bed?

25. cassandra - i love the idea of this and it has some great lyrics but i feel like she didn’t quite get it off the ground? i love the bridge. it’s like ALMOST there. cassandra is my favorite mythological figure so maybe i just had really high expectations.

26. imgonnagetyouback - this will for sure rise in the rankings soon bc i’m finally getting it. it’s so fun, just not as good as a lot of the anthology tracks.

27. fortnight - i don’t love this one, but the chorus is really catchy. & post malone’s verse is the best part, that gets stuck in my head all the time.

28. thanK you aIMee - god this song is so funny. “everybody knows my mother is a saintly woman but she used to say she wished that you were dead!” i’m just kinda sick of these kind of songs from her if that makes sense?

29. chloe or sam or sophia or marcus - i’m waiting for this one to click!!! i’m sure it will & there’s parts i REALLY like but i skip it every single time

30. robin - i’m sorry it’s a skip from me. it’s beautiful but i’m never ever wanting to hear it. it’s sweet! but not for me

31. i can fix him (no really i can) - idk the rhythm and tempo of this song doesn’t work for me. it sucks bc her voice is so sexy on this one & i love the pathetic aspect but i always skip. it’s not as bad as my least favorite on other albums tho <3

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

‘Don’t Say Goodbye’

Misaki Unasaka doesn’t seem to have many fans from the fandom.

There was a particular post criticizing her reappearance saying Misaki only wanted to take Miri back b/c she didn’t want to have regrets on her death bed. But of course! Don’t dying people have a fervent wish to rectify their mistakes if they could? If only they would have that opportunity, the ones who they left behind would be more accepting of their loss.

No dying person grieves for his death. He mourns only what he didn’t do. Why did I wait? Why did I not…? Why did I neglect to…? (Rumi)

“Don’t Say Goodbye” is, without a doubt, her theme. On episode 3, the piano accompaniment of the song she was singing when K first saw her was playing during her heated conversation with Kazuki. It became turbulent, full of anguish and regret. She had intrusive thoughts, true, but she never acted on them. Until she sent Miri away, which was clearly a child neglect.

On episode 10, it was again playing the moment she showed determination to get Miri back. Faced with the possibility of a second chance with Miri she was cunning enough to lay out the cards to make Kazuki and Rei to give up the custody.

You can hear again her theme song when she was dying in Kazuki’s arms asking him to take care of her daughter (episode 11). This time with vocals singing in English.

No one to talk with /Just all by myself

No one can save me/Just all by myself

But suddenly everything has changed and then I met you

The truth inside of me/My reason to live

I'm saving my love for you/Even a thousand miles can't keep us apart

Don't say good bye/ Don't say good bye

I wanna spend as much time as possible with you

I wanna feel and touch your smile/But are there just dreams?

I'm saving my love for you/Because my heart is wherever you are

Don't say good bye/Don't say good bye

Oh, so l'm takin' this chance to sing

Don't say good bye

Can't let this moment end

But now we have to move on

Don't cry/Don't look back

And, Don't even remember my name...

(Source: Buddy Daddies blu-ray inlay card)

As she was about to expire, Kyutaro kneeled down so she could touch Miri’s face for the last time, the first two lines and the last four lines could be heard playing with the ending “Don’t cry. Don’t look back. Don’t even remember my name...”

The lyrics bear sadness and loneliness until one person came into her life, which we could all surmise as her daughter Miri and her second chance to be with her. But Misaki felt the weight of the words as she sang the truth because it was for nil.

[toddandersonn]

Okay, so I've been doing the "re-listen and rate all the 11 albums" thing. I did Debut on Wednesday, so today it's Fearless's turn!

1. Fearless. What an opening!! Easily in her top 3 opening tracks. Seeing this in the Eras and doing the 🫶 was one of my fave moments of 2023. Rating: 10/10

2. Fifteen. While I don't revist this song super often, I still think it's great and quite touching. My favorite lyric is, "But I found time can heal most anything, and you might just find who you're supposed to be". Rating: 9/10

3. Love Story. This is the first Taylor song I ever heard in 2010, so I'll always have a soft spot for it. But it's also genuinely a perfect song. Rating: 10/10.

