#so I'm randomly looking for new songs and bands to listen to when needed

[niuniente]

Brutal death metal songs are always named like Corpse Discharge Pit or Tortured Cannibal Fetus but I have to say that a song named "Cystic Ovarian Burial Ground" wins the price.

[capow02]

hi hi hello hi I think you're my only sio mutual that's active anymore (': I looked up the welcome 2 elsewhere site because I just randomly remembered it earlier and honestly am I the only one who misses that era? like the bright and colorful aesthetic with the super trippy and horror visuals? the arg they put together? the dyed hair? like maaaan don't get me wrong I'm happy about the new era but elsewhere was taken from us too soon </3 maybe I need to make more art of it lol

Hi!! I'm so glad you sent this ask because I love the elsewhere era so much, I could genuinely talk about it for hours. So here, have this extremely long essay about my experience.

I discovered set it off in early 2021, so the elsewhere era was the first full album cycle I experienced. And my god it was perfect! I was on holiday when the website went up along with the teaser for skeleton, and I remember so clearly trying to figure out all the puzzles before retreating alone back to our hotel room to figure out minesweeper. The feeling of excitement as the discord was going crazy trying to figure everything out was unmatched!

And then skeleton came out, and I was genuinely obsessed. I had just moved into an awful shared house for my second year at uni, so I drowned all my sorrows by putting the song on repeat, drawing the band almost constantly and of course, making the lyric video that would start my channel! The hype was so massive, the dyed hair was iconic, I genuinely lived and breathed the multicoloured aesthetic. I bought every single merch thing I could (my room decor and t shirts still reflect this.) I got a switch that year, and immediately named my island elsewhere.

Every time the website changed, the excitement was so palpable that I dropped everything I was doing when it happened. Of course I had projector and who's in control on loop when they came out, and while I didn't like them as much as skeleton, they built so much hype for the album it was unreal. I even attended an online concert a couple months before the album came out, and it took place so late at night that I went to sleep at 5am while having to get up at 8. I was that committed.

And remember the teasers they posted to instagram and twitter? The ones they posted at 5pm every wednesday and sunday, where unscrambling the code revealed the next song title, the ones I based my elsewhere lyric videos off? I actually set an alarm on my phone so I could catch these as soon as they appeared, I was that desperate to know the next title! And of course the discord went crazy each time, the energy was unmatched. And when the album actually came out, oh my god. It was on loop for over 6 months. I thought taste of the good life was a gift from god, the amount of times I listened to it.

The hype continued throughout 2022, as demos kept coming out through the fanclub (which I paid full money for, getting one of my favourite ever hoodies in the process) and each demo seemed to be better than the next. I still have no idea how the truth about lying was cut from elsewhere and playing with bad luck stayed.

Also, I was so excited for my first ever sio concert that november. And the day 100% lived up to the expectations! I gave the boys some stickers in vip which they loved, and even got a hug from zach after explaining an obscure talk it off reference on one of his stickers. I made some great friends in line, even though I got seated tickets so I had to be separated from them, but I did still get great seats. And the concert itself!! I'm so glad I can say I've seen third wheel live, even if it was in the medley. And I still remember the pure joy I felt when I waved at cody and he waved back at me during uncontainable.

By the start of 2023 and all the "scandals" and stuff started happening, along with their slow retreat off of all social media, I could tell the era was gradually ending and I was really sad. It fully sunk in when they stopped dying their hair, and I was devastated, I almost forgot what they looked like with natural hair. Although I will say I probably got more closure on the era than you guys in america, because I actually made it to one of the end of elsewhere shows here in the uk.

I have to say, that was probably the best night of my life. I paid full price for the vip this time, so I got to actually hang around and talk to them before the show. I also got standing tickets, and managed to get barrier, which was so close to the stage I could've reached out and touched cody countless times. It was wild, and I enjoyed every second. Of course, 4 days later punching bag released, marking the proper end of elsewhere. (And they haven't toured the uk since.)

I miss this era so goddamn much. I have so much nostalgia for it, even though its barely been a year since it ended, and I really wish the current era's branding was as strong. I always felt so close to the band during elsewhere, with all the talk it off episodes and them noticing me on social media. The sense of community was strong, and I miss it a lot now they've stopped posting anything. Idk, I might be biased because it was my first time experiencing a full era.

Anyway, if you actually read all that, thanks! I really needed a good reminisce. And yes, you should make more art of elsewhere! The visuals were unmatched, especially in the music videos 💜💜

[cowboymantis]

It's really interesting how Kingdom and E'Last have like... The same loved spot in my heart as favourite groups. Like, sure I have multiple favourite groups but around those my brain is always revolving around the most when it comes to the concepts and theories and the designs and everything.

They're just really special to me and have concepts like, imo, no other group. Obviously, a lot of groups have darker/mysterious concepts but especially Kingdom just really GOT ME with the lore. The theories. The characters. The settings. The outfits.

And then E'Last, especially Tears of Chaos, Dark Dream and Creature had such a great mysterious vibe and the outfits are just top tier.

Also, both bands I discovered randomly on YouTube, which the further I got into kpop, got less and less frequent because I end up hearing about a group a couple of times before checking them out. For Kingdom, when Excalibur came out and for E'Last, Tears of Chaos. It just peaked my interest immediately, the title, the thumbnail and when watching them I was immediately sold and got sucked into the fandom. :'D

And whenever one of the bands has a comeback I come back to obsessing over everything around it as in talking a lot about them to friends, looking for new content, listening to the music all day, making theories (more just for Kingdom but hsjshd)... It's like when a show you love airs a new episode in a way. But also, when one band has a comeback I will eventually also go back to focusing on the respective other one all over again and then it will jump around in my head between them.

Doesn't help that currently I am absolutely obsessed with Tokusatsu which won't stop anytime soon, and still are so much into Yakuza so all of those 4 things are rotating in my brain 24/7 help .

At the same time I'm also sad both Kingdom and E'Last don't get NEARLY the fame and hype they deserve. But it seems that they're happy (which I hope is also that way) and that's what matters.

OH, two other groups I'd place very high around a similar area are definitely A.C.E, P1Harmony and Golden Child. They're all also so dear to me with both their content outside of music videos and the music itself while being way too underrated for how insanely good they are!

I'm almost scared to say this but this isn't Twitter where stans see everything as it being personal- but P1Harmony have been so far pretty much the only band where I love every song in albums. I'm sure this isn't an unpopular opinion because obviously you can't love every song but still. But I just can't stand songs that are cheesy and/or fan-servicey (which I think. Is probably bc I'm aroace and it just makes me uncomfortable and cringe- but still,) they're just the worst. BUT if the song is catchy enough I will still love it, just ignoring the lyrics is something I need to get better at :'D Kingdom's Warning is a good example of a song having lyrics that make me physically cringe but I jam out to this song because it's such a bop. So yeah.

I mean, Monsta X is one of my all time favs and they're so full of cheesy songs and fanservice, so I think somewhere along the road my resistance went up. :'D

Even after some years, kpop fans are still wild to me. Like, the amount of delusions and elitism going on seem to be more than for any other fandom, but that's not really a fun topic to talk about. But man, watching live performances can be painful with how loud everyone's screaming their lungs out which alone is enough for me to never go on a kpop concert, even though I'd love to. But the only non-metal concert I ever went to was already hell when it came to the fans just screeching and making it completely unable to understand what the singer is even singing. So yeah, I uh, I'll stick to metal concerts,,,

But!! Even though I am not the biggest fan normally of watching live performances, I still really love watching them for specific groups, coming back to Kingdom and E'Last because those were kinda the main focus before I got sidetracked (and I would just add more and more I feel like fhkgfg), I love their lives and choreographies in general so so so much. They are very, dare I say it, aesthetic and just fascinating to look at. Plus, both bands are so full of visuals it's insane.

I also noticed both Kingdom and E'Last often have some kind of ropes and cloth in the performances, which is a thing I really love because it's just really pleasing to look at, especially if they dance with it in such a smooth way. (Gah, like that one amazing Stray Kids Side Effects performance)

Both also have those beautiful and mysterious settings, I especially love the misty forests.

And also, AMAZING instrumentals/intros! 🙏

I'm just gonna. Go ahead and post some examples of parallels I love and think it's so beautiful that both of these bands I have so much brainrot about share so many similarities dfjghjfdg But I am just SO NORMAL!!! ABOUT IT!!! I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Whether it's just same vibe or similar posing it's just a lot of fun.

Gonna put...

E'Last on the left and Kingdom on the right :)

It was a lot of fun just finding so many parallels now when skimming over the E'Last performances with that in mind, because for Kingdom I feel like I've got every frame engraved in my brain because I'm working on a big archive + lore essay about them so like...Yeah my mind at this point is a Kingdom archive help,, Next on the list for that will be E'Last tho soooo...

Also, for the end, a fancy group pose for E'Last and Kingdom :)

[periodicreviews]

Dethklok, Babymetal, and Jason Richardson in Orlando in 2000 words

On Saturday, I went to the Orlando stop of the Babyklok tour. For some reason Babymetal and Dethklok joined forces and decided to go on tour together with opening act Jason Richardson.

Having seen Babymetal 3.5 times, including every time they've come to Orlando, one would think that I would be jumping at the chance once I heard they were coming again but I hesitated. Ultimately I mostly went because I had nothing better to do that night and an acquaintance offered me a Dethklok sound check ticket.

I hesitated because now in 2023, I don't really see anything in Babymetal that I haven't seen done better elsewhere. Not that it’s bad, it just doesn’t stand out as much to me and I’ll explain why.

For me, Babymetal has been on a slow decline. Their album Metal Galaxy was kind of a disappointment and then they went on hiatus/ascended into heaven. With that, I kind of closed the book and moved on.

But I'm assuming there's too much money in the brand, so they came back. The songs they put out recently on Youtube weren't really doing it for me anymore. Then one day I was on soundcloud and randomly saw they had released their new album. That's when it hit me that I had moved on.

After listening to the album, the one track that I purchased was their song METALIZM which is a psy-trance track. I like electronic music and it felt like it was something new that I had never heard from them before. I talked to two fans in line and their visible recoil to its name was all I needed to see. If most fans are there for the metal, then psy-trance isn't necessarily something they are looking for.

The original appeal of Babymetal for me was this combination of metal and idol elements and the contrast between the two. At least in 2013 with "Gimmie Chocolate", many in the US at least had never seen anything like it. But as time went on, there were more metal idol groups like Broken By the Scream and other J-Rock bands like Band Maid. Slowly but surely, there was more competition.

And it's not like you have to only pick 1 band, but you pick your priorities. Part of it might just be changes in what I’m looking for in music.

The big downside to me for Babymetal is that they've always felt inaccessible. I get that the whole theme/style of the band is this lore heavy mysterious/cosmic presence. And sure, I did go and buy their graphic novel when it came out thinking it might shed some light on that. But then I read it and it was just a bunch of vague ideas. There are interviews, but I guess the whole “always in character” bit makes me feel like they’re kind of pointless to read or watch.

If the music isn't doing it for me and I don't feel connected to the band, then there isn't really much reason to stick around otherwise. But I decided to see them again anyway? It’s probably sounding like I went to hate watch but that really wasn’t my intent.

Long Pauses

Since the last time seeing Babymetal, I've gone down the rabbit hole with idols. I saw Broken by the Scream perform in person and I've seen countless other idol groups over live stream performances. So I was interested to experience the show with all that experience in mind. In comparison to other idol groups both big and small, Babymetal's performance is kind of weak.

