#and listen. i know the title is sappy and overdone. i know it.

[fandom-space-princess]

Every Day's Most Quiet Need

midam week prompt 5: whisper - (v) speak very softly using one's breath without one's vocal cords, especially for the sake of privacy/(n) a soft or confidential tone of voice; a whispered word or phrase

Rating: Teen [2.5k words, a tiny bit h/c, mostly just sort of sweet]

Some things can't be spoken aloud. The only way to get them out is to say them as softly as you can.

read below the cut, or on AO3

When Adam thinks of whispers, he thinks of Michael's wings.

-----

"Michael? Why are you shivering?"

Maybe a silly question. The Cage is cold. An understatement, of course, but trying to hyperbolize about it has never taken the sting out. No matter how Adam tries to wrap it up in description, thinking of it as frozen as the Arctic tundra or the original ice cube or goddamn Minneapolis in February is never enough to distract from bitter reality.

So: the Cage is cold.

Shouldn't matter, though, and usually it doesn't. Michael is an inferno inside his chest, and he runs hot even by angelic standards (at least, according to him; not that Adam has any basis for comparison). Adam barely registers the frigidity of the place, and as far as he knows the cold bothers Michael not at all, either from his vantage in Adam's head or, as he's taken to doing more and more lately, manifesting as a separate presence.

Not that he's really asked. They've been down here for close to two hundred years, and it's only the last fifty or so that the rapport between them has been something resembling friendly.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Michael curls himself up smaller near the wall of the Cage, knees clasped to his chest, and slips into what Adam has privately begun to refer to as his Stoic Angel Face. The juxtaposition strikes him as odd: this intense, commanding creature, tucked into the corner like a human child, tight with tension, but wearing an expression that would seem more at home on a commander of armies, or carved into a mountainside.

Adam has been looking at Michael for two centuries, though. He's getting good at spotting the cracks in his masks.

He settles himself down next to Michael, a bare few inches separating them. "Ok. Say I believe you. You're still pretty clearly uncomfortable right now. Can I... is there anything I can do to help?" He rests a hand cautiously on Michael's arm, watching his face closely. Doesn't miss the flicker of Michael's eyes to where they touch, then away again, tight and guilty like he doesn't want Adam to see.

He leans into it, though, and Adam shifts to press into his side, shoulder to shoulder.

This close, he can feel the fine shivers still running through Michael's frame. Can make out the shallowness of his breathing.

"Michael. Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't usually hang around out here when you want to be left alone. So what's up?"

Michael sighs. "As you say, I am merely uncomfortable. I — the last time we fought —" He nods across the Cage, at the far shadowy corner where Lucifer broods in solitude, "— I sustained a few... minor injuries. Injuries I am incapable of healing except by waiting for my grace to recover. In much the same way as your body would heal naturally."

Adam blinks. He doesn't know what he'd expected, but that — that wasn't it. Lucifer and Michael often scrap with each other. When they first arrived, it had been out of genuine fury. But as they have settled into a more permanent resignation to life in this place, Adam has come to suspect that their ongoing fighting is mostly out of habit, and frustration.

At least now they do it in their own forms. Being conscripted into participation on a physical level, especially when Sam had still been present, had not been among Adam's favorite activities.

He casts his gaze over Michael, critically. "You don't look injured anywhere that I can see. Is it — it's an angel thing, isn't it."

"Yes." Michael fidgets against the wall. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Another bitter sigh. With a face like he regrets ever consenting to participate in this conversation at all, Michael mutters, "My wings hurt."

"Your... oh." He understands, suddenly, why Michael is reluctant to talk about this. While there is no longer any aspect of each other that either of them is uncomfortable with, at least on a physical level (Adam's body has been home to both archangelic grace and human soul for an order of magnitude longer than he had ever occupied it alone), Michael's wings aren't entirely physical, even by his particularly lax definition of the term. They're tied up too closely with his grace, with his power, with his place in Heaven and the burdens that come with it. Adam has seen them, time to time, out of the corner of his eye. Knows that Michael can and does manifest them when he's coping with some severe emotion.