4. Hey Stephen. Super cute and iconic. "All those girls, well they're beautiful, but would they write a song for you?", you'll always be famous. Rating: 8.5/10

5. White Horse. You guys give this song too much hate. It's s not her worst track 5 by any means. You guys just don't get her like I do. My favorite lyric is "Maybe I was naive, got lost in your eyes and never really had a chance.My mistake, I didn't know to be in love you had to fight to have the upper hand.". Rating: 8.5/10.

6. You Belong With Me. Banger of all time! Been there, too, Nerdy Taylor in the mv. Rating: 10/10.

7. Breathe. One of my fave deep cuts. There aren't a lot of friendship breakup songs out there, so I'm glad she exists. My favorite lyric is, "Nothing we say is gonna save us from the fall out". Rating: 10/10

8. Tell Me Why. The fiddles here give me life. It has a lot of good lyrics, my favorite one is "You could write a book on how to ruin someone's perfect day". Rating: 8/10.

9. You're Not Sorry. Gonna piss a lot of people off, but I genuinely don't like this song much aside from a few lines and the production. I just find it rather boring, and it's really similar to White Horse because both songs are about not forgiving an ex and going your own way after finding out they were cheating on you. I do like the first few verses. My favorite lyric is "And it's taken me this long baby, but I figured you out" and I love the guitars and violins, but yes, I don't have a lot of positive things to say about this song. Rating: 6/10.

10. The Way I Loved You. What a banger!! The guitars, the banjo, everything!! Chorus of all time, which also has my fave lyrics in this song. My favorite lyric is Rating: 10/10.

11. Forever & Always. Another perfect song! And late 2022 me really related to this (fun fact F&A was written on the same day I went through a friendship breakup that had me blasting this the rest of that day). My favorite lyric is, "Was I out of line? Did I say something way too honest, made you run and hide like a scared little boy?". Rating: 10/10

12. The Best Day. I get why some people may not like it, but I love it. Favorite lyrics are, "I'm thirteen now and don't know how my friends could be so mean. I come home crying, and you hold me tight and grab the keys, and we drive and drive until we found a town far enough away, and we talk and window shop till I've forgotten all their names", because yeahh... anyways. Rating: 9/10.

13. Change. Love the production, but lyrically, it is weak. I don't 100% agree this is Long Live 1.0, because Change feels more like a rousing speech, while Long Live feels more like a celebration of their achievements, declaring that in case everything goes wrong she hopes everyone will look back fondly on their times together. My favorite lyric is, "Because these things will change. Can you feel it now? These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down". Rating: 6.5/10.

14. Jump Then Fall. This song is cute and all, but I just think Hey Stephen is better tbh. My favorite lyric is, "The time is gonna come when you're so mad you could cry, but I'll hold you through the night until you smile." Rating: 7/10.

15. Untouchable. I've debated whether rating this song or not since it's just a cover, but since it's on both the 2009 Platinum version and on Fearless TV, I'm rating it. I think her vocals here are quite good, and I love the country rearrangement. My favorite lyric is, "In the middle of the night, we can form this dream, I wanna feel you by my side, standing next to me. You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together." Rating: 8.5/10.

16. Forever and Always (Piano Version). Since this is genuinely another version of the song with different vocals and production, and not just a remix, I'm rating it. While it's not my preferred version of the song, I think it's a nice rendition. Rating: 8/10.

17. Come In With The Rain. Soo underrated, her vocals are quite nice, and the production is really good. Rating: 8/10

18. Superstar. I don't get why you all hate this song. Is it the best platinum track? No, but it's not the worst one when Jump Then Fall is right there. Rating: 7.5/10.

19. The Other Side of The Door. Another banger of the century. One of her best outros!! Rating: 10/10.

20. Today Was A Fairytale. Sooo cute, you are mean for hating on this one. Rating: 8/10.

21. You All Over Me. I'm gonna be honest, I'm not big on the Fearless vault tracks, because I feel like most of the truly great material made in either in the standard edition or the platinum edition, so what was left off was overall just alright imo. I don't dislike this song by any means, but I prefer production on the 2005 demo over the one on the Taylor's version because it just doesn't like a Debut/Fearless Taylor song and it sounds a little too polished (idk if it makes sense? Idk, the only time Aaron Dessner has let me down is when it comes to the Fearless Vault). Rating: 6/10.

