#i kinda love it too because music isn't an interest they actually seem to share in the same way

[pynkhues]

Hi! What do you think about Antoinette's storyline and do you think Lestat really intended to include her in the household or was this some sort of unreliable narrative?

Hi! It was pretty thin to me, but I think that made sense in the context of Louis being the one telling her story, and him pretty clearly not wanting to think about her at all and wanting to diminish Lestat's relationship with her. I'm curious if we get to see a bit more of her in Lestat flashbacks in the future, as I imagine that would paint a really different picture to the one Louis did.

As for whether Lestat really intended to include her in the household, I think you could make the argument either way. He clearly liked her enough to keep her around for as long as he did, and in a lot of ways, she's a link to his humanity in a way that Louis isn't. Music is, in Louis' own words from 1.02, where Lestat separates man from meal, and Antoinette being a singer - and a singer Lestat respects enough to perform and record with - is something we're told is real to Lestat.

It actually opens up an interesting thread to me in that sense with Louis and Claudia telling Lestat to kill Antoinette, because it's symbolic of more than just the death of a lover, but in they themselves wanting to further sever that thread to Lestat's humanity. He's done it to the two of them too, of course, but Lestat's both helped to grow Louis' ties to humanity with (i.e. through Azalea's), and twisted and perverted them (i.e. bringing the soldiers home after Louis fucks Jonah).

Music is the one grounding in humanity Lestat still has (or at least, Louis sees Lestat as having), and over the course of the season, it actually shifts from an external love to an internal one, which I think really reflects the increasing insularity of the family. It's a love and a connection that goes from the public (the opera) to a space that belongs to them (Lestat playing piano at Louis' club) to personal (Lestat recording Antoinette to provoke Louis) and finally, completely private (Lestat teaching Claudia to play at home).

Depending on how you want to look at it, you can see that arc as being about Lestat's increasingly suffocating presence in Louis' life, or you can see it as Louis staying true to his words in the finale 'I wanted him all to myself'. He's caught the end of the thread of Lestat's humanity and he's trying to wind the whole thing up and keep it. He wants to be the one to choose how Lestat shares it - at his club, with their daughter - and Lestat knows that, which is why weaponising it against him in the recording, and Louis shattering the record and stabbing Lestat with it, before seemingly fucking him and feeding on him in Antoinette's house, is such a perfect beat.

(Personally, I do see it as both.)

In that sense though, Lestat turning Antoinette could've been genuine. Maybe he did want to take her with them. He's on the backfoot with the family, he suspects his sister-daughter is trying to kill him, he doesn't trust Louis anymore. Antoinette's clearly a comfort to him, she loves him, which is important to him, they share music together, something Lestat and Louis do only as audience, she listens to him and pays attention to him, and turning her gives him more power in the family again. Antoinette can read Claudia and Louis' minds, she'll be on Lestat's side instead of Louis' like Claudia is, and, of course, she's both a tool to make Louis jealous and a balm for his own jealousy.

That said, I think it can also be read as Lestat just using her specifically to figure out what Claudia and Louis' plan is, and that he knows turning her will result in her death because there's no way either Claudia and Louis would allow her into the fold. He won't kill her himself, but it could be him baiting the other two into getting rid of her for him.

What do you think?

[laeteria]

It seems I never posted this here, so…

You may, or may have not, stumbled across this video, but yeah… My Tumblr is kinda dead, so I thought it isn't that bad of an idea to drop this one here as well.

There are some notes in the description, so before you go attack me because I haven't added XX role to YY seiyuu, please read the description 👊😔

Some Tumblr exclusive notes under the cut ✨

Why Paradox Live?

Yeah, I know I said I was not posting about Paradox Live anymore and considering the fact that the video was posted in October 2023, it seems pretty recent. However, I have been working on this video for AGES. I think that I will end up in somewhere in 2022(?) starting this video. I was still into Paradox Live and I had dreams to introduce people to it. Too bad that I'm a procrastinator… I mean, I could have chosen IDOLiSH7 as starting point as well, but Paradox Live had a bigger cast :)

My motivation to work on it

Guys, I'm not even kidding. I was planning to use Paradox Live to (hopefully) get some people into Argopro. The project had some difficulties and I wanted to pull people into it, so I did it in a very roundabout way. After all, not a lot of Paradox Live seiyuus are in Argopro like bro what am I even doing!? When starting with the roles of Kajiwara Gakuto (Allen's VA), there were barely any solos for Haruka (his role in Argopro). I remember downloading/ripping the audio of Orthros, because that song was barely introduced. Good old times.

What did I want to achieve with this video?

Guys, I'm just a girl who really likes sharing her interests and I'm a big fan of listening to music of several music projects because I think they are nice and they are different from other music if that makes any sense + you can listen to your favourite seiyuus!!! This was a video for my close friends because I always try to get them to listen to songs or to check out projects. This was merely a tool I used, I guess. My friends love me and I love them. In the end, it wasn't even needed because I post plenty enough on my insta story.

How I made the video

Bros, let me tell you. This was one hell of a dumpster fire of making this video. I'm not kidding. If you think you you can do it, go for it. I will never do it again.

I made the video on my phone. My phone has seen better days, y'all. I first made the template in Ibispaintx and after that I went into YouCut to put the audio over it. I absolutely hated it because you couldn't delete the files if you had the videos in draft (otherwise it will get corrupted which makes sense), but it took a lot of storage. I ended up saving them seperately per character, but the pain I had to go through everytime I made a mistake was painful.

This video is like 22 minutes long, but it took me nearly 2 years to finish it ( •̥ࡇ•̥ )

A little extra for you all <3

I still have the very first version of this video, so I thought, I might as well upload it for others to check out how ewww it kinda is, lmao. It was such a rough draft, but you can't have it all, right? Here is the link (the video is still unlisted, so you won't find it online if you don't have the link).

Another extra, which are the Paradox Live edits (this is a link to my Amino post, so yeah, it's a hell hole ngl) I did 4 years ago. I wanted to use one of them as my thumbnail actually, but I decided not too because people may not be used to that and thus may consider it over the top…

[signedkoko]

hello! i would like a hazbin hotel matchup pls

ima straight woman, my mbti is estp and ima aquarius sun virgo moon and cancer rising if that means anythin to u lmao

im 5'0 (sadly 😭) and i have long wavy black hair w red streaks, i usually straighten it tho. idrk how to describe my style but if i had to id say like the stereotypical y2k grunge girl look (think tara yummy) im also rly into makeup n wear eyeshadow n big ass lashes like everyday 

im kinda all over the place personality wise, but most of the time im rly energetic and always making jokes n laughing, i also love partying n going out but i need to have sum time at home too or else i get burnt tf out, im always there for the ppl i care abt even if we aint that close if someone ever comes to me for advice or anythin i always help as much as i can, i also am very very anxious but i usually keep it underwraps unless somethin triggers it and i also have a lottt of trust issues n lowkey be thinkin everyone out to get me sumtimes

i honestly dont have a lot of interests, i rly love music fashion n makeup tho, i take any excuse i can to dress myself up even if i aint goin nowhere, i listen to almost any type of music but my favs are the weeknd, lana del rey, rob zombie, and stunna girl

in a relationship im also pretty all over the place, i love very intensely n i overthink a lot n need a lot of reassurance but i tend to focus on my partners needs a lot more than mine, but if my partner brings it up i wont lie to them n if the overthinking gets rly bad to the point i cant ignore it ill bring it up, im also very clingy n always wanna be w my partner or talkin to them in sum way, im very thoughtful n love spoiling my partner w affection n gifts (usually homemade cuz im broke 💀)

ik this is rly long i tried my best to make it as short as possible mb 😭 but i hope u have a great day n thank u for doing my request :)

You got…Lucifer!

No need to worry about height because you are both the same! If not an inch or two apart, His hat, fortunately, makes it seem like he's the taller of the two of you.

Lucifer is very...fashionable? Man himself, so he really likes seeing the time you put into your outfits. They are a lot less crisp and white than his, but what's more interesting than things he isn't? Your make-up is a lot more mature than his, though, so you have two completely different dressing and makeup areas so as not to mix up his bright colours with your shadowy palettes.

When it comes to people, he has plenty of trust issues. After his wife left him without much explanation, followed by his descent into depression, it takes a lot for him to really be open to people. This made a lot of your relationship-building quite awkward, which in turn made it funny.

He loves your laugh, and he's glad you enjoy jokes because he really has way too many to count! He's got a pun for every letter in the alphabet. Even if it isn't appropriate, if it means cheering you up, he will go to some crazy lengths. He loves it when you laugh at his jokes, and he will definitely get competitive with anyone who tries to compete.

Lucifer really could use your advice, and in turn, he has a lot of wisdom. Some of your longest conversations are those where you both sit in a quiet, dark place after a long day and share feelings, worries, and solutions. He's lived a long life and seen almost everything the world has to offer, and if you ask him for a taste of his knowledge, he is absolutely thrilled that he can be of use to you.

Dedication is what he feels. Lucifer has every love language and accepts any at all in return; he has everything in his grasp, so what you want is all yours. The fact that you are clingy is just a plus, because it assures him that you do actually love him and that he does actually get to enjoy his days with you.

Any homemade gifts you make are met with utter delight. All he does these days is craft rubber ducks, so you are free to venture into his workshop and use what you need to make your items. Lucifer believes what is made by an individual is the most vulnerable gift to give. 

Expect a lot of fast, loving emotions and busy days every day! Lucifer will make you feel loved and special, and he will make sure you smile at least once a day in his company.

Author’s Note - Your runner up was Valentino! But if you ask me, Lucifer is a much better bet.

[weenwrites]

hello!! is it okay if i ask for a romantic matchup from transformers prime? im a big fan of ur blog!! C:

so a bit about me, im a she/her and an INFP-t like literally everyone else on the internet but thats ok. im optimistic and sensitive and i always try my best to be kind, polite and friendly to everyone. im a bit moody and sometimes shy but nowadays i try to do whatever i want regardless of what people might think of me. im creative and curious and i like having fun!!! my friends often describe me as weird but in a good kind of way, as if im some strange whimsical creature 👽 im super artsy and express my weird style proudly, both in the way i dress and how i present myself. i know u said physical appearance doesn't matter but ive had a buzz cut for around half a year now and it kinda became a part of my personality lol

hobbieees. oh i have many :D overall i enjoy anything creative that requires using my hands, but i mostly spend my days drawing, playing instruments, sewing or studying. i also really like the outdoors and often explore new local and even far away places just for the fun of it. i constantly try and experiment with new things and activities. because it's just fun

i love nature, art, animals, bugs. oh im a huge bug lover. the weirder the bug the better. i like learning new things, i like space, horror movies, sweets, music, fruit, flowers, funky earrings. i like a lot of things. on the other hand there's not much things i dislike, except for the usual like.... idk bad people? violence? drama? but yeah everyone dislikes that. however specific things that i don't like include getting yelled at, being babied/underestimated and ppl who are way too pessimistic.... i don't dislike the people, just the view. it can be so exhausting to deal with🙁🙁

i express my love mostly through words and actions! i like making my friends feel good by complimenting them or giving them gifts like small trinkets and stuff😈 but sometimes i put a bit more thought into my gifts and craft small cards, drawings, bracelets or plushies for them

i like everyone but im not sure how to describe my type. aside from the usual criteria like being kind and caring towards me there's not much that i am looking for specifically. i don't need someone eccentric such as myself i just want someone who likes my weirdness and who looks at me like 😍😍 oh yeahhhh THAT'S my little gremlin

OK SORRY THIS IS SO LONG describing oneself for a matchup feels like opening up to a therapist. anyway thankyou so much for reading this all ily 🙏💞💞 here's a flower for u!!! 🌻

✎ A/N: Aa! Thank you!! I don't mind that it was long, if anything it helped me write some more stuff! Also your forgot to include your sexuality, but I hope you enjoy the match up! The rest is under the cut since it's pretty long ˆˆ

[ Please do not repost, plagiarize, or use my writing for AI! Translating my work with proper credit is acceptable, but please ask first! ]

Smokescreen

He's rather enthusiastic to have a partner he cares for so much, but if you've told him or if he's noticed that you'd prefer for him to turn down the hype a little, he'll definitely try to be a little more "chill" about it. He's rather inexperienced, but he's always eager to do his best in any situation, and when it comes to you he tries to bring his A-game and do his best to make you feel happy and loved.