Usually violence. Or fear.

He fidgets again, and shivers, and the emotionless mask he tries to keep in place is betrayed by the tightness around his eyes. Adam realizes that he's never seen Michael look quite so shaky, quite so miserable. How much pain does it take, he wonders, to make the Sword of Heaven look like he wants nothing more than to sink into merciful unconsciousness?

Which is a good point, actually.

"I know you've gotten in fights before, bad ones. I've never seen you like this." He nudges Michael gently with his shoulder. "What's so different now? Is it that we're stuck here, something about the Cage?"

"No, it's... well. To be blunt: I have never injured part of my noncorporeal form this badly while also possessing a corporeal one." His voice has dropped to a low murmur, and Adam tilts his head closer. He's curled in on himself, as though making himself as small as he can. "If I were to leave you, I could tend to the problem much more quickly. Given our circumstances, that would likely be unpleasant for me, and fatal for you." His eyes dart to Adam, then away again.

Oh.

"You'd rather be in pain then risk hurting me?" Adam asks softly.

A scowl is all the acknowledgement he gets for his trouble, before Michael returns to staring fixedly off into the middle distance.

"I care about you too, you know," he says. He rests a hand on the archangel's arm again, in reassurance. Once again, he leans into the contact, a response which seems almost involuntary.

Interesting.

Testing a theory, Adam leans back against the wall of the Cage. Slowly, allowing Michael time to object if desired, he stretches an arm out and settles it lightly over his shoulders. Michael goes utterly still, and Adam wonders if he's made a mistake. He's about to draw back, offer an apology, when some measure of the tension leaves Michael's frame and he relaxes fractionally against Adam.

"You'd tell me if there was anything I could do to help, right? I want to know, if there is."

"I don't want to presume upon you further than I already have. Given time, I'll be fine."

"So there is something. Come on, halo, out with it. Let me help."

Michael frowns, then shivers again, appears to reach a decision.

"Fine." He uncoils himself from Adam's embrace, and moves to kneel a few feet away. Pointedly meets Adam's gaze, and holds it, as if in challenge.

A crackle like embers from a fire along his skin, raising goosebumps over his arms, and a soft displacement of air. And then —

— he's seen them before, of course, but never dead on like this. Michael's wings are gigantic, and beautiful: the soft grey of storm clouds, fading to a darker slate blue at the tips of the largest feathers. Threads of silver and steel grey etch through them, and they refract the dim light oddly, half-translucent, as though they only partially exist in this plane. Which, now that Adam thinks about it, they probably do.

They're also a mess. From where he sits, Adam can see patches of broken and scorched feathers, clumps of dried blood and sulfur, places where the flesh has started to heal badly. A pang of sympathy, like a lightning bolt through his chest, and he's extending one hand out toward Michael on impulse before he realizes what he's doing.

"You can't reach them, can you? While you're possessing me? That's what you meant."

Michael's eyes track his hand, the aborted gesture hanging in midair. His face and posture have gone closed-off, rigid, like Adam might change his mind at the last moment and strike him instead. "The metaphor is imperfect, but that's essentially accurate. In Heaven, I could tend my own form. Here, my options are... limited."

Adam slides closer, until he sits at his side, facing him. Watching Michael for any sign of distress or hesitation, he extends his hand until the tips of his fingers brush a patch of uninjured feathers over his shoulder. They're softer than they look, and they buzz faintly under his touch, a barely perceptible hum of bioelectric feedback.

Jaw clenched, Michael looks away. Nods once. Presses the wing forward against Adam's hand.

"I'm going to clean the injured parts as much as I can, ok?" Adam says gently, trying to catch Michael's gaze. When that fails, he reaches out to clasp a hand to his shoulder, squeezes once. "Let me know if I should stop."