22. Mr. Perfectly Fine. It's definitely the best vault track on Fearless! My favorite lyric is Mr. "Insincere apology so he doesn't look like the bad guy". Rating: 10/10.

23. We Were Happy. I quite like this song, actually, but I prefer the demo production over the TV one. While it does feel more Fearless esque than You All Over Me TV, I didn't love how they switched it from the orchestral arrangement to a downtempo ballad one. Rating: 7.5/10.

24. That's When. Writing wise, this song makes no sense... but melodically, it's quite nice soooo... Rating: 6/10.

25. Don't You. I kinda hate this song... the lyrics are okay, I guess, but the production??? This sounds like a Midnights demo... why are you doing synths and vocal layering on the most awarded country album??? Rating: 5.5/10.

26. Bye Bye Baby. Well, I hate this one more, actually. I do like the lyric "It wasn't just like a movie, the rain didn't soak through my clothes down to my skin", because of how it contrasts with Fearless the song and her vocals here are nice, but everything else sucks imo. Rating: 5/10.

Overall score: 7.8/10 (counting the vault), 8.6/10 (if we're going off solely the original tracks).

[thisselflovecamebacktome]

So I'm stealing this from @tayloralisonswift and you should definitely check out their version, but I'm going to listen to and rank all of Taylor's songs album by album (and then maybe her non album songs at the end).

Some minor changes: I'm going to be doing all of each album in one post (so 11 - 12 posts all up), I will be adding the Beautiful Eyes EP to debut (because truth be told I think it'll be part of debut's vault tracks anyway), I will be starting at debut and going forward in Taylor's discography, and I will be ranking them out of 10 not 13. I'm also making note here that I am ranking the versions I like best. So for example, I hate Girl At Home (Taylor's Version) but love the original, so the original is the one being ranked because that is what I listen to (noting that I own all the CDs so don't @ me about that). Anyway with that in mind, let's get started with debut.

Tim McGraw: Does this song get nostalgia points? Yes, yes it does. It was the first song I listened to given debut had not even come out yet at the time and was the one time I remember really bonding with my maternal grandfather over something (country music). But even outside of that nostalgia, it genuinely is a great song and great business move to have this be her first single. 9/10.

Picture To Burn: I understand the controversy of the changed lyrics, but honestly despite not being straight, they never bugged me and just felt very teenagery 'If you tell everyone I'm undateable, I'll do the same'. Ultimately a bop but one I don't listen to all that much. 7/10.

Teardrops On My Guitar: God have I never felt older than at Eras Melbourne night three when most of the people in my section were giving me weird looks for knowing this song. I swear it used to be one of her most known songs. I do prefer the RED tour version of this song but overall a great song that I feel is one of her most universal. 9/10.

A Place In This World: I know this is (or at least was during Taylor's earlier days, I feel it's less so nowadays) a fan favourite but it just never hit for me, sorry. Like there's nothing wrong with it, but realistically I can't tell you the last time I listened to it and it's never been a song I've been drawn to. 5/10.

Cold As You: The OG track five! I can't call her underrated because I feel a lot of people love her, but it's deserved. By far one of the debut songs I have listened to over time, even if I don't as much anymore. 8/10.

The Outside: So this is one of those songs I feel like I should relate to more because I was an 'unpopular' kid and had a falling out with one 'popular' group. But Imma be real, at my school, all of the 'unpopular' kids formed a big group plus I had friends in other years so yeah... Again another song I couldn't tell you the last time I listened to (despite it being a fan fave at one point) and just really one I'm not fussed on. 4/10.

Tied Together With A Smile: To be honest, I feel very similarly about this as Cold As You. I know it's a fan fave, but it deserves all the praise it gets and has arguably been the debut song that's gotten me through the most so I just love it. I don't listen to it as much nowadays, but it'll probably always have a fond place in my heart. 8/10.

