#b'day tag

[candyunicornsateme]

this bitch will never know peace

happy birthday to my green boy 💚

[infintyonhigh]

aro fall out boy moodboard

[yakhuli]

Is this your birthday month? What's the date?

It's on 16!!!

[delicateglitch]

I need this week to drag itself as much as possible cos I'm not ready for next week 😭

[sarfaroshi]

happy b'day to uchiha madara, our Lord saviour amen etc. 🙏

[myobsessionsspace]

Fun ask: Do you like unconfirmed but possible JiKook thoughts? So JK did GCF-T and used the song There For You - "But you gotta be there for me too" ending line. For 2019 summer, JM on vacation with friends, returned for JKs b'day, etc. JM made a travel vlog for that trip, using the song Come Thru - "Can you come thru?" ending line. (It always stood out to me as an odd choice for a travel vlog.) Soon after, JK began getting the tattoos that included the infamous "J M". Was that JKs answer to JMs question? Aside: the Vlog video concept reminds me of Closer Than This video theme. JMs Vlog -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl3QLdm2uts

Hello Lovely,

Ooohhh you’ve asked THE question. Where do I stand with unconfirmed but possible Jikook thoughts or how I’d probably see it ‘Jikooker Theories’ & ‘Jikooker Delulu’ (said lovingly)?

TL;DR - I’m the worst with this. Honestly my jikooker friends get so frustrated when they delulu and then they’re like…Em?? How about you?? And I’m like…

The main reason I’m so enraptured by Jikook and everything around their bond is because I really don’t need to be into unconfirmed but possible thoughts.

Credit: factkm

You don’t need to squint to spot their unique duo in the midst of anything or anyone else. I don’t even need to put my glasses on to look at them and see that they’re different.

That’s what I like so much about them, they radiate in their actions and words how they feel about each other and how close and unique their bond is, whatever it is it’s closer than close and it’s the two of theirs.

Don’t get me wrong I find it fun delving into Jikook theories. I’m blown away by the intelligent minds that can spot certain connections and patterns. I’m only human too, so I’m a nosy cow. I eat it all up, their off schedule sightings and 1:23 theories etc. I studied psychology and am a lover of love, so of course I’m interested in getting as much information to draw conclusions and all that jazz.

One of many Jikook Icebergs. I love me some Jikook theories but…I above all love Jikook period.

But to me even if all the theories and unconfirmed thoughts of others are stripped away, Jikook give me enough to not need any of that.

It’s a funny balance, taking in others unconfirmed Jikook thoughts. Reading what people say, people thousand of miles away from Jikook, from different upbringings, backgrounds, careers, cultures, ages, genders. People who’ve never met Jikook on a personal level or been apart of Jikook’s inner most circle and not letting it become fact to you, taking their thoughts and opinions as gospel.

Jungkook is me sometimes when trying to get into Jikooker number theories 😩

I love all types of jikooker accounts, art ones, writer ones, historian ones, spicy ones, super investigative ones etc. I’m still figuring out myself how deep into unconfirmed jikooker thoughts I’D share.

I’d love the asks to help me discover what I would be able to answer. **SO ASK AWAY💜** and let’s see how that goes. It’d all be my opinion and my opinion only though.

If it’s not something plainly my opinion, I prefer to stand by everything being backed up by evidence from Jikook and those closest to them, like the members. If it isn’t a verified interview, from original content that can be referenced, from their vlives/weverse lives, sns etc I’m not too keen 😬

VS

Very easily, unconfirmed thoughts can become fact in subsections of fandoms like shipping fandoms, solo fandoms etc. So I like to make sure I can find the first source from when/where/who it started from.

So in conclusion,

I love the fun of it all, the unconfirmed Jikook thoughts, the theories, the sleuthing and delulu.

I do try with my #Tin Foil Hat: Jikook (I’ll tag it so you can take a look if interested) but it’d maybe take asks that make me go for it in more depth?

But ultimately if it’s not from Jikook’s words, their overt and also their not so subtle displays and actions OR if it’s not from those confirmed as closest to them…then to me it’s nothing more than light entertainment that starts and ends there. Nothing that will shape how I view Jikook.

Thank you for you ask!

💜

P.S I think ‘Letter’ is Jimin’s GCF Tokyo/GCF Saipan and ‘Closer Than This’ is the fan song for the collective of BTS fans known as ARMY, cos you know, Jungkook is Jimin’s fan too!

[akutasoda]

hellooo, I saw your event and congrats!