He grazes his fingertips over one of the burned patches, and Michael hisses, flinching away.

"No," he responds immediately as Adam draws back by reflex. He catches Adam's hand in one of his own, lightning quick, and shakes his head. Deliberately presses the hand back against the scorched feathers. A wince, but his eyes lock on Adam's. "You won't hurt me." His voice falls to nearly a whisper, and his hand drops away. "Please."

This time, when Adam touches him, he is still.

The damage is extensive, and Michael's wings are... well, there's a lot of ground to cover. Adam suspects that he's not getting the whole picture, somehow; that what he sees are only the parts of himself that Michael has chosen (or, perhaps, is able) to bring forward into this plane. That there might, in truth, be more injuries over more of him — and in more dimensions — than Adam's mind is capable of perceiving.

He hums as he works, fingers combing careful through clumps of feathers. Straightening those healthy enough to be salvaged, pulling away bits of dried blood and occasionally tugging free those feathers too bent or broken to be saved. Michael makes a low, pained sound deep in his chest at the first one, and Adam presses his hands back to the space immediately, soothing.

To get his mind off it, Adam speaks. "So, what, you'd do this yourself in Heaven? Or the — I dunno, whatever the metaphysical equivalent of grooming your wings is for angels?"

Michael leans into him, hip pressed to thigh and shoulder against his arm. "Yes. They'd heal more quickly if I was, as you say, able to 'reach' them. But much of my grace is currently constrained within your form. The ways in which I can manifest and manipulate it are comparatively limited."

"But you'd always do that for yourself? Not that a ton of the angels I've met seemed too friendly —" He snorts, thinking of Zachariah. "I wouldn't blame you if you were picky about who you let get that close. But you must have had someone."

For a moment, Michael goes tense against him, and his face clouds. Then it passes, as though it had never been. "No," he says, clearly unwilling to elaborate.

Adam doesn't press the issue. He leans back on his heels, then stands, stretches. "You doing ok? I should do the back." Michael nods up at him, from his place on the floor, and Adam circles behind him. Taps him on the shoulder. "Stop kneeling there and sit down." His voice is light, teasing. "I'm going to need all the height advantage I can get on your ridiculous, massive wings."

It startles a chuckle out of Michael, and Adam grins to himself. Michael settles near his feet, and Adam resumes carding through the wings. He starts at the tips and works inward, down along the leading edge, gradually moving back toward Michael's body.

When he's close enough, Michael relaxes back against his legs. Almost like he doesn't realize he's doing it, Adam thinks. He doesn't mention it, and when he moves away to start on the outer edge of the other wing, the quality of the silence between them is different than before. The pain seems to be fading, and Michael no longer shivers, but some less definite emotion is rooting in its place, something quieter and almost sorrowful.

When Adam kneels behind him to reach the places closest to Michael's body, he can feel the difference. It's in the way the wings press eagerly into his hands, rather than shying away. In the way the angel tilts back into him, posture more relaxed than Adam has seen him — maybe ever.

Adam encourages him, pressing his weight in turn against Michael's back. As levelly and casually as he can, he says, "What about the others? I was under the impression that you guys were, well, close. A family. For whatever that means for you."

"Heaven is not —" Michael tenses, but Adam just leans more firmly against him, fingers moving soothingly over his wings, and after a moment he relents. His words sound fragile, hollow, and his voice is almost too quiet to hear. As though speaking this too loudly would be too much, would mean acknowledging something he was unwilling or unable to acknowledge. "We aren't like humans; we don't interact like you do. We don't — we don't touch each other. Except to fight." He glances furtively across the Cage. In that moment, Adam sees a glimpse of his deeper nature, the weight of an impossible stretch of time on this being as old as the universe. "Once, perhaps. But not for a very long time."

Adam says nothing. Nothing needs to be said.

He sits against the wall of the Cage, spreads his legs out, and tugs at Michael's waist. Michael's wings vanish, and he turns his head to speak, but Adam cuts him off.

