#actually yeah i think i don't listen 2 much music bc i don't feel like looking for something new semantically

[kuromi-hoemie]

hi ^^ last 5 songs you've listened to?

hmm in chronological order between last night n today i think it was these? i don't stop 2 listen to music much 0: i like to think and listen to the wind or birds or whatever (❁´◡`❁) also for yeah glo! i was watching the music video again specifically ☝🏾 u can look up the song name on my blog if ur interested

[trigunsbbygirl]

I read both your Vash and Knives reverse isekais and loved them. I wad just sad that the brothers were split up again, so what if you wrote both brothers appearing in our world? That way they can be together and be happy?

ofc!! they deserve to be happy and just be silly little brothers together again hhbmmn

anyways sorry in advance I think I was possessed by like Miku or smth bc I do not shut up about music for the first like 600 words idek why

also kinda bring up potential v relationship for a bullet point or two, but yeah, many thoughts on the two of them..

•do not split them up! (I say after having split them up lol)

•but what I mean is, congratulations! you now have two(2) roommates!🎉 (rip if you live in a v small apartment lol)

•like I said in my Knives isekai hcs, he gets into composing music, but! this time Vash learns along with him and they make music together often. when they collaborate the songs usually end up being longer than 5 minutes and they always have intense emotions put into them. there'll be a soothing piano/violin/flute part before it crescendos into chaos.

•this is kinda their way of dealing with their past with eachother. they haven't talked about it all yet, (they will eventually, it's just a very big can of worms to open that will probably take years to go through and neither one is quite ready) but for now, making music together like this is how they deal with it,,

•over time, especially after Vash and Nai have started deailing with everything,, their songs together do get less anguished, pained and sad, and overall feel much more light. they took a bit of a break during that time, but after the two got past the hardest parts, they wanted to make a new song together and it was rather peaceful. a bit melancholic at times but the song ended happy.

•Vash gets into writing lyrics more than Nai does, although Nai does read over Vash's work and gives suggestions when asked. but when Nai does write lyrics, damn does he do an amazing job.

•Vash does the singing too! unfortunately, I don't think Nai would be too into singing, maybe just being a low harmony just barely audible against Vash's voice and the music. it's a shame, he probably has an insanely good singing voice;(

•if you're into singing Vash begs you to sing the songs he writes, even if you're not great at it. if you agree, he's got the biggest grin on his face, his eyes sparkling. Vash listens very intently, taking in the way you sing every note and syllable. he's committing it to memory and when you're done, Vash bombards you with compliments, saying you should sing more.

•Nai is a little more subtle with asking you to sing any songs he writes, but the way he stares at you a day after you sang for Vash is not. Nai won't ask for you to sing for him, rather, waiting for you to come to him and ask. (it's something Vash is trying to work on with Nai, that it's okay to ask for stuff and that you won't appear weak or next or whatever. idk how to explain it but I hc Nai trying to twist his wants/emotions to appear that you want it rather than him bc of pride and stubbornness? if that makes sense)

•anyways, you tell Vash about Nai staring at you a lot lately, and Vash thinks for a moment before saying he thinks Nai just wants you to sing for him, but he's just stubborn. Vash suggests that you ask if you could sing one of Nai's songs since he doesn't think Nai will actually ask.

•when Nai is listening to you sing, he switches between listening with his eyes closed and watching you carefully. it's honestly a little nerve-racking, but when you're done singing he opens his eyes with a small smile barely showing on his face and says, "you have a nice voice."

so sorry I went crazy with music for a second anyways

•Vash forces Nai to join in on movie night every weekend. Nai doesn't really care about movies but Vash loves them and there's so many he wants to see!

•Nai will watch them but he's got a scowl on his face the whole time, especially if it's a romance or comedy. or both.. he does like mystery and horror movies if they're done well. (I think he'd really like 1982 The Thing (much to Vash's dismay.) Nai really likes the practical effects and mood of it.)

•Nai is also lowkey really happy that he can watch cowboy movies again. unless a movie has really caught his eye, he usually picks westerns. they both really like Rango!

•Vash on the other hand, hates horror movies, especially if they're gorey. but, it was Nai's turn to choose so he'll try to endure it. he stays glued to your side, hugging your arm, and if he's too scared by the end, Vash will ask to sleep with you.

•Vash loves animated movies and comedies! he rewatches a lot of movies like Into the Spiderverse, Puss in Boots. he loves signing along to songs in movies, it's really cute.

•stupid thought that just came up but, if somehow Vash hadn't learned about rabbits and he watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail, he'd sit there wondering if that's what rabbits are actually like.

•there's a song called SEKAI-chan and KAFU-chan's Errand Ensemble and I can envision Vash and Nai having moments like the song.

like Vash wants a certain food, but they don't have ingredients and Nai is like just wait, we're going to the store tomorrow we'll have this instead. but Vash refuses and forces Nai to do rock-paper-scissors, and when Vash wins he's forcing Nai out the door.

•Vash usually forces Nai to go shopping with him. the times that he doesn't, Nai notices that Vash buys a lot of donuts and so Nai brings himself with everytime now so it doesn't happen again. Vash whines saying that they're cheap, but Nai argues that they've got so much dessert at home thanks to Vash already, they don't need more. Vash has a donut restriction now;( 3 a week and he can only bring a box home once a month. the only exception is when Vash makes the donuts himself. you guys always have so many donuts.

•Vash and Nai get insanely good at Mario Kart and they're both brutal too. they get really good at sniping with green shells and bananas it's a little scary. so, good luck getting first. Vash may be nicer and cheer you on if you get into first, but Nai is ruthless and competitive;; (okay there may be a few times where he let's you win but he'll never admit it, even if it's obvious.)

•they aren't afraid to play dirty either lol. they'll punch and push eachother and Nai will use his blade tentacles(?) to try and obscure Vash's vision. Vash will try to just grab Nai's controller and keep it away from him.

•you know it's just silly sibling rivalry, but sometimes you worry it'll just turn into a fist fight. it never actually does and when they're done playing Vash turns to Nai and says "haha good games, I had fun:)" and Nai replies, "likewise."

•it's the same with other games like that too.

•while Nai is more into cooking, Vash loves baking! you always come home to see Vash decorating a dessert or pulling a loaf of bread out of the oven. he's really excited and wants to try as many foods as he can. there's so many different types!

•Vash tends to make a lot of deserts and bread, especially donuts, so when that happens, he's offering them to the neighborhood or apartment complex.

•Vash also shows Nai recipes he wants to try eating and begs Nai to make them. Vash helps by cutting any vegetables or shredding food, but Nai does the mixing and cooking. you've asked if they needed any help but Vash just smiles and says that 'they've got it and that you don't to worry about anything. you just sit back and rest until the food is ready!'

•it's the least they could do they think, since they most likely can't get a job, you know, with no ssn, birth certificate and identity cards..

•you still do the dishes though and Vash always tries to help. if you refuse he kinda sulks before just wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his chin on your head. it makes it a bit difficult to move around but you don't mind. he just wants to hang out with you<3

•getting into romance hcs a little, neither of them would make a move on you until after they've started talking and working on their past. not only are tensions high between them, but it would also be too many emotions to deal with. especially Nai. he hardly even acknowledges you in the beginning.

•Vash on the other hand jokingly flirts with you, and if you're comfortable with touch, pats your shoulder, puts an arm around it, hugs you and so on. but it never passes from friendly gestures, even if he does like you.

•if they find out they both like you, it kinda gets tense in an awkward way. they just started learning how to live with eachother, now they have to navigate having feelings for you?

•Nai is actually the first one to bring it up to Vash, stating bluntly that they both like you and it's getting annoying skirting around it. there really isn't too much to talk about, they decide to let things play out. if you end up having feelings for either twin, the other would be happy and supportive. if you like both Nai and Vash, it takes another little talk between all three of you before they're nodding along and saying that they could definitely try for you. it's a little bumpy at first, but you guys make it work<3

•also they don't try to fight over you or try to win you over in any way. Vash may be a little more touchy and Nai more expressive with you, but it's just to try and show you that they like you.

•Vash loves painting everyone's nails. Nai grumbles a little, but he always indulges Vash as long as it isn't a neon color.

•Nai dresses formally in a comfortable way, a (usually white or light blue) button up with the sleeves rolled up and dress pants. it's always either black or white socks and they go past his ankle too so you can't see his skin when he sits down</3 he also always irons his clothes after they've been washed.

