#basically no skip album once again

[sweetsuenos]

Here's my lil thoughts on DC's new album:

Vision- amazing love it, its so guitar heavy which I love in a title track

Fairytale- It's literally so fresh and different but still fits their discography well? My favorite bside

Some Love- reminded me of a less bright version of airplane? Very fun and the lyrics were v sweet

Rainy Day- sounds like a drama ost, I love the rain sounds, the piano, how slowly more instruments are added, liked it a lot

The Intro: Chaotical X and Outro: Mother Nature were nice instrumentals and both had surprising lil moments like the siren at the end of the intro. Both eerie in different ways, really liked them but they're not my favorite.

Overall the album felt very cohesive? It felt like it went from dark and heavy to brighter and more hopeful and maybe a lil melancholy. I guess they structure a lot of their mini albums like that but this one reminds me of Summer Holiday, like all the songs fit together very well.

[hwanchaesong]

━⁠☞🍽️ Sixth Course: You've always wished for him the best life could offer. But what if you are the best that the universe could ever offer to him? Be salty enough, you guess? 🥢

🎧: Olivia Rodrigo - Happier

wc: 678

genre & warnings: angst, fluff if u squint, lovers to exes to friends, Yeji from ITZY, etc etc

a/n: this is a part of The Sour Restaurant series. if y'all want, you can read the other album inspired fics of other groups here.

"Look! It's adorable! Do you think Mingi will like this?" the girl squeals, grabbing a lilac sweater and showing it to you.

You examined the fabric, and somehow, it made you remember the exact clothing that Mingi prefers.

Gray. Cotton. Oversized.

Still, Mingi will appreciate the thoughtful gift.

"Yeah, he'll love it. Especially since you bought it." you smile, and the girl jumps excitedly, immediately buying the sweater before clinging to you.

"Thank you so much for accompanying me." Yeji hooks her arm with yours, happily skipping in the mall and you can only give her a weak smile.

"It's no problem, really. I'm glad that I can help you." you mumble, laughing a bit when she whines about how helpful you are.

Lies.

Who on earth would feel any ounce of joy when the current girlfriend is asking the ex-girlfriend to help her with picking a gift.. for the man that was once yours and now her boyfriend.

You suppose that it's normal (self gaslight), since you and Mingi broke up mutually, and you two are in the same circle of friends.

The romantic aspect of your relationship was long gone but the camaraderie remains.

It was a well-thought decision on both sides, for the sake of your friends and family, to be casual with each other with no hard feelings.

It was fine and all, until he got a new girl.

You have to bear the pain of watching him be a better, or best, version of himself simply because he is utterly in love with her.

Her being Yeji.

As much as you wanted to hate her, you can't.

Not only is she pretty, but she's also very mature.

When you first met her and she learned that you and Mingi were exes, the way she handled the information was excellent. You explained to her the situation and the agreement, and she was very understanding.

She embraced you fully, accepting you like a sister. She showed you kindness, basically an angel sent from heaven to grace you with blessings. No jealousy, no hostility, only pure intentions.

You hated the way Mingi smiles at her adoringly, his eyes crinkling with affection with the same valor that was once reserved for you.

You hated it whenever Mingi did things for Yeji that he failed to do during your relationship.

But you hated it the most whenever it was shoved in your face that Mingi had found someone new but you still haven't.

You have been replaced so easily while you continuously find it difficult to love again.

The bottom line of all these though, is the fact that you can't hate Yeji.

She has been nothing but a good friend to you. She supported you when you needed it the most, gave you gifts, and she even tried to make you date when you spilled to her the ever growing insecurity of wanting to be with someone again.

You don't despise it when she handed the gift to Mingi, said man happily accepted it then proceeded to give her a loving kiss.

Loathe is not an emotion you harbor but rather... melancholy.

When Yeji turned to you with a proud smile, you had no choice but to act like everything was okay.

You watch her whisper to Mingi, then he turns to you to give you a thumbs up, to which you roll your eyes at him before doing the same thing.

You did wish for him to lead a life of rainbows and flowers, but you weren't ready to witness it.

You did pray for him to meet someone but not so soon, as it gives you a sense of bitterness that the gods listen to you when you pray for someone, but never to you since you are always facing some sort of a challenge before completely having the things that you wanted.

A sigh escapes your lips as your eyes follow the joyful couple.

Selfish yes, but somehow, you hoped that paradise wouldn't come so effortlessly for them unless a storm comes in first.

taglist:

@acciocriativity @iarayara @stolasisyourparent @xdannix @nsixns @heartssol @vixensss @shakalakaboomboo

[cruesuffix]

I Will

word count: 6.7k

pairing: nikkimick

warnings: mentions of drug addiction, angsty as hell…idk this is just a bit depressing if that’s not your thing you can skip it! [ALSO THIS IS VERY LONG, YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!]

premise: nikki regrets not being there, and vows to never leave his lovers side again.

authors note: MY FIRST TUMBLR FIC!! had this in the bank for a while now, in fact it was supposed to be apart of a longer fic i was working on for a while, but i couldn’t work it out so now it’s just a one shot. i’m thinking of maybe making that certain fic just a collection of one shots focusing on nikki and micks relationship throughout the years…but for now this is all i have! based around the events that took place in ‘04. (most of its just a big flashback leading up to the main part of the story). (also, not everything in this will be 100% accurate… i tried my best though!). hope you enjoy it!!

~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s dark in the room. Nikki’s eyes took a while to adjust to the darkness. There, laying on the bed, was the love of his life. The man who he had abandoned in his time of need. He barely took up space on the bed. Could that man ever forgive Nikki for leaving him alone to rot? While he’d forgiven him for lesser crimes, Nikki’s not sure he’ll be pardoned this time around.

He closed the door behind him and crept closer to the bed. He genuinely couldn’t believe how far they had come.

Just a year ago, Nikki wouldn’t have been able to tell you what his guitarist was up to. They hadn’t talked in a long while. It was early ‘04 and Nikki had given up on Mötley Crüe. He didn’t think the band would ever get back together at that point. With the state the band had been in when they first started their hiatus, it wouldn’t be possible for them to do music together again. It didn’t really matter to Nikki.

He’d been busy with his own side projects. Always working on ideas, writing constantly. Regrettably, he wasn’t thinking about his former bandmates. Especially Mick, who he hadn’t really talked to or seen since their last blowout.

His and Mick’s relationship had always been a bit complicated. When the band was still in its infancy, Nikki had confessed his love for the guitarist. To his surprise, Mick had reciprocated. Nikki never thought he would have. Mick was so mysterious. It took a lot of prodding to get to know him. In their first year of knowing each other, Mick had probably said a total of ten sentences to Nikki.

By the end of the second year, Nikki had figured out only the most basic facts about his guitarist. He was older than the rest of them, and had been in a lot of bands previous to the Crüe. He also had kids, three but he only ever talked about two of them.

All this to say, when Mick had blushed and told Nikki how crazy he was for him, it came as a complete shock. He almost thought it was a joke. From then on, their relationship became a rollercoaster ride. They couldn’t be any more opposite of each other, which at times was endearing, and others just plain annoying. They had broken up twice before, due to jealousy and Nikki’s arrogance.

The last time drew a complete end to their relationship as a whole. It was 1997. Between recording their last album with the original lineup, and Nikki’s budding relationship with some chick no one bothered to remember, Mick had grown tired. He was tired of being the last person on Nikki’s mind. The bassist was spending most of his time in the studio, or with his new arm candy. He paraded her around like a new toy, taking her places the two of them had never even gone to. Not once did he think about Mick.

They barely talked, and most of Mick’s calls went unanswered. After trying so hard to fix their relationship back in ‘94, it felt like Nikki was giving up again. He’d ruined all the progress they had started to make in such little time. But, even though he would never admit it, Micks own jealousy might have also played a part.

Nikki on the other hand, knew exactly what ended the relationship. He was a coward. He couldn’t and wouldn’t accept who he was. He knew Mick was tired of hiding himself because of this. A couple years back, they had fought about it constantly. Mick was just a person who wouldn’t let whatever people thought of him affect him. He wasn’t worried about the public’s opinion of him. He was tired of Nikki’s cowardice. Nikki knew Mick hated that he wouldn’t look at him in public.

They couldn’t walk hand in hand together, and it hurt. It was all Mick wanted and it hurt to think that Nikki was too ashamed of him. Too ashamed of their relationship to even walk around in public together. He was shutting Mick out, even if he didn’t realize it at the time. Instead, he chose to run around with random girls who would usually throw themselves at him.

Mick had been the bigger person all his life, so maybe he deserved to be petty. He was tired of being dragged around and forced to just take it. He had broken up with Nikki for good, and the bassist couldn’t even be mad about it. He knew he deserved it. So all he could do was let it happen. The relationship had probably been over for a while anyways. Four years later, so was the band.

Initially, Nikki tried not to think too much about it. It had to happen. Tommy was gone, leaving after the Greatest Hits tour. He was getting bored of playing the same old songs every night, over and over again. Vince was glad, the two of them hadn’t been getting along for a while now. Even Mick had looked over it at one point, like every night it was getting harder to be in the band. It was probably exasperated by the fact that he and Nikki had barely looked at each other throughout the tour.

Maybe it was for the best. They all had their own lives now, so it was time to let it go. Still, Nikki couldn’t help but miss it at times. Mostly, he missed Mick. He couldn’t help it, they’d spent most of the ‘80s together. He still cared about him. That was why he holed himself away in his house, constantly working. He was trying to distract himself. To forget the Crüe, forget his former lover, to forget the fact that they were all currently not getting along. At least, not like they had when they were younger, hungrier.

The last he heard of Tommy, he was currently promoting his solo career. Nikki had heard a song, and had cringed at the idea of Tommy doing rap metal. He knew the younger man always loved chasing a trend. It was just unfortunate that this was the current trend in music. Then he found out the drummer was doing a reality show as part of promotions. All he could do was feel bad, he knew Tommy was obviously lost without the comfort of the Crüe.

There was Vince, who was still doing solo shows. All he did was play Crüe songs with a different band, occasionally playing songs from his own (short lived) solo career. It was typical of the blonde to continue to do shows. He’d even done a reality show of his own, but it wasn’t nearly as embarrassing as Tommy’s. Nikki didn’t care as much.

Mick was…nowhere to be found. He never was one to go out there and make a spectacle of himself to the world. Nikki knew where he was, and he hadn’t heard any bad news. That was all that mattered.

So, Nikki forced himself to move on. He had a family, and enough worries to not want to be bothered with the band anymore. At least that was what he told himself. That lasted about two and a half years. It all ended in April, when he got a call from the band’s manager Allen. Some promoters in England wanted to get the band back together. Of course, the only person who could help make that happen was Nikki. After fans expressed interest, it became clear to him that management would only be interested in getting the band back.

It didn’t matter if said band hadn’t been on talking terms since the New Tattoo tour.

Nikki hadn’t been convinced, to say the least. In fact, he’d been adamant about not doing it. He knew certain members had gotten comfortable in the lifestyles they’d made for themselves. He feared the whole thing would collapse before the stage could even be set. They couldn’t even stand to be in the same room during that last tour. How could anyone convince them to do this? Like persistent dogs, management continued to hound Nikki for days. They tried their very best to convince him to reconsider. He could only ignore them for so long.

It took two weeks of constant hounding for Nikki to finally relent. It had come out of nowhere. One day, he had started having second thoughts about the whole thing. While he knew the band weren’t on good terms, when he really thought about it he’d realized that didn’t matter. He still loved playing the songs he wrote twenty years ago. He was sure, deep down, the other guys did too. Maybe a reunion could be a good thing for all of them.

Besides, it would be a great opportunity for Nikki to apologize to Mick. He had abandoned the older man for a chance to live a “normal” life. He knew, in hindsight, that that was a terrible outlook. Sure, he wouldn’t have to face public scrutiny. He wouldn’t have to experience the looks, the sneers, the snide jokes. The band wouldn’t lose half its fanbase. The macho jocks that identified with their toxic masculine display wouldn’t be betrayed by such a revelation. The girls who fantasized about getting with one of them wouldn’t lose that small gleam of hope.

