#main lucy vocals have an effect on me

[cosmicstarbrownie]

the rest by boygenius hasn’t even been out for an hour yet but I already want to inject afraid of heights into my bloodstream

[jaegeraether]

Sunsets and footballers (Part 63)

Lucy Bronze x Reader (53)

Masterlist (other parts here)

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((**3.9k**))

YFN POV

YFN was admiring Lucy as she padded into the living room in nothing but a towel, her body still steaming from her boxing workout with Alexia. She found her way to YFN who was sitting on the couch, holding her glasses out to her.

“What are you looking at?” She asked, putting her glasses on and the world coming back into focus.

YFN loved her in glasses. And she knew just how much Lucy hated wearing contact lenses.

“My girlfriend.”

Lucy grinned and leaned over the back of the couch. “Oh? I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”

“Well I do, and she’s incredible. She’s pretty and funny and kind… so, so kind. Especially to kids. She wears glasses and has a little dog named Narla who she adores.”

“She sounds like a catch.”

“Oh, she is. I’m very lucky.”

“I dare say she thinks she’s the lucky one to have you…”

Lucy leant further over and they drifted together, their lips meeting softly as they breathed into the lingering kiss. Their mouths parted and they kissed again, their lips pressing together with love. YFN couldn’t help but moan into her mouth as Lucy tilted her head and brushed her tongue up against her own. She tried to follow as Lucy parted from her.

“God, I should have done that when you surprised me in Villarreal.” The footballer murmured against her cheek in that deep, Northumberland accent. The one that seemed to have a direct link to YFN’s core.

“Why didn’t you?” She whispered against her jaw, their lips exploring each other’s faces.

“I didn’t want to put that pressure on you with the crowd… but it took a lot of restraint.”

“Tell me how much restraint,” she whispered into her cheek.

“I… I…”

She loved having Lucy at a loss for words. YFN pulled the top of her towel out from where it was tucked and listened to it falling to the floor. Her fingertips found Lucy’s chest and played.

“This much?” She asked as she felt Lucy shuddering beneath her soft touch.

Her fingers found her nipple, now hard without the towel while her mouth moved across her jaw, down that neck of hers she was so obsessed with, down over her collarbone to take her free nipple in her mouth and suck. She licked the lubrication she needed onto it to be able to suck it loudly, moaning her enjoyment as Lucy’s hands gripped the back of the couch and she began to breathily moan how much she was enjoying it. Lucy was learning to be more vocal, which further encouraged YFN.

She pulled away with a wet suck and whispered against her. “This much?”

“Argh little one… don’t start what you can’t finish, love.”

Regardless of the accident, they were obsessed with each other, and always wanted each other so desperately. Lucy had been a lot more reserved and restrained with her broken body, though YFN knew the effect she had on her girlfriend and used that to remind her what she could make her feel. And so, Lucy was sold and since then it had been… interesting.

The logistics of the sex they’d been attempting to have was downright entertaining and Lucy’s creativity was the main reason for that. She was always trying to find a way without hurting her. There weren’t many positions that did work, however they always managed to make the most of their time together.

“Come over here and ride my thigh, Luce.”

Lucy paused, her breath now even more shaky against her cheek. She wanted to get off and hadn’t in that week as she’d been so focussed on YFN’s orgasm. That was enough for her most of the time, however YFN knew she was getting needy.

“I…” Lucy wanted to, she could hear it in her voice, but it had taken so long to get her to the stage where she’d be comfortable doing something like that. She wasn’t used to it being just about her, nor being in such a vulnerable position. They’d worked her into enjoying her fingers inside of her, but it was always dependent on how confident she felt.

“Lucia,” she whispered near her ear. “I can feel how desperate you are.” She breathed into her ear and bit the lobe.

Lucy’s body was fully trembling at this point. “O…kay. I’m coming.”

YFN was excited. She spread her legs and watched as her athlete of a girlfriend strode around the couch, completely naked besides the clear framed lenses she wore. YFN never knew where to look. Her thighs muscles contracting as she walked, her bare core, those little v lines, the abs she worked so hard for, her excited tits, bulging biceps, strong shoulders, pulsating neck, her beautiful face.

YFN was almost more nervous than Lucy. She grabbed the hem of her shorts and pulled it up as Lucy hesitantly straddled her thigh. She took her glasses off and put them beside the pair on the couch and leant in to her girlfriend.

“I’ve never done this before…”

“I know Luce.” Neither had she, but she wasn’t about to say that. “Just… use my thigh.”

Lucy ducked her head shyly next to her own and began to grind, YFN feeling the wetness of her body coating her skin. Fuck it was sexy.

“Find that good spot and work it, Luce.” She said as she lifted her thigh into her more. Lucy groaned and her grinding picked up. The way her hips moved was fucking unreal. It was so sexy that YFN was worried she’d come just from watching her. “That’s it… yeah Luce that’s it…”

Lucy’s pace picked up as she gained confidence, YFN making sure to encourage her along the way.

So that she’d keep momentum, YFN leant forwards and look her nipple into her mouth again, sucking while her free hand played. Lucy whimpered as she rode, one hand cradling the back of her head and the other gripping the couch like a vice.

“F…fuck…don’t stop little one.”

Her jaw was sore but there was no way she’d stop. Lucy became more vocal as she worked herself closer, YFN slowly increasing the pressure of her thigh on her.

“Ohmygod…” she whimpered out, close to the edge. She leant down and pulled the Australian’s head from her nipple to kiss her, opened mouthed and heavy. YFN whined into it, her tongue practically being fucked by Lucy’s.

Lucy pulled her mouth away and whispered against her lips desperately. “I love you so much, you have no idea. I’d do anything for you. I’m yours.”

Her lips crashed into her own again. Only when she was right on the very edge, her body desperately chasing that high of her clit against her thigh, did she stop kissing her as she came with a cry into the shoulder. Shy Lucy. Her body shuddered above her as she rode that wave down, YFN encouraging her and stroking her and kissing wherever she could.

She assumed Lucy would be done, that she would take that and then they’d laugh and flirt and have dinner, but no. Lucy had just begun. She moved her way down near her ankle and bent down on all fours, licking the orgasm from her thigh. It was the sexiest fucking thing YFN had ever seen. Suddenly, she was desperate to be touched.

When she was done, Lucy moved onto her knees on the floor between her legs and wriggled her shorts and underwear down over her ass and over her brace until they were off and she threw them away. Her hands came under the bottom of her ass and dragged her to the edge of the couch. They caught eyes once, and Lucy’s were almost feral, like she was desperate to taste her. She didn’t waste any time, her mouth finding her and doing what Lucy did best.

“Aargh. Fuck. Y…YES. Luce… argh!” Her tongue darted in and out of her hole, her mouth moving up and down as if she were purposely trying to wet her face as much as she could. She looked down at Lucy whose eyes were closed as she ate her with purpose. Lucy loved this.

With one arm, Lucy had her elbow resting on the couch, her hand gripping onto her thigh which was conveniently hooked over her shoulder. Her other hand was found eventually when she eased a finger inside of her as she worked her clit with her mouth. God, she really did love her fingers. She should have been embarrassed by the slick, wet sounds of Lucy’s finger pushing in and out of her, shortly becoming two fingers, though she wasn’t. She was horny, and she was close.

“Fu…ck. Argh.” She said as if she were frustrated. “Oh god, I’m so in love with y…ou. Argh… argh… y… you’re so good to me my Luce…”

Lucy didn’t lift her head to respond, but she did grunt into her and pick up her pace.

“Please don’t stop! I’m…. g..going to… argh I’m coming Luce… fuck!” She found Lucy’s hand and gripped it bone-shatteringly tight as she cried out so loud the neighbours would hear. Her body shuddered under her aggressively and as that wave of ecstasy rushed through her, she couldn’t give a damn about the pain in her ribs or collarbone. There was only bliss… and Lucy.

Lucy worked her down with large moments, as if she were eating a meal. If she hadn’t just come, she would have again very quickly. YFN tried to keep her breathing small to save her ribs and when she was able to control it better, she opened her eyes and found Lucy’s staring at hers, dark and still wanting. Fuck.

Lucy moved and with one hand under her lower back and the other under her thigh, she picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.

“L…Luce?” It sounded worried when really she was just unsure what was happening.

“I’m not done with you.”

She shivered. Two minutes later, she was half-naked on the bed, a pillow under her head, one under her lower back and braced knee, and Lucy was on top of her, carefully hovering just close enough for their bodies to touch, her tongue in her mouth. She had no idea what she had planned as they both had tried so many different ways to have sex without it hurting her, and the last thing she wanted to do was ruin this momentum.

Lucy kissed and licked and sucked her way down to her pussy, making sure to push her shirt up and give her nipples attention on the way down. She knew she loved that.

Was she about to fuck her with her mouth again?

Her mouth hit her, hot and heavy, though it was more lubricating than fucking her. After she’d finished that, Lucy moved up by her head and swung her leg over. She’d never sat on her face before. YFN’s eyes widened with excitement.

“No fucking, just wet me with your mouth,” she ordered. YFN did what she was told. “More.” She was almost dripping by the time she was done with her. Lucy swung her leg back over and kissed her on the mouth before returning to her position between her legs. She picked up YFN’s good leg and held it to her body as she straddled her hip and pressed their cores together. Holy shit. Lucy made sure to maintain her eye contact the entire time, watching to see if it was okay, which of course, it was. She ground them together, their wet messes rubbing each other.

“Is this okay, little one?”

She’d never responded to quickly before. “Yes!”

She watched Lucy’s body moved as she ground their pussies together, her hips rolling and her back close to arching.

“Tell me if you hurt, or if it’s not working for you.”

“It’s working!” She promised, already feeling her orgasm creeping up on her. There was absolutely no way she was going to tell her if she was hurting. Not when she could see just how much Lucy was enjoying it also.

She worked her for a good period of time, YFN having to brace herself on the bed head to lesson the thrusting motion for her collarbone. Lucy had looked worried but she’d reassured her.

“D..don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

God, the sight of her thighs contracting and her body sweating as she rode her. Lucy, ever the one to be good at things, made sure to find that perfect spot that worked for both of them, and she focussed there, grinding their pussies together with purpose. She reached out and grabbed one of YFN’s tits, having seen it bouncing and unable to help herself.

“Oh god Luce, you’re… you’re so sexy. I’m going to c…come.”

“Good girl, you can come.” Lucy barely managed to choke out and she let go herself, both of them unashamedly vocal.

It took a while for them to settle down as they laid next to each other, pinkies locked, and regained their breath. Lucy more so, of course. She’d done all of the work.

YFN rolled on her side, ignoring her pains, and kissed Lucy’s damp shoulder before meeting her eyes.

“Where did that come from?”

Lucy grinned. “You liked? I got the idea as I was on your thigh… I’d say it was successful.”

“Successful?” She scoffed. “Wow, Luce… it was just… wow.”

Lucy looked proud of herself.

“You look happier.”

“Do I?” Lucy asked. YFN wanted to reach out and smooth those little baby hairs around her sweaty forehead, but she couldn’t because of the sling. She settled with another shoulder kiss.

“You’re glowing.”

“You tend to have that effect on me.”

“You can’t even see me, you’re as blind as a bat.”

“Oh really? We’re going to play that game are we?” Lucy moved quickly and suddenly YFN was on her back, Lucy leaning her cheek on her palm above her as her other hand traced on YFN’s tummy. Those stunning green eyes. She knew she could see her better up close.

“For what it’s worth… I hope our kids are blind like you.”

Lucy raised her eyebrows, her excited grin showing at the mention of children.

“Because I love that about you…”

“That I’m blind?”

She shrugged. “It’s your little quirk. And you look so goddamned cute in glasses.”

“So you want a disabled child?”

She slapped her lightly on the shoulder. “Could you imagine a little mini Lucy with glasses? I would melt. And no matter who they are, I’ll love them so much, they won’t know what to do with it.”

Lucy gave a happy hum as she bent down to kiss her. “But you won’t stop loving me, right?”

“I have enough love to go around for you and all of the kiddies.”

Lucy groaned happily into her jaw. “Good because I want a tribe.”

“I’m just trying to picture the weekly food bill now…”

Lucy chuckled. “We’ll get a big fridge.”

“Mmn. I can’t wait to live with you.”

“Barca?”

“Barca,” she agreed. “As soon as I have the company on its feet.”

They stayed in that daydream for a little longer, ignoring everything, including their phones from the other room. It was just them, together, and in love.

Now on her back, YFN had that opportunity to tuck Lucy’s little baby hairs away.

“Luce?”

“Little one?”

“What we were talking about before… Luce, I don’t mind kissing you in front of a crowd. Obviously not making out… but… I’m not going anywhere.” She laughed as she looked down at her sling. “I think that’s pretty obvious. And I know you respect me. And I’ll respect you liking your privacy also…”

“It’s… unusual for me. The other person I have to compare to is Keira who was nowhere near as touchy as we are. She liked her space and hated us touching in public. With you it’s different. I want everyone to know. And I was so tempted to kiss you at that game, I just didn’t know where you stood. To be fair, I don't know where I stand either. I want to keep you all to myself and protect your from the fans, but at the same time I want to flaunt you to the world as mine.”

She almost growled the last part.

YFN smiled at her. “Depends on the moment, Luce. But I’m glad we had this conversation. I can see why you’re stressed about the fans… not only Kristie but I posted that photo of you, Leah, Alexia and I on the couch for interview day and the comments went wild. The internet really needs to be policed.”

“Wild… good?”

“Yeah, thank god. Lots of sexualising though,” she scrunched her nose up. “People sexualise you a lot.”

“Well they can fuck off, I’m yours.”

YFN grinned like a school kid.

“And how did the video do?”

“Yeah, really well. It’s only been up for a few hours. I posted it when you were boxing… or out getting a dress for Alexia… can’t remember, and it’s gone viral.”

“Of course it did, because I’m gorgeous.”

YFN rolled her eyes. “Most of the comments are about how flirty you are with me. People are loving it. And now my Instagram is getting flooded.”

“So… we’ll call that a success?”

“As long as another Kristie doesn’t appear.”

Lucy’s mood dropped slightly.

“Oh Luce,” she said, stroking her cheek. “You need to stop blaming yourself for it. It’s all her, not us.”

She knew Lucy had been struggling with the fact that she’d not protected her. No matter what she said, that guilt was there. She could see from her face that Lucy had evolved from the more passive approach to a rather Ridley-like mindset of physically protecting her. She didn’t mind that, though. To be quite honest, it turned her on.

“I’ll do better.”

“But you’re already the best,” she whispered against her lips.

“I’m already not looking forward to camp.”

“I’ll be here with Dory, and we’ll be at your games… oh shit, Leah will be there too. I didn’t think about that.”

“They’re meeting up tomorrow, yes?”

“Yep. I convinced Leah to surprise her at her game in Birmingham so I hope it goes well. I was on the phone to Jordan when you were out today actually. She doesn’t know she’s coming, but she’s nervous about seeing her. Right now I’m wondering or not whether I should stay here close to work or go to Birmingham with Dory while you’re in Spain. I might need some help with the recovery but at least I have Leah and the Arsenal girls here.”

Lucy frowned. “Or you can come with me to Spain?”