I was wondering if r1999 slots still left? If it's still available, can I have Zima x fem reader? I heard his b'day is on April 28. ❄️

Where his significant made him a poem about him on his bday? Even they tried their best to write a poems to their love for Zima.

a poet's gift

synopsis - where you write a small gift for his birthday

includes - Зима (zima)

warnings - fem!reader (no pronouns mentioned), fluff, wc - 761

a/n: thank you! yes his bday is the 28th so i guess this is an early present :)

zima was a talented poet and that much was obvious, the only issue was that not many knew nor got to hear his poems. one of the poets biggest downfalls was the fact that he was quite socially inept, preferring to recite his works to animals that all seemed to enjoy his works as well - you had seen many kinds of creatures flock towards him as if they actually understood him.

your lover wasn't exactly open to sharing with you at first either. if you caught him writing or reciting his poems, his normally expressionless face would crumble and he'd avoid you for a couple of hours out of sheer embarrassment. you felt rather bad that he had such a reaction and so you came to peace with not hearing any of his poems - sometimes you could find a few laying around when he was out and as long as you put them back exactly, you could read them.

you'd know when he became more comfortable sharing them with you. it wasn't really him sharing them but it counted as the bird that normally perched upon his shoulder would come to find you with a rolled up piece of paper containing zima's newest work that he wanted to hear your opinion on. it was rather cute but you knew if you brought it up to much he'd stop.

eventually he'd start handing them to you in person, ready to receive your opinion immediately and in person. zima would also come to develop the habit of allowing you to tag alongside him, if you weren't too busy to go read his poems to some animals - atleast you got to hear him read it outloud. it was nice, seeing how passionate he became over his poetry.

it would take a while but eventually he would allow you to sit beside him as he wrote from scratch. zima wouldn't confess it to you but your presence was very calming to him and it actually helped him focus, so he did prefer you to be by his side nowadays. naturally from watching your lover write a couple of times, you wanted to give it a try. you may not be an exact master of words but that's why you had zima to help.

a rather nervous coach but he tried his best to give you a few pointers and ideas to improve the small piece you began drafting alongside him. it was a nice change. a warm, quiet room filled with the scratching of pen against cartridge, it became oddly calming after a while. you would come to notice the extra pens and paper that resided on his desk, it didn't take a genius to figure out what he meant by leaving them there.

one day you had happened a glance at the calendar and saw that the upcoming event was in fact zima's birthday. a gift hadn't really crossed your mind yet, you didn't really know what else he liked that could be gifted apart from poetry and animals. you figured you still had a few days until his birthday and so maybe the perfect gift would cross your mind before then.

it didn't take long before the sight of pen upon paper to make up your mind on what to get him. zima liked poetry and so why didn't you compose him a personal piece? sure you weren't exactly the greatest poet but it was the thought that counted. as much as you would of preferred to write beside him, you knew if you did that your surprise would be spoiled and so for the first time, you started writing completely on your own.

all the hours you spent toiling over words had finally paid off. the day of zima's birthday you gave him a scroll of cartridge that was neatly tied over with a small bow. while he normally referred to his birthday as 'the begining of misfortune', he doubted it could be today when he felt weirdly optimistic at the sight of you and your gift. he carefully unrolled it and observed the contents for a while before he brought his hand to cover his face as he muttered out a small thank you.

zima really never had the habit of preserving his work, but this was your work. a beautifully written proclamation of your love that he would keep forever.

akutasoda's 1k event

[rottmntsimp]

Hello how are you? I hope you're doing good.

If i can request Casey jr x female!human!reader? Platonic, fluff hc.

About reader - who isn't related to turtles or April, you can say they met at school - is begin a sweet person and understanding, when she met CJ she didn't push him to open up and waited for him to be comfortable, she knows a lot about cooking so she's making a lot for Casey and whatever he wants.

Personal chef

Pairing[s]: Casey Jr + Reader A/N: Part 2/2 of the B'Day double upload!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!~

Casey

💖 - Ok, let's say it's about a few months, maybe a year post-movie. Casey's settling into this new life, and is still currently adjusting to his new lifestyle!

💖 - Oh boy. Lowkey, I would expect this kid to be really excited about going to school.

💖 - Meeting kids his age, learning, being out in the public and not having his life in constant danger? Sign him up!

💖 - He's not...the brightest per say, but he's willing to learn! He never had time for a proper education in the apocalypse, and will probably require some heavy tutoring.

💖 - That's where you come in!

💖 - After April's mother so kindly offered to be the one to enroll him, she made sure to include the fact that he may be a bit behind and would probably require some extra classes.

