#we've got the full tracklist !

[radio-4-is-static]

Audacious – Franz Ferdinand

[flusteredmoonn]

i can see you; james potter

summary: "and we keep everything professional, but something changed," in which they meet at a meeting for the order.

tags: (SFW), drabble??, fast paced, implied gryffindor!reader, ordermember!reader, lily and james aren't together, she/her pronouns, third person y/n.

words: 1.0k+

speak now tracklist. request.

the popping sound which followed an apparation echoed through twelve grimmauld place. a group hogwarts graduates stumbled through the corridor, the murmuring of animated portraits was muffled by laughter as they made their return from a mission ordered by dumbledore.

their boots thumped as they entered the dining space, observing the long wooden table already set with cutlery.

"oi what's for dinner mckinnon?" james shouted across the room, causing her and someone else he didn't quite recognise to turn sharply toward the boy.

"pumpkin pasta," y/n, who stood next to marlene, answered for her, the bespectacled boy to move his focus to her. he paused for a moment, marlene chuckling to herself as she turned around to continue stirring the simmering pot.

eventually the boy turned around and followed his friends as they moved to one of the sitting rooms, joining in with their loudness which followed behind them. the sounds of their chaos echoed through the house, still being heard from where both girls were.

the faint call of james harassing lily could faintly be heard through the walls. sure that the boys were far enough away from the pair, marlene turned to y/n and laughed amusedly.

"what," she reciprocated in the same tone.

"james, i've never seen him like that before," the blonde waved her wand and summoned bowls to serve the pasta in.

"what do you mean?"

"he was like a deer in headlights when he saw you," a smirk ever present on her face, as she continued her preparation for supper, stepping behind her peer and summoned one of the black family's house elves and asked them to fetch some wizarding wine from the cellar.

the house elf agreed, and disappeared promptly with a pop.

"i'm sure that's not true, he's just gotten back from a mission so i'm sure that he's just disoriented," y/n justified to the blonde.

"mhm.."

soon enough, everyone who had been at headquarters had been called for dinner and the kitchen-dining room was filled with loud chatter from every corner of the room.

y/n had been seated next to dorcas and marlene, and coincidentally, by the time the boys who had made an entrance before had sat themselves opposite her. james flashed the girl a smile as they sat down, before reaching for a goblet and taking a swig and grabbing his cutlery.

she smiled back at him, before resuming her conversation with her friends.

"...prongs?" remus asked, a curious smirk on his face as he followed his friends line of sight.

james' head quipped around faster than light, "yeah remus?"

"pads wanted to know your thoughts on putting a new spell on the map," the werewolf clarified whilst sirius stiffled a snort.

"i mean we could definitely look into it, sounds good moons," he had already turned back around, trying to figure out where he knew y/n from.

he mulled over it from the ending of dinner, to when a meeting was called the next day. grimmauld place had never been so full, or at least not that james had seen it. even dumbledore had been present, which was a talking point for most as they entered the drawing room.

the black family tapestry almost seemed full of scowling portraits as the head master of hogwarts began to boom, "hello–"

"right, we've not got time for nothing profound, lets get straight to it," alastor moody cut off his superior, ignoring the look of shock on the old man's face as he hobbled to the centre of the room. james immediately locked eyes with y/n, sharing a smile with her as she tried to surpress her laughter.

"we've had some new comers, here at headquarters. i assume most of you know one another from hogwarts; lets give them a warm welcome," moody began a round of applause.

"alright, alright moody, let's get to business," kingsley shacklebolt cleared his throat before he spoke, clasping his hands together assertively and looking to dumbledore to lead the meeting.

throughout the meeting james and y/n kept making fleeting eye contact. which eventually led to james weaving his way through the room inconspicuously until he ended up standing next to the mysterious girl.

"hey,"

"hi," she swivelled slightly to look at james, before returning her attention, at least in part, to dumbledore's extravagance.

"i dunno why they can't just send us an owl with our objectives on it," he tried to jest, only to see her expression pinch, "well what if they get intercepted, i wouldn't put it past the opposition,"

"right, well– that makes sense actually," he laughed through his nose.

"what'd you want, james," the eyeroll which followed was evident from her tone alone.

"no, nothing, uh... i just haven't seen you at headquarters before, or any of the safe houses for that matter..." james gasped dramatically, are you a spy?" surprisingly, no one had noticed his movement yet, at least not outwardly.

"no, unfortunately– sorry to disappoint," she chucked silently. the pair continued to talk through the rest of the meeting, ignoring the responsibility that came with the encroaching war. remus would surely fill them in on anything important anyways.

after what could've been a lifetime, they parted ways, y/n immediately rushing off to marlene who couldn't hide her amusement.

meanwhile, remus was lurking around the corner knowingly.

"merlin, moons, goodness, what 'as that for," james laughed in reponse to almost jumping out of his skin.

"what're you playing at, james," he cut straight to the chase, "you know you shouldn't be pursuing anyone from the order, unless its a pre-existing relationship.. we're going into a war james,"

"'m not, i was just curious," he put his hands up defensively, "i know the rules, i haven't seen her since we graduated s'all," he faked a look of innocence before walking away.

"keep it professional!" remus shouted after james, rolling his eyes at the brushed off response his friend gave.

[solidaritytek]

I said I'd post my Ranchers playlist at some point, so here we go! (I may end up adding songs as time goes by, but I'm happy with it right now so!)

Cover art by the lovely @lunarcrown!

I'm including a tracklist below the cut with lyrics I feel fit the boys! <3 (Some of them may be a little angsty, I'm sorry </3)

Trevor - Jordy

I need somebody to want me To love me, to need me like that Somebody to hold me To touch me, to see me like that Somebody to want me (want me) To love me (love me), to need me (need me) like that (like that) Somebody to hold me (hold me) To touch me (touch me), to see me (oh) like that

Trevor You're everything I want but better You're making me feel like I don't know me I wish that somebody would love me, like that

Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons

But it was not your fault but mine And it was your heart on the line I really fucked it up this time Didn't I, my dear? Didn't I, my dear?

CHRONICALLY CAUTIOUS - Braden Bales

So if I'm honest I think I'm beginning to question how much I want this Overloaded serial stressor, I'm sitting nauseous Panic on a loop in my head, I'm chronically cautious How can I get off this?

Ghost - Halsey

You say that you're no good for me 'Cause I'm always tugging at your sleeve And I swear I hate you when you leave I like it anyway

Love Is A Weapon - Letdown.

But we've got love drunk Someone's going crazy Doesn't happen, baby Let me out my mind Can't have another moment In another moment Running in a whirlwind Take me back You know my love's a weapon

My Oh My - Camilla Cabello ft. DaBaby

A little bit older A black leather jacket A bad reputation Insatiable habits He was onto me, one look and I couldn't breathe Yeah, I said, "If you kiss me I might let it happen"

Why Do I - Set It Off, Hatsune Miku

So why do I still wake up, two in the morning Cold sweat, screamin' your name? Why do I get drunk and look at your pictures? Why do I feel this way? Why do I do this to myself? And why do I even try? You don't, you don't So baby, why do I?

Need You Now (How Many Times) - Plumb

How many times have you heard me cry out "God please take this"? How many times have you given me strength to Just keep breathing? Oh I need you God, I need you now

Curses - The Crane Wives

There's still cobwebs in the corners And the backyard's full of bones Won't you stay with me, my darling When this house don't feel like home? When this house don't feel like home

Oh ashes, ashes, dust to dust The devil's after both of us Ooh, lay my curses out to rest Make a mercy out of me

better off without me - Matt Hansen

I guess love isn't what I thought We were blinded by the hope we got We were slow dancing in the dark Do you remember, remember?

Fell so deep, we couldn't see Maybe we were never meant to be One day I'll just be a memory, and you'll be better Better off without me

Canary in a Coal Mine - The Crane Wives

But I still hold out hope that maybe someday I'll be worth more than all the silence left in my way And when you break the surface oh without me Please don't return me to the dark of all the memories, yeah

Sick of Losing Soulmates - dodie

We will grow old as friends I've promised that before, so what's one more in our grey-haired circle, waiting for the end? Time and hearts will wear us thin So which path will you take, 'cause we both know a break does exactly what it says on the tin

What the hell would I be without you? (What the hell would I be?) Brave face, talk so lightly, hide the truth (Hide the truth)

'Cause I'm sick of losing soulmates So where do we begin? I can finally see you're as fucked up as me So how do we win? Yeah, I'm sick of losing soulmates Won't be alone again I can finally see you're as fucked up as me So how do we win?

Lover Boy - The Front Bottoms

Oh You got me acting like a tough guy Trying to be cool You got me acting like a tough guy And now I'm missing you Oh

And now I'm acting like a lover boy Trying to be smooth, smooth, smooth

Now I'm missing you

Nine in the Afternoon - Panic! At The Disco

When it's nine in the afternoon Your eyes are the size of the moon You're good 'cause you can, so you do We're feeling so good

Back to the street, down to our feet Losing the feeling of feeling unique Do you know what I mean? Back to the place where we used to say "Man, it feels good to feel this way"

under the weather - CORPSE

Would it kill you just to smile? At least once in a while? Leave your fuckin' town Live just in the now

Baby, I got a fever I'm not feeling too well I'm so under the weather I'm so under your spell

The Love We Stole - Bear's Den

I was bawling In some things you just can't help from falling And all of your wisdom only makes me feel like I I don't deserve the freedom To love with my own heart To care for another more than myself To love with my own heart To care for another more than myself

I've Got All This Ringing In My Ears And None On My Fingers - Fall Out Boy

Do you remember the way I held your hand Under the lamp post and ran home this way? So many times I can close my eyes

The truth hurts worse than anything I could bring myself to do to you The truth hurts worse than anything I could bring myself to do to you

Circles - Post Malone

Maybe you don't understand what I'm going through It's only me What you got to lose? Make up your mind, tell me What are you gonna do? It's only me Let it go

Seasons change and our love went cold Feed the flame 'cause we can't let it go Run away, but we're running in circles Run away, run away

If I Killed Someone For You - Alec Benjamin

Would you love me more (Would you love me more) If I killed someone for you? Would you hold my hand? (Would you hold my hand?) They're the same ones that I used When I killed someone for you

Would you turn me in (Would you turn me in) When they say I'm on the loose? Would you hide me when (Would you hide me when) My face is on the news? 'Cause I killed someone for you

I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Kurt Hugo Schneider

Love of mine Someday you will die But I'll be close behind I'll follow you into the dark

No blinding light Or tunnels, to gates of white Just our hands clasped so tight Waiting for the hint of a spark

If Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks Then I'll follow you into the dark

Ties - Hi I'm Case

We all start off as strangers And fate will steer the way you lean I threw my caution to the wind And risked all of the dangers And there’s no wonder what that means

I’ll see the forest through the trees If they’d bother to adjust Staring through the leaves Waiting for the perfect gust

To blow away what ties us here ‘cause i need more than these wings (more than these wings) And the breeze that carried us

Hey Sexy Lady - Shaggy ft. Brian & Tony Gold

Hey sexy lady, I like your flow Your body's bangin', out of control (uh) You put it on me (that's right) Ceiling to floor Only you can make me, scream and beg for more

Wild Heart - Daughtry

Take me back To those barefoot summer nights Take me back Running down those highway lights Remember when We said, "Don't let go 'til we die"

