#this was supposed to be just a spotify link but here I am . talking about things that went bad.

[yumdimsums]

Let’s talk about KAZUI‼️‼️‼️

CW: S//cide

Yes something that’s NOT Adachi

Recently, his new trial video came out, called “Cat” and it’s honestly such a banger. Here is the link to the video, highly recommend to watch first before reading!

This is my theory and brain dump at 1 AM and my first ever big theory! There will most likely be disjointed and have grammar mistakes, but I hope it makes sense. If there are detrimental mistakes, please lmk, i want to make sure it’s not full of crap‼️

NOTES: I am not going to provide “Guilty or not guilty” here, you do you, I’m not interested in swaying opinions.

I will be fully assuming that the “Kazui is gay” theory to be true. I am not going to explain it myself because many people have already done that. Obviously, gay Kazui is not the only true, gospel answer to his character, there are multiple different interpretations that are all valid and I would be very interested in hearing different theories as well🤝.

I will also be using the tumblr post below for Voice Drama TL, thank you so much for the translation🙏

Outline

Ordered from “Yeah I have some good ideas” to “I’m not sure”

1. Background/Setting

2. Marriage, Cats, and Doves

3. Magic, Masquerade, & Drinking

4. The Bartender

5. Apples

6. Extra Details

(Crazy/Stretch theories will be in Italics)

Background/Setting

To understand Kazui’s story a little better, I would like to quickly go over when this is taking place.

Here we see the wife with a flip phone. This means that Kazui’s marriage was most likely around the late 90’s to early 2000’s. During that time, I believe that LGTBQ+ people were not as widely accepted and that there were still toxic gender stereotypes and expectations (I’m not 100% though hmu if I’m wrong 🙏). Kazui also stated that his parents find him embarrassing. It could be that they blame him for the wife’s death, but also because he is gay. If his parents come from an older generation, it’s no wonder that they find him embarrassing because they’re ignorant and terrible.

Marriage, Cats, and Doves

As everyone has discussed when this first came out, “Cat” shows a lot of different themes through cats, doves, magic, marriage, and apples. This section will go over the first three aspects.

Many have stated before that the dove represent his ring as, at the start, he turns his ring into the dove. Obviously, doves are well known for their symbolism of love, hope, and peace. While the dove is supposed to represent their marriage, I also think it ties with his wife, seeing how she seems to hope that their love will bring them happiness. Adding onto this, it also explains why he watched and invited the dove to fly onto his arm. He was “playing” or leading the dove to him. Then it cuts to his eye, blankly staring at the pristine white of the bird. Note that this eye is the same as the one at the end of the MV. It can be assumed that it represents how, at the beginning, he could suppress his true emotions and playing along, but at the end, he becomes feral and mutilates the bird. (Image below shows how different they take the marriage, he’s uncomfortable while she’s beaming with joy).

On the other hand, cats symbolize independence, intelligence, and cunning, something that Kazui shows throughout the MV through his intricate lies. I think he also has the “mannerisms” of a cat.

Here he says he “wanted to be touched”, showing his yearning to be in a comfortable, safe relationship with a man. However, due to gay relationships not being accepted back then, he is unable to experience this and becomes increasingly lonely. It’s similar to how cats are reclusive and tend to stay away until someone or something has something that interests them. (I’m not a cat expert so I might be wrong). While the previous lyrics do say “I just wanted to touch, to caress”, implying he wanted his wife, I think this is the wife’s thoughts who wanted to “caress” and “touch” aka get closer to Kazui. When the lyrics play, it pans over to her with the circles in the background pulsing quickly, referring to her quick heartbeat when she looks at him and how she desires to be with him.

Another theory as to what’s happening in that moment is that she’s assuming what he’s thinking. Kazui: “I just wanted…” Wife: “to touch, to caress” Kazui: “to be touched”. I also find it interesting that the circle from 0:27 shatters at 0:30.

The next lyric “So it’s wrong? Shove that!” Could be him wondering if wanting to be touched was wrong and “unmanly” of him. But, deep inside, he wants to scream out and say that he yearns for that feeling, that he wants to be loved, even if it didn’t fit the norm of “what a man should be”.

On to their really terrible marriage. There were lots of societal pressures to be married back in the day, so Kazui suddenly marrying a woman he didn’t even like was due to others expectations of him. Plus, Kazui wanted to be loved and he was feeling the consequences of loneliness, and this love she had felt for him seemed like an opportunity to somehow get what he wanted. A desperate attempt to receive love in a marriage he was fully disinterested in. 0:46 to 0:48 show this as he suddenly went from giving her flowers to wanting to marry her. It implies that he wanted this to go as fast as it could so he wouldn’t disappoint his family or be judged for being unmarried and gay, even if it costed his mental health and forced him to lie, which steadily declines throughout the MV until he finally cracks (further explained in 3).

The way he calls her his “victim” really says how he just used her to satisfy his own needs and also his extreme guilt for her death. This also foreshadows the coming violence as the perpetrator (cat) kills the victim (dove).

Lastly, him wanting to “keep it simple” is him hoping that she isn’t going to take their relationship super far. He wants to stay away from the more intimate part of the relationship, but it’s difficult since he just continues to lie and doesn’t talk about himself at all.

(I will be skipping ahead to the end as I want to save the rest of the details for later) Now we’re at the most famous part of the MV, him smoking and then absolutely devouring and mauling a dove. He most likely did all of this in a drunken state. 1) There’s a glass at 1:49 that slowly drops to the ground, possibly him losing his grip on reality or his literal grip on the glass thanks to drinking way too much. 2) From 2:13 to 2:19, he struggles to get up and holds his head, he even takes off his ring IN FRONT of her, something he’d never do if he was thinking straight because it would break his lies. (I’ll explain the drinking later on).

Finally, the violent part. We have no idea if the symbolism in this is exaggerated or if it’s 100% accurate, but judging from how much he hates himself, it’s probably over blown to an extent. So what does it mean? Well it definitely is supposed to show how he interpreted his outburst before his wife’s suicide. Him transitioning from perfectly calm (before smoke) to becoming this “evil” person (after smoke) is him showing that he doesn’t deserve forgiveness for what he’s done. Then, him killing the dove represents how he thought he said nasty or distasteful things. On top of that, it also represents how he believes he killed his wife by angerly venting his feelings out so much that pushed her over the edge, in other words, taking “chewing someone out” on a violent level. This is his interpretation of what happened though and I don’t think he exploded. Instead, I think he just made poor word choices. The two of them, or at least Kazui, lacked communication and due to his drunken state, he just blurted out what he was feeling. I don’t have any substantial evidence to back this up though, so take this last one with a grain of salt.

3. Magic, Masquerade, & Drinking

I LOVE the magic and masquerade symbolism in particular as it is pretty much how he views the whole relationship. He interprets his lies as these magic tricks that fools people on the outside into believing that yes he truly does love this woman. It’s also why he turned the ring into a dove in the first place, he just sees the marriage as a big magic show that he has to put on for as long as he can.

“Lie until it gets better, follow the king of masquerade.”

I really love this line because he refers to himself as the “king of masquerade”. He calls himself this because all his life, he’s been putting up these different personas and characteristics that aren’t him. It’s literally seen in “half” as he wear different clothing and keeps a mask on the entire time. He knows that if he were to drop this act, no one would truly accept him. He would be cast out and never have the opportunity to be loved again. So living a life of lies seemed to be the most viable option to him, but he also resents himself for it. He admits that he can’t live unless he lies, it truly is his only life line and a life line others rely on too (aka his wife).

“So l've tried to change! I've tried to change. I have tried to stop lying to myself and others! I've confided in others. I've tried to be myself! I've tried to just be the way I was born! It's not my lies that killed her. She's dead because I stopped lying to her! If I had just kept lying- She wouldn't have died..! I can't live unless I lie. That's how I was born... I'm pathetic, aren't I?”

As is the magician’s code, he can’t reveal the secret to his “magic”.

However, all this lying obviously takes a toll on him as in the latter half of the MV, he starts drinking and smoking more. In each shot from 1:12 to 1:46 he is always seen indulging in his addictions. It’s his way to escape from reality and forget about his current relationship. What I find most interesting though is the meal he has with his wife. It seems they are celebrating something as the Ace of Spades (which hovers in between the two as they speak) symbolize good luck, hope, and change. They’re even drinking champagne and having a nice meal. What they could be celebrating though is beyond me, they’re probably on their first or third anniversary considering they look older? Besides that, there’s also the most interesting clip of a man when he holds up his champagne glass. I think that this is supposed to show that he uses drinking for more than just forgetting about his current situation, he also wants to dream about a life he couldn’t have. A life with someone he loves. He probably tries to replace his wife in his head with another man by drinking, trying to make the “magic show” more tolerable. The man could also be his guilt starting to rise and bubble up like the carbonation in the champagne, sitting in front of him and judging him, telling him “Are you really going to keep lying to her after all this time?”.

Finally, at the end of the MV, he is unable to keep up his magic show anymore due to drinking way too much. All his “tricks” fall to the ground, another way of showing his masquerade mask has finally fallen. He then ends his first act at the start of the MV (aka his marriage) by tearing it apart.

4. The Bartender

Now THIS is an interesting thing people have pointed out. The bartender from the previous MV comes back for a cameo in the newest one. But it’s not just a small, little nod, no he’s full front and center in the frame.

Even more interesting is that he’s the only one with a wedding ring in the shot. I was really thinking that maybe everyone would have one as a way to show societal pressures, but this also works too.

This is the third time the man has shown up in Kazui’s MV’s. Though he might not have a face, it’s clear that he is of some sort of importance in Kazui’s life to show up so much, especially if he appears so clearly in “Cat”. Maybe Kazui wants to keep his identity a secret so he wouldn’t have to open up old wounds. With this information, we can assume he’s talking to the bartender from 1:13 to 1:24 as the table & drink is just like the one in “half”. There’s also the sound of a drink being prepared/served at 1:10. So he could very well be Kazui’s love interest as he carefully confesses to him. However, they’re both married, something that Kazui clearly remembers as he only sees his ring in the shot with all the guests. Though I think that, from this scene, he wished that they were the ones being married because he’s the only one with a ring, that is also similar to Kazui’s, on. That’s why he asked what he’d do if he said that he “liked-liked” him, would the bartender accept him or reject him? Although, I don’t actually think he’s drunk when he asks. Maybe he’s had a few drinks, but his speech is way too clear. Remember he’s also the “king of lies” so no one can really be sure of his true nature. His likely reasons about lying about being drunk is because 1) there are possibly people around and 2) he’d rather not embarrass himself if the bartender didn’t respond at all.

Now comes the tricky part, who is the bartender? The most common answer would be his be his childhood friend, and I’d have to agree. There really is no other person to identify him as and it would make the most sense as to why he appears so much. In “Interrogation Question 8”, he mentions that he “looks up to [his childhood friend]” implying that he could be older. If we’re willing to stretch this and say that age is shown through facial hair and the fact that the bartender possibly owns the establishment (Kazui mentioned his friend owned a boat, what kind is not mentioned, but it does say something about the man’s wealth), then he could very well be the childhood friend. At some point though, he seemed to stop going to the bar. Most likely because his friend responded badly to his “confession” or that they already knew it wasn’t possible and Kazui didn’t want to see his face anymore since he’d only feel even more lonely than he already was, thinking that what he had said ruined their friendship forever. It then cuts to him sitting alone drinking whiskey, something he always buys at the bar. He states that he “wanted to ask so it’s out in the open. I just got a little greedy.” This implies that he wanted to “let it slip” in his “drunk” state. However, it didn’t go very smoothly and his greed only brought him more pain.

There’s also a thing with whiskey in that whenever he has it he seems to be allow his masquerade mask to fall. It’s probably because it reminds him of his childhood friend who he loves as he always buys the same drink from his bar. The scenes where whiskey appears is the previously mentioned confession scene followed by him sitting alone. It also appears when he becomes feral as it is the beverage he drops at 1:50.

5. Apples

This one has been discussed the most and I honestly don’t have anything new to bring to the table with it. But I’ll just add it in here

First let’s start off with the symbolism of the red apple, which is pretty easy to pin point. In the MV, It’s only used in the middle after he pulls the cloth off of the wedding couple (aka Kazui and his wife) and at the end when the wife dies. There are an abundance of the red apples at the wedding, representing how much love she has for Kazui. Then, when she dies, it’s squashed, and it’s supposed to show her impact onto the ground and their love being ended right there.