💖 - First day, he was in the principal's office during lunch, waiting for his supposed tutoring buddy. With how he'd seen kids walk in late to class all day, he sort of expected you to walk in late, but to his surprise you were right on time!

💖 - Walking in, you introduced yourself to him, smiling sweetly, a stark contrast from the behavior he's seen in the hallways. Of course he's still on guard, but it's nice to see a green flag every now and again, right?

💖 - Since Casey doesn't really have a "normal" place, and won't open up on where he lives, you guys decide to have your tutoring sessions at your place!

💖 - Imagine his surprise when after each and every session, without fail, you send him off with a treat or two.

💖 - He'll probably put it aside once he gets to the lair, afraid that it might be poisoned or drugged or whatnot, but after seeing Mikey and Leo munch away at them, he starts to warm up to you.

💖 - Before you know it, he might even bring a snack or two himself [either having Mikey bake them, or just buying something off of a street vendor]

💖 - You guys sit next to each other at lunch!!

💖 - If you eat alone during lunch, pray that you're fine with him tagging along, because once he's hooked, he's hooked.

💖 - And if you have any friends, don't feel shy to introduce him to them, he may not open up to them easily, but he's still kind!

💖 - I hope you like to bring snacks to school, because my guy will be hungry during class [What?! I'm not projecting onto him lmao /sarc]

💖 - If you guys get to a point in your friendship where he's really comfortable with you [most likely after years of knowing you], he might introduce you to the others!!

💖 - Speaking of the others, you know for a fact he's ranted about your cooking to Mikey before. Hell, he'll probably act as a little messenger boy while you two swap recipes-

💖 - He loves that you're so patient, and might even feel a little guilty for not opening up that much, but it'll all be worth it, because trust me, you guys are going to be attached to the hip at one point.

💖 - If he ever sees you getting picked on at school, he will sock the person hurting you in the jaw.

💖 - He might be a little over protective, almost like an overbearing father or older brother, but give the kid a break, he survived an apocalypse!

💖 - On the topic of the apocalypse, he might not tell you about the whole time travel thing until years later.

💖 - He half expects you to burst out laughing and call him a madman.

💖 - To say he was surprised when you just sat there, looking so...genuine.

💖 - He couldn't help but warm up inside as you hooked onto every word he said. Listening as he spoke of his sensei and his mother with such genuine interest it made him feel as though he'd lucked out. As though he'd won the friendship lottery.

💖 - At this point you guys have no secrets whatsoever, to the point where you two share passwords for random stuff. Spotify, Gmail, hell even your phones.

💖 - Teach him how to cook, oh please-

💖 - His taste buds were ruined after surviving off of rats for years.

💖 - If you and Mikey ever meet, please band together and show Casey the joys of working in the kitchen.

💖 - He may not be good on his first try [or possibly ever] but you'd be lying if you said it wasn't fun having him around.

💖 - Make sure to introduce him to different cuisines as well!

💖 - Chinese, Mexican, Indian, everything!

💖 - I am a firm believer that Casey will not hate anything till he has tried or seen it at least once.

💖 - Expect him to be a bit sentimental about things.

💖 - Maybe on your friend-aversary, he bakes you a batch of the first treat you made him.

💖 - Or maybe on your birthday he takes you out to the first place you guys hung out!

💖 - And yes, this guy will be your taste tester for everything.

💖 - Although he may not understand the concept of "good food," teach him and he'll learn! Explain to him how to recognize if there's too much salt or too less seasoning, and before you know it-

💖 - ✨Refined taste palette✨ /j

💖 - But yeah, overall, I feel that your friendship would help him grow more as a person. And as soon as he recognizes that, he'll make sure to shower you with appreciation <3

Taglist:

@lemme-be-cringe-damnit @sleepytime-fics @ray-of-midnight-storm @hamthepan @charismakat @flapajacker

[liveyun]

—all works in this blog are meant for entertainment purposes and are totally fictional.

—tagged accordingly, M for mature, A for angst and F for fluff. minors in are not allowed to interact with any of my M rated works.

liveyun © 2022-23. do not translate or claim as your own.

𝐊 𝐈 𝐌 𝐍 𝐀 𝐌 𝐉 𝐎 𝐎 𝐍

— O N E S H O T S

???

