#the entire album is excellent really

[clouds-of-wings]

Hammond organ fandom, listen up!

[celaenaeiln]

“always an angel, never a god” and making it about the robins with batman is heartbreaking and all but have you considered:

the robins to the previous robin.

robins 2-5 looking at robin 1. the hero worship, the love they have for dick grayson. they want to live up to “the golden boy” “the golden standard”. they want to make him proud.

but dick grayson himself? he looks at batman, in his eyes he doesn’t live up to his mentor. sure he thinks he’s good, but it’s not like he thinks he’s the best. to himself, he isn’t “the golden child”, he’s not “the golden standard”, there’s too many mistakes, too many sins, to make him view himself the way others view him

“always an angel, never a god.”

Anon are you providing a sample? Drop the album!!

Just - Perfect.

There's actually a time when Damian is feuding with Tim about something and he's like Grayson is the "Golden Child", Todd is the "Black Sheep", and you're something something. He didn't actually say "something something" but you get the point. Damian doesn't like to be forthcoming with his words, but - "We were the best, Richard. No matter what anyone thinks." THOSE WORDS CAME OUT OF HIS MOUTH. The fact that Damian literally calls him the golden child tho is literally ascending me. He loves his dad.

Jason gets fear-gassed once in Truth & Justice (2021) comic and it reveals that one his worst fears has always been about living up to the massive legacy Dick left behind. There's a change in the way Dick is portrayed because Jason is terrified of Nightwing, not Dick. Because he knows that Dick loves him and stuff but Nightwing is downright petrifiying. Because Nightwing and as Robin, Dick created the firsts for everything. The first partner, the first side-kick, the person who created their world. Not just Jason's but Dick opened up the gateway to Every. Single. Hero. That came after him. And he did it perfectly. He excelled in every aspect imaginable and then surpassed them to create the golden standard that every single person that came after strived to touch. Not just for what they should do, but who they should be.

Tim straight up tells Dick to his face every time that Dick is the best robin that ever existed. No squalms, no hesitation, it's just pure fact for Tim. There is simply, no one better.

Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Scorched Earth

Stephanie didn't have a lot of interactions with Dick and she wasn't close to him but she still had a huge deal of respect for him. It was almost deference, the way she treated him. I considered that it might be because he was Batman but she treated Batman very differently than she treated Dick!bats.

But despite literally every single Robin thinking how perfect Dick is, how unattainable he set the standards, Dick himself feels so pale in comparison to his mentor.

I wrote this post a long while back regarding Dick's thoughts of insecurities about bruce to the tune of Toxic Thoughts by Faith Marie which pretty much encapsulates all his worries. But the thing is, even Bruce tells dick how amazing he is and he's so much better than him, and he means it.

There's a time when Bruce fights each of his former robins and he takes them all down easily but he's trekking his way to the last one and he's says "Attack of the Robins, that leaves only the first one. Hand-to-hand, the toughest of them all." He says this all in his mind. Which means when he tells Dick he's better, he really means it but Dick? Dick will never, ever understand the weight of Bruce's sincerity towards him. He always thinks he's not a good enough leader, good enough detective, good enough whatever there is. In his mind he will never be good as Bruce in anyway because for him Bruce is the best person to ever exist. For him, despite everyone in the entire superhero community exalting him and singing his praises, he feels he'll never be like his hero.

"always an angel, never a god."

Anon, that - 😌🤌✨

Glorious. Simply a magnificently apt description.

But you know who this insecurity really affects more than him?

The Robins! Literally everyone else!

You know, there's actually panel about Roy that explains how he feels about Dick's insecurities towards Bruce-

Arsenal Issue #2

And the reason why I brink it up is because I think this is exactly how Jason feels about Dick. In Jason's eyes there is no one better than Dick and it's a nasty feeling that the person he thinks it the best feels inferior to someone else.

Tim also has opinions on the same line except in his case, he hates Dick's unconditional loyalty towards Bruce (yes I'm referencing gotham knights). He loves Bruce but he hates that Dick loves him to the point that he'll follow him endlessly because he has this romanticized, rose-sunglasses view of Bruce. WHICH IRONICALLY ROY ALSO FEELS-

The Titans (1999) Issue #15

Gotham Knights Issue #26

Where it bothers Roy and Jason that Dick would think anyone is better than him, it rankles Tim and Roy that he's being subservient to a mentor he's far better than.

Even Steph was like, "Dude we need you. Where were you?"

Batman and Robin Eternal Issue #2

And Dick's like "Bruce needed me.."

Batman and Robin Eternal Issue #2

He looks so tired, doing God's bidding. But this aligns perfectly with the fact that Bruce has a canonical god complex AKA consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility. People who have god complexes are highly dogmatic in their views, meaning the person speaks of their personal opinions as though they were unquestionably correct.

Literally and metaphorically he's an actual angel because he works as a messenger of God (Bruce in the DC world) and is the epitome of goodness, someone who always offers comfort and aid to everyone.

[xstevex-world]

Steve Harrington’s favourite musician has been the same since he was 17.

He distinctly remembers hearing Chrissy Cunningham play in his car radio during his senior year, subsequently listening to nothing but her breakout EP for a week straight - and that was just the beginning.

He followed all of work for over the past 7 years: bought physical and digital copies of all her albums, watched every music video multiple times, read every interview, saved up enough while working weekend shifts at scoops to get tickets to her sold out shows in Indiana - he had so much merch that Jonathan Byers once joked that Steve could probably make a shrine to his idol.

He had even kept up during her hitatus, almost two full years of radio silence from the star, like she had disappeared off the face of the earth. It wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened, but it didn’t help that it overlapped with him dropping out of business school to pursue a career in cosmetology and that final falling out he had with his father over his choice in education.

The day she came back felt like Christmas.

Her comeback announcement dropped on June 13th - and it wasn’t just a new post on social media or a candid shot online someone managed to snap.

It was a whole EP drop, 4 entire songs (and a music video) that he knew he was going to play on repeat after 716 days of radio silence.