Unfortunately, in exchange for all that Nikki had lost the love of his life. This time, it was for good.

At the time, Nikki thought he had done the band a service. It was already ironic enough that anyone in Mötley Crüe could be anything but 100% straight, the image they cultivated for themselves told them as much. So, Nikki wasn’t willing to break that image. He wasn’t willing to let their fans down. Mick thought differently. He felt like all he owed the fans was the music. Nothing about his private life was supposed to matter to them. In a different world, Nikki would have agreed.

Nikki knew he’d have to apologize, at least for stringing the poor man along. That was the best he could do.

If they couldn’t be together, Nikki wanted them to be friends again. He wanted it to be how it had been before they had gotten together. Their relationship was at a high during the Shout era. They had slowly learned how to get along with each other, even if they both were harbouring intense feelings for the other.

Maybe this was why Nikki was so eager for a reunion. It was probably just nostalgia clouding his vision. He just missed those early days when it was the band against the world. But, it could be like that now. If they all put in the effort, they could get along again. They could be friends again.

After wasting so much time dragging his heels, Nikki finally agreed to help get Mötley Crüe back on the big stage. The first person he decided to call was Mick. The way he saw it, Mick was loyal. He always had been. Sometimes his loyalty was his downfall. Nikki knew that was a terrible way of thinking about it, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t even count the amount of times that doglike loyalty caused him trouble. No matter how many times they all threw dirt in his face, Mick would come back to them every-time.

This would have been pathetic if it was anyone else, but Nikki knew how much the band meant to the old man. It was this juvenile way of thinking that made Nikki expect Mick to drop everything and run as soon as the phone rang. You could only imagine how surprised he’d been when he found himself calling him at least five times. Each call went unanswered.

Nikki forced himself to not be bothered by it. They hadn’t talked in almost three years. Besides, the last time they’d seen each other, it hadn’t been a pleasant experience either. Maybe he was still upset. Or possibly just busy.

(Still, he never left a call unanswered. Even when they were at their worst an fighting like cats, he still called back).

While Nikki had been confused and slightly disappointed, he brushed it off. He had a feeling the guitarist was punishing him for their last riff.

‘No, he has to have moved on by now,’ he thought to himself. ‘I’ll just try again tomorrow. He can’t hide from me forever.’

Nikki swiftly moved on to Tommy. The drummer would be more difficult to convince. The Greatest Hits tour had been a disaster on the bands front. It ended with Tommy and Vince getting into a physical altercation, and then Tommy left. The drummer had vowed to never be in the same room as Vince Neil ever again, and the sentiment was returned by the singer. Still, the next few days were filled with endless calls between management, Vince and Tommy. There were constant “he said, he said” arguments mainly coming from the two men.

Management continued to reassure all of them that this reunion would be worth it in the end. That by the time they hit the stage, they would have forgotten why they even started the hiatus.

Nikki wasn’t the slightest bit convinced, but let it go. He had focused his remaining energy on trying to contact Mick. The older man still wouldn’t take his calls. Everyday, Nikki was met with that same old robotic voice telling him to “Please leave your message after the beep!” Nikki’s messages ranged from passive aggressive to desperate.

Voice Message #1:

“Dude I know you’re hearing these, I know you can hear me right now! Just pick up the phone! I have something I need to tell you…can’t really do that if you don’t pick up, you know. [Pauses] Come on…can’t we just move on and talk like we used to? It’s just me man, just Nikki…you can’t get rid of me you know.”

Voice Message #4:

“Hey…it’s been like two weeks since I started hounding you man. I’m getting kinda worried…I left another note at the gate yesterday, but like…I’m pretty sure you didn’t get it, just like you didn’t get the other ones. Unless you did and you’re ignoring them. Maybe you can give me a call if you did get it, you know…just so I know you’re ok? It’s Nikki by the way, but I’m pretty sure you already knew that.”

Voice Message #7:

“Ok… [Laughs] now I’m not even sure you’re still alive! I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. I’ve got management on my back about you, do you know that? [Muttering] Obviously not. [Clears throat] Umm…seriously though, this isn’t like you. I really don’t know what I did, well I mean I kinda do but…are you ignoring me? Do you not want me to call anymore? I know I’m supposed to tell you about the thing we have going on but…right now all I want is to know you’re ok…please call me back, you have to! I need to know you’re fine [Voice cracking] You can’t shut me out again Mick. I worked way too hard to get pushed out like this.”

Nikki wasn’t getting much help from anyone else. Tommy and Vince found it hilarious. They referred to Mick as the “hermit” and wouldn’t stop joking about the older man’s antisocial behaviour. It became the thrilling topic the two of them would gossip about in between meetings. The two men, who had nearly killed each other the last time they were in the same room, were now giggling like little kids about their missing guitarist. It made Nikki want to pummel both of them.

Of course, he knew it was just because they didn’t know much about Mick. They didn’t know Nikki’s Mick, the man who never ignored him for long periods of time. Even when Nikki was being absolutely annoying and unreasonable, he never just went completely silent on him. It wasn’t like him. He usually caved in about an hour into his proposed silent treatment. His Mick couldn’t be cruel to him, it never worked.

Mick could avoid Tommy and Vince, he usually did anyways. He could be cruel to those two, and he did so with ease. Nikki, however, was just too precious to him. The old man felt that being cruel to Nikki was like being cruel to a cat. He wouldn’t and couldn’t do that to him. Yet, here he was now not answering a single one of Nikki’s calls and worrying him sick.

The band’s manager had been gotten annoyed with Nikki’s constant complaining. He reminded him that he hadn’t really done much to warrant a response from Mick in the first place.

“If you’re that worried about him, why don’t you just go over there and see him yourself? You’re so busy crying over a phone call, yet you know where he lives. You can easily just threaten to go over there and drag him to the office yourself! You know how he feels about unexpected visits.”

Nikki knew Allen was right. If Mick didn’t want to answer the phone, he’d have to face Nikki in person. Another week of silence passed, and Nikki decided it was time to take his managers advice. Determined, he picked up the phone.

Voice Message #12:

“Hey Mick, it’s Sixx. I’m coming over to your house. I’m going to smash through the security gates and kick in your front door in exactly thirty minutes.”

Satisfied with his message, he put down his phone and waited. His heart fluttered. he could feel the butterflies in his stomach flapping about. He wasn’t even sure why he was so nervous. Barely a minute passed before his phone rang. With shaking hands, Nikki picked it up.

“Dude, what’s going on?” He asked, not even bothering with any formalities.

“Nikki…” He hears that familiar drawl and nearly sobs.

“Please don’t break in, i really can’t afford a new door right now.”

Nikki lets out a small chuckle, trying to hide the scoff that nearly came out of his mouth. He knows the old man is trying to make some kind of joke, but it doesn’t land with him. They hadn’t talked in so long, almost three years, and the only thing he could think about was a door. Did he not care that he was currently scaring Nikki with his dramatic disappearance?

“Look, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for weeks…no months now! I’m scared somethings wrong. Like, this isn’t like you at all and…I-I need to see you, I need to know you’re ok.” He begged.

He probably sounded totally pathetic in that moment, and it made Mick feel a bit of sympathy. The soft sigh Nikki heard on the other line was indication enough that that was right.

“Ok, just come over. I’ll open the door.” That was all the guitarist said before he hung up.

Nikki’s not bothered by this, in fact this was a great sign. He grabbed his keys and bolted out the door. In the back of his mind, he hoped he was just being dramatic. He hoped this was a false alarm and Mick was ok. At least he’d be able to talk in person. Nikki could apologize and maybe convince him to do the reunion tour.

While deep down he knew something was amiss, he could have never predicted what he came face to face with. Mick had never been the beacon of health. The worst Nikki had ever seen him was during the Girls tour. He was a mess during the whole thing, but then again, everyone was. They’d all been going through their own addictions at the time, and Nikki had been too busy trying to survive his own to really pay attention to the older man.

(Nikki could admit looking back, he’d been completely selfish. He’d taken advantage of the old man a lot during those times. Most of the time he’d been using the man as a distraction from his own chaotic personal life.)

Besides, there always seemed to be something wrong with Mick. The last time the two had seen each other, the old man just seemed absolutely tired. Whatever aches and pains he’d usually dealt with were getting worse. Nikki hadn’t known the extent of it at the time. And in hindsight, it was nothing compared to what was waiting for him at Mick’s front door. The image he’d seen would probably haunt him for the rest of his life.

The only thing he could do was stare, only to be broken out of his daze by the man in front of him.

“Nik? I really can’t stand out here forever, just come in.” Mick whispered, before slowly turning around and limping back into the house.

Nikki followed slowly behind, offering his shoulder to lean on as they walked into the living room.

The whole thing felt trippy. Nikki felt that if Mick hadn’t said anything, he wouldn’t have known it was even him. The man in front of him couldn’t be his Mick. He was so skinny, it scared him. His skin was beginning to take on a greyish shade, and he now sported a beard that was nearly down to his chest. The most noticeable part was his hair. Mick’s beautiful black hair, which had once trailed down his back, had been sheared off. It now stopped right at his ears. It was a depressing, yet terrifying sight.

It was the look of a man who’d given up. He couldn’t believe it was Mick he was staring at.

Nikki glanced around the room, hiding the fact that tears were threatening to spill.

“Alright, I’m here now so…you have to be honest with me. No more hiding shit. What’s going on? What happened to you? No offence but you look two seconds away from croaking. I’m really scared man.” He pressed. He stared hard at Mick, as if that would intimidate him into telling the truth.

Mick was purposely not looking at Nikki at all. Not even a glance in his direction. He didn’t say a word either. It seemed like the older man was in a daze. Nikki took that moment to really look around the room. It was big, and with not a lot of furniture around it made the room quite spacious.

Nikki noticed a large pile of clothes sitting in a corner of the room. It was packed high and nearly reached the ceiling. Nikki knew it wasn’t Mick’s clothes being piled that high, and it made him wonder if the guitarist had found himself another gold digger to entertain. He glanced back at him. Mick was still off in space. At least it looked like he was. Nikki figured he wouldn’t get any answers. He’d probably have to force it out of him. Just as he was about to go off, Mick finally spoke up.

“I-I’ve been…keeping something from you.” He confessed, speaking slowly.

The words are drawn out, more than they usually would be. It looked like he was putting a lot of effort into getting the words out. Nikki can tell he’s a bit foggy, in the way he himself used to be. When he had been looking around the room, he’d seen pill bottles scattered around. He didn’t know what they were, and didn’t want to ask.

“You know how I used to…umm, complain about my back a lot?” He asked. Nikki nodded, prompting him to continue.

“Yeah…I have this thing. I don’t really want to call it a disease but uh… it’s called ankylosing spondylitis. It’s a- what it does is fuse the spine until it’s one big bone. Mine is completely fused, I can’t even move my neck anymore. I’ve been in pain for most of my life.” Mick explained.

There were now words to explain the utter pain the man be in for most of their career. Nikki had noticed it for a while now, probably all the way back during the Girls tour. It all made sense now, and Nikki felt absolutely terrible. He’d done some evil shit to that man while he was dealing with that.

“So…is that why you look like death itself?” He asked, not even thinking twice about asking such a idiotic question. Luckily, Mick laughed.

He didn’t say anything. Nikki’s curiosity about the pills grew, but he knew better than to say anything. Mick slowly followed his gaze. He didn’t dare look in Nikki’s direction, but he knew Mick was embarrassed. Mick had always been adamant about not doing hard drugs, the only thing Nikki ever seen him do was coke. Mick was one of very few people willing to help him get off drugs when Nikki was practically at his worst, begging for help. Yet, here he was with dozens of little bottles strung around the room.