So much time is seemingly wasted in the Babymetal sets with long pauses at the end of each song, with the stage remaining dark and no music in between. The members leave the stage and then come back for the next song.

For underground idol groups in particular, it's one song after another at a breakneck pace because you only have 10-15 minutes to perform and the next act immediately follows you. But even non-idol groups usually adhere to this. You keep things moving otherwise people lose interest.

I don't know why exactly they do this. Maybe it's for the dramatic flair or to say "we have so much money that we are going to take our sweet time." One could argue they need a breather/cool down time or for the band to retune and that's certainly a consideration but not after every song.

The opener, Jason Richardson, had an interesting way of handling this. Since he was only playing the guitar and using a backing track for the rest of the instruments, most of his songs had an outro/intro. This gave him a few seconds to say a few words or get a drink before leading into the next track without the music stopping.

Crowd interaction

Babymetal used to not say anything at all to the crowd, but at least the last two times I've seen them, they've had everyone bring out their phones. In this most recent performance there were quite a few times where Su-metal said thanks and asked people to sit down or jump.

The typical idol performance has 1 if not multiple emcee sections where they talk about upcoming shows, new merch, or really anything they want. This also serves as a water break/cooldown time.

There's obviously the danger of talking for too long before people lose interest, but my personal preference is either no talking and playing the next song immediately or taking a short break to say thanks at least. I also understand that my desire to see them speak is constrained by their limited English skills. But there are plenty of other limited-English speaking acts who do just fine in occupying time between songs.

The times that Babymetal interacted with the crowd were a welcome addition in my opinion, but they came off a bit awkward in execution. I don't know whether that comes down to this being only the 3rd stop on this tour or due to their limited-English ability. For example, they asked the crowd to sit during METALI but then there was never a cue to stand up or jump. Or maybe I just missed it. There were also a few times when they would raise the lights on the crowd as if it was a cue for the crowd to sing/shout but they didn't set it up and I'm not sure you'd know what to do unless you watched a show they did in Japan.

In contrast, I've seen other idols walk the crowd through an entire dance routine at half speed, then full speed practice runs before starting the song. So again maybe it's that language barrier where they feel they can't properly explain it. Or Babymetal is assuming the crowd is still diehard fans who have pre-studied the routines.

The group may not even be aware of the issue if the people at the front are all aware of the procedure and following their instructions. They may not be able to see the rest of the crowd in the dark, or hear the noise difference. I was at about the midway point between the stage and the rear which had some people rocking out but also some people who couldn't care less.

Behind the curtain

The whole mysterious vibe took on a bit of an absurd twist since during the time between doors open and through Jason Richardson's set, I could see the green room/buildings they have behind the stage. They seemed to have someone outside the door guarding it, which I guess may not be completely unheard of. But what did seem over the top was the need for a curtain to be held between them and the audience as they moved between buildings.

I get that culturally, it's more common for celebrities in Japan to restrict access to certain details from small things like their birth date, to whom they married, or even their real name/face. They have a particular image and that's the only image you're going to get.

Not that I need to know these details at all, but like is walking the 20 feet from one building to another really going to be the end? Admittedly, I've never had this kind of view backstage so maybe other artists do it too. Or perhaps the curtain was a response to what happened earlier after the Dethklok sound check.

For the ticketed Dethklok sound check, we were first let in the gate, then had to stand in a line behind some buildings for maybe 30 minutes while Dethklok did their real sound check. Then they led us to the outdoor stage where Dethklok performed Murmaider, Thunderhorse, and another song I didn't know. After that they herded us back where we were before but allowed us to buy drinks at the concession stands. Through the stand, I was able to see Babymetal in their street clothes doing their own soundcheck for Megistune. Shortly after that, the event staff told us we had to go inside a separate building and could only leave to go to the bathroom. Later on, someone from the venue stopped by to apologize and explain that Babymetal is very strict about who sees what. I'm somewhat curious whether the ticketed Babymetal sound check involved them in their costumes or in their street clothes.

Entrance song

Another stark difference between Babymetal and other idols is the stage entrance song. For most groups, this is like a minute max, just long enough for them to get from backstage to the stage. For Babymetal, BABYMETAL DEATH is a full length 5:48 long song. About halfway through I could feel my attention slipping as the members repeated their introductions. Looking back at past setlists, I see that they haven't always used this song.

Maybe I just don't like the song that much. It makes sense to have a song that can be used to tell everyone what each member's name is, since it wouldn't be dramatic enough for them to do the typical idol introduction where everyone just says their own name. I guess you could argue whether it’s a stage entrance song or just a regular song that happens to introduce them.

Prior to BABYMETAL DEATH, they had a fancy intro video that talked about the "METALVERSE" and how they had been all around the world. I feel they could've just gotten that announcer to read off their names too and skipped the song entirely.

Other issues

Babymetal does occupy a bit of a strange place in terms of idols/bands. They always have a backing band while most idols either don't have a band or only have a band on special occasions. And maybe that's to their detriment for traditional metal band fans.

During the break between Babymetal and Dethklok, I overhead some people talking about how they would much rather prefer if the members were playing instruments. Admittedly that was some of my initial attraction to BAND-MAID since they are impressive musicians in addition to making music that I like. But I'm certainly not one of those people to write off idols as not working as hard as people who play instruments.

The same person also mentioned how they weren't really digging the outfits and how young they were. I had kind of forgotten about that aspect to it and how telling people you were a fan of band in the early days would set off the pedophile alarm. Someone with them did counter that they are now all in their 20s so it’s not really weird anymore but I could definitely see that being another barrier to entry.

Dethklok

So I spent hundreds of words above saying how much I hate Babymetal and didn't want to be there, so why did I go?

I went to Adult Swim Festival 2019 in Los Angeles in part because Dethklok was performing and never performed really anywhere else. I made it like 2 songs in before I was unable to take anymore. I tried to go to the very back of the venue to sit down and I think I also tried to put my sunglasses on but the strobe effects were just too intense.

So I was here, in part, to give them another shot and two songs in, I was back in the same boat. I headed to the back of the venue stood behind a wall and faced away from the stage. It was only then that I felt like my head wasn't going to explode. The sound check turned out to be the only time when I could actually watch Dethklok so I'm glad I paid the extra money to do it.

Aside from being unable to watch it, the performance was top notch and I feel like most people in the crowd were there to see Dethklok and were enjoying it.

So at the end of the day, I will likely not pay money to see Dethklok or Babymetal in person again, but for different reasons. I think the show was still worthwhile to go to, at the bare minimum to help me figure out my true feelings. Jason Richardson was a fantastic opener and I’m definitely planning to purchase some of his songs, so that’s also a plus.

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #174

The last time you ate leftovers, what was it that you were eating? Uhhhh maybe pizza?

What is your favorite board that you've made on Pinterest? there's zero fucking way i have a board that's just pictures of 50-60-y/o band members hell no no way

Do you get on Facebook or Instagram more? I CHECK Insta more, but I'm scrolling Facebook longer.

What was the last thing you ate or drank that was blue raspberry-flavored? Mountain Dew Voltage, but it's actually been quite a while since I had that one specifically, they're apparently really rare now and people are selling them for a fortune lol

What is one annoying thing your computer does? I hate when it randomly restarts over some error. It doesn't happen often, it's just annoying when it does.

What was the last song you listened to? "Black Wedding" by In This Moment & Rob Halford.

Have you discovered any new hobbies in the past couple months? No. It's seldom I discover new hobbies, honestly...

What's the wildest animal you've ever come in contact with? Well, define "contact;" I can read this as the wildest animal I've physically touched or just seen, and "wildest" can be taken in more than one way. The most surprising animal I've physically touched was a tarantula I guess, but the animal I've been most surprised to see in the wild was a mink, I think, and I didn't even get a good look at it. I'm not including zoo animals in this.

Do you trust your doctor? I trust my primary care physician, even though him being a man makes me slightly uncomfortable; he's a good doctor though that I've been with a good while so it's fine. I don't really have a relationship with my psychiatrist or worst of all therapist, honestly... Both my mom and I really hate the place I have to go to for insurance reasons, but I need SOMEbody in this department so we have no choice.

Do you ever question if your mother loves you? Absofuckinglutely not, I know she loves me with her whole heart and I consider myself unbelievably lucky to have that going for me.

Do you ever feel scared or unsafe around your dad? Not... really anymore, but at the same time, due to past experiences but also horrific nightmares about him, I can sometimes be uneasy if I'm with him and just him, even though I do know in my core he's no threat to me, got a pretty good feeling he'd protect me with his life. Maybe.

What is your favorite type of Lunchables? Absolutely nothing beats the nachos one.

Do you have someone you feel completely safe around? My mom and Girt.

What church do you go to? I don't attend church.

Are any of your siblings' friends like family to you? Basically yeah, in Allison's case. She's my younger sister's best friend/former housemate, and she's involved in some family events, like Ashley's kids' bdays. She was Ryder's very first crush lol, it's still a joke in the family how in love with her he's always been.

Do you have any friends who you exchange memes with? Lol Girt and I do this ALL the time, this is daily shit. Occasionally I will with Tez and Mazzy.

What was the last photo you took? It was Cookie all curled up looking cute as shit on Girt, she loves him. I could tell she was so ready for bed, lol.

Are you in any Discord servers? How often do you use them? I'm a member of literally one, the WoW Secret Finding Discord, but I haven't even clicked on its tab for like, years. I'm just in it if I ever feel like rare mount hunting with help.

Have you ever had to see an emergency vet after hours? Hmmm, I don't THINK so.

When was the last time you sat under a blanket on a couch? A few days ago with Girt.

Can you bite into ice cream or are your teeth too sensitive? I can now that I've had that one wisdom tooth with a really severe cavity taken out. It made nearby teeth agonizingly sensitive; the wisdom tooth itself didn't hurt, but apparently cavities that severe can radiate pain into other teeth, and holy fucking shit did it.

Do you like snowy winter days or do you prefer rainy days? I like snow much more! We don't get it all that much here, we often have a year without any, so I really enjoy it when it happens.

Do you know anyone who doesn't have a middle name? My boyfriend, but I'm pretty sure it's because he's a junior. His sister has a middle name, so.

What was the last thing you complained about? Probably cravings, it's that time of the month and I get really annoyed when my body desperately wants shit it doesn't need.

What celebrity irritates you the most? Elon Musk is up there, he's such a fucking arrogant asshole. I don't think there's one celebrity in specific that I REALLY hate though, the ones that annoy me in general are billionaires that do nothing beneficial for the world and instead hoard wealth. Actually wait, Donald Trump is 200% the top celebrity that I despise, like I would literally have given my life for this shithead to never have been in a position of influence. I like to forget he exists & kinda just did lmfao.

Have you ever watched the Superbowl all the way through? On my 16th birthday, yes; I was at Jason's place, and his dad was a ginormous Giants fan, so I sat out in the living room with the family. I had zero interest in it and was definitely bored, but I was just happy to be involved with my then-boyfriend's family.

Would you like to know the exact date of your death? Absolutely not.

What's on your to-do list for today? Nothing, really. I'm incredibly tired.

Do you know anyone who's been bitten by a snake? I might, idk.

Are you excited for Halloween? I always am, haha. Even if I don't really do anything anymore, I enjoy the vibe. I'd like to maybe do something with Girt this year though, like maybe a haunted hayride or something.

