#we extra futuristic

[harrelltut]

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[bulbabutt]

i think its weird that arcee is like. a core member of transformers groups now, cuz it makes her stick out like a sore thumb being the token girl when at the time she wasnt exactly supposed to be? she was part of the second generation of characters (even though I know the movie was being made first)

like it seems like modern stuff tries to do this with her

which just shows off how much that design doesnt fit and comes off like it was made to be "i am THE girl. you need no more girls we have made the one girl”

but when she was actually designed to match the movie crew, a bunch of more futuristic (the far off year of 2005) cybertronian vehicle transformers with her rounded shapes and pastel colours and she isnt even the only pink one because hot rod is also pink, albeit a much darker pink

(leaving ultra magnus out cuz he was designed to be a brick holding optimus doesnt count)

the point like yeah shes still the only girl but its less egregious when you look at what she was actually supposed to match. i dont think shes designed perfectly but i think its weird that because shes the most recognizable girl transformer she has to be pulled away from her crew and forced into a group she doesnt share the design philosophy of (let alone for her character its sad like... are those not her friends? she’s not allowed to hang out with her own friends anymore cuz she’s the only girl who’s marketable? sad)

it’s extra weird when you realize there’s this crew who were the original girl transformers shown on screen

they’re not perfect either but I like that they have the same busy more squared off shapes and more strong colours, and I just think if they got added in arcees place you could have a less skewed view gender binary for the robots

there’s also the part where it would be cool to have more than one girl in a group, but again arcee with her iconic leia space buns head fits in aesthetically better with the movie crew

[leikeliscomet]

(Reposting from twitter)

My POV as a Black fan that thinks Dot and Bubble's racism commentary is trash

Rewatched Dot and Bubble and I'm gonna break down from my POV as a Black fan why this episode didn't work for me & why it's an awful racism commentary. Long arse post incoming:

The whole "You should've noticed the cast was all white except for fifteen ha your bias is showing" doesn't work for a show that's been predominantly white for 60+ years. D&B casting has been the default for most of the show so its not abnormal enough to be a racial litmus test. An example is the Matt Smith era The only reoccurring character of colour in s5 (2+ appearances) is Liz 10. Artie n Angie in s7. 0 in s6. RTD's own era isn't fully safe either. For many eps Martha or Mickey are the *only* Black characters. Most POC are side characters or extras.

White fans should be aware of the predominantly white casting of the show but this late in the game feels cheap. Most of the show has gone through 100% white episodes including fan faves and it was never an issue back then bc it was beneficial. This is so hollow. Representing racists as cartoon caricatures SEVERLY underestimates the danger of white supremacy irl. White supremacy is system designed and constructed and rebranded over centuries. It is not accidental. People aren't racist bc they don't know they're racist because they *do* They know the system that oppresses POC, Black people especially, benefits them socially and financially and that is why they participate. Its not stupidity it's intention. That should've been the Finetime core not Lindy goofing around bc the arrows are gone or some shit.

Human Nature showed us racist young people that exercised this power bc they knew this. They may be children but they are still dangerous bc of their views. Martha knew this. The silly tech obsessed gen z angle erases this danger and that of actual gen z white supremacy

Instead of the camp goofy tone we could've gotten a serious focused episode. The slugs and millenial/gen z social media silly distracts from what could've been the main theme of colonisation instead of saving it for 10 mins of exposition at the end & scattering microaggressions. Saving Fifteen's racism scene for a goofy episode was a horrid idea. Spending 30 mins on representing racism as silliness then giving a dramatic dangerous score is the definition of tonal whiplash. Representing his oppressor as a blonde bimbo again does not take this seriously. Fifteen went to 1960s BRITAIN & got through it unscathed. Finetime is a fictional futuristic land but the racism of 1960s Britain was real. If anytime was right it could've been Devil's Chord. Distancing yourself from a panto villain is easy but addressing your history is hard.

The scene itself is incredibly performed so I'll give Ncuti his flowers but what he used this skill for could've been so much more. Having his FIRST SCENE begging to save a racist is disgusting. It isn't Black people's responsibility to show compassion to people that want us dead. Yes the Doctor helps the baddies bc they care. But they're aren't ignorant to prejudice. The liberal anti racism of who is so jarring and why I still think Thin Ice is performative. When white people are angry at injustice it's radical. When it's Black people we're aggressive.

Respectability politics is a tool of white supremacy. That if one pleads and is nice enough they can earn liberation. What would white fans think of Fifteen if he DIDN'T beg Lindy? If your allyship with Black people depends on showing kindness to racists you are NOT an ally.

Next up is Ricky. It was established ALL Finetime citizens have white supremacist views yet Ricky September stans refuse to see him in any negative light. Just like Joan Redfern white dw fans refuse to see racism if a character is likeable. If nice guy Ricky's a racist, then anyone no matter the niceness can be racist too and that's a pill white fans aren't ready to swallow. If racism is systemic and not about individual character, then what's keeping them safe? What happens when YOU are under the microscope.

THIS is why we NEED Black writers in Doctor Who. The nuances, depth and complexity of the Black experience can only be told at it's best by Black creatives and not guessed, assumed or spoken over by white fans and white writers. It's okay to put ego aside and say you don't get it.

"Im white but I loved the Doctor's reaction" "I'm white and i thought the racism commentary was great" "I'm white but i-" Yet again, we have to sit through another round of white and non Black fans of colour dictating Black representation for us. I'm so fucking tired man. AGAIN IM YELLING FROM MY HILLTOP TO WATCH SHOWS BY BLACK WRITERS. Almost EVERY single theme in Dot and Bubble and frankly most of the show has been done WAY better in other media. RTD is not the authority on Black stories. We are. Always have been and always will.

Tl;dr Dot and Bubble is an unserious and tacky racism commentary. It's core message is drowned by more RTD Who camp. Don't tell me this episode was good at representating my own experience. It wasn't. S15 having Black writers isn't a need it's a must. Goodbye.

Reblog this version pls

[slytherinshua]

♱　SACRIFICE　( 애릭손 )

genre hurt/comfort , futuristic/rebel au , nursing trope , eric x fem!reader , inspired by the vibes of trigger mv   cw injuries involving blood , arguing , not proofread   wc 756   request no   note for @hursheys from the moot fic form <3   net @kstrucknet @deoboyznet

“Why did you abandon the plan?! You weren’t there when Sunwoo sent the signal!” You shouted, running to where Eric had fallen to the ground, propped up by his arm. 

“They were planning to ambush you— they had already caught onto our plan,” Eric stuttered defensively. He gripped his side with the hand that wasn’t holding up his body weight, and you saw him try to hide his grimace.

“Are you injured?” You asked, this time with a little less bite in your voice. Your anger and confusion hadn’t completely subsided. Eric knew your temper was hot, it always had been in the years he had known you. You felt deeply, and he loved that about you, but you also were quick to let your emotions control you— easily drowning in your feelings. 

“It’s not too bad. It can wait until we get back to base,” Eric assured you, a look in his eyes telling you to stop worrying about him. But you couldn’t ignore the blood dripping from his side, and you dropped to your knees in front of him, pulling him up to lean against the wall of a building. 

“Y/n…” The man’s eyebrows fell as he watched you tear your outer garment, gathering a long strip suitable for wrapping his torso. You huffed, looking back up at him— at those pearly eyes that you always got lost in.

“I don’t care if they were trying to ambush me; you should’ve stuck to the plan. We barely made it out of there with what we needed,” You grunted out. Usually Eric was more organised than anyone on the team. It was unlike him to break protocol.

“You really think that I care about some stupid stolen resources over your safety? What if you had gotten attacked? What if they had tried to kidnap you?” Eric had intended to stay calm and diffuse the situation, but he let his brazenness seep into his tone. You heard it loud and clear, the worry his words carried. 

“I can handle myself, you know,” You sighed, pulling the fabric of his shirt up to get access to the wound. You had seen Eric sustain worse, but you hated knowing he had gotten hurt on your behalf. 

“Against multiple grown men? I wasn’t willing to risk that.” 