Take me back To that fire in your eyes 'Cause I know it ain't gone too far Take me back to you and to your wild heart, yeah To your wild heart, yeah

Telepathic - STARSET

Look inside my brain You'd know what I want before I tell you Give me the words to say to make it enough Don't want your star-crossed fate You are the sun, I am the full moon Don't leave me lost in vain I can be what you want

I don't wanna let you go But I can't stand to watch this I don't wanna let you know But you can read my mind

I feel it all the time Felt it all around you You had me under spell right from the start I don't have a telepathic heart Telepathic

Re:re - NateWantsToBattle

I waited for you I waited for you I had so many chances I could never go through I pause and look back And then I lose track I spent so much time That I'm never getting back

Now I Will never get the chance To tell you

Go To Bed Angry - Set It Off, KC

So don't you walk away from me Let's settle this Rather hear you scream Than whisper shit There's no in-between Cause if we sleep in our feelings We'll never start healing

Let's not go to bed angry Taking back everything I said Baby let's not do this Baby I don't wanna go to bed angry

Look Away - Eli Lieb, Steve Grand

I’ll be okay, are you okay? Thinkin’ about the way that we left this Will I grow to regret it Watching you fade I know it’s goodbye

But I can’t look away from you I can’t look away I’m trying to face the truth from the mess that we made So we say that we tried But I can’t look away from you I can’t look away

Omae Wa Mou - Caleb Hyles, Ironmouse

The one who started rap tap tapping I can feel it on my head right now I wonder, was it you? What did I ever do? I know I wanna open up my eyes But I'm afraid I'm feelin' all the warmth of the sunset Somehow it feels sad Why won't you wait for me? 'Cause I'll just call for you all over again

Tightrope - WALK THE MOON

In my bed, I'm rolling over I'm tangling up in chains on the swings on the set on the night that we met And now the beads of water, move up the glass You speak your mind, and you can not take it back Walk a tightrope, walk a little tightrope Walk a tightrope, walk a little tightrope

It's Alright - Mother Mother

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay You're not a monster, just a human And you made a few mistakes It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay You're not gruesome, just human And you made a few mistakes It's alright, oh It's okay, oh

Snow - Ricky Montgomery

Here we are wasting our chances for the last time And when we go, I'll try not to be so slow Skeletons, skeletons, what do we have here Hiding from the mirror? Say it once, say it twice, try to be nice Well, let's not lose ourselves

Sinners - Lauren Aquilina

You showed me feelings I've never felt before We're making enemies, knocking on the devil's door And how can you expect me not to eat When the forbidden fruit tastes so sweet?

So lets be sinners to be saints And lets be winners by mistake The world may disapprove But my world is only you And if we're sinners then it feels like heaven to me

I'd Do Anything - Simple Plan

This could be the one last chance to make you understand And I just can't let you leave me once again, yeah

I'd do anything Just to hold you in my arms To try to make you laugh 'Cause somehow I can't put you in the past I'd do anything Just to fall asleep with you Will you remember me? 'Cause I know I won't forget you

Tangerine - Glass Animals

But I wish I could show you more of yourself I wish I could make you somebody else But I left it way too late Are you stuck in your own ways?

I'm beggin', hands, knees, please Tangerine, come on back to me Got what I need, tangerine Do this for me Hands, knees, please Tangerine, sugar, honey, sweet Got what I need, tangerine

idfc - blackbear

'Cause I have hella feelings for you I act like I don't fucking care Like they ain't even there 'Cause I have hella feelings for you I act like I don't fucking care 'Cause I'm so fucking scared

I'm only a fool for you And maybe you're too good for me I'm only a fool for you But I don't fucking care at all, oh, oh-oh

Tell me pretty lies Look me in the face Tell me that you love me Even if it's fake 'Cause I don't fucking care at all

Gorgeous - Taylor Swift

You're so gorgeous I can't say anything to your face 'Cause look at your face And I'm so furious At you for making me feel this way But, what can I say? You're gorgeous

You should take it as a compliment That I'm talking to everyone here but you (but you, but you) And you should think about the consequence Of you touching my hand in the darkened room (dark room, dark room) If you've got a girlfriend, I'm jealous of her But if you're single that's honestly worse 'Cause you're so gorgeous it actually hurts (Honey, it hurts)

Stutter - Marianas Trench

And I'm begging you Bring me back to life I just can't stand leaving you alone tonight It's too late to go Already taken me forever just to try you know One for the money, two for the show Three to get ready, and four to go For the life of me I don't know why it took me so long to see

Rewrite The Stars - Zac Efron, Zendaya

You think it's easy You think I don't wanna run to you But there are mountains And there are doors that we can't walk through I know you're wondering why because we're able to be Just you and me within these walls But when we go outside, you're gonna wake up and see That it was hopeless after all

No one can rewrite the stars How can you say you'll be mine? Everything keeps us apart And I'm not the one you were meant to find It's not up to you It's not up to me When everyone tells us what we can be How can we rewrite the stars? Say that the world can be ours Tonight

Paper Rings - Taylor Swift

I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings Uh huh, that's right Darling, you're the one I want, and I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this Uh huh, that's right Darling, you're the one I want In paper rings, in picture frames, in dirty dreams Oh, you're the one I want

I want to drive away with you I want your complications too I want your dreary Mondays Wrap your arms around me, baby boy

Hurricane - Fleurie

I can feel your heart hanging in the air I'm counting every step as you climb the stairs It's buried in your bones, I see it in your closed eyes Turning in, this is harder than we know We hold it in the most when we're wearing thin

Comin' like a hurricane, I take it in real slow The world is spinning like a weathervane Fragile and composed Though I am breaking down again I am aching now to let you in

For the Dancing and the Dreaming - Lizz Robinett

I'll swim and sail on savage seas With never a fear of drowning And gladly ride the waves of life If you would marry me No scorching sun nor freezing cold Will stop me (on my journey, sorry!) If you will promise me your heart

And love And love me for eternity My dearest one, my darling dear Your mighty words astound me But I've no need for mighty deeds When I feel your arms around me

Young Love - Eli Lieb

'Cause this love is getting dangerous I need some more tonight Your touch is contagious You know what I need tonight I can't run and I can't hide I'll be wasted by the light I'm undone but I'm alive Don't ever wanna see the morning light

I'll Fight - Daughtry

Where you wanna go I'd love to take you there Wish that I could make the road easy I wish that life was fair Don't wanna see you cry Even when it rains And I hope you don't forget this You were born for better things

Jolene but it's gay - Reinaeiry

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene I'm begging of you, please just leave your man Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene Please just leave him 'cause I know you can

Now you could have your choice of men But I could never love again 'Cause you're the only one for me, Jolene

I had to have this talk with you My happiness depends on you And whatever you decide to do, Jolene

Sweet Boi - Chevy

Tall and gentle Too hot to handle You're all that I want You're all that I want Don't you know, baby Sweet as nectar Honey suckle You make every thing so fun Oh, boy My sweet boy

Magnetised - Emma Blackery

But you took me by surprise Now look into my eyes And tell me we're not magnetised And even if it's not with me I hope that you find peace Because she can't make you that happy

Because you love me And you love her too What's a boy to do? Because you love me And you love her too What's a boy to do?

Oah - Alexander Rybak

Don't go away, you're what's left of me I once believed you would save my soul But if you saw me now crying secretly Would you hold my hand and never let it go?

Come With Me - Chxrlotte

Take my hand and we'll face the end of time Let's take a stand against fate's design I said, "I can't bear to see the end" And you said, "Close your eyes and count to ten"

I knew you'd follow me to hell and fight off angels, as well You beat your wings and cast a spell, I'll run away with you And I said, "Hallelujah, " running to you "They won't find us, you and I can watch the stars fall from the sky All clothed in white, my shard of light Let's go together, we'll be free The world ends eventually, so come with me"

And after six thousand years, if the world disappears I'd fight angels and demons to find you, my dear I hear heavenly sounds in my head when you're near I'm alright now you're here

Absolutely Smitten - dodie

That girl just there, yes, she's the one With Cupid's arrow in her bum Handsome stranger, you have made her happy The first in a long time Did you just whisper in her ear? Words she only dreamed to hear? Pretty lady, look at how he's smiling I think he likes you

Soulmate Song - Carson James Argenna

Just know it breaks my heart When soulmates die ten years apart And lonely love is left to sit and wait Soulmates come by surprise Bell curve it seems extremes arise And those who beat the odds will call it fate

Seasons just come then they go away Reasons to run building everyday And if it doesn't go our way, that's okay

Yellow - Coldplay

Look at the stars Look how they shine for you

And everything you do

Yeah, they were all yellow

I came along I wrote a song for you And all the things you do

And it was called Yellow

So then I took my turn Oh, what a thing to have done And it was all yellow

Your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones Turn into something beautiful And you know, you know I love you so

You know I love you so

Wildfire - Seafret

As feelings arrange deep down inside Try describing a love you can't design More and more, every inch of me is holding on This is it, all the flames are burning strong

We are bound to each other's hearts Caught, torn and pulled apart This love is like wildfire And to my word now I'll be true I can't stop this breaking loose This love, is like wildfire Like wildfire Like wildfire

Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden

I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need I'll love you more with every breath truly, madly, deeply do

[fritextramole]

watching the stars go by

part 2 of an Eric van der Woodsen playlist - best heard in order

tracklist and quotes under the cut

Columbia River ~ Lomelda

Everybody tries to fall in love but I just keep making friends When I sort through the stars at night I'm looking for some kind of sign of the end

42 ~ Sage Crosby

Barely know where I've been Always getting distracted On the edge of falling in

Take My Hand ~ Matt Berry

So say you'll come, please don't go You could be the one for all I know Well, I don't know you, though I'd sure like to I can see the light, it looks like you

Life Eternal ~ Ghost

Can you hear me say your name–forever? Can you see me longing for you–forever, forever? Would you let me touch your soul–forever?

Come As You Are ~ Nirvana

Come as you are, as you were As I want you to be As a friend, as a friend As an old enemy Take your time, hurry up Choice is yours, don't be late Take a rest as a friend

Lump ~ The Presidents Of The United States Of America

Is this lump outta my head? I think so

Limo 4 Emos ~ Watsky

And you deserve greater, I know I'm no savior But I'm here right now, so let's go Kinda feels like we've been running every day of our lives And shattering hearts and havin' ours cracked But if you went and threw the broken hearts in a pile And added the stack, then what do you have?