𝐊 𝐈 𝐌 𝐒 𝐄 𝐎 𝐊 𝐉 𝐈 𝐍

— O N E S H O T S

awake : [ M ]

—assasin au + enemies to ??, 6k+

tonight : [ F ]

—student au + friends to lovers, 4k

white sand : [ A ] 🧁

—b’day spl, exes au + angst, 3.8k+

𝐌 𝐈 𝐍 𝐘 𝐎 𝐎 𝐍 𝐆 𝐈

— S E R I E S

apricity : [ M ]

—arranged marriage au + strangers to lovers , 15k ongoing

haegeum : [ M ]

—crime au + enemies to ?? , 7k ongoing

— O N E S H O T S

so far away : [ A ] 🧁

—b'day special + angst, 0.5k

predator : [ M ]

—gangster au + smut, 7.8k+

𝐉 𝐔 𝐍 𝐆 𝐇 𝐎 𝐒 𝐄 𝐎 𝐊

— O N E S H O T S

blue side : [ A ] 🧁

—b'day special + angst, 0.5k

𝐏 𝐀 𝐑 𝐊 𝐉 𝐈 𝐌 𝐈 𝐍

— O N E S H O T S

???

𝐊 𝐈 𝐌 𝐓 𝐀 𝐄 𝐇 𝐘 𝐔 𝐍 𝐆

— O N E S H O T S

midnights : [ M ]

—friends to lovers + smut, 5.5k

𝐉 𝐄 𝐎 𝐍 𝐉 𝐔 𝐍 𝐆 𝐊 𝐎 𝐎 𝐊

— O N E S H O T S

???

[not-goldy]

i was the one who wrote the post about jk choosing/proritising his 97 liner friends over jimin. i guess i was harsh with my wording and i think it was caused because of the lack of jikook in a way (sounds stupid i know) we dont know how much time is left before all remaining four members enlist in the military (they would enlist this year itself, that much is clear) and there's a chance jimin would leave soon seeing most of his schedule is done (that we know of) and i was expecting a jikook live before the torturous two years we'll have to go through without them but i dont really see any chance of that happening now. jk also has music bank on jm's birthday and we know its a really tiring event and it can take a full day to get done with the whole thing, so chances of jk and jm interactions are again very slim.i think i just miss them and desperately wanted to see them. i know just because we dont see them doesn't mean they dont interact off cam but i wanted to see them on a live or tiktok or something. so seeing jungkook make tiktoks with that mingyu during both seven and 3d era just...ruffled my feathers in a way. also saw a lot of 'gyukookers' on my tl so yea that was annoying as well. i kinda assumed jm won't be in the live as it was a post-album announcement live, but still...

so yea, knowing that jungkook won't be much active on jm's b'day and not getting the oct 4th live as well kinda saddened me. does not excuse my behaviour but that's what happened.

Thanks for being real and for being honest.

I think you are human in every sense of the word so I can't be too hard on you or even hold you to it. We've all been there. I know exactly how painful and frustrating it can be. But I'm here for you okay?

I would be that person to bring you back to reality and keep you grounded when you drift, I will call you out if I have to and I will point out the errors of your ways and it would almost always be out of love- if I however sense you actually hate any of our captains I'll deep fry your titties, lace them with acid and spoon feed them to you🤧

You can dm me anytime with any grievances you have and I'll listen. Or just tag your asks with rants and I'll know how to respond without putting a target on your back.

I wish we have a jikook live too.

I wish they release the seven tiktok challenge they filmed on the boat.

I wish Jimin has a happy birthday and not feel unloved or cared for or that he matters to those that matters to him the most.

And I feel Jungkook had to keep repeating he'd be busy on the 13th so we don't make a huge deal out of it if we don't see him around that day.

Sometimes I know they feel they are in a three way relationship with us where we are the pets and children they didn't ask for but have living in their basement.

They don't just have to care for eachother they have to care not to bruise us too. It's a complex symbiotic parasocial relationship dynamic we have with them.

We care and sometimes they care that we care. But that's not fair to them.

We are the kids who keep complaining daddy forgot mommy's birthday. Daddy was seen with female in his car. Daddy came home late. Daddy forgot to take the trash out. Daddy yelled at mommy. Daddy didn't eat mommy's meal. She worked so hard to make him his dinner. Daddy doesn't love mommy. Daddy is a fuckboy. It's almost as if we want to date mommy ourselves and nothing daddy does pleases us.

If it were a horror movie we'd be the changeling they'd be running away from🥲

It is well with us. Love you okay?

[p-redux]

Is anon maybe referring to the Kith brand? His shorts on the boat are Kith,one of the shopping bags in the NYC video show "Kith" and his striped shirt in the pic with the writer of TCND is also Kith. Is there any relation between Chloe and Kith? Does she wear it in pictures? Or is anon just assuming Chloe gave him shorts and shirt as a b'day gift and he liked the brand so much he went to Kith NYC and bought more?