"Don't argue with me, ok? Just come over here."

Michael lets himself be pulled along, until he rests between Adam's legs. He leans back against his chest, and fidgets for a few moments. Then Adam curls his arms around his waist, and he settles.

"You deserve to be touched in something other than violence," he murmurs, chin hooked over Michael's shoulder. He runs hands down his arms, until their fingers twine together, pressing close to Michael's body. "Don't give me that 'not like humans' line. Just stay here with me for a few minutes."

He has no power to hold Michael here against his will, he knows. He could vanish, fly off, simply stand up and walk away — he is far stronger than Adam will ever be.

But Adam holds him, the only comfort he has to offer.

And Michael, a silent weight against his chest, doesn't move away.

[blushblushbear]

So one minor observation I've made is that Cole probably has cuteness aggression bc he often calls Marshmallow cute and expresses his urge to bite and squeeze the heck out of them. That is a reaction which is caused by a feeling that something is "too cute for us to handle" and we almost want to destroy it as a means to prevent ourselves from getting overwhelmed by it.

Also he would absolutely BODY the role of JD from Heathers and the song Meant to be yours that is so his vibe.

Have a lovely day!

1) OH MOST DEFINITELY

I talk about it on my list a bit but I legitimately believe that Cole does not know how to process any emotion in a productive healthy way. (at least not extreme emotions)

also I feel like he leans towards aggressive behaviors most of the times, though sometimes on accident.

2) also most def. Me and my brother actually talked about/made a play list for Cole and some characters like him and by made a playlist I mostly mean collected like 5 songs that immediately came to our heads and didn't think about it any deeper and also a few of the songs were hyper focused to our musical interests BUT YEAH Meant to be Yours was on it.

also on it;

Pretty by Don Broco (my brothers addition cause he was showing me this band around the time we made this, also partly cause of the music video GORE WARNING but here's the link)

Horror of our Love by Ludo (CAUSE IT'S MINE AND MY BROTHER'S FAV BAND and we can't have a serial killer play list without it!)

Overdone by Ludo (another suggestion by my brother cause for some reason I always forget this song exists????)

Non, Je ne regrette rien by Edith Piaf (cause I will always take any oppurtunity to put french jazz anywhere I can see fit and I legit think he'd listen to french jazz you can not change my mind also here are the lyrics with a translation button for my non-french speakers NO, I REGRET NOTHING. for clarification I don't think he JUST listens to it, just that it's a guilty pleasure he has BUT MAYBE I'M PROJECTING OR SOMETHING lol)

Y'a d'la joie by Charles Trenet (since we were on the subject of french jazz, and also cause I love me some irony! the title is "There is joy!" and it's a happy little song that I first heard in front of a french animated movie about a store that exclusively sells tools for su*c*de)

Meant to be Yours from Heathers (cause OBVIOUSLY. also this was more my addition cause I'm the musical theater kid between the two of us lol)

AND ACTUALLY SINCE WE'RE HERE IN MUSICAL LAND, I'm adding

Maria from West Side Story (since he canonically writes the players name all over himself like the obsessive weirdo he is lmao. for context, west side story is romeo and Juliet, and this is the song Tony sings after he first meets Maria and falls head over heels on sight. He learned her name as she slipped off into the night and it's dumb and sappy but GOD IF I DON'T LOVE IT BUT C'MON IT'S SONDHEIM HOW COULD YOU NOT???)

I could probably think of more (I KNOW MY BROTHER DEFINITELY COULD LMAO dude makes hours long playlists in his sleep) but these are just the first few that popped into me and my brothers head. I feel like it'd just be rock and showtunes and french jazz all the way down tho lmao

I know no one actually asked for these but here we go! A playlist of songs Cole can sing to you while he resists the urge to squeeze you to death lmao

[kpoprambles00-blog]

BLACKPINK (블랙핑크) - KILL THIS LOVE (2ND MINI ALBUM) [COMEBACK REVIEW]

One thing we can all agree on is that the past few months in K-Pop have had NO CHILL WHATSOEVER.