Dear Sister ~ The Pretty Reckless

Dear sister, can you help me lie? I’ve told the truth so many years But no one seems to wanna hear that I’m not someone else inside

I Wanna Boi ~ PWR BTTM

I wanna boy to keep the bed warm while I shower I wanna boy to keep the bed warm while we're watching tv I wanna boy to keep the bed warm When the whole house is freezing I wanna boy who isn't anything like me

I Want to Kiss You ~ The Spook School

I want to run my fingers through your hair And hear you say you’ve never done this before With someone like me

Fog ~ The Regrettes

When you say my name I start to feel crazy I can't help but wonder how we got here I look at you, fog starts to clear

What You Stole ~ Matt Doyle

Still I’m taken by the depth of your eyes I was weakened in the moment we met While I’ve always had a list full of lies I don’t need to use a single one yet I’ve already lost control Those eyes will be the death of me, I’m sure I’ll let you keep what you stole If you promise just to take a little more

You Are My Sunshine ~ Kina Grannis

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are gray You'll never know dear, how much I love you Please don't take my sunshine away

like i’m all you know ~ LJ Mercer

I am safe and I'm warm tonight I'm reckless when you're on my mind I'm this close to catching a flight

I Will ~ Mitski

I will take good care of you, I will take good care of you Everything you feel is good if you would only let you I will wash your hair at night and dry it off with care I will see your body bare and still I will live here So stay with me, hold my hand There's no need to be brave

Buzzcut Season ~ Lorde

And I'll never go home again (Place the call, feel it start) Favorite friend (And nothing's wrong when nothing's true) I live in a hologram with you

Tonight Tonight ~ Celeste

I was listening to love songs, no one listens anymore I thought of who you were beneath the clothing that you wore I tried to tune you out, but you could never be ignored You could never be ignored And I'd rather be myself, although it's never seen on show Looking for your shadow in your light beneath the door And I want you, oh, so badly, no, I've never wanted more

Alone, Pt. II ~ Alan Walker, Ava Max

And all the cool kids did their own thing I was on the outside always looking in Yeah, I was there but I wasn't They never really cared if I wasn't We all need that someone who gets you like no one else Right when you need it the most We all need a soul to rely on, a shoulder to cry on A friend through the highs and the lows

This December ~ Ricky Montgomery

I wanna see you with your head wide open Empty in the ground, gone without a sound Just another white elm growing at the end of town

i <3 u ~ boy pablo

Who could I trust? Needed a shoulder to cry on You meant much more than that You took me by surprise The way you walked into my darkened life You sent the storm away Never expected you to be a friend to me You meant much more than that

To Be Alone With You ~ Sufjan Stevens

You gave your body to the lonely They took your clothes You gave up a wife and a family You gave your ghost To be alone with me

Nice And Quiet ~ Bedouine

I've tried so hard To be there for you It seems it may mean Disappearing for you I don't want to run I don't want to try to fight it Every time I try I find new ways to deny it I will try my best to Keep my head nice & quiet For you

Vampires ~ Wishing

But now it’s night time And I just need you here beside me Because when you’re gone it’s like I can’t breathe And all I want to do is get away So tell me that you’re outside You’re out there waiting in the moonlight To take me places that I can’t reach

Me & My Dog ~ boygenius

Tell your friend I'll be alright In the morning, it won't matter I wanna be emaciated I wanna hear one song without thinkin' of you I wish I was on a spaceship Just me and my dog and an impossible view

Duvet ~ bôa

And you don't seem the lying kind A shame that I can read your mind And all the things that I read there Candlelit smile that we both share And you know I don't mean to hurt you But you know that it means so much And you don't even feel a thing I am falling I am fading I am drowning Help me to breathe

[katbrando]

for my jjba self-shipping server's first collaborative mixtape, we decided to go with a double theme! side A consists of members' song choices for a first dance with their f/o, while side B flips the switch and includes tracks for spicier occasions. the resulting 18-song playlist is linked below, and you can find members' thoughts on their selections under the cut! thank you to those who participated, i always have a blast making these with y'all 🤎

🎧 spotify playlist link

💿 full tracklist (and gushing) ⬇️

1. "Just What I Needed" by The Cars ∾ Eileen & Jotaro (@dogsofardour)

"Jotaro would choose “Just What I Needed” by The Cars. It’s an accurate reflection of how he first felt in Eileen’s presence. It’s a little abrasive but the song is all tender underneath the bravado. It’s not a very typically romantic song, but oh! It fits, and what a lovely sensation of exhilaration."

2. "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain ∾ Anika & Jotaro (@anikasenkujo)

"Jotaro and Anika have a unique road to their wedding. First, he proposes to her in Morioh, in front of people he considers close with a family heirloom ring that Holy handed to him. Then, after tons of arguments and after almost not being married, they have Hindu pre-wedding festivities and a Christian wedding. So their first dance, is a reminder to themselves of the journey that they’ve undergone as a couple. From traveling to Cairo, to them being separated by circumstances and misunderstandings, to Anika losing her memories during this time, to broken previous relationships and to them being reunited. All of the moments they’ve had, led to the moment that they’re having right now. Their first dance is symbolic of how far they’ve come despite people saying that they’ll never be together. It’s symbolic of the fact that true love always hopes, perseveres and trusts."

3. "This Must be the Place" by Sure Sure ∾ Julie & Risotto (@reclusiverisottonero)

""I'm just an animal looking for a home"--Risotto didn't have much of a place to call a home or many people he could reliably think of as family. He didn't think he even needed such things as an assassin but didn't realize he'd unconsciously been seeking it out until he meets me, and suddenly something clicks and he goes, "Oh". 'Home' as a concept is the people you choose to surround yourself with, and little by little we opened up the doors to our hearts to let one another inside to permanently settle in. It makes this song a no-brainer for our first dance as a married couple."

4. "The Book of Love" by Peter Gabriel ∾ Rydia & Dio (@hammerofspace)

"I've got this headcanon that Dio is very slow to actually discuss soft feelings and that when he does open up about them it's a whole to do. The song focuses a lot on not knowing about love and it's intricacies but that the moments of togetherness build it into something more despite the unknown. More than anything, I'm also convinced this man would try to find a book for all things he's unsure of and would absolutely follow a book of love like it was his personal handbook if there was one discussing all the possibilities of love."

5. "Like Real People Do" by Hozier ∾ Kat and Diego (@katbrando)

"Besides this track being just short enough for me to ignore the anxiety that would come with dancing in front of people, the lyrics always give me goosebumps. The subtle changes in the chorus as the song progresses remind me of a relationship that's slowly shifting and growing, where two damaged people are learning to trust each other and open up. Having this moment after we've just been married would feel like a shared sigh of relief in knowing we've forever found someone who makes us feel safe and whole."

6. "As the World Falls Down" by David Bowie ∾ Isabella & Dio (@drakkar-noir)

"It’s kind of cheesy, but I love this song so much along with the scene it’s featured in in Labyrinth. It’d probably take some convincing to sway Dio into having this be our first dance, but he’d eventually relent because he actually likes David Bowie. It would be a very sweet and tender slow dance with lots of private whispers and smiles."

7. "I've Got You Under My Skin" by Dionne Warwick ∾ Lazarus & Dio (@phvntom-limbs)

"This is for a couple reasons. Firstly, this is a song that touches on the complete and utter devotion to that One person, loving someone so much you would do basically anything for them. And this cover in particular is a slower take on it, so it's perfect for a little romantic dance :3"

8. "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey ∾ Avelino & Melone & Pesci (@cinnamonnbonnie)

"I've seen the many beauty's of the world, irresistible landscapes, colors of the winds, and felt in my heart and soul when nature spoke in its way. When the world gets old, we are able to see forms, shapes, and crystals that only the time can make it look beautiful. Diamonds get the most brilliant and graceful as time goes by, and humans decay and get turned into dust, buried and forgotten. That's the end of the line. Although we die, we will continue to shine like gold, endlessly shining even under the ground."

9. "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls ∾ Leo & Gyro (@leozeppeli)

"We didn’t have a first dance or anything, so Gyro played Iris in the car after we eloped because it was the cheesiest song he could think of without being too cliche."

1. "Passenger" by Deftones ∾ Leo & Gyro (@leozeppeli)

"…he then put on Passenger ten minutes later and promptly pulled over into a dark parking lot."

2. "Tessellate" by alt-J ∾ Kat & Diego (@katbrando)

"Most of alt-J's lyrics honestly baffle me, but there's something undeniably sexy about this song. It starts with "bite chunks out of me, you're a shark and i'm swimming" and based on the overall vibe, you can't tell me that doesn't have dirty implications. Additionally, "tessellate" basically means "to fit together closely"."

3. "Slow Hand" by The Pointer Sisters ∾ Eileen & Jotaro (@dogsofardour)

"The Pointer Sisters’ “Slow Hand” is a pretty good tone setter. It’s slow, sensual, and the lyrics demand the lover show more consideration and finesse than a quickie."

4. "Soulful" by L'Indécis ∾ Rydia & Dio (@hammerofspace)

"To keep with the honeymoon encompassing theme, there's no words in this song and I think that would be important. The time alone away from everyone is about savoring wordless moments and each other and the tempo fits the idea of taking things slowly and basking in them in my head. He's a hedonist and takes his time with all things pleasurable 👀"

5. "Eat Your Young" by Hozier ∾ Lila & Cioccolata (@cinnamonnbonnie)

"Seven ways that we can sin, seven ways that we can taste each other, seven reasons to start the fire, along seven craving desires that only the other can satisfy. We made the most beautiful sin, the honey dripping from our bodies is the most divine taste, the heat makes the edges burn, and we feel deep inside, craving for each other more, a war that only us can fight."

6. "Love Me Harder" by Ariana Grande & The Weeknd ∾ Anika & Jotaro (@anikasenkujo)

"After their wedding in Calcutta, Jotaro and Anika’s 8 day honeymoon in Goa, an Indian state full of beaches is something that’s filled with adventures of all kinds. There are many moments of lovemaking, and learning about one’s likes and dislikes in sex. Also, just because they reunited after 10 years, they couldn’t take this moment lightly, they got to love each other harder, with every moment filled with passion, and sheer commitment to each other. Because they’ve slept with different people before, this song is a reaffirmation of their love to each other but in a carnal manner."

7. "Freak" by Lana Del Rey ∾ Isabella & Dio (@drakkar-noir)

"Very fitting that this is from the “Honeymoon” album! I love this song SO MUCH though and the vibes it brings for the bedroom are immaculate. The song is supposed to be about convincing your partner to be a freak with you, but we all know there would be no convincing needed for either party in this case."

8. "Watcher" by Femme En Fourrure ∾ Julie & Risotto (@reclusiverisottonero)

"The exchange of power and control can be intensely intimate. Risotto's trust is something to be treasured, to not be taken for granted even for a moment. I enjoy the dark beats of this track contrasting with the lightheartedness of the first song, but primarily love how the bluntness of the lyrics still have this craving for your partner beneath the surface . Risotto and I want to consume each other so completely, so wholly that sometimes all grace needs to be discarded so we can just fuck."

9. "Closer" by In This Moment ∾ Lazarus & Dio (@phvntom-limbs)

"This song just straight up fucks. It's already musical sex but Maria Brink has a voice that's just WA it's so good. Such a sexy song. Like biblically sexy."

