Phantom in Gotham 8
Chapter 7
Once Danny made it to his room tonight, all of the excitement for the day drained out of him. Looking at the bedside clock he could see it was 12:30am, and sighed. Danny went and sat on the bed, which was probably the softest thing he’d ever sat on in his life. He patted the comforter, marveling in the bat-themed bedspread. He wondered if everyone in Gotham had bat-themed stuff decorating their house. The rest of the room was sparsely decorated, but Danny could see a change of clothes folded on the dresser among the empty desk, side table, and adjacent bathroom.
Sighing again, Danny laid back on the bad, plopping onto the covers. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do now. It would be suspicious for him to leave now, considering the manor had pretty good security and no normal kid would be able to get out undetected. Danny frowned, besides, he couldn’t do that to Alfred. He shivered just picturing the disappointed look the old man would give him if he was caught sneaking out. Plus, he couldn’t leave before making sure Alfred and Damian would be okay in the blizzard. Weather like this could be unpredictable, Danny thought, eyeing the old rickety ceiling of the manor.
Danny was staying, at least for now, he thought. It would be easier to pass the time until morning if he could sleep, Danny mused. He’d grown tired of figuring out what his ghostly sleep-schedule would be, so he figured it was easier to go without sleep until he passed out rather than lying awake in bed for hours without sleeping. He kind of wished he had a book to pass the time. Maybe he’d explore the manor, Danny mused, pushing himself up to standing. He listened for a minute for anyone making noise, glancing around for cameras. After finding nothing, he closed his eyes, whispering,”Going Ghost,” As the ever familiar white rings formed around his waist, traveling up and down to reveal his ghost form. The familiar feeling of cold death washed over him, and he stretched. Silently, he looked around again, and upon hearing and seeing nothing new, he turned invisible and intangible, and zoomed up and out of the roof.
Danny whooped as he looped around the skies, happy to finally be able to stretch his wings after such a stressful day. He briefly thought about going to grab his stuff from the Pizzeria, but dismissed it for being too suspicious. At least he had his phone with him, he mused. Danny busied himself with checking out the neighborhood, a little in awe at how much snow was piled up, and still falling. Phantom laughed, holding his hand out to catch some snowflakes.
Ever since the Accident, winter had become Danny’s favorite season. With the development of his ice powers, he wasn’t too surprised, seeing his core was more relaxed in the cold. Being out in the snow like this felt like a breath of fresh air to Danny, and after about an hour of flying he finally returned to the Manor. He stopped by his room first just to check if anyone came by to check on him, but found the door to still be locked.
Unsure of where to go next, Danny picked a random direction before floating down the hallway. He refrained from going into any rooms on the off chance he’d find someone’s bedroom, so he just followed the hallways. Danny’s eyes widened when he came across a ballroom, and wondered just how big the mansion was. Did Vlad’s castle have a ballroom? Danny thought. He couldn’t remember, but he thought a ballroom would be perfect for a castle like his to have. Danny hung around a bit more before continuing on, this time coming across a pool. “Woah,”Danny whispered. It was huge, but even more exciting was the giant pile of pool floaties in the corner. After a minute of convincing himself to leave the floaties alone, Danny sat on the edge of the pool, sticking his ghostly boots in the water and marveling how the water moved with him invisible.
Absently, Danny wondered if this would show up on any cameras in the pool house, but continued to entertain himself by turning intangible and not a few times while staying invisible. Danny let out a breath. After getting nabbed by Red Hood, he had been more than a little stressed about what this meant for him going forward. Obviously he knew the most likely scenario would be for the Waynes to call CPS. Even if Hood and Alfred mentioned other options, he really didn’t want to be stuck in someone else's house. For one, they’d probably look into his background, and two, take him to a doctor of some sort to make sure he didn’t get any diseases from staying in an abandoned restaurant for a few months. Danny shivered, but not from the chilly pool water. If they found out he was… less than human, or even just a very sick child, it would make his whole situation worse.
Danny floated up absently, hanging in the middle of the room for a bit. Red Hood was confusing to him. He hadn’t known a whole lot about the guy before meeting him as Phantom and getting rid of his grumpy ectoplasm. It was certainly a coincidence that Hood managed to find Danny, but he figured the man kept track of all the stuff that went down in his territory. Danny tilted his head, agreeing that if he were the vigilante and found a homeless teenager about to be swarmed by a blizzard, he’d do the same thing.