SERIOUSLY. There have been so many fucking comebacks for me to try and keep up with - THE SPRING COMEBACK REVIEW LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE THREE PARTS LONG. YEAH.

But I've got two big albums to cover before we get into that whole set of shenanigans - I'll say it now, they're both girl groups. (Being blatantly honest, I'm not interested enough in BTS to do a full comeback review of Persona; "Boy With Luv" will be in the spring comeback review.) And this is the first one - BLACKPINK's first comeback since last summer.

Now, of course, I want to admit before we start that I am a Blink. I do like BLACKPINK quite a lot. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to write this whole review from that perspective; I'm going to do my best to be as equal and open-minded as possible here. Yes, there will be some fangirling on my part, because I can't help it. But I'm going to do my best to remain as impartial as I can. It's more fun that way!

I've admittedly put this review off for long enough (because finals are a bitch), so let's not fuck around any longer and finally take a look at Kill This Love.

1 - KILL THIS LOVE [TITLE]

...okay, so I know I said I'm going to be as impartial as possible here, but... I did also say there would be a bit of fangirling, so let's get that out of the way first, shall we?

Holy mother of FUCK this is going to be a contender for my song of the year.

From a Blink's perspective, I do not get a single ounce of the hate for this song. It fucking SLAPS. Did y'all hear that brass line, or are we listening to different songs?? Because while a good brass line is a surefire way to get into my heart, it gives the song so much raw power and poise that it's impossible for me to hate this. Hell, it's impossible for me to even dislike it. This is the first comeback I've actually prepared for, which included me watching the V LIVE stream the hour before the video came out. So I was already hyped. And then "Kill This Love" managed to meet pretty much all of my expectations! I was... super impressed by that. I stand by my opinion that I shared on Twitter a few weeks back; this is BLACKPINK's best title track by far, and one of the best songs they've ever released. Whilst "DDU-DU DDU-DU" admittedly wore off on me a bit over time, I don't know if that's going to happen with "Kill This Love". Every time I listen to it, I get just as hyped as the first time I heard it. It's fucking amazing.

But now, let's be more impartial and look at it from a musical perspective. Why do I like it so much, whilst others detest it or say it's nothing special? Well, I feel like that's mainly because of the structure. I've heard so many different people say that "Kill This Love" feels like an absolute mess; it has no consistency or flow, and just feels like multiple songs mashed together. And yet, some of the most popular and well-known songs in K-Pop are examples of that trope - look at Girls' Generation's "I Got A Boy"! I don't think I've ever seen someone who dislikes that song. I even love it! It knows what it wants to be, and has fun with it. And yeah, I wouldn't say that "Kill This Love" has fun with its concept - it... moreso wants to break your door down with its power and charisma. WHICH IS COMPLETELY FINE BY ME, BLACKPINK CAN STEP ON ME.

But to go off on a bit of a tangent real quick, because of the huge rise of social media (and most importantly, stan culture), hate is going to seem more prominent than ever - especially with a group as big as BLACKPINK. But that doesn't mean you can't like "Kill This Love" for what it is. I love seeing people discuss what they do and don't like about a song, because that promotes healthy discussion. But throwing around hate for the sake of it is what really bugs me; and unfortunately, I did see a lot of that with this comeback. But sometimes you just have to brush it under the rug and enjoy what you enjoy. If you don't like this song? Great! That's your opinion. If you love it just like I do? Fantastic! You also have an opinion! Basically, don't be a dick to someone who doesn't agree with you.