[blackhairedjjun]

tnc: freefall full thoughts

(cross posted from elsewhere i'm just putting it here too lol)

before this album came out, sonically my fave txt albums are tdc: eternity, tcc: fight or escape (i really like loser lover and moa diary okay), and m2: thursday's child. and i think tnc: freefall is DEFINITELY up there -- idk where it ranks exactly but mannn it's so solid, i get why the critics at the preview were calling it a pivotal / turning point album for them. it does so many things musically yet stays thematically cohesive, the lyrics are lovely, and just feels like a natural evolution for them.

thoughts on each track:

growing pain - i can't believe i'm saying this but i think this track has a chance to dethrone opening sequence as my new favorite album opener (and opening sequence is one of my fave txt songs ever). but WOW i love rock txt!! i love how they pour their hearts out on rock tracks! listening to this right after farewell neverland is such a delight bc you have the contrast between making the decision to fall vs. ACTUALLY falling. and the latter HURTS. and they want you to feel that hurt in the song. i love going back to this track and jamming to it

chasing that feeling - oh this is just slathered in that 80s synthpop sound and i adore it so, the synths are just so catchy and i can't really describe it idk that sound just scratches the itch in my brain the right way. but something about it is such a gut punch?? there's something about "my fate, come and kiss me" and "maybe i'll miss it for good / the sweet mirage" that just GETS me. missing something so bad but knowing you have to move on from it... ugh!! not sure yet where i'd rank this among txt title tracks but man i do love listening to it.

back for more (txt ver) - this is the pre-release, we already heard and loved this one. honestly i like both the anitta version and this one, i feel like their second verses do different things: the anitta version keeps things interesting by changing it up, the txt version does that by escalating things. i.e. the former introduces elements of latin and funk while the latter enhances the nice disco pop stuff already going on. but yeah this one bops, also this song being third in the tracklist + right after ctf confirms to me that it's about wanting more of that neverland stuff even tho you said you would move on from it lol

dreamer - mmmm this song is so smooth!! i've seen a few people calling it the more mature / sexier version of 20cm but i still like 20cm more lol. but they both have a smooth r&b sound that makes you want to melt so i get it! it's a little bit lo-fi-esque which is a vibe that i enjoy and just adds to the smoothness of it, then we've got those lovely lovely falsettos. also wow the lyrics to this are really sweet? like... finding that dream you once held on to when you were younger and getting meaning from it once again. ohhh i melt

deep down - this one is boppy!! unfortunately it's a mid-2010s edm-pop type of song which is not a genre i particularly like, so i can't imagine listening to this one a lot. but for people who like that genre i think it works well! also it being a sequel song to crown is just. so cute. awww

happily ever after - aka happy fools' more melancholy older sibling HAHA. like deep down i can't imagine myself listening to this much, i think it needs a little more oomph to really capture me, but it's got a bittersweet mood to it and it conveys that mood pretty well.

skipping stones - I LOVE THIS ONE. this + growing pain are my faves of the newly introduced b-sides! it has that indie rock ost vibe that i'm weak for but it's also so warm, when i listen to it i want to turn the song into a real physical blanket i can wrap myself in. everyone sounds so good here and it's such a treat to listen to. and when i looked up the lyrics they made me melt!! "in order for the me from tomorrow to embrace the overwhelmed you of today, when it touches the shining waves, i'll hold your two shaking hands"??? STOP YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME CRY. i started smiling suddenly while listening to this that's just how warm it feels

blue spring - ok i already knew i would love this one bc i heard it live, but i thought the studio version would just be a cleaner-sounding version of the live one. but then THE ADDED ADLIBS??? THE HARMONIZING??? OH I'M SO EMOTIONAL. MY HEART SWELLS EVERY TIME I LISTEN TO THIS AAHH BLUE SPRING I LOVE YOU SO. that said i don't like that they removed the guitar strumming intro at the beginning and there's some weird autotune shit on some of hueningkai's adlibs. but i love this song as a whole too much for it to detract from my listening experience

do it like that - we all know this one too lol. i agree with all the people saying that it feels out of place on this album and they just stuck it on here cause it needed to go somewhere, but yeah it doesn't fit thematically. it's cute and fun but to me this song is musical candy: a sweet treat to listen to but not too substantial. it does what it does just fine but it's so jarring in this context

chasing that feeling (eng) - can i just say that i love the lyric choices here?? "in my kaleidoscope are pressed butterflies" and "time's a thief that keeps on stealing" and "hoping for twice in a lifetime, is that too much to ask?" and even short phrases like "a perpetual high." mmmm chef kiss. this and the korean version give off different vibes, the kor one is more conflicted / melancholy while the eng one is more wistful / determined. i love them both though

[oddeyeboy]

ODD EYE CIRCLE

《Teaser Breakdown》

First, a disclaimer

We do not know how connected this will be to the old lore. It's been a long time since jj left BBC, so even if they tap in to the old lore, it will not be the full ot12 timeline we've grown accustomed to. There are only five members currently under Modhaus, so it's a given that the lore will be different if not entirely scraped. For now, we will only assume the past Odd Eye Circle lore is canon or referenced, and not consider members signed to other companies.

Now, let's take a look at the teasers.

On June 14th, 15th, and 16th, the first teasers of (in this order) JinSoul, Choerry, and Kim Lip were released:

In these teasers we get a dark, elegant vibe, with each of their odd eyes covered by eye patches. Choerry ties a business man's shoes together, and behind Kim Lip, people in business attire dine, seemingly not noticing Kim Lip. She is either not there for aesthetic reasons, or supernatural ones. Present, but undetected.

The next set of teasers were dropped on June 25th, 26th, and 27th:

We see the girls sitting on a table in the middle of a dark, blue washed mansion. Fifteen people surround them, five in matching suits with masks, ten in other business attire with their faces revealed. On the table are various foods and things, including mangoes, bread, flowers, a perfume bottle, etc. There are only three chairs at the table. Notably, Kim Lip has twelve hair clips in her hair.

On June 28th, we received our first video teaser:

At first, everything is in black and white as a radio switches between old oec songs. The first oec debut date (2017-09-21) and the new oec debut date (2023-07-12) slowly float across the screen towards each other. When they meet, everything glitches again, and a black screen with three dots says, "Did you wait?". We then see the following galaxy shot of (in this order) Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry's solo debut dates.

Then, we get a flash of the same shot but negative, making the colors a neon blue, bright yellow, and lime green.

As the video plays the Version Up logo in a few different black and white filters, we get a shot of a moon in a warping background as odd eye circle slowly goes over the scene, then becomes three moons. In the background, we hear what could possibly be a teaser of a new song.

On July 2nd, we got a set of teasers with a very different vibe:

Choerry's Teaser:

The background is baby blue

Her earring is the mobius strip.

She is the only one concealing her odd eye and not looking into the camera. Instead, she is looking through a diamond.

Her visible eye is a deep blue.

Kim Lip's teaser:

The background is baby pink.

She is holding a glass orb (or perhaps a crystal ball) with both hands.

Her eyes appear the same and are pink.

JinSoul's Teaser:

The background is light yellow.

She is holding what appears to be a small glass ball on a string.

Unlike the other two, her teaser is shrouded in a yellow dust, obscuring parts of the photo.

Notably, the teasers could be the pastel versions of the three modern primary colors, yellow, blue, and magenta.

Here is the teaser inverted, for a moment of speculation:

Choerry is now washed in red, Kim Lip blue, and JinSoul a purple/blue. Some have seen more orange or seafoam green, but in my opinion, Choerry and Kim Lips colors are very much red and blue. JinSoul's is more so up to interpretation, but when color picking from it, it appears closer to the purple section of the color wheel. We will return to this after looking at the most recent teaser.

The most recent teaser, posted on July 3rd:

This video teaser is much shorter than the first, but reveals a good amount about the music video for Air Force One. We see the girls riding in a van at night with the five masked girls from before. When the van stops, the oec members get out, with JinSoul carrying a cake. JinSoul throws the cake over her head as they walk to the camera, and the video ends.

As a bonus, here is the tracklist, dropped a few hours ago:

Feel free to speculate about the concept and lore in the reblogs and stream Air Force One!!

[hypefreshblogs]

Billie Eilish's "HIT ME HARD AND SOFT" Tracklist Revealed!

Craving the scoop on Billie Eilish's new album? We've got the full tracklist for "HIT ME HARD AND SOFT" – is it your most anticipated yet?

[cable-knit-sweater]

Smooth Sailing

Thinking about Steve & Bucky being together again, having decided to move back to New York after a couple of months in Wakanda. They’re in their Brooklyn apartment, it’s early evening and the rain is coming down hard outside. Bucky is sitting on the couch with a book, running his hand through Steve’s hair who’s sitting on the floor in front of him, leaning against the couch. Steve has his eyes closed, just enjoying the moment. There’s a record playing, one of Ella Fitzgerald’s albums that came out just after their time, in the early 50s. It’s familiar, comfortable, but also excitingly new.

Then the next song comes on and it gets to Steve somehow. He…feels a rush of emotion he can’t quite place. He opens his eyes and grabs for the record sleeve that’s on the floor next to him. He reads through the tracklist, figuring it must be “Smooth Sailing”. Steve goes for his phone next, wanting to add the song to his music collection on there. His eyes fall on the lyrics for the song. They’re not sung word for word on the record, it’s more Ella vocalizing the sentiment rather than anything else, in her own inimitable way. But the lyrics…they make Steve well up a bit. It’s no wonder that the song got to him.

We didn't break apart in stormy weather

We didn't run around like others do

Now we're not afraid when storm clouds gather

'Cuz we got the kind of love that'll see us though

We've got smooth sailing, sailing

Looks like every drop of rain is gone, gone, gone

Smooth sailing, sailing

And a blue sky full of rainbows from now on

We find each others arms in troubled waters

We found that's the safest place to go

From now we can laugh at troubled waters

'Cuz our roughest storms just seem to make love grow

We've got smooth sailing, sailing

Looks like every drop of rain is gone, gone, gone

Smooth sailing, sailing

And a blue sky full of rainbows from now on.

He lets out a tearful laugh when he gets to the end. That’s them. That’s…yeah that’s them. Bucky stills his hand in his hair. “Everything okay sweetheart?”, he asks, concern in his voice.

Steve presses back against Bucky’s hand, leans his back further into the couch and closes his eyes, a big smile on his face. “Yeah Buck. Everything is perfect”. It takes a second, but then Bucky continues combing his hand through his hair. Steve feels warmth suffusing him, a complete sense of calm washing over him, mind on nothing but the hand in his hair and the soft tones of jazz music faintly in the background now. It’s the safest place to be indeed, rain storm or not.

[stanleywbaxton]

I Hate the Dad in Ayreon's Theory of Everything

I must begin this by saying this essay is a compliment, especially hot off the heels of my last. This isn't hate from bafflement at artistic choices and the longing want of how much better something could have been.

No, dear reader. No. This is a resounding applause, at how a single fictional man is able to incite pure unfiltered vitriol.

I have never hated a character in any sort of media as much as I hate this man. He lives rent free in an apartment of my mind that's overgrown with mould. Everytime I relisten to the album my detest for this man manages to reach heights I never thought possible for a fictional human.

Let me tell you about the dad in Ayreon's Theory of Everything.

Here's the Deal

Progressive metal ahoy, we've got another concept album. The one that kickstarted my descent into the prog rabbit hole, in fact. This album is extremely dear to me. Without this thing I wouldn't be annoying people for hours on end with guitar wanking.

Fortunately you don't need mountains of context, as explaining why I hate this guy so much means detailing the plot as we go. Huzzah!

What you do need is a little background on the band and the structure of this album. Because, dear reader, Ayreon is one of my favourite music projects of all time. I cannot recommend it enough. However, we have to talk about something very important, that being:

CHEESE

It's cheesy.

Very cheesy. Ayreon is the full package of cheesy sci fi proggy goodness and if you're not already tuned to that you're going to be raising an eyebrow or two as you pick through its discography.