He would absolutely love to learn about new things with you! Despite how he may seem, he's actually pretty knowledgable (when it comes to cybertronian artifacts and history, of course) and a fast learner. That isn't to mention that as a new-comer to Earth, he intends to learn as much as he can about the planet, not only because he thinks it'd be good to better understand the species he's trying to protect, but also out of genuine interest himself.

So if there are any interesting facts about the planet that you'd like to share with him, or books you'd be willing to lend him, you'll be his go-to source for everything there is to know about earth and humans. (A brief callback to one of my other things, this of course means that he'll be calling you whenever he has a question about something, but the more he does it, the more it seems like he isn't actually curious about what he's calling to ask you about, but rather he's instead doing it to hide the fact he really just wants to talk to you.)

And of course in exchange for everything you tell him about Earth, he's going to return the favor (as long as you ask him something he actually knows about)... But with your interest in space, he'd be able to tell you a lot of things about the stars and cosmos, all of which he learned about in the academy and from Alpha Trion while he was a guard at Iacon. Or he could tell you about cybertronian history, or cybertronian customs that he thinks you'd find interesting or funny.

But aside from that, he'd strive to impress you in whatever way possible, but unfortunately that's a bit... Difficult for him, since the first things that come to mind include feats of strength and shows of his fighting capabilities, but due to your dislike of violence, he decides to opt for other means instead. He quite literally searches up "ways to impress your crush" online and tries out the ones he thinks you'd like the most, like showing off his smarts, or showing that he's really interested in whatever's on your mind.

He's also the type of S/O who'd definitely try out stuff that their partner's into, so he's willing to try out a whole bunch of your hobbies if it means the two of you get to hang out together. I'd like to imagine he's particularly fond of listening to you play music, and perhaps he even hums along when he grows more familiar with the tune.

He'd definitely try to help you come out of your shell and he actively encourages you to live life whatever way makes you happy and live life with no regrets. He's also pretty quick to recognize most of his mistakes and make up for them accordingly. He also always emphasizes that he promises to learn from them (and he does for your sake).

Breakdown

He's actually pretty chill and easy-going as a partner. He doesn't usually do any showy romantic expressions of love (unless you like them), but that doesn't mean he takes the relationship lightly. He particularly enjoys just spending as much time with you as he can in your day-to-day lives. You don't have to do anything special like go on dates, he's just perfectly content hanging out with you and doing whatever you can together.

And contrary to how he looks as a "big brutish tough guy", he's actually very gentle and chill when it comes to you. He enjoys joking around and maybe the two of you even have a few inside jokes that you laugh about from time to time.

He's pretty fond of the great outdoors too! And though patrolling may still be tedious work, the scenery makes it all the more worthwhile. Not to mention that it isn't as boring whenever you offer to tag along for the ride. There are other times where the two of you go on foot, and he'll let you sit up on his shoulders to let you get a good view of the area. Or if there are any neat trees you'd want a closer look at, he'll make sure to lift you up there carefully and let you pick a leaf or a flower out of them.

Whenever the two of you patrol sparsely populated areas with lots of wildlife, he'll occasionally point out animals here and there, and he'll sorta make a game out it.

"Oh hey look! Dog! One point."

"That's not a dog..."

"What do you mean it's not—oh, wait, it's a horse, right? The horns make it a horse."

"Horns on a horse would make it a unicorn. That was a moose."

"That's what a moose looks like?"

"Yeah??? What did you think a moose looked like?????"

Of course he isn't any good at naming the animals he sees, but he thinks that it's neat that you get to tell him what those animals are, or what that plant is, or what that other neat thing is that he saw on the road.

And I feel like he isn't that squeamish or disgusted by bugs, and I think he'd find beetles or any kind of resilient or strong bug super cool despite their miniature stature.

Animals aside, Knockout once recommended that Breakdown should take you out to the theater, saying that it was a romantic thing that humans do. So you can expect drive-in theater movie nights to be a frequent thing from time to time. He'll let you sit in his cab and he parks somewhere with a good view of the screen. He claims that he doesn't find horror movies all that scary, and actually nitpicks at the actual details themselves, but from time to time you'll notice the subtle way his frame begin to shake and his tires twist during some particularly scary scenes... Tease him about it if you will, but not once will he ever admit to being afraid.

And also if you're ever interested in learning self-defense, he definitely would step up and offer to teach you how to punch people in the face. "You never know when it'll come in handy" is what he says to justify it.

He's not usually someone who gets hyped over gifts. That doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't like them, it's just that he's never received many gifts before, so he doesn't truly understand the hype around them. But once you come around and give him gifts, he gets around to understanding the appeal. He gets happy and a little excited whenever you bring him something, and he also tries to get you gifts to return the favor! But given his situation as a giant robot, he can't exactly do that for you, but what the two of you could do is check out old junkyards to see if there's anything neat to take.

[eldritch-nightmare]

Hello! I go by 🎀 anon! I’d like to do a match up, if that’s okay! I’m a latino afab and genderfluid (they/them) in my 20s! 5’4 height, medium length dark brown hair with a shaggy mullet type of haircut (hoping to at least have magenta highlights if work allows it </3), brown eyes, mid-sized body type, a INFP MBTI type, and my star sign is a Taurus. Also am autistic and have ADHD! I’m a pan disaster but fictionally I lean towards male characters! 🤣

I LOVE art and animation! I do digital art as a hobby and hope to sell as a side job some day! I have a special interest for horror, especially indie horror gaming! I also love trying different culture foods, even if I’m biased in my puerto rican roots. I always make effort to seek other cultural meals and learn how to eat them properly and know it’s history because… I love food and making food. 🫡 Speaking of! My love language is making someone meals, buying them gifts and making them art! <3

Ah, not sure if it matters, but I wear a lot of cutesy pastel pink clothes (bonus if they’re strawberry themed) as well as very goth and punk clothing depending on my mood! Which is always funny whenever I wear very gothic outfits, people look so shocked when they see my room LMAO. I love a variety of music including nu metal, goth rock, game soundtracks, chill lo-fi sounding music (Like the kind you hear in Bee and Puppycat! Which is actually my comfort show…). It fluctuates depending the mood LOL. (It’s… quite a mix.) While I’m introverted, I do like going out and interacting with others when having the energy to do so! I tend to ramble a lot though and always fear to seem annoying, then regret later for going on for too long so expect a lot of apologizing for that. 😭

Kinda like now actually LOL, apologies if this is too long! Not sure how much to put in, but hope you have a good day! Take your time to answer, no rush! Appreciate it, thank you! qvq

can i just say you sound so cool?? like?? hello?? your taste in music is literally superb?? but don't worry, this wasn't too long, so no need to apologize <3 i hope your work allows you to get magenta highlights!!

your matchup is... the bloody painter! and it's not because of the art thing, trust me on this okay, just hear me out for a moment. while, yes, you and helen both enjoy art, helen is also really big on horror and the whole goth subculture. while he doesn't dress the part, you will catch him listening to the music and digesting both the art and literature. so. trust me.

helen is pretty reserved and not one to let people close to him but once you break the ice and get past his apathetic exterior, you'll find that he's actually pretty... i wouldn't say he's open once you get to know him, but it's fairly obvious that he'll become less reserved around you, and he'll actually show that he cares about you. does that make sense?

moving on, helen doesn't give food a lot of thought, to be honest. he likes what he likes, and he hates what he hates. he would be a terrible food critic. he does, however, know and understand that cooking is an art, and he has nothing but respect for you and your talents and is 100% willing to be a taste tester for you if you ever need one. he quite enjoys your cooking, if we're being honest, and you have introduced him to a wide variety of different foods from different cultures and he just... loves seeing you enjoy yourself.

now going on to art, because this is helen and it's unavoidable. helen is more of a traditional artist, so digital art isn't his area of expertise, but he would absolutely love to see any and all of your drawings. you two could even draw together! and he has like numerous sketchbooks just full to the brim of sketches and fully-fledged out pieces if you ever want to see them. he loves sharing his own art as well. and, if you give him permission, he'll probably incorporate you into his art. he'll sketch you or add you into the background of one of his paintings. art is his love language, and he would love to involve you in it.

helen doesn't give gifts often, mostly because it's not something that crosses his mind, but sometimes he'll be out and about, and he'll see something. something strawberry-themed or an accessory that would look good with your goth or punk clothing. and, of course, the only natural thing to do is to buy it and gift it to you. so, every once in a while, he'll just hand you a random gift with no real explanation other than a shrug or 'i saw it and thought about you.'

and if you start rambling to him about a certain topic that has caught your interest, or about your day-to-day life in general, helen will silently listen to you. he likes listening to you ramble, especially when he's mindlessly sketching something. and should you apologize for rambling too much, he'll just momentarily meet your gaze and say, 'don't apologize. i like the sound of your voice.' before directing his attention back to whatever he was sketching.

any and all information you give him about the things you like and dislike will be neatly tucked away into a corner of his mind. he's the type to remember everything you tell him, even the minor things. you're a very important part of his life, and he does everything he can to make sure you know that.

[sophieinwonderland]

Questioning monocon-median anon here! Following up my last ask because your response was really helpful and because a little has changed! We're not necessarily looking for advice or anything with this one, it just feels really nice to tell someone what's going on and that's not an option with anyone we know.

So when we started being more open to the possibility that we could be plural, three of the others like. Showed up? They were already there and had names, but they showed up with their own forms. At first I thought that it was just me (the host) thinking up the forms I thought they would have, but then one of them (we'll call him E) showed up and part of his appearance genuinely surprised me (he's a redhead, and I very much didn't expect it.)