ANYWAY, back to the song. I see what people mean when they say it lacks structure, but that's exactly why people like "I Got A Boy" so much; it subverts your expectations, and feels so distinctively... K-Pop, if you get what I mean. It's meant to be flashy and in-your-face; the labels behind these songs couldn't give less of a shit about structure. It's something that the genre is known for, and something I quite like to see when it's done well. One problem I do have with this song, however, is its ending; I do feel like it ends too quickly, although I'll admit the problem goes away the more you listen to it. The more accustomed you become to the song, the more you expect the ending and the less abrupt it feels.

But hey, lack of structure or not, all four of the girls sound great here! Jennie sounds fantastic in her lower range (as she always does), Lisa's rap is just as charismatic as it's ever been, Jisoo sounds downright royal, and Rosé? Man, this is Rosé's ERA. Her vocals here are so powerful and charismatic that I honestly love watching loops of her parts from live performances. She suits this concept so fucking well.

The lyrics are pretty alright, too. They give off this very conflicted vibe of being in a relationship that you know is dangerous and probably quite bad for you, but you actually like the danger, and want to stick around regardless. I'm not even going to get into the whole controversy that came up with the lyrics and photobook pictures, because I've rambled enough as it is. If you take the lyrics at a superficial level - as they were probably intended in the first place - they're an interesting spin on a typical breakup/love song. And for once, I don't feel like the English sections are out of place! That's definitely an achievement in my eyes.

There's no answer to this test, I'll always fall for it I'm a slave to my emotions Screw this heartless love

I know it already feels like I've written an essay's worth of content, but that's just the song and lyrics. What about the choreography here? Do I like it as much as the song?

Spoilers: yes. I do.

This routine is just as powerful as the song it's choreographed for. It's not mind-blowing or anything, but it's definitely great in my eyes. There are so many little details and hand/arm movements that definitely tell you that Kiel Tutin was involved; which, yeah, we already know he was. It's a trademark of his style. And goddammit, it WORKS here. Every single little beat is hit or at the very least touched upon, and it's super satisfying to watch. I don't think I could imagine another choreography to go with "Kill This Love"; this one just seems so well crafted and has so much effort put into it that I wouldn't WANT any other choreography. This one is perfect. It's powerful, it's sassy, and it's exquisitely detailed. Sounds great to me!

And I don't care if it's been said a million times: Rosé's hair is the 5th member of BLACKPINK. THEM EXTENSIONS THO.

All in all, "Kill This Love" knocked it out of the park for me. It met - and honestly surpassed - all of the expectations I had going in, which were already sky-high. I really hope this is the standard BLACKPINK adhere to in the future, because I'll be a very fucking proud Blink if they do.

2. DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO [SUB-TITLE]

Next, in what's seeming to be a tradition for BLACKPINK, we have the side track - "Don't Know What To Do". And I'm going to say it straight away - no, this shouldn't have been the title track. It works best as a side track, in my opinion. The song is nice, yes, but title track material it is not.

What it IS, though, is a surprisingly emotional yet upbeat breakup song. The more natural elements are a nice surprise, with the acoustic guitar chords and finger snaps adding a nice sense of flow. There's also the fact that those synths in the chorus make this a pretty anthemic song, since the chorus just explodes after the great build-up in the bridge. The way the instrumental dips in and out is particularly effective. "Don't Know What To Do" almost reminds me a bit of G-Dragon's "Crooked" in its tone; you know, you listen to it for the first time, and think it's a party song. Then you look up the lyrics and you realise that it's not.

But the biggest thing giving away that this is actually a breakup song is the girls' vocals. All of them sound surprisingly emotional here - Jennie even sounds like she's going to burst into tears at some points! (Hopefully that's not actually because of her own breakup, which, if it is, then dammit I want to hug her.) There's also the fact that Rosé's doing her best Avril Lavigne impression in her first chorus, which is honestly SUCH a great sound for her. It's making me hope her solo has a rockier edge to it... Lisa's raps are still quite steady and have a good flow, but are surprisingly toned down for her - and her vocals sound great too! And Jisoo basically carries the choruses, if you ask me - her falsetto gives them that extra melodic hook they need, and she sounds fantastic.