“Lucia,” she warned. “You know that won’t work with Lumos…”

“What’s the difference between being in our house here or there?”

She did have a point, but all she heard was ‘our house’.

“We’ll talk about this later.”

“Oh, yes we will.”

“In the meantime, I’ve asked Leah to bring some of my stuff back… and my peace lily.” Lucy smiled at that. “If she gets the chance to go to the house, that is.”

“Are you being sneaky and giving her a reason to go to Jordan’s house?”

“Maybe… I sort of offered our bed also.”

Lucy’s look was that of pure affection. “You’re always helping others, aren’t you?”

“That’s why you love me.”

“Amongst other things, yes.”

Lucy went to kiss her and she turned her head away. “Oh, I wonder how Riddles and Alexia are doing…”

Lucy gripped her chin and pulled her head back to give her the kiss was denied.

“Focus here, little one. Look at me.”

“Sorry,” she gave a sheepish grin. “Can’t help it. I’m all yours.”

“Good. Now can we have dinner? I’m starving after all of those orgasms.”

YFN scoffed at her. “Crude. But yes, please. Shower first.”

Lucy helped her out of bed and to her… foot. They stood there naked besides YFN’s shirt, held on by her sling.

“Sexiest goddamn Winnie the P-”

“Don’t you dare.”

Her phone rang again from the living room and she sighed. It could be one of the girls needing her. She turned to find her shorts and yelped at the sharp smack on her ass by Lucy.

“Um, excuse me?”

Lucy shrugged. “It’s mine.” She held up her shorts. “Looking for these?”

“Maybe.”

“How about we shower first, hm? That interview drama can wait.”

They spent far too long in the shower, making each other squeaky clean before coming back out and cooking dinner. They could hear their phones but chose to ignore it and spend time with each other instead. They weren’t about to miss time with each other for some people fan-girling over them flirting in an interview.

Lucy placed YFN on the bench near the stovetop and handed her a spatula to look after the hot food while she did the cutting and prepping. It worked very, very well, to be fair.

They ate while they cooked, both feeding each other things they were currently cooking or cutting. Lucy was a fantastic taste tester, and she loved it too.

The chicken almost burnt as Lucy found herself between YFN’s legs, her tongue in her mouth, though it just ended up giving it more flavour.

YFN knew as they laughed and cooked that this was exactly how she wanted to spend the rest of her life. With her. Doing normal things. Daily things. Anything, really. They were so loved up, it must have been sickly for others nearby.

They both talked about what Sunday would bring, and how Lucy’s family wanted to see YFN. They made plans to drive to Manchester and stay a day or so next week to see them. On that same note, they were due for a video call with YFN’s nan and brother, which they planned on doing the next day, before Lucy went to watch Arsenal with Alexia.

Everything was as it should be.

After dinner and the dishes, they let themselves take their phones to catch up with the chaos of the flirty interview she’d posted. There was a lot of chatter about that, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the main cause for concern.

She had missed calls from almost all of the football girls, and articles sent from various news sources, all with one main scoop.

“Transphobic JK Rowling outed as Lumos Media Founder and Chief.”

Her mouth dropped open. No.

Mark had sent her a message which she reluctantly opened.

Unknown: I told you I was going to tear everything to the ground.

Unknown: Handed that to me on a platter.

Her stomach dropped. Mark had waited until they’d gained some popular momentum to leak that news story. He was trying to destroy them before they’d even begun to build.

She felt sick.

Alexia started calling, but she didn’t answer. Her face went white. Was this already the end of Lumos?

“Little one… “ Lucy’s voice was sympathetic and  poorly hiding her frustration.

She didn’t respond. Her phone started buzzing again and she exhaled in frustration. It was almost 11pm and her phone wouldn’t stop. She looked down, expecting Alexia or one of the girls, but it wasn’t.

Joe calling…

[fuckyourdumbassusername]

I have been listening to music for days looking for that perfect type of song. I want something with bass like dubstep or EDM but vocals like Deathcore. But even then I want a specific TYPE of heavy vocal.

Like Jinjer in Picies during the heavier part. Celldweller adjacent is the best I can describe it as. Also my Discover Weekly and Release Radar are very weighted toward electronic dance or Pop and aren’t helping. Also where’s my Jazz? But like the upbeat swing kind not the “good background for a nap” jazz? Also where is the funk? I know I haven’t been using my Spotify much but it’s depressing that my DJ thinks “well here’s what’s popular on Spotify” is what I want. Like NO. Give me the shit that some small band with 1,000 followers put out so I can get obsessed with the way the guitarist plucks that one chord or the dissonance in the singers voice or the way the drummer switches up the beat or the sudden funky twist in the bass line before the last verse. Give me the weird shit no one has heard. Give me the bedroom DJ and the strange band who only sings about drinking in taverns or being vampires and commit to the bit. Give me the music the normies go “wait what is this?” Give me the music so unique that it stands out from the rest. The world is full of 2-3 minute “I went to the bar and saw a girl” pop songs but how often do you come across a song about the experience of struggling with our mental illness (The Method by Nobodi or more popularly Saddy Daddio by Artimus Wolz). Or the 5 minute song. Just that. Why is all music becoming so short and yet sometimes even 2 minutes is to long for what’s in the song and yet there are 5 minute songs I wish would continue for another 5 minutes? I want to live in the sound for longer and yet it leaves me too soon. Some bands have songs longer than the average live show set and I could listen to it for twice the runtime but other songs I skip as soon as the last verse ends because it has nothing more to give me. Why isn’t there an entire section just for the “this album cover has an anime girl but this shit will slap so hard that is anyone tries to comment on it in a rude way you can just be like but listen to it and watch as this person has to admit it slaps”. Like are you telling me you can listen to Moonlight Sonatra by OBKATIEKAT and not feel like you should have just witnessed some sort of main character becoming the villain scene? Or Hope You Used to Feel by Zetsubou P and Hatsune Miku and not feel like the that 2:13-2:34 playing on repeat at 2 am? Or The Lich’s Nocturne (Froot’s Theme) by RichaadEB and not want to listen to it again? Like you can listen to that epic guitar once and live the rest of your life never listening to it again??? Or Bad Apple by RichaadEB and Cristina Vee and not feel seen by the lyrics? What about Morning Walk by Noah Rosen, Lofitic and Patiotic Records? You can’t feel yourself sitting in a coffee shop listening to this while you watch the rain? It doesn’t just calm you? Follow it with A Surreal World by Noah Rosen, Lofitic and Patiotic Records and I swear you’ll start smelling the imaginary coffee shop. Then there’s (Don’t Fear) The Reaper by Nightshade, Satin Puppets and Lyndsi Austin that lives rent free in my head with the main singer background singer just barely overlapping.

There’s also Ghost Data. Just the whole artist. Queen of Knives with its beat and the understated eee-EEE-eee vocals. Not mentioning the 2:30 build to a slow down to a 2:40 build? Who remains normal after hearing that? Or Magical Girls with its more classic sounding beat and that buzz and then the vocals! The robotic effect on the vocals sell the song for me. Become God returns to the epic beat simple vocals but adds spoken even more robotic lines from time to time that make it a great combination of the other two songs.

Then listen to Lucy by Levi Doron and tell me that beat doesn’t make your heart beat dance or your feet want to move? Or Jenova by Dunderpatrullen and Meganeko and tell me your brain didn’t conjure some Halloween like scenes or some cinematic of your own imagination? What about Tenebrous by Essenger? Can you be normal after hearing the drums in that song and listening to the lyrics?

Arguably this next one doesn’t fit the category but I’m mentioning it anyway Obsolete by DEADLIFE and Scandroid. The lyrics and build of the music make the brain happy but the album art isn’t really an anime girl but more an anime android of sorts.

I spent so long looking for one specific album cover and couldn’t find it but went on an adventure through my music to find as many examples as I could. Strange to see how normie my music taste used to be and how my playlists used to just be whole album after whole album and have some sort of rhyme or reason and now it’s just one 31 hour whiplash list. If there’s anyone who can listen to all the above anime girl art songs I suggested and not click on the next album they see with an anime girl album art just out of curiosity I don’t understand you. I always have to take a look even if I don’t listen to any I just have to see what the album is made up of. My brain won’t let me just scroll by or ignore it. This post started as me looking for a specific type of music and turned into a hyper fixation on a specific type of album art so for anyone who read it I hope I helped you find at least one song to enjoy.

[radioactivetirade]

i wish i didnt get so angry over this shit. like I KNEW roe v wade was gonna be overturned, we all knew it. its the main reason amy barrett is on that fuxking court to be frank. and yet here we are, and i am still seething with the idiocy of this clown parade. at this point there is no stopping the barrage of far right laws being forced into american homes, like whos gonna step up lol the fucking dumbass liberals who are about as effective and progressive as a wet fucking blanket ?? jesus fucking christ at this point i just want things to get worse faster so enough peoples eyes are opened to the authoratarian nightmare we are basically already living in to start the fucking revolution already holy fuck.

and ppl in my life judge me for getting so into american politics, but if they were paying a modicum of attention and applied like the eensiest bit of critical thought theyd see canada just follows the vibe of the states every damn time, we are the coors lite to americas fucking coors ultra. we are in this together in north america. while i understand i dont have to live in the same present conditions as ppl living in america, their fight is mine too and i will get angry and i will be vocal and i will not fucking stop until i am elderly and living in a commune. or dead from nuclear war/choose-your-own-adventure climate death/murdered for being a whistle blower. bc lets be real im the type to blow the fucking whistle .

god i know im fucking riled up i just cant help it. i feel pain and anguish and injustice and inequality deep in my soul and i feel change coming in my bones. i cannot be a leader or a revolutionary because i dont know how to force people to hear me and force them to are and force mywords to matter. in fact i dont want to, and want to speak and have people want to hear me and want to care for themselves.

like i dont know whats wrong with me but i just feel like the weight of injustices piling up and looming over me and i want so fucking bad to be like lucy parsons or angela davis or a million other revolutionaries but i am not and i never will be. im not waiting for others to fight for me i just dont know what the hell to do

im goddamn broken man. fuck

[bangbaby]

##소리꾼 (THUNDEROUS) !

ALBUM: NOEASY

COMEBACK RELEASE: AUGUST 23RD 2021

TRACK: 소리꾼 (THUNDEROUS)

i’m not sorry, i’m dirty . . .

SKZ: villains make our blood boil !

audio moodboard by kiki ! [ vocals by meloneye ]

— 악당 무리에 뜨거운 피가 돌아 온몸에 번져 !

FORMAT: dot point

PAIRING/S: lucy and the boys ( skz )

GENRE: idol, fluff

WORD COUNT: 1.8k

WARNINGS: implied romance, alpha female energy, mentions of chan’s abs and ass

##PRODUCTION !

first things first, noeasy is lucy’s era. well, it’s everyone’s era but it’s the comeback where she’s got the most lines.

you would think being a main lyricist would cut her some slack but nope, management was always adamant that the group had to increase/maintain their popularity before lucy could get a chance to “shine”.

jokes on them though, because where would they be without lucy’s clout?

and now, they’re million unit sellers.

legends say taylor swift’s the man was actually written for lucy kang.

after kingdom, there was absolutely no way she was hiding from the spotlight ever again. the nation knows she’s not just the token female member, she’s a monster born and created: a triple threat alpha ready to devour.

too noisy? too bad.

no more background harmonies/vocals or a couple of pity lines— this girl’s finally getting verses and dedicated solo shots.

also, dance formations/symmetry be dammed. the girl fits seamlessly no matter where she’s placed, mostly thanks to her A CLASS stylists.

and to hell with “male” choreography— you’ve never seen a girl look so good spitting on her palms, ready to throw hands.

notable lines written by lucy and changbin:

there’s no way they can lower my ego, i stick to my principles

i don't care how they look at me, i’ll always say what i have to say

everybody's talking nonsense— tired of this and that, shaking my head

you talk too much, stop meddling

i was born crooked, my voice can go against a hundred

if i don't like something, i’ll talk back until i’m satisfied

notable lines written by lucy and han:

villains make my blood boil and circulate throughout my body

why you mad? why you sad? why you tick—tick—ticked off?

your attempt to look cool is cute

you don't even come close to me, this is my show

notable lines written by chan for lucy:

man, i’m not sorry i’m dirty

freezing cold but i know we’ll burn forever

keep on talking, we don’t play by the rules

##M/V & STAGE !

short cut of a nine-tailed lucy playing with dokkaebi flames (possibly animated).

body rolls from the crop top duo, ie. the chabs (chan’s abs) and the jelly belly (lucy’s pierced navel) would without a doubt break the internet.

same goes for the dragon twins’ (hyunjin and lucy’s) dance solos.

MAN, I’M NOT SORRY I’M DIRTY.

the amount of attitude in that one line is enough to take the entire fandom for months.

lucy owns the most wicked smirk ever caught on camera as she basically tells the entire world, yeah— i do sleep under the same roof as eight hot dudes. get over it.

really, this is lucy’s world and we’re all just living in it.

if yeji can do her crazy mafia squat, lucy can absolutely do the thunderous squat.

the finger-wiggling-neck gesture was one of lucy’s contributions to the choreography— it was initially a slicing sound effect/motion; but chan and lucy decided to convert it to something a little more friendly.

the “riding” choreography instead imitates a litter, lucy is back to back with changbin and her hands form the shape of a crown. chan, han and minho support the two (as their carriage) whilst hyunjin/jeongin and felix/seungmin “hold” onto the front and back.

lucy consistently makes sure she’s not hurting lee know as he piggybacks her.

lucy tries not to burst out laughing whenever she spots butt-hunter lee know from the corner of her eye.

lucy often changes the fist-bump choreography with lee know to play rock-paper-scissors.

you just know all of lucy’s ending fairies are immaculate; whether they’re in sign language or are smiley-cute/smirky-sexy— any close up of her is dangerous for the heart.