As for the memory thing you mentioned in your response (tysm for the reply btw!), it does feel like our memories are divided. We all remember everything the others do when they front, but if it wasn't us it feels like we're watching somebody else's memories that we have a first-person perspective of.

We've been trying to figure out Who each of us is, what the differences are, etc. We've discovered that E has a very different music taste from me and C, and E loves painting, even though I (host) have absolutely no skill at it or interest in it. We were really excited to learn that, because I didn't consciously Think that about him, it just came to me, which I am assuming means it came from him. E and C also have different styles they like to dress in and views on the world and other people. And E and C both use different pronoun sets than I do!

There are two others that we know of, but X is kind of silent right now and we haven't "been" it in a while. We can kinda see it when we concentrate on going into the headspace though!! It isn't really moving or talking or anything, but it's still There, so that's something. The other one (Cr) is odd because we can sense Who he is and kinda what he looks like but he hasn't been around.

We've also learned that C is older than the rest of us, which is interesting?? It's not by a whole lot, but we didn't expect that, so it was still cool to learn. He also seems to be the primary symptom-holder of one of our disorders, which actually makes a lot of sense now that we think about it.

Anyways, yeah!! Super sorry for the long ask, we're just really really excited to find out about each other and kind of explore what this means for us and everything and we wanted to tell somebody. Thanks for helping us out and for the resources from the tulpanomicon and everything!! I hope you have a great day!!

Yay! Glad to be able to help! Thank you for sharing!

It definitely sounds to me like you're a system and it's cool that you're discovering more about each other!

Wishing you a great day too! 😁💖

[theji]

Wang Yibo Song Recommendations

This is a way overdue post. I've been meaning to do a follow-up post to share my favourite Yibo songs after my previous 'Can Wang Yibo Sing?' post.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Singer XZ but I do enjoy many of Yibo's songs too. For the purpose of this list, I will not include Bu Wang cos it's a given. Obviously everyone likes it right?

1. 说剑 Saying Sword

This is the theme song of the online game Moonlight Blade, released in 2019. Is it weird that my favourite WYB song (aside from CQL's) is a game song? His voice is perfect here and I love the overall richness of the song. The oriental tune, complemented by the poetic lyrics and juxtaposed against the rap verses. The MV is also a treat in itself with the beautiful imagery and Yibo doing the sword dance.

2. 年少心事 Young Mind

The theme song of the 2018 animated film Crystal Sky of Yesterday, in which Yibo was the voice actor of the character Qi Jingxuan (who's kinda similar to him - cool, slightly bad boy, doesn't speak very much but has a soft core and cares very much for his friends). I like the positive vibes of the song. It speaks of reminiscing one's youth, of chasing dreams, of growing up, but also looking ahead even if one's life doesn't turn out to be as expected.

I'm sharing this clip because it has bts and student Bobo is cute as a button. Full song here. He also performed this song on DDU. Link to the full movie if anyone's interested.

3. 无感 Wu Gan

Out of Yibo's four singles, Wu Gan is my favourite of the lot. Disregarding the awesome dance choreography, the song itself is great. I don't usually listen to rap music and although Wu Gan is very catchy, it's the lyrics that really enhanced my love for this song. The first time I really looked properly at the lyrics, I remember feeling very touched. At first glance it may seem like a declaration to haters, like you can try but nothing you say is going to hurt me, I don't care. I'll do me. But it's actually deeper and more nuanced than that - it's a summary of his journey, his innermost thoughts, reflection of his past hurt and insecurities, the lessons he learnt over these years. I would go as far to say that from this one song alone, I was able to learn more about Yibo than from some of his interviews. He really is mature and self-aware for his age and despite all that hate and setbacks, his heart is pure and he harbours no resentment. This bit is what touched me the most from this song. Comparing this song to The Rules of My World a year later, I got the sense that there's a shift in his mindset. More determined obviously, but his heart seems a little more...hardened? Not that it's a bad thing and it's understandable given what they went through in 2020. Maybe I'll do a proper analysis of Wu Gan some day when I'm in the mood.

4. 熹微 Xi Wei

Well, this song needs no introduction. I was deciding between this and the song from Gank My Heart but ultimately decided on Xiwei (which refers to the first light of the day) cos of the criticisms the song received when it was first released, which I felt was totally unwarranted. I haven't watched Legend of Fei but I loved this song when I first heard it, even without looking into the lyrics. The song itself is brimming with affection, of a deep-seated love. It's a love confession written like poetry and presented as a song. Yibo's soulful rendition is the cherry on top.

5. 二次初恋 Once Again

The theme song of the 2017 romantic comedy of the same name. This was one of the few duets that Yibo has done to date. It's a bittersweet love song and the MV is cute (I want a cuddly baby Yibo too). It tells the story of a young couple who still miss each other even after they are separated. Even though time has passed, the sweetness of their first love is still deeply etched on their minds and never will be forgotten. Feast your eyes on soft idol WYB cos we'll probably never see him like that again, judging from the acting projects that he has chosen in the past 1+ year.

BONUS

In my XZ song recommendations, I included my fav XNINE song so I will share my fav UNIQ song here as well.

6. Monster

This was the last song recorded and released by UNIQ. Sadly, there was never an official MV for this song and the first and last time they performed this song was during the 2019 Yue Hua family concert. Even then, the full UNIQ wasn't around and because of that, Yibo had to take on the role of vocalist in this live rendition. He did well and looks super good while doing it. I'm featuring the concert clip for obvious reasons but please check out the studio version. Yixuan penned the lyrics to Monster and it was said to be inspired by Twilight, which I found amusing. Xuan-ge, are you a twihard?

7. 男孩 Nanhai

This isn't a full song and not even a proper performance but I just needed to include it in my list. Will we ever be blessed with a full version of Yibo singing Nanhai in the near future?

[batfoonery]

BatPets Headcanons

In honor of the Most Glorious and Beloved Bitewing (and Ace and Titus and Alfred the Cat and Goliath and Batcow.....) I wanted to share my thoughts on what pets the batfam has and should have.

Dick

Ahhhhhhh Bitewing! Our new beloved! We've only just gotten you but if you get whooshed away by bad writers I already know I will RIOT.

It actually makes perfect sense for Dick to take in a stray pup. His bro-son has the attitude and personality of a cat, so he already had that covered. And I can't see him paying high prices for a designer breed (bless him) so it's stray/shelter or nothing.

That being said, he also needs a young dog. Some people are made with the disposition to take in the older dogs with older dog needs, but Dick loves deeply and I can't see that he'd deal well with the shorter timeframe of taking in older dogs. So. Younger dogs, that he can go running with in the morning and play with in the park and nap with on the couch.

Jason

My man has taste, and also had a doggo as a kid. He's got a soft spot for all of Gotham's forgotten strays. I see him as being a pitbull kind of guy, but like. Also mastiffs. Anything big and menacing looking, but they always turn out to be utter marshmallows.

Totally the type to name his big scary dog Tinkerbell or Baby or something mushy like that. Likewise, Kori and Artemis (and probably Roy) all collect cutesy costumes and collars and leashes. Has the most cutsey giant dog.

The kind of dog that he can trust to take care of kids. If he's particularly concerned about a kid out on the street he can drop the dog off to stand guard until the kid's parent shows up. The dog is real gentle with the lil human, but scares off potential kidnappers.

Cass

The first of our exotics keepers! I feel like Cass would really appreciate betta fish. The way the swim and flit through the water, fins seeming to dance as they moved.... like tulle, like dancing.

She probably has several tanks. The first one she got was from Petsmart or PetCo or whatever. It irked her because she knows they don't tend to treat the fish well, but the local petshop's fish were all extremely sickly looking. After that she's hooked, for lack of a better word, and Bruce ends up learning way more than he ever needed to learn about importing fish (and paying for imported fish).

She's meticulous about their care. They've all got nice big clean tanks, and a companion to help keep them clean (different ones according to temperaments, snails for the easier going ones and shrimp for the more aggressive boys). They've got live plants and decorations to hide under, each tank a different theme to show off the fish. Has lowkey been considering getting a female for one of her favorite easy going boys (the first one, who has become a very soothing companion) because he's getting older and she'd like to be able to carry a part of him on.

Tim

His companion is an emotional support animal, with papers from his doctor and everything. Seems like he should be a dog person, but instead has a very big Turkish Angora. Her name is Mrs. Tuffles and he got her from a breed-specific rescue.

She's good for him because she disrupts his work and also helps provide a soothing presence when he has a panic attack. At night if he isn't in bed at a certain time she lays on top of whatever he's working on. If he's panicking she lays on his lap or chest and purrs (the added weight, the feeling and sounds of the purrs, held disrupt tension). She's a cuddly cat, and it tricks him into sleeping in in the mornings.

When he finds out that cats purr on a wavelength that encourages healing, and that there's evidence that they sit on humans and purr in attempts to heal/help them, he bursts into tears and startles the cat, who had been draped over his shoulders.

Steph

Got a bunny because she thought it would be an easy pet. She was very very wrong. It was from one of the neighbors in her building, because the mom of the kid who brought it home didn't want it anymore. It's a cute little lop, grey and brown.

She quickly discovers that bunnies are super dirty, and they absolutely stink. It bites her for the first week (and Tim and Jason and everyone else that isn't Damian, who somehow tricks it into loving him) and she seriously considers taking it to the shelter. But she doesn't. By week three, he's snuggling up on her feet and in her lap, and she decides that maybe he isn't so bad after all.

He didn't have a name when she got him, so she call him Mi-Mi. She doesn't tell Damian, but it's totally named after him because he reminds her of the way Damian had been when she'd first met him and the progression of their friendship over time.

Duke

Seems like a bird type of dude. Probably has a Cockatiel or two. They're very sassy birbs, and there's no way he doesn't enjoy that. One of them repeats words, and has picked up swears from Jason. It swears at Bruce every time he comes in Duke's room. Everyone except Bruce finds it funny.

The other one "dances" whenever it hears music coming from Cass's room. They're both very active and curious, he's contantly having to buy toys for them to rip apart. One of them nipped Damian's ear once, and Duke has never seen Damian look more offended in his life. It was probably the first pet that Damian hadn't been able to Disney-Princess.

They've probably got a dumb name pair. Tom and Jerry, Chip and Dale, etc. Personally I think he'd get a kick out of naming them Batman and Robin, just to fuck with Bruce. He probably then teaches the one who talks (Batman) to say dumb things like "I am the night! I work alone!" etc etc.

Damian

Has all the animal companions. Not pets. That makes them beneath him, which probably opposes his fundamental beliefs. This is my reminder to yall that Ra's started out as an eco-terrorist. Putting aside what he is or is not now, I like to believe that Damian was raised with a deep respect for nature and animals, he probably sees humans as just one particularly terrible animal species.

He has a wide array of companions as is. I'm good with them all, although I wish they'd bring back his dragon friend. :( I love the dragon friend.

I think he'd be the type to have axolotls too. They've got an interesting mythological basis and fit into the dragon theme. Plus the short story "The Axolotl" by Cortazar is a fascinating piece of mystical realism and I could see that he'd be intrigued by the species. They're endangered in the wild because of habitat destruction and invasion of foreign species that prey on them, but are easily bred in captivity. So I could see he'd keep at least one breeding pair, with the intent to someday bully Bruce into funding a project to save their natural habitat.