The lyrics are quite good, too! Just like the song, they're surprisingly emotional, and focus on some of the smaller details (which is something I always like). They've got just the right amount of emotion to them without feeling overdone, sappy or cringey.

Wondering if the phone might ring I hate myself for anticipating [it] uselessly The tick-tock of my clock is especially bothering me

But thanks to this song's status as a side track, we've got choreography to look at here too. And... I may just like this just as much - if not even more - than "Kill This Love"'s choreography. And THAT'S saying something.

This routine is the definition of satisfying to me. It's so... dynamic, so fluid, and with so many little details and extra bits that they didn't have to add. But they did. And it's SO much better for it. There's a lot of floor sections, which means it must be fucking exhausting to do (especially since BLACKPINK normally seem to sing live in some shape or form), but the girls look effortless regardless. It's a very unique routine, and one that just gets better and better every time I watch it. I keep finding new little details, and that just makes it even more enjoyable for me.

So while I don't think "Don't Know What To Do" is title material, it's certainly fantastic as a side track. Hell, I'm glad it's the side track, because it means we still got to see choreography for it.  It fits in very nicely!

3. KICK IT

With both promoted tracks out of the way, we still have two new songs and a remix to look at. And the first of those two new songs is "Kick It", which the girls actually ended up performing as part of their set at Coachella. But while I do like the song - it's fun, with a nice chill vibe in places and a powerful one in others - it's... probably my least favourite song on the album. But that's just because I like all the other songs so much! So don't take that as a bad thing. I just find it to be pretty standard.

"Kick It" makes ample use of a really strong bassline in its instrumental, as well as some interesting drums and guitar melodies. But the bass is particularly strong here, and it'll be one of the first things you notice if you're listening with a good pair of headphones. The melody honestly has a really nice rhythm in places - it can change from being quite slow and steady to a little quicker and even quite anthemic towards the end. That chanting English section before the final chorus is awesome. The girls definitely supplement this power with their vocal delivery; Lisa's rap in particular is really nice. In all English, too! And it's not cringey, which is... certainly new for BLACKPINK.

Speaking of English, the lyrics for this song have about as much of it as you'd expect. It's used pretty frequently, but never feels out of place or unneccessary, which is always good. And the lyrics themselves are alright; they're pretty much what you'd expect from any empowerment anthem, but they're certainly fitting of BLACKPINK's overall image.

The dark night might take me away But now I can dance for myself I'll jump over the wall that is you

But yeah, "Kick It" is a song I honestly don't have a lot of opinions on. It's a good song, for sure. But it just feels very... normal for BLACKPINK at this point, for lack of a better word? It's the sort of song that you'd expect from them nowadays, and while I do like the song quite a bit, it's nothing too special. I still recommend giving it a listen if you're interested, though.

4. HOPE NOT (아니길)

Ironically enough, we're going from my least favourite song on the album to what's probably my favourite. Yeah, I love "Kill This Love" to bits - but I'm not including that here. Out of all the side tracks on this album, "Hope Not" is the best of them. Straight up.

That says a lot considering how minimal this song really is; all it's really got is the girls' vocals, some harmonies and an electric guitar riff in the background. But that's all it needs. Then you look at the credits for this song and you realise why it probably works so well - Lydia Paek was involved in the production of this. And she definitely knows what she's doing. Hell, I like her cover of Taeyang's "Eyes Nose Lips" more than the original. She's talented as shit. And I'm delighted to see her create something for BLACKPINK, because "Hope Not" is gorgeous. It's actually a really well-done ballad, one that's not too caught up in its own misery and expecting us to take it seriously. It's very real and sincere, whilst being emotional and heartfelt at the same time. There's a lot going on here, which you wouldn't think from just listening to the instrumental.

