#so this actually isn’t a great representation of all the songs on it

[zodiaciller]

tagged by @scattered-storyteller - shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up.

i couldn’t choose a favorite playlist so i chose the playlist i listen to on my morning commute! so when you listen please imagine yourself extremely sleep-deprived and sitting in traffic in a beater car on your way to a shit job :)

i think the spotify algorithm pulled this one up because i played this on loop like 10 straight times last week when i successfully got my parking fine thrown out

side effects of the current yellowjackets brain rot... what can i say i love the soundtrack to the show

actually this is a new addition to the playlist! this song is off their album that just got released a few days ago

good tune! i have sung along to this one far too vigorously too often

really good song to listen to on an early morning commute tbh. like i think this song is the most potent after sunset and before sunrise. also i tap along to the rhythm of this one on my steering wheel with an intensity usually only found in concert pianists

@lyctor @owltrifecta @mayasaura @taran-wanderer if y’all feel inclined + whoever else sees this and wants to do it im mentally tagging ya (i love listening to new music soo really anyone who wants to do it PLEASE do)

[akookminsupporter]

ARE YOU SURE?!: SECOND EPISODE

MY IMPRESSIONS

Preface: This is not an analysis post, and honestly, I don’t want to overanalyse their interactions or everything they said and did—many others are already doing that. My intention with this post is simply to share my thoughts on the episodes, my impressions, and perhaps my conclusions.

I’m writing this as I watch the episodes for the second time.

The intro still feels too generic for a show featuring TWO SINGERS, but oh well. 

Jimin can never stop praising Jungkook for everything, even the most normal and small things Jungkook does—Jimin will praise him for it. 

I also love how Jimin and Jungkook always, not just on the show, make comments that confirm how well they know each other and how aware they are of everything the other does. 

Jimin and Jungkook really complement each other well, in everything. 

Jimin is more into making plans and wanting to go places, but he’s much calmer. Jungkook isn’t one to plan, but he’ll go with the flow. However, once in those moments, he’s super active. He does everything; he just doesn’t plan it. On the other hand, Jimin plans everything, but even though he participates in everything, he’d prefer to stay sleeping or do it more laid-back, hahaha. 

Seeing Jimin and Jungkook hiking reminded me of that episode of RUN BTS, where Jimin says that if he won, he’d make the loser hike a mountain (I can’t remember the name), and he and Jungkook couldn’t stop laughing. I still wonder what that was all about. 

Their conversations always seem so interesting to me and say a lot about their dynamic. They talk about mundane things and things that, without knowing how they are, wouldn’t make sense. The beautiful thing is that they follow each other’s flow perfectly. Another thing I love about them is that when they’re together, there’s a certain innocence about them and the way they’re gentle without being childish is just too lovely. They definitely have a tone of voice just for the two of them. 

Jimin has a great imagination, no wonder he writes such good songs, hahaha. 

Could Jimin really do a cover of Jungkook’s song and vice versa? Thank you. 

I’m just now noticing the difference in their clothing styles. Jimin really said, “I didn’t shave my legs for nothing!” Hahaha. But yes, black and white all the time, basically. 

When Jimin said he was also a member, Jungkook looked at him as if saying, “Babe, I didn’t mean you,” hahaha. 

The conversation about mosquitoes and Jimin’s blood is too funny. 

I had to look up what omakase means because I obviously didn’t understand what they were talking about, and now that I know, it makes sense. Jimin was absolutely right. 

Maybe it’s just that they really laugh at what they say, but seriously, many things they say and how they react to them make you think they mean something else. Like an innuendo that we’re not supposed to catch, hahaha. 

Everyone’s talking about what Jungkook said to Jimin when he grabbed his sweater, but I haven’t seen anyone talk about how Jungkook responded to it! God, that soft and low tone they use when talking to each other kills me every time I hear it. It’s so delicate and so... private. It’s a very good representation of their relationship in general. 

Jungkook actually said he wanted to try Jimin’s blood, and Jimin really said ‘bet,’ hahaha. 

I love how relaxed and slow the first episodes were. They weren’t there to entertain us; they were there to rest and enjoy their days off, with cameras filming them. The yacht trip was really just that, them enjoying a yacht trip. Nothing more. And I love that they enjoyed it so much. 

I LOVE how they kept saying they felt free or relaxed or incredible just being there. That’s all that matters, right? 

What is it with them and Titanic, seriously? 

Jungkook is so used to Jimin climbing onto his back that he doesn’t even flinch, hahaha. 

Okay, I suppose one of the reasons they said this show would be unfiltered is because of all the times they talked about Jimin needing the toilet, hahaha. Poor man. 

Jungkook searching for more mosquito bites on Jimin’s body is so... I’d like to say someone explain that to me, but I know no one can, or you’ll just say it’s Jikook being Jikook. 

Mate, the way they play-fight is so cute. Like, it’s so damn soft. Delicate. I think I mentioned something about this in my reactions to the first episode, but here it’s more obvious. 

Also, the way Jimin ends up on top of Jungkook and Jungkook acts as if nothing’s out of the ordinary? Okay. 

Something I love about all the members, in general, is how considerate they are of their staff. They always make sure their staff is okay, that they’ve eaten, or that they’re just doing well. That has always spoken very well of them.   The fact that they worked so hard before enlisting and left so much work behind was also a way of taking care of their staff and ensuring they still had jobs during this period of inactivity. The fact that Jin immediately started working, along with his/their staff, is also worth highlighting. 

I was so stressed when Jimin was complaining about his stomach one minute or was afraid to go to the bathroom and then the next minute HE WAS EATING GUACAMOLE AND TACOS WITH ALL THE SALSAS?! Like, my son in Christ, that wasn’t going to help you! 

Jimin always says everything Jungkook does is cute, but Jungkook also finds everything Jimin does cute. And it’s sweet how Jungkook always points out how well Jimin eats or how much he’s enjoying the food. 

Jimin and Jungkook knowing they dominate the charts does wonders for my ego as a fan, hahaha. 

I love how in many of their conversations, they speak in satoori. I hope as the show progresses, they speak more in satoori. 

Jimin validating that there’s nothing wrong with not writing your own songs and saying it’s efficient that way is the biggest FU he could give to Jungkook’s haters, and I’m sure it wasn’t even his intention. 

I really appreciate hearing Jungkook talk a bit more about the direction he initially wanted to go with his single, and I suppose with the album too, and not just that, but what he wanted to achieve with it. Jimin and Jungkook are not new to the industry, and I think both wanted to branch out a bit from what they knew. As Jungkook said, the goals were different. And it’s interesting how their experiences contrast with each other. Jimin wasn’t so used to writing his own songs, so it’s something he wanted to do and ended up enjoying. Jungkook, on the other hand, is someone who has experience writing his own songs, so he already knows the process, and he decided to focus on his voice this time. I suppose that’s why he “sacrificed” part of the process, which ended up being opting not to write his own songs and instead focus on his voice and how he could tell the story others wrote with it. At the end of the day, Jungkook just wants to sing, no matter what story he’s telling or who wrote it. And that’s respectable. 

Jungkook really is Jimin’s chef. Jin wasn’t lying. The fact that Jungkook was always willing to make whatever Jimin wanted to eat is just too cute.

I don’t mean to offend anyone, but I will always side-eye anyone who says they like Twinkies. I haven’t tried many Hostess products, but that is one of the worst, and I’m not going to argue with anyone about it!

Jungkook, I love you, but that’s not how you make authentic carbonara. I’m not Italian, and I still know that. Saying that carbonara requires sugar should be a crime, hahahah.

Jungkook apologising to Jimin for not being able to make the pasta exactly as he wanted is just too sweet.

Watching Jimin eat that pasta – which looked delicious, I won’t lie – was more stressful than it should have been, hahahah.

Jungkook, you were right; WHO ended up being HUGE.

Wait, was Jungkook in the room when Jimin was asking if he should sleep with him and if he did, would he hit him again? Also, I still can’t figure out what Jungkook threw on Jimin’s bed.

Okay, the part where they start “wrestling” while brushing their teeth. Something that stands out about that moment is the silence and their expressions; it’s as if they were holding back from saying something. Yes, I know they had toothbrushes in their mouths, but something similar happened on the yacht. Also, it’s obvious they do those poses we’ve seen before, like when Jungkook carried Jimin during one of their rehearsals – I don’t know if you remember which one I’m talking about. That’s why Jimin looked so comfortable when he climbed onto Jungkook’s shoulders and why Jungkook knew exactly how to lift Jimin, and Jimin knew what to do to make it easier for Jungkook. I’d bet all the money I don’t have that they have a complex of Cirque du Soleil members or something, hahahah.

When Jungkook initially goes to Jimin’s room, he wasn’t wearing a microphone. When he appeared in the kitchen, he initially still didn’t have a microphone on, but after a few seconds, it appeared.