Barbara

Doesn't have her own pets, because she doesn't want the responsibility on top of everything else she does.

But her apartment always has furry/feathered friends in it because she's constantly petsitting for the others when they have to go do hero stuff. She's basically like a step-mom for everyone else's pets. She's learned how to take care of tanks and whatnot as well, mostly for Cass. The axolotls are gross and she refuses to touch those tanks, but the bettas are kinda like cute grumpy old men. She likes to tease Bruce by telling him his grand-fish take after him.

Always has a variety of pet snacks with her. She is determined to be the overall favorite human to all the bat-pets. Competition is fierce between her and Dami, but she has an edge because Robin the Cockatiel seems to prefer her.

[appledotcodotuk]

why the hive fckin suck at its job: a rant

spoilers for tgwdlm ahead!

first of all, it's important to consider what exactly the hive's job is. my answer is... who the fuck knows. literally. what is the hive's aim. what do you want Paul? more like, what do you want hive? let's find out!

it kinda evolves, as the play progresses. the intial aim of the hive, and one that does actually remain consistent is the constant burning need to grow and devour and gain more and more (insert capitalism metaphor here).

however, this is distorted by the people it possess who influence that aim, as we'll see later.

also the fact it crashes into a theatre displaying Mamma Mia gives the hive the motive it need to fit the world around it to the structure of the musical. having no originality of its own, the hive instead just picks up what is given to it. kinda like an evil baby.

it wants uniformity, that is indeed its ultimate goal and desire, no duh. it thinks it can achieve that through musical theatre, shame that the hive is dead wrong. cause the hive fucking sucks at its own job / aim / ultimate purpose / one concrete goal that motivates all its actions.

can't maintain control over its subjects

okay, so, the hive wants uniformity. it wants everyone to be dancing to the beat of its own tune. right? yeah. shame it literally can't keep its own possessed subjects in line at all. at the risk of sounding like the 10th doctor waxing lyrical abt humanity for the 50th time, humans are really difficult to control cause we're not really motivated by an altruistic allegiance to one primary good. we've got icky emotions that often move us to do stupid unpredictable stuff way more. it makes me wonder if the reason the hive wanted to use musical theatre to try and persuade ppl was cause it seems to think that is how theyll get emotive humans; through emotive songs. anyways. let's look at some examples shall weeeee?

Mr Davidson:

so, Mr Davidson. funnily enough, he's the guy whose in part acting as the hive trying to figure out what it wants through his interactions w/ Paul. every person it possess gives it just a bit more humanity and curiosity abt the world it is currently taking over. at least I think so. hence why as the musical develops u get character's like possessed!Alice wondering 'why does it hurt to love?' - the change in music and mood to something much more introspective really suggests to me that the hive is beginning to question the thoughts and emotions of its human hosts.

Mr Davidson is a family man through and through, he loves his wife Carol. she's his muse, his source of light. his feelings for her are not concrete or easy to explain and solve - hence why his sudden ahem demand of her is so hilarious and also jarring. it completely clashes with the 'I want song' which is simple, and often pushes forward a wider cause. not so with Mr Davidson, he just really loves his wife man. enough to break a frickin alien possession.

tbh I think its hilarious that (at least to me) the hive has to force him to forget and continue with the song, like, he straight up is just talking to his wife in that phone call, talking, not singing. so, no possession until he reverts back into song. ergo, the hive cannot maintain the uniformity it wants. even from the get go when theoretically its control should be stronger cause it has less ppl to co-ordinate. bad. at. its. job.

Paul:

this one hurts folks. yes, I know it's generally agreed, though somewhat debated that the state of Paul by the end of the tgwdlm is not purely possessed. I agree. once again, the hive is unable to truly enforce uniformity.

at this point, the motives of Paul and the hive are kinda just mixed, neither fully human nor fully alien. hence the constant shifts between pleeing for her to get away, to hide, to stay safe: 'what if the only choice is you have to sing to survive' and just full on old style hive nastiness 'let me puke in your mouth and just open your food bin girl' (so romantic 🥰 /j).

the hive has gone away from its original aim, and become something... different. no longer stuck to just one type of genre or style of song, it's really clever to show the developing complexity of the hive by showing how it is now juggling lots of different motifs with references to all the old songs from before recontextualised in a new way - its learning. evil baby... no longer uniform.

general miscommunication:

there are several instances of the hive not fully having uniform control over its subjects. for instance, right after not your seed with the three teens having to like... calibrate. they aren't just completely connected then?? also, this is a very small thing, but uhhhh at the end of inevitable when Paul is about to say the apotheosis is upon... the chorus interrupts him with USSSSSSS. interruptions??? not very in sync of u hive.

I think this inability to exert uniformity is also shown in the contrast between genre of musical theatre. my alien abomination cannot decide whether it wants to be the more modern edgy rock musical (join us (and die), not your seed ) or super happy go lucky old style musical theatre (lah dee dah dah day, and inevitable). it tries to do both, even while trying to encourage union, and sticking to one thing. hypocrite!!!!!

2. aims are guided by the people it possess

so, I mentioned this a bit already, but the hive isn't only mutating the humans, the humans are mutating the hive right back. this is more an interesting observation than any actual analysis but let's goooo.

greenpeace girl:

I think it's very likely that greenpeace girl is one of the first to be possessed. This is probably easily debunkable but whatever this analysis is flying by the seat or its pants anywayyyyy. why? cause where else would it pick up that whole 'this planet needs fixing' thing? it's interesting too, cause it morphs from expressing the desire to join hands and sing together, unity and peace with no actual action behind it. this then goes right to the other end, with the hive going 'fine I'll do it myself' and trying to save things by enforcing a dictatorship on the world. it develops and changes, and strays from its original means of accomplishing its aims! speaking oooooof...

3. inconsistent in means of accomplishing aims

okay, ur an evil hive mind. u think musicals are the way to win over these silly humans cause they're all weak and emotive and seem to respond to them. but, wait! schwoopsie! you haven't realised that for emotional depth and growth to mean anything, you need there to be established development and well... growth. otherwise the sentiments are as vague as the ones expressed in What Do You Want, Paul?

this show has genuine emotional moments, just not really during the musical numbers WITH EXCEPTIONS. any strife is smoothed over quickly, and so the development and change that would have to go into such growth is just gone. (see, You Tied Up My Heart) all so it can achieve its own desire to grow and grow and grow, maybe a metaphor for art being killed under late stage capitalism??

what actually matters is the impact the songs have afterwards, in causing a death - because we have a bond and care abt these characters. those short scenes between Paul and Emma are actually way more resonant than any song. except... inevitable, and also not your seed a bit. at this point the hive has learnt a thing or two, and can actually twist human emotion a little. but for it to do that, it has to reject the uniformity it prizes, and be adaptable. point towards being more human than it first thought? methinks so. and yet it's just not enough...

it's also why let it out, to me, feels really ingenuine. Paul has expressed himself in much better ways already. what they're doing is clearly paining him, and hurting the guy. he's terrified bless.

you can't force someone into being emotional vulnerable, man.

it's why all the deaths for the characters who are forced to express themselves are really violent, involving them being ripped open - literally forcing them to expose themselves from the 'inside out' as Alice reflects in Not Your Seed. you can't force genuine emotional connection, it has to be fostered, shown in the much more affecting relationship of Paul and Emma. the only reason the hive actually has power over our characters is because of these genuine emotional connections, which it tries and often fails to take advantage of, resulting in just resorting to brute violence. messy hive, very messy.

at the core, the musical's a kinda attack on that toxic positivity mindst: trying to force people to reach the sort of easy solutions by sharing feelings in a way that feels pretty invasive and deciding you are instantly fixed. the problems these characters face are jarringly not really what you'd expect a character in a musical to face, cheating, a lot of it, mid-life crisis. problems that are bland, or wayyyy too real. this is purposefully done, to reveal just how silly the hive's aim to use musical theatre to solve everyone's problem is. life is more complex than that smh.

4. a human can write a much more expressive, and genuine song than they ever could lol

u know which song I'm talking abt. what more is there to say. so much for making persuasive songs to tempt people over.

5. make me sad cause they took some perfectly nice ppl and funked them up 😭

this was a stupid point lol. basically I'm just bitter that this hive took a bunch of perfectly okay ppl and gave them hive brain. screw u hive. I swear I'm gonna watch Black Friday soon, cause I'm sure it's gonna completely destroy every thought I've had so far, but whateve,,, just take this as a look at tgwdlm like it's a stand-alone piece.

these guys are supposed to all be 'individuals' on one level, but also 'appendages of a much larger organism'. there's a little too much individualism and fracturing to be cohesive enough to do that I feel. the hive to me is not an infallible, unstoppable force, in fact, every human it takes over only brings it closer to understanding us. so that's maybe a slight positive note??? idk ?! I just have lots of thoughts and feelings abt this musical even if this doesn't make sense I'm proud i wrote it down hehe.

[bookwyrminspiration]

I just got so excited because I saw that you were talking about Constellations by The Oh Hellos. Constellations is one of my all time favorite songs because the vibes are just. Beautiful. I've listened to a couple of their songs, but I remember that after I added it to my playlist I listened to it on the way to get new succulents. And then I found a pot with constellations all over it and I named the plant Nova. (Realizing that my url is very fitting.)

music is so much fun and it's always even more exhilarating to find someone that shares a similar interest. I feel like because music is so personal it feels too vulnerable to share with others, especially when it's a song that really resonates with us. Maybe that's why making playlists for your partner(s) or friends is so endearing to so many, because it's so vulnerable. That's you in song form! And you're just presenting it to them so casually and pretending like it isn't a piece of yourself you've placed in their hands to do with as they please. But that's not what you were asking about

I've had the song on repeat for the entire day its been since you sent this ask. Something about the composition of it just hnngg so good. My mind doesn't process lyrics great, so in all honesty I have no idea what the lyrics are talking about aside from the "constellations imploding in the night" and something about cymbals crashing. I'm sure it has a lovely meaning I just haven't looked up the lyrics so until I do I will simply be vibing

but there's something so appealing about songs where voices are overlapping like a choir. Don't get me wrong, music where there's only a few voices or just one that meld together and flow super smoothly are nice, too. But when they're all yelling together! And you can hear so many people at once all contributing to the same song! I think more songs should do this, so its always exciting to find one that has this element. Both choir-like vocals with music and without background music just give such good vibes.