You knew Eric meant exactly what he said. You couldn’t change his mind on the issue, nor could you go back and stop him from acting brashly. You didn’t try to add anything else to the conversation, focusing all your attention on his bleeding body instead. 

Eric slid the left sleeve of his shirt off, uncovering half of his torso for you to work on. You started by dabbing the excess blood and pouring some of the extra water you had on hand over it. Eric hissed, trying his best to stay still under the sting. You held out your empty hand, slipping Eric’s fingers with yours without saying a word; your face expressionless. 

You worked in silence, the only sound being Eric’s rare whimpers of pain as he squeezed your hand tightly. The wound was wrapped up sufficiently to your liking within a few minutes. You stood up, Eric following suit with your help.

“I know you hate to see me in danger, but you know it goes both ways, right? At least tell me what your plans are beforehand. I don’t want to lose track of you again. If I don’t know where you are—”

Eric cut off your blathering with a mumbled “I know” as he wrapped his arms around your body, holding you close to his chest. You let out a breath, half in frustration, half in relief. From the closeness, you could smell his scent, feel the steady rhythm of his heart in his chest, and feel his warm breath each time he exhaled. It was his way of reminding you that he was still alive and with you, even if he had acted recklessly. 

You let yourself sink in his arms, gripping at his clothes to hold him even closer. Eric wished he could always hold you this close; always have you in his arms, without having to worry everyday about your safety. But, neither of you were allowed that luxury. Instead, you clung to each moment you could safely spare to be in each other’s arms. Holding, kissing, whispering promises of another life together. It was exhausting— grim, at times— but Eric made every hour you sacrificed fighting worth it. You fought for him. 

the boyz taglist (bolded could not be tagged): @eternalgyu,, @blossominghunnie,, @cosmicwintr,, @weird-bookworm,, @haecien,,

@lecheugo,, @seunghancore,, @recordsfilm,, @bananabubble,, @cupidslovearrows,,

@hursheys,, @gong-fourz,, @arafilez

[novaandmali]

ARTISTS WANTED! 

We’re making a new book filled with pulpy sci-fi illustrations based on classic artworks (pre-1800), and, as always, LGBT and POC inclusive <3

Applications open March 25th at noon - the application will NOT be available before that time and will be removed after apps close. HUGE shout out to @ Nukeillustrate for this absolutely stunning piece, lovingly borrowed from “And They Were Monsters.”

The application will NOT be available until that date - we will post it here, instagram (nova_mali), bluesky, and tumblr (novaandmali). The application will be open for five days (March 29th) or until we hit 1000 applications. Please be sure to set an alarm and get your application in ASAP - we will not be able to take any applications through email, dms, or after they close.

A tentative schedule:

Results emailed by April 3rd - everyone will get an email! Sketch due May 15 Final work due June 15 Kickstarter runs July 1-31

We are looking for 50-60 artists (who MUST be 18+ years old by April 3) to join us to create a piece of digital art and/or merch. Traditional art is also accepted if scanned/photographed at a professional level.

We're looking specifically to increase the diversity of our artists, both in regards to race and gender - we want to be including all kinds of voices. Same thing with our art - we're looking to increase the variety of cultures, body types, and disabilities represented.

This is a PAID job. We’ve paid in the range of 200-300 for similar projects in the past, based on a set contract amount plus anything left over after production and shipping, split between everyone. Example: $150 in the contract and $100 extra per artist share. The additional amount will depend on how successful the Kickstarter campaign is.

I’ll post more later this week but first and foremost, get ready to go looking for interesting classical art to re-do into pulpy sci-fi! Your app will ask you what you’re thinking about creating. This is not a final answer but we want to know what vibe, what era, etc what you’re thinking about. 

We’re asking for art pieces that are pre-1800. I want you to really get digging and find some epic cool old stuff, particularly from more women artists and artists of color. Non-Western art is very very much included in our scope of work - we can’t wait to see your ideas!

I know older art tends to have weird people or weird perspectives - that doesn't need to translate to your final art. Just get funky with where you're finding inspiration! We will discuss this in more detail once we’ve hired everyone.

We really want to play with the idea of taking something very very old and make it very very futuristic - it should be funky and fun, and of course full of delightfully gay art <3

I’ll post exactly what questions the app will entail later this week.

The application will include things like: a link to your portfolio (instagram and twitter are NOT accepted as a portfolio) and an idea of what art pieces you’re thinking about and how to transform them.

We also ask for a short artist bio, like twitter style - short and sweet. Please don’t talk down about yourself or your skills - talk yourself up! Make me excited to see your art!!

About us: we’re two non-binary lesbians who really love cats and gay art. We’ve enjoyed our work as a queer publishing house and can’t wait to do more! Some of our previous works include classics but make it gay, And They Were Monsters, and Cover Me Queer.

Check out our work at www.novaandmali.com . 

[genshin-scenarios]

android au - detective droids

Summary: In a modern-futuristic world, it is possible to create androids that are so advanced, they’re more or less human. There will be 5 android au posts total, each focusing on a different group! 

The Sumeru collection was created specially for detective and investigation workplaces.

Characters: Tighnari, Alhaitham, Kaveh, Cyno

Tighnari specializes in evidence collection on sites and processes them in the lab. You have no idea why they made him so pretty (don’t the designers know that it might distract you from work?), but paired with his underlying snark and the little smiles he only sends to you, you’re quite sure you have a favorite droid to visit during your breaks.

As a field agent, you’re no stranger to minor injuries and a few scrapes here and there, but Tighnari always chides you about being more careful. He often ends up treating you and patching up the androids when nurses weren’t around, tail swishing absentmindedly as he focuses on applying salves to your skin. 

Tighnari is rather careful when it comes to you - or perhaps more gentle might be the better word, considering how he just pushes the others around, giving them a ‘told you so’ while rolling his eyes. You don’t realize this, but his gaze always drifts to you at these times, ears picking up on the little giggle that escapes your lips.

His ears and tail increase his sensitivity to his surroundings, meaning Tighnari notices details about a crime scene that regular people wouldn’t. The same goes for changes in his co-workers, be it burnt-out employees or ones that seem to have their loyalties switched… he never admits it, but Tighnari sends this information to Cyno or Alhaitham if he suspects it might bring harm to the agency, in terms of catching double-agents.

Once, the final straw was when he saw said double-agent trying to approach you. You were on a rather sensitive case and had tight lips, which led to them trying to attach a bugging device on your attire. Thankfully, Tighnari was quick to remove it, telling you that there was dust on your coat.

…Level headed as he is, Tighnari is quite protective of those he considers his close friends. He’s quite popular around the workplace anyways, so he does use this to keep tabs on people. No one said his work ended with just forensics, right?

A data collection droid, Alhaitham is often known as a ‘witness’ of sorts that records everything he deems useful to a case. Due to his personality however, sometimes he just stands there and judges people, silently making comprehensive notes about their speech, body language, and any suspicions he may have.

These transcripts then go to you. Alhaitham highlights what is most relevant and enjoys seeing what you think before sharing his own theories. Some people say that the both of you sound like masterminds cooking up a concerning plan in the office, catching snippets of your conversation that sound like: 

‘you did say he bought copious amounts of gasoline…’ ‘so it’s legal to blow up the factory?’ ‘i’ll check through my database, but i’m sure we can find a loophole’

People that aren’t close to Alhaitham might think he’s stoic and a stickler for the rules, but you’re more than aware of the chaotic-neutral methods he has a penchant for. In a sense, data collection really suited Alhaitham, who enjoyed seeing people squirm at the idea that he could psychoanalyze their deepest darkest thoughts. 

As much of a dramatic he is, Alhaitham doesn’t tolerate uncooperative people or those that lash out against your team. Once, you were interviewing people for a case when an aggressive bystander attempted to attack you, only for Alhaitham to surprise everyone by knocking him out with one blow.

He says he controlled his strength, so there wouldn’t be any lasting injuries… but suffice to say the rest of your interviewees were very obedient after that.

Alhaitham also enjoys annoying (pissing off) certain people as a way to get ‘extra data’. You let it slide only because you’re aware he always has a reason for his actions. 