But for me, I'd started my metal kick with power metal, so if anything it was less corny than I was expecting.

Calling Ayreon a band would be a bit misleading. It's better described as a musical project, headed by Arjen Lucassen. There's several 'core' members that usually pop up, and Arjen swaps out musicians, vocalists, and instrumentalists based on who would be the best fit for the current album in production.

To demonstrate this point, Ayreon has a dedicated wikipedia page just to list everyone that has participated. There is an entire table for the vocalists. With no other project will you hear Floor Jansen and Hansi Kürsch duet a verse together, and its magnitude cannot be expressed on paper.

What makes Ayreon even more special is that every album is a concept album. They all have a story to tell, and even more excitingly all intertwine into each other to form a greater narrative. I have many thoughts on Ayreonverse, but those must be restrained for another time.

Now let's move from the groundwork of Ayreon, to the groundwork of this album, to lead to why I absolutely despise this one guy to the point of needing to dish my opinions on the internet as therapy.

The Theory of Everything is stylised as ŦĦΣ ŦĦΣΦɌ¥ ΦƑ ΣVΣɌΨŦĦIΠG. Nice. THHS THHSphR円 phFH SVSRPHTHHIPG is my favourite album. For the sake of convenience let's call it TToE from now on.

Contrary to the tracklist, TToE is actually 4 songs around 20 minutes long, each dubbed a 'Phase'. Between them they're then split into 42 tracks, because of course they are. The tracks being split is pretty convenient, beyond tricking people into listening to long as hell prog songs. It gives you points in the storyline to reference quickly.

It's like the bible. If the bible was a sci fi rock opera.

I know I did, literally 5 paragraphs ago, say that every Ayreon album is connected to the other, but TToE is standalone. It's got similar themes, lyrical style, and stunningly good instrumentation, but as of writing does not connect into the main Ayreonverse storyline. You can enjoy the story whilst having no idea what goes on during the other Ayreon albums. Which does make it the perfect introduction to the project! Isn't that convenient?

If you do give this album a shot, I highly recommend having a lyric sheet pulled up in another tab. Not just to keep track of which character's which vocalist, but each song comes with a written prelude that gives you some extra story to chew on. It's a very nice bonus, but,

But.

I can't sit here on context and background much longer. I feel my anger stewing under my fingernails. It burns there, itching to be slammed into the keys to let the rest of the world know of its existence.

Hate.

When I say I'm doing a play-by-play of the plot that's no exaggeration. I'm going to be spoiling the entire thing. If any of this drivel has piqued your interest even slightly, give it a spin and come back when you're done.

Let's talk about why I hate the dad in Ayreon's Theory of Everything.

Phase 1: Singularity

We open at the end.

Our protagonist is collapsed on the floor of a lighthouse, barely alive, with two others here too late to save him. On the wall he's slumped against, a blackboard hangs ajar, filled with mathematical equations scratching the height of human understanding.

The rest of the album is what brings us here.

I should note, in most Ayreon albums the characters don't have names. They're referred to by their key role in the story. The name of our protagonist, absolutely not setting him up for potential disappointment, is the Prodigy.

We jump back 11 years before this point, and are introduced to the dickhead of the hour. The dad. I will not be going into great lengths on the entire plot, only the parts that make me angrier at his existence.

Now, I promise to try not to wax poetic on the music and the immense amount of talent on this album, but the dad is played by Mike Mills,

Mike

FUCKING

Mills,

who goes down as one of the greatest male metal vocalists alive right now. I do not care about your opinion. I do not care who you are desperately asking me to check out. I can't hear you over Mills' luscious melodies about robot sex.

I feel need to mention this specifically, because I'm certain that if the dad had anyone else behind him I would not be able to cope anytime he opens his mouth. I'm filled with rage, sure, but rage contained by a man who can casually hit a B5 live.

So, we learn the deal with the dad. He's tasked himself in chasing the album's namesake, the equation for the theory of everything. Insisting he's so close. All his other projects are shelved away as he spends endless hours pursuing this one formula. Alright, we've got ourselves an obsessive scientist. I'd love to see the multitudes this man contains.

This comes to a screeching halt when his wife, the Mother, cuts in. Not only has his obsession produced next to nothing, but it's driving a wedge between him and the rest of his family. That's his wife and his son, the Prodigy, making a point that he's been flat out ignoring him.

The dad responds to this.

[Father:] I'm sorry you feel neglected But it's clear that you don't understand

We are on the first song with this guy, and he's already dropped a 'sorry you feel that way'.

It only gets better from here lads.

Off to a sour start with his dad, we learn about the Prodigy. It's blatantly clear that he's neurodivergent, given the world overwhelms him to the point he's nonverbal, the obsession with patterns he sees with everything, not clicking socially, and I could probably list the rest of the DSM-5 like a shopping list with what the prelude notes tell us. It's practically impossible for him to connect with others, even through their—and his own—many attempts at trying.

We also need to take careful note of the Mother here. She's attempting, continually, to engage with her son with whatever means she can think of. Not to success, but she's trying, and very obviously is doing so out of a want to connect with her son to, well, connect with her son. Not doing many more favours for the dad here.

One of the Prodigy's teachers (you are correct, his namesake is the Teacher) notices how he's able to complete a maths problem he himself couldn't even solve. Adding more to the ND pile, the kid is staggeringly intelligent.

Also, can we note this part? After being asked if he's the one who actually completed the problem, to double check that it was his own work, his first reaction is this?

[Prodigy:] I'm sorry, sir, I can't explain It's the way I've always been

To immediately apologise? To think that he's being told off?

What's his dad saying between this that we don't see?

We also get the brewing rivalry between the Prodigy and... the Rival.

Look, I know. I didn't name these guys.

He's our antagonist for the evening, and when he isn't spending spare brain power on imagining edgy anime AMVs he likes to bully other kids for being social outcasts. We're also introduced to another character, who's name is,

...

The Girl.

Every time with the fucking names I'm trying to get people invested in this shit and I have to call everyone by all these fucking monikers how do—

The Girl jumps to the Prodigy's defence. She has a pretty obvious crush on him, and calls out the Rival on his small dick energy.

It is, I feel, important to remember that this stage of the album takes place while these guys are still kids. The reason the Rival is talking like a comic book villain is because, well, this is a thirteen year old child:

[Rival:] Oh no, I can't believe You're falling for this loser Oh no, I thought you know That I am so much cooler!

I want to pinch his cheeks.

The teacher, actually being a decent human being, decides to inform the Prodigy's dad about his son's talents. You'd think that this is a nice gesture. Who wouldn't want to know their child is excelling in school?

Now, put yourself in the shoes of the dad here. You're pretty disconnected from your family, whether justified or not, and clearly don't know much about what's going on with your kid. Let alone at school, given you don't know what's happening at home. Your kid's teacher goes out of his way to meet with you, and tells you that he's a mathematical genius.

How would you react? Would you be surprised? Excited? That he manages to succeed so well in an academic setting despite not doing so in social ones? Let's try a line of thinking the dad might be more attuned to, even. Could your son's intelligence help you? Would you be intrigued at the prospect of fostering it?

Would you react by calling your son a piece of shit?

[Father:] You must be mistaken He's useless and he's weak I see no sign of genius The boy can hardly speak

Quite reasonably, the Teacher asks what the fuck is wrong with him. Then the dad says something that hits a particular chord.

[Father:] Who are you to judge me You don't even know what we've been through!

What we've been through? You and your wife? The wife you've left to raise your son almost single-handedly, because you're too preoccupied in pursuing glory?

You can't even make the excuse for him that you could with the Mother. If she, after spending countless hours with the Prodigy, vents to a friend about how distraught she is about not being able to reach him, you'd sympathise. She's not venting out of anger at her son, but despair that she knows there's a way for them to express love for each other, one that she just can't find.

The Teacher lays in harder, demanding that the dad give him a little more of his time than absolutely none of it. He has potential, he promises. The dad begrudgingly agrees.

[Father:] Fine! I'll try to help the child Better not be wasting my time!

That's the thing with this guy. I'm not quoting his lines out of some laziness of not wanting to convert it all to prose, it's out of complete bewilderment, that this is not me flanderizing him in the back of my mind between listens. That thinking about this character has put my mind into overdrive over how he could be even worse.

Every time I read over his lines I pause. No, I did not misremember this. In my head I did not append another jab out of want to justify my anger further. These are the real, genuine lines that come out of this character's mouth.

But don't worry, mate. It's not like your son heard the whole thing,

[Prodigy:] Are you trying to drive me away? Just when I need you most?

or anything.

It's not like, as the prelude notes tell us, that he's the one trying to reach out to you, thinking he's the one who's broken.

The Mother reaches a boiling point. Realising she can't continue on like this without professional help, she demands that they take him to therapy. At last, the father agrees to help his son. Why does he do this? Out of parental love? Out of a want to connect to a son he could barely call his own beyond shared blood? To help him adjust to a society that doesn't know how to place him; to see his son thrive in his own way?

[Father:] It's worth a try, who knows He could help me complete The Theory Of Everything

Well then.

To summarise, in this Phase we have established that the dad:

Puts his work over his family

Ignores his wife's plea to spend some time with her and his son

Refuses to even try connecting to his son, despite his son fighting tooth and nail to connect to him

Thinks his son is a lost cause

Openly admits he thinks his son is a lost cause, in front of his son

Shoots down anyone who dares insist that his son isn't a lost cause

When his wife demands that their son gets professional help, he only agrees because of a chance for him to be 'useful'

Could you believe we're not even at the Phase where my hate ascends into a raging inferno?

Phase 2: Symmetry

We open at the Psychiatrist's office.

The Psychiatrist is another character I despise in this. You'll soon see why.

He's the one tasked with helping the Prodigy, and starts with a diagnosis session. The Mother continually asserts how desperate she is to be able to reach him, and how she just knows he would be worth the effort to get there, possibly to sway the Psychiatrist to use his time on him. On the Prodigy's end, he's convinced himself that he needs to have some kind of role. He's talented, and wants to put it to something. He needs to be useful.

Gee. I wonder who could have shoved that idea in there.

The Psychiatrist tells us what we already know; the kid's ND, and he's smart as hell. Shock and horror. The Prodigy's head is full of 'distractions', and he has an idea in mind of how to help.

Meth!

No, I jest. It's cutting edge meth.

Of course, the dad is onboard immediately. He's jumping at the chance to give his son a pill or two so he can concentrate on work. For his personal growth, you know?

Side note, I feel I have a moral obligation to note Mills' delivery on the line 'Please tell us more, that sounds intriguing'. I won't describe it. I seriously think it's something you need to go in blind and hear for yourself.

Then the Psychiatrist drops the bombshell. The drug he's recommending is experimental, still under trial, with possibly horrific side effects. At this, the Mother shuts down any notion of playing dice with her son's health, even if it could make life easier for them. There's particular wording here,

[Mother:] No matter what we could win I won’t let you endanger my child

under no delusion that this is a selfish want, that the true winners of the Prodigy fitting into society would be everyone else in his life.

We have the first of several arguments. The Mother and the dad go at it, with her calling bullshit on him wanting their son's health on the line for personal gain.

[Father:] No! Why shouldn’t I want to help him You make it sound like it’s a crime

Ah, this is out of a want to help him, is it? So completely selfless, is this want to throw him on experimental treatment without care of the side effects? Despite the fact the very words you said during the diagnosis, in front of your son, again, were:

[Father:] If he could concentrate he could help me He might even be of some use!