I haven't listened to much more of their music aside from Soldier, Poet, King, but that one's a classic and I think everyone's heard it. That reminds me of a uquiz (linked) I took once where you were assigned one of those roles and I got the solider and I just sat there for a while like damn okay that's me to a tea but wow. Way to strip me bare and put me on display. This is wildly off topic hang on.

succulents! succulents are always good, though I've never named any of my plants. That does seem like something I would do, but alas, I have not. Perhaps it's because I'm so used to them being fleeting companions that I never bothered to solidify their presence. My mother is notorious for finding ways to kill the simplest of plants and my father never bothered with them, so I didn't grow up with them. Let's see if I can break that cycle and introduce some greenery (desert appropriate, of course) into this house now that I'm old enough to actually have that kind of responsibility. Oh also my sister doesn't seem to be great with them either, if her leaving the one plant she owns in a room she never enters and not doing anything with it ever (I don't even know if anyone's watering it but I do when I notice it needs it) is any indication. All the plants in this house depend on me but I have horrible object permanence and forget they exist because they aren't in rooms I'm in often!

I hope Nova is doing well, because plants are so good and I love them dearly. I understand the apparent affection of giving/being given flowers but whenever I see it I'm just like :(( but you could've given them a living plant instead :(((. I know it's not for everyone but it's a silly little pet peeve I have.

also yay fitting url!! I think mine kinda fits me. It's The Original url i gave myself on every site I've ever been on, so it's probably like 5 years old at this point. And honestly probably started on pinterest, as i think that's where I first joined the internet. Everything else came later and I carried it over. Though I have changed every url on every site but Tumblr because I went through that "omg what was I thinking with that name gotta rebrand" thing that a lot of people experience a few years into their internet experience, but ngl i've warmed up to it a lot again. And I am highkey considering changing everything (like pinterest, instagram, etc) back to bookwyrminspiration so everything will match and be all nice. Because I do like it! It's fun!! I don't know where I got the inspiration part of it but I know I specifically said wyrm because I like dragons and book because my presence on the internet centers around reading.

and your url is really nice as well. i don't know if theres any meaning behind it but I love stars and space in general so I have a fondness for space-themed names. I looked it up to see if its a quote or something and instead I found your ao3, which I'm only mentioning because I see you've posted something on November 26 and I'm...still in the 25th! So I thought that was humorous.

I have gotten so distracted this entire ask, but to summarize Constellation by The Oh Hellos is an excellent song and I will continue to play it until I am sick of it. it's such a good daydreaming song too!! Well, all songs are in some way, but this one feels extra good! big noises and several voices!! i love it so much

[inessencedevided]

The Untamed, episode 43 - watching notes

The sun is setting on this show for me and I'm not ready to say goodbye yet 😔

(As if I will! Ha. Imma blog about nothing else the next ... probably years)

Last time on Sophie watches the untamed: We're still in the restricted section. The twin love-struck idiots of lan and wwx found the Collection of turmoil and suspect Jin Guangyao of intentionally bringing about Nie Mingjue's qui deviation.

As much as I love the "hihi. Wwx is wearing his boyfriend's underrobe" aspect of this, I also like the visual incorporation of lwj's colour scheme into wwx's clothes. (Not just through the undertone, his black tone also has slight grey seam.) It's as if now that they are finally fully committed to each other, wwx is displaying it for all the world to see

Jin Guangyao tore out a page to hide the evidence. That's not how to do that!!!

My heart is breaking for Lan Xichen. He looks like a man standing on a train track and watching the light speed towards him in horror while he's unable to move away

Feels like exactly no one on this show is getting their happy ending

*thinks about yi city and cries forever*😭😭😭

"Wangji, Jin Guangyao,in my eyes, is a totally different person from how you and other people see him." And we all know that lwj knows exactly what that's like

PARALLELS! 😭

(Sorry, I have a thing for those)

And lwj looks so pained

Thinking about it, it's now the man lwj loves against the man lxc loves (in whatever way. I still ship them. Not sure if its "canonically" romantic though). They can't both be right, so ... one of them is going to get their heart broken

Great, first the Yunmeng brothers, now the lan brothers are breaking my heart 🥺

Lwj says he's visiting "Grand Master", that's Lan Qiren right? What happened to him anyway? Haven't seen him in ages

I love how, even though it is wwx's word against jgy's right now, lan Xichen is still genuinely kind towards wwx

The whipping scars! I hadn't even thought about those anymore 😳

I'm probably going to get my heart ripped out soon, but before that

"You are not qualified to talk to me."

Sickest. Burn. Ever.

Also, no disrespect to the actor, but that's a backpfeifengesicht if I've ever seen one

(Backpfeifengesicht: "German compound word for a 'face that should be slapped'. Ex:. When GWB smirks on TV, my German friend Uwe tells me that he sees a 'Backpfeifengesicht'." Urban dictionary)

He went to burial mount after wwx was killed??? 🥺🥺🥺

I've noticed something with lwj. When he's distressed, he won't look people in the eye or not even at their faces, just in their very general direction. To me it seems like he almost... can't? Any thoughts on that? Cause I'm intrigued but I can't think about it too much right now cause I'm already writing half an essay in this commentary again 😅

Oh fuck YOU Jiggy!!!

Holy shit ... holy shit

Lan Wangji 🥺🥺🥺

He fought against everyone?

This is how he showed his grieve???

He went to the place wei Wuxian had called home and ... what? Protected or ot so they wouldn't desecrate it? To search for him? To ... what?

Oh god, Wangji! 😭

That image... I'm speechless. It's so powerful

He's half-mad with grieve and kneeling in the ruins of his dead loves home, having fought himself to exhaustion and I'm... not okay 😭😭😭

He had to repent for THREE YEARS??

Oh no, you don't

Holy ...

Holy shit

How can my heart break and be so full at the same time 💔🥺

Lan Wangji ... my love

I'm ... so proud of him and yet so sad

Here he is at his lowest, finally standing up to the orthodoxy he knows to be wrong

This is inhumane 😳

The corporal punishment of the lan sect always was but THIS

Fuck them

Or Lan Qiren specifically

That's his nephew. How can he even look at himself?

"Eradicate evil. Establish laws. Than goodness will be everlasting."

IT'S NOT THAT FUCKING EASY!!!

WHAT EVEN IS "GOODNESS"? WHOSE VERSION OF GOODNESS? DEVINE EVIL! HOW FAR REACHING INTO THE PRIVATE SVERE SHOULD THUSE LAWS BE? DOES IT STOP AT "DON'T STEAL FROM PEOPLE OR AT "DON'T PICK YOUR NOSE AT DINNER"?

what I'm saying is: there are about 200 ethical question ls being raised by this rule alone!

And now lan Wangji had 3 tears to contemplate them

Wwx asking "why would he bother ...?" BECAUSE YOU ARE LOVED YOU GODDAMN IDIOT!!

Ohhh! We're getting their parents' story 😱

Oh this IS a Lan episode 💙

So another Lan falling quickly and never looking back?

I'm sensing a pattern here 🤨

Wait what?

Let me get this straight:

Their father loved a woman who DID NOT love him back and then killed one of his teachers

(And I hope we find out why. That sounds like there is a REALLY interesting story there)

Then he takes her to cloud recess and DESPIT HER NOT LOVING HIM, marries her, fathers two children with her (um... how voluntary was that????) locks her up (as punishment for the murder?) then locks HIMSELF up and then fucks of and leaves his children with their uncle

What kind of disaster human being was their dad????

Did he do the right thing WHEN HE MARRIED AND PROBABLY RAPED A WOMAN WHO DIDN'T LOVE HIM???

NO!!!

The fuck kinda question is that ??

If you have to marry her against her will and then lock her up, guess what? That's not love, that's wanting to possess someone

I hope that maybe the connotation is different in the og Chinese,but I'm not holding out much hope

That explains why Qiren is such a lovely character through 😒

But god, my heart breaks for lwj and lxc :'(

Little Lan Wangji!!! 🥺🥺🥺

Oh darling ...

Oh no ...

Look at him look at his crooked little headband😭😭😭

He went there every month!!!

Oh Wangji 💔💔

Stubborn, steadfast, loving Wangji!

That seals it. I KNEW why he was my favourite character

He isn't so passive all the time, because he feels too little! He feels entirely too much!!! 😭😭😭

And that explains why lwj was so worried about wwx's demonic cultivation harming him!!! 😭

Oh god, it was such an old hurt for him. I had no idea 🥺🥺🥺

All of these characters need a therapist

Lxc playing the flute to what ... deal with his emotions? Express his grieve? Remeber their mother? (And god, do I want to know more about her!!) Either way, It's making me tear up 😥

"It's so difficult to determine others personalities depending on our perspective." Welcome to the human condition, my friend 💙

And that's love

I ... wish I could show you my face right now

I'm smiling through tears right now

It's so utterly beautiful

He looks so vulnerable here! With his hair (almost) down

And given what we've just learned, that's remarkable!!!

He closed himself off became the immovable stone-faced second Jade of Lan and yet, somehow, wwx wormed his way into his heart and sure, both of them needed to overcome a lot, but here they are, vulnerable and open,not letting their parent's fate decide theirs

I'm... *sniff*

I can never get enough of lwj with his hair like this!!

It's so domestic, so soft

And look at his face! 😭

And mister "alcohol is prohibited" is now serving it 😭

Oh my god this scene is so beautiful

I'm speechless

Was the second flute Jin Guangyao as well?

At this point I'm just expecting more plot-twists

He looks so young! 🥺

Both of them are exhibiting so much growth in this episode!! Wwx realising that the fact that the cultivation world had always looked for a scapegoat and that he himself was just the most convenient target, that it's not to any personal failing of his, that's HUGE!

And I'm so proud of him :')

Lwj starting to play in the distance :')

This is so utterly peaceful

My heart is bursting 😭😭😭

The music, the scenery ...

Also, both thinking they have a clean conscious!!! 😭😭😭

Again, it's them holding the same morals that's important! I cannot tell you how happy that makes me!

(But wwx still cannot drink like a normal person :D)

The contrast to lxc sitting alone couldn't be starker 😔

Wait, why are there puppets at burial mounds again?

Are we going back to burial mounds? I'm weirdly excited 😅

Aaand Jin Guangyao just proved to them that he's lying. Poor Xichen

Yup, I'm pretty sure his heart just snapped in half

Little Apple!!! I've missed him 😁

Gosh, they're laying it on thick with the domestic husband bliss this episode and I'm here for it.

I love lwj's soft smile when he looks at bunnies so much!! 🥰

Bunnies, bunnies everywhere

It's the invasion of the bunnies

Who ever is the show runner *banging pots and pans together* IT'S GAY!! cab you all hear me? These two love each other! It's G - A - Y!!! Gay!!!

Probably

Lwj's shocked look when wwx says that he's not popular with little animals, as if to say "how dare they!" :D

Holy shit ... HOW MANY SCENES CAN THEY INCLUDE IN THIS EPISODE THAT MAKE THEM LOOK SO GODDAMN MARRIED???

Is wwx sitting side saddle?

Wwx plays wangxian :')

He finally remembers how lwj recognized him :')

Sneaky, show, very sneaky :D

Wwx about to casually steal some melons, lwj *wordlessly takes out money* ^^

MIANMIAN!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHH!

I'd given up hope that we'd see her again!!!

I'm so happy I could burst!!!

Lwj's little exasperated head-shake before he stands up from crouching behind some hay 😂

Aww, look at her family! 😍😍😍

She build her own live :')

And look at this badass woman protecting the ones she loves!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME WEI WUXIAN??? You don't remember her???