What makes you smile or laugh no matter what? My boyfriend for sure, it really doesn't matter what mood I'm in, he can get both out of me like it's nothing.

Do you prefer strawberries or cherries? Strawberries by far, they're my favorite fruit, meanwhile I despise cherries.

Biggest insecurity? My weight.

Have you ever had braces? Yes, I did for a longer time than I should've because we couldn't afford to get them off so some teeth on my bottom row overcorrected a tiny bit.

Do you feel awkward using public transportation? I certainly would if I actually took it; I don't take taxis, buses, trains, etc.; the only experience I've had with public transportation were plane rides, and I do in fact feel very uncomfortable walking down the aisle to get to my seat. Well I actually did take an Uber for the first time ever with my mom recently, but that's one, single, very brief experience in all of 27 years.

Describe your mom with one word. Selfless. To a fault.

Would you rather bake a cake or cookies? Cookies seem a lot easier.

What curse word do you use most? Almost certainly "fuck" of some form.

Were you always one of those kids who got in trouble with everyone around? No, I very rarely caused trouble as a kid.

When was the last time you took a nap? Did it relax you any? Today actually, and yes. I initially woke up too early.

Honestly, do you see yourself as a slut? Not at all; I am extremely selective with who I'm even remotely sexual with, but I also don't slutshame. Consenting adults can do whatever the hell they want with other consenting adults that are informed about any issues you may carry. I also aggressively encourage you be upfront about your goals relationship-wise; don't want something serious? Say it immediately. Not into only sole partnerships? Say it, immediately. You get it. Be honest and real about what you want.

Is there a secret you’ve never told your parents? Yeah.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever been through? The traumatic breakup of my first real relationship.

Do you like fast food or does it disgust you? Dude I'ma be real, fast food is some of my favorite stuff lol, I know that's an extremely unpopular opinion, but whatever. I still certainly avoid it though just for health reasons; I'd say we get someone out maybe just once a week.

Who was the last person you kissed? Girt.

What’s your favourite alcoholic drink? Sangrias.

Do you like the smell of BBQs? I actually really do, even though I dislike the food at most barbeques. Hamburgers and hotdogs are fine, but barbeque chicken, pulled pork, and stuff like that is where I'm out. Southern barbeques ain't for me.

Do you crash on people’s sofas often? Uh no, I've never done that.

Do wasps scare you? Yes, I really don't like how aggressive they are, and that stinger is too long okay.

Have you ever worn flip flops in the snow? lol sure have, but never in even remotely heavy snow. It was only ever to like, leave the house and get in the car though; I wouldn't wear flipflops for an extended period in snow.

Has anyone ever told you that you & your significant other could be siblings? Have they ever assumed you were siblings? Not my current one, no; we look pretty different. It was a joke with my mom that Sara and I were basically twins when we dated, but I don't think anyone ever actually thought we were.

Have you ever heard people having sex in the next room? Pretty positive yes. It was in the apartment when just me, Jacob, and Amanda were home, Jason was probably at work I guess, and from the living room couch I heard Things happening behind me lol

Have you ever been in a beauty pageant? No, I absolutely fucking despise them and their whole premise.

Have you ever lost your voice? Yeah, most recently when I had Covid some time last year. My voice was gone for quite a long time.

Museum date or aquarium date? Aquarium.

Did you ever have an emo or scene phase? Haha you know it.

Name a subject you know a lot about. I probably know most about meerkats, or Silent Hill stuff.

Most embarrassing poster you’ve ever owned? I don't think I've had one I'd be embarrassed by.

Could you see yourself having a child with the last person you kissed? Yeah I could, but it's not something we want to do in the foreseeable future.

Who is your favorite person to have random conversations with? Girt, I love learning new stuff about him.

Who was the last person to make you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable? My mom, literally like an hour ago. She said something not realizing the topic is one I'm self-conscious about. I was really upset over it for a few minutes.

What are you known for? Most likely as the lazy deadbeat kid.

Which of the guys you’ve been interested in hurt you the most? Idk if I've mentioned a "Jason" before in these????????????

Do you know anyone who is engaged? Yes, my high school friend Kelly recently got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, and I'm stoked for her. She's been so in love with this guy and she deserves the world.

What is your relationship status on Facebook? In a relationship with Girt, but pending after nearly two years lmao. It's not something he hides or anything, he just barely touches Facebook and by now the notification would be buried under like, hundreds of others, because at some point he ticked some setting that notified him when I merely post anything, and with how much shit I share, he's never finding it lol. I would only be bothered by this if it wasn't for the fact his behavior fully shows we're together, and how he acts toward me doesn't change in front of others.

What are you listening to? I'm watching/listening to WoolieVS' LP of Dark Souls.

What was the last thing you looked up on Google? What a mudslide drink is, actually for that earlier question. I had something like that at Sara's place years ago and it was fuckin magical lol, but I never asked what exactly it was, but that one seems the most likely.

Ever been kissed on the leg? Uh maybe? I can't remember a specific occasion though.

Last person to hear you cry? Either Mom or Girt probably, idk.

What do you think of the term plus-sized in modeling? Is it empowering or demeaning? It's demeaning as fuck; modeling is modeling. By adding the descriptor of "plus-sized," you're indebatably making it sound like the person isn't a real, ideal model.

Do you think you are ready to be on your own (have your own home, job, etc.)? Absolutely not entirely on my own, no. By now I really want to live with Girt, but without a source of income, I'd be very uncomfortable relying on him, even though he's told me he doesn't care. I care. I already fucking hate relying on the person that gave birth to me.

Has your ex ever gone out with someone close to you? No, not that I know of.

Are you friends with someone who’s autistic? My niece is, and I'm fucking finally getting evaluated for it myself at the end of this month. I, along with my mother and others that have watched me grow up, are very confident I have high-functioning Asperger's.

Have you ever had a Bic Mac? No, I'm not into lettuce on burgers, so it's a no by default.

Have you ever been to a convention? (comic, YouTube, etc.) I went to a reptile one/NARBC with Sara once, and I loved it, even though I struggled quite badly with my legs. I'd love love love to go to another, once my legs are a little bit better!

What is the biggest difference between you and your best friend? I'm way more emotional, while Girt is a very practical person. He has emotions, I've seen them, but he's much more in control of them than I am.

[collecting--stardust]

For the 3 songs ask: 2, 19, 20, 26 and 30

Hi waru 🫶🏻 Took me long to get this done so sorry about that hhh

Since the list is quite long, I put it under the keep reading tag(?)!

2. Three last songs that you listened to.

- Get a Guitar by RIIZE.

- Last Breath by Ari Abdul.

- 9+1# by Kim Jaejoong.

19. Three songs that are your guilty pleasure.

- Closer by Nine Inch Nails. Just.. look at the lyrics it's self explanatory.

- Bang Bang Bang Bang by Soho Dolls. Played it once by accident and my twin was like ??? what song is this, change it!! And since then I listened to it on my own lol Plus it's about school shooting too so yeah

- Blow by Bruno Mars, Chris Stapleton and Ed Sheeran. The lyrics are extremely not public friendly but hey it's a bop!

20. Three songs that remind you of the person that sends this one.

- The Interstellar Experience by Tony Ann. Reminds me of hope, sunset and breeze. You have a calming presence that people seek for consolation after a tough day - a moment of freedom from the harsh reality? I don't know I'm bad at words hhh

- Comfort by Nicholas Galitzine. I don't know, but I felt like you tend to put others first instead of yourself and it had caused you to feel hurt. You are selfless and I hope that wonderful trait of yours will not be taken advantage by others.

- One Step At A Time by Jordin Sparks. Just a song that I hope will help to remind you to take a breather when you need it and give you strength when you face any tough days!

26. Three favourite non-english songs.

This is a tough one because I listen to non-english songs more than English songs at times 😂 Well, I'll just list songs that I have a phase on then!

- Certamente by Madreblu. I listen to this song for the first time when it played randomly on YouTube and it changed my life. I listen to this song a lot on my 2nd year of uni especially after a bad day during the clinical posting and it always comfort me.

- Katakoi (One Sided Love) by Akiko Shikata. I have bad memories but I remember that my twin and I have a huge Akiko shikata phase when we are 10 years old for a reason that I don't even remember. She has a lot of bops but Katakoi is a song that always hits me in the feels every single time.

- 위로 (Beautiful Jeopardy) by Nell. I have a lot of Nell songs phase especially the songs in the Slip Away album. But in recent years I didn't really know or listen to new songs because I've been busy and there's too many new songs. This song, however, reminds me why Nell is such a special band in my heart and that song is just so beautiful. I keep on wondering whether I want to put Standing In The Rain or Beautiful Jeopardy on the list but since this song has only Korean lyrics, I decided to go with this song ^^

30. Three songs you really want your followers to know.

There's too many songs that I would like to recommend so I'll just choose songs that I immediately think of then!

- Bolero by TVXQ. (Or Tohoshinki since that's the name they used when they promote in Japan lol). So I am a huge Cassiopeia especially in their OT5 era and I love their songs especially their Japanese songs. Unfortunately people only know their popular songs like Rising Sun, Mirotic or Hug which are bops btw but they have wonderful ballad songs that need more recognition! (I would also recommend My Destiny, 9095 and Heart Mind and Soul!)

- 겨울이 간다 (Goodbye Winter) by Day6. So Day6 is the main reason I survived high school so I barely listen to their old discography now as it reminds me of the horrible past lol But when their songs come out in shuffle, I was blown away and once again fall in love with them (though I still cannot listen to Live Your Life in the same way 😔). This song is one of the first songs of theirs that I listen to and it really makes me sad that it is so underrated. (Will also recommend I Need Somebody, Not Mine, Like a Flowing Wind and Still if this songs are right up your alley!)

- Who Are You? by Bad Omens. This listen comes out in shuffle when I was on the way to my PM shift and I was anxious the whole shift because I can't wait to go back to college and listen to it again lol It's that good, to me at least and that is why its one of my top songs of the year according to YouTube Music (yes, I don't use Spotify cause I don't really like the format and the fact that I can't skip songs too often). I think they are quite underrated so I would like to introduce them to you guys! (Will also recommend Bad Decisions, The Grey and the Death of Peace of Mind!)

[fenoderee]

薫 [Guitar] Interview

Let's start with an interview with Kaoru, the main composer of the Band. He has been steering the Band in the direction of what he feels is new and interesting musically, but in what mode has he been working on the music now, and how did he complete the new song "Oboro"?

Nothing is interesting if it's exactly what you think it is at the beginning, but it becomes interesting if you think "it could look like this" and continue drawing.

-Since we're doing this remotely, I'm also curious about where you are now... Is it your home studio?

Kaoru: It's like a studio, a place where I write songs and draw pictures.

-A place where you can concentrate on one work. Have you had a studio for quite some time?

Kaoru: About five years ago. I've been using it since I started writing songs for 'The Insulated World' (released September 2018).

-I'm also curious about the monitor screen behind you, which I assume you're still writing songs on.

Kaoru: No, this is just the data for "Oboro". There's also a guitar in the composition.

-It's a studio that you can use freely 24 hours a day, are you the type of person who sets aside time to write songs?

Kaoru: Basically, I do, but it depends on the moment. When I'm in the mood, I don't need to set a time to write.

-I've heard that you've been writing songs for your next album for quite some time?