Is that your motivation, sir?

Time goes by, and the dad won't let this go. Still making no moves on the theory he still won't put his family's well being over, the idea that his son could be the final puzzle piece enthrals him.

He goes for his Hail Mary. He's going to get the Prodigy on the trial, slip him the drugs without him knowing, and watch him become the smartest man on the planet who will definitely help him, no questions asked. But that's ridiculous. No medical professional would agree to go behind one parent's back and violate a child's consent, right?

Right?

[Psychiatrist:] I know why you’re here You’re a fellow man of science

I think you're a fellow man of Getting Your Medical Licence Revoked.

They strike a deal. The Prodigy is going on the meds, in complete secrecy to the Mother and the Prodigy himself.

[Father:] Keep it between you and me Oh, they would never understand Denying him this chance just isn’t right

Denying him the chance of working on the project that robbed him of a father.

Charming.

The dad slips the drugs into the Prodigy's food, and the effects are almost immediate. We get a solo of the Prodigy realising that—

Hold it, hold it. Hold those thoughts. A voice has suspended my anger for a second. Tommy Karevik. Tommy Karevik my beloved. Why haven't I listened to Seventh Wonder yet? Why the hell haven't I listened to Seventh Wonder yet?

Back to anger.

Our protagonist is suddenly verbal. Just barely able to navigate the world around him. Who would be first to see him? The mother that was his rock the entire time?

[Father:] Oh, am I getting through to you Can you hear me, son?

For fuck's sake.

And the gems don't stop here.

[Father:] I never doubted you I always knew you’d win this fight

Ah! Did you, now?

You never doubted him? Never? You never thought of him as a waste of space to be shoved to the side? You stuck by his side through thick and thin just knowing that there was potential? Not even that there was potential, sticking by him through your love as a parent? That was you?

You believed he couldn't hear, didn't you?

And he can't even keep this lie up for long, because only seconds later he jumps into his agenda.

[Father:] Can you help me, son? I’m so close to the answer But I need your brilliant mind

Was the deceit even needed, at this point? Might as well save yourself the two breaths of oxygen.

The Prodigy doesn't even get a word in edgeways. The dad continues on like his son's agreed to join his little quest of his own volition. Like he's some kind of winner.

[Father:] Our goal is so much closer now Destiny waits

I guess he has to snatch what hollow victories he can considering he's never getting a Nobel Prize.

The Mother, too, is ecstatic. That her son can now show everyone his potential, and that they can connect like she could never do on her own.

She has no idea what's caused it.

Phase 3: Entanglement

We open to the Prodigy's father figure.

Nope, not the dad. We're with the Teacher.

The Prodigy, in the album's words, has 'woken up'. The only thing he truly understands in the world is the laws of mathematics. Even though now he can see the world around him clearly, he wasn't given the eyes of a child to learn about it, and he's no idea how to live. Who would be the first person he would go to for help? His parents, you would think. Instead he's gone to his Teacher.

This does bring up an interesting caveat. The relationship between the Prodigy and the Mother is pretty much left on an unknown. She isn't present in Phase 3 at all, actually, and looking back they never have a full conversation together on the entire album. The prelude notes tell us the Teacher is the only person the Prodigy trusts. It leaves us with a lot of questions we can't reliably answer.

What we can answer though, is the dad being even worse.

By this point, we can assume that he has tried to rope his son into working on his fruitless pursuits. Considering his first choice was the Teacher for advice, he does not see his Father as a father. And even then, the dad's made no moves to help him. Not a single moment is given to connect to his son now he's 'woken up', even now that he sees him as useful.

A couple pointers on how to make friends at school would be worth his groundbreaking theory, you would think. He can't even bother to connect to him through the project he demanded his son's help on. Every opportunity this story presents him with a moment to not be even more of a piece of shit he spits on it, like the spoiled child he thinks his son is.

The Teacher is more than happy to lend his aid, and promises to show him how he can live life beyond the numbers. So, the Prodigy's thriving. Now he has the confidence to stand up to his school bully.

This is where I break to mention the transition between Transformation and Collision. This is one of my favourite track transitions on any album period. I wish I could relive the first moment I heard those guitars bend into that synth.

Then, it doesn't end there, because it launches into my favourite part of all of TToE. I'm breaking even further to talk about Collision. This is a back and forth fight between the Prodigy and the Rival, both in increasingly ridiculous insults over how the other is intellectually inferior. It has the exact cadence of two theatre kids fighting over who gets the leading role in the school play.

And it's perfect.

Anyone who believes this argument couldn't happen in real life does not know enough academics in STEM.

I would also like to remind you they're, what, teenagers at this point? They're probably picking out their college options? And declaring how their 'arch nemesis' is going to meet his demise tomorrow?

This one track is quintessential Ayreon. An astounding combination of lyrical cheese, masterful vocal performances, unintentional comedy, and some of the best musical work you've heard in your entire life. Genuine perfection.

Back to hating the dad, and this is a real good one. If you thought that the highly experimental drug was likely to go wrong, guess what goes wrong?

Well done. You win nothing.

The side effects are confirmed as severe psychosis and delusions. The Psychiatrist says they have to tell the Prodigy what they've done, and promptly dips out of the story to never see the consequences of his actions. The dad speaks to the Prodigy, trying to give a last-minute spin that it was a selfless act. He reacts reasonably and tells him to go to hell.

[Prodigy:] Deceiving your own son to serve yourself You can go to hell

Direct quote. About time.

The Prodigy runs away from home, finding solace with the Girl—more accurately Girlfriend, now—and stays with her. He's distraught by the whole revelation, realising that his sudden clarity of the world wasn't his own, and time marches on with the Prodigy starting to regress without his medication. Keeping a keen eye on him this whole time, the Rival has a solution, in return for some help.

His offer is simple. If the Prodigy cracks a bank algorithm, he'll replicate his drugs and split half the pot of whatever they can grab. The Prodigy despises the idea of committing an outright crime, and the Girl gives him an ultimatum to not do it, but he can't bear to continue on as he is now. For a time, he resists.

Then, he breaks. Surely she'll understand, right?

Well...

Phase 4: Unification

We open to mourning.

The Girl's kicked the Prodigy out, and regrets her decision almost immediately, but can't get in touch with him now. Neither can the Mother, and they both lament over what could have been if they did things differently.

You know who else could have done something differently?

Now the only person left to the Prodigy is the Teacher. He declares, in a very sudden flip, that he's going to complete the theory of everything.

[Prodigy:] I need to show my father I need to show them all

A marvel how the man can not even be in the scene and manage to piss me off.

The Teacher shows him to a lighthouse, a secluded spot to work away on the theory, but gives him a very, very sharp warning to not let it run away with him. The Prodigy insists that he'll be fine.

Well, we've seen how this ends.

The Mother and the dad are at each other's throats again. The dad desperately wants the Prodigy back, and I don't even need to ask you why he does, do I? No, not out of worry of wanting your child home safely, but all because he wants help on his precious little theory.

He lets out his final, feeble, pathetic excuse. The Mother does what she should have done on their wedding day, and leaves him.

[Father:] But you can make him listen All I need is one more chance [Mother:] No! I can't take any more You never gave a damn!

Now mirroring his son, the dad is now alone. He declares to the universe that there's 'One thing left to do'.

So what could that be?

The Prodigy is near the end of his rope. Mentally; physically. He's been working alone on the theory for months, but gets a surprise visit one evening. The Teacher, perhaps? Telling him this has gone on for too long?

In a shocking turn of events, it's his dad.

He's rightfully hostile to him out of the gate. Demanding a reason why he should forgive him after everything he's put him through. Taunting him, that the only reason he's here is a final desperate appeal for his intellect.

And he's completely correct! Even now, even now, grovelling on his knees the dad still tries to enlist his son's help. He can't spend two minutes of his fucking life not wanting to work on that goddamn theory.

My guy, you absolute bellend, your son is knocking on death's door. He's probably subsiding himself by eating rats and sucking on the moisture in the floorboards. Could you perhaps for a second, one fucking second, consider your son's wellbeing? How it's your own damn project that brought him to this state? If you just spent a moment to get to know him, be the Father that he didn't have to find in someone else's, none of this would have happened?

But desperation gets to the Prodigy. Months and months of staring at those chalk marks, only moving things around, never creating the missing link. His rational mind fleeing, thinking how he could take a few more, just a few more pills to push his mind. Not wanting to break his streak of terrible influences, his dad encourages him.

The Prodigy slams the entire bottle down. Twenty-odd years of resentment melt away into a flurry of theorycrafting.

With dawn just breaking, they do it. The formula's broken, as is he, mind, body, and soul. He leaves a hasty note for the Teacher with what strength he has left, detailing the discovery. The final lines are an apology for taking his obsession too far, and a thank you for his support.

You might think, where is the dad during this?

The Teacher and the Girl reach the lighthouse, both harrowed at the state of the Prodigy, near catatonic. Reading the note that tells him, the Teacher mentions how the Prodigy's dad was here, helping him.

Then the Girl gets off the phone with the Mother. It's impossible for the dad to have been here. That 'One thing left to do' was not, in fact, seeing his son in his final moments, but killing himself.

Do I hate this man enough to call him a coward?

I do.

This leaves us with a question, and what the album ends on: how were there two different sets of handwriting on the blackboard?

In an idyllic case, the father was there, quite literally, in spirit. He visited him beyond death, and helped the Prodigy finish the theory as his final act in the waking world. By the morning, he vanished. This is the interpretation I've seen most go along with.

But, I think this is what really made me want to write this. Consider the possibility that he didn't. Either that's not how the afterlife in this universe works, or he simply didn't want to. His son, so irreparably torn from grief of being alone, never having a family like others did, considering himself a failure for never being able to complete his 'destiny'. The only thing he's been convinced by everyone around him that he's worth. Hallucinating, he imagines his father coming back to him, helping him like a parent comforting their child teary-eyed over homework. So starved for paternal love he retraces what he can remember from his father's blackboards, convinced it's his hand making the marks.

This isn't just me wanting to find more reasons to hate the dad, to rob him of any sort of redemption. Consider, if he really did come back to him in the afterlife. Once in the presence of his son again, what does he do? Drives him to finish the theory of everything. He learnt nothing. Even after he's died he chases his pathetic moment of glory over being a Father to his son, and indirectly killed him in the process.

I'd argue that's even worse.

We also shouldn't ignore how the main side effect of the medication is delusions. Who's to say that he hasn't been increasing his dose over time out of impatience at his failures, then having a drug-induced vision of his father telling him to take it to the extreme?

[Teacher:] If you're troubled by the visions If the voices start to whisper

Also consider, why he made the note to the Teacher in the first place. If his dad was there, wouldn't he have told him to tell the Teacher everything? Why did he need to make a physical note? And even if he wanted his final words on paper, wouldn't he have asked his dad to deliver it to him?

I think, he realised he was alone in the end. Mentioning his father in the note was a desperate plea for himself to believe otherwise.

It gives us the perfectly tragic end to the Prodigy's tale. A culmination of every bit of pressure and expectation that's been mounted onto him, crushed under the weight of it while everyone around him only watches. Wondering how this could have been different.