At one point you asked Alhaitham why he manages to get along well with you, despite usually keeping to himself at the office. He merely shrugs, saying that it’s only natural to have good relations with someone he’s often partnered with.

That, and… if he was with you, he wouldn’t be accused of slacking off.

Kaveh often works as an informant or undercover agent. His job relies more on his ability to pass off as a human, and his empathetic nature helps with that whenever he’s on the field. You’re his partner on these missions, either watching from the hidden cameras in his system or working by his side. 

Kaveh does get a little annoyed however if people attempt to flirt with you during these, even if you were letting them because it was a way to gain information. He reasons that because he’s an android, he should do those tasks instead - Kaveh doesn’t want to burden you with that kind of work if possible. You’re the same; you may not be a saint, but it’s easy to want to treat Kaveh well.

Kaveh also has a legendary reputation as an escape artist. He claims it was just a stroke of luck, but he undoubtedly is good at navigating through even the most fortified buildings and picking the best spots to place explosives to knock it down.

He often gets embarrassed when people praise his skill, but only you’re aware of the work that Kaveh puts in, memorizing blueprints and guessing where hidden floors may be. Seeing him get the recognition he deserves always fills you with pride.

Once, you were on a mission alone and trapped within the workings of an underground fortress. To say that Kaveh appearing out of nowhere felt like an angel came to save you wouldn’t be too far off. With worry plastered on his face as he checked if you were alright, he quickly led you through the building with the distractions he had in place. Kaveh explains that once he heard backup was needed at your location, he’d quickly volunteered himself for the task.

‘Ah… not that I’m expecting your thanks for anything like that! …Um, I’m about to deactivate the lights, so could you hold onto my hand? I’ll lead us to the exit.’

Cyno is an android designed for combat. Oftentimes he’s dispatched as a hitman or to guard important places and people. This time around, he’s been assigned to protect you.

Seeing as you’re being targeted by an unknown mastermind, the agency appointed Cyno to stay with you 24/7. He tries his best to simply be a ‘shadow’ at first so that you wouldn’t have to adjust your lifestyle for him, but after a while you told Cyno that you didn’t mind.

‘After all, I can just treat it as having a bodyguard or friend!’

Cyno can come off as intimidating to people, so he’s surprised by how friendly you are to him; asking him if he’d like to join in the activities you were doing, or what he likes to do in his free time.

Nowadays it’s hard to imagine going around without seeing him nearby, and once he even pretended to be your boyfriend when your acquaintances asked why you were always together.

‘Are you sure you’re alright with that? Your friends will think I really am dating you.’ ‘Well… I can’t really complain about having such a reliable “boyfriend”, can I?’ 

It becomes easier once you settle on this as a cover story, though Cyno doesn’t really do anything extra with the role besides holding the door more often and giving you fleeting smiles, unsure if he really looked the part with how serious his expression is otherwise. People think it’s cute. You find it more endearing when you pass by a collectives shop, and notice he’s glancing at the TCG cards on display.

One day, perhaps you’d order a custom card based on Cyno? From your chats with his friends, you think he might find it amusing at the very least.

Because of how he is with you, you forget that Cyno is normally feared amongst the enemies of their agency. He rarely misses his mark, nor does his targets escape his judgment without a price.

[simlicious]

Looking for Advent Calendar background image submissions from you!

For my annual Advent Calendar, I am looking once again for submissions! Create your most beautiful wintery landscape, cozy fireplace scene, Christmas Market spirit, or anything else that represents the coziness of the season to you! Keep in mind that people will likely see it several times, so maybe you want to focus on telling a story within the image or add little details that people can discover. But you do you! I very much appreciate your submissions! Thank you for helping me make my Adcant calendar extra special! Please read all of the terms and instructions before you submit! Thank you!

the scene should be either wintery, festive, or both

the scene can be futuristic, fantastic, historical, contemporary, whatever you like!

it should be made with/in the Sims 3 (you can also make a render if it is based on Sims 3 meshes)

Keep in mind that the doors will be placed onto the image and may partly obscure the image. Details at the edges of the image might get cut off, depending on the user's display settings.

the image should be 1920x1080 pixels or bigger (if you really want to submit but have a smaller resolution, talk to me, I'm sure we can work something out)

please make sure that you upload the image submission in a way that does not reduce the size or compress the image (the tumblr dm's will reduce it, so please upload it to a photo or file hoster.)

I will reserve the right to do some editing in terms of colors or lightness or maybe smooth out some jagged seams. I may also use an AI-based upscaler to increase its size to support more screen sizes.

You can edit the image yourself before you submit

If possible, please please turn on edge smoothing/antialiasing before you take screenshots, or use reshade to smooth the edges.

You can use Custom Content (even my own😋)

if I get several submissions, which I count on, I will do my best to divide the time justly so every picture gets equal "screen time". However, I cannot guarantee it.

please let me know how you want to be referred to in terms of credit. I will add your credit directly in the image so people know it is yours! If you want to use your blog handle, I will refer to it as @ tumblr, for example.

Please submit by November 28 if you can manage. I do accept late submissions under special circumstances, just talk to me :)

I will only use the images as a Calendar background, for nothing else

Please only submit images if you are okay with all the terms!

If you have any questions, let me know either in the comments of this post or in the dm's/tumblr chat.

[veone]

“More and more, it feels like I'm doing a really bad impersonation of myself.”― Chuck Palahniuk, Asfixia

🔞▪️About Section▪️🔞

20s▪️black [american variety]▪️story creator▪️wcif pause▪️pose maker......i will get back to this in more detail. i use the sims as an outlet for storytelling. i post gifs of whatever i like from anime to games and enjoy a good distorted screaming with some instrumentals playing the background as music.

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Downloads

▪️poses

▪️builds

▪️gshade preset

▪️gshade tutorial

▪️🥡Sun Bleach™️ -What would the life of ordinary people be like a the futuristic cyberpunk dystopians we place action movies and video games in? Lets see.

▪️🚬Story Extra: In this tag I like to post my story builds and make little scenes that are a little teasers while I take time in between updates.

▪️My Gifs🎬-gifs from animes and video games i like

[markantonys]

The show hasn't really gotten into the Breaking as much as I think they should have at this point. Which does kinda go into the fact that Lews Therin doesn't seem to be feared by the general public at least as far as we know? Which does make me a bit concerned as that is important. It does seem like the AOL flashbacks are leading up to Dragonmount and therefore the Breaking so maybe that's why it hasn't been addressed as much yet? Rafe did say there's less knowledge of the prophecies or at least less belief that they're 100% accurate since they're over 3000 years old and translated a million times so that might play a role too? Idk I'm curious for them to get into the prophecies more so we know what the world thinks and believes about the Dragon.

i just wanna say that as someone who studied ancient history and ancient literature, it is completely accurate that the current people of randland know very little about what happened 3000 years ago, that the average population outside of scholars doesn't care about what happened 3000 years ago, and that nobody is willing to put full trust in the accuracy of the few ancient texts and prophecies that survived to the present.

and mind you, i ran into all these things in my studies of events that happened only 2000 years ago. 3000 years, we are talking the late bronze age collapse in the mediterranean region - an event that's infamously mysterious precisely because we have so little surviving evidence to say what caused it.

when it comes to human history, 3000 years is a MASSIVE amount of time, and to be honest i don't think RJ/the books really understood just how massive (for example, randland should have been able to advance more, technologically, in 3000 years than it did, even considering how destructive the breaking was and how destructive the taint & false dragons & shadowspawn continued to be). the general population outside of scholars does not spend a second thinking about things that happened 3000 years ago or specific people who lived 3000 years ago. they just don't. realistically, lews therin shouldn't be anything more than a vague fable to the average population of present-day randland. of course they're not afraid of him. why would they be? he's insanely far-removed from and irrelevant to their lives - for now. i daresay they'll start to get nervous once they start to see true signs that the dragon has been reborn and that the last battle will happen in their lifetime. but until then, i cannot emphasize enough how much any dragon- & breaking-related shit is not on the general population's radar. they don't care about the bronze age collapse. they don't care about any sort of war or destruction or apocalypse until it starts to affect them personally (see: nobody caring enough to help falme in s2, just as nobody cared enough to help manetheren).