•Vash on the other hand dresses a lot more casual, maybe picks up on streetwear? lots of hoodies though, he loves them! his wardrobe is colorful, but there's still more red than any other color

•after 120+ years, they finally get to celebrate a birthday together:(!!! and really, I think it's the first time they'd actually celebrate their birthday in general, Nai seeing no point in it really and Vash thinking he doesn't deserve to celebrate it.

•but! it's their first birthday together again after they've made up so Vash wants to go all out and celebrate eachother and the fact that they have made up.

•lets ignore that money exists for a bit but, Vash goes ALL out. he's decorating the whole living room and kitchen with streamers, balloons, flowers, anything he can get his hands on. Vash buys his and Nai's and favorite drinks and snacks, he's setting the snacks up in fancy looking plates, and even if it were just juice, he's pouring it into wine glasses.

•he gets a fancy two teir white cake with the edges frosted a light blue, with those pearl candies evenly placed on them. there's also frosted flowers placed in certain areas too. the top has happy birthday! written in cursive. (I can't describe it for shit but trust me it's a really pretty cake.)

•a week before, Vash is begging you to take Nai grocery shopping on the day of their birthday so Vash can set everything up.

•Nai knows something is up when Vash refuses to go shopping, trying to keep a straight face, but he decides not to question Vash. he supposed it had something to do with their birthday, so the two of you go shopping.

•Nai can't lie, he's actually really happy to be spending birthdays with his twin again after so many years. he may not have celebrated his birthday, but it was a bit of a lonely and upsetting day. he's thankful that he can be with Vash in peace now, that their presence with eachother is no longer filled with exasperation and violence.

•when you two get home and Nai opens the door, Vash is there, pulling on the string of a confetti popper, yelling out happy birthday before throwing himself at Nai for a hug. Nai only grunts a little, taking in the decorated house as he wraps an arm around Vash. "you know we're going to have to clean this all up?"

Vash only laughs, pulling away with the biggest grin, "it's our first birthday together in forever! of course I had to go all out!"

•even though it's just the three of you, it's a lot of fun. Vash completely spoiled Nai with presents (some heartfelt, others practical, and a few that were just gag gifts. Nai scowls at those much to Vash's joy.) Nai had gotten him a lot more useful/practical gifts, but he did buy Vash a geranium earring and when Vash opens the box, Nai explains that he has the second earring. Vash tears up, immediately putting it on and forcing Nai to put on the other one. he takes a lot of selfies with Nai after that.

•towards the end of the day Vash is asking to make a pillow fort so that you all can have a movie marathon of everyone's favorite movies. it's a little crowded at first with how tall they are, but you all get comfy and they end up cuddled against you.

•you and Vash fall asleep first and Nai notices that, he turns off the movie and device before quietly getting out of the fort to put away leftover food and drinks. once he's done, Nai gets back in and gets back into the position he was in earlier, cuddled up to you, deciding to sleep as well.

[visualsandvoices]

I think we're in the midst of a new genre of 4th wall breaks, for lack of a better term, where the character isn't actually speaking to the audience, but the writer is.

Marvel, disney shows and remakes...it feels as though the writers are so hyper-aware of the audience, so hyper-cautious of coming across as pleasing and so crystal-clear to the viewer, that it feels disingenuous.

I don't want to watch something that feels like a training video HR told corporate to show in the boardroom -- here's how women prefer to be spoken to, here's how parents can nurture their children, here's how women can learn to be leaders. You're lonely? Here's an example of a dialogue about how to discuss your emotions with a friend -- All to be performed for you in a hastily written skit that illustrates the point only vaguely more engagingly than a basic power point would have.

Listen. my guy. People so rarely say exactly what they are thinking or feeling. Usually we layer our speech with subtext.

Think of Andor, which uses environmental story telling (set design, colour palettes, costume design, lighting) as well as camera work/editing, music, and physical performance to say so much without a word spoken.

Or Wall-E. Literally Wall-E. Very little dialogue, so much story.

And then you watch the new Thor movies and it's just...I'm so sorry to be a party pooper but it's frustrating the way we are hand-held through every emotional beat.

Good dialogue is not on-the-nose all the time.

Same with the second season of Good Omens. Season 1 was riddled with feelings not verbalized but understood, both by characters and the viewers, and season 2 bulldozed that and put it all into dialogue...which was not only pointless bc like we just did all this in season 1 (I don't care if it's a "bridging season" that's such a weird excuse), but it's the perfect example of feeling the angst along side characters vs. being told by the dialogue--the characters themselves telling us--that they are angsty. You know the writing advice "show don't tell"? yeah, this is that. "Say it" without actually saying it.

I just...I don't know how to wrap this up except to say that i'm tired of being excited to watch stuff only to be disappointed by feeling like i'm being introduced to a new Emotional Experience and they wanna make sure I've wrapped my lil noggin around it. You can hit all those same beats, explore all those themes and emotions, but write a good story. That means stop leaning on dialogue so heavily, and if you must use dialogue it can be indirect. Let Michael Sheen do all the facial acting if that's what it takes. Just stop piling every thought you have while writing into dialogue because my god it's so wooden.

Maybe this is to do with the writer's strikes that has gone on, in all fairness. I understand writers are badly paid and are under stupid deadlines, so you gotta spit out what work you can under those conditions. I do get that. But...yeah. Just had to shout this into the void before going to sleep.

[bingoboingobongo]

task force 141 + christmas songs

Characters: Simon "Ghost" Riley, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, John "Soap" MacTavish, John Price, Alejandro Vargas, Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra

Type: Fluff, headcanons

Warnings: explicit language

A/N: the order is kinda whack i wrote these as i thought of them. also i have two tests tmmrw halp

ghost:

yes ghost's favorite christmas song is last christmas by wham! it's been confirmed

i mean can you blame him?

to ghost, it's everything he loves about music mixed with a christmas song he can relate to (sort of)

he likes the sort of mellow but still peppy nature of the song (especially compared to artists like mariah carey who he thinks is too peppy and michael buble who he thinks is too mellow)

it's the sorta song you can absent-mindedly sing to while you're working which he enjoys

plus the drums and the cymbals (?) really get him in the festive mood

whenever he listens to it he'll tap his foot/nod to the rhythm or lipsync under the mask (another benefit of keeping his face covered)

ofc your chances of seeing him do this in front of the team are slim to none

but when he's alone (either with you or just in his room or smthing) he'll pull out a little shimmy when the song starts getting good

he also likes the sort of sad undertone to the lyrics

he feels like it adds depth and makes it relatable

kyle "gaz" garrick:

alright hear me out on this one because i actually really love this hc

so first, i can totally see gaz being a fan of tyler, the creator when he was younger, but then being less invested as he grew up

but he went to see the grinch (2018) in theaters on christmas day with his family and that was when he first heard the song

off topic but i also hc that gaz has a younger sister and brother

and they're like considerably younger, like they're children

idk what his canon family situation is like but idc bc this is what's canon now bc i said so

so yeah that's why they went to watch the movie

and i mean what's not to love about this song

he really likes the rap/hip hop twist on a classic christmas song

and let's be real the whole soundtrack slaps like gaz was definitely listening to it on repeat for the entire holiday season that year

when gaz hears this song he definitely starts grooving, clapping, singing along

i mean it's not like he has a choice the song is actually so good i love it so much

like he's just so in love with the way tyler, the creator was able to reinvent an old song and give it such a good beat and like completely change up the cadence but still make it sound good

and yes he lives for the ending scream

rodolfo "rudy" parra:

guys i mean this is just fact atp

and don't say that this isn't a christmas song because that is rudy's biggest pet peeve and he will fight you about it

because according to him it came out during the holiday season and it's a movie with amazing visuals of snow and winter and the main character literally has ice powers so therefore it's a winter movie

sometimes the rest of the team will try and come up with other movie soundtracks that would therefore qualify as christmas music according to his standards

this always pisses rudy off and he'll insist it's different

i think the best part is that rudy watched frozen 2 by himself

i mean he was a big fan of frozen he wanted to see the sequel can u blame him

in his opinion the plot was a little weaker than the first but the soundtrack gave the original a serious run for it's money

and of course before this came out his favorite christmas song was let it go (and yes he also got mad when people said it wasn't a christmas song)

he likes the panic! at the disco version over the idina menzel version because he says it makes him feel more seen

nobody really knows what he means by that

you guys just assume it's because it's a male singer

rudy will also sing this song out loud any chance he gets

he's a decent singer don't get me wrong but that song's got some high notes rudy just can't hit

he swears that one time he was able to hit every single one but he was alone when it happened

usually though he can hit a solid majority (and he always geeks out when he does)

and yes, he will insist on watching frozen and frozen 2 during the holiday season and yes he will sing during every song

john "soap" mactavish:

honestly same, soap, same

soap's a firm believer that not only is this song the best christmas song out there, it should be the face of christmas instead of mariah carey's all i want for christmas is you

people have tried pointing out that all i want for christmas is you isn't necessarily the face of christmas but he insists it is and insists that title is undeserved

he says he hates it because it's overplayed but everyone else is 99% sure there's something more

your theory is that one of his exes really liked all i want for christmas is you and then it ruined the song for him

but now onto sleigh ride

soap believes it's the epitome of everything christmas

it's festive, it's peppy, it's got great vocals

he really likes the instrumentals and it's honestly his favorite part

the snaps, the piano, the flute/whistling, the trumpets (?)

