#(not that this is overrated. just in general with pop music lol)

[top10statuesthatcriedblood]

honestly the fact that smfs is getting average to above-average scores from the wide array of music critics is validating enough for me, considering pop punk as a genre as it exists now is hated by most of that crowd (ironically for the same reasons that fob fans love and connect to their music. amusing how art works like that). 20 yrs in and theyve still got it, bitch!

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2023: #26

26. ITALY Marco Mengoni - "Due vite" 4th place

Decade ranking: 76/116 [Above The Black Mamba, below Rosa Linn]

Who the hell drinks coffee with lemon juice?! Do Italians disrespect tea as much as the Eurovision?

I dunno guys, what do you expect me to write? All my Italy posts operate under a strict policy of post-nut clarity, and 2023 marked yet another year of impressionables male-gazing the fuck out of a Sanremo Ballad and putting it on a pedestal for merely showing up. Moreso than usual because Marco actually is a handsome guy.

Anyway, is Due Vite good? Um, yeah I guess? I'm not the right person to ask. The things Due Vite and Marco excel at are things I don't value too much in (pop) music. I have developed coping mechanisms for romantic longing and intimacy without needing a Due Vite. If I want classiness, I just put on classical music track. if I want a hot guy, well, you know, other methods. What I do yearn for when I open YT or Spotify are upbeat distractions, anti-depression anthems, immersive experiences, or complex entries that provide an intellectual stimulus. Barring that funny gimmicks or remarkable journeys for the Eurovision Songs specifically. Due Vite is... well none of those lol. It's a plain and unpretentious romance ballad that floated its way to the top in a bad year based on Marco's looks and nationality. It's good in general, I think? Just not what I need in music.

That said, Marco was better than I initially gave him credit for. Unlike Andrew (who?), Marco embraced his inner queer-coded himbot self and that improved him in my eyes. L'essenziale does not actively linger in my mind, but I remember Marco as stilted and wooden, staring off-camera like a deer caught in headlights. Ten years later he supplely pranced onto the catwalk all ~*MaFiA d'eLL ArCoBALeNo*~ like a glamorous gayzelle, which was an unexpected and epic move we all appreciated. Shameless fanservice king lmfao <3 The vibe carried through into Due Vite as well, which Marco managed to turn somewhat camp with his presence.

So overal verdict: Italy was perfectly fine, I guess. Fourth place is an EXTREMELY generous result for what Due Vite truly was and the impressionables calling it ONE OF THE BEST EUROVISION BALLADS EVER is nothing short of insane to me. Otoh, things could have been so much worse? Liverpool2023 was not very good and Marco in fourth place is not even one of the ten worst results from it. Also, Fai Rusnore or Shitvidi would have scored the very same result if they had happened in 2023. So I am kind of pleased that the overrated Italian top fiver in this year was one that, well, I don't like, but can respect without too many reservations.

THE RANKING:

[hughungrybear]

Tagged by @telomeke in this post. Thanks for the tag 🥰

coffee or tea – COFFEE.

As much as my GP is on my ass due to excessive caffeine intake, I just can't help it. I stopped counting how many cups of coffee I drink daily since I usually just get a fresh cup as soon as I emptied the one I'm holding😅

early bird or night owl – NEITHER. I'M A PERMANENTLY EXHAUSTED PIGEON.

I am used to working until late at night (around 11pm) and waking up around 2am to work again. I have the same sleep pattern even on my off days 😭

chocolate or vanilla – VANILLA.

Only because I don't like chocolate. But if there is caramel or strawberry, then I would be down for those.

spring or fall – SPRING.

Me and slightly cool weather don't mix. 😅Plus, it's really pretty to see all the wild flowers blossom during spring.

silver or gold – GOLD.

Only because I'm allergic to silver - and no, I'm not a vampire. 😅

pop or alternative – ALTERNATIVE.

Alternative punk, to be exact. Not a big fan of teen bops. 😅

freckles or dimples – DIMPLES.

Ah well, because I have one LOL.

snakes or sharks – SNAKES.

I can't swim, plus snakes are kinda nice.

mountains or fields – MOUNTAINS.

I like elevated places better.

thunder or lightning – THUNDER.

Because thunder is safer lol. It's a loud sound vs thousands bolts of electricity, so ⚖️

egyptian mythology or greek mythology – BOTH.

I like mythology and folklore, in general.

ivory or scarlet – IVORY.

I do like reds but the texture of ivory is really something else.

flute or lyre – FLUTE.

Only because I know how to play it 😅

opal or diamond – OPAL.

Diamonds are overrated. (Plus, I'm in Australia so support our own lol)

butterflies or honeybees – BUTTERFLIES.

Never had a good experience with bees lol

macarons or éclairs – MACARONS.

Because I don't like the texture of éclairs.

typewritten or handwritten – DEPENDS.

If it comes from me, then typewritten - apparently, nobody can read my handwriting lol.

secret garden or secret library – SECRET LIBRARY.

Gimme all the books (and time to read them, please 🥲🥲🥲)

rooftop or balcony – ROOFTOP.

No, not because all good BL scenes happen on the rooftop 😅 I like hanging out on rooftops even when I was a kid. It's more private and nobody really comes looking for you on rooftops. It's like being away from the world without really leaving it.

spicy or mild – SPICY.

I'm Asian. Enough said 😂😂😂

opera or ballet – OPERA.

I actually prefer musicals, but if the choice is just between these two, then I would choose the singing/wailing over interpretative dancing. Tbf, I did try attending ballets, but it bored me to death.

london or paris – LONDON

Because it's another Australia - but wetter lol

vincent van gogh or claude monet – VAN GOGH.

Read his bio when I was still a teen and it broke me. Also, his Starry Night and Salvador Dali's Persistence of Memory are my all-time favourite paintings.

denim or leather – DENIM.

I hate, HATE how leather is so hot and inconvenient to wear on regular days.

potions or spells – POTIONS.

Because it's just chemistry in heels lol

ocean or desert – OCEAN.

I may not know how to swim but I would rather drown than die of heat stroke lol

mermaids or sirens – NEITHER.

Aren't they the same thing though (human head, fish tail)? 🤔

masquerade ball or cocktail party – NEITHER.

I don't like parties in general. I would rather stay at home lol

Onward tagging: @lost-my-sanity1, @dribs-and-drabbles, @waitmyturtles, @happypotato48, and anyone who also wants to play this game.

[jeonqkooks]

Who in your opinion is the most over rated K-pop group/soloist…who is the most underrated?

i'm sure if i'm qualified to answer this bc i don't really listen to a lot of kpop from gen 3 onwards (except for bts obviously lol) 😂 i think kpop gen 3/4/5 is pretty overrated compared gen 1 and 2 so i'll probably talk about the latter since i barely know anything about the more recent generations 😂

i think taeyeon is pretty overrated as a soloist. ofc i loved her in snsd (taengoo my forever leader <3 one of my biases back then muahh) but i just don't really vibe with her music as a solo artist (vocals still slap tho). sometimes i think hyuna is overrated too? 😰 if we're talking about underrated groups then i think cnblue and sistar were Criminally underrated back in their days ooooof.

ask me my opinion on [literally anything] ~

[th0ught-chr0nicles]

Blog Basics + Get to Know the Author!

My name is Madelyn and, after exhausting my poor friends and family for years with my endless lectures on random, generally useless information, I have decided to instead burden strangers on the internet with these info-dumps! The topics may range from exhaustive analyses of a painting or sculpture, to a chronological retelling of the come-uppance of an ancient civilization, or any other whimsies that I might find encapsulating at the time. But, do not fret, our path will not always be so studious ;)

I often find myself playing the role of Alice, getting sucked down the rabbit hole of intricate pop culture moments such as how the “Ginger Kids” episode of South Park has been credited with fanning the flames behind the social mockery and ostracism of its moniker- even sparking “National Kick a Ginger Day” in recent decades. Or perhaps, the not-so-secret promotion of eating disorders in the worlds of modeling and media influencers, effectively creating an environment where bodies are trending commodities. One’s bone structure and fat distribution may be stylish in one decade and abhorred the next (see the rise and fall of the “flat butt” among western beauty standards).

My ultimate goal with Thought Chronicles is to do just that! Chronicle my ever-changing hyper-fixations and topics of interest in an educating manner while inspiring others to pursue their own nerdy, niche subjects. That being said, I am by no means an expert on… just about anything. If I make mistakes when relaying the facts, they are mine alone- please let me know in a kind and courteous manner so that they may be amended! My inbox is always open for any asks, comments, or even just a friendly chat (I promise I won’t bite… unless you claim that the Catcher in the Rye is overrated, in which case you are a phony and I might advise you to proceed with caution.)