That opened the floodgates for everything to start again: she went back on social media, thanked her fans for their wholehearted response to her new releases. She started doing interviews again: discussing her mental health and the impact of her mothers control in her life; her reunion with her best friend (and apparent ex) from high school; her label dropping her after it was found that her “momager” had embezzled a huge amount of money from said company, releasing her from her contract early and allowing her to find new partners, new producers, new projects.

She talks about how she’s never been happier, and Steve can’t help but beam at it. He can hear it in her music, how it’s going more against the grain of what’s popular, opting instead for etherial synths mixed with heavy guitars. She sings about heartbreak and moving on and being better than then the people who brought her down for long, now that she’s starting fresh.

Steve loves it, thinks some of the changes have something to with Eddie Munson’s name appearing in the credits of all her new material.

Truthfully, he got curious after someone on Twitter posted a screengrab of cameos made by Munson and his own bandmates in all of her new music videos. He thankful someone else made the connection, and although he’s not the biggest fan of Corroded Coffin’s music (apart from the collaboration EP they did with Chrissy: “CCxCC presents Satanic Slumber Party”, that was incredible), he would lying if he didn’t say he was totally enamoured by Eddie goddamn Munson.

Let alone the fact that he’s totally Steve’s type (big hair, bigger eyes, a complete dork with a heart of gold but who also looks like he would bite someone in both a feral dog and a “please take me to your bedroom right now” kind of way), the guy is a genius when it comes to music, spending interviews talking about the process of artistry and the importance of storytelling - even when they’re discussing songs about him, written by Chrissy about their break up, he’s still so passionate and witty, the two of them spending interviews bouncing off each other in a way that would rival his relationship Robin.

He’s fine, really, he knows logically this is just a celebrity crush that will pass if he stops thinking about it for long enough, but he’s certain that this could develop into one of those all encompassing obsessions if he doesn’t curb it now- and that’s exact what he does. He tries to put that energy into school, excelling more than he ever did in an academic setting. He meets up more often with Nancy, Jonathan, Argyle and Barb, inviting them over more often for dinner or drinks, sometimes even just because he wants to make a breakfast feast and need someone else to eat it.

It’s at times like this that he misses Robin, who only has about 6 weeks left of her internship in Paris - he hasn’t seen her in person since he went to visit her a few months ago during spring break. He wishes she was her to openly judge him over this, before rambling on about her own current hyperfixation or moaning about her lack of romantic adventures since she and Vickie broke up.

They still talk on the phone every afternoon (nighttime for her), ranting to each other about their perspective day and sharing any worthwhile gossip.

Tonight’s no different, he’s telling her about the current drama happening in his classes when Robin says:

“I met someone today.”

He’s ecstatic - in his opinion robin deserves the world and the fact she’s met someone on her own in a city where she has been finding it hard interacting with people outside of her placement is a miracle in itself.

She tells him more: how she met this girl that morning at café, acting as a knight in shining armour (Robin’s words, not Steve’s) when the girl got flustered trying to order her coffee in broken French; how she spent the day showing this girl around to her favourite shops and parks and museums; how they spent hours talking about everything and nothing; how Robin hasn’t felt this way about someone since Vickie.

“So then we had dinner at that Italian place, the one I took you to, and, Steve, oh my goddess, she has the cutest little laugh-“

“Did you get her name?”

“Oh, sorry” he can hear her move the phone from one ear to the other. “Yeah it’s Chrissy.”

Steve stops his pacing. That would be one hell of a coincidence, if it was Chrissy Cunningham. She is playing in Paris the following night, the penultimate stop of her current tour. (The very show that he had been tempted to go to, since he could stay with Robin. It absolutely wasn’t because Corroded Coffin was joining her for the European leg of the tour - acting as her band, as well as performing songs from their collaboration as the encore - something that did not happen at any of the American shows). It couldn’t be the same Chrissy that Robin had fallen head over heels for in the space of a few hours, right?

“Did you get any of her socials?” He asks, cautiously.

“Nope,” she answers, popping the p for emphasis. “I didn’t think to ask, because I’m an idiot and all that-“

“Robs,” he interrupts, trying to keep his voice steady. “You’re not an idiot.”

Her hears her laugh on the other end of the line, the same kind of self-deprecating giggle she uses when she’s nervous. He wishes he was there with her so she could see him roll his eyes at her, their main way of communicating their love.

“What did she look like?”

“Oh!” She exclaims as he hears her tumbling over something (knowing Robin, probably herself). “We took a picture together, hold on, I’ll send it over.”

His phone vibrates against his ear, so he brings it in front of him, putting Robin on speaker so he can see the photo.

And.

Holy fuck.

“Robin,” he says slowly, because he actually can’t believe it himself. “Do you know who that is?”

((Part 2))

[widefuturesss]

Goin thru mama’s old photo album I recently recovered & this pic of her really struck me. It strikes me cuz I see me so much in her. Not even in her appearance, but in her pose n expression… Chai, I wish it were easier to hold mirrors up to one another, especially our elders. I wish they would see accountability not as a blame game but as a mutual recognition that we’ve all experienced our shared past differently. I wish my body could be mine still under and within my family home, I wish autonomy did not have to feel like total rebellion, like I have to walk away entirely in order to exercise my becoming. I wish compromise for us kids & our families doesn’t have to feel like wearing a mask and hiding the sides of ourselves that holds the mirror up, that challenges what our parents think they know.. I wish my freedom to become myself wasn’t rooted in an excellency I’ve conditioned myself to attain. I pray 4 the overachiever in me that feels I have to excel in all areas just to simply exercise my existence beyond societal expectations, I pray fr

[taylortruther]