Jungkook really loves eating… junk food, hahahaha. Eating doughnuts in the morning is crazy, hahahaha.

Oh, Jungkook didn’t take off the microphone before getting into Jimin’s bed; he faked putting on the one that was on the bed. So, was that his microphone and did he leave it there the first time he went to Jimin’s room? Or was that Jimin’s microphone and he thought it was his? I’m confused.

I don’t want to analyse that moment, but I think I will analyse that moment in their bed. Bro, the way they did all that in silence, with only grunts heard, was intense. The way Jungkook adjusts Jimin’s leg to snuggle up to it is too much for my cold heart. The way Jimin seemed to want to climb on top of Jungkook or something similar and then they pretended to “wrestle” in bed or whatever that was, is too much.

Jungkook spanking Jimin is… bro. The way Jungkook then buried his face in Jimin’s back, making sure to be as close to him as possible is… oh, my crazy heart.

Saying almost immediately after waking up that they needed to buy a sponge to wash the dishes is perhaps the most domestic thing those two have said. My Latina mother would be proud of them, hahahah.

Oh wait, was that actually Jungkook’s microphone?! Then why was it already on Jimin’s bed when he came in the second time?

I LOVE, LOVE how relaxed Jimin and Jungkook were throughout the episode.

Jimin and Jungkook’s light-hearted bickering during the two episodes was delightful. I love seeing more of that side of their dynamic.

MY CONCLUSION ON THE SECOND EPISODE:

I loved the second episode, maybe even more than the first one.

Here, Jimin and Jungkook were more comfortable. It’s as if, after a few hours or a day, they fell into the comfort of their relationship and everything after that was easy. I think they finally got used to the cameras more than anything else.

So, this second episode was about Jimin and Jungkook being domestic. The episode was about them enjoying the tranquillity of their trip. The domesticity of their trip. The slow pace, basically. And I loved it.

I saw some comments from people saying they didn’t like it and even that the episodes were boring, and look, I respect those opinions, but I do wonder what they were expecting to see. The difference with this show compared to other BTS content we’re used to is that there are only 2 people. In BTS shows, when one isn’t doing something, the other four are either doing something crazy or saying something funny. Obviously, it’s different. Besides, I think this is how Jimin and Jungkook are in their normal lives. This is them being themselves. This is them on holiday, and I think that’s something we, as fans, should appreciate.

Jimin and Jungkook are chaotic but in a different way. They’re not chaotic in the sense of doing a thousand crazy things in different places, but rather doing a thousand things in one place. They’re more homebodies. They’ve said that many times. And I think we’ll see a lot of that.

I think I’ve said this in other posts, this show is Jimin and Jungkook genuinely on holiday, only this time they brought several cameras with them.

The most interesting moments certainly were something. I wonder what was cut in the editing room because there were obvious cuts in those moments.

Jungkook saying they should do many more seasons of this is a good testament to how much he enjoyed it. This was confirmed by the interview given by the show’s director.

I can’t wait to see the rest of the episodes. And I REALLY want to see the behind-the-scenes of these first two episodes.

If you’ve made it this far, I’m sorry and thank you—I just couldn’t stop writing ajajajajaja.

[girl4music]

Finished Season 1 of CARMILLA. I didn’t expect this web series to be so plot heavy. But I can take plot heavy so long as the characterization doesn’t suffer. Which it definitely didn’t. Not only do the two main protagonists get their due with this, the side and recurring characters get some good representation and development too. Which, for a short series, is pretty impressive. Told you it can be done if intended.

There’s also (surprisingly) really good writing in this web series. Like the pacing is good, the execution of the plot lines and arcs are well-written. Obviously because they can’t have a lot of action (low budget web series, after all) a lot of what actually happens to evolve the plot has to be off-screen and explained. Which isn’t my favourite thing in the world because I do prefer interpretation over exposition. Still - as the theme song for the series goes - love will have its sacrifices. I simply have to accept and embrace this factor due to the format and nature of the content.

I wouldn’t say I’ve fallen in love with it by any means - at least not yet - but I did enjoy what I watched. And the slow burn progression for Hollstein was A++!

Really great chemistry between Carmilla and Laura. I liked the whole enemies-to-lovers vibe with them at first with Carmilla being the uninvited guest/roommate evolving into caring and loving friends, culminating in a romance in the end - which was the obvious and logical progression for their dynamic. And honestly, that’s all I want from WLW representation. Not just the depth and fleshing out of characterization for both characters in the relationship, but also the reason and logic for them to be lovers in the first place. Which you rarely ever get these days because of the whole representation anxiety/ticking boxes issue. Just like there’d be reason and logic for straight characters to be together, there also should be for gay/queer characters to be together too. Or any romantic/sexual relationships represented in TV art/entertainment. You can’t just put them in just because it ticks a box. Thankfully this web series knows how to provide all of that so their relationship makes far more sense and doesn’t feel like it comes out of nowhere.

Great stuff! I’ll continue on to Season 2 tomorrow.

[insufferableprotagonistpoll]

Propaganda why Elsa is insufferable:

You can't have people portray what she did as heroic or healthy. She is not a good role model people. She needs therapy, not be any child's role model

I legit got into several fights with people who thought she was 'great depression representation!'. As someone who's been suicidal off and on through life, I hated this stupid cartoon princess. 'Let It Go is a self empowering anthem!' shut up it's a song about leaving all her responsibilities behind, not caring about the repercussions of her actions to the point she's putting everyone in horrible danger with a sudden, unending winter. There's a reason why she's the villain in the original version of the story, and even was the villain in this version until it was reworked later. Girl, go to therapy for your anxiety issues. The power of sisterhood can only do so much for you and that winter probably killed people

Name ONE personality trait of hers that isn't either (a) only conveyed through Let It Go, or (b) negative in some way (e.g. ""independent"" is actually a hurtful trait in context)

Also her design is bland and a massive downgrade from the early concept art

Propaganda why Mal is insufferable:

She uses a love spell and it turns out it wasn't super duper wrong

She’s very selfish throughout the trilogy, and though she has redeeming moments, she never seems to actually grow beyond doing what she’s always done. In the first movie she manipulates Jane into stealing the wand by telling her that she’s ugly. Then at the end she condescendingly tells Jane’s mom not to be “too hard on her” and tells Jane she’s “beautiful inside and out,” instead of fully owning up to the fact that it was all her fault. Almost the exact same thing happens in 3 when she FINALLY tells Audrey, “I’ve owed you an apology for a long time” (without actually apologizing), only to then tell everyone else that it was all Audrey’s fault and she was only saved by the ~grace and generosity~ of Mal’s father Hades. This isn’t even getting into Mal’s treatment of Uma, especially in 2. The racial politics of Mal being a white girl who constantly belittles and antagonizes Black girls like Audrey and Uma really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[misiahasahardname]

Thoughts on

Katie and Sadie

Mike

Trent

Dakota

and Sierra?

katie and sadie -

they have very little screentime so i don’t have much to say about them. i have definetly seen a lot of girls like them, but that was usually when i was primary school age, not as a teenager. at times they can be really annoying, but their friendship can be pretty wholesome at times. reminds me of how attached i was to my friends at… well, not their age. there’s nothing really bad about them, but not much good either? really indifferent about them.

mike -

fresh tv did NOT know how to write a character with a mental disorder… besides the bad representation, i think mike is a pretty nice guy! i love silly-with-a-hint-of-mental-disorder characters like him. he’s one of the better characters from gen 2, and he’s… sweet? that’s how i’m going to word it. also. i‘m going to say it right here. i LOVE svetlana (or swjetłana, as they call her in the Polish dub). my favourite alter (i think that’s the term?) of his. totally not just because she’s slavic and i crave representation, she’s just a very fun character and a very skilled gymnast! i also like vito. he’s cool. very unfortunate what they did with mike in ass stars!

trent -

trent is a very interesting character. i could go on for ages, analysing his behaviours, figuring out his past traumas and what caused him to end up the way he is. there is so much to talk about with trent! that’s why i love trentcourse: it’s just a bunch of people talking about this guy!! he’s a sweetheart. his chill, coolheaded, and a really kind person. he’s not made much real enemies, and. ugh. i love his relationship with gwen. just,,,,, so pure. action kinda fucked him up a little bit, but in a way it gave him a bit of depth? my personal theory on why he kinda just. snapped was that since action started so early after island, he hadn’t gotten the chance to pack enough meds, and anyone who’s needed to take any sort of medication for that kind of thing will probably know that if you’re going to go off of medication/start taking medication, you need to do it gradually, and that’s for a good reason!!!!!! anyways i love trent. he and cody are the traumatised boyfriends.