##MAKING FILM (SKZ-TALKER) !

lucy going off on a tangent about how much she loves historical/revolution concepts and mythical creature lore (with seungmin attempting to shut her up).

lucy and chan chasing each other around set to poke and/or tickle each other’s exposed midriffs.

lucy is an absolute menace on set because she can’t do anything without being remotely distracting (even if she’s being quiet).

out of all of the members, lucy gets into trouble the most. she’s often put to sleep by their managers or lured away with food and/or games.

but the kids like her company as her presence lightens the atmosphere/makes the filming process more relaxed and fun.

whenever lucy’s filming solo, it becomes a competition of who can make her react/break character first.

funnily enough, she is usually the most immersed and professional out of the members. it’s difficult to disturb a perfectionist like her at work— but not impossible.

the aussies are essentially the band’s cesco (korean anti-pest company), they’re the least afraid of bugs unless they’re massive spiders (in that case, it’s every man for themselves).

lucy giggling to talker about hand fans because they make her feel like she’s in a hair commercial.

lucy adorably showing her battle scars to talker and making up stories about each of them. i got this one from lee know’s cat and this one’s from my fist fight with seungmin! i won, by the way.

the tangerines (chan and lucy) flirting on quad bikes.

felix and lucy making mario kart references when they’re filming on bikes/in cars.

lucy gets the “chan’s-sound-of-third-person” mission whilst seungmin gets “lucy’s-sound-of-thunder”; he says his is by far the easiest and can accomplish it the second he gets within her radius. lucy groans and says hers is impossible because chan refuses to do aegyo anywhere near her.

lucy catches onto seungmin’s mission fairly quickly though, which makes for some interesting cuts of her trying to be nice whilst the kid is annoying the absolute shit out of her (they’re playing catch with a baseball and seungmin is purposely failing to catch all of her throws).

eventually she gives up and yells at him, seungmin-ah! seriously? *cue happy puppy bouncing*

chilling in the trailer with chan and jeongin, lucy refers to herself in third person but makes it a little obvious it’s part of her mission. lucy’s eating her snacks and—

i am also eating her snacks, chan laughs because he knows exactly what her mission is. third person singular, right? lucy replies with an irritated no!

chan and his teasing hwaiting! (be glad you don’t know what kind of look the girl gives him behind the camera)

later on, lucy tries to disguise her mission by interviewing changbin about what he wants to eat. he says he’s surprisingly not hungry, and chan?

i’m not craving anything in particular, the man has the audacity to laugh with his damn man titties hanging out as he immediately catches lucy for the second time.

what do you need from me? chan asks a frustrated (flustered) lucy (the bastard’s somehow getting better at flirting and changbin walks away with a satisfied smirk).

i’m just asking you— bang christopher chan, what you want to eat, and how you’re feeling!

chan starts filming lucy with his phone and jeongin walks in between the two in an attempt to widen the gap between them/ease the tension (to no avail).

but what will you do for me? (if chan were to help lucy with her mission).

lucy swears she didn’t just get the chills from his question, the air at 2:00am is just cooler than usual.

i’ll be cute for you,

oh? well, you go first then.

the two grin and chuckle too playfully: their members are watching from the sidelines absolutely sure this is going to be edited out of the video.

oppa! soyeonnie wants barbecue for dinner!

chan absolutely cracks himself laughing at her terrible aegyo before he responds with: and channie is off to do his shoot now!

I HATE YOU! are the last words chan records before he runs off cackling like a madman.

lucy laughs/pokes fun at the kids a lot whenever any of them forget their cues; but on the extremely rare occasion she forgets— the members never let her live it down.

jeongin and lucy pretending the smoke effects are each other’s fart clouds.

bingsu! lucy loves her bingsu! thank you 2PM!

lucy also loves taking cute photos of the kids whenever they’re smiling and/or eating— especially of her sunshine, felix.

chan and lucy spray tagging the wall: the two like using “K9”, because wolves and nine kids.

it’s not a myth, lucy literally eats cds before stages— 42 episodes of skz-talker = hard evidence.

and it’s definitely not a skz-talker without lucy and han bursting into song out of nowhere/lucy and changbin competing who can do their vocal warmups the loudest.

wolfgang stage included because why not: though the thought of girls growling/female werewolves might trigger something deep within me (like it definitely would chan, aha)

first verse with lucy and changbin:

focus—

yeah, you better be afraid if you hear us

shut your mouth, fix your posture when you see us

a hunter, but you’re weak

i’m showing no mercy

i’ll bite your throat and see

how you fall when you bleed

second verse with hyunjin, lucy and han:

now, we’re on the hunt

a pack, we’re gonna run

laughing at all the ruins from the battles we have won

wolfgang, yes sir

mission for your successor

we win when we’re together

so drop your head and kneel beneath the wolf i have become

(translated lyrics from lex’s cover)

skz-talker, aka time for “what’s in lucy’s snack bag today”

lucy trusts hyunjin, minho and felix the most with taking her photos; but only very recently has she begun to let changbin and jeongin take her photos to help them improve.

their managers and/or jeongin having to wake lucy from her naps (bc they’re the only people she won’t get angry at).

the view and grow up stage also included: very pretty pastel/plant mom vibes.

lucy humming “i like the view right now” whenever she gets a good angle of chan’s ass: he has absolutely no idea why the rest of the kids are laughing so hard.

grow up is one of the hardest songs for lucy to sing. and she wrote it with the kids in mind (not initially for chan during their early trainee days that’s for sure).

you’ll always be able to tell how much self-restraint lucy is using whenever any of the kids start crying (especially from lovestay letters)— she herself has a habit of looking up to the ceiling and catching the tears before they start to fall (chan is the opposite, he looks down and avoids eye contact).

being told she’s doing well and that someone is proud of her = lucy’s ultimate weakness. thank god lee minho is usually there to make her laugh/keep her from breaking.

lucy affectionately rubs han and jeongin’s back when they’re finally off stage to soothe them. she hugs her aussie kin extremely tightly, instinctively nuzzling her head into theirs and combing the hair on the back of their necks.

a process the kids know well (first witnessed with lucy and her brothers) but only on the rare occasion receive— though when it does happen, it shows how much lucy loves and cares for them.

[ nav ] [ masterlist ] [ skz ] [ itzy ] ©bangbaby

[pigletxpoohbear]

I saw you asking for requests and wondered if you could do headcanons for how the obey me boys would react to a Mc who goes nonverbal sometimes (especially when they aren't feeling well mentally)? If you don't wanna do all, I'd just really love to see Beel, Barbatos, Diavolo and Luke!

I hope you have an amazing day🌼

I’m going to start off by just saying when I get really depressed and my thoughts and headspace are worse than usual this is my main mechanism to cope. So, I’m going to write this based on my experiences and go from there if you want me to rewrite it please say so. I’m also going to try and keep the headcannons for this as gender-neutral.

Lucifer

Lucifer is very observant and even more so when it comes to you

When he read your file he understood you had anxiety and depression, based on that he believed he had a clue what it was going to be like with you here in the devildom

Unfortunately, he was slightly off (he was completely incorrect, but he won’t admit that.)

He realized not too long after a week or two here with you in devildom that when you have really bad anxiety you tend to keep it to yourself and when your thoughts are too much you tend to do the same

He also saw that you’d try to keep answers as short as possible when feeling like this

Luci asked you to come by his office during school so that none of his brothers would interrupt, he ended up telling you that if there’s anything that he can do such as pulling you out of classes some days and just helping you privately or putting a proper lock on your door at the HoL you can just tell him and it doesn’t have to be in person, but a call, a text, an email, or a letter just let him know

He’s the most understanding of the brothers surprisingly

Mammon

Mammon isn’t exactly observant, but does notice 

He noticed some days your answers to questions were so short or so quiet that they were almost nonexistent

Mammon was concerned about what was wrong with his human, but didn’t know what to do besides just talk to you about it

One night when you left to your room to be alone and just sit down away from anyone he actually knocked on your door instead of barging in

When he came in he sat across from you on the floor, he asked what was wrong or if there’s something that he needs to fix 

You told him that when everything becomes too much you don’t really like to talk and want to be in a more quiet place

He ended up making a door hanger that told him if it was okay for him to barge in or if today you just needed time alone (he looked like a tomato when giving it to you, he felt so embarrassed)

Anything that makes his human comfortable

Leviathan

Anxiety? Depression? Nonverbal? Levi understands this all too well, but because this is the case he’s like the last one to notice

He doesn’t really notice mainly because he’s often in his room or in his head

He ended up finding out about it because you only gave him yes and no as an answer the whole weekend and thought it was because you didn’t want to be around a nasty otaku and confronted you outside your bedroom

You had to explain that you just go basically silent when your depression and anxiety became too much to handle and said you were sorry

Now Levi felt bad after you shut the door

He went out and got some mangas, animes, and candies and left them outside (after making sure Beel wouldn’t eat them and Mammon wouldn’t take them) and left a letter and a text message apologizing and telling you that he does the same thing and he’s really sorry that he jumped the gun and if you ever want to hang out with him in silence in his room you’re more than welcome to whenever you want

Satan

Satan notices almost as fast as Lucifer

He didn’t really say anything to you about it, but when he would see signs that today isn’t a good day he usually would keep his pranks on Lucifer to himself and see if maybe you want to play with the cats or go to a nice quiet cafe he found not too long ago

On good days he also tries to reach out and just be with you just to be sure you’re okay

Honestly does a ten out of ten job when it comes to being around you on good and bad days (he doesn’t even realize he’s benefiting from it and that he's much calmer recently)

Asmodeus

Asmo is very touchy-feely and some days you don’t like being touchy-feely

Asmo only asked about it because you wouldn’t cuddle with him the last few days

When he realized he apologized and said that if it’s not a good day today then whenever it is please come by he really loves to spend time with you, but won’t force you to do something that you’re not comfortable with

You guys cuddle every now and again because it does help sometimes and either he’ll whisper sweet nothings to you or he’ll just stay quiet and rub your head or back

When you don’t cuddle he’ll bring you tea and a nice pillow or two from his room so that you can rest or just sit more comfortably

Beelzebub

(I think that Beel is an empath and that’s why Beel gets upset by others being upset) When Beel gets the first signs that today isn’t a good day he usually gives you some of his food or asks if you need anything

He doesn’t quite understand it, but he wants to make you happy even if it takes a few days for that to happen

You ask Beel for cuddles or to just sit with you consider it done and sometimes Belphie will be there (usual he is, he just happens to always be where Beel is)

And you guys just form a cuddle pile and nap either in your room, the twins’ room, or in the observatory

Belphegor

He literally is too busy being asleep to notice and I don’t think would ever find out

One moment he’s in one room the next he’s in yours cuddling with you and Beel 

Doesn’t mind too much (mainly because quiet means he can sleep)

Only realizes if someone says something to him about it, but no one asks him cause they go to you first

Clueless sleepy boi

Diavolo

He noticed because he could barely hear you one day and thought you were sick and was about to send you home with Lucifer (who had a bunch of papers he needed to sign off on and would grow immensely if not taken care of)

You explained that it wasn’t necessary and that today was just a bad day

He asked if you wanted to go home and just finish your schoolwork or some makeup work at the HoL or in his office so that you can be in more quiet and accommodating space

Every now and again you’ll do school work in Diavolo’s office and have little sandwiches and tea with him and Lucifer

Barbatos

Literally knows before you got here (he can see the future lmao)

He packs little gift baskets and things like that for you full of your favorite things and has them delivered that day or those days

He has to be with Diavolo all the time, but surprisingly is able to help with these little things that he sends you

You end up exchanging gifts and gift baskets every now and again and when he did get a day off you ended up spending it together and going to ristorante six

Simeon

Doesn’t spend much time with you outside school, but he does notice a few things that he considered odd 

He wondered why you were so meek some days, but quite vocal others

He also saw how you’d keep to yourself and stay away from people especially large groups and then other days you’d be around all of the brothers laughing

He asked Lucifer about it and he explained the situation (Lucifer trusts Simeon to an extent, but knows that Simeon only asks for your well being and no other reason)

After learning the situation he becomes less curious as to what the problem is and more curious on how to help you

When needing to get in groups in classes the brothers aren’t closer or aren’t in he’ll partner with you and make sure that you’re comfortable

Luke

Sweet boy doesn’t understand other than your sad

Makes you cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and all sorts of sweet treats

He also loves to make sure that you’re heard and stays really quiet so he can hear what you have to say

He doesn’t get it, but he does have the spirit

Soloman

Oh boy where do I begin with this one

Soloman notices, he notices everything

Is he good at this type of stuff though? No, no he is not

Wants you to try out potions and tell him the effects, but can’t hear you

Is that an effect or is that just you?

When not experimenting he’s better and tries to find things that make you happy 

Do you want cuddles? Done. Do you want food? I’ll get something from Hell’s Kitchen. Do you want to go for a stroll? I know a really good lookout point where we can be alone.

Literally, just don’t go in the potions room and you’ll have something helpful

[anonil88]

Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish: live listen review

Not going into it with too many expectations.

Getting Older: I like the lyrics...kind of, um its not a bad song its just not doing it for me as an intro.

I didn't change my number: Love the beat and background vocal mixing but the forward vocals are very punchy in your face. The bass on the back end of this song is kind of insane in a good way. Finneas really be putting his entire foot in his production. This new genre twist ooo chile if he ever starts producing for rnb acts we may have a problem. I hate the abrupt end to the track.

Billie Bossa Nova: The guitar melody that frames the song is the same as Havana by Camilla Cabello. Billie's lyrics are a lost better than Havana in terms of story versus radio playability. That being said this has a lot of radio potential like if I could go back in time this would be on the Gap Playlist in 2005.

My Future: I thought there would be more blending or seamless transition into this song. It may have been there but it was very subtle. Would love to hear Snoh Alegra do a cover of this song. Still really like this song and the lofi inspirations behind it.

Oxytocin: Very reminiscent of the sound from Billie that everyone is used to hearing. Again Finneas be in that studio in his whole bag while making beats. This song is um lyrically....Billie is like I'm an adult y'all. Which technically she is, but the people around her and herself gotta be careful that she is still young. Anywho Billie is using men to her advantage this is pretty clear 🤷‍♀️. Her and Finneas should continue their recent journey of scoring for television and movies. If they ever get to fully score an entire episode of something or a short film I can only imagine that magic.

Goldwing: Billie has been practicing her falsettos and studying some of her favorite rnb singers. The syncopation of her vocals as the beat *chefs kiss*. This is my favorite song. (Was my favorite and then I heard overheated.)

Lost Cause: I'm not a huge fan of this song, it doesn't really do anything new for me. Its missing this umpf and I felt the same way when I saw the music video.

Halley's Comet: This is if Sarah Bareilles and Norah Jones had a baby. Really enjoying the subtle but very nice transition in this song and then the microphone effects on her voice. She fell in love you can hear it on this album. There is also what sounds like a bit of Beatles melody in the songwriting to me. Also you can hear her almost crying on every single line of the main part of this song.

Not my responsibility: This song has to be listened to with headphones. I think this is what was played during her concerts when she did the little reveal. I would not want the pressure she has at 19 to uphold this image while going through all the same stuff we all went through or go through at 19. This includes how we each deal with our own body image.

Overheated: This song really shows how Finneas and Billie bounce off one another. The lyrics are some of the best combination of radio play/replay-ability, and flow, on the album. It really follows the production queues of 90s rnb and early 00s pop where the beat and the lyrics build on one another. It even has a similar bubble like drum that Darkchild used a lot in the 00s but its more muffled under the stacked layers of production. Finneas really makes something sound more simple than it is because if you go into the breakdown of their songs its like over 40 lines of vocals alone at times with more drums and just layers upon layers.

Everybody Dies: Thanks for the depression reminder Billie. This is much more hopeful than her past tracks about depression though. It's like a "this to shall pass" song about depression.

Your Power: IS THIS THE SAME VERSION AS BEFORE? Yes it is haha. This song got so much more hate than it deserved like its really good. Also the mixing with over the ears is very full. It feels like you're in a room and the speakers are all facing you. Also, is it weird to say that a song feels warm because this song feels very warm.

NDA: This song is very honest because she is making people sign NDA's to protect herself. Which its a mess that you can't have a fling or one night stand at that level of success or fame because some people will use it against you. Yes this does make me think how much messy shit is being said or done in Hollywood but no one finds out because of non disclosure agreements. But, this isn't something young stars openly discuss that they do for protection and also so they don't get in trouble. Because unfortunately some people should probably have an NDA on themselves glares at a certain rapper.

Therefore I Am: Yesss the transitions are back !!! Also this song is a bop liked it even when it dropped as a single.