Rae, we actually have the same favorite (The Black Dog) and least favorite (thanK you aIMee) songs lol. I subjectively really love the album and have resonated a lot with it, although objectively I do recognize that as an art product, it's not as excellently curated and of the technical quality (cohesion, thematic continuity, etc) as say folklore or Midnights, but that's not the point of this album. Imo she really needed to put out this entire album as it is, completely raw, bloated, and unedited, in all of its glorious messiness. As a fellow pathological people pleaser, I find it very admirable that for once she decided to not cater to anyone's demands and expectations when in the past she has very obviously curated her work to be what the Recording Academy looked for (1989), what the public outside of her fans wanted from her (folkmore), or just to prove herself against critics (og Speak Now). She said "fuck that, I'm doing this for me because I need an exorcism from this" and not only do I really respect that but I also love it as personal character growth for her. I think this body of work is a very natural evolution of her artistry. I made a post about this but basically something that stood out to me a lot from this album is the intentional de-personalization of extremely personal feelings and stories. She seems to have decided for this project that in order to be free to be completely honest in her art, she needs to visualize herself, and thus her stories, as a third party, an external entity on which she's conducting a post-mortem examination. Consequently, the characters in her life are, too, bestowed upon fictional characters (Cassandra, Peter Pan, Ken, Sarahs and Hannahs, etc) from stories that have been told before and/or are familiar in some way to the listener. Then, the 4th wall is delightfully broken in Clara Bow, where she refers to Clara Bow and Stevie Nicks as the inherent precedents to Taylor Swift. But what's even more brilliant about this is that in this way, she is making Taylor Swift into a character in and of itself. She is actually attempting to externalize Taylor Swift from Taylor the real-life woman. By narrating her stories through tangible entities presented as completely external to herself, she is inhibited by the safety of this fictional/allegorical lense through which she's allowing her stories to be consumed, and as a result, she has unlimited freedom to be more personal than she has ever been in her art before. I'm really fascinated by this with this album and it's much more interesting to me personall than the muse discourse although I do find that fun and important too, but yeah right now ttps is my second favorite after folklore lol

yesss and i especially love that both closers - clara bow and the manuscript - have her externalizing these things. clara bow separates Taylor Swift, Commodity from taylor swift, flawed human being, and the manuscript separates the legacy of all too well, and the relationship that sparked it, from who she is now. it feels like a huge turning point in her work as an artist and a human tbh.

[millenialfanfictionaddiction]

Gifting your Husband Boudoir Photos

Featuring Schweiden Adlers

Schweiden Adlers x female(wife) reader (she/her pronouns)

Warnings: swearing, VERY suggestive

AN: of course I needed to give my Adler bbys some love 🫶🏻

Heiwajima

Biggest simp? Biggest simp 😌

Definitely beats about his GORGEOUS wife to his team all the time

“Hey look at this picture my wife just posted?” “She has a name you know-” “SHES MY WIFE!”

Literally Liberos would make the best partners, hype beast extraordinaries

Anyways, you and Toshiro have been married for almost a year now

You wanted to surprise your husband with the something you’d knew he’d love

🙌🏻 pictures of you 🙌🏻

See you casually replaced photos around your home with new sexy ones 🤪

You weren’t entirely sure your husband would notice

But like a dog smells good, your husband sniffed them out immediately

He walked in, stopped and looked at you

“Something’s different,” he said 🤨

You 👉🏻😙 🎶

Then he spots the first one, the one you replaced your wedding photo with

He walks over to it, picks it up and his eyes widen 😳

“YN what is this?” He asks

You just shrug and smirk 😏

He continues to walk around, finding all the photos and you start to hear groans emerging from your husband

“You good babe?” You ask as he turns to you

“You know we are never changing these photos back right?” He says as you giggle

“What about when the guys come over?” You question

“Ok maybe then but he do you maybe think you could recreate some of these for me? Perhaps for my digital gallery?” He questions

You giggle and shake your head, “well it’s a good thing I order digital prints too.”

Toshiro throws his head back, groaning and thanking whatever god gifted him such a beautiful wife!

Kageyama

The only two things Kags thinks about is volleyball and his gorgeous wife

Literally the fact that you can put up with him being the way he is

He is so blessed to have you as his spouse!

Now Kags is a workaholic and he’s constantly at the gym

So you often have to find creative and new ways to entice your husband to come home

Sometimes food works

But what really does the trick you ask 👀

Nudes 🙌🏻

You send this man a nude and it’s so long volleyball gym, hello bed for the next 8 hours 🥵

Man’s has stamina ok 👌

Kags has been at the gym for a solid week

Literally he’s home to eat and sleep

And honestly, you miss your husband

So what must we do? Send him something that makes him want to leave his volleyball forever

You: I miss you Tobio 🥺

Tobio: awe I miss you too baby, I’ll be home around 10

You: could you maybe make it a little sooner? *sends pic*

You: I’m waiting 😏

Tobio: 😳 are- are those new?

You: just got them back today

Tobio: is-is there more 👀

You: maybe 🙃

Tobio: I think I can probably be home by 7…

You: I’ll be waiting *sends pic*

Tobio: fuck this gym in omw baby!

You: good good excellent 😏

Prepare to be sore for the next few days Yn 🤪

Ushijima

Our stoic angel 😍

Oh how this giant bby adores you Yn!

Literally there’s nothing better than spending time with your husband

But oh do you LOVE to tease this man something fierce

Please he gets so flustered and blushes whenever you send him a risky picture

So you decide you haven’t tortured your husband enough for an entire lifetime so why not do the absolute most 💅

It was your 1 year wedding anniversary and you decided that you should gift your husband the first the keeps on giving

Pictures of you 😌

You wrap the photo album up and set it with his other gifts

This man always outdoes you in every way but this year, this time you will dominate!

So after opening all of your lavished gifts you finally gift Toshi the one thing nobody else can give him

When he opens it, he looks at the beautiful black valet cover inscribed with his name

He looks at you confused as you continue to urge him on

He opens the first page and immediately slams the book shut

His face turns best red as he avoids all eye contact with you

Toshi 👉🏻👀😳

You 👉🏻😏😏

He opens it again, gulping as he carefully thumbs through every single page, careful to not bend any pictures

It’s not until he gets to the picture of you in his Olympic jersey that he groans, adjusting himself as you continue to look smug

He closes the book, placing both hands on top of it and then looks at you

You 👉🏻 : D

“YN you know how much I love you right?” He says as you nodd

You 👉🏻 : D

“YN I’m going to say this and I mean it in the absolute most respectful way,” he continues

You 👉🏻: D

“I’m about about 2 seconds from breaking your back,” he finally says

You 👉🏻 : D 😐😳

And that, YN, was the story of how you spent an entire week recovering 😌

Hoshiumi

This man BEGS for nudes constantly

Literally he adores you and he keeps a running tab of your pictures

He even keeps a ✨tasteful✨ shot of you as his phones Lock Screen

But nobody can see it… he guards it with his life!!