The green apple is slightly harder to figure out. It seems to represent how Kazui feels about the relationship and how he only likes her platonically. The green apple appears in the abundance of red apples, underneath Kazui during the dinner, and, most importantly, as a man. The first two can be easily interpreted as him trying to keep his platonic feelings a secret. He even literally tried to keep it under the table to hide it from her. Then, there’s the apple-man(?). The first meaning of this is how he, again, sees the wife as only a friend. However, there’s also another meaning. The drawing takes great amounts of inspiration from the painting The Son of Man, by René Magritte, which makes sense given the similarities the MV and the meaning behind the painting. Magritte said,

“…You have the apparent face, the apple, hiding the visible but hidden… face of the person. It's something that happens constantly. Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see. There is an interest in that which is hidden and which the visible does not show us. This interest can take the form of a quite intense feeling, a sort of conflict, one might say, between the visible that is hidden and the visible that is present."

This painting’s meaning has so many parallels with Kazui’s character, almost as if the writers wanted us to realize it since the introduction of the green apple in “half”. The biggest difference between the two is that Kazui does not reveal his eyes. He keeps who he really is behind the apple, keeping who he is a secret and preventing any sort of “intense feeling” of wanting to get to know the true him. He doesn’t want any conflict to arise and fears the consequences of coming out.

6. Extra Details

I Wonder why at the start, he kind of just stares at the screen like he’s judging/hoping that Es will make the right decision. It’s also reminiscent of how he stared at Es in his 2nd Voice Drama. Very strange but I like it

I love it when there’s similar scenes fr fr

Another thing id like to bring up rq is Kant. Es brought him up in Kazui’s 2nd voice drama since he had “killed” someone due to his lies. Es directly quotes him, “That would be Kant…A philosopher who stated that lying is inherently a sin, no matter the circumstances…Apparently, even if your friend is being chased by a murderer and the murderer asks you about their whereabouts, you shouldn't lie, according to Kant.” Kant’s reasoning for selling out your friend to a murderer is that if you were to lie about where they were and by chance the murderer found them, it’d be your fault. However, if you did sell them out and they died, it wouldn’t be your fault, your friend should’ve just avoided the psycho! This is what Kant believed and, personally, it makes no sense, especially if we’re considering a human life that’s on the line. Brushing over that though, the connection Es essentially tries to make is that Kazui’s lies are his greatest sin and that he should’ve told the truth from the start. While yes, most things would’ve been prevented if he had tried to be more true to others, there are also standards to consider as well. If Kazui had come out, then he’d be shunned, if he refused to marry, he’d be shunned, etc. so there wasn’t an easy way out for him. Kant’s philosophy fails to consider any other situation or being truthful to one self. His murderer example is way too extreme and it doesn’t hone in on the finer details. Which is why I don’t think Es really knew wtf they were talking about and I honestly find the Kant thing kind of dumb💀

The comments in this video explain how dumb Kant is way better than I can vv

Constructive Criticism, Thoughts, and Additional Help is Appreciated, Thank You!

[glasyasbutch]

playlist: the sloppy seconds au

its MY spotify profile and i'll make a serious playlist for a porn au of my d&d campaign if i WANT TO

link to playlist on spotify

explanations below the cut

ok before we get too into it. you're probably wondering. hey girl. why's it called the "sloppy seconds au". well.

ok anyways here's the playlist

1. In the Middle by Dodie

You said you're into closure, shake hands like you're supposed to / I'll be in the middle while you two get along / You've got so much in common, talk about your taste in women / I'll be in the middle while you two get along

To quote bekah, "enter kez, looking to be the filling in a big paladin sandwich"

This one's ALSO on the Daykez good ending playlist, mostly to represent the fact that this is an AU but only so barely. I described it as like that episode of Star Trek where there's two Voyagers existing at the exact same point in spacetime and they have to blow up one of the Voyagers in order for the other to survive. That's what was happening with sloppy seconds vs. the canon daybreak confession and sloppy seconds just happened to be the one that got blown up.

2. You're Sexy, I'm Sexy by Eric Nam

It could be simple as, it could be simple as / Loving on each other with no strings / It could be simple as, it could be simple as / We got more in common than you think / You're sexy, I'm sexy, You want me, I want you too / We all need somebody and mine is right here for you

wheeeeeee kez likes to have fun

3. Fuck Up the Friendship by Leah Kate

Let's fuck up the friendship, come, get in my head / Baby, cut the tension, I'm hung by a thread / Maybe it's something, but let's not pretend / Or maybe it's nothing and this is the end

daybreak, abnormal: yeah man let's both have sex with this person who thought we were dating and wanted in on that. we can be so normal with each other about it

4. Girls / Girls / Boys by Panic! at the Disco

I don't wanna hear you've got a boyfriend / Sometimes, you're better off alone / But if you change your mind, you know where I am / Yeah, if you change your mind, you know where to find me / 'Cause I don't ever wanna be your boyfriend / And never did I think that I would be caught in the way you got me / Push another girl aside and just give in

You will never get away from the sound of the woman band who loves you got you through middle school

Anyways enjoy this song about Brendon Urie's first threesome that's the only reason I put it on here

5. Somebody Told Me by The Killers

Well, somebody told me you had a boyfriend / Who looked like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year / It's not confidential, I've got potential

there's a lot of gender happening in all three of them

6. Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield

You know I feel so dirty when they start talking cute / I wanna tell her that I love her but that point is probably moot / 'Cause she's watching him with those eyes / She's loving him with that body, I just know it / And he's holding her in his arms late at night / I wish that I had Jessie's girl

Yes, okay, it's another memed up song. Except it's real. It's real. You just have to listen to it and imagine with me. Sometimes things that are bits can actually be SO. That's what happened with ... this entire au to be completely honest.

7. Post-Break Up Sex by The Vaccines

To think I'd hoped you'd be okay, no, I can't think of what to say / Maybe I misunderstood, but I can't believe you're feeling good from / Post break-up sex that helps you forget your ex / What did you expect from post break-up sex?

To be SO clear. Just in case you somehow got to this playlist without the context of any of the other ones. Day and Break were basically married for several hundred years and then got divorced and in this version of the story, the kez situationship happened to pop up after they had caught feelings for a second time, but before they had told each other they had feelings and were both still convinced it was one-sided.

8. Jolene by Dolly Parton

Your beauty is beyond compare / With flaming locks of auburn hair / With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green / Your smile is like a breath of spring / Your voice is soft like summer rain / And I cannot compete with you, Jolene

I'm a FIRM believer in Jolene being a gay girl anthem. She wanted to fuck Jolene so bad it made her look stupid. Anyways Day and Break are each other's Jolenes.

9. Girl Crush by Little Big Town

I don't get no sleep, I don't get no peace / Thinkin' about her under your bed sheets / The way that she's whisperin', the way that she's pullin' you in / Lord knows I've tried, I can't get her off my mind / I wanna taste her lips, yeah, 'cause they taste like you

Oh you wanted the porn au to be horny? You wanted it to be horny? FUCK YOU. pining and feelings.

In this au Day and Break did end up falling fully for Kez and becoming a proper poly relationship like they did in canon, it just happened in a slightly different order. This is the first, really shoved down, inklings of feelings for kez happening Real

10. Becky's So Hot by Fletcher

And I don't really blame you 'cause / Damn, the waist, the hips, the face, this is awkward / Are you in love like we were? / If I were you, I'd probably keep her / Makes me wanna hit her when I see her / 'Cause Becky's so hot in your vintage t-shirt / Ooh, she's the one I should hate / But I wanna know how she tastes

insane horny dyke shit

11. Unholy by Hey Violet

I'm having thoughts all the time, you and I, and they won't go away / But I kinda like what it's like in my mind and I don't wanna be saved / Every night I'm undressing with him and I'm thinking of you / Yeah, I know it's the wrong thing to do, but I kinda want to / Say your name while our tongues are tied, getting shivers all down my spine / We're in bed, we're embedded in my mind

insane horny dyke shit

12. Better Kind of Best Friend by Xana

Can't stay away from each other, don't have the power, you know I'm a sucker / Watch as I swallow my pride along with you tonight / She tastes like heaven and she knows it, loves me and she shows it / Grinnin' up at her like damn, I could be a better kind of best friend / With my hand down her waistband, baby, I'm a fan / I don't die for my women anymore

insane horny dyke shit

also "I don't die for my women anymore, I kill for them" is something that can be SO paladin romance

13. she calls me daddy by KiNG MALA

Says she likes when I play king, little play thing / Yeah my girl likes the way I wear my crown / You should see their face when they finally realize / That she plays with the boys, but she comes home to me / Want to change her mind but I think it unwise / 'Cause she might be your girl but she’s calling me daddy

insane horny dyke shit

Also, it's a canon fact about Day that she likes being bossed around during sex. ESPECIALLY when its him (6'6ish, insane CON, literal slab of brick) being put in his place by kez (5'0 flat, 8 CON, 98 pounds soaking wet). I said somewhere the hottest thing you could say to Day is "you couldn't do a thing to stop me"

14. 20 Questions by Zolita

Was she sweet? Did you cry? Was it everything you wanted? / Was she drunk? Were you high? Did you fuck her in the closet? / Did she say, "I love you" like the way I used to? / Was it quick? Was it long? Did you do it how I like it? / With the lights kinda on, was she loud or was she quiet? / Did she say, "I love you" like the way I used to? / I got twenty questions for you

THEEEEEEEEEEE song of the entire playlist. The one that started it all. It's not actually about confronting about your cheating partner, it's about getting in bed with the person who was just in your ex's bed 10 minutes ago and the entire time it's just “you wanna know what we did?” it’s “you wanna know what they felt like? it's "tell me what she said to you, tell me what she did to you, tell me what she said about Me and let me take it out on you" it's “she told me to give you this”

15. I Get Off by Halestorm

There's so much left unspoken between the two of us / It's so much more exciting to look when you can't touch / You could say I'm different and maybe I'm a freak / But I know how to twist you to bring you to your knees / I get off on you getting off on me

At first, it was just them getting off on hearing kez say what the other one did or just straight up hearing it. tents not particularly soundproof. But eventually, that wasn't enough.

Day was always the more impatient one, so, she uh. She just walked into Break's tent in the middle of it and took off her clothes, sat down with his bare thigh less than an inch away from Break's, refused to acknowledge Break, and instead grabbed Kez by the jaw and said "I'm here whenever you're ready, darling."

And then THAT stopped being enough and they started fully having sex with kez at the same time but refused to touch each other or talk to each other or say each other's names. Kez had to pass all the messages back and forth (RIP her ability to kiss or give head ever).

Very normalstyle.

16. she knows it by Maggie Lindemann

Yeah, it's like ecstasy when you're next to me / Think that you should leave him and stay with me / I like a girl that's got a boyfriend / Can't seem to get her out of my head / And she knows it should be me in her bed / Yeah, she knows it, she knows it, she knows it

back on my kez pining bullshit. Is kez the boyfriend? or is kez the girl they like. teehee.

17. I Go Crazy by Orla Garland

Three words, two hearts, one maybe / Say something before I go crazy now / And my tears, your tears, don't phase me / Say something before I go crazy now

there came a point in the sloppy seconds au where day and break were so clearly pining for each other and fucking kez so insane style about it that they went. look. whatever's happening here has been great and fun but you NEED to figure your shit out. and gave them a date and time for the next threesome and then no-showed and hoped (correctly) that the horniness would be too much and day and break would just fuck each other instead.

18. Her Too by girli

So you came along when I needed more time / And I'm glad you did, but that doesn't delete her, so / I'm crying at weird times, and I can't keep carrying three hearts inside / If the old love said she wants me back, but the new crush has me in her hand / I don't know who I'd run to 'cause I'm loving both the views

as a known girli girly, i had to put Something of hers on here. and "more than a friend" is insane horny dyke shit but we already had xana better kind of best friend. so instead take one of the only two good songs on her new album

20. Would You Mind by Friday Pilots Club

While she's wasting away she'll say there's no meaning / To his touch, his love, but she still needs to blame it on me / Did you need someone else to help you forget the reason / That you fell for me at all in this hell of a season / If I spend the night in the gaze of strange eyes / Would you mind, dear, oh would you mind?