Get to Know the Author:

I have tried to keep this concise and resist the allure of talking about myself at length, so keep in mind that these are the bare bones!

Interests (outside being a Geek™️): Game of Thrones, South Park, The Sound of Music, Lana Del Rey, coffee and tea, Frank Sinatra, spirituality and natural healing, 90s Rap and R&B, films of all shapes and sizes, Tyler Childers, Classic Literature, basically reading in any form and genre :)

Personality Types: INTP, 5w6

Astrology: Libra Sun, Gemini Moon, Aquarius Rising

Hobbies: working out, baking, hiking, reading, listening to music, art + painting, watching stupidly long video essays on youtube, playing with my cat, Stanley/Stan (named after Stan Marsh of South Park… I also have a cat named Butters), meditation and yoga

Favorites, ranked in no particular order:

color: wine red

books: The Picture of Dorian Gray and Jurassic Park (for the sake of nostalgia)

songs: Feathered Indians, Time, Somethin’ Stupid, Saturday Night

movies: TSoM, anything Studio Ghibli, Hereditary, White Chicks (I love a good spoof)

I believe that just about wraps things up! Let me know if anyone actually made it this far LOL. I look forward to sharing this long journey for the pursuit of knowledge with all of you!

~Au revoir, mes amis~

[petewentzisblack1312]

Do you think Pete's a romantic? Someone compiled music he'd mentioned in all his live journals or posts and a lot of the songs sound like a hopeless or lost romantic person almost

yeah i think hes a romantic kinda guy. a lot of the romantic gestures hes like publicly shared are like so extremely specific to him and maybe the person hes with that its like oh this guy really thinks about what hes doing. there was the classic "i tried to fake being sick to get an x ray of my heart for a girl for valentines day" but theres also some of his interactions w megan, like the valentines day after bad and bougie popped off megan posted the valentines card pete gave her which was a jokey rewrite of it. its really obvious hes not the kind of guy who just buys his partner jewellery because thats what he thinks girls like, he seems to just generally be pretty thoughtful about people in his life.

he obviously writes a lot about it, and a lot of his lyrics about love and romance are specific. like its not vaguely gesturing at the idea of a relationship, its very much about a person, making references that are seemingly specific to them. its not just that you cheated on me, its that you should try saying no once in a while. its not just that im mad at you, its that youre the shore and im the waves hoping for high tide. its not just that im obsessed with you to my detriment, its that ill do anything to make your dreams come true but i have to beg you to help me at all. like its very difficult to write like that and not actually be like that, because you put so much of yourself into your art.

it also shows in the way he talks about himself, or about the persona of his words, with this self deprecating, feelings are overrated type of attitude ("im the first kid to write of hearts, lies and friends...i got arrogance down to a science" and "signing off, im alright in bed but im better with a pen/the kid was alright then it went to his head). and also im pretty sure hes referred to himself as a hopeless romantic plenty of times. so its not like he doesnt think so too lol.

[theantagonistfiles]

8 songs/8 people

Rules: answer 8 prompts with 8 songs, then tag 8 people!

Thank you for tagging me, @crookedmouth-mountainbones, I love answering stuff like this, it really gets me thinking lol

1. Your favorite song at the moment - Sinners by Barns Courtney

2. A song you associate with a favorite character or ship - Somewhere Only We Know by Keane is a bittersweet song I just discovered through listening to an Urzai playlist 😂👌

3. A song that could be about you - okay this was hard. I chose Carry on my Wayward Son by Kansas as its lyrics resonates with my uhhh general... feeling.

4. A song you think is overrated - I don't really keep up with trends so I'm not aware which song is popular, but upon checking Imagine Dragons' YouTube page a while back, I was surprised to see Thunder had more likes than Believer. The former is too 'pop' with repetitive lyrics while Believer is I think more dynamic and meaningful.

5. A good song that reminds you of a specific memory - Arigatou by Sunset Swish gives me feelings of embarassment every time I remember how my highschool friends and I sang this in front of class as part of an activity. Most sang songs in our local language or English but we were the only ones who sang in a foreign language - and rather out of tune I must say. We are fans of Japanese music back then and even until now.

6. The last song you listened to - O' Children by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. One of my all time faves, a kinda tragic yet somewhat hopeful song, and not just because of Harry Potter. Check the meaning of the lyrics 💔

7. A song that makes you laugh - A Little Priest from the movie Sweeney Todd. It's my kind of humor 😈🔪 It never fails to give me a laugh when singing along.

8. A song that you want your mutuals to listen to - If you haven't yet discovered Mongolian Throat Singing, check out Khusugtun! Also, my favorite classical music is From the New World by Antonin Dvorak.

To quote crookedmouth, no pressure tagging some of my frequently visited blogs:

@crucioslut @korrlok @alamorteart @fen-an @chocolate-cringymuffin @ @fallinglntokillugon @mokonahapuuuuuu

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

Tag games

Okay, so I was tagged in two tag games by @reignoerme, so I will do them in one post for sake of ease and put them below a read-more. Thank you for tagging me in these! They look fun, and I don’t think I’ve done either of them before, so here we go. :D

List 5 albums I can’t live without. 💓

1. Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers This should surprise no one. This album, from start to finish, is literal magic. And I don’t mean the way it makes me feel (although listening to it on vinyl is such a JOYOUS experience that there are times I just LAUGH to express my awe over how talented these five musicians are and what they collectively arranged in the form of this album), but whatever they all did - HOWEVER they did it - to create this album’s existence is nothing short of magic. And god dammit, everyone needs some magic in their lives, even if it’s auditorily experienced.

2. True Colors by Cyndi Lauper Even though I wouldn’t defend that every single track on this album is “enduring” art (whatever that means!), this IS my favorite Cyndi Lauper album and I happen to love every single song on it, anyway. LOL And since the prompt is “albums that I can’t live without,” I have to include it because I literally would not be able to live without the song “Calm Inside the Storm” - it’s the first song on my anti-depression playlist, and I play it often when I’m feeling awful to some degree, and it cheers me up at least a little bit. This album is wonderfully varied, nonetheless.

3. Break Out by The Pointer Sisters Is there a better pop album (including dance, R&B, rock, and soul) than this, especially from the ‘80s?! At least to me: BASICALLY NO! This is one of my favorite feel-good albums that makes me happy and inspires me to dance (and definitely to sing along). Isn’t that what music is supposed to do, essentially? This album serves its purpose...but, in my opinion, IN a lasting way. (Yeah, unlike True Colors, LOL, sorry. I do love Cyndi and the impact her music had, but The Pointer Sisters’ impact has been much longer lasting, I feel. I adore them.)

4. Blueprint by Alice Bag The main point, actually, is that I simply could not live without Alice Bag’s music. I wasn’t sure if I’d mention this one, or Sister Dynamite (what got me through 2020), or even her debut solo album, but ultimately I’d choose Blueprint because “Se Cree Joven” is also on my anti-depression playlist. There’s probably some symbolism present for me to specifically choose Blueprint, as well...but I’m not sure what it is at the moment. Anyway, I love Alice Bag’s music and I also love her for nurturing my love of punk rock. (Not personally, obviously! Just incidentally. She makes me feel like it’s acceptable for me to like the genre even though it doesn’t match my personality or ‘image.’)

5. The Woods by Sleater-Kinney Because sometimes you don’t need to feel like ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so grateful to be alive...’ Sometimes you’re fucking angry, or angsty, and you need music that matches your mood - that you can scream AND dance along to. There’s a few other artists/bands I have in mind who also fit that ideal, but for now, Sleater-Kinney win. And to think I only finally gave their music a chance three years ago, and I still listen to them weekly AND I’ve seen them live. No, I simply could not live without this album or S-K in general.