Happier Than Ever: this song is sad and happy and a mix of a lot BUT I would love to hear Billie run forward with a country rock album. The end of this song is so distorted and punchy like Paramore.

Male Fantasy: She's in her Lana era yall she's in her Lana era. Just kidding, but I wonder if Jack Antanoff is sitting here listening to this like 🤨. Yaknow Phoebe Bridgers writing with Billie would actually be super super cool. Phoebe and Co. (I.e. Julien and Lucy) along with Billie's breathiness, ooo thinking that would sound really good. Also the lyrics would physically hurt in a good way.

The album ends a bit too abruptly for my taste but I definitely give this a 3.8/4 out of 5 for sure.

♧ My personal ranking of the tracks from Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish:

Overheated

Goldwing

Billie Bossa Nova

Everybody Dies

Oxytocin (2:18 to the end)

Happier Than Ever

Billie Bossa Nova

My Future

Your Power (ranking it here because its a really really strong song even if it isn't my favorite)

Therefore I Am

Male Fantasy

Oxytocin (the rest of the song)

Not My responsibility

Halley's Comet

NDA

Lost Cause

Getting Older

[chaeryybomb]

JUNE COMEBACKS REVIEW

BLACKPINK: HOW YOU LIKE THAT

ngl I’m kinda sad bc a lot of y’all don’t like the song ;-; but I can’t do anything about it since it’s your opinion so

but I hope that people know the difference between hating and giving criticism saying the song sucks and that it’s trash music is straight up music

I can get why people are disappointed with the song since everyone wanted almost the same thing, “jennie getting a rap part”, “jisoo saying blackpink in your area” and a high note from rosé

personally I really like the song, to me it’s not the same as dddd and ktl tbh I think it’s different

plus I kinda expected it to be like that bc their songs usually follow that yg style ya know the only songs I say that don’t follow that stereotypical yg style is “love scenario”, “stay” and AKMU’s songs

i mean if you compare the song with other yg artists song, they all have the same vibe to it because of the “yg style” we always say

the song also gives me nct and skz vibes too, like specifically “punch” and “side effects” bc of the heavy edm and also bc their songs has been called noise before dhshd

but enough of that

I really like how the song starts calmly in the beginning and then it starts to be more aggressive

also I like the fact that each of the girls get a chance to say “how you like that”

lisa’s rap????? y e s

personally I feel like this time it had more of a fairer distribution, including lines and center parts

like jisoo actually gets some center parts in the dance break and chorus

i also really like the outfits this era, especially the modernized hanboks! though I have mix feelings about the pink wig dhshdh

speaking of hair, jennie!! she fucking dyed her hair!!!

and rosé is no longer blonde dhsjdj

the parts I found weird is when rosé says “look up in the sky it’s a bird it’s a plane” i have no idea how that fits in the song so

and the “dumdudurum” part at the end, it sounds out of place, like especially after it the song ends

i also think that this is their best choreography! right next to don’t know what to do

overall, I really like the song, if you don’t it’s fine! hylt has the most aesthetic mv’s I’ve seen and the outfits are so much better and it has been said that BLACKPINK’s old stylist left the company in January no not maeng

lisa’s fur coat outfit reminds me of yeji’s outfit in wannabe

would I say that hylt is their best song? no, I think playing with fire was their best song but it’s not a terrible song either

another I like is jisoo owning this era, say what you want, hylt is Jisoo’s era period.

STRAY KIDS: GOD’S MENU

what even is a concept anymore

we all thought it was going to be some street racer concept

buT NO

it’s a kung fu panda concept dhshdh

felix!!! my baby has lines !!!!

his demonic voice is bACK

hyunjin’s blond hair 😭😭

what the fUCK

the way he tied it up in a ponytail, like sir that is diSRESPECTFUL he really is jaebum’s son huh

okay okay on to the song

it honestly shocked me so much, like the rap parts were so aggressive like and the vocals are kinda angelic???

i really really like the pre-chorus, seungmin’s voice is just so !!!!! i also like seungmin+i.n’s little duet after felix’s part

spEAKING OF FELIX’S PART

“looking like a chef I’m a five star Michelin” bro that part is lowkey demonic looking in the dance

like mans pulled his knees up and put his hands through them while looking directly at you

does that not look demonic to you??? my friend said it reminded her of a spider dhshdhr

also the “dududu” part instantly reminded me of bp’s dddd dhshd like can someone edit a part of bp going “oh wait till I do when I hit you with that” and cuts to skz “DUDUDU”

the fact that no one has done it yet astounishes me

also what the fuck is that chain thing on Chan’s face, who put it there and why dhshd

bless whoever gave changbin dual contacts lens

AND WHO GAVE JEONGIN SLEEVELESS SHIRTS WHO ALLOWED THAT DHSHD

at first I found the choreography a bit funny bc they added like cooking gestures to it dhshd, like stirring the pot in the chorus but my favorite part of the dance is changbin’s part

the entire album was a bop okay, the fact that “god’s menu” wasn’t even the title track and they decided to change it, the fact that jyp has so much TRUST in bang chan also we get to see chan and sana being best friends uwu

“pacemaker” is literally “my pace” 2020 ver dhshd it even has the “nananana” part!

my favorites from the album is “TA”, “blueprint” and “haven”!!

also “easy”,,,, chan what did u do that it can’t be performed in shows

TWICE: MORE & MORE

wow girl groups are really being criticized this month huh

if y’all don’t know what happened with twice, a lot of people are criticizing twice for not singing live during their encore stages

a lot of them are especially going after momo

I’ve watched their encore stages and I don’t know why people are saying they sound bad???? maybe they need a better vocal coach but the fact that people are taking advantages of the situation just to hate on them smh

a n y w a y s

the song definitely gives a whole lot of “dtna” vibes bc of the tropical concept, its like “dtna” but the mature version

if “dance the night away” had an older sister, it would be “more & more”

also I really like the eve & adam concept, “more & more” is also another “creepy”ish song that is hidden behind a catchy tune, like “yes or yes” where ppl think it’s a cute song but the lyrics says otherwise

okay actually writing this out, it’s mv has “dtna” vibe but the song is so much like “yes or yes”

if you read the lyrics, the girls are basically saying that “no matter how hard you try to hide, you’re going to be mine again”

even in dahyun’s rap she says “I’m naturally selfish, I’m sorry if you didn’t know” and “you will fall for me, you can’t say no no”

it’s almost the same as her part in “yes or yes” where she says “there is no letters n and o” dhshdh sorry this becam a whole theory

back the real song review, I’m so glad that momo got a dance break! I think that this is their fairest line distribution yet. jeongyeon got her lines, dubchaeng got their rap parts and momo has a lot of center parts!!

and the girls look so much happier during their promotions especially tzuyu! she was smiling so much, maybe it’s because mina is with them and I’m so happy they get to perform as nine again

i really like their choreography and the part where they do the chest bounce is really satisfying idk why dhsdh

plus jeongyeon got better outfits this era cough feel special era cough

overall, I really like this comeback and it’s nice that nayeon got the high notes this time instead of jihyo

IZ*ONE: SECRET STORY OF THE SWAN

oh boy this is definitely my favorite song of this month

it’s so much different than their other songs!!!

and there’s so much to go on about!

wonyoung, minju, sakura and hyewon literally improved so much. im so proud of them !!!

hyewon, nako and sakua getting to sing the chorus??? y e s

chaeyena rap parts????? y e s

chaeyeon getting a dance break AND a high note???? Y E S

my favorite parts is eunbi+chaewon pre chorus wow I have a thing for pre choruses don’t I dhsh

i will say that this song vies the girls the chance to show how much they’ve improved throughout the eras, especially the j-line and visual line since a lot of people said they didn’t belong in izone

wonyoung and yujin's expressions are really on point as well

and yena's hip move dhshdhs

it's also rlly cute how eunbi throws confetti at her part dhshd

it’s refreshing to see how the girls improved

unfortunately, izone will be disbanding this year ;-; this is why I never liked the produce series

but we do have some ideas what will happen to the members though, we all know yena will be added into everglow, i having a feeling that eunbi and chaeyeon will be debuting as a soloist, they have so much potential plus the radiate chungha energy

nako, hitomi and sakura would most likely return to Japan, although I see sakura staying in korea to pursue an acting career and hitomi as a producer since she wrote some of izone’s songs

yuri might debut as a solo or debut in a new girl group as main vocalists, the same goes for chaewon

i see minju and hyewon going into acting careers and CF contracts, the same as kang mina, especially since minju is now an mc for music core

whereas for wonyoung and yujin, their both still young so I think they’ll finish school before re-debuting in groups plus yujin will be attending sopa

especially wonyoung, we all know that she’s actually really smart and is good at academics, i also think she might do modeling work, she fits the criteria

i also kinda see yujin pursuing an acting career because she will be in the theatre and film department in sopa. unless starship is going to debut a new girl group, I hope that yujin can debut as a soloist instead

WEKI MEKI: OOPSY

*inhales*

LUCY AND LUA FINALLY GETTING THE LINES THEY D E S E R V E D

I’m so happy dhshdhhs

also lua fits the short hairstyle so much, I’ve literally fallen for her help I can’t get up

as much as I love yoojung, it’s nice to see lucy rapping

the song is very catchy, I especially like rina’s part in the second verse of the song

i also love the “wolf & hunter” concept for the album

like the pictures were very beautiful, I also like how they use white for the wolves and black for the hunters, it’s like painting the hunters at the bad guys and the wolves as the good guys

I am in love with Lucy, Lua and Sei’s “nonono” part in the chorus

and the choreography for the chorus too

as much as I love elly’s blue hair, she slays in black hair dhshd I

I really love their outftis this era, i like how it’s all pants for the girls too

my favorite outfits are the black outfits from the gif

overall, this is definitely their fairest line distribution cough tika taka and dazzle dazzle cough

NATURE: GIRLS

this is my second favorite song of the month

I love the whole horror concept and I also like the fact that they released the uncensored version of the mv

it’s give the song much more of the horror vibe

I’m new to Nature and as far as I know, a member is stuck in China and another member sat out due to an injury. please correct me if I’m wrong

the outfits might be simple, but it fits so right with the song, I prefer the white dresses over the black ones

it kinda gives out the feeling that the girls are like asylum patients ya know, whereas the black dresses gives out that the girls are rich daughters that were sent away

I really like LU and Haru’s parts

the dance is also kinda a simple but it looks great!

overall, I hope that Nature will do this concept again, actually I hope to see more groups do this kind of concepts more

WAYV: TURN BACK TIME

did this comeback scare me? yes yes it did

bro the teasers were so scARY

yangyang was literally laughing like a mANIAC

MANS WAS IN AN ASYLUM OKAY

their teasers gave me so much suicide squad vibes

also, why the fuck were 4/7 members not wearing shiRTS

sm do you have a shirt shortage??? I’m sure nctzens are more than happy to donate some shirts to you

okay anyways, I’ve always liked wayv’s sci-fi concept, I don’t know if the mv’s are connected or not but I think they are

“take off” is them basically flying away from earth and they landed in space in “moonwalk” and it seems they have been captured in “turn back time”

very inch resting dhshd

listen, I may be chinese but I can’t understand 70% of the song because of how fast it goES

so with that saying, yANGYANG DID NOT COME TO PLAY

his rap was amazing !!!! he is definitely one of sm’s best rappers along with taeyong and mark

my favorite part is lucas and hendery’s rap parts and then it switches to xiaojun and yangyang + kun, ten and xiaojun getting highnotes

the dance break is so satisfying to watch too

“stop, rewind, turn back time” and “5432” part is so satisfying

also I’m really impressed with how fast LabelV responded when fans pointed out that some of the outfits had offensive phrases in them, they took the time to edit it out of the teasers and the mv, cheers to them

also! i find it funny that wayv released the Korean version of “turn back time” but all of us were much more shocked at the fact that Ten got another cat dhshd

SEVENTEEN: LEFT & RIGHT

first of all, dokyeom looks so gOOD IN THE MV

second of all, vernon and wonwoo’s “hana dul set” will forever be iconic

third, seungcheol is back 😭😭

just like twice, they get to perform as 13 again dhsjdsn

AND THEY LOOK SO HAPPY DURING THIS ERA TOO

LIKE HAVE YOU SEEN WONWOO?? HE’S SUCH A SMILEY BABY with his orange mic dhshd

also if y’all don’t have tiktok, svt has been doing the “left & right” with so many other idols including chungha and apink’s naeun!

haha joshua hong and wen junhui being real disrespectful with those sleeveless shirts

bonus point we got svt x nct china line + mark and joshua interaction at music bank

their choreography looks so fun too dhshd

the entire comeback is so cute and colorful

my favorite parts are vernon and seungcheol’s rap parts

also vernon be rocking that greaser style

their new album is so versatile, like, “fearless”, “left & right”, “kidult” and “my my”?? who’s doing it like seventeen

i love their new songs so much especially “kidult”

overall, I really really love this comeback

WJSN: BUTTERFLY

I couldn’t find a group scene gif pls forgive me

let me say, I am absolutely in love with the concept, the outfit concept for this is so creative, I don’t know if any other groups have done it before but !!

their outfits evovle like a butterfly!!

at first, the outfits were plain pastel colours but they slowly become more detailed and colourful throughout the stages, like a caterpillar to a butterfly!

center yeoreum!!!

and dayoung looks so pretty in short hair 🥺

and again, as far as I know, the Chinese members are in China, two of them are apart of the Chinese group Rocket Girl and I think Chengxiao recently returned to Korea

I really like their ending pose where their hands are in the butterfly gesture and the “wings” are slowly flapping

and how their arms represent their wings during the chorus

by far one of the moor creative comebacks in my opinion

also, it’s nice to hear soobin doing the high note instead of yeonjung, let yeonjung rest her voice once in a while ya know

SUNMI: PPORAPPIPAM

THE QUEEN IS BACKKK

also wonder girls reunion uwu

the teaser gave me so much "barbie: island princess" vibes so the entire mv was not what I expected

at all

the mv literally describes sunmi a lot, she basically does whatever the fuck she wants like when she posted that pic of jyp on instagram dhshdhs

it’s so funny especially the scene where sunmi is wearing the teletubbies head

and at the end when she wakes up and goes back to sleep is just a mood lmao

something about the song really gives me a lot of “siren” vibes but happier???

i really like the way she pronounces “pporappipam” it took me one week to finally pronounced it dhshd

idk why but I really like the instrumental, especially the intro, it’s very melancholic

also she wears converse while performing the song bc she has to step on the dancers at one part !!

speaking of that part, it’s so cool!!! the way she climbs up the dancers like stairs and then she just trust-falls into their arms

[bohrapbois]

Full Marks

CHAPTER 6 Description - Ben just so happens to fall head over heels for a Mysterious Man who loves baseball and cracking terrible jokes. Mysterious Man also turns out to be the father of one of Ben’s students. Warnings - Full blown relationship Hardzello, with plenty of angst, fluff and future smut. Word Count - 1,712

The paramedics took another ten minutes to arrive, but Ben hadn’t moved much. Allen had helped him move to sit upright against the filing cabinet, and although he was breathing unaided, his chest was burning from a shortage of oxygen. Although he tired, he just couldn’t get enough air in.