You better remember my wife!!!

Aaand another freeze frame. But I'm willing to forgive it because THIS EPISODE WAS SO GODDAMN BRILLIANT!

It made me realise why I was so drawn to lan Wangji as a character. Of course he is mu favourite character! He ticks every single box

Let me explain. My favourite characters almost always share the following characteristics: seems either cold and distant or ethereal and aloof, as if they are above such puny human things like feelings™️(bonus if they're actually not human and their argument is "I'm [insert species]. We can't feel [insert emotion they are definetly feeling very strongly]"). then, over the course of the story, we (along with they themselves because they were in denial) discover that it's not that they feel too little, they feel entirely too much. They're a sea of emotions so deep that the surface is calm, but don't you dare be near them when the storm is coming because all hell will break loose. (extra bonus point if that storm involves them rebelling against the oppressive society they were born into and adhered to until then because they realise their consciousness won't allow it any longer.) afterwards they realise that making themselves vulnerable once in a while is actually a good thing and they proceed to fuck the Rebel™️ who they've secretly been in love with the entire time, a feeling they only now allow themselves to act on

The last part sadly isn't always canon, but who has ever had time for that?

You know what this episode made me realise most of all? The Lan sect are just as human as the rest of them. In fact, they seem to be especially prone to acting rashly on strong emotions. (I don't remember the exact story, but didn't the founder of the Lan sect also have some kind of tragic love story?) It should be obvious, but the impression you get is that they are so detached from their wants, so rigorous and disciplined in their righteousness, that they are almost super-human. But no. Thise 3000 and some rules? They weren't born out of some enlightened mind that had the secret of live figures out, they're a crutch. Abiding by them without question rids one of responsibility to make even the tiniest moral choice for oneself. But that won't work because a) they're bounty to contradict each other at some point and b) that's not how human beings work. They're messy and unpredictable and beautifully complicated. The way Lan Qiren choses to apply them, he completely disregards that. At that point, the rules aren't there anymore to grant a harmonious society, but simply for their own sake. (Or maybe as a wall to hide behind)

@sweetlittlevampire @fandom-glazed @elenirlachlagos @allhailthedramallama @luckymoony @kyrrahbird @i-love-him-on-purpose

I think this liveblog has been the longest so far. I'm sorry for going on so many tangents, but lwj's backstory hit me really hard. I hope you guys weren't too bored 💚

(I also apologise for the mountains of typos that probably accumulated in this post. I'm too tired to check.)

[kdramaanalyst]

THE KING: ETERNAL MONARCH REVIEW

EDIT: I AM SO SORRY, THIS IS A SECONDARY BLOG AND I JUST LEARNED THAT I CAN'T REPLY TO COMMENTS. PLEASE CHECK MY PINNED BLOG WHERE I WROTE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU!

Spoilers ahead!!! Read at your own risk. Once again, I am not an expert and these are my personal opinions. If you have disagreements, let's talk it over. Don't judge me, let's judge the show together instead and have an understanding.

For the first drama that I am going to review, I chose The King: Eternal Monarch. A lot of viewers who supported the show with all of their hearts could still not get over its ending. Others who like to binge-watch are relieved because they can finally watch the entire series without waiting for a new episode to air. While some are still mulling over about watching it. Well, I hope I could help you with this review.

• Introduction to the Drama

Short gist:

The story revolves around Lee Gon, present King of Kingdom of Corea. He witnessed his father’s death when he was young, an incident that haunted him until he grew older. Due to unfortunate circumstances, a legendary flute with powers called Manpasikjeok that can open different worlds was cut in half. He was able to get hold half of the flute, while the other half was obtained by Lee Lim, his uncle who killed his father. Lee Lim had been going back and forth two different worlds, plotting foul pursuits to fulfill his evil desires, and disrupting the peace between the two worlds. In order to restore balance and order, Lee Gon also traveled between worlds, meeting Jeong Tae Eul who soon became a significant person in his life.

If you've been watching Korean Dramas for quite a while now, you must be familiar with some of the characters of The King: Eternal Monarch, especially the lead.

If you call yourself a k-drama fan and you don't know who Lee Minho is, give yourself a slap (just kidding, please don't take that seriously). Lee Minho has a good reputation because of his experience, acting skills and obviously, his gorgeous face. He has an impressive list of successful dramas and movies! Most of us probably knew him through his breakthrough role in Boys Over Flowers.

Meanwhile, Kim Go Eun, despite being fairly new to small screen (she first started appearing in movies), is also highly distinguished by a lot of k-drama fans. In all three dramas she starred in, including The King, she always got the lead role. His leading men are no joke either. And because of Kim Go Eun, many of us still wants to be the goblin's bride.

Among the cast also includes the familiar faces of Woo Do Hwan, Kim Kyung Nam, Jung Eun Chae, and Lee Jung Jin.

Anyway, I'll try to share every thought I have from the first time I watched it until it ended. I will also try not to give so much spoilers because the drama just ended. I will talk first about my experience watching it and then I will list at the very bottom some of the issues I have and that list contains major spoilers so watch out for that. As you notice, I always warn you with spoilers using red font color.

• The Experience

When I watched the first teaser of the drama, I got intrigued and a little confused. What worlds are they talking about? Do they have super powers? Is this a historical drama? Questions were instantly formed in my head.

It also reminded me of the drama Queen In Hyun's Man because of a similar scene where the leading man is riding his horse in the middle of the city and finding his woman. But that's just it, the two dramas are completely different. I just mentioned it because others may have felt the same way.

I don't usually watch dramas while it's still fresh. I wait for about two to three weeks before the schedule of the ending so I can binge watch without waiting so much. When I watched The King, there were already 12 episodes available on Netflix. Usually, I would finish 12 episodes in 1-3 days, and if the drama is really good and it's MY STYLE (i said that in an obviously fake Korean accent), I could watch it for an entire day.

However, I finished those 12 episodes in 2 weeks...

Why??? Why did it take me that long???

I wouldn't say I was bored, it's just that during the first few episodes, nothing caught my interest yet. I wasn't convinced that it was a good drama. There was nothing special and I didn't know what to look forward to that's why I couldn't watch it continuously. I got lazy. The pace was slow and the story build up was a little stagnant. It was too slow that I even started watching a long length saeguk just so I can watch something else.

I could have skipped some parts and dropped it but I continued watching and gave it a chance. Though it was a good thing that I didn't stop because as I watched more episodes, the story actually became more exciting. Finally, I saw some progress. I started to get invested in the drama after the eighth episode. That's when the story felt more alive. Finally, there were revelations, more conflicts arose, more emotions were shown, and the story got deeper. I began to appreciate the drama. However, I still don't like the fact that it took me 8 episodes before I started to like it.

• Points that I Liked About the Drama

1. The plot seemed like it's going to be too science fiction-y but it's just the right amount. I was worried that it might be too much for me to handle but it was just okay (i am a potato who dislikes thinking so much, but that depends on my mood lololol). I liked how there's a mix of history in the drama, as well as of politics but it still feels modern. There is a balance.

2. The distinction between the Kingdom of Corea and Republic of Korea is impressive. It's obvious that they put a lot of effort in building their vision of KOC to life.

3. Many people were saying that it's hella confusing and so much was going on. I don't think so. They actually made it easy for viewers to understand about parallel worlds. You don't have to study science facts just to get this drama's concept. I think the slow pace did its job well in this part.

4. The story is unpredictable. You never know what's going to happen next, that's the strength of The King's concept. Because of the two different worlds and the crazy number of characters, there could be a lot of possibilities and backstories.

5. The action scenes are commmendable. I liked the action scenes, the one during the last episode is probably my favorite.

• Points that I Didn't Like About the Drama

1. The slow pace. I don't think I still need to explain more but it totally ruined my whole experience of watching the drama.

2. Many characters didn't leave much impact. Their acting was great, however, I don't see a lot of personalities that standout. The most remarkable ones for me are the characters played by Woo Do Hwan. The other characters, especially the lead, the prime minister and the traitor were okay, too. The others were just bland and years from now, I probably won't remember most of them.

• The Ending (spoiler alert!)

The ending was good. It didn't feel rushed and everyone had a separate ending of their own. I just wished there was more Nari and Eunsup / Yeong and Seung A moment in the end, the conclusion was fine though. I don't like that Prime Minister Koo ended up in jail but Luna became a cop...

I just have one issue regarding the ending that they decided on. In the end they didn't show if Tae Eul became a queen. Well, it would be weird if she became one considering there is Luna in KOC. They can't be together in ROK, too because Gon's counterpart was able to live. So... what? They just kept traveling whenever they have time? Because if that's the case, doesn't that mean they will hide their relationship forever??? I liked that they ended up together but I wish they also kept this in mind. Because it kinda makes me sad. Lol.

• Final Thoughts

Overall, it was alright. It was over-hyped by netizens due to the amazing casting and promotions, but it's not bad at all.

Would I watch it again? No.

Would I recommend it? Yes. Give it a try! I honestly thought I wouldn't like it but I still did, even if it took me 8 episodes, I wouldn't say it wasn't worth it. If you enjoy fantasy dramas with complicated twists and conflicts, this drama is for you. Just have patience and prepare yourself mentally when you've reached the middle. This drama is gloomy and a little heavy, too. It was serious and has a very few humorous scenes.

I am giving The King: Eternal Monarch a 7/10. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• The King: Eternal Monarch OST Top 5

There are 13 songs in total and everything is so good! I wish I got to hear more of the songs in the drama, some were just played briefly. I swear every song makes me feel things. Choosing just 5 songs is really hard. If you don't watch dramas but love music, give these a listen!!!

My Day Is Full Of You by Zico, Wendy

Orbit by Hwasa

I Fall In Love by Ha Sungwoon

I Just Want To Stay With You by Zion.T

Please Don't Cry by Davichi

Now I'll move on to some of my "issues". This section isn't really what you think. The word "issues" is just intriguing ㅋㅋㅋ but this is just a compilation of my opinions, observations, feelings and other stuff no one might care about in the series. If you have answers for my questions or if you can explain it for me, please enlighten me. Major spoiler ahead!!!

• Issues

1. During the time when Lee Gon was time traveling and finally got back to Repuplic of Korea, it probably took him a lot of time, right? He even took his time to take care of Tae Eul in the hospital. I wish they also showed what was happening in Kingdom of Corea during that time because he's a king and his absence might have caused a ruckus in his kingdom. I can even picture the palace lady Noh getting really worried as Lee Gon travels. The moment he came back, they only gave him updates as if everything was okay.

But since they didn't show it, I guess it is safe to assume that nothing much happened in his kingdom back then. 🤷‍♀️

2. When Gon and Tae Eul met again in Gwanghwamun, why did Tae Eul hug him? In my understanding, at that period of time, Tae Eul only met him twice—once when she was 5 and once when she was 27. So why did she hug him suddenly as if she knows he's going to be a significant person in her life? Their dialogue when they met again when she was 27 wasn't even enough for her to act that way.