dakota -

I LOVE LOVE LOVE DAKOTA!!!!!! SHE’S SO FUCKING SILLY. genuinely. she is my favourite character of gen 2 alongside jo. she’s a bit how i used to imagine myself to be in the future! fashionable, famous, rich, successful, and in a healthy relationship!! (samkota is SO WHOLESOME) her turning into dakotazoid was actually really great. i kinda prefer her that way! she could still be confident with her body despite being a twelve foot tall mutant! i don’t fully understand people who draw her as ‘healed’ from that because like. i don’t think you can reverse something that drastic. and also she’s comfortable with it! she doesn’t seem too upset about it (iirc of course. been a while since i’ve rewatched roti). anyways dakota is amazing, i love her and her relationship with sam, and i think she and zoey should be best friends!!

sierra -

ok i don’t know if you’d want to hear it but. i’m sorry. i hate her. like every moment she was on screen i’d get SUPER uncomfortable. her actions towards cody were horrible and i am not going to ignore them even though yeah she’s a fictional character!!!! i don’t know if her actions were meant to come off as jokes or not but either way it’s not funny at all. i like her design, her voice acting is AMAZING, her face is very expressive (and i love that in a cartoon!), paris in the springtime was one of the best songs of the season (but it will never beat her real name isn’t blaineley), but she’s just. not a good character. she had potential! i would’ve loved it if she was a villain, like, you set up alejandro to be the main villain but them BOOM! sierra is actually a manipulative mastermind who will blackmail anyone and get them eliminated!! or something like that. but yeah i don’t like sierra.

i hope this is an ok response!

[forabeatofadrum]

The Winner Takes It All

Summary: Kurt and Blaine are researchers at the theatre department of NYU. After finishing a paper, they need to decide the order of authorship. Since they contributed to the research equally, Blaine suggests a Broadway sing-off contest to determine it with the winner becoming the first author.

Kurt loves Blaine’s idea. But he also has an agenda on his own.

Notes: This is a little, somewhat cracky fic inspired by this post on WTF, Scientific Papers? and I knew I wanted to Klaine-ify it. Thank you Beth @quizasvivamos and Gwen @cerriddwenluna with brainstorming for the title.

Enjoy!

AO3 | S&C

–

“Finally!”

Kurt holds up his hand for a high-five. Blaine enthusiastically gives one. After months of hard labour, their academic paper is done and it’s ready to be submitted to a journal for the review process. They’ve spent hours and hours researching queer representation in Broadway by overanalysing Broadway scripts and it has paid off.

Well, it’s almost done. They need to decide the order of the authorship. In academics, the author who has contributes the most gets credited first, but this was a collaborative process. They had a fair share in their work.

But luckily, Blaine had thought ahead.

“When we’re finished, we need to do a Broadway sing-off. Whoever wins is named first.”

Kurt immediately was on board. It reminded him of the diva-offs from high school. They both already picked a song and they even found volunteers to judge. Luckily, the people in the NYU theatre department know how to judge a performance.

“So, I guess it is time then?” Blaine says once they’ve calmed down their celebration.

Kurt nods.

“Let’s text the others for a time and date.”

“Bring it on,” Blaine holds out his hand as a sign of sportsmanship and Kurt shakes it. When he touches Blaine, he feels warm in his chest, but he pushes that down. That’s what he’s been doing during the entire process of working together, since he can’t afford to swoon on the job.

But my God, Kurt wants to swoon. How can one not swoon over Blaine Anderson?

Blaine doesn’t make it easy, especially when he gives Kurt a wink. He’s so good-mannered and playful. Blaine came with this whole idea in the first place and it perfectly fits Blaine.

Kurt quickly lets go of Blaine’s hand so that he can text his colleagues.

--

A few days later, Kurt, Blaine and some colleagues are gathered in the lounge. Kurt has picked a specific song weeks ago, but he’s a bit nervous to perform it. Not because he thinks he’s going to fail. Kurt knows he can sing. He’s confident about his performance. It’s the song he’s nervous about.

He’s making a risky move, he knows it.

“Welcome everyone!” Rachel says into the mic. Of course she volunteered to lead this sing-off the moment Kurt and Blaine told her of their plan.

Kurt is standing on her left on the small make-shift stage. Blaine’s on her right. Artie has dimmed the light and he’s shining a desk lamp in their faces as an impromptu stage light.

“Artie, can you please tone it down!” Rachel says harshly, which is rude, but she isn’t wrong.

“Sorry,” Artie mutters and Kurt blinks. Now he can actually see his small audience. All of the theatre department are gathered in the staff room.

Rachel clears her throat.

“Dear guests, welcome to the sing-off between Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson,” Rachel says and people in the room cheer and applaud. Kurt and Blaine share a smile behind Rachel’s back. Man, their colleagues are great.

“Go Kurt!” Mercedes yells.

“Go Blaine!” Tina yells back.

Rachel shushes the crowd.

“Guys, guys, they haven’t even sung yet. Oh my God. Ahem, as I was saying, welcome. As you all may know, Kurt and Blaine have worked tremendously hard on their latest article, named We are who we are: Queering Broadway and beyond-”

The audience erupts into another round of applause. Rachel has to do more crowd control, but Kurt and Blaine don’t mind. They indeed worked hard, so they appreciate the feedback.

“Anyway, since these lovely gentlemen have contributed an equal amount, they decided to-”

“Can they sing already?” Santana hollers from the back, “We all read the invitation. We want to see the action!”

Rachel turns red, but the audience seems to agree. Kurt has to stifle a laugh. Rachel does love unnecessary dramatics and speeches.

“Ahem,” Rachel says again. She actually says the word ‘ahem’. “Very well. Kurt, Blaine, please step forward.”

They do.

Rachel takes a coin out of her bedazzled purse.

“Head or tails?” she asks.

“Head!” Blaine yells.

“Tails!” Kurt exclaims at the same time.

It’s not a discussion. Kurt and Blaine have worked for long enough to know each other’s preferred coin side.

Rachel flips the coin and shows that head has won. Blaine fist bumps the air and he looks adorable. Normally, Kurt would be enthralled by it, but now his mind is reeling. Blaine is going first. Kurt knew that there was a 50% chance that it would happen, but he still doesn’t know if this benefits him, or if this is detrimental to his plan.

If he were to go first, it would be like ripping off the Band-Aid. No time to overthink it. But now he goes last, which means he has to sit with his decision a bit longer. Fuck, why did he agree to this? They should’ve just done a coin flip, like now.

“Alright, give it up for our very own Blaine Anderson!” Rachel cheers and the audience follows suit. Kurt and Rachel take a seat so that the focus is on Blaine and oh boy, Kurt is focusing. Kurt is focusing hard.

Although he almost loses focus when Blaine walks off stage to grab a guitar. What is he planning?

“Alright everyone,” Blaine says to the crowd as he strums his guitar, “I won’t keep you waiting.”

Then he looks right at Kurt.

“Kurt, this is for you. May the best singer win. Artie?”

Artie nods and he hits play on the YouTube video. The mood is instantly killed when they first have to sit through two 30 second long ads, and Sam chastises Artie for not having an AdBlocker installed, but Kurt uses this extra minute to compose himself.

He definitely needs it when the music starts playing and he recognises it. Blaine plays his guitar to go along.

When the earth was still flat And clouds made of fire And mountains stretched up to the sky Sometimes higher

“Holy shit,” Rachel mutters, but Kurt isn’t paying attention on her. His eyes are fixated on Blaine, and Blaine keeps staring back. Kurt sits back in his chair and he feels… well… overwhelmed. Blaine is serenading Kurt.

Or so it seems.

I mean, why else would Blaine sing a song called Origin of Love while looking at Kurt like that? Blaine loses himself in the music and Kurt can feel the emotion. He’s shook to the core. All the love and affection that he’s been bottling up are resurfacing.

When Blaine’s finished and everyone is clapping, Kurt’s in tears.

“Well?” Blaine asks Kurt.

He slings his guitar over his shoulder and he looks so earnest. Kurt stands up to face him and-

“You dickhead!” he yells out. Tears flow down his cheeks and Blaine looks flabbergasted and saddened. The room has gone dead silent and Kurt can feel Rachel’s hand on his arm.

“Kurt-”

“No, no, no!” Kurt cuts Blaine off, “Damnit, Blaine, you stole my thunder! I had it all planned out and now you come in and do the same fucking thing?”

“What…” Blaine still looks confused, but instead of saddened, he’s hopeful.

“This was going to be my big moment. I’ve spent all week going over this, trying to find the perfect song to serenade you with, and you do this!” Kurt yells through his tears, but then he starts laughing.

“You… were going to serenade me?”

“Yes! I had it all planned out. I was even going to say that my name is Kurt Hummel and that I am auditioning for the role of Blaine’s boyfriend-”

And the next thing Kurt knows, Blaine’s jumped off the stage and he plants a big kiss on Kurt’s lips. Their audience goes wild and Kurt can’t help but feel incredibly happy. They keep kissing until Rachel coughs.