Either way, Danny was pretty sure Red Hood didn’t know Danny and Phantom were the same. Still, it was nerve-wracking for him to meet the same person in both forms, especially one who now knew about halfas and ghosts. Danny’d regret telling him, but he knew how scary it could be to have your body change because of ectoplasm and not know anything about why or what’s going on. His core hummed happily at the reminder of Phantom helping the older vigilante. Yeah, he mused, it was the right thing to do.
Danny hovered through some walls, and eventually stopped at what looked like a giant library. Delighted, Danny flew over to the shelves, skimming over the covers. It looked like he was in the rom com section, so he perused a bit until he found a mystery novel section. Danny read some covers before reaching out, only to snatch his hand back. He didn’t know if there were any cameras throughout the library, and floating books would be weird. Even weirder if the book ended up in Danny’s room. He sighed, before perking up. He strode back to his room, making note of how to get back to the library.
Transforming back to his human form as soon as he reached his room, Danny turned to the door. Easing it open, he peeked out into the hall. Upon seeing empty hallways, he creeped down to the library, which was actually a long ways from his own room. He put a bit of ghostliness into his steps to make them silent, and a smile lit up his face when he managed to open the door to the library. Looking around again he tiptoed his way to the mystery section and picked out the one that caught his eye, ‘Name of the Star’. Danny made his way to the couch by the entrance with the book, and settled down to read. He smirked at the description when he read it was about a girl who could see ghosts.
Hours later, around 5:30, Danny set the book down on a side table, eager to return to it later but unsure if he’d be able to take it to his room. He traversed back to his room with a pep in his step. It had been a long time since he’d been able to cook with Jazz, so he was looking forward to helping Alfred prepare meals. He wondered how many people lived in the manor, and how many they’d be cooking for.
Danny shrugged, slipping into his room and putting on the clothes left out for him. They were similar to his regular outfits, with slightly baggy jeans and a plain gray t-shirt. It fit surprisingly well, and Danny wondered if someone his age lived in the manor. No way were the clothes belonging to Damian, since the kid was a few inches shorter than Danny. Shrugging, he made his way to the kitchen.
Danny hoped he would get to make pancakes.
Chapter 9
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Ari's K-Pop Roundup: July 2024 (aespa, KATSEYE, KISS OF LIFE, STAYC, tripleS, + MORE)
last months installment ✦ full masterlist
welcome back to episode SIX (!!!) of this review series I started back in february - I've tried a lot of review formats in my time on kpop tumblr, but this one feels the most fun to do, and is by far the most well received. thanks so much to everyone who likes, reblogs, or even just reads these rambles, I appreciate it so much <333 This month was pretty fun from the get go so lets go get into it ~ ari
Hot Mess - aespa
A month and a half after their first korean full album, aespa have dropped their first proper foray into Japanese releases with 'Hot Mess'.
This is a classic aespa style track, like something off the 'Savage' or 'Girls' mini albums. Powered by a distorted trumpet base melody and filled with vocals delivered with a hyperconfident attitude, 'Hot Mess' is very Bratz doll, very Y2K. The chorus is reasonably catchy, but the verses fall somewhat short in my opinion, and the post chorus feels slightly out of place? The bones for a great song exist within 'Hot Mess', but for me the song peaks at 'good'. Is it anywhere near on the level of 'Supernova' or 'Amargeddon'? No, but it is cute and shows off the aespa members' skills well, as a debut song should do.
Giselle, as the member who speaks the most Japanese, is the BEST on this song, she sounds the most comfortable in her delivery and the tone of the song suits her style perfectly. Ningning is also a huge highlight of this track.
'Sun and Moon' is a classic SM style b-side, half way to a dance track, half way to a ballad. Where 'Hot Mess' highlighted vocal tone, 'Sun and Moon' emphasizes vocal range and the runs the members can pull off - in that sense it is the perfect b-side for a song like 'Hot Mess'. It's an easy hit, I like it a lot.
'ZOOM ZOOM' has actually already been released, so I won't delve into that one today, but the tl/dr is that it's a 10/10 aespa dance track that is forgotten about FAR TOO OFTEN.
Overall, this was fun. 'Hot Mess' didn't quite do it for me as much as I would have liked, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The b-sides are great, and as a debut, it works well. With their influence on the Y3K aesthetic in japan, success over there is inevitable and I'm wishing the best for them as always.
Touch - KATSEYE
If nothing else can be said about 'Touch', at least it was a decent song this time around.