And then to answer these prompts!

favorite song at the moment: ”Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty (sorry, but my favorite song never changes - which is why it’s my favorite - and being asked what my favorite song is “at the moment” is too overwhelming otherwise, LOL)

song you associate with your favorite ship: “Never Say Never” by Romeo Void (I have, like, several favorite ships across various fandoms? So I just chose my most recent favorite and also the one I am currently writing for, heheheh)

song that could be about you: “Rock a Little (Go Ahead Lily)” by Stevie Nicks

song that reminds you of a good memory: “The Cloud” by Thunderpussy

song you find overrated: “Wildflowers” by Tom Petty lmao this is why I hate when people associate me with this song, however well-intentioned they may be. Just because my name is a flower and TPATH are my favorite band doesn’t mean I want to be associated with a basic song like this one! PLEASE NO. :(

song you want your mutuals to listen to: “Daughter” covered by Nancy Wilson :’)

song that makes you laugh: “Cripple Creek” by Buffy Sainte-Marie (only because I try to sing along with her every time and get tripped up EVERY TIME by actually singing the title, “cripple creek” - my mouth always acts like ‘TOO MANY ALLITERATION TOO FAST, CANNOT COMPUTE’ and it makes me laugh!)

last song you listened to: “You Don’t Know How It Feels” by Tom Petty I actually have not listened to this song in well over a year, haha

I will tag for either of these prompts - or both, if you’d like! (although please don’t feel obligated to!): @aredhel-of-doylkien, @astarkey, @countrymusicandcher, @astoppedclock, @ina-gartens-weave, @buddyhollyscurls, @betweentimeand42, @happytimetravelmilkshake, @plenilunada

[hedgefairy]

Okay, I know, I know, it's already old news, everybody and their uncle in the costuming community has already talked it over, but anyhoo, I made notes when I crawled my way through effing Bridgerton and I will be damned if I don't vomit them onto this site. I have 32 pages of this shit, I'm not gonna throw that away.

I'm also typing this on my phone because I'm stuck on a trainride that's just doubled in length because this is the 2021 Northern German snow storm. What, there's snowflakes on the rails? We cannot possibly keep up our schedule, say goodbye to 90% of the connections.

Okay, on to Bridgerton, Episode 1

We're in Britain (oh, London, okay), allegedly 1813. I see people who are clearly meant to be asympatico, but is this size incusivity I spot there? Daring! Gasp! Me li...

Oh wait, no. The character is promptly shamed for her figure (which is mostly caused by the horrible cut of her dress. Every size can look great in Regency garb, but never mind, we need to make the "fat one" look bad!).

Also, no shifts under the stays. Why. There was obviously enough budget, don't tell me you couldn't afford a few strappy tops - it's not like the rest is historically accurate, so it would have sufficed to send some poor underpaid intern to H&M and get some. Nvm, that wouldn't be sexay.

Wait, is the garishly dressed (always a sign of a character of bad character in a costume drama) woman Delphine from Selfridge? Does she always have to play bitches? That's not nice, and just because she has a recognisable face, which by modern (read: americanised) standards is not favourable enough. Ugh. But I like the actress, so I'll let it slide (for now).

Lol, buttocks.

Not sure about the girls' dresses. Also, the Queen is a WOC, cool!

Oh no, one of the Featherington sisters faints! But that's okay because the Featheringtons are just comic relief and foil anyway.

I get weird incest vibes from the Bridgertons.

So the court is clearly 18th century and the show is set in the 1810s. I've by now seen several explanations for this decision, I still think it robs the Queen of reproductions of her actual historical gowns which were heavily inspired by the 18th century but so. Magnificently. Weird. It would have been so neat, and more of a "hey, I'm kinda out of touch with things" vibe, but hey, I'm not the one getting paid for making those taffeta gowns here (her hair is glorious, tho).

I'm very into the intro.

That Regency gossip girl is a real b, not unlike the Dowager Countess of Downton (unpopular opinion, I think she's pretty overrated, yes, I like Maggie Smith).

Again, no shifts.

Where do I know the "pragmatic" Bridgerton sister from? Ah, it's The Paradise. And Jonathan Strange. (Wait, she's my age. And she's supposed to be a teenager. Man, do I love a good Dawson casting. I like the actress, though, she has a face ™!).

Aaaah. We get it. She's the spirited one. She also doesn't care about dresses because she's not like other girls™. I really like her voice (but she still doesn't sound like a teenager).

The heck is up with Lady F's dress and that of her friend? Oh, yeah. Antagonist fashion.

Of course the Featheringtons are Horrid Hags™ aside from Penny who's nice, but the pudgy one (at least we don't get a case of "she's not conventionally attractive so she's bad").

Oooh, the cousin! Supposed to suck, but ofc she's a stunner, and only Penny (who's the nice one, remember!) is delighted to have her around. She's also a POC, which is nice but apparently that means she does not follow fashion, hair-wise. I would have loved to see some Regency hair on her, it would have been so pretty *cries in Greek updo*

Ugh, we're still in Ep. 1, typing this on my phone was a bad idea.

Lady Danbury and the Duke guy are delightful with each other (more POC! So neat!).

The girl the oldest Bridgerbro screws is apparently a singer, which isn't up to status for his doucheship, and she doesn't wear a shift.

The music at the ball sounds like something from the Top 40s, but I'm woefully ignorant of contemporary music charts so I can't tell what it is. I like it when they do that in historical-ish works, making well-known pop or rock stuff work for the ambience (ugh, that dance scene to Golden Years in Knight's Tale. My heart. In a good way.)

I dig the Ducktail hair of Penny's crush. Oh, wait, that's a Bridgerbro. I don't quite get why the hair trends of the time don't apply to the POC characters or extras, but seeing how most white characters also show a shameful disregard for the weirdnes and gloriosity (that's not a word) that is early 1800s hair (the 1830s take the cake, tho) despite those hairdos being basically designed for white people hair, I don't think I care much (well, I do, but about all of them). Overall the hair is horrid and not very 1810s. Let's just leave it at that.

Like a good old romance novel (I've since been told that Bridgerton is supposed to be a pastiche of such novels, but I really couldn't tell from the series, not at all, and I'm not inclined to read the books) we have

a pretty, kind, superpure daughter of the main family

the mean matriarch (could have been an aunt, too, but here she's the mum) of the rivalling or antagonist family

a spirited daughter of the main family (in most romance novels this would be our heroine but so far she refreshingly lacks a love interest and pretty daughter seems to get the most screen time)

a Horrid Suitor™

a Hot Suitor™ who doesn't want attention

a really good and doting good parent

Lol, misheard Greece for Grease with Ducktail Bridgerbro, whose name is Colin, apparently. This is funny because of his Danny Zuko memorial hair.

Overall a bit too much bling for my taste, and too few pearls. It looks like an episode of My Super Sweet Sixteen with a Regency theme.

Of course the romance is going to be the Pretty One aka. Daphne and the Duke and he's even bros with her eldest bro. Wait, are they exes? I can haz bi? No? Aww, shucks. Maybe in another episode (spoiler: no).

Okay, WHAT is it with Lady F's dresses and hair. Like, she reminds me of Mars Attacks. Which, as you might remember, was not set in the Regency period.

Lord B (Bridgerbro the Eldest) sucks, he's screwing Opera Girl without any intention of marrying her but he's bitchy about his sister being ogled by his Eton (or wherever) bestie?

Oh, I'm in Hamburg now. And my train back home got canceled, so back to Berlin it is because there's not a single option to get to Hanover tonight, at least that's what the lady from the train station is saying, "oh well, you'll have to go back and try again tomorrow", so that's awesome...

Honestly, if it weren't so late and I didn't have things to do at home I'd find this terribly exciting.

Back to Bridgerton!

Where were we? Ah.

I can't even read my own annotation. Something about George III. I think I was upset about how they totally ignored that it's called Regency because George IV acted as the regent king, and he doesn't even feature in the series, I guess because they wanted to play up the Queen? Not a fan, because thanks to Horrible Histories I'm quite fond of that guy.

Again, no shifts.

Oh, look, it's Horrid Suitor™, destined for leftovers.

The Featherington cousin gets all the attention but no fleshed-out character.

Penny Featherington's dog is named Lord Byron, which ❤️

I like the Duke! He's there, drinking in his club (even though they're a patriarchal remnant of the past I have a weird appreciation for stuffy Gentlemen's Clubs, I blame Bertie Wooster and the Drones), calling Lord B out for his general fuckery.

Oh no, Ducktail Colin is more into the Cousin than Penny, who obviously pines for him!

Thank you, Lord B, for enabling Horrid Suitor™. Nobody asked you to be such a fucktwit.

The Queen is, of course, a bit of a bitch, but patronage from cool Lady *scrolls up for name* Danbury ensues for Protagonist Girl™ Daphne.

"I wish they had found a better trend language", what the heck did I even mean by that? That's what you get for just scribbling down notes while watching and simultaneously sewing. 18th century pants, in case you wanted to know.

Cousin is angry, probably because Lady F behaves like Cinderella's evil stepmother, because Cousin is prettier than her daughters and gets, like, all the suitors because Lord B bitched away everyone who wanted to get into Daphne's dowry ifyouknowwhatImeanwinkwinknudgenudge, right across the street into Cousins parlour.