Courtesy of bekah/the rallie playlist: I can barely even listen to this song it makes me so uniquely unwell.

It's just. It's SO! All of it, all of it, was about pushing the other's buttons, to make them realize how bad they still wanted you. Would you mind if I did that with someone else? Would you mind if I touched them the way I used to with you? Would you mind if I talked to them the way I used to with you? Would you mind if they looked at me the way you used to? Oh, I know you'd mind.

20. It's Only Sex by Car Seat Headrest

Okay, so I’ve been reading all the sex blogs, and they all talk about how okay it is to be gay and straight and bisexual and asexual and have sex however you like. But I don’t care about hundreds of hypothetical people and their hypothetical sex deals. I care about me, and my sex deal! What about my problems?

don't worry about everything else i wrote on every other explanation the sloppy seconds au is so normal and regular and cool and normal. Of course it doesn't mean anything serious. Haha.

Would you mind? No, It's Only Sex.

You have now reached the end of the true playlist. However ....

BONUS TRACK: Pink Panther by Scene Queen

Please don't call, I need another hour / Three more girls are piling in the shower / Don't call, you know I can't answer / Getting pussy like Pink Panther

I couldn't find a spot in the main section that including this didn't feel like like i was doing a bit. but kez pov

BONUS TRACK: Do Not Disturb by Halestorm

I think we should make out, in a few hours I'm getting on a plane / There's a pretty safe bet you'll never see me again, yeah / I love your accent, I wonder what it'll sound like when you cum / Let's see if Blondes or Brunettes are more fun / I'm on the very top floor room 1334 / There's a king size bed, but we can do it on the floor / Turn your cellphone off, leave a sign on the door that says "Do not disturb" / And if I were you I'd bring your girlfriend, too / Two is better than one, three is better than two

If I wasn't already attached to In the Middle a normal amount, this would've been the playlist opener. Really captures the energy of, not quite 48 hours after meeting for the first time, Kez asking Daybreak if they want a third.

BONUS TRACK: Sick Bitch - River Moon Remix by LSDXOXO, River Moon

I'M A SICK BITCH AND I LIKE FREAK SEX IF YOU WANNA TEST THE LIMITS OF MY GAG REFLEX IF YOU WANNA PUT IN WORK YOU GOTTA GO BERSERK YOU GOTTA MAKE IT HURT IF YOU WANNA MAKE IT SQUIRT, UNH

morgan loves this song - she practically begged me to put it on the playlist, so, you know, i let her twist my arm

[this-daydream-is-dangerous-13]

About 48 hours ago, I wrote 2 lyrical analysis posts about Glitch, where I basically said: “YB but maybe some HS. Happy to reassess if there’s more info in future.”

Apparently, the future is today?

This afternoon, TN announced the 2 year anniversary of the WDTV release and mentioned the corresponding Glitch in the announcement.

And then: turns out that the Spotify visuals for Midnights track Glitch? Are these same Wildest Dreams glitch images:

So: consider me newly informed! If Blondie is willing to link Wildest Dreams (Haylor) and Glitch, who am I to fight lyrical parallels?

The Anons in those posts pulled some great parallels. I am going to highlight the ones that are not there/seem likeliest to me to be HS.

Very real: LA vs London. And it reminds me of Cowboy Like Me:

And the surprising attachment/linking:

Harry mentions a broken stitch in Woman.

ETA: I cannot BELIEVE I missed the OOTW stitches reference! Who even am I. Thanks @notoriousbeb for the reminder. Of course - snowmobile accident-related stitches.

The attaching also reminds me of the “locked it down” part of CLM.

The second of my original lyrical analysis posts cites the 1989 RS profile with Blondie’s famous response about why she called the song Style: “we should have called it ‘I’m not even sorry!’”

Also - the starry skies (like her SOTB and his MFASR), plus the mutual moon talk/his moon obsession/“love you to the 🌙 and to 🪐”. Also the counterfeit part reminds me of SOTB and the “Can this be a real thing? Can it?”

Then there’s the let’s dance part:

Which also reminds me of Cowboy Like Me:

I still don’t totally get the 2190 days/6 year piece; that still seems YB to me. But an Anon sent along this post where beloved mutuals posit other theories.

I *told* you guys that I always default to the official narrative/likeliest subject, at least at first. But I promise: I will always, always reconsider based on new info.

What do you think?

[lo-fi-charming]

Jondaisy Playlist Deep Dive

So!! For the last day of @jondaisy-week, I wanted to talk about the playlist I have for them. I'll be sharing each song, talking about why I associate it with the pairing, and then spotlighting some of the lyrics I think apply to them most accurately.

Here's the playlist on spotify, so you can check it out for yourself! But for the actual list below, I'll put YT links on each song so they're more accessible to everyone.

About the Playlist:

This was originally constructed by borrowing inspiration/songs from another jondaisy playlist by an old fandom buddy. You can find their playlist here! My playlist is in a custom order, and one I'm pretty satisfied with. It's meant to somewhat mirror Jon and Daisy's relationship arc throughout the show. It starts aggressive, intense, and tumultuous, slowly twisting into complicated and messy (or even toxic) love, before balancing out near the middle to symbolize how these two become unlikely allies and friends. And then, a bittersweet, solemn end...

Daisy by Ashnikko

This is a fun starter, mostly because I think it both does and doesn't suit Daisy. Obviously there's the title, which might make this song seem like a shallow choice just for that, but I do think there are quite a few lyrics in the song that are perfect for Daisy. Plus, I love the sound, which I do think suits her pretty well - strong and steady beat, a little dirty, with a nasty vibe. That's Daisy!

Spotlighted Lyrics:

Fuck a princess, I'm a king Bow down and kiss on my ring Being a bitch is my kink What the fuck else did you think? Fuck a princess, I'm a king Bow down and kiss on my ring It's gonna hurt, it'll sting Spittin' your blood in the sink I'm crazy, but you like that, I bite back Daisies on your nightstand, never forget it I blossom in the moonlight, screw eyes Glacial with the blue ice, I'm terrifying

Psycho by Lauren Aquilina

I like this one as a representation of Daisy's developing obsession with Jon, once she decides to Hunt him. It's got the good stalker vibes that are well suited to Daisy's pursuit, especially since the voice of the song is very much blaming the object of obsession for her fixation. Also, on a personal note, I do like applying it to AUs where Daisy does just fall into a sick sort of love with Jon and is unable to be normal about it! Uh oh, Jon!

Spotlighted Lyrics:

Maybe I'm a psycho just like you said I was You got me right, but baby, it's not my fault Oh, and I know, and I know, and I know That I've been acting so strange But you should know that you're the one who made me this way Yeah, I'm a psycho just like you said I'd be Not gonna fight the way I am naturally

Choke by Royal & the Serpent

Here, we get to the first song that's more about Jon/from his perspective. Super appropriate title, and basically every lyric is perfect for them <3 I think this one is a great song to capture The Woods Scene, given its subject matter, as well as the tone - conveying desperation and fear, the feeling of being unable to escape, but still begging to be released before it's too late...!

Spotlighted Lyrics:

You are a shadow Following me where I go I'd be better without you What are you doing to me?

Loosen your grip before I choke Can't catch my breath, I'm gonna choke I wish that you'd just let me go I don't want this, I promise, just leave me alone Loosen your grip before I...

Hellbent by Mystery Skulls

Here we enter the sort of toxic/twisted love era. Less representative of canon, more exemplifying how Jon and Daisy are great choices for such a dynamic. I'd say this song is more of a Daisy POV. All in all, great vibe and energy, capturing the intensity that I think this ship can bring out in both parties.

Spotlighted Lyrics:

I've been hellbent, baby Hellbent on makin' you love me, too Even though not what I'm supposed to do I don't give a damn, mmm

Fear & Delight by The Correspondents

This song is perfect for 'Jon diving head-first into an inadvisable relationship with the woman who tried to kill him that one time', or any other sort of scenario wherein Jon thinks he should know better than to mess with Daisy after their history, but, well... Especially in canon, it's possible he's got some wires crossed after all his weird traumas. Sometimes it's simply impossible to resist the allure of a Scary Woman...

Spotlighted Lyrics:

I don't show it but I quiver whenever you come near And I cannot decipher between the thrill and the fear I wanna stop it but like it too much to let it stop here It's wrong but I want you tonight It's not my own volition but I fell in deep By running the distance I've been advised to keep I trot to the wolf as a doting sheep It's wrong but I want you tonight

Addiction pulling me to a grave end You're an enemy who I'm keen to defend Down the black hole of my lust I descend It's wrong but I want you tonight

Love Me Dead by Ludo

Jon POV, of course. Who doesn't love a man out of his mind for some terrible, awful girl? This song might represent the height of the toxic love narrative (yknow, before getting to any metaphorical OR literal cannibalism, as we'll soon see.)

Spotlighted Lyrics:

She moves through moonbeams slowly She knows just how to hold me And when her edges soften Her body is my coffin I know she drains me slowly She wears me down to bones in bed Must be the sign on my head That says, oh Love me dead! Love me dead!

You suck so passionately You're a parasitic, psycho, filthy creature Finger-bangin' my heart You call me up drunk Does the fun ever start? You're hideous and sexy!

You've got the mark of the beast You're born of a jackal! You're beautiful!

Hot Venom by Miniature Tigers

This one is a little odd, hard to explain... I think it carries along sentiments from the previous two songs, where something that seems dangerous or inadvisable becomes a little addictive, something you feel like you begin to need. There's also an element here that makes me think of their dynamic in s4, just briefly; perhaps it can be seen as a sly hint of what's to come. Especially in the lyrics I chose, which make me think very much of Jon becoming aware of how much he's come to depend on Daisy in s4, as well as how inevitable it is that this brief respite together will soon come to an end...

Spotlighted Lyrics:

Her venom makes me strong Stronger than I am on my own Before too long I'll wake up to it gone Wondering how I ever was happy

Cannibal Queen by Miniature Tigers

A bit more lovey-dovey, both in tone and lyrics, but my favorite thing about this song is that at first glance you might think it's a Jon POV, but I actually imagine it applying most to Daisy (so Jon is the cannibal queen in the scenario, lol.) It makes more sense once you get a good look at the lyrics~

Spotlighted Lyrics:

I'm so lucky this one lets dogs hang around It's good having somebody good for a change

Comin' for your heart like a cannibal Oh, she lets me right in and I fed 'til I'm full If something goes wrong, I'm accountable Oh, a life without her is no life at all I la la la la la la la la love you, cannibal queen

Cannibal by Tally Hall

This ended up becoming a direct companion to the previous song, for probably obvious reasons. We switch to Jon's POV, to a song chipper and lighthearted in tone despite the subject matter. Here we have a Jon who is content to let Daisy take her fill of him...

Spotlighted Lyrics:

Looking for a cavern A place where she can stay Waiting for the darkness When she leaves obsessed to make her way to me Because it's getting to the time when she will need to feed, and I am The willing victim of a cannibal She rips out my bones just like I'm an animal And right when I'm feeling like my blood is drained She calls it a game But the wound that she leaves is unmistakable

Misery Meat by Sodikken

I like this one after the previous songs because it sort of brings us back down to a less idealistic and romantic energy. Devoured by a cannibal, and now you're just miserable meat, a body to be picked at. At the same time, I think this is well suited for Jon because it has an air of dark humor, of begrudging acceptance of horrible circumstances. We settle down and find some strange equilibrium in the midst of misery right before transitioning into a new era...

Spotlighted Lyrics:

As you open up my ribs, the blood flows out like a river You strip my bones away as you indulge in my liver And the more that I am in pain The more that you'll gain And to me, that seems like a pretty fair trade You bite my nervous system ignites The tormenting spite Sacrifices must be made

Spit It Out by IAMX

I love this one, because it sounds dirty and dark and dour to me, with the vocals coming in to evoke a sense of rawness. This is very much the start of 's4 era jon and daisy' to me. They're both crumbling, lost and in pain, and as they weaken, they fall into each other. Here, they begin to really speak to each other and recognize one another as real and the same.