Anon is referring to Sam wearing this striped Kith clothing shirt and shorts 👇

They are indeed Kith clothing brand 👇

Damn, look at those prices. 👀

And there was a Kith bag on the ground next to the woman Sam was photographed with in New York a few weeks back. 👇

The jury is still out as to whether that was Chloé Montana with him or not. I don't think it was her, but some do.

As for whether she has Kith tagged on her IG account anywhere. I haven't seen it so far. But I'll look. Also, just because she may not wear Kith, doesn't mean anything. It's a men and women's brand, so Sam wears it, and she doesn't. Doesn't mean anything about whether they dated or not.

[go-saeng]

gifmaker / cc wrapped 2023🌟

thank you max (@irlvernon) & em (@facethesuns) for tagging me to talk about my top 10 creations that i've made this year✨ i thought it'd be nice to do a top 10 from both my skz+svt blogs hehe💞

my top 10:

gam3bo1 2023

if not boyfriend, why boyfriend shaped

he's iconic and we know it (absolute all time fav)

monster gfx

highlight medley mingyu

people like him die first in movies

you’re the root of my happiness

catch stock gose woo

chan's b'day gfx

mashup video : minchan

tagging a few of my favs to do this if you haven't already (no pressure at all) : @jeonwon-wonwoo @xiaoxiongmaos @minhosblr @bandzboy @minchanz @lee-minhoe & @cherriescoup 💖

[thesinglesjukebox]

BEYONCÉ - "16 CARRIAGES"

You guessed it! (...did you?) It's B'Day! Let's end it off strong...

[7.44]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: An exponentially stronger B-side to the paint-by-numbers honky-tonk of "Texas Hold 'Em," "16 Carriages" is reminiscent of the widescreen ballads that Beyoncé hasn’t made in some time. There have been slow songs and Quiet Storm tributes, but few all-ages Bold Metaphor jams to flick your lighters up to. Usually, this isn’t my favourite of Knowles’ modes (give it up for a day-one "Halo" sceptic), but the frayed-family narrative and arena-size swell are moving. Compared to "Break My Soul" and its eye-rolling lyrics about quitting dead-end jobs, "16 Carriages" doesn’t make me balk at one of the world’s richest women singing about being “underpaid and overwhelmed." In its earnest hugeness, you can feel the artist reach for the mythic, or a theatrical archetype at the least. It’s strong character work. [7]

Rachel Saywitz: After an album bereft of slow-churning, sob-inducing ballads, it’s very satisfying to hear Beyoncé back in her element with “16 Carriages.” There’s a gorgeous tension to it, a slow buildup rich with narrative interiors—regardless of whether the track is pulled directly from Beyoncé’s life, its story shows in blistered verses frantic with stormy memories and repeated affirmations. I can sense, in her melodies and vocal runs, that there’s a rush to race ahead of the track’s patient lap steel and slow percussion thumps. Her voice grows in power so gradually that when the anticipation finally reaches its peak in that final chorus, it’s hard to feel relief. I want to keep living in the epic fantasy of the song’s tale, where strife is rewarded and fear begets a legacy.  [9]

Hannah Jocelyn: "16 Carriages" is billed as country, but it reminds me more of maximalist chamber pop like Perfume Genius’ No Shape with its drastic dynamic shifts and off-kilter orchestration. Beyoncé’s performance is virtuosic in its relative restraint, letting the crashing horns and strings do the heavy lifting. (Good singing =/= belting everything!) She recasts her history as an underdog story and sells it -- and for what it's worth, getting famous at an early age actually sounds pretty traumatizing! The oddly lo-fi production grounds the narrative. This obviously isn't a truly unpolished Beyoncé -- this is more self-mythologizing -- but it's great storytelling and worldbuilding. "Carriages" can't be narrowed down, always eluding any easy genre tag or even any easy answers in the lyrics. It's been a while since a pop star released something this weird, and even longer since they pulled it off. [10]

Jeffrey Brister: This one feels more in line with my expectations. "16 Carriages" isn't perfect—it has a repetitive melody, doesn't do nearly enough with the bluesy vocal, and feels a lot longer than its 3:53—but there’s enough to make it a distinctively country song. It also makes some smart choices with arrangements and productions -- the slight crunch and airy decay on the drums giving it an off-kilter feel, smartly knowing when to crash into climaxes and pull away to the spare beauty that shows off Bey’s voice. [7]