Yes, it might be nice for the dad to have his one moment of good. A little redemption arc. Maybe taking a moment to really think about everything he did to bring his son to this point. Maybe saying, with his whole chest, that he's sorry. Truly sorry. Not the hollow apologies he slings like a plaster to a severed limb. For the neglect. To realise it was he who did this. Forcing his son to the brink and pushing him to limits beyond limits, and accept that he's the one to take the blame. That he could maybe, give his son closure in his final moments. Maybe he wouldn't have encouraged him to overdose.

That might be nice, now I put it to paper.

I,

expected to be as angry as I was starting this rant. I was intending a bombastic finish to Phase 4, how much I despise this man reaching its critical mass to then be vomited onto paper.

Now... Hm.

Let me relisten.

I'm Angry Again

I hate him. I hate him.

I hate hate hate hate this man. Even looking back, through thousands of words, I feel no possible finite amount is able to describe how much I hate him.

And I love to hate him.

Again, I can't sing high enough praises to Arjen for creating this pitiful excuse of a man. This is a mastercraft in making someone overtly, subtextually, in-scene and off, every possible means in a narrative to make someone the most insufferable being possible. I was trying to think of a funny quip about how 'the only thing left is [insert generic horrible act]', but beyond brutal murder of puppies he's hit every single one, explicit or indirectly.

And, I know this man. I know so many people like this man. He's simultaneously a complete cartoon character and yet such a quintessential representation of that one guy everyone who's neurodivergent has to deal with.

And that's the thing. Most of the time, they aren't just 'some guy'. They are your father. Parents. Teachers. Doctors. Figures of authority who only see a misshapen tool with so much potential. If only you'd understand what's good for you, as they clearly know better than you would ever know about yourself. No, no. You just don't get it. You need to do this. You have to.

You are not just a person, to be loved and cherished. You are a disruption to the machine. A cog that had the audacity to not fit in this slot. Only when you fit somewhere special, after your edges are shaved down, after a coat of paint that melts away when no one else is around. To be spun so fast your core turns white hot while the rest of the world looks on in awe, at how anything could possibly move like that. Not seeing the gouges in the metal, the years of hammering that let you twist and contort. To only be mourned after the velocity makes you crumble to dust, and everyone else sees naught but a heroic sacrifice.

Your closure is a thought, a prayer, and if you're lucky, a moment of pause over how this could have happened.

I get to channel that hate, the hate I feel, the hate my friends feel, all of this oppressive hate channelled into one pathetic fictional man.

I hate the dad in Ayreon's Theory of Everything.

[tokyonymph]

hope in his heart: a makoto naegi (danganronpa) playlist

"i'm going to keep moving forward, with hope in my heart."

a playlist for makoto naegi from danganronpa: trigger happy havoc, based on his character arc from the first game. featuring indie pop, alternative rock, and pop-punk music.

[listen on spotify]

the full tracklist and selected lyrics are below the cut and can also be found here:

i. mantra – susanne sundfør

i'm as lucky as a moon / on a starry night in june

ii. it’s time – imagine dragons

it's time to begin, isn't it? / i get a little bit bigger, but then i'll admit / i'm just the same as i was

iii. dog days are over – florence + the machine

run fast for your mother, run fast for your father / run for your children, for your sisters and brothers / leave all your love and your longing behind / you can't carry it with you if you want to survive

iv. fire drill – melanie martinez

i'm bad at public speaking / but I'm speaking now so hear me out (shut up) / i personally believe that everyone is fully capable / of more than what they're doing

v. johnny boy – twenty one pilots

get up, johnny boy, get up, johnny boy / get up, 'cause the world has left you lying on the ground

vi. faith, hope, love – starsailor

tired of looking for sympathy / got to learn to stand on my own two feet

vii. move along – the all-american rejects

when all you got to keep is strong / move along, move along like i know ya do / and even when your hope is gone / move along, move along just to make it through

viii. fill the crown – poppy

if you're wanting somebody / just call my name (just come with me) / i'll be there, believe me / i'll keep you safe (just come with me)

ix. follow me – muse

follow me / you can follow me / and i, i will not desert you now / when your fire has died out

x. hit me with your best shot – pat benatar

knock me down, it's all in vain / i get right back on my feet again

xi. this will be the day – jeff williams ft. casey lee williams 

this will be the day we've waited for / this will be the day we open up the door / i don't wanna hear your absolution / hope you're ready for a revolution

xii. despair – yeah yeah yeahs 

through the darkness and the light / some sun has got to rise

xiii. last hope – paramore

 it's just a spark, but it's enough / to keep me going / and when it's dark out, no one's around / it keeps glowing

xiv. the call – regina spektor

i'll come back when you call me / no need to say goodbye

xv. pollyanna (i believe in you) – catherine warwick

you may say i'm a fool / feelin' the way that i do / you can call me pollyanna / say i'm crazy as a loon / i believe in silver linings / and that's why i believe in you!

[little-smartass]

THE VAMPIRE LESTAT COVER ALBUM - the legendary Vampire Lestat is back and bigger and badder than ever, this time bringing a whole album of song covers ranging from classic bangers to newer fresh takes on chart hits! get your copy now, complete with a transcript of the artist's commentary on each song!

(songs I think Lestat would cover and release as an album in an attempt to re-kickstart his career and/or make some sort of dramatic statement to Louis. tracklist and "artist commentary" under the cut)

Survival - Muse

“And I’ll reveal my strength, to the whole human race, yes I am prepared, to stay alive, and I won’t forgive, and vengeance is mine, and I won’t give in, because I choose to thrive! Yeah I’m gonna win!”

Oh, I wish this song had been around back on that opening night at the Cow Palace - how apt that would have been! What a fucking anthem! They would have been rioting all night. I mean, they already were, but, like, because of the music. Not because vampires were being immolated in the middle of the crowd. Different kind of riot.

The Bitch Is Back - Elton John

“I’m a bitch, I’m a bitch, oh the bitch is back, stone cold sober as a matter of fact, I can bitch, I can bitch, ‘cause I’m better than you, it’s the way that I move, the things that I do!”

One day I want to have this play as I walk into Night Island. I’ll time it perfectly so that I throw off my coat - my denim jacket, or- oh, no, a fur! Maximum drama! - just as the chorus starts. Armand will know that I’m coming of course, but I think that’ll just make it even better. And I have good memories to this song... [muffled question] Sorry, gentlemen don’t kiss and tell, bébé. [laughter]

Everybody Loves Me - OneRepublic

"Oh my, feels just like I don’t try, look so good I might die, all I know is everybody loves me, head down, swaying to my own sound, flashes in my face now, all I know is everybody loves me”

Look, do I even need to explain this one? Didn’t think so.

Bad Reputation - Joan Jett

"I don't give a damn ‘bout my reputation, I've never been afraid of any deviation, and I don't really care if you think I'm strange, I ain't gonna change - and I'm never gonna care bout my bad reputation"

This one's fairly self-explanatory again. It could have been my personal anthem when I was mortal quite honestly. And it's an awful lot of fun to jump about and headbang to, don't you think? That's a new thing I've found out about, headbanging. People have been hopping about to music looking like fools for centuries but now there's a name for it. Fantastic.

bad guy - Billie Eilish

"I’m that bad type, make your mama sad time, make your girlfriend mad type, might seduce your dad time… I’m the bad guy. Duh.”

Creepy? Check. Sexy? Check. Tongue-in-cheek? Check check. This song was great and a lot of fun to cover.

Lover to Lover - Florence + the Machine

“I believe there’s no salvation for me now, no space among the clouds, and I feel I’m heading down, but that’s alright, that’s alright, that’s alright”

I don’t know, this one just felt very relevant. Also the piano was great to do. You might have noticed that I’ve picked a lot of songs with piano, and that’s because I bullied the studio into getting me a goooooorgeous grand piano for the recording space and I wanted to use it as much as possible!

Feeling Good - Muse

“Stars when you shine, you know how I feel, scent of the pine, you know how I feel, oh freedom is mine, and I know how I feel”

I just really like this song - I’ve done a cover of an excellent cover! Can- can you put emojis in this? Do people still use emojis? Well imagine I’ve put the shrug one. Wait, isn’t there- Daniel, Daniel, come here, isn’t there a shrug emoji made up of keyboard- [muffled words] yes! The shrug one! Yes, put that in the transcription. [ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ] I just like this song.

The Man - The Killers

“I got gas in the tank, I got money in the bank, I got news for you baby, you're looking at the man, I got skin in the game, I got a household name, I got news for you baby, you're looking at the man”

I feel like this one speaks for itself too. Can you put that shrug emoji thing in here again? [ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ] Yes!

J'ai Pas Envie - MIKA

J'ai pas envie, de faire comme si, comme les maris, qui disent oui, j'ai pas envie, j'ai pas envie, j'ai pas envie d'te faire plaisir, j'ai pas envie, j'ai pas envie, si tu m'aimes viens me le dire"

Look, I'm not going to translate the whole song for you, because it has all this clever wordplay you just totally lose in english… but the gist of it is that these two lovers are… at odds a lot. It's… it's maybe a little spiteful [laughter] but in a fun way! It's a fun song! Louis won't even be mad about it, it's MIKA.

Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy - Queen

"When I'm not with you, think of you always (I miss those long hot summer nights), when I'm not with you, think of me always, always"

[Long pause] God, I miss Freddie.

Let 'Em Talk - Kesha

Ah, full disclosure - I put this song in purely because of the expression Louis made when I played it in the car and it got to the line “can suck my dick” and she did that popping noise… it was incredible, and I just knew I had to cover it so I could see his expression when I said that. I can’t wait to play it to him. [laughter]

So What - P!nk

"So so what, I'm still a rockstar, I got my rock moves, and I don't need you, and guess what? I'm having more fun, and now that we're done, I'm gonna show you tonight, I'm alright, I'm just fine, (and you're a tool, so)"

I'm actually a big fan of nineties and noughties female stars - all that grrrrrrrl power, it's great fun, you know? I'd say this one is fairly self-explanatory, because I am still a rockstar! This is my new album! Fuck you EMP and your sniffy little article calling me "washed up"!

Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons

"But it was not your fault but mine, and it was your heart on the line, I really fucked it up this time, didn't I my dear?"

This one could be self-deprecating, but it's also very vindictively angry at the same time, and that's a combination I definitely get. Like, oh, it's my fault, isn't it? It's my fucking fault again, what a surprise. Perhaps "learn from your mother or you'll spend your days biting your own neck" is a little on the nose… [muffled words] you've read my books, right? [muffled words] Good, good.

Missy - The Airbourne Toxic Event

"But I swear there's still some good in me, I think if you'd stuck around you'd see, all the botched attempts at integrity I once had"

Oh, I was feeling philosophical when I picked this one. No, philosophical isn't the right word… melancholy? Do people still use that word? "I swear I swear I swear I'll never get sad" is both furiously defiant and yet so self-defeatingly ironic. [Exasperated noise] Enough of that. Next!