Nikki knew what was wrong, and wanted repay the older man for helping him all those years ago. All Nikki could do was look at the older man, eyes asking that question. Mick waved his hand, giving him permission to look. Nikki quickly got up and went to other to one of the tables. On it was a lamp, and beside said lamp were two orange little bottles. One of them was empty, while the other was half empty. He couldn’t even pronounce the name, and never heard of it before.

He carried it back to the couch. When he asked Mick about it, and he described it as a painkiller that was prescribed to him by a doctor he refused to name. Nikki didn’t want to push it any further, the last thing he needed was to scare the man away. He already had a plan to take Mick to the hospital and hope they could detox him from all the drugs there and not have to throw him in a rehab center. They didn’t really have time for that.

“Hey, I noticed that pile of clothes over there,” Nikki started, swiftly changing the subject. “I thought you were alone, to be honest.”

Mick immediately shook his head, knowing exactly where Nikki was going with this.

“Nikki, I really don’t want to get into that right now.”

“No, someone else lives with you. I know that. Obviously they don’t care about you if they’re willing to let you get to this point without intervening and getting you some kind of help. They aren’t helping you, they’re hurting you. Mick, I’ve seen this before and I know how it ends. We both do. I’m not going to let you get screwed over again. Just tell me.”

Mick, feeling like he had no other choice, tried his best to paint his relationship with this girl in a positive light. Nikki knew better. He could see the cracks much more clearly than Mick could. Once again, the old man had confused love for another woman who was just out for his money. This time, even the girl wasn’t aware of it. The pile of clothes still had tags on them. She wasn’t even wearing the clothes she was buying.

Nikki had seen something similar on TV. They called them compulsive shoppers, people who bought things they didn’t need. Most of those people ended up becoming hoarders. Either way, their relationship was strange and Nikki was more than happy to rescue Mick from that unhealthy dynamic. He definitely needed it, when Nikki had shown Mick the tags, all he could do was shrug. He was becoming passive to the situation around him. It was obviously he wasn’t as clear headed as he usually was.

“I’m guessing now wouldn’t be a good time to tell you that the bands thinking of getting back together.” Nikki suddenly blurted out. He immediately regretted it when he saw Mick’s face.

A combination of sadness, shock, and immense pain crossed his face. So many emotions for a man who was typically almost emotionless.

“Everyone already agreed to do it?” Mick asked. He sounded apprehensive, not that Nikki blamed him.

“Well, not yet…they’re still thinking about it. Vince has been more receptive to it than Tommy, but that doesn’t really mean it’s a hundred percent a go.”

Nikki felt dumb for bringing the idea of a reunion up, especially now. After seeing the state his guitarist was in, he should have been more focused on getting him healthy enough to be able to make the decision.

Mick sighed heavily.

“Nikki…I don’t think I can do it. I’m really sorry, it’s just…I can barely walk. I don’t know how I’m gonna get on the stage. I’d barely make it through the first song, and the band doesn’t need that.” He admitted, sounding remorseful.

How could Nikki feel any worse? Was he expecting too much of his guitarist? He hated the whole thing. Mick had completely given up on himself and Nikki hated it. He knew he wouldn’t be doing the band, or Mick justice by giving so easily. The old man had beat the odds and overcome everything by being in the band for as long as he had been. Any weaker person would have folded after a year or two. So maybe Mick had given up, but Nikki wasn’t going to. He wouldn’t give up on that man, no matter what.

“Ok, well…what if we got you some help, got you to a good enough state to be able to perform again…then would you consider it?” He asked.

Mick paused.

Maybe this was it. Maybe this was the thing that could save him, a reunion. He’d spent two years in a zombie like state, thinking that was what he deserved. He knew it was getting worse, that if Nikki hadn’t thrown himself back into his life, he’d probably be dead. Nikki had been right, about everything. No one was helping him, and as much as he hated it, he needed someone to save him. It was a miracle. Nikki believed in him, always had and probably always would. The bassist was always by his side, even after all they’d been through. Mick realized he’d taken that for granted at one point.

Ever since they’d confessed their feelings for each other back in ‘83, Nikki had always been there. When everyone in his life slowly left him, Nikki continued to be there. Even after their biggest riffs, they’d reunite. Nikki would always come back with an “I told you so” smile and open arms. All the fights were now obsolete. Nikki had come back again, and was willing to help him.

He would have been an utter buffoon to not accept the help.

“Ok, let’s try to put me back together again.” He agreed.

The way Nikki’s eyes lit up filled Mick with joy. The taller man pulled him into a gentle hug, not wanting to hurt the older man. Mick, uncharacteristically, let himself be hugged and caressed. He let himself be pulled into Nikki’s lap and given the attention and care he hadn’t had in so long. When he looked up at Nikki’s face, he could see the younger man’s eyes fill up with tears. Mick nearly jumped out of the man’s lap.

“No! No, please don’t start that, I’m hopped up on way too much shit to be able comfort you properly!” He joked, shaking his head at the younger man’s dramatics. Nikki could only laugh as he wiped away a few stray tears.

Nikki knew he had to do something, and drastically. With renewed determination, Nikki gathered as much help as he could. After checking Mick into a hospital, he relayed the message to their manager. Allen found himself even busier now, between sweet talking Vince and Tommy, he now had to find a doctor who could help Mick.

Once Mick was healthy enough to go back home, Nikki swooped in to bring him to his house. Nikki had found out Mick’s house had been infested with mold, which didn’t help the countless health problems he already had. So, Mick found himself temporarily staying at Nikki’s guest room.

It was a weird contrast, to go from spending most of his time alone in a big house doing nothing, to being in a more lively environment. He was surrounded by people now, kids and a woman Nikki seemed really into. Unlike before, where Mick would have rather stayed in a dark room alone, he found himself getting quite close to Nikki’s family.

It was overwhelming at first. For the kids, Mick had been that scary looking dude their dad decided to bring over. They’d probably broke the “no disturbing uncle Mick while he’s recovering” rule at least a handful of times just trying to catch a glimpse of him. Like most kids, they were confused but curious. Nikki’s wife had been nothing but nice to him. She was worried about the old man that looked so frail. He couldn’t walk much, and Nikki had to carry him into the house. It seemed like she was more worried about him than Nikki was, but at the same time she didn’t know their extensive history. She didn’t know Mick was a fighter, like Nikki did.

Somewhere in the middle of the year, a doctor Allen had found proposed hip replacement surgery for the old man. Mick needed it, in fact the doctor had told them he needed both his hips replaced. Somehow they decided to only opt for one.

That was how Nikki found himself in his hospital room at the dead of night. The surgery was scheduled for the next day. Nikki continued to stare at the small figure lying on the bed. He tried to get the man as healthy as possible for the surgery, but he was still as skinny as a twig. It was like if you touched him, he’d crumble. Nikki was worried Mick wouldn’t ever return to his old self

He’d been so busy ruminating he was totally unaware he’d been staring for a bit too long. As if feeling his presence, Mick stirred. He slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the figure standing in front of his bed. He would have been scared if he didn’t already know it was Nikki. Who else would be standing before him in the middle of the night?

“Nik? what’re you doing here so late?” He asked, groggily.

Nikki felt bad for waking him up. He wanted to until the morning to visit him. At the same time, he wanted to spend as much time as he could get with the older man. He forced a small smile onto his face.

“Hey babe, how’re you doing?” He replied with his own question. His voice was soft. It was typical of him to ignore Mick’s question.

He hadn’t even realized he’d used his previous nickname for the old man. Mick had hated when Nikki called him that, found it “too cheesy.” It didn’t stop Nikki from using it, in fact most of the time he only called him ‘babe’ to tease him. Now, it felt natural to say it.

Just a month before the surgery, the both of them had decided to give their relationship a second go. They had spent so much time together at Nikki’s house, it almost felt like they hadn’t broken up. The bassist found himself constantly sneaking into his guest room in the middle of the night, just to catch up with the old man. Mick never discouraged it, even though he knew he should have. He couldn’t help it, he loved having Nikki to himself.

One night Nikki out right suggested getting back together. He had never stopped loving Mick, no matter what had happened between them. He was sure the old man felt the same. Without hesitation, Mick agreed. It was a surprise to both of them.

So, Mick had been throughly unbothered when Nikki called him babe. In a weird way, he’d grown to love it. He shrugged at the question, and made an effort to sit up. Nikki jumped over to his side to help him. He’d never get used to that.

“Better than yesterday, I guess.” He answered. If he were to be honest, he didn’t remember much about yesterday.

It had been a concerted effort to wean him off all the pills he’d been on. The only thing they could give him to help with the pain were small doses of morphine. Still, the pain got so bad at times the only thing he could do was just sleep it off. Nikki was usually the one who woke him up when he came by to visit.

(It had been real depressing for Nikki to find out he’d been the only one visiting Mick. One day he asked Mick if the other guys had visited him. All the older man could do was hang his head and whisper, “no.” It made Nikki want to kill them right then and there.)

Nikki found a chair and sat down right next to the bed. He hadn’t left the older man’s side since he found him alone in that big house a couple of months ago.

“Well, that’s good. You ready for surgery tomorrow?”

“As ready as one can be for that kind of thing. Will you be there?”

Mick looked up at him with those big blue eyes Nikki loved looking at. There was a hint of worry in them. The man was scared, and Nikki hadn’t never seen him like that before. Something Mick had used to always say was: “That scares me, and I’m fearless!” For the most part, that was true. Nikki had never seen him look anything but indifferent. That poker face seemed permanently etched onto his face. Now, he looked vulnerable lying there, staring up at Nikki. It was like he was hoping the bassist wouldn’t betray him. Caught off guard, Nikki nodded.

“Yeah, of course I’ll be there! I mean, I won’t be in the room itself but…I’ll be here, waiting to-”Nikki had begun to ramble, only to be cut off by Mick.

“Dude I know that!” He exclaimed with a loud laugh. “I just wanted to know that I’ll be able to wake up to your face, you goof!”

Nikki looked down and blushed as the older man teased him.

“Whatever…” He mumbled. He looked back up to see Mick staring at him. His signature poker face was back on, but his eyes were shining with pure love. He could feel his heart soar.

“I’ll be there…if I have to sleep on the floor, I will.” Nikki promised, feeling his eyes water.

“I don’t want to lose you again…I should have never left you like that, you could have…I would never forgive myself if something happened to you.” He admitted, voice cracking.

The months they’d spent together made Nikki realize how much they both needed each other. It also reminded him of how cruel he’d been, how he had left Mick and never once stayed in touch with him after the bands hiatus. Sure, he hadn’t really kept in touch with any of them. Still, of all people he should have checked in on, it should have been Mick.

“Nikki…” Mick sighed. “I don’t want you to beat yourself up for this. You saved my life, who cares about whatever petty thing drove us apart in the first place?”

“But what if I’d been too late?”

“Well,” Mick smiled. “The best thing about that is that we’ll never know because you weren’t. I know you’re still conflicted about the things that happened years ago. How about we just put all those petty little fights and break ups and…all of it, in the past. It’s time to move on, especially if we want to make this work, right?”

Nikki nodded, a small smile present on his face.

“Good, then let’s start fresh… I really missed you.” Mick gave him a small smile.

“I missed you more…also you’re never getting rid of me now.”

“That’s fine by me!”

It was clear both of them wanted everything to go back to how it used to be. Before all the drama, they used to have so much fun together. Those first few years had been total bliss. Even if they both didn’t want to admit it’s the truth was clear. Despite all their differences, they were meant to be. Fate had brought them together, broken them up, and finally delivered them here. To this very moment, of them sitting together in comfortable silence.

Nikki would do anything to keep them together forever.

[viccharine]

who the HELL is panicking at this disco!!!!

(reblogs greatly appreciated!)