whatever it is he's in love and he thinks that it really just sells the cheeriness of christmas

he also lives for the 'ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ding-dong-dings"

he will sing those out loud all day any day

he also tries to do mariah carey's whistle notes every time and not once has he ever gotten it

beyond that he also just sucks at singing

but honestly he just seems so happy singing that it sorta cancels out the way he's making everyone's ears bleed

he also does a little head wiggle and shimmy combo to dance to this song

and he does that little like dance and point at the parts of the song right before the beat "drops"

john price

alright so the first time he listened to this song was after christmas one year when his nephew said he wasn't cool

so he figured this song would make him cool

the efficacy of that tactic is still being debated

i mean don't get me wrong pentatonix fucking slaps

but also the acapella version of anything is not a very orthodox way of making yourself cool

needless to say his nephew was not impressed when the next christmas came around

price doesn't care though because he actually fell in love with the song after listening to it for so long

he's very much in awe of the way all their voices can come together and make it sound there's actually instruments and stuff

like he will rave about it for so long whenever the song comes on

whenever it plays he sings along but he doesn't try and beat box

that's bc one time he did that in front of gaz and laswell and gaz had to leave the room while laswell stared at him in shock

it's been his secret life mission to get insanely good at beatboxing and then show them someday ever since then

progress is not going well

also you can bet he has this song memorized to the tee

and yes he'll chastise people if they put the wrong gift to the wrong day

unlike his beatboxing, price's singing is actually pretty good so at least it gives the team something nice to listen to

alejandro vargas:

ok i feel like at first his favorite song was baby it's cold outside by idina menzel and michael buble

and then rudy pointed out the creepy undertones and it ruined the song for him

also he was distraught when he found out

and then this song took over as number one in his heart

for starters, he's just a massive fan of michael buble

also he once got front row tickets to a michael buble concert but he couldn't go last minute because he got called on a mission and he's still salty about it

he likes the way michael buble rewrote the lyrics to be more fitting for guys

also he likes the sorta relaxed almost lazy rhythm of the song

he insists it makes it sexier

nobody knows what that means or why it matters but he's very persistent about it

and god damn alejandro's singing voice is actually good fr

like it gives michael buble but if michael buble was a smoker and did country songs

but honestly the gravel in alejandro's voice works really well when he's singing

and lord knows he sings this song whenever it comes on

it's not obnoxious tho so it's nice to listen to

he doesn't really dance but he'll jokingly offer you a slow dance to this song

he considers this the classiest christmas songs and says it's only for people with real taste in music

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 7/11/23, timezone change edition

the last time i wrote one of these things, i was not quite fully packed up in ma. now, i am technically temporarily homeless in houston, bc the apartment i originally signed on was completely unlivable. crashing in an acquaintance's guest room for a bit while i have a very bad time with apartment hunting round 2

i have lived in south florida, staten island, and various shithole student housing. i understand seasonal bugs in hot places and things such as different kinds of roaches and palmetto bugs. when i say that apartment had the worst roach infestation i've ever seen i fucking mean it. in theory i will get my full deposits back, but they're taking their sweet fucking time about it.

but having that full yes-i-know-about-seasonal-roaches conversation with new acquaintances and leasing agents takes too long so i've resorted to saying it had a horrific bedbug problem, which everyone seems to go Oh Okay Yeah Reasonable For You To Leave much more quickly.

listening

a lot of early aughts dance pop standards, to chase away the agonies as i drive to and from apartments only to get ghosted, find they were rented a week ago, or find that they look absolutely nothing like the pictures. i was really torn on which britney song to pick for this week until my sister sent me Twin Flame by Maude Latour, which i can only describe as "douchebag get the girl back song but for lesbians". spotify

also how do we like the "featured link from bandcamp or soundcloud with additional spotify link" format? in an ideal world i would buy all my music directly from the artists but realistically i use spotify 90% of the time. i don't know what your life is like, tell me if this is helpful or not.

-

reading

my best friend made sad faces at me until i read The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary, and it was a little nice to see someone else's dire housing situation get resolved neatly and with thematic consistence in several hundred pages. it was also nice to text her snippets with "WHAT?????" every so often. this is a reading experience i don't have very often bc our current reading tastes don't overlap even a little bit.

i don't have much to say about it bc i didn't have particularly strong feelings and don't really read mainstream straight romance, so i can't point out what this did differently or well compared to its peers. if nothing else, it was a fluffy bit of distraction, and i think that's kind of the point?

(image from Tor) also read Saad Z. Hossein's Kundo Wakes Up novella in a waffle house while eating some of the best scrambled eggs i've ever had in my life.

this novella was the closest thing i've ever read to "aging English professor has an affair" without actually containing any of those elements. generally i enjoy his work, but this was sort of a way to check up and tie off many characters from previous works with a sort of light frosting of "my wife left me and i don't know why [ rot13:v pna znxr fbzr thrffrf ohg gurer vf ab zbzrag bs frys-ernyvmngvba, bapr ur svaqf uvf jvsr ur whfg perrcf ba ure sebz nsne naq nsgre qrgrezvavat fur'f abg jvgu nalbar arj znxrf gur gerzraqbhf fnpevsvpvny qrpvfvba gb yrnir ure nybar op fur'f zhpu unccvre jvgubhg uvz. gurer vf ab zbzrag bs frys-ernyvmngvba nobhg jul fur zvtug unir yrsg uvz. xhaqb arire trgf bhg bs uvf bja shpxvat urnq bapr.]"

while The Gurkha and the Lord of Thursday novella (TREMENDOUS) and Cyber Mage book (fun but with some dire pacing issues) are fairly standalone, i cannot imagine you'd get much out of Kundo Wakes Up if you haven't read the other two. for some reason none of the libraries i have access to have his other book Djinn City, so we'll have to procure that elsewhere.

-

watching

the dnd movie, the day after i broke my lease on the roach apartment. i don't remember a ton about this movie. do generally like a heist. michelle rodriguez was hot

-

playing

genshin. listen. it is a free and familiar way to turn my brain off by doing open world exploration and puzzles but CRUCIALLY! most of it is completely new to me. i have not played this game in a year and a half. i have not played this game since right before enkanomiya. there was no chasm. there was no Sumeru. i have absolutely no idea what’s happening lore-wise.

i pulled for the fancy ice claymore lady and got a catboy archer (at least i think it is a catboy? the ears do give a pharaoh hound vibe... he is distinct from the extant dogboy archer). not terrible but not my vibe.

i have been enjoying the shit out of the temporary summer event carnival space. they really did pull out several stops by introducing a ton of genuinely interesting and innovating little new mechanics and mini games. delightful!

-

making

altering the worst shorts ive ever seeeeeeeeen with a demure little two-inch side slit on both legs bc my thighs simply will not quit. mens shorts are so much better than womens shorts in nearly every way except for the catastrophic physical fit issues.

when i got ghosted by two different apartments on saturday i bought myself a spoon ring so chunky it makes my other chunky rings look positively delicate by comparison. not very comfy to drive in but fine to wear while tippy tappying on the spreadsheets

a girl i saw for one singular awful date in 2016 called my hands "coarse but honest" and i think about that every time my hands are in a photo. what did that even fucking MEAN, [REDACTED]?

[rollercoasterwords]

genuinely thank you so much for writing thtf. it's my favourite thing to read in the whole world for so many reasons. like other than where it's obviously devastating (in SUCH a good way), idk it just makes me so happy

I think it's the first wip i followed from start to finish and I have to say that part of 2022 was not the greatest but yk, every few days there'd be a new chapter. and it was great.