Kurt and Blaine look at their bemused colleagues. No one seems super surprised and Brittany gives Mike a 10 dollar bill.

“Uhm, Kurt, as wonderful as this all is… you still need to perform. This is a competition.”

Kurt feels like he’s already won, but she’s right.

“Good luck,” Blaine says. He gives Kurt another quick kiss, which makes Puck whistle, before setting the guitar aside and sitting next to Rachel. Kurt takes his spot on the stage and he gives a thumb up to Artie.

After another round of annoying YouTube ads, the song that Kurt carefully picked out starts to play.

The moon First time I heard your voice Moonlight burst into the room

Blaine eyes light up when he realises that Kurt is singing No One Else. Kurt thought this was going to be his big confession, but now that the hard part has been done, he can unapologetically make sure that Blaine understands the message.

When Kurt’s finished, he takes a bow and everyone cheers.

Rachel gets up.

“Alright. I will give you all 5 minutes to deliberate on your choice. And Kurt and Blaine can use these 5 minutes to make out some more-”

“Wanky!” Santana hoots.

“-before we come back with the results.”

--

“What do you mean it’s a tie?” Rachel says when she sees that the same amount of hands are in the air for each candidate.

“Well… they were both outstanding,” Quinn, who has her hand raised in Kurt’s favour, says, “I mean, I am picking Kurt, but honestly, I am not sure about it either. Blaine was so good.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Finn says with a shrug. He voted for Blaine. “Kurt fucking killed it.”

Everyone in the room murmurs their agreement. Rachel looks like she’s going to lose it, so Kurt cuts in before she can say anything else.

“Uh, Rachel, if I may?”

Rachel pouts, but she steps aside.

“Everyone, thank you. And thank you for allowing us to express our feelings towards each other.”

“Yeah,” Blaine says and he takes Kurt’s hand in his, which leads to another round of cheers.

Kurt tries not to blush.

“Anyway, I think this is not going to result in anything, so how about we do it the old fashioned way after all?”

Blaine raises an eyebrow, but he catches on quickly.

“Head!” he yells.

“Tail!” Kurt shouts at the same time.

“Rachel, will you do the honour?”

Rachel beams. Yes, she will. She takes out the coin and flips it.

--

Bibliography

Anderson, B. & Hummel, K. (2023). We are who we are: Queering Broadway and beyond. Journal of theatre studies, 2(4), 206 – 216.

Anderson, B. & Hummel, K. (2024). Who’s afraid of queer Virginia Woolf?: Reparative readings and reinterpretations from a queer perspective. Journal of theatre studies, 6(2), 414 - 421.

Anderson, B. & Hummel, K. (2025). Just be who you wanna be: Coming out narratives in theatre. Journal of theatre studies, 3(2), 51 – 68.

Hummel, K. & Anderson, B. (2026). “I support gay rights, but I also support gay wrongs!”: Reactions towards queer(coded) villains on the stage. Journal of theatre studies, 1(4), 301 – 317.

Hummel, K. & Anderson, B. (2027). Gay or European?: Cultural diversity in queer representation in musicals. Journal of theatre studies, 1(5), 514 - 530.

Hummel-Anderson, K. & Hummel-Anderson, B. (2028). A place where we belong: Happy endings and queer joy on the Great White Way. Journal of theatre studies, 2(4), 12 - 21.

--

Acknowledgments

Both authors, as usual, contributed to this paper equally. A Broadway sing-off was used to determine the order of the authors’ names. After a tie, a classic heads or tails was used. This happens every time the authors publish a paper together. They do not mind.

–   

End notes: Fun fact, I did an actual coin flip to decide who would get to be the first author on their paper. Then I switched it up for their later papers only to remember that bibliography is ordered alphabetically so I changed it to Blaine for the first couple of papers. I had a lot of fun coming up with their wacky paper names. There are also some smaller easter eggs in the APA. Hehehehehe.

[acaciapines]

Uhhhh how about 17?

<3

doing these how i usually do! story above cut, commentary below.

 All I Need to Know - Thousand Foot Krutch

it’s underneath the shade of the palistrom tree—palistrom tree, and isn’t that something luz never thought she’d be able to say again—that mari, with her paws crossed in front of her, tilts her head into the sunlight that casts her edges in gold and says, “did we ever figure out how to make sure mami survives us graduating?”

luz pauses. “huh. i mean, i think she’s used enough to the boiling isles by now?”

mari stares at her for a long moment. “gus said they dump boiling water on the audience.”

“okay,” says luz, “but consider. do we actually believe him? ‘cause that doesn’t just kill humans, that kills, like, everyone. unless you’re king or sraf—most of the time—or firefly, i think? i think she could survive a little bit of boiling water.” luz nudges her daemon’s side. “what’s your real issue?”

mari huffs, turning away. “you can’t read my mind.”

“yes i can!” luz sing-songs, and mari rolls her eyes, but lets out a long whuff, tilting her head.

“fine,” she says, “i guess i’m just…i mean, all of this,” and she gestures with a paw to the palistrom around them, which is pretty much the best representation of how far they’ve gone in the past four years, “has been great, and i don’t want to let it go. but—we graduate. we do witch college. and then…what?”

“aww, mari.” luz flops down across her daemon, and mari grunts, trying to bite at her hair. “look at you all worried about the future. things are going to be good. we’re going to major in literally everything, continue to learn about how magic and glyphs and all that works, and king is going to follow in our footsteps, and we’re going to cry and be so proud. and wrestle him if he ever dares to usurp us as world’s coolest glyph-user. i don’t care if he’s a titan.”

mari rolls her eyes, but there’s something fond, there, too, that’s soft against the edges of luz’s mind, where their sharp bits don’t poke out so harsh anymore. “fine. fine! you’re right” she hauls herself standing and ignores luz’s giggling. “but we are reminding principal bump to not like, accidentally kill our mom somehow. quite frankly i’m still surprised hexside doesn’t have a higher body count.”

luz reaches a hand up to the sky, framing the fragile palistrom leaves between her fingers.

“it’s doing pretty good,” luz says, and she means hexside, sure, but everything else, too: at all the ways their world has changed, since they were fourteen and fighting and scared. “i’m glad we get to graduate here. together.”

“yeah, yeah.” but mari lands, small and fluffing out her feathers, on luz’s chest. “me too.”

Commentary

genuinely forgot this song was on my playlist. anyways.

post-canon stuff! now that i have the entire story written (I HAVE THE ENTIRE STORY WRITTEN, WHAT THE FUCK) i know exactly where i end in the owl house timeline, which is actually earlier than owl house canon does! as of now the fic ends about 6 months after belos's defeat. so here i decided well, let's do a lil thing around the time owl house proper ends! right before luz-mari graduate hexside.

its really interesting to write these drabbles now that the fic is done. bc like, before i was just testing things out--now i know exactly how everything goes, you know? unless i choose to ignore canon, all of these are now canon to how my fic will end! wild.

i think witch college is such a fun and cool idea. i feel like luz and mari probably will end up teaching there, at some point...glyphs are already sort of a language in owl house proper and i push that even further in my fic, so i like to think that adult luz-mari is out there teaching classes on how to translate witch-magic to glyph-magic and all the overlaps.

theres a LOT of knowledge gaps post-belos-defeat, basically. lots of stuff that was destroyed and has to be rediscovered.

also i think the idea of luz-mari king and sraf (the collector) all collabing on like, an academic paper is literally so funny. these three children are the most prominent scholars on glyphs in the entirety of the boiling isles! they do get into month-long fights over what they're suppose to call dust. stardust? sraf? dust? magic? some new word? who knows!! not them!!!

[vitaminwaterreviews]

IU - The Winning

Wow. Like, just Wow. The song average is 9.2, which is the highest I’ve ever given by a mile. There are of course some stipulations. The music by itself would be closer to a high 8, but the MV’s were so well done that it would feel wrong to not include them in the scores of the songs. Holssi in particular really wowed me when I first saw it, Love WIns All had the nice disability representation – actually wait, isn’t that a theme here?

Yeah let’s think about that. Shopper didn’t have any marginalized representation that I caught on a first listen. Holssi featured all sorts of ethnicities, black adults and a diverse set of children. Love Wins All was about a disabled couple, and the title itself is an obvious (questionably intentional) lgbt reference. It does make me wonder if the intent was for the original title to be a reference lgbt catchphrase, but they included the word “all” in the lyrics just to be safe, in case of backlash. Clever if true.