(available on my ko-fi shop!)

process + commentary under the cut!

about the piece: i found myself in a bit of a slump after pushing out so much art in about 2 weeks so this piece took wayyyyy longer than any of my other ones. i knew I wanted the concept of a thermometer as a “cigarette” (do you guys get it. because like. a fever you can’t sweat out. a high fever. right you guys get it right??????) but it took me a LOT of tries to eventually land on a composition i actually liked—do not even get me STARTED on how I incorporated the title. I couldn’t decide on using a font or hand lettering or even where to place the text, it took me a solid two days to get to where it is now and I’m not even 100% happy with it. i tried to mimic a playing card design with the text placement but I’m not sure how well I pulled it off

here are some of the process pics:

the concept itself comes from a lot of the references to addiction in the album as well as the heavy burlesque, early 1900s, circus influence on the album aesthetic (whoever thought of this album theme deserves an award, AFYSCO has genuinely some of the coolest concepts from a design perspective to me)

about the album: AFYCSO is probably one of the best debut albums imo (although that title probably goes to Olivia Rodrigo’s “SOUR” for me)—it’s genuinely in my top three favorite albums of all time, no skips whatsoever on there. regardless of my opinion on Panic! at the Disco (which was pretty much neutral, I never really got into bandom and I didn’t really listen to panic’s music outside of AFYSCO) AFYSCO will always have a special place in my heart, both musically and lyrically it’s SO GOOD

although, I will say that there are some misogynistic undertones (and in some cases just outright misogyny) in these lyrics—I did touch on this topic in my DANCE DANCE commentary so I won’t repeat myself, check that post for more of my thoughts. all in all, the album bangs, but the misogynistic undertones were basically unavoidable if you look at the album in terms of being written by a teenage boy in the early 2000s who got cheated on. hell hath no fury like a woman scorned but the devil himself doesn’t write lyrics like a teen boy cheated on—go figure. im not saying all the songs have misogynistic undertones but I will say there are a couple that are WAY in ur face (looking at you, I write sins)

anyway, that’s basically it, ok byeeeeee!!!

p.s: i was debating mentioning this because I feel like im beating a dead horse, but in light of Brendon Urie’s recent actions (as well as past controversial actions), I don’t support him and feel extremely bad about the people who his actions have hurt—but I don’t think that means much from a person who never really liked him in the first place. again, while I was a BIG fan of AFYCSO, I never really got into Panic! at the Disco (I only listened to Pretty. Odd. recently this month and before that I only really knew the big radio hits). im not gonna pretend like I know everything about what happened with Panic! at the Disco in recent years and truly? I don’t Care to find out—panic! has been disbanded, and while I look at AFYSCO fondly with nostalgia, I don’t feel much about the band itself

p.p.s: AFYCSO almost killed me once because when I had a kidney infection (although I didn’t know it at the time) I had an INSANELY HIGH fever. I thought to myself “haha this is a fever I can’t sweat out!! like the album!!” and then promptly passed out—I wasted my last coherent thought on some stupid P!TAD joke instead of. asking for medical attention. anyway I ended up in the emergency room so I didn’t die but it was a near thing

[linghxr]

Chinese Music I Listened to This Spring/Summer

I think it’s been a few months since I posted about Chinese music/cpop, so I thought I’d provide an update on what I’ve been listening to this past spring/part of summer.

And of course, I made a Spotify playlist to go along with this post. And each song name is linked to YouTube for those of you who don’t use Spotify. The Spotify playlist includes a few “bonus” songs.

 薛之谦 / Joker Xue In my last music post, I called 薛之谦 “my latest Mandopop obsession.” I’ve still been listening to his music a lot, but I’ve had different songs on repeat lately. His slower and quieter songs have been speaking to me a lot more.

《像风一样》 is the musical version of a deep breath. But a sorrowful, long deep breath. The lyrics are quite sad really, but this song also makes me feel at peace.

《哑巴》 is that song that I never skip when it comes on shuffle. It starts out very quietly, so sometimes in the car I can’t even hear that it’s begun, But it picks up towards the middle/end. 

《那是你离开了北京的生活》 was a song I used to overlook. But luckily I gave it a second chance! It’s once again a sad yet beautiful song. The lyrics are making me tear up a bit, not gonna lie.

《变废为宝》 kinda goes over my head lyrically, but the vibe isn’t as sad as the previous 3 songs. It gives me a slightly hopeful feeling.

《动物世界》 is the darkest and gloomiest out of these 5 songs. It sounds a bit on-edge and unsettled.

韦礼安 / WeiBird Similarly, I’ve also continued listening to 韦礼安 this spring.

《女孩》 was love at first listen when I heard it covered on Chuang 2021 (which I just watched this spring). I instantly went to look up who it was by and was pleasant surprised to see it was a 韦礼安 song! This song is just so cute—but in a good way!

《不用告诉我》 was not very memorable to me at first, but then I found that I had the line 让我卑微地享受 片刻的永久 stuck in my head. Oddly, this song really feels like an album intro song to me, but it’s #6 in the tracklist.

《记得回来》 has pretty simple lyrics that I think many of us can understand, which is a huge plus. It’s the perfect song to belt along to (even as someone who sucks at singing).

《忽然》 is basically the definition of a song that starts slow and then builds up to an explosion. It even has a nifty guitar solo. 10/10 recommend.

《如果可以》 is a huge hit for a reason. It does give off major “movie theme song” vibes, which can be a turn-off, but I still like it. Also, there are official Japanese and Korean versions, so if you’re learning those languages, check them out!

徐佳莹 / LaLa Hsu 《言不由衷》 is a song I’ve heard many times before because I’ve listened to the album it’s from a lot. Oddly, it never stood out to me before, but I somehow “rediscovered” it this spring and really fell in love.

邱锋泽 / Feng Ze

《冰山》 is just super catchy! Part of me registers that the lyrics are actually a bit sad, but I end up singing along with a smile on my face. Whoops.

《年青有为》is one of two songs to the same melody. The other song is sung in Cantonese, and it’s called 《一表人才》. They both also include singer 吕爵安. Honestly this song isn’t that special. I just like it.

《潜台词》 is actually a duet with 黄伟晋. This song really drilled its way into my head. I seriously cannot stop humming it! It has a somewhat slow and mellow but also hard-hitting. Surprisingly, I don’t mind the rap (I’m not a big rap fan).

《日环食》 was the first Feng Ze song that clicked with me. It’s a relatively simple song, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It feels quite earnest.

九泽CP / Nine Chen & Feng Ze 九泽CP is a duo comprised of Nine Chen (陈零九) and Feng Ze (邱锋泽). I have to learn how to distinguish their voices (something I am not good at in general). This feels like cheating somehow because it means I have way too many Feng Ze songs here.

《偷走你的心》 is bubblegum pop, but I love it. It’s so infectious and makes me feel bubbly. I love the little opening sax(?) moment too. It reminds me a bit of a kpop song with the short rap sections. Only thing I don’t like is that it’s too short!

《绝对发言》 has a lot in common with the previous song, but it’s a little more funky and spirited in my opinion. If you like one, I’m sure you’ll like the other.

《最后一秒钟》 is quite different from the two right above. It’s more somber and serious, but I think the duo pulled off this style very well as well. It does not feel nearly like a 5 minute song!

井胧 / Jing Long I was introduce to Jing Long while watching Chuang 2021, and *SPOILER* I was very upset that he did not make it to the final because I love his unique voice! Fortunately, he seems to be doing pretty well for himself from what I’ve seen.

《不删》 is another song that I can understand very easily. Sometimes I feel a bit silly listening to a song about WeChat, but obviously this song is about much more than just that. Jing Long’s voice conveys the emotions so well.

《丢了你》 - In the time between when I started drafting this post and today, this song was removed from US Spotify and then added back. Get your act together, Spotify and music labels! I was distressed to see it greyed out—then it suddenly reappeared! But anyway the song is really good.

华晨宇&杨宗纬 / Hua Chenyu & Aska Yang 《国王与乞丐》 is not at all a recent discovering, but for some reason I’ve been drawn back to it lately. It’s a lovely duet. But something wacky has been going on with the 《异类》 album on US Spotify too. I kept having to remove and then readd this song to my playlist. You’ve been warned!

[howtotrainyourrei]

anywho here are maneskins albums ranked according to which ones i like best, if you're also into them i would love to hear your thoughts (this is also LONG AS FUCK)

1. TEATRO D'IRA

this was the first one i listened to, i dont even remember why, i vaguely remember thinking of beggin' and being like,, omg i remember that song, i wonder if they have any good albums. so i googled which maneskin album was best and MY LIFE WAS TRANSFORMED. every single song on this album is such a banger there are no skips, like usually on albums i like there are at least a couple songs where i'm like,, ehhh could be better. NOT HERE. idk which song is my favourite i think it's a tie between IWBYS, coraline, zitti e buoni, and vent'anni (literally that is half of the album, that's how good it is).

anyway i love love love the hard rock sound, but it's also not just that, like there is so much variation but it's all very cohesive. maneskin is known for their unique sound so that makes sense but my mind is still sort of boggled. it has like some harder songs but they all feel emotional?? i dont even speak italian but without even looking up the translation i almost cried from coraline because it was so beautiful. and vent'anni is ON ANOTHER LEVEL. IT IS THE PERFECT SONG TO END AN ALBUM WITH. it like combines all the ideas of the album into one song, it has hard rock elements but it still almost feels like a ballad.? GOD I LOVE THIS ALBUM. i think it might be my second fabourite album of all time now,,, it's just actually perfect. i think it's the best album i've heard in 2024. FUCK ITS SO GOOD.

2. RUSH! (ARE U COMING?)

GOD GOD GODDDDD THIS ALBUM. this is a totally different sound to any of their other albums. it's also LITERALLY DOUBLE THE LENGTH OF THEIR PREVIOUS LONGEST ALBUM (il ballo della vita, which is 34 minutes) WHICH MEANS THIS ALBUM HAS ONE HOUR AND EIGHT MINUTES OF MUSIC. TEATRO D'IRA ONLY HAS 30 MINUTES!!!! YOU DONT UNDERSTAND THIS IS REVOLUTIONARY. okay so this album was at first released just as RUSH! with five less songs, but apparently as they continued touring and stuff they felt they had more to say so they added more songs (correct me if i'm wrong but i think this is what happened). I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS ALBUM, IT IS ONCE AGAIN VERY GENIUS. the songs are almosr completely english. i really love their italian songs, but they have always wanted to write in english so i understand why they're moving back to english.

SO!! this album is so good, it has a lot of extra depth that none of their previous albums had (musically),, except for maybe il ballo della vita. like in teatro d'ira it's basically just bass, guitar, drums, vocals, and tambourine. there might be a couple other instruments but the reason that album is so strong is because of the foundation and stuff. but with rush! there is not only a strong foundation but they also had so many types of songs!!!! there were ballads, there were harder songs, but there were also weird songs like bla bla bla and kool kids. i really LOVE kool kids, i love the punk sound. i think my favourite songs are HONEY (ARE U COMING), off my face, gossip, timezone, baby said, feel, and mammamia but EVERY SONG IS SO GOOD. just like the prev albums THERE ARE NO SKIPS!! that is so crazy for me because even with my one love (david bowie's ziggy stardust and the whatever lol) there is one skip, and måneskin has THREE ALBUMS WITH NO SONGS I WANT TO SKIP. THIS IS SO RARE FOR ME YOU DONT UNDERSTAND. i got off track there back to rush. this album is, also, SO COHESIVE. despite all the different styles they try it all fits together so well, it's such a magical experience to listen to this album. okay so this album was going to be number three on this list but i'm going to switch it now bc im currently listening to it and writing this is sort of changing my mind lol, ITS SO GODDAMN GOOD. tbh i would say this album is equally aa good as teatro d'ira but i have a sentimental attachment to teatro already lol and it's also more my usual style of music.