I fucking love Dorcas talking about "a butterfly in the palm of your hand" it's changed the way I think so much. like you would not expect this from a fanfic lmao but it's pretty much exactly what I needed to hear at the time. living just to live, even if it's complete shit, not caring about what they're leaving behind. ch 42 (i think) where all they're doing is just washing the dishes but it's so special and they're listening to dawn storm is so important to me I love it SO much. fucking amazing.

ngl I don't really think there's anything I don't like. every character feels so right - regulus in particular sticks out to me, like there's such a good balance between him doing pretty bad things because he's not a particularly "good person" but also not being a complete dick. also I would die for marlene mckinnon and the way you write her is just so fucking good. the way she is just so alive to make up for her shorter life is so beautiful to me. I could ramble on for a very long time about everything in this fic but I dont want this to get too long lol

the music you put on the chapters is also really good like I'm pretty sure the first time I read it I didn't listen the music and then I reread it with the music and it was like a whole different experience

yeah i would've sent this earlier (like maybe a year ago) but looks like I put it off for a really long time lol

also - really love where atwmd is going rn I'm so excited for more chapters, i love Sirius Black etc etc

ahh thank u this is so sweet! i love hearing that thtf resonated w people it definitely feels like the fic kinda took on its own life & became a little philosophical journey that i was not entirely expecting lol. i think writing a story where i knew my main characters were going 2 die the whole time really made me contemplate like. ok what do i actually want 2 say abt death, and by way of that what do i wanna say abt life? bc like. as someone who doesn't believe in an afterlife i didn't wanna write a story that says "well it's ok bc they can be happy in the afterlife" <3 bc like. that does not comfort me lol. & i also didn't wanna write a story that was like "it's ok bc there's gonna be a good future 4 others after them," bc i think life means something and matters even outside of futurity. i didn't wanna play into this narrative that u have 2 Do Something 2 make ur life meaningful by making sure u have an impact on the future, etc; i wanted 2 write abt life as meaningful outside of that. & i also specifically wanted 2 write abt life as something beautiful & meaningful even with the bad stuff mixed in, and even if death is abrupt and scary and painful and unwanted. like i purposely made both their deaths pretty brutal bc i personally find the idea of a "bad death" really scary! the idea of dying before ur ready, dying scared or alone or in pain or all three, etc...and i think part of why that's so scary is bc we place this big emphasis, again, on a linear timeline of life, where death is The End, and if The End is bad, then the story's a sad one. but death is just one moment in the sum total of billions of moments throughout your life; why should that bad cancel out all the good? why should a story be sad, just because the last page of it is sad? you can open the book to any page and find happiness, and love, and warmth, etc. & that's what i'm trying 2 say w "a story is not its end."

anyway. this got much longer than expected lol i love 2 ramble abt thtf but! again ty 4 the kind words glad u enjoyed the fic glad u enjoyed the music as well!! i love the playlist 4 that fic <3

[landinrris]

(same anon as the one who yapped about early norrix)

& NOW FROM A FICTIONAL ROMANTICIZED POV BC I CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT.

i know a lot of ppl headcanon them as quick, instant connection, fast and furious kinda love. met in 2022 and could not be separated since. my counter-offer: slow burn.

think about how lando was listening to martins music for a while now. think about them being moots before they met in 2022. (i....think. not 100% sure but LET ME HAVE THIS.) think about how their in-between mutual friend was probably max v, who we all know is a close friend of both martin and lando. THINK about the ANTICIPATION. THE LONGING. THE WATCHING EACH OTHER THROUGH SCREENS. THE BUILDUP TO THEIR FIRST MEETING.

like to me nothing will ever be as slow burn-y as being internet besties. maybe they were friends and then they saw each other in person and BOOM. fell in love. used the winter break as their honeymoon. wrote songs about him. soft launched on instagram. stole his shirt. the rest is history.

Hello for part 2! 😅

Oof yeah, I do love a good slowburn. If you will allow me to add my two cents into the (fictionalized) shippy side of things. The slowburn of when they met is great especially when you consider that Lando was still in a relationship in August Ibiza 2022. They stay friendly, Lando throws himself into DJing because Martin encourages it and it's an excuse to hang out together outside of race weekends.

When they go to Finland/Ibiza in January 2023, that's when things start to slowly shift. Maybe they start something casual? But by the time they get to New York/Canada, they're on the downward spiral to giving in/acknowledging actual feelings. Up until recently, I liked to headcanon that Spa 2023 was the breaking point. When you consider Lando sits as close as he can get backstage during the Tomorrowland set while Max sits like 5 miles away with Kelly and the rest of the family. Then following the set, Martin and Lando go out together, and then the next morning/afternoon Lando's in Amsterdam posting views from Martin's balcony. Cue summer and the rest of the season. The way Lando (and Jon) is so over-the-moon to see Martin in Vegas... [I've talked about my thoughts on this scenario in a little more detail here]

And then I spent the last three months rotting with Josie about the prospect that maybe somewhere in these last months is a better timeline. Maybe in Vegas they were on the precipice-- aware of their feelings but unsure how to act on them yet. Martin making the effort to show up in France for the ski trip in the middle of his busy end to the year was pretty significant, and it's been history ever since.

And now post winter holidays, they're comfortable enough in who they are and their relationship that they don't mind toeing the line that much more until it gets to an "if you know, you know," type thing.

[andie-cake]

NPMD WAS SO FUCKING GOOD AND NOW I'M GONNA TALK ABT IT IN A REALLY DISORGANIZED FASHION

ruth and richie were hilarious characters, and i am GLAD they didn't turn out to be smokescreens for different pre-established characters (...technically? not main characters anyway, but goddamn i was not expecting the paulkins cameo). poor richie, that whole scene with him being like "i'm not a loser anymore, i'm one of the guys! i love life! :)" when we know that he's about to murdered was such a hilarious gut punch, and ruth was just,,, god, diversity win, this sweaty disaster of a teenage girl who gets wedgied to death is canonically bisexual. what a legend.

will branner is INCREDIBLE, holy shit. he steals the show as max in every scene he's in. max may be my favorite villain in the hf stage trilogy, he's as hilarious as he is menacing. he's like. i dunno, jock beetlejuice? something like that. also new ship just dropped, will and jon's unnamed student characters during best of you.

speaking of best of you, god the MUSIC was so great. don't know if it quite beats out black friday for me yet, but it's damn good. literal monster wasn't my favorite like i was expecting, i'll have to give it another listen to pin that down. but still, what a score, not one skip happening once this cast album hits spotify.

pete and steph were once again Cute As Hell, it was really neat seeing their relationship play out over the course of a full show. their "i don't love you but maybe i actually do" song in beanies (forgot what it was called lol whoops) was a banger, and seeing them walk out in their cute lil homecoming outfits in the end put the dumbest smile on my face. also, that reprise of cool as i think i am in act 2 nearly made me cry, joey as pete was a phenomenal choice.

grace,,, holy shit, i love what they did with grace in this show. hearing her call god a son of a bitch before stealing the gun from one of the officers and turning back on them threw me into another goddamn dimension. dirty girl and bully the bully were hilarious songs (feel like i'm overusing that word, but how else can i describe it?), and holy shit, her having sex with max's ghost to vanquish him and then proceeding to go mad with power?? my jaw was dropped, that was incredible. i never could've predicted that in a million years and i've never been more delighted.

me like one month ago: yeah i don't think we're gonna see the lords in black in npmd since this is supposed to be a more standalone hf show than black friday :/. literally all five of the lords in black: we're about to end this dumbasses whole career. that was WILD. their song wasn't my favorite in the show (if only bc it was kinda hard to hear with the digital ticket audio), but i am ecstatic to have canon human designs for all five of them now.

god, i feel like there's more i wanna say, but there's just so much to talk about. all i can say is that after three years of delays, i'm so so happy that we're finally getting to see npmd. dunno how it stacks up against tgwdlm and black friday for me yet, but i'm just overjoyed. can't wait for the youtube version and the cast album, they're gonna be great.

[wrongcaitlyn]

I forgot to send this earlier but I love the fierrochase oneshot!!!! I was wondering what artists you used as inspo for alex :) also flustered magnus was so cute he is down incredibly bad. you once again have adopted the backstories in a way that makes sense and I love that. wait I guess it’s not technically a oneshot but ykwim. im super excited to get back to nico and will tho!!!!!!!!!!

ahh thank you so much!! and for alex, bc i pictured him as a sorta alt indie sorta rock artist, and i don't really listen to that genre, i just went with boygenius back when originally writing his character - since then, though, i started listening to a bit of paramore (for my eras tour shows lmao, i only knew the popular singles before that) and i honestly feel like they fit alex a bit better?? like i DO think he would have a few of those sad balads and stuff, and two songs that i canonically made alex's were 'salt in the wound' and 'black hole' with i think are very fitting for him, but yeah. might also be thinking some paramore! but honestly since i dont have many recs from the genre everyone is completely free to imagine his music as whatever tehy like!! but i did make a playlist for the fic here so <33

and i'm so so glad you liked it!!! more of their backstories to come in ch 2, because honestly i have way too much lore for all these characters i barely mention😭😭 im in WAY too deep in this universe, gotta restrain myself from diverging from the main fic too much!! but ME TOO i'm actually so excited to write the next main chapter of tgol. i hope i can get ahead while on the every other week schedule so i can promise more consistent updates!!!