He was lifted onto the ambulance trolley, kept in a sitting position but strapped down across his lower abdomen and legs to hold him upright. An oxygen mask was placed over his face, and Ben couldn’t get enough of the cold air coming in. His nose had clotted up and his mouth wiped to ensure he wasn’t breathing in any dry blood. They began to wheel him out of the class.

Headmaster May stood there waiting, tears in his eyes as he smiled softly at Ben. Someone in his family was hurt, and he couldn’t do anything to stop the pain. Annita stood at his side, holding her husbands arm in comfort. Ben raised a heavy arm to let him know he was alright. They continued down the hallway, and Ben heard a familiar voice call out his name.

Craning his neck, he saw Beth clinging to Joes neck, sniffling as she watched through tearful eyes as Ben wheeled past her. Ben felt his own eyes well up, and it wasn’t helped by the obvious tear tracks staining Joe’s cheeks.

As they went through the main door, Ben caught a glimpse of Rami rushing from the car park, probably coming to comfort his family, but what caused more surprise was Gwilym running from the same parked car.

“Ben!” The Welshman rushed to the trolley, grabbing one of the barriers as the paramedics continued to walk. Another set of eyes scanned his injuries, and Ben wasn’t surprised by the chocked gasp. Everyone had the same reaction. Allen couldn’t even stop from wincing at each wheeze.

Ben grabbed Gwil’s hand, still not willing to talk, and nodded slightly at the paramedics question if he was to travel with them. Gwil and a paramedic climbed into the back, the other paramedic moving to the front with the driver. They didn’t expect his condition to worsen suddenly, so there was no need to crowd the back.

Ben eyed the equipment shuffling to the side as much as the restraints would allow him. He wasn’t overly fond of needles or medicine, would much rather sleep off a headache or cold rather than take a pill. Ben’s heart rate increased as the male paramedic began rifling through one of the draws, not calming when Gwil held his shoulder. He sighed in relief once a heart rate armband was pulled out. The medic made swift work of getting his blood pressure, muttering to himself as he made notes when he tested Ben’s pupils.

It wasn’t long until they arrived at the hospital, and Ben was wheeled into the E.R. Gratefully, Gwilym was allowed with him as they wheeled him into a spare section, pulling the curtain around to offer privacy.

“When I got a phone call,” Gwil fell into the uncomfortable plastic chair next to his bed, “from school saying you got attacked, I was about ready to hijack a car”. Ben chuckled (which turned into a wince) at the mental image of Gwil breaking the law. “I started running there instead”. The house was close enough to Animal Ark that Gwil saw no need of an extra expense of a car to get to work, rather he just walked. “I just got to the end of the road when a car stopped next to me, and low-and-behold, Green Eyes from the other day was leaning out of his window and telling me to get in”.

Ben raised his eyebrows as he continued to stare at Gwilym. He hadn’t been expecting that.

“I don’t know how he knew where I wanted to go, but I didn’t even say anything as we sped towards the school,” Gwil fiddled with the sleeve of his jumper. The thread was beginning to become loose from his distracted habit, and the blue material took all the taller mans attention. Ben hummed next to him, eyes also focusing on the sleeve and the two sat there for a moment, comfortable with one another.

Gwil was used to Ben needed company, and understood that sometimes it worked better when they were both silent. Just having a familiar presence near him would sometimes be enough to calm the blonds nerves. Ben would take the weight of the world on his shoulders and would never burden anyone else with his own, pressing problems. If he was in a bad mood, it has been known for the blond to purposefully look for the worst to give himself a reasoning. It was bad during university, and he missed lectures and seminars due to it, and although it’s gotten better over the years, he still needs that calming mind in stressful or hurtful situations. So here they sat, two best friends on foreign ground, one in need of medical aid and the other there for support, doing what they do best: being there for one another.

--------------------

A nurse had come around and done a brief medical overlook, followed by a doctor and another doctor. They all were shocked at the scales of the injuries but were relieved at the lack of deep damage. “You’ll be fine within three weeks-” doctor Two had said, “won’t be any long term side effects”.

Ben was discharged seven hours after first wheeling through the doors after some observations and blood tests. The oxygen levels in his blood weren’t cause for alarm and the medical staff were happy for him to leave with some prescribed medication and a check up appointment scheduled for the following week.

It was only when Ben and Gwil blinked into the dark outside that they realised that they had no way of getting back to theirs. “Shit,” Ben croaked out, having begun trusting his vocal chords and throat when they had been there for hour two, and could near enough speak normally if he ignored the shooting pain of bruised muscles. Nothing louder than a stage whisper at the moment but he’d get there.

“‘Shit’ indeed,” Gwil mumbled before pulling out his phone and looking up the local taxi service. Uber and Lyft weren’t in use around these small towns, but there were plenty of other taxi services around that would be willing to come pick them up at nearing three in the morning.

Gwil wandered off a few meters as he talked to the driver and gave the address, but Ben was just focusing on how cold it was. Wearing a dress shirt was a good idea for the disaster of a parents evening but not so much for standing outside an isolated hospital in the middle of fucking nowhere. If it wasn’t for Ben’s anxiety surrounding hospitals, he’d suggest that they go and sit in the waiting room, but most of the red plastic seats of the small room were occupied and Ben didn’t feel like sitting in a room with people in pain or on their deathbeds. So, shivering outside was the option.

His taller friend returned, and gave the estimated time of five minutes to him. They both knew that five minutes was being optimistic, and they were correct, because seventeen minutes later, a little silver Honda civic pulled up in front of them and they climbed in. The driver eyed the hand-print bruise on Ben’s neck but said nothing as he began driving back to their house.

It wasn’t long before they scraped together the right amount of change (and a little tip for the late night) and climbed out the car, shivering their way up the front porch and into the familiar presence of their home. Frankie went ballistic, sprinting from Ben’s room and colliding into her owner at full speed. Ben stumbled backwards as he rushed to grab his dog launching herself up his body, and he collided with Gwil, who also then stumbled back out the house. Now holding a wiggling dog in his arms (who was both whining at the absence of Ben and the smell of him whilst also wagging her tail so much that it was hurting Ben trying to hold her), Ben turned and apologised to Gwil, who just shrugged and made his way back inside and into the small kitchen. He placed the bag of medication on the counter top, far away back that Frankie wouldn’t be able to get to them, even if she climbed up again, before making the two of them drinks. Lemon and a generous amount of honey were loaded into Ben’s cracked Jurassic Park mug, and once the steaming water was added, the two shuffled the short distance to the sofa. Found in a charity shop, like most of the rest of the furniture, the old sofa had stains and dog fur embedded deep into its material. Frankie stayed close to Ben’s side, tucked between him and the arm rest and her watchful eyes viewed Ben’s hand movements every time he took a tentative sip.

They didn’t talk about much, Gwil mentioning how Lucy was trying to convince her boyfriend to adopt the three legged, half an ear kitten which had been brought in the week prior, but mainly they watched some of re-runs of a show that neither of them cared about. The only light other than the TV screen on was of the lamp in the corner of the room, placed carefully between the TV stand and bookcase. The warm light reminded Ben of how tired he was, and with heavy eyes, an hour after coming home, Ben uncrossed his legs, wished Gwil a goodnight, placed his mug on the counter and shut himself in his room, Frankie weaving between his legs the entire time.

The blond shrugged off his shirt and dropped his slacks, toeing off his shoes and socks before climbing into bed. He shifted around under the duvet, body aching from the events, but eventually he curled up in the corner in a nest of pillows and blankets and settled down for sleep. It was only then, when he was alone, that he let the tears flow.

I’m so sorry you’ll had to wait so long but thank you for sticking around! Although I am back, I’m afraid it won’t be scheduled posting as I’m unsure when I’ll be having the free time! BUT it would encourage me greatly if you were to leave encouraging messages/reblogs/tags to remind me to keep going

[kpoprambles00-blog]

MAMAMOO (마마무) - White Wind (9th Mini Album) [COMEBACK REVIEW]

[NOTE: I couldn’t fit in all the videos due to the video limit, so click/press the name of each song to go to YouTube and listen to it!]

There's a very well known saying that we often save the best for last. And yeah, that might not always be true, and I'm not trying to spoil my opinion right away, but... MAMAMOO took that saying to heart. HARD. I've loved the vast majority of what they've given us with the '4 seasons, 4 concepts' thing they've been doing for the last year or so - with their last album, Blue;S, admittedly being my least favourite, and Red Moon being my favourite. Yellow Flower was alright, with a few great songs here and there.

But White Wind? White Wind is THAT BITCH. AND I MEAN IT.

At this point this blog is basically composed of hyperbole and nothing else, but... holy fuck, this album. THIS FUCKING ALBUM. These sorts of releases are the reason I started this blog and these comeback reviews - every now and again we'll get to see something really special get released, and White Wind is one of those occasions. It's... the best thing MAMAMOO have ever done, period. And it absolutely shows why these girls are so damn popular. This is one of those albums that's making me proud to be a Moomoo since "Mr. Ambiguous". This is THEIR album. This is MAMAMOO's evolution if you ask me - this is where they go from a great group to a downright phenomenal one.

So I could wax on all day about how phenomenal this project is, or I could actually SHOW you why. And hey, that's what this blog is for, so buckle the fuckle up and get ready to have your wig fly to Mars.

I mean it. Get some glue for that shit, you're gonna need it.

1. WHERE R U

Any time I'm listening to a MAMAMOO song, and I hear Solar say this at the beginning:

🌟🌙✨C O S M I C ✨🌙🌟

I IMMEDIATELY LOSE MY SHIT. 'CAUSE THEN YOU KNOW THE SONG IS GONNA BE GOOD.

Cosmic Girl (formerly Lucy from RaNia) and Cosmic Sound have worked with MAMAMOO as composers and lyricists for quite a while now. But I'm now at the point where I'm convinced - CONVINCED, I TELL YA - that they cannot make a bad song for the girls. And "Where R U" serves to continue that trend!

It honestly fits the title of the album really well; there's some plucked strings and marimba-like notes in the instrumental that feel so damn breezy and relaxing. As well as this, the song's tempo is slow, but not slow enough that you're bored with it. "Where R U" is a very bright, smile-inducing song if I'm being honest. I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat the first time I listened to it, it's just damn delightful. It also helps that all four members sound like honest-to-god angels here. And hey, any song where Moonbyul sings more is a good song in my book!

The lyrics carry this very light-hearted feel to them, as well - they match the song perfectly. They're very sweet and heartfelt, but with emphasis on a lot of minute details that are super charming. It's not often that MAMAMOO actually do a lovey-dovey song like this, but when it's done right, it's very effective. And yeah, that's absolutely the case here! I like the lyrics a lot.

Do you want to eat and watch a movie? Just the two of us? The corners of my lips are curling up just thinking about it

All in all, I don't have a single bad thing to say about this song. It serves as a great introduction to the album, since it's slow and breezy yet pleasant at the same time. It's the perfect sort of song for a really summery day, to be honest - not the sort of sound I thought MAMAMOO would nail like they did here, but damn! I'm impressed. And that's just the start of this album. Oh boy.

2. GOGOBEBE (고고베베) [TITLE]

Not gonna lie, leading up to this song's release, I actually listened to all of the teasers - which is something I very rarely do - and I got hyped. It all sounded a bit more hip-hop inspired than most of MAMAMOO's title tracks, and the vocals sounded out of this world (as per normal). So when the song actually came out, and it was THIS good? Yeah, I was floored from the word "go".

I remember reading an interview where the girls themselves said "Gogobebe" is "a term that means everyone should just play, go, and enjoy themselves". And yeah, that certainly comes across here! There's playful acoustic guitars scattered around the instrumental, some really bouncy synths, a STRONG bassline, and choruses that just fucking explode towards the end of the song. Seriously, this is the sort of song you'd blast at a party at 2am, and the entire room would start singing along - think "Mr. Brightside", but not on the same level of recognition, obviously. That shouty "뻔뻔하게 놀아 미친 듯이 즐겨" section in the choruses is AWESOME.

I feel like this is the first title track we've had where MAMAMOO get to show off their personalities a bit more, too? Like, we all know how upbeat and playful these lovable idiots are, but that's mainly shown off in their side tracks - like "Taller Than You" or "Sleep in the Car". But here, their personalities are on clear display. This is a song they can have fun with, and that absolutely comes across in both the MV and the live stages. And when the song is this contagious, it catches on fast - just listening to "Gogobebe" puts me in a really good mood!

The playful/party theme of the song is carried over really well into the lyrics, which are also about just enjoying yourself and not caring about what comes tomorrow. There are a few stellar lines in there though, especially in Wheein's introduction and Moonbyul's second rap - apparently Solar and Moonbyul both helped write the lyrics, and if that's the case, consider me very impressed! They're a really fun and uplifting. (Also "너와 나의 mix and match" is A DAMN GREAT LINE. Thank you very much.)

The people who talk too much Always die first in the movies So raise up your self-love

So the song and lyrics are great, but what about the choreography? Honestly, I feel like MAMAMOO haven't had that many stellar choreographies; they're more focused on their songs and performances. Which is completely fine, that's just their style - but I'll be damned if they didn't knock it out of the park for "Gogobebe".

NOTE: The choreography in the video below is mirrored, so it's actually the wrong way around! There isn't an official dance practice for this song, so this is the best I could find.

That's mainly because they got Mina Myoung from 1MILLION dance studio to do the choreography here; and her skill in choreographing shows massively. There's a lot of pretty complex footwork and fast movements here, and yet the girls look flawless doing it! My favourite part is honestly the "9 slash 6" section after that second chorus - MAMAMOO go OFF and I am living for it. There's just a lot of complex details and touches here that make the routine so fun and pleasing to watch - they all make it look so easy, too, which, hoo boi that's not the case once you learn it. It's tough, but in the way that I love!

And hey, the girls even visited the studio to perform it with Mina when she taught it for a class. That's adorable. 😄 (Also HOLY SHIT WHEEIN. GO OFF GIRL. MAIN DANCER COMING THROUGH.)

Yeah, "Gogobebe" was fucking amazing. It's definitely up there with MAMAMOO's best title tracks, if you ask me - it's got the right blend of charm and charisma yet some silliness as well, and if that doesn't sum up the girls I don't know what will. I really hope they keep this momentum going, cause goddamn, I'll be a proud Moomoo if they do. :,)

3. WAGGY (쟤가 걔야)

Not gonna lie, when I saw the title of this song for the first time, I immediately thought "CHOO CHOO JOKE SONG TERRITORY HERE WE COME". And while that isn't completely false, it's definitely not completely true either. The jokiness of this song comes across more in the live stages than the actual song itself, since "Waggy" is actually an adorable little love song! And when I say adorable, I mean ADORABLE. This shit nearly gave me a goddamn cavity.

Let me be clear when I say that cutesy songs like this normally aren't my thing - I often find that unless they do something unique with their cuteness, I'll be bored with them veeeeeery quickly. But thankfully, describing your crush like a little puppy who follows you everywhere is JUST the sort of unique charm I look for in these sorts of songs. It's a memorable metaphor, and IT'S JUST TOO DAMN CUTE, MAN.