Kaoru: Yes. We started writing songs before we had finished "The Insulated World." I don't know if they will end up on the album or not, but I started writing them anyway.

-The style of your previous work was also key in terms of what inspired you to write a song and how you think about it, but what did you see in "The Insulated World“ that made you want to pursue it further?

Kaoru: To put it simply, I wanted to create something more intense. The last album was made with the intention of creating something intense, and the album before that "ARCHE" (released in December 2014), was a straightforward package of what we had created at that time. For the next album, I want to make sure that the songs I've chosen are the only ones I can think of. In that sense, I want to make a very intense album. I don't want it to be an intense album, or a slow album, or anything like that, but I want it to be a whole piece of work.

-Do you write your songs with the whole album in mind, rather than just one song at a time?

Kaoru: Yes, that's true. But when we first started writing the songs, I had a feeling about it, but I hadn't told the band yet.

-What kind of sounds and phrases come to you as a starting point when you are conscious of wanting to make something strong?

Kaoru: The way we create doesn't change much. It doesn't matter what the starting point is. I just start writing and then somewhere along the line I start to betray myself. I'll put in a phrase that sounds different. It's all about making the song more interesting. It's more like if you start off with the right idea, the song won't expand from there. I'm trying to find songs where I can find the unexpected.

-Do you also do some kind of input work to draw your own inspiration?

Kaoru: I do input, but I don't know if it's open or not. When I sit down in my studio and think "Come on, let's do it", I don't really think about anything else.

-Do you feel that starting to draw together has given some kind of feedback to your music?

Kaoru: I thought there would be, but not really (laughs). It's still the same, both in terms of salary and songs. If I tried to create it myself, I'd end up thinking in a very unorthodox way. The more I draw, the more I think the same way as I do when I write songs. It's not interesting if it's exactly what I had in mind from the start, but if I start drawing randomly and when something comes out, I think "it could look like this", and then I go on with it and it becomes interesting.

-So you don't like the fact that you can predict what you are going to do?

Kaoru: Yes. But in the case of a song, you can say "I've tried it, but I think I'll redo it", but with a picture, once you've put in one stroke, you can say "Oh, it's not the same", so the tension is different in that respect.

-Returning to the subject of one song, last year DIR EN GREY released "Ochita Koto no Aru Sora" as a download. When was this song born?

Kaoru: Last spring...well, it's been around for a while. It was a song that we had been working on. We reworked it and made it again.

-Were you in the mode of "I want to make it strong" from that point on?

Kaoru: I think we were in that mode, but I have an image of that song as a single, so it's a bit different. I wanted to put it together as a single, but with an unexpected twist. So it's a mixture of mellow, loud and core.

-But I think you felt you were able to move forward with one new song. Was there anything that came out of that?

Kaoru: It's still like we're trying to get our hands on something that's shrouded in mist. I'm still struggling with it.

-From what point did you start to make "This Single"?

Kaoru: Unusually for me, I started with a chord progression. I thought it would make a beautiful song. But as a song it was just a chord progression and I didn't have a definitive image yet. So I gave the members a listen to the song and said "Let's try it".

-Did you write the chord progressions while playing the guitar?

Kaoru: No, the keyboard. I thought it would be easier to understand the development of the song if I added the guitar when I played it for the members, so I did, but I hadn't added it before.

-A single keyboard is an instrument that makes it easy to visually see how the notes are stacked. Do you find it easier to move on to something unexpected if you use such an instrument?

Kaoru: When I'm creating phrases on the keyboard, I'm only imagining how the song will go. It's not that I'm trying to make the sound pile up purely because it's on the keyboard, but simply because it's easier to see than playing the guitar. This was especially true for "Oboro" and nowadays I always review the notes once on the keyboard. I also created "The World of Mercy" (released in September 2019) on the keyboard at first. When I added guitars to it, the song changed drastically.

-"Oboro" is finished in an arrangement that incorporates strings, but is the rough phrase of strings in your head from the beginning?

Kaoru: I didn't include it in the demo stage. In fact, I was thinking of not including it. But when I created the guitar solo and was thinking about what to do before it, I came up with the idea of strings. I put them in, and it worked out well, so I decided to put strings in the second half as well.

-So the guitar solo led to the string arrangement.

Kaoru: To put it coolly, yes (laughs). For a while we were trying to get rid of the guitar solo, but recently we've been trying to add the flavor of the guitar solo to the songs. I was struggling with this until about halfway through, when I really thought the guitar solo was necessary. Even now, there are times when I don't think it's necessary. But this is the same idea I had when I started adding guitar solos again. I grew up with that kind of music, and I was always impressed by the cool guitar solos of my favorite artists. I don't think solos are really necessary in this day and age, but as long as it's not too dull, it's okay. That's why I think about the phrases I use in my solos, but it's not like I have any deep feelings about them.

-When you were thinking about the phrases and melody for the guitar solo, did you have a song in mind yet?

Kaoru: I had a tentative song in mind, but I hadn't finished the verses yet.

-Oh, really? It's a solo with a melody and tone that fits the color of the poem very well.

Kaoru: So maybe it was my mouth that called up this poem (laughs).

-I'll say it, brother!

Kaoru: That's a lie, a lie (laughs). When I was thinking about the guitar solo, I felt like I was drawing a picture. I was trying to figure out what kind of sound I wanted the chords to make while creating a certain atmosphere. It's like I'm trying to figure out what emotion I want to put into it. The general idea was to keep the first phrase as it was, but change the nuances in the details.

It's limited, so you can't do something like a power collision, but it will surely be a live that is nothing but DIR EN GREY's live.

-You're a real romantic when you can get away with this kind of melody and arrangement.

Kaoru: Yeah, that's right (laughs).

-Another thing I noticed was how few guitar tracks there were. Is this a result of your desire for a change in the construction of the sound?

Kaoru: I think a lot of people feel that this song is easy to understand, but we just didn't make it easy to hear everything. If you listen to it carefully, it's actually not an easy song to understand at all...let's just say that (laughs). If you listen to it thinking that you can hear everything that is in it, you will never hear it. In fact, there are many "sounds" that are far away. I put them in such a way that you can't hear them. So I'm trying to make you feel it. I think the guitars in this song are meant to be felt. I don't want you to listen to it, but to feel it. That's why it doesn't come out with a bang, but there's something there. The number of tracks is smaller than in the days of "Dum Spiro Spero" (Continued in August 2011), but I thought it would be more interesting to let the listener hear that there are actually various sounds at key points. In that sense, I want the album to be dense.

-Did you come up with such a clever method while struggling with the music in your secret studio?

Kaoru: I'm basically twisted (laughs). But when I think something is not interesting, I naturally come up with something like that. When the album finally comes out, I think it's OK as long as everything is interesting and fits together. It's not like I haven't done this before, but this time I took the plunge.

-In this case, I think you have to be very careful about sound awards and mix balance. What kind of instructions did you give during the recording process?

Kaoru: I didn't make any detailed instructions. I just recorded it normally, reamped it in the studio, and at the last minute asked the engineer, "This is how I want it". The rest was left to the mix engineer. However, I had already talked with the members at the pre-production stage. I wanted the whole thing to sound like a warble, and the guitars were relatively up front. When it came time to mix it, I tried to make it more of a feeling than a sound.

-Neil Avalon was the mix engineer, was it easy to convey the subtle nuances?

Kaoru: Neil seemed to understand. Even so, it was difficult to convey even the most recognizable nuances, and I had many exchanges.

-You said you were going to have him play the guitar, but could you give us some pointers on "this part is actually the guitar"?

Kaoru: To make it easy to understand, in the A melody, there's a kind of arpeggio that goes back and forth. It's like a single note phrase.

-Is it an echo-like effect with a lot of depth?

Kaoru: Yes, yes. That's the one that's actually getting straightened out little by little (laughs). But you can't tell unless you listen carefully. The first shot is a bit choppy, so you can understand it, but the second half is very year-round and you may not understand it. It's interesting to understand.

-As I unraveled Oboro, using what you taught me as a hint, I felt like I was getting deeper and deeper into it.

Kaoru: Yes, I think it will be fun, so please listen carefully. Well, I'll try not to make you sit down (laughs).

-I'm a passenger, though, lol.

Kaoru: It's just something I came up with. But it wouldn't be interesting to have a song where everything is played, or where all the voices are heard, or where all the sounds of the five players must be heard because it's a band. If that's the case, then the guitar doesn't have to be played loudly.

-Did completing this song make what you wanted to do for the album clearer?

Kaoru: It's just that now that "Oboro" is done, I don't think there will be any more songs like this one (laughs). But we originally wrote this song as a ballad, and the album's ballad will be released as a single first. "Oboro" exists in my mind only as a single song, so I think I need a song with a different selection.

-Are you starting to give shape to it?

Kaoru: No, it takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of time for me and my team members to get to know each other. It's hard to find something that says, "Oh, you don't have to think that hard". So I try not to think about it (laughs).

-That's just like Dr. Den who is in album production mode (laughs). I always send the best car with the best machine to the landing place.

Kaoru: It's true. I can't decide, or rather I don't want to decide. I want to use the possibilities to the fullest as they grow. The members say to me, "Shouldn't you decide what kind of album you want to make?“ I usually answer, "No, I'd like to keep it a little more vague“. This always lasts until the second half of the album production (laughs).

-Since last year you haven't been able to perform live as much as you'd like, does that put you in a better frame of mind to concentrate on writing songs?

Kaoru: We haven't toured for a year now, we used to tour twice a year. Now I think there were hints in the casual conversations I had with the members in the dressing rooms before the gigs. I would get an idea for a song from a casual conversation, like "this song might fit this way". So I think it would be better if I had a chance to talk to the band members.

-Conversations with the members are different during the writing period and in the dressing room. In the dressing room, they might express their honest opinions, so it's easier to understand what they are thinking about.

Kaoru: Yes, that's true. It's hard to see because we don't have that now.

-Is your biggest input from your members?

Kaoru: I want to make decisions myself, but there are many things I can't decide. If the members say "it's good", I think "oh, it's good". I don't know if it's the right answer on my own.

-At the audience concert in May, I was asked to start by talking with the 5 members in the dressing room.

Kaoru: I don't think we have time for that (laughs). It's been a long time since I've been to a live concert.

-When the magazine goes on sale, the live performance will be in a few days. It's been a long time since you've done a live power exchange with the audience, how are you feeling now?

Kaoru: I sent my ideas for the setlist to the members just the other day, but no one responded, so I don't know if they think it's okay or if they'll think about it after rehearsal (laughs). I'm not sure how that will feel. But I'm not worried at all. I'm sure it will be nothing but a DIR EN GREY concert. Also, in a situation like this, everyone has their own opinion, and it doesn't mean that those who come to see the show are right. It will be the first one, or the beginning, or if it is the first step to get something, it will be the second step, so I would like to think about it after we try it.

Text/ YUKINOBU HASEGAWA, HIROKI KATAGIRI [GiGS/Equipment]

Photo/ REISHI EGUMA [C-LOVe CREATORS]

Translations by me.

[malfoysmaybank]

drivers license - stanley barber

a/n: i was having some writers block on my requests and i’ve been sobbing to this song on repeat, so here’s a fic for my bebs stanley barber. i also changed one lyric from “blonde girl” to “one girl” because it fit the plot more!

warnings: angst, you might cry (i did while writing this lols), parent absence, fluff at the end because i couldn’t break my heart with this one, but some straight angst is coming soon!!!!

word count: 1.7k+

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

You had been best friends with Stanley Barber since you were young, maybe 10. You had stood up for him when some kids were pushing him around because of his outfit. 