When Korai’s away, he is always asking to see his pretty baby 🥹

Honestly he’ll take any photos of you

So you decide it’s time to ramp it up 👏🏻

Korai is at a few away games when you decide to make your move

You had some sexy photos done for your adoring husband and lucky you are just as cheeky as he is 😏

You send the first text, baiting him

You: Morning babe *sends picture*

Korai responds in .02 seconds

Korai: 👁️👄👁️

You: how are you? *sends pic*

Korai: 🥵 extremely frazzled right now…

You: oh really? *sends pic*

Korai: BABE IM IN A TEAM MEETING AND I JUST GOT IN TROUBLE FOR CHECKING MY PHONE

You: sounds like a you problem *sends pic*

Only Korai doesn’t respond after that one, instead you start a timer

Because you know your husband too well

10 minutes later, a new record 💅, your FaceTime is ringing as you casually answer it while cooking

“Hey babe! I thought you had a meeting?” You ask casually

Korai 👉🏻 >: ( you did this on purpose

“Did what?” You respond cluelessly

“Did you get those professionally done for me?” He asks

“Well your always asking for pics so I figured I should have a couple hundred built up,” you shrug

Korai 👉🏻👁️👄👁️ 100?!?!

Please Yn that man has never been happier to get home to you

Romero

This man ugh THIS MAN 🥵

Literally idk who’s the luckiest one in this relationship babe I’m sorry

It’s Romero, like look at the man!

But no matter what, you managed to get a good one

He’s an amazing husband and he absolutely worships you!

Literally he will open every door, present you to everyone like you are royalty

He talks about you like you are only woman in the entire word

He wears his wedding ring proudly!

And boy does he adore your body

Literally you could be wearing seat pants and he’s panting 😮‍💨

It’s your two year anniversary and your friend suggest you add some new “artwork” to your bedroom 😌

Mainly in the form of a giant photo of you over your bed

So you prepare, using your husbands favorite color lingerie in the photo in the sexiest pose allowed to be viewed

You manage to get it hung and boy are you excited, so excited that you ambush your husband the moment he walks in the door

You cover his eyes and say, “I have the biggest surprise babe!”

He smiles, “oh do you now?”

You giggle as you lead your 6’3” husband to your room and situate him just perfectly

You tear your hands away and shout “surprise!”

Romero 👉🏻😐😳

“What do you think?!?” You say, presenting your body

Please YN give your husband a second

His mouth has now fallen open and you are gonna need a mop in the bedroom ok 🤚🏻

“Holy shit baby!! You look fucking incredible!” He says getting on the bed and studying the photo up close

“You love it??” You gush

“Oh course! But I wish you would have put one in every room so I can just stare at you all damn day!” He chuckles

“Well lucky for you I got more!” You say, pulling out the other canvases

Please YN, you might need to inform the Adlers of your husbands sudden death 😅

Sokolov

6’7” simp? 6’7” simp 😌

Man’s literally worships the ground you walk on Yn

He adores you more than anything!

Another member of the “I wear my wedding ring and I’m proud club!”

He would wear a shirt that said “my wife is hotter than your wife”

Needless to say, this man will do anything for you YN

And since he travels so much, you have to keep things spicy right 😏

Which is why you decide that it’s important for you to show him exactly how much you miss him

So you decide to be a little butthole and send him cryptic messages all day to prepare him

Like first you send him an email that says, “I’m in your room at 9pm for a surprise ;)”

Of course the man’s is super curious like “👀 what does this chick have planned now?!?”

Then you continue the torment and send him little texts all day like “5 hours until your surprise!”

By 9pm the man is RUNNING 🏃‍♂️ to his hotel room

The team wanted to go out for drinks and suddenly your man’s has a migraine

Back in his hotel room, he texts you and says “ok babe I’m here!”

That’s when you drop that man an entire years work of spank bank material!

Like 200 pictures and that’s not even all of them!

At first he just stares like “holy crap! I shouldn’t be looking at these, I have a wife… WAIT THIS IS MY WIFE!!”

So instead he decides to pull out his computer and FaceTime you

You answer, casually sitting on your bed like “oh hello my love ✌🏻”

“Babe!! Holy crap!! You- you did this for me?!?” He shouts

You giggle and nod saying “I missed you Tatsu” 🥺

Damn Yn calm down, man’s is about .02 seconds away from getting on a plan back to you

“Baby I love them!! But umm now I’ve kind of got a little problem!” He blushes as you giggle

He knows he’s one lucky guy!

Hirugami

Ughhhhhh 😩😩😩 this man!! THIS MAN 👏🏻

He’s so hot it’s unreal!!!

And you get to be his wife?!? Dammnnn

Seriously he is such an attentive and sexy husband

Literally he walks around without his shirt on around the house and man 😮‍💨

Please YN clean your puddle of drool up!

Oh wait that’s me NE WAYS

he absolutely adores you and always talks about you

He knows how lucky he is to have the most supportive and fantastic wife

But that doesn’t mean you don’t get to tease him every once and a while 🤭

Specifically during practice

Because as the captain of the Adlers, he must remain stoic and attentive

So when he’s in the middle of a team meeting and his phone starts buzzing, he quickly checks it

And BAM NUDE

Fukuro rn 👉🏻😐😳

“Hey captain you good?” The guys ask as he snaps from his haze and shoves his phone back in his pocket

Unfortunately his phone keeps buzzing 😌

He’s already seen a few pictures and damn he wants to see more but he knows he won’t be able to contain his arousal

After the meeting, which he clumsily finishes he runs to the locker room and face times you

You answer, casually doing dishes like 😚 🎶

“Baby what was that??” He yells

You 👉🏻👀🤷🏻‍♀️ what-

“Baby those pictures! Those pictures!!! Are they new? Holy shit!” He whisper shouts as you smirk

“They might be new, maybe part of a photo shoot I did,” you answer coyly

Fukuro 👉🏻😳 so there’s more?