Please Don't Leave Me - P!nk

"I don't know if I can yell any louder, how many times have I kicked you out of here, or said something insulting? I can be so mean when I wanna be, I am capable of nearly anything, when my heart is broken… (please, please don't leave me)"

Oh, we’re… we’re getting to this section now. [clearing throat] Well, I have to make up for that sucking dick line, don’t I? Get a bit vulnerable. Oh God, why did I decide to do this bit? [muffled words] [bad chicago accent] But why buy the cow? Because you love him, you really do. [sigh, laughter]

Next To Me - Imagine Dragons

"Oh, I always let you down, shattered on the ground, still I find you there, next to me, and oh, the stupid things I do, I'm far from good it's true, still I find you, next to me"

Why did I- I don’t remember putting so many of these ones in.

Run To You - Pentatonix

"I've been settling scores, I've been fighting so long, but I've lost your war, and our kingdom is gone... how shall I win back your heart which was mine? I have broken bones and tattered clothes, I've run out of time"

[Sigh] [clears throat] Yeah. I think we can move onto the next one.

Love of My Life - Queen

“Love of my life, don't leave me, you've stolen my love, you now desert me, love of my life, can't you see? Bring it back, bring it back, don't take it away from me, because you don't know, what it means to me”

I play this one sometimes on my baby grand when we've had a fight, and it's impossible for him to stay angry. He's a sucker for this sort of… formality in romance. God, I wish I'd realised that earlier. If I'd written him a letter in fancy copperplate script with scented paper and enclosed rose petals politely requesting him to bend me over his desk back in the day, it might not have taken two centuries of mutual blue balls for us to figure our shit out. Ah well, live and learn… as it were. [muffled words] Look, I did a whole bunch of vulnerable songs! Now I get to make sex jokes! [laughter] oh fuck off.

[thatwasthenightthingschanged]

Hi Sarah! Happy (belated) October & I hope you're having an amazing month so far 💖

This is a super late reply, but my favourite Olivia Rodrigo live performance is probably drivers license (2022 Grammys) :D

As of Maisie Peters, I've also been enjoying her other singles that she released this year (you're absolutely right - the pop-punk sound is definitely coming back to the pop music scene) :D Out of the singles that she released this year, which one's your favourite?

In addition to the new Maisie Peters singles, I've also been enjoying the following music releases (to name a few):

Two Ribbons by Let's Eat Grandma

Dance Fever by Florence + The Machine

Sometimes, Forever by Soccer Mommy

Renaissance by Beyonce

Hold The Girl by Rina Sawayama

P.S. I'm also very excited that Taylor Swift is releasing Midnights in 2 weeks!! Since we've got the full tracklist, which song (based on the title) are you most excited about?

ooh that's a good one!!

my favorite is probably Blonde! though I have to say that I dislike her tiktok marketing 😓 am definitely curious to see how that will translate into mp2! what is your favorite single of this year?

also thank you so much for that album list, I now know what I'm gonna listen to next😌

Midnights comes out in less than a week, sounds fake🤧 I'm most excited about "You're on your own, kid"! what about you? ☺️

[topweeklyupdate]

TØP Bi-Yearly Update #139: Don't You Shy Away (From Blogging About Fan Culture) (4/16/21)

Well... this week has been interesting!

A few years ago- heck, just one year ago- it would have been inconceivable to imagine Twenty One Pilots entering into a new era and me not being all over it. When Trench was released, I was practically a daily update page, covering every new drop of info as I reached it. Admittedly, a lot's changed since then. Some of those changes are just a matter of how much time and energy I have to run a blog. As I said ten days ago when it became clear that a new era was coming, I am deep into my doctoral work at the moment (and, due to defending my dissertation prospectus next Friday, will not be able to post next week either).

But there have also been some fundamental shifts in how I approach fan culture. The events of the last year, in the world and in my personal life, have made me really confront the problems inherent with holding people up onto a pedestal, of devoting any part of your life to following a stranger's, and of parasocial relationships in general. I cannot go back to the same mentality I formed in 2013 and kept until somewhere between 2017-19 where the music that I liked was a core part of my personality and writing about the people who made it was a thing that gave me purpose.

At the same time, though, I cannot pretend that I don't still love the band that provided me with indescribably valuable comfort at a time in my life where I needed it. Twenty One Pilots' music, message, and fan community carried me from one place to the next, and so did this blog. They're always going to be a part of me, my interests, and my history. So, yeah; I'm gonna keep writing about them, just with perhaps a little less gusto. And that's a healthy thing!

But boy, is there a lot to gush about. I don't know about the rest of you, but "Shy Away" has only continued to grow on me over the last week, leaving me very excited about the future of our band moving into the Scaled and Icy era.

Recap's under the "Read More". But before that, just gotta say (since I haven't for awhile): Power to the local dreamer.

|-/ (I ain't changing the logo, Tyler, you doof.)

Ok, so y'all don't need me to explain everything that's gone down in Cliqueland over the last two weeks. We had dmaorg updates that were quickly overshadowed by promo posters for Scaled and Icy (which, of course, is just an anagram of "Clancy is Dead", because Tyler Joseph hates me personally) featuring our new icon mascot, Trash the Dragon and an album tracklist. We had a sweet new website launch with plenty of nifty Easter eggs and the promise of an exciting livestream performance on the album's release date, May 21, after well over a year off the stage. We had several interviews where we got intel over when to expect a tour (no clue), where Ned's at (missing), and if the album's being produced under duress from Dema (no comment).

More importantly than all of that, we had a dope new electro-indie song/tutorial for Jay's music drop. After I initially responded with a somewhat subdued "This is fun", "Shy Away" has just continued to worm its way deeper and deeper into my brain; I'm still humming it every hour or so. I cannot wait to someday hear a room full of people yell "I LOVE YOU (ooh ooh)" in harmony. The music video, directed by Miles Cable and AJ Favicchio, is somewhat light on narrative unless you fall down some Reddit rabbit holes, but has some nifty visuals (and space buns). More exciting for me is seeing another BTS video from Mark; it's been over two years since we've gotten to see Tyler and Josh at work, joking around with each other between takes, and that's such comfort.

Clearly, lots of folks are also digging this song. While it's still early, "Shy Away" has been outperforming "Level of Concern" at this same point in its release, having the best debut performance from an alternative song at Billboard since... "Jumpsuit". We'll see if this poppier track catches on better with radio audiences than other TØP tracks have since Blurryface and deliver the band another bona fide hit. I'll admit, I'm skeptical- I haven't heard anything quite like this cross over to the Top 40 in a few years now, it's gonna need to have some time to grow on people, and those promising early numbers are starting to trail off. I'm excited to be proved wrong!

That's about all I've got for now. Like I said earlier, I don't plan on releasing another update until two weeks from now, but I might change that plan if they happen to mess around and drop another track over the next week. We'll see. I'm excited. My band's back in action! Stuff's wild.

Once again, power to the local dreamer.

|-/

[fritextramole]

my girl, my girl, my girl. you will be my girl

part 2 of a Dan Humphrey playlist - best heard in order

tracklist and quotes under the cut

Hello? ~ Clairo, Rejjie Snow

Are you into me, like I'm into you? Do you wanna do the things I wanna do with you? You're so close, and yet so far I wonder how you look when you're in the dark

Kool Girl ~ Seasalt

I can’t believe that she’s texting on her phone in my passenger seat She’s got one foot on the dash And her head out the window

Would You Be So Kind? ~ dodie

Let's write a story Be in my book You've got to join me on my page At least take a look

Somethin' Stupid ~ Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra

Then afterwards we drop into a quiet little place And have a drink or two And then I go and spoil it all By saying something stupid Like I love you

Susie Save Your Love ~ Allie X, Mitski

Save your love For someone like me You don't have to be a part-time Susie

Wish You Were Sober ~ Conan Gray

Don't take a hit, don't kiss my lips And please don't drink more beer I'ma crawl outta the window now 'Cause I don't like anyone around Kinda hope you're followin' me out

Stranger ~ MOTHXR

It’s getting louder, I leave when I can Danger here is so quiet Water here is the fire

Upright (Everything's Alright) ~ Stevie Wonder

The right side of the tracks, she was born and raised In a great big old house, full of butlers and maids She says no one is better than I, I know I'm just an average guy No football hero or smooth Don Juan Got empty pockets, you see I'm a poor man's son

Melting ~ Kali Uchis

My blood starts to rush when I see your doorman I know you're nearby and I know your purpose Take one look at you, you're heaven's incarnate What is this spell, baby? Please show some mercy

we fell in love in october ~ girl in red

Smoking cigarettes on the roof You look so pretty and I love this view Don't bother looking down We're not going that way At least I know, I am here to say

Lips Like Sugar ~ Echo & the Bunnymen

Just when you think you've caught her She glides across the water She calls for you tonight To share this moonlight You'll flow down her river

Meteor Shower ~ Cavetown

Meteor shower, quick take cover But the hues in our hair compliment one another I'd sell my own bones for sapphire stones 'Cause blue's your favorite color

June ~ Briston Maroney

So dress up in your finer things And the smile can't hide anything And pin the flower to my chest And count the days that I've got left

Love Will Tear Us Apart ~ Joy Division

Why is the bedroom so cold? You've turned away on your side Is my timing that flawed? Our respect runs so dry Yet there's still this appeal that we've kept through our lives

Moon Song ~ Phoebe Bridgers

But now I am dreaming, and you're singing at my birthday I've never seen you smiling so big It's nautical themed, and there's something I'm supposed to say But can't for the life of me remember what it is

Just like Heaven ~ The Cure

You're just like a dream Daylight licked me into shape I must've been asleep for days And moving lips to breathe her name I opened up my eyes And found myself alone, alone

Killing Me To Love You ~ Vancouver Sleep Clinic

I'm fighting for you I'm hiding for you But it's killing me to love you

Oats In The Water ~ Ben Howard

There's coke in the Midas touch A joke in the way that we rust

Water Fountain ~ Alec Benjamin

Now he's grabbing her hips, and pulling her in Kissing her lips, and whispering in her ear And she knows that she shouldn't listen And that she should be with me by the water fountain

Shampoo Bottles ~ Peach Pit

It is seemingly worsened everyday All this shit of yours around my house If I could've had it any other way Then by now I would've chucked it out

[theartistformerlyknownasprince]

ART OFFICIAL AGE

2014

Tracklist:

1.  Art Official Cage

2.  Clouds

3.  Breakdown

4.  The Gold Standard

5.  U Know

6.  Breakfast Can Wait

7.  This Could Be Us

8.  What It Feels Like

9.  Affirmation I & II

10. Way Back Home

11. Funknroll

12. Time

13. Affirmation III

It's February!!!

Wow, this year is flying by already! We've got to start thinking about the Spotlight Album for March and February just started.  Gosh... what to choose that we haven't already?  

#STRESSED

Anyways enough about us, here's what you came here for!

Here is the second SPOTLIGHT ALBUM of 2019!

Art Official Age , released in September of 2014, was Prince's 37th full-length studio album. The album  was released on the same day as his other album Plectrumelectrum in which he collaborated with 3rdEyeGirl. Art Official Age featured singles: "Breakfast Can Wait", "The Breakdown" and "Clouds."

​

The album reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B albums Chart and the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums Chart. The album also charted at number 5 on the Billboard 200.

​

Fun Fact!

The album had two commercially release singles. Those being "Breakfast Can Wait" & "Breakdown."

Spotlight Albums change monthly and feature multiple songs from the album on the website's music player. Every day the Princestachat will offer up some interesting facts and photos from the album and it's dedicated era. Check them out on the Official Princestachat Social Media Channels!