[goldennika]

Initial Thoughts on TOMORROW X TOGETHER's The Name Chapter: Freefall

Ok so i just listened to TNC: Freefall in full and damn, okay. Really solid album, sonically. And i say sonically bc i haven't read up on the lyrics just yet (i don't think the eng trans are out yet ☹️)

Am loving how they're showcasing more of their vocals (txt lower register enthusiasts, we are being fed at last 😭) and the whole band/session feels of the music really emphasizes that.

can we take a minute to talk about beomkai's vocals?? bc i really think this might be their era 🥹 and seeing as all of the boys have at least 2 credits to their name in this album, it really feels like this is their sound, and their personal music preferences came through too

i'm on the fence about DILT's inclusion in the album though. we all know it was not a planned track at all but it was a really good opportunity for them to collaborate and have a fun summer track out before headlining lolla 2023.

that said, it just doesn't seem to fit in (at least sonically) in this album. i don't know if moving it higher up in the tracklist would have been better since i haven't read the lyrics yet but sonically, it might have worked more since the more powerful/complex sounding tracks are in the first half, imo

but overall, this album is full of surprises, and very good ones at that!! I'm sure i'll love it even more when i listen to it again but yeah, from the first listen alone, i would recommend this album!!!

Track first impressions under the cut! very raw reactions ahead haha

Track 1: Growing Pain

oh damn gritty TXT ???

LOWER REGISTER LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOO

legitimately gave me goosebumps

EXCUSE ME THE OOH's IN THE CHORUS???? DELICIOUS

H U E N I N G K A I

that's it. that's the thought.

the guitar is so good ugh

ROCK BAND TXT LET'S GOOOOOOO

this will absolutely kill when performed live 😵‍💫

Track 2: Chasing That Feeling

HERE FOR THE SYNTHS(??)

giving TCHFTG and Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (i love The Weeknd btw)

Yeonjun's voice is so soothing??????

wait is the nod to the TCHFTG instrumentals intentional??????

maybe this is just me but their choreo (based on the MV) looks like it goes so hard but this song feels relatively chill/easy listening (esp compared to their last few title tracks bc sugar rush ride was a doozy to take in) so it seems a bit... off? idk idk

looking forward to a stage/practice vid to come out to appreciate their performance more!

Track 3: Back for More (TXT Ver)

already reacted to this before and ugh so good

HUENINGKAI POPPED OFF IN HIS VERSE UGH

Yeonjun's is also so good

love their adlibs so much 🥹

super interesting to place this track right after Chasing That Feeling 🤔

dance break instrumental and adlibs have my whole heart actually

like i can see them dancing in my head even if i'm just listening

Track 4: Dreamer

oh shit i love the bass already??????

FIRST LINE IN AND I'M IN LOVE ALREADY???

kinda scared to check the lyrics ngl

oh this song is delicious

i can already see all the tiktok edits happening (not necessarily a bad thing for them imo)

ooh shit "let me break it down for you" jdfh;kdjsfb;nsfkja

I LVOE THIS TRACK?????????

WAIT IS TAHT ALL SOOBIN IN THE CHORUS??????????

or is taehyun there too?

the "let me break it down for you" is going to haunt me in my dreams thanks

Track 5: Deep Down

strong start. nice

WTF IS THIS DIRECTION THEY'RE TAKING I LOVE IT????? 😳

yooo the minimal instrumentals in the start was so good

oh it got clubby in the chorus

OH HELL BEOMGYU IN THE CHORUS SHOULD HAVE COME WITH A WARNING (deep down i need you more)

this feels so different from the usual TXT but it works??

okayyyy the trumpet sounding stuff in the outro was a nice touch

Track 6: Happily Ever After

pretty sure i'll cry if i read up the lyrics of this one haha 🥲

oh this track is so smooothhhh in the pre-chorus

oohhh the la la la's are growing on me

it's like happy fools but more refined?????

LOVE the blending/harmonization 😩

GIVE ME ALL THE LAYERED VOCALS @ BIG HIT

SOOBIN I LOVE YOU (outro ver) 🥹😭

Track 7: Skipping Stones

the cymbals? hi-hats? at the start oh god *chef's kiss*

feels like a band session up in here!!!

HUENINGKAI LET'S FUCKING GOOOOO

oh damn beomgyu???

taehyun with the high notes mhmmm

band txt is the future i can see it all so clearly now

LOVE the way they start off each line durign the verses. scratches my brain sooooo good when they give the little oomph then blend it down ugh (sorry idk musical terms)

kinda obsessed with this music already wtf

the female vocals too!!

HUENINGKAI EXTENDED NOTE LET'S FUCKING GOOOO

HE MADE IT SOUND SO EASY?????????????

mhmmm soobin's falsetto

wow

just wow

FUCK ME WITH THOSE OHs AT THE END OF THE SONG GODDAMN

Track 8: Blue Spring

i know we were joking around about band txt but what if it's not a joke anymore bc we've had track after track of band/session sounds and i am not okay anymore

i'm never gonna be normal about this song sorry not sorry

POP OFF HUENINGKAI GODDAMN

what if i cry.....

hmmm the rest of the instrumentals kicking in. so good.

and then they strip it down??? to let the vocals shine????

so so good

COME THROUGH WITH THE DRUMS

soobin's verse with yeonjun's adlibs is what dreams are made of actually

god yeonjun and hueningkai are gonna make me cry

NO FUCKIGN WAY THEY ADDED MORE OF TAEHYUN'S ADLIBS????

STOP THE FUCKING CAR THEY'RE HARMONIZING INT EH CHORUS TOO??????????????

TYUNNING ADLIBS IN THE OUTRO????????????????

MY JAW IS DROPPED AND I CANNOT BREATHEEEEEEEEE

Track 9: Do It Like That

ok yeah ngl the mood shifted dramatically after all the band txt sounds lol

DILT is a cute song but i don't think it makes sense in this album

or at least not in this placement???

i may reconsider if this was a TXT ver lol

or maybe they were thinking about our mental health when they decided to keep it in the album

i would probs be a sobbing mess if tnc: freefall rly just ended with the studio ver of blue spring 🥹

Track 10: Chasing That Feeling (English Ver)

including this here bc why not it's on the tracklist anyway haha

tbh i wasn't feeling this track much from the teasers

but hearing the song in full changed my mind

the build up is good

why does yeonjun's voice sound so good in this genre like how is it soooo good

time's a thief that won't stop stealing -- well damn did i feel that

taehyun our belting star 🥺

[comas-are-for-sleeping]

also 1. the youtube goths say all u need to be a goth is to know the music and 2. i would LOVE a list

OK OK BET (note in the middle of writing the list: i am Sat Up in my bed so locked in rn)

so like, first the classics duh:

i love love love the cure like that's an obvious one but rrrrr they are so good these are like my favs. i saw them in concert like a year ago w my dad and we fucking missed boys dont cry bc it was like. the last encore song and it was midnight and we wanted to get merch and run like the wind yknow (top two hoodies i own tho so i think worth it)

siouxsie and the banshees?? fun fact if you've seen the show hannibal she did the last song and said she interpreted as a love story so 😌 somehow i dont have a siouxsie playlist oh well

depeche mode i also don't listen to a whole lot but the bangers are fr bangers. could listen to ghosts again on repeat forever probably

bauhaus!! bela legosi's dead is such a song of my childhood tbh maybe that explains some things

cocteau twins.. ok gonna be honest i know maybe Two songs lmao but i know they're kinda important so still putting them here. i feel like my dad called them pretentious once and that was all i needed to hear rip (small slight con of having a dad who literally showed me everything to do with music is that his opinion of music is still very influential to me. but like he's also usually right so)

not a band, but the rolling stone had an article of the top 50 goth songs (idr if it was *ever* bc that's kinda crazy but whatev) and mcr was on it? for baby bats they said but i was still kinda surprised. and then i thought about it and like.. lowkey yeah. if emo is "the world is dark and horrible and everything sucks" and goth is "the world sucks but there's beauty in the shadows" i feel like mcr is smack dab in the middle. anyway i made the list into a playlist and added ones i thought were missing

ok!! these ones are newer:

varsovia is so fucking good omggg. found them bc one of their songs was the theme song for this AMAZING hbo show called los espookys ive prolly mentioned that lmao. theres a bunch of spanish (i say spanish and not latino just bc i don't actually know some of them might be spaniards lol) goth bands (including the next one) and made a playlist bc like. duh

twin tribes is another band that i kinda only know two songs by but like that's ok!! they are rlly good

ok so i found vision video on instagram randomly and didn't even listen to the music at first bc i didn't realize they were a band?? mostly it's just the lead singer posting and he has the persona of "goth dad" and is an emt and just generally a really cool guy (amazing makeup also). but have come to v much enjoy their music and if i ever see them live i will combust

[polaroidcats]

It just hit me. For part 2 of assigning german/austrian songs to the marauders, this time with Remus:

Egoist by Falco.