The Bridgertons are annoyingly perfect. Ugh.

Oh look, it's "banter" between Daphne and Dukey! It's so Pride & Prejudice! It's almost a tiny bit Shakespeare! I put banter in parentheses because wow, nope, I'm not getting any chemistry here.

Uh, Lady B calls out Lord B (aka. her son aka. Bridgerbro the Eldest) for his screwery with Opera Girl and his outpimpery of his sister to Horrid Suitor™, buuuurrrrrnnn. He promptly calls of his affair with Opera Girl.

No shifts!

Penny gets to dance with Ducktail Colin at the thing! Good for her, but it's a country dance with jumping and fun, because she's a) the pudgy character and b) a Featherington, so it can't be something romantic and pretty (I personally like country dances, but they aren't protagonist dances).

Oooh, Cousin had her period, oh no, oh snap, oh she didn't, because she's PREGNANT! Shit, that's problematic, and not because she's an unmarried woman in the 1810s, but because she gets close to no lines at all so far, and suddenly she's pregnant and telling Lady F that she sucks for being privileged, violence ensues, this is ugly. Man, I get what some critics mean by "the POC actors*actresses get all the problems" and that not exactly being great.

Horrid Suitor™ makes property claims about Daphne, eeewwwww, thanks to Lord B's general suckiness, ewww, r@pe attempt ensues, was that really necessary? It doesn't really fit in with the rest of the series and generally nope, yay, broken nose! (which was indeed totally necessary). Nice one, and probably the only scene so far (spoiler: overall) in which I actually like Daphne. Dukey thinks a mean left hook is attractive, and, generally speaking, he's not wrong.

Daphne and Dukey come up with a pseudo-shakespearean plot to pretend to be totally into each other so she can attract suitors by being not available and he gets not to have fangirls by being not available, and as someone who has read a few too many historical-ish bodice rippers I know exactly where this is going. I mean, come on.

I can't see enough of the following choreography to complain about it. Man, I miss historical dance classes.

And that concludes Ep. 1! Finally! Thank you for getting this far, sorry for all of it (especially typos, it's the bane of unwanted autocorrect), I guess?

Update on the train situation: I've been told by the ticket control person that I shouldn't get my hopes up until noon tomorrow.

To be continued,

because I didn't take these 32 pages of notes for nothing.

[mastreworld]

Be nosy-

1-50

I'm very nosy! 😛

That took me a second but here they are:

1. What’s your sexual orientation?

Grey-asexual, aro-adjacent, and bi... something (it’s complicated)

2. What are you obsessed with right now?

Playing Sims 2, but I feel like it’s about to shift. Not sure what’s next.

3. Ever done any drugs?

Not beyond alcohol, no. I wouldn’t be against trying space cake one day but that’s more for curiosity's sake.

4. What piercings do you want?

I have one in each ear; can’t think of any other I’d like to have.

5. How many people have you kissed?

Not sure... between 5 and 10 maybe? I’ve never been a fan of kissing tbh.

6. Describe your dream home.

With a space for everything so it doesn’t get so /#(&% cluttered.

7. Who are you jealous of?

No one that I can think of.

8. What’s your favorite show to binge?

Don’t have one right now. I’ve been watching “Cold Case” but that’s not really a show you can binge on since it’s so tragic. I do occasionally go on a “Final Destination” binge-watch though.

9. Do you watch porn?

No, I gave up on that decades ago because it was all so boring and disappointing. I can, however, enjoy gifs and pics.

10. Do you have a secret sideblog?

Not secret but I have a cat-blog @cattyfelines , one writing @mastrewritingupdates and one @naughtymastre that I no longer update because tumblr fucked it up in their sex-negativity 🙄

11. If you could teleport anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?

That... I really don’t know. I support teleporting as a way of traveling though.

12. What’s one of your fantasies?

To snuggle up against Loki in bed with my face against his neck, his arms around me and my leg over his hip... sorry, got a bit carried away in the details, heh.

13. Do you have/would you get your nipples pierced?

Absolutely not! *shudder*

14. How would you spend a million dollars?

Making sure that I and my daughter remain financially secure for the foreseeable future. I would also finally feel free to donate to any causes I want to support, so I don’t feel so powerless in the world.

15. Are you in a relationship?

Nope, and I prefer singlehood.

16. Do you follow porn blogs?

I did, but they seem to have disappeared so I guess they got tired of Tumblr’s fuckery and moved elsewhere.

17. Are you angry with anyone right now?

Not unless I allow myself to think about it. My anger gets triggered by bullies and bigots, especially if they act controlling.

18. What tattoos do you want?

One of Loki’s helmet and the words “God of Mischief” and possibly one with some kind of cat.

19. If you could change your name, would you? What would you change it to?

I changed my first name slightly by omitting part of it and just leaving “Marie” back in my twenties. I also tried to change my last name to “Strega” but the patent laws in my country wouldn’t allow it so I added it as a second first name instead (and use it in informal situations.)

20. What is something you’re obsessed with?

Nutritional science keeps coming back in my obsessions. As does various languages I want to learn.

21. Describe your best friend.

Lives in India, writes naughty Loki fics, and sent me a box of beautiful things recently 🥰 She’s also adorable.

22. Tag someone you think is hot.

Uhm...@MCU Loki?

23. Who are five of your favorite bands/musical artists?

Meatloaf, Buffy Sainte-Marie, FR David, Modern Talking, Belinda Carlisle... though I’m more into individual pieces than artists.

24. What are three places you want to travel?

I’m really not much for traveling but it might be fun to go back to London one day. Also considering visiting Amsterdam at some point. And I’m getting curious about India.

25. Describe your perfect Friday night.

All alone. Snacks at the ready. Favorite music. Indulging shamelessly in one of my favorite games.

26. What’s your favorite season?

Summer.

27. What’s your pet peeve?

People who won’t respect the word “No” (or boundaries in general).

28. Who is the funniest person you know?

I’m originally Swedish so my thoughts revert to Magnus Härenstam and Brasse Brännsström, lol. There might be someone more recent but it’ll pop up after I’ve posted this, most likely.

29. What’s the most overrated movie?

Probably “Thor Ragnacrap”.

30. Tag someone you want to talk to but have been too shy to message.

Can’t. I’d just disappoint them due to not being able to keep up the contact.

31. Do you like paper books or ebooks better?

After careful consideration and trying out both, I prefer paper books. E-books are practical though, so I still have some.

32. If you could live in a fictional world, what world would you pick?

Don’t know... Probably one of my own making.

33. If money was no object, what would your wardrobe be like?

Tailored to my taste and body shape. Soft materials. Black pants and short jackets. Colorful tops. A mix of masculine and feminine. Comfortable shoes with heels.

34. What’s your coffee order?

None, I can’t stand coffee.

35. Do you have a crush on anyone?

None beyond Loki. I crush easily but mostly on fictional characters since they are more interesting.

36. Do you still have feelings for any of your exes?

Nope. They killed those thoroughly.

37. Have any tattoos?

Not yet. Maybe I get around to it someday.

38. Do you drink?

Rarely. I drink wine when invited somewhere and I like sweet dessert wines and creamy liqueurs, but I can’t have more than two glasses or I get sleepy.

39. Are you a virgin?

No, that was a long time ago.

40. Do you have a crush on any of your mutuals?

Nope, but I feel affectionate towards them.

41. How many followers do you have?

1661 as of this moment.

42. Describe the hottest person you know.

Slender, black hair, male but with a bit of an androgynous vibe. Intense.

43. What’s your guilty pleasure?

Sweet-tasting food.

44. Do you read erotica?

In the form of fanfic smut, yes. I rarely come across anything good among mainstream books.

45. What’s the worst date you’ve ever been on?

Never officially dated, so can’t say.

46. How many people do you follow?

213

47. If you could marry any celebrity, who would you pick?

Uh... I don’t do marriage.

48. Describe your ideal partner.

Respectful, kind, open-minded, and quiet. Dominant and feral in bed.

49. Who do you text the most?

My disability coach, lol.

50. What’s your favorite kind of weather?

Sunny without being hot.

This was fun!