Spotlighted Lyrics:

And if you're hurting I will replace the noise With silence instead Flushing out your head

When you're in pieces Just follow the echo of my voice It's okay Tune into that frequency

'Cause it breaks my heart That we live this way

The past is weakness Don't beg the question When the answer is war There are moments when I'm overcome

Monster by dodie

This one feels quintessential for jondaisy. More than any other song on this list, this one feels like it carries their spirit, the thesis statement of Jon and Daisy within the show. To me it's a song they are both singing, not only to themselves or each other, but to everyone, the world. Gnashing teeth as they settle into the reality of their mutual monsterhood.

Spotlighted Lyrics:

A meter apart You blankly stare We shout in our heads Are you still in there? Well this ends bad, then We knew it would So we won't eat our words 'Cause they don't taste good I'm guessing that I've grown horns I guess I'm human no more

Look, I know that I've seen this before High and mighty, at the top of your list Adoring every move, now my rank is sinking But we're both guilty of black or white thinking And through my red eyes, you look pale All of your scars now looking more like scales Two ugly creatures, two sinister preachers Blind to the past, like a couple of monsters Just a couple of monsters

Hunger by Of Monsters and Men

To me, this one carries the idea of them both being determined not to feed. It's the beginning of the end for Daisy, given her choice to separate herself from the Hunt. For me this makes me think most of Daisy explaining why she's made her choice to Jon, how she refuses to ignore her own agency in the matter; it's an echo of the sentiment, and them reminding each other to keep it in mind, to keep each other in check.

Spotlighted Lyrics:

But for the longest time I knew There was nothing left for us to do But I tried, oh, I try And in this quiet company There is nothing staring back at me I'm in need of the sound Hungry for the kill, but this hunger, it isn't you Voices disappear when you are speaking, in sombre tunes I will be the wolf and when you're starving, you'll need it too Hungry for the kill, but this hunger, it isn't you It isn't you, it isn't

I'm Tired by Labrinth & Zendaya

I see this and the next two songs as closers to the playlist. Strength waning, Jon and Daisy find themselves tired of their struggles, and coming to peace with the idea of approaching their ends. It's hard to describe exactly, but I think this song is a good representation of what they both regret: the people they hurt, the things they did, just... the way things turned out, in the end. Quiet, reflective, and sad.

Hey, Lord, you know I'm fighting Hey, Lord, you know I'm fighting I'm sure this world is done with me Hey Lord, you know it's true Now the tide is rolling in I don't wanna win Let it take me, let it take me I'll be on my way How long can I stay? In a place that can't contain me

Sorry by dodie

This one is so... ahh... Okay so, the way I apply this song is very much like... I imagine these are Daisy's thoughts and feelings in the moments right after she is shot and killed by Basira in s5. Her spirit, freed from her body, finally severed wholly from the Hunt. I think about Daisy standing over the scene and saying sorry, an apology no one can hear, and feeling all her life's regrets before she is gone for good. I also think, given how things end up with Jon, the voice could very much be coming from him, too. Maybe it's both of them...

Spotlighted Lyrics:

It happened fast Like a fired gun Bleeding out Then it was done There was the end I couldn't find, found too late

And oh, didn't want to believe such a monster in me And I know, I've always known, in the end, I'd be sorry And that's all I am now, it's all I can be Is sorry

In a Week by Hozier

For the end of the playlist, the only way I can think to explain my feelings are, like... There was a moment where I realized, if we are trying to stick to canon, there is only one 'good end' for Jon and Daisy. Only one way they would both get what they truly wanted, which was to be free, to not do further harm to others, to escape the ugliness inside them and become inert. Only one way for things to end well, for them to be content. This song. For Jon and Daisy, the best ending they could have gotten was both of them choosing to starve to death rather than hurt anyone else, slipping away together in secret so they can die someplace quiet, but not alone.

Spotlighted Lyrics:

I have never known peace Like the damp grass that yields to me I have never known hunger Like these insects that feast on me A thousand teeth And yours among them, I know Our hungers appeased Our heartbeats becoming slow

We lay here for years or for hours Your hand in my hand So still and discreet So long we become the flowers We'd feed well the land And worry the sheep

And they'd find us in a week When the buzzards get loud After the insects have made their claim After the foxes have known our taste After the raven has had its say I'd be home with you

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

ok its me again hi AAAHHHH this is so nice i feel so warm im lying on my bed kickin my lil legs i cant believe this thank you for being nice omgggg now im on a roll im gonna say things about julian hkdhjgdgjf

only one song really that i scanned the whole tag looking for to see if anyone said it before and i was so surprised that i didnt find it and i went to check the official playlists on spotify cause maybe its on there already and thERE ISNT ONE WHAT???? i had the muriel one liked on here and id never checked any other ones out lmao but like i swear there had to be one?? like maybe they made it first and its somewhere separately??? julian is like the most popular one how the hell does he not get a spotify list is that how this tag was created?? *gasp* am i discovering the ~fandom lore~

(just gonna say you dont actually need to answer any of that in detail dont waste your time gksgkydgjf im just screaming into the void cause i was so flabbergasted after those 3 whole minutes of research i put into this)

ANYWAY the actual song would be House of Wolves by our lord and saviour MCR! its so good for him with his whole Woe is Me drama king vibe lol and the plaguey thematicssss mmmm delicious TELL ME im a BAD BAD BAD BAAD MAAAAN aight you lil masochist i see u and the "you better run like the devil cause they never gonna leave you alone" you get it caUSE HES A FUGITIVE DO YOU GET THE DEEP UNRAVELABLE METAPHORS DO YOU GET IT DO YOU G aight shut up hkhfjtdy anyway

ok i lied jystfhte heres another one i just remembered i really wanted to put here its not new but just in case somebody hasnt seen it yet lmao its such a masterpiece ill do anything to give it its due here ya go

https://youtu.be/61HltPN_k3g

and the other thing im really glad to have seen people mention here is musical songs cause thats one of the things i love about him the most like yass we love a thespian king slay grl so then anytime im binging a musical there always come the intrusive thoughts of "aw hed love this one" and "oh hed be great for this role" like i went to see f-ing swan lake with my f-ing grandpa and one of the major takeaways i got from the experience was (UH IM GONNA PUT A SPOILER WARNING HERE? I GUESS? IN CASE ANYONE CARES HELLO JULIAN BAD ENDING SPOILERS AHEAD DO MOVE ALONG NOW IF YOU DONT LIKE THAT AVERT YOUR GAZE CITIZENS LMAO LIKE YOU HAVENT SEEN FANARTS N ADS ALREADY ALRIGHT ALRIGHT) "omg jules would be so perfect as that bird guy villain IN HIS BIRD GUY SHAPE TOO OMG WITH THE WINGS ON STAGE THIS IS AWESOME WHY CANT I DRAW GOOD GODDA-"

anyway hed love hadestown (hed at least try to cast muriel as hades cause hes perfectly intimidating for it but theres way too many lines which okay Maybe but AND he has to sing???? nah hes out bkgdhkdt) i dont know what hed think of pierre natasha & the great comet cause its maybe a little eccentric i suppose but i think hed appreciate the cultural roots of the vibe with him being fantasy ruso-slav-ukrainian-whatnot heritage i reckon and hed definitely have a blast at a live performance and hed ABsolutely join in with the actors in between the rows at some point and theyd ABSOlutely let him cause hes that good and game recognize game cmon hes gonna show you amateurs what a real kazotski looks like

i can also see him enjoying sweeney todd, for its delightful edgyness, maybe even some themes relatable for him, and his sappy ass would SO memorise Pretty women to whip it out at an opportune serenading moment khgdturshc im so cringe and loving it

well i cant think of any more shows to throw him together with so thus ends my soliloquy wow i cant believe thats how you spell that anyway i hope anybody who knew what the hell im talking about enjoyed all that jgfztits see you in another 20 minutes when i come back like "AND ANOTHER thing-

Yay, it's the character song essays anon!! :D

I'm glad to see you back, and I will once again be re-linking the song you shared below and adding your suggestions to the tag ^.^

And frankly, I'm 76% certain that one of Julian's love languages is theatre, especially musical theatre. That could be tickets, that could memorizing the lines from one of this favorite scenes and reciting it back to him, it could be showing up to every single performance he's involved in :)

I'm glad to see you back in my inbox, friend, feel free to message me if you ever want to obsess over the characters together! Cheers -

brainrot

[moonlitempty]

fear not, internet citizens, for here’s a proper introduction post, as heavenly mandated🙏🏻

so, hey there, whoever happens to read this! welcome to moonlitempty, where we condone insanity and, as an organisation, have been banned from 17 independent nations! my name is sean, though i’ve been known to go by many other names, though sadly most of them would cause my soul to remain tethered to yours for the rest of eternity, so there’s that :/

what else is there in the personal information department to share? oh right, i am 19, mexican, and also quite queer 🫶🏻 so if you ever hear my voice, that explains the strange mix of accents you’ll hear emanating from my mouth.

this wasn’t *originally* supposed to be a blog dedicated to these bad boys and every single piece of media they’re appeared in:

but it became that (thank goodness it did) and i think i had no real reason to share that, just in case one of my other interests ends up slipping thru the cracks and showing up in my likes or reblogs, if that does happen and our interests happen to coincide, well you better start pulling out the wedding ring

what’s that! you’re asking about other interests of mine? well, who am i to not indulge the inquiries of strangers on the internet!

first and foremost, i absolutely ADORE music, i love love love it so much, listening to my own personal playlist on spotify has become as much of a daily thing as fucking eating, and i am extremely passionate about it, if you ever wanna share new song or album or artist recommendations with anyone, you already got your guy. of course, i also really like cinema and if you get me talking about my favourite films i literally will not shut up, at all. I am also a huge fan of a good number of video game series, specially Persona, Shin Megami Tensei and The Legend of Zelda! Feel free to ask me for any sort of gaming-system social handle, I am not restricted to a single gaming system (world domination is imminent!)

i like to think i can draw somewhat decently, and i like to think i can write somewhat decently, though that is something i leave to the Court of Public Opinion (The C.O.P.O. for short), in any case, if i think something is well made or good, i will probably post it here.

What else what else…um…that’s probably all the info I can think of at the moment, in any case, i don’t bite! if you wanna like reach out to me for really anything, do not hesitate! i love chatting and overall sharing stuff with other people, i feel like exchanging ideas, opinions and bonding over things both parties like is the purest possible form of human interaction, it never fails to make me smile! once i manage to break out of my anxious little introverted shell, i think i can be quite a likable guy, but hey, i’ll leave that opinion to you🫶🏻

anyways, thanks for reading, you’re the best for getting this far! sorry for the verbosity, i can’t help it, here, have some links you may be interested in!

personal playlist, spotify profile (full of cool playlists to check out!), and i can’t link my discord here for whatever reason BUUT feel free to ask if you’re interested!

[elismor]

@radiosummons tagged me for this and I'm supposed to tag 9 people but, let's be real here, I'm not going to do that.

SO. If you want to tell me (and the internet) about yourself, please do and tag me back so I can read it and learn about how fabulous your taste is?

Three Ships: So, generally speaking, I am not a shipper and never have been. I know that means I Do Fandom Wrong, but it is what it is. If I had to list my three favorite ships to read, they would be: Codywan, Monaboyd, and IDK...I have been enjoying a lot of Waxer/Boil and also Codex lately.

You guys have no idea how hard it was for me to not answer this with Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria.

First Ever Ship: See above? The first ship I ever WROTE was Monaboyd. Does that count?

Last Song: Nothing But Flowers, Talking Heads (links to spotify)

Last Movie: I am very sorry to report that it is Quantumania. Which I hated. I TRIED to like Antman (as a whole), I really did. But. NO. Prior to that, it was Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, which I enjoyed much more than I thought I would given my deep and abiding disdain for Michael Cera.

Currently Reading: I have been on page six of Ninth House (Leigh Bardugo) for about three months now. In that time, I have read probably about a hundred fics, though.

Currently Watching: Ted Lasso, Silo, The Equalizer (Latifa FTW), Ghosts (US version)

Currently Consuming: I just finished a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie crafted with love by my mother-in-law.

Currently Craving: Chips and a really freshly made spicy pico.

[midnightpillsnacking]

[Anthos* S2V3 A 2-11] Hana-Doll 2nd Season INCOMPLICA:IT~ICON~ Translation

Translation below the cut.

Google Drive link | Listen to the album on Spotify

Project Archive: A 2-11

Ryoga: Please excuse me.