There's also the fact that the song itself is infernally catchy; the drum beat matches how my head was bopping along when I listened to it for the first time! It's honestly very reminiscent of Animal Crossing for me, since the soundtrack in those games is very similar to "Waggy"; full of acoustic guitars, simple rhythms and nice little songs you hum the melody to every now and again. I'm... honestly quite disappointed that this didn't blow up amongst young kids like iKON's "Love Scenario" did - it's adorable, and not that complicated either! There's also the fact that when the girls try to be cute, it either works, or ends up being hilarious (for example: Solar's little animal impressions in that bridge. I was ROLLING).

The lyrics are certainly another one of this song's assets, if you ask me. This is already "Puppy Love: The Song", and the lyrics definitely fit that theme! I'd love to know if the girls were able to keep straight faces whilst recording this, because I feel like there would've been a few laughter fits here and there... But like I mentioned before, that comparison of your crush to a puppy is the best part of this song. Hands down. My heart has melted and I'm surprisingly okay with it. ALSO HWASA SINGING IN FRENCH HOLY FUCK.

Woof woof woof, follow me upstairs, puppy When you follow me around You're seriously so cute

Y'know what the cherry on top for this song is, though? The live performances. Go watch them and then try to tell me that MAMAMOO are a deadly serious group. Hwasa looks like the friend that got dragged into everything because she lost a bet, and it's hilarious. 😂

But I don't think there's much else I can say about "Waggy"! It's got the perfect mix of jokiness and cuteness to be memorable, and it's irresistibly fun to boot. And catchy. Seriously, I've had this stuck in my head for weeks. Help.

4. 25 (WHEEIN SOLO)

All I can say is: IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME.

A lot of Moomoos caught on quite quickly that each member would get one solo per album; Hwasa had a solo on Yellow Flower, Moonbyul had hers on Red Moon, and Solar had hers on Blue;S. BUT NOW IT'S WHEEIN'S TURN. If you ask me she's the most underappreciated member in MAMAMOO! And yet, while this doesn't live up to "Moderato", her other solo - but let's be real, what can - it's still a pretty solid track that acts as a nice interval to the album itself. And hey, Hash Swan isn't in this, so that already makes me happy! (Seriously, that guy's voice is insufferable... couldn't RBW have picked someone else???)

Similarly to "Where R U", "25" has a very chill, relaxed vibe going for it, with some atmospheric guitars and echoing vocals in the instrumental. I really like the triplet/sped-up rhythm of the lyrics in the verses, too - they give the song a nice bit of flavour where it's needed most. And obviously, the star here is Wheein; her vocals are no joke, she's the best vocalist in MAMAMOO in my opinion. But I do unfortunately feel like the song runs a bit short? It feels like she was hampered a bit, and I don't like that very much. She deserves her time to shine, too. But either way, she's still got a gorgeous voice, and she does get her chance to at least show that.

But aside from Wheein's voice, the lyrics to this song are my favourite thing about it. I never expected Wheein to take such a mature angle! And yes, she helped write the lyrics for this, go figure. Wheein actually talks about the topic of growing up, and trying not to lose your innocence and curiosity as you become an adult. She fully admits that growing up is, at times, not something she wants to do - she just wants to curl into a ball and not have to face adulthood. But eventually you get used to it - you adjust, you adapt, and you become more comfortable with the person you are (as well as who you'll be in the future). It's... surprisingly deep? Yet really, REALLY beautiful at the same time. They really changed my opinion on the song, actually! I went from being lukewarm on it to really, really liking it.

At times, I don't want to grow up Like the natural days I want to talk about it myself, but it's hard

"25" ultimately ended up being a song I really enjoyed - and yes, that's largely because of both Wheein's vocals and those amazing lyrics. The song itself does run a bit short, and I do still think it had a lot more room to develop, but what we got in the end is of an insane quality. Wheein should really try her hand at songwriting more, because if this is the sort of thing she's going to write, I'd love to hear what else she can come up with. 👌

5. BAD BYE

Ohhhhhh man, now we're getting into the part of this review where I just start to gush.

Everything we've had so far is either insanely high-quality, or memorable enough to become one of my favourite MAMAMOO songs - but now we're going into ballad territory. And THAT is where MAMAMOO apparently decided to step things up a notch, and turn this album from a good one into a great one.

All I can really say about "Bad Bye" is this: if you haven't done so already, listen to it. Just... listen. Sit there, listen to it in its entirety with no interruptions and preferrably a good pair of headphones, and just take it in. I can 100% GUARANTEE you that you will cry. Even if you've never been through a breakup, even if you can't understand the lyrics - that doesn't matter. I promise you, this song will leave you bawling. If you're not crying by the end, you'll certainly be close to it. And yes, that's largely because of the song itself and its execution, but what really put me over the edge was THE MOTHERFUCKING VOCALS.

People always categorise MAMAMOO as a "vocal group", right? Because of their power and technique, and the fact that pretty much all of the members can sing? I've always felt that title was fitting - but holy SHIT, this is taking it to a new level. Not only are Moonbyul's raps full of anger and raw emotion, Hwasa, Solar and Wheein fucking nail it vocally - THOSE ADLIBS, MAN. THOSE ADLIBS. They legitimately left me in tears here.

I cannot wait to see clips of this from their upcoming concerts, because if they sing this live? ...I may just collapse to be honest. "Bad bye" is so beautifully done, and so emotionally performed on the girls' part that it's breathtaking. And really, really damn heartbreaking, too. It's one hell of a sincere ballad. The instrumental has a part to play there too, because even though there are very skittery trap snares throughout, they never overpower the really emotional piano line - they never feel like a distraction, and they actually end up giving the song a good rhythmic base. But yeah, they're nothing but background to the girls' vocals, which are honestly some of the best in the industry. Fight me.

But if your heart wasn't broken from just listening to the song, don't worry! There's lyrics to help with that! Moonbyul once again helped on the writing here, and the lyrics end up being just as emotionally charged as the song and vocals. It's like the icing on top of a really depressing cake - but in a good way. There isn't a dull moment in them, they're as descriptive and heart-wrenching at the end as they were at the start.

Stop trying to comfort me now, I'm holding back tears I'm afraid of it being the end if I turn my back I can't go, I can't do it - tell me this isn't it

I could go on forever about "Bad bye", honestly. It's just... perfect in the saddest way possible. THIS is the sort of magic I look for in ballads; this has so much legitimate feeling and so many emotions to it that it makes you emotional regardless of whether or not you understand the words. I really didn't think they'd blow me away this much late into the album, but... man, was I wrong. As I'm typing this, their concert is taking place tonight (April 19th) - and I know I said it earlier, but I'm saying it again. I DESPERATELY need to see a live performance of this song. Please. 😭

Y'know what else I need a live performance of, though?

6. MY STAR

BITCH, YOU'RE ASKING ME TO PUT MY FEELINGS FOR THIS SONG INTO WORDS?

Hooooooooo man.

This song made me FEEL things, y'all. IT STILL DOES.

Again, once we were blessed with that "Cosmic" namecall at the beginning, I was excited. Really, really excited. I know Cosmic Girl & Sound make phenomenal MAMAMOO songs, so this was going to be great, right?

BITCH, WRONG. IT WAS GOING TO CHANGE YA DAMN LIFE.

We're only four months into the year. FOUR. MONTHS. And I may have found my side track of the year. Because "My star" is fucking insane. It, once again, left me in tears - but not because the song was emotional. I was in tears from how fucking shook I was whilst listening to this. This song goes haaaaaaaaaard. The bass and drumline in this song is SO damn powerful, the really creepy synths are right up my alley, the hand claps are hype as fuck, and THEM VOCALS. LET ME FUCKING TALK ABOUT THEM VOCALS. Because the girls all sound jaw-droppingly good, but... I need to call someone out real quick.

SOLAR.

MOTHERFUCKING KIM YONGSUN.

BITCH?!?!? WHERE WERE THESE VOCALS HIDING????

Did y'all even HEAR that fucking F6?! LIKE. FOR REAL?! KE$HA IS (majestically, like the queen she is) QUAKING.

Those adlibs... that was a fucking spiritual experience. My soul has left this plane of existence because of those high notes. Looks like she heard that I thought Wheein was the best vocalist in MAMAMOO and decided to fucking change my mind, good LORD.

Another huge thing for me is that this song has sustained my hype for it SO DAMN MUCH. Often, I'll love a song to death once I first hear it, but then it'll wear off over time. But "My star" is so good that that hasn't happened!! It is not only one of the best Cosmic tracks the girls have, but THE BEST B-side MAMAMOO have done. Period. It rivals "Midnight Summer Dream" from Red Moon for me.

And hey, speaking of "Midnight Summer Dream", this song also carries a creepy vibe! Now, unlike "Midnight Summer Dream", I don't think that creepy vibe is intended on "My star". But goddammit, read this song's lyrics and listen to those distorted/reversed synths during Solar's first verse, and tell me you don't immediately think 'stalker girlfriend'. This is a yandere anthem and y'all can't change my mind. IT'S CREEPY AND I LOVE IT. I really want to see a yandere MV for this. PLEASE, RBW. MAKE MY DREAMS COME TRUE.

But every time I breathe, [and] my heart is beating I can't feel it through you I wanna be your love

So don't mind me. I'm just going to go listen to this song for the millionth time and cry over how good it is. And also Solar's falsetto.

UPDATE [21/04/2019]:

THEY ACTUALLY FUCKING WENT AND PERFORMED IT LIVE.

The best video I can find of it right now is this Wheein fancam but I DON'T CARE. THEY ACTUALLY DID IT.

QUEEEEEEEEEEEEEENS.

7. 4SEASON (OUTRO)

...you know an outro is good when I want it to be a full song.

And that NEVER happens with me. I very rarely listen to intros/outros and go "huh, this would be nice as a full song". But that happened with "4season"! It's so nice and chill, literally perfect for listening to in a coffee shop of some sort. It's very short, of course, but the blaring synths and the trap snares actually make a really cool, atmospheric outro. And, as always, all four girls sound phenomenal. It's MAMAMOO, is that really surprising to you at this point?

Since the song is so short, the lyrics are going to be quite minimal as well. But the lyrics here remind me a lot of "Daydream" from Dreamcatcher's recent album - they seem to be a thank-you of sorts to the Moomoos. And I love stuff like that - it's super heartwarming when an idol/group does it, to be honest. If you're a Moomoo, you know how much MAMAMOO really do care for their fans, and that just makes this all the sweeter. :,)

One by one, build up [the] good memories and walk Walk together You and me

"4season" ultimately serves as both a great outro to "White Wind" as an album, and the '4 seasons, 4 colours" project as a whole! And godDAMN, what a way to end it. I wasn't kidding when I said this album is the best of the 4. It's skyrocketed its way to my list of favourite MAMAMOO albums, and I can't wait to own this physically. It's 100% worth it. 😊

ALL THE SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW: Where R U Gogobebe (고고베베) Waggy (쟤가 걔야) 25 (Wheein Solo) Bad bye My star 4season (Outro)

COVER IMAGE CREDITS: Wind transparent background by KissPNG

[tonguetiedmag]

interview: sleep on it

With only a few shows left of their final club tour of the year, I chatted with Teddy Horansky (guitar, vocals) of Sleep On It before their performance in Denver about his newfound love for photography, Sleep On It’s most underrated song, and future music-- as well as some potential headline shows.

How are you?

Good! I’m very tired today. Just driving catching up with us--we drove overnight, but excited to be here!

Definitely a hard drive to and from Denver.

Yeah, it was just a far drive and we’re not sleeping that much, but it’s gonna be a good show; it’s sold out, and I’m happy to be here.

Good! Get any sleep last night?

Got a couple of hours in the van and a couple hours at our friends but it’s kind of sporadic. We’ve got a day off tomorrow which is good!

What are you guys doing?

Driving to salt lake ... this time we’re playing a venue we haven’t actually played before, Kilby court ... I’ve heard it’s outside but I don’t know for sure... I hope it’s not.

I hope it’s not either, for everyone’s sake! You guys always talk about promoting an inclusive environment at your shows, so I’m curious how you’ve seen the effects of that and how it’s affected fans?

I’ve always been in the mindset of a little bit goes a long way, just with talking to everyone at the end of the night, and making sure everybody is having a good time, we just try to promote that. And on stage; we try to have a very welcoming, inclusive environment, we want people to feel welcomed and safe at our shows. I think we’ve taken cues from other bands, we’re not the first one to do this stuff, but bands like the Maine go out of their way to have a close connection with the fan base. I think that ultimately makes fans of that band for life. It’s just something about that connection and being accessible.

Have you ever had fans comment on it? Either to you, or thanking you for it?

Yeah, all the time! We’ve got sleepyhead, that’s our street team, we’ve got a Facebook group and people post about it all the time in there. ..Obviously we can’t fix anything [messed up things in the world] but we can provide that safe space, it’s somewhere to go and have a good time for a few hours.

What’s your favorite thing about playing club shows?

Intimacy. Playing at warped tour and stuff you’re outside and it’s open air, and it’s cool and fun, but being really close to the fans in front of us on stage and that intimacy, we all feed off of that energy. Playing venue shows and just seeing that reaction right in front of you gets a little crazy and gets us feeling alive.

It’s your first club tour since Luka[drums] hurt his shoulder. How has it been having him back?

It’s amazing. It’s not really Sleep On It without Luka, and our friend Eric did a really great job filling in, but it’s obviously a situation we don’t want again-- we want to make sure Luka stays healthy. I would say he’s the “soul” of Sleep On It; his energy, his character, and he’s a phenomenal drummer. It feels good, it feels very natural.

What have you been listening to on drives?

Lately I’ve been listening to this podcast called “Lead Singer Syndrome” with Shane[Told] from Silverstein, where he interviews other bands, and that’s really cool. I feel like I, more than most of the guys listen to weird different stuff. I’ve been listening to the new J. Cole record a lot, there’s a lot of hip-hop I really like--I really like Kendrick Lamar and Vince Staples and stuff like that. So I’ve been listening to that a little bit more,[and] a lot of people are putting out their end of the year best albums, so I’ve been trying to find more albums[that way].

Like the “Spotify Wrapped” stuff?

Yeah! That, and just people posting their top 10 albums of the year. I’m admittedly not the best at finding new stuff, so end of the year lists are really great because everyone loves all these records, so I check them out. I was also listening to boygenius yesterday which is Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers and another person[Lucy Dacus]...[they’re] not a supergroup but a side project thing, so that’s been cool.

Overexposed came out a year ago. Do you guys have plans to headline that album?

We’re going on tour with another band in the spring as direct support, hopefully we’ll be announcing that very soon. Two weeks after this tour is done we start recording LP2... I’ve been writing a lot [and] it’s been such a different process from writing Overexposed ; like we had a really long time to write it—everyone says you have your whole life to write your first record, and in a sense it’s kinda true, but this is the first time we’ve wrote a record while we’ve been touring a lot. ..I had some time before Warped Tour where I wrote a lot, and now I’m trying to write more and more and I feel pretty good about it. We’re going out to LA to do the record in January, so there’s talks of a headliner next year-- nothing is confirmed yet and there’s a lot of things up in the air, but we would definitely love to do some headlining shows next year.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not doing music?