That’s all super meta though. In terms of the songs themselves, Shh.. was definitely the standout. I like jazz and I also like songs that Go places and Do things, and Shh.. was all of the above. I stan U was a nice surprise, it was good to have a rock song, we don’t see IU doing rock much. Shopper and Holssi had me worried that every song would be NewJeansy, but thankfully IU doesn’t disappoint. And that’s not to say that those songs were bad, either; they were excellent. But a mini of exclusively that vibe gets particularly boring after a bit (see: Easy).

IU is just so good at the kpop thing. The songs are great, the MV’s are great, the promotion was excellent. Featuring a NewJeans in one of the songs was clever, and it’s like the least NewJeansy song on the album which is funny. Watching the interview definitely helped me appreciate the album more, and I hope she does more promotion in the coming weeks. I also hope we get a Shh.. MV but I won’t get my hopes up, 3 MV’s for a mini is already a lot. This is now my highest-rated album in terms of song average, and I think that’s fair enough. It is a mini, which means it does have an advantage, since minis tend to rate higher for me. And in terms of the songs themselves, this is definitely the best album I’ve ever heard. But this is also not my favorite album, and I’m not sure it’s my favorite mini either. It is, however, very good.

- I’ve been waiting for this! I couldn’t do it yesterday, which means I’m a day late, but oh well. I know Love Wins All and Holssi, and I’m blind to the other three.

Shopper

Narration? That’s something

OMG it’s our girl

She looks totally Taylor Swift with the blonde hair

Echoes

Oh okay this is an interesting vibe

‘Palette’

‘Greed is free’

I did watch the interview, so I do kinda know what this is about

Lol a the old man do be shopping

I have NO idea what this MV is about ngl, but I appreciate the vibe

And now we get credits

9/10

No MV’s for the rest of them, partly since I’ve already seen them, partly to focus on the music

Holssi

I’ve been waiting for this one to come on Spotify

I love IU’s voice in this style, like, kind of lazy, almost talk-singing, but with Range

And now we get breathy IU, mmm

The bass here is So strong

Mild rap section

And that little giggle at the end of the verse

Notice the harmonies in the pre-chorus, they’re not Obvious but they’re pretty

The instrumental bridge is So nice

I just love her so much

I think this would be an 8 if it was just the music, but the MV was really cool, so

9/10

Shh..

Curious to see how she manages to cram 3 other artists into one song

Cute electric piano vibes

Oh okay, some guitar here, really nice

Bass

Well then

God the vibes of this song are So good

The chorus actually feels kind of Kiss of Life

Guitar moment

This is super jazz-coded, the way the solo section is structured

Even that piano riff in the background

Haha and now we get the acoustic guitar with the narration in the foreground

And the Ambience

Is there an MV for this? There must be at some point

10/10, there’s just no way that sound could’ve been any better

Love Wins All

The MV for this is really an allegory for how Cube ruins its artists

It is, of course, a ballad

But it’s not a slow jam. Gotta differentiate the two, because I don’t usually like slow jams, but I do usually like ballads

Love, love, love

She’s just such a good singer

Admittedly, I feel like this experience isn’t as Whole without the MV

Same as Holssi

9/10

I stan U

Kinda interesting when artists use fandom terms, so let’s see how this goes

Pop rock feels in the intro here

Yep here we go

Is she saying “stanning” or “stunning”?

I heard “you’re stunning / i’m stunning, just like you”

But then she says “I’m stanning you” hmmm

Yes omg the second verse

This is Such a vibe though

9/10

[puddlesl1me]

Herobrine

Welcome to my long and entirely unwanted and unnecessary post about Herobrine from hit game Minecraft. You can certainly read it. That is indeed a thing you can do. Phenominal, I know.

tldr at the bottom if your into that sort of stuff

I really like the idea of Herobrine. Something close to a player character, but not quite, appearing in your world without your permission or notice. It’s a cool concept, and it was a very popular concept for a while. Not nearly as much nowadays, since everyone knows that Herobrine isn’t really in the game, but that’s ok. I think Herobrine served its time, and while I would like to see more Herobrine content, I understand that they’ve lost their charm.

There’s one aspect about Herobrine that I haven’t liked, though. The idea that they’re just a prankster character/evil character, and that’s all they are. From what I understand, a lot of mods that implement Herobrine into the game use this as the baseline. From striking the player with lighting, to placing random redstone torches, to de-leafing an entire forest, Herobrine exists in mods as more of an annoyance. This is certainly a way to interpret Herobrine; especially since they’re in the game randomly, it makes a bit of sense that they would do random things (I actually don’t mind the redstone torch thing, I think that’s neat and does enough to show Herobrine’s existence, while also not being annoying). But I’d much rather see something other than *lightning strike the player* *lightning strike the player* *de-leaf a forest, now it looks bad* *lighting strike the player* *p y r a m i d s*.

Honestly? This is boring! There’s no actual good personality! I can’t care about this character, because it’s so one-sided, so simple, and not in a particularly fun way! There’s a few pieces of Herobrine media that I actually think (mostly) do a good job of representing what I’d like to see more of. There’s a book series called Herobrine: The Complete Collection (I suppose the book series isn’t called that but whatever), and it’s my favorite representation of Herobrine in all the media I’ve seen. I read it when I was like 11 or 12, so it might not be as good as I remember, but I still feel like it’s pretty good, in particular the first half (the later books add stuff that seems more modded, which I don’t personally like as much, but it’s still pretty ok). The book gives Herobrine an actual personality, makes them an actual character, which is great. The other piece of Herobrine media that I know off the top of my head is ok at making them a character is this Minecraft parody song “Herobrine’s Life”. Not as great of a job, as it implies that they’re only there for revenge, but it does imply that they care about the hostile mobs (the Enderman giving Herobrine the sword could just be Herobrine controlling the Enderman, but I interpret it as a gift). 

Both the book series and the song show an aspect of Herobrine that I really like, but I feel like I haven’t seen as much - that Herobrine has control over, or at least is neutral/on good terms with, hostile mobs. This is one of the most interesting aspects of Herobrine - they have a polar opposite relationship with hostile mobs, compared to Steve. It’s something I really like about Herobrine as a whole, and I wish mods did more with it. From what I’ve seen (which isn’t a huge amount to be honest), I haven’t seen any mods experiment with this idea, mostly because it might not be super easy or intuitive to implement. However, I feel like it could be done. Just something basic as, ‘Herobrine summons some mobs for you to fight’ or ‘Herobrine made the mobs tonight stronger and also you aren’t allowed to sleep, watch out’ would work. There’s a lot more you could do with it, but that’s a fairly basic idea that works. 

That’s about all I have to say about Herobrine. I wish I saw Herobrine content more, but also I understand that they’ve had their time. It’d be nice if people gave Herobrine a personality more, but I understand that isn’t the easiest thing to do for mods. Non-mod content doesn’t have too much of an excuse in my opinion though, but I don’t particularly care.

Thanks for reading my essay on Herobrine, despite there being no audience for this probably. Please let me know if I'm just. Wrong. It's very possible that I am, because I Know Nothing.

TL;DR - Herobrine is a cool concept, but doesn’t have a personality most of the time other than just being evil or a prankster which annoys me. Also the friendly/neutral towards hostile mobs is an aspect of Herobrine that should be used more. 

[kharmii]

https://www.tumblr.com/yosb/613904246520397824/germany-bavaria-and-prussia-this-is-dedicated-to

Literally what the fuck. Bavaria (a state in Germany) isn’t black and wasn’t black. What the fuck. These people are bonkers. No, seriously, I’m legitimately upset about this crap. Stop erasing white culture, holy shit.

It looks like a stupid fetish being represented. I actually have ancestors from there, or around there (Baden-Baden, Black Forest..something like that). If I went to visit, would it be a trash heap full of foreign invaders like Paris has become? Anyway, I looked up the video the artwork was based on, and it looked like a fetish riddled artsy interpretation of the history of Germany. I stopped at the three-minute mark after almost projectile vomiting at the cannibalism imagery:

Yeesh...I'm glad I stopped watching because according to a German person's interpretation of the lyrics and video on Reddit, there's also a part where a woman gives birth to puppies. I want to see that even less than cannibalism. What happened to you, Rammstein? You used to be cool. I like a lot of their songs, like the whole cd of Mutter was fantastic from beginning to end, and of course 'Du Hast' -the only song getting regular radio play in the US- never gets old because of the energetic defiance in it.

For some reason, popular culture is pushing the 'black women are stunningly beautiful' aesthetic, especially in Great Britain. Every time I read a best seller from a British gay guy or woman; they always bend over backwards to gush about how a black woman character is 'so stunningly gorgeous that all eyes turn when she walks into a room'. I'm not even joking. This happens so much I've even brought it up to other people in my personal life when books get passed around.

They might be pushing it in movies too, but I haven't watched a new movie in ages. The new Jurassic Park movie had a black (maybe lesbian) woman maverick pilot in it (because we need more black female representation with maverick pilots). I know they are remaking movies with white women characters to replace them with black women, but they are all bombing.