3. Chosen (this is an ep but whatever)

so this was their first album thing they ever released, it's mostly covers but there are two originals which are the first two songs. the originals are SO GOOD expecially for being some of the first music they ever released????? im obsessed with chosen (the song), i really REALLY love the line "this is not music, this is my life, this is what i live for." IT FEELS SO TRUE BC THATS HOW I FEEL ABOUT MUSIC (i literally do not make music i just like it lol but its like an important part of my life idfk but this line just hits hard) anyway i think the reason i like this album sm is because it's a lot more lighthearted?? i really like the style of their music, how it all feels connected even though it's mostly covers. also i think i like this album so much too because i found this english translation where they competed on x factor and most of these songs were there (if anyone wants the link lmk).

my favourite song by far tho is SOMEBODY TOLD ME. GOD FUCKING DAMN THEY EXECUTED THAT SONG SO WELL. and their FUCKING PERFORMANCE on x factor that went with it was SO GODDAMN GOOD. i love watching choreography and stuff, its my fucking jam, but i dont usually feel actual emotions about it?? like obviously it was very attractive, damiano is stunning, but also it was just so gorgeous..?? i felt real emotions watching that one performance, it was so good. im going to put the link at the bottom of the post bc GOOD LORD. god that was a brilliant performance. anyway i just love the sound of this ep, it's very raw and i really love that it was when they were first starting out,,

also the goofy little intros on both of the original songs on these albums are SO FUNNY why did he do that

4. Il ballo della vita

we've reached the final album :(((( i honestly feel bad for putting it at the end, but the reason it's all the way down here is because there's actually a couple songs i don't love, so i'll say those first. the first one is immortale. i cant tell if its a bad song or not, but i think its good, i just personally dont love it lol. but the other one is "are you ready?" this song is not even that bad it's just kind of goofy, but once again, it's not my usual style of music and it's not something i think i would listen to if it wasn't maneskin.

okay now we can get into WHAT I LIKE!!!! WHICH IS LITERALLY THE REST OF THE ALBUM. this album's style is very similar actually to the chosen ep, except it's all originals, and it's also VERY EXPERIMENTAL. i love love LOVEEEE that. like you can tell this is their first lp by how many different things they try. they're finding their style BUT IT STILL REMAINS EXTREMELY IDENTIFIABLE. on x factor their little music coach guy kept emphasising that when the other judges commented on how maneskin should try different styles and saying that its more important to be recognisable, but MANESKIN DID BOTH!! they tried so many tyoes of songs with different structures and stuff, but they also remained maneskin. obviously damiano's vocals are a huge part in that, he has a distinct af voice, but it's also the other instruments, i particularly noticed vic's bass, and i love LOVE thomas's riffs OMG. this isn't even just on this album. i dont play guitar so i have no idea if he's technically skilled (i think he is???) but i LOVE HIS STYLE AND THE CLASSIC MANESKIN RIFFS OMGGGGG. anyway tho the reason this album is so good bc it has so much variation, although i would say it's not as cohesive as the other albums, even chosen. my favourite songs tho are definitely torna a casa, fear for nobody, and close to the top. torna a case is a BEAUTIFUL ballad. it's brilliant and amazing,, i LOVE that song.

also, they made a documentary about the making of this album which was so so interesting. it was very real, and you kind of get an insight into their dynamic as a band, which was just so SHAJAISISI. but it definitely made me appreciate this album more when i could actually get a look into its production. anyway listen to torna a casa it's gorgeous.

OKAY!!! this was so fun to write actually, i doubt anyone is going to read it because it's so goddamn long but if you did i am kissing you on the lips. here is the promised link to their performance of somebody told me by the killers covered by måneskin https://youtu.be/ADcTUnUJnGs?si=3Iht9sLZn2ZRbuAW

seriously, this band is so good. i'm obsessed with them yeah but they're honestly revolutionary. not only are they basically the only world famous italian band (that i know of at least?? lmk if there are any), but they do so many INTERESTING THINGS. i have been SEARCHING for a modern band who takes old music, particularly 70s bc that's what i'm into, and takes inspiration from it but still makes something original. they are doing so much for music nowadays, obviously there are lots of amazing modern rock bands, but the fact that maneskin is SO popular is crazy to me, it makes me so so happy. and not only that, it's also so amazing that there are two queer band members (vic and ethan) who (especially victoria) talk about being queer. they also act very modest in interviews and stuff, which i really appreciate, and they're all very well-spoken and good at communicating their thoughts even though it's in a second language, which can be SO FRUSTRATING sometimes bc you know what you want to say but it can be so hard in a second language. they are just very eloquent and they act very wonderful (i say "act" and "seem" bc i understand it's a parasocial relationship lol, they could all be assholes, but they seem very, VERY genuine). they all impress me a lot and i am so excited to see what they do next.

damn this is so long im sorry but i had to say this I AM OBSESSED WITH THESE GUYS, maybe if you're also into maneskin or want to get into them you could dm me to talk about them........??..?🥺🥺

[bookwyrminspiration]

no clue if you're into Les Misérables at all but i just need to yell about something for a second. and that something has to do with the english musical and the french concept album, specifically how gavroche seems So Fucking Angry in the french version compared to the english one.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS ALL OPINION AND I'M PRETTY SURE I'M TALKING OUT OF MY ASS FOR HALF OF THIS ANYWAY. THE ENGLISH MUSICAL IS GOOD I JUST LOVE FABRICE BERNARD'S GAVROCHE.

like, first off, the french version of Little People is... honestly depressing if you really think about it. like, little people is great! it's a fun song about how children are more than people think they are!

it's a lot happier than anything a french gavroche could sing.

the french counterpart is called La Faute à Voltaire [1], and i'm not even gonna try to explain that reference here because it's honestly just a Lot, but in between the chorus when it's not satirizing about Voltaire and Rousseau you get these lines:

I can't really translate these because there's lots of lines that can't be translated [2], but each of them speak about the fact that gavroche lives in a constant state of poverty with no garauntee of food and safety. gavroche literally calls himself a va-nu-pied, which is a degrading term for someone who is extremely poor (literally "go barefoot", before they don't have money for shoes.)

(fun fact, when i was trying to translate this before i gave up, i used GT to double check the basic meaning of my tl of "joyeux drilles en guenilles" and it gave me "merry ragged bitches". do with that what you will.)

needless to say, it's not exactly the same as simply being looked down upon for being a child.

Also, just listen to the difference in tone in the english and french version. (ian tucker and fabrice bernard respectively). maybe it's just me, but gavroche in the french version sounds constantly at least a little angry (mostly because this is an angry song in french!)

the other song that particularly strikes me is the french counterpart to Look Down, which is called Donnez, Donnez. (If i'm wrong about this, someone please correct me though!)

Now, Look Down is incredibly powerful and i fucking love it, and honestly I think I honestly love both versions equally. but something strikes me about fabrice bernard's gavroche, and i think that something is just how much cruder he is than english gavroche, and how much more alone he seems.

on the first note (crudeness), english gavroche does say hell, which some people consider a swear, but french gavroche uses the words "j'me démerde", which essentially means "i manage/get by", but uses 1. shortenings/skipping sounds with j'me (very much not Proper) and 2. the word "démerde", which literally has "shit" in it (merde.) So, essentially, deshit or deal with shit.

He also uses "V'la" instead of "voilà", which is another shortening and even worse, because he pronounces it not very similar to the original word. It also denotes a certain amount of uncaringness towards his family due to the nature of type of speech, whereas english gavroche says "these are my people", which is much nicer.

english gavroche also says "not much to look at, nothing posh / nothing that you'd call up to scratch" while french gavroche says "nothing in my hands, nothing in my pockets / everything in the heart of my song", which to me reads more of an emphasis on the fact that he has nothing, rather than what he does have being subpar.

back to the deshitting stuff, though, the line "this is my school, my high society", which is once again denoting a sense of at least somewhat belonging or claiming this place, is turned into "j'ai pas de sous, et pourtant j'me démerde," which literally means "i have no money, but i manage" (but in the rudest phrasing they could get away with), which is fascinating, since it's once again highlighting a lack of something!

finally, "think you're poor? think you're free? follow me!" is changed to "les timides, les caïds, suivez l'guide!" which.... i don't really know if i can translate caïds? but once again, it's much more degrading language.

Oh, and once again: good angry voice. My god. (kicks in at 1:13)

From beyond that, there's differences in the english version i can listen to and the english lyrics i can actually find, so i don't really want to get back into compairisions here, but i just want to note that gavroche basically yells "vive moi, pas le roi, ça ira, ça ira [3]", meaning "long live me, not the king", which is an interesting thing to have when the original english (as far as i can tell) actually had the words "long live us" instead!

Oh, oh, and the phrase "parce qu'à Paname, y a plus d'oseille" (when he sings about thénardier) is entirely reliant on slang, which is super cool! (specifically, paname is an old name for paris, and oseille means money, so basically "cuz in paris there's more money")

oh. and his death in both versions. good lord. SO.

in the english version, as far as i can tell, gavroche sings Little People until the end. he quite literally never gives up. it's heartbreaking and it makes me bawl my eyes out.

but french gavroche.... to an extent, he does this too, as he dies on the second line of La Faute à Voltaire, but i want to point to a specific line:

"c'est comme ça, on gagne pas, à chaque fois..." "it's how it is. you don't win every time."

this gavroche already knows he's lost. because he knows he's miserable, and poor, and never going to get better, not really. he's essentially already accepted his death. it's horrifying.

i don't really have any concluding thoughts other than "french gavroche good (english gavroche also good but not fav)", but i really do think it's fascinating that gavroche is a much more raw and beaten down kid in the french version. like i know why he's not in the english version (two words: oliver twist), but... this fits. this really fits les mis. and it's my favorite book, so.

oh shit. oh man i really wrote all that. um. whoops?

[1] the song directly lays blame at the feet of Voltaire and Rousseau for some kind of injustice, as it is a satirization of the fact that, due to Voltaire and Rousseau's influence on the revolution, lots of royalists blamed them directly for it.

[2] for example, "Je suis un va-nu-pieds / Mais, nu, le pied va quand même" is a play on words. Va-nu-pieds is a word for an incredible poor and/or homeless person (literally "go barefoot" because they can't by shoes). Gavroche calls himself this, but in the next line says "but, barefoot, the foot can still walk", which says a LOT about him tbh

[3] those "ça ira"s are a reference to a revolutionary song, literally called 'Ça ira'!

(2/2) IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE LONG GAVROCHE ASK:

if i said "ça ira" translates to "it'll do", i was wrong (though not entirely)! it's could also translate to "it'll go/it'll pass"! <- in fact, i think that translation is the correct one lol.

Okay okay. This is a lot there's even footnotes, I'm going to do my best to have a cohesive response. I am not currently into Les Mis and I have no idea who Gavroche is, but glad to be yelled at over it!

I see what you're talking about--though undoubtedly not as clearly as you do as my French is little and very rusty--and it makes complete sense with what I know about you as a person that French Gavroche is more appealing. I agree as well, the...added depth? Not shying away from making it gritty and bare and plain to see his situation instead of softening it? is almost always more of a motivating and captivating character, even when the softer counterpart is endearing.

I do also hear the tone shift you're talking about between songs! Maybe I'm being subconsciously influenced by you because you said it first, but at the very least the English version is incredibly cheery. Which doesn't match the lyrics of the second, if I'm understanding right.

Also! The slang/shortening of words and the shit thing are very interesting, I love seeing language get played with like that, so I appreciate you explaining the meanings. The i have things but not a lot vs I don't have anything is a fascinating comparison of perspective!

Which also comes up in the variations of their deaths, and I think I can get what you're highlighting about it being horrifying but also compelling and fascinating. You don't always win! I can't compare it to Les Mis as I haven't read it, but it tracks that this would fit with the book based on the very little I do know.