Dorian Sinclair: Releasing “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” simultaneously was smart. Where the former is gleefully cluttered, “16 Carriages” is stripped-back and stately, letting the lead vocal line carry the track almost entirely on its own. It’s a risky gambit; the melody is repetitive, and without a commanding performance the song could easily feel stagnant. But we know Beyoncé can deliver a commanding performance, and she does so here, with a precise understanding of how to execute on all those little flutters, and how to make the moments when the melody does break out of its limited range and climb a little higher really feel exciting. It all works right up until the last 45 seconds or so — introducing a new melodic idea so late in the song makes the whole thing feel kind of formless and unstructured and the ending feel notably untidy. This might make more sense on the album, but for now it’s unresolved. [7]

Aaron Bergstrom: It's been almost fifteen years since 30 Rock taught us that "going country" is a totally legitimate career move, and yet I confess that abrupt genre-hopping still makes me question an artist's motives. It's easy to see the commercial justification for Beyoncé finding new worlds to conquer, and I do love that a Black woman succeeding in country music makes some of the worst people in the world tie themselves in knots trying to explain why they're (a) mad about it but (b) somehow not racist. Still, if all we're doing is running it back with banjo instead of house piano, then I can't say I'm all that invested. Luckily, "16 Carriages" shows that there's also an artistic justification: country music can be such a compelling medium for storytelling. This is a song that needs to shake off the dust before it gets going, a song that needs to unfurl itself, unhurried in its presentation. It evokes weatherbeaten grandeur and the way that an unbroken horizon can signify both freedom and isolation, both possibility and emptiness. It drags in places and never reaches a real emotional climax, both of which could be seen as purposeful artistic choices. But ultimately it's undaunted, or at least as undaunted as you can be when it feels like your dreams are escaping.  [7]

TA Inskeep: First of all, this ain't country just because it has some acoustic finger picking in it. This sounds more Lumineers-core to my ears, especially the way it gets stompy as the arrangement gets bigger and swells with strings near its end. The lyric could be more effective with better music and a less sweet vocal. Maybe bring it back for that purported "rock" album and let Jack White go loose, encourage Beyoncé to go full Tina Turner -- that'd work. [5]

Brad Shoup: Genius is calling this a "classic country anthem," which may be true if your classic country stops at "An American Trilogy". When the symphony blares down the steel, it feels like the song taking its true intended form. She's going asking it to hold up so much, so quickly: origin story and present-day triumph and private burdens. That may be the most classic country thing about it, actually. [6]

Taylor Alatorre: "16 Carriages" is a songwriting case study in the power of selective ambiguity. Why carriages, and why 16 of them, when Beyoncé gives 15 as the age by which her innocence had "gone astray"? Part of it could be the centrality of the "sweet sixteen" in American girlhood, but that hardly seems like the whole story, especially when the song is bent on depicting the precise opposite of a normal American adolescence. The subsequent use of "umpteen," an ungainly word that Beyoncé seems to roll her eyes through, confirms that this is not about a specific moment of lost innocence but a larger, hazier sense of loss that weaves its way through the cracks in one's life, lying dormant and then springing back up at unexpected moments. A long train of carriages riding off into the sunset is a dream image, some mirage-like melding of Wild West and rock 'n' roll mythology that hits at something primal and almost beyond naming. The passing of childhood, yes, but more specifically the closing off of a universe of choices that were once available to us and no longer are. This being a Beyoncé single, the mourning is laced with the requisite triumphalism, but this doesn't negate the message that every worldly gain is built upon worldly loss but strengthens it. Those bone-rattling surges of guitar and percussion, at once funereal and propulsive, provide the ideal frame for this balancing act, jolting us back and forth between reality and the reverie. We never find out exactly what dreams are being carried away by the carriages, but that's fine -- all the better to universalize this inherently exceptional case of the self-sacrificing celebrity. [8]

Jackie Powell: Ever since Beyoncé released “Formation” and subsequently Lemonade, a common criticism emerged about what her brand stands for, and a question was posed: can she currently relate to the stories about being a Black person in America? Ernest Owens’ column from eight years ago makes points that remain relevant. “Just know that Beyoncé is making bank off of a variation of blackness that she isn't currently living in or experiencing,” he wrote. With Renaissance, released six years later, there were questions about how Beyoncé could earnestly lean into the plight and earn profit from the Black queer folks that Renaissance pays tribute to. And with “16 Carriages,” a track written like a modern day “work song,” how does that factor into that discourse? Putting it simply, Beyoncé has struggled with being relatable, but “16 Carriages” challenges that. What was her life like before the millions of dollars and even before Destiny’s Child? I didn’t really know until now. She writes of sacrifice, something that is a part of everyday life for all. And she also writes of the struggles that people who choose a life of creative work are accustomed to. “Goin' so hard, gotta choose myself/Underpaid and overwhelmed.” That’s so real. “Sixteen dollars, workin' all day/Ain't got time to waste, I got art to make.” That’s also so real. “16 Carriages” is written like a poem in couplets, with Beyoncé placing accents after each clause or phrase. The most important words that she wants you to take away are what she accents. It’s intentional, just like a lot of the recent Beyoncé story. Could this be Beyoncé’s “Jenny from the Block?” It might be, but it’s a bit more sincere and much less silly. Beyoncé knows she’s not that professional teenager anymore. [8]