Amagiri: Ah, you’ve arrived.

Ryoga: Good to see you.

Amagiri: Come, take a seat.

Amagiri: Apologies for making you come all the way down here to the main office.

Ryoga: I didn’t take it as an obligation. I wanted to talk to you again, face-to-face, and it takes two hands to clap. That’s all there is to it. 

Amagiri: I see. I admit that I believed that you wouldn’t say no to this opportunity, but that would give the impression that I’ve left you hanging, wouldn’t it?

(Door knocks. A staff member enters)

Staff member: Excuse me, I’ve brought some tea.

Amagiri: Thank you. You can leave it there.

(Staff member puts the tray down)

Staff member: I’ll be taking my leave then.

Ryoga: I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting you to reach out. But then again, it works out for me. After all, I’m just a nuisance of a has-been to you, right?

Amagiri: There wouldn’t be any other reason to initiate contact with you. I acknowledge that much. Kagekawa Ryoga-kun, allow me to express my gratitude for the effort you’ve put into your work. 

Ryoga: You and your lip service… Let me make this clear, I’m only putting up with so much just to get up close and personal with you. After I’m done with you, I have every intention of leaving you in the dust.

Amagiri: How curious, that sounds like deja vu.

Ryoga: Right back at you. You went ahead and did a background check on me, didn’t you? But tough luck, Hiro secured his right to be in Anthos* and he will never turn out the way you wanted him to. And I’ll make sure it won’t happen. Never again.

Amagiri: Oh?

Ryoga: Anyway, what kind of ‘regulating’ were you expecting from me? Shall we just call it off here?

Amagiri: *chuckles* Just what on earth are you talking about?

Ryoga: Whatever you say now can’t surprise me anymore. 

Amagiri: It seems like we are having a sort of misunderstanding. 

Ryoga: Misunderstanding?

Amagiri: My goal is to birth the perfect idol, and to have Anthos play along with that made me most pleased, so thank you. It was truly the right decision to bring you in and give that good-for-nothing a little push.

Ryoga: Hiro isn’t some good-for-nothing! My responsibility to watch over Anthos was over once Hiro’s flower bloomed. That’s what I came here to tell you. (Ryoga gets up to leave)

Amagiri: Hold it right there. I’m not done talking.

Ryoga: There’s nothing I want to hear.

Amagiri: I still have a duty of importance to bestow you.

Ryoga: Say what you want, but I’ve made up my mind about not going along with your plans anymore.

Amagiri: Just sit down and hear me out, at least for the short time until Ageha returns.

Ryoga: Returns?

Amagiri: It was a long talk.

Ryoga: I see.. So that’s why he was in a bad mood…

Ryoga: If what you’re saying is true, then you’re just contradicting yourself.

Amagiri: Contradicting myself? About?

Ryoga: Why would you call me over in the middle of your discussion with Karasuma Ageha? Louloudi*’s the closest thing you have to your ‘perfect idol’, so of course Ageha would take greater priority for you.

Amagiri: Some greedy personality you have, I must say. Between the both of us, there’s not enough patience to go around. Why don’t you sit down and have a cup of tea, and perhaps we can reach some sort of mutual agreement?

Ryoga: Quit messing with me.

Amagiri: I most certainly am not. Listen closely, Kagekawa-kun. I have expectations of you. You have great talent.

Ryoga: Talent? Something like that–

Amagiri: You have the talent to set the pulse of the group called Anthos*--and by extension its members–into motion. The fate of whether that good-for-nothing lived or died was riding on your whims.

Ryoga: What do you mean?

Amagiri: I meant exactly as I said, word for word. Here, take a seat. I’ll have them make some hot tea.

(Elevator rings)

Ryoga: (sighs) Seriously… What was supposed to be brief ended up being so long-winded… And I guess those two from Louloudi* ended up going back too, huh. I wanted to try talking to them a bit more.

Setsuna: Ryoga?

Ryoga: Setsuna?

Setsuna: What are you doing?

Ryoga: That’s my line. What’re you doing here?

Setsuna: I was called over.

Ryoga: Called over? By whom?

Setsuna: I don’t know.

Ryoga: Huh?

Setsuna: I was just told that someone from the main office wanted to see me, so I came. How about Ryoga?

Ryoga: Well, I–uh. Same thing.

Setsuna: Same thing?

Ryoga: Oh, right, did you bump into Ageha and Rui?

Setsuna: No, I didn’t. Why?

Ryoga: They were here just a second ago. I kind of heard a little from Hiro that you guys were friends.

Setsuna: Oh. Friends… No. That’s probably not it.

Ryoga: Probably?

Setsuna: Knowing just what they look like doesn’t make them my friends. Am I wrong?

Ryoga: You’re not… entirely wrong. But, really?

Setsuna: Really. I don’t have a reason to lie to you, do I?

Ryoga: You’re telling me.

Setsuna: I don’t. That’s why I’m telling you the truth.

Ryoga: Got it, sorry for doubting you there.

Setsuna: Did I… do something to make Ryoga doubt me?

Ryoga: Not anymore.

Setsuna: Hmm… Say, can I ask you something?

Ryoga: Well, if it’s something I can answer.

Setsuna: Is Mahiro… doing well?

Ryoga: Why are you asking me that?

Setsuna: I was just wondering if he’s happy.

Ryoga: He’s plenty happy. So are all my other groupmates.

Setsuna: I see.

Medical Staff: You’re Yashiro Setsuna-san, right?

Setsuna: Mm.

Medical Staff: Allow me to escort you. This way, please.

Setsuna: I’ll be going, okay?

Ryoga: Sure. See you around.

Setsuna: See you, Ryoga.

(Setsuna leaves)

Ryoga: (sighs) I just don’t get that guy… He seems pretty out-of-it at first glance, but his joining in was under President Amagiri’s orders. Just what is he hoping to achieve? Going by his line of thinking to create the perfect idol, letting Setsuna join Anthos* midway wouldn’t even have the benefit of acting as an observer. Harbouring instability would just be detrimental to the growth of the flower. The timing is just too risky. Then could it mean, he’s aiming for something else…?

Ryoga: (groans) I have no clue!

Ryoga: I’m back!

Kaoru: Welcome back, um…

Ryoga: Oh? What’s up, Kaoru?

Kaoru: It’s nothing, uh–

Mahiro: Ryo-san, welcome back!

Ryoga: I’m back, Hiro. Whatever you’ve got in that pot smells pretty good!

Mahiro: (puts down pot) Right? Today is my specially-made beef stew!

Haruta: Hiro-nii, I’m gonna leave the ladle here, ‘kay?

Mahiro: Yep, thanks!

Haruta: Ryo-nii, since when did you get back?

Ryoga: Just now.

Kaoru: Ryo-san… Ryo-nii… oh, right, Ryoga-san.

Ryoga: …Kaoru?

Kaoru: Yes! What is it?

Ryoga: What’s up with you? You’ve got something you wanna tell me?

Kaoru: Well… I was thinking that you came back quite late, so I was wondering where you went.

Mahiro: Yeah! You just suddenly got up and went all by yourself.

Ryoga: My bad, my bad. I just went out to take photos of the mountains. It’s been some time since I took a hike and snapped a bunch, so I just went a little further than expected!

Haruta: Lucky you were right in time for food.

Mahiro: We were thinking about taking your portion if you weren’t going to turn up for dinner, right?

Haruta: Totes!

Ryoga: You two cut me some slack, save that for Lihito.

Lihito: Save what for who? I heard a mention about secretly making off with meals.

Ryoga: Your coincidental timing is way too convenient…

Lihito: Did you say something?

Ryoga: Something about you and your sharp hearing.

Lihito: Did you honestly believe I’d let you off with a comeback like that?

Chise: Ryo-kun, welcome back!

Ryoga: Oh, Chise! You’re looking better today.

Chise: Hehe, Litto kept me company the whole day! (hugs)

Lihito: !! H-hold on, Chise…!

Chise: That’s why I’m all right as rain!

Ryoga: Good for you.

Mahiro: (claps) Okay, everyone, time to set the table, before the beef stew gets cold!

Haruta: On it! Kao-nii, let’s go.

Kaoru: Y-yes!

Ryoga: Sure feels good to be back.

Mahiro: Ryo-san.

Ryoga: Hmm? What’s up?

Mahiro: After dinner, if it’s alright with you, could you show it to me? Those photos you took of the mountains, I mean.

[londonhalcyon]

Song of the Week

Song: Siúil a Rún

Artist: Ella Roberts (Spotify)/Ellie Robbins (YouTube)

Playlist: Kathy (no link yet)

Kathy took their place at my side. “Thank you for doing this,” she said softly (although perhaps not intentionally so; her voice seemed naturally soft). “I know she can be a lot.”

“She’s a good kid,” I said. “Or she tries to be. I enjoy her company.”

Kathy gave me a look of amazement. “That’s not something I hear often,” she said. “You’re right, but I don’t hear it often.”

“Can I ask…Saoirse?”

“Her middle name. It’s what our mother would call her. Mam wanted us to grow up at least a little Irish. Harder to do now, living in London.” She glanced at Sam, who was animatedly describing the different wizarding bands to Mason. “There’s a lot she should have grown up with. It’s my fault we lost some of it, which she’s right to blame me for.”

“I don’t know about that,” I said. “She told me how hard you work. You have a Ministry job, right?”

She smiled grimly. “In the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I’m an assistant to Mr. Thicknesse. By day, at least. I work at a pub the rest of the time.”

“That’s…intense.” And not what you would call lucrative, as essential as both those jobs were.

She nodded. “Especially now.”

It was hard to imagine. Not only had there been an abrupt change in department heads with Madam Bones’s death, but with all the other murders, as well as Scrimgeour’s push for more arrests, the amount of paperwork that was coming from the Auror Office alone had to be tremendous. Merula and Talbott had been doing a lot more grumbling lately, in any case.

“You’re all she talks about here, you know,” I said sincerely. “She loves you a lot.”

“She’s my whole world,” Kathy said, still watching her sister. “But she deserves more than just me. She never really had friends before, and now…” She gestured across the room. “I don’t know what you did or how… I don’t even know what to say.”

“She’s not the first person I’ve met that’s, er, like she is. Or you, for that matter.”

She turned her gaze on me. I suddenly had to fight the urge to look away. From behind her glasses, her hazel eyes were striking, almost soul-piercing, in a way that did not match her dainty appearance. Had I not been practicing my Occlumency these past few months, I would have been afraid that she was reading my mind. She probably didn’t have to. This was a person that saw a lot more, understood a lot more than she ever let on.

“No, I suppose she wouldn’t be,” she said, ever gentle, while I remembered how to breathe. “I shouldn’t be glad of that, but I am.”

“That’s our job, isn’t it?” I asked. “To make the world a better place for them?”

Her smile became genuine. “And that, Curse-Breaker, is why they made you prefect.”

“They made me prefect to keep me out of trouble.”

“Oh. Well, that didn’t work.”

I snorted. “No. It didn’t.”

[starlight-phantom]

🤡😈🎶 for the fic writer asks and 4, 19, and 31 for the OC asks! ^^

🤡 - What's a line, scene or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

Honestly there's three main ones that come to mind and I was so disappointed that none of them got attention from readers, although I guess that just tells me that my sense of humour isn't very good.

Two of them are from my P5R Chat fic, the first one being the group talking about Goro giving Ren his phone number after the interview where Ren says the Thieves do more than the cops and everyone laughing at Goro with Futaba jokingly saying "Oh shit, this guy called a loser on national TV, I have to slide into those DMs"

The other P5R Chat fic one is from the showbiz chat (between Goro, Ann, Sumire and Hifumi) and they're talking about all the interviews Goro used to do and how often he'd be asked about his type of woman when, in this fic, Goro is gay. So he remarks about "What was I supposed to say? 'What do you look for in a woman?' I don't. I look elsewhere."

And the last one was from my Gorotaba siblings fic where Futaba is teasing Goro over text about his crush on Ren and how he won't admit it, so she sends a link and says it's Goro and I actually put a link in the fic and it sends you to a YouTube video of I Won't Say I'm In Love from Hercules.

Explaining these jokes here suddenly makes them not seem funny anymore and now I'm just embarrassed. Also, I've noticed that all three examples are me teasing Goro. I love this boy, but I love teasing him even more.