“A few hundred more,” you 😏

“Baby prepare yourself because when I get home, you’re all mine!” He growls before hanging up

You just giggle because wait until he sees the giant canvas of you naked hanging in your master bathroom 🙃

[beautifulpersonpeach]

You know what I love so much about BTS's music is when you've not listened to a song or album for a while and when you do not only are you reminded of how good it is, but also sometimes songs you already like and have heard countless times before you suddenly latch onto unexpectedly. It happens to me often with their music, the latest song for me being Let me know. It just got it's claws into me on my Dark and Wild revisit and I've had it on repeatedly the past few days. I don't know what it is about them or their music that manages to just keep grabbing at you the way it does, maybe it's because their discography is so large and varied, but whatever it is I'm very grateful.

***

That’s the thing about excellent quality: it’s timeless. It doesn’t matter how old their songs are, how much you replay them, or whatever. When you listen to BTS’s music, you know it’s good because it feels incredible.

Your experience with Let Me Know is one I relate to so hard. That song was released in 2014 you know. BTS were really dropping bangers right out the gate. Like, it’s no surprise they blew up the way they did because they just had the best music point blank period.

They still do.

The songs I’ve revisited recently that made me feel similarly to you are:

- Mikrokosmos: Not a bad song at all, but one I usually skip and don’t add to my playlists because it’s not exactly my taste and it often reminds me of BTS concerts and that’s a sore topic for me recently. But I was traveling this past weekend and browsing music on the plane, and saw it then played it on a whim. And man, it hit me again just how good that song is. BTS knows how to make good music and execute it perfectly every time.

- I NEED U (Remix): There’s this view in the fandom that BTS only recently started putting out several remixes, but while they’ve certainly put out more in recent years to match pace with Western practices, they’ve also always kinda been into remixes. And back in my day, the fandom actually made it a point to enjoy the remixes. I Need U remix is one such remix I used to jam out to back then, and while playing some of my older lists recently to prepare for Hobi’s birthday, this song played and the nostalgia hit me like a truck.

- Lost: This is the most underrated song in BTS’s discography. It’s one of the songs where you just have to watch the live performance and see the choreography. It’s just too good. In fact, Lost > The Truth Untold. By a mile. Jungkook’s voice and insane runs in that song are something you just have to experience for yourself.

They dropped that banger 3 years after their debut.

- Go Go: This song is what solidified BTS’s success in 2017. Not DNA imo. Just listen to their voices in this song. Listen to how they sing, how unrefined and passionate it is. They sound like they’re having fun. I forgot about Go Go until a few weeks ago and it’s in my rotation again.

- Fly to my Room: Songs like this is why BTS is on top of the k-pop food chain. Nobody in the entire industry can arrange and pull off a song like this: choir/gospel with a fuckass organ + gutter trap + Hoseok’s verse… like, god. Those whispered harmonies in the final chorus before the crescendo outro. Jimin’s high notes…. It’s just such a serve of a song. They killed it.

- Spinebreaker: Someone asked me recently how the rapline became my bias, if I started with one rapline member then the rest followed, or if it was all at once. I didn’t answer that ask but anon if you’re reading this, the answer is all at once. I’d liked the rapline since debut but I think it was this song that did it for me. All of them on this track are insane. From the moment I heard Joon’s voice at the start I just accepted my fate.

Anyway, thanks for this ask Anon. BTS are so loved because they put their heart and soul into the music they make and it shows. It’s why streaming their stuff has never felt like a chore for me. I look forward to listening to their music every day I wake up. It makes my life better. I’m happy it seems to be at least a bit similar for you too.

[chongoblog]

I was listening to one of you mashup songs (I have NO idea which one, but it had Space Jam in it. That wasn't the song, obviously) and thought "yknow what would work really well here? Back 2 Back from Sonic Rush samples." So my question is: have you used/thought about using samples from that game/other games Hideki Naganuma has composed for? I know his songs sample a whole lot in and of themselves, but I think some of them (esp Back 2 Back) could work really well in your stuff. Just a thought, though.

I have EXCELLENT news for you. I have an entire album based off the Sonic Rush OST called “Sonic Headrush”

[raytorosaurus]

ray really went off w remember the laughter (album) but also specifically remember the laughter (song)

I KNOW I KNOWWWWW. actually i find it so interesting that ray's the only member of mcr to have released a concept album post-breakup tbh...(i don't count electric century bc the album and comic seem very separate). but remember the laughter is such a coherent and self-contained piece of art it's so cool. besides we save it's genuinely rare that i listen to one song without listening to the entire album bc (like frank said actually), it's almost cinematic in the way it flows through (including the seamless transitions between tracks! little sonic references back to previous tracks throughout the album! the MUSIC BOX LOOP IF YOU RESTART AFTER THE END!!!!!!!) i think its weakest point is its lack of variation at times which means some tracks don't necessarily stand out on their own against some of the others, but it's satisfying enough to listen to start to finish that i can't really complain. i would love to see ray lean into that and try his hand at writing sountrack...or, alternatively, to casually release individual tracks that don't fit with a larger project, because he has loads :((( he was experimenting with dirtier punk and metal sounds before he settled on the rtl vibe and i wish he'd share some of those even if they weren't necessarily complete :( but oh well

anyway that being said - there are a few tracks i just have to listen to sometimes from rtl and rtl the song is one of them. so much going on in the background instrumentation beneath a morbid concept delivered without the morbidity, and a slow six-minute build into the most genuinely gorgeous guitar solo i've ever heard in my entire life...what more could you want tbh. it was such a bold choice to not have guitar dominate the whole album since it's not only his strength but also literally the only thing he's know for lol but it means the solos that are on there stand out sooooo beautifully, and the rtl one has gotta be my favourite. very closely followed by the great beyond and then we save, i think...im trying to learn them one by one on guitar but like even if could buy the most expensive gear id never be able to put as much tone and emotion into them as he does...crazy how he's an excellent musician huh lol

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 06/12/2023

Going Somewhere Jerma?