3. I hope they also gave Nari more lines and importance. Maybe it's just me, but at first, I thought she and her KOC counterpart would have more significant roles. When I think of it, even without her, the story could still go on. Though this is just a minor issue. ✌

4. Prime Minister Koo. She was a villain, but I didn't really hate her until the last 4-5 episodes (can't recall the exact episode, sorry), though I wouldn't say I hated her so much. I actually liked her at first! She's ambitious, fierce, independent and intelligent. She just got blinded by greed.

My issue here is, am I really supposed to feel like that? In my opinion, her character has the potential to become more heinous and despiteful. I was wondering why they didn't turn her into someone like that? She was just greedy, bitchy, a little sly and annoying.

5. Lee Gon's and Tae Eul's love for each other was a little shallow. Sure, the man who saved Lee Gon when he was a child, had Tae Eul's ID. But how sure was Lee Gon that the woman who owns the I.D. is not a villain? The woman in the ID could lead him to the man who saved him, yes, but it still bugs me how easily they fell in love especially on Lee Gon's part. Maybe I'm just thinking too much. I am sorry. 😅

In spite of that, I still liked their love progression. I didn't ship them that hard but their chemistry wasn't cringey and forced.

6. The scene where Lee Gon gave Tae Eul flowers and then left, was a little confusing. It didn't break my heart, too. I just felt a little sad while watching that scene because Kim Go Eun's acting was good.

7. Who the f is thay yoyo boy??? My guts tell me he's a part of the flute or something because he knows a lot. But I wish it was explained more. It looked weird how he just suddenly appears sometimes and suddenly talks some sense. He remains a mystery.

8. Why the f is Jeong Tae Eul a flat earther??? Well, at least she had a character development in the end. It just annoyed me lmao

9. I don't get why people keep comparing The King: Eternal Monarch to Goblin. Why??? They don't even have the same plot or concept.

10. Court lady Noh was from Republic of Korea... What? Was that necessary?

Don't mind me. Don't mind me. Don't mind me.

Anyway I hate how tumblr wasn't able to save my draft when I was writing additional content. I lost half of it and it makes me furious!!! I had to redo the draft but I can no longer remember some of the things I wrote. I am sad because I lost something that can't be brought back again. This experience earned me a lesson.

That's it for my first review. What are your thoughts? I am a horrible reviewer, I know, but I will do better in the future. Thank you for reading!!!

[hotsummersimpingogacc]

bohemian rhapsody cast as today's teens

an: i got this idea while peeling potatoes so.

joe mazzello - the tiktoker

if this isn't obvious then idk what it

joe is definitely a tiktoker

because he just has this vibe

he's the class clown who's not even trying to be funny

like, he's not trying at all, it confuses him when people tell him that he is one

but one summer day when he's bored he thinks of this and creates a tiktok account

he finds it kinda cringe at the beggining but sooner or later it gets better and this becomes an obsession

he starts doing 10 tiktoks per day, only thing he thinks about is his new video

people are slowly finding his acc and some people find him funny

when people start recognizing him in the hallway he feels super flatered because he knows that his videos are actually funny and original

yeah, he can be a little narcissist about it, but wouldn’t be we all?

gwilym lee - the soft boy

he’s little nerdy

he’s like “i know more than you do and i’m gonna tell interesting facts you don’t care about”

he may seem very annoying with it to other people who don’t know him, but once you become his friend he often tells you stuff about stuff you love because he cares about you and wants to know about your passions more

he’s like the perfect friend

gwil helps you with homework no matter subject it is from [ okay maybe not languages ] 

he wears glasses 100% of the time

he’s always there for you no matter what

he rides on skateboard and wears vans all the time

his favorite color is yellow 

he also owns a collection of printed shirts like there’s a section in his wardrobe that is filled with flower shirts

ben hardy - athlete

he can’t like EVER hang out because he either has training or match

but when he does hang out he’s the best person to be around

since everybody knows him because he’s doing good in sports he can get you anywhere

all sorts of parties, restaurants...

even though he might seem like he’s tough and some bad boy he is the nicest person on planet earth

he has the best sense of both humor and style, he’s hot and really sweet

but that’s not the only thing that defines him of course

it can be misleading to someone but he’s also super clever

he’s not that basic jock boy who only cares about sport and how hot his body is

rami malek - eboy

i wouldn’t call him a 100% eboy

he has that sense of style

dark clothes, chains and lots of rings

he also has that hairstyle

and when he’s really bored he does a little heart under his eye

he’s definitely not that “eye roll” type of eboy

he looooves to wear black overalls

nobody knows when it got to him or how but he cannot stop wearing them

he thinks they’re very trendy and all girls at school think that too

also long socks and and ripped jeans are his thing 

he can be little edgy sometimes 

he used to pretend he’s skating but he really was not he walked all the way to school and like 2 streets before entering the school area he hoped on the skate and tried to do tricks he tried to learn at 2am but couldn’t learn because his mom yelled at him for being too loud

lucy boynton - the aesthetic vintage girl 

exclusively shops in thrift shops but owns a pair of gucci shoes which match every outfit

knows every thrift shop in 20 miles radius

can always find best pieces 

helps her friends with their clothes because she knows what they need to dress trendy

she also reads a lot of book, mostly poetry because that’s aesthetic™

her favorite band is beatles but she won’t pass on good indie music

her instagram is full of flowers, sunsets and pictures from fitting rooms

some people follow her for daily dose of cloud pictures with aesthetic music in background

she loves her flowers and her room is filled with them along side cutouts from old vogue magazines she stole from library

an pt. 2 : idek what is this. i finished after having it for 2 months in my drafts. but i guess it’s good {?}. also these are just my opinions yours can be different and i’d be happy if you shared them with me <3 

tagged

@queen-irl-af​ @royalydamned​ @diablvna​

if you wanna be tagged please let me know <3 :)

[flowersinmytimemachine]

The German song that mentions Mclennon

Okay so as I've already said, there is a song in German that names John, Paul and also Yoko Ono. They are only mentioned in the chorus but concerning the topic of the song I think it is worth talking about.

The song is called "Kogong" by Mark Forster. (Sollten das hier deutschsprachige Leute lesen, bitte tötet mich nicht :D)

Here is the official music video:

1. About the singer

Mark Forster is a 35-year-old German Singer-Songwriter. He had his first major hit in 2014 and ever since has been able to become one of Germanys most famous pop singers. He is known for his catchy and easy-going tunes. Most of the songs talk about love, self-confidence or just having a good time.

Just like many people, I know a bunch of his songs without really being a fan. They just play his hits on the radio ALL THE TIME. Despite his fame, some people say that his songs literally sound more or less the same. (If you want to get a better idea of his usual sound, some of my favourites are: "Flash mich", "Au revoir", EFF- "Stimme")

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, "Kogong" is quite the opposite of that. Maybe you could hear that this song sounds rather melancholic and slow. And guess what? That piano that you can hear in the background? Yep, that's Pauls piano. Mark Forster literally flew to London just to record this song at Abbey Road Studios. He says:

"We recorded 'Kogong' at Abbey Road Studios, in Studio 2, where the Beatles made all their records. And the piano that you can hear in 'Kogong' is the same piano that Paul Mccartney played 'Let It Be' on. That was quite special for me and my band and I think you can hear that the old Beatles spirit somewhat comes through in it."

Kogong came out in 2017. It was released on the only album by Forster that has an overall more serious sound. So what exactly is "Kogong" about?

2. The lyrics

Here are two pictures, one with the German lyrics and one with a translation by me.

When you read the lyrics, you will probably see that it is kinda hard to understand, especially after only one listen. Quite a few phrases don't seem to make a lot of sense. Well German audiences were not so happy either with this piece. Some said that the melody is good even though nobody was used to this kind of song by Forster. But the comments online seem to share the same opinion on the text: Forster probably only wanted to show that he is also able to write more intellectual sounding songs. Many just view it as avantgardist crap. Then again the video has 20 Mio views on YouTube and is currently his 6th most listened to song on Spotify so 🤔

But now about the interesting stuff. How could ANYONE who knows at least the slightest bit about Mclennon not stumble across this line:

"I am fucking Yoko Ono. My heart is Paul and John."

My heart is Paul and John? Yes Mark, I couldn't have said it any better myself. So ever since this song came out, I was curious what all these confusing lyrics could mean. Where is the connection between this one line and the rest of the song? What did Mark Forster say about it?

3. Interpretation

Here is a statement by Forster:

"Kogong is the sound of the heart when it's listening. The song is about small and big things that my heart told me but that I kind of couldn't really hear. I really hope that I'll be able to pay more attention to it in the future, so maybe this song is my new start."

So the subject of the song is not really able to listen to its heart. Furthermore, the lyrics hint on multiple topics and problems that the person has to face:

Being not happy at all, maybe even depressed ("you're not fine, you're only half-way fine"), this could also suggest that the subject has to keep up a facade while suffering inside

Problems in a relationship, marriage or even having an affair ("what you still want from her", "you hug eachother for far too long")

Self-image, Self-acceptance ("Wherever you are, you will always be yourself", "you need your peace")

The above mentioned quote says that this is a personal song. Another time he said that he realised that he wanted to become a singer while walking on the Road to Santiago (hence the line about hiking).

In another interview he stated that he tries to write in the same way as he thinks minus the rhymes. Overall short phrases which came to his mind.

So in concern of listening to ones heart: The lyrics suggest that the subject is not only unable to listen to its heart but rather actively ignores it due to outer circumstances. ("I don't want to hear a thing and am beating my chest like King Kong.").

Seems like there is a constant dispute between the heart and the subject. Which finally leads us to the line:

"I am fucking Yoko Ono, my heart is Paul and John."

How could a seemingly average pop singer connect a song about inner conflicts, love and self-image to John, Paul and Yoko Ono??

Well Forster said that he literally grew up with the Beatles and that they influenced him deeply. But to connect specific names to this topic, he couldn't only have been enjoying their songs. He has to know about their history and especially about their break-up. I've read a few opinions that "John" is only in there because it rhymes with "Kogong". So if he came up with that name and him being a Beatles fan, maybe the association to John Lennon isn't that far off. But why "fucking Yoko Ono"? Mark says:

"Yoko Ono is often accused of breaking up* the Beatles. And sometimes that's how I feel about my heart: Yoko Ono brings me and my heart apart." (*literally bringing apart)

?Eh?

Tbh that's hella confusing. I think he was kinda joking tho since he also states that the "fucking" is in there because of that British town. Which obviously makes no sense. Since Forster is serious about the rest of the song, its almost like he doesn't really want to talk about the true meaning of that line.

I mean the "John" could have suited only as a filler word at first. But I just don't think that other songwriters would automatically then connect that to Yoko Ono and especially Paul. Furthermore John and Paul form an unity here in the symbol of the heart. Despite the songs topic that's just such an romantic association.

Of course the average listener could easily say that this is all random nonsense. But for me who is genuinely interested in the Beatles/ Mclennon, this line doesn't seem out of context.