Let's not lie, you can hear the PinkPantheress print on this song as well as I can, and while that results in an enjoyable song, it does not bode well for the future of KATSEYE. The derivative nature of 'Touch' isn't inherently bad - PinkPantheress coded songs have been popping up in kpop frequently over the past year or so (though granted never quite as obviously referential as this), but contextually the song is a bizarre choice. Even though their 'Debut' was released last month, KATSEYE is still extremely fresh on the scene, and every choice they make right now in musical, conceptual and creative direction will impact how they are perceived by global audiences.
Making music that sounds like a another artist will almost always tarnish your reputation and brand as a soloist/group UNLESS the artist you are emulating caters to an entirely different market. For example, ILLIT got backlash from kpop fans both inside and outside of Korea for emulating the sound of NewJeans, but the discussion of Tinashe's undeniable influence on kpop is limited to select groups of international fans. KATSEYE are trying to appeal to the western market presumably, so while 'Touch' imitating PinkPantheress may result in a few million streams and TikTok song of the hour status, it does nothing to build a brand, create a signature sound, and make a name for KATSEYE outside of kpop. Not to mention, it sounds unconnected from 'Debut' sonically, tonally, and conceptually, further meddling with any chance they have of building an iconic (in the original sense) discography.
However, this concept did seem to suit some of the girls better, Yoonchae especially seemed comfortable taking the centre this time, she was the star of the song for sure.
I would be remiss if i didn't bring up the song length after bitching about it so heavily last time, so here we go for round two. From 'Debut' clocking in at an appalling 2 minutes and three seconds, the HYBE overlords have blessed us with SIX MORE SECONDS on 'Touch'!!! At least this song calls for a bridge slightly less than 'Debut' did, but regardless this is absurd. I may be glad that the recession has triggered a resurgence in upbeat pop music from the west with BRAT summer and all that, but if it means song length shrinking by minute every year, I'm not sure if it's worth it.
Sticky - KISS OF LIFE
Kiss Of Life are just KILLING it, every release has been fucking incredible and 'Sticky' is no exception. Built on a foundation of afrobeats and powered by spirited vocal runs from all the members, 'Sticky' is the perfect song for the summer. It doesn't over-complicate itself, this is a song all about wearing short-shorts in the blaring July heat and having a blast with your friends. the melodies aren't especially new but they are classic and highly enjoyable. Hanuel is the beating heart of this song. Her vocal tone is on the more nasal side which usually means she's delegated to the verses or adlibs while Natty takes the frontline, but in 'Sticky' she is centre stage and I couldn't be happier about it. Natty and Belle take the post chorus sounding incredible as always, and Julie punches up the verses and post chorus ad-libs with her citrus-esque vocal tones. All the girls come together on the chorus in a chant thats been stuck in my head since I heard it. This and Chuu's 'Strawberry Rush' are my songs of the summer.
If 'Sticky' is a midday bike ride along the beach, 'Te Quiero' is a midnight beach party lit by campfires and neon swimsuits. Its the perfect b-side for 'Sticky', equally as addictive but slightly more unique in its construction. The strings on this track are to die for, and the lyrics are surprisingly enjoyable too.
A great single album for the summer months, Kiof have done it again - are we surprised?
Cheeky Icy Thang - STAYC
STAYC's last couple of releases, 'Bubble' and 'Teddy Bear' have been highly divisive, and while they didn't perform poorly by any means domestically, they were pretty unpopular among international kpop listeners. It seems HighUp recognized this lack of interest, and when the head prophet said the omens were right for STAYC to have a full album, they dropped the more childish concept and circled right back to 'RUN2U' - and now we have 'Cheeky Icy Thang'.
To be honest, the first couple of times i heard this song I didn't get it. My main impression was that it was messy - there were too many elements fighting for dominance, too many hooks, too many words in one line. And while I do still stand by some of those elements (you cannot convince me Sieun says 'rock' in the line 'on-the-rock whiskey ring-a-ring ding-dong'), but now I see the song as more maximalist than messy. I consider 'RUN2U' to be one of the most polished and well executed kpop songs of all time, and 'Cheeky Icy Thang' is not that at all - but it's charm comes in how rough and chaotic it is. While yes, the lyrics did need a second draft in some cases, notable exceptions being Sieun's '미녀와 야수면 내가 Beast' in the intro (excellent, no notes), the song's structure is genuinely a masterpiece - J's subversive pre-chorus having that tinny answerphone layer was amazing, easily the best part of the song. The production is top tier throughout, but that is to be expected from Black Eyed Pilseung.