i will also add that as someone fresh from reading the books for the very first time, i can comfortably say the show is NOT lagging behind on Breaking Info-Giving compared to where the books were at this point. we had zero clue about the bore or any of that stuff until rand's rhuidean trip (and even then, i didn't really understand what the hell was going on in his visions until quite a bit later, and in large part due to learning some extra-book information that explained it better). as a show-only during s1, i can assure you that the 3000 years later flashback showing us a futuristic society made me go OH SHIT and hit home the full impact of the breaking far more than anything in the books, where we don't even see any AOL scenes onscreen aside from the rhuidean visions (which are very confusing to a first-time reader) and the dragonmount prologue (which isn't very useful since it's the first scene in the whole series and a first-time reader has zero context for anything learned there).

honestly, i think longtime readers forget just how much of our AOL/forsaken/breaking knowledge comes from extra-book sources like the companion, Word Of Jordan, etc; the books alone are very vague about so much of that stuff and i remember being repeatedly bewildered as to how you guys knew so much about the AOL when the books either didn't have those details at all or had them so vaguely that they flew right over my first-time reader head. i'm not 100% sure, but i believe latra posae decume isn't even MENTIONED in the books and comes purely from "the strike at shayol ghul", as do many of the details about the strike and the bore and the breaking. and so i definitely think the show has already included more information, and more CLEAR information, about the breaking than the books alone had by the end of TDR and in fact for much of the series.

[apriltempleos]

do you guys know what you want April to look like yet?

preacher: wawawaaaaa :( i thought i did (link) !!!

the base idea was like this and i wanted to buy a nice long hair wig for her, because the project was partially inspired by a story i'm writing, and the bio-tech character in it has long synthetic hair. sorry for oc cringe but its true 😔

UNFORTUNATELY THE LED MATRIX WE BOUGHT IS BIG HUGE. BIGGER THAN THE MANNEQUIN'S HEAD !!!!! so we might have to rethink this approach.

i was thinking maybe instead of an emotive face we could mount the matrix in the chest area, and have it display a heart instead..? and then we could put something in the face at a later point. scott is not just a hobbyist programmist but he also has some experience as a mechanical engineer – he wanted to try his hand at making animatronic eyes next, so we were thinking of incorporating that at some (distant) point. that's all faaaar future considerations though.

one thing i'm 100% about though, is that there will be no "fake" parts. like we're not gonna add anything like plating or extra cables to make her look more robotic or futuristic. any techy looking parts have to be functional. that's not as much an aesthetic choice as it is a personal priniciple lol. so in the end i think she will mostly look like a creepy mannequin :D which is fine by me. i think that's awesome.

[jazjelspen]

amor eterno [parte 2]

(miguel and platonic!reader)

(spanglish speaking mexican reader/female reader/not proofread/description of character death)

(you are Miguel's biological daughter in a different universe and you had to watch your father pass and get buried in your younger years.

you, now an older teenager, have been mastering your spider powers to help the city and your community till all of a sudden you get sucked into another universe where... you see your father again.)

you've been with the spider-society for a few months now and you hoped that you at least for sure proved your potential to the 2099 Spider-Man. you were given an official watch and ditching the one-day bracelets once and for all. funny enough the same mission that was given to Gwen and Hobie when you were basically pushed away by Miguel the first time was also the same mission where you were able to prove yourself to Miguel and his right hand woman, Jessica Drew, in joining the Spider-Society since Gwen and Hobie were in a really tight spot to the point where they had to call for backup, but luckily you sneaked in with them and it lead you to eventually prove yourself to Miguel and in the end you are now here!

when you got home of course you told Peter everything.. literally everything! he wasn't sure if to believe you at first but considering how his own adoptive sister(a.k.a you, duh) is a friendly neighborhood spider-person vigilante that has an extra sense and can shoot webs out of her wrists with the extra talent of being able to climb ceilings and walls??-- then yea he totally believed you in the end. although the weeks after that he always put a little more attention to you than usual, even if you never noticed it, since Peter knew that anything relating to your late-father was a touchy subject. and he understood you completely yet he wanted to make sure you'd stay in check.

in this present moment in time you are currently on the top of the Spider-Society HQ after an intense solo mission, currently having a lunch you saved that your sweet Tia May made you for your usual "after school activities", you continued on with the same ritual which was having the photo of you and your dad leaning on a surface while you eat, drink, and talk with the photo of him. today you decided to add a little touch to this usual routine which was to use your phone to play a song you've had since you could remember.

after you set everything up and hit play you immediately opened up your lunch for today and started munching with a small smile on your face while humming along with the melody before you started your conversations with the photo.

"hola papi!, I hope you're doing alright where you are. I put our favorite song today, Amor Eterno remember? we always sang the one sung by Rocío Dúrcal so... here it is, playing just for you." you let out a deep sigh before you began eating and soon enough continued the one-sided conversation even as the song was starting to sing it's beautiful lyrics.

"Tú eres la tristeza, ay, de mis ojos.."

"Que lloran en silencio por tu amor.."

"well.. there were basically almost no other broncas today other than the usual anomaly chase. and no im not hurt, I may or may not have a few cuts but that's something some two inch bandages can easily fix." you giggled a bit before you took a bit of silence to continue eating and drinking your favorite refreshment. you stared out into the night sky, stars shining bright and vibrant while twinkling as you were inspecting this futuristic and bright world with awe. your meal was gone just as fast as you first opened it and so did your drink. for the next few seconds you just looked out at the sky, knees up to your chest and your head resting on top of your knees.

everyone from the society right now were either at home in their universes or finishing up any work inside the HQ before running back to their beds. as much as you wanted to run back home into the arms of your family and take a good night's rest too you couldn't help but to also feel as if right now all you needed was just to eat and breathe, to live a little in the smallest way possible.

you mumbled the lyrics of the song playing softly in the background, this song made you tear up every time. after all the song's meaning and every word being sung has been engraved into your bones since the day your dad introduced it to you. you knew this song just as well as you knew the back of your hand.

"Cómo quisiera, ay.." "Que tú vivieras..." "Que tus ojitos jamás se hubieran.." "Cerrado nunca y estar mirándolos."

you sang along with the lyrics even as you felt your voice box start to quiver and eyes threatening to start bawling again.

"Amor eterno," "E inolvidable," "Tarde o temprano estaré contigo," "Para seguir amándonos.."

all you could think about was your dad singing you to sleep with a smile on his face, even when he was tired from work or was busy that night he always made sure to at least softly sing you a lullaby in your mother tongue to get you to fall asleep.

after you sang the last verse you couldn't help but to just let the song keep going, intending to just let the beautiful voice of the woman guide you through your past memories instead of singing them yourself. it's not like the tears running down your face and the itch in your throat let you anyway.

the thing was.. that a somber yet deep male voice picked up where you left off. the voice didn't full on sing it was really more of a mix of both mumbling under their breath and audibly singing.

"Yo he sufrido tanto por tu ausencia," "Desde ese día hasta hoy no soy feliz."

well whatever way they sang, you didn't really care.. you only cared about the fact that all you could hear was your dad again, singing beside you as he used to always do.

" 'apa??..." you scrambled back to get back on your feet and face the voice behind you. and you were right, it was your dad but-- it also wasn't.

Miguel O'hara of 2099 continued to mumble the rest even if you now have both eyes and ears on him now.

"Y aunque tengo tranquila mi conciencia," Sé que pude haber yo hecho.. más por ti.."

There was a pause until you finally had a courage to break it "it's you.."

"it's me." the man added, looking down at your phone that kept playing the music. gaze still cold and hard yet there was a touch of familiarity and maybe even gentleness on his face "did your father show you that song?"

you nodded slowly, "yes, he did." you then started cleaning up and picking up any trash you have left over, even putting the photo of you and your dad back into your spider-suit. "he sang it to put me to sleep every night. now I sing it to him for him to rest easy."

he simply hummed in reply as he continued to mumble the ongoing lyrics under his breath.