Travelling. I love to travel, my girlfriend is a flight attendant so we love to take trips when we can--went to Tokyo earlier this year, that was really sick. We went out to Boston for a few days to visit my grandparents. I’ve also gotten into photography this year- I got a film camera for Christmas and had never done photography in my whole life, but I wanted to, and film photography just seemed really interesting to me... It coincides with—I like to travel, and now I like to take pictures, so it helps me experience wherever I am a bit more when I have my camera with me. I love doing that, and also just spending time with my girlfriend, my family and stuff like that. Exercise, which admittedly has taken a backseat recently with all the band stuff going on, but I try to stay active and physically fit as much as possible.

That’s really important, especially I’m sure with living in a van however much of the year.

Yeah, just mentally[it’s important].

In your opinion, what’s your most underrated song?

I think the title track from Overexposed . I don’t know, I mean people still like it—that’s one of our favorite songs, we like playing it live. We haven’t played it live in a while so it’s hard to say if it’s underrated or not, but I think that song is really awesome and hopefully we’ll be able to play it. If we do any headline shows next year I’m sure that’s one we’d like to play.

Where have you guys played it before?

I feel like we played it on the Four Year Strong tour last year, a while ago. We played it before the record even came out, it’s just a fun song to play live— and tours like this where we’re support, our sets are short so we’ve gotta play the hits.

Since Overexposed came out your guys fan base has grown quite a lot. How have you adjusted to that?

It’s been great. I feel like it continues to grow every day, especially being on tour out here. I just love seeing positivity, the community of the fan base. We really try to cultivate a fan base that’s really supportive of each other, so that’s super rad. We would love to play overseas next year, I feel like it could definitely happen, and expand that fan base internationally. It’s just been humbling—it’s a good thing.

And for Tongue Tied’s signature question— how would you describe your music to someone who can’t hear?

I would say it’s rock, it’s upbeat, it can be aggressive but also pop-driven, and that we try to be very honest lyrically; writing about songs dealing with sadness, but also hopeful songs—I think somewhere in there is what we sound like.

Check out Sleep On It online:

https://www.sleeponitband.com

https://www.facebook.com/sleeponitband/

https://twitter.com/SleepOnItBand?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Interview by: Liz Holland

[adrienzviaguine]

The last lines of Rome.

Title : The last lines of Rome.

Rating : T for this chapter may change.

Genre : Drama/Romance/Urban Fantasy/Uchronie/Friendship/Mistery/Adventure.

Synopsis : It has been sixteen century since the eternal city and its western empire have fallen. Though the East had held strong, all of them had stayed where they lived. Now, the old Magical lineage of Rome has been dwindling. Lucy Julia Heartfilia dreams of finding the legendary tomb of her ancestor, Juli, son of Enee, the last prince of Troy. But finding it may prove to be the easiest part of her destiny.

A/N : Firstly, I am making no promise of making this a long story, and I probably won't include really angsty thing until later on. Secondly, this will have a happy ending. Don't like that? Don't care. I've been trough too much shit not to do this. Thirdly, I deeply apologize for every error in English, as some of you may know, I am French. Enjoy!

______________________________________________

Prologue...

A young woman, barely twenty of age, woke up in cold sweat, breathing ragged. Eyes wild. Her pupils were dilated to the point where her warm brown eyes only seemed black and lifeless.

Slowly, her breathing softened and her eyes regained their usual brightness. She looked over her right, to her clock signaling the time to be 5:40 a.m.

She sighed.

Another strange dream. Another delirious night. Still the same one that came and took her away from her friend Natsu's company. A message on her phone.

Dragon boy : You okay? Saw u get dragged again from our meadow 2nigth... You should talk 'bout it to your mom or aunt. May be able to help you.

She quickly grabbed her little magically powered apparel and typed with nimble fingers her reply. It read :

Me : Yeah I'll probably talk about it with Aunt Anna. She's really the more knowledgeable witch between her and mom, even though she is the youngest... And since I'm officially of age, they'll finally tell us why we have had dream together since forever!

She closed her phone and slipped out of bed. Her nightgown magic keeping her warm even in the cold London winter. They lived in the same spot her family had settled when they had branched out of the main Julia family around 300 B.C.

She walked into her private bathroom and did her usual morning business. A little cat wash, cream for the skin and finally a go to the restroom. There was a lot of repetitivity in her life, but she was mostly fine with it.

Unlike Natsu who lived in Alexandria Egypt, and who was always going on an adventure or another with his Father Igneel, Mother Grandine and sister Wendy, she was more sedated and enjoyed a lot more reading the thousands of thousands of books held in her ancestral home.

Natsu older than her by 10 month, since she was born the first of July 1981 and her was born the firthy-first of August 1980. Natsu also had an older brother named Zeref who was going to become the head of the Claudia Dragneel family.

As she was putting on sweatpants and a T-shirt, she recieved a new message from her oldest friend.

Dragon boy : Lucky you... Igneel is on business trip with Zeref so that he can take over the estates when he'll retire. I'll have to wait at least three weeks!

Me : Maybe not! Igneel knows it's my birthday! He'll have surely come home to explain it to you properly.

Dragon boy : *snort loudly* yeaaaah! As if my old man ever remembered birthday! The only one he never forgets is my mom and your mom! Even his brother-in-law he forget!

Me : He always remembered mine though... I recieved a little of pocket money from him each time.

Dragon boy : Lucky you Lucy.

Lucy snorted at the old joke. She had told him once that she had been named Lucy because her mother had wanted to name her after an old Roman proverb and he had made it into a running gag.

Me : Anyway I gotta go. Tell your mom and sister I said hi and don't forget to brush your teeth after breakfast!

Dragon boy : that was one time! You can't keep on using it!

Me : sure I can flamehead, bye ~!

She closed her mobile after muting it and darted toward the kitchen area where she met... Her mother, Father, Aunt and Grandma?

All of them were looking at her with both excitement, weariness and happiness.

"What's with the scary faces? She asked startled.

-Sit Lucy, Igneel will tell Natsu as we speak." Said her grandmother Agripine.

Ah... So they were gonna explain to her what was happening with her dreams with Natsu. Yeah that makes sense.

She sat gingerly, anticipation and excitement even richer in her eyes than in her family.

"You have to promise Lucy to not interrupt. Said Layla gravely. When Lucy nodded she pursued. As you know, the Julia and Claudia family, in the non magical branch, have fused to be the first dinasty of Rome since the Etruscan kings. Lucy nodded. So we have decided, that is, me and Igneel, to reunite our two family after seven century of no relation. To this effect, we placed, through a ritual, a bonding of souls on you and Natsu."

Lucy was shocked. So shocked in fact that her face was gaping and her arms dangling to her sides.

"What this ritual does is allow you to share a deep intimity when together, and dream of your own personal world. It will also allow you to communicate over long distance through your thoughts when both of you will be fully aware of the bond." Said Anna. She seemed to wait for something so Lucy nodded. Satisfied, she continued : "You need to understand that the bond cannot, will not, create love automatically between you two. The only thing it does is make it easy for the transition and create a good and fertile soil to grow a new tree on."

Lucy was shocked, but the feeling was recessing to only leave a burning anger... and hurt. She stood up suddenly, making Jude jump in surprise, whereas the three heartfilia women weren't even slightly impressed.

Lucy was preparing herself to go on a very loud and vocal tirade about them having no right to do so, but instead, fell back in her chair, put her head in her palms and gave a weary and downtrodden sigh.

"When do I leave for Alexandria? She asked defeated.

-Never dear! Exclaimed Layla, horrified by the thought only. It is Natsu that is joining our family! Not the other way around!

-Really my niece, I thought you knew that the Heartfilia were a Matriarchal line? After all, it takes a lot to make a Julia woman bend the knees and it only got more impossible with our new name.

-Anna! Be nice! Lucy was just given a life changing news, and we can be happy for the fact that Natsu is such a good man. Look at is borther! Neck deep in the dark arts! But then the Claudia always were interested in that shady business.

-And you tell me to be nice? Mother... you really haven't changed."

While her aunt and Grandma fought like always, her mother and father came to sit beside her and smiled. Well her, her father seemed quite sad, her mother too it seemed, but they still tried to comfort her. Like they always did when she was unsure.

The truth was, she often thought herself too soft. Too kind. Perhaps even naive. She was an easy crier, and a less bold character than the other members of her family. She felt weak and too anxious to make her way into the world just yet.

"Are you alright my little star-bright?" Asked Layla. Her eyes full of absolute, all-consuming love for her only daughter.

The nickname came from Lucy's favourite bedtime story when she was just a baby. The story of the lost merchant, who through the help of Aquarius the water bearer and at the demand of Leo the Lion, were able to deliver the grains needed for the bread of Rome after being lead astray by a tempest.

"Mom... Dad... I... I don't know what to say... she mumbled.

-take your time sweetheart. Said her father, Jude. Her mother hummed an old lullaby softly.

-I... Don't know if it will work but... I, thank you for giving me this bond with Natsu... I may not... like why it was. But I couldn't imagine my life without him to annoy me every night."

Your not a ray of sunshine either Lulu.

She screamed when a voice, and a feeling of boredom and sincere endearing came to her.

The fuck Lucy! It's me! Natsu!

Natsu?

Yeah!

"Are you alright Lucy? Asked Anna and Agripine at the same time.

-Aunt Anna... Natsu just talked to me. It surprised me, is all.

-it shouldn't. Anna said, frowning. Couldn't you feel his presence immediately?

-Yes, but his voice was different... Yours too Lucy now that you say it. She heard Natsu say.

-Different how? Deeper? Higher?

-No! More... Real. Kind of. It's like his previous voice was just a recorded one from my message box, and this one, is actually face to face. Anna seemed stupefied.

-Impossible... Only ever heard tales... Lucy. What you just experienced, is not thought exchange. It is soul sharing. And it means two things. One, both of you are extremely powerful. Two...

-Two? Whispered Lucy.

-Two, you are already in love.

[brothermarc7theatre]

“The Last Five Years”

Palo Alto Players has not let the pandemic get in the way of bringing real-life married couple, Marah Sotelo and Chris Sotelo, to the stage for a beautifully directed, sung, and filmed production of The Last Five Years. This partly autobiographical musical of composer Jason Robert Brown’s former marriage portrays five years of a relationship. The twist: the female partner, Cathy, begins her tale at the end of the relationship while the male partner, Jamie, begins at the start. With just a duet that unites the two, the audience’s main focus is on the individual journey, success, and struggles each partner faces. Mr. and Mrs. Sotelo have delivered a performance which makes you forget you’re streaming the production so that you may enjoy the subtleties of what makes a couple come together and break apart.

Director Patrick Klein and Vocal Director Dolores Duran-Cefalu have created a tight-knit production of The Last Five Years, one that shows the intimacies of the script and storytelling gravitas of the score. Having seen a fair amount of productions of this particular musical over the years, including the movie adaptation, I can safely say it is generally a deeper production when the stage couple is a real-life couple, and this production stays true to the pattern. Mr. and Mrs. Sotelo execute Mr. Klein’s smooth direction with ease, weaving real life intricacy into the script that only a couple who are going through life together can effectively deliver. Mrs. Sotelo’s search for her name in Jamie’s first book during “A Part of That”—all the while backdropped with Mr. Sotelo’s happy headshot, during the song’s repeat of the title lyric—is a moment of devastating denial which Mrs. Sotelo delivers with heartbreaking nuance. 

(Chris Sotelo (Jamie) and Marah Sotelo (Cathy); Photo credit: Henry Wilen)

The staging, paired with Scott Ludwig’s technical and scenic designs, puts the couple in a boat, and then in front of a beautifully decorated altar during the couple’s duet, “The Next Ten Minutes.” The visual and vocal chemistry shared by the Sotelos almost makes those familiar with the piece hope the ending has changed simply because the love is potent in the best of ways.

Individually, both shine royally when the time calls for it. Mr. Sotelo is great in “A Miracle Would Happen,” pairing vocal storytelling with expressive reactions to every female temptation crossing his eye line. Pairing well with that song is Mrs. Sotelo’s turn at “When You Come Home With Me,” which showcases her legit vocals and musical comedy chops as Cathy questions every decision she has made which led up to her current audition. Jamie’s recitation of a portion of his best-selling book, the longest speech given without music in the play, is given specific attention by Mr. Klein, seizing this more-quiet moment to place Mrs. Sotelo just above Mr. Sotelo’s shoulder looking on as he delivers the analogous passage with the right doses of expression and inflection. He later nails his final “me, me, me” song in the hauntingly gas-lit “If I Didn’t Believe in You,” giving the audience a chance to see Jamie’s regret of every decision he made that led him to committing to Cathy. However, it is the one-two punch of Mr. Sotelo’s energetic, superb delivery of “The Schmuel Song” followed by Mrs. Sotelo’s glorious “A Summer in Ohio” which serves as the production’s strongest sequence. 

Abby May has designed a wonderful lighting palette which sets the moods with simplicity and pleasing washes for each progression of the couple’s relationship. Jeff Grafton and Grant Huberty team up to execute a solid sound design and videography job, allowing audiences to enjoy the play’s theatricality while being invited in closer to the softer moments, closer than if we were sitting in the Lucie Stern Theater itself. All this is to say that Palo Alto Players has provided a production that will satisfy your theatrical hunger and distract you from “Zoom” fatigue. You have until February 14th to purchase your digital ticket and enjoy this sublime production; do see this show!

[antonialivingstonelma32]

AUDITIONING

How prior knowledge helped me to succeed in the auditions.

In regards to the auditions, I felt I had an advantage in the way of approaching the show material given to us in the audition pack. I already knew the shows soundtrack, and I was aware of the different characters and the roles they played in the show. “Heathers is not an ordinary nostalgic teen comedy flick. Murder lurks around every corner in the film, but the emphasis is on black humour, not violence.” (Huering, 1988). What I found useful in understanding the story was initially watching the movie of Heathers from 1988 and then proceeding to watch a bootleg of the off-Broadway musical and comparing characters. I wanted to get to terms with the raw story that audiences are presented with in the original movie. Rao (2018) explains that the act of Veronica and JD staging Heather Chandler’s death as a suicide, they unintentionally make the act popular which highlights the dangers of group-thinking and disregard suffering. 

In the off-Broadway show the dark humour needed to be translated into live theatre effectively, in order to keep the true heart of Heathers alive. Understanding which part of the show allows room for dark humour helped me in my audition process as I was able to read this hidden message in the dialogue.

THE AUDITION PROCESS

The audition process for Heathers was different to any other audition that I’ve been in before.  We were treated like professionals in a way which principal characters were auditioned first and other supporting roles were seen after. Each individual audition was held for an equal amount of time which took pressure of following auditionees.

Whenever I go for an audition I always prepare the best I can by learning all sides and lyrics for any songs required. I had focused mainly on the character of Veronica Sawyer as I was interested in her progression through the story. I didn’t want the pressure of learning different character’s audition pieces to stray me from putting all my efforts into the role I was the most interested in. 

The only two characters I auditioned for were Veronica Sawyer and Heather Chandler. I know that my type cast is usually characters similar to Heather Chandler hence why I auditioned for her in attempts to broaden my chances of being cast. 

THE CHALLENGE OF VERONICA SAWYER

I knew that Veronica’s solo vocal track was one that I would need help with. I understand as a performer, that my belting in a high register isn’t my strongest skill. Due to this, prior to the audition I sang ‘Dead Girl Walking’ to my singing teacher and she then helped with technique. Using my ‘join’ (the area between my soft and hard pallet) creates a thicker fold for myself in order to reach a high belt without straining. Problem solving issues like this prior to the audition then helped me to perform without worrying about my sound. 