Stay Beautiful: It's a cute song. I like it, but it's not a favourite. 6/10.

Should've Said No: A bop. The live version with "whoa oh, you shoulda said no baby, now everybody knows!" lives rent free in my head as one of my favourite live performances. 7/10.

Mary's Song: My OG stan song. My favourite debut song to this day. Did you all know she wrote this about me and my first partner; she left out the part where I head butted him in between daring him to kiss me and running when he tried though (joking). But yeah from the minute I heard that line, let alone the rest of the song, it was over for 11 year old me who had a crush on her brother's best friend (later becoming my first partner). We're still super close to say the least and are raising a child together, so yeah, the song just means a lot to me and probably always will. 10/10.

Our Song: This is one of those songs I feel everyone else likes more than I do. Like it's fun, it hits sometimes, but it's never been a favourite of mine. 6/10.

I'm Only Me When I'm With You: Another cute bop. Not something I listen to often but a good time when I do. 6.5/10.

Invisible: I feel like this song gets outshone by Teardrops On My Guitar having similar themes and being on the same album, but I still love it dearly. Taylor dedicating it to a fan who has a queer reading of it is still one of my favourite things she's done. I genuinely feel like this is the most underrated track on this album and I hope it gets the love it deserves one day. 8/10.

A Perfectly Good Heart: This is and always has been the song I'm most excited for the rerecording for because god are the vocals the worst part of this song as it stands. It just sounds very grating to me, and while I don't think it ever would have been a favourite of mine, it definitely would have had more of a fighting chance had the vocals been better. 3/10.

Beautiful Eyes: To be honest, I don't remember the last time I listened to this, but I like it now more than I remember liking it before (not a high bar but still). It's nice. 6/10.

I Heart ?: I yearn for the day this is on spotify because I have so many playlists I want to add it to. A bop through and through. 7/10.

Final Score: 109.5/160 - 68.4%

[saucy-mesothelioma]

I debated on doing this but then I realized that fuck it, this is my blog and I can do what I want. So since I've been listening to their albums nonstop for a few months here it is, my top 13 favorite Ice Nine Kills songs. I'm only doing songs from The Silver Scream/Welcome to Horrorwood because those are the two albums I love. And why 13? It's the number of tracks listed in Opening Night and also who cares. The first three won't have videos because of the stupid 10 video limit, but I will include the link to them regardless because Ice Nine Kills's music videos are so worth the watch.

13. Funeral Derangements

This is one of the more thrash metal songs that appears in the two albums, so I was surprised that I liked this as much as I do since I'm usually not a thrash guy. I think the chorus and bridges really help mellow out the heavier vocals in this song, which definitely helps make the song more appealing to those like me who tend to get a headache from thrash (no hate to thrash metal in general, it's just not personally my thing).

12: Rainy Day

I won't lie I started out not liking this song. I think it was the fact that it starts off in more of a major key than the minor key I was expecting, but after listening to it more it's definitely grown on me. I'm a big fan of that bass line and the very obvious reference to the Umbrella Corporation in the song's opening lines always gets a chuckle out of me. It's one of the "lighter" songs I guess you could call it in the list, but that's honestly a really nice change of tone.

11. Assault & Batteries

Another song I didn't like the first time I listened to it but has since grown on me a lot. It probably helps that I'm a huge Child's Play fan and Spencer's fuckin doll walk in this music video is hysterical. The song's got a sick guitar riff and honestly the bass backing the first set of lyrics is one of my favorites out of any of the songs on the list. I won't lie, I was a bit disappointed with some of the lyrics especially in the beginning of the song, but some of the later bits such as the harder to catch references to Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky were nice, as well as the inclusion of the chant.

10. Ex-Mørtis

This was actually the first INK song I ever listened to. I adore The Evil Dead, so that just adds to the special sentiments I have about this song. Although since listening to more INK, I've found songs I enjoy more, I still really like this song especially when the boomstick shots kick in. I also love the little bits of piano hidden throughout the song, such as before the second verse.