“Hey! Get off of him!” You said, yelling at the trio of 5th grade boys pushing another boy to the ground. “Or what, Y/N? You’ll tattle? We aren’t scared of a girl.” The leader of the pack said. You clenched your jaw and punched him straight in the nose. You weren’t going to let a man talk to you like that. The leader started crying and ran off, his sidekicks following after him. You walked over to the boy on the ground and helped him up. “T-Thanks for that.” He said as he got back up. “No problem. I’m Y/N, by the way. Y/N Y/L/N.” You extended your hand for a handshake. He took it. “Stanley. Stanley Barber.”

You’ve been close ever since. You ate lunch with him that day and  bonded over silly things like tv shows and favorite colors. In middle school, he helped you develop your style and you bonded over new things like favorite bands and books. You had his back and he had yours. He truly was your best friend.

However, you started seeing Stanley in a new light in eighth grade. He had gotten taller, his face a little more structured. He also learned how to play guitar that year. He wrote a song about you, of all things. Nobody had ever done something like that for you before. You started noticing the little things he did for you. He would randomly bring a bag of your favorite candy to lunch if he saw you were having a bad day. He taught you how to play piano because he thought it sounded nice with your voice. You fell in love with Stanley Barber. Fuck. Of course you’d NEVER tell him. You couldn’t fuck up the only good thing in your life right now. So that meant silently suffering whenever he had a crush on someone.

That’s the issue, you couldn’t be happy for him when he was with someone else. You spent countless days crying alone in your room after he’d go on for hours about his newest crush. This continued for a straight 3 years. His newest crush was Sydney Novak. You thought this one would blow over, just like his past few, but it didn’t. In fact, this one was the strongest crush he’s ever had. He’d been ditching you to hang out with her. He wasn’t even there to see you get your drivers license, something he’d been so encouraging about. He basically taught you how to drive because he knew how much it meant to you. He didn’t even know you had passed your test, never once asking. But in the sparse moments when he didn’t blow off plans, he’d constantly be talking about her. One of those sparse moments being tonight.

You were currently in his room/basement and he was going on one of his Sydney rants. “She’s so cool, Y/N. I mean, I’ve never met someone who I’ve clicked with more.” Um ouch, but whatever. “I don’t know, she’s just different. Like, in a good way though.” Three deep breaths, Y/N. 3… “We even hooked up the other night.” 2… “I think I’m in love with her.” 1. “Look Stanley, not to be rude, but do you EVER shut up about her?!” You spat. He looked over at you in shock. “I can’t do this tonight… I’m leaving.” You grab your ‘save the earth’ backpack and start jogging up the stairs to leave. 

He follows as you open the door to his garage. “Woah, woah, woah, Y/N. What’s up?” Stan calls from behind you. You grab your skateboard and lift up the garage door. It’s pouring outside, but you don’t care. You go to leave but feel a hand on your wrist stop you. “You’re not going out in weather like that, just come inside and we can talk.” He says gently, still slightly confused. “About what, Sydney again? Don’t you get it Stanley?!” You snap in his face. His eyebrows furrow and you let out a sarcastic laugh, tears building in your eyes. “Of course you don’t. You’ve been so wrapped up in Sydney that you forgot who I was! I’m so done, Stan. I can’t sit here and pretend that I don’t care anymore. Don’t bother hanging out with me anymore.” You snap and rip your wrist away from Stanley’s grip. 

You drop your board and get on, pushing as fast as you can. He calls after you but you block him out. When you’re a far distance away from him and his house, you just sit down on the side of the road and cry. Hurt that he’ll never be yours. Angry that he doesn’t care about you anymore. Frustrated because you tried to be the glue that held your friendship together, but even glue can’t fix the titanic.

You didn’t go to school for the next week. Your parents wouldn’t care, they weren’t even here. Still on some ‘business trip’ just like every week. Instead, you did something that calms you. Wrote music about how you were feeling. You played piano basically all week. Singing anything and everything you were feeling. It made you feel worse sometimes, but in the end it felt worth it.

Stan pulled into your driveway in his dad’s piece of shit car. He needed to work this out with you, he hadn’t seen you all week and he was worried. He missed his best friend. As he quietly closed the car door, he heard the piano playing. He didn’t recognize the song, he was curious. He didn’t even bother knocking, knowing you would slam the door in his face if you knew it was him. He quietly shut the front door and he heard your voice. It got louder as he walked closer to your bedroom door. He’d always loved your voice, it put him to sleep some nights. He could see you slightly, the door left ajar. He listened in.

“I got my drivers license last week,

Just like we always talked about.

'Cause you were so excited for me

To finally drive up to your house.

But today I drove through the suburbs,

Crying 'cause you weren't around”

You sang flawlessly, not a single note out of tune. There was so much emotion behind your voice. So much hurt, anger, frustration. He continued listening, trying to find out who caused you so much hurt. He’d bash their face in, that’s for sure.

“And you're probably with that one girl

Who always made me doubt.

She's so much older than me,

She's everything I'm insecure about”

With that first line, it hit him. He’d caused this hurt. The anger, the frustration, that was him. He was so angry with himself that he almost missed the next line… almost.

“Yeah, today I drove through the suburbs,

'Cause how could I ever love someone else?”

You… you loved him? He’d spent so much time on Sydney that he hadn’t even realized what was in front of him all these years. Except he had.

“And I know we weren't perfect, but I've never felt this way for no one.

And I just can't imagine how you could be so okay now that I'm gone.”

God damn it! He could’ve confessed sooner, instead of ignoring his feelings. And for what? A mindless hookup with Sydney?! He could’ve had you this whole time, but he fucked up.

“....Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me.”

You said that line softly. No anger, or frustration, or even confusion behind that line. Just hurt. He saw a single tear fall down your cheek as you stopped singing. There was more to that song, you just couldn’t continue. He’d be sure to ask you to sing the rest of it later, but right now he needed to fix this. You stood up from the piano bench and he burst through the door. “Stanley, what are you doi-” You couldn’t even finish your sentence before he wrapped his arms around you and brought your head to his chest. “I meant every word of that damn song. Every word. I’m so sorry, Y/N. I’m so sorry.” Tears flowed down your face as you tightly hugged him back and buried your face in the crook of his neck. “I love you. And I’ll be better for you. I should’ve treated you with the respect and love you deserve. I swear I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you. Please give me a second chance, please.” He cried. “I love you too, Stan.” You started. “But I don’t know.” He squeezed you tighter (but still as gentle as possible, he didn’t want to hurt you), with more tears flowing out of his eyes. “Please, Y/N. I’ll be better. If I give you anything less than the love and attention you deserve, you have my full permission to punch me square in the face and kick me to the curb.” You both giggled, still crying. 

He let go of you to hold your face in his hands. “Please?” He begged. “...Okay, fine. But we need to go over how you’re going to do better in the future and what we can do to help each other communicate better and stuff.” You said. He picked you up and spun you around, making you squeal. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Y/N!! I promise I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” You laughed as he set you down and leant down to whisper in your ear. “Want to hear a secret?” He said, sending shivers down your spine. “I never liked Sydney.” He laughed as you hit his chest. “You dick!” You exclaimed, shocked. He swiftly pulled you in by the waist, your faces inches apart as your hands rested on his chest. “You love me, though.” He whispered. “That I do.” You said and finally closed the gap. Damn, you could kiss this boy forever. Alas, the moment is cut short because unfortunately, humans need oxygen to survive. “I love you too.” He says and smiles, giving you a peck on the forehead. “Could you sing the rest of that song for me? I love your voice but that songwriting was INCREDIBLE.” He says and you nod.

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

permanent taglist: 

@loonylunaandthenargles​

[greaterstokesawareness]

Stokes Song Wishlist

DISCLAIMER: I have no technical musical knowledge beyond just being a massive fan of music. I can't read music, I don't play an instrument or sing, I have no idea how to tell anything about key or pitch by ear or what any of the terms mean without looking them up. So, like if any of these don't make sense because of some musical technicality ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'm including links to the Stokes performance if he's sung it but there's no good quality video/recording, otherwise the links are to the version of the song that gave me the idea.

Send me your recs and ideas, I'll keep updating and sharing. Last update: 7/10/24.

"La Vie En Rose" (x): submitted by PC :)

"The Raven" by Potliquor (x) ok hear me out guys: I found this song when I was making a fanmix years ago for the Doctor Who episode "Face the Raven," I know that is too much information, but I just want you to know how big of a nerd I am. Also, my grandmother used to just randomly start dramatically reciting Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" and once she started she would just do the whole thing, so I guess being a big nerd runs in the family. Anyway, this song is so dramatic™ I feel like I can easily picture it having a Broadway arrangement complete with Stokes song-acting.

“I Am What I Am” from La Cage Aux Folles (x) (x) Listen I’m still sort of a Broadway newbie and I just became aware of this song, but I deeply need to hear Stokes to sing this with his song-acting

"Cheering for Me Now" from New York, New York/Hamildrop (x) (x) always loved this song since it came out as a Hamildrop, but i just saw this show on Broadway (plot twist: Stokes was actually in the audience the night we attended !) and I can't stop imagining him singing it :))

“First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (x) Johnny Cash edition. Yes, that link is to a Random Harvest fan vid because it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen, go watch that movie lads

"Waters of March" (x) update: I just got to see him sing this at 54 Below, and it just made me want a high quality album version so much more, but enjoy the video I took <3

"I've Never Been in Love Before" from Guys and Dolls (x)

"You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel (x)

"The Way You Look Tonight" (x) (x)

"Dancing in the Dark" from The Band Wagon (x) (x)

"Dream" from Daddy Long Legs (x)

Okay, how about any or all of the Fred Astaire/Oscar Peterson collaboration album The Astaire Story (x)

Any/all of the songs in this medley from one of his 54Below Diamond Series shows: "The Very Thought of You," "Embraceable You," "They Can't Take That Away From Me" (x)

“Nevertheless” from Three Little Words (x)

"I've Got to Find a Reason" and "Her Face" from Carnival (x) (x)

"Goodnight My Someone" from The Music Man (x) (x): I can totally picture Stokes singing this all Prof-Harold-Hill-grows-a-conscience-like

"I'm Beginning to See the Light" and "Lush Life" (x) (x): Stokes sang these at Boston Pops in June 2022

"Sky Blue and Black" (x) (x) (x) and "Love Needs a Heart" (x) (x) by Jackson Browne

"Little Willow" (x): submitted by PC :)

“Nature Boy” (x) (x)

“Over the Rainbow” with the intro (x) (x)

"As Time Goes By" (x)

"September Song" (x) this Platters version soars a little more

"You Don't Know Me" (x)

"Two Little Men in a Flying Saucer" (x): it's just got those Wizard Every Day vibes what can I say

and maybe like ALL the Christmas songs but especially this song: (my grandmother used to sing us this song called "Christmas Chimes" that she told us a boy at her grammar school in New Haven wrote for the Christmas pageant back in the 30s or 40s. It's so pretty and I've never ever heard it anywhere else. It's sort of like 'The Christmas Song'-type about home and memories. I have a video of her singing it ❤ and if you are actual Brian Stokes Mitchell you can have it lol)

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

Hi! I'm craving some angst, so for the song blurb i was thinking 11 minutes by YUNGBLUD and Halsey with Ashton

Thanks for the suggestion and your patience!