Season 6 Featured on: siivagunner's highest quality rips: volume

Ripped by Sponge Lord

do you have any idea how fucking embarrassing it is to be listening to SiIvaGunner albums in public and having to desperately hold in my laughter when hearing a rip like this for the first time

Then again I suppose its a trap of my own making, and I'm not exactly complaining - Season 6 has really grown on me in general recently, and I think listening to highest quality rips: volume really helped with cementing that. Be it through its fantastic events, or the excellent blend of rips both funny and gripping - its now a period of SiIvaGunner that I wish I'd paid attention to more during its run. I covered both the aforementioend album and the joke source of today's rip beforehand in If I chopped Pikachu up in a meat grinder, and the only thing that comes out and is left of him is his eyeball, he's PROBABLY dead. That source is, of course, our good friend Jerma985.

Jerma's been along for an immensely long time in online circles, yet it feels like he's really suddenly spiked in popularity and relevancy during the 2020s. For as much of an icon he's become to internet shitposting in general - in particular when associated with hit game Among Us - his own original content really didn't show up all too often on SiIva until more recently? His depiction was almost entirely as "the sus guy" such as in Curse of the Fallen Angel, but recently his incredible potential for YTPMVs have finally begun being utilized. With the aforementioned rip and Going Somewhere Jerma?, Jerma stocks on SiIvaGunner are at an all-time high - and I couldn't be happier.

It helps that the Mario Party N64 soundtracks - and Going Somewhere in particular - are simply pure dopamine injectors for me at this point. Before finding this rip, I got reminded of just how fucking good the track is through Going Somewhere Omoriboy?, a YTPMV similar to Going Somewhere Jerma? - and the two together have kind of convinced me that the song is impossible to fuck up. The audio clips used in Going Somewhere Jerma? in particular though are absolutely perfect, with the blend of "giant enemy spider" humming as the backing track and the AA-EE-OOs as the main melody - funny enough, the exact inverse of If I chopped Pikachu up in a meat grinder, and the only thing that comes out and is left of him is his eyeball, he's PROBABLY dead. So the two rips compliment each other excellently, yet despite using the same source convey two wholly different moods due to the source track being used. The little "audiojungle" snuck in is also just an incredible cherry on top of it all, and altogether the rip feels immensely re-listenable despite barely being above a minute long.

Its fascinating to compare the two for their differences, yet althesame they've both been responsible for spat-out drinks on my end. Yet thats an inconvenience I'll gladly live with for getting more audio bliss in the world. Long live YTPMV!

[every-thought-ive-come-to]

chiaki kuriyama appreciation post

japanese actor, got popular for her work in the 2000s as a teen actor

battle royale (2000), she was 16 at the time and did some of the best acting in the entire movie imo, and just like. look at the still. if i was there i'd just accept death

kill bill (2003), the film she was nominated for TWO awards for even tho she was a side character and WON one of them (best fight). she was amazing and was my favourite character between both movies. she was the best possible casting for the role (gogo yubari) and i was fucking devastated when she died (sry for spoilers, it's a great movie u should go watch it, but it was a plot death and was obvious from her introduction)

now, like, sry to be a fake fan but those are the only movies with her i've watched so far (this will change soon) but here are a few other notable ones:

shikoku (1999) - haven't been able to find a copy of this online (not even tgx), but she plays another... less sane character, the horror of this horror movie. if anyone can find it online somewhere please reach out bc it seems like an interesting movie

ju-on: the curse (2000) - this one is available online! unfortunately, it's v low quality and is likely a rip of a rip of a rip, but subtitles are pretty decent. haven't watched the whole thing but kuriyama was brilliant in this too! despite the fact that it's a rlly cheap and shitty horror movie, she had excellent acting and was obviously into the role

she has since played several other roles in several movies, shows, and has voice acted/dubbed for some projects. she's also going to be in the upcoming season of a semi-popular japanese tv show called Ōoku, coming out in 2024.

ALSO sidepoint, i forgot to mention this earlier, but she is a badass and could beat most people on here in a fight

and, last but certainly, absolutely, definitely not least, she has released several songs and even the 2011 album circus which is really fucking good and you need to listen to it right fucking now, please and thank you (if you're wondering, it's pop/rock)

she's been doing a lot recently, and became independent in 2020. below is a recent picture of her (2022) and just...

her twitter is here her website is here

and that's it! thx for reading my entire little essay abt why i like this random japanese actor who was in 2 movies which i like

and to anybody who got mad bc i called her an actor and not an actress, sry but fuck u and fuck needlessly gendered words, gender is a bitch and we should make it an opt-in

[hierarchyproblem]

Big dumb album of the year post, here we fucking go:

Punk

A lot of the punk releases that crossed my radar this year were really hardcore-y hardcore or weak-ass "indie punk" shit, and that doesn't do a lot for me. And like, who cares if Rancid are still making music? Does Tim Armstrong even need any more money at this point?

This year I liked All Together Now from Cop/Out and All Riot from Angry Youth Elite. GEL's Only Constant sadly wasn't a patch on 2021's Violent Closure (though I did get to see them live and they put on a hell of a show), and I look forward to seeing Killing Daisies develop their sound following a pretty strong debut with Break the Silence. The HIRS Collective are at their best at their grindiest IMO, but I still liked lots of We're Still Here. Slutbomb's EP Commodified Identity is exactly what I want punk to sound like, but this year's winner is Dog Park Dissidents with their debut The Pink and Black Album.

I've talked before about my frustration with the state of queer punk at the minute, which largely seems to consist of didactic lyricism, indie-pop influences, and the basics of liberal feminism presented as radical politics. Not so with Dog Park Dissidents: their lyrics are frequently funny and occasionally surprisingly emotive, their political content is incisive, and while we're not talking face-melting blast-beats here, the songs are genuinely entertaining. Half of the songs on this album have more to say than the entire discographies of some punk bands, and are pretty catchy too.

Favourite tracks: Rainbow Drones, Host, Class Struggle

Grindcore

I haven't listened to much new grind this year; I don't know what releases have even happened. There must be some good stuff that passed me by - let me know what I missed!

The Full of Hell collaborations weren't really my thing, but Haggus' EP What's Your Excuse was great as ever. Sometimes trawling bandcamp you can strike gold such as Coming Apart from Tolerances Of The Human Face In Crash Impacts or Human Decay from Rancid Stench. There was only ever gonna be one winner this year, however, and it's Gridlink's Coronet Juniper.