[girl4music]

Thanks for tagging me @danielleitloudernow

10 songs I’ve listened to recently.

Well, I’ve been listening to this WayHaught playlist I made on Spotify pretty much constantly so all of the songs I’ve been listening to recently are either from scenes in ‘Wynonna Earp’ with Waverly and Nicole in or from fanmade WayHaught videos on YouTube. I’m pretty obsessed with this WLW/queer couple at the moment. They’re the best WLW/queer representation I’ve seen in TV art/entertainment since Xena and Gabrielle and they really remind me of them.

I really like their physically and emotionally intimate scenes because there is a lot of narrative build up and foundation behind them. This isn’t something you always get with WLW/queer ships if both characters in it are not main characters in the show. So a lot of intimate scenes between WLW/queer ships in TV art/entertainment just happen with no rhyme or reason for them to. And therefore they look extremely forced and contrived because of it. This doesn’t ever happen with Waverly and Nicole. There’s always rhyme or reason for why they are as intimate as they are - both in a physical and emotional context - and it just makes their relationship so real and authentic. I am always absolutely enraptured in watching their intimate scenes and a huge factor as to why is because of the music they chose to play over those intimate scenes.

1. Sam Smith - Fire On Fire

Not actually in the show but in my favourite fan video.

2. The Casket Girls - Secular Love

This song plays during WayHaught’s first meeting.

3. Fleurie - Wildwood

This song plays the first time WayHaught make out and decide to become an official but private couple.

4. IMUR - Breathless

This song plays during a make out scene between WayHaught - leading to their first time having sex off-screen. There’s a conversation between them showing that it is important for Nicole that Waverly truly and fully consented to having sex with her because it was Waverly that was initiating it and Nicole wanted to be sure that she was sure in going all the way with her. And by the gods after all the shit I’ve watched involving violations of consent between WLW/queer ships, I really fucking appreciated this great scene.

5. STACEY - First Move

This song plays when WayHaught are about to be sexually intimate after Waverly was possessed by a demon and Nicole asks her whether the other times that they were sexually intimate while she was under its possession were actually her and what was real and Waverly reassures her that every time was all her and that it was all real because she remembers everything that happened between them whereas she couldn’t remember everything when she was possessed by it. Again, the notion of consent there is very appreciated.

6. Robyn Dell’Unto - Common

This song plays when WayHaught get sent into an alternate Universe where there’s no Wynonna and they never got together. Waverly walks in with Nicole’s lunch at the police station and she sits on her desk. We see it all happening in slow motion from Nicole’s perspective because Nicole has a huge crush on Waverly who is about to be married to a guy. She has this big dumb expression on her face that entirely gives her away but Waverly is completely oblivious. And it’s just a very adorable scene between them that makes you see that they’re destined to be together.

7. Adaline - Ghost

This song plays during WayHaught’s first and only on-screen sex scene. It’s a really beautifully done scene that has so much narrative build up, foundation and emotion behind it because they have been separated from each other for a really long time. Well, it’s a really long time for Nicole, who experienced the separation as long as 18 months, 3 weeks and 4 days. It’s very emotional to watch the scene bearing this in mind and the two actors that portray WayHaught did it justice not only because of their insane chemistry but also because they choreographed the scene themselves.

8. SEIL LIEN - It’s Love That Brought You Here

This song plays during a scene where WayHaught are kissing on the bed and Waverly tells Nicole that while they were separated, an evil entity tried to pretend to be Nicole and fool Waverly. And when Nicole gets concerned, Waverly tells her nothing happened between them and even if it did, she’d have known immediately that it wasn’t the real Nicole because she knows every inch of Nicole’s body and how it responds to her touch. She then asks Nicole if she could tell her about her year and a half but Nicole is in her own mind and therefore isn’t present with Waverly because she’s so distracted with the anxiety that they’re in danger from monsters that have been trying to get into the Homestead since Waverly was separated from her. It’s a very poignant scene showing how much more difficult and traumatic the separation was for Nicole.

9. Desiree Dawson - All In

This song plays during a WayHaught engagement scene. There is another engagement scene but it was during a looming and inevitable apocalypse where Waverly proposed to Nicole and it wasn’t appropriate so they redid it. Even though this engagement scene was supposed to be a double proposal (Waverly to Nicole/Nicole to Waverly), Waverly asks Nicole to just let her propose alone because she wanted to in the first place and Nicole consents. And it’s a really well written and performed scene where you could see the actors felt real emotion because it mattered to them.

10. Lindsey Ray - Won’t Let Go

This song plays during WayHaught’s wedding, which is in the final episode of the show. In fact, the entire episode pretty much is all about WayHaught getting married. It’s not just the main narrative of the episode, it’s also the main narrative backbone behind the entire season because not only did both main WLW/queer characters survive to the end of the show, they were also endgame as a committed main WLW/queer ship and this was celebrated by them getting married and having the whole season revolve around that as a main narrative - wrapping the main narrative around the characters rather than the other way around as all character-centric genre shows should do. This hasn’t, doesn’t and likely will never happen again. It is absolutely groundbreaking that they achieved this. Especially in a time in TV art/entertainment when it was either Bury your Gays or Bury your Gay show. I know that it’s because it was a reward to the fans that fought so fucking hard for a final fourth season. Just that very fact makes me love this song all the more.

We certainly won’t let go because we deserve to be seen, heard and represented in TV art/entertainment just as much as the straight characters and straight observers are! We deserve main narratives! We deserve to live! We deserve to be happy! We deserve to be in love! We deserve to be treated as equals! Not killed off! Not cancelled! Not queer-baited! Not Man-Inserted! And not made to feel as less than deserving!

The creators/cast/crew for ‘Wynonna Earp’ did WLW/queer representation completely right and I’m in awe!

(Btw - I only put “/queer” because Dom identifies as non-binary and even if their character is female, I still feel it’s respectful to acknowledge this about them.)

[igiveyoumyblood]

'Sweet Venom' MV First Reactions

&TEAM gave us a stellar release with a great, hype MV, and amazing choreography which suited their theme perfectly. Last comeback, ENHYPEN gave us a great vampire-themed concept, in a similar vein. So, what do we get this comeback? A cheap-looking MV, a song which will definitely be seen in a sexual manner towards Niki, and a mediocre song.

I'm relatively sure the song will grow on me (in fact, as expected, it has over the course of writing this post), but I don't know about the other things...

'Sweet Venom' is in the same vein as 'Fever,' which is far from a bad thing... except that I don't like either song, feel that both of them are mediocre, and have concerns about how they are used to sexualise the younger members and ESPECIALLY Niki.

So when I say 'the same vein as Fever,' it is NOT a compliment. The only good thing about it is that both songs very much fit a vampire concept... and even that isn't good because they fit the sexy idea of vampires (my least favourite version of them) as opposed to the Gothic, superpowered, or horror-based vampires.

So with my very biased asexual rants out of the way, but with the warning that they will definitely cloud the rest of my interpretation of the song, let's talk about the MV itself. By which I say... there is little for me to talk about. But let's see how we go.

'Sweet Venom'

Okay, Japanese setting. I actually had to go back and check this was a Korean comeback when I saw this...

The only thing to say about this setting is that it's grungey and thus relates to other (lacking in plot) MVs like 'Pass the Mic,' - hence is something we aren't surprised to see ENHYPEN do.

Also the neon lighting adds to the retro feel of the comeback.

At this point we get to screenshots I took on my phone. For some reason, I wasn’t able to increase the quality. Please forgive me and just watch the MV.

I like the title screen - with the frozen lightning, the storm clouds and the font, it looks like an 80s horror film.

We get these scenes where everyone is frozen - either partying or fighting or both - except the members are kind of… not frozen? They’re all frozen in place but their mouths are moving and they seem conscious so idk… I will assume they aren’t frozen but are staying still for whatever reason. It’s pretty cool and likely a representation of their power… or another power which I will discuss later.

The dance is cool, I guess? I don’t think it expresses the story of the song well, it’s just vaguely retro and vampire-sexual.

Then we get the exact same frozen scene as before, except we have different members subbed in to reflect who is singing.

If the director isn’t trying to express a time loop of some kind through this, I genuinely have no clue what they wanted us to take from the MV.

Hello Jungwon.

I also find it interesting that they chose to have these pulses of light/energy through the dance scenes - is this a further representation of their power? Maintaining the frozen time bubble? Or is it just supposed to look cool?

At which point we get this montage of a bizarre combination of abstract photography art, partying, people just generally having fun, and the members with these dots projected on them. I can’t include all of the images since I’ve hit my mobile image limit but I’ll include some of my favourites in the next post.

These don’t seem to have much meaning or tell much of a story, except that people are being young and hedonistic - ahem, Drunk-Dazed, ahem.