It's difficult to pinpoint what exactly is so charming and subversive about 'Cheeky Icy Thang', because on paper it is neither something new for STAYC, nor something new for the industry at large in terms of concept or sonic style. However, what this song does that is so odd for kpop is that it does not put all of its eggs in one basket at all. Kpop songs, especially kpop songs post the TikTok era (thanks SO MUCH for that Zico), tend to be top heavy, and concentrate all the fun and creativity and catchiness into the chorus. 'Cheeky icy Thang' does not do that - the verses are a treat, the pre-chorus is a stunner, the breakdowns are groovy, and the chorus leaves us just satiated enough to keep listening. Crucially, 'Cheeky Icy Thang' cannot be compressed, and while they undoubtedly will make a dance challenge out of it, you cannot get the full experience of this song from a 20 second soundbite, as you can with so many other songs coming out right now.
### - tripleS
Lack of music video aside, '###' is the perfect tripleS japanese debut. A lovechild of anime intros and tripleS's iconic maximalist sound with a tS trademark 'lalala' post chorus, EVERYTHING about '###' is deliciously addictive. It's hyper-cute to the point of psychosis, and the members vocal delivery is perfectly imperfect.
Like a year ago I started yapping about what I called 'love island pop', and with this review I would like to introduce another micro-genre my prefrontal cortex cooked up 'Rhythm Heaven Fever pop'. Basically, music that sounds like it wouldn't be out of place in a Wii U rhythm game from 2011. '###' fits this perfectly, other notable examples being 'Dumb Dumb', 'Rookie' and '#Cookie Jar' - Red Velvet, and 'BBoom BBoom' - Momoland. This is the kind of music that keeps kpop going in my opinion, it's been a steady undercurrent of the trending sounds over the last 3 generations, and I am more than glad to see tripleS stoking the embers.
Such an unabashedly FUN song, it never takes itself seriously and that works FULLY in it's favour. Definitely a must-listen track from the July roster.
MINI REVIEWS:
[ALBUM] MINISERIES 2 - SUMIN & Slom: Wasn't sure if I should include this since it's not really kpop, but what the fuck SUMIN IS BACK BABY and yeah its another FUCKING BANGER of an album. Just go listen to it. I might do a separate review of it because it's just that good, so expect that in the next 2-5 business years. Just go stream it.
Klaxon - (G)-IDLE: For all I don't really like (G)-IDLE's music, I can usually admit that it is at least catchy. And yet, somehow Klaxon is not that catchy? The first line of the hook feels like a bizarre Frank Sinatra interpolation, and that post chorus does most of the heavy lifting for this track. Overall, this felt pretty derivative, but hey, sometimes a throwback isn't the worst.
FOREVER - BABYMONSTER: Babymonster are leaps and bounds away from my stan list, and even though this is vaguely something different from them (not really, it's just that there isn't an empty chorus), it's once again not for me. The vocal mixing on this song is very odd and as a result any emotion or power the girls used in their vocals is totally lost and tonally the song falls flat. The key change in the final chorus is a nice touch, and Pharita and Haram especially shine on this track. The fact that this was somewhat 'something new' gives me hope though - perhaps all is not lost over at YG. Perhaps.
Something Ain't Right - XG: XG are so consistent in the quality of their releases it's actually insane - from the production to the hooks to the vocal direction this is such a fun song. I don't know if I love it as much as TGIF or New Dance from X-GENE, but it's a very solid release. XG are well and truly the ones to watch, and the dichotomy between this and 'Woke Up' proves that perfectly.
Let It Burn - H1-KEY: You know, this was so close to being one of several contenders to be included on my mini reviews segment that just get cut, but this release really shocked me. I went in with almost no knowledge of H1-KEY, I had heard of them, but I had no idea what the concept was, who the girls were or even how many of them there were. 'Let it Burn' is a fucking delight from start to finish. A lot of these kpop takes on punk rock anthems fall flat for me, but this one keeps it honest and heartfelt throughout. The lyrics are honestly a delight, the chorus is fun, but the verses are the real star of the show, snappy and well delivered, and backed by a clean, classic hip-hop beat. You probably missed this track this month, and I would definitely recommend a listen.
JUSTICE - Dreamcatcher: Trust me, I am SO CLOSE to getting dreamcatcher to click for me, and 'Justice' proves that. It's lowkey fucking amazing, SO well executed. I truly think I am one discography deep dive away from falling in love with DC, this song is SUCH A BANGER. I really appreciate how DC never sacrifices their unique sound for whats trending, no one else is doing what they are doing, and holy hell are they doing it well.
Don't - LEE CHAE YEON: It's cute? I guess? Not overly spectacular, but not spectacularly awful either. I still don't know who the fuck Charlie is.
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