😈 - Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

I never really write sad stuff to be mean. Mostly I just have a sad idea, it makes me sad and I realise it would work really well so I write it and sometimes it comes out sadder than I first thought. For example, For The Best was the first fic that made me cry while writing it and that caught me completely off guard.

However, I will admit, I did add in some extra scenes in the flashback section of Someone I Used To Know just because it would make it more painful and while, yes I was grinning when the idea hit me, I don't consider it playfully mean because I was hurting myself too.

🎶 - Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

I'm stuck on my phone so listening to music is pretty much the only thing I can do while writing because fuck you I'm not paying for YouTube premium even though it would really help me focus because for some reason hearing people talking instead of music helps me focus more.

And unfortunately, I'm stuck listening to the same songs on repeat and have been for months because my phone's music app is weird and randomly deleted a bunch of songs and won't let me get more. No, I don't know how to fix it. And yes, being stuck with the same 200 songs on repeat for the past... Half a year? Has been driving me to insanity, thanks for asking.

Don't even suggest using Spotify because I am a grandma in a 22 year old's body and I have no fucking clue how to use technology.

4 - A character you rarely talk about

Unfortunately, that's most of them... Especially since certain ones get a lot more attention than others. But it's mostly the ones with personalities I find difficult to write... So usually the serious, responsible members of the group because chaos is way easier to write.

19 - Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why)

Honestly? Probably Sora. Because I made them after realising I was non-binary so they're my first OC who doesn't fall within the gender binary (They're genderfluid) and I basically made their personality just a free spirit like they're cheeky, they're loud, they're confident, they're unapologetic. They're basically everything I wish I was. Except for their fashion sense, I deliberately made their fashion sense terrible to make them more endearing and funny... And to piss off Kenji, who is extremely fashion conscious.

31 - Pick one OC of yours and explain what their Tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything really)

Oh god, describing things has always been the thing I'm worst at... I dunno... I guess Aki? His blog would be full of pictures of him skating, his friends, food he really enjoyed and random rants about whatever series he's watching at the time??? And I don't even know the first thing about layouts... I meant it when I said I was useless with technology, okay?

[thoughts-of-a-teenaged-watcher]

um hi its still andy again. i use he/they pronouns now. im a fucked up catboy now and ive tried to off myself like two times now. mental health has not been great but i cant really do anything about it because im in a dead gods torture labryinth dreamscape thing. please dont talk to me ill just be a burden on you. also hi alicia thanks for killing my old boss and getting me stuck in this stupid fucking labrinth and not lettimg me habe a peacfull fucking desth. reallyfu cking appreciate it.

jk that was sarcasm, ihate you and hope you get stick here along woth me bedaude if i didjt desevre death then neither douyou. i cannotwait to beat the shitoutr a you seriously.

Hello, I suppose I should introduce myself as well. My name is Lyric, I'm a fragment of Polaris, the Singular Voice. He is a great and powerful composer, and it is an honour to be in their dreamscape. Currently, I am a small slime kitten who is thankfully no longer attached to the back of Andy's head. He is a pathetic excuse of a human and he deserves absolutely nothing. Also, I suppose I use he/they pronouns, along with a massive list of music themed neopronouns which I'll link here when I'm finished making it.

ooc)) Also I made a Spotify playlist for him, listen to it here. Most if not all of the song lyrics he posts are on this playlist so.

[booksbydlwhite]

BOOKCAST 88: Check-in and Unraveling the Mystery: The Photograph, Part 3

Send me fan mail!

I woke up with a craving for tacos but first I had to record the Bookcast. Episode 88 brings updates on reading and writing as a self published author of romantic fiction that centers Black love. I also recorded part 3 of my four part serial, THE PHOTOGRAPH. Woot.

Books on sale:

Leslie's Curl & Dye is $.99 everywhere and Beach Thing is on sale for $1.99. Find links to both at my store- payhip.com/booksbydlwhite.

Appearances:

Celebrating Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen at RESIST booksellers June 22, 2024. Details at Resist Booksellers.com.

EssenceFest 2024 (I am NOT a featured author and will not be on the stage, jut in the buildin!)

Black Romance Book Fest May 2025-: https://blackromancebookfest.com. Tix go on sale June 21st.

LISTEN to today’s episode here. Transcript is below the episode details. ENJOY!

I discussed the following books today:

Starcrossed: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Jackson Brothers Book 2) by Shae Sanders

Truth Be Told (Rogue Justice #2) by Kendra Elliot

Do What Godmother Says by L.S. Stratton

Just Like Her: A Queer Romance by Fiona Zedde

Bitter and Sweet by Rhonda McKnight

Uncovering her Dreams by Rae Shawn

Come Ride with Me by AC Arthur

What If I Love You by Yvonne Marie

The Stones We Cast by Chelsea Marie

Back Down Memory Lane by Lamartz Brown

Legal Seduction by Sharon C Cooper.

What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris

A Dream in the Dark (A Wrongful Conviction Novel 2)

Nia Forrester Backlist titles

Support the Show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com. Buy books by DL White at https://BooksbyDLWhite.com/books. Buy Merch by DLWhite at https://payhip.com/BooksbyDLWhite/collection/merch Find the Bookcast on booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast or your fave podcast app: Apple Podcasts | Spotify |Overcast | Podlink| Youtube

TRANSCRIPT

DL White [00:00:00]:

This has nothing to do with anything podcast related, but I woke up thinking about tacos. Like, tacos with a little bit of yellow rice and some black beans at 7 AM. So guess what I'm having for dinner? Welcome back to the book cast, my platform for sharing short fiction and updates on life as a self published author of romantic fiction that centers black love and relationships. I am so excited that you're here, especially since you're not supposed to be. I was not supposed to record today. I was supposed to be visiting a, bustling Midwestern city, but I delayed my flight by a few days, so I'm here. I am Dale White. I'm an Atlanta based author of 14 and counting novels and numerous short stories and fan fiction works.

DL White [00:00:50]:

I'm a reader First. So we usually begin with a book report, and we talk about writing and topics of the day. I am currently in pre publication for The Pearl, a Black Diamond Romance. Tentative release date is scheduled for on or before July 2nd 2024. Check my blog and my social media for Goodreads and story graph links as well as samples, teasers, even a playlist for this book. I also want you to pay really close attention, in case this book might come out early. You never know. It might be for sale exclusively on my website for a few days if you're very excited about that kind of thing.

DL White [00:01:29]:

I'm really I'm I I can't wait to bring Davis and Kari to your faces. I do have some advanced readers out there who have expressed that they're enjoying the book, so I can't wait until the general population gets their hands on it. I actually just sent out another arc to someone who requested it, so yay for them and for me. It's gonna be a busy month at Books by d l White. I do have some travel, on deck. Leslie's curl and die is on sale as part of the blue collar romance Kobo promotion. Beach thing is also on sale for 199 if you still need to get started on the Black Diamond romance series before book 3 comes out. I actually have a hankering a hankering to refresh myself on the Black Diamond couples, so I might spin Wade and Amina and Vance and Athena one time before I release the pearl.

DL White [00:02:21]:

My most recent newsletter is out. You'll find a link to that if you're not subscribed on my links page. It's books by dlwhite.com/linkinbio. I also need you to take care of that subscription thing exceptionally. Booksbydlwhite.com/newsletter. I'm gonna work on a couple exclusive excerpts to go out before the book is published, so you wanna be on that to get the good stuff. Thank you so much, and don't forget to confirm. Your mailbox will not be blessed if you do not confirm.

DL White [00:02:51]:

I just go go ahead and delete it. As always, if you're a member at Kobo Plus, you can grab all my ebooks and audiobooks as part of your subscription. And if you're a premium subscriber at Spotify, you get 15 free hours there, so snatch up my audiobooks. I get paid for them. I don't think you understand. I get paid for them. I'm available in ebook and audio at your local library, so hit them up, Libby Hoopla, and request me. If you don't find me there, let me know when your request is granted because I absolutely love it.

DL White [00:03:23]:

Libraries buy books. I love it so much. Libraries actually pay more than retail for books, so request me everywhere all the time nonstop. I do believe all my audiobooks are now available on Hoopla, and they have ebooks, and I'm most pleased. Do you have a topic you would like me to cover on the book cast? Something author y, something reader y, something hybrid y? Let me know. Shout me out. Holler. I'm always on Instagram or Twitter at author_dlwhite.

DL White [00:03:56]:

You can even visit the show notes of this year episode at booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast slash 88. You can also drop me a voice note called fan mail. Peep the link in the show notes and send me some dulcet tones of love. I welcome your comments and questions. I'll dedicate a part of the show to answering them. Onward. Today's gonna be a great show. Not not too long, not too short, but not too long.

DL White [00:04:21]:

It's the weekend. I don't have a book to write. My editor is rejoicing. I I see it. I see it. I I'm picturing it in my mind, and I am all about the books. So we will talk about my reading challenge and what I have been putting into my face. I'll finish today's episode with part 3 of the photograph, which is my short run serial that I wrote specifically for the podcast because I just had not shared enough short fiction lately.

DL White [00:04:48]:

Today is Saturday, June 8th. It is 9:55 AM. Whoo. I'm way behind y'all. It's sunny and 65 degrees today in the AAT l. I have a mic and I am ready to dig in, but first, join me for some coffee. It took me so long to get up and running today that my coffee is lukewarm, and I'm sad about it. I like it hot.

DL White [00:05:26]:

We begin as always with the book report because I am a book head. I have read 89 books of my challenge to read 150 books this year, putting me 24 books ahead on my Goodreads challenge. The more I read, the further ahead I am. How how is that happening? Should I increase my goal or just be really ridiculous with it? Let me know in the comments. I had a very good reading week, so let's get into it. This week, I read star crossed and enemies to lovers romance by Shay Sanders. This was absolutely slap your nearest relative. Delicious.

DL White [00:06:00]:

Fantastic. So well done. I'm a Shea Sanders fan. It is cemented in the pantheon. She did such a good job with this. I highlight highlighted so much in this book. I really tried not to spoil things, but, like, she just has a way with, like, a twist of phrase. She is very sassy and sarcastic, but, like, also able to to bring out, like, emotion and, like, just, like, talk about what's actually happening between these two characters.

DL White [00:06:28]:

And her steamy scenes aren't bad either. Big fan. Love that. I also listened to truth be told, Rogue Justice number 2 by Kendra Elliott. Kendra is another one of those thriller authors that has, like, 99 books out in Kindle Unlimited, so I can read and listen with my subscription. And I often will just throw on something to, like, listen to just because. So this was a just because listen. I also got an audio arc of Do What Godmother Says by Ellis Stratton, who is my author bae.

DL White [00:07:03]:

I absolutely love her. You also know her as Shelley Ellis and Shelley Stratton. Listen. If you don't read Shelley, I need you to get your life together immediately, like, right now because sis is on the way up, and you you you you wanna climb on this train, this rocket ship as it's ascending. Do what Gomother says is I think it's called a gothic thriller? Gothic? It's a gothic something, it's dual time period which is my fave, absolutely love it. There's a little bit I feel like there's a little bit of Shelley Ellis in Ellis Stratton. Just just the way that she writes a relationship in a book, it's very reminiscent. But this book is heavily, heavily a mystery, a thriller.

DL White [00:07:57]:

There's, like, a lot going on with, like, some spooky characters and some people that, like, make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, and I'd be like, I knew. I knew it. I knew it. But then, like, I send her a DM, and she was doesn't tell me anything, and she makes me find out for myself. It's just not fair. It's not it's not like, being friends with an author should mean that you get to know the twist before you have to read the twist, but she doesn't play fair. I also read Just Like Her, a queer romance by Fiona Zedd. This finally came out.

DL White [00:08:30]:

I know she's been working on it for a minute. Congratulations, Fiona. And then, I read bitter and sweet by Rhonda McKnight, which was absolutely fantastic. Really, really well done. I can't remember if I had that on my list last week. I just I don't I don't know. The weeks are all running together, but, really, really enjoyed that. That comes out on Tuesday.

DL White [00:08:50]:

Also, Do What Good Mother Says comes out on Tuesday. You wanna grab both of those. They are both excellent. I don't have anything officially on my reading list, but I do know I have at least one ARC for June 11th that I need to read. It's not likely to come out in audio, so I really need to get it together. I'll probably get on it, like, Sunday afternoon. It's a romance, and I don't think it's a long one. And I don't typically read romance by white authors, but Laurie Foster is a fave.