As Veronica is the lead, it made sense to audition for her first. All those auditioning for Veronica had been given sides for her scenes and the song ‘Dead Girl Walking’. When asked into the room; we had to perform the song first, and if anyone knows Heathers, they’ll know it is quite a promiscuous show at certain points. With this song being near the beginning of Veronica’s journey through the show, I knew I needed to show a side to her not yet seen and a side she has never seen herself. For this song you really have to let all inhibitions go and just forget the outside world and truly believe you’re that character. It was a challenge for me as I am usually very self conscious when performing without much rehearsal so this was quite a big achievement for me. 

Fig 2. VERONICA SAWYER

Once I performed the song, we followed with the 7-11 scene where Veronica has her first real conversation with JD. I performed this scene and received the same feedback that I always get when performing which is to more theatrical. When I think I’m being big, I need to 100x more than what I am already doing. I was told I had the context of the scene and acting choices correct however an audience of 300+ may not be able to read me from the back.

Following this feedback when I was recalled to do the scene alongside other people, I ensured that I was being bigger in all aspects of my body. 

Workshopping

The next stage of the audition was very informal and relaxed. All Veronica’s and JD’s were called in together to read through the same 7-11 scene so that Lucy, the director, could see the chemistry between the different people.

This type of auditioning is very helpful as you can take inspiration from other people’s performances and adapt some things they do that you’d like to incorporate. However this style can also be unnerving as the director can be seen to enjoying someone else’s performance more than your own which can dampen confidence.

Each Veronica auditioned alongside each JD to see who looked like they had potential chemistry that could read on stage to an audience. The main part of a performance is the story-telling which needs to be believable. Experimenting with different performers to see who possess the most chemistry will in turn make the performance believable which leads to a level 6 show. 

The Final Two

It eventually came down to the final choices for Veronica which was myself and Ellyse. I know Ellyse personally and I know she is extremely driven, passionate and very talented. This in a way could make it harder for me and I could be discouraged to try my best because of a negative mindset however knowing Ellyse’s level of talent, this made me fight even harder for the role. I knew I needed to push the boundaries and test myself as a performer and doing anything I was asked to without hesitation.

This audition process was very positive in the way it was approached by the director and students. No one was made to feel unwanted or talentless as each performer brought something different to each character, it was hard to tell what the director was wanting. 

[never-a-tale-of-more-poe]

Hey, I'd like to ask for your help. As an Ezria fan, I most likely don't see all the things that are wrong with the relationship. Do you remember certain scenes or something that has happened, where he clearly is in the wrong as an adult/teacher etc.? Like of course starting off with being with his student, that is using his position wrongly. Then was the whole creepy cabin thing and all the things he said there. Anything else that sticks to your mind? Thanks a ton x

Hey Ezria Anon! 

First and foremost, I want to apologize for taking so long to answer this. I felt like shit for the best few days, but I am finally feeling well enough to answer this question efficiently and effectively. I will be happy to answer your question and address your concerns to the best of my ability.

———————————————

Let me begin by saying that Ezra Fitz is not a likable character, nor is he a redeemable on. He is, in every sense of the word, a predator. Before we knew about Ezra’s book, we thought him to just be your regular high school English teacher.

…Who preys on underage girls. When he found out about Aria not only being his STUDENT, but SIXTEEN-YEARS-OLD, he still pursued their relationship. Mind you, this was before we found out everything about him.

I never liked Ezria in the first place. Their relationship just seemed ‘icky’ to me, in a sense. It felt off and the vibe was just wrong. However, when S4 ended and the ball was dropped, that was when I completely lost any sort of ‘respect’ for Ezra, and let me tell you I barely had any to begin with.

Ezra was obsessed with Alison, another underage girl. He called her his own “Holly Golightly,” and people really don’t see anything wrong with this? He was messing around with an underage girl. Yes, he “broke things off” when he found out her actual age, but still. His relationship with her was completely inappropriate.

And then Perv Man becomes obsessed with this girl. So obsessed in fact, that when she goes missing he thinks “Gee Golly, this sure makes for an interesting story!” 

So, what does Humbert Humbert’s protégé do? He deliberately seeks out Aria, seduces her in a fucking bathroom in a dingy bar, and from then on, starts a whirlwind of seduction, abuse of power, and stalks a sixteen-year-old girl and her friends for years. And why?

For a goddamn book. 

That was his reasoning. He stalked a group of teenage girls because he was obsessed with the disappearance of another teenage girl, with whom he once had a fling. 

Let’s reiterate:

 Ezra has an unhealthy obsession with underage girls

He used his power of authority over Aria

He literally stalked a teenage girl and her friends for years

He did so for the sake of ‘his book.’

Not to mention the fact that Ezra is shady as fuck. He is violent, ill-tempered and uses his charm to weasel his way out of trouble. He is VERY good at manipulation. In layman’s terms, Ezra Fitz displays classic qualities of a sociopath.

Sociopaths, or those with Antisocial Personality Disorder often have the following characteristics:

Sociopaths are exceedingly charming; these individuals are intelligent, smooth-talkers, flattering, and very good actors.

Sociopaths are extremely manipulative. This is one of their most practiced, honed skills. These individuals rely on their ability to talk their way out of anything. They are articulate, and they know exactly what you want to hear. They thrive on gaining the support of others through playing the victim. 

Sociopaths are pathological liars. They are deceptive, dishonest and lie through their teeth. They are very good at pretending to be genuinely interested in what you have to say and know the right questions to ask, to show that they care. It’s obvious that Ezra is a pathological liar, since he was using Aria from the very first episode for his own personal gain.

Sociopaths have an over-inflated ego. Ezra’s callousness and sense of self-worth is so distorted that he sincerely believes he can’t be touched.

So, how do the writers redeem his character? By having him get shot. That’s it. That is his redemption. 

“Oh, let’s have him get shot to protect the girls, that’ll show ‘em he really loves Aria!”

 It’s fucking bullshit. 

He cannot be redeemed. Ever. Besides being shot, he never faces any negative consequences. He is never held responsible for his predatory behavior, or his abuse of power over minors. 

And why? Well, that’s easy. I. Marlene King truly believes that all of what he has done can be forgiven, simply because he fell in love with his victim. 

Yes, Aria Montgomery is his victim. 

I don’t give a flying fuck if “fell in love with her,” because what he did is legally and morally reprehensible. 

Furthermore, he shows a complete lack of remorse for what he did. He is very good at faking empathy. He got caught, so he turns on the charm. The ol’ “woe is me” spiel. 

In 7B, when he found out Aria had filled out the report but didn’t actually file it, he immediately agrees with Aria. He does this because he knows he can convince her not to file the report. She still could have, and he still would have had his ass busted. But he doesn’t. He smooth-talks his way into Aria’s good graces again, pretending to “see the error of his ways.” 

What’s more is that there are young, impressionable girls out there who believe Ezra and Aria are made for each other; that their story and struggles is one of true love. Which, again, is fucking bullshit. Ezra never faced consequences for anything. Young girls want their own “Ezra Fitz,” because the show depicted their relationship as romantic. It is not romantic. It never was romantic.

It was an adult male taking full advantage of a sixteen-year-old girl.

I can guarantee you that one of the only reasons this fucking train wreck of a ‘ship’ was so beloved and popular is because Ian Harding is hot. And he is. He is very attractive. If he weren’t as attractive and didn’t have the cookie-cutter appearance of the “dreamy heartthrob,” then many people would not accept their relationship.

Since the show has ended (and even before) Ian Harding has stated that Ezra should have been in jail. He agreed that their relationship was wrong.

Troian Bellisario was (and is) very vocal about her dislike of Ezria.

Lucy Hale disapproves of Ezria. In the Afterwrap Party following the end of the last episode, Lucy stated “I would not made the same choices as Aria had.”

When three of your main cast members are vehemently against one of the main ships of your show because of the message it sends and what it portrays, then you really need to reevaluate your views on reality.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Pretty Little Liars, and I always will, despite what a shit-fest it turned into. But that doesn’t mean the writers (I’m looking at you, Marlene King) are without fault for their portrayal of this relationship and Ezra’s lack of consequences.

It’s funny that the show was meant to teach us about friendship, bullying, being true to who you are, etc. But really it taught us that the monsters are often those closest to us. 

In fact, let’s just say that the true villain and monster in the show was the guy obsessed with Scotch and pie.

[dealgemeneverwarring]

The twelfth episode of De Algemene Verwarring was broadcast on Monday November 18 on a cold evening in Kortrijk and you can listen to it by clicking on the Mixcloud link above. Pictured below is the Australian band These Immortal Souls with the legend Rowland S. Howard. So yeah I did an all Aussie band special last Monday but unfortunately the broadcast wasn’t recorded by the radio Quindo software, so I was not able to upload it on Mixcloud for your listening enjoyment. That’s why I decided to make a mixtape with all the music that I played in this episode #12 so you can at least discover the bands without my boring explications in-between sets. Instead of that, you can find some extra information below, in the playlist.  I hope that you all are interested to read this, and that you like the music too, of course. Enjoy!

Playlist:

Cosmic Psychos: Back At School (CD “Blokes You Can Trust” on Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1991)

There is no better way to start an Aussie special with a cracking punk rock song from these blokes you can trust. Still going strong, because the opening track of their most recent album that was released in 2018 has as a title “100 Cans Of Beer”. Santé!

Vintage Crop: Coming Up (LP V/A “New Center Of The Universe Vol. 3″ on Anti Fade, 2018)

Most punk song from this compilation that features some usual suspects such as Exek, The Shifters, Parsnip, Terry and The Stroppies, but also rather unknown names such as Gonzo, Permits, Billdozer (good name!) and Sleepyhead. Volumes 1 & 2 were only released on cassette and CD, so this is the first vinyl compilation. Vintage Crop are from Geelong.

Straight Arrows: Make Up Your Mind (7″ on Agitated Records, 2014)

Sydney based garage punk band. I actually played another song in the show from their split 7″ with French garage rockers The Creteens, but didn’t find a good quality mp3 from that song, so I downloaded this cracking track from their band camp page. They did a European tour earlier this year but unfortunately didn’t play in Belgium.

Cereal Killer: Your Punk Scene Can Suck It (LP “Beginning And End of Cereal Killer!” on Drunken Sailor Records, 2019)

Cereal Killer is an Australian hardcore punk band from Geelong, Victoria, and this is their first full length on vinyl. The band was brought to my attention by DJ Alexanderrr who brought one of their singles to a De Radio Is Gek Geworden episode and I’ve been looking for that 7″ since then.

The UV Race: Hot Dogs (7″ “Queens Of Punk” on Eighteen Records, 2014)

If you don’t dance to this song, you can not be my friend. Sorry.

The Stroppies: The Truth (7″ “It’s A Hit” on Hobbies Galore, 2017)

This is from the debut 7″ from this young Melbourne based indie/pop band who have recently released their debut full length called “Whoosh!” on Tough Love Records. We already played a song from that record a few weeks ago. “The Truth” is the very first song I ever heard from this band and it’s still one of my favorites.

The Scientists: I’m Looking For you (LP “The Scientists”, reissue on Numero Group, 2015, originally released in 1981 on EMI Custom Records)

Very first incarnation here of the band as a trio with Kim Salmon, Ian Sharples and James Baker. The band is mostly remembered as the swamp rock band it became after this debut album with core members Boris Sujdovic and Tony Thewlis, but I also very much like the jingly jangly punk sound of this self-titled debut album.

Lubricated Goat: Bad Times (LP V/A “Dope Guns & Fucking In The Streets Vol. 4 - 7″ on Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1990)

One of the more notorious bands on the AmRep roster with main man Stu “Spasm” Gray. Charles Tolnay from King Snake Roost was another member of this band. Apparently the band disbanded after Stu Spasm was stabbed in 1991, but later reformed with other members including some people from Cop Shoot Cop. 

Negative Gears: U.M. (12″ “Negative Gears” on Static Shock Records, 2019)

Very nice debut 12″ by this young Sydney based post punk band. A short record too, which makes me curious to hear more.

Repairs: Decay (7″ “Repairs” on Hozac Records, 2015)

Synth punk yeah! Based in Melbourne and not a very active band as they have just 4 releases in eight years, two cassettes and two seven inches. Last release was in 2017, so it’s about time for a new single, boys!

Carla Dal Forno: The Same Reply (LP “You Know What It’s Like” on Blackest Ever Black, 2016)

Carla Dal Forno was born in Melbourne but is currently based in London. This track is from her debut full length, but she also has a new album called “Look Up Sharp” on her very own label Kallista Records, and he’s playing this Friday 22/11 in Brussels at the Botanique. 

These Immortal Souls: Hey! Little Child (LP “Get Lost (Don’t Lie)” on Mute Records, 1987)

Apparently this band was formed in London after Rowland S. Howard, his brother Harry and Epic Soundtracks (from Swell Maps fame) were not invited for the recordings of the Crime & The City Solution album “Shine”. They recorded two full lengths, this is the first one and the second one was released in 1992. That last one is very hard to find, so hit me up. This track is an Alex Chilton cover, by the way.

The Triffids: Wide Open Road (LP “Born Sandy Devotional” on Megadisc, 1986)

My favorite song from The Triffids, but it’s not from my favorite album, which is “Calenture”. Probably because I saw them around that period (1988) at the Pukkelpop festival, where they must have made quite an impression on this young fellow that was discovering strange bands at that time... Their sound is polished and clean and not comparable at all to all those other wild Aussie bands I played in this episode, but yeah, I still do love them.

Naked On The Vague: Happy Endings (12″ “Twelve Dark Noons” on Sacred Bones Records, 2011)

Two-piece girl-boy act out of Sydney, Australia. Matthew P. Hopkins plays eerie bass and Lucy Cliché plays keyboards, and both do vocals. “Happy Endings” is a great track that contains elements of post punk and no-wave. They played Noisefest II which was a bit weird, but I still remember that show as a very good one, for a small but happy crowd.

HTRK: Into The Drama (LP “Venus In Leo” on Ghostly International, 2019)

Another duo: Jonnine Standish & Nigel Yang, with the opening track of their recently released new album. Their second record was produced by Rowland S. Howard who became a bit of a mentor of the band. 

Fabulous Diamonds: Wheel Of Fortune (LP “Plain Songs” on Alter, 2019)

After seven years of silence, Fabulous Diamonds are back with a new album on the British Alter label. Contrary to previous releases, there is not one rhythmic track on this record. It’s eerie, mysterious, strange and to be honest I had to listen a few times to completely get the feel of it. Definitely a new direction for the duo of Nisa Venerosa and Jarrod Zlatic. This Jarrod guy used to have band called Oh! Belgium!

Sozialistisches Patienten Kollektiv: Malaria Europa (The European Sickness) (LP “Leichenschrei” on Side Effects Records, 1982)

Legendary industrial band formed in Sydney. Original member and New Zealander Graeme Revell changed the band later into a synth pop band and made a career as a critically acclaimed soundtrack composer. Leichenschrei is one of the early loud and gnarly albums, excellent for ending this episode of De Algemene Verwarring. Hope you all are confused now.