What can I even say about this? Gridlink have done it again. Somehow, even after guitarist Takafumi Matsubara's stroke in 2014, they've managed another album that's almost as perfect as Longhena. Their "technical grindcore" sound is unique and electrifying; Gridlink are untouchable. Nobody sounds like them. I'm blown away.

Favourite tracks: Silk Ash Cascade, Anhalter Bahnhof, Octave Serpent

Black Metal

It's been a fucking good year for black metal.

Between Panopticon's The Rime of Memory, Underdark's Managed Decline, Blackbraid's Blackbraid II, and Trespasser's Αποκάλυψισ, there's been plenty of excellent releases to keep me busy (can you tell I got into this through RABM?). I thought the production felt a little thin on the final Dawn Ray'd album, To Know the Light - the lack of a bassist hurt here, more than on any prior release - but I had the good fortune to be at the album release show, and it was the best gig of my entire fucking life, so this album holds a special place for me. Sad to see these guys go.

Fadheit's EP Afterglow deserves a special shout-out for carrying the torch of Lifelover's brand of depressive black metal, a sound I'll never get enough of. Probably everyone's black metal album of the year is going to be Saturnian Bloodstorm by Lamp of Murmuur, and that's well-deserved. This is possibly the best Lamp release yet, and I'm very into the freezing Immortal-esque guitar tone on this one. I'll be going back to Saturnian Bloodstorm for a long time, but the album I've actually enjoyed the most this year is Immortal themselves, with War Against All.

It's a rare enough thing for a band to keep releasing quality music for thirty years - even Darkthrone have had their misses - but Immortal are still going strong. You could be forgiven for phoning it in at this point, but I don't get that impression: as much as black metal can be "fun," I feel like Demonaz is still having fun, and I had a lot of fun with this album too. If you like black metal, there's plenty to like here.

Favourite tracks: No Sun, Return to Cold, Wargod

Ska

Ska is going from strength to strength right now; the past few years have been some of the genre's best in a long long time. This year I was delighted to see Mustard Plug releasing music again with the excellent Where Did All My Friends Go? and I enjoyed a lot of Poindexter's upbeat ska-pop debut album Treats. I scratched my ska-punk itch with Public Serpent's caustic The Bully Puppet and HEY-SMITH's frantic Rest in Punk. Popes of Chillitown's latest Take a Picture has something for everyone, drawing from about a hundred genre influences.

Still, my favourite ska album of this year is Plastic Presidents' debut Good Times Can't Last.

Please, please, do yourself a favour and listen to that opening track. This is one hell of an attention-grabbing debut, without a single skip on the tracklist, covering dancey 2-tone-era ska-punk through to aggressive skacore. If this was the only album they ever released, they'd have earned a spot in my pantheon: I'll be following eagerly to see what they do next.

Favourite tracks: Chains, West Omaha is a Terrible Place and I'm Definitely Afraid to Die, Break Free

Other

This "category" is one hell of a grab bag, but I don't know where else to put Tomb Mold, one of the only death metal bands I unreservedly love. Their most recent release The Enduring Spirit is sure to end up on a lot of album of the year lists.

The Nearly Deads' We Are the Nearly Deads is pretty much what I want rock to be (that is, completely without trace of any fucking metalcore influences!). I have a soft spot for symphonic metal, and Chapter III - Downfall from Ad Infinitum hit that spot this year. Finally, while I preferred Brave Murder Day-era Katatonia, I still like the goth rock thing they've been doing basically ever since then, and Sky Void of Stars is one of their better albums in that vein.

My left-field pick for Album of the Year, however, is Shit Present's What Still Gets Me.

I usually can't stand the kind of thing that's just punk-adjacent enough for the algorithms to insist on trying to force it into my ears. I didn't expect to like this, either - but it's really, really good. Like, I should hate anything you can describe as "emo-pop," but I don't, here. I love it. The songs are so well-crafted, the vocals so perfectly-delivered; there's an energy and emotion to this album that's had me listening to it on repeat since May.

Check it out: it's the best album of 2023.

Favourite tracks: Voice in Your Head, More to Lose, Cram the Page

[taintedcigs]

EMMY’S TTPD REVIEW!!!!

i might do another review when i get some sleep and listen again but fuck do i have thoughts under the cut

i never doubted her and im being so serious. like what a wild fucking ride im in SHAMBLES. fortnight is such a good start to the album and sets the tone for the remaining songs.

florida!!! is AMAZING. taylor + florence’s voices mesh SO well together and the sounds just exploded in my ear in the best way possible. title track is cheeky which I LOVE. down bad is just so catchy and the way she says “fuck it if i can’t have him” is engraved in my brain forever.

so long, london. my god. what a fuxking intro. perfectly describing to carry on a relationship you know is dead weight???? the wedding reference ??? “how much sad did you think i have in me” ??? im literally dead?

but daddy i love him is unhinged. self-aware. again VERY cheeky. and imo a slight attempt to cut the parasocial ties a bit w swifties LMAO!

fresh out the slammer, guilty as sin, the alchemy and clara bow (the stevie nicks NAME DROP??? i gasped) are ALL SO EXCELLENT. i need a second listen to have more opinions tho!!!

who’s afraid of little old me is fuckiiiinnnnggg genius. same with i can do it with a broken heart. this album employs a tone that is so very self-critical (that she previously tapped into in midnights) and we can see how most of the lyrics are more in on the joke. its so genius and like i never doubted her ever i have noooo words. also the way she explores the “toxic positivity” in icdiwabh is just SOOO genius. she does so much twists and turns with this album and im eating up all of it. (also the overall way she describes mental health complexities in both of these songs is so important to me)

the smallest man whoever lived. THE ANGER. oh god im living for her unhinged lyrics its so fucking good.

loml: look i hate this title. im sorry. but ou my god. this fucking song. love of my life turning into loss of my life…. like she’s killing me overrrr here😭😭😭

i can fix him (no really i can). the sound. i just. i have no words. i will try to express my feelings better later but the “whoa maybe i can’t” at the end. GOD. thats how the entire album is. self-referential, critical, and in on the joke. im in awe of how good it all sounds together.