You know it's true.

(This is the only Remus bashing you will ever get from me, he is my babygirl and he has never done anything wrong in his life ever)

Oh wow okay I didn't know I'd be coming home to Remus bashing in my inbox today but here we are! Why are you calling him an egoist? Just because he abandoned his pregnant (so very straight) wife (so very straightly) and didn't take responsibility for that until a 17 year old kicked his ass? Idk what you're on about, that's a weird AU, Remus would never do that.

I see your Falco and I raise you: Junge Römer. You know Sirius played that song on repeat for like a week and thought he was the funniest person ever because of Remus's name.

Also I should note, I'm a bit tipsy (ON REMUS WINE!) atm so this is NOT the official German Remus playlist, this is the shitpost version of the official German Remus playlist, here we go, no thoughts just vibes:

Okayokay I'm thinking abt austrian music now and since we're pretty much the only 2 people invested in these playlists anyways I won't worry about the musicians being well known or not (though I'd love to know which of these you knew and which you didn't!).

May I sugesst Wolfgang Amrbos' Die Kinettn wo i schlof as homeless Remus Lupin's crying song. I feel a bit bad about putting this on the list because the song is genuinely so good and emotional and it made me cry when I was a child (I grew up listening to Ambros) but yeah. Uhm. No further explanation, also idek if you'll understand the dialect lol

DIALECT! When making the german Sirius list one of my Remus thoughts was what the german equivalent to welsh/scottish remus is and I've come to the conclusion that the obvious answer is Vorarlberg. SO obviously Vo Melo Bis Ge Schoppornou has to be included on the list. No I don't understand much either but it's still german (and imho one of the sexiest german accents, I said what I said).

Ham kummst is toxic wolfstar divorce AU core!!!!

Okay this one is actually a serious (lol) suggestion I think Remus would actually really like and relate to Sie mögen sich by Kätpn Peng! ALso maybe Tier by Käptn Peng?

Meine Sonne by Grossstadtgeflüster as angsty REMUS POV either poa era or first war or sth

Also I know this is officially the inofficial Remus list but i had another galaxy brain idea - Aurélie by Wir sind Helden is a song about french Sirius in an AU of our german marauders AU.

oKAAAY ANYWAYS BACK TO AUSTRIAN MUSIC Ich Lebe by Christl Stürmer is also a Remus/wolfstar song now, because I said so.

sepp haT gesagT wir müssen alles anzünden is just pure chaos marauders vibes tell me I'm wrong.

okayyy back to remus Irgendwann bleib I dann dort by STS is also Remus. ANd Gö, du bleibst heut nacht bei mir is needy Remus in a werid fwb situation with remus or sth idk

ALso since I've given up any pretense of choosing things that make sense I also suggest 1001 Nacht is about wolfstar friends to lovers slowburn. YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE

Okay also I just wanted to add something by AnnenMayKantereit because why not, and I'm sure there are better songs but I decided on 21,22,23 purely because of the youth/death themes and bc Jily died at 21 and Remus and Sirius died in their mid-late thirties.

okay now i made myself sad i need one more nonsense answwer and then i'll post this glorious completely coherent masterpiece

I was going to go with LaFee for a tasteful last song but then spotify suggested Tokio Hotel and who am I to disagree?! you can't tell me angsty early 2000s german teenage werewolf remus lupin DIDN'T listen to them, I'm sorry but he really felt the lyrics of Durch den Monsun.

yeah idek what this is i'm sure it's EXACTLY what you expected (lol) uhm i blame the remus wine. Any thoughts on the playlist??

[soulgathered]

alright time for the opinion post . I wanna start with a few things that won't need to be spoilered :

I strongly dislike the changes the graphical update did to mae & knew that would potentially sour the way I feel about dt & I was right. there were some angles that got me all "oh u know what I totally am on board with this!" & then the angle would change & I'd, in reallife, make a lil offended gasp bcs "ohh no. hate this ! hate this ! I want my wol back" this isn't in regards to mods. I just legit miss vanilla mae from pre-dt. miss their old lips (which are the biggest issue to me) miss their old eye shape, their face shape etc.

if you cannot handle someone critiquing something you love ( mind you that I love 14 too ) then this post is not for you. the amount of disgusting hate i saw towards people with legit critics of the expac is... baffling. the devs won't be able to grow if we just coddle them.

I still think ew should have been 2 expacs, to finish the arr-ew storyline better & set up the new one.

I have played with JP voices since HW because this was an actual advice back in the day. HW + its patches were not big enough yet to warrant having to listen to what ARR delivered. I also always watch at least one streamer play 14 with english VAs to get both experiences ! because yeah actually english gives you the proper feeling of scale & distance by having characters with accents. as far as I can tell right now I think all the DT voices are amazing

& from here on spoiler territory !

...you were warned if you are still here this is on you .

but I wanna start with stuff I liked / adored .

wu.k lam.at & ko.ana's family bond. I will forever be weak for chosen family bonds & they are soso cute. I love their personalities. I wanna see more of them.

In general the environmental story telling & the details they put into telling the stories of region was soso much better, loved it. I loved exploring the zones & noticing stuff or just talking to NPCs.

the end reveal with the key showing the az.em symbol made me giggle. I am sure it won't lead to a "oh so az.em fucked up" thing but it still amuses me to think they did.

happy kr.ile got character development, she really does deserve it & she is a lovely addition to the team.

erenvil.le, ko.ana & wu.k la.mat are among my faves now without a doubt.

the third & lvl 95 dungeon music slapped. actually when the music is good it's SO good.

t.uli.yollal is stunning, feels so lived in. I like spending time there & just zooming around. srsly the graphic update looks so good in environments & the DT ones are soso stunning. also best inn / tavern room we ever had. who needs housing i am staying in there !!!!

however a good base does not make a great game & overall the story was just. mid. it exists I guess. it feels so weirdly cut off from past expacs? like you tell me they didn't hear shit about anything ever? other continent or not how do you miss the final days I don't care if it was "contained to some places" that kinda stuff goes around.

I don't need the people to know the wo.l's name or look but come on you have heard of them + the sci.ons. I know ppl say "we don't need to always be the mc stop demanding that" ...sorry that in a game that I pay money for I want my character to be important. all our character does is nod sagely to give WL some confidence & half the time she isn't even looking. if i can write my character out within seconds & end up at pretty much the same point at the end then there was no point for us being there.

this legit felt a bit like them looking at what ppl adored at previous expa.cs, copying it & copying it worse. zone 6 ? this might be my biased but like changing it as we did? that should have been an amau.rot or elpi.s thing. at least that had impact. I only cared for one character in there & yes her memories being shut down was sad but like. kay.

...can we stop with fantasy races who love money btw? I am sure it was not meant that way but man did that make me feel uncomfy as a Jewish person. especially the whole 'they used to be slaves now they are merchants adoring money' GUESS WHY SO MANY JEWS WERE MERCHANTS !! guess what was one of the few things they were allowed to do esp when romans took em along as slaves.

However in the same sense I did love the tradition of remembering the dead because that way nobody is really gone. Again I doubt SE planned that they accidentally nailed Jewish philosophy but that was fun.