_____________

Not Like This 

She knows it’s coming. The end is always a little known. She knows it in her gut. Ashton doesn’t touch like her before. They don’t talk like before. She doesn’t go to him about everything new or even bad in her life. When she switched jobs, she didn’t even tell him at first. And he noticed she was getting home later. That’s the only reason he started to wonder if something was happening if she was seeing someone else. When he asked, she told him about the job change. She had a suspicion that Ashton didn’t believe her until she came home with some work, which she had never done before. Then some mail came about her insurance through the job, that seemed to put Ashton at ease. But she almost wanted him to continue to be suspicious, at least then he was paying attention. 

Not like now, across the dinner table from her. He’s more invested in his plate of chicken and rice than her. Not even her story on how her heels broke at work and combing the office for superglue to keep the heel intact for the rest of the day. She stopped her story before talking about the heel rebreaking right as she was climbing into the car to come home. He wasn’t listening and she wasn’t going to baby him or let him get a pass by her nonsense story. The silence stretches on, forks scraping against ceramic plates. 

He gives a hum, randomly amongst the silence. She drops her fork to the plate and stares at Ashton. She can’t lie to herself anymore. The highs were good, it felt like being at the top of the rollercoaster, where nothing matters because all you can see is the sky, and what could possibly be more important than just watching the horizon expand in front of you with everything fading into the background. The lows, those came like the drop of the rollercoaster, gut falling into your ass and hurtling to the ground. There was no stopping their lows. They came without fail right as the highs reached their apex. When the touches got a little too comfortable, when they agreed a little too often on things, the disagreements were right around the corner. 

“I haven’t said a damn word for five minutes, Ashton. So tell me what the hell are you humming at?”

He brings his gaze up, brows pulled together in confusion. The TV is on low in the living room. He can hear the laughter track. But other than that there is silence that hits his eardrum. She blinks at him. Her lips have almost disappeared in anger, pursed and rolled tightly together. Ashton doesn’t say anything. 

“I asked you a question. What are you humming at?”

“Y-you.”

A dry laugh escapes her throat. It’s only one bark of laughter too. It stings against his ears. She wants to turn over her plate. She wants to throw the godforsaken chicken at his face if she’s honest. But she settles for staring at the plate. She wonders if she stares long enough at the brown rice if it will absorb her anger, if it’ll make her a happy housewife that smiles in her husband’s face. 

Ashton watches her, the way she seethes in her seat. He’s fucked up. He knew it a long time ago. But he figured if they kept going they’d get over this hump, they’d find a good run again. “Baby?” he cautions. Maybe he can fix this. 

“Do not call me baby. Do not call me honey. Do not fucking call me anything outside my name right now,” she snaps, shoving the plate to the ground. It crashes, pieces splattering around the ground. Her chicken sits in a red sea of the salsa it cooked in for seven hours in the crockpot she bought Ashton when he said he wanted to cook for them more but with the long hours at the studio he wasn’t sure how to balance it. She bought it so when he got up after her, he could cook whatever and just text her when she needed to turn it off. The brown rice mixes in with the white shards of plate, like ants frozen in time. 

She stands, hands pressed into the wooden table, her head falling on her neck. “It’s over. I can’t keep doing this.”

“What-what are you talking about?” He can feel the tears in his eyes. They can get past this. This is just a rough patch. All couples have them. 

“Answer my question. What did you hum for?”

“I-I thought you were talking.”

“Tell me what I was talking about.” She waits. The clock in the living room ticks. And ticks. And it ticks. Ashton looks around her, looks out the window to the street, looks to the cracked plate and food on the floor. 

She was talking about work. He thinks. “Wo-work?”

“If you were listening, why don’t you know?”

“Baby, I’m sorry. I was thinking about this song–”

With a hand-thrown up, she silences him. He can shove any and all excuses up his own ass. “When’s the last time you fucking listened to me? When’s the last time you really talked to me? When’s the last time we sat through dinner laughing our asses off? When’s the last time you touched me, hmm? When’s the last time we cuddled? I am sick of the excuses. I’m sick of work always being on your mind. I am sick of taking a backseat. I am sick of us fighting and fucking and fighting again.”

“It’s just a rough patch, sweetheart. We’ve always had those.”

God, she hates how he calls her sweetheart in that cracked voice. He’s always used it when he wanted her to calm down. He always used it because he knew how she had always cracked at the sound of it. She’s not going to crack this time. She’s not going to give into him. “I told you to call me by my name.”

Ashton finally stands, reaching out to cup her cheek. He’s gotten used to this. Gotten used to her being there. He doesn’t want to give that up. “I’m listening. Right now. I’m sorry. Let me fix this.”

“Let you fix this for us to be right back in the same place. You don’t want a relationship. You want some you can fuck and be there when you want them to be. News flash, Ashton, you’re not the only person with expectations. The world has not and will not ever grovel at your feet. No band in the world is going to give that. No status, no amount of money is going to bring you people worth keeping in your life.”

She hasn’t pulled away from his touch. He’s still got some part of her that wants to stay. Some part of her that’s hooked to this toxic cycle too. “I know I’ve been distance. I’m sorry. Stay. With me. We can get through this.”

Her eyes are floating with tears and she pushes his hands away from her cheeks. “I don’t miss you anymore.”

That’s a low blow, that hurts him. “You-you don’t miss anymore.”

“No. We don’t talk anymore. When I got to work, I’m relieved because I’m not cooped up in this house with you. With a man that only wants me for my body and doesn’t even want me for that anymore. I almost didn’t show you the proof of insurance from my new job just so you’d think I was cheating. Because only then, did you pay attention to me.”

Ashton falls into the chair. It’s a losing game. She steps away from the table. He watches out the window. And he can hear the clattering of her in the bathroom. The floor creaks just a little with her steps and she’s traveling between the same two rooms–the bedroom and the bathroom. He knows the creaks of his house like the back of his hand. 

They were designed to fall. They were never going to make it. She wanted a normal life for the most part. She wanted to just lay low. Ashton was riding the high of his band. He was trying to regain his youth. He thinks about her questions. They hadn’t sat and just talked about the day in a long time. He wasn’t even listening to her story. She mentioned work and he just went along with it, nodding at what he thought were all the right parts. 

It’s the distinct whir of wheels that catches Ashton’s attention again. There’s just a suitcase. But her purse and a backpack are on her back. Her family’s on the other side of the country. She didn’t renew her lease to live with him. It’s real. She’s really leaving him. “Hey, no, just give a minute okay? Let me think through this!”

She snaps her head around, watching the nostrils of his nose flare. “Now you’re angry. Now you want to fight me. Then do it. Fight me,” she bellows pushing her chest into Ashton’s. They are both seething in the other’s face. “Fight. Me. You’re so big and bad now.”

“You can’t just leave me. Not like this. What am I supposed to do without you?”

“Whatever it was you were doing before me.” She snatches the handle of the suitcase and heads out the door. The wheels bump and scrap over the asphalt of Ashton’s driveway. She’d go to Sierra. But she’s practically tied to Luke and if Luke knows, he’s not going to be strong enough to keep Ashton away. She can’t escape to Michael’s or Calum’s. She figures she might be able to get in reach with Calum’s ex. The two of them remained friends and while it’s no secret of their friendship, they do make a point not to talk about the guys. 

The phone rings and it almost drowns out Ashton’s shouting from the window of the car. She can just catch him in her peripheral as he tugs at the locked handle of the door. She can catch him begging for them to talk, begging her to give him one more shot to get things right. 

“You can’t just leave like this!” Ashton shouts as she begins to pull out of the driveway. He walks down besides the car. “One more shot!”

She doesn’t slow. She peels into the road, cutting her wheel to carry her down. “Thanks,” she says to the speaker of the phone. “I’ll be there soon.”

There’s no stopping her when she’s down the street. Ashton throws his arms into the air. “Fuck!”

She wipes at her face. She’s only eleven minutes away. Hardly no time at all. She’s at the end of the block, waiting for a string of cars to go. She can see Ashton approaching in the rearview mirror. He’s jogging down the block. The moment the last car clears, she turns left. It’s taking her opposite of where she wants for a moment, but she can make the next right and do a loop. She can’t risk Ashton knowing. 

The car’s long gone but Ashton continues for a few more steps before slowing his run. His chest aches. He could’ve fixed this. He could’ve made things right. They couldn’t end like this. He didn’t want her to storm out like that. They weren’t good for each other, but maybe all they needed was a little more time. That’s all. Just a little more time. 

-H

Send me a song + a boy and I’ll write you a blurb. 

[valerianka-97]

Twisted, tangled, wicked, sick.

... That is how I felt when I actually finished that article. Heaven help me...

The 12th of July is the beginning of a new era for gothic rock trio from Massachusetts - PVRIS.

Last Friday the band introduced to the world their debut single "Death Of Me" from an upcoming third album. They also released a thrilling music video for the song.

New sound, same energy.

Death Of Me was supposed to be a new rock hit but surprisingly turned out to be the dance hit instead. Many fans were confused, some were in panic that the band switched to another genre, others were slightly shocked. But everyone agreed that the song with the video alongside are something out of this world.

Evolution of sound isn't surprising, the frontwoman Lynn Gunn is known to collaborate with pop and dance artists such as Seven Lions, TBMA and some others, so the electronics that fully replased live instruments is something we could see coming.

Anyways, the band is staying true to themselves, judging by the themes and overall vibe of their new song.

Death Of Me definitely has strong old-PVRIS vibes: the lyrics are still dark and sinister and the video is moody and ominous.

In the song Lynn tells us the story of obsessive love. Obsessive, passionate and dangerous love. Or dedication. It's still a mystery whether she's referring to her love relationship or to something else. Gunn likes to hide things in plane sight, so her love life would've been too easy to refer. The song kinda reminds me of Florence & The machine's Pure Feeling, in which Florence Welch speaks about her dedication to fans and vice versa. The metaphor fits just right to that theory.

Let's speak straightforward here, fans are the best promotion machine of any artist. We can suffocate or let them breath, we can literally be the death of them, because fans are the ones who put an artist on a pedestal and fans can kick them back down. It also reminds me of something else. Something more important and global. But I will leave that thoughts for later in the article.

The music video here is another story but also is an adding to that theory. I'll talk about it more below.

First, let's take a closer look at all the mysteries in the vid.

The biblical theme is the one we notice first of all, it's very simple, and there is a reason of that obviousness. While fans are building logical connections with the first visual metaphor of the seduction of Eve by the devil in a snake's appearance with the song lyrics and then enjoying passionate sequences and the cult initiation, the most interesting metaphors are carefully hidden. The devil is in the details, guys.

The storyline of the video is built on hidden metaphors. Some of them may or may not be intentional, maybe I just built logical connections where there is none but you surely will find my observations interesting.

The seduction and the forbidden fruit are not the only symbols from the Bible. We can see the new members of cult going through initiation. But have you noticed that all of them are of different races? There are black people, asians and white people. It got to me when I wondered about the symbolism of the pyramid formed by the cultists with our trio in the heart of it - which is also may be symbolic and may represent the three ascendants of Noah (or is it too complicated? It may be unintentional). Here we've got the Tower of Babel metaphor.

Next on - the red aquarium. I've already said in a comment section for the video on YouTube that aquarium represents the falling of Adam and Eve from heaven. It's a small piece but key one, keep that in mind.