I also don't have any concluding thoughts because this is a lot and it's difficult to convey *sits here eagerly listening nodding along focused* in words because I'm on the receiving end of all the words and info. But this is very fascinating to see and I appreciate learning all this! I now know significantly more about Gavroche and his portrayal! I don't, however, know who Gavroche is

[sarcasticassian]

Steve and Eddie used to date on the dl in high school, they didn’t flaunt it around and Steve’s dickhead friends made it obvious they didn’t like Eddie at all but he had been pretty sure they were in love until one day Steve dumped him out of nowhere and a few weeks later he was dating Nancy Wheeler

(Steve’s dad had heard through the grapevine (Tommy) about him and Eddie, the ‘trailer trash’ and threatened some nasty stuff if Steve didn’t put a stop to it immediately and he was also a teenager so of course he didn’t really handle it that well when it came to talking to Eddie about it)

so as soon as Eddie graduates he skips town putting all his effort into becoming a rockstar with his band and Steve is left behind in Hawkins, he tries to put everything into dating Nancy but he’s still hung up on Eddie and Nancy can tell so when she starts hanging out with Jonathan and feelings come up she does what’s best for both her and Steve and they break up, the summer Steve finishes high school he meets Robin who changes his life and once she’s graduated they book it out of Hawkins to literally anywhere else

a couple years later the kids and Nancy are visiting Stobin wherever they live and the kids are excited about this local band performing so they get tickets and lo and behold it’s Eddie’s band, who’s lead vocalist is now Chrissy Cunningham from school, Steve is shocked and can’t take his eyes off Eddie the entire time but he hangs back not wanting Eddie to notice him but he does, right near the end of the set and he just looks so angry

Eddie is the one who got away for Steve but Steve is just a massive heartbreak for Eddie that he’s never quite got over, he sees Steve there and sees Nancy Wheeler appear next to him and wonders why Steve strung him along if he was never going to be good enough for him, it all comes pouring out of him to Chrissy after the show, they go out drinking and when they get back to their shared apartment they write a song about it, they record it for their new album and the label likes it so much it gets pushed as the lead single

Steve is still reeling from seeing his high school sweetheart? the one that got away? Steve’s biggest mistake ever? thriving and rocking the stage like he owns it, he deep dives into Eddie’s band’s music and self consciously wonders if any of the songs are about him, the angry, bitter ones maybe? he decides not to bum Robin out with all this, he’s told her vaguely about Eddie before, never mentioning names but she knows about his great heartache over this one guy and Steve considers telling her the whole story but she’s just started seeing this new girl and she’s in the honeymoon phase and Steve isn’t going to bring her down so when Robin asks if he will go to her new girlfriend’s band’s concert he agrees

which is a huge mistake because the girl Robin has been seeing is Chrissy Cunningham and once again Steve is stood looking up at Eddie on stage, Chrissy notices him and gestures to Eddie and they agree to play their new song (it’s basically sk8er boi lmao) and Chrissy makes direct eye contact with Steve when she gets to the part about Eddie being in love with someone new (which is a lie but Eddie didn’t want the song to sound pathetic) and Steve just turns around, shoving his way out of the crowd, feeling the tears coming and not being able to stop them, Robin has no idea what just happened but she runs after Steve and it all comes out as they sit in the street outside the concert venue

Robin is mad that Steve never told her just who his great love was but she thinks things can still turn around, Steve and Eddie just need to talk, obviously not right then because emotions are running high but the day after she calls up Chrissy whilst Steve is still asleep, they collate the stories each guy has told them and yup they definitely still have feelings and yup Chrissy and Robin can solve this so they manage to get Steve and Eddie in a locked room and through the door they encourage them to talk so with no other way out of this situation they do

and Eddie vows that day that he will make Mr Harrington’s life miserable if he ever gets in between him and Steve again

[copiousloverofcopia]

Ghoul “I didn’t know I was pregnant” anon here! Yes, that’s what I was thinking; basically the same or a similar setup but with a ghoul as the baby daddy.

Sweet Lucifer in Hell...

I know you've been patiently waiting Anon...

Here you go!

(This is more fun and silly)

Anyways without further ado….

Below the cut r/t descriptions of birth

This time on, I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant Ghoul Edition

Y/N, a young Sister of Sin at The Ministry began dating Nameless Ghoul Aether just after the end of The Pale Tour Named Death with Ghost in Spring 2020. It was a fun time at the Abbey. The Ghouls and the newly ascended Papa Emeritus the Fourth looking forward to a bit of relaxation before another tour would begin.

-reenactment-

Aether in his Prequelle uniform returning home catches the eye of the young sister wearing her black habit and a bit of her hair peeking out from under her sibling issues veil. She smiles at him, the ghouls winking at her from the entryway as he helps the others gather their bags from the tour bus just outside.

Y/N: "I had just arrived at the Ministry right when the tour started and hadn't gotten the chance to meet any of the Ghost ghouls, or Papa for that matter, so I was excited when they'd returned home to sneak a peek. It was then I saw him and I felt my heart pounding away." (laughs)

Aether: "We were all exhausted. The tour was rough but great. It was the second half of the Prequelle album cycle, Copia had just become Papa, and while we were all a bit sad to leave the thrill of the rituals…we were more than happy to sleep in our own beds for a change. Mountain takes up so much space and Dew can be a pain in the ass when you are stuck with him on a bus for weeks on in. (laughs) That first day back I caught sight of her and I was blissfully doomed."

Not long after Aether's return. The two start to spend a lot of time together. Being unashamed to show their affections all over the Abbey grounds. Aether, even getting in trouble for skipping out on band practice.

Y/N: "It's actually kind of funny because Papa caught us in the sacristy together when Aeth was supposed to be at practice one day. We were caught with our pants down." (laughs)

Aether: "You know even Papa agreed with me some things in life need to take priority. After all, I made up my practice another time. (winks) I just truly could not get enough of her and honestly still can't." (laughs)

The couple continued their love affair for many weeks which turned into months. Y/N and Aether were becoming closer and closer as the time for him to leave on yet another tour cycle was growing near.

-reenactment-

Aether is at practice playing with the rest of the ghouls in the main hall. Papa is instructing them to play when Y/N arrives to steal Aether away for an afternoon rendezvous. Flash to where Aether and Y/N are kissing and Y/N is hugging him with tears in her eyes knowing that he's going to be leaving soon.

Y/N: "I was devastated. I'm starting to fall into a depression and honestly I was not prioritizing anything other than spending time with him."

-reenactment-

Y/N shown laying in bed and watching TV, sad that Aether will be leaving soon. Shot pans over to birth control pills in the bathroom that have not been opened.

A few days after the announcement that the tour was about to begin, Y/N realizes that she has skipped a couple doses of her birth control pills. She tells Aether and they both anxiously await for her period and then she seems to get it in time.

Aether: "I wasn't really worried about her being pregnant or not at the time. Honestly I love her so much…we could have a million babies. I wasn't even sure we could have them though and we were definitely concerned about the timing since I would be out on the road once again."

Y/N: "It was a relief to know that he wouldn't be upset if we had gotten pregnant, but when I got my period on time both of us were a little bit relieved knowing that we wouldn't have to worry about me trying to deal with a pregnancy on my own back here at the Abbey."

-reenactment-

Y/N and Aether sitting down on the bed when Y/N tells that she has gotten what she believes to be her period.

Y/N continues to feel fatigued and has cravings for salty foods that she contributes to her period. However these symptoms continue to linger on long after the bleeding has subsided which makes them suspicious.

Y/N: "I was concerned that something else may be going on. I started to wonder if I was coming down with something else, but it never occurred to me after having what I thought was a period that I could still be pregnant."

Y/N continues to have cyclical bleeding, however it is irregular and light. She attributes this to the added stress from Aether's upcoming tour. Y/N also develops some slight nausea which seems to plague her throughout the day. She blames it on her disordered eating habits related to depression.

-reenactment-

Y/N puts her hand over her mouth as Aether rubs her back and she begins to cry. The ghoul holds her close in his arms. Aether gets a sad smile on his face.

Aether: "I hated seeing her like that. I was half tempted to tell Papa he needed to find another ghoul…but I knew I had responsibilities to the band, to the Ministry so I came up with another plan." (laughs)

Y/N: "I had no idea what he was planning until one day he took me to Papa and Sister Imperator for an emergency meeting."

Aether requested a meeting to ask that they make an exception to allow Y/N to go on tour with them. While Sister Imperator was completely against the idea, Papa was all for it. Having a more the merrier attitude and openly welcoming Y/N on tour with the band.

Aether: "It was great. We went on tour and I got to spend all the time with Y/N I wanted. The bus life got a bit more tolerable. We would spend hours laughing and talking. Not to mention other things (wings) it was seriously one of the best times of my life but then things got interesting." (cringes)

One night on the bus, less than a year into Aether and Y/N relationship things take a turn.

-reenactment-

Aether, Swiss, and Cirrus are hanging out on the small sofa across from the pull down table where Y/N and Cumulus were seated. The group was laughing, seeming to be enjoying their time together when Y/N begins to notice something is wrong and the look on her face says she's having immense pain.

Y/N: "I started to get the worst belly pain I had ever felt in my entire life. I thought maybe I needed to get sick. I wasn't sure so I went to stand up and then I started leaking everywhere."

Y/N started experiencing debilitating pain and upon standing she began leaking fluid from between her legs. A sight that stirred up the crowd.

-reenactment-

Y/N is doubled over in pain. Cirrus is screaming for Mountain, who's driving the bus to pull over. Copia is passed out in the passenger's seat with his headphones in. Aether goes to Y/N's side and it becomes very obvious to them now what is happening.

Aether: "I knew immediately what was happening. I've seen it before but usually it doesn't take this long with ghouls kits. But as soon as I saw her water break, My tail stood straight up and I knew I had to get into gear."

-reenactment-

"Ok Y/N, don't panic but I'm pretty sure you're in labor." -Aether

"Aeth what in heaven are you talking about? I can't be in labor, I'm not pregnant!-Y/N screams as she holds tight to her belly. The pains are clearly coming closer and closer together.

Mountain manages to pull the bus over, while the ghouls help Y/N to the bed as she is now unable to walk.

Aether: "Normally a ghoul pregnancy is about 3 months but a half ghoul kit was something a lot of us had no experience with and so everything was very scary. I had no idea what to expect. I was so afraid I was going to lose her." (sucks in his bottom lip, looks upset)

-reenactment-

Aether is sitting beside Y/N who is laying on the bed. The ghoulettes, Cirrus and Cumulus have checked and sure enough the head of the half ghoul kit is visible in the birth canal.

Y/N is scared, crying and holding on to Aether tightly as the ghoulettes work to get ready to deliver the half ghoul kit. The are rushing around gathering towels as the ghouls watch in awe at their determination.

Y/N: "I honestly didn't even know that the two of us could procreate. Looking back on it I feel so stupid for not even knowing simple things like that or paying better attention. I could have been more prepared. Though I am so very thankful to the ghoulettes for all their help."

-reenactment-

The ghoulettes get Y/N into position to deliver the kit. Papa walks in, after Mountain finally alerts him that there was an issue, and gets an eye full of the business end of Y/N and the ghoulettes trying to help deliver the baby.

"Well uh…oh..sweet Lucifer. I shouldn't be here."- Copia

"No, don't leave!"- Aether

Aether begs Papa Emeritus IV to stay as Y/N begins to push. Papa is cringing as he holds Aether's hand looking as if he may pass out. Aether is also holding Y/N's hand as she begins to push.

Copia: "I honestly did not understand why I needed to be there. I was happy for Aether and the sister, but I won't lie...I almost didn't make it." (nervously laughs)

-reenactment-

Cumulus looks up to Y/N as she puts her hands on the baby's head.

"Ok Y\N you're doing great! The kit is almost out."- Cumulus

"Oh sweet Satan, it hurts! Aeth I'm going to kill you for this."- Y/N

"Babe I'm so sorry." -Aether (panicking)

"Ok I think one more push ought to do it!"- Cumulus

Y/N buckles down squeezing Aether's hand hard as Cumulus and Cirrus help. Copia looks like he's about to descend to the floor. Swiss and Dew are pacing just outside the door and Y/N is crying uncontrollably.