OR, there is an alternate explanation I will discuss in the second part.

[thebandcampdiaries]

Kenny MOB has just released a new project: "TODAY"

Don't feel like reading? Here is the audio version of this article!

June 2023 - Southern rap artist Kenny MOB has recently released a brand new studio work: “TODAY,” which was produced by Mr. GRUV.

On this track, he actually partnered up with Jay Da FRANCHIZE WATTS, who joined in to bring this song to an even higher level! Both rappers really shine on this track, and the synergy they bring to the song is awesome. 

Kenny MOB stands out due to his innate ability to make music that blurs the lines between various styles, but staying true to his Southern hip-hop roots. This means that he isn’t just trying to entertain the audience, but express himself and his background on a deeper level. “TODAY” is a fresh and genuine rap track that shows the artist’s willingness to convey something deeper and connect with the audience on a much more personal level. "TODAY" is just the perfect representation of Kenny MOB. 

“TODAY” offers a warm, no-fuss sound that’s far from some of today’s overly polished rap song. The beat in particular is outstanding because of its diverse rhythmic patterns that are influenced by so many different styles. There’s an underlying drum tone that’s reminiscent of old-school rap, but there are also some amazing percussion elements that add an extra spice to the groove. On the song, the fusion of unique instrumentation and sounds not often found in mainstream hip-hop with electronic production techniques creates a rich and dynamic sonic palette. This is a perfect backdrop for Kenny MOB and Jay Da FRANCHIZE WATTS, who really get to stand out with their killer vocal chops. The vibe of the vocals is really exciting, reminiscent of the “golden age” of rap music and tipping the hat off to all the greats, while retaining a unique touch.

In fact, “TODAY” will appeal to fans of artists such as UGK, OutKast, Goodie Mob, Master P., 2pac, Biggie, T. I, Eight ball and MJG, only to mention a few. Still there is definitely a one-of-a-kind approach that makes Kenny MOB’s vibe really hard to pin down. This isn’t the kind of artist that you can box in!

Find out more about Kenny MOB and listen to “TODAY,” featuring the talented Jay Da FRANCHIZE WATTS, on your favorite digital streaming services.

[dogg724]

Daisy Jones & the Six

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Oh man, that's a wrap on Daisy Jones. This is begging for reflection.

I watch almost everything sped up, but not this. I consider it like reading quickly for the information. I'm rarely feeling myself connected or drawn in by the characters. I'm not on some noble quest to only find and vibe with "the best" or most "deep" and "novel," which I think makes my satisfaction with a series like this all the more enjoyable. This is a very simple story, simply followed and told, and the complexity of the issues it speaks to are handled simply. Simply, but not cheaply. If you watch as much TV as I do, you'll see hundreds of alcoholics, needlessly-complicated love stories, and a kind of matter-of-factism that carries everything forward often against the will of any sense or decency. The rise-to-fame rock-n-roll atmosphere here is, incidentally, a perfect home to couch every room you might walk through.

Simple characters means you don't have to get gritty and gross about substance abuse, near-death experiences, childhood trauma, nor swing for the actual Billboard charts in your song-writing. I liked the music, don't get me wrong, and I'm perfectly happy to accept this being a band created as an homage to Fleetwood Mac, if that's what it was. If you can stop yourself from wishing for something more complicated, you get to ride along like Camilla. You get snapshots, brief insights about things to ponder for maybe the length of a song.

I called this "great" partly because it's comfortably self-contained, and partly because, in my heart of hearts, I'm a romantic. I love when I'm made to dream and believe. I want to be a rockstar, at least, my naive ideal of one, and while this screams the same kind of vibe of an Almost Famous, what comes to mind is Halt and Catch Fire. There's countless stories of people bouncing off one another with the drama-of-the-week or their deep dark secret. There's not so many where you can watch them grow. There's not so many that make you root for redemption because you've watched them work and struggle and come up with every creative "fix" that isn't.

I appreciate that the characters who weren't really highlighted served to ground the flaming-out stardom of the leads. The drummer's having a good time and speaking plainly as to how and why. The father-figure doesn't get the opportunity to get overbearing or awkwardly wedged in, showing up mostly in times of desperation or reflection. The best-friend isn't given a pointless side-quest that feels like a useless excuse to treat being gay in a ham-fisted way, but compliments and contrasts with what it means to gain perspective and own one's identity. [spoiler]Her looking at Daisy on her wedding day was absolutely packed with emotion and allowed to resolve perfectly.[/spoiler]

Every fight scene asks the same kind of questions. What do you really want? To create for its own sake? To be famous? To be loved? To be seen? To be able to see what's been staring at you the whole time? What could be incredibly mellow-dramatic stares into the "we get it" abyss from Billy manage to carry the weight of those questions. You can feel his inability to answer them. Not just with him, but each time one of them gets what they want, it's not quite right. It's wrought with catastrophic potential, but eventually genuine choices start to get made, and life is no longer just happening to them and they start dictating their direction. The band was just what everyone saw, a simple representation, not precisely a lie, at least not in a malicious way, and no one denies the music, but not what they needed.

I see people locked in this infinite battle of what they really want or need all the time. None are dreaming so big, and often enough decisions in the right direction dare them to implode. What do you need to appreciate when the fans, money, family, or general beauty all around you isn't doing it? What's the shape of your desire? Do you have to crash in order to find clarity in the flames? To feel like you've taken control? If you're plugged into a simple rockstar fairytale, you're in for a ride.

This series gets sad, but it doesn't despair. It doesn't really try for laughs as it's not hinting at some underlying joy. It doesn't have the patina of a superficial soap opera. It's not begrudging, hating itself, tongue-in-cheek or painfully self-aware. It's a neatly packaged fantasy, palming tropes, but not carelessly slinging them around and hitting you in the face. I'm thankful it's given me an opportunity to slow down, enjoy the music, and reflect. It's exactly what I want from a show.

Discuss on Trakt

[orneryotter-greiverdhark]

Monster Hunter: the movie commentary.

So I'm finally watching the Monster Hunter movie, here's my thoughts as it went on: I... I'm pretty sure boats in MH don't sail through sand??? Is physics just not a thing in MH or is this movie just off to a special start? Maybe that’s in some of the MH games I haven’t seen... Goggles girl! Ooo lol fuck diablos This is so fuckin dramatic omg Oh yeah, identify our world by the litter. What a statement piece. This is such a dramatic film. The slo-mo. Crikey. Coulda cut about half of it and got the same effect. Also wtf I don't think MH had wierdo portal magic shit? Idk tho, I've only looked at like 3 games in the series. Oo I wonder how much sand they just ate. Poor actors. Ooo more dramatic shot on the top of the dunes. I kinda like this movie. Its terrible, but I like it. Kinda. That's a surprisingly anti-military song they're singing. Guess they didn't get funded by the US army for this motion picture. Oo, wonder what bones they are o geez so dramatic oof so much sand. I wonder how many times they had to stop because of sand gettting in the eyes. lol they don't even try to make that look like burrowing under the ground Those 2 guys don't seem too bothered about the whole wierdo world with monsters lol. Very chill. lol, now its on fire and chasing you. oo dangerous. any of those bullets could have gotten her. Also it didn't seem like shooting them did a whole lot before so why was it different when they popped on its head? her teeth are so white against her grubby face lol Now that I think about it I don't recognise those bug monsters at all, especially not as prolific monsters. Maybe from one of the games I haven't seen?

oh yeah, shout at the monsters.v helpful

you did not get a spark that easy fuck off.

oo more dramatic ranged shots

I hope the whole movie isn't just this rock... I mean, its a story I guess but half the joy of MH is the community, and one dude stuck on a mountain really aint that.

lol high diablos. He like 'uh? where's my dinner -disappointed face-'

uh pointless fighting because nobody can ever do introductions. such 

unnecessary hostility.

uh really, were gonna watch them be dicks to eachother for half an hour? I mean, its on point I guess, very American - survivor in a strange land, attack the first person they see.

Seriously, this is MONSTER HUNTER why are we watching half an hour of two randos fighting eachother????? ARE THERE NO MONSTERS THEY COULD BE FIGHTING WTF.

oh they're friends now are they? Just, had enough of the ointless fight now she's realised she actually doesn't want to kill him.

Oh yeah, eat this food, which is probably so foreign to your body it'll make you super sick. Really, its great.

Really, only one big one has come out? You're kidding there are like a million spiders in there, but they just waited till the hoomins took down the first one?

It's kinda annoying that they've gone with the whole 'can't communicate with eachother due to language barrier' as a thing. I know it makes sense that they wouldn't be able to communicate since they come from different worlds, but still.

I mean, it's got some MH elements in there I guess.

Oh, now we're more towards the MH we know and love.

lol bait.