[3416]

I agree that the writing is messy but there are parts of Evan that I related to (his introversion and loneliness mostly), so I was able to feel empathy for him and understand that things just spiraled out of control even if that’s not an excuse. Also Ben’s performance was phenomenal (I saw it live 4 times), which helped me connect to the character. But what really bothers me is Conner’s treatment throughout the show. 😢 He’s just used as a plot device and that never sat right with me at all.

the thing about dear evan hansen is... it feels like a show produced to be popular. shallow tropes and metaphors. cookie-cutter in a lot of it’s messaging about mental illness without ever actually getting to the heart of those illnesses... it’s nothing that revolutionary, but the hype it got...... lmao. you can slap suicide prevention on anything and make it seem “deep” “honest” “socially aware”, but what is dear evan hansen actually....... doing.......? not that much. it’s the equivalent of every cheesy anti-bullying and suicide prevention convocation in high school that doesn’t actually get to the base of any problem and leaves kids feeling even less inspired than before, showing that all the adults in the room THINK they understand but clearly don’t. but it’s thinly veiled by popular music and a star that ppl already liked. all they had to do was cast a talented and attractive kid as the main character and .. that felt like an instant success, lmao. hey, i’m a fan of pop music and the tunes in that are catchy, but.. they’re meant to be that way. i can jam all i want to that musically and still think it totally misses the mark and lacks the heart as a show, lmao.

honestly and don’t get me started on evan hansen as a character. if you’re operating in this world as someone dealing with mental illness than you’ve no doubt picked up on the general messaging in some media that mentally ill people are inherently selfish, that they’re manipulative and clingy and can’t take responsibility for their actions, and then. they go and give their title character and the one known mentally ill character left these traits of toxicity without any proper resolution to that at the end? he gets his forgiveness without the demonstration of growth???? he doesn’t even really have to take any sort of responsibility because in the end... what he actually did was cause a grieving family and community more harm and confusion than they needed. things might have spiraled but it takes away his agency to pretend that, as a person with anxiety, he couldn’t have stopped that at any point when it got out of hand. it might have been hard, but honestly... hard conversations are something dear evan hansen lacked. and also connor murphy deserved to be his own person on that stage. his death shouldn’t have been treated as some prop to move evan’s ‘arc’ forward. we only get to see him shallowly through the thoughts of others and projections of evan’s state of mind, but he’s the real tragedy in that story and no one can convince me otherwise. honestly... i’ve dealt with a metric ton of depression and social anxiety in my lifetime and after mulling over the contents of that show for a bit... i found it extremely overrated and semi-dangerous in the fact that it deems itself some socially conscious piece of work and it’s nothing more than like... the 13 reasons why of broadway, lmao. i’m sorry if evan hansen is the character you find yourself relating to most bc of his loneliness and introversion, but if you’d like a list of other introverted characters that feel extremely alone and are... frankly better than his ass, i will draw you up one!! jfklsdjfs that’s not sarcasm but a genuine offer because there’s better rep and more socially conscious content out there, lol.

[popculture-etc]

Kenny Rogers, Adam Schlesinger,...coping with 2020

Worst year ever although there were some good.

It’s too early yet for me to do a quick look back on what 2020 is like here as we’re only going to be in the first of December tomorrow (it’s Nov 30 here) but I just have to as two losses this year broke me. Kind of, well, especially the second one.

You see, before East Asian pop, Jpop and Kpop, Western pop culture was my thing. It still is and this pandemic has made me go back to that recently starting with...the Beach Boys (their westcoast sound caught me, hook, line, and sinker and I wasn’t very fond of the Beatles to begin with...to be completely honest) I’m currently chillin’ to right now, as I write this post. I’m really weak to the westcoast sound. Beach sound/s in general, rather. I’m a big fan of the beach where nature goes, for one. Since some time, a few years ago, deep chill and tropical house music has been my go-to when I want to chill or calm myself down after an outburst of sorts and I put them on when I just feel meh, especially on Fridays. When I dream of being by the sea, the beach or in some island on my own. I live in a country with a lot of beaches and the Visayas here is basically island region Philippines, lol. Like most people, I listen to music according to mood just like the way I dress according to mood. And...it’s no wonder, really that I’m so into the Beach Boys now. RIP the Beatles. My dad played some songs of theirs on the guitar or so but the hold they have on me waned later on and I just think now how overrated they were back then. They did have good songs but when talking of good music, as in really good that it retains the same sound style or so, it’s the Beach Boys for me. Brian Wilson is the man despite his issues and personal struggles.

Anyway, we’re going quickly off tangent. I’ll save the Beach Boys fangirling for another day. lol.

I grew up with western pop culture rife all around me thanks to my American, cowboy country and folk music listening dad, my Carpenters-loving mom and then, college-aged aunts who’d made me see the Titanic film more than my fingers could count---the third is clearly an exaggeration but well...some of it is true and they were why I got into American films like Pretty Woman (we have this in good ol’ VHS in our family home, my grandparents’ in Jasaan), Mannequin, Ghost etc. in the late 80s, coming into the early 90s. So, tired of all the kdrama and uninteresting kvariety shows on tvn and the rebranded local channel, Kapamilya (long story for what we formerly know as ABS-CBN, the nation’s a mess right now and our gov’t’s just...ick!), I’d retreated to my cave and got into old tv shows I’d watched as a kid instead like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed and it’s been, well, moving on from there. I’m checking out Twin Peaks later. I’ve been watching old Hollywood films too. Some revisits on this include: Casablanca, Gone With The Wind, and especially A Streetcar Named Desire will always and forever be my favorite. Very young and cute and good looking Marlon Brando, ugh. I have some others in the stash which include Bonnie and Clyde I’ll be getting into much, much later, maybe over the weekends and holidays. In sum, I have a long history with western pop culture, especially America’s, more than I have with Japan’s and South Korea’s. The latter being very, very recent so it doesn’t really compare as much.

Let’s get right down to it...

So 2020 had us lose Kenny Rogers to natural causes on March 20 in a hospice and after, Adam Schlesinger to COVID 19 complications on April 1. I know the latter as the songwriter of The Wonders’ That Thing You Do from the film sharing the same song title. I know Kenny Rogers well because my dad listens to him over and over in the car. In pretty much the same way, I know the words to Islands in the Stream by heart and I accept and revere it as one of the best, if not THE BEST country-pop duet songs of all time between Kenny and Dolly Parton...as far as country and pop music in the US of A’re concerned, of course. Miley and Shawn Mendez’s cover of it I’d seen recently was alright but nothing still beats the OG one, as always. With music, it’s just, really always the case.

Kenny departing from us March this year was alright. He was well cared for in a hospice and at the right age too, to leave us and this mess of a world behind for the afterlife. Sounds grim but not really. Heh. He died of natural causes so we know he was at peace and accepted then that his time has come. Fans and long-time listeners of his should also be at peace with this knowledge. I don’t consider myself a fan but since he’s been around so much because my dad plays his songs in the car often, I’m the same. I’ve accepted his passing away early this year. He’s lived his life well and given us good music to listen to should we like to remember him and his works and celebrate his life and legacy doing so.

Schlesinger’s case was way worse because, well, COVID 19. And it’s well...I guess we all saw it coming, me included, that I’d just learned, watching the one of many national English news on ANC that ‘pandemic’ is the word of the year according to Merriam-Webster. Timely, huh? Yep. Predictable, really. Sarcasm noted here.

So if someone ever asks what 2020 was about, we only have to say that according to Merriam-Webster, it’s the global (COVID 19) pandemic. Short, not-so-sweet, succinct, and grim. Yep.

This one, Schlesinger’s case, is something I still find difficult to accept. He was only 52 years old! He was at the prime of his life and had some projects still he was working on at the time of his passing so WHY?! I suppose that’s all of us who followed him and his extensive work on tv, film, the stage and his own band, Fountains of Wayne when we heard news he’s passed away due to COVID 19 complications. It’s definitely me now though I learned of it late. Heh.

To cope with the sadness of losing Schlesinger, gone too soon at 52 years old and with an impressive Hollywood tv, stage, film resume to his name since and his own band’s, Fountains of Wayne (FoW) really good discography, by the way, I’ve been listening to FoW’s Welcome Interstate Managers---all of the contents of said album/record---and That Thing You Do’s OST with the Beach Boys’ Sounds of Summer Best of in between. My favorite song on Welcome Interstate Managers is the sarcastic take on real life as an everyday worker in sales, Bright Future in Sales. As much as I like chill sounds where music goes, I like me some music with lyrics jolting us back to grim reality in much the same way I like films (indies, mostly, or lesser known short and full-length ones) that tackle social issues not frequently discussed in public or so but we are aware are there, still plaguing much of today’s society. I live for cynical, satirical, ironic, and even hyperbolic stuff about real life actually. It may be why I’m so entrenched and attached to the era where we all hated ourselves---the 90s. Although one would say much of that sentiment or feeling did carry itself to the 2000s, though. I don’t know about you, but until now, I still hate or have heavy dislike for myself and everything else around me, especially our gov’t or current admin here in the Philippines, and people in general so I don’t think it ever really goes away. And going off tangent again for the nth time today.