Now, remember the line in the song "I'm falling, fading, and seeing angels". This line is not just the reference to Demon Limbs. Everyone has noticed that the band made a colorful music video. And the colors in it were not chosen randomly. The band and everyone in the sequence dressed in white instead of classical culty black wearing. Knowing of the falling from heaven metaphor in the video and connecting it to the line from the song we've got our "angels" Lynn talks about. And that's not all of it.

The Tower of Babel in the Bible is known to represent a kind of an act of rebellion against God. The whole cult sequense symbolizes that at some point. The initiation almost completely recreates the holy communion. This, overall, may represent the creation of the alternative religion as a counterweight to the original one and creating their own kind of heaven on Earth, which for some may look more like hell. But that's, my friends, is parallax. Another reference to song lyrics.

And my favorite metaphor, which is also pretty simple but hidden in plain sight. The whole song with its dark, seductive, even erotic, at some poin, vibes is a hint, not to count pretty obvious visualisations in the video.

Lust. The most pleasant one of all deadly sins. Tangled bodies moving rhythmically to the heartbeat and everyone's in rapture. Passionate, isn't it? I mentioned hell lately on purpose. "One man's hell is another's God, it's all about perspective, a parallax". Lynn Gunn surely knows how to play with words and the visuals.

The storyline starts at the actual end of the music video. Why not the snake sequence? You may ask. In fact, it all begun with a snake and an apple, right?

Like I've said, the colors chosen for the video are not accidental. Red color symbolizes not only passion but also hell. And it is known that Eve was in heaven at the moment of seduction. Which led me to conclusion where the story actually begins. And the pyramid sequence is an actual end (which is to be continued).

The ones, who were fallen and forbidden to come back to heaven gardens for they've sinned, united and built their own garden on Earth and they rule it like God rules heavens.

They've sinned at God's perspective, yet they see it as holy communion from theirs.

Now let's come back to my theory of the song's meaning. Why I think it may be about the fans and something more global.

The first time I've watched and listened to the music video, it kinda reminded me of Britney Spears. Let me explain this absurd. Britney's fame became hell for her in mid-2000's. We all remember that.

That's one piece.

In 2011 Spears released a music video for the song Till The World Ends.

The sequences in that video at some point are repeated in Death Of Me: it caught my attention the second I've seen tangled bodies in a rhytmic movement. In Britney's video the storyline's mostly situated underground, where everyone is dying of the hell of a heat, and the colors in both videos are similar, also the dance-y vibe in the darkness of the underground kinda the same. That's the piece no2.

And the dance with a snake was Britney's most iconic performance back in 200(5?). That's the 3rd one.

Not only the music video led me here. Lynn's "You're a cold-blooded killer only after dark but I don't mind" also reminded me of Britney's song Criminal.

Yes, that all may be just coincidence, because "why the fck Britney Spears? Nothin' in common".

And that's when the song lyrics come up and make sense of all of it. Again, the line about hell in perspective, the line about a noose around Lynn's neck or a poison, the line about danger. I've thought about Britney Spears because she is the best example of what the pressure of huge responsibility for fanbase and fame in general can do to people. Break them, suffocate and be the death of them.

We know that coincidences are not accidental, not with PVRIS. Lynn's metaphors have always been much deeper than it has seemed, so I guess that's a good and well argumented theory.

And don't you think that it's finished. There's more.

Death Of Me also wasn't chosen to be the debut single by accident. From all written above, the song is a perfect metaphor itself for the band's prevous album. All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell. Which makes it a great bridge between what we already know and what is soon to be released. My guess is we're about to find out more about heaven and get something else from hell.

I've done pretty heavy work in analyzing everything, and trust me, it was hell. But I enjoyed every hour of it. Twisted, huh?

P. S. While writing a draft to the article I couldn't decide whose name to place in a metaphor with the snake, so at first I wrote "devil's seduction of Eve/Lynn" and accidentally found this strange reference. EVELYNN. Two names, Eve and Lynn, in one Evelynn. And Lynn as Eve in the video. And Evelynn short names are both Eve and Lynn.. Damn, I confused it even more.

Update:

My brain almost exploded yesterday while writing all this. The article is so loaded with information, so I desided not to mention some symbols. Today, as I had a good night of sleep (after very brutal insomnia issues) I realized that the analysis can't be completed without those little details.

The names puzzle above is one of them but I mannaged to put it somehow anyway.

There are several more things to say about symbolism though. One of the them is obvious and everyone noticed it from the start but not everyone is aware of the meaning of that metaphor.

Not all of us know how to read tarot cards, me included. The representation of a tarot card "Three of Swords" - the knives Lynn, Brian and Alex pierced an apple with.

The card's meaning is a heartbreak, sorrow, grief, pain caused by someone's words or actions. It also has a meaning of emotional release and a reminder that the dark clouds building above your head will disappear and take the pain away with it.

The scene of stabbing the apple by the trio most likely symbolizes their expression of that pain and releasing it the moment the apple is pierced.

There is also a colorful symbol which is not that easy to acknowledge but is also put right in front of our sight. I had this thought since the first time I watched the video but didn't bring much attention to it. I came back to it after looking in to flowers handbook.

The flowers on the table in the music video are white lenagolds. Why lenagolds? Why not roses or lilies?

The christian legends say that lenagolds turned up on Earth with the walking of messiah. The Mother's tears that fallen when Jesus carried his cross turned into lenagolds.

Basic meaning of lenagolds is love and devotion. The definition of white lenagolds is sincerity and purity of feelings, loyalty, gratitude and luck.

Note that the flowers laying on the cult's joint table, which also may symbolize the band's devotion and love for the fanbase.

There is another hidden symbol I noticed but didn't manage to solve. Maybe some of you have thoughts on that?

When the cultists stand in two rows facing one another, at first I thought they carried flowers, this scene was really glimpse, so I played it in slow motion. They carried busts.

Not sure what that means, because I can't see whose busts there are, what I'm sure of is that this scene is related to a short shot of a woman's head with bloody tear streaking. Maybe that also reffers to that legend with lenagolds?

Anyways, thank you for reading! I hope you made it down here and I didn't waste your time

If you liked it, please reblog. Would be much appreciated!

[aphroditeurl]

If I'm doing all the asks then so are you.

>.> fineeee

1. If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?

Play video games, I’m not gonna lie about that. 

2. What’s your favourite piece of clothing you own/owned?

I have a black dress I bought for myself a couple years ago that makes me look like a badass Bond villain. And I look sexy as all hell in it. 

3. What hobby would you get into if time and money weren’t an issue?

I want to make custom dolls idk

4. What would your perfect room look like?

PINK i’m a fucking girly girl

5. How often do you play sports?

Never...I am not into sports. Watching others though is fun

6. What fictional place would you most like to go?

Diagon Alley

7. What job would you be terrible at?

Anything involving math. So I would make an awful accountant.

8. If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you have a good chance at winning medal for?

Being sick apparently...nah I’m pretty good at graphic design I think

9. When was the last time you climbed a tree?

I am afraid of heights so never

10. What is the most annoying habit other people have?

loud chewing, I will want to murder you I Promise

11. What job do you think you’d be good at?

Anything with animals, I have a passion for them

12. What skill would you like to master?

A different language. Being bi-lingual would be cool. I hate English. 

13. What would be the most amazing adventure to go on?

Oh fuck I want to travel. Even to places considered “dangerous”. I want to go everywhere, I have A NEED. I’m a sucker for those exploration videos on youtube. 

14. If you had unlimited funds to build a house that you would live in for the rest of your life, what would the finished house look like?

Firstly it would be a beach house because I love water and beaches. Secondly, it’d have at least four bedrooms, maybe six. And a full sized basement. I want it to look Magical As Fuck. For reasons. There will be an aquarium in it.

15. What’s your favourite drink?

Coke. The drink.

16. What state or country do you never want to go back to?

I miss Michigan a lot. I loved it there. 

17. What songs have you completely memorized?

A lot?? too vague

18. What game or movie universe would you most like to live in?

STARDEW VALLEY. Sustainable farming is sexy. 

19. What do you consider to be your best friend?

@sedris-the-meme-king

20. Are you usually early or late?

Early. Like twenty minutes early. Anxiety fuels me.

21. What pets did you have while you were growing up?

A lot of cats, a few dogs, hamsters, and a couple bunnies. I love animals.

22. When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?

Relationship advice

23. What takes up too much of your time?

Depression 

24. What do you wish you knew more about?

Space law. Which is weird. The concept of space really scares me but it’s also a little fascinating. 

25. What would be your first question after waking up from being cryogenically frozen for 100 years?

“is my cat ok?”

26. What are some small things that make your day better? 

Getting random texts from ppl. 

27. Who’s your go to band or artist when you cannot decide on something to listen to?

Rihanna or Halsey 

28. What’s the best way to start the day?

By sleeping in a little longer

29. What shows are you into?

Anything that’s paranormal, pretty much anything on TLC, Gordon Ramsey is Good

30. Who has impressed you most with what they’ve accomplished?

@floating-in-the-dark for being a good bean 

31. What age do you wish you could permanently be?

18. That was a fun age dude. 

32. What TV show or movie do you refuse to watch?

13 Reasons Why, Game of Thrones, I’m petty 

33. What would be your ideal way to spent the weekend?

Video games, ice cream, kissing, things of that nature, maybe going to the movies, exploring a haunted abandoned hospital, casual things you know

34. What is something that is considered a luxury, but you don’t think you could live without?

My phone

35. What’s your claim to fame?

Idk what this means???

36. What’s something you like to do the old-fashioned way?

Dating. I’m sort of a cliche geek ok. 

37. What’s your favourite genre of book or movie?

Horror for movie and fantasy for books

38. What have you only recently formed an opinion about?

God phoning. Non-pagans won’t get this. 

39. What’s the best single day on the calendar?

The first of every month because it feels sorta refreshing

40. What are you interested in that most people haven’t heard of?

Sexual education 

that’s a joke but I am also serious

41. How do you relax after a hard day of work?

I watch youtube videos and play some games, or RP

42. What was the best book or series that you’ve ever read?

The Maze Runner. Sorta corny but it was enjoyable. 

43. What’s the farthest you’ve ever been from home?

California. 10/10 would go back. 

44. What is the most heartwarming thing you’ve ever seen?

“I would blink” out of context this makes no sense but it meant a lot to me in context 

45. What is the most annoying question people ask you?

“Are you SURE you’re __ age?” I am small, I sound 12, but yes I promise I AM TWENTY

46. What could you give a 30-minute presentation on with absolutely no preparation?

Harry Potter at any given moment. Esp Draco Malfoy. 

47. What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?

Tbh??? Move away to a completely new place that you have no connections in. That sounds crazy stupid but really, it was the best choice I ever made. 

48. Would you rather go hang gliding or whitewater rafting?

Whitewater rafting

49. What’s your dream car?

1967 Thunderbird bitches 

50. What’s worth spending more on to get the best?

Make-up, and bath stuff 

51. What is something that a ton of people are obsessed with but you just don’t get the point of?

Game of Thrones lmao

52. What are you most looking forward to in the next 10 years?

School. I can’t wait to start college in the fall. 

53. Where is the most interesting place you’ve been?

UP Michigan 

54. What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but just haven’t gotten around to it?

There are lot of ways to answer this. 