"you seem to know the song pretty well. in your world did.. you sing it to your daughter too?" you asked with a cautious look on your face, unsure if you're allowed to ask personal questions to your boss since any time you've seen fellow spiders try to ask him about anything personal he'd either ignore, shrug them off, or even snap at them a bit. yet the question really just.. kinda slipped out.

"yes, yes I did." his response was simply short and brief "I sang her many songs that I know by heart."

"...ever taught her any sports?.."

"I used to take my daughter to her soccer games every weekend."

"and--"

"and that's all I'm willing to say." Miguel tried to end the mini interrogation with that one phrase.

but you were persistent, like him.

"and if there was a chance to bring her back.. any chance at all with no consequence and with no worlds ending-- would you try to?" you looked up at him, hoping that he'd perhaps agree.

it took a bit for him to respond but he eventually did "of course I would."

you smiled a bit, feeling a sense of achievement that you and Miguel were able to at least agree on one thing: that if there was a chance, with no consequences, you both would in fact save those closest to you. just knowing this made you feel as if you have a connection of sorts now. you then were getting ready to pick up your phone as the song was already nearing it's end until Miguel had a few questions of his own.

"your.. father.. when he died. who did you stay with?" 2099 asked bluntly as you then retreated your hand from your device.

"well.. when my dad died I was taken in and adopted by mi Tia May y su sobrino, Peter Parker. she continued where he left off in raising me in gratitude for my dad who always helped her out every time when she needed something whether it was big or not." you took a pause to deeply inhale and exhale as you smiled faintly, pulling out the photo again of that sunny day with your old man catching butterflies.

"..me recuerdo el moment cuando mi papa ganó la pelea con el raterro y el lo paro.. pero le costo su vida. y.. y yo corri a mi papa, yo con mis manitas chiquitas tratando de ayudarlo pero el solo se quedo sangrando mas y mas.. y..pues mi papi fallecio enfrente de mi." your voice quivered but at the same time it sounded as if you recounted this moment over and over again before. "yes I did in fact take lots of therapy.. still do." you then just quickly shook your head and rubbed your eyes in embarrassment as to wipe away your upcoming tears from spilling again. "anyway I'll be taking my leave, señor O'hara.." you picked up your phone that has now been off for awhile now before you gave a small nod of respect towards him "you're a good man, I'm sure your daughter was happy to have a father like you." you shined a small smile before you turned to walk away to go back to head back to your world.

"_____." he called out, to which you turned to face him with that smile still slapped onto your face. "I'm sure your.. father.. would be proud to see how you've grown and who you have become." and for the first time ever, you could swear you saw the very tips of his mouth turn upwards ever so slightly.

you gave him a nod and a confident smile "muchísimas gracias, señor." and just like that you swinged off to go back home for a well deserved sleep.

Miguel went back to facing the view of the rest of Nueva York with the very faint smile now growing into a normal small one. he looked up at the sky as he mumbled to himself,

"she shares your smile, Gabi.." he paused "you both share.. my.. smile."

(hope this one is good! next chapter I'll try my best to include more father/daughter moments with the reader and Miguel! hope this sufficed tho<3)

[lunareyes-shifts]

Tyde Rises

the part 2 of the show where I get to ramble about one of my drs!

the featured fantastic focus tonight 🥁🥁🥁

Today, it's my Perfect CR!

In this reality, I'm startin from eighth grade, though it's the last week before summer and when I start high school. This mirrors when I first created the dr. I live in a really nice neighborhood, and I'll wake up in my room with my alarm (Tongue Tied) going off.

I spend the last week biking to school with my friends, and because it's our last week, we do something special each day! The day that I wake up there, I bake us muffins and we bike to school. There's a field trip to a roller skating rink!

I have various things scripted, but some of my favorites are things that happen in the future. Some of my friends from middle school get into my high school, which is super futuristic, I have time for all my extra curriculars because of how effortless it is for me to get good grades, and because I'm so athletic and a great performer, I'm a star player on a lot of teams and in plays! (I also scripted out my current theater director because we are. not on friendly terms. irrelevant drama)

Other stuff I have scripted, an excellent college in Canada that me and my partners will go to, with majors and schedules suited perfectly for us, the chance to start a band if I so desire, an island with a mansion I can buy so all of my friends and I can live together, a nice car, the works! Plus, guaranteed successful career as a writer/actor!

Then, ofc, all my sweet little "perfect world" rules and additions.

No bigotry except in books as tropes, accessible healthcare and housing, AFAB folk don't get periods but can still have children if they like, copy paste of the Americas so that there was no colonization of the indigenous peoples, space travel is possible and easy when I'm 21.

One of my favorite scenarios from this is the confession for one of my s/os. I'm studying, and they get to my window and knock on it. I walk over and open it really confused as to how they got there, cause my house is a little far from them and I've never had them over. They say “I like you!” Kisses me and runs back to their car and drives off. I sit there and can't focus for the rest of the night. The next day, I see them in the hallway, kiss them and say I like them too.

So yeah!!! Super fun times, will definitely be spending a ton of time there.

[xiament3]

[𝐒ummary : Pete’s dreams finally come true, now earned everything he’s truly ever wanted.]

[𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭] [no, but I would love to be sent you’re requests]

[𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 1.32k 9 minutes read time]

⟣-----------------------❀------------------⟢

It wasn’t a secret that Pete wanted to have children, he had very publicly talked about it several times and I’m many interviews.

Still the idea was somewhat foreign to him but he knew what he wanted and he wanted kids with you.

“Hey babe” Pete started pausing the movie the two of you chose to watch for date night you both made it a point to have a date nice twice a month every month indefinitely.

When picking those dates you both took turns planning them last time you choose going to a museum, due to history being your favorite subject and you loved learning about thing and telling random fun facts.

Pete had chosen to stay in wanting to have you in his arms close at all times, so here you were watching the little mermaid on the couch with his arms wrapped, around your waists him laying on you’re belly and you’re back against the couch.

“Yeah, what’s wrong?” You said turning your full attention to the tall man on your stomach.

He gazed up at you grabbing hold of your hands playing with them showing his eyes gleaming nervously at you’re hands, his eyes bouncing before your hands and then at you.

“Well I don’t think it’s wrong but I’m not sure where you stand on it I mean I know but I don’t know if that was just talk or futuristic.” He rambled.

“Baby what is it?” You said cutting to the point but still finding his rambling abordable.

“Iwanttohavebabywithyousoonbutnow” he sputtered out quickly making you felt like your head was spinning at his pace.

“Okay say it slower, taking that fast you can’t possibly think I’d understand you.” You said reaching to give him a sip of you’re water, before he sat once again on you’re facing each other hands in hand.

“Okay?” You asked making him nod his head and sigh. “Now what did you say?” You asked him again turning you’re attention to him.

“Yeah, I want to have a baby with you and I feel like now would be a great time we’ve been married for a little bit we moved into this house and we have this extra space and backyard for kids and I’m directing mostly now so I’ll be able to be with you and not have to travel as much and…” he ranted deciding to let him finish his baby fever fueled rant.

“Yes,” you said stopping his rant right there quickly focusing on your face.

“Yes?” He repeated confused

“Yes, I would love to have a baby with you were both stable and healthy we do have the space. This would be the perfect time.” You agreed looking at him and not even a half of a second pasted before he was showering your face in kisses before picking you up kissing you all the way.

“Baby making time.” He said taking you up stairs to bed, bursting through your bedroom closing the door behind him before turning his attention to you on the bed.

Pouncing on you again he kissed all over your face.

“Baby, wait wait.” You related begin cut off by a kiss with each word.

Instantly Pete stopped sitting up

“I want to have a baby but I still need to make an appointment to get my IUD removed and it might take a little bit for my body to adjust.” You warned

“I know as long as I get to enjoy the process of the journey with you I’m okay.” He said kissing you rapidly this time with no interruptions.

The following Thursday you found yourself in a doctors appointment with a very excited Peter getting your birth control removed.

And then eight almost nine months later you found yourself in the early morning.

Suddenly feeling extremely sick rushing and pulling the covers off you waking Peter up in the process.

Emptying out your body in the toilet having Pete hold your hair back and rubbing your back comforting you best he could.