Nortey Dowuona: Atia Boggs once wrote the hook "oh, I don't recall, all the tears of them all, the children of men, children of men." She also wrote: "baby, I might let you go, baby, baby no matter what, and like I switch the other side of me, baby gotta lotta ride on me." She has been writing songs that take all sorts of shapes, but she is credited on this song, and those two feel close to it. The first is a Trae the Truth record where he and J. Cole tell sad stories of young black men being sucked into the prison system, and the hook memorializes their lives. The second is a trippy Childish Gambino acid trip with a girl with a cat who looks at him sideways and has a little ride on her -- which Boggs sings about before her words are once again cut up and scattered to the winds. "It's been umpteen summers, and I'm not in my bed, on the back of the bus in a bunk with the band." I figure that a longtime songwriter like Boggs and Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter can both resonate with this lyric: both of them have lost umpteen summers to the reality of being musicians, and both are still in the chase and still have dreams left to achieve, still remember the dulling ache of being young and chasing and fearing not keeping up with the elders who are ahead. "It's been 38 summers, and I'm not in my bed, on the back of the bus on a bunk with the band." Now they are the elders, the ones the younger singers and songwriters are keeping pace with, seeing the road begin to shorten, time running out. "Going so hard, now I miss my kids, overworked and overwhelmed." It's easy to forget that both Boggs and Beyoncé are human beings, especially when one is a longtime songwriting veteran with dozens of credits and one is the most revered people in black music -- in music, period, which is why you make songs like this. Not everyone is free to sincerely indulge, but everyone is free to grieve the shortening of the runway, afraid of running and coming up short, losing time with your children, wondering whether the overwhelming grind will actually end. For Ms Knowles Carter, hopefully soon. For Mx Boggs, the future is far more uncertain. [10]

Katherine St. Asaph: Authenticity arguments are generally boring. But I would be lying if I claimed it didn't lend some gravitas to "16 Carriages" that Beyoncé wrote it with a songwriter for Renaissance and not a songwriter for Fletcher. The song is a showcase of vocal interpretation -- which it has to be, because it's essentially one short melody -- and genuinely strange, a power ballad that Beyoncé's verses keep prodding and dodging until it sounds less inspirational than destabilized. More than anything she's released in a while, this reminds me of 4, a sadly-but-unsurprisingly underrated casualty of the album it preceded. [8]

Ian Mathers: Much more so than "Texas Hold 'Em," this feels like one of the high-drama Lemonade or Beyoncé tracks transposed to a more country backing -- not in a bad way, if anything in the "this is a real song because it works even if you do it real stripped down" sense. (Not that this is particularly stripped down; the bombast really works for me, actually.) The fit isn't quite as smooth as "Texas Hold 'Em," but that just means that one feels like an all-timer while this just feels strong. I suspect it'll work great on the album -- sequencing being yet another thing Beyoncé is generally great at. [8]

Will Adams: The "country" designation for "16 Carriages" doesn't really connect with me. Rather, the song stands as the ideal version of what Beyoncé was going for with the adult contemporary half of I Am... Sasha Fierce that ended up quite bland. With heaps more production value and maturity, she's finally sold it. [7]

Isabel Cole: I thought it was the melody that I didn’t quite like, but then I couldn’t get it out of my head for a week, and found I didn’t mind it there. The plodding beat makes sense conceptually -- evoking the drag of horses’ hooves, or perhaps the crack of a whip driving them on as they pull -- but it’s a little grating. The way the arrangement veers between sparseness and bombast feels like the song can’t make up its mind about whether it’s a vulnerable confession or a statement of pride. And, again, that’s the point, I know; and, again, it just doesn’t land for me. [5]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Bombast can in its own right become a virtue – if this were any smaller of a song I'd note the flaws in its construction more closely, spend more time trying to piece together where the core metaphor goes. In practice, "16 Carriages" leaves me with no time or resistance to consider such petty concerns; in every giant, resounding organ chord and wail of the steel guitar I am simply awed, bearing witness to Beyoncé at her most ideal form, a force of grace and power embodied. [8]