9. A Rash Decision

I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised the first time I listened to this song because out of all the things, I did not expect the fucking backing ska riffs. I love ska and that first clean ska guitar bit is just so good. It helps to give the song the kind a bounce that you can only really get with ska, but it doesn't completely overpower the song with them. It's a nice medley of two almost completely different genres and I honestly wish there were more songs like this.

8. The Shower Scene

This song has some of the best vocals in my opinion, with drums and guitar that accompany in the chorus just beautifully. It's not as heavy has some of the other songs with its drops, but I think that works perfectly with the song's tribute to Psycho, which I believe is the oldest film in the Silver Scream/Horrorwood series. It's more "subtle" for lack of a better word and is a great refresher for listeners as it adds a feel of variety.

7. Welcome to Horrorwood

It would be a crime to not include this song in the lineup. The beginning is absolutely stellar, and the fact that the song manages to keep that steam all throughout without ever dropping off is a testament to how good it really is. This song perfectly sums up the entire feel of the album that shares it's name, and I personally believe it's a great introduction to the band in general. The lyrics are clever (but then again almost every song has great lyrics) and it's just such a great listen. And although I wasn't going to mention the music videos as not all songs have one and I didn't want them to have a disadvantage due to that factor, honestly the music video for this song is my favorite out of all of the others. I honestly think it speaks for itself.

6. Merry Axe-Mas

Oh my god the drums in this song I mean holy shit. They go so hard and are honestly my favorite thing in the entire song right next to the "Garbage Day!" line. The fact that a song about Silent Night, Deadly Night manages to be this good is amazing; I never would have believed it. Once again, this song leans more to the thrash side of metal, but the chorus gives the intensity a nice break without completely breaking the pacing or tone of the song.

5. Hip to be Scared

This song has some absolutely fantastic changes in pace such as the transition from the chorus to the next verse, going from a nice steady pacing to an almost frantic one. And of course the inclusion of the "Hip to be Square" guitar along with a fantastic parody monologue about the band's discography is just so cheeky I love it. The fact that Jacoby Shaddix of motherfucking Papa Roach is also there to give some great vocal accompaniment is just an added bonus on top of an already stellar song.

4. Thank God It's Friday

This song, although not my favorite of Spencer's vocals (that'll come later), does the best of showing this man's vocal range. His scream of "when mother whispers" right before the chorus is genuinely so impressive to me. The deepness in his voice during the first verse in contrast to his voice during the chorus is absolutely fantastic and it's almost hard to believe that it's the same person. The violin before the final chorus is magestic, and the reference to the end of the first Friday the 13th film with the orchestral fakeout before jumpscaring you with a final "Ki-Ki-Ki, Ma-Ma-Ma" is a 10/10.

3. The American Nightmare

I'm an absolute sucker for the old-timey voice in the opening, and that coupled with that motif from A Nightmare on Elm Street is just a perfect way to set the mood. The backing behind "They all think it's just pretend | You'll never ever sleep again | All your friends are fucking dead" is so goddamn good, and it reminds me so much of the music present in those classic slashers which I'm sure was the intention. I think out of all of INK's penchant for clever lyrics, this song has one of the best examples of it, particularly in the first few verses.

2. A Grave Mistake

A Grave Mistake is genuinely so, so close to being my number one INK song, but just because it's second on the list doesn't make it any less of a masterpiece. This song coupled with a recommendation from a friend actually got me to watch The Crow, which this song is a tribute to, and holy fuck it captures the grungy gothic feel of the film so perfectly. I ADORE how orchestral it feels and that piano at the end deadass gives me chills. This song has probably my favorite display of Spencer's vocals out of all of the other songs; the bridge before the final chorus is absolutely beautiful and honestly so is the rest of the performance.

And finally 1. IT Is The End

I don't think it's surprising that this song was my number one, I mean it has everything. The opening is a beautiful blend of orchestra and carnival with more incredible vocal range from Spencer, and then it drops you off the deep end with a clown horn and a flurry of guitar and drums. The use of brass and saxophone in the back especially at the chorus is just plain fun and the entire song never fails to get me bouncing and headbanging along. IT Is The End is the absolute perfect closing song for The Silver Scream and absolutely deserves the attention, along with all of the other Ice Nine Kills songs I both have and haven't mentioned.