You didn’t want to assume immediately you were pregnant, twice before you had a false alarm and now you wanted to be sure before getting excited about the morning sickness.

After a doctors appointment it was confirmed.

“Mrs. Davidson you are in fact six weeks pregnant.” The doctor said dragging the Doppler across your jellied stomach.

She filled the screen around and there was your baby it was the size of a cherry seed but I brought tears to both of your eyes.

“I love you so much.” He said looking deeply into your eyes as he wiped the jelly off your belly and helped you stand up.

Ever since then Pete has been on cloud nine.

HIS POV

ever since I found out, you were making me a father I tried my best to make it as easy as possible.

I thought it would be hard having your body change constantly adapting to take care of our baby.

I wanted needed to do anything and everything to take the much off you as I can.

Crack of dawn cravings? Got it

Can’t fine anything to wear you feel comfortable in? I’ll buy you new clothes or you can have mine

Anything hurts? Feet, back, boobs I’ll massage it

Anything, as your due date was approaching and before you couldn’t travel I wanted to take you on a babymoon.

Settling on Punta Cana’s blue water beaches booking a beach villa, with you laying next to me sound asleep tried from the day and our daughter.

I can’t help but stare down at you and your belly holding the child I always wanted but never thought I’d get.

You’ve given me everything I could ask for marriage, love, understanding, support and now a baby girl to be named Aniline Amy Davidson.

Thanking nobody but you for making all of this a reality.

I drift off to sleep your back to my chest, my hands to your belly, and your hands together with mine.

⟣

Turning over away from the window, the sun blinding me trying to force me out of my sleep.

Feeling the bed for you only to come up empty, jumping up sleep long forgotten my eyes frantically darting around the room.

The bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, the living room and no sign of you. My eyes still darting around seeing the sliding glass door open running standing in the doorframe.

I saw you in a floral dress blowing through the breeze. Playing and swaying in the water.

Drawing closer behind you wrapping my arms around your belly swaying with you and the waves.

“Are you okay your heats racing I can feel it?” You asked me stare locked on me.

“I couldn’t find you this morning when I woke up I got scared and started running around trying to find y’all.” I confessed

Normally I probably would’ve gotten embarrassed about jumping that far off the bat but, with you I didn’t feel like I needed to hide or be embarrassed about anything.

“We’re right here this morning she wouldn’t stop kicking and I didn’t want to wake you up so I came out here, she stopped kicking when I told her about this place and how much it means to us.” You told me sitting down at you best ability to sit criss cross.

“Yeah, this all feels like a dream to me.” I told you sitting with you hearing and feeling the waves clash softly against our bodies.

“It’s real Peter I’m real, our daughter is, our marriage everything is real.” You smiled at me holding my hands your wedding ring glowing in the sunlight.

“I remember when I asked you to marry me, I remember when we were at the alter here, when you told me you were pregnant after our honeymoon and now soon you’ll give birth to our daughter soon. We’re here together you’re 32 weeks pregnant this is all I’ve ever wanted ever.” I told you feeling my eyes water.

“This is what I never thought I’d have thank you for everything being my wife, the mother to our daughter, and my support and heart.” I thanked her rubbing your belly.

Kissing your face enjoying this ocean and life with you.

[darkonekrisrewrite]

Bnha heroes vs villains honest trailer (parody) part 2

Dabi-obviously-not-touya-todoroki, a villain that wants to follow stains will in destroying fake heroes and their place in hero society-

-while listening to every "fXck you dad" song on his way to the hairdresser for all the essentials, because everyone wants to look great on their special day.

Toga Himiko, the evolutionary endpoint of all love obsessed schoolgirls and cosplayers-

-her greatest deception in convincing others that she's just that, instead of a girl driven to madness by her own power and society's rejection.

Also due to the fact that she’s mostly only able to communicate through romantic one-liners.

Together they'll confront the heroes and the heroes will face them, all trying to reconcile their world views while beating the shXt out of each other.

Though Deku spends most of the final War in a Beach Day episode.

And Shigaraki spends it posing like he's a dragon ball z villain.

But taking hits like he's Krillin.

Then the Todoroki brothers face off in a battle of hot vs hot/cold/extras.

Before the whole family gets involved in the fight like it's a reality TV show.

That'll be one awkward family dinner.

And finally, toga vs Ochako takes the series into full Shojo territory, complete with dramatic proclamations and the resulting stabbings-

-resolving in heartfelt confessions and floating light bubbles.

Are there romantic implications when the villain says that blood is her romance, and the hero replies that she'll give her own blood to them for the rest of her life?

Hmmmmm???

So strap in, for a story about conflicting ideals and standards of living, in a world ruled by power and oppression.

Where all of that will fly clear over a lot of people's heads, because the setting doesn't look like a futuristic dystopian landscape ruled by an uncaring well-dressed government that has its children fight for the benefit and entertainment of their society...

Even though it actually kind of does.

Well as long as none of the kids ever get killed, it's not really-

Oh...

Starring:

Memories spoken; no bones left unbroken! 

Every-time we touch, you get to crumbling!

Sans the skeleton

We're halfway there!

The red means I love you!

And Utena Rizzako 

Too cool for hero school

(Left out the closing line, does anyone have any ideas?)

[momo-t-daye]

Momo's Snapedom AU Ask Game!

I do love how the Snapedom has folks who write extensive meta with citations and how the Snapedom has oodles of people making a delightful diversity of AUs that gnaw on the bones of the canon narrative skeleton to cook up a more satisfying story-soup! So I thought it might be fun to put together a few questions for an ask game (after all, the fun part of fandom is interacting with other fans):

Do you have a name and/or a tag and/or a master post for your AU (so I can peruse your blog and admire your creativity)?

What is the premise of your AU (one sentence summary, tropes, your big “What-if” question, etc.!)?

Can you describe your AU badly?  (Because I do love hilariously misleading but not actually inaccurate descriptions of stories)

What your favorite thing about your AU? (Does it make you cackle with glee or do you break your own heart?)

What are the major divergence points in your AU?

Is there any part of the canon narrative you really like to build off of or interrogate with your AU?

Are there themes or motifs or specific concepts in your AU that you hope people will notice?  (Do you want to give hints about your masterful foreshadowing or chat about your extensive world building?  Should we all grab a floriography dictionary when flowers are mentioned?)

What are some key life moments in your AU!Snape’s life that differ from canon!Snape’s life?

How and why does your AU!Snape differ from the canon!Snape?

Would your AU!Snape want to trade places with canon!Snape (and vice versa!)? Why?

Do you know if Severus going to escape the gravitational pull of the canon narrative/fate in your AU?

Do you think any other characters are going to escape the gravitational pull of their canon narrative/fate in your AU?  If so, can any of that extra AU!velocity be attributed to Severus’ actions?

What era does your AU primarily take place in (is it focused on part of the canon timeline? Is the canon timeline adjusted a few years one way or another? Or are you playing with a futuristic sci-fi AU or a historical AU or something else entirely?  Maybe you have a 1998!Snape dealing with life in 1942 or some other combination?)

What is his childhood and/or family life like in your AU?  Is it better than his canon life starting out in Cokeworth?

Does Lily exist in your AU?  Are Severus and Lily friends in your AU?

Do any of the Marauders exist in your AU?  What role do they play in your AU Severus’ life?

Do the Malfoys exist in your AU?  How do they interact with your version of Severus?

Does Voldemort exist in your AU?  Does Severus join his cause at any point in your AU?

Does Dumbledore exist in your AU?  What role does he play in Severus’ life in your AU?

Does Harry Potter exist in your AU?  How does he interact with Severus in your AU?

Is there another canon character that plays a major role in your AU!Snape’s life?  What role do they play and how does it differ from their canon relationship with Snape?

Is an Original Character a major feature and player in your AU?  Who are they? What role do they play AU!Severus’ life?  How do they interact with any other canon characters in your story?

Does Severus have a significant other (or others) in your AU?

Does Severus have children in your AU?

Is Severus Snape the Hogwarts Potions Master in your AU?  If not, what is he doing instead?