DL White [00:09:17]:

I also love Ronnie Lauren. So I saw that she had a new book coming out. I've loved her since getting rowdy came out, like, 7000000 years ago. Love me some Laurie Foster, so I'm gonna snatch that one up. I have a bunch of stuff in Kindle Unlimited that I wanna read or clear, ala Brigitte Bianca's KU reader release challenge. I have, uncovering her dreams by Rayshawn, Come Ride With Me by AC author, What If I Love You by Yvonne Marie. I have a couple of few Nia Forester backlist titles. I'm I'm on a mission to read all of Nia Forester's work, and so I'd wanna get a few more of those down.

DL White [00:09:56]:

I just love her writing. Just delicious. Like, Nia Forester and Tasha l Harrison, if I don't bring them up every other episode, something is wrong. Please send when they send the police to your house because they think something's wrong, if I don't mention Nia Forester or Tasha l Harrison, send the police. That's what I'm saying. The stones we cast by Chelsea Marie, back down memory lane by LaMarts Brown. I've gotta gotta gotta read more black male authors, specifically more black male indie authors, so I gotta get into it and legal seduction by my good good friend Sharon c Cooper. Lots to dig through, plus I have some upcoming arcs I need to get read.

DL White [00:10:35]:

First up is What You Leave Behind by Wanda Morris. I'm very, very excited about this. I might wait for audio on that one. That one's coming up, June 18th. So, I don't know if I can I don't know if I can wait? I also have a dream in the dark, wrongful conviction novel number 2 by Robert Justice coming up. I'm very excited about that one also, and, I'm just saying I know Robert listens to the podcast, and sometimes I know a book is just gonna be absolutely awesome in audio. And so I will wait for audio to come out so I can listen to it, but I get an ARC specifically so I can read it early because I'm impatient. And so now I'm in this thing where do I wanna read it on the page early because that helps the author, or do I wanna wait for it on audio because that helps me? You know, it's it's it's a struggle.

DL White [00:11:34]:

It's a struggle. That one's coming out in July. I'm very excited about it. I'm really, really excited for Robert Justice. I'm also wanna thank him that he read one of my books, and I so do cherish my, male readers because I I write specifically for 2 black women, but I do have some male readers that really dig me, and I so appreciate your good words about my books. So, thank you so much, and, keep them coming. This week, I put down Secret Keeper of Main Street by Tricia r Thomas. This book just didn't hit me.

DL White [00:12:09]:

It just didn't love love Tricia. I just I couldn't finish it. Sometimes I skip through till the end, because I feel bad about putting down a book. I just I got to about 30%, and I just was not interested in finishing. I think this book has some pretty good reviews, and I just wasn't interested in bringing it down, so I just went ahead and put it down. I don't know if it's a mood thing or the way the book is written or if it would have been better on the page versus audio. I just I lost interest. I didn't wanna pick it back up.

DL White [00:12:38]:

Often, this is a pacing issue. If it doesn't snap, I just I can't I can't stay engaged. I blame my short span of attention. On appearances, reminder that I'll be celebrating Danielle Allen's release cover girl summer in Petersburg, Virginia. She'll be at Resist Booksellers. I will be there to support. I'll be a featured author, and I'm I'm really looking forward to seeing Danielle and Demetrius who owns Resist Booksellers again. That'll be on June 22, 2024, I believe, from 1 to 3 PM.

DL White [00:13:09]:

There's a post on my Instagram and my TikTok and my Facebook page with details, and, of course, follow Danielle Allen and resist booksellers for all of the deets. I'll also be at the Black Romance Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, May 30th through June 1, 2025. I have already booked my room, and I'm telling you, start saving your money. I'm gonna say this every week. Start saving your money. Tickets go on sale June 21st, so get in there, and, come find me because it's very likely that you'll know me before I know you, so don't quiz me. I don't know your name. I might know your face.

DL White [00:13:44]:

I can't tell who people are by that little little avatar, but please come say hi to me. I am not shy, but I am introverted, so I am not likely see see me. Say hi. Give me a hug. You ain't even gotta buy a book. I mean, I'm a just be there to meet authors and, like, fawn over people that I have wanted to meet and see in person, so I might not even ever be at my table. I'm just saying. I'm also gonna be at Essence Fest.

DL White [00:14:24]:

I am not a featured author. I am not on anybody's stage. I'm basically just there to be a fan of some bookish people and authors. The BJ's said they were gonna be there. I have met miss Beverly Jenkins. I have not met miss Brenda met miss Brenda Jackson, and I can't stand the thought of so many good people being in one space at one time. So I'm really, really super excited. So I will be in the building for Essence Fest.

DL White [00:14:53]:

I believe I'll be in town the 3rd through 7th, leaving on 7th. So let a system know if you're gonna be out there. I would love to meet you. Onto the writing update. No real update on the Pearl except we're still in editing. I expect final edits back next weekend ish ish. No. Seriously.

DL White [00:15:16]:

Like rush, but no rush. You know what I'm saying? And then I'll be heads down and making corrections to my file in Vellum and getting my girl ready for her close-up. I wanna be done with this novel, like, have it put together and up for a private sale by the time I hug Danielle's at Resist. So fingers crossed, I can get I can get that. As I mentioned, ARCs are out. The initial reception is good. I real I really, really try not to be precious about the words. So I don't stalk my reviews, and I ask that people not tag me in them if they can help it, send egregious errors and concerns to my email so I can address them before publication, but otherwise, enjoy and warn the others.

DL White [00:15:59]:

It's good or it's not. I mean, it's it's done. You know what I'm saying? Reviews are for readers, so I hope the readers like what they see and decide to read or not read the book based on honest opinions. I'm I am of the I said what I said variety. So if it's not something that popped up in my group chat or from my editor, it is not likely to change shoulder shrug. If you haven't read Beach Thing or Elysium, do not let that stop you from snatching up this novel. I did add a bit in the front matter on some previously on Black Diamond tip, so you can catch up without having to read both books because this book will spoil the first two. I have been working on my front matter and my back matter, so the book is ready to go once edits are complete.

DL White [00:16:46]:

We're getting really close. I'm getting really excited. I've lost count of how many books we've written together on this podcast. 3? 4? I wrote Neverlist, Hey, Lover, Elysium, and Now The Pearl live on the podcast. What a time. What an exciting time to be alive. So it's exciting every time and never ever, ever gets old going through this process. And this process.

DL White [00:17:12]:

And this fall, I'm about to go through the process of writing book 15, and I'm a take you all along. I don't even care if you want to go. We going. Get in the car. Sunday is our first check-in for the summer writing challenge. I'm writing I'm running over at the fiction archive that I own and operate. I hope the writers are getting in good words this week and are ready to chat it up about their summer of writing. Again, this is an off shoot of the 1,000 words of summer challenge, which is a 2 week challenge to write 1,000 words a day.

DL White [00:17:45]:

Our challenge will span June July, and it would be hard to maintain that for 2 months, so our parameters are very loose. The idea is to jump into summer with words and gear up for our most popular challenge, awesome August. So I'm looking forward to writing for fun, writing just because, writing to write, writing to get these thoughts out of my head, and really just, like, building that habit and getting some good ideas flowing. Speaking of writing, it is time for part 3 of the photograph. A little ditty I came up with because it had been too long since I shared fiction on the podcast. It's not lost on me that as a writer of kissing novels, my opportunity to break from the right publish stress about how much I sold rhythm manifests in material that is decidedly not romantic. Anyone that tells you that writing romance is easy as lying. Lying through their teeth.

DL White [00:18:38]:

It's much easier for me to write these little mystery thriller trysts, and I admit they don't go deep, they're not intricate. I will literally I sit down, I read what I wrote before. I write the next section. I edit it a little bit. I record it. Like, it's, like, not deep because if I start too early, I will start stressing about it, and then we have, like, a 67,000 word novel that I have read on the podcast. And, frankly, 67,000 words is something I need to sell. You know what I'm saying? I have decided, though.

DL White [00:19:11]:

My next short serial is going to be romantic. So I will close out the show after the jump. So if you are jumping here, thank you so much for joining me for this week's chat. We will talk again next week. I almost always have chapters in these, episodes, so you can just skip to the end. I appreciate you. Bye bye. The photograph, part 3.

DL White [00:19:40]:

I knew I had to confront Robin, but I couldn't just barge into her office and demand answers. Considering that someone found my email address and sent me a menacing note, the possibility that our offices and her home might be bugged was high. We needed to be careful. I suggested we meet at a quiet out of the way park where we could talk freely without fear of being overheard. Robin agreed and we found ourselves sitting on a secluded bench far from prying eyes or ears. Robin, I need to ask you something and I want need you to be honest with me, I said, looking her straight in the eye. What really happened to Damon? She stiffened, her fingers clenching in her lap. I told you he's not part of our lives anymore.

DL White [00:20:28]:

Why are you so interested in him all of a sudden? Because I found something and I started asking questions. I pulled up my phone showing her the photo that had been haunting my dreams followed by a screenshot of the threatening text message. Someone doesn't want me looking into Damon's disappearance. I know you know why. Robin's eyes widened as she read the message, and for a moment, I thought she might bolt, but then she sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. There's a lot that I haven't told you, Jada. There's so much, but I haven't been going on dates. I furrowed my brow, confused.

DL White [00:21:06]:

What do you mean you haven't been going on dates? I've been meeting with someone who claims to have information about Damon, she admitted, about what happened to him, his disappearance, and who might be responsible. My heart began to race. Who is this person? I don't know him. His name is Liam. He used to work with Damon back when he was involved in some less than legal activities. Drugs mostly, Robin explained, her voice trembling slightly. It was all stuff he was involved in before we met. He tried to leave to go straight, live a normal life, but you know you can never really leave that life especially if they have something on you.

DL White [00:21:45]:

Liam reached out to me about a year ago telling me he had important information about Damon, but it's taken this long to get him to meet me and relay anything I could work with. I leaned forward, my mind reeling. So what has he told you? Robin took a deep breath. He said years ago Damon was involved with a man named Donovan, a drug dealer, of course. Liam said that Damon had crossed Donovan somehow and that Damon's disappearance was likely due to him. He had it inside track, and he was sending me information as he could get it. Isn't that enough to go to the police? Your husband has been missing, Robin. I did, Robin said, her eyes filling with tears.

DL White [00:22:28]:

I did go to them, but they weren't interested. They know that name from back in the day. They're probably happy to not have to deal with a low level drug dealer. They told me that it wasn't illegal for him to leave his family. They even suggested that photo of him being tortured might be a deep fake meant to throw me off so he could start a new life somewhere else. I reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. But you don't believe that, do you? No, Robin whispered, shaking her head. I think someone killed him, and I think they're still out there watching me making sure I don't talk.

DL White [00:23:02]:

I felt a chill run down my spine. Robin, this is serious. If what Liam is saying is true then you could be in real danger and what about your kids? Why are you even still here? Robin's face crumpled and she let out a sob. I know. I've been so afraid to tell anyone. I can barely keep us above water. I don't have money to move them where Donovan can't watch us. I can't let anything happen to them, Jada.

DL White [00:23:26]:

They're all I have left of Daemon. I pulled her into a hug, feeling the weight of her pain and fear. We'll figure this out, Robin, together. She pulled back, wiping her eyes. How? Where do we even start? I thought for a moment, my mind racing. We'll start with Donovan. If he's as dangerous as Liam says, then he's our best lead. I'll see what I can find out about him.

DL White [00:23:52]:

Maybe I can track him down. In the age of the Internet, it's really hard to hide. Robin nodded, a flicker of hope in her eyes. And I'll keep meeting with Liam to see if he has any information that can help us. We have to be careful, I warned her. Someone knows I've been snooping. There's no telling what Donovan might do or have done. I know, Robin said, her jaw tight.

DL White [00:24:16]:

I can't go one more day not knowing the truth. I need to know and I need justice for Damon, for my kids. I cannot let his tillers go free. I nodded feeling a surge of admiration for her strength and courage. We'll get them, Robin. We need to make sure they pay for what they did to Damon. We just have to get enough information that the case looks good to the police. We left the part separately going in opposite directions, couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched, Every car that passed me on the street, every set of headlights in my rearview mirror seemed to hold some hidden threat.