....zor.aal j.a was boring. I kept waiting for some big twist but no he's just another daddy issue guy. only that the story really wants me to believe his dad is great !! so caring !! ....can't fcking see his son's own issues. the guy who DEFINITELY knew about how fcked bless.ed siblings were & he can't see the strain that being called a "miracle" put on his kid? this is why i waited for some plottwist of ZJ having other plans all along.

also I am sorry "we had war 80 years ago people are too comfy with peace" ...that. that is within living memory especially with 14 races ! that was the worst motivation. at least stretch the time!!

sph.ene was actually fine I like her, it's just.............we had her. several times. hello there moe-fied as.cian ! hello there not-amau.rot. totally not. this is not copied homework. at all. it was just a narrated last dungeon once more telling us about how great things used to be until they weren't. it totally wasn't "person who was loved by their people got twisted to save them" this is all...so...new...

this is a nitpick & an amusing one but ere.nvilles accent just makes no sense anymore. they really just wrote smth & were like "screw established stuff from before" ( i don't remember if it's a quest detail or one of the extra published stories but they had to go back & rewrite smth bcs it contradicted DT )

which maybe is my biggest gripe with the story. unless they HAD to acknowledge smth from previous stuff they just. copied it - in a worse way, for me at least - or just ignored it which at times felt so insulting.

the scene with the sick kid? eh hello? fairly sure we fixed stuff like that. we can just go grab ali.saie later & bring ange.lo along--? i feel like in previous expacs wo.l at least would have mentioned that to sphe.ne but then stuff with ZJ goes wrong so it gets pushed aside (but it's at least on our mind & not a surprise when the solution appears randomly bcs I fear that just might happen)

....most of the scio.ns felt like they were forcefully written in just so we had full parties for trials.

minor dumb stuff that is very me specific: i don't like sol.ution 9. i don't like the aesthetic, the vibe. just i don't like it. didn't like the ending song either. felt very shou.nen isek.ai-ish it's just not my type of song.

...wu.k lam.at i love you but you are among the worst trust characters i ever encountered I am sobbing i dunno if this is supposed to reflect her personality or she is programmed that badly. I never struggled with a trust so much.

I don't mind the trope of "love & friendship will safe the day" but....again it was just done better in the past ( end of ew, drk story, stb why we went with ly.se & stuck by her, arr raids...just. it has been done better )

as much as this probably sounds like just hating in truth it was. absolutely an okay expac.........just very mid. we had better, we deserve better but this wasn't "the end of 14" like how some ppl act. it served its purpose & i so hope that as the story goes on we look back at it more fondly for setting stuff up. a severable start to a new story. probably. depends what the future brings. a 6/10 for me.

[jabeur]

i was tagged by @drunkenromantic and @steffigraf to do the get to know me tag thank youuu <3 (ericka i'm doing it on this blog even if you tagged my main sdksdn)

1. Do you make your bed?

not always but i prefer to! it makes my space feel neat and welcoming (even if it's just to myself lol that's what matters) and it's so nice when i get home and my bed's all tidy bc i made it before going out it's like. ah yes i beat mental illness this morning

2. Favourite number?

19!!!!!

3. What's your job?

an office job in a social cooperative. specifically my office's digital transformation which probably means nothing to anyone

4. If you could go back to school, would you?

well you see. absolutely not! i mean i could probably take night classes to get a high school diploma, i don't want to but i could, but like actually going back to school ? jesus, no. middle and high school were awful

5. Can you parallel park?

i can't drive (yet ?)

6. Do you think aliens are real?

yeah. not in a conspiracy theories way or whatever but i think it'd make sense if they were

7. Can you drive a manual car?

i can't drive any car (yet ?)

8. Guilty pleasure?

mh i don't know? maybe that i too often fall into the temptation of eating outside of meal times and that ruins my appetite and my schedule which makes me mad at myself sdjsjdbs

9. Tattoos?

i have two (like ericka!) both on my right arm. one's inspired by my favorite place, porto selvaggio in puglia (southern italy) and i love it sooooo much i think it's so pretty (and i get compliments about it pretty regularly which is impressive bc it's not Super easy to see but it catches people's attention who want to see it better). the other's a person painting 3 stars with the lyrics "cambia le tue stelle" underneath. i'd like to get more, but same issues as ericka (what to get?? they're fucking expensive) BUT i'm thinking of like getting an addition to the stars tattoo bc basically the 3 stars represent 2 people + 1 pet who passed away that i love very much and now that my sweet little cat ripy is gone too it feels right to get something for him as well. but i have to decide stuff and i'm super bad at decisions lately :^)

10. Favourite colour?

blueeeeeee. any shade tbh. light blue dark blue pastel blue cobalt whatever. i love all blues

11. Favourite type of music?

i listen to a lot of different genres, in different languages, from different decades etc 😭 but i guess if i had to pick, rn i'd say i lean more towards r&b, classic rock and italian pop

12. Do you like puzzles?

yes!!! word puzzles my beloved! i suck at crosswords but i'm trying to do them anyway bc it is so satisfying when i finish one and it's a good way to learn stuff and keep my mind sharp. i like physical jigsaw puzzles too but actually i haven't done one in aaaaages. now i want to tho

13. Any phobias?

no i don't think so

14. Favourite childhood sport?

i played volleyball during my childhood/early teens, i liked it (i wasn't particularly good at it tho). i didn't really play any other sport until tennis (after i dropped volleyball i think? memories are hard) i love tennis but i didn't take lessons for nearly long enough to be decent at it lmao

15. Do you talk to yourself?

yes all the time. now that i live alone i'm always going on monologues while i pace around the (small, it's a lot of back and forth lmao) apartment or do chores or whatever

16. Tea or coffee?

both. tea tho, i prefer it hot so i mostly drink it during the cold months. i actually didn't drink coffee until like 2 years ago then i got a job and..... being around working italian people, i was doomed to start

17. First thing you wanted to be when growing up?

a writer or journalist

18. What movies do you adore?

so many????? i love cinema. if this means like, genres, then again so many. i'll just give you 3 movies i've watched lately and loved: wife! be like a rose! (1935), letter never sent (1960), calcutta 71 (1972)

idk who's done this already or been tagged so feel free to ignore this but i'm tagging @shapovalovvs @lewisfencer @fortyfive-forty @belteppismo @tiiresias @marcotardelli @carlosheinz <3

[golbrocklovely]

since i do plan to see mtrench in late september, i think doing a review on their new album is necessary lol

feel free to read if you wanna. i know most of you that follow me aren't doing so bc of this band, but i do love them so much so i figured doing a review would be fun :)

i've been a fan of marianas trench since i was 11ish, circa 2006/7. just in between my fall out boy and jonas brothers phase. i've seen them three times in concert, and this will be my first time seeing them alone, so i'm excited. and i miss seeing them live.

i'm also gonna meet them, but let's not think about that rn.

so for this album, when i heard A Normal Life, i was so immediately into the album. i truly miss their big orchestral pieces and just how good their music can be, so hearing something new was amazing. it's definitely one of my favorites, even now after hearing the whole album.

the other singles… they were a bit of a build up to loving them, minus Down To You. that one i instantly loved as well.

after hearing the entire album, i do want to note one thing.

i love mtrench, have been a fan of them for a majority of my life. however, this album is definitely gonna have to grow on me. the lyrics are very hit or miss. Phantoms (their previous album) also had this problem with me. the music itself is great, the vocals are on point, but the lyrics are so… bland. like, they feel like a first draft. or like when they did pop 101, the whole "higher/desire/fire" lines… yeah, making actual lyrics like that isn't as funny as it was back then when you were mocking pop music.

and the thing is, i don't mind simple lyrics. i truly don't. but josh has talked about going thru some crazy shit over the past couple years. and i thought that maybe that would show up in this music, and it does to some extent. but it just feels like he didn't really tap in enough. i miss the anger and frustration of Fix Me. i will literally give them all my money if it means they come out with a new pop/punk album or SOMETHING like that. the pop music is great, i will never not like the rock opera elements they continue to do. i just wish the lyrics were deeper. they feel surface level at times in the album.

okay, enough of that. let me break down each song and my overall score.