Oooo Rathy.

lol firespinning

Uh, really not enjoying the representation of the people of MH

For a guy who learned this language 'as a study' his accent is very american.

Who's keeping those fires lit.

So even though there's a whole bunch of them, he's only gonna speak in english to her. I guess the rest of them don't need words.

I mean, could they not just find a way inside the tower rather than hang about waiting for Rathy to blast 'em?

Also, saying 'its vulnerable just before it breathes fire' don't mean shit if you don't have a plan to like, take advantage of that like 3 seconds of vulnerability.

Oh look, she cut its wing or smthn. A vulnerability they could also capitlise on.

All this slow-mo.

lol face first.

Lol Rathy followed you home. Can we keep him mommy?

oh no, he's eating everything.

oof, you ain't gon win an air battle against a Rathy.

I mean, you could try for a radio or something but no, why not just go one on one against Rathy?

I mean, the attacks are straight out of MH but they look so tacky lol.  Also wtf how is that the end of the movie? That doesn't end it! Ugh. I mean fair enough though that was kinda terrible.

O, a credit scene. 

Who da fuk is that meant to be? Also Palico!

[secret-diary-of-an-fa]

Resolve to Read this Blog!

So, it’s New Year. 2022 has done it’s song-and-dance routine and fucked off to the backstage area for a fag and a crafty wank, leaving us in the as-yet-untested hands of 2023. And you know what that means, don’t you, children? That’s right! It’s time for my annual New Year’s Resolutions Blog, in which I suggest resolutions that might get you killed, arrested or covered in gunge for my own sick amusement, and you lap it up like the culture-deprived fucking content junkies that you are. So, without further (or indeed any) ado, here’s this year’s crop. ‘Enjoy’- a word that is here used incorrectly.

Dare to be Square You know what I’m fucking sick of? ‘Geek chic’, or whatever the fuck we’re calling it nowadays. You know the look I mean- the sexed-up nerd look with the big glasses and not-really-a-suit that people are still, inexplicably, wearing to cash in on the still-quite-recent credibility of geek cultural IP. And do you know why I’m sick of it? Because it’s missing the fucking point. Being a massive pulsating nerd isn’t about looking ‘chic’. Proper geeks don’t choose clothes with the intention of announcing to the world that they’re geeks- they choose clothes for the number of gadgets and gewgaws they can fit in the pockets. So here’s my New Year’s challenge to you- if you want to dress like a geek, dress like a real fucking geek: a buttoned-up white shirt, abysmal plaid trousers, a pocket-protector with three different coloured biros and a pocket calculator on a chain. Oh, and a haircut that you can do yourself with a washing up bowl and safety scissors. Feel chic? No? Fucking good! That means you’re doing it properly! And yes, before any of you say anything, I’m aware that I’m the most overdressed man on the planet. It’s not hypocrisy because, while I am a geek, I’m not just a geek and my clothes are chosen to reflect completely unrelated aspects of my identity. My waistcoat and tie I chose to reflect my dandy-ish sense of British self-assuredness, and my Geoffrey Dahmer-patterned underpants I chose to reflect my love of cannibalism.

Admit that Fanfic Isn’t ‘Cultural Mythmaking’ Look, I love a good bit of fan fiction as much as the next man- especially when the show, book or property on which it’s based is being run into the ground by the last company to buy its rights (usually either Jeff Bezos or Mickey Mouse- he’s not just their mascot, he’s secretly the evil mastermind behind the whole horrific enterprise). By all means, keep writing fanfic. I encourage it! But a lot of you are in your forties now and your pretence that you’re doing something noble and important (as opposed to daft and fun) is getting creepy. It’s like if a man brought his anime body pillow on a double-date and introduced it as his girlfriend. Wait, wasn’t that the plot of an episode of Crackanory? The point is, it’s time to let it go. Admit that what you have is a hobby and that that’s fine. Cut the pseudo-intellectual bullshit about cultural artefacts being shaped as much by the fanbase as by the creators. As an actual now-published writer, I can assure you that I don’t even think about you randos when dredging a new story or setting from the filth at the bottom of my flinty little heart: I’m too busy channelling my mental illness and snorting powdered Mars Bars like fucking cocaine.

Contact a More Diverse Range of Great Old Ones We all love summoning Cthulhu to issue in the end of the world, but has it ever occurred to you that he’s not the only Elder Being who waits dreaming beneath the minds and lives of men? Well, it should have! How do you think poor old Nyarlathotep feels, getting snubbed at every fucking cataclysm? Or Hastur, the King in Yellow- that guy practically invented the concept of spreading suffering through the slow, infectious patterns of cackling madness. Then there’s the Goat of a Thousand Young (whose true name I can’t actually post online because it contains an incidental racial slur). You all bang on about female representation but where’s she when you’re etching your sigils and runes of unspeakable power? Yeah. I bet a lot of you are hanging your heads in shame right now. Don’t be so fucking thoughtless next time.

Set Fire to Fancier Places Every time there’s a riot, people set fire to the local MacDonald’s or KFC or whatever. And I sympathise- I really do. I’ve only ever been into a MacDonald’s twice in my adult life, but both of those times did leave me with a powerful desire to commit arson. The thing is, setting fire to a Macky Dee’s is just white noise at this point. It doesn’t make much of an impression. I think it’s time to aim higher: ignite Claridges or set a Fortnum and Mason ablaze. Maybe a burn down a John Lewis. Because if the goal is to make the rich and powerful sit up and take notice, you’re not going to do it by gutting a burger joint they don’t go to. You have to deprive them of the ability to buy fragranced tea-bags and fiddly little kitchen implements that only come in handy when you’re cooking a really specific brand of artisanal Burmese peach cobbler. You know- shit richos actually care about.

Make Friends with a Crow I feel like this one’s pretty self-explanatory, but in case you need me to list the incentives, they are 1) You’ll have a bro who can peck your enemies’ eyes out for you, 2) You’ll never be short of a nest and 3) Whenever your crow friend is around you’ll automatically look like 20% more of a badarse just by proximity. So yeah: befriend a crow. It’s not just a New Year’s Resolution, it’s the best decision you’ll ever make.

Find that One French Pharmacy With the Time Travel Drugs So, the last time I was in France on a family holiday, many years ago, my mother got a cold and went to the first chemists’ we could find. What she thought she was buying was a painkiller and flu-suppressant. As it turned out, it was an immensely powerful hallucinogen that made her see giant insects and fucked with her perception of time so thoroughly that to her it seemed like it was running backwards. Isn’t that a drug you want to try? I know I do, so let’s resolve here and now, you and I, to go on a magical odyssey to find the amazing French Abstract Time Dilation Drug and use it to bring the plot of the film Tenet kicking and screaming into reality!

Go on an Epic Quest for the Shimmering Sword of Cothroptar Okay, I don’t want to alarm anyone, but the dimensions are aligning and soon the realms of Checkor and Tarton will spill over from their respective realities and into our world. Earth shall become the battle-field of two mighty armies, equipped with hyperreal battle-scarves and heat-seeking throwing-sporrans. The only hope to win the war and bring peace and justice to the weft and weave of tactile other-space is to journey to the land of Cothroptar, which lies across the Sea of Singing Absinthe. There, you shall meet a triclops in a three-piece suit, who sees things all to clearly, and will have to best him in a contest to see who can write the dirtiest limerick. If you succeed, he will give you the Sword of Cothroptar, which can unite the Berbury Tribes and force a peace between Checkor and Tarton, thereby sparing Earth the ravages of another Great Fabric War. So, you should probably resolve to do that.

Re-Read that Last One Because it might take a couple of goes to sink in.

Make Love to Patrick Stewart Beneath a Starry Sky Look, I know it’s a daunting challenge, but it’s probably your last chance. He’s an old man, folks. He’s not going to stay compos mentis or continent for much longer, is he? I’d get in there while you still can.

Reinvent a Dive Bar I love the concept of a dive bar; absolute shit-holes where the strange, unsettling and menacingly surreal is allowed to happen simply because everyone inside is either weird themselves or too burnt-out to stop the weirdness. But I’ve always been slightly disappointed that you can’t actually dive in them. Thus, I give you perhaps the finest resolution on this list: I ask you to go forth and reinvent a dive bar… by flooding it. I don’t care if you do it one cup at a time or just connect a pump to the nearest swimming pool and a run a hose to the place- by the time you’re done, I want that shit-hole to be a swimming pool. A swimming pool where I can buy beer and where cocktail olives float past on their way to a better life.

Stop Reading this Before Your Fucking Brain Melts You know, I could probably keep adding more and more and more of these, but I’m going to stop now because if I don’t, I might actually kill one of you through sheer force of strangeness. Plus, I kind of need to go get a cuppa.

I don’t have a witty round-up paragraph, so instead allow me to leave you on the following soul-destroying, robotic note: END OF BLOG.