like ill just probably be rambling but holy fuck. it exceeded my expectations in the best way possible. idk how this woman does it. but shes a powerhouse. in every way possible. the album is very unhinged, depressing, cheeky, and entirely raw. this is seriously one of her best works and its MUCH different than anything else she has put out. 10/10. im gagged.

i will now be going to sleep, but if any fellow tortured poets want to discuss this album (lyrically, sonically, parallels, influences, ANYTHING) send me an ask bc i can’t be normal about this masterpiece

[moonyinpisces]

Maddie I’m so relieved you like ttpd. I’m also critical of ms swift but damn it I like her songs and I!!! Want more good music!!! And I was hearing bad stuff about it all day but for some reason you have an aura that just makes me want to agree with you so I’m gonna assume you’re right about it. I’m not arguing with a girl who has the sheenie swag and correct opinions. Whatever you say beautiful

omg anon you want me deadddddd it's genuinely so good. top 3 TS album for me immediately, i need to let it marinate but it's miles better than midnights. a lot of people compare it to other albums and it's all over the place so don't trust me on this, but TO ME it's adjacent to reputation. it has moodiness and sexiness but it also has stark vulnerability from TS that is usually my glaring criticism of her lacking. also yes the composition is SO bleachers/the 1975 (lmfao understandably) which is my thing to a T but isn't everyone's thing! but like all tswift albums, ttpd has tonal cohesion. but NOT like all tswift albums, ttpd has emotional stakes like it cut a bit deeper than folklore/evermore at times which is like the highest compliment i can give her regarding depth. none of these songs i could really call superficial

now ttpd has its fair share of flaws that i can absolutely get into but the strengths more than made up for them for me. it's not as bright and bubbly as lover but carries a similar thread throughout the album that lover excelled at, but that thread happens to be both religious AND life/death imagery like she threatens to kill herself and others like the entire time. obsessed. all i can say is we are getting fed for good omens fic titles <3

[earlgreytea68]

sometimes I think about pete and patrick and how they are proof soulmates really are real. Which then got me also thinking about the visuals of their albums particular the iconic image of the two skeletons on the GH albums, but also the folie cover. I think it represents a lot of things but I also think it represents them and a "shared delusion" which makes sense from the POV of that time and the two of them. I just think the soulmates/two sides of the same coin imagery & visuals in fob's discography is so interesting.

I also think it's interesting because so often Pete has said, "This is about us and the audience," like, those are the two being referenced. But so often that feels like the layer it's hiding under to really been talking about Patrick. Like, Folie a Deux is an excellent way to describe how their relationship was around that time, too, tbh. Maybe the thing with Pete is he's got these two incredibly intense relationships in his life, and one is with his fans, and one is with his Patrick, and those two relationships are so intertwined with each other that how could you even really begin to separate them, like, they're different but they also feed off each other in weird ways, no wonder he can write entire journal entries and have it not be entirely clear who he's talking about

[aromanticannibal]

Ok, Feldup recs post!

Mostly my opinion (which is wildly positive) on his most recent album, Stared at from a Distance.

Warnings, this entire album talks about Feldup's SA from a woman twice his age. It's hard to listen to, it was hard to listen to for me, who suffered through no such experiences and isn't triggered, squicked or made uncomfortable by many things.

First, I'd advise that you listen to the entire album all at once (which breaks throughout if needed), in order and with lyrics (there are subtitles in the linked video). I promise it's worth it. Now for my favorite songs :

Stared at from a Distance (2nd track, 12:06), is obviously incredible and one of my faves. It's pretty long and is way more explicit on what it's talking about than Waters (4:55), the first track (which I really liked too, the music video for it is excellently made as well). I really love the way the instrumental and beat switches throughout to accompany the story, and the end of the song made me think I was going to cry (I just needed to sneeze but tbh it's still crying material). Really good, if you listen to only one song in the album I think it should be this one. (Side note, I'm also wondering if I didn't hear part of that song when I was at Feldup's concert - it was before the album was out, but you know. I don't think I heard all of it, but maybe I just forgot).

Naked and Afraid (3rd track, 3:11) is very good and picks up very well after the second track. It makes you understand that this album really is a story you're following, and you're going to get every detail of it. The following track, Dizzy (4:11) is transitioned to so well I thought it was the same song (it's also excellent), and Fear of Abandonment (4:07) right after is like. Painful. /pos

Shove it (6th track, 03:39) is honestly terrifying to listen to, and it works very well for its subject. I don't even have much to talk about for this one, it's just really good. The 7th track, Moment of Sobriety (5:30) managed to be even scarier, because of how real it gets then (if that makes sense. The whole album is painfully real, and it reminds you of this regularly).

Crying as a Weapon (8th track, 5:20) is where I had to take a break. I think it might be one of the most relatable songs for many people who were abused, not just sexually.

Death of an Illusion (9th track, 10:23) is the other very long track of this album and it is, unsurprisingly, incredible, and one of my absolute favorites. It's also one I could relate to a lot, and its progression is very satisfying. It Never Leaves (9:09) is similar to Death of an Illusion, its continuity, and its ending made me incredibly happy.

The last one, To Love Again (4:49), is the song I enjoyed the less, musically speaking, but one of my favorites nevertheless, and a perfect ending for the album in my opinion. It also has a shift in the... well, not the narration, but I guess the message, somewhat (trying not to spoil because it's so incredible to realize to me), which entirely convinced me this is actually my favorite album of all time construction-wise.

In conclusion, Oh My Fucking God this is so incredible.

Feldup is a great person who writes incredible texts and makes excellent music. The constructions of his songs and the way his story is told throughout eleven tracks is beautiful and heartbreaking and hopeful, and it genuinely is currently changing my brain chemistry /hj. It is so good. It's on Spotify and Bandcamp for sure, and I think it's on most other streaming services, and you still have the Youtube video I linked at the top. Please give it a try.

I'll quickly give my favorite songs from his other album, A Thousand Doors, Just One Key, but they're all really good too : Falling Apart (2nd track, 4:08) which is his most known song as far as I'm aware and is a fucking banger from the first notes, Mental Health (6th, 4:25), Attention (3rd, 3:54), and Stockholm (10th, 11:21), which holds one of my favorite lyrics ever (There is no cure/I am the disease).

Anyways, have a good day or night, stream Feldup's music.