So if we take the lyrics of Kogong seriously, Mark Forster connects difficult romantic relationships and listening to your heart with John and Paul. Btw I know that Yoko didn't break up the Beatles, but Mark Forster is only talking about the infamous accusation of such. And even if he's only referring to the rumored breakup, wouldn't it be Beatles VS Yoko or Beatles VS John and Yoko? No, Mark Forster has to put John and Paul on one side and due to the metaphor with the heart, they together are portrayed as something pure, something romantic.

4. Conclusion

Well I can't really break the song down to every little phrase and its possible meaning. I think this post is already long enough 😅

Nevertheless "Kogong" by Mark Forster talks about conflicts with the inner-self concering love or becoming the person that you really are. All of this is quite explicitely connected to John and Paul (and Yoko) in the peak line of the chorus. (Just the way Forster sings this part is so...honest and amazing..). In my opinion, Mark Forster implies a really close (possible even romantic) connection between Paul and John while being put up against Yoko.

Shipping Mclennon or viewing their relationship as very close/romantic is often connected with horny teenagers on social media who make up crazy theories to satisfy their own desires. But here we have a man in his 30s who seemingly hints on similar ideas concerning their relationship in one of his most famous songs. And I know that this is not the first time that pop culture mentions their connection in that way but its actually the first very serious approach that I know of.

And maybe I am really reading too much into all of this. ( I mean I'm a Mclennon shipper after all lol) But in the end we still have a man who flew all the way to London just to sing-scream "I am fucking Yoko Ono, my heart is Paul and John" at Abbey Road Studios and I think that's pretty cool.

If you finished this mess till the end, thank you so much and let me know your opinion on it! ☺️🙌

(Sorry for any writing mistakes and I also have the sources of the quotes at hand, but obviously they are in German)

[narekashi]

Blood Donation [Allen]

"Miss, are you searching for something? I'll be glad to help if so."

"Any friend of Count is my friend as well. Let's have some tea and chat, shall we?"

So yeet, finally I remembered to post my beloved ikemen Blood Donation. More information about them down below!! [Tagging @lovingsiriusoswald because she seems to like her djksnskdn]

Name: Allen

Nicknames: Ellen, Al Al (Arthur)

Birthday: August 15

Height: 167 cm

Blood Type: A

Physical

Eyes: Turquoise

Hair: Short hair that curves in and bangs that part in the middle

Accessories: Glasses that she wears when it's hard to see, usually wears contacts though

Features: Moles on both her upper arms

Illnesses: None

Social

Species: Pure blood vampire

Occupation: Writer and traveller

Relationships:

● The Count of Saint Germaine: Best friends. They stumbled across each other in a different century but have remained friends ever since. She often visits him while he always welcomes her into his mansion with open arms. Knows all of the mansion vampires to a certain extent because of him. They know each other's troubles and can read each other like a book.

● Leonardo Da Vinci: Annoying but good friends. Always has the urge to tidy up his things after he makes a mess even though she's kind of a slob herself. They have a running joke saying that the other is dating Count and bring it up whenever necessary around Count himself. They are interested in each other's works and loves to get nosy in them.

● Theodorus Van Gogh: Buddies. Finds him rather rude with all his nicknames but eventually found a way to brush it off by telling him she'll tell Vincent; problem solved instantly. Doesn't see him all that often due to the nature of his work but when they do, they go to the bar with Arthur.

● Arthur Conan Doyle: Buddies. Knew him purely through Theo because the other always dragged him around to bars and they just so happened to meet. She finds his works really interesting and asks tip from him all the time when they meet up while Arthur usually answers her questions and flirts. Often goes to the bar together.

● Jeanne D'Arc: Neutral. Has seen him fought before back when he was still alive but also thought he was a woman until she met him face to face. Finds him intimidating and beautiful.

● Napoleon Bonaparte: Friends. Sees him playing with the children on a regular basis in town and always joins them. He treats her like a child even though she is very much older than him which earns a flick on the forehead from him every time.

● Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Acquaintances. Enjoys his music very much and always stops to listen to it when he's playing his piano in his room. Would love to ask him tips on how to play the piano better but is way too intimidated by him. Also rather cross that he's so rude.

● Dazai Osamu: Teasing friends. Always plays with him in the game room and both have a fun time trying to figure each other out. Most of their interactions is trying to call each other's bluff out, thus having a much more teasing and fun relationship than with other mansion residents. (Besides Arthur but god knows how many people he has that kind of relationship with)

● Sebastian: Information sharing buddy. Finds his stoic face rather funny since he's always talking about historical stuff when she's around. She provides him with a bunch of facts from historical people she's met before and he provides her with a bunch of modern day info that he has (although she knows some of it from her trips to the 21st century). Never lets him know that she's actually terrible at history.

● William Shakespeare: Stays far far away from. Absolutely knows what he's up to but tries to stay away from him. Extremely wary about him but can have a decent conversation around him if she's with someone she knows well like Count or Leo.

● Vincent Van Gogh: Close friends. She admires him and loves his art works while he quite enjoys her presence around. The two often help each other with different things like critiquing each other's works and tasks and have gotten rather close over time. Unsure if she has a crush on him or not.

● Isaac Newton: Likes him. Always teases him with Arthur and Dazai. Loves to see him hear him rant about all the experiments and things he's been doing and finds him kinda cute. Is unwilling to go confess first since she's unsure if he feels the same nor has she sorted out her feelings for Vincent yet.

Personality: Open minded and seems very open about herself yet there's a feeling saying that she's not as open as she seems to be. Is always either spending all day in the mansion or spending it outside for a long time and coming back late, 8 am was her last record. Can hold very long conversations with all the different kinds of experiences she has over the centuries, making her quite a chatterbox; there are times when she's silent and would rather not talk but she's always open to listening. Always asks people if they are up for a drink whether that be Rouge or just alcohol in the bar. Doesn't fancy drinking from a human directly but can do it if she wants to.

Likes: Useless facts, conversations, cute and fluffy things, the modern world, music, tea (the real tea or rumours), stories, alcohol

Dislikes: Writer's block, time, her hair, not knowing anything, frustration, extremely sarcastic people

Skills:

> Sleeping in

> Origami

> Knows several languages but isn't fluent in all of them, fluent in only chinese and english

> Plays the piano (not very good at it)

> Convincing people

> Keeping a straight face (to the point it's scary)

Paired with: Isaac Newton(???)

Life in the mansion: Has to get woken up by Sebastian every day, has only woken up by herself a grand total of 5 times. In the mansion, she's most commonly seen in the gardens writing while  enjoying herself or in the game room playing games with the others. She also frequents visit other people's rooms to talk and share a conversation with if she's bored. When she's outside, she often wanders off on her own and explores so she knows every square inch in the city.

Extra info:

> Getting her gender mixed up is rather amusing for her so she plays along with it and keeps her appearance the same to trick many more into thinking so

> Sleeps like a log, could sleep for days if no one wakes her up.

> Sleepy her is an airhead, almost like a small animal

> Rational and quick thinking is one of her skills but she's nowhere as good as Arthur so she often pretends she's not good at it.

> Has a habit of scratching her neck when she isn't feeling too comfortable, doesn't like the feeling of hands around her neck though

> Isn't very serious most of the time but when she is serious, she's deadly serious and scary (though she usually regrets it after her head clears)

> Loves fluffy things just as much as she likes smut, ironically cannot write smut even though she can get horny easily

> Headpats make her melt instantly

> Cannot handle being yelled at, it makes her very emotionally stable and would break down on the spot or later on

Bonus:

"... Did you enjoy the show, darling? Come out and show yourself, there's no where else to hide."

"Ah you're... that beautiful Miss from the library... Hm now that you've seen me, can't really let you escape. Feed me your blood please."

[daeguzen]

yooo thank you for your beautiful words T^TT i think very lowly of myself all the time and am surprised that my friends still stood by my side T^TT (not many, but they always see the good things in me and change my perspective when i doubt myself, so im really grateful to have known them T^TT)

aaand on the dating part!! im 24 now but ive never dated in my life 🤣 one friend said: "you just...don't seem like you're looking for it" and im like yeah, that's partially true😅 but the core reason is that ive never met someone that i seriously wanna be in a relationship with (crushes yes, but i tend to picture things in the long run and if i don't see a far future together, then my answer is always no). esp after graduating uni, i don't even think about wanting to be in a relationship anymore.. life has already consumed all of my energy and my heart is kinda numb now 😭 I'm so sorry for such a depressing rant 😭 you're still SO young and you deserve to pursue all that makes you happy and live the best life ❤️❤️ i really miss being 19~21 bc i met my bestest friends during this period and grew a lot :) I'm sure you're in one of your most amazing adulthood years now ❤️

ooh and how long will you be a substitute teacher for? do you need to teacher them the actual syllabus if the teacher is absent for some time? 😆

<3 <3 in this house we only spread positivity :) people aren't perfect by nature, so i think it's good that you have your friends because they accept you for who you are and aww that's sweet, i love that for you.

woah ~ it's so strange meeting people older than me because i feel very young and i look like it too lol i haven't aged much since beginnings of high school. i thank my dads genes for that LOL. so i feel like...im still a child when talking to older people but i've been told i have an old soul aha. and yeah i completely understand that, i don't have many friends but that's ok because i think it's comfortable sharing with a few people than a lot. i think romantic feelings would develop with someone i would know a little better and talk to often. romance is weird, it functions differently for anyone.

that's just what happens as you get older. when you're young everything is fun and games and you just go to school and do what your told. as you get older you have to set these things up for yourself, focus on finding a stable and decent income to keep yourself surviving in such a fast paced world. some situations are different than others so i love that you focus on what you need to do. romance is something that shouldn't and doesn't have to be rushed. and nah it isn't depressing it's interesting to read and interact with other people. your lifestyle seems kinda chill to be honest, especially from the way that you talk, i get chill vibes :D

awww ^~^ thank you, i shall try my best to pursue what i enjoy, i think a life full of art, fashion, and music, is beautiful. it's fun and refreshing for me. and to those who go into medical school, social work, teaching, and so much more have decided on career paths that contribute a lot to helping other people on a more personal level and i think that too is greatly respectable. all careers should be like that, appreciated for what they are. (aww hun you're still hella young tho two years isn't two big of difference but yess, reliving those moments in your head tho that's a therapeutic thing) thank you for all your kind words too, i really appreciate them ^~^ i never saw myself in this position of being able to interact with people online, especially over my writings, so i'm happy that i've gotten to meet people on here, it's sweet.

and honestly, i am not sure, i was thinking of doing it next year but my first half of the semester, i ended up with morning classes. so i only have two days in the week to actually work as a sub. i currently work with kids as an assistant so i just help out the actual teacher. in the future with the older kids i don't think i'd be in charge of teaching them because i wouldn't be able to take a long term sub job if a teacher is absent for a longer period of time. i have my own classes to attend and responsibilites so even if i wanted to i wouldn't be able to. but i think im gonna try to look for another job for the summer or for jobs at my campus to fill in during days i can't sub. this past spring semester i did nothing LOL but this is where the fun is gonna start because i'll be going back to getting productive and enjoying caffeine :D