Does Severus have any major interests (mycology, astronomy, sci-fi, baking elaborate puff pastries, art forgery, etc.) in your AU that we never got to see canon!Snape indulge in?  Do these interests play a major narrative role?

Do you have a snippet of prose (or an art piece or a list of headcanons) from your AU that you particularly enjoy and want to share?

Free space!  Any other questions folks want to ask?

[loonarii]

Ari's K-Pop Roundup: June 2024 (LISA, Red Velvet, NAYEON, NewJeans, KATSEYE, CHUU + MORE)

Hope everyone had a nice pride month - I unfortunately was chained to my textbooks for the brunt of it and didn't do anything pride related, but I did see Taylor Swift, so I guess it wasn't all bad. This is the 5th installment of this series - genuinely didn't think I would make it this far - you can check out last month's roundup here, or see my full masterlist here. Enjoy :)

ROCKSTAR - LISA (BLACKPINK)

It's very rare that we see a kpop idol's pure, unadulterated vision for the music they release due to the manufactured, consumerist nature of the industry, but here we have Lisa, arguably the most popular female kpop idol of all time (at least internationally) free from the company that is widely known for formulaic, repetitive music. Will she stick with the brand YG has created for her and reinforce the box Teddy has placed her in sonically, or will she forge her own way?

Right from the teasers, I knew we were in for something a little different. Although conceptually the chrome, futuristic vibe is nothing new in kpop, seeing Lisa without those god forsaken white washing filters was very exciting. And the fact that k-netizens are taking to it very well?? Lisa is here to rock the boat. 'Rockstar' is only a single with no mini album, but hey, it's Lisa, meaning she doesn't need to boost the length of her releases to snatch those extra sales, she do well commercially regardless. Usually a single album would annoy me, but BLACKPINK are back to releasing music, so today I will let it slide.

With a Kendrick Lamar 'Humble' visual reference in the music video, a Tame Impala sample, and a sneaky little writing credit, Lisa clearly wants to reshape her framing in the industry - with 'Rockstar' she's rejecting the somewhat diminishing 'idol rapper' status, and seeking that 'rapper rapper' reputation. She wants to sit at the table with Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion, and 'Rockstar', in my opinion, does a decent job at securing her seat.

You can't reference Kendrick and not put in a double entendre in your lyrics, and Lisa (and her fellow writers) delivered in that category with quite a lot of success actually. In the line 'been MIA, BKK so pretty, Every city I go to is my city' 'MIA' is used to mean either 'missing in action', referencing how absent Blackpink has been from the music industry thanks to YG's interesting management choices, or as a reference to the Miami IATA airport code just as BKK means Bangkok, Thailand - in this context its an allusion to Lisa's multilingualism and her international influence as a member of Blackpink. It's a really good line, is what I'm trying to say.

Most of the issues I have with 'Rockstar' stem from the songs length. With the base track clocking in at 2 minutes 18 seconds (oh my god what have we come to), the song feels like it's just begun when it's all over. Excluding the choruses, hooks, and pre-choruses, and pasting what remains together, we are left with one singular, honestly quite short verse. Yeah it's a pretty good verse, both in flow and lyrical content, but one verse in what is clearly trying to be a rap song is unacceptable.

'Rockstar' is frustrating to me because while it has its genuinely great moments, like when 'lala' is used in reference to singing and to Lisa's real name when bounced onto the next line, a lot of that greatness gets eclipsed by the track's shortcomings (pun somewhat intended). However, although she's done solo work before in YG this is undoubtedly something of a debut, and through that lens, while it is flawed, the track shows potential. 'Rockstar' knows exactly what kind of song it wants to be, and even though it doesn't quite measure up, it's still a step in the right direction. I'm very excited to see what Lisa does next with her career. At the very least, 'Rockstar' was fun, for sure.

Cosmic - Red Velvet (Cosmic)

When I write these reviews, I try to describe the feelings and emotions and energies the song in question evokes, and I have found that when I struggle, the song is good - and I mean exceptionally good. 'Cosmic' is one such track - I fucking love every part of it - it's so addictive to the ninth degree, from that gorgeous music video to the low and slow verses to that utterly euphoric chorus. From Joy's slightly psychotic edge to her lines that she perfected in the 'Peekaboo' era, to Seulgi's vocals in the hook, and Wendy's high note pulling us into that final chorus; everything about 'Cosmic' WORKS. Lines like 'I'm riding on your rhythm through the solar system' and 'love is cosmic' work both in their catchiness and emotiveness. This era is obviously inspired heavily by the 2019's 'Midsommar', a visual feast of a horror film about a disturbing Scandinavian cult, and let me tell you, if 'Cosmic' is a cult, consider me initiated. Not to spoil my end of 2024 ranking or anything, but as for right now, 'Cosmic' is taking the cake for the best kpop song of the year, no questions asked.

Red Velvet b-sides always hit, and the 'Cosmic' mini album delivers as expected. 'Sunflower' furthers that 'i just took an edible and i found my way onto Spotify' energy, and that hook of 'OOH WOW FEELING SO FUN FUN FEELING SO FUNNY' is hilariously good, this is a standout for sure. The other b-side I want to highlight is 'Night Drive', the album closer. With elements of citypop and 80s synthpop, 'Night Drive' feels like exactly that - a 3am drive around a city you hardly know with people you know better than yourself. It's a celebration of music, and that's putting it lightly.

SM might be working up to shunting Red Velvet into their peripheral vision, what with the new 12 member girl group debuting soon, but 'Cosmic' proves their legend status once and for all. We freaking love you RV, never change. (And I would in fact join a cult if Seulgi was my fearless leader xx)

ABCD - NAYEON (NA)

Look, JYP may be my op until the day I die, but I'm not going to sit here and lie - he knows how to write hits when he wants to, and 'ABCD' is a HIT.

2022's 'POP!' was just that - pure, unadulterated pop music, exactly what was trending in Korea at the time - the image of modern kpop. And don't get me wrong, I loved it, but when it came for Nayeon's first comeback, I was worried she was again going to pull from the current trend cycle, and right now that means airy, Pinkpantheress type beats with a UK garage adjacent vibe - and that's not Nayeon. Her voice is full and powerful and rich in colour and flavour, a song like that just wouldn't work for her. I was nervous, for sure, but when the teaser dropped, I knew it was going to be good. In 'ABCD' Nayeon is rejecting the trend cycle almost entirely - it still flaunts that 00s vibe unabashedly, but here we are pulling from a trumpet fueled 'Crazy In Love' Beyoncé energy, and oh boy does it work. The lyricism in this song goes crazy, that chorus is masterfully written and unbelievably catchy, and that post chorus build up is INSANE. Nayeon's range is on full display here, and she sounds incredible.

The rest of the mini album is pretty amazing too. 'Butterflies' has some super interesting vocal layering, and many great moments like 'a little mental picture, every time I'm with ya' - and although it's pretty clear this was supposed to be a TWICE track once upon a time, with Nayeon even appearing to imitate the members' styles of delivery (it's like I can hear Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Chaeyoung on this track clear as day) it's still an easy hit that I can't help but love. 'Heaven' doesn't quite work for me, it's not unlistenable, but the feeling that it has simultaneously too much and not enough energy perserveres, unfortunately. 'Magic', the song that my girl Julie features on is pop perfection, and these girls work so well together - Julie's interjections are so catchy and her parts steal the show entirely. 'Magic' is a bonafide hit. 'HalliGalli' is very AKMU (as to be expected), but I can't help but feel like it's a little immature, both for Nayeon and this album. It has some fun elements, but the complete track just isn't it for me. 'Something' is a fun pop song, if a little dull at moments, but that post chorus is a stunner. 'Count It' brings down the tempo of the album a little, in a groovy track with some beautiful vocal production - it's exactly the punch up the tracklist needed after the weaker couple of tracks that precede it.

Nayeon is my blog namesake, and she has done me proud on this album. Yes, some tracks were on the weaker side, but the overall product is strong, with Nayeon's oustanding performance on every track, and a killer title song in 'ABCD'. In terms of other TWICE members getting solos, I would love to see how Sana approached a song on her own, or even Tzuyu, who despite being the maknae and visual, tends to get lost in the sauce of a lot of TWICE releases. We will have to see, I suppose.