Y/N delivers the unexpected half ghoul kit/human child in the back of the tour bus on Papa Emeritus IV's bed.

-reenactment-

Y/N and Aether are swooning over the baby. Both looking absolutely exhausted but happy. The ghoulettes are smiling and laughing. Everyone, excited that the baby made it into the world ok. Dew is seen standing next to Copia and giving him a slap on the back.

"Good luck getting those stains out of your sheets."- Dewdrop (Sodo)

Baby Nimbus is born at what is considered full term for a Ghoul/Human pregnancy, weighing at 7lbs 11oz with no complications.

Y/N: "I was so happy she was born safely and that Aether and I are now a family."

Aether: "It went from being absolutely terrifying, to being one of the best moments of my entire life all within a few seconds. I only wish we would have known so he could have made Y/N less scared and upset during the labor. Thankfully Cumulus and Cirrus were amazing. Oh and Papa for holding my hand." (laughs nervously)

Copia: "You know I could not feel my fingers for 2 weeks after that, which was very unfortunate for a certain Sister of Sin...but I am glad everything worked out. Nimbus is adorable. Kinda makes me want one of my own." (Laughs nervously)

Y/N must have conceived around the same time she fell into depression over Aether leaving on tour.

-reenactment-

Flashback to the scenes with Y/N in bed and not opening her birth control.

Y/N: "Looking back I should have known there was something weird going on, especially after I missed my pills. But I just never really thought it would happen. No one had ever told me that ghouls and humans could reproduce before. A very happy surprise." (smiled)

Aether: "Now that we know, we are extra careful if you catch my drift." (laughs)

Now baby Nimbus is 9 months old and doing well.

-now-

Aether is back for a short break from the Imperatour. Y/N and Aether are holding hands while the little one who has very light gray skin with slightly shorter tail and pointed tipped ears is playing with her tea set in the middle of the floor in the siblings common area. The baby is cooing and smiling as she plays with her toys.

Y/N: "I love them both so much and I'm so grateful to Lucifer for the blessings he has bestowed upon us."

Aeth: "I couldn't have asked for a better mother for my kits. We look forward to one day being able to give Nimbus a sibling. Hopefully while daddy isn't on tour." (laughs)

The ghoul and the sister are doing well now that they have settled back into domestic life. Aether will be heading out for the second half of the tour for the album cycle soon but he knows his love and his daughter are in good hands. So how could Y/N not have known she was pregnant.

Y/N: "I got my period, I didn't have much of a bump at all, and honestly I had no idea it was even really possible."

Copia: "Now we have it in the new sibling handbook that a pregnancy between a sibling and a ghoul is very possible. We will not be having anything like that happen again. I had to replace the entire mattress." (laughs nervously as he tries to fist bump the producer)

Aether: "I just love them so much and I wouldn't have had it any other way."

Episode ends on Aether and Y/N swinging baby Nimbus on the swing set In the churchyard as the other children of the Abbey play around them.

Phew the end! Lol

[touchlikethesun]

1 & 21 for the ask game please!!

for this ask game <3

what is your favourite song of all time?

i'm not sure i've ever been asked such a hard question, i have favourite songs for every different vibe every different occasion but a favourite of all time... i think there are two that it does not matter the vibe if they come on i am never skipping them and that would be goodbye stranger by supertramp and you! me! dancing! by los campensinos

actually actually there's a third that i really can't leave out i'm sorry this kinda defeats the point of the question but don't hate me by epik high i've known all the words since i was 15

(do you see a bit of what links these together lol... i say i'm a lyrics first kinda person but that's a lie i need a hype instrumental like i need air)

21. what is the best album of all time?

i take back what i said earlier this is is the hardest question i've ever had to answer. there are so many incredible albums. but how do i judge them? my personal favorite or the best constructed??? again i really don't think i can pick just one (i'm sorry) and i'm not sure you'll really like the ones i do pick (which is so fair these things are really subjective)

every single song off daytona is a master piece, end of story. i don't listen to a lot of rap really, but i listen to this album all the way thru at least once a month. the subject matter is very rough and should come with trigger warnings, but it is raw you can't deny that. and the instumentalssssssss this album really should be credited to pusha t and kanye bc kanye basically produced every track and say what you want about kanye (i hate him personally and think his lyrics are no where near what people claim them to be) but the man knows how to produce a damn good track

completely opposed to the above, this album is a tour de force of powerful narratives that pierce the soul. the instrumentals are simpler maybe, but that's because nina simone's voice and paroles take centre stage and really i can't listen to this album too often because i end in tears every time. but god she has such a powerful voice, her ability to convey the whole range of human emotion god she's just so good. nina simone has many good albums but i do think (uncontroversially) that is is her best.

and then because i have to, london calling by the clash, i genuinely do not think there's a better rock album that's been produced to this date. this one is a weekly listen at least.

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: ACA Top 10 Disney Villains

Aka the medley/top 10 video that probably has the most songs covered by Voiceplay in other videos (whether partial or in full) (and though I won't talk about vocals or arrangement, I will point out each one as we go along). (And yes I'm skipping over most if not all of the Partwork videos, as well as the Christmas ones).

It's another Aca Top 10 video (released in March 2019 btw), and so it's another round of themed shirts! Geoff is wearing a very cool Scar shirt, Layne is wearing a Dr Facilier shirt, J is wearing a Claude Frollo shirt, Earl is wearing a Hades shirt, and Eli... is wearing a Darth Vader shirt (in the style of Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, it seems). Like I know Lucasfilm was acquired by Disney in 2012, but seriously Eli, c'mon man! 😂

Starting off with Friends On The Other Side with J on lead vocals, which of course J did as a full-length cover with Voiceplay in 2021, his first "guest vocalist feature" since leaving the group 5 months earlier to go join the US Navy Band (and I'm very much looking forward to eventually doing a post for that video, let me tell you!)

Earl and J fooling around during the Trust In Me section 😄

"Close your eyesssss" (why would I close my eyes when I could just stare at Geoff instead?)

"miaow!"

The teeny tiny cat is I think the cat from Pinocchio? Figaro I believe?

Geoff and Layne have been best friends since middle school, roughly 30 years ago (same with Earl), and it shows 😄 (Friendship Goals honestly)

Unintentional funny pause moment! 😂

While we're here, time for another hair study!

My sketch really doesn't do it justice, but Geoff's hair in this one has a bit of a "lions mane" quality to it imo (which is fitting given the shirt he's wearing)

We're now onto Oogie Boogie's song, with Geoff on lead vocals, and of course I don't actually have to say it, we all know it. but Voiceplay did a full-length cover of it (again with Geoff on lead) 7 months after this video, as their Halloween release for the year!

Love Geoff's facial expressions on "and if you aren't shaking"

Eli Eyebrow Raise!

Now we're onto Cruella De Vil, which VP did a full-length cover of back in 2015 for a promotional collaboration thing with Disney! (Not on Voiceplay's channel though)

Gaston next, which Voiceplay did as part of their Beauty And The Beast medley on their 2012 Once Upon An Ever After album

"As a specimen, yes I'm intimidating," ('intimidating' isn't the word I would use...)

And yes I see Layne's wrist tattoo that I first noticed in the This Is Halloween video! (Also a little jealous of Layne getting to touch Geoff's hair)

"Gimme that hurrah!"

Eli and J doing a mini floss, and Earl holding a chapstick? 😂😅

Number 3 is Hellfire, which, as I'm sure you know, Voiceplay finally did a full-length cover of, 4 and a half years later, in October 2023, again with Geoff on lead vocals just like here, and well, I'm gonna save my thoughts for when I eventually make a full post about it because oh my god

(Also love J pointing to his shirt like he did in the 80s Cartoons video 😄)

Immediately followed by Poor Unfortunate Souls, with Earl on lead. Earl had left the group by the time Voiceplay revisited the song for their Little Mermaid Medley in 2020, but we were treated (and I mean treated) to an amazing "Geoffsula" performance instead! (Another one I'm very excited to get to)

And finally we have Be Prepared, another one that was in a medley on Voiceplay's Once Upon An Ever After album (Geoff took lead for that one, but he can definitely go much lower now than he used to be able to)

Final frame!

So basically there were only 3 songs in this that Voiceplay hadn't already done previously or revisited at some point later: Mother Knows Best, We Are Siamese, and Trust In Me (hey Geoff if you ever wanna make a cover of Trust In Me on your channel, like even just as a short... 👉👈)

I'll be skipping over a few more videos from here, but the next video I talk about will be very fun!

[chuuuvi]

🎶February 2024 Top 5s🎶

Artists

1. Chairlift - Funny story, theres a lot of music that I’ve just refused to listen to again because it reminds me of a specific time in my life. One off-limits album that I used to love is Moth by Chairlift. I randomly discovered recently that I can listen to it again without it feeling tainted so that’s exactly what I’ve been doing! I’ve had that album on REPEAT!

2. flor - One of my favorite bands since high school. I adore the lead singer’s voice so so much. It’s just really lovely. Check them out!

3. TWICE - Yay! It’s Twice! I love them! Honestly it’s been a little while since a Korean Twice release has really clicked for me but With YOU-th really really clicks. So happy! (☆_☆)

4. Liang Lawrence - honestly I don’t know a thing about her but I found her on one of those “made for you” spotify playlists. Really like unposted letters, really like the pilot, feel positively but not strongly about the rest of her songs. She did get bumped up in my streams because I know that I fell asleep with her on loop once.

5. Caroline Polachek - The deluxe edition of her latest album came out this month! Or well the “Everasking Edition” whatever thats supposed to mean. Desire I Want To Turn Into You is really good and I was happy to revisit it! The added songs are really nice too. Listened to it quite a bit this month :)

Songs

1. Moth to the Flame by Chairlift - Ugh this song is just fantastic. Caroline Polachek’s voice is so hauntingly beautiful and she’s just doing her beautiful thing all over this dance-y beat. It just elevates what would already be a good song to a whole other level. That basically describes the whole album really.

2. Dangerous by TEN - AREN’T YOU A DIVA?! This is so good! Congrats to Mr. Ten on his solo debut. Absolutely infectious groove.

3. Show U Off by Chairlift - More from this same Chairlift album. Sooo good! This one is especially fun and funky.

4. want u back by joan - still here for the second month in a row huh? Lets see if it can make it a hat trick! I do love this song

5. YOU GET ME by TWICE - Mmmm yessss! Hearing that people didn’t like this album is insane to me like wth. Anyway You Get Me is the perfect closer to a skip free EP and is probably my favorite kpop song this year so far. It’s very much like.. whatever that genre that SM said RIIZE was supposed to be? Do you guys remember that? Emotional Pop?

[moonjxsung]

Star, I also had a small panic attack with your ask about pit tickets cause I’m notorious for missing tour announcements 🥲

I feel like you’ve been to so many concerts, I’d love to know all the kpop ones you’ve attended 🥹

I still haven’t seen SKZ 🫠 my only three kpop concerts were BTS on the Wings Tour in 2017, then SNSD on their 10th anniversary fanmeeting ALSO in 2017 in Seoul and I was 19, a broke college student and my mom went OFF on me about spending so much money on concerts when I didn’t have a proper job 🙃 it was a whole thing so I controlled myself and only recently began attending concerts again, and my first “kpop” concert was Yoongi on the Agust D Tour 🩷

Also what concerts do you wanna go to? I love talking about concerts sorry. My dream concert was SNSD since I was 12 so that’s why I had my last moment as a dumb teenager and basically went broke to see them. Right now I NEED to see SKZ live or I will die, I’ll also try getting tickets for the IU concert this summer since I put it off cause I was scared SKZ was gonna announce something 🥲

Anyway I hope we all get to see the boys live 🩷 manifesting tickets for us all

~🌷~

ME…. Every time I see anyone talk about skz announcement my heart falls out of my CHEST thinking I missed a tour announcement 🥲 DON’T WORRY GUYS I will spam the fuck out of this account when they announce it !!