DL White [00:24:52]:

I pushed down that fear and focused on the task at hand. I had inserted myself into something way bigger than I thought it would be, and I had now tethered myself to Robin, to her kids. I was in just as much a danger as she was, and the only way out was to find the truth about what happened to Damon. I wouldn't rest until we found a way to bring his killers to justice no matter the cost. That'll do it. Thank you for joining me for part 3 of the photograph. I think it's getting interesting, and we will see how I managed to wrap this up in one episode. I don't know how I'm going to do that, but I'm committed to this only being 4 chapters before I start the next one.

DL White [00:25:41]:

So that also brings us to a close for today's chat. I truly enjoy having you here. I welcome any comments or feedback at books by dlwhite.com/bookcast/eighty 8. You'll find full show notes with all the books I talked about today, the links to all the writing, I'm sorry, the links to all the things I talked about today, and a transcript for today's show including the serial if you would rather read it instead of listen to it. Please share the podcast if you enjoyed today's episode and if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, give a girl a rating. I'd really appreciate it. Do not forget that you can support this podcast with your book purchases by spreading the good word or throwing some coins in the hat at bookcast.busprout dotcom. Every little bit helps.

DL White [00:26:28]:

I will be back next Saturday, June 15th. Is next Saturday 15th? Let's check the calendar super quick because I was not prepared. Yes. Next Saturday, June 15th, also payday. So, I will be back post my trip to a bustling Midwest city. So enjoy your week as always. Have a superlative one, and we'll chat again soon. Bye bye.

[thesinglesjukebox]

ESLABON ARMADO AND PESO PLUMA - "ELLA BAILA SOLA"

Jacob brings us regional Mexican music's big pop moment...

[7.45]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: There are thousands upon thousands of words to be written about "Ella Baila Sola," the year of Peso Pluma, and the broader question of Mexican pop music in the American pop landscape that I frankly could not even begin to put together into this blurb -- because, frankly, I'd rather talk about "Ella Baila Sola" within its own singular context: "Ella Baila Sola" is perhaps the banger to end all bangers. It's nothing complicated; people have been writing incredible pop songs about having a huge crush on a hot stranger they saw at a party since the dawn of pop music (I read Bob Stanley's book on pre-1955 pop this year so I'm basically an expert on this.) But what shines through here is the genuine glee that Pedro Tovar and his boys have in the music. Each tripled-up guitar riff and stab of horns sounds so joyous and live that even a summer's worth of overplay can't quench it. The interplay between Tovar and Peso Pluma's vocals -- on opposite sides of the fine line between yearning and horny -- only adds to the thrill here; they're literally just some guys but in this particular moment, captured perfectly in the way that only a great pop song can, they reach some slight and passing transcendence. [10]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: What a refreshing and left-field global phenomenon! In Chicago, "Ella Baila Sola" was our third most streamed Spotify song of 2023, and Peso Pluma was our fifth most streamed artist, so I've heard this on the train while commuting, in restaurants while deciding what to order, and in the park while lounging under the sun. Every time, the sweetness of the guitar strums and the playfulness of the trumpets have been felt like a reprieve from the monotony of the charts. [8]

Micha Cavaseno: The last couple of years, I finally made the bare minimum attempt to understand corridos as a style. Ultimately, my heart is always going to defer to my grandfather's Fania All-Stars collection when it comes to my own tastes, but I can appreciate the slightness and rootsy quality of these ballads. Peso Pluma's got that classic nasal bray that conveys far more character than notes could ever achieve, and the tone of "Ella Baila" is carefree in a way that implies a youth and freedom to offset the grit in the vocals. I suppose this is more of a reminder as ever as to the charms of a style you rarely get to think of in the greater pop context. [7]

Ian Mathers: Really enjoy the music, and Peso Pluma is clearly a charismatic performer, I just kinda hate his voice here. To the extent that if this was Armado solo I think I'd give it an extra point. [8]

David Moore: I am never confronted so completely with the limits of my monolingual, myopic cultural existence than hearing that brass section, no matter what strain or subgenre it is or how decisively it's crossing over into my corner of the world from speakers or Billboard articles. My appreciation never budges. It's like opera and statues -- I experience it and think "I'll bet that's really special to someone and I'm really missing out," and then hope that no one asks me to share my opinion afterward. Maybe I could take a class or something. [5]

Nortey Dowuona: The tololoche is the Mexican folk bass. Its name originated from the Maya names tolo for "bull" and loch for "embraced." Here's a picture of one from 1930; here's a link to go buy the strings. Yes it has 4 strings only. Here's a link to a VST of the instrument. If you are most handy with the computer, try that. But of the actual instrument, since a tololoche can have strings made from tungsten, nickel or steel and can go for at least $1300, if you're a beginner I'd advise to get one ASAP. Now, you'll have to play for about four years and write songs for three before you make a song as good as this one, but since this is gonna be a thing for the next decade, get on it before Peso Pluma moves to Barcelona. Good luck! [10]

Katherine St Asaph: What about this particular song made it blow up at a scale that regional Mexican previously hadn't? Variety had a feature about it, but nothing they described -- exclusive tech deals, influencers, general hello-fellow-zoomers --seems any different from anyone else's record-label rollout. The song is nice but doesn't really make many pop concessions. Freaky Trigger ran an article last month on "the rainbow of new stories" of the charts; it's probably the coherent version of whatever I might make of this. [6]

Brad Shoup: Listening to Eslabon Armado's earlier stuff really makes clear how much juice they gave this. When it became a smash I thought it was fine, a pop corrido; I wish they'd gone full sinaloense and let the brass wail. In the context of the group's career, though, it hits a little different. What sounded like a nagging pop topline now sounds like Jeff Buckley, which makes everything an additional degree of ersatz, which is a really interesting place to be. [7]

Crystal Leww: I grew up in Texas surrounded by Mexicans, specifically, so Spanish language music wasn't as much reggaeton or dembow or bachata but instead music that sounds like "Ella Baila Sola," heavy on the guitar and the horns and less on the doom-ca-ca! This is music that is instead made for twirling your girl in and out of a closed hold position, but like, more casual and more sweet than stuffy. Hearing this conjures up fond memories of the smell of the grill in the park now, the sight of the cooler full of Corona and fruity, sugary sweet drinks, and the families from young to old sitting around on foldable chairs as music blares out of a speaker somewhere. [6]

Alex Clifton: I'm pretty much sold on anything that features twelve-string guitars and horns. Throw in a lovely, lilting melody and I'll be dancing all day. [7]

Tara Hillegeist: Probably the single sexiest song I have ever heard about a woman dancing all by herself since Robyn's "Dancing On My Own". Not that there's much competition, but the trombone on this -- it makes me swoon. [8]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[lapeaudelamemoire]

Thoughts on just having seen a post about how the other post that linked Spotify Wrapped dropping on the same day as International Palestine Solidarity Day is antisemitic and conspiracy theory -

I don't use Spotify and so have no idea when Spotify Wrapped drops, this year or any year, so I should probably note that first. This is also a disclaimer to say that this is purely my opinion and some thoughts.

I see that the original post does imply that Spotify Wrapped dropped to obfuscate International Palestine Solidarity Day, a day that people have specifically asked others to keep talking about Palestine, in the way that it's worded.

But I also don't see how noting that Spotify Wrapped overshadowing posts about Palestine is necessarily wrong. Since Spotify Wrapped has happened I am seeing more posts about Spotify Wrapped than about Palestine.

I also saw in the comments people saying things like 'Oh Christmas is also coming up now, they must have done that on purpose /s" and it's like.

It is a fair and valid critique to note that 'Western' whatever tends to eclipse genocide and suffering in non-white countries and communities. Whether it's a media platform wrap-up/summary like Spotify Wrapped or a religious holiday of a religion that has historically been a part of colonialism and imperialism that is largely celebrated by white 'Western' folks who brought it to non-white countries through colonialism.

I also saw a lot of people saying that Spotify Wrapped just always drops on a Wednesday and that's why etc. But - and this is just my personal thought - Spotify could entirely also have just said 'Hey, we normally release Wrapped on Wednesdays at the end of November/start of December, but this year it coincides with International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, so we decided to release it next week/the day after on Thursday/[any day they chose]. Please pay attention to Palestine this year while they have been being killed by the thousands.'

People are also saying that it's antisemitic because it drives beliefs that 'Jews control the media'. I see how this is harmful, but also - that seems like a direct equivalence of Jewish people with Zionists. Which was not said anywhere in the original post. And there are very much anti-Zionist Jewish people.

Perhaps I am failing to see something here. But why has someone indicating that they feel it was intentional that a media platform drops its biggest social media event thing of the year on the same day Palestinian people have asked people to keep speaking out about them lead to the idea that Jewish people control the press - which, again, nowhere was that said in the original post, this appears to have been come to by the supposed critics themselves - and therefore is antisemitic? It's also well-known that Zionists such as the Israeli government itself does in fact try to influence press. I.e., by killing journalists.

[cursed-elo-images]

I’ve listened to the song I tagged in my recent post.

If anybody sees this post and hasn’t seen the post I’m referring to, and has NO idea what I’m talking about, I drew something cursed you can find on my blog and the song I’m referring to is “Confusion” by of course ELO.

It’s not one of my most favorites, but it’s a really good one.

Well, I think I just ruined the song for myself. (half jokingly)

While I said the above phrase in jest, there is some truth to it.

But first, I must mention my backstory.

The Backstory of the One and Only, cursed-elo-images Herself

My relationship with ELO started in March 2020. This was right before lockdown, and a parent of mine showed me a copy of ELO’s “greatest hits all over the world” CD, and we decided to play it in the car. I did like them, but I didn’t really listen to them much that month (really just a little bit of Elton John and some David Bowie too who are also good), but I decided to in April that month. I fell in love with them. I did however discover them in 2018 but didn’t feel like trying them out since I wasn’t into classic rock during that time besides Queen, since I listened to a few vocaloid songs. I also had “Don’t Bring Me Down” stuck in my head in late 2019, for some strange reason, but again didn’t feel like trying them out at the time, since I just liked Queen then. (Also a very good band, and I should also mention I stopped liking vocaloid music in early 2019 and Queen was what brought me back to classic rock)

Since then, I’ve listened to this band a lot, usually during the spring-summer because those seasons I find “enhance” the experience, I suppose it’s to invoke the nostalgia I felt when they first touched the neurons in my ear canals. I have went on a hiatus in 2021 though, because I temporarily replaced them with British rock band Sweet, which are arguably MORE underrated than them, but came back to ELO since… not to slander Sweet but, ELO is just more interesting and sensorily pleasing. I wasn’t really interested in the members, just the music. This lasted from 2020 to March this year. I did try to memorize the members of the band last year, but again I wasn’t really into the fandom, I just liked them as background music/shoving their music into my ears whenever I feel like it, which was a lot, but not on the same level as me immersed in David Bowie’s many personas and the fandom side of THAT.

I don’t know what got me interested in drawing ELO members or reading fandom posts about them, but here I am. I love being this way, and it gives me more people to be interested in so I take this as a win. They just have that adorkable charm to them.

Why I’m Obsessing over ELO’s Confusion

Now the context is out of the way, let’s discuss why I’m obsessing over their “Confusion” song. Like I previously mentioned, I liked the song to listen to sometimes, and to use as background music. Yes, even when I was blissfully unaware of the members and the fandom, and the future that was to come of me drawing the most bizarro cursed nonsense shlock (affectionate) regarding the band. It’s a nice song, detailing the (in my interpretation, yours might differ) confusion, shock, and sadness one feels after breaking up with their significant other. However, I, being the equally cursed weirdo that I am, decided to use that song for the dreaded (affectionate) Melvyn bread train doodle. Why? Because that was the theme of the drawing. Did I need to add the song? No, but I thought it would be funny and look cool. Then when I clicked on the Spotify link I heard a snippet of the song and I unfortunately applied the lyrics to the drawing, implying that the band lost… Melvyn’s… human(?) form and became that cursed abomination (affectionate) and have their feelings about it.

Now, instead of being at peace with their music (specifically Confusion) I am now going to think of that drawing every time I listen to it. Just great (lightheartedly sarcastic).