Michael Hong: Authenticity is wholly unimportant when it's this well-acted. With every shaky line reading and teetering run, she evokes the rickety journey of a carriage, bumping through the clunk of the guitar. It doesn't matter whether the lyrics are true to Beyoncé or any of the songwriters; you hear the lift when she looks upward.  [7]

Leah Isobel: I wonder whether the Renaissance project is about refraction - funneling Beyoncé's mythmaking through different genre prisms, seeing what aspects of her art and her life story are emphasized in each new mode. "16 Carriages" suggests as much. The Act 1 material felt like she had time-warped back into her youth, its energy libidinous and present-focused, its references rooted in the various forms of dance-pop that carried the early stages of her mainstream crossover. (Like, there are two Beyoncé songs that sample Donna Summer: one off Dangerously in Love, and one off Renaissance. Seems like a purposeful choice!) Here, though, her mode is more reflective, more "adult." The previous record's shifts in tempo and syncopation could evoke the time-shifting qualities of a great dancefloor, the way that the past and present and future blur into meaninglessness, but "16 Carriages" delineates clearly between what has passed and what is to come. Its instrumentation is built on harsh, regimented blasts of instrumentation that corral her vocal into measured units: you can hear her pacing out exactly how much melody she can fit in between each beat. It's like the ticking of a clock, or a step forward into the future. But it feels limited, somehow, by that regimentation. "For legacy/ If it's the last thing I do/ You'll remember me," she sings on the bridge, as if it's a self-evident value. Perhaps it's a peek inside what it takes to be an unbelievably famous and successful superstar after nearly 30 years: you cannot ever let yourself run out of steps forward. There is only the body and the road, pushing forward. I just wonder what it might sound like if she stopped. [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[dearweirdme]

I agree with you that most if not all jkk moments are somewhat sexual in nature. It's either coz of their height difference(why???) or bcs acc to them they are still in their honeymoon phase and are constantly all over each other. But how are jkkrs surviving in the solo era? Jimin's constant mention of Yoongi should've given them some context of their current status. Jm even celebrated his b'day with Yoongi, and since bdays are such a big deal to jkkrs, this should've been their kryptonite.

One jikkr thing that has always irritated and confused me though is that rosebowl ear kiss(yes it's a kiss he's not sucking his ear). Jikookers love gcf the most but rosebowl is definitely the second, or maybe it's that hickey thing and rosebowl is third🤔.

Anyways what confuses me here is that jm was crying, not just crying he was uncontrollably crying. Jk went to comfort him. He kissed his ear. But why tf would he have sucked his ear?? The man was bawling his eyes out and they think jk felt like oh this is the perfect moment for some pda for my jikookers 🙄. How can they connect any romantic connotations to that moment is seriously beyond me. If this had happened in any other circumstance I would've even accepted that he sucked his ear. How can they not see how weird it would be to go romancing someone when they are crying their eyes out?

Hi @likeoldlove !

Mmm, Jimin and Jk have such a nice relationship, at times it feels almost insulting the way some Jkkrs change it into something it’s not. It’s not that they’re wrong about Jk and Jimin being close, they are.. it’s just very platonic in nature. The insulting bit to me is that they at times undermine Jk and Jimin being very professional men. They didn’t get this far as BTS by just doing what they want and by not being able to control themselves. Imagine what that would have been like for the other members even. They insert sexual behavior and kisses and whatnot every chance they get.. at the oddest times.

And that Rosebowl moment is such a nice moment of Jk comforting Jimin, who was really upset. But it is not romantic.

I just took a peek at the jkk tag.. and was absolutely amazed at some of the takes already out there. Elaborate stories, doing maths with balloons.. like 😑.

[pisswater-deadgirl]

tagged by @captainspaulding for my current favorite albums <3

music has been weird for me lately but I keep coming back to

Carrie and Lowell - Sufjan Stevens (reminds me of someone I miss and is just a near perfect album)

Number 1 Angel - Charli XCX (this is her best album, everyone will come to know)

Silent Hill 3 - Akira Yamaoka (do I even need to explain like)

shuffling Ayesha Erotica on Soundcloud (I think For the Girls could be her best song)

B'Day - Beyoncé (girl Kitty Kat? it's over)

bonus: I’ve been watching Friday a lot lately, and the animated Men in Black series from the 90's. Friday is a perfect high movie and MiB is truly excellent and criminally underrated, I have never heard anyone talk about it and I have no idea why.

tagging @taxidermyang3l @unblinkingvoid @janerra-ava @otomeresu