Right Now + Supernatural - NewJeans

God, I sound like a stuck record every time NewJeans drops some new music, but holy hell is it always good. Following their 2nd single album 'How Sweet' earlier this year, the girls are dipping their toes into the Japanese market for the first time with two tracks - 'Supernatural' and 'Right Now'. NewJeans have captured the attention of all of South Korea pretty much, it's now time to look further afield.

'Right Now', drenched in sassy lilting vocal runs, is bedroom pop at it's finest. The up-and-down choral melodies evoke the energy of a 2am gossip debrief at a sleepover with your best friends. The dichotomy of Minji's languid repetition of 'I don't care' with a chorus that speedy and spirited is humorous and perfectly captures what it is to be a teenage girl with a crush. NewJeans know who their audience is, and are making music directly for that.

'Supernatural' came next, embracing that New Jack Swing sound wholeheartedly - its very 'early 00s street dance movie'. It's quite a bit more mature than 'Right Now', the girls decorating those gorgeous synths and groovy instrumentation with a genuine collected confidence. As always, it pushes the boundaries of the y2k trend and thematically pulls from the era itself, not other people's recent interpretations of the era. It's experimental for NewJeans I think, which works for a debut, and while it takes a lot of the right risks, and makes a lot of the right choices, the chorus leaves a little something to be desired. The melody and hooks are perfect, I have no issues with them, but the vocal direction needs tweaking. A song like this demands a chant style chorus with all the members in my opinion, and while the vocal layering of the individual members singing attempts that anthemic feel, it comes off as slightly limp-fisted. I'm kind of dramatizing this issue because to be frank, it is rare I find something in a NewJeans track that I can pinpoint as a problem. The song is still of a supremely high caliber, and to be honest, any thinness in the chorus vocals just inspires the listener to fill in the gaps themselves with an impromptu karaoke session.

Lyrically, both 'Right Now' and 'Supernatural' break the kpop-takes-on-the-Japanese-market formula by including not only a blend of Japanese and English lyrics, but some Korean lines too. I find it quite clever, like saying 'this is NewJeans' debut in Japan, but they will always be a korean pop group first and foremost'. While some groups like Girls' Generation and Twice find their discographies split into 2 - kpop and jpop, NewJeans are clearly making an effort to unite both markets under 1 discography.

As a debut, this works. Two tracks united by classic NewJeans production and differentiated by themes and tone. It's really been a rough year for these girls, what with the whole Min Heejin vs HYBE drama and with Hyein's injury leaving her out of promotions for both single albums altogether, but there's a light at the end of this tunnel, and as long as the music stays consistently high quality as it has been, I will have no complaints.

(sidenote: the fact that I wasn't at Bunnies Camp in the Tokyo Dome is a little sick and twisted.)

Debut - KATSEYE

I mean, maybe expectations were unrealistically high since KATSEYE is HYBE's first real stab at the western market, but come on, we all deserved better than this. A half-hearted pop song that fails to innovate in every sense of the word, and they have the audacity to not even make it three minutes. IT'S BARELY EVEN TWO MINUTES. Kpop companies pulling from PinkPantheress constantly is truly a double edged sword, on one hand we get fucking incredible songs like 'LOOP' and 'Super Shy', and then on the other we get every kpop company waking up and deciding that actually it's totally okay to release 2 minute songs and act like it's a completed product. As a British girl, seeing the effects of the recession and the cost of living crisis on the people around me in real time is one thing, but seeing fucking SHRINKFLATION weed its way into pop music as well is like the burning cherry on top of my cesspit sundae.

I genuinely don't know what happened in the production of this song, like they got Ryan Tedder, who has contributed so much great music to this world, and then somehow the end product was so dull and uninspired.

The worst part is these girls are absurdly talented and they are getting served dirt. HYBE - that mini album coming later this year better be good istg. Ok, I'm done ranting.

BUT OH MY GOD TWO MINUTES AND THREE FUCKING SE-

Strawberry Rush - CHUU (Strawberry Rush)

(obligatory note: if you want to stream Chuu's old solo tracks, or any other old loona songs, please stream via the loona podcast or the twelveM account on spotify in accordance with the boycott)

Having the LOONA girls free from that cesspit of a company is one thing, but getting new LOONA music this often is certainly an unprecedented win for me.

Following her re-debut under ATRP in late 2023 with 'Howl', Chuu is back for her first comeback with 'Strawberry Rush'; a mini album drenched in electric pink and cherry red and sunny yellow. Chuu has an innately magnetic quality and Strawberry Rush as a title track takes full advantage of that. It's an utterly adorable song that I genuinely can't imagine anyone not loving. That disco synth thrumming the song's heartbeat is reinforced with a killer baseline, and Chuu's gorgeous vocal colour gives the track even more energy than it already has. The intro and opening are perfect at punching up the mood and setting the scene for the chorus, but it's when Chuu comes in with 'packing that heat, packing that heat, packing that PEW PEW PEW' that the song truly swings into motion and you know that this is going to be a fun one.

The mini album doesn't quite match the energy of it's title track, with it maintaining a more relaxed vibe, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. 'Honeybee' is an acoustic track decorated in summer daisy chains and buttercup bouquets, and it works wonderfully with Chuu's more airy vocals. 'Daydreamer' follows a similar sonic theme to 'Honeybee' but with a more late night nap with the cicadas vibe - Chuu's ability to switch between powerful, call-to-action vocals in 'Strawberry Rush' and featherweight tones in the b-sides is truly commendable. 'Lucid Dream' comes next, a perfect midpoint between 'Strawberry Rush' and 'Daydreamer', heartfelt and addictive. It's a real stand out on the album for sure. 'Chocolate' was released as a single a while back, and I enjoyed it then absolutely, but it makes so much more sense on this album - somehow it just got even more catchy.

Effortlessly adorable, effortlessly catchy, effortlessly perfect - Chuu, you have done it again.

MINI REVIEWS:

Boom Boom Bass - RIIZE: absolutely no notes, im obsessed. I've literally never loved a boy groups music like this before. wow.

Inner Dance - tripleS Glow: tripleS' ability to establish their own sound and musical motifs so early on in their career has served them very well, and 'Inner Dance' shows that clearly. Light and casual and airy, it's the perfect backtrack to your summer break.

Summer Festa - IVE: I usually don't dignify these type of advertisement songs with a review, but this one is actually kind of a bop. A little bit 'Espresso' coded; it's something fun for the summer that inadvertently encourages getting blackout drunk at the hotel bar in Bali. I'm still not drinking Pepsi though. Or Coca Cola for that matter, NewJeans pipe down.

BADVILLAIN - BADVILLAIN: (requested by @a-moth-to-the-light) Although apparently capturing the eyes and ears of seemingly the entire kpop community, this one wasn't hugely to my liking. This might be controversial but my first impression was in fact 'wow this sounds like something babymonster would release' - I can see the appeal but unfortunately these songs just aren't meant for me. I do enjoy the classical influenced production and for the most part the vocal performances were fun too, but with the hook I wish they had bumped up the high note at the end of 'villain' another octave - that's such a nitpick I know but the thought struck me immediately when I heard it. '+82' on the other hand impressed me immensely, such a powerful, call-to-action type song. That background production is a killer, and perhaps I just have Kendrick on the brain from my Lisa review, but the beat feels somewhat along those lines. And holy fuck can these girls dance - wow.

Sabotage - Kwon Eunbi: Can Eunbi release a flop title track? Turns out, once again, no she can't. I love 'Sabotage', it's so hilarious and catchy, and singing along feels like accusing an imaginary boyfriend of gaslighting lol. Woollim giving this song to Eunbi feels a little ironic, considering since she left IZ*ONE, it seems all they've done to her career is sabotage her with poor promotions. The song is fun, and Eunbi sounds excellent as always, with 'Sabotage' boasting many a vocal riff, especially following the bridge. Give this one a listen, and whilst you're there, go check out the rest of my girl's discography, she's truly a hidden gem.