Anyway, my 1996 was That Thing You Do on HBO in our household...on and off along with other 90s films like The Craft, Clueless, Jawbreakers (I think this still plays in Cinemax from time to time) so of course losing Schlesinger also was...rather, is hard. He’s done so much and he was supposed to be working on more and he’s left such a deep mark here for us, avid fans of American pop culture...I suppose, even the casual ones. Aside from his That Thing You Do, I’d also seen Josie and the Pussycats at some point. I don’t remember when, where...though I did watch some episodes of the cartoon on Cartoon Network (CN) so of course, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the film of it as well. He worked on a track or some tracks there, too. 

2020 sucks. COVID 19 sucks. This global pandemic sucks. But at least there’re films, tv shows, music, stage musical plays turned movies (Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick...Boom! is coming to us soon with Andrew Garfield in the lead---I’m wary of Garfield being a forgettable actor since The Amazing Spider Man because Dane Dehaan was what made that for me, to be quite honest so I’m not so sure of him being Jon here and as a self-respecting Larson fan since Rent, I’d rather they casted Neil Patrick Harris/NPH since he was in the London stage for this way back anyway...) to keep us entertained and fine until then. What would it take for ‘rona, and I’m not talking about the American Corona beer here that’s really popular in the west coast, to go away? I, like the rest of you in self isolation or quarantine, tend to think so but I don’t think we’ll have any answer to that until the vaccines are well underway by spring next year. Or at least, that’s what health authorities and scientists tell us anyway. I get reminded of it often in the news and I only tune in to that once in a while now because even that, following that daily, breaks my mental faculties down due to stress and pressure and all and I can’t have that when I still have so much, at the back of my mind, to do.

But anyway, time to conclude this one with one of my favorite The Wonders songs, All My Only Dreams just to end on a good note, better than the last paragraph’s ending at least and to remember Schlesinger as well that we’d lost this year along with plenty others we’d met in passing who’ve also left this world especially due to COVID 19 complications. I know we know a lot of those. For me, it’s a distant relative or family member I’d known since young but don’t have particular fluffy bunny feelings for because of some things that happened between the guy and me growing up in the NCR/Caloocan City to be exact. There’s also my good friend and former co-worker’s only remaining parent, her dad and a few more, I’m sure. So I hope 2021 would be better but I doubt it...very much. It’s still looking pretty dim, grim and bleak from here, where I’m currently standing in 2020.

Before we really end though, COVID 19 is definitely not a hoax. It hasn’t been since the first cases started in Wuhan, China. It’s just, only been getting worse and still continue to claim lives and spread to more people even those at home. So as someone who comes from a household of mostly medical workers or health care workers here, we should really be very careful about and around it. Let’s take the necessary health protocols seriously like wearing a mask out and maybe the face shield too and always keeping the sanitizers, alcohols in our bags among others---hygiene and sanitation, disinfection. It may come off really anal of me and I am not anal (I don’t like people with Type A personalities in the first place, lol...I’m just a very cautious Virgo, really, and a Type X---mix of Type C and D personalities) but seriously, SERIOUSLY, I can’t stress this enough, COVID 19, the virus SARS-COV2, that causes it is real. Very real and once it’s in your system, it can go the fatal, deadly way or just the mild and you’ll recover later anyway way. It’s not picking which people should die next and which should not, really. It’s really just there making a mess of things that are already messy since the beginning. My point being, it’s just better if we don’t spread it or are careful enough not to contract it with following health protocols set by health experts, scientists to help us get by this...pandemic. 

Well here’s to 2020 being over soon and 2021 creeping in on us soon enough. 

P.S.

Billie Armstrong of Greenday upped a cover of That Thing You Do as a tribute to Adam and the youtube live of the Wonders coming together again to pay tribute to and celebrate Adam’s life may still be up on the ‘tube. I have yet to see the latter but enjoyed the former. They are just so...sweet and precious. Ugh. Adam Schlesinger, gone too soon indeed. :(

PPS

Another songwriter/contributor in the TTYD OST passed away last year, too. Rick Elias. Cause of death is brain cancer. I had a friend from college, young and so full of life and dreams, who passed away due to the same thing so I’m kind of aware how this goes. Ugh. Cancer sucks. All of these are just so...sad. Depressing, actually.

[ogcassiopeia]

M+M Answers Kpop Questions

1.     Which group have you thought about stanning, but never seem to get around to it? 

I’ve essentially only ever stanned TVXQ and never deviated from that but I could totally see myself stanning Shinee or Monsta X.

2.     Do you have any irl friends that like kpop?

It depends on what you mean by irl. As of right now, I only have one irl friend, who lives in Canada, that enjoys kpop as much as I do. We met back in the early 2000s when both her and I were massively into TVXQ. She moved on to stanning BTS after TVXQ broke up but she still loves TVXQ and we talk about kpop and other life happenings often. The kpop friend I had here physically in my town with me eventually moved to a different city and we lost contact a few years ago. I am not even sure if she still enjoys kpop or not.

3.     How old were you when you first got into kpop?

Oh gosh…I think I was 13 at the time.

4.     What song(s) took you a while to warm up to? 

A lot of f(x)’s earlier stuff like Nu Abo and Chu as at the time when they came out I found them to be grating and irritating. Most girl group songs take me a while to get into since I am more of a boy group kind of kpop fan.

5.     Have you ever disliked a group/idol? If so, why? (You don’t have to say who it is if you’re scared of getting hate).  

I wouldn’t say I dislike or hate a lot of kpop singers/groups but I would say I am either just not a fan of their personalities and/or their work. For girl groups, I especially am not a fan of BlackPink, Red Velvet or Girls Generation. I like one of two of their songs, but I find their voices irritating and feel like their talents are limited. I do feel this way about some boy bands too…but the one I do not care for is one that I may regret speaking ill of due to their fanbase.  

6.     What annoys you the most about kpop?   

As of right now, it would be the fans. There seems to be constant harassment of people, celebrities or other fans who have differing opinions.  Just let people like who they like and hate who they hate. What does it matter if they don’t agree with you? If you like the boy group/girl group/solo singer GREAT...leave it at that. You don’t need to harass or bully someone else into liking your faves.

7.     What do you love the most about kpop?  

The music. It brings diversity and color into my consumed media and it’s just generally enjoyable pop music fluff that I do not get from American media.

8.     Do you only listen to kpop? 

Nope. I listen to all kinds of music outside of kpop.

9.     Who are you favorite western artists (if you have any)?   

Paperwhite, The Band CAMINO, The 1975, Bad Suns, Lennon Stella, LEON, ASTR, Ralph, The Midnight

10.  How long have you been into kpop? 

Since 2003…so it’s been a while…17 years or so. (P.S. I am old and boring.)

11.  What music did you used to listen to before getting into kpop? 

Mostly American pop music, J-pop, J-rock and indie-pop.

12.  What fandom(s) were you in before getting into kpop? Are you still in them?

I was super into anime and manga back then…I was a part of the Sailor Moon fandom and I still love me some Sailor Moon. I also really loved the Backstreet Boys and still do…I am going to their concert in August (as long as it doesn’t get cancelled due to coronavirus)!

13.  Which group did you used to think was overrated but ended up loving?   

Shinee

14.  Is there a kpop song that annoys you? If so, which one?  

Uhm…there are a lot of them. Some of the songs I find annoying are: I’ve Got A Boy + Oh! + Kissing You – Girls Generation, I Don’t Know What To Do – BlackPink, Everyday – WINNER, Snapping – Chungha, Dog and Cat – TXT, Seventh Sense - NCT  (I am sorry to all of you who may love those songs)

15.  What aspects of kpop make you cringe/feel secondhand embarrassment?  

The Aegyo and overly cutesy, child-like concepts that girl groups always seem to have to participate in. Even though I know it comes from cultural differences in sexual attractiveness (I lived in Japan for years...I’ve seen it first hand), it still just creeps me out. I don’t like it in J-pop either, btw.

16.  Which concepts do you love?  

I LOVE dark, sexy, horror-like concepts that have been used by groups like VIXX and Dreamcatcher. I also love slick, retro themed songs based in the swing/jazz age (Something or Spellbound – TVXQ) or 80s nostalgia (I Feel You – The Wonder Girls).

17.  Which concepts do you hate?   

Anything overly aegyo or cutesy.

18.  If you could trade places with an idol, who would it be?  

I would totally love to be in Shim Changmin’s shoes….being part of an idol group considered gods in the kpop realm.