A Normal Life: fucking amazing. again, one of my favorites for sure. a great opener. sets the scene for the rest of the album. i know hearing this live is gonna change my life lmao favorite line: But what about all those voices in the night? / Whispering the things that keep me from a normal life rating: 5/5

Lightning and Thunder: this was a bit of a slow burn for me. originally when i heard it, i thought it was fine, but not my favorite. truly only listened to it maybe twice before the album came out. but now i like it a lot. i think lyrically it could be better but i don't mind it. it kinda reminds me of 'remember this' by the jonas brothers lol vocals are top notch tho ! favorite line: But sometimes I feel my mother and father in the room / It's like their hands are on my shoulders / So I think they feel us too rating: 3.5/5

I'm Not Getting Better: so when i saw this title, i was so excited. i was like 'omg this is gonna be my song' bc i think we can all kinda relate to that feeling. but…. damn does this song disappoint lol first off, it sounds like blank space by taylor swift. so extremely dated, but not in a fun way. the lyrics are like a nothing burger. you could just make "do do do" the lyrics and they would hit about as hard as these do. i like the falsetto. i love the vocals. the chorus is definitely the best part of the song. but i just hate how bland this song is. i expected so much more by the title. at least the song is a bit catchy. favorite line: Oh well / Who said I was getting better? rating: 2/5

Down To You: so this came out like right before the album did, and i was so let down from INGB that i didn't want to listen to this one. but i did, and thank god i did. i fucking love this song. i will say the only thing i don't love is that this song is similar to 'need you to stay' by kid laroi. especially the chorus. but it's not exactly the same, so i don't mind it. this is an example of the lyrics, again, not being deep. but i don't mind it as much bc the song itself is fun and everything hits well together. so idc that the lyrics aren't deep or whatever. can't wait to hear this one live. also something about this reminds me of masterpiece theater (the album) in the best way. favorite line: So here we are / But something's changed / A broken heart / And now I'm drinking in the dark rating: 5/5

Now or Never: this song reminds me of astoria (the album), but i can't place what song, especially towards the end of the song. i quite like the lyrics. the vocals are top fucking notch and i cannot wait to hear this song live. this is honestly such a sweet song. and the first one i heard from the album after the singles so… pretty good starter. i will say this is when i started to realize… where are all the bridges?? i love a good bridge and this song should have had one lol favorite line: It's now or never / I don't believe in crying more / Now I know better rating: soft 4/5

Into the Storm: this is like a hybrid baby of masterpiece theater and phantoms. the baseline reminded me of fix me, tho. again, another song that could have had a bridge. lyrically it's fine. i kinda wanted more, but it's not bad. love how the song starts slow and then builds. the ending was awesome. favorite line: Just repeat this / Long goodbye / A broken record always on the radio of mine rating: 3/5

Ancient History: so when i saw the little description of this song, "allies", idk why but i thought that i was gonna love this song/this was the song i was claiming as mine. and in a way, i kinda agree with my earlier belief. this song is really good. obviously inspired by 'yesterday' on astoria. the saxophone is fucking crazy in the best way lmao this song feels like the 80s (or what i would assume the 80s felt like since i literally wasn't alive lol) favorite line: Who we are now / Whoever we are now / It's never without our history rating: 4/5

Stand and Fight: this song could easily be on astoria. i honestly really like this song. i think this could be one of my favorites later down the line. as of right now i like it but it's not a favorite just yet (at least i don't think so lol). these lyrics are better, still a twinge bland but honestly i don't mind it. vocally amazing. that one "so stand and fight" where his voice breaks a bit… omg kill me that hurt. this is gonna be so awesome to see live. favorite line: To all those years we don't get back / To every hope that we hold tight rating: 3.8/5

Turn and Run: ngl these titles are very boring lol but i do like that they are referenced thru out the album. this song tho… it's like a little bit of every album from them, which is so cool. it first reminded me of astoria, then ever after, then phantoms, and towards the end it sounded like fix me. honestly this was a bit of sleeper hit, bc when i listened to this song first time i was into it but haven't listened to it since, and now?? might be a late fav of mine. favorite line: Tears that we've shed / Are stones we lay on roads that lead us to the end rating: 4.5/5

Worlds Collide: i remember first hearing this song and thinking this should have been the closer, bc that's how epic sounding it was first listen thru. when i heard the "you're beautiful" line, i immediately smiled. i didn't even realize 'cross my heart' was also in there too. this really is a mashup of masterpiece theater and ever after in the best way. like honest one of the best songs from this album for sure. favorite line: The stars should point you home but who knows where you are / You disappeared for years out there rating: 4.5/5

Nights Like These: this song reminds me of a song that gets played a lot at my work (which i looked up and it's 'i got you' by olivia lunny) so immediately… not a favorite of mine. i think the lyrics are really sweet and obviously very personal to josh. i just.. can't vibe with this song. it's very basic and kind of boring. i know that makes me sound like an asshole since it's about his son. but it's just a very meh song to me. if they end up not playing this song live, i won't be upset about it. sorry lol favorite line: We were lit by a candle / Got stuck in the storm / And as the rain fell we stayed / Close to keep warm rating: 2/5

Remember Me By: giving astoria vibes, very much michael jackson/shut up and kiss me. love it so much. such a fun song. and i love the lower vocals (go ian) and it's just a great way to almost close out the album. and the change into the next song??? awesome. very ever after coded. favorite line: I'm desperate / Like a small-town Juliet rating: 4/5

Haven: such a great closer. starts out similar to phantoms but then goes well beyond that. little bits of the other albums are thrown in too. someone pointed out that they should have used the line "And the road home is paved in star fuckers requiem" which would have been INSANE honestly. but regardless, this song is definitely one of my top favorites. expected nothing less from mtrench. favorite line: I don't know why it makes no sense / But my premonitions in past tense / I can't see past today's midnight rating: 5/5

overall i think this album is good. i won't say it's my favorite yet (but that will probably happen by the 20th listen thru or something lol) but i do think it's pretty solid all things considered. i wish the lyrics were a bit deeper or meaningful. also, someone else pointed it out but i have to agree - i miss when they wrote harder, sadder stuff. and i get that josh is in a better place in his life than he was back when he wrote fix me or masterpiece theater, but damn do i miss that sound and those lyrics. if i honestly think about it, i haven't related to a lot of the lyrics in recent years. but i also don't mind that to some extent. i just kinda miss when things were a bit more relatable to me. also i'm hoping that two of the songs from this album don't get played live and something else instead is played, like literally anything from fix me lol

overall ranking of the songs:

Down To You

A Normal Life

Haven

Worlds Collide

Turn and Run

Remember Me By

Now Or Never

Ancient History

Stand and Fight

Lightning And Thunder

Into The Storm

I'm Not Getting Better

Nights Like These

[panelshowsource]

it seem so 😔 it's amazing to hear he's recovering well enough to write a whole show and do a whole tour! i have a feeling it won't be filmed, so it would be great to hear any of your experiences if you get a chance to see the show. (maybe you can send me a summary? i'm sure he'll talk more about it all then, given the synopsis for the tour :')) off the back of sean, rhod, and janey godley, i was just thinking about how the generation of comedians i grew up with are hitting more vulnerable years, which is very sobering, but i digress...

here are the tour dates for anyone who missed the announcement!

here on panelshowsource? because i was busy and not online :)

sorry anon, you sent this a couple days after his bday and i don't think i'll do belated posts. i actually wanted to do something for it, but i was just busy with life and didn't get enough of a head start (i usually need 2–3 days prep time). next time!

yes i totally agree! i like daisy on the show because she clearly loves music (the way she's always hyping up the identity parade artists is honestly really wholesome and appreciated) and she is a riot — even if she's exaggerating, better that someone is exaggerating having fun than not. i guess that's where daisy and jamali balance each other out, some episodes lmaooo greg is a textbook ham, so daisy getting such a kick out of his RIDICULOUS jokes — which makes greg so happy — plus greg and noel already having such a comfortable (and often silly) rapport makes them such a solid 3. greg and jamali have definitely gotten more comfortable with each other, too. they're a fucking random bag of people but i think it works! that show is a hot mess of good, goofy vibes

yeah, sometimes! just depends on the interviewee. last new one i listened to was probably ed byrne? i was just listening to a john kearns one since (spoiler alert for this ask post) someone asked for a collection folder for john — it's a sweet one. to be fair, john is just a sweet man. i'm not crazy about richard herring — he's fine — so sometimes i'll quit mid-way if richard is making it too much about himself or complaining too much (you know how he is). but in general i don't think i've missed anything significant bc i got bored or skipped an ep. do you recommend one?

sure! they're honestly one of my faves ever. obsessed with them. i was just thinking about what chaos jimmy + jon + joe + roisin are, generally the episodes when joe is filling in for sean. jimmy already loves a derailing, and you can tell he gets such a kick out of both joe and roisin (same way he gets a kick out of rob beckett, honestly), and jon really lets loose with those three — they're SO stupid hahahaha like this has to be one of the most random, stupid episodes ever i love it so much

it will be my pleasure doing research for such a gifset 😈

i have added him to the collection folder!

linked to some typical panel shows + added his radio 4 series, his latest radio dramedy with tim key and his sitcom top coppers (both added to the secondary masterpost), a couple sketch things, a couple youtube things :) i also collected his podcasts + a few random episodes i don't host on drive and added the links in a doc which i added as well (i'll go back and do that for the existing collections this weekend!)

enjoy!

ps. working on nish, mike wozniak, and david & victoria folders

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