The girls once again sound surprisingly good here; they showed their emotional sides on "Don't Know What To Do", but I actually like the approach here just as much. They're not quite as emotional vocal-wise on "Hope Not", but the approach each of them takes with their performance is really damn pleasing to listen to, ranging from hushed melodies in their lower range to more emotional belting in the choruses. It's a great contrast, and sounds gorgeous when you put it all together. Unfortunately, my main problem with this song also lies in the vocals - the autotune. It's just not needed. It's making Rosé sound like she's either slurring her words together or singing underwater. Possibly both. You can hear it very clearly in a few places, and for a song that's attempting to be a lot more natural and stripped back, it really, really doesn't work. Especially when it's so thick. But I'm glad to say that's my only problem with the song; the rest of it is all excellent in my eyes!

Especially when it comes to the lyrics. I might need a plaster for my heart after reading them, because ouch. Yes, this is a breakup song, a ballad - but it's certainly an unconventional one. Instead of talking about how depressed the breakup has left them feeling, or being angry at their ex, or being empowered now that they're on their own again, "Hope Not" actually has a really sweet sentiment behind it. They don't know where their ex is now, or who they're with. The girls are just grateful that the relationship happened. And whilst they admit both parties made mistakes in the relationship itself, they hope their ex doesn't forget them and the times they had together.

OUCH. MY FUCKING FEELS.

For you, I'm okay with being hurt Since I only gave you pain during the time we were together But you, the love you want You need to meet someone better than me, and be happy But I hope not to the point where you forget me

I don't give a damn if you find that cheesy or cringey, I think it's sentimental as fuck, and a really damn good piece of songwriting. Overall, I find it to be more effective than "Don't Know What To Do" in terms of emotional power; it's more powerful than any slow song BLACKPINK's done, even if there aren't that many of them. This is their best yet.

I don't think I have to spell it out when I say I love this song to bits. It's probably my most listened-to song on the album, besides "Kill This Love". It just stands out so much, both because of how much it can do with so little, and because of its phenomenal lyrics. It's goddamn gorgeous, and a serious contender for my side tracks list at the end of this year. 😊

5. DDU-DU DDU-DU (뚜두뚜두) [REMIX]

To end off the album, we have a remix of "DDU-DU DDU-DU". Because of course we do, it's YG, what would you expect at this point?

But this is actually alright in my eyes, because this remix is actually fucking awesome. I've seen a lot of people say that they don't like it, but as someone who listens to EDM pretty regularly, this is my shit. It did feel a bit messy on the first listen, but there are some parts of this remix that are so goddamn hype, I'm majorly pissed they didn't perform it at Coachella. Seriously. THIS WOULD'VE SLAPPED, WHY DID YOU NOT DO IT. Although apparently they were performing it on their NA tour, but it was just as an encore. Why. I'd love to see some switched up choreography for this, please YG I'm begging you. ;-; (The electric guitars they added in sounded AMAZING though. Like wow.)

The more you listen to this, the more you get into it. For real. Jennie's rap section is honestly better than the original version, purely because of that use of the 808 bass. My jaw was on the goddamn floor listening to it for the first time, that shit went HARD. There's not really much else to talk about here - if you want to hear my (albeit very hyped at the time) thoughts on "DDU-DU DDU-DU" I talked about it back in my autumn comeback review last year. The remix is just a better version of it, if you ask me. It's got so much hype behind it that I can't help but love it.

And that's the entire album! Unfortunately BLACKPINK's albums are so short and few and far between that I feel like I need to savour each release. But now that they're really gathering momentum in the West, maybe - just maybe - we'll get another comeback this year? I mean I don't want to curse it, but a bitch can dream. 💀

ALL SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW: Kill This Love Don't Know What To Do Kick It Hope Not (아나길)

COVER IMAGE CREDITS: Edited photo frame from KILL THIS LOVE album cover - me (yes I'm crediting myself here because bitch it took FOREVER) Camo background BLACKPINK PNGs - Soshiloverexid on deviantArt