19.  What do you look for in a bias?  

(1) Intelligence, (2) Sassy/Funny, (3) Honest, (4) Hardworking, (5) Talented, (6) Humble

20.  Which kpop company do you hate the most?  

Cube or Pledis

21.  What are you opinions on shipping?

It’s fine as long as fans don’t push participation of it onto the idols they’re shipping.

22.  How did you get into kpop?  

I saw a Kpop Countdown show on cable TV back in 2003 where they showed BoA and TVXQ and I was hooked instantly.

23.  Has anyone ever made fun of you or looked at you weird for liking kpop?  

I mean, yes…1000x yes, I was made fun of for loving kpop all the time. Once again, I got into kpop in 2003 y’all….which was before the internet was easily accessible in my home so I felt like the only person in America who liked kpop at the time. Not even my closest friends were into it and they felt like I was just a massive weirdo for loving it as much as I did. Thankfully, I found a community online of international kpop enthusiasts like myself to talk to in around 2005 (since I finally was able to save up for a bulky ass laptop) and that helped me feel less alone and bullied.

24.  What is the cringiest thing you did when you were starting to get into kpop? 

By the time kpop came into my life, I was already a set up Weeaboo, so…really I just became a deeper version of that…I was like an embarrassing kaiju cultural appropriation combo of Weeaboo and Koreaboo. I would make my own tshirts for TVXQ and just wear them out and about. They were SO BADLY MADE because I had no idea what I was doing but I thought I was so smart and stylish at the time. I also made CDs of Jpop and Kpop for people around school to hand out at lunch...I cringe just thinking about it.

25.  How long does it take you to learn the names of each member in a group?

I’ve stopped learning members names nowadays LOL…I am too old for that shit and just don’t care enough anymore. (For past reference though, it took me about one week to remember all of TVXQ.)

26.  Are you a gg, bg, or middle/coed stan? 

Boy group stan

27.  If you could hang out with one idol, who would you hang out with? 

Shim Changmin of TVXQ….he’s my forever bias and I wanna hang out with his puppies and have a meal with him...ask him what he wants to do with the rest of his life once idol-dom is over.

28.  Who is the bias to your third favorite group? 

I guess that would be Monsta X so…uhm…it was Wonho but apparently, he isn’t in the group anymore…

29.  What name from your native language would you give your ult bias? 

What would I name Changmin in English? He already has a stage name that’s in English, which is Max. I am not sure what this question is asking LOL  (also, who the fuck still calls Changmin, Max? I thought we dropped that shit back in 2006.)

30.  Thought on fanfiction/AUs/etc?  

I think it is great and gets fans to think more creatively and figure out where their talents lay! I used to write a lot of JaeMin and HoMin fanfiction back in the day…now I write mostly Destiel (Dean and Castiel from Supernatural) fanfiction.

[ltjlily17]

The truth about vampires

Let’s start off with some basics. What’s your name? Rachel How old are you? 35 What’s your hair and eye color? Green eyes, brown to teal hair. How tall are you? 5′6″

What’s your relationship status? Married Alright, enough of that. Let’s move on to the random shit. What’s your favorite song? Mayonaise by the Smashing Pumpkins, Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton and In Your Atmosphere by John Mayer. What does that song mean? What is the message behind it? They are all pretty different theme wise, but all three really evoke a feeling. Is it your favorite because you relate to it, or do you just like the beat? They’re all more guitar heavy than having a beat, the lyrics and overall feeling the songs provide are what really get m, though. Have any pets? If so, what are they and what’s their names? I have a dog named Finn, and a cat named Mateo. Have you ever met your idol? If so, were they nice or were they kind of an ass? I don’t have an idol. What’s your favorite method of gaming? (PC, Xbox, Playstation, etc) Either the Switch or my laptop. Xbox is fine, but I guess I prefer a handheld type device.  If you’re in college, what’s your major and why did you pick it? I am not in college. My major when I attended varied between visual communications, education and IT. I didn’t choose nor graduate. How’re you doing today? Meh, theres a lot going on around me with people I care about. I was talking to a friend earlier about how most people are stressed or unhapy this time of year, which is really not my experience. I love buying gifts for others, decorating and baking, so this is generally a good time for me. What color are your bedroom walls? Ugh, like a pastel yellow. I really dislike the color. I have painted some grey paint splotches on one wall to see which one I liked most, but I’ve never gotten around to actually painting. Describe your favorite shirt. I don’t know that I have a favorite. I typically wear a shirt I got from John Mayer’s last tour the most- its got a cool fish and cat graphic on it. Use this space to tell someone off. I’ve no one to tell off. What’s your view on smart watches? Cool or a waste of money? I have one. I like it. I really like watches in general, though and I feel a little sad I don’t wear the analog ones anymore, but I’d miss the functionality of the smartwatch. What is one poster that you have hanging on your bedroom wall of? I don’t have anything hanging on the walls in my room. We have slanted ceilings, so there isn’t even enough space for a poster. My room was covered in band posters as a teenager, though. How many times have you moved in your life? I lived at home til 20, lived with my first roommate til 25, a townhouse with a friend and my now husband for a year, an apt with my now husband for 4 years and now our house for 5 years. If you moved, do you like where you are now better than where you were? I’ve stayed in pretty much the same area, but living in our house is definitely better than the one bedroom apartment we were in. What’s your favorite color and why? Grey. Darker earthy tones. Do you have a calendar? If so, what’s the theme? Nope. Just use my watch/phone. Have any famous person’s autographs? I do on some concert tickets from when I was younger. Do you draw well? Depends on your perspective, to my non-artistic friends, they think I’m amazing. The artistic friends, probably just roll their eyes lol. What type of cell phone do you have? iPhone X. Should you be doing anything else right now or are you just bored? I finally finished the wedding I had been editing and the only other project I have right now is the paint by number of our dog I got for my husband as a gift, but he’s here, so it has to wait. Finishing that wedding was a huge weight off my shoulders.