I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WENT TO THE WINGS TOUR I AM SOOO JEALOUSSS 💔 I haven’t been to too many kpop concerts, but definitely enough to know how they work and plan better for them and stuff! The ones I’ve been to are:

• BTS permission to dance in LA D1

• BTS permission to dance in Vegas D2

• Ateez Break the Wall tour in Oakland

• Stray Kids Maniac encore in LA

• Yoongi D-Day tour in Oakland

• 3racha at Global Citizen Fest in NYC

I also had Blackpink tickets but I sold them in hopes that Shinee would do a world tour when Hard was released (spoiler: they did not🥲) and I almost saw Twice but I ended up forfeiting bc a work thing came up 😭 Concerts I WANT to see live are:

• SHINEE. My number one. I will die if I don’t see them. Any member from SHINee solo concert too!

• EXO

• Nmixx !! Their recent album omggg zero skips

• Itzy

• TXT

• Twice

• Blackpink

And any group I’ve already seen, as many times as I can! I tried for Coachella tickets this year but unfortunately it was too soon to work with my schedule so I’m hoping Ateez do a world tour at some point. I’m planning on going to 3 cities for the next skz tour and my sister and I are going to possibly fly to another country for a SHINee concert because I will simply pass away if I don’t see them at least once.

MANIFESTING YOU GET SKZ TICKETS WHEN THEY’RE ANNOUNCED ANDDDD IU TICKETS 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🧘‍♀️🧘‍♀️🧘‍♀️🧘‍♀️🧘‍♀️ WE GOT THIS !!! 🫶💓

[deprivedmusicaljunkie]

ok im literally the nicest person ever so i'll only give u two albums to rank : red and fearless (with their vaults),, aka the longest albums she has,, have fun😘💕

ellie i am literally at my wit’s end.

it’s FEARLESS

forever & always - the petty way she says and i don’t feel welcome anymore… this whole song is just chefs kiss and i have a soft spot for it okay (the piano version HITSSS DIFFERENTTT)

tell me why - it’s kinda crazy that i’m putting this song above all the popular ones but i love it so much. the violin in the intro is just so funny to me idk why, it makes me want to burst out laughing. and taylor is just so angsty here?? this one here. my fav (you could write a book on how to ruin someone’s perfect DAAAaaaAAaaAAaaAyy)

the way i loved you - SCREAMING AND FIGHTING AND KISSING IN THE RAIN she is so distressed i adore it. i also associate this song with my old crush but whatever because i want to feel like this again

you belong with me - SOOO ICONIC i scream-sang this with my best friend and it’s so nostalgic. it’s super pick me but every girl had a pick me phase at one point so it’s okay.

love story - a classic. i should get proposed to this song methinks.

jump then fall - idk why but this song hits different guys 🥲

fifteen - I LOVE THIS SONG. i’m so jealous of abigail if my friend wrote a song about my heartbreak i would be over the moon.

fearless - “this song is about the perfect first date i’ve never had.” same girl. i actually cringe whenever i listen to this song because it reminds me of this guy i used to like so. sorry tay.

the best day - once again, taylor swift reminds me that i have daddy issues. i remember on my first listen of this album i couldn’t get through this song and had to skip it… widiwidiekckekncndcjc teared up on this relisten! so!

mr. perfectly fine - ok tbh i have some nostalgia from this song bc last year they were playing this song in a barbershop in taiwan and i was so surprised ??

the other side of the door - back to december’s bratty little sister. jk i actually love the bridge but how many little black dresses does girly have!!

come in with the rain - oooh i love the “talk to… talk to…” lyrics they’re so yummy satisfying (ellie i’m tiredddddd)

that’s when - this song is sweet. every song is sweet but this is different. twosongsleft

superstar - cresswell vibes! is this song about joe jonas

you all over me - ok ngl. the graffiti metaphor was pretty cringe

untouchable - guys. how is this album worse than debut

you’re not sorry - go off i guess!

white horse - taylor, i’m sorry but. this is getting repetitive. why are you always so fucking heartbroken

we were happy - FEARLESS IS MY LEAST FAVORITE ALBUM THIS IS SO BLAND IM BAWLING

don’t you - this song sounds like every song which sounds like every other song on this album the moment this song ends is the moment i forget everything about it

bye bye baby - was joe jonas really that good of a boyfriend. did she have to release this song. did i listen to it in its entirety. who’s to say. i am so ready for red

today was a fairytale - in my honest opinion. this vault song did not need to be released

change - it’s fine. a standard older sister song. she def wrote this after reading a ya novel. not sure how i feel about her christian era but whatever. hallelujah!

breathe - taylor. girly. let’s have a talk for a second: please have one song on this album that doesn’t sound like every other song on this album. okay?

hey stephen - very basic. nothing really stood out to me yk? (should’ve been replaced by mr perfectly fine tbh)

burning RED

begin again - I HAVE SUCH A SOFT SPOT FOR THIS SONG. LIVE FOR YOURSELF. WRITE NEW STORIES. LOOK AT THE FUTURE. YOUR HURT DOES NOT DEFINE YOU!!!!

all too well (10 minute version) - THE SHORT FILM BROKE MEEE

all too well - OUCHH watch her grammys performance it is so emotional

the last time - YESSSS MORALLY COMPLICATED GRAY AREAS MY BESTIEEEE

red - LOSING HIM WAS BLUE LIKE ID NEVER KNOWN MISSING HIM WAS DARK GRAY ALL ALONE FORGETTING HIM WAS LIKE TRYING TO KNOW SOMEBODY YOUVE NEVER METT

holy ground - i love healing. i love getting over it. i love moving on.

treacherous - FORBIDDEN LOVE!!!!

i almost do - THIS HURTS SO MUCH THIS IS JUST THE 1 IN A DIFFERENT FONT

the moment i knew - this song is genuinely so heartbreaking knowing the details of taylor’s twenty first birthday… fuck you j*ke

the lucky one - yk what her vocals are kinda funky on this one but whatever

sad beautiful tragic - at first i was going to rank it lower but then i heard the bridge and 🤭

the very first time - this is such a cute song i cant wait to listen to it when i fall in love

nothing new - THE LUCKY ONE VIBES !!

state of grace - ok idk if it’s just me but this kinda sounds like a modern day christian worship song? in all seriousness i am obsessed with this song. very movie soundtrack esque.

better man - ooh good soup. i love how she kinda has flashbacks in this song like in all too well.

starlight - really adorable!! i love the dreamy vintage aesthetic and the guitar. could totally see a grandma at some retirement home recounting her glory days.

come back… be here - she’s written better yearning songs. this is whatever

run - what is ed doing here!!!

everything has changed - i’m not a big fan of eddie but he wasn’t bad in this. plus the joker and the queen is such an iconic music video.

i knew you were trouble - so dramatic and for what!!! she slayed

forever winter - this is literally winlet from scarlets pov ???

girl at home - she really is a girl’s girl 🫶

we are never getting back together - it sounds too similar to 22 for me.

22 - not one of her best hits but it still slaps

babe - mid.

message in a bottle - nothing about this stood out to me. not my favorite.

stay stay stay - ew. barf. i hate it.

i bet you think about me - the worst taylor swift song yet. why is there a cacophony of harmonica in the chorus.

[iwanthermidnightz]

Have you listened to interview Zane Lowe recently did with The National yet?

Yes, and oh boy I can’t wait for this one. Seems like she’s been getting at least some of her inspiration of “switching perspectives” from the collaboration Matt does with his wife. I love it when years of back and forth and hearing her talk about different perspectives comes to the forefront. But I’ll skip to the part you’re probably referring to (took the liberty of typing it out):

And speaking of collaborations, you know, Phoebe’s not the only one making an appearance on this record, we’ve got Taylor Swift, who I feel like The National expanded universe includes Taylor and I know you guys made an appearance on her track Coney Island, but talk about how that relationship made its way onto this project. It’s the first real National album in four years, everybody’s been off doing these projects, you know you and your wife did the stuff on Cyrano and Aaron’s been super busy with his own stuff and this feels like the first time that you guys are all coming back in the studio and brining those experiences with you. What was it like working with Taylor on this project?

Matt Berninger: Well, I met Taylor along time ago and we knew Taylor was a fan and eventually we got to know her and her work with Aaron was so brilliant, and I know that she was really interested in the writing process and how Carin [his wife] and I collaborate and so when the song The Alcott, when I wrote that and it very much is a perspective of one person sort of coming to try to reconnect with a one person in a space, a room like in a hotel bar and I’d written all that side of it and Aaron sent it to Taylor right away and I think she jumped right into sort of like the role of the other voice, the other perspective and like I was writing about my wife but it sets a scene of a person with a notebook writing in a bar basically and she knew exactly and fit right into that. So when it came back, all of a sudden this song I’d written suddenly has the other viewpoint or the other perspective added to it by one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

More on this:

So some listeners have been surprised to see the two emerge, in recent years, as close collaborators. After the pandemic interrupted Swift’s promotional plans for her 2019 album, Lover, she reached out to the multi-instrumentalist Aaron Dessner to help produce two new albums, Folklore and Evermore, the latter of which featured all five members of The National—whom she called her “favorite band”—in some capacity. The albums easily could have amounted to a credibility-chasing costume change: pop star goes coffee shop. Instead, they refreshed Swift’s style by pairing sophisticated, moody arrangements with a new lyrical approach. Rather than once again mine her own life for lyrics, she imagined fictional scenarios: a teenage love triangle, a murder conspiracy among friends, a romance between two con artists. Swift was availing herself of the freedoms, even imperatives, that men in rock and roll had long enjoyed—projecting moral ambiguity rather than wholesomeness and virtue.

Now it appears that Swift may have pushed the men of The National in new directions too. On the band’s latest album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, out in April, Swift’s influence feels pervasive. It’s not just her voice, which she lends to the lilting track “The Alcott”; she seems to have taught them something about the mode of candid self-expression that she has mastered. In so doing, The National and Taylor Swift have become one of the unlikeliest and most productive synergies in contemporary music—the cross-pollination of a gloomy indie-rock fraternity and proudly sentimental, stadium-charming pop.

But the band guards against cheap inspirationalism by relying on the idiosyncrasies that have defined it all along. Its old motifs—romantic death and rebirth, sad saps saved by realists, drums that burst like flak cannons—now serve a new aim by acting as a reminder that empathy doesn’t come easily. Rescuing people can mean coaxing them to share how they really feel—and that process requires psychological struggle. On “Alien,” Berninger urges someone to “drop down out of the clouds you’re in.” A hint of conflict lurks in the line, acknowledging just how bracing such conversations can be. Real breakthroughs, these artists have shown in their work together, come from blunt and open exchange.

As Swift and Berninger sing on “The Alcott”: “I tell you my problems / You tell me the truth … You tell me your problems / And I tell you the truth.”

[whatisthiswitchcraft]

beloved @megafaunatic and @uhuraisgay tagged me in a 5 no skips album post and I immediately forgot every album I've ever listened to... but I'm remembering so let's gooo

rose mountain by screaming females - kind of a toss up between this album and and all at once, but wishing well + burning car + rose mountain really make it for me. marisa paternoster pls call me

expert in a dying field by the beths - a very recent addition but I basically have not stopped listening to this album since claire recommended it to me last year. a total delight

transgender dysphoria blues by against me! - once again it is a nightmare trying to pick between albums but I truly believe this is one of the most important records of all time

dirty computer by janelle monae - album of the year every year. not a single song that isn't a certified banger. plus, I'm a sucker for a concept album; I love the world-building & aesthetic experience of the universe they created

three cheers for sweet revenge by my chemical romance - self-explanatory

tagging @48dumplings @theparadigmshifts @conceivablyanyone @monsieurlerobot @pegasusgoat and anyone else who wants to participate!