I want to try a ghost pepper lmao

55. What’s the best thing that happened to you last week?

I started talking to someone really sweet

56. What piece of entertainment do you wish you could erase from your mind so that you could experience for the first time again?

Undertale tbh

57. If all jobs had the same pay and hours, what job would you like to have?

I’d work at a graveyard no joke

58. What amazing thing did you do that no one was around to see?

Absolutely nothing my dudes

59. How different was your life one year ago?

Extremely different and I sorta miss it

60. What quirks do you have?

I wiggle my mouth from side to side when I am in thought, I tend to rub my nose randomly, I walk on the balls of my feet

61. What would you rate 10/10?

@funkypanda

62. What fad or trend do you hope comes back?

I!! Want!! 90s!! Fashion!! Back!!

63. What’s the most interesting piece of art you’ve seen?

anything @floating-in-the-dark has done

64. What kind of art do you enjoy most?

See above answer

65. What do you hope never changes?

Most of my friendships

66. What city would you most like to live in?

Londonnnnn 

67. What movie title best describes your life?

The Boss Baby 

68. What did you decide to do the work you are doing now?

Huh????

69. What’s the best way a person can spend their time?

Being kind to others

70. If you suddenly became a master at woodworking, what would you make?

Some really weird shit dude 

71. Where is the most relaxing place you’ve ever been?

UP Michigan lol

72. What is the luckiest thing that has happened to you?

Meeting my best friend 

73. Where would you rather be from?

Canada 

74. What are some things you’ve had to unlearn?

My temper, some bad habits that were formed from anxiety

75. What are you looking forward to in the coming months?

School, getting a puppy, summer

76. What website do you usually go on when you have time off?

Tumblrr

77. Where would you spend all your time if you could?

Japannnnn or South Korea

78. What is special about the place you grew up?

Everyone was a community. We all supported each other. 

79. What age do you want to live to?

100+ cause I fear death a lot

80. What are you most likely to become famous for?

The Biggest Baby Award

81. What are you absolutely determined to do?

Finish school and become a zoologist cause that’s the dream

82. What is the most impressive thing you know how to do?

I can code and shit????? idk

83. What do you wish you knew more about?

Space law

84. What question would you most like to know the answer to?

“will I ever be successful at anything” 

[samrull]

Double Dare, After Laughter, Selfish Machines, Future Hearts (I have some idea on which ones you'd pick and I'm curious 😂 you don't have to do all of them)

oh my God how do I not do them all? you know I live for this shit.

Double Dare by Waterparks

General opinion: a fucking banging piece of music from start to finish. Listening to it right now. I randomly came upon a review of this very album on Alt Press and never looked back since. I’m elbows deep in my Waterparks phase and not even sorry. Nobody does pop punk these days quite like they do. They’re quirky, fun, upbeat and deep when they need to, and I’m so excited to see what they do next. Easily the coolest band I discovered this year.

Fav songs: 

1) Gloom Boys - I never shut up about this song. I listen to it every day on my way to work to pump myself up for the day.2) Hawaii (Stay Awake) - a banger3) Little Violence - a banger and also a masterful dig at the hardcore/alt rock scene

After Laughter by Paramore

General opinion: first listen? Hated it, save for a few songs. I basically grew up listening to Paramore and this made me realize I might not like change as much as I always claim to. But then I’ve started reading up on Hayley Williams’ personal issues (she just got divorced after like 8 years of a relationship), listened to the album again and saw it in a whole different light. I’m still not 100% positive about it, but I understand why it is like it is now.

Fav songs, no surprises there:

1) Rose-Colored Boy - mostly just stupidly catchy, and was very inspiring for me when I was writing More to Life.2) Fake Happy - don’t we all love upbeat songs about depression?3) Caught In The Middle - captures that feeling perfectly, and it’s so brilliant lyrically

(Honorable mention: Pool)

Selfish Machines by Pierce The Veil

General opinion: everyone and their mother knows PTV are my favorite band. They’ve released four albums and all of them are equally great. (However, Selfish Machines happens to include the only PTV song to date that I can’t stand: Bulletproof Love). Selfish Machines is full of everything that makes PTV so great in my mind: stellar songwriting, unique vocals, heartbreaking lyrics and a lot of musical callbacks to their Mexican heritage. I love it so much :(

Fav songs: 

1) Besitos - SHE WAS COVERED IN BLOOD LAST SEEN IN SAN FRANCISCO, the wildest ride from start to finish2) The New National Anthem - beautiful lyrics and also the best drumming I have ever witnessed in my short pathetic life3) The Sky Under The Sea - I still remember where I was when I first really HEARD the lyrics to this, and the feeling from that moment never left me since

(Honorable mentions: basically all the other songs except for Bulletproof Love lol)

Future Hearts by All Time Low

General opinion: I love ATL with my entire heart and then some, but I have to admit Future Hearts is not my favorite album of theirs. Hell, it’s probably my least favorite if I’m being honest. It’s just got too many of the slow, soft songs that I don’t particularly care for. However, I just looked at the tracklist to choose my favorites and realized I love like ¾ of them so maybe scratch everything I wrote before.

Fav songs:

1) Cinderblock Garden - man??? this is my favorite love song :( It’s got this positive outlook on life that I’m struggling so hard to achieve. The You can breathe now and forget line gives me hardcore chills every time. Just beautiful.2) Old Scars / Future Hearts - this song has that pop punk power that some parts of this album are missing slightly3) Dancing With a Wolf - catchy and good lyrics. Classic

(Honorable mentions: Satellite, Kicking & Screaming, Something’s Gotta Give, also Caroline and Take Cover which are b-sides from the same era)

[mytastessuck]

Ween: The Pod

Ah, the album that nearly killed the band. An underrated part of the band's history, this album was recorded when Dean and Gene came down with a mean (Not Mean Ween, the handsome gentleman on the cover) case of mononucleosis which they self-medicated with huffing, explaining 100% of the songs on this album as well as a few flashbacks on future ones. I've always liked a few songs from this album but it took a couple of listens for it to grow on me. But trust me, when you give this album a chance, you will not only gain a new appreciation for music, you can pretty much listen to anything.

1. Strap on That Jammypac

A great way to introduce the album with the sheer what-the-fuckness of the warbling voice that sets you up for a hell of a lead-in instruments tackling you to the floor and beating the shit out of you in the name of the Boognish. Taste the curb, bitch.

10/10

2. Dr. Rock

One of the more recognizable songs from this album. You can clearly hear the guys having fun with this track to the point that it can be seen as a leftover from The Oneness. A great punk track that can kill vermin with how wild it is.

15/10

3. Frank

I know I'm supposed to be thinking about this Frank guy but this song just makes me hungry. My family wants me to cut back on cheese because that's unhealthy all of a sudden. Combine this with the fact that I can only eat fries if I get take-out and it looks like bad times are ahead for your friend. Now I'm sad.

9/10

4. Sorry Charlie

Geez, this Charlie guy sounds like a real sad sack. I feel pretty bad for hi---girlfriend in high school? Wow, never mind. Hope the diddling was worth surfing from couch to couch, Seth Rogen in Pineapple Express. Dreary...for the girl.

9/10

5. The Stallion (Part 1)

Yes...finally a song that lets people know who they're fucking with. Hint: it's the wrong person. Nicely garbled and violently vulgar, I think I speak for ever single American when I say this song should replace the pledge of allegiance.

50/10

6. Pollo Asado

Ah, the wonders of ordering food. Nice back and forth here, real distant and creepy...great, I'm hungry again. And I want lemonade. IT'S MY MONEY, I CONTROL MY DIET!

8/10

7. Right to the Ways and the Rules of the World

A sad song about how the cosmos truly work. Truly full of despair, can't you hear the instruments and the sorrowful voice? Don't pay attention to the laughter near the end. Pay attention to the incense coming from outside. Seems self-defeating, doesn't it? Just like the universe...

11/10

8. Captain Fantasy

My favorite song from the album and the best one to randomly sing to yourself on the subway when you're blitzed on Long Island Iced Teas from Ease. Awesome sound on this track and no other one can challenge that.

100/10

9. Demon Sweat

Surprisingly chill for the sludgefest of this album. I'm guessing this must have been the most difficult song for them to record considering how slow it sounds. An essential listening for people who need to know how nice Ween can jam.

66/10

10. Molly

What a nice fucked track that makes you think you managed to break the device you're listening to it on. I hope Molly appreciates that this song is better than the entirety of what my neighbors blast as they roll past the apartment window. I'm on the tenth goddamn floor. Turn down your fucking music!

17/10

11. Can U Taste The Waste?

Pretty everything is a waste except this song. So dirty, so brown, so good. Send this song through the sewers to battle dragons and rescue princesses instead of that Italian sell-out.

40/10

12. Don't Sweat It

This dude tells me not to sweat it but it's hard not to when the guitar is this violent is the percussion is this taunting. And here you are talking about tea again! I am going to let my family have it at our next meeting.

10/10

13. Awesome Sound

Look, Awesome Sound, I hate to be the one to tell you this but despite how tight you are, you're not best banger on the album. That's Captain Fantasy. Good effort with the strumming though.

10/10

14. Laura

Another beautifully garbled song about a man killing himself over a chick. Or maybe he's gonna kill other people. Tough to tell. Guys and gals, there's always fish in the sea. And one of the most important fish is you. Don't bump yourself off because one or more don't want to swim in your current.

10/10

15. Boing

A tribal (can I say that? I'm black and it sounds wrong) chant over sound drowned beats creates a nice scene to bong mask yourself to. Something tells me this should be the track you listen to when you stare at the album cover in a dark room for several hours.

9/10

16. Mononucleosis

Finally, we get to the root of the madness. Gene croons about the band getting so sick that they couldn't smoke or drink it away or play with their lovely cat. If that was the case, I would pray Komm, Susser Tod too. A freaky sludgy story that can legally give you a fever, do not mess this tale.

11/10

17. Oh My Dear (I Must Be Falling In Love)

My second favorite song that remains juvenile yet more serious than Ween's previous romantic output. Short, sweet and sounding like something SongDrops would put out if they hired better musicians, seduce your boo at your next sleepover with this.

90/10

18. Sketches of Winkle

And we're back to punk. Fast-paced, hard and loud enough to wake up a man that slept for a hundred years, this song will stick in your head for days on end.

50/10

19. Alone

Aaaaaaaaand back to soft. Very mellow, very chill. You can put this song as the ending to Texhnolyze and nobody would be the wiser because it is that much of a downer. Geez, I hope this is as dark as the band gets, eh?

9/10

20. Moving Away

More mellowness. Let's hope this song is talking about the guys moving out of their hellhole of an apartment. Escape the mold, fellas.

8/10

21. She Fucks Me

A bit slower about a girl that fucks. She fucks Gene, she fucks Dean, she fucks me, she fucks all of us. It's I'm guessing the guys were running out of steam at this point but this song is still pretty cool.

10/10

22. Pork Roll Egg And Cheese

A tune that wouldn't be out of place on Spongebob (wink), Ween sings about their love for a balanced breakfast in this nice ditty. Picks up at the tune of the album at the end and sets us up for a doozy.

10/10

23. The Stallion (Part 2)

Come hither for the album closes out by reminding the listeners of who they shouldn't fuck with, mang. Mr. Ed ain't got nothing on this shit where a man reveals that he runs the show. Nice way to close out an album.

75/10

Album Score: 27.7/10

Next week, we will tackling one Ween's objectively two best albums, Pure Guava. See you there.