If you’re in school/college, what’s your favorite subject and why? Not in school. Maybe now that I’m done with the wedding I’ll start exploring some learning opportunities. Are you a cat or a dog person? Why? I would’ve always said cat until I got a dog. There are a lot of things about dogs I was really not into, but I love my dog so much. Personality wise, I’m more of a cat person, but in practice I like dogs. Tell me about the plot of your favorite book. I have several. One has a ghost that rings a bell around a mounted moose’s head. Do you wear glasses or contacts? Glasses. What do you think about horror movies? I like them. I’ve seen a lot of old ones. Back in the day, my mom and I would go to Blockbuster and I’d get a different horror movie every week. If you love them (I do), what’s your favorite? Nightmare on Elm Stree is a classic for me. It Follows is probably the one that fucked me up the most. Got any cool Christmas presents picked out for family or friends yet? I’ve got all my gifts purchsed except for the hub. He sent me a ridiculous wish list that included a suit of armor and a castle and then decided he didn’t want any gifts this year. I’m running out of time to figure something out. Do you do Black Friday shopping or wait for Cyber Monday? Neither. I’m definitely not going to go out on Black Friday and deal with all those people for junk I don’t need. As for Cyber Monday, I don’t really pay much attention to any of the deals and don’t really buy more on that day than I would on any other. Have any mental illnesses? Not encompassing enough to get any kinda of diagnosis. What’s your favorite word and why? No idea.  What is the most expensive thing you own, and what is it? My car? I mean, I don’t outright own it yet. Singular item, my MacBook or iMac, I guess.  Did you buy that item yourself? Yes, I bought the macbook and iMac after I left my job at Cassano’s and needed a new laptop since my previous one was owned by the company. Where do you work and what is your position? *I am currently unemployed. How often do you cuss? A fair amount. Maybe just a little bit more than whomever I’m talking to. What type of car do you drive, if any? I have a 2012 Volvo s60. Are you happy with it? If no, what’s your dream car? I prefer to drive my car than my husbands, but I’m like 50/50 on liking it. Right now, my dream vehicles are the new Land Rover Defender or an Audi Q8. Do you have a lot of social media accounts? Which ones? I have Instagram, Facebook LinkedIn and Tumblr. I very rarely post on any of them. I use snapchat a lot, though, if that counts. What is your favorite genre of music? My Spotify year end review said I listen to Pop, Rock, Indie, Folk and Emo the most. In that order. Does your family have holiday traditions? If so, what are they? Nope. My fmaily just barely cobbles themselves together for major holidays. If you’re in a relationship, are you happy with it? Sure. People are breaking up around us, and it really makes me appreciate the relationship my husband and I have, even if it doesn’t always feel like its going as well as it is. How long have you been with your significant other? Just hit the 10 year mark. Do you like psychology? (It’s my college major). Nah. Never really been something I’m too interested in. What is something your state is popularly known for? College football I guess.  Do you like to do craft projects? If so, what’s the coolest thing you made? I do. I recently drew a bunch of Dungeons and Dragons monsters to use as ornaments on a tree in my dining room where my husband and his friends play Dungeons and Dragons on Sundays. I’ve made some painting as house warming gifts or nursery art for friends children that they’ve hung up and thats nice to see. Do you watch sports or do you think they’re overrated? Nah. Not really a fan. What’s one occupation you think gets paid too much and doesn’t deserve to? Meh, I don’t know that I want to hate on any specific occupation. The extremely rich do bother me, however, with how much money they make, often at their employees detriment. Do you straigthen your hair? Not usually. I have more lately, since its getting long again. I’m more likely to do the loose waves thing, though. Ever dyed your hair a color that isn’t natural? (blue, pink, etc) Yes, it is currently teal. How’s your relationship with your parents? Relationship with my mom is okay, none with my dad. Do you still live with them or do you have your own house? I live in my own home. What’s something you are currently saving money for to buy? Hmm, nothing. The couple of items I want at the moment, I asked for on my Christmas list. Do you smoke/vape? If so, what brand do you smoke/what device do you use? Nope, I’ve never smoked. Ever done drugs? Nope. Tell me one of your worst habits. Picking at my cuticles? What’s a weird quirk you have that no one else you know does? No idea, I kind of doubt that theres something I do that no one else ever does. If you game, what type of headset do you use? I don’t ever need a headset. What type of computer do you own, and do you like it? I have a MacBook Pro. I used to have an Air and I loved it, but my husband talked me into getting the Pro instead and I regret it.  What’s the thing that annoys you the most? When my husband asks google to make his cellphone ring at max volume without even trying to look for it. Today, it was in his pocket. What brand of TV do you have? Samsung. Are you excited for Christmas? (It’s December 1st today when I made this) Kind of? I love how cozy my house feels with all the decorations.  Tell me about your favorite vacation you’ve taken. We went to New York for my birthday/anniversary/Halloween 2 years ago. Tell me something cool about yourself. I am not cool? Did/do you get good grades in school/college? Not in my middle school/high school years. What’s your ringtone on your phone? Vibrate. What’s your favorite store to shop in? The internet. If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would buy and why? I have no idea. I’d probably sit on the money for a long time and then once I finally broke the seal, buy a bunch of stuff. How long have you had a Bzoink account? Don’t have one. Ever been to Field of Screams? If so, what’s your favorite attraction? Nope. Do you own a Polaroid camera? I have an Instax camera. Do you have hardwood floor in your room or carpet? The two bedrooms upstairs have carpet, but the rest of the house is hardwood. It’s a Saturday night, what are you typically doing? Relaxing at home, most likely. Doing a crossword puzzle, probably. Do you have a lot of friends or do you not have any at all? I have a couple. What’s your all time favorite movie and why? I don’t know, really. I watch the Iron Man movies and Thor Ragnarok the most these days. How many blankets do you sleep with at night? A sheet and comforter. What’s the last TV show you watched? Did you enjoy it? The Mandalorian. I do enjoy it.  Do you prefer cable TV or do you use Netflix? We have cable, but never really watch it. Everything we want to watch is only Netflix or Disney+. What is your dream job and why? I have no idea. Need to get to thinking on that. Do you think you would be a good therapist? I do. I think I can listen to people and help them come to their own answers pretty well. What’s your favorite brand of clothing? I don’t know that I have a favorite. Anything that fits well and has a lot of sales lol.

[shawnssongs]

Bastille!!!

Top 10 songs ever...

Okay, so I can’t answer this because I’m really indecisive, but here are 10 that popped in my head, plus a list of a bunch of people and groups I love below, but if you want a better/more specific list, I’d love to make a top 10 list for certain genres or decades of music. Examples being 80’s, today’s hits, 2000’s, R&B, chill, country & such.

Misery by Maroon 5: Honestly this has always been one of my favorite songs. I love anything that was from old Maroon 5z I’m not a huge fan of their newer stuff.

Because I Had You by Shawn Mendes: I’m not sure why I love this song so much. Maybe it’s the vibe. The key it’s in is perfect for Shawn’s voice, and it is absolutely amazing live.

Gravity by John Mayer: Tbh anything John Mayer is great. Gravity has great lyrics, soothing music, a nice guitar solo, and it’s definitely one of my favorite songs to listen too when I’m in a chill mood.

The Chain by Fleetwood Mac: Fleetwood Mac is just amazing in general, but the chain is probably one of their most catchy/most popular songs, and it definitely isn’t overrated for no reason. (Also does anyone else think Miley Cyrus sounds like Stevie Nicks? Or is that just me?)

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen: Yes, this is obvious, but as overplayed and annoying as it gets, it’s definitely one of the greatest musical compositions of its time. As a music nerd, it’s hard not to love that song and everything that went into it. (Honestly, if I just want to listen to some good Queen, Fat Bottomed Girls is probably my go to song lol).

The Scientist by Coldplay: Honestly anything by Coldplay is absolutely amazing. One of my favorite groups of all time. That’s really all I have to say.

The Way You Make Me Feel (or literally anything) by Michael Jackson: I grew up listening to him. He was just such a talented person, and I really respect all of his music.

Blow by Ed Sheeran, Chris Stapleton, and Bruno Mars: Okay, this is new, but honestly I’m just recommending each of these three artists. When you look at the three of them, you would not expect a collab at all, and you definitely wouldn’t expect it to work out, but somehow they made an amazing song and I really respect and love the voices of all three of them.

Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield: Okay, obvious again but I’ve always loved this song, and I saw Rick in concert a month ago and he is in his 60’s I believe, and he still sounds exactly the same as when he was younger. I truly love and gain so much respect for any artist that sounds just as great live as they do in their recordings. Rick is amazing, and he’s a great actor too lmao.

Best Day Of My Life by American Authors: This song is just a great summer uplifting song, and honestly I’m mostly putting it on here because like I said, I respect anyone that’s just as great live as they are in the recordings, and when I saw them, they were absolutely amazing.

These are definitely not my top 10 songs of all time, and I honestly don’t think I could EVER pick 10. This is kind of just a list of the first few I could think of. Anyway, some more songs I love are any song by any of the artists I mentioned above, as well as songs like, are you gonna be my girl by jet, anything by U2 or Journey or Men at Work, Kenny Loggins, Stevie Wonder, The Weeknd, Nickelback (yes I love them), Kid Cudi, Daughtry (No surprise is great), Usher, The Beatles, The Script, Tame Impala, The 1975, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and way too many more to think of. Khalid (Another Sad Love Song is my favorite), some of the Jonas Brothers songs (Happy When I’m Sad is one of my favorites).

I’m missing a ton of people, of course. This is so hard for me to even think of everyone honestly.

I have a WIDE music selection range, so it might be easier to pick songs if I had a certain genre or time period to pick from. If you want a better list or a top 10 list of a certain genre of music or music from a certain decade, please let me know.

[foggy-demon]

harvest, amber, maize

harvest: what fictional character do you most identify with and why?

Ron weasley 🥴

hes often overshadowed by siblings/friends, he makes jokes that sometimes get him in trouble, he argues easily, and he can be salty as fuck. only difference is that he's more generous and I'm more confident.

amber: share an unpopular opinion

I'm gonna share a few because I love to rant.

1. ariana grande is overrated. I'm sorry, she is.

2. peppa pig memes aren't funny

3. greatest showman is extremely overrated. the music is pretty much just basic pop songs we've all heard before and the story is glorifying a man who did not do wonderful things like they say he did and who in fact was a really bad person. dont fucking make movies about bad people pretending that they were great. just dont

4. Hamilton is hugely overrated. the music is good and all, but people need to chill. the fandom is out of control and I hear people who are so obsessed with Hamilton and I'm just like...... still?

maize: what's the weirdest encounter you've ever had with a stranger?

the thing is, I don't talk to strangers, like at all. I automatically assume the worst so I kind of put on a front that keeps strangers from approaching me because I don't want to end up in a conversation with a creepy person (it's happened before). but if I had to pick something...... idk, maybe the time a creepy middle aged to older man approached me and my friends (nat u were there) and was asking us about school and stuff and being really fuckin creepy. looking back it was sketchy asf

anyway you're welcome for finally answering this ask a month later lol

it's almost 1 am and I did this because I'm stalling going